Throne of Blood

Part I Chapter 2

"There are few words to describe how pleased I am with you at this very moment," smiled the man with a scar running across his left cheek. Each word reverberated like a piercing spike into the silence of the cold room lit by a single fire. A fire determined to withhold warmth and light from all who resided. The man's words sent a shiver down the spine of the two figures seated across the man at the round oak table at the center of the empty room.

The speaker's presence seemed to steal every ounce of warmth the meager fire attempted to provide. Not even the lackluster fire could ease the cold that both listeners, a man with a round face and a woman with lustful eyes, felt shooting throughout their bodies.

"My lord if I may --"

"No, no, no my good man there is no need to explain yourself. Truly I am thrilled with the events that are now unfurling before our very eyes." The dark figure interjected, cutting off the round-faced man who was trembling with eagerness to flee from his current situation.

"Despite your complete and total inadequacy of performing your duty -- it really was rather simple -- the men of this land took heed to my words and have decided that following me is truly the correct alternative." The imposing man let out a deep chuckle reveling in his success despite the failure of the plump little man before him.

"My dove," suddenly adopting a much more loving but nonetheless terrifying tone as he addressed the woman, "I believe you have something to report as well?"

"Yes, my lord," the woman responded as she gazed at the tall, dark figure with the lustful fire that burned in her eyes. She was a beautiful woman with the gaze of one who could easily captivate any man she desired. Her effect was no different on the demanding brute before her.

"He is a rather stubborn man, and there is little persuading him, however," she quickly shifted as the man with the scar furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure; each newly formed wrinkle seemed to be shouting, 'Well, spit it out, you failure!'

"I believe him to be capable of breaking. It will not be long until he reacts under the pressure of those pushing him towards our goals." She quickly spat out in an attempt to quell the rising anger of the commanding figure across from her.

"We cannot be delayed by this impish fool for much longer. It is time for our grand rule to be established," the man began calmly as he rose from his seat. "A rapid change will be forced upon this world, and we will be at the forefront of this revolution. We will be able to birth this world into the image of our own doing and fulfill our calling as we see fit." There was a burning excitement in his eyes at the idea of the forging of 'their' new order.

As he said these intoxicating words that stirred the souls of both his listeners, he strolled to where the woman was sitting and leaned into her ear. His hot breath sent sparks of nervous excitement throughout her body.

"My dear," he whispered, his breath smelling of passionate desire, "I will not tolerate your failure, or you will end up like our round little friend here, all shriveling from his impending consequence."

As he lifted his head, he turned to face the man in question. "My friend, I hope you have better news to report than your earlier failure of being incapable in delivering my message to our good friends in time. I need to know how our funds for the suplying of our fleet is coming along." The man often used words like 'our' and 'we.' When in reality, everyone knew he meant 'mine' or 'me'; he only wanted to give the illusion that the poor saps who obeyed him had any part in deciding their future.

"My most gracious lord," the sniveling man began as the fearsome figure made his approach towards him, "collecting funds takes time. You could not possibly expect me to come up with such a large amount in such a --"

The little round man squealed in his chair as the scarred man slammed his fist on the table mere inches from where the rotund, now shaking rather violently, man sat. The sound echoed like a gong being struck in an empty, dark void. Silence followed the rather sudden sound created by the fearsome leader.

"I will not tolerate your insolence any longer. No, I will not stand here and listen to your excuses of why you have failed us when there is so much at stake. It is time for your service towards this grand venture to end." With a swift movement, the man drew his dagger, a straight, double-edged silver blade about a hand length long, and sliced ever so quickly across the man's thick throat. Before he could even let out a yelp, the man was grasping at his throat, gargling, gasping, as the thick crimson blood rushed from the now exposed jugular. The little man writhed, looking at the woman with pleading eyes. Eyes that begged for her help as the life slowly drained from them. With a great heave, he lunged forward in his seat as the blood escaped his body, leaving his lifeless form alone with the two figures transfixed on the events that had just transpired.

"So unfortunate it had to end like that. I liked the man; really I did, but, well...he just did not quite meet the standards that we require." The man shook his head at the now soulless figure of the stocky fellow. "It is time to finish the task and move towards our great calling." With that, the man wiped off his knife on the back of the deceased little man and walked over to the beautiful, entrancing woman.

"My dear," he said, extending his rough palm towards her. She gently lifted her smooth dark fingers and placed them into his worn-down hand. With that, she rose, and immediately the man grabbed her hand firmly and pulled her into his body. He wrapped his left arm around her back and pushed their bodies together, their faces mere inches away from each other, each person taking in the excited breath of the other. "It is time to see the fruit of our labor and the cost we shall pay for our future."

With that, he let go of the woman, leaving her breathless, hungry for more of this powerful man's touch and followed him like an obedient child as he left the dark, cold room. As the pair exited, they emerged into a long corridor lit by torches on either side of the wall. Not a soul would have guessed that it was the middle of the day by the room's dark interior and ensuing corridor. However, as the couple finished their walk down the long, stone walkway, they pushed through a door and were suddenly transported to the world of light. As the man and the woman appeared on the balcony, they were greeted by the bright blue mid-afternoon sky. Their eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden change in surroundings as they moved closer to the edge of the intricately woven wrought iron guard rails. Beneath them were rows upon rows of soldiers filling every inch of the courtyard below. The army below looked like little ants in the sand-colored stoney area. Each soldier with his grayish-blue armor lined in neat rows awaiting their commanding officers biding. The men before the couple were elite soldiers who took pride in what they considered to be their trade. They took pleasure in the battles they fought and even greater pleasure in the spoil they gained.

The woman gazed out upon the scene before her as a smile began to weave across her thin lips. Her desire-filled eyes taking in the captivating scene before her. The man to her right looked at her and became aroused at seeing this beautiful creature overjoyed by the picture of ultimate power below.

"It is truly incredible, is it not? What the right words and an ounce of money can do. Soon we shall be able to conquer all that stands in the way and rebuild a new order."

"Yes," the woman replied, turning to face the man, "I will accomplish my due part, and we shall put an end to the tyranny."

The man grabbed the woman's dark green dress and again pulled her close. He placed his forehead on hers and said: "You must accomplish your task, my love, or our entire future shall be lost."