“Wushanko meant to betray us. The ritual had been altered to destroy Prifddinas,” he said, with absurd calm. “Send this on to the capital, the correct ritual must still be performed.”
She could scarcely believe it. There had been increasing tensions in the southern seas for sure, but this… “So you…you fixed it?” she stammered. He fixed a steely glare on her and nodded once.
Of he has, you idiot
, she silently cursed herself, fingers fumbling as she unlocked the cage and tied the message to the leg of one of the ravens. “Prifddinas,” she whispered, holding the squirming bird close before throwing it up into the dark, roiling sky. She watched it soar north-westward, wondering how the admiral of the Crystal Fleet knew the finer points of advanced necromantic rituals. She turned to ask him.
The blade’s slash cut clean through her windpipe with a spurt of vivid red. She gaped in shock, blood gurgling as she tried to cry out, staggering backwards. The crimson moon broke through a gap in the clouds, and the admiral’s glamour charm flickered, dissolving into something horrifyingly inhuman.
Wushanko aren’t the enemy
, she realised as she fell over the ledge.
The ritual
… The last thing she saw was the silhouette of the raven’s dark wings against the blood-stained sky, before the black sea rushed up to claim her.
22-Oct-2017 00:40:12
