Realm of Monsters - Chapter 696: The Twin Thrones

Chapter 696: The Twin Thrones

  The air was filled with uncertainty as the group of mortals followed the goddess of war through the castle halls. No one spoke, afraid of accidentally inciting the goddess. Stryg and Belle hung from her hands, both dangling in defeat, their injuries too great to do anything else.

  After what seemed a tense eternity—but was only a few minutes— Bellum stopped in front of a pair of massive double doors made of steel. A pair of guards hurried out of the way as Bellum threw the doors open and strode inside, the rest of the group close behind.

  A pair of Ebon agents stood in the throne room, next to a tied-up Beatrix. She had a split lip and her left eye had already begun to swell. Worse, her head hung limp. Whatever had happened, Stryg realized Beatrix hadn’t given them up without a fight. She hadn’t gone back on their oath and betrayed them.

  “You two, out,” Bellum commanded with a voice that brooked no argument.

  The agents bowed and walked out, closing the throne doors behind them.

  “…Mom… why are we here…?” Belle croaked.

  “Oh, you can talk, good. Your spine seems to already be healing. And here I thought you hadn’t grown at all. At least your regeneration has improved.” Bellum dropped her daughter unceremoniously on the stone-cold floor.

  Belle groaned and grimaced, though she still couldn’t move.

  “Don’t complain. Pain is a constant companion to a warrior. You’ll need to learn to fight through it on the battlefield,” Bellum admonished.

  She rolled her head and glared at her mother. “I’m going to stab you in the spine next time.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Bellum lifted Stryg and looked him in the eye, “As for you, I do hope I’m wrong about you.”

  Stryg blinked. “Is that an insult?”

  Bellum walked up the steps of the dias leading to the twin thrones.

  “My lady, the thrones are dangerous—” Lord Corvus tried to explain.

  Bellum ignored him and plopped Stryg down on the giant throne of polished white stone. With his limbs still slashed, Stryg couldn’t help but sag on the chair too large for him, an infant on an adult’s spot. 

  The inlaid silver flared with cold light and a mist of frost poured out from the throne. Yet where every other man and woman who had sat upon the throne had frozen over in a statue of ice, Stryg lay there, untouched.

  “What have you two done…?” Bellum muttered.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Stryg said.

  Bellum snatched him up by his shoulders and scowled, “You formed a Sigte bond with her!”

  Recognition dawned in Stryg’s eyes.

  “So you do know,” Bellum growled.

  Stryg swallowed a lump in his throat. “Sigte was like a father to me. He died when I was young. But… when I went back to my village, no one seemed to know who he was. I don’t know anymore. None of this makes sense.” He looked into Bellum’s eyes, “Did you know Sigte? You said I made some kind of bond with someone? Who is she?”

  Bellum slowly lowered Stryg to the ground. “You really don’t know…”

  “Can you tell me? Please,” Stryg asked.

  Bellum crouched next to him and whispered in a voice barely audible even for him. “That bond grants you her power, but it also leaves her vulnerable. If you die, so will she.”

  “Who?” Stryg whispered.

  Bellum glanced at the white throne behind him. “The owner of that throne.”

  “Lunae? Why would she…? I don’t understand.” When had she even formed a bond with him? Stryg couldn’t recall any point in their travels to Hollow Shade from Evenfall where Lunae could have done it.

  “That is a question you’ll have to ask her.” Bellum stood to her feet and glanced at her daughter, “And what are you doing here? I explicitly told you to stay in Holo’s Shade, where it was safe.”

  Though her legs were still limp, Belle sat up with the aid of her arms, and scowled. “You always tell me I have to stay somewhere—” 

  “For good reason! There are creatures out there who would love nothing more than to feast on titan flesh and what easier prey than an infant?”

  “I can handle myself.”

  “Really? This is handling yourself?” Bellum gestured at her prone form.

  “I’m only like this because I fought you, a god.”

  “And what if another god showed up? What if Caligo found you? Then what?”

  “Caligo broke into Holo’s Shade before, the city wouldn’t have protected me if I had stayed.”

  “I have placed countless wards and enchantments around our home in the city to keep you safe from Caligo or any other threat. Caligo could not have found you if you had stayed in that city, in our home like I told you.”

  “It’s always about hiding with you! Ever since my brothers and sisters—” Belle bit her trembling lip. “…I’ve spent my whole life locked away. I don’t want to hide anymore.”

  Bellum kneeled and caressed her cheek, “Oh, my sweet child. I’m sorry your life has been one filled with pain and loneliness. But I cannot lose you. You are all I have left. All I want is to keep you safe, if you’ll let me.”

  “My pack needed my help. I did what I had to.”

  Bellum glanced at Stryg and sighed. “Yes, your desire to protect our cousin is commendable, but how does protecting him have anything to do with infiltrating what will soon be the most dangerous place in the entire Ebon Realm?”

  “Um.” Belle looked at Stryg, who in turn looked at Tauri.

  Bellum brushed the dust off her knees, stood to her full towering height, and turned to the young orc lady in question. “Explain.”

  “U-Uh, w-well, you s-see,” Tauri wilted underneath Bellum’s burning gaze. “I… um… came for my brother.”

  “Brother?” Bellum cocked her head to the side.

  “Lucas Katag,” Gale spoke up and pointed her thumb back at the man still nursing his injuries.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” Lucas quickly replied.

  “It’s as you said, Lady Bellum. With Murkton about to become a battlefield, Tauri was worried for her brother’s life,” Gale explained. “Stryg would not let her go retrieve him by herself. So, together, they proposed a plan to help get him out of the city. The rest of us came to help.”

  Bellum noticed the lock of white amidst Gale’s blonde hair. “You have been blessed by my aunt, I see.”

  Gale nodded. “Lunae has placed me in charge of Stryg’s safety.”

  “Is this how you protect your charge?” Bellum cocked an eyebrow.

  “I wholeheartedly disagreed with this rescue plan, but I knew that if I refused to help, Stryg would go off on his own anyway.”

  Bellum glanced at her daughter. “Yes, I know the feeling. I see now that these two infants are the root cause of all this trouble.” She turned to Stryg, “You were foolish for coming here. Lunae certainly didn’t want you here.”

  Stryg did his best to look admonished, just as he had when the Sylvan Mothers had caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to. In his experience, it was the best way to get out of trouble, or at the very least, lessen the punishment that would follow.

  Belle had no such compunction. “And why are you here, Mom?”

  “You know why I am here,” she replied. “I am trying to stop a war. Your presence and Stryg’s only complicates things in ways you cannot begin to fathom.”

  “It doesn’t seem very complicated to me,” Belle shrugged. “Stop wasting time with all these orcs who are clearly too stupid and spiteful towards goblins to ever negotiate for peace with the Sylvan Tribes. Just go plead with Lunae instead.”

  “Things are not so simple, child.”

  “Well, then, you’re in big trouble. Because when Lunae gets here, she’s going to destroy everything and you won’t be able to stop her,” Belle grinned out of spite.

  Her mother narrowed her eyes. “You think I cannot hold my own against my aunt?”

  “Belle, stop,” Stryg whispered.

  But she pushed on, “Lunae’s much older than you, right? And she’s a full-blooded titan.”

  “Until only recently, Lunae had not fought a battle in three centuries, while I haven’t stopped fighting in over a thousand years.” Bellum leaned forward with a deep growl, “It’d be wise not to underestimate the goddess of war, child.”

  “Then why not go out and fight her right now? Stop this war before it reaches Murkton?” Belle said.

  “A wise goddess knows to try and avoid the horrors of war until she cannot, for many will die if we go to war.”

  “But we are already at war, aren’t we? At least, these imbecile Murktonians are,” Belle pointed at Lord Corvus, who frowned.

  “I am Murkton’s patron. It falls upon me to protect them, not send them to their deaths. As my daughter, you should feel some responsibility for their safety, as well.”

  “I don’t.” Belle held her nose up. “I’m my own goddess. And they were assholes to Stryg.”

  “Really?” Bellum glanced at Corvus.

  The warlord cleared his throat, “I was not aware of any such incident and while I cannot be responsible for the actions of every single orc in Murkton, I can assure you, our city as a whole has no ill will towards the Ebon Aspirant.”

  “You lot hate goblins and want them all dead, right?” Belle asked.

  Lord Corvus furrowed his brow. “They are our enemy, yes.”

  Belle looked at her mother and pointed at Corvus, “See, asshole.”

  “Child, I think it’s time you and your friends go to your rooms,” Bellum sighed and waved her away.

  “But I’m hungry!” Belle complained.

  “I’m sure the servants will prepare you something.”

  “But I’m staaarving.”

  “Go to the kitchens if you can’t wait. We will speak more about your presence here later. Corvus, with me,” Bellum flung the throne’s doors open with a snap of her finger and walked out.

  Corvus stared at Stryg for a long moment, his expression unreadable, then followed after his goddess.

  As soon as Bellum disappeared down the hall, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

  “Oh thank the gods, we’re alive,” Freya said.

  “What just happened?” Nora asked.

  “I think we somehow managed to not get smited by the goddess of war,” Callum said.

  “Belle, what were you thinking? Do you want your mother angry at us?” Stryg snapped.

  “Nah,” Belle grinned. “Whenever I try to rile up my mom, she just gets fed up with me and sends me to my room.”

  “Wait, you did that on purpose?” Stryg asked.

  “I just got us all out of trouble and free to roam the castle as we please. You’re welcome,” Belle said.

   Stryg blinked. “Huh.”

  “I really am hungry though,” she added.

  “Yeah, me too.”