Relief was an understatement, to describe how she felt. She spent moons on end, living with soul-withering guilt. Now, she was faced with a choice. The lives of many in exchange for her son.
Corvin's grip on her arm tightened just a fraction," What do you say, Queen?" That question made her bitterly laugh.
The monstrosity standing before, towering over her scowled.
Iris swallowed her amusement and cleared her throat. She will burn in the deepest pit of the Seven Hells. That was a certainty.
With a shallow sigh, fire pooled at her feet and began spearing on the floor, slithering towards the cocoons hanging from the ceiling. They haven't hatched, so if the cocoon breaks, they won't survive.
" How does it feel?" Iris cocked her head watching the shikari in front of her with a curious eye. She didn't move but the other shikari began stomping the flames. They were inextinguishable. The source was otherworldly, so pointless to even attempt to snuff them out.
" Release my son, from under your spell, and I might feel merciful enough and spare them," Iris blinked, a sinister smile spread on her lips, " Or perhaps not," She shrugged, pulling her arm out of Corvin's grip, stretching her arm in front of her as the flames began swirling, quickly taking the form of a flaming blade in her hand.
The youngling watched with a curious eye, not a hint of terror in his gaze.
" Let them go," The request was directed at the young shikari who blinked at her, owlishly.
" This ends with our death or yours. If you submit to my request. I promise I'll make it as quick and as painless as possible. If not," The sinister smile stretched even wider, " There is no point painting a picture. I would hate ruining the surprise," She finished, playfully swirling the sword in her hand.
" You are right. If we cannot find a middle ground. One of us must perish. It won't be us. You are outnumbered, and powerless. You will not stand a chance," The Queen of the Shikari cautioned, and just as she finished her words, the first cocoon dropped to the floor and was engulfed in flames in time that one needed to take a breath.
" I can do that with all of your offspring at once. That was merely a demonstration. Now, we can dance around each other all you like, and with each refusal. One more of your offspring will fall to the ground and serve as food for the sisters," She couldn't help herself any longer. Perhaps, Corvins was rubbing off on her after all. Or perhaps that side had always been there, and she'd never allowed it to see the light of day.
The Queen cocked her head to the side, sizing her and weighing the threat. Not a threat. A promise.
She took a step forward, and Iris rolled her shoulders spurring the flames to burn brighter. For some reason, her control over the flames wasn't as flimsy as it used to be or perhaps the sisters were revelling in the anticipation of a great feast. Regardless, it was good.
" My, my....," A familiar voice rang from somewhere behind her, but she was locked in a battle of wills with the shikari. How did Ker even enter the bloody realm? Wasn't she supposed to be bound to the void?
" Having fun without me. I must say, I'm rather disappointed I wasn't invited to the party," A hint of amusement laced her words, as her footsteps echoed in the great hall. A rather daunting, eerie feeling considering, she didn't know which side Ker was on.
" Why are you here Ker? Is the void that boring?" Iris kept her eyes on Shikari despite the newly arrived guest prancing around the room.
" Yes," She took a deep breath and settled at her side," I must say that they are more magnificent up close, " She studied the shikari before her with a keen eye. As if she was taking a mental picture.
" Hello my beloved daughters, missed me?"
" The hell we did. I hoped you would rot for eternity in that endless darkness you like so much roll in," One of the sisters seething, and the flames stoaked brighter, causing one of the cocoons to splatter on the floor. Not good.
" I see that even after millennia, you still hold a grudge," Ker hummed.
" Honestly, I don't blame them," Iris chimed in, and flinched when one of the shikaris closed in on her, in a few strides, but the sisters were quicker than she was and he was quickly swallowed whole by the flames, and his defeaning shrieks died with him.
" So," Corvin began, but it wasn't him, " This where it all ends," Where it all began, with her death, and perhaps now it would end also with her death.
" Where it all began, " Iris added, relaxing her stance just a smidge.
" You made your offer. I made mine. You will not get Seven Seas. Is not mine to give in the first place. I do not speak for its people. This me ending a cycle of destruction and sadly you are at the center of it. Humans will still kill each other in the ages to come, but that is their battle to fight. I would say that I merely even out the playing field," Ker wouldn't stop staring at the damn thing. As if she was trying to solve a puzzle of some sort.
" So," Ker drawls, " You've been arguing with your ancestors, " Shrugging she takes a step forward, " You could always offer them absolution," Huh? Rubbing the tip of her fingers with her thumb, a string of light stretches as she pulls them apart, she closes her fingers into a fist, leaving her forefinger stretched outwards as the little string winds down her arm, quickly wrapping around her body, enveloping her in a bright within the light. Strangely not as blinding as Edýia's.
" Touch me," She challenges the shikari, " And I promise you eternal rest at my side," Enticing offer, one that she was willing to take herself.