Two
of his sons, Dorian and Thane were womanisers. That pleased him! They had
escaped the confines of the palace together and whored their way through the
polyglot fleshpots of Regina on attaining adolescence. Even with this Dorian
had shown himself different. Where as Thane would get straight on with the
business in hand so to speak, Dorian would engage the alien females in great discourse,
curious in the extreme and to the great amusement of his father and brothers.
In what conflict that had occurred between father and son, Dorian had always
restrained himself, even when Luthur had attempted to see his limits by abusing
Larrienne and Mirien. The baiting always failed. Dorian always detected the
sham and when Luthur was genuinely angered always knew his father would stop
short and restrain himself. The Archduke Luthur was not wholly consumed by the
evil of his ancestors.
Luthur
continued down the corridor from his office mulling over these thoughts.
Egon
was in the great library straining to master the Ravanna Tome of the Compulsor,
one of the most powerful, arcane and literally mind blowing books of the
psychic tyranny of the Vihlani race. Once the Vihlani were a cultured, noble
race with no interest or desire for such vile Tomes of mental rape and
violence. They were great artists and artisans with no weapons or need for laws
of judicial murder. But naive Utopia is ripe meat for evil if left unguarded!
The slavering of Yog-Shishan and his minions must of been oceanic at their
prospects.
Egon
was devoted to Yog-Shishan. He had completed his psionic and magical training
in the great temple-complex situated on Thule. His belief in his destiny was
unassailable; he would rule the stars! With this creed of monomania he studied
the book. Unlike his brothers he did not allow himself diversions. Females and
carousing, he had no time to waste on these things, besides which the female he
would have was very close at hand. His meditation was rudely interrupted by the
voices of Dorian and Mirien as they came into the room.
"I
will show you what I mean, " said Mirien, leading Dorian into the room by
the hand.
"But
nobody will want to do anything about it, " said Dorian. As he did so he
saw Egon and his expression changed from bewitchment to guarded vigilance in an
instant.
Egon
tried to exclude their voices from his meditation, but their presence and
especially Mirien holding Dorian's hand doubly provoked him. His brother Dorian
and he had a long-standing antipathy, which had resulted in considerable
physical confrontation and damage to both, though this had stopped after
Dorian's first duelling victory. It gnawed at his black heart that he was the
second son. But that would change! Even more infuriating to Egon was Mirien's
obsessive attention to Dorian. IT SHOULD BE HIM!
"Quiet!"
snapped Egon.
"O
yes great prestidigitator, " Dorian fired back. Mirien barely suppressed a
giggle. Egon started to redline!
Luthur
could hear their voices down the corridor as he approached and he could sense
the build up of antagonistic energy.
Deep within him a silent alarm began to ring.
"I
will not be spoken to in those terms impotent rake!" spat Egon turning to
face Dorian. Dorian started to move towards him, a cold fell visage of
retribution.
"Dorian!
Egon! Stop this!" implored Mirien fearing another violent confrontation.
She moved in front of Dorian and placed a restraining hand on his face. Her
touch was the kiss of silk. His fell look dissipated like the opening of a
lotus in spring. "We interrupted him while he was meditating, " she
whispered, intending both of them to hear. "We are sorry we burst in as we
did brother, " she added.
"Yes
brother, I regret the interruption, " Dorian said choosing his words with
care and without hint of apology.
"Apology
accepted, " Egon replied with great malice in his voice, knowing that the
words would strike home.
"Come
Mirien, beloved. Let us leave it in peace with its Tome of the brain cell,
" said Dorian, taking Mirien's hand to lead her away.
Egon
turned back to the book all relief valves temporarily tied down, but too
distracted with fury to read.
Mirien
hesitated. She broke free from Dorian and moved towards Egon unhappy to leave
on this sour and nasty note. She intended to placate Egon before they left.
"Egon..."
she said softly, standing beside him. She did not touch him. She rarely did.
Egon made no reply.
"Egon,
" she repeated as she reached over and closed the book, seeking to get his
attention.
The
restraint, the relief valves blew! Without thinking Egon lashed out with the
back of his hand. He blindly struck Mirien across the face sending her spinning
across the room, crashing brutally into the wall, such was the force of his
blow.
As
Mirien hit the wall a primal bloodlust irrupted from within Dorian. As it did so his body changed its
form in answer. One moment a man, the next moment a golden dragon-lizard,
serrated teeth and rending claws, leaping to kill its prey.
Even
with the superiority of his Vihlani breeding and skill, Egon knew he looked at
death. Half rising out of the chair he met Dorian's leap with a martial arts
strike that would of killed most opponents. Striking the Dorian-creature square
in the chest. A strike for the heart!
Luthur
heard the crash and then the snarling roar from down the corridor. The Archduke
of Regina immediately broke into a run towards the commotion.
Egon
was knocked over onto his back, hand bones smashed by the force of his own
strike. He screamed in terror, pain and frustration. Dorian, his mind a palette
of wrath, struck with talon and tooth, again and again.
Luthur
hit the doorway in full flight and took in the scene at once. A bolt of red
manna launched forth from his right hand and burst around Dorian's body like a
fireball, flinging him yelping and crashing half way up the opposite wall.
Dorian fell down to the floor barely conscious and involuntarily changing back
to his human form; severely wounded.
Luthur
moved directly to the mangled body of his son Egon. He could clearly see that
Egon was dying, and he sensed the fading of his son's life-force. Placing his
hands on Egon he started to invoke all the healing spells he knew.
"It
would not be enough, " Luthur thought, finishing his last spell. "No
time to wait...I must risk giving of my own life-force..." Luthur
hesitated. He looked across at Dorian crumpled on the floor. "Maybe this
is how it is to be...Dorian will live and Egon must die..." He looked down
at Egon...something moved inside him..."No! I will not abandon my child. I
will never do that to any of them!" And he began to pass his own
life-force into his son Egon, the danger to himself forgotten.
Mirien
stirred. As she opened her eyes she saw her father bending over Egon, sweat
pouring from his brow. She could sense the dire necessity of his purpose. She
looked around for Dorian, fearing the worst...
She
sighted him, his body covered in what she knew were magical fire burns, his
face a reddened, blistered mess.
Dorian!"
she was frantic. She thought he was dead! Mirien crawled groggily over to him
as quickly as she could. "Dorian!" the plaintive desperate call of
his name summoned him out of the darkness. He slowly opened his eyes.
"Dorian,
"more softy as the relief sighed from her body and she tenderly caressed
his burnt face. He stirred and opened his eyes again to the face of the angel
he knew so well. She smiled and he managed to smile back with an unseen kiss
passing from his lips to hers as he did so. She kissed him tenderly on the
lips, a tear fell onto his lips as she lifted her head back.
Luthur
was suddenly aware of them both. He could not continue to give any more of his
life-force to Egon as his own life would be forfeit. But it had been enough.
Egon would live.
"What
happened here?" he demanded. As Mirien turned her face towards him he
could see the red welt across her face.
"Egon
struck me and Dorian..." Her words failed.
"Father.
I did this. I accept any punishment, " Dorian made a feeble attempt to
rise. "Do not blame Mirien..." He collapsed unconscious again,
falling limp in Mirien's embrace.
"Dorian!"
Mirien called in distress. Luthur marvelled as Dorian once again came back to
her immediately at the sound of her nightingale voice and he saw them share a
smile.
"I
will give my judgment when all have recovered, " pronounced Luthur having
the weariness of having saved Egon's life with his own life-force, bare on him.
He reached up to the palace intercom and called the servitors. He was too weak
and distracted by the passed minutes experience to summon them any other way.