She had long copper-red hair held up in a chignon and even redder eyes lit from the undead energies coursing through her body.
She might have been considered a beautiful woman, if not for her cruel gaze and disgusted expression.
“Anything else, o King?” Her voice was devoid of respect.
“Magus Verhen, allow me to introduce you to Cyrra Morghon, Banshee and current High General of the Night Court.” Erslan said. “As you can see, she’s not happy having lost command to me but for some reason, no one trusts the Night Court.
“Not even the members of the Night Court themselves.” He said with a mocking tone that matched hers. “As for you, idiots, what do you have to say for yourself? Why didn’t you follow our instructions and come up with a plausible excuse before leaving your houses?”
“Because I never trusted you.” Barham the Wyvern walked forward while stroking his silvery and golden beard.
In his human form, he looked like a man in his sixties with wheat blonde hair streaked silver from age. His yellow eyes with black slitted pupils tried and failed to scream “I’m a Dragon”.
“I had no idea more Forgemasters would be involved so I used this little trick as insurance. Were you undead go back on your word, my offspring would know exactly who hired me and why.”
“Uhm, I just didn’t know you were going to hire other Forgemasters.” Mage Adria/Phanil’ the one they had been tracking, said.
The Awakened Forgemaster was a woman of striking beauty in her mid-thirties. She had long raven-black messy hair streaked silver, blue, and yellow all over.
“Making up lies is a bore and a chore because I have to remember them. I wasn’t sure I would repeat the same excuse I used before leaving upon my return and I didn’t want the hassle of making up details.
“I thought I would be enough for whatever job you had in mind, and my disciples know I’m kind of an airhead. I get sidetracked every time I meet someone interesting or find something tasty to eat.
“My apprentices know they don’t have to worry about me unless I disappear for more than one month.”
“Kind of an airhead?” Lith, Strider, and the two undead said in unison, making her blush in embarrassment.
Some Forgemasters tried to sound cold and calculative like Barham, but the truth was they were just like Adria. They found using so many precautions dumb and preferred going with the flow.
After spending centuries being pampered by the Awakened community while living in the safety of their labs, most successful Forgemasters rarely thought beyond their next commission.
“Did the Undead Courts mistreat or threaten you?” Strider asked.
“Are you kidding me?” Pharo Blackroot, a Redcap, said and the other Forgemasters nodded. “This has been a blast. Working with so many brilliant colleagues while not having to care one bit about the materials is a dream come true.
“Why doesn’t your precious Council organize something like this, kid?”
“Because no one in their right mind would give you their treasures for the fun of it!” The Zouwu snarled.
“And neither did we.” Erslan chimed in. “Everything you see here is a countermeasure against the Incontinent King. The arrays will deprive his steed of fuel. The Golems will deny most of his powers and counter Night’s darkness-based abilities.
“We have more surprises for him at the ready, but we’d prefer to keep them for Meln rather than wasting them on you, Magus Verhen.”
“And so do I.” Lith nodded. “Yet I don’t understand why you are so driven to kill him. I thought you didn’t care about him. Also, I see members of the Dawn and the Night Court here but what about the Dusk Court?”
“Have you ever tried getting in contact with a Lich?” The Dawn King wanted to cry at the thought.
“Many times.” Lith sighed. “I can only get ahold of Inxialot and only because he’s literally chained to his amulet and can’t store it away.”
“Same here.” Erslan said with an angry snarl. “We’ve left them lots of messages and are waiting for their fucking answer! As for your other question, it’s much easier if I let the Incontinent King answer it.”
He pressed the holographic panel of his amulet again, starting a new video.
“Greetings, traitors. I hope you have forgotten about me. I hope that this warning will catch you by surprise, destroying whatever happiness and security you filthy maggots have bought for yourself after selling me to the Mad Whore!”
The video depicted a half-length of a shirtless Orpal, putting emphasis on his pale skin, agonizing looks, and the red and black crystal tearing his chest open.
The Tiamat’s eyes scanned the background for clues about Orpal’s location but aside from a rock wall behind him there was nothing visible.
“I want you to know that I’m still alive and I’ve never forgotten what you have done to me. I was the only Horseman who gave a shit about you after my so-called siblings discarded you as the failures you are.
“I brought you squabbling idiots together, unifying the Undead Courts for the first time since their founding and organizing you into a force on par with the gods-damned heir of Arthan!
“I found that filthy Tyrant and paid him to craft Harmonizers for you. I worked hard to give you your rightful place on Mogar. To further your evolution and fix Baba Yaga’s failures.
“And how did you repay my generosity? You lured me into a trap, you helped the Mad Whore to defeat me, and you handed me to her on a silver platter!
“Now I understand why the other Horsemen abandoned you. It’s because they knew you couldn’t be trusted and would only bring them down. I now understand that Baba Yaga making you weak to sunlight wasn’t a mistake.
“Her mistake was creating you in the first place and believe me, that’s a mistake I’m going to fix myself soon. Not by evolution or Harmonizers, but by extinction. You are a Scourge on Mogar no less than Leech, my brother.
“I’ll purge you all from the world above and below. I will replace you maggots with a new and improved undead race of my own making and with their help, I’ll conquer Mogar!” Orpal raised and lowered his voice as fits of pain caused him to stifle a scream.
He sweated bullets and his eyes were feverish, his mind burning from agony no less than his body.
“As you can see, I’ve already taken the first step to my apotheosis.” Orpal touched the red and black crystal gently, yet it was enough to crack it and make his chest bleed. “I’ve already devoured the Horseman of Dusk and gained all of his powers.
“Soon I’ll be free from the shackles that the Red Mother imposed upon Night while you vermin will still be weakened by her yoke. When that happens, I’ll return to Garlen. I’ll kill all of you, add Dawn to my collection, and kill Leech!”
His voice rose in a crescendo of anger, pain, and madness. The mixed crystal shattered by itself, reforming a split second later.
