Captain Blackwood sneered, “You didn’t actually think you would leave here alive, did you? This kind of knowledge must be protected at all costs. Surely you understand.”
“I swear I didn’t tell a soul!” Samuel begged, backing away from him, his eyes wide with fear. The Captain prowled forward, making a tsking noise and shaking his head, as if he were disappointed. “Come now, Simon. Do not prolong this. I have more pressing matters to attend to.”
Samuel continued backing away until his back was against the wall. Tears leaked from his eyes as he begged, incoherent rage spluttering from his mouth. Without another word, the sword descended, slicing through Samuel’s neck in one swipe.
Chapter Five
Experimental Magic
Luther
Samuel’s body slumped to the floor, blood immediately pooling beneath it. Looking down in disgust, Luther took a step back. He hated that he had dirtied his blade with this lowlife filth.
“Deal with this mess.”, he barked at the guard standing outside the door. Stepping further away from Samuel’s body, making sure not to get any blood on his boots, he turned and went to seek out his queen.
He found her, a short while later, in her bedchamber speaking low to her massive orange cat perched on the chaise lounge. It turned its human-like eyes on him as he crossed the room. Luther shuddered as a chill went down his spine. He hated that cat about as much as it hated him. Vivian was seated at a table, the contents of the chest spread out before her. She glanced up when he entered.
“Is it done so quickly?” She asked dismissively.
“Of course my Queen. I do not play with street rats.”
She let out a soft chuckle. He moved closer, peering over her shoulder. “Have you found anything of use?’
“I believe so. It does appear that this is a book of spells of a kind. Whether or not they are real, or will work, is yet to be determined. That is where you come in. I have marked the ones that I wish you to learn. I want you to take this book and the black candle. I know we can use this if you are able to harness the power. This supposed prophecy speaks of a child, born from the strongest province, ruling all. If there is any truth to it, we must ensure that it happens.” She paused, meeting his gaze. “My son will produce this heir, and once she is born, I will raise her in my image, to rule as I see fit.”
Luther’s smile turned lethal. “You’re brilliant, as usual, my Queen. I would be honored to accept this task. I will not let you down.” Vivian brushed her hand down his cheek.
“I have no doubt that you will do me proud.”
Luther bent, scooping up the chest containing the book and candle. “I will see you at dinner.”
It had been weeks since his queen had given him his task and he was failing miserably. He was a fighter, for Gods sake, not a fucking magician. Slamming the book down, he ran his hands through his already tousled hair. The price for botching this would be his life, and he was not prepared for that outcome. He wouldn’t let his queen down.
Bending, he lifted the book again, reopening it to the spell that he was currently trying to master. Queen Vivian wantedhim to master three separate incantations that, when wielded together with potions, would make the prophecy a reality.
He had already mastered the fertility spell, as he had practiced it on several attendants and all had become pregnant after their first coupling. The spell to make someone lustful had been a little trickier. If he was a better man, he might be worried about ruining a marriage, but the last he had checked, the girl’s marriage was a complete cover up anyway. Her man preferred a very different sort of love, a kind that she could never fulfill. They did not love one another as husband and wife, not in the natural sense. So there was no issue there.
As for the queen’s eldest disappointment, well he was just a rake. Too busy sticking his dick anywhere he could just to piss her majesty off. A forever bachelor. He didn’t need to worry about a real relationship there either.
The noise of a chair leg scraping across the stone pulled Luther from his grumbling. He turned, facing the man tied to the chair. He was a lowly street urchin. No one had missed him in the last five days, and no one ever would.
“Let's try this again.” Luther said clapping his hands together.
The last piece of the trifecta was ensuring they never remembered what happened, the memory spell. Moving to the table, he picked up a vial of scented liquid. Pouring a small amount onto a bit of cloth, he wiped it across the man’s face and arms. He was hoping to perfect this method, so he could use bathing soap or lotion to administer the combination of potions. His background in dark alchemy had benefited him here, giving him the ability to merge the three in one method. He waited a few minutes, leaning against the table edge, in a complete show of disinterest, humming under his breath as he waited.
Finally, after several moments, Luther looked at the manand simply said, “Now, let’s get that heart rate moving. I am going to stab you with this knife, but not to worry, hopefully you will not remember a minute of it.”
Picking up his blade, he started towards the man, who was now struggling with his bonds, trying to get away, muffled screams coming from behind his gag. His heart raced in his panic, eyes bulging out in fear.
With a wicked grin, Luther drove his blade into the man’s left thigh. So far he had stabbed or sliced the poor bastard on nearly every part of his body. The man screamed and writhed in pain, begging for it to stop. Luther yanked his blade out, wiping it clean on the man's shirt. Returning to the table, he leaned back once again, and began reading from the book, making sure that he missed nothing. It was imperative that this last spell work, to ensure that they would have no memory of the previous events.
After a bit of time, the room fell silent. The urchin had fallen asleep again. It seemed to be a side effect of this particular potion. After a period of physical exertion, he appeared to be drunk, slurring his words, eyes drooping, before simply passing out. Luther could have chosen any number of other options besides stabbing him in order to increase his heart rate, but where was the fun in that? Maiming had always brought him such joy.
Now to wait. To see if this time the man would wake up with no memory of why he was there, or why he was injured. This part could take hours. Luther had other things to focus on in the interim that were far more entertaining. He stood, moving to the wash basin in the corner of the room, thoroughly washing the blood off his hands. He pulled his vest back on and headed out the door with not so much as a backwards glance.
His queen awaited him.
Chapter Six
