Eros

Champions of Corpses - 86

Sebastain grabbed the back of the door-guard's head, stopping him from falling, and laying his corpse on the floor without breaking the quiet. The fear the Black Prince had spread of his name came to their advantage this time. Bas's specialists were getting nowhere with the hinges.

He pulled his dagger, the feather the prince had left in their spy's throat, out of the thug's eye socket as he straightened. His squad, all twenty one remaining of them, got out their hiding places and poured inside. Sebastain unsheathed his Ebonsteel, steels hissed free behind him.

They stalked the obsidian corridors and spiraling steps. Only the gentle clinking of plates under the cloaks, and their leather-soled footfalls disturbed the silence. Sebastian moved quickly, poised to kill on sight.

But nobody came.

He gathered the prince kept the residents of his tower at the bare minimum, but expected some guards at least.

There were no windows, and just an occasional torch in the darkness. Bas lost count of the floors they ascended. Soon, the roof came into sight, the end of the spiraling stairs near. Sebastian had no doubt they'd find the prince's chambers at the top floor. If he built his tower so high, he won't be passing on the view.

At the last stair, a dark, narrow corridor took them on. A door opened from the wall before him, torchlight broke out, casting out a shadow. Sebastain and his soldiers tensed, waiting to jump at the instant the target revealed himself.

Him was a woman. She held a coiled whip, and wore nothing but a black thong between her thighs. Her long blonde hair and naked body would undoubtedly strike deep in most men. Bas never had a thing for women though.

In an instant, he had her hair wrapped in his grip, and his Ebonsteel to her throat.

"Quiet." He muttered in her ear, and she stifled her whimper.

"Point where the Black Prince is." He said, and she lifted a shaky hand, gesturing down the corridor.

"Is he alone?"

She gave a slight nod.

Bas took his blade off her throat, and hit the side of her jaw with an open gauntlet. Her eyes rolled, her knees buckled, and she slumped to the floor. She'll wake up with a major headache. But she'll wake.

Sebastain strode forward, barely restraining himself from running. His soldiers followed, just as swift and eager. The terror the Black Prince spread was their motivation. To rid their homeland, and all of Aros, from the man who became the monarch of crime.

There was one smaller door at their right, but the greater door at the end of the corridor was ajar. Bas opened it gently, and entered. A hall of obsidian embraced him with an ominous beauty.

An ebony dinner table and chair stood alone at its center. The rest was bare stone, rising above them in a tall arch. Moonlight poured from the broad opening to the balcony, reflecting on the polished black surface.

"Oh Ilia,"

Right away, Bas recognized the singing call of the Black Prince.

"While my lust is boundless, the limit of my patience isn't one you should test."

Sebastian's gaze snapped to where the echo started. There was a door of ebony wood, almost unnoticeable as it was shut. He rushed, pressed down the handle, and shoved it open. The chambers were luxuriant, the only thing he saw was the bed.

Bas couldn't believe his eyes. The Black Prince butt-naked, his wrists and ankles bound in expert knots, thick ropes taut between them and the corners of the bed frame.