Elements of Glory: The Princess of Nothing

’The truth is fire, and it consumes all that is untrue…’

-Magnus Gunner, and wisdom passed on to trainees

Proud and tall, flanked by ugly red-skinned Thrags, the gorgeous Demoness strode smoothly, elegantly, stunningly, into the throne room that had once belonged to a Griffin King. The Thrag King sat in the nest-like throne at the far end of that wide chamber, and, from balconies and platforms high above the chamber, hundreds of Thrag glared down, chattering in a vile language that the Demoness understood all to well.

’What is this?’ the Thrag King demanded, waving one hand at the Demoness, while setting down an unrolled parchment with others.

‘She was at the gates,’ one of the Thrag guards said in a dim voice, prodding the Demoness in the back with his spear. ‘She said the Dark Master sent her.’

The Thrag King canted his crimson head to one side. ‘The Dark Master?’ he asked. ’Who is this?’

‘He will rule the worlds soon enough,’ the Demoness announced.

The Thrag King looked directly at her and sneered. ’Did I give you permission to speak?’ he snarled.

‘No,’ the Demoness responded coyly, ’he did… that is, the Dark Master, did!’

The Thrag King stood onto his four legs and trotted down from his throne on his padded, bear-like feet, moving to stand in front of the Demoness. She stared up at him, her red eyes aglow, unafraid of this beast and what he could and did do to lesser beings.

He has no idea who he’s dealing with… but he will… soon.

‘Maybe I should send your bones back to your master, as a warning for his impudence,’ the Thrag King snarled, and reached out with a clawed hand, grabbing the Demoness by the neck. ’He would see my teeth marks on your bones and he would rightly fear me.’

‘He would do no such thing,’ the Demoness responded, all calm.

’Oh?’ the Thrag asked, chuckling lightly. ‘Why don’t we find out?’

‘No,’ the Demoness responded casually.

’No?’ the Thrag King asked, cocking a midnight black eyebrow and leaning his face closer to the Demoness’s. ‘Why ever not, dear thing?’

‘Because,’ the Demoness smiled, ‘you’re already dead.’ Softly she blew in the Thrag King’s face, and, with a sudden flicker, a great super-heated stream of fire passed between the woman’s lips. The flame wrapped the Thrag King up instantly, and burned him to ash.

The Demoness spun, her long black hair whipping out, as the hundreds of Thrag in the throne room started to take flight. Some fled toward the throne room doors. The Demoness held a hand forward, and, using her dark power, she slammed the doors shut and lit them ablaze. Thrags turned to face her and she smirked.

Fire slowly engulfed her body.

’Do you fear me?’ she whispered.

The Thrags said nothing.

The Demoness grinned. Then fire exploded away from her with such tremendous force that the throne room blew apart, and then the Griffin castle. Stone scattered, stone melted, stone burned, and the Thrag horde was reduced to dust.

The Demoness stood unharmed. When it was over, she strode through the shattered remains of the palace.

‘Now,’ she said softly, to herself, ’if I was the Thrag King, where would I keep the Princess of Nothing?’

*

The palace shook to its roots and Emily’s training stopped as everyone in the jail cell looked around and tried to keep from falling.

’What was that?’ Aragam asked.

‘Great power,’ Siri whispered, stepping forward, ’terrible power!’

Emily turned to look at the willowy woman with those perfect teeth. ‘What are you talking about, Siri?’ she asked.

Siri slowly turned to face Emily, and the hag’s eyes looked distant, while her long fingers wiggled. She almost looked like she was hearing something very far away. ‘They’re all dead,’ Siri whispered, ’the Thrags… she’s killed them… this I know to be true.’

’She… Who killed them?’ Aragam growled stepping toward Siri.

‘No name,’ Siri said, ’she is the… Demoness.’

’No, no, no, no!’ Wuzzul exclaimed and Whirligig started to whimper and cry.

’You’re sure of this?’ Grijyn snarled, fear in his voice, causing Siri to turn and look at him.

’I can feel her,’ Siri responded, ‘she is coming.’

‘Wait a mytak, wait a mytak!’ Aragam said quickly, raising his hands above his head. ’The Demoness is a myth! She’s a story to scare little kids around a camp-fire!’

‘No!’ Siri spat, turning to face Aragam. ’She is real. She stood by Ratikgurr during the fall of the Weral…’ Siri’s face became deathly haunted. ‘I remember,’ she whispered, ’I saw her.’

Emily felt her entire body tingling as her companions spoke of the Demoness. She wanted to ask who, or what the Demoness was, but she instead found herself turning, looking toward the bars of the cell, and out into the stony hallway beyond. Without thinking, Emily walked toward the bars, and she reached out, grabbing them and gripping them tightly with her hands.

She felt someone approaching, like a deep breathing rushing through the hallways, cascading towards her. Then, as Emily gazed into the darkness, she saw piercing red eyes, glowing menacingly, moving closer and closer. Soon the shape of a woman could be clearly seen. On and on the woman walked, drawing nearer and nearer. She wore a long red and black gown, her hair was as dark as ink, and horns grew out of her forehead.

But that was not all. For as the woman drew nearer, Emily saw, without any room for doubt that this Demoness, this creature… this beast, looked like her!

She looked like Emily, if not a twisted version.

‘Oh, my,’ Emily heard Aragam say behind her.

‘Pretty Princess!’ Wuzzul shouted. ’Stay away from her!’

The Demoness stepped up to the bars, canted her head to one side and stared in on Emily. ‘So, you,’ she said in an almost musical voice, ’you are the Princess of Nothing… You are what so many beings fear… just a little girl.’

The Demoness looked over the others in the cell. ‘Three to die,’ she whispered, ’three…’ she looked back at Emily, staring her in the eyes, ‘to be brought back to my Master.’

‘You,’ Emily managed to say, ’killed the Thrags?’

’All of them,’ the Demoness smiled.

‘Such venom… it fills you up like... too much...’ Emily whispered. ’I can feel it… somehow… I can taste it.’

’You would,’ the Demoness smiled. ’Make it easy on yourself, Siakul… surrender yourself to me. Kill the Griffin, the Wasgician, and the hag, and help me bring the Dooys to our Master.’

A dark pull erupted inside Emily, and she found herself turning toward Aragam and the others. She felt great power awakening inside her, like lost fountains of the deep, breaking open and flowing power and understanding into a once empty vessel.

Emily could feel her strength growing, strength over air, water, earth, fire… and so, so very much more!

With a blink of her eyes the world looked like an existence made up of endless particles, and she knew that with a mere thought she could manipulate them.

Change them.

Destroy them!

Her eyes passed over Aragam, Grijyn, and Siri, and she saw them, their whole beings, as meaningless particles too.

‘Yes,’ the Demoness hissed, closing her eyes and breathing deeply, ’I can feel your powers awakening. You are more than even my Master knows… Shall I open them further still?’ the Demoness asked.

‘Emily!’ Aragam said sharply and her eyes were drawn to him, a glowing fountain of life.

Emily held a hand up, warning Aragam back. ‘I could scatter you,’ she whispered, ‘like dust on the wind.’

‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?’ Aragam roared at the Demoness.

’I am opening her to her full potential… Wasgician,’ the Demoness sneered. ‘Do you wish to see what she can do before you die?’

Aragam’s attention was returned to Emily, and, despite her outstretched hand, he took one step closer to her. ‘Emily,’ he said, ‘I don’t know what she’s doing, or what you’re seeing, but-’

’Silence,’ Emily snapped, ’even Wilth could not have known what powers live in me, what potential I have! No one could understand what I see… least of all you… Wasgician!’ She scoffed. ’You are not that… you are nothing.’

Aragam stared at Emily for a moment, and then, his voice cracking, he said, ’I’m your friend.’

Emily blinked.

‘How long were you alone, Emily?’ Aragam asked, his voice soft, kind, and true. ’You had nothing… you were the Princess of Nothing, but now… you have so much more, people who care about you…’ Aragam chanced one step closer and his blue eyes seemed to bore into Emily, as he said, ’People who love you.’

Emily gazed on Aragam and a tear ran down her face.

Then she waved a hand and turned Aragam into a searing pillar of fire. He didn’t even have a chance to scream, before he was burned away to nothing.

Siri screamed something and leapt forward. Emily waved a hand at the impish woman and the Griffin King. Then slashed her hand toward the Dooys. They all burst into falmes like Aragam, and in a moment they were gone...

Not even ashes remained.

‘NOOOO!’ the Demoness screamed and the bars to the cell burst open behind Emily. Emily spun to face the Demoness.

’The Dooys were to live! They were to be brought to the Master!’ There was fury in the Demoness’s glowing red eyes.

‘You should have made yourself more clear,’ Emily responded.

‘I was clear,’ the Demoness snarled... I was exact.’

Emily smiled as she considered the Demoness... This being she couldn’t scatter like dust.

This being had greater power.

She would be a challenge.

The Demoness sniffed and looked past Emily. She gritted her teeth and then turned, marching out of the jail cell. ‘Fine,’ she spat. ‘Come, we must return to the Master.’

‘Yes,’ Emily responded. ’We must.’ She followed the Demoness closely, and watched as she burst into flames and vanished, flickering away to somewhere else.

Emily clenched her fists and closed her eyes. With a crackle of fire and light – and a great plume of black smoke, blacker than the darkest night – she vanished too.