Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 71: Chapter 71
You are reading Princess Of The Skulls, Chapter 71: Chapter 71. Read more chapters of Princess Of The Skulls.
The war council convened in the ruins of what had once been the castle's great hall. Broken stone and twisted metal provided an appropriately apocalyptic backdrop for the most unlikely alliance in the history of both kingdoms. I sat at the head of a makeshift table constructed from shield and sword, flanked by men who had been trying to kill each other just days before.
Prince Aldric bore fresh scars from our escape, a jagged line across his left cheek that would mark him for life. Despite everything—the lies, the political machinations, the blood between our families—he had stayed to fight beside me when the demons broke free. That meant something, though I wasn't yet sure what.
Kael stood behind my chair, a position that spoke of both protection and possession. His hand rested on the pommel of his sword, ready to draw at the first sign of treachery from our new allies. The revelation of his true parentage had changed nothing between us; if anything, it had made our bond stronger. He was mine, and I was his, regardless of bloodlines or political complications.
Master Dorian, revealed now as the former commander of my mother's guard, spread maps across our improvised table. His transformation from humble weapons instructor to strategic mastermind had been shocking, but welcome. We needed every advantage we could gather.
"The demon incursion has destabilized the dimensional barriers across both kingdoms," he explained, his weathered finger tracing lines of corruption across the parchment. "Lord Cassius is using this chaos to consolidate power, but he's also made himself vulnerable. His forces are scattered, trying to contain multiple breach points."
"How many men does he have?" Aldric asked, his voice carefully neutral when speaking of his father.
"Fewer than expected," Dorian replied. "Many of his soldiers have deserted rather than face the demons.
Others have been transformed by exposure to the dimensional energy."
I had seen some of these transformed soldiers during our escape. Once-human warriors twisted into something that could barely be called alive, their minds consumed by otherworldly hunger. The sight had sickened even me, and I had thought myself beyond such reactions.
"What about the skull relics?" I asked. "Are they still containing the remaining demons?"
"Barely," Dorian admitted. "Your use of necromantic power has weakened the seals. We have perhaps days before complete failure."
"Then we end this quickly," I decided. "A direct assault on Lord Cassius's stronghold before he can fully consolidate his position."
"That's suicide," one of Aldric's remaining knights protested. "He's fortified the northern castle with both conventional defenses and whatever demons he can control."
"Then it's fortunate," I said with a smile that made several men step back, "that I'm no longer concerned with conventional warfare."
Through the bond I shared with the skull relics—a connection that had grown stronger since the dimensional breach—I could feel the imprisoned demons scratching at their spiritual chains. They hungered for freedom, but they also feared what I was becoming. The Guardian's Binding had not just given me power over life and death; it had made me something that existed partially in their realm.
"Seraphina," Aldric said quietly, "what exactly are you planning?"
I met his gaze, seeing concern mixed with something that might have been fear. Good. He should be afraid. What I was contemplating would horrify anyone with a functioning conscience.
"The demons want freedom," I explained. "Lord Cassius wants to use them as weapons. I propose we give them both what they desire—and turn it against our enemies."
"You're talking about releasing the demons," Kael said, his voice carefully controlled. "All of them."
"Under controlled conditions," I clarified. "Bound to my will rather than his. The skull relics were never meant to be permanent prisons—they were designed as focusing tools for someone with sufficient necromantic power to command the entities within."
"Someone like you," Dorian said, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"Someone exactly like me," I confirmed. "The question is whether you're all prepared to stand beside a woman who commands the armies of the dead and the damned."
The silence that followed was telling. These men—soldiers, nobles, assassins—had seen me kill without hesitation, had watched me commune with spirits and wield power that defied natural law. But the idea of deliberately releasing demons to serve as my weapons was a step too far for some.
"I'll stand with you," Aldric said finally. "Whatever the cost."
"And I," Kael added, his hand moving to rest on my shoulder. "I've followed you this far into darkness. A little further won't make a difference."
"Master Dorian?" I asked.
The old warrior studied me for a long moment, perhaps seeing echoes of my mother in my face. "Your mother made me swear to protect you," he said. "Even from yourself, if necessary. But I think she would understand the necessity of this choice."
"The others can decide for themselves," I said, rising from my chair. "But understand this—I will not allow
Lord Cassius to destroy both kingdoms in his quest for power. If that means embracing the darkness completely, then so be it."
As if summoned by my words, a cold wind swept through the ruined hall, carrying with it the scent of otherworldly corruption. The dimensional barriers were weakening faster than Dorian had predicted. We were running out of time.
"How long do you need to prepare the ritual?" Aldric asked.
"Three days," I replied. "But the binding will require a significant sacrifice. The demons won't accept my authority without proof of commitment."
"What kind of sacrifice?" Kael asked, though his tone suggested he already suspected the answer.
"The kind that changes you forever," I said simply. "The Guardian's Binding was just the beginning. To command demons, I'll need to become something that exists as much in their realm as in ours."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I'll no longer be entirely human," I admitted. "The woman you've known, the princess you've loved—she'll be gone, replaced by something more powerful but fundamentally different."
Through our bond, I felt Kael's immediate rejection of this possibility, his desperate need to find another way. But there was no other way. We all knew it.
"There has to be an alternative," Aldric said. "Some way to defeat him without—"
"There isn't," I cut him off. "Believe me, I've considered every option. This is the only path that saves both kingdoms and prevents the complete collapse of dimensional barriers."
"Then we'll face whatever comes," Kael said, his voice steady despite the emotional turmoil I could sense through our connection. "Together."
"Together," Aldric agreed, surprising me with his quick acceptance.
I looked at both men—my betrothed and my lover, my political alliance and my heart's choice—and felt something crack inside my chest. They were willing to follow me into transformation, to stand beside whatever I became. It was more than I deserved and exactly what I needed.
"Then we begin preparations immediately," I decided. "Send word to any remaining loyal forces. Tell them their princess is gathering an army of the living and the dead to reclaim her kingdom."
As the council dispersed to carry out their orders, I remained in the ruined hall with Kael and Aldric. The three of us stood in silence, each lost in contemplation of what the next few days would bring.
"Do you think we'll survive this?" Aldric asked quietly.
"Define survival," I replied. "Will our bodies continue to function? Probably. Will we remain the same people we are now? Unlikely."
"Is that acceptable to you?" Kael asked.
I considered the question seriously. Was I prepared to sacrifice my humanity to save my kingdom? To become something monstrous to defeat monsters?
"Yes," I said finally. "It has to be."
The darkness gathering around us felt less like an ending and more like a beginning—the birth of something terrible and necessary. In three days, I would either save both kingdoms or damn them completely.
I found myself looking forward to discovering which.
Prince Aldric bore fresh scars from our escape, a jagged line across his left cheek that would mark him for life. Despite everything—the lies, the political machinations, the blood between our families—he had stayed to fight beside me when the demons broke free. That meant something, though I wasn't yet sure what.
Kael stood behind my chair, a position that spoke of both protection and possession. His hand rested on the pommel of his sword, ready to draw at the first sign of treachery from our new allies. The revelation of his true parentage had changed nothing between us; if anything, it had made our bond stronger. He was mine, and I was his, regardless of bloodlines or political complications.
Master Dorian, revealed now as the former commander of my mother's guard, spread maps across our improvised table. His transformation from humble weapons instructor to strategic mastermind had been shocking, but welcome. We needed every advantage we could gather.
"The demon incursion has destabilized the dimensional barriers across both kingdoms," he explained, his weathered finger tracing lines of corruption across the parchment. "Lord Cassius is using this chaos to consolidate power, but he's also made himself vulnerable. His forces are scattered, trying to contain multiple breach points."
"How many men does he have?" Aldric asked, his voice carefully neutral when speaking of his father.
"Fewer than expected," Dorian replied. "Many of his soldiers have deserted rather than face the demons.
Others have been transformed by exposure to the dimensional energy."
I had seen some of these transformed soldiers during our escape. Once-human warriors twisted into something that could barely be called alive, their minds consumed by otherworldly hunger. The sight had sickened even me, and I had thought myself beyond such reactions.
"What about the skull relics?" I asked. "Are they still containing the remaining demons?"
"Barely," Dorian admitted. "Your use of necromantic power has weakened the seals. We have perhaps days before complete failure."
"Then we end this quickly," I decided. "A direct assault on Lord Cassius's stronghold before he can fully consolidate his position."
"That's suicide," one of Aldric's remaining knights protested. "He's fortified the northern castle with both conventional defenses and whatever demons he can control."
"Then it's fortunate," I said with a smile that made several men step back, "that I'm no longer concerned with conventional warfare."
Through the bond I shared with the skull relics—a connection that had grown stronger since the dimensional breach—I could feel the imprisoned demons scratching at their spiritual chains. They hungered for freedom, but they also feared what I was becoming. The Guardian's Binding had not just given me power over life and death; it had made me something that existed partially in their realm.
"Seraphina," Aldric said quietly, "what exactly are you planning?"
I met his gaze, seeing concern mixed with something that might have been fear. Good. He should be afraid. What I was contemplating would horrify anyone with a functioning conscience.
"The demons want freedom," I explained. "Lord Cassius wants to use them as weapons. I propose we give them both what they desire—and turn it against our enemies."
"You're talking about releasing the demons," Kael said, his voice carefully controlled. "All of them."
"Under controlled conditions," I clarified. "Bound to my will rather than his. The skull relics were never meant to be permanent prisons—they were designed as focusing tools for someone with sufficient necromantic power to command the entities within."
"Someone like you," Dorian said, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"Someone exactly like me," I confirmed. "The question is whether you're all prepared to stand beside a woman who commands the armies of the dead and the damned."
The silence that followed was telling. These men—soldiers, nobles, assassins—had seen me kill without hesitation, had watched me commune with spirits and wield power that defied natural law. But the idea of deliberately releasing demons to serve as my weapons was a step too far for some.
"I'll stand with you," Aldric said finally. "Whatever the cost."
"And I," Kael added, his hand moving to rest on my shoulder. "I've followed you this far into darkness. A little further won't make a difference."
"Master Dorian?" I asked.
The old warrior studied me for a long moment, perhaps seeing echoes of my mother in my face. "Your mother made me swear to protect you," he said. "Even from yourself, if necessary. But I think she would understand the necessity of this choice."
"The others can decide for themselves," I said, rising from my chair. "But understand this—I will not allow
Lord Cassius to destroy both kingdoms in his quest for power. If that means embracing the darkness completely, then so be it."
As if summoned by my words, a cold wind swept through the ruined hall, carrying with it the scent of otherworldly corruption. The dimensional barriers were weakening faster than Dorian had predicted. We were running out of time.
"How long do you need to prepare the ritual?" Aldric asked.
"Three days," I replied. "But the binding will require a significant sacrifice. The demons won't accept my authority without proof of commitment."
"What kind of sacrifice?" Kael asked, though his tone suggested he already suspected the answer.
"The kind that changes you forever," I said simply. "The Guardian's Binding was just the beginning. To command demons, I'll need to become something that exists as much in their realm as in ours."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I'll no longer be entirely human," I admitted. "The woman you've known, the princess you've loved—she'll be gone, replaced by something more powerful but fundamentally different."
Through our bond, I felt Kael's immediate rejection of this possibility, his desperate need to find another way. But there was no other way. We all knew it.
"There has to be an alternative," Aldric said. "Some way to defeat him without—"
"There isn't," I cut him off. "Believe me, I've considered every option. This is the only path that saves both kingdoms and prevents the complete collapse of dimensional barriers."
"Then we'll face whatever comes," Kael said, his voice steady despite the emotional turmoil I could sense through our connection. "Together."
"Together," Aldric agreed, surprising me with his quick acceptance.
I looked at both men—my betrothed and my lover, my political alliance and my heart's choice—and felt something crack inside my chest. They were willing to follow me into transformation, to stand beside whatever I became. It was more than I deserved and exactly what I needed.
"Then we begin preparations immediately," I decided. "Send word to any remaining loyal forces. Tell them their princess is gathering an army of the living and the dead to reclaim her kingdom."
As the council dispersed to carry out their orders, I remained in the ruined hall with Kael and Aldric. The three of us stood in silence, each lost in contemplation of what the next few days would bring.
"Do you think we'll survive this?" Aldric asked quietly.
"Define survival," I replied. "Will our bodies continue to function? Probably. Will we remain the same people we are now? Unlikely."
"Is that acceptable to you?" Kael asked.
I considered the question seriously. Was I prepared to sacrifice my humanity to save my kingdom? To become something monstrous to defeat monsters?
"Yes," I said finally. "It has to be."
The darkness gathering around us felt less like an ending and more like a beginning—the birth of something terrible and necessary. In three days, I would either save both kingdoms or damn them completely.
I found myself looking forward to discovering which.
End of Princess Of The Skulls Chapter 71. Continue reading Chapter 72 or return to Princess Of The Skulls book page.