44. Hadeon

Iremembered the day I saw the man Abraxas truly was. The memory was very clear. He had bent the knee to me, but his loyalty had been untested. I may have been a new ruler then, but I was no fool. Words meant nothing without action behind them.

Thesettlement was small and already half dead from the war. Even in its withered state, I could still feel the cold sweat creeping up my neck as I looked upon the stone temple to the old dragon gods that lay at its center. Those walls held my blood and my greatest shame. They couldn't stand any longer. Why not deal with two problems at once?

Ilead my horse up to the edge of the rise that looked over the town with Abraxas close behind me. His black stallion pulled up alongside mine, and he pulled off his helmet, his long hair fluttering in the gentle fall breeze.

"This is why you have summoned me and a full cohort out to the middle of nowhere? Some defenseless town?" His face twisted in disgust, and he refused to meet my gaze.

"This town is home to traitors against my new empire. It must be dealt with."

Finally, Abraxas turned to me, and I could see the hatred burning in his eyes. How he despised me and how I reveled in seeing him bend, nonetheless. "What intelligence do you have on the traitors? Where are they located? We can engage without unnecessary casualties if—"

"Oh, no. You misunderstand me, General. This entire settlement is condemned. I want you to raze it to the ground."

Isaw that hatred light into a burning flame in his eyes, and just as in the throne room, a part of me wished he would act on it. He wouldn't survive it, but what a glorious ending that would be.

"You can't truly mean—"

"Are you unwilling to fulfill my command, GeneralAbraxas?"

Hisgrip tightened on the sword at his hip, and I felt a great surge of power in my heart as I pulled on my own magic. It was different from the magic before Malech's death; it was rawer. ButI'd master it, just like I would master the man before me. I watched as the loathing in him burned even brighter before it was snuffed out, and his hand fell.

"Of course not, YourEminence." He lifted his hand and signaled to his army, and they took off down the hill.

Hekicked his horse to ride to the front of the ranks when I called to him. "Remember, General, every single one." He didn't turn back or acknowledge me, but I knew he had heard.

Iwatched as the townsfolk who had been performing their daily duties stopped in their tracks. Their eyes widened in fear as that great dark army descended on them. Many fled back into their houses while a few men approached the oncoming horde and Abraxas. I couldn't hear what they said, but it was irrelevant. He lifted his great sword above his head and cut through theirs. Troops spread out into the village. Screams filled the air as cottage roofs were set ablaze in Abraxas' emerald flames. People who fled from the burning buildings were slaughtered. All the while, Abraxas moved through the scene without faltering, and I swore I saw his eyes were blazing with something much deeper than hatred.

Hemoved like no one I had ever seen. He may have only had a fraction of the magic he once wielded, but he was still a sight to behold. The flames of the town seemed to call to him, and he bent them to his will. His sword moved through body after body as if cutting through softened butter at a midsummer picnic. Absolutely nothing stood in his way as he called the flames to him and set them spiraling into the ancient temple. Stone melted in on itself, and the entire building collapsed with a thundering crash. He was a power unlike anything I had seen besides myself. My fingers tightened on the leather of my reigns thinking about it.

Whatit would feel like to press myself against someone who could stand against me, our naked power unleashed. What might it feel like to feel him succumb to me, to surrender? His power my equal but his soul mine to devour.

Asthe walls came down and the dust settled, that terrible and great dragon statue emerged from the haze. Abraxas stood before it, unmoving. I made to call out, to taunt him, but he summoned his pure emerald flames and shot them at the beast. The old gold exploded into nothing but dust.