Death Dealers

Plans

Gareth studied the map of the northland. The Kingdom of Shoon was not as wealthy as the empire, but their feudal nature made them difficult to control and they had a lot of magic. The vault had originally come from the north, or so the legends said.

His team was gathered around the table with him. Five were women, leaving himself and two other men. He didn’t have a problem with this, he respected the female death dealers, in many ways, they were more deadly than the men. Even though women had more power in the empire than in other societies, they were not truly seen as equals.

“How many of you have been on missions in the north?” He asked.

Everyone raised a hand. “Okay, I want to know your first-hand knowledge of what we are walking into and I want advice on how to bring peace in the north with minimal casualties on both sides.”

“Both sides, my lord?” One of the men asked.

“I plan to rule the north, it would be best to keep it intact.”

The women nodded and the men shrugged. A plain-faced woman stepped forward. “They sent you to the north, my lord, because of all the death dealers you have created fear in the hearts of the people. You killed your own father when you were thirteen, and in your test, you walked into an enemy garrison, alone and killed thirty men. You may not have the experience we have, but you have a reputation...granted, most of us try not to build a name for ourselves, it makes us a target. You, though, have carefully constructed a reputation and now you are openly vault. Use that fear, strike fast, strike hard, and divide to conquer.”

“Suggestions.”

“The house of Elgond. They are a wizarding family, but also high nobles and they want independence from the Shoon.” Mari said. “What, I was a spy for the Archmagi...I had to funnel information to the north in a way that couldn’t be traced to her.”

The others nodded slowly. Many of them seemed to forget that she had been an agent of the Archmagi. The discussion continued with each member adding their own knowledge of what awaited them. Then they made a plan and called it a night.

***

“You're considering something,” Mari said as she gave him a sponge bath. She was facing him washing his chest. He grunted. “That isn’t an intelligent response.” She observed.

“I’m weighing the risk. The vault is fully active now. It takes three members to be active, once activated, we can make vault guards. Each member gets three guards, plus one general commander.”

“Okay, what’s the problem?” She asked.

“Loyalty...they will be tried by the vault and if they fail, they will be destroyed. My forces are death dealers, I am not sure they can pass the test.”

“Give them the option. Let them trust you, but they can’t trust you if you don’t trust yourself.”

Gareth nodded. He enjoyed her simple wisdom and he knew that she appreciated the fact that he did listen. She would make a good paramour, but something about the system troubled him. He also wanted to see her at the head of a house, not in the shadows.

***

Gareth studied his unit. Tomorrow they would cross into enemy territory and he did not want to do it as a death squad. He wanted to be something more, but what he wanted to do could be dangerous. His eyes scanned the six members of his squad standing in formation in front of him. Mari stood at his side. This wasn’t exactly protocol, but his soldiers never complained. They were good people, but he wasn’t sure if the vault would take them. Trust us. The vault whispered in his head.

He scanned the six one more time looking for the person he thought the most loyal. His eyes stopped on Hyrima, he knew that she and Mari shared a pallet on some nights, he was fine with the arrangement and her tie to Mari was yet another tie to the vault.

“Hyrima, step forward.” He ordered.

She stepped forward. “I need your knife.” He stated.

She handed him one of her many knives.

“Do you swear to me that this is your knife?”

She paled. She knew the rite and it was usually used for judgment. “My lord, I don’t…”

“Do you swear that this is your knife?”

“It is my knife, my lord. I swear it on my life.” She responded.

“Trust me.” He whispered and he slit his hand with her knife.

There was an intake of breath. If a subject's blade took the blood of a master her life was in his hands. Hyrima was watching him. She understood the next part of the rite, she would be forced into some form of punishment. He could see the question in her eyes, but also acceptance. This was good.

“Soldier, your blade has taken the blood of your commander, what is your punishment?”

A tear ran down Hyrima’s cheek. He felt guilty, but this was necessary. “Anything up to my life can be required of me, my lord.” Her voice broke. “My lord...please, may I at least know what I have done?” She pleaded.

“I will not pass judgment upon you, my blood will try you.”

There was another collective gasp. The blood trial was a thing of the Magi and not truly understood by the other guilds. The two magi in the group took a step forward, but his eyes stopped them. “Stand.” He ordered.

Hyrima stood. He placed his hand to her lips. He had to concentrate to keep the wound open. Her body was trembling slightly, but she took his hand and drank.

The spasms started instantly. She stumbled backward as her body jerked at odd angles. She went to her knees and started heaving. A mass of black tendrils flowed out of her mouth writhing in the cool air until they turned to vapors and vanished into nothing.

She looked up at him, a smile on her face despite the obvious pain she was in. “I accept my lord. Thank you…” the rest was cut off as her back arched and light blossomed from inside her body.

Lightning lanced from her body into the sky and then her body was consumed in radiance too bright for the eye to penetrate. The light vanished and Hyrima was no more. Then a form made of pure energy formed where she had knelt, slowly it shifted through the elements until Hyrima knelt on the ground. Her uniform was no more, but her skin was flawless. She opened her eyes and orbs of light shown in the dimming light of day. She stood and her body was sheathed in armor. A shield of fire and a sword of ice appeared in her hands.

“Behold the future of the Empire,” Gareth announced. “I would give you each this gift, but now you see the cost. I must warn you, absolute loyalty is required or you will die.”

The other five members of the Death Squad stepped forward as one. Gareth nodded. He now trusted the people; they had seen the pain and considered it worth the cost. He still wasn’t sure they would all survive, but it was worth the risk. Hyrima was now more deadly than all the other members combined.

This time he drained some of his blood into a cup and let each member drink from it. The process was much the same for the others. Some took much longer than others. It was grueling to watch. The whole time Hyrima stood a silent sentinel. Her eyes watching everything.

***

The Emperor’s eyes shot open. It was as if the universe had shattered and been reformed. Magic hummed in the air. “Summon my nephew’s wife.” He ordered.

He stood and threw on a robe and looked down at the women in the large bed. “You are dismissed.” They stood and filed out.

He had an idea of what had just happened, but he had to know. The secret histories told about the day the vault left. They had described the magic in the world vanishing and then reappearing in a muted state. Over the years the Magi had rebuilt magic, reforming it into ordered systems, but he had longed to free the potential for magic. Had his nephew done the unfathomable? For three thousand years the vault had been the object of many conquests, but none had found it. He had been intrigued by the claim that the vault had been uncovered, but what just happened could have only been the vault. It was the first overt sign that the power had reawoken.

“Contessa Esrea of Kilorma of the healers is here to see you, my lord.” A guard stated.

“Show her in.” He commanded.

He felt her power before she ever entered the room. Before, when he had met her she had been a chandelier, warm and welcoming, but not exceptional, now she was a blazing furnace and her very skin glowed. She bowed very slightly. The silver serpent coiled around her right arm lifted its head and hissed at him. He took a single step back. This was unexpected.

Esrea’s eyes were the color of the sea but appeared to be burning. Every few seconds reflected lightning arched through them. Some of her hair seemed to be drifting in an unseen wind. “Sorry about the light display, your majesty I think it will calm down in a few hours or days.”

“What exactly has transpired...I felt the world shatter.”

“A defender was born, but she is different, she was born of a wizard,” Esrea answered.

“Is that you speaking dear, or the vault?” The emperor asked.

“Both and neither. The vault and Esrea possess this body and the vault and Esrea possess the vault. We are.” Esrea answered.

He was silent for a moment. The secret histories spoke of connections like this, but back then they were enemies, was the vault still the enemy of the Empire? If it was still an enemy; they would need to be destroyed. He would regret killing his nephew, but he would, for the empire. “Is the vault enemies of the empire?” He asked.

Esrea shook her head. “I am loyal to the empire. The vault is the empire and the empire the vault the true emperor is the original key. You made him for that purpose.” When the words left her mouth she stopped her eyes wide.

“No, he isn’t my son. Made is a strange word...I orchestrated events so that he was born, and saw that his father got his pawn into the assassin's school, I also saw that he was noticed by the Magi. In truth, his scores were nearly identical to yours. He should have been a healer. I think that’s why he kept you. You were the part of himself he could never obtain.”

“I need to make my guardians, and Jax will forge his. I need an elite guard to assure we aren’t disturbed. In payment, I will give you access to the physical vault in Firisa, or more precisely the door to the vault is there. Do not betray me Magi.”

It was disconcerting how quickly the vault and Esrea could change personas. Maybe it was like they said, they were one. He nodded and signaled for his guard to see the order relayed