Chapter 62
Chapter
Sixty-Two
“Exactly!” Konrad said. “How does any of this create peace?”
The grand monk let out a heavy breath. “I apologise, King Konrad and King Consort Wraith. I have not explained our intentions well. Our plan is to use you, the rulers beneath our control, to maintain peace. You cannot disobey us or you die, so you cannot return to war.”
“What? You will force us to keep the peace,” Konrad said, not even trying to hide the disbelief from his tone.
“I should clarify,” said the grand monk. “It is not ideal to enforce peace. But after extensive thought, I see no other option. The only way to stop you from starting wars is to control you completely. For you to be under our thumb or die.”
“But then why do you need an undead army?” Konrad glanced at the reanimated and the dread knights.
“Unfortunately, we cannot be certain that all civilians within the different kingdoms will fall in line, even if it is in their best interest. Some will be upset by the death or the controlling of their monarchs. They might feel like rising up. So we need a strong army, the strongest there has ever been, to put a stop to that.”
The grand monk nodded towards the shadow queen, who currently wept.
“That is why I originally approached the necromancers, even before the peace assembly started. They have the ability to create such a large army at a stunning rate. Of course, we plan to use your armies too. They will obey you, and you will obey us.”
The grand shield lifted her chin. “And if any of you prove problematic, even with the contracts in place, we will kill you and find one of your less problematic relatives to replace you.”
“You’ll be like puppet monarchs, and we’ll hold the strings.” The grand monk hummed a tune as he mimed tugging on a puppet’s strings.
“Controlling civilians with undead armies, we obey you or you kill us. This future doesn’t sound like a peaceful paradise!” Konrad spat.
The grand monk dropped his hands. He sighed.
“I see your point, and I admit it is not ideal.” He lifted his gaze to the high ceiling.
“An ideal world would not require armies or contracts and blood magic to obtain peace. But this is not an ideal world, Your Majesty. So our plan must fit the damaged world we live in. But, King Konrad, it will be worth it. You’ll see. ”
He turned from Konrad and looked to the monks. “The future will be bright. The poor will be cared for. There will be no more wars. The warmongers will be dead or controlled. The servants will rise. We will use the sword, but to achieve peace and prosperity for all.”
Applause broke out from the monks. Their eyes sparkled as they stared at the grand monk.
“You and your plan are disgusting!” Konrad shouted.
The applause stopped.
The grand monk’s bushy brows lowered. “I understand this is hard for you to accept, King Konrad. And if you must know, this has also cost us greatly. We, too, have had to make difficult sacrifices. We even had to kill one of our own.”
“What do you mean?” asked Konrad.
“The grand healer,” Wraith whispered.
The grand monk nodded, gaze lowered. “She believed in our plan. But then she had to kill King Alaric with her tweaked healing magic whilst she tended to him after he was attacked. She even had to do so beneath Healer Doran’s gaze without him noticing. But she is very skilled, and she managed.”
He paused. “But afterwards, she found the guilt eating at her. She’d never gotten her hands dirty before. She was a healer, not a fighter. And she found using her healing magic to murder someone difficult to come to terms with.”
The grand shield exhaled. “It was such a shame.”
“Her will weakened,” said the grand monk. “She came to me and said that what we were doing wasn’t right. She wanted us to stop. I could not have that.”
“I must tell the grand monk. That’s what her ghost said,” Wraith said. “And you killed her when she did.”
“Is there nothing you won’t do?” Konrad asked.
The grand monk stalked towards him. “For peace? I would do anything for peace, King Konrad. I would pay any price to stop the suffering caused by war. Do you think we wished to kill our own beloved grand healer?”
Several monks shook their heads.
“See!” The grand monk gestured to them. “We adored her, but we killed her because she stood in the way of us achieving our goal. Do you think we wish to compel you to obey us?” the grand monk asked.
“Do you think we relish killing civilians who oppose us? We’d prefer to believe you and the other royal families are capable of peace. But we have seen no evidence of that. None.”
“So everyone will be controlled?” Wraith looked between the monks. “No one will be able to choose or think for themselves?”
Konrad scoffed. “So this peace will only exist because no one has any choice? What about freedom?”
“It is what has to be done.” The grand monk held up a hand. “Peace at all costs. Even at the cost of personal freedom.”
At the start, Konrad could understand the grand monk’s perspective, even if he did not like it.
But now … he did not understand the grand monk at all.
“What is the point of peace if you take away a person’s ability to act or think for themselves?
Or if you kill anyone, including civilians, who opposes you? ”
“You do not understand, King Konrad, because you have not truly seen the sufferings caused by war and by you.” The grand monk’s voice rose.
“But I have, and I believe what we have done and will do is righteous. For the vast majority, this will be a great improvement. The age of the dragons is done. Now the doves will rise. Peace will reign. A new future is upon us!”
Then the grand monk turned to Wraith’s aunt. “High Priestess, I have need of your skills.” She knelt on the floor by the shadow queen, who rocked back and forth whilst sobbing. “It is time for us to acquire our second bone dragon.”
“What! No!” Wraith cried out. “Don’t you hurt him. You leave him be.” He shuffled in front of Konrad.
“Don’t worry, King Konrad. I’ve been informed that even as a bone dragon, you will be aware of what occurs around you. So you will have the honour to witness the wonderful new world we create.” The grand monk lifted his hands into the air.
“Grab him,” the grand shield said to four of her warrior doves.
They marched forward. One shoved Wraith aside. Then they grabbed Konrad, yanking him to his feet.
“No!” Wraith screamed. “Please. Don’t hurt him! Please! Please!”
But they didn’t listen. They dragged Konrad to the altar. He struggled. But it was no use. They shoved him onto his back.
The doves wrapped chains around his chest and bound him to the altar, then stepped away. Konrad looked at the bone dragon, his father.
Dragon gods. I don’t want that to be my fate.
“Don’t kill him!” Wraith wailed. “Please!”
Tears streaked Wraith’s cheeks. One warrior stood over him, hand gripping his shoulder and holding him in place.
“I’m so sorry, Wraith.” Although, Konrad wasn’t entirely sure what he was apologising for. He was sorry for letting Wraith down, for betraying him, for not believing him, and for the pain Konrad’s death would cause him.
But if Konrad was going to die, then he wanted Wraith to know. “I love you, Wraith. So much. I wish we could have had more time together.”
Wraith choked.
“And King Consort Wraith,” the grand monk said to Wraith, “despite what the shadow king and queen said, I won’t actually be needing you to control King Konrad. I will be more than capable of doing that on my own, since he, too, has signed a contract.”
Then he turned to the altar. “What is the best way to kill King Konrad to prepare him for being a bone dragon?”
The high priestess drew her blade. Her hand trembled. “As long as the skeleton is intact, the method of death is of no great import.”
“Then proceed as you see fit.” The grand monk waved at Konrad’s body.
The high priestess glanced at the dead shadow king, princess, and prince, who lay only a few steps away. She swallowed and lifted the blade above her head, gaze fixed on Konrad’s chest.
Konrad tensed. This is it. This is how I die.
A shadow passed before the window. The unmistakable sound of beating dragon wings filled the air. Konrad turned his head. He exhaled.
Dragons flew outside: Senta, Gerard, Luther, Leon, and Barrett.
Then Gerard swerved, smashing through the window in a shower of glass.