The Princess of Wrath

Chapter 8 - Part V: Her Crimson Bride

Hours had passed and night had fallen, bringing with it an inexorable silence that covered the Keep in its entirety after the last bell from the epicenter of Entrana was heard at those heights.

Not even the servants and Imperial Guards who patrolled the fortress limits and dim corridors could be heard; that was something Asura checked when she left her room and noticed the distant echo that the door produced as it closed.

Once certain that Frida had not been awakened by the sound of the door, Asura looked ahead, receiving the astral light of Rhyn and Vhyn that penetrated the glass of the windows and kept at bay the darkness that partially dominated the cold corridor. She felt chills running up and down her body, the product of inexorable nerves that forced her to breathe deeply as if she were about to hyperventilate.

"Calm down...," she thought before momentarily resting her hands against the windowpane and checking her appearance in its faint reflection: her blonde hair was silky and loose, falling on her shoulders and down to the middle of her back; she had not done a very good job with makeup, but at least she had managed to lessen the depth of her dark circles and give her cheeks a bit of color.

Perhaps what stood out the most and gave her a certain pride was the crimson dress she was wearing, which was undoubtedly the most beautiful that she had at her disposal. It was tight enough to bring out the curve of her hips and breasts, sleeveless, and reached down to cover her legs to the point where her black shoes could hardly be seen. As a final detail, a small chain made of silver was hooked along her waist and a small obsidian rose with the imperial symbol of the Ithryl family in its center was attached to the right of her chest.

"Calm the fuck down, you idiot. You're not facing an eldritch creature or a band of bandits," she said in the privacy of her mind to ease the nerves that were gnawing at her inside and making her full stomach churn.

Although what she thought was totally logical, she could not help feeling that way thanks to the implications of what could hypothetically happen in the Tower of Commandment. Just by imagining it, her legs began to shake with excitement and panic as if they wanted her to start running straight to her destination.

Finding serenity at the end of several deep breaths, Asura began her journey through the fortress, crossing the less traveled corridors with extreme stealth.

There were fewer Imperial Guards than she had imagined stationed at the main entrances, most likely since they were concentrated in the vicinity of the Hall of the Throne to guard the Empress and the members of the Council. For Asura, that fact made the task easier.

The Tower of the Commandment was one of the four great towers of the Silent Keep; the one that was located to the east, opposite to the Bastion of the Wraiths and the Sanguinary Tower. It was the building in which the Imperial Guards prayed to the Gods and carried out the sacred rituals of promotions and oaths.

Because the barracks where the Guards lived were on the upper floors of the central structure of the fortress, during those hours of the night the Tower was usually uninhabited. To get there, it was also required to traverse an infinitesimally small version of the Red Garden, surrounded by stone galleries in all four directions.

Upon entering the Garden, Asura took out a coin of ten sen from her pocket and tossed it into the fountain of the Solitary Wolf, for good fortune.

"May this night be perfect," the Princess wished, silently, and smiling at the statue of the wolf, the official animal of the Empire, who howled toward the stars in the center of the fountain.

The double doors of the Tower were open, and upon entering, Asura found a scene that took her breath away: the light of the two astral sisters reached the great hall with larger intensity, almost illuminating the entire interior naturally if not for the fact that there were two stone columns with flaming embers on top at both ends of the place aiding with the task.