Undead horrors, powerful creatures and people with freakish abilities.
When children are kidnapped from a young woman's community, her telekinetic powers make her the ideal candidate to bring them home. Having never ventured from home on her own bef...
Marca, the owner of the vegetable stand, was forced to restock her supplies. With her husband, she visited a large coastal city called Bellaylus. Half of it extended out over the ocean on a massive pier. The rest went up the beach for several miles. With a lack of soil for growing crops, the city had hundreds of greenhouses that were very fruitful. Massive provisions available at low cost made the city a supply center for those living along the coast or in the nearby desert.
After their trip through the markets, Marca and her husband, Marston, were piling large baskets across the backs of their camels. Marston pointed something out to his wife and she looked over her shoulder. She saw her niece approaching her, a young woman only a few years her junior, with her white fluffy dog at her side.
"Hey," she greeted Marca, waving weakly.
"Rai," Marston nodded at her since his hands were full loading the camels. The girl snarled condescendingly and growled slightly.
"Be nice. Your dad let you come here alone?" Marca asked her, closing a basket in front of her.
"Never. Matt's around here somewhere." Rai gestured in Marston's direction, "I thought you left this jackass."
"Eh, he's not so bad."
She smiled crookedly, amused by Marca's statement. "Not so bad? Look at him struggling with those vegetables. Hopeless."
"Yeah, kind of but I love him."
"Then that's your problem," Rai taunted her.
"You'll have it too one day."
Rai waved her off, "I refuse. If being in love means I have to marry a loser like that, I'd rather die alone."
"Has Lestat come home yet?"
"He pass through Shayle?"
"He was arrested a few days ago by the Head General. Still, I thought he'd be back home by now."
"Really?" Rai smiled crookedly and her eyebrows went up, making her look both amused and skeptical. "You sure about that? Our Lestat was actually arrested by a Head General?"
"I saw it."
"How did we get so lucky?" Rai scoffed but did not seem concerned. "Rose is going to be so pissed."
"Well, don't sound too concerned for your cousin, my dear."
"I don't think he'll be long. The Emperor's okay from what I hear. Not crazy like some of them have been before him."
"The Head General destroyed my vegetable stand yesterday. I think he knew Lestat was a psychic. I can't imagine how."
"I don't imagine Lestat fighting back."
"He didn't. I think he couldn't believe what was happening."
"Eh," Rai shrugged, "he'll be back soon. They better make it quick or his mom's going to kill him."
"You know that if they want to pin something on him, they will."
"Maybe but I guess if things get too ridiculous, I could always go get him myself."
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* * *
Tolaymus tried to convince the Emperor to hold Lestat in prison but was unable to justify his request. The Emperor had given him a week to find any actual evidence, aside from his own suspicions, against Lestat. That time had come to its end and the Emperor had ordered Lestat to be freed.
Often when prisoners were released, they were later found murdered anyway. Usually it was by a soldier given a command from a higher up. If a General felt they had been wronged in the release of a prisoner, they would often kill them on their own, even when that defied the wishes of their Emperor.
Every empire had three Generals, one of the three being the Head General. The position was meant to serve as guardians to the royal family of their empire. Most people saw it as a position of absolute authority over the civilians of a region. The only person above a General was his Emperor and Emperors were often being manipulated or intimidated by them. Many Generals did as they pleased with no one daring to confront them. They were often excessively brutal and eager to make examples of anyone defying them.
All three Generals were present when the Emperor released Lestat.
The youngest one, Kiyoshi Themis, or simply Kiyo, was just a few inches over five feet tall. He had a thin build with a narrow face and pale skin. The irises of his almond shaped eyes were red and he had the straightest long, dark blue hair that draped over his shoulders. He was dressed in loose black pants tucked into leather boots that were covered by dense, heavily decorated, steel shin guards. His upper body was covered in a red and gold silk robe, tied at the waist, which hung comfortably on him.
The older one was a twenty-seven year old man called Reno, who had no surname. He was nearly six feet tall. His black hair, just over an inch in length, was spiked out at all sides while still managing to look dry and natural. He was wearing tight faded black jeans crumpled into the top of some black combat boots. His white shirt had the sleeves rolled up and he had not bothered buttoning it all the way up or down.
Tolaymus had adopted Reno as an infant and was attempting to mold him into a replica of himself. He was started on combat training as soon as he was able to walk and every second of his young life was filled with tutors educating him in everything a General might need to know. He had never been in the military as a soldier yet he was made General when he turned twenty-one. Taking on the title of General was more of a formality for him.
Kiyo was twenty-four years old. Unlike Tolaymus and Reno, regardless of still being a well-rounded strategist and skilled fighter, he did not seek excuses to fight and gained no pleasure from it. Traded to the military by his family at seventeen in order to cover a debt, Kiyo had been part of the Emperor's army for seven years already but had only been promoted to General two years ago.
Though being forced to release his prisoner infuriated him, Tolaymus was not going to argue with a command from his Emperor. He was taken out a secret door that led straight out to the dunes so he would not be led through the city that had seen him as a spectacle a few days ago. Reno was told to bring Lestat supplies for his journey home. Kiyo brought the young man a camel. Tolaymus simply observed as the Emperor apologized to the young man who seemed very uncomfortable with all the attention on him.
When Kiyo turned to head back into the palace, after Lestat left, Tolaymus whispered to him, "shame the Emperor would allow a man to walk away after committing such a crime."
Kiyo went to see Tolaymus later that day. He found him cleaning up shining the metal covers for Skurge's pincers in the stable.
"General, what exactly was your prisoner guilty of?" Kiyo asked him as Tolaymus hung up the covers in Skurge's stable.
"You recall what happened to the Denton family? I believe he may have been involved. The Dentons were well off and we know the gyptians are bitter after losing the lands they had gained in their dealings with the elves," Tolaymus explained, closing the stable behind his scorpion. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find what I needed to hold him. I needed to know where he was from."
"What would that have done?"
"It would have told me if he was actually a psychic. I couldn't prove it but he was telekinetic."
"That's rare and if he was, why didn't he fight?"
"Maybe he knew it was best to keep that from us."
"The Emperor doesn't want anyone pursuing the prisoner but I don't think he'll notice if I'm gone for a little while."
"What are you proposing?" Tolaymus faked a curious voice as he turned away from Kiyo. A massive smile appeared on his face as he locked the gate on the stable.
"I'll follow your prisoner and see if I can find anything of any value."
Tolaymus put on a straight face when he turned to Kiyo to lie straight into the young man's dark red eyes. "Justice can be cruel but if it's not delivered, the innocent are the ones who pay the price. Do what you deem necessary."
