Silver mirrors adorned the walls of The humbled's dimly lit quarters. Each one had a plaque above it with a name inscribed on it. Runes designed for communication purposes wreathed the wooden frames. "At least she's not lonely." I noticed a patch of impenetrable darkness in the left-hand corner
Silverbolt shook his head, "I can't blame her. The first time my powers went off, four people died. They were petty criminals, but they didn't deserve death."
I longed to embrace him and tell him he'd never have to worry about such things again. I knew better. Silverbolt wasn't someone who cared much for pity anyway. He defined the word stoic in everything he did. "I'm glad you pulled through it, though."
An alluring voice beckoned from the shadow. "Guest? They've never come in pairs before. A noblewoman by the way she carries herself. She brought a shiny toy with her. Does it have a name?"
"You can call me Silverbolt. The princess has news for you."
"No, no, no." the alluring voice scolded. The Humbled's playful words caused a chill to run down my spine. "We must play a game first. Remove your mask, and we will begin."
Great, Silverbolt is never going to take it off. If he does, I've yet to see proof of it. Even then, I'd still have trouble believing it.
"I don't think that's going to happen."
"I can compel you to."
"I think you've already tried and failed."
The humbled's voice grew furious, "My magic never fails."
"I think that makes us the exception to the rule." Silverbolt crossed his arms triumphantly and said, "Tell us what we want to know, and we'll leave." His words offered The humbled no quarter.
"Aren't you pushing it a little?" I said in a harsh whisper. "We need to be on The Humbled's good side." I didn't understand why the magic failed to captivate me. My hand pressed against the oddly textured mask. Was she the cause of the sweet smell?
The Humbled came into view. My heart stopped in the face of such unearthly looks. Perfect jeweled eyes, a face the golden ratio envied. Delicate feet wrapped in heeled boots carried our hostess without effort. A gossamer dress barely covered her curves and womanhood.
"Now, Mr. Silverbolt, please remove the mask. It would make me happy. Don't you want me to be happy?" Her voice grew ethereal and impossible to ignore.
Still, I didn't feel strange or any different than before. I held my tongue. Lips smacked together in a silent prayer for the All-Mother to favor us.
"Your power doesn't work on me. I have no explanation. Get over it." Silverbolt stood in front of me. A muscular arm strayed close to the fighting.
The Humbled's eyes lit up with excitement, "Do you care for her? Does she own your heart?"
"Mr. Silverbolt and I are not romantically involved. He is my champion and a professional through and through. Worth every crescent I spent on his services." I lightly stepped out from behind my champion, hands clasped behind my back.
Silverbolt gave me a nod of approval, "Thanks, but I'll answer the question. I haven't spent this much time with anyone in years. I think we're friends on some level. I take care of my friends. As for my heart, it's still mine."
A wave of satisfaction rippled across my body. I had earned some level of respect from Silverbolt. "How about you tell us what we want to know." I'd had enough of the Humbled's twisted company.
The gem-like eyes glowed, "Oh, very well. It's not as mysterious as you'd think. It all started with Rexwords great grandfather and what he found beneath this accursed structure."
"This plot goes back a hundred years, madness." My words barely registered above a whisper. "What did he find?"
Footsteps vanished into the darkness in the corner of the room and then returned. Humbled's delicate arms encircled a glass capsule with a hideous face carved from obsidian trapped inside.
To even gaze upon the hideous visage caused the stomach to turn. It poisoned the mind and guided it to perverse and unclean thoughts. Sinful desire personified.
"Behold, the mask of Faun. The reason the flash happened." The humbled set it on the table and backed away from it. "The mask is a relic from a chaotic god. We needed it to power the reactor. I swear we had another relic from the All mother, but we couldn't find it and the people were impatient for the future."
"I read the scholars created an impenetrable containment chamber." why didn't it work?" I had to admit the mystery started to intrigue me.
"Consider this, your majesty. Gods of chaos can alter the laws of probability or something of that nature. Everything that could go wrong went wrong, and we foolishly pushed ahead. Then the flash came. A sickly white light devoured me and changed me without permission."
Humbled's hands shook with ferocity before she clapped them together. Her face twisted in pain and sorrow. "Please leave. I don't wish to speak further. You have your answers."
"Before I leave," I cleared my throat, "Humbled as a leader of your territory. I invite you to a tournament for the throne of Ivorhaven. You may fight yourself or choose a champion to fight for you. I'd hurry. You only have a couple of weeks to get ready."
Silverbolt and I bolted out the door before our hostess could utter a word. I tapped him on the shoulder, "Lets head to Carmen's. Now that I know Rexwords is behind the plot, I'm eager to hear the rest of the story."