The Morlac had reconciled herself to her diminished state but not before she had, in a rage, killed another few Examiners. She still had power and since no one else in the world appeared to have any at all, she was still the most powerful of all but it was a far cry from her past strength. Somehow the Old Gods have managed to limit me but not as much as they are now limited. The Morlac had searched for them and realized that they were absent. Not just, as they so often were, busy with other concerns. Completely absent from this plane of existence. She revelled in the certain knowledge that she was the cataclysms' only survivor.
Still, it wasn't enough. This Guild of Examiners were policemen, mere lackeys. It was the king who held the temporal power she craved. As she considered her options, and with respect to the flesh she was in, she had the Chief Examiner's assistants bring in a parade of young women for her to satisfy her fleshy cravings. If any of the Examiners thought it odd the previously celibate Geinn was now indulging his sexual desires multiple times a night with a variety of prostitutes, they kept that observation to themselves. When some of those women failed to survive the encounter, they were quietly and quickly disposed of.
That well was drying up as word got around that some of those who went in to the Examiners Hall never came out again. The availability of women selling sexual favors seemed to almost disappear overnight in Ehart. The Morlac had realized her only hope of gaining the power she sought as to replace the king, enslave him or possess him. She decided that to replace him was not possible. The nobles would not tolerate a Chief Examiner pulling a coup. That left enslave since she could only possess those who gave themselves to her freely.
The mage crafting to dominate someone's mind was easy enough but with her limited power, the Morlac realized she could not cast it at a distance. As the king had no mages, he would have no defenses but she had to be within a few feet of him when the spell took effect. The Morlac considered this for some time, then realized that Geinn's previous behavior could be used to her advantage. Sending an emissary to the king, the Chief Examiner begged the king for a private audience to seek forgiveness for his previous actions.
The response was what she expected. It would not be private but the audience would be granted. The time was set, so the Morlac worked through the complicated soul spell. It took all of her mage strength, making her feel weak for the first time she could ever remember. Hours of focus, crafting the spell into the mind of the one called Geinn so that when she triggered it, it could strike out and ensnare the king. Then, finally, she was set.
The walk to the palace soothed her mind. As she walked, she laid out her plans. Take the king. Use his power to build up the armies and navies to an unstoppable power. One kingdom and a time, they would fall, with the military rebuilding after each one. Once she had conquered the world, she would take the title "Queen of the World" that the Old Gods' magic had denied her before. Then, once her power was consolidated, she would taste of flesh as she pleased. As an immortal, she could not be killed. Nothing could deny her but powerful magic and there was none left in the world.
She had arrived. Taking on the persona of a humble and repentant Chief Examiner, she bowed her head and shuffled her feet as she walked into the audience chamber of her next victim.
