Thralls of a Dread Lord (1.88T)
Welcome to my weekly serial. This is a rough draft that I am working on, for your reading pleasure. It is a fairly grim tale, so be warned.
Here is the first post from this series.
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The weight of the Dread Lord’s gaze fell upon Ushochhushi. Retaak could feel the weight of those eyes, even though they were not on him. The presence of the Dread Lord was terrible and irresistible and no one stirred on the vast plateau, save The Dread Lord and his seneschal.
But Ushochhushi did not seem cowed at all. “I no longer kneel to you, old friend.”
The words were simple and yet the meaning was staggering. Retaak dreamed of such defiance, but he was considered a fool for it. Even he would never dare resisting the Dread Lord himself, at least not like this. Powerful spawn sometimes challenged the Dread Lord, and sometimes won, but not in such a fashion. There was a proper place for a challenge. At tribute, any challenger would meet with a swift death. It was terribly strange for defiance to come from Ushochhushi, a spawn who was known for his dedication, loyalty, and above all, caution.
“Is that so?” rumbled the Dread Lord, his voice booming and echoing.
Retaak knew that Ushochhushi had been planning something, but a brazen betrayal of his master was unexpected. And yet, Ushochhushi had always been ambitious. What truly held him in check was the same power that held every other spawn under the sway of the Dread Lord: Kaasukak. No, Retaak considered, if Ushochhushi could usurp the Dread Lord’s power, he would not hesitate. The seneschal was too canny and too cautious to gamble with his life, which meant that he must be confident that Albyursia gave him the edge that he needed in this confrontation.
“It is,” said Ushochhushi. “You know me well, Dread Lord Yelrek, seventh to wear the crown. You all know me. I would not do this lightly.”
“SILENCE!” roared the Dread Lord. The shock of his voice, rang out over them. Retaak felt as if he had been struck by a hammer. He heard a strangled sound from nearby, but could not turn his head away from the Dread Lord. The power of Kaasukak was overwhelming. That same power had called his parents out of their happy life far away from Bemachhorak and bound them to servitude and death. Retaak grit his teeth and tried to resist, he moved his head, just a little with his utmost effort.
“No,” said Ushochhushi, plainly. “You sit here in your tower and brood, while we do your bidding. I have grown tired of it. Bemachhorak could be great. We could rule the whole world. We could turn our might to other pursuits. All we do is fight and die for your whims. Tell me Dread Lord, do you even have a plan?”
“ENOUGH!” howled the Dread Lord. And Retaak could feel him bend his will to compel Ushochhushi. He could feel that power, the power to control countless spawn and bend their will to his, focused on the seneschal. It was immense, like a mountain falling or the light of the sun itself. No one could resist that. And yet, Ushochhushi did. He stood against that pressure, unyielding and unbending. It was like watching a tree stand up to a hurricane. It should not have been possible, and yet it happened.
The compelling stopped. The silence that followed was a still as death. Then the Dread Lord lifted his blade and pointed it at Ushochhushi.
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