Queen Yavara Ch. 19

Crystal raised her head to the ceiling and spoke the words. A purple light descended from the top of the tree and engulfed her. Her eyes flashed open, revealing nothing but two, glowing purple ovals.

"Master," Arbor said through Crystal, "have you forgiven me for my transgressions, or do you still need to punish me?"

"Mother?" Rose asked Arbor, her eyes welling in tears, "Mother, what has she done to you?"

"Master as shown me the error of my ways," Arbor said to Rose, "she has given me joy I never thought possible."

"She's corrupted you!" Rose cried, tears welling in her eyes, "She carries the sorcerer's curse!"

"There never was a sorcerer." Arbor said to Rose, "That was a lie I made up thousands of years ago to hide the fact that I failed you."

"What do you mean?" Rose sniffled.

"I designed the nymphs to be tenders of the forest, to love what I had given them and to nurture the world I created. But I failed you, Rose, I failed all of you. I gave you female bodies and hearts, but no men to accompany you. I took away your instinct to breed, but not your instinct to love. The corruption isn't a curse; it's god insulting me for my hubris."

"Don't say that, Mother," Rose sobbed, "it's not your fault."

"Rose," I said to the nymph, "I'm going to get Prestira and bring her here. She's the best telepath in the world; she'll be able to help us. Just sit tight."

PRESTIRA

"Is he still there?" I asked Patricia.

Patricia narrowed her eyes at the distant ridgeline. "Yeah, just the one. It's a ranger no doubt."

"Adarian sent a scout to keep an eye on us." I mused, "He'll keep his distance; don't worry about him."

"But I've never had high-elf before, and I heard it's delicious." Patricia sighed, relaxing against the log. She regarded the nymphs around her. "Not like these things. Eating a nymph would be akin to eating a soy burger."

"You'll have plenty of chances to sample Highlander once the war starts. There will be prisoners, and Yavara will have to placate Titus somehow."

"I wonder how Elena will feel about that." Patricia smirked at me, displaying her fangs.

"What Elena doesn't know won't hurt her." I smiled back, "We'll keep our tender-hearted ranger on diplomacy missions. I must say, she has a surprising knack for it. Yavara could afford to learn a thing from her."

Patricia glanced at the angle of the sun through her veil. "She sure has been in there for a while. Negotiations must be at a standstill."

"I doubt she's standing, much less being still." I chuckled, "You saw the way Ambassador Straltaira and Rose were looking at each other. I suspect negotiations are rather rigorous right now."

"She's supposed to be gaining an alliance, not fucking the diplomat."

"We're under the reign of the Dark Queen, Patricia. Fucking the diplomat is standard practice."

"Here she comes." Patricia said as Elena emerged from the tree, completely naked, "You were right, of course."

"Told you." I laughed.

Elena was walking extremely quickly toward us. Her face was flushed, and her body was covered in dirt.

"Elena!" I chided the embarrassed hybrid, "it seems you forgot something!"

"Prestira," Elena said with a frantic voice, "I need your help. I spoke with the Mother and..."

I heard a songbird's whistle carry from the ridgeline to the north. My skin went cold. My blood thundered in my head. There was a sound like a violin screeching in the deepest pits of my ears. The world was bathed in orange rays of twilight sun, casting shadows in dark columns through the trees. There was a woman's whisper in my ear. Mistress Leveria. Bring me Yavara, bring me Elena if you can. Kill the rest. Kill them slowly. My hand shot out and cast a bondage spell across Elena. She dropped to the ground, her face frozen in shock.

"Prestira?" Patricia thought it was a joke, "What the hell are you-"

I set her clothes aflame. I stared blankly as my blood-granddaughter flailed frantically, trying to beat out the arcane fire. Too late. The sun pierced through her burning clothes, and she danced to cover the spots, crying out with each exposure, twisting herself in knots as her cloak disintegrated. Then she was naked in the sunlight, her red eyes bulging, her alabaster flesh turning pink, then scarlet, then crimson. She looked at me then, an expression of abject horror on her face.

"Why?!" She screamed. I grabbed her with my mind and held her high in the air. I watched dispassionately as she trashed and shrieked, crossing her arms over her chest, covering her face with her hands. Her naked body began to steam, her hair began to smoke. Her screams lost their humanity and became shrill and wild, an echo of the manic terror and agony that ravaged her mind, tearing her identity from her, leaving her as nothing but the torture of flesh and the horror of the end. Her skin began to melt and drip to the forest floor; splashing, sizzling. Her exposed muscles twitched in the sun, charred and leaching liquid fat. Her shriek turned to a throaty gurgle, then to a hiss of air. I let her fall with a thud on the ground, her melted eyes running from their sockets, her nasal cartilage crisping to reveal the hole beneath, her exposed jaw twitching with the last screams of her waning agony. Then, she was gone.

The nymphs descended upon me, blowing their darts and throwing their stones. I stopped their projectile in the air and sent it flying back to them. They reeled behind cover, and I blasted a wall of flame between us, then hoisted Elena in the air, and walked toward the source of the whistle. The androgynous silhouette in cowl, my harbinger.

A woman's voice was screaming in my head. It was Yavara. I cut our connection and walked up the hill. He was waiting for me there, my herald, my deliverer. I dropped Elena to the ground before him, and awaited his command.

THOMAS ADARIAN

I pocketed the whistle, and tossed the witch a length of rope. "Bind her." I said.

Prestira nodded, her face vacant. She hogtied the magically-bound hermaphrodite, my old comrade, my brightest student. Elena looked frantically from Prestira to me. I'd seen that face too many times, that terrified expression of the cornered. It tore me to pieces to see it on her, but she'd made her choice, and it would cost her dearly. More dearly than I cared to think, for I feared the vampire had gotten off easy compared to what Elena Straltaira would endure. It was love that condemned her, as it does for us all. I walked up to Prestira. There was no light behind her eyes. I put the knife to her throat and began to slice.

"Adarian!" Elena screamed, "Stop! Don't do it!"

I looked at Elena, wondering if I should turn the knife on her now. A quick slash across the throat, and I'd save her the hell that Leveria had waiting. But orders were orders, and wars were lost by the hands of merciful men.

"Adarian!" Elena screamed, tears streaming down her face, "Please don't."

I pushed the blade into Prestira's throat and slashed across. Prestira's mind came back to her for an instant. I saw the horror and confusion behind her eyes as the blood spurted from her throat. She fell to the ground, tears dripping from her eyes. Then her eyes glazed. Elena shrieked, thrashing in her binds. I forced a rope between her teeth and hoisted her onto the back of my horse. We rode off as the nymphs began to scale our hill, the succubi running full-speed ahead of them. 'Master!' They screamed. Their master would never return to them. I would make sure of that.

End of Part Six.

Author's note.

I'll be taking a little break from posting new Queen Yavara chapters, probably for a couple weeks until I finish the ending. This is a 30-ish chapter series, and I've recently finished writing chapter 23. Since I want everything basically finished before I post, I'm delaying posting after this chapter until I'm putting the finishing touches on the final chapter. Thank you for your patience.