Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 45: Chapter 45
You are reading Princess Of The Skulls, Chapter 45: Chapter 45. Read more chapters of Princess Of The Skulls.
Lord Cassius advanced through the cathedral with the confidence of a man who believed victory was within his grasp. His soldiers spread out in practiced formation, surrounding our small group with overwhelming numbers. General Thorne flanked him, his scarred face twisted with the kind of rage that came from watching supernatural forces make a mockery of military planning.
"Look around you, Princess," Cassius called out, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling. "Look at the destruction you've wrought. How many innocent people died tonight because you refused to accept your place?"
I glanced at the scattered bones of the ancient dragon, at the cracks in the cathedral floor where otherworldly power had erupted, at the ghostly forms of my spectral knights standing ready for battle; they might not survive. He wasn't wrong—my choices tonight had led to chaos and death.
But through the memories I'd absorbed from the crystal vial, I could see the larger picture. This wasn't just about a political marriage or even a struggle for power between kingdoms. This was about preparing for threats that made tonight's violence seem trivial by comparison.
"Innocent people will die regardless," I replied, surprised by how calm my voice sounded. "The only question is whether they'll die fighting monsters they can see, or horrors they can't imagine."
Cassius frowned at my cryptic response, but Dorian smiled with what looked like genuine pride.
"She's beginning to understand," he murmured, just loud enough for our enemies to hear. "The Princess of Skulls finally sees the scope of her responsibilities."
"Enough riddles!" General Thorne snarled, raising his blessed sword. "Kill them all and be done with it!"
But as the soldiers prepared to charge, I made my decision.
"I accept," I said to Dorian, my voice carrying clearly across the cathedral. "Teach me what I need to know."
The change was immediate and terrifying. Dorian's form began to shift and blur, revealing something that wasn't entirely human. His scarred face elongated, his eyes became pools of starlight, and his presence expanded to fill the cathedral with otherworldly power.
"Then let your first lesson begin," he said in a voice that seemed to come from the spaces between worlds. "True necromancy isn't about commanding the dead, child. It's about understanding that death itself is just another form of energy to be manipulated."
He gestured, and the dragon bones scattered around the cathedral began to move. But instead of reassembling into their original form, they flowed like liquid, reshaping themselves into something new.
Something that had never existed in any natural world.
The bone construct that emerged was part weapon, part armor, part extension of my own will. It flowed around me like living ivory, covering my body in plates that were somehow both protective and beautiful.
I could feel the dragon's ancient power coursing through the construct, but now it was filtered through my magical essence.
"The Armor of Echoes," Dorian explained as Lord Cassius's soldiers stumbled backward in terror. "Forged from the remains of powers you've conquered. Each victory will make it stronger."
Through our soul-bond, I felt Aldric's amazement and fear in equal measure. The armor was beautiful, but it was also clearly changing me. I could feel my perspective shifting, becoming less human and more.
Something else.
"Seraphina," Kael said quietly, reaching toward me but stopping short of actually touching the bone plates. "Are you still you?"
It was a fair question. The power flowing through me was intoxicating, and I could feel the temptation to simply let it carry me away from all the messy complications of human emotion. But through the bond with Aldric, I could still feel his love and concern. It anchored me to who I'd been before this transformation.
"I'm still me," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure it was true. "Just more."
Lord Cassius had recovered from his initial shock and was rallying his forces. "Sorcery changes nothing!
Steel still cuts flesh, and arrows still find their mark! Attack!"
The soldiers charged with desperate courage, their weapons raised against impossible odds. But I was no longer the same person who'd entered this cathedral tonight. The Armor of Echoes moved with me, responding to my will like a second skin. When blades struck the bone plates, they shattered.
When arrows flew toward me, the armor deflected them with casual ease.
But more than protection, the armor gave me power. I could feel the life force of every person in the cathedral, and I could sense the precise moment when each soldier's heart would stop beating. Death wasn't just an ending anymore—it was a resource to be harvested and redirected.
"Stop," I commanded, and the word carried such weight that every person in the cathedral froze in place.
It wasn't a spell or magical compulsion. It was simply the voice of someone who had touched the fundamental forces of existence and found them willing to obey.
"Lord Cassius," I continued, walking through the paralyzed soldiers with inhuman grace. "You came here seeking justice for your fallen king. But what justice can there be when cosmic forces are preparing to devour everything we've built?"
The man's eyes were wide with terror, but he managed to speak. "W-what are you talking about?"
"Threats that make our petty wars seem like children's games. Entities that view human civilization as we might view an anthill." I stopped directly in front of him, noting how the bone armor's presence made him tremble. "Your choice is simple. Join us in preparing for real war, or die here tonight and let someone more practical take your place."
The offer hung in the air like a sword blade. Through the memories I'd absorbed, I could see how this scene had played out countless times throughout history. Some chose cooperation. Others chose defiance and found themselves becoming raw material for greater purposes.
"What guarantees do I have?" Cassius asked, showing more political acumen than I'd expected.
"None," I replied honestly. "But consider the alternative."
I gestured, and one of the fallen dragon bones rose into the air, reshaping itself into a perfect replica of a human skull. The message was clear enough.
After a long moment, Lord Cassius slowly knelt. Around the cathedral, his surviving soldiers followed suit.
"I yield to the Princess of Skulls," he said formally. "May the gods preserve us all."
"The gods," Dorian said with dark amusement, "are part of what we're preparing to fight."
The first phase of my new existence had begun.
"Look around you, Princess," Cassius called out, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling. "Look at the destruction you've wrought. How many innocent people died tonight because you refused to accept your place?"
I glanced at the scattered bones of the ancient dragon, at the cracks in the cathedral floor where otherworldly power had erupted, at the ghostly forms of my spectral knights standing ready for battle; they might not survive. He wasn't wrong—my choices tonight had led to chaos and death.
But through the memories I'd absorbed from the crystal vial, I could see the larger picture. This wasn't just about a political marriage or even a struggle for power between kingdoms. This was about preparing for threats that made tonight's violence seem trivial by comparison.
"Innocent people will die regardless," I replied, surprised by how calm my voice sounded. "The only question is whether they'll die fighting monsters they can see, or horrors they can't imagine."
Cassius frowned at my cryptic response, but Dorian smiled with what looked like genuine pride.
"She's beginning to understand," he murmured, just loud enough for our enemies to hear. "The Princess of Skulls finally sees the scope of her responsibilities."
"Enough riddles!" General Thorne snarled, raising his blessed sword. "Kill them all and be done with it!"
But as the soldiers prepared to charge, I made my decision.
"I accept," I said to Dorian, my voice carrying clearly across the cathedral. "Teach me what I need to know."
The change was immediate and terrifying. Dorian's form began to shift and blur, revealing something that wasn't entirely human. His scarred face elongated, his eyes became pools of starlight, and his presence expanded to fill the cathedral with otherworldly power.
"Then let your first lesson begin," he said in a voice that seemed to come from the spaces between worlds. "True necromancy isn't about commanding the dead, child. It's about understanding that death itself is just another form of energy to be manipulated."
He gestured, and the dragon bones scattered around the cathedral began to move. But instead of reassembling into their original form, they flowed like liquid, reshaping themselves into something new.
Something that had never existed in any natural world.
The bone construct that emerged was part weapon, part armor, part extension of my own will. It flowed around me like living ivory, covering my body in plates that were somehow both protective and beautiful.
I could feel the dragon's ancient power coursing through the construct, but now it was filtered through my magical essence.
"The Armor of Echoes," Dorian explained as Lord Cassius's soldiers stumbled backward in terror. "Forged from the remains of powers you've conquered. Each victory will make it stronger."
Through our soul-bond, I felt Aldric's amazement and fear in equal measure. The armor was beautiful, but it was also clearly changing me. I could feel my perspective shifting, becoming less human and more.
Something else.
"Seraphina," Kael said quietly, reaching toward me but stopping short of actually touching the bone plates. "Are you still you?"
It was a fair question. The power flowing through me was intoxicating, and I could feel the temptation to simply let it carry me away from all the messy complications of human emotion. But through the bond with Aldric, I could still feel his love and concern. It anchored me to who I'd been before this transformation.
"I'm still me," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure it was true. "Just more."
Lord Cassius had recovered from his initial shock and was rallying his forces. "Sorcery changes nothing!
Steel still cuts flesh, and arrows still find their mark! Attack!"
The soldiers charged with desperate courage, their weapons raised against impossible odds. But I was no longer the same person who'd entered this cathedral tonight. The Armor of Echoes moved with me, responding to my will like a second skin. When blades struck the bone plates, they shattered.
When arrows flew toward me, the armor deflected them with casual ease.
But more than protection, the armor gave me power. I could feel the life force of every person in the cathedral, and I could sense the precise moment when each soldier's heart would stop beating. Death wasn't just an ending anymore—it was a resource to be harvested and redirected.
"Stop," I commanded, and the word carried such weight that every person in the cathedral froze in place.
It wasn't a spell or magical compulsion. It was simply the voice of someone who had touched the fundamental forces of existence and found them willing to obey.
"Lord Cassius," I continued, walking through the paralyzed soldiers with inhuman grace. "You came here seeking justice for your fallen king. But what justice can there be when cosmic forces are preparing to devour everything we've built?"
The man's eyes were wide with terror, but he managed to speak. "W-what are you talking about?"
"Threats that make our petty wars seem like children's games. Entities that view human civilization as we might view an anthill." I stopped directly in front of him, noting how the bone armor's presence made him tremble. "Your choice is simple. Join us in preparing for real war, or die here tonight and let someone more practical take your place."
The offer hung in the air like a sword blade. Through the memories I'd absorbed, I could see how this scene had played out countless times throughout history. Some chose cooperation. Others chose defiance and found themselves becoming raw material for greater purposes.
"What guarantees do I have?" Cassius asked, showing more political acumen than I'd expected.
"None," I replied honestly. "But consider the alternative."
I gestured, and one of the fallen dragon bones rose into the air, reshaping itself into a perfect replica of a human skull. The message was clear enough.
After a long moment, Lord Cassius slowly knelt. Around the cathedral, his surviving soldiers followed suit.
"I yield to the Princess of Skulls," he said formally. "May the gods preserve us all."
"The gods," Dorian said with dark amusement, "are part of what we're preparing to fight."
The first phase of my new existence had begun.
End of Princess Of The Skulls Chapter 45. Continue reading Chapter 46 or return to Princess Of The Skulls book page.