The small room was dark aside from the lone flickering light that hung above the stainless steel table in the center of the room. Tayla stared down at the gun on the table in silence. She couldn’t bring herself to move as her uncle Cyrus leaned forward and placed his hand on the grip of the gun and pointed the barrel at her while glaring.
As she looked down the barrel of her demise, Tayla’s mind struggled to piece together the events that led her to this ill fated meeting.
Ever since the field inspection with Nel’Dorn, Tayla hadn’t been able to sleep a wink. Her nights had been filled with fitful tossing and turning as she weighed the impossible choice she had been forced to make. Some part of her was tormented that she was even entertaining the notion of sacrificing innocent lives to appease the inquisition, worst yet, she was leaning towards accepting the offer. The cold logic of the Tranquility was cut and dry, the lives of a dozen farmers was a small price compared to the risk of having the true nature of the Coast discovered by the Court before the promised day.
The inquisition continued with its search bringing them ever closer to stumbling upon one of the many secrets that the Coast was built on. Hells, if they even learned the half of the truth they would raze Navalia to the ground.
Tayla rolled over, staring up at the ceiling of her room. With a sigh she began listing the names of the people she was dooming to their death.
With a sense of dread she looked over at the clock on her bedside table, it read half past ten in the evening. That meant there was only an hour and a half to back out of her deal with Nel’dorn. She had hoped that by closing her eyes and sleeping that it would make this ordeal easier to swallow. A part of her knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep, she would sit on her bed in agony watching the minutes pass by while fighting the urge to puke from the enormity of it all.
Her eyes flicked to the runes that still crawled on her wrist. The deal she made with Dee had seemed so long ago now. Dee had been clear that her part of the bargain was to show mercy to someone at some point; the vagueness of the arrangement was infuriating to Tayla. Was this the moment that she had to show mercy? Or would it be years from now? She wished to ask Dee directly but the chatty bastard had finally gone silent, and just when she needed answers from him.
As Tayla laid her arm across her eyes there came a beeping from her wall terminal. Blinking in surprise she made her way over, wrapping herself in a robe as she looked at the terminals screen. There was a priority message for her from her uncle Cyrus. What could he want at this hour? She thought as she hit the button to receive the message.
A grainy image of her uncle appeared on the small screen, even with the static and the small size, Tayla could tell the man was troubled. His face was dark and foreboding as he cleared his throat. “Tayla, I need you to meet me. There are some things I would discuss with you. It cannot wait.” He said as the message terminated, a moment later the screen flashed the location of where her uncle wanted to meet.
Tayla struggled to understand what would have caused her uncle such distress. Perhaps there was something wrong with Lillian, maybe the inquisition had stumbled upon something dire. Fear churned in her gut at the idea that Cyrus had somehow discovered about the deal she had made with Nel’Dorn.
Whatever was going on, she had to go and find out what was going on; if nothing else it would make for a much needed distraction. She quickly threw on some casual clothing as she rushed out the door. The pair of guards that were posted in the hall snapped to attention. One of them turned with a perplexed look. “My lady, is there something wrong?” They asked.
Shaking her head she faced the guard. “No, I received word that my uncle has something urgent to discuss with me. I won’t be long.” Tayla said calmly as she waved for the guards to stay. The guard frowned but didn’t resist the order.
As she reached the lift and pressed the button for the deck that was indicated in her uncle's message, Tayla realized she had left in such a rush that she had forgotten her revolvers. It should be fine. She thought absentmindedly.
The meeting place was located in one of the unused decks of the Keel, what possible reason could Cyrus have for wanting to meet in such an isolated place? Tayla found the door and after taking a breath to calm herself, entered the room. The room was barren aside from a stainless steel table with two chairs in the center of the space, a lone light flickering hung above. Cyrus was sitting on the other side of the table from Tayla, his forehead resting on his interlocked hands.
Tayla had never seen her uncle look so small, so vulnerable. He was hunched over, his shoulder slouched low. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by her uncle's voice, raw with emotion. “What do you know about the Faceless?” He asked abruptly.
Taken aback, Tayla stopped in her tracks. Hesitantly she said. “I mean, I know the basics. They are devils and demons that were born when the Old God of Chaos stole the secret of life from the Celestial’s, a twisted race of spies and monsters that can steal anyone's face. They revel in sowing the seeds of pandemonium and misery. Eventually the Old Gods abandoned them after the second accord, leaving them to die out. What’s this all about?”
Cyrus didn’t look up. His voice grew pensive. “I was hoping this could be different. But if you’re already this tainted by the Court’s propaganda then you leave me little choice.” He looked up for the first time, his eyes were red and raw, filled with a bitter resolve. Reaching down he pulled out his ornate pistol that was gifted to him by Tayla’s father. It was a work of art from the old world, a compact plasma weapon. While the destructive power paled in comparison to Tayla’s plasma cannon, it still held more than enough power to decimate anyone with a single blast. Cyrus placed the gun on the table with a thud.
“Your father was a kind and gentle man.” Cyrus said while looking down at the pistol, his face was a jumbled mess of emotions fighting for dominance. “When the Court demanded that the Coast send conscripts to aid in the subjugation of the Faceless threat twenty years ago, your father and aunt volunteered to go. They felt it was unfair to expect their countrymen to lay down their lives while they sat back and watched from the safety of the Keel.” He said wistfully.
“Uncle, you're scaring me. What ar-” Tayla interrupted.
Cyrus continued without pause. “After months of skirmishes with small clutches of Faceless, the united forces finally found the nest they were searching for. At the time the army was led by the grand inquisitor, Kai’Dorn, the previous host of Nel’Dorn. It is said that every host has slight changes to their personalities, if that is the case then this Kai fellow was the most violent and brutal man that ever lived. The atrocities he committed were numerous, flaying the skin from those that surrendered, burning any who tried to hide with oil, torturing children so that their cries would lure in more Faceless.” He paused for a moment, his eyes staring out through the veil of time, tears welling in the corners of his swollen eyes.
Tayla slowly tried to back up, hoping this was her chance to leave, it was obvious that her uncle was unwell. Perhaps this was some form of PTSD that had been brought up by some recent stressor. All she knew was that she needed to leave and get help for her uncle.
Her uncle’s head snapped to look at her as he reached out and put a hand on the gun. Tayla put her hands up and stopped moving. “Uncle please, you're scaring me!” She cried out.
“You need to know! This has to happen!” Tayla had never seen her uncle yell, he had always been a peaceful giant to her. Something was terribly wrong. “Your father and aunt entered the nest after Kai’Dorn flooded the chambers with oil and burned anyone inside to death. They were forced to witness the charred corpses of the adults that had tried to shield the unborn broodlings with their bodies. This wasn’t a place of war, this was a nursery for the young! The broodmother that oversaw this nest was weakened, but not dead, the colossal beast of metal and occult magics was programmed for one purpose, to protect its brood at all costs. It was brought down, but not before it had killed your aunt and the rest of the squad aside from your father Wren.” Cyrus shook his head as his breathing grew ragged.
“What in the seven hells are you talking about Cyrus? You need help! Let me get a doctor!” Tayla said as she tried to move to the door once more.
Cyrus smashed a fist into the table with enough force to dent the steel. “I said stay still!” He roared. “Your father wept over the corpses of his squad as he clutched his sister’s lifeless body in his arms. That was when he found them.” The anger and rage seemed to bleed away from Cyrus’ face as he let out a shuddering breath.
Tayla saw this look and found herself unable to turn away. “Who did he find?” She asked quietly.
“The only survivors. The broodmother had been protecting a sealed chamber, inside was an adult Faceless. In its arms it clutched an egg that they had managed to spirit away to safety. Your father, covered in the blood of his own sister, saw this frightened creature and despite everything that he had seen and lost, he chose to lay down his weapon and offer the survivor his hand. He had every right to strike down that Faceless, to smash the egg into pieces with righteous indignation, but instead he chose mercy.” Cyrus grew still, the last few words were but a whisper.
Tayla stared down at the gun on the table in silence, the story she had just heard was insane. Her father had never been willing to talk about the hunt that had claimed his sister's life. She couldn’t bring herself to move as her uncle leaned forward and placed his hand on the grip of the gun and pointed the barrel at her while glaring. After a moment his face faulted and he put the gun back on the table, sliding it towards Tayla.
“I don’t understand. What happened to the survivors? Did my father free them?” Tayla asked, moving closer to the table to grab the gun. Whatever her uncle was going through, it was obvious that he wasn’t in the state of mind to be trusted with a firearm. As she laid a hand on the pistol her blood ran cold. Her eyes flicked up to Cyrus as she recalled one of the few things her father had told her about his time in the hunt. It was only after the hunt that her father had come back with a man and his daughter in tow, they had been living outside the Coast and her father had grown close to the man on their travels.
Cyrus stood up slowly. His face was calm as his skin began to ripple and stretch, his bones segmented into pieces, like a thousand small tiles and plates the man’s skeletal structure shifted as it broke and reformed. Tayla shook in fear as the man she knew and loved transformed into a monster from the depths of the darkest hells itself. The excess skin on its face was pulled back like melted wax, gone was its nose and ears, in their places were simply small holes. It had no lips, just gleaming teeth with enlarged canines, the skin that made up its cheeks was gone as well, allowing Tayla to see into the back of its throat through the back of its jaw. The hair on its head was reabsorbed into its flesh as ridges of hardened flesh took its place.
Cyrus had been a large man, but all of that excess weight compressed inwards as the clothes that it wore grew loose and fell to the floor, revealing skin that was a purplish white hue stretched over a lithe frame of rippling muscle and reinforced bone plating. The whole of its enlarged eyes were black, no iris or cornea, just a deep darkness that drew in every speck of light without remorse.
Tayla backed into the door as her legs gave out, dropping to the cold steel floor with a thud. Her teeth were rattling in her skull as she hyperventilated. “Y-y-you’re a-a-a-a…” She struggled to spit out the words she knew to be true, even as her mind tried frantically to process the horror standing before her.
The thing's mouth opened as a series of undulating tongues danced in its maw. When it spoke it wasn’t Cyrus’ voice; it was Tayla’s. “A Faceless. Child of the grandsire Chaos, instrument of pandemonium and pain.” The things face rippled as it rolled its neck, its bones and skin flowing like water until it looked back with Tayla’s own fearful face. “What’s wrong? It’ll all be over soon.” It gurgled as Tayla watched in horror as its jaw descended unnaturally, it reached up and grabbed the edges of its mouth and pulled the flesh back over its head to reveal its skinless true face again, the excess tissue reabsorbing into itself like mud.
There was a wail of terror that rang through the room as Tayla realized with a start that it was her own screams. She raised the plasma gun in her shaky hands, pointing it at the looming monster. It seemed to hesitate for a moment, waiting to see if she had what it took to pull the trigger. Blinking through the tears in her eyes she let out a cry of frustration as she lowered the gun slightly. Could this really be her uncle? The man that had helped raise her, the kind soul that had always been there for her.
In that moment of hesitation the Faceless thing lurched forward, raising its arm as the flesh and bone warped into a bladed scythe that it brought down with terrifying speed. Tayla moved her head out of the way at the last second as the blade sank into the door like a hot knife through butter. She reached out her dead hand and placed it on the things arm as she poured her fear into it.
The thing that had been Cyrus cried out in pain as its flesh froze solid, its arm shattered as it pulled it away from Tayla’s touch. Taking that chance, Tayla reached up and slammed the terminal to open the door. The door resisted slightly, the remains of the blade was still embedded in the steel. Tayla managed to slip through the gap at the bottom. Scrambling to her feet as she ran down the hall in a panic. She had to reach a lift, or find a way to call for help.
Looking over her shoulder she was paralyzed with fear for a moment at the sight of the Faceless twisting its body through the doorway. It looked at her with an uncaring stare as its arm regrew, the flesh from the rest of its body stretching towards the lost limb to give it more material. Its arms grew long blades as its legs bent backwards, with a sudden lurch it leapt down the hall like a ravenous beast.
Tayla cried out in alarm at the sight, the Faceless was much faster than her, it would catch up any moment. She had to think of something quickly before she was eviscerated. Turning around to face the loping monster she aimed the plasma pistol at it, steadying her hands. With a shuddering breath she began to squeeze the trigger, but as she did she saw the Faceless’ inhuman visage, and for a moment she saw her uncle's smiling face as she had so many times before. Her finger locked up as she shook, cursing loudly she lowered the pistol and dropped low, reaching her dead hand down to the panel beneath.
She channeled the Tranquility, which responded sluggishly, it seemed to resist coming to life given her current emotional distress. But through sheer willpower she dragged it kicking and screaming from the depths of her mind. The floor froze with a layer of ice and frost that spread out over the corridor's surface. The Faceless looked shocked as it tried to arrest its momentum, only to slip on the frictionless surface and come crashing down onto the cold floor.
Channeling even more of her emotions into her dead hand, the floor rippled as a wave of frost spread out and enveloped the Faceless creature, freezing its flesh to the steel with a thick layer of ice. It tried to move, but its limbs were completely encased.
Tayla let out a sigh as she backed away. She could easily kill the creature, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull the trigger. That left her with capturing it, that would give her a chance to think over what to do.
The moment of peace was interrupted by a ripping sound coming from the Faceless. Tayla looked up with dread towards the source of the sound, only to see the side of the creature split wide open, from the hole in the still body arose the Faceless. It had simply cast away its outer layer to free itself.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“All Mother’s tits.” Tayla cursed. “How the hells is that even fair?” She yelled as she turned to run once more. The Faceless leapt over its frozen remains as it continued to give chase.
She was almost to the lift, but so too were the footfalls of the creature at her heels. Tayla slammed into the lift door as she frantically pressed the button for the door to open, she placed her back against the doors as she looked towards the sprinting Faceless.
It was going to kill her.
Just as it readied to leap forward, the doors opened, causing Tayla to tumble backwards into the lift, the doors slammed shut quicker then they had any right to close.
Resting her head on the wall Tayla let out a sigh of relief. It was short lived, as two blades burst into the seam of the lift doors, the gears and hydraulics groaned in protest as the Faceless pried open the door with a roar. It stepped into the lift as the doors slammed shut once more, the whole lift shaking as it began to move.
Tayla raised the pistol once more as the Faceless lunged for the kill. “I can’t, I don’t wanna lose you too uncle!” She closed her eyes and readied herself for the Nightfather’s embrace.
The blades of the Faceless came crashing down into the steel of the lift wall. Followed by silence.
With a cautious glance, Tayla looked up to find the Faceless frozen in place, its teeth a scant few inches away from her face. The large black eyes twitched. Then, they welled up with tears. “Why?” It said in her uncle's voice. “Please, you have to kill me. It’s the only way.”
“You didn’t want to hurt me did you? You wanted me to kill you in self defense!” She exclaimed.
Cyrus pulled its blades out of the wall and crawled away to the otherside of the lift. Just then the door of the lift opened. Tayla looked up. If anyone sees this, we’ll both be executed. She thought with a start. The doors opened to reveal Lillian, her face was a mixture of shame and exhaustion. “I’m glad to see my father’s idiotic plan failed.” She said as she stepped into the lift and pressed the button for one of the unused decks. As the doors closed she looked down at Tayla. “We have a lot to discuss.”
Once again Tayla found herself in the room with the stainless table, only this time she was sat opposite a very tired looking Lillian, and a guilt ridden Cyrus. Tayla held a cup of hot cocoa in her hands that Lillian had procured from some supply room on this deck. She blew the hot liquid absentmindedly as she muttered out loud while looking at Lillian. “So…”
Lilliain sighed. “Yes. I’m also a Faceless.”
“Does Alnur know?” Tayla asked with a raised eyebrow.
There was a pained look on Lillian’s face as she glanced to the side. “I tried to tell him several times, but he always stopped me by saying he loved me no matter what. I don’t know if he knows, but I think he doesn’t care either way.”
Nodding slowly, Tayla looked at Cyrus. “Was my father the only one who knew?” She asked.
Cyrus shifted uncomfortably, he was shorter than usual, his clothing he put back on was now loose and ill fitting. “Yes. Though I suspect there are a few amongst the House of the Chimera that might have figured it out with their abilities. If that is the case, none have made it known.” He glanced down, avoiding making eye contact with Tayla. “I’m sorry again about earlier…” He whispered.
“I can understand your reasoning, sort of. You planned on having me kill you in self defense with your own plasma pistol, knowing that it would destroy your body to the point of being unrecognizable. I would then receive your message explaining the plan. Which if I’m following, was for me to report to Nel’Dorn that you were a cultist of some sort and that it was your actions that brought about the arrival of the Nightfather.” She swirled her drink in her cup. “That just left Lillian. Who you had instructed to leave the Coast all together.”
Lillian reached up and placed a hand on her father’s shoulder. “This is why I told you to wait for me. It was a rash plan, one with too many faults.”
Tayla held up her hand. “So, just to clarify. Both of you are Faceless, children of the god of destruction, grandchildren of the old god of chaos. After my dad found you he took you in and let you live as his family. And now that the inquisition is here and starting to crack down, you felt it was necessary to have me kill you?
“Well. That explains some things.” Placing the cup down she cast her eyes into the dark liquid. “Is that why you couldn’t go to the capital with my brother?” A hint of bitterness was still there when she spoke about that touchy subject.
Lillian put her hands on the table. “Yes. I wanted to go more than anything. But they have systems in place to detect our kind, if either of us had gone then it would have spelled disaster for Alnur.” Her voice was swelling with emotion as she dabbed her eyes with her sleeve. “I love Alnur, I should be there with him.”
Tayla tapped her finger on the table. “I- I am sorry for how I reacted. Knowing what I do now, I can’t blame you for staying behind. I was just… upset that I couldn’t go with him.” She said weakly.
Cyrus reached forward and gingerly placed his hand on Tayla’s. She recoiled in surprise as a look of pain fell on the man’s face. Pulling back he cast his gaze down.
“So are there any other secrets you want to tell me?” She said as she sipped her drink.
“I’m pregnant.” Lillian said casually.
Tayla choked on her drink as she began coughing. “Pardon? Since when? Have you told my brother?” Her mind was spinning as she tried to take in the situation. Her brother was in love with a child of chaos, and had apparently knocked her up. “I didn’t think you could bear children?”
Placing her hands on her stomach, Lillian closed her eyes. “It’s true that we are born in clutches by the genetic weaving of the broodmothers. It isn’t that we can’t get pregnant. The issue lies in carrying the child to term. As Faceless, we must return to our true form from time to time to stabilize our molecular structure.” She seemed to grow quiet as she tried to find the right words.
Clearing his throat, Cyrus tried to interject. “The process can be held at bay for a few months in extreme cases. But if Lillian were to return to her true form she would-”
“I would reabsorb the genetic material inside of me. In essence I would kill my unborn children.”
Tayla felt a pang of sorrow. “Has anyone made it all the way to term before?” She asked.
Cyrus shook his head. “Word does not spread quickly for our kind, but I’ve never heard of a case where someone survived for the whole nine months. Either they eventually broke down and reverted to their true form, or their genetic makeup broke down until they died of organ failure.” He said quietly, casting a mournful glance to his daughter.
Lillian raised her head and stuck out her chin. “I don’t want to lose my children. I will make it through this, or I will die trying. It’s as simple as that.” There was iron in her voice as she said such a dire thought without hesitation.
“How long? Have you told Alnur?” Tayla asked.
“The elders in the highlands say I’m a few months along. As for telling Alnur… I don’t know how to tell him. What if the worst happens…” Lillian trailed off.
Tayla changed subjects. “Does that mean you still serve chaos?” She said bluntly.
The pair stood in unison, casting their chairs to the ground with a clatter of metal on metal. Their faces were determined as they both glared at Tayla. Lillian bared her teeth as she raised her voice. “How dare you! Our only loyalty is to our homeland and our people! To our family!” She hissed, clutching a hand over her belly.
Tayla leaned back. “But you were born by the hand of chaos to serve its will, how am I to trust you both?”
Cyrus exhaled a long breath. “Do you know what it’s like to be born to a god that cares naught for your well being. We were pawns in a war that ended almost two centuries ago!” He exclaimed.
“Isn’t it true you need to ingest the DNA of others to survive?”
Shaking her head, Lillian grabbed her chair once more. “There are easier ways to do so without harming innocent lives. Some of us trade for the hair clippings of barbers, others work in medical wards where we can survive from medical waste. Hells, some simply find a partner to spend the night with and make do with that.”
Tayla raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you see in my brother? A convenient way to get his ‘DNA’.” She said bitterly. She didn’t have much of a chance to react until the slap had already knocked her out of her chair.
Lillian stood over her fuming. “How dare you! I will not sit idly by while you insult my feelings for the man I love!” She reached down and plucked Tayla off the ground by the scruff of her shirt. “Yes, I am a Faceless. And yes, I have to live knowing that I am hated by everyone I hold dear. But that doesn’t give you the right to be cruel to me!” She yelled as she released Tayla who stumbled to her feet again.
“Well what do you expect?! I find out that my uncle and his daughter, my best friend growing up, are both shapeshifting monsters that have been lying to me my whole life!” Tayla cried out, shoving Lillian back. The two got face to face, squaring up for what felt like a fist fight.
A firm hand grabbed both women by their shoulders as Cyrus gave them both a scathing stare. “Enough! You two haven’t squabbled like this since you were both in your teen years.” He looked at his daughter. “Did I raise you to lay your hands on your Queen? Did you really think it wise to start a fight while you are pregnant?” He looked over at Tayla, staring deep into her eyes with the look that she had seen many times growing up. “Is this what Wren would have wanted? For you to lash out and attack those that love and care about you?!”
Tayla shrugged the hand from her shoulder. “This coming from the man who tried to kill me earlier.” The pain on Cyrus’ face made it clear she had taken things too far. “Look. I am trying to take this all in. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate with my missing sibling wanted for treason, or my brother trapped in a capital surrounded by religious and political enemies that want to use him for their own gain. Now I have to process my only other family being Faceless, add to that the stress of Nel’Dorn’s deal-” She stopped mid rant.
“What deal?” Lillian said, narrowing her eyes.
“It's nothing.” Tayla lied.
Cyrus hummed. “That is the look you get when you are keeping something from us young lady.”
Tayla scowled. “I am the queen-”
“And I am still your uncle.” Cyrus pushed. “Faceless or not, royalty or not, I still changed your diapers when you were a babe.”
Lillain placed a hand on Tayla’s shoulder. “I know it might not seem like it, but you can trust us, Tay.” She said reassuringly.
The Tranquility sprang to life, the numbness spread through Tayla’s body as she tried to push away from the people she thought she knew. In the end the only person she could rely on was herself. As she pushed, the world slowed to a standstill. Lillian and Cyrus were frozen with looks of concern on their faces. The light above waned as it gently strobed on and off. The world was cast into darkness for a long moment, then the light returned, and Tayla was standing in the room alone, staring at herself.
The walls of the room seemed to expand and contract as the Keel breathed. Tayla felt the beating of its heart in time with her own. Her mirror self stared back at her with a blank expression. Why do you push everyone away? The thing spoke into her mind directly, it was using the link somehow, just like Dee.
What are you? Tayla thought, looking around in confusion. Where are we?
I am your shade. All conscious beings cast their minds shadow into the void, I am yours.
Tayla tried to move, but was frozen in place. What do you want with me? She asked, trying to understand what was happening.
The other her cocked its head. You called to me. I am the other you. In times of great distress you connect to me, and I in return grant you clarity.
You’re the tranquility! She gasped. But I don’t understand!
That is alright. There is no rush. I will always be here, and you will always turn to me in your time of need.
Tayla shook her head. No! I’m tired of otherworldly beings trying to control me, whispering cryptic nothings into my head. I just want to be free of all this!
The other her nodded. I can free you from the weight of emotions, I can make it so you never have to worry about what others think of you. Think of it, you could be the perfect ruler, unburdened by the whims of chemicals in your brain, you could lead your people into a golden age.
Even as the thing spoke, Tayla could feel her worries slip away. For the first time in days she felt like she could sleep without unrest. Hells, she couldn’t even remember the names of those farmers, they were but a fleeting memory. It felt soothing. Maybe she could close her eyes for just a moment…
“Tayla! Wake up!” A voice rang out through the cold. Where did she recognize this voice? It sounded annoying, it caused her skin to crawl and her eyes to roll. With a start she remembered the voice. “Damn it, you leave me no choice!” Images flooded her mind of Thoren and their all too short time together. Some memories were real, while others were completely fabricated and embarrassingly intimate.
“Dee!” She cried out angrily. Snapping back to reality she looked around frantically. Cyrus and Lillian looked at her, their worry obvious by their faces.
Cyrus looked at Tayla. “Alright, that’s it. I’m calling for the royal doctor, something isn’t right.” He made his way towards the terminal in the wall.
Tayla reached out and grabbed his sleeve. Her mind was still reeling from her vision, but even as she tried to remember it it seemed to melt away like a bad dream, leaving only a hint of unease and irritation. “Wait, I’ll tell you everything.” She said, biting her lip. “But your not going to like it”
To their credit, Lillian and Cyrus listened to the whole story of Nel’Dorn’s offer without interrupting a single time. As the story continued and the weight of the situation became clearer the two made their way back to their seats and sat down with far off expressions. When Tayla finished, the two continued to sit in stunned silence for a long time.
Eventually Cyrus spoke up, his voice wavering. “Nightfather protect us.”
Lillian put her head in her hands. “We can’t sacrifice innocent people. This isn’t right! Alnur would never agree to this!”
“My brother isn’t here.” Tayla said. “ It is up to me to make this decision. If anyone has to carry this guilt and shame it will be me alone.” She sounded confident, almost enough to convince herself.
Cyrus looked up from his stupor. “What time is it?!” The three looked over at the wall clock. It read 11:57. “My god. There’s no time left.” He looked at Tayla.
“If we don’t take this deal then both of you could die! Everything we have worked for since our people's fall could be for nothing.” Tayla shuddered. “So why am I hesitating?” She said, her voice full of emotion.
Standing up, Lillian made her way around the table and embraced Tayla. With a soft voice Lillian comforted her. “Because you care. You aren’t some heartless monster.”
Some part of Tayla felt defeated as she nodded. She moved towards the terminal and with shaking fingers she penned a short message to Nel’Dorn, her hand hovered over the last key she had to press to send the message. The familiar hand of her uncle rose to lay on her trembling hand. With an uncertain expression she looked to her uncle for support, he smiled his warm smile and nodded.
Tayla sent the message, just as the screen's clock rolled over to midnight.
◆◆◆
Nel’dorn sat at his desk aboard his ship. As the clock struck midnight he let out a sigh of relief, only to hear the chime of an incoming message. With a curious glance he saw the sender and frowned. The message was short and to the point.
I must respectfully decline your offer.
Resting his head against the back of his chair, Nel’Dorn placed a hand to his brow. It would have been much simpler if the young Queen had accepted his offer. This would spell the end of his gentle probing, now the true inquisition would begin. There was no time to waste in these blighted lands, he was needed elsewhere.
Using his terminal he accessed the encrypted channel that he used to contact his superior. He wrote a brief message detailing the decision of the Queen to refuse the offer, and his recommendation moving forward.
The response was almost immediate. Which didn’t bode well for the citizens of the Coast. May the divine light of the Celestials purify all those who walk in the darkness. Should the Queen prove unwilling to walk in our light, then we shall simply find another who will.
Nel’Dorn looked down as he reached into his drawer and pulled out a hand carved pen of coral. “I wish things could have gone differently.” With a flex of his fingers he reduced the pen to dust.
