The horses were restless as the air got colder.

She gathered her robe about her to fight the chill.

The mist, was slowly beginning to thicken, nearly obscuring the path ahead of them.

The constant feeling of being watched was most unsettling.


Amira stroked the side of Rhendur's neck,the horse is terriffied, she thought as she tried to steady him.

"Easy,My Princess" Bohma's Muscular form said,as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"This Mist is strange"He said,looking around them.

"I thought all Third Blades were fearless"Amira responded.

Rhendur made an uncomfortable sound under her...he was terrified of something.

"I fear nothing,Princess"Bohma declared trying to steady his horse.

"....I just prefer an enemy I can see"

Then the whispers began.

It was like a thousand Voices speaking at once all around them.

Rhendur neighed....fearfully.

Bohma unsheathed his sword.

"In the name of Lerato,High Queen and Guardian of the Six Clans of Wahri,I order you to show yourselves!!!"Bohma declared in a loud voice.

"...Your Queen has no voice here ,Third Blade" came a disembodied chilling Whisper.

"Sheath your sword,"Amira said softly as she soothed her horse.

"My Princess...I must insist...."He protested as he struggled with his troubled horse.

"....those are Ahikus....if they desired us dead,we would be"Amira said simply.

"My Princess...."

"The Order of the Blades is sworn to protect and Obey the First Clan of Wahris....Now, I order you to put away your sword!!!"Her tone was harsh and uncompromising.

More whispers

More nervous sounds from the horses.

The Third Blade hesitated on his unstable mount as he held on to his sword for a little longer.The Mist in front of them was slowly giving way.

Bohma reluctantly put the sword back in it's sheath.

As the path became more visible,.....they saw The Black Gate.

"What Sorcery is this"She heard Bohma's agitated voice say.

"....the Black Fortress is thousands of leagues from where we are..."He began.

"....But here we are"Amira said flatly.

An eerie humming sound filled the air as The Black Gate began to open .

Rhendur suddenly made a strange deep sound and then bucked.

Amira grabbed his mane.

"Calm yourself....."Amira ordered.

But the Grey stallion made another terriffied sound she'd never heard before.

He bucked wildly again...then sudden kicked his fore hooves off the ground, momentarily standing on its rear limbs.

"Princess!!!"Bohma screamed as she was thrown off her mount.

She landed heavily on the ground and rolled away swiftly to avoid Rendur's thunderous hooves. It was the first skill any rider learnt in Wahri.

Bohma leaped off his horse and ran to her side.

"My Princess, are you hurt?"The urgency and concern in his voice was apparent as he tried to help her off the muddy grass.

"I am well,"Amira said shoving his hands away.
He stood back with his hand still fastened to the hilt of his sword as he searched their surroundings with his eyes.

The Black Gate was wide open now.He could see the Fore of the City from where he stood.

Amira wiped the mud from her face and managed to rise to her feet.

The front of her robe was ripped exposing the Amulet of Thyefah seated between her breasts.

The Amulet of Thyefah had protected her ancestors for centuries.It was worn by every royal of The first Clan of Wahri.

As she touched it's cold surface,she doubted it's power could protect her from the Evil of this place.

The horses were gone.....and the whispers continued.

".....Die....!!!"They were chanting as she adjusted her robe and checked the small dagger tucked inside her belt.

"I will not be deterred"She said under her breath as she stared into the empty city.

"We can still turn back...."The agitation in the Third Blade's voice was understandable.She thought.

But pointless.

"No....the hour is late for that"Amira said coldly as she walked towards the city.

".....die....!!!"

Bohma hesitated for a moment.

He knew there was no convincing her otherwise.She had been this way since she was a child....stubborn...and somewhat foolish.

But he was bound by his sacred vow.

Reluctantly, he followed her.

They heard the frightful humming sound again as the Black Gate shut behind them.

Amira never even once turned around to glance at the gate as she quickened her pace.

The city seemed deserted.

Their were no fires,horses...or people moving about.

Just the stillness of Black huts and a strange smell in the air.

Bohma could still feel eyes on them

Long silence.

"Where is everyone?"came his hushed tone.

"All around us,....."Amira replied touching the Amulet through the fabric of her robe.

".....We just can't see them"

There was something ghostly about the way she spoke.As if she were inhabited by some strange entity.

He felt a light shudder run through him.

I must protect her.He thought.

I must protect her.

It seemed like they walked for hours, passing endless Black huts as the sound of their footsteps echoed in the empty stillness of the city.

Until they reached it.....!

Fortress Black had stood for thousands of years before the Age of Men.

According to Legend, it was built from the Hide of Bidah;an ancient great Fire Serpent of the Abyss.

It is said that no sorcery nor mortal weapon could ever breach the walls of the Fort.

Amira kept on walking, never slowing down.

It stunned Bohma how fearless she seemed.

She would have made a great High Queen.He thought.

Sadly,she might never be.

The Great Black Door was taller than the Tallest Iroko tree.

The strongest swords and arrows have been known to shatter like glass against it's surface.

It opened as they approached it.

Finally,......Amira paused.

For a fleeting moment, Bohma felt the Princess had changed her mind.

He half-expected her to turn around tell him she had made a mistake.

But instead,she said;
"Be brave,....and never doubt!!!"

Long pause.

Bohma sighed and nodded.

She had recited the Creed of The Blades.

It was the first thing a new recruit was taught,...and it was the War Cry of a dying soldier on the battle field.

Bohma unsheathed his sword and accepted whatever fate lay in front of them as they stepped inside.

The door shut behind them.

The walls of the great hall were as black as a starless night.

The stone pillars leading up to the Throne seemed to be made of a strange dark rock that shimmered when a shadow passed over it.

On each of the pillars stood a flaming torch that burned bright but seemed to bring no heat to the cold hall.

Seated high up at the centre of the Great hall, was the throne.

It was made of the same shimmering stones.

The hall, like the rest of the city was empty.



"Welcome,...Princess" came a deep male Voice from behind them.

Bohma spun around quickly, sword ready as he stood between the Princess and the owner of the voice.

A tall hooded figure stood before them.

"Who are you?"Bohma demanded as he readied his sword for an assault.

The figure was silent.

"Speak!!!"The Third Blade ordered taking a cautious step towards the figure.

"The question is......who are you....Bohma?"The figure said softly.

The Third Blade gasped at the mention of his name.

He felt something take hold of him and lift his body off the ground.

"My Princess.....!!!"Were the last words Bohma uttered.

Amira watched in horror as an unseen force flung the Third Blade's body across the hall and bashed it against one of the shimmering pillars with a force that cracked his skull with a sickening crunch.

His head burst open spewing forth blood and chunks of flesh.

The Princess looked away, as the lifeless body of her protector dropped to the stone floor.

The hall was silent again.

The hooded figure stood still.

"I am not impressed"Amira said suppressing the terror she felt.

The figure chuckled.

It was an eerie sound in the vast empty hall.

"Why are you here...Princess Amira?"It inquired softly.

I.......seek the Counsel of OverLord Malish, Black Warlock and Master of this realm."She heard her own voice say.

The figure chuckled again.

"These titles...."It began as it stepped forward.

She fought back the urge run.

Be brave...and never doubt.She thought to herself.

"....they tend to stick after a while.....Black Warlock,..Third Blade, Princess...."

The figure took off it's hood.

The face was clean shaven, skin as white as snow, with the black markings of his sacred order.

It was the face of a handsome young man, though the dark eyes that stared back at her had seen more than a century of torture and bloodshed.

"Overlord"Amira gasped.

"I wonder..."Malish began as he continued his approach.

She felt her body retreat a few steps away from him.

She tried averting her gaze from his eyes,but they seemed to hold her in some way.

".....What should I call you,my...great-great-great-great-great grand daughter.....?"He asked thoughtfully.

She could only hear the sound of her own retreating foot steps in the emptiness.

The Warlock moved soundlessly.

"....or perhaps I should just call you... my sworn enemy...?"Malish halted his approach and smiled.

"....I have come to make you an offer" Amira said feeling the Amulet through her cloak.

The boom of laughter that erupted from the Warlock was unearthly.It's sound reverberated within the walls of the great hall like an infernal echo.

"I already have your life,...what could you possibly offer me?"He said with another chuckle.

She squeezed the Amulet through the fabric,feeling the heat of its power through her palm.

"That trinket of yours is worthless here....I could have had the Ahikus tear you and your guard dog to pieces at the gate If I were so inclined"He said simply,as he moved past her towards the throne.

Amira's eyes followed his every move.

"You knew I was coming?"she asked incredulously.

He paused at the foot of the throne steps.

"I have been trying to kill your entire bloodline for centuries....trust me I knew"He said as he continued up the steps.

Soundlessly.

"How else could you and pet get to the Black Gate so fast?"

"Then...you know why I am here?" She asked trying her best not to stare at Bohma's limp bloodied body on the ground.

"Before I send your body in bits and pieces to your family,....."Malish said as he sat on his throne.

"....amuse me with your....'offer'..."he said flatly.

Amira swallowed a lump in her throat and took a few hesitant steps towards the throne.

"I have come to offer you the throne of Wahri!!"she said in a bold voice.

Long silence.

Laughter again.This time,louder than the last.

"You must have a Death wish, Amira.....The throne of Wahri is not yours to give....your sister is Queen!"He said with another chuckle.

"What if I could give It to you?"She pressed.

"Even if you could kill the Queen and some how hand me the throne, the Six Clans would never let me set foot in Wahri.....even I, do not have that kind of Magic" he said.

"What if I had a way...."Amira began.

"There is no way, my dear descendant,....It has taken me Two centuries and countless deaths of your ancestors to realise that"The Overlord said almost lovingly.

"I know a way!!!"Amira declared in an authoritative tone.She almost couldn't recognise the rage she felt.

In a blink,the Warlock was in front of her.His hand seized her and hoisted her off the ground.

His grip was like steel as his fingers slowly closed around her throat, crushing her windpipe.

She struggled to free herself, but it was pointless.His strength was too unnatural.

She remembered her dagger, but the instant she did, it flew out of her belt, tearing through her robe and clattering to the ground across the hall.

"Let us get something clear,...."He said with maniacal hatred in his eyes.

The pressure on her windpipe was tightening and she began to see black spots in the corners of her vision.

"...The miserable moments you have left in this world are solely for my amusement...."He said with a blood lust.

She could feel herself losing consciousness.

"...just because your puny mortal heart was broken when your betrothed fell for your sister...does not give you the right to come here and....."

"....T..the...Shetani!!!"Amira forced herself to say as she felt the life leaving her.

The mask of Hate instantly dissolved from his face.

In it's place was one of shock...and a bit of fear.

Malish loosened his grip on her throat.

The Wahri Princess dropped to the ground.

Amira coughed painfully as she held on to her neck.

The Black Warlock simply stood in silence watching her.

"What do you know about the Shetani Spirit?" asked desperately.

Amira kept on coughing as she tried to speak.

"Heal!!!" Ordered Malishs' voice.

In that instant, the pain around her throat vanished and her coughing ceased.

Amira touched her throat wondering if she'd imagined it all.

Her neck felt like it had never been touched.

"Speak!!!" came Malish's voice from above her.

She gathered herself and slowly rose to her feet.

"What do you know of the Shetani spirit?"There was something desperate in his voice.

"Enough to know how to summon him"She said straightening her robe.

The warlock gave her a curious look.

"...If you help me....I will give you the throne....and I will take the lives of the ones who shamed me"Amira said with hate in her voice

"You realise that means and the entire Wahri bloodline...YOUR bloodline?"He stared at her skeptically.

Amira smiled and said;
"They are not my bloodline anymore,....I want them dead.....starting with the High Queen,..my sister"....


....to be continued

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