SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Twenty One
Chapter 21
“Failed? How could they have failed!! She was just a single girl, no more than sixteen or seventeen years of age and 25 elite men couldn’t take her?” Dreybrenic stormed as the news reached him.
His black eyes flashed with repressed power even though his throne room in Hades shook with the violence of his temper. A strand of equally black hair escaped the ribbon tying it back and showed the contrast between his milky skin and the color he chose to wear constantly.
“You were told to lure her out, not attack her in her strong hold. But you couldn’t listen to me; you were too busy crowing about your success in fathering an heir at last; even if the babe died a few days later and the woman died in childbirth. I do understand your wish to procreate, but you have to focus or you will lose much sooner than later.” The voice was hard even though it was next to a whisper. It sent shivers down the spine of Dreybrenic Greshinea, returning to him images of his making at the hands of this god. Soon, he thought, I will be free of you forever, and then beware for I will make you feel everything you ever made me feel.
“My Lord Chaos, it seemed foolish to attempt to track her when we knew where we could find her….”
The crack of Chaos’s hand across the face of his minion echoed throughout Hades. “And what has it led you to? She is somewhere in this world and you don’t know where. She knows your name and she is angered. Did you think I lied to you when I told you she was more than you could handle? Did you think I lied to you when I told you not to get her angry? Did you think I lied to you when I told you that if you attacked her, you would spend the rest of your days wishing you had never heard of her?”
“But My Lord, the others….”
Again the crack of Chaos’s hand across the face of his servant filled the air. “…Are just as out of your power as she is. I know, you have two of them in cages and are bringing them here, but do you honestly think they will make it?”
“I have no reason to doubt my men….”
“The same men from who came those that attacked and angered a Demon? Dreybrenic, you are a greater fool than I thought.”
“I have planted other seeds. There is the one in that Elf. And the Troll Princess is looking promising…”
Chaos gave him such a look of pity that for a moment Dreybrenic trembled in anticipatory fear. The agony began slowly, deep inside his stomach and spread throughout his whole body; it was a terrible need, a great pain, an unquenchable ache, and it filled him completely. It stopped as abruptly as it started.
“My Lord Chaos, I will not fail you. All of Sandeenai will be within my power…our power…by the year’s end. And this prophecy, those that would stand in our way, I will crush it with the deaths of the two who are on their way here. You can watch as they die, begging for mercy at our feet.”
Chaos knew that his minion was dreaming and had visions of gaining ultimate power over the gods themselves. He knew that the danger of this happening was very great if Serenity’s champions failed or the prophecy was stopped. He was Chaos, both in name and nature, something Dreybrenic forgot.
“So you say, Dreybrenic. Time will tell. I have things I must do. Don’t mess up again, Dreybrenic, or the Demon Elf will be the least of your worries.” Chaos was gone in a mist of scarlet and violet.
Dreybrenic Greshinea, minion to Chaos, soon to be Lord of Sandeenai, turned from the departing god and looked over those of his faithful that were gathered to his presence. So, Chaos thought him a fool and that he wouldn’t be able to handle getting two unarmed caged people to his stronghold. Hadn’t he already all but wiped out the Wer from these hills? Hadn’t he already subjugated the greater portion of Sandeenai? Who was to stop him? Eight insignificant people who had nowhere to go and no one to turn to?
“Send two more patrols of elite to escort our guests to us. Now!” If Chaos was so worried, Greshinea would simply double the guard around the two. Twenty-five elite should be able to contain two helpless wretches long enough to get them to Hades from Tealshire.
Sitting back into his throne, Dreybrenic snapped his fingers and several half naked slave women crawled to him with wine and food to offer him. Smiling, he took the solid gold goblet and drained the rich red wine in a single drink. He allowed one of the girls to feed him sweet young grapes and another to give him fragrant warm bread dripping with butter.
“Fool am I?” Dreybrenic laughed a chill laugh that made all in his presence shudder. He was in a wicked mood and that meant someone was going to die in a horrible manner before the night was through.
“That idiot thinks he knows better than I? Shægnek, I need you to do something for me. Send the impulse to go south to the three in Jentro. Guide them without their knowing to free the two in my minion’s power. I want that fool to learn he is never to cross me again.”
“But Chaos, that would make the prophecy come together faster. I would have to move the First faster as well.” Shægnek was surprised that Chaos would want to thwart his minion in such a fashion. Then she stopped and laughed. No, she wasn’t surprised; she knew he was chaos in nature and name. “Very well, Chaos, I will speed things up, just a touch. It would be good to put fear into the fearless minion who thinks he knows better than his master.”
Chaos shared a look with Shægnek and then left the library. The slamming of the door rattled the chandelier and gave Shægnek the means to send the impulse to the Second and those with him.
The gentle rain that fell in Jentro that night misted into the room of the Golden Cat and into the dreams of the Second, the Sting, and the Gentling. In the morning, the elite that had been sent to Jentro would find their prey gone and a mystery in their place. Dreybrenic Greshinea would learn fear at the hands of fate and whimsy.