The Violet Flamberge

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Three small candles sat in the center of the oval table, their small light barely able to illuminate the faces of the seven women who sat around it. Arria sat at the table’s head as she studied each of the women. These were women she could respect and admire. They were only human, but they were sick of being treated as lesser beings, and together created a colony completely run by women. Usually women weren’t so open about such affairs and preferred to use cunning to rise to the top without men being the wiser, so this was new.

Arria liked it. She could use it. Their ambition to govern society could work to her advantage to obtain absolute power over Calthoria. She had to be careful since these were women rather than men. Most men were dim-witted, especially the leaders, but women—women were devious. Although, since they were in a primarily female society, with so few men, several were fond of women much more than men. Arria already saw the looks a few of them gave her, and she hoped to use that to her advantage.

“I am so very glad all of you could make it. I would have hated to murder one of you my first week here for not showing up.” Arria smiled.

A few of the women appeared outraged but were nudged by the others. Arria made a mental note of those few to teach a lesson to later. She cracked her knuckles and laid them on the table, her hands blending in with the charcoal-hued table.

“We do not need to make this difficult. We are striving for the same purpose. Together we can reach this goal. Together we can usurp all leaders in Calthoria, and women can finally govern. This land would be the better for it.”

“And what would you ask in return, mistress?” Elainya asked.

Arria grinned. “Sudegam.”

“Sudegam?” Elainya asked.

“Yes, the kheshlarn capital. It will be mine,” Arria whispered.

“Now wait just a minute,” Divinity said. “We need the kheshlars—we can make stronger heirs through their bloodline. It is a shame the last escaped.”

“Last?” Arria asked.

“Yes, mistress,” Elainya answered. “We held one prisoner and planned on having her reproduce our next generation.”

“You were able to capture one in their own territory?”

“Oh, no mistress. She came to us. She attempted to pass through our lands as she headed south.”

“She?” Arria sked.

“Well, yes.”

“I thought you capture men to breed with. What do you hope to accomplish with a woman?”

“We tried to recruit her, and we hoped we would get her to conceive willingly, but if not, we would have forced her,” Divinity said.

Arria’s head began to spin with the behaviors and politics of the Ikchani. However, one thing stood out to her. Her. The kheshlar was a woman, and it was a woman who was not in Sudegam. Her heart raced as she clenched her fists.

Arria held her jaw steady and focused on Divinity. “What did this kheshlar look like?”

“She was blonde, heavy skirt armor, and a war hammer. I believe her name was Star—”

Arria leapt across the table and slammed the back of her left hand across Divinity’s lip. The motion occurred so fast that all the other women barely got off a blink by the time Arria knocked Divinity away from the table and held her by her throat. Her pulse throbbed as she raised Divinity several inches off the ground. She could feel the woman’s collarbone under her fingertips and was extremely tempted to break it.

“Where is she?” Arria asked.

Divinity only croaked in response.

“Have you hurt her?”

A hand touched her shoulder and she turned around to see Elainya by her side. “Please, mistress, let her go. She may need discipline, but she is valuable.”

Arria let go of Divinity and slapped her hand against Elainya’s left temple. The Ikchani crumpled to the ground and began to weep. The other women came from the table and helped Divinity to her feet as she continued to gasp for air.

“That is where you belong, on your knees before me,” Arria said.

Divinity looked up with glaring eyes but could not say a word as she was still coughing from her crushed windpipe. Blood trickled down from her busted bottom lip as the women helped her back to her seat.

Arria reluctantly walked back to her seat and sat. Each woman looked at her with fury in her face and cold fear in her eyes. Arria thrived off of their fear.

“Tell me what happened with my sister,” Arria said.

Murmurs filled the air.

“Tell me!” Arria slammed her fist on the table.

“Starlyn—your sister.” Elainya gulped. “She was traveling through the forest, alone or with another traveler. She seemed to be heading south, but we were never sure of her true destination. She was very weak and ill. At the time, we believed her, but after her escape … we cannot be certain if she was telling the truth,” Elainya said.

Arria stared at the welt on Elainya’s temple rather than her eyes. “And this companion of hers, have they been found?”

“No, mistress,” Elainya said.

“So, it is entirely possible Starlyn really was weak, and her ally is the one who freed her?”

“That is possible, mistress,” Elainya said.

“How did she seem? How weak was she? Did she eat well?”

“She was very weak and ill. Her face was pale, like she’d never seen sunlight. I know kheshlars are said to be paler than us, but she was as pale as the clouds rather than the light blue hue that I believe is typical. I never saw her eat—she tried, but often she couldn’t force herself to hold down very much.”

“That is not good. She doesn’t have long.”

“Mistress, am I mistaken, or aren’t kheshlars supposed to be immortal?”

“You are not mistaken. However, our mother got very ill and we could not save her. And I never discovered why …”

“I am sorry, mistress.”

“Sorry?” Arria slapped Elainya across the jaw. “You will refrain from feeling anything for me except absolute obedience.”

“Forgive me, mistress.”

“We have a new top priority. We must find Starlyn. Anybody who finds her needs to bring her directly to me.”

“We cannot be wasting our resources looking for a weak kheshlar who doesn’t want to be found, even if she is your sister,” Divinity said.

Arria unsheathed her dagger. “Aestrid nelamor.”

The thin, long wavy dagger ignited in violet flame. Arria took a step toward Divinity with clenched teeth. She was tired of the woman. The Ikchani disrespected her too much. She would have to be dealt with.

Divinity visibly shivered, but she didn’t back down. “We are strong. Now is the time to begin showing our presence. There are small villages we can begin conquering.”

Arria unclenched her dagger and the flames disappeared. “Divinity is right. However, since she cannot speak civilly to me, she will not be a part of the conquering. Your mission is to find Starlyn, and the faster you do so, the faster you can join us.”

Divinity scowled.

“And take Evangeline with you.”

Evangeline’s plain face practically glowed, but Divinity gritted her teeth.

“Leave, now,” Arria said.

Divinity stormed out, leaving Evangeline behind. Two of the other women helped Evangeline to her feet and she slowly made her way to the door while holding onto her expanded belly. Arria watched her leave with curiosity. She’d always wondered what it would be like to have a child.

“Now, time for the real business. The kheshlarn capital is weak, but that will not be our first move. The southern villages are much too strong, but the towns in the north are very fragile. I made certain of that myself,” Arria said.

“What about this new captain we hear so much about?” Adneiva asked.

Arria looked at the captain of the Ikchani. “He will no longer be an issue. He is looking for me, and he will not bring an army on such a chase.”

“Why does he seek you?” Adneiva asked.

Arria snickered. “I have his woman captive.”

Adneiva smiled. “Excellent.”

“Take three days to prepare, and then we begin our march.” Arria stood. “Now if you will excuse me, I have other matters that I must attend.”

Arria strode out of the tent and headed straight for her own. She needed time to think about all the new things she’d learned. Starlyn was off dying somewhere with the same illness their mother had. Despite all the power dark magic gave her, she hadn’t been able to save their mother. Now her sister was going to die and leave her the only survivor of the family. That was something Arria refused to let happen if she could help it.

Rage clouded her mind as she entered her tent. She stopped to look at the woman bound at the feet, wrists, and neck with chains. Arria could no longer control her fury as she glared at the woman. She grabbed her whip from atop her bed. Anaela had been welcomed into the kheshlar culture with open arms, but Arria was an outcast. All she’d tried to do all those years ago was try and find a cure to save her mother. However, what she’d done was forbidden. The kheshlars were so scared of the unknown. They had to stay away from humans and the deeper magics. And yet, in spite of all of that, they welcomed Anaela with open arms. They did not know much about her, or her race, and yet they welcomed her.

“You must think you’re special,” Arria said. “Everybody welcomed you in Sudegam with open arms.”

Anaela raised her head to look at Arria.

“What, did you bite your tongue?” Arria asked. “You are no better than me!”

Arria withdrew her whip and began slashing it against Anaela’s scarcely clothed body. Welts appeared, but Arria refused to stop, continuously bringing her left arm back over and over again until every muscle in her arm was sore. At first Anaela strained against her chains, but soon she went limp. The only thing that kept her on her knees were the chains secured tightly to her from behind. Arria heard her faint whimpers when she threw the bloody whip back on the bed.

Arria stalked over to Anaela, unsheathing her dagger and placing it against the bloody woman’s neck. “Shut up! I have not allowed you to cry.”

The blade of the dagger pressed hard against Anaela’s neck, piercing her skin slightly, and the blade stained red. Arria was shaking and nearly sliced her throat but pulled the blade away before she slipped. Instead, she pulled Anaela’s hair back hard, forcing Anaela to look up at Arria.

Arria smirked. “You are not so special after all.”

Arria jerked Anaela’s head back once more and pressed her lips against the prisoner’s. Arria pulled away and smirked before shoving Anaela’s head forward and bringing her dagger back around to slice off Anaela’s long hair as close to the scalp as she could manage. She grinned manically as chunks of the woman’s beautiful hair fell to the ground.