In the middle of the savannah lives a tribe of hyaenids, men half hyena, and what some humans of the Seasonal Continent call gnolls. A small cub, victim of constant mistreatment, sleeps amidst nightmares and lives without desire. Until he meets the...
The temple bells rang out, telling everyone of the sad news. People gathered at the gates, curious to know what had happened, probably believing it to be war or rebellion. Dannke watched them from the top of the castle's inner wall. After three days of unbearable agony, and after all the doctors, wise men, and healers had been baffled, Helibel had died. Just before nightfall, the nobles met to decide what to do. They were to name Darent, Lorent's son, as the new monarch; but since Helibel had never officially named him as such, Dannke imagined they would omit that promise and discuss a new successor. The Bloody Terror's age had robbed him of his wits to the point where he didn't even know where he was. Bekwin had fled four days ago. That left Nimeral as the only major candidate.
Breist stood beside him.
"Everything is ready."
"Perfect, tell Yolti I'm going to see him now."
Breist looked at the crowd.
"Do you think they are in mourning?"
"They are simple people, living their lives from day to day. They care little who sits on the throne as long as they are safe and not hungry."
Breist left without a word. He didn't seem nervous. Neither did Dannke. He had never been so sure of anything in his sad, miserable life.
The afternoon followed the day. Dannke waited until the atmosphere had warmed up enough to enter and opened the double door with a resounding slam. This caused all the nobles to turn and look at him. Dannke walked slowly toward the crystal throne, now empty of its ruler, while several knights marched behind him in double file, led by Breist on one side and Yolti on the other. Nimeral stood up, indignant at the interruption, and ordered:
"Guards, stop this reckless man at once!"
The guards looked at him sideways and did not move a muscle. Dannke looked at the throne, so shiny, so polished. It no longer glared him. He turned around.
"Nobles, knights and powerful people of the empire. On the fateful day of the death of my blood sister, Empress Helibel, I come to inform you that the line of succession has not yet been broken: I, the legitimate son of Emperor Rathban XIII, will take the throne."
"This is outrageous!" A nobleman stood up and drew his sword. He was immediately cornered by four of the guards who were present before his entrance. He had no choice but to sit down.
"That is a disgusting lie," Nimeral shouted without moving from his seat, "you are a bastard and have no right to sit on the throne."
Calmly, Dannke took the sealed parchment from his pocket. He handed it to Yolti, then the knight showed it to Nimeral.
"The wax seal is the imperial seal," Dannke explained. "Knight Yolti, break it."
He obeyed, unrolled it, brought it to Nímeral and held it up close for him to read. The nobleman fell silent.
"If anyone else wishes to examine it, you are welcome to do so. Many of you know me, you know how much I have done for this Empire and what its welfare means to me. That is why I have decided to step forward. That is why Helibel, in her last days before she lost her speech, her sight, and her faculties, commanded me to be the one to lead you to victory. I already have the sympathy of the knighthood. Swear allegiance and you will see a new day. Disobey, and the schism you will foment will ultimately deliver our civilization into the hands of the enemies who seek our ruin."
No one dared speak. The first to do so was Halkat Celleck, the Bloody Terror. Dannke was surprised to see him there.
"You remind me of someone I knew in the war. Yes, you must be him, Knight Dannke. And now you are the Emperor, you say?" He stepped forward, unhindered by the guards, and when he was within a few steps of him, he bowed in an awkward, trembling curtsy. "Hail, Emperor."
The rest of the nobles looked at each other. One by one, they walked forward to swear their allegiance. Dannke sat down on the throne. From there, everything looked small, tiny. Everything was within his grasp, all he had to do was reach out and take it. "Father," he thought, "do you see me from the other side, do you feel pride?"
He waited until everyone had sworn their allegiance. When the ceremony was over, Dannke proclaimed:
"Those of you who fear a new plague need not worry. The evil that struck the Empress and the Captain of the Guard was the result of an irrevocable curse. One executed by my former squire and now fugitive. I have belatedly realized that my pity for him was a mistake, one I will not make again. I promise you, for all that Helibel and the Captain stood for, and for how painful their deaths were, we will eradicate these invaders."
Everyone cheered. Everyone except Nimeral. It was the second time Dannke had cost him the realm.
Yolti stealthily approached Dannke and whispered:
"Majesty, the captain is not dead yet. Perhaps it is not irrevocable."
Dannke made a grimace that fortunately went unnoticed.
"As I said, I know the curse. He will die soon."
He waited in the darkness and entered the armory where the captain had been confined for fear that the evil might be contagious. A few trembling candles poorly illuminated the decrepit body of the man who had caused this madness a few days before, and who had driven Dannke to such a heartless strategy. And now he saw him lying there, barely breathing, his half-open eyes sunk like two gray orbs in black wells. His lips parted, his skin parched, almost broken, like the clay earth when the sun beats it with its heat.
"Can you see me?"
His eyes moved with difficulty, as if each blink, each slight movement of his retinas, would undo them a little more. But he recognized him, knew it by his angry look, by the way his lips cracked even more as they tightened.
"I don't know if you know this, but I'm not a bastard anymore. I am the Emperor now. Do not worry, you will not suffer this news for long," he wrapped his hands around his parched neck and began to squeeze. "You will no longer feel thirsty..."
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