Evil's Pawn

Kendra looked past the advisor standing in front of her throne and glanced at the oak double doors at the other end of the chamber. The large panels shook and the bar holding them closed rattled in its braces. She looked back to her advisor and spoke in a calm, silken voice. “I’m afraid that you will have to continue your report at another time, Marcus. It appears that my guest has arrived.”

Marcus turned and surveyed the sides of the chambers. The color drained from his face and Kendra chuckled to herself. “Don’t worry, Marcus. I will not need my guards to protect me for this encounter. But if it will make you feel better, please come and stand beside me.”

The door shuddered again. Marcus glanced at it before pulling a seven inch dagger from his belt and stepped up on the dais. The old man stood beside his queen’s throne. Kendra marveled at the tension that radiated from him.

“Your majesty,” he said, “are you sure this is wise?” The thick beam securing the doors splintered from another impact.

“It is necessary, regardless of whether it’s wise,” she responded, gazing at the door with casual interest. The silk of her black dress rustled as she reached over and picked up a goblet of red wine. She brought it to her lips and took a drink as the doors finally gave way. They flew open, revealing a six foot warrior clad in dull steel plate armor. His nostrils flared as he stared at Kendra. He raised his blood-spattered sword over his head and let out a roar as he charged forward.

As he crossed into the throne room, his blade twisted out of his hands and fell on the floor behind him. He stumbled and brought down his now empty hand to stare at it.

Kendra chuckled and stood. She smiled at her would-be assailant and explained calmly, “My throne room has been enchanted to keep out all weapons that have been blessed. I understand it was a rather complicated magical working. The sorcerers who developed and cast it for me demanded quite a hefty price. But then, for such powerful protections, one should never be too cheap.” She paused to run a hand through her shoulder-length black hair, thinking to herself. Then she added, “Of course, had some of them realized they wouldn’t live long after casting the spell, they might have asked for even more. So I suppose I got a bargain in the end.”

The warrior’s face flushed red as he recovered from the shock of losing his weapon. “I don’t need a sword to end your wickedness, bitch!”

“Perhaps not, Anton, but you will not end my life today, I think.” She sat gracefully as she added, “I would not have invited you here if I hadn’t taken precautions to protect myself.”

Anton stopped in his tracks. He was still ten feet away from the dais. “Invite me? I snuck in your castle! I killed your guards!”

The woman smiled and took another sip of her wine. “Yes, but who do you think asked my kitchen slave to tell your friends about that secret passage? And do you really think I normally have only a single guard at each checkpoint in the castle? Surely not even you can underestimate my intelligence that much.”

Anton frowned. After a moment, he spoke. “So, you laid a trap for me? Is that what this is?”

Kendra shook her head, smiling slightly. “Not exactly. Had this been a trap, there would have been no need to let you get this far. I could have had a battalion ambush and kill you as soon as you were inside the castle. No, I wanted to get you here so we could talk.”

Anton roared in anger. “What’s there to talk about? You’re an evil bitch who has reigned down great terror on this region. And now, you’re stealing the very souls of children!”

Kendra sighed and took another drink. “I’m afraid that’s where you’re wrong, foolish hero. While I do not deny that I have done many things you find objectionable, I am not responsible for the lifeless children now filling the hospitals. I’m afraid that you will have to look elsewhere for the cause of that tragedy.”

The warrior’s brow creased. “And why should I believe you?”

The woman waved a hand nonchalantly. “Think about it, Anton. I’ve reigned here for almost thirty years now, and I’ve never done anything like this. I may steal from people. I may bring about someone’s death. The locals may fear my ruthlessness. But I have never done anything remotely demonic. And stealing souls – especially the souls of children – is exactly that, demonic.”

She stood and paced along the front of the dais. “If you wish to save your precious children, then you need to look for a demon.” She paused, her back turned to the warrior. “You might consider starting your search in the east, near the Blackrock Mountains.”

Anton snorted. “Oh really? And how would you know this?”

“That’s quite simple. My spies tell me that strange men are building a new garrison there. They say there’s a darkness about it that permeates the surrounding woods.”

“And why are you telling me this, woman?”

Kendra turned to face the warrior, her face dark. “Because I want you to help find the monster doing this so you can send it back to whatever hell it came from.”

Anton’s mouth opened and his eyes widened. “What? You actually want to help me put an end to this evil?”

“Does this surprise you?” she asked.

“Yes. Why do you care about the children it’s attacking?”

Kendra sighed. “You are so blinded by your righteousness, Anton. I don’t care about these children at all. However, I do care that some demonic force is encroaching on my domain. It will cause no end of trouble for me if it isn’t stopped.”

“What do you mean?”

“The people in this region hate me. They’d love to be rid of me. But most of them are unwilling to make the kind of sacrifices it would take to actually stop me. I may be evil, but I’m the kind of evil that people accept simply because doing otherwise will only make things worse for them – at least for a season.”

She stepped off the dais and approached the warrior, her voice earnest. “But this new evil will stir up people. No one will sit by for long while children are being left lifeless and soulless. They will demand revenge and won’t care what it costs. If they’re as foolish as you, they will assume that I’m responsible. And that means they will seek my ruin and even my death.” She paused before adding, “Even if they realize that it’s not me and seek out the real source of this evil, they may still turn on me once it has been dealt with. Once people have been roused, they can be dangerous for some time.”

She placed a hand on Anton’s shoulder. The warrior flinched away. She looked into his eyes. “No, it would be better for me if you were to go find this monster and destroy him now. So I will offer you what aid I can.”

Anton snorted. “Why not just attack him yourself?”

Kendra chuckled. “As I said, this new monster is surely demonic. While I’m sure I could eventually outthink and defeat such a creature, I have no doubt it would cost me greatly. It’s better to let a holy warrior – one with a blessed sword, no less – handle this one. You’re far better equipped to handle this battle.”

The warrior scowled. “So you just expect me to do your dirty work? I don’t see why I should.”

She stared into his eyes. “I can’t picture you letting this monster continue to prey on children just to spite me, Anton. No, you will go east as I have suggested. You know as well as I do that you have to stop this monster, with or without my aid.”

Anton looked away and cast his eyes towards the floor. “You’re right. I’ll take whatever information you can give me about this monster, but nothing else.”

Kendra nodded, “Very well. Give me two days to get messages back from my spies. I will send a messenger to you in the village of Wellington. He will ask for you at the Red Eagle Tavern.”

Anton nodded. “Very well, I will wait there for your messenger. And Kendra? Don’t think this makes us friends. I still intend to end your reign of terror here.” He glared at her.

Kendra chuckled as she returned to her throne. “I’d expect nothing less, dear warrior. And I will continue to seek your death. However, I promise to delay any attempts to kill you until you drive this monster from my domain. And who knows, maybe you will die in the process. It would certainly save me some effort.”

The warrior snorted and walked towards the ruined doors. He stopped as Kendra spoke again. “Oh, by the way, you will need to leave through the main gate. My engineers are already closing off that secret passage.”

She took a sip of her wine and watched as the warrior left. She then turned to her advisor who stood next to her, stroking his graying beard. “You’ve been rather quiet, Marcus.”

“I felt it best to keep my own counsel, my queen. You play some rather dangerous games, Majesty.”

“Those who play it safe don’t make it very far, Marcus. Surely you know that as well as I do.”

“Indeed I do, Majesty. I’m just curious how much you intend to tell him.”

Kendra studied her advisor for a few moments. “I’ve already told him where to find the demon Shantaka, so I doubt I’ll tell him much more. I might give him reports on the kinds of creatures the demon has guarding his home.”

“Do you intend to tell him about Trent?”

The queen smiled wistfully. “No, I don’t think so. I spent quite a bit of time positioning Trent so he could become one of the demon’s elite guards. I will not jeopardize my best spy. After all, there’s no guarantee that Anton will succeed.”

“And if Anton does succeed, one of your best men may very well die.”

“Yes. That will be most unfortunate. But it’s a worthwhile loss if it means the demon’s death.”

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. “You really don’t care who wins this battle, do you?”

Kendra smiled and placed a hand on her advisor’s shoulder. “That’s not quite true. Shantaka is probably the greater threat to me, so I do hope that Anton destroys him. However, as long as one or the other dies, I will have one less enemy to worry about. And the survivor will probably be weakened by the confrontation, giving me a better chance to move against them.”

Marcus shook his head. “You are truly brilliant, my queen.”

“Thank you, Marcus.”