A Rule of Queens

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Thorgrin stood facing the King of the Dead, the Sword of the Dead still dripping blood in his hand, and all the King’s dead creatures at his feet. Thor felt numb with victory.

The King stood on his throne and looked down at it all with an amazed expression.

“They said that you would come one day,” the King said, looking at Thorgrin. “The man who would defeat the darkness. The man who would wield the sword. The King of the Druids.”

The King looked Thor over carefully, and Thor did not know how to respond. Could it really be true? Would he one day be King of the Druids?

“Let me tell you what it means to be a King,” he continued. “It means to be alone. Utterly alone.”

Thor stared back, his heart still pounding from battle, beginning to process it all. He looked around and saw with relief that his men, while wounded, were still alive.

He turned back to the King, remembering.

“You promised to open the gates,” Thor said. “If I defeated your creatures, you vowed to let us go.”

The King smiled wide, a grotesque image, his face collapsing in a million folds and wrinkles.

“A King does not always keep his promises,” he said, laughing, his voice deep, echoing off the walls, the tone of it hurting Thor’s ears.

Thor stared back, crestfallen. He tightened his grip on his sword, and was about to respond, when the King continued.

“In this case,” the King said, “I will. But it is not quite so simple. The Land of the Dead exacts a price. You don’t just walk out of here. Seven of you entered, and for each exit, there must be a price. The price you will pay will be seven demons.”

“Seven demons?” Thorgrin asked, not understanding, but not liking the sound of it.

The King turned, and as he did, a huge secret door, made of solid stone, slid open in the cave wall. It opened up slowly with an awful sound of stone scraping stone, revealing spiked iron gates behind it. Beyond the gates, Thor saw a vast purple sky, the sun setting over an ocean; he heard the howling of the wind, and felt a cold breeze rush into this place.

“Beyond the gates lies the world above,” the King said. “You will return to your precious world, but your release will also release seven demons, free to roam the world. These demons will plague you, each of them, at some point in place and in some time you’ll never know. You will receive seven tragedies, one from each demon. When you least expect it. The tragedies might strike you—or they might strike someone you love. Do you still want to leave?”

Thor looked at the others, and they stared back at him with an amazed expression. Thor turned and looked back at the massive iron gates, each bar two feet thick, glowing red, and he watched seven black shadows, looking like gargoyles, suddenly appear and fly through the air, slamming their heads into the gates again and again, as if waiting to be released.

Thor thought of Guwayne, of Gwendolyn, of all the people he knew and loved up above; he thought of his brothers who had come down here for his sake. He knew he had to return, if not for his own sake, then for everyone else’s. Whatever the cost.

“I accept your price,” Thorgrin said.

The King stared back, expressionless, then finally nodded. He began to motion to his men to open the gates, but before he did, Thorgrin stepped up and called out:

“And what about you? You made me a promise. You vowed that if I defeated your creatures, you would give each of us one request.”

The King studied him.

“Indeed, I did. And what is yours?” he asked.

Thor looked deeply into his eyes, staring back with all the seriousness he could muster.

“I request that you, King of the Dead, not take my son. Do not allow Guwayne to die, at least not until I have had a chance to hold him in my arms, to look into his eyes, to be reunited with him. That is all I ask.”

The King pondered Thor’s words, then finally nodded.

“Your request shall be granted.”

The King next looked to O’Connor.

“And what is yours?” he asked.

O’Connor replied: “I request to be reunited with my sister before my death. That you not take her until we’ve seen each other again.”

The King nodded and turned to Matus.

“I, too, request you do not take my sister until I have had a chance to see her again.”

Elden stepped forward.

“And I wish to be reunited with my father.”

“And I with my people,” Indra said.

The King turned and looked at the remaining two Legion brothers: Reece and Conven.

Reece stepped forward solemnly, looked up at the King, and said: “I request that you release Selese from this place. Let me take her with me. Release her. Return her to the land of the living.”

The King of the Dead scrutinized Reece.

“Such a request has never been made,” he said. “A difficult request. If she returns to the land of the living, she cannot be as she was. For once you’re dead, you can never truly live again.”

“I will give anything,” Reece said, clutching Selese’s hand.

“Is this your wish, too?” the King asked Selese.

She nodded, tears falling from her eyes she gripped Reece’s hand.

“I would give anything to be with Reece again,” she said.

After a long pause, finally, the King of the Dead nodded.

“Very well,” he said. “You shall return to the land of the living. For now. Rest assured we will meet again.”

The King turned to the last of them, Conven, who stepped forward proudly.

“I request that my brother, too, be released and allowed to join us in the land of the living.”

The King shook his head gravely.

“That is not possible,” he said.

Conven looked outraged.

“But you allowed Selese to return!” he protested.

“Selese can return only because her life was not taken by someone else’s hand. Your brother, though, was murdered. I’m afraid he cannot return. Not now. Not ever. He will be here for the remainder of his days.”

Conven’s eyes welled up as he looked to Conval, then back to the King of the Dead.

“Then I change my request!” Conven called out. “I request to be allowed to stay here, with my brother!”

Thorgrin gasped, as did the others, horrified.

“Conven, you cannot request such a thing” Thor said hurriedly, as they all came up to him.

“You must not!” Reece added.

Conven shook off their hands, though, and stepped up proudly.

“If my brother cannot be free,” he said, “then neither shall I. I request it again!”

Conval grabbed Conven’s arm.

“Conven,” he said, “don’t do this. We shall be together again, one day.”

Conven stared back at him, serious, undeterred.

“No, my brother,” he said. “We shall be together again now.”

The King stared at them long and hard, then finally said: “A brother’s love is not easily broken. If you wish to be here before your time, then your wish is granted. You are welcome here.”

The King nodded, and suddenly the massive gate began to rise. Slowly, higher and higher, it revealed the open air, the blood-red sky. When it was high enough, the seven demons, looking like shadows, flew out and into the open sky, letting out a horrific shriek as they did so. They immediately dissipated in seven different directions.

Thor and the others walked to the edge, looked out at the world before them, the open twilight sky, the fresh air. He looked down and saw the ocean spread out before them, heard waves crashing far below.

Beside him was Reece, holding Selese’s hand, along with the others. He turned and saw behind them Conven, standing there with his brother, looking back at them sadly; yet at the same time, somehow, finally, Conven seemed satisfied, seemed to have the peace that had eluded him on earth.

Thor turned and embraced Conven, hugging him tight, and Conven hugged him back.

One by one, they each embraced Conven, their eyes welling up, feeling the pain of leaving their Legion brother behind, this man who had been with them from the very start.

Thor looked him in the eye, clasping his shoulder.

“One day, we shall be united again,” Thorgrin said.

Conven nodded.

“Yes we shall,” he replied. “But not, I hope, one day soon.”

Thor turned and looked out at the open sky, saw their boat rocking in the waves below, and he knew that soon they would be back at sea, sailing across the ocean, seeking out Gwendolyn, Guwayne, and all their people. Soon, they would be united again.

He looked up and as he did, he watched the seven demons, black shadows in the distance merging with the twilight, spread out in seven directions, preparing to blanket the world. Finally, they disappeared from view. Thor heard the last of their screeching, and he wondered: What have I unleashed on the world?