Chapter Forty-Two King Herric The Aurora The Second Age
“Keep going,” Herric ordered as he paced back and forth, casting out a tendril of Aurora magic, watching the colors swirl against the dark sky.
It had been years since he’d been granted this gift by the Empyrium, and it was still difficult for him to control. While the Torch did its best to help, it was just an enchanted object, and most of the heavy lifting fell to him. It was a similar tale across Ouranos—the magic was strong and unpredictable, and though fewer tragedies plagued the land, complete control was still elusive. No one knew if it would get better with time or if they could expect this as their permanent state of being.
For months now, Herric had assigned his workers to dig up the wreckage of the mine collapse that had preceded the moment he’d been taken to the Evanescence. He wanted to recover that strange black stone they’d encountered.
It had come to him in a dream one night. The memory of what he’d felt down there before they’d been forced to flee. Magic. He hadn’t recognized it right away, but now that he’d been gifted with his own, he recalled the way it had pulsed around him. Now that he was familiar with its essence and flavor, he was sure he’d experienced its presence buried deep in that mountain.
“A message, Your Majesty,” came a voice, and Herric stopped pacing. One of his guards handed him a letter written on golden paper, which meant he already knew from where it came.
He slid his finger under the gold seal, popping it open. An invitation from Zerra to dine with her next week. He smiled.
He had never gotten over the fact the Empyrium had declined to give him dominion over the continent, tossing him out and selecting that useless airhead as the god to rule over them. He could never let that choice lie.
As far as he could discern, Zerra was doing nothing in her palace in the sky. Though she couldn’t touch the surface, she could summon people to her, and Herric had acquiesced to her invitations. She wanted to smooth things over, and he pretended to go along with it, but only to learn where her weaknesses might lie.
When he’d first arrived in the Evanescence, he’d found what could be described only as a scene of debauchery, fueled by wine and food and sex. She had the world in the palm of her hand, and she chose to squander her power for the sake of parties and luxury. It was an affront.
She clearly hadn’t troubled herself with the notion that anyone she brought up from the surface would, after a time, become an empty shell of nothing. A body without a soul or spark. Herric had been careful to limit the length of his visits in the Evanescence, keeping a watchful eye on himself for any signs he might suffer a similar fate.
He had always been adept at understanding what people wanted to hear, and he’d used that to convince Zerra to let down her guard. She was a vain thing. A few well-placed compliments and the suggestion that he was attracted to her were enough to have her also inviting him to her bed.
He’d obliged, performing the carnal duties with enough enthusiasm to make it seem believable. He didn’t feel anything for her, but she was a beautiful woman, and he couldn’t complain about the physical release.
His goal was to find a way to usurp her position. She wasn’t particularly bright, and he hoped fooling her into revealing her secrets wouldn’t prove too much of a challenge.
“Thank you,” Herric said. “Please send a message back stating that I would be happy to visit.”
“Very well,” said his guard with a bow before he stalked off. At that moment, a resounding crash drew Herric’s attention towards the tunnel where they’d been digging.
“We’ve broken through!” came the cry that had Herric making haste towards the worksite. Someone was already heading up to retrieve him, and they stopped at the sight of their king and bowed.
“This way, Your Majesty.”
Herric wound down into the bowels of the mountain, arriving inside a large cavern. The walls were made of dark, glittering stone, like someone had trapped the night sky underground.
He felt it again. That humming that vibrated in his bones and suggested evidence of magic. He would take his time and thoroughly test the substance. With the unpredictability of Ouranos’s magic, he didn’t dare try anything here in the bowels of the mountain, lest he risk another collapse.
“Well done,” he said to the workers, who watched him with their tools gripped at their sides.
“How would you like us to proceed, Your Majesty?” asked one of the site leaders.
“Bring some to the surface,” Herric said. “We’re going to find out what it can do.”