Laugh of Destruction (Book 3 of the Death Incarnate Saga) Read online

  Laugh of Destruction (Book three of the Death Incarnate Saga)

  Published by H. Lee Morgan at Smashwords

  Copyright 2013 H. Lee Morgan

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  Prologue

  Deep in the heart of the Laqura Empire comfortably sat Empress Vika upon her throne of golden skulls and bones. Her most prized conquests in battles waged in ancient days. Many bones were of kings, queens and idealistic visionaries that had to be crushed. Each one she personally used magic to turn bone into gold so it would last forever. Her throne room was shadowed in such a way that no other could ever see if she sat there or not unless she wanted to reveal herself. Behind it was a hole leading to a secret cave none were allowed in besides her. Laqura Castle was plunged in the darkness only night could afford as her anger wouldn’t allow any light for if she saw anyone at the moment she’d rip out their souls and listen to their exquisite sounds of agony. She sat there for hours as she seethed in a rage she hadn’t felt in years because she couldn’t understand just what was happening these past weeks. She could feel an uncomfortable shift in the empire she has ruled for four thousand years, one she hadn’t felt in centuries.

  She felt alive again and wanted the blood of her enemies.

  Empress Vika’s aids and sorcerers feared her immense power for she glowed with it if she didn’t use a spell to conceal just how much she possessed. Each one who saw her enter the room earlier knew they would perish if they lingered so they dropped their tasks and hurried out immediately.

  Eventually the darkness of the room eased her mind over the hours. Her anger simmered and she regained control of her bloodlust. The empress extended her hand and conjured a white flame, split it a dozen times and shot them to where she knew exactly where the oil fed braziers were located. Flames rose from the twelve bowls lining the glistening hall. Soft orange and gold light pushed the shadows away, but not from her idea of a regal throne. The gold skulls and bones glittered from their polished surfaces, but not so much as to reveal her presence.

  In a clear command to the doors, which she knew would have her guards and patient aids waiting, she said “Summon the Arch Magister of Eeroan to the castle immediately and if he isn’t here in five minutes, be sure he doesn’t live through the night. The rest of you may resume your duties.”

  The throne room opened and three robed men with their Familiars entered along with four elite magical swordsmen who returned to their dark corners so they wouldn’t be seen. They weren’t just any standard guards either.

  One of her aids created a sight mirror which pulled up an image of the Arch Magister and ordered him to the castle immediately with the threat of death should he keep the empress waiting. When he canceled the spell he approached the throne with his grey wolf by his side, took a knee and bowed his head, as did the wolf Familiar, to say “My Lady, the wyvern riders reported in from Bepop and have finished their report.”

  “What did they have to say?” Her even and smooth voice commanded.

  “The damage estimates are close to six hundred million gold for the damaged housing, both exploded and burned from fires spread thereafter, three hundred thousand for the escaped slaves, two hundred and eleven thousand for the ships and we lost twenty two mages. One lesser first class sorcerer died along with two second class sorcerers, four were third, ten were first class wizards, three second and five third class. Six managed to survive the encounter who all verified the encounter with a legendary white griffin king. They also say that before it showed up they fought two sorcerers, one with a large cat Familiar, a meemthia to be accurate. It seemed the man fights oddly with magic while the black haired woman is typical. It seemed they were on their last reserves and were about to be eliminated before it arrived and someone quoted the griffin’s words ‘You dare attack my partner!’. That is the sum of their report.”

  Vika leaned back against her throne to ponder this mystery for something pulled on her thoughts, but she couldn’t quite remember why she felt she knew something, some key piece that would make sense of this problem. After a minute she asked the bowed sorcerer “I will decide what to do later about Bepop. This Sorcerer, is he still hidden from sight? And how did he fight that would be odd?”

  “Yes, he still cannot be seen nor followed by even a seeker’s thread. How long he will be able to support such difficult magic is uncertain. As to why he fights oddly, reports say he somehow mixed magic with physical assaults, like some reckless third class wizards do, but the power this man displayed clearly spoke of second class sorcerer or even first. His skills are also unorthodox because he gets so close to use his magic, likely to lessen the distance issues and he is surprisingly well trained of body and mind. He certainly left an impression on those who survived. My lady… May I speak personally?”

  She glared at the two in shadows for a moment. “Proceed.”

  “I believe that this man is some hidden secret of Twilight’s. For some reason these reports and those I just received from Eeroan stating that this Ceembura on the back of the white griffin are the same person. I think it is our enemy taunting us again with whoever this person is. We know well they allow the unenlightened to roam free and to breed with, calling our slaves have the right to be free. They’ve struck us twice and released our slaves…”

  “No.” She interrupted the aid. “This has the feeling of being… personal. Twilight wouldn’t dare openly strike against my empire unless they knew for a certain they could win, which they cannot. If anything, these recent events have them just as raddled from whatever is happening. They know something and don’t particularly like it. Besides, Twilight knows our strengths in magical ways are in our favor. We are slowly eating away at Emroc and yet they know they cannot send a full force to oppose our forces without weakening their own defense… This sorcerer who somehow made a griffin king a Familiar is acting alone and is tempting my limited patience. He will be dealt with soon enough for he cannot maintain his cloaking of magical tracking indefinitely. Find the link of this sorcerer to these events in Bepop and Eeroan, how I didn’t know a griffin still lived, where he is and bring him to me.” The empress seethed out angrily and was seconded by a deeper growl behind her throne which made the whole room vibrate. “Make sure he is alive so I can learn all his secrets and get to torture him personally for daring to stand against me and my empire.”

  “As you will, My Lady.” The wolf said and backed away with his partner.

  Seconds later came the panting Arch Magister and his large lion Familiar. Vika glared across the room and he could feel her heated gaze. It sent a chill down his spine and the hard run through the castle made the warmth he felt go cold and his sweat did likewise. He composed himself quickly, straightened his long beard and adjusted his black robe and came closer with his staff gripped tightly. He and his Familiar knelt before the stairs that led to her throne. He waited. It wasn’t long.

  A spike in the tingle of magi
c didn’t give enough warning as he was picked up and thrown completely across the room to slam into the far stone wall. His staff tumbled from his fingers as the wind rushed from his lungs. Pain made his vision go white and then dark, but he wasn’t allowed to go unconscious as he started feeling immense agony, the likes he hadn’t experienced in years and it forced him to take a breath and follow it with a scream of torture that gave no room to think of anything else.

  Vika grinned, but all others could only see her alabaster hand outstretched in the path of light and white sparkles left her fingers and coated the magister of the Dark Arts in pain that would kill if prolonged. It was a torture second only to having ones spirit ripped out and mangled into a ghost. A few minutes of agony and screaming oftened her anger and she even enjoyed the dark look given by the lion, but a deep growl in the shadows held him in place as his partner screamed.

  She merely snapped her fingers and the spell ended.

  The magister cried openly from the torture and stopped as the empress casually ordered “Stop your sniveling and heal your wounds. That was punishment for your complete failure to control your own city I graciously bestowed upon you. I thought I saw something special all those centuries ago in you for teaching the dark arts. Was I wrong?”

  The bearded man struggled to reach his staff, but he couldn’t summon it as the pain was so intense that his own throat was bleeding from yelling. He crawled while a blue light encompassed six broken ribs, a punctured lung, his raw throat and two vertebrae which slid out of alignment and paralyzed his legs for a few moments before repairing the extensive damage. He managed to retrieve his staff and stand just as the healing process ended and he was whole once more. “Well?” she asked as he knelt by his partner’s side again, but his disheveled beard and sheen of sweat spoke of how fresh the pain lingered in the mind, but he didn’t reply. “Very good.” She crooned enjoyably. “I wasn’t mistaken after all, you know when not to speak for your death would have come next if you explained how miserably you failed my empire and all we stand for.” The empress’s fingers glided over the smooth and cool gold of a human skull which belonged to a prince who sought to take her throne six hundred years prior. “This time I’m ordering you to explain to me how you failed so miserably tonight?”

  Taking a shaky breath the magister spoke hoarsely. “The night before I got word of a Lord Ceembura sent on your behalf to inspect my castle and apprentices since the destruction of Bepop, which I suspected to happen soon anyway. I sent teachers and a few students to retrieve him after hearing of an altercation with three of my prime students in how he restored a ghost back into a spirit as if it were child’s play.” None saw it, but one of her eyebrows rose in surprise. “I sent word for a moment of your precious time, but was told you were busy. I was curious who Ceembura was at the time for I never heard of him. He told my men he’d meet me at the gate in morning and from what I learned from my students, he seemed legitimate.” He paused to take another breath. “I waited for him in the morning and saw he looked mid to late twenties, but seemed to have seen more years than I and I could not gauge his power from a distance. He seemed like a normal man, but I created my strongest barrier and he blew through it without blinking. I felt he somehow has managed to mask his power somehow when he did it. On his back and some of his front was the mark of a wyvern so I knew he was indeed powerful. We walked together and I tried sensing his power, but still could not… We spoke and his mere presence and comments were beyond what is commonly taught. His ideas were revolutionary and after I saw him personally return a ghost into a spirit I tried his ideas with no success until you spoke with me six hours ago and ordered me to capture the imposter.

  “I accompanied my students who found him flying north on the back of a white griffin who managed to fly with wings as fast as I could follow, but then the pair vanished when we fought an aerial battle. None of the usual methods work to find him and two of my more experienced students who are accustomed with tracking have entered a deep mental trance to locate him and will take time to reach such focus. When I returned to the castle I learned the magician slaves, most of them, escaped and are currently being searched for. I was about to strengthen the trance in the search for Ceembura by adding myself to the two, but then you summoned me.”

  He went silent as she asked the lion “And what can you add?”

  “Only this.” The lion rumbled while bowing and pushed forward a piece of green cloth. “This Ceembura obviously is a danger the likes not even I could dismiss, but I did manage to have someone collect a piece of his robe when he broke my partner’s shield. Use it to have Familiars catch the scent.” The piece floated into her hand, but didn’t touch to keep the scent untainted. “He seemed so at ease, even brought his son along to visit Eeroan. I could sense only a powerful ally or enemy to what side you choose against him. He has the scent of a great predator, My Lioness.” The lion added.

  “Fair enough.” She stated when she could feel their fear in displeasing her while leaving nothing out. “Leave me and write all you can remember down and give it to my aids. Return to Eeroan tonight to search for this sorcerer and if he isn’t found in two weeks, return here to be replaced. When we do find him you’ll get another chance to reclaim your honor and place as Arch Magister. Until then, wait for a suitable replacement and be diligent. If I find you lax, you will become her meal.” A hungry rumble emanated behind her throne.

  “I will not fail again, Empress.” The former magister replied after a shiver and left quickly and felt a rage he never knew before.

  “He will be a meal either way.” The deep feminine, gravely voice rumbled in a whisper behind the throne so that only her human could hear.

  “Either for you or this mysterious sorcerer.” The empress retorted evilly and got a rumble of pleasure in response. “He will serve his purpose.”

  Silently the empress contemplated until the windows in the hall began to glow, showing morning arrived. Making up her mind she commanded “Summon Adair and Colm from Soloro immediately.”

  One of the aids did just that.

  Ten minutes later a large man in white robes entered along with Colm, a large bull Familiar. Its polished great horns, black coat and immense size exuded physical power few could withstand and would gladly kill the others in his way. Neither Adair nor Colm bowed when they stopped before her. These two were only one of ten who never needed to bow for their loyalty is unquestionable. “You summoned me, My Lady?” Colm snorted while whipping his tail from side to side.

  “Indeed. We’ve recently had a situation…” Empress Vika personally recounted all she heard and watched as he scowled. She then stretched a hand out past the darkness, upturned. “Apparently he looks something like this from accounts delivered.” An illusion of the perpetrator appeared in a green robe.

  Adair burned the image to memory and tried to use his sight mirror, but was unable to and was told he shielded himself. Eventually the angry sorcerer ground out “He will not escape the grasp of the empire. Allow me to take five sorcerers and crush him for your everlasting glory.”

  “That will not be necessary.” She said airily while smiling in darkness for his faithfulness. “I need you to do something else in the event he isn’t captured soon.” A piece of green cloth glided near the powerful sorcerer general and hovered. He went to grab it, but she moved the fabric aside and he understood the importance and used a simple spell to take control of it. Vika said “Give this to one of your pets you’ve been working so hard on. Starve them and make sure they are ravenous should they so much as catch a hint of him. This will surely make him regret harming the sanctity of the Laqura Empire.”

  “With pleasure, My Lady.” He grinned back, but paused. “I must admit, it will take months to starve one.”

  “I suspected as much. Go and make sure they will be ready for him as soon as possible.” She laughed with the cruel sorcerer. Just before he left she said “Be sure to send me in a good slave who will make my interrupted night orga
sm away, but not one we can afford to lose for this one won’t survive a coupling today.”

  “I will see to it personally and have one cleaned properly to satisfy his empress’ tastes in every way.” Adair smiled back, knowing what would await the poor fool.

  Empress Vika grinned and relished cruel thoughts that would become reality.

  Chapter 1

  Cold air blasted against Meeka’s shocked face as she listened to the story from the very moment she had been separated from her true loves. It remained difficult to see everyone because neither Cage nor Megdline dared conjure a light orb for fear of being spotted yet dawn approached quickly. The flimsy white dress from her recent time as an imprisoned slave did little to protect against the bitter wind created by flying on the large back of the one called Daku, a griffin she learned from a brief explanation. The odd yet glorious creature flew high above the Jamma Ocean and more than once she spotted the glow of fires in the distance as little more than a grain of sand in a sea of blackness. Although she felt chilled, her backside and crossed legs were blessedly warm due to the one carrying them all. What she also could determine from the pure white wings is that they fluttered more than where she and the others sat and knew someone was using magic to not make their situation downright unbearable. Still, she felt slightly winded just sitting. The air was thinner up here. Those secondary observations truly paled in comparison to what she listened to.

  Meeka interrupted Brooke to ask in fright “Wait… You mean the tribe was attacked by a grown wyvern and Cage somehow protected everyone?”

  A slight disturbance beneath made her stare ahead, between Brooke and Cage. Daku’s supple body allowed his neck turn almost completely around to stare at her. He was easier to distinguish for his whiteness stood in stark contrast to everything else and seemed to glow. Deep, mischievous and commanding blue eyes stared straight at her and were thrice the size of her fist. An eagle like head was covered in short yet soft fur with muscles around the cheeks behind a beak and around the eyes gave Daku character and emotion. His polished pallid beak parted to reveal a flat tongue like a human. A calm, unique voice came from the griffin. “Indeed, Meeka. I saw it for myself.” Daku’s voice vibrated into her as she could feel him speak from sitting atop. “My partner did well for his first wyvern encounter, but used too great of power because of it and lost consciousness. When the beast left, I ate it so it wouldn’t harm anyone again.”