The Loathsome Lord
-by Amerial Nadoola

"Light of the Spirit, Symbol of the Sun
Be with me now 'till the spell work is done.
Help me balance all Karma and force
'till I reach the end of my life on this Earth
Guide me and teach me, O' Dragon of Light
Lend my magic your Power this Night!"

"Dragon of Darkness, Your Power will run
until the time my magic is done
teach me your secret, the dark not to fear
For dark is receptive, not terror or tear
Dreams of the Spirit soar with the Night
wrap me in guidance, You, balance of Light"

The rain was falling hard and the thunder was clashing as if the Gods were yelling at the citizens of Nadoola angrily. The dark night devoured him and the only light he could see was the blazes of fire from the razing. All around, chaos ensued; women and children were crying, screaming with all the life left in them. The scenes that encased him were nothing but a blur as he walked slowly, steadily, down the pebble path, his eyes fixed upon the small cottage set off in the distance. A group of haughty, dirty looking men trailed behind him almost as if he were in a daze.

Within moments, they were at the front door of the cottage. Looking in the window, he could see a woman cradling a beautiful baby in her arms looking terror-stricken. A man was running through the rooms grabbing items off of the shelves and stuffing them into a brown satchel, no doubt preparing to run.

It�s too late for you, the man standing in front of the cottage thought to himself.

The man turned to his group of followers.

�Your work in Nadoola is done, but I have one last task for you,� he said in an icy voice.

The presumed leader of the group stepped forward and gave a small bow.

�What is it, my master?�

�Kill them; the man and the woman, I want dead. Bring me their blood as proof of your success and I shall pay you generously. Keep the girl, take her with you to your camp and keep her there until I arrive to claim her. Do not give any hint that you are working for me. Just take her and keep her as your slave for now. Do you understand my orders as I have given them to you?�

�Yes, my master. We will do as you have asked.�

At this confirmation, the man stepped aside and let the group pass him as they entered the cottage forcefully. The man stood back and smiled demonically as he heard screams and shouts erupt from inside the cottage. The leader emerged from the cottage with the baby in his arms.

The man stepped forward and ran his hand over the baby�s skin and looked down at her admiringly.

�Yes, yes. She will do in time. Take her with you now, and I will arrive eighteen years from this day to claim what is mine. Keep her safe until then, no harm is to come to her. I want her to be perfect on the day I claim her as my own.�

The leader nodded and scurried off toward the horses that were waiting. The man looked back to the cottage where the struggle was still in process. It was now that he saw the beautiful woman thrown against the window as she struggled against the hands of the intruders.

The man walked calmly inside to where the woman was and smiled at her. A stream of blood was flowing from her right temple from where she had been shoved into the window and her bottom lip was cut and swollen.

She is still beautiful, he thought sinfully to himself.

He stepped up to her and ran his fingers through her long, silky, pitch black hair. She tried to pull away from him. He grabbed a patch of her hair roughly and pulled her to him as he pressed his lips against hers which were now bleeding. The taste of copper in his mouth aroused him. He kissed her deeply before pulling her away and pushing her to floor. He looked at her with hunger in his eyes.

After having his way with her, he stood up and straightened his robes. Looking at her crying with terror in her eyes disgusted him. He shooed the other men from the room as he pulled his rod from his cloak. Pointing it at her, he sent one fatal shock to her body. He kneeled down and held her limp, lifeless body and kissed her lips once more.

He walked into the room where the intruders had gathered.

�Where is the man? Have you killed him yet?�

One of the other men spoke up, �He has escaped.�

The man roared with anger, �HOW DID HE ESCAPE, YOU MORONS?!�

�W�we took him out back to kill him and realized we left the sword in here when we were trying to take care of the broad, so we came back in to get it, and when we returned, he was gone!�

The man glared at the imbeciles in front of him and let out an angry sigh.

�I shall find him and deal with him on my own. For now, burn this place. The woman is dead and the baby is at your base. Because of your grave errors, you shall not be rewarded until I come to collect my prize.�

�U�Uh, sir?�

�WHAT?� he bellowed, �I mean, what do you want now?�

�The girl, the baby I mean, what is her name?�

The man thought for a moment.

�Her name will be Amerial, a name fitting for my own.�

The man walked out of the cottage and back along the pebbled path as the cottage went up in flames behind him. Out of sight, he disappeared into a mist and reappeared when he was back at his home in the mainland of Tibia. Walking into his home, he saw a woman stirring a pot of broth, no doubt waiting for him to arrive back from his escapade.

�Amerel, is it done,� she asked hastily.

�Yes mother, it is done.�