Beautiful Torture *Book Two of the Beautiful series*

30) Endon

Within the walls of the monastery, cries of agony echoed off the rock walls. Bodies of the monks littered the floor, their blood spattering the walls and even the arched ceilings several feet above.

In the grand council room, all but the Abbot are dead. Their leader pressed into the crescent table, a sword pressed to the side of his neck. His attacker was wearing the armor and colors of the queen. "I will not ask again monk," he snapped, his blade cutting the soft elderly flesh there.

"Who dares desecrate this holy ground?" The Ether Realm power filled voice called from the hall. Seconds later Akeso swept into the room, her bright orange robes dotted with the blood of the soldiers she had struck down in her rage. Incapable of containing her godly power when she saw all those she cared for had been slaughtered.

When her luminescent eyes fell upon him, he released his hostage. "You," the human soldier shrank away from her, as he should. Using the distraction, the Abbot fled from the room, with a flood of thanks to the Goddess. "Who sends you?"

The mortal, petrified with fear, could say nothing, causing him to lose his grip on the hilt of his weapon. It clattered to the stone floor with a wet clang, landing in the small puddles of blood from the other council members. His eyes began to fade red, filling with blood until they were blacker than night and the black substance dripped from his nose.

Akeso was baffled by the display, knowing it was not in her power to do such things. She watched in horror as the human man began to laugh hysterically. Reaching up and placing a hand on either side of his head before snapping his own neck.

Then just like that he fell to the ground, dead.

"Pathetic, are they not?"

Her eyes closed briefly as she shivered with disgust, "Endon."

A hand wrapped around her throat from behind as she was yanked back into his chest. "You have hid from the cause long enough, Akeso." Knowing very well what he was there for, she refused to react, keeping her face completely straight and free of all emotion. His lips pressed to her ear, "You will tell me where she is," kissing her cheek roughly, his grip tightened. "Even if I have to rip it out of you... wife."

Akeso was strong enough that she was able to fight the urge to whimper in fear. Although she was a celestial being, the creature behind her had the ability to inflict physical pain upon her. Not that it was against their laws, but it was frowned upon. Not that Endon cared about that. He only cared about power, and the pain he caused to get it.

"Do your worst," the goddess kept her composure, even as his darkness began to seep from his fingertips. "That girl is more powerful than you. Believe me when I tell you this; she is coming for you Endon."

He snarled at her in anger, her wails of pain etching away the echoes of the dead monks. As the dark god ripped her moral form apart by the seams.

When he had his fill of her fading screams, he dematerialized.

His thick black smoke seeping through cracks in the rock, coming back together to re-consummate his form in the catacombs under the mortal queen's castle. Once he was whole again, he rolled his shoulders, not used to being in a mortal form anymore. He despised the reality that his true form could yet be stable in this Realm. A truth that was even further from his grasp now that his defiant offspring had chosen to make more Flames.

As long as dragons lived on this plain, he would never be able to draw enough darkness to become his most powerful. Just one of their internal flames was bright enough to hold off his legions of shadows.

"Did it work?" The annoying squeak of the female human ruler reached his sensitive ears. "Was the impudent girl there? The prince?" She begged for attention that she was worthy of receiving, attempting to pry for answers when she was no more than a bug under his heel.

Endon ignored her, making his way from the underground chamber through the uneven corridors that led back up into the above structure. He could hear her scattering behind him just as well as the spiders and roaches that scampered across the walls. With her man-made light, contained in a small metal box with windows. Without which she would not be able to see and would surely get lost until she was nothing but rotting flesh on bone. Just like the souls that were already buried there.

He was tempted to snuff out the miniscule flame, letting her screams of terror echo behind him as he strolled blissfully back up to the castle. But alas he still needed her, at least until he could get her to declare open season on dragons. Since her son was not truly of the king's loins, he technically had no claim to the throne unless the dragon prince came to turn it down.

That was why he was there, planning to use the queen's son as a pawn to order the rest of the remaining dragons into open season. Not that it would be hard, with enemies and their dark hearts out there waiting to get a piece of dragon hide.

It would be just like the good old days, before humans were wiping drool from their underdeveloped chins. Back when the darkness and death consumed the world.

"What did you see?" Her ear splitting vocals came again, itching his irritation further. "Endon, tell me."

The human queen could not comprehend the movement he made to face her, only mildly surprised that she had managed to keep up with his fast pace. She shrunk back, nearly too late, almost slamming into him. An action that would have earned her death surely.

"Who is it that you think you are to call me by my name?" His words are as cold as death herself, causing the woman's eyes to widen in terror as she scrambled away from his fury. "You are nothing but a tool, pest, not worthy of having my name on your tongue." Her lips flapped open and closed, too petrified to get any real plea for apologies. Advancing toward her a couple of steps made her retreat twice as far, smart enough to remain afraid. "What I know and what I tell you are not the same thing. Do not speak out of turn again."

He did not wait for her to get her voice back, hurrying away. Forcing her to run in order to keep up.