Chapter 19: Eulogy for a Shattered Crown
He stood upon fractured granite cliffs Wind tore at his black robes Shadows coiled around his ankles pooling across shattered stone like silent serpents Lightning cracked across dark skies illuminating hollow eyes and old scars carved deep into pale skin
He closed his eyes
A memory flickered
He was nine clinging to the underside of a rotting pier Sea waves crashed beneath him cold spray biting skin Salt burned open cuts on his arms He shivered fighting sleep Stomach cramped with hunger A dead gull floated by bloated and pale Eyes white beak half gone
He thought about eating it
He opened his eyes Shadows pulsed around him silent tides whispering forgotten truths into howling winds
Breather
He inhaled slow the cold air sharp with salt blood and charred bone Heartbeat steady within silent chest Pulse like iron drums echoing beneath pale ribs
Trivia detail
He glanced down at his feet A thin brass ring lay half buried in cracked stone Its band twisted into three interlocking loops engraved with tiny dawn prayers worn almost invisible It was a marriage ring Peasant design Cheap brass worth less than a handful of copper
He stepped upon it Shadows crushed brass into silent dust
Ahead rose the Palace of Dawn carved from white marble crowned with golden spires Flames burned within shattered windows Smoke drifted into pale sky carrying the scent of melted gold and burning parchment
He entered through collapsed gates Shadows slithering around fallen guards Blackened plate split revealing charred flesh Eyes boiled away within shattered helms
Inside the grand hall banners of woven gold lay shredded upon marble tiles Corpses sprawled across cracked mosaics Eyes staring blank into dawn light Blood pooled around broken thrones soaking radiant carpets
He walked onward Shadows rippling after him like silent oceans Each step cracked stone sending thin fractures across radiant floors Shadows seeped into those wounds widening them into silent maws
At the throne's base knelt a young scribe trembling thin frame clad in ash stained linen Hair cropped close around narrow skull Fingers wrapped around a chipped quill
The scribe raised hollow eyes
Please I I wrote everything exactly as commanded The taxes The prayers The names of the executed I did nothing wrong Please
Ruvan tilted his head Shadows rippled around his feet
Nothing is ever wrong Nothing is ever right Only silence remains
The scribe choked Tears fell onto shattered tiles Fingers trembling around useless quill
Please
Shadows surged forward Wrapping around thin frame Bones cracked Flesh split Blood sprayed across fractured mosaics Shadows devoured silent corpse leaving only drifting dust upon dawn winds
Breather
He paused before shattered throne Shadows curling around golden steps His reflection rippled within pools of spilled blood Pale eyes empty cold Shadows wrapped around him like silent serpents
He remembered
His mother brushing dirt from his cheek Fingers rough with callouses Her voice quiet Ruvan even if the world is cruel you must never be crueler than it
He turned away Shadows rising behind him like endless mountains of darkness
He walked through silent palace halls Shadows slithering across ivory pillars Flames flickered within shattered lanterns illuminating twisted bodies sprawled across polished floors Blood pooled around lifeless hands Rings scattered across marble reflecting fractured dawn
Trivia detail
He paused beside a fallen noblewoman Silk robes soaked in black blood Pearls scattered from shattered necklace Among them lay a carved ivory comb etched with tiny roses Its teeth snapped streaked with dried blood
He remembered
When he was ten he stole an ivory comb from a merchant's daughter Sold it for a bowl of sour milk Drank until he vomited Drank again
He stepped forward Shadows flowing after him consuming golden banners burning candles and radiant icons Ash drifted down across silent halls covering corpses in grey oblivion
At the palace's far end rose the Tower of Light carved from white granite crowned with a single crystal spire Flames burned within shattered windows Smoke drifted into pale sky carrying silent prayers of the dying
He entered Shadows pulsing around him like silent tides
Upon a dais of cracked marble stood the Dawn Archmage clad in robes of woven silver Hands raised eyes blazing with pale flame Sigils burned across bare arms Magic pulsed around him shaking silent towers
Archmage voice shaking Shadow King I will not let you unmake this world
Ruvan tilted his head Shadows rippled across blackened tiles
The world was never yours to keep
The archmage screamed Flames exploded outward bathing tower in white fire Shadows recoiled within radiant storm Walls cracked Sigils burned across marble floors
Ruvan raised his hand Shadows surged forward Devouring flame Crushing burning runes Shattered marble split beneath silent tides Black tendrils wrapped around silver robes Bones cracked Flesh split Blood sprayed across shattered spires
He turned away Shadows rippling after him devouring radiant runes and burning crystals Ash drifted down across silent halls covering lifeless bodies in grey oblivion
He closed his eyes
Today I burned your gods Today I erased your knowledge Today I slaughtered your kings Today I devoured your light
Tomorrow I will consume your dreams
Beyond dreams I will teach you despair etched into dying bones
Beyond despair I will teach you oblivion
And beyond oblivion I will teach you the silence of the eternal abyss
He opened his eyes
Dawn burned pale across silent mountains Shadows rose behind him like endless walls of darkness The empire lay upon broken knees Echoes of silent screams carried upon dead winds
And they would teach the world the truth of unending nothingness