THE MOSIAC

the Mosiac
EPISODE 8

On a glass throne as black as the heart of the woman who sat upon it, the first and last Empress sat with a look of cold irritation upon her face. Those who dared to look upon her could almost find her beautiful... too beautiful. From her perfect pale flesh to the angles of her high cheekbones below shining eyes, were seemingly sculpted by the same skilled hand that that had carved her obsidian throne. Her face seemed alone atop her dark, high seat, so black was her hair, her high collared dress, that only her deliberate and delicate motions and subtle reflections off the single gray gem in her high, shadowy crown, distinguished the rest of her from the darkness of her throne.

But the illusion of beauty ended quickly.

Anything that was once alive, anything that spoke of that small spark of genuine human emotion had long since passed in the millennium she had sat there ruling the Empire. She had no friends, no lovers, nothing but the Empire. Once, it was said, there had been more. Once, it was said, the hint of a smile had crossed her face.

No one believed these rumors. Her powers were vast and dark and cold as the Empire itself.

The few who entered the ironically bright courts of shining crystal and bleached stone were her own creations. Once people, often enemies, they had become slaves to her dark will. All had felt her dispassionate hand, infused with the power of her knowledge of Twelve spells to remake the world north of the Bright Line. They existed now only to serve her and her terrible desires, remade and resurrected to be an extension of her will with no thoughts other than to please her.
Such was the price to be paid by those who grew too powerful within her empire.

One of those creations now was prostrate before her.

"Legate... you have failed me." she said simply as her cold voice echoed throughout the vast chamber.

Within the many dark plates of his rune inscribed armor, the massive figure stirred uneasily from the floor. The skull surrounded by translucent flesh looked up at his dread Empress and pulsed with subdued blue flames. "The city was an unfortunate loss, but the situation had escalated..."

"Ahm Pur is of no consequence. Those who survived will breed and rebuild. I am talking about the your failure to capture the former battle spell named Gahnt."

The twin dark stars that served as the Legates eyes seemed to wilt under her gaze. "I have no excuses. I underestimated Gahnt and thought to have those under my command deal with him rather than taking a direct hand. It will not happen again." the Legate answered.

"No, it will not. This Gahnt will either serve the Empire or be ended. He somehow managed to avoid our notice through his apparent complete lack of motivation to do anything beyond stumble from place to place with the fools he calls friends. However, despite his efforts or lack thereof, such power does not rest easily nor remain quiet."

"No milady, it does not." The Legate replied, knowing that all to well. Once, so long ago, he had dreamed of something more before he had attracted her dark attentions. Had he known what fate such lust for power would bring he would long before have ended his own existence before she had inflicted this dark fate upon him.

"Legate, you have served me well in your function, but this requires a more delicate hand. You are the hammer and the anvil of the Empire. This Gahnt requires the fine hand of a surgeon."

"Am I not to pursue him further?" he asked without any anger or disappointment. Her will was all and he would not, could not, dispute it.

"Yes, the hunt still continues, but I have decided to bring in a specialist who is well familiar with Gahnt and his allies to aid you..." her delicate pale hand raised slightly and a shimmering crystal curtain covering an alcove to her immediate right slowly opened. "I believe you know Lord Karm..."

A man stepped from the shadows of the alcove and bowed low to the Empress. He nodded sharply to the Legate.

"Well met again Legate. I look forward to working with you once more." The man in the wooden armor said, bright teeth flashing within a wolfish smile...