The room was lit only by the lanterns hanging on the stone columns that flanked the central aisle and a series of candelabras on a long dining table, which had been dragged before the dais that held the massive golden throne. Behind it, a dark canvas curtain flapped angrily as it blocked what was once a glorious stained-glass window, now a gaping hole exposed to the bitter winter night outside. The table seated a dozen noble guests, all dressed in fine silk dresses and doublets, and held an overflowing banquet of roasted meats, greens, and pastries. While I didn’t recognize most of the guests, my eyes were locked on the men at the head of the table; Virram Yorrell sat in a high-backed chair just beneath his throne, with his trusted advisor Gullen seated at his right.
“VIRRAM!” I boomed, my voice filling the hall with an echoing chorus.
The noise drew a series of startled yelps from the dinner guests as they turned to watch me approach through the shadowy hall. Virram’s face showed momentary concern, but a wide grin spread across his face as he recognized me. “Lux, my friend! I was wondering when you’d be back.” He looked at his dinner guests and waved them down. “Please, friends, continue with your dinner! Lux is an associate of mine; no need to worry.”
“What have you done,” I hissed, ignoring his pleasantries.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to be more specific,” he chuckled. He rang a small bell set on the corner of the table, and a moment later, the door to the barracks room behind the dais burst open. A line of guardsmen filed into the room and formed up behind him as he continued. “If I had to guess, you’ve recently been to Shadowmine. Am I correct?”
I remained silent as I stalked forward. Small wisps of black smoke wafted out from the cracks in my armor and swirled around my head. Gullen jumped as I entered the lamplight of a nearby pillar, his face alight with excitement. “I was so sad to hear you had left Kaldan,” Virram continued, motioning for his councilor to be still. “You did quite a number on us when you left, did you know that? Finding craftsmen that understand the inner mechanisms you destroyed in the Mountain Gate has been a difficult task.”
He popped a strawberry into his mouth and chewed it greedily. “Also, the Third Company hasn’t been the same without their fearless leader, Commander Savitz. It was such a tragedy to hear of his loss, especially so soon after you killed his son.” The remark drew a round of horrified gasps from the dinner guests. “Yes, that’s right; Lux here is the very man who slew my Strength. The Umbral Flame himself! The young Savitz so valiantly defended me during your attempt on my life, and his father rallied the entire Third to bring you to justice.”
The words passed over me without impact, and Virram’s brow furrowed. “Come now, Lux, it’s no fun if you don’t play along.” He put a hand to his chin in exaggerated thought until his face once again lit with delight. “Oh, tell me! How is the Corell family adjusting to life in Lybesa? Marten, Hana, and Marlia, correct? My sources tell me that Mayaan has had their own encounter with Umbral Flame recently; I hope they’re alright.”
He stood from his chair and leaned both hands against the table, cocking his head to one side. “And your friend, Marin? Did she survive her...incident?” he asked, venom dripping from every word. “It was truly a shame she had to become involved in all of this, but you forced my hand. From the moment you returned from your little trip to Attetsia, I knew you had turned my Shield against me. Commander Savitz was more than happy to help put that traitorous bitch Valandra in line if it meant getting to you, and with her sister being so close to you, well...it was really your own fault, wouldn’t you say?”
My sword appeared in my hand and immediately burst into a glorious pyre of black flames, bathing the throne room in a sinister glow. The dinner guests let out a round of terrified screams as they stood and fled towards the back of the room. Virram hooted and banged his hands against the table, apparently unmoved by the display. “Yes, Lux! Finally! Do you have any idea how much I’ve gone through just for the chance to see the Umbral Flame with my own eyes?” The assembled guards behind him stepped forward and surrounded him in a protective phalanx, holding shield and spear out at the ready.
“Ever since you so thoroughly dispatched my man Jack in the dungeons, Gullen here has begged me for the chance to see you in your full glory,” the young king explained. “Likewise, my associate in Shadowmine has been very interested in meeting you. It’s a shame he’s away on...business.” At the mention of his name, Gullen pushed away from the table and began to make his way towards me. “I thought it a strange request, but they both insisted your power would be unlike anything the world had ever seen. Who am I to argue with the wisdom of my councilors?”
As he shuffled forward, Gullen rolled up the sleeves of his heavy robe, revealing a series of jagged black scars that ran along his pallid, wrinkled arms, spreading down from his shoulders and ending before his wrists. “I told my King it would be safer for us to talk only after you revealed your true form,” he said in a small, squeaking voice. He stopped at the edge of the table, still about twenty yards from my current place in the massive throne room, and extended his arms in my direction, palms forward. “You may have been blessed with power, but only wisdom will allow you to control it. Allow me to show you
