CHAPTER 4: Prey

Such irony. The task of eliminating her must be so important the Emperor himself had to come out of his lair and witness her death, or deliver it, himself.

The rumbling water and the noisy barking were stifled from Iseriel's ears. She no longer minded the wind, despite its cold draining the last of her body heat. She was there in that inexplicable moment of attraction, drawn to the Emperor and despising him at the same time, as she always has for the last 31 years.

And now, he just literally took her breath away. Iseriel's consciousness began to fade. Her body still hurt but the pain now seemed to have taken a backseat in her mind. His footsteps, however, were loud in her ears. He was approaching for the kill. Not that it mattered anymore. She was already dying. It would be good if he made it quick. So she stopped struggling, welcoming the inevitable.

Just then, a beastly roar boomed into her ears from the other edge of the woods. She felt thunder on the ground – the heavy footfalls of some running gargantuan beast rocking the earth.

A giant black bear sprang from the trees and into the plateau in a mad charge towards the Emperor. It was even bigger than the already massive Celurian hounds, with paws that could smother and crush an entire man's upper body.

It covered the distance in less than a second and reared on its hind legs, towering at over thirty feet, then swiped a colossal paw at the Emperor.

The strike missed by a hairsbreadth as the Emperor retreated to the safety of the air just in time, hovering mid-air above the rolling waters of the chasm. The giant bear roared at him in frustration.

And Iseriel was finally able to breathe. She coughed, her lungs desperately struggling to recuperate. The pain in her back also returned in waves. But she was finally able to move. Instinct drove her, and Iseriel scurried on the ground, towards the safety of the trees.

On the air, the Emperor swerved to the left and waved his staff at the bear. An angry blue flame arced from its white gem and lashed towards the beast. The attack hit the bear squarely in the side. The bear stood on its hind legs and roared in pain, anger, and frustration, swiping in vain at nothing but empty air. The Emperor circled some more and repeated the attack, this time hitting the beast in the back.

Finding its efforts futile, the bear turned its attention to Iseriel and the king.

Iseriel was heaving herself along the ground, now nearing the closest giant root of the evergreen haws that border the plateau. The king was nowhere to be found. So the bear bounded for her.

Then something hit Iseriel from the side. The Unburning Flame. Again. A sharp pain erupted throughout her entire body and the force of the attack threw her aside. From the corner of her eye, she saw King Merleon in the air, his sword extended to the side from a fluid swing, before blacking out. Iseriel's body skidded and rolled on the ground before finally stopping, slumped like a sack and unmoving.

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The bear roared at having its prey apparently taken from it. It now directed its attention at the king and wasted no time. Fortunately, Merleon was already afloat in the air and it was just a matter of retreating to a safer distance.

The Emperor struck at the bear again. Merleon likewise did the same. The beast must be in great pain but its rage kept it going.

Frustrated at not being able to hit any of its targets, the bear turned its back and went for Iseriel's prone body. It bit at the slave's cloak and shirt then swiftly dragged her off into the woods beyond.

King Merleon and the Emperor of Obsidian remained on mid-air above the chasm for a while.

"Your Imperial Majesty!" Merleon finally shrieked. He lowered his head in a respectful bow.

The Emperor ignored him and turned towards the other side of the cliff where the soldiers and the hounds waited. He landed without breaking a stride, walking at a fast pace back towards the forest.

Merleon followed. "Your Imperial Majesty!"

The Emperor finally turned around, his expression unreadable. "I wanted her back alive, Merleon."

"I…" the king was at a loss.

"I was quite fond of that slave," Merleon finally said. He was surprised at the Emperor's arrival but he did not dare ask about it. Or the fact that the Emperor essentially attacked him.

The Emperor turned his eyes to the other side of the chasm, looking like he wished to pursue the bear. Merleon nervously stared for a while before continuing.

"But the laws of the kingdom…"

"I am the law of this Empire, monarch!" The Emperor broke his seemingly longing gaze and continued his stride to the forest.

"Aye, my Lord." Merleon broke a sweat in the forehead and bounded after him. "But she would have died sooner or later. If that bear hadn't arrived, the Vilkasvarg would have done the job. Vilkasvarg stalk these Woods. She was as good as dead the moment she stepped outside the city."

"Vilkasvarg?" the Emperor remarked, stopping to turn, and faced the king.

Merleon winced at that.

"I… we…" he stammered again. "We… we only heard about it two days ago. We have been hunting them since."

"Your domain is my domain, Merleon," the Emperor said. "Your people are my people." He stopped to look at the King squarely in the eyes. "See to their safety and deal with the beasts."

The Emperor's cold black eyes broke the king's composure.

"Apologies, My Lord." Merleon lowered his head. "The Torrens are already hard at the hunt," he added in a low voice.

"Search for her body," the Emperor turned from him and strode back towards the woods again where the hounds and the guards stood in attention. "Or whatever's left of it. I want her back. Then deal with the infestation. "

"At once." Seffer Merleon jerked his head at the soldiers who immediately bolted to action and approached. "Bring her back. Do not return until you have her body."

The guards paled at the directive but knew better than to contradict their king. They nodded and marched back into the woods.

Obsidian had indeed grown fond of that slave. She was definitely attractive. He did not understand why the Emperor had personally come, however. But he knew better than to air the issue. So he simply followed the Emperor back into the woods.

"And see to it that those three are lashed when they come back," the Emperor said, icy. "They did nothing while we did all the work."

"Yes, My Lord," Merleon replied, "if they come back."