Caleb's Journey

Prince of the past

Deep in the recesses of an underground labyrinth the lord of the undead, Xerax, and his attendant and agent, Nostarius, the dread vampire, languidly lounged on their respective purple, velvet sofas. Such is the life of those who have no fear of death due to their immortality in that they idle away the hours without regard to the passage of time. At this moment a long lurking thought in the mind of Xerax ignited his passion and he sat upright as he spoke, “Nostarius, for eons I have abhorred every living thing. Why should I live in the dank underbelly of the world as an outcast? Am I not nobly born? Am I not a prince! Long before the ancestors’ ancestors of those who claim sovereignty over these lands were but babes, I sat as the heir of a great kingdom. No longer shall I hide. I intend to destroy or enslave all who draw breath.”

Our empire of the unliving shall rule until the gods come to tear this world asunder. Then, let them come, for I will have perverted all that they have created. I spit in their vainglorious, self-important eyes! They epitomize vanity, demanding worship and offering nothing in return. As if making the world was a great effort for them. It may have taken no more effort on their part than the effort by you or me to lift a finger and yet we are expected to fall at their knees for this feat. No god has ever heeded my callings. Let them rot. Let them choke on the stench of the corpses that we leave in our destructive wake. May the billowing smoke of burning cities rise up to the heavens and make them gag. The thought of Her writhing in fits of discomfiture brings a smile to my ancient visage.”

For a moment the black-haired, ivory-skinned Nostarius gazed quizzically at his master, composing himself before he spoke. His lithe fingers circling his golden goblet of fresh blood, he took a graceful draught as he formulated his reply in his mind. The reply being adequately formed he offered it, “My lord, the armies of the Light King are unsurpassed in terms of both size and advancement of arms. They have vanquished all who have attacked him. Decades ago Victor III, in another

war, The War of the Four Races, unleashed soldiers and his knights, and quickly decimated his adversaries. Since then they have built additional strongholds and forced the minor kingdoms to sign pacts of mutual defense with him. Unilaterally, the Light Kings defeat any foe without the full exertion of his martial potency.” The vampire, who enjoyed a rousing dialogue as a means of passing an evening added, “We have no army, but the thought of crushing the vain Victor IV and how it would be achieved does make for interesting conversation.”

“

Nostarius, respected amongst your kind for your cunning wit, permit me the opportunity to expatiate upon this point. That vainglorious, pompous, puffed up mortal, the Light King, faces numerically smaller or poorly organized forces. His expeditionary army suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of a collection of barbarians.

It’s a well known fact, but not in the Wild. Nothing that transpires on this planet does not make it to my ears. From this we know that the martial prowess of his legions can be matched.

The knights place great stock in their skill at arms which I believe makes them lax in their attention to the possibility of an attack. We can take them unawares.

Many millennia ago giants ruled the land unaware of the existence of their nemeses, the dragons. Those giant reptile

ruled the skies from their great castles in the clouds, both races, the children of Mithkre and Barometh. For ages, peace reigned between them until the dragons saw the vast expanse of territory accorded to the giants and became envious. A terrible war ensued that decimated both sides. Giants are extinct and but a few dragons remain, if any. That is when man began his rise to power. He and the other races joined forces to chase away these great beasts and set themselves up as the new masters of the planet.”

“

A fascinating history lesson, one with which I was somewhat familiar, but what of it?” asked the vampire.

“

I’m used to seeing blood drip from your fangs, but sarcasm suits you well. Undoubtedly some of those mortals will miss their precious artifact. They went to great lengths to hide it from the rest of the world and they will apply that same zeal to its recovery. I mean to use the divine essence in the Tear to raise an army of undead soldiers and then learn the secrets of the recently stolen item. To do that, I need time, time to study the Tear, years, maybe. In order to gain that time I shall use my own great powers to create an army of the undead, skeletal legions, and forge an alliance with the gnolls and ogres. Once I raise my hordes I must slumber. You will make the arrangements in my name.

Our combined armies will swoop down on the border stronghold of Attalis like a hawk on an unsuspecting mouse!” Xerax clenched his fist, “Before they gather their wits expect to find them in my claw, Attalis fallen, exposing their soft southern underbelly. Undoubtedly the other races will rally to their aid and a great war will ensue. With all attention averted from my real plan, I shall work unmolested to my true end.”

“

Ambitious plans my lord. I wonder if the mortals will react as expected. Once you have your legions in place, do you expect them to submit?” the snide vampire remarked.

Betraying the slightest hint of anger in his grey eyes, the ageless man spoke in marked tones, “Sometimes my dear vampire, you weary me. Were it not for your lust for power, which makes you an excellent immortal and good companion, I think I should enjoy torturing you for centuries as opposed to just willing you to dust. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done either. However, I will answer you.”

The anger grew in his eyes, “I’m a prince by birth and master of the undead by will. I don’t give others choices, nor do I care what they think. These beings simply need to die. My throng of undead legions will trample on the tiny mortals crushing their will, their spirit, and their hope. Then, I, Xerax, Lord of the Undead, banished prince of a forgotten realm, shall take my rightful place as ruler of the world!”

“

It was ages ago that I was cast out of my kingdom. The age of man was new and I was but a young man, a prince of a now forgotten land, a land that you won’t find on any of today’s maps, but a land that still lives in my mind. I had a betrothed, the princess of a neighboring land, Princess Mayune of Sengh. How dearly I loved her and looked forward to the day that I took her as my bride and united our kingdoms. It was an ideal marriage of both political and personal gain. Even now I see her image before me, her long brown hair, those captivating green eyes, jewels that sparkled and flashed only for me, small, thin lips that pursed to whisper my name with that soft, sweet, voice.” For a moment it seemed that even the most evil of beings had retained a flicker of his humanity. He even paused before he resumed his narrative.

“

As a mortal I had a deep and abiding fear of my mortality, ever since I was a small child. From an early age, I had already grasped this concept. While other children in the castle played, I saw the sands of time running, slipping through my fingers and knew the day would come that I would die. This fear gripped me, haunted me daily. To know that one’s life exists for but a very minuscule, finite period of time, like the blink of an eye drove me to madness. Sleeping became difficult as every night I wondered how the stream of consciousness continued in the hereafter. Horrid thoughts of infinity danced in my head. What would eternity be like? Was immortality tedious? Would Uua select me to dwell in paradise or would Barometh the Unholy harvest my essence for his pleasure to torture and torment? When death came, how and when would it come for me? My active imagination and inability to banish such haunting notions caused me to live a tortured life. Death became my constant, unwelcome companion.

For both political and personal reasons I maintained a strong, pleasant external demeanor. No prince can show even the slightest sign of weakness. I sought a means of mental distraction and preparing to rule my kingdom seemed the perfect way to free my mind from its prison; diplomatic negotiations with neighboring kingdoms, military conquests of others, magical research, touring my lands. I convinced myself that salvation lay in shaping a great nation.

To that end, I began having more frequent contact with my father, Pancor. Prior to me expressing an interest in ruling my father had viewed me as an idle idealist, a man content to delve and dabble in magic and to receive an education from his advisors. However, roused by what I perceived as my deliverance from my death induced depressed state I approached him in earnest regarding the pursuit of my endeavors. This altered his perception of me. Now, he took a keen interest in my tutelage as he sought to fill my head with knowledge of both military and diplomatic matters. For a time, I found myself slightly altered, for the better. The old thoughts crept in on occasion, but so far I had been able to repulse them.

Many days Mayune and I rode horses together. My changed, more royal nature, as she called it, impressed her. I suppose I liked impressing her. Most people were impressed with me because of my birthright. With Mayune, it was different. Perhaps because she was royalty as well, but I think it was something more than that. She saw things differently than I. She was more free-spirited, innocent, which is what I most liked about her. We would ride to some hilltop that overlooked a green valley, tie the horses, and spend the afternoon discussing our future union.

Around this time there came to my father’s court a noble from one of the provinces, Lord Vis. He had emerged from relative obscurity and questionable birth to inherit his lands when his cousin, the previous ruler, died mysteriously in his sleep. With no other immediate family to contest the claim, the lands fell to Lord Vis, a slender, dark-haired, finely dressed man with an incredibly well- mannered and articulate nature. I found myself instantly drawn to this carefree noble. He possessed exquisite taste and oozed confidence with his facile manner and calm, almost hypnotic voice. Quickly, he became the favorite of many a courtly attendant. I made him my personal advisor, grooming him for the role of sage when I ascended the throne.”

His companion for centuries, the dark, diabolical vampire saw something in the eyes of his master that in the centuries he had spent with him he had never heretofore witnessed, .regret. “Her memory, the memory of a lost loved one troubles thee, master.” Nostarius knew this, but the rare chance to torment Xerax thrilled him. Usually it was Xerax, as master, who needled his servant.

“

I loved her,” he replied, “but not as much as I loved myself. Despite my best efforts, the death thoughts returned and tortured me more than they had previously. It’s a powerful thing to know that inevitably you are going to die. At times I thought I heard voices whispering to me, you are going to die. Death comes for all. Look at how quickly the years pass. In the blink of an eye you went from a boy to a man. Soon, you’ll grow old, see yourself in the mirror and not recognize who you are. It can’t be stopped. Imagine not knowing if the authors of such sounds reside in your mind or if the world mocks you and your brief existence. I felt my time, my youth, my life, slipping uncontrollably through my fingers and I hated it! Even now after millennia have passed the anger still wells within me and stifles my expression.”

Forcefully, he slammed his right fist against the table, splitting it in half. “Classify my views any way you desire. What care I? Call it madness, an existential crisis, princely vanity. I offer no apologies for my actions and seek no forgiveness for them either.”

“

To continue, Lord Vis became more and more my confidante. I began to prize his company and opinions above all others. He was a frequent visitor to my palace in the hills, Nighmok. We dined on the most exquisite meals, sipped the finest wines, and listened to my private musicians play soothing music as I poured out my fearful nature to him.”

“

I told him that it exceeded my faculties to comprehend not existing in the present world and that trying to wrap my mind around such a concept had caused me to fear going to sleep for I viewed my private quarters as a death chamber and that I lie at the brink of madness. I confessed that I knew that people had come to this world before me, that these people had trodden on the same places as me, witnessed the same rising sun, loved their fellow creatures, but now they had vanished and no longer mattered. I feared my own insignificance.”

“

As a future king I had a high level of self-importance. I detested the very notion that I, Prince Xerax, might fade from memory and mean nothing to the world. Lord Vis listened intently to my every word. It seemed as though he peered into my inner self and saw my pain, nodding in assent as I verbalized the machinations of my mind. He offered me words of encouragement and it appeared that somehow he knew exactly how I felt so much so that I had no shame in sharing my thoughts with him, for if I withheld any information his keen probing questions extracted my feelings to the surface. Therefore, I exposed my innermost fears to him and told him that fear, like a thief, stole my joy by constantly whispering ‘death’ into my ear.”

“

Lord Vis smiled wryly and traced his finger around the rim of his wine glass. Then, with his great confidence and quick tongue, he began putting questions to me, “What about the afterlife? Many are chosen to dwell in the kingdom of Uua and know eternal joy.”

“

What if I am not selected?”

“

Master, surely she chooses kings.” He quipped.

“

Nobody knows that for sure. I know that She lives and gives the Magic of Light to honored recipients. Yet, if She selects me, might I not tire of her concept of paradise? If not chosen, I cannot abide being the plaything of Barometh, angered at his imprisonment by Uua’s brother,

Mistacles the Avenger, and content now to torture those that he steals from Uua’s grasp in their final moments of life.”

My advisor paused for a moment, studied me, took another casual sip of his wine and then continued. “Why fear Barometh? My lord, he only harvests the worst among mortals, those he either delights in harming or those he thinks will be of use to him when he tries to escape from his shackles. Your highness, you lie far beyond his grasp, believe me. If Barometh and Uua had to fight for each human essence, the struggle would tear their child, the world, Mithkre, asunder. My lad secrets which lie beyond your experience abound and the magic of which you know comes from the life energies of that child.”

“

Highness, I have a great understanding of magic as I had a peerless tutor. The history of this world, the truth, is knowledge that I possess.” At that moment, he leaned forward and as his gaze met mine, he knew he held me enthralled. “Barometh has an essence that lies beyond mortal comprehension, he has a form, but nobody knows his origins, save him. Untold ages ago

, he traveled through the heavens and beheld Uua and her beauty. He ravaged her. Her brother came to her aid and together they smote the demon, imprisoning him in Penthis, the NetherRealmRealm. Enraged, weakened, and full of his ever present hate, The Corruptor, as he is sometimes called, now meddles in the affairs of man whenever possible. Someone like you, a good prince, with a noble heart, would beyond his reach.”

“Such comforting words temporarily soothed my worried mind,” Xerax said. “Then, Lord Vis spoke the words to me which forever changed my life, “I have much more knowledge than this to give. My coming to your court was no accident. I came to you to share what I have learned and I can ease your suffering my liege. Do you desire the secret of immortality? Do you want to live forever?”

“

Yes!” I hungrily replied without a moment’s hesitation.

“

What would you be willing to sacrifice for that knowledge?” He asked.

“

Anything,” I replied.

“

Or anyone?” he quickly shot back at me.

I froze. What could he have meant? It certainly seemed possible that he wanted some of my wealth, possible a few parcels of land to add to his tiny domain, still under my control of course. This sounded different. My noble nature told me to decline, but my fear, my vanity spoke, “Vis, what do you mean by putting such a question to

me?”

“

A knowing smile formed on his fair face. “It lies within my power, if you have the desire and fortitude, to grant you immortality.”

“

My stomach tightened, my heart raced, and my mouth became dry. Words took shape in my mind, but I felt dizzy. What Lord Vis had just said to me seemed impossible. No creature on Mithkre was immortal! Even the giants and dragons had died. Now, I had to not only reconcile myself to his words, but to consider his offer as well. “My dear friend, surely you are not suggesting what I surmise. Do you dare propose that a prince, THE future king commit human sacrifice? Absurd! Devilish!”

Suddenly, Lord Vis’ visage took on a new shape. With a dark, guttural tone, he calmly replied, “Exactly.”

“

Exactly what?” I inquired.

“

Exactly devilish, your highness,” was his rejoinder.

Suddenly, I felt rather nauseated and the room seemed to spin. I lacked the power to give utterance to my thoughts. Still, his words penetrated my mind as he continued speaking.

“

Consider my generous offer. What is absurd about providing yourself relief from your greatest fear? I know, like nobody save your majesty, how your fear of death torments you. It denies you the ability to enjoy life for your constant mental companion whispers in your ear, you will die. I offer you the chance to live, truly live, unfettered by your present fear for all time. Never again wonder about the unknown, rather remain in the world that you fully comprehend. Live!”

“

Lord Vis slowly rose from the table. Desperately I seized him by the hand, for in my heart, I had no desire for him to depart, “I accept. I will live. Teach me how to become immortal. With the yoke of mortality removed I shall become the greatest king in history.”

“

Then you’ll pay my price, my prince. Sacrifice Mayune to Barometh and become that which you desire,” Lord Vis replied.

“

Commit human sacrifice of my betrothed? Who are you to speak to me of such things?” I inquired.

He flashed me a fiendish grin. “Some call me Larvis. I am an agent of Barometh. Give him what he wants and I’ll give you what you seek. It’s a fair bargain. We can achieve the end together. When Mayune comes to visit you I’ll lie in ambush, kill her bodyguards, and leave her to you.”

“

That fiend then produced a black hilted dagger,” Xerax remarked. “He told me all that was required was to plunge the dagger into her heart and I’d get my heart’s desire. I carefully considered the matter and felt like something of a fool for letting that devil get the better of me. Still, he knew my heart and I assented.”

A pleasant smile formed on Larvis’ face. “We know that she is due to visit in three days. When her carriage is on the road I’ll come upon her retinue in the form of a highwayman and slay all of them. I believe she travels with twelve bodyguards. It will be nothing for me to slay all of them. Speaking of slaying, now that you have given your word, you cannot back out of our bargain. Should you lose your nerve or tell another person I’ll eradicate you from this plane of existence.”

“

Now, back to my point. After all of the guards are slain, I’ll tear the door of the Mayune’s carriage off of its hinges and deliver her to you. It’s up to you to take it from there.”

The memory was as fresh in Xerax’s mind as if it had happened yesterday. “What could I do at that point? I had made a pact with a devil. Retreat was not an option. On the appointed day all went a Larvis had foretold. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that I carried out my part of the bargain.

Somehow, word of my deed reached the ears of my father. I blame Larvis. My father disowned me and sent his knights to capture me and put me in shackles. When I met them at my keep I took my sword from its scabbard and locked myself in combat with the knights. To my surprise when these men with skill at arms struck me no wound opened on my body. I slew every last one of them. Then, before the soldiers who waited outside for me to emerge in chains had a chance to enter, overpower me physically, and put me in shackles, like a thief in the night I stole away from my own residence. Stripped of my title and inheritance, what was to become of me? The answer is what you see now, a noble, chased from his homeland, his name and reputation damaged beyond repair. I fled and never looked back.”

With a flash he rose from his place on his sofa, waved his hand and ordered the vampire to follow him to his inner chamber. “We begin tonight,” he said. “I’ve lived like a shamed fugitive, a leper, for far too long. It is I who will rule the world and see that my subjects reign supreme!” The duo rose from their respective seats and Xerax led Nostarius to his laboratory.