The Black Emperor Excerpt

Chapter 1

Vladikir watched as the palace stewards gingerly placed a black dragon into the pool. No mouth opened in protest, no eyes opened with horror, and no wings flinched trying to escape.The lifeless body fell into the pool, deeper and deeper before finally fully submerging. The fish were already doing their work, the durzeeek eleo, the death eaters. These little monsters could rip the flesh of a dragon's leg in thirty seconds or less. A grown dragon would take mere minutes. Soon nothing would be left of Themucan, nothing left of his sire but bones, bones that would be left to brighten in the open sky. His open sky.

Vladikir was the tyrant now, Thuban his domain, and everyone within its borders his subject. The stewards were leaving the submersion room and he followed them, a crooked smile covering his face. The guards who had been in the room with him accompanied him as they always did, faces stone hard and grim. Some of the stewards in the hallways glanced at him with looks of distaste if not outright scorn. His guards glared and snarled at them but even some of them looked unsure, not truly loyal to him and his rule. Not yet at least. Others seemed hopeful, ready for a new start, greeting him with lowered wings and tails between their legs. He was the closing of an old worn-out book, the start of a new era that only a few seemed to be ready for. Obviously not ready enough,as no one had possessed enough courage to kill Themucan themselves. Himself included.

Oh, but he had tried. Every single poison that his position could afford, every assassin he could bribe, and every single “accident” that could be manufactured.Themucan had evaded them all with the skill of a fiend. Vladikir had made sure to have plausible deniability in each of his little assassination attempts, a mission there, a trip to some foreign country, sleeping. Near the end of his life Vladikir suspected that Themucan had known something of his schemes, but for some strange reason had done nothing about it. Even with him dead this thought was unnerving to Vladikir.

The hallways were silent and surprisingly empty for the time of day. Perhaps his enemies were already scheming and had tipped off those already in the palace to their plans. Maybe their plans were already in action, plans to make the first day of his rule the last. Vladikir sighed unbothered. He had always preferred to be alone anyway, well, as alone as his guards would allow him to be, to be comforted by his own thoughts and his own glory. The only conversation he had was with the walls and with the statues, and their stories were magnificent.

They spoke of greatness. Exotic beasts dancing and jeweled on the walls, bloody wars fought eons ago, beautiful scenes from myth, dragons slaying great monsters of yore, momentos to former tyrants, forever immortalized in stone, all memories of past glory. A glory he would revive. He had walked for a good time before he finally came upon the room he had been seeking, the throne room.

The throne seemed to beckon to him, a throne of his creation. It seemed a strange thing to him, upright as if made for a mammal or a Drakhail. It was made of the finest obsidian, black as his scales with dragon heads carved on the side, glimmering emeralds for eyes . Smoke came from the mouths on the side, like a true living dragon covering the room in a haze. A work of perfect beauty, a work his sister was perched above and desecrating.

“ Is it that pretty Zahr? Prettier than most of the lizards you fuck wouldn’t you agree? ” Rasura’s mocking voice echoed in his head.

Rasura was on top of his throne, above the seat, black and iron scales shining. Her green eyes sparkled maliciously and her fangs, sharp as swords, glinted in the light dripping drool . She looked like a dragon on the hunt, ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey. He huffed and snorted smoke. He was no unsuspecting prey. Vladikir flexed his claws and flared his wings in challenge.

“Do not call me Zahr, two-Leg. My name has been Vladikir for almost 6,000 years you impudent lizard. Get out and I may allow you to live a few meager moments more. Or you could save me the trouble and stay here and die.” Vladikir snapped back.

She flashed her fangs with a wicked smile.

“ Okay Zahrak. I will do as you please brother, my tyrant.” She flapped her wings and prepared to leap off of his throne.

Vladikir snickered and whipped his tail side to side.

“ You are a fool Rasura, and you should’ve known better than to come here by yourself. Your arrogance will cost you your life. Guards! Finish her, and make it slow!”

Rasura feigned shock.

“ But brother! You said if I left you would let me live for a few meager moments longer. Did you lie to me, your own sister?” She shook her head and slapped her tail on the back of her throne. “ How rude! I am going to have to punish you Zahr, and punished you shall be, snake.”

Dozens of dragons walked inside his throne room chamber, armed to the fang in black and silver armor, an imitation of Rasura’s scales. As he had suspected, a trap. That is how Rasura had been able to sneak unto his throne undetected, and why most of the stewards had cleared out. When this was over with all who had known of this treachery would die miserably. The once spacious room suddenly felt crowded, filled with dragons with swords and armor, and Vladikir could barely move his tail without swiping into someone. The drakhails, bipedal sword wielding dragons pointed said swords at Vladikir and the skylords roared and flashed claws.

“ Oh? Did I forget to mention that I brought my guard with me as well. How terribly inconsiderate of me. I have spies everywhere, and you have traitors in every corner, it was all too easy to gain access to your little throne room and catch you by surprise. You have always thought yourself smarter than you actually are Zahr, but you're not. You do have a great sense of beauty however. I may just keep this throne, it suits me does it not? Matches my colors.” Rasura snorted cockily.

Vladikir growled back but most of his guards did not. Pherizzan and a few of his royal protectorate backed off and stared, waiting to see what would happen. Theluias, Kaunir, Azikarn, Marjiz, and Venai walked over to Rasuras side all too eager to save their own lives. Not that he could blame them, as he would do the same thing in their situation if faced with it. It was just too bad they would have to die for their treachery. Only Ushari-Ayn, Thervak, and Naurex stood by his side, four dragons against a small army.

“ You are so short sighted and predictable Rasura. This is a textbook usurpation. There is no creativity, no flair, no personality to your scheme. It is bland, boring, and not only that it is unsuccessful.” Vladikir sneered.

“ The desperate words of cornered prey.” Rasura glared.

“ Is that so? Zhaydeen and 12,000 soldiers fly outside the palace right now, waiting for something to happen in the palace. If something were to happen to me they will rush in here and slaughter everyone they see. Your little spies are easy to intercept and your plans easy to stop. Who is not so smart now sister.” Vladikir grinned.

Rasura narrowed her eyes, “ You lie. If you did have soldiers outside waiting then you would send them in here right now and be done with it. ”

“ I have no way to contact them right now. When they hear roars and swords clanging, and sense the heat of flame then they will soar into here and lay waste to it. Moreover if I were to call them now, you have no reason to not damn me to Draalmire with you just to be petty. I prefer to be alive and rule but now that desire is in your claws. You can go through with your plan and die right alongside me or you can fight another day. It is your choice.”

Rasura snarled and growled. She stared at one of her soldiers and thought some command to him. The soldier in question left the throne room and everyone stared at each other in silence. Fangs were still barred, wings were still flared, and the swords were still in hand but no one dared move a muscle. These next few minutes would be extremely tense and uncomfortable. No one wanted to die pointlessly. After a few minutes the soldier returned and his eyes were hard as he spoke to Rasura. She looked at Vladikir and then back at her soldiers and screamed, a sound like claws on metal and spoke with mad fury.

“ How do I know you won’t sic your soldiers on me the minute I leave the palace?”

“ You don’t but it is better than your other options. You have supporters throughout this city and if they see an infiltration of the palace it will embolden them, causing chaos in Thuban and perhaps the entire realm. If your soldiers don’t kill me in that melee than one of our citizens might. Our differences will be handled the proper way, with subtlety, deception, and politics, not brute force and civil war. Consider that the next time you want to overthrow me. You are free to go.”

Rasura hissed and snarled and growled before finally turning around in defeat, the malicious glint in her eyes gone. Her soldiers followed grunting and snorting angrily as they followed her. Relief swept over Vladikir as they exited the palace, but rage as well, rage at his sisters brazen stupidity.

“ What did you plan to do if you had succeeded? I would be dead and Katholik would return from war ,attack the city once he found out you had power, and thrust the realm into chaos. Shit, he might have attacked even if I were alive and well. Zhaydeen is already in the capital and he could take the throne as well. You could die, and even if you didn’t in the resulting civil war and anarchy our enemies could invade and crush us. Is that what you wanted? War, blood, death, an unstable rule, and servitude. Well is it?”

Rasura only turned around, gave him one last glare, and said nothing as she walked out the room. For a few minutes the room was silent, even their thoughts were hushed. Finally, Ushari-Ayn, one of the guards who'd remained loyal turned to Vladikir fuming.

“ You put our lives in danger over a hunch!? You didn't have the decency to at least tell us you suspected this would happen. What if she had ignored your warnings and killed us? Your life isn't the only one caught up in this.”

“ First off I don't care about your lives. You are my royal guard, your lives involve protecting me. If you see an arrow coming my way you are to jump in front of it, a sword blow coming my way you block it. Secondly I am under no obligation to tell you anything. If you don't like it the exit is that way.” Vladikir said sardonically.

Ushari-Ayn grunted.

“ Keep this up and I just might.”

Vladikir rolled his eyes. Ushari-Ayn was hardheaded, stubborn, and intolerable at times but she was loyal, a trait extremely rare among dragons. She had guarded him for 4,679 years now and he would trust no one else more in his service. He leaned his head forward in an attempt to lock horns. She looked away.

“ Come on. You know you want to.”

Her orange pupils narrowed and she side-eyed him but wouldn’t move. Vladikir leaned in closer and rubbed his horns on her arm gently. She bristled at first and still looked furious, but she couldn't help it. Ushari-Ayn relented and locked horns.

“ Don't do that again Vladikir.” She said sternly.

“ I can't guarantee that.” He smirked.

Vladikir heard roars, screeches, the smell of steel, the clang of armor and swords, and he turned around towards the entrance. Had Rasura returned? He had not planned for that. Vladikir raised his wings and bared his fangs in challenge. A voice reverberated in the room, half cruel-half jesting.

“Did you hope that your little attack position would scare her off? That's cute.”

Vladikir groaned as Zhaydeen calmly entered the room, eyes impish. Like all of the children he claimed Zhaydeen looked nothing like him. Vladikirs scales were a shimmering dark purple or black, depending on the day, and sometimes if you looked close enough you could see a splash of purple under his wings. Zhaydeens was tawny mixed with light brown and sand, a tribute to his desert heritage. Vladikir had glowing yellow eyes, the color of spectres, while Zhaydeens were onyx black with swirls of grey like clouds. Zhaydeen’s horns rose three or four feet while Vladikirs were barely two claw lengths. But of all his children Zhaydeen looked the most like him. The same slim body shape, the Nightstalker mane that Vladikir lacked but lay hidden in his blood, the same cunning and cruelty lived in his eyes.

“ Yes, you have my sincerest thanks for allowing me to live a few more days, until Rasura tries this again.” Vladikir said snarkily.

Zhaydeen grunted.

“ And we will send her running tail between her legs like we did this time. Or preferably kill her and be done with it.”

“ I doubt it will be this simple next time. Rasura is not as foolish as she sometimes acts. Her next move won’t be so sloppy.”

Zhaydeen turned around abruptly, implying another voice had entered his head. How rude. Did they not see Zhaydeen was speaking to their tyrant? Before Vladikir could comment, Zhaydeen quick as lightning turned back to Vladikir, his face displaying no emotion.

“ You have a messenger, from the nesting grounds. The news is important so I will let her tell you directly.

A voice interrupted their conversation, high pitched leaking concern.

“ Your selected clutch has shown all the signs of being near to hatching. If you want to judge the hatchlings I suggest you come with me.”

A tri-colored serpent slithered into the room, a male by the smell, and a nest nurse by the stink of eggs and lava. His scales gleamed aquamarine, pink, and orange, a beautiful combination and his horns curved backwards. A beautiful specimen. Vladikir cared less about what he had to say and more of how he might taste.

“ Zhaydeen, you are more than welcome to come see your new brothers and sisters if you so choose. Perhaps one of them will be my heir.” Vladikir taunted.

Zhaydeen snorted dismissively.

“ And you’ll throw the others in the street. I have no interest in familiarizing myself with those I will never see again. Goodbye sire.” That last word was said with only a tiny amount of vitriol and Zhaydeen rose and flew out of the throne room, saying no more

Vladikir watched for a moment and then turned his attention to the steward.

“ Are you new here? What is your name?”

The serpentine dragon flicked out his tongue and said quietly, “ I am Unavrak, and yes I started working here two days ago.”

“ Well Unavrak when I return from this hatching you may come to the throne room with me, if you so please”

Unavrak said nothing but moved his tail from side to side uncomfortably. The way he looked the poor steward would probably leave the palace before willingly coming back to his throne room. A pity, it was much more pleasurable when they came of their own free will and he hated having to drag them there but with this one it might be necessary. When one comes across an emerald you snatch it, leaving nothing to chance. Vladikir grinned at Unavrak, the grin of a predator that happened across unsuspecting prey and left his throne behind.

It took an hour or so to reach the hatching chambers, as they were located at the very bottom of the palace complex and spread throughout the rest of the city. It was at the very bottom to prevent overeager hatchlings trying to fly from killing themselves. Pools of water and artificial waterfalls gave the area a serene and homely feel, like the primeval oceans that had spawned their race. On the walls were fertility symbols, baby erneans, txeeka flowers, and illuminated indrexi rocks. Firestones, orange rocks that glowed with fire, acted as a natural heat source filling the chambers and their scaled treasure within warm. Everywhere lay eggs, beautiful things that glittering like little crystals. They were in every color, bright reds and silvers, browns and whites, greens and some like little stars. Vladikir could see the silhouette of hatchlings in some of them, visible even in their opaque and near unbreakable shells, moving and squirming in their egg, a sign of near birth. His eggs would look something like this he knew.

The imperial section of the hatchery was at the very end of the nesting chambers, behind a large onyx and gold gate. A thousand guards in ruby encrusted armor guarded this specific section, just in case anyone should try and hurt their future tyrants. Rasura would be one to try but she would need a small army to do so and an even smaller brain. Many in Thuban had their eggs here, from the farmers and petty traders to the Councilors and Tyrants. An attack here would destroy the goodwill of the people that Rasura so desperately craved. Iskhail/Skal, head guard of those stationed down here motioned the guards to open the gate as he approached. They obeyed and the great gate swung open allowing them through.

Less eggs lay in this section, only the spawn of those in governance were allowed here, and as heir and now tyrant his eggs took precedence. Vladikir already knew where his eggs lay and he hurried towards the area, seeking his potential heir. A few feet ahead lay a group of nests, each full of eggs. Barriers of rock carved over millenia divided each clutch, and his was the fourth room in this section. When he entered he saw three nestcarers doting over each egg.

Four eggs lay in the room. One pure gold, the other reddish gold, one silver tinged with red, and the last platinum gold. None were black. The pure golden one seemed ready to burst at any moment and, oh, almost on cue, as if instructed, a hatchling burst out of the golden egg.

This one was beautiful, and if Vladikir cared anything about religion, he would say heavenly . It was a male and his scales were multiple shades of gold, gold that glowed in the firelight and matched his shell. His eyes were a splendid blue green, like the waters of the deep sea. Tendrils ran from his snout and his horns looked more like antlers than true dragons horns. Gills, the eternal remnant of their underwater origins lay like sword cuts on his cheeks. His child, a youngling that looked nothing like him. Let's see if he had what it takes.

“ Are you my sire.” the hatchling asked, eyes too big for his head staring.

“ Probably not, but that isn't important is it?” Vladikir said frankly.

The hatchling turned his head and gave him a confused look. “ I guess not. Can you tell me about the Overlords of Malaasterah.”.

Vladikir was taken aback. Themucan had said that was the first question he had asked him at his own birth. Before abandoning him in some street.

“ The Overlords of Maalasterah ruled over large swathes of Thrushviim for thousands of years. Their empire was brought down by a coalition of the mortal races over 80 million years ago. How do you know about them.” Vladikir questioned.

“ I don't know, it just came to me.” the hatchling responded.

Vladikir doubted that these nestcarers had spoken anything but old stories to the egg, and Zhaydeen and Katholik had never bothered to visit his clutch. No outside source had given him this information. This was a memory. Good, this one showed promise.He already revealed signs of intelligence and a knowledge of history. He could work with that, mold it. The child's easy going manner soon gave way to sudden rage, hot as dragonfire. Vladikir felt it clear as day in his head. His freshly hatched son attacked him. Vladikir dodged the initial blow for his neck, but the young one hopped over him and bit his tail. His teeth weren't very sharp yet but it still hurt. Vladikir hissed and flicked his tail, knocking the hatchling off and back on the floor.

The child was unrelenting and continued to snarl and hiss at him.

“ Restrain him,” Vladikir said between bared fangs, “ before I do.”

One of the egg caretakers rushed to his son and held the child down.

“ Looks like he inherited your manners.” Junkeis, the headnestcarer muttered.

“ Indeed, a wonderful thing.” Vladikir shook his head.

“ What do you plan on naming him? Are you going to name him?”

“ Yes,I plan on raising this one at the moment. His name will be Thamassar.” Vladikir replied.

The other eggs began to hatch. A ruby red crawler with white gold sprinkled on her scales emerged from her shell. Next a silver male skylord with red highlights and red wings. Finally, another female popped out, a pure platinum skylord.

Some of the caretakers eyed the children and looked at Vladikir with cold eyes.

“ And what about them.”Junkeis cast her eyes at the rest of his brood.

He looked at them with a critical eye. Some of them tried to speak to him but they didn’t sound as intelligent or eloquent as Thamassar was. Their minds were still full of egg dreams and fantasies. I will give them a fair chance Vladikir thought to himself. The most competent ones would be allowed to remain with him in the palace, those who were useless would be expelled into the city. Besides, Thamassar would need some competition.

“ Keep them here for now. When I decide who my heir or who is useful to me you can dispose of the rest.” Vladikir said smoothly.