Prologue

A large crack echoed around the mountains as the lightning returned the thunder's call in the night. Rain poured down like a waterfall on the world beneath.Wind howled and lurked on the trees of the forest which spread out mile after mile before the dark fortress which was surrounded by the high towering mountains. 

Boots drummed on the slick, muddy forest floor, splattering wet earth up against the leather. A pack of four elves clad in heavy armour and thick capes moved along the twisting and turning paths, plodding through the mud as they crested a faint sloping hill. Torches were lit and cast an eerie set of shadows across their faces. In between the four men, another was held tightly in his shackles and being dragged along. A new crack of lightning lit up the world in a white light before it died down slowly. 

The elf struggled hard but the hands and binds holding him were like iron fists, gripping tighter with every move he tried to make. Their way continued downhill until the forest ground transformed into stones and a strong wind lurked on their cloths, almost sweeping the group off their feet. Before them lied a wide, long stone bridge across a deep ravine. He didn't know how deep it actually was and hell, he didn't even want to know; looking down in the dark abyss made his head swim with dizziness. Walking across the bridge felt like an eternity, until one of the guards called out a word he did not recall hearing. Before them, a high metal gate opened with an ear-splitting shriek, the wind still whipping painfully against their faces as they passed the gate and saw their next destination; the Palace of Charna. 

This huge, dark fortress was built between towering mountains. Even though it was daytime the atmosphere around here was always dark, like it was night forever. There wasn't much to see of it except the mile-high towers reaching for the dark, cloudy sky. No lanterns or torches were lit except those of the guards and in the weak light of the flickering flames, the elf could see they had reached a large metal door with several heavy locks. One of the guards in the back marched around the rest of them to the front door, pulled a key from his side, stuck it in the first lock and turned it sideways. A loud *click* echoed before the locks creaked and the heavy door was pushed open with some force. 

They roughly shoved him inside and he stumbled by the sudden action, struggling to keep his footing on the marble floor. The rain and mud had made the soles of his boots slippery. Scanning the scenery around him, he found he stood in a long hall with equilateral arched windows. The pointed roof was at least thirty-two feet high, with creaking chandeliers hanging from the supports. The roof was supported by elegantly sculpted pillars of black stone, and torches lit with red fire provided little light. 

In those few seconds, that was all he could see before a set of arms roughly grabbed his shoulders and urged him forwards. They moved across the length of the hall, at least half a mile long. He struggled again, the shackles cutting deeply in his flesh, but to no avail; the guard wasn't going to release him anytime soon. They entered another smaller hall similar to the previous one and to his surprise, every sound from outside had been blocked. A deadly silence hung in the air, distorted by the thumping and creaking of their boots on the floor. Before him, a platform had been hammered out of black stone, gleaming in the light which fell through the windows. On top stood two large imperial thrones before a set of thick crimson curtains hanging from the ceiling. 

On the left elaborately decorated throne sat a woman dressed in a dark, fur-lined cape and a floor-length black dress. A dark crown adorned her head while long blonde hair fell across her back. Her piercing blue eyes locked with the elf's and he could feel how a shiver ran down his spine. The Empress. 

"Tell me..." she broke the deadly silence, her voice deep and slow, like if the words were poison spilling from her blood-red lips. "Why did you run?" 

The elf gathered himself and stood upright. Now was the time to tell her. There was no way back and he knew it damn too well. "I..." he began, but was abruptly cut off by the woman on the throne who had risen. "Once you were a servant of Charna, a servant loyal to me and my husband. You were placed in the army, trained to fight, live a life with food and shelter here, yet you run?" 

"Yes, because of how you mistreat us!" he yelled back, failing to maintain calm. "You promised a good life, but all we have to do is fight in the arena near the dungeons until we're dead! You promised a battle soon yet all you do is sit on your throne and drink wine." He knew he had gone too far and he didn't care. If the truth had to be revealed it had to be now.

The Empress had now descended the steps before the platform and was calmly walking towards the bound elf, her cape sweeping across the floor behind her. He swore her eyes lit up brightly for a split second, but it could also be his imagination. "I hope you have be grateful for your life you had with us!" she spoke, her voice echoing through the room. Red magic began to pulse in her right hand, flickering as sparks flew off and it grew larger. In a split second, her hand shot forwards against the chest of the elf - or rather, through it. Words in an ancient language thundered against the walls and in his ears as an indescribable pain soared through him from head to toe. An unworldly cry escaped his throat as it felt like his body was being pulled apart atom by atom, blood seeping out of his nose, mouth and eyes.

With his final strength he stared up into her eyes and wished he didn't; they pierced right through his soul, glowing a bright blue, almost white colour with constricted, dark pupils. After mere seconds he blacked out, and the Empress retracted her hand, then roughly shoved him aback. The lifeless body fell limp on the floor with a thud and she watched it as her eyes returned to their normal icy-blue colour. The dead elf laid on the floor for a short moment before a thick layer of red smoke enveloped him, and when it had cleared there remained nothing more than dust. 

The Empress watched him silently before she took a deep breath. "Guards!" she roared, walking towards the door to the main hall. Two heavily-armed elves pushed the door open, walked in and stared at her for mere seconds, then towards the heap of dust on the floor further in the throne hall. 

"Clean it up. I don't want this filth on my floor." 

As the guards hurried inside, she left the door open behind her and strolled through the main hall of the palace. Outside, lightning cracked again as the rain continued to pour down. The Empress walked for a little longer before taking a sharp turn and took a door to the left in the wall, which led to a staircase downstairs. Torches illuminated the stone walls and steps, which seemed to take an eternity to descend. On her way the Empress passed a few other servants, whom she didn't pay attention to. The stairs ended in another hall without any windows, just torches and chandeliers lit with red fire. There were even more doors in the walls, and she knew exactly where those led to; the dungeons and the Arena. 

That was not where she went today; instead of taking a door in the wall she continued her path across the long hallway and passed yet another door, which had been closed with two heavy locks. As soon she set foot inside, a chill whipped across her face. The room was dark, probably half a mile long and wide, and the only light came from torches on the pillars supporting the floor above. In the dark, metal clinked and scraped along the floor. A low growling sound emitted, the sound of it drumming against the walls and in her ears. 

"Easy. It's me." she soothed the creature in the dark. "I know you are impatient..." she started as she used a bit of magic in her palm to light up the cellar. Thick sharp nails gleamed in the red hue, dark scales reflected the same light and shimmered like dark crystals. The Empress knew it was dangerous to be with those creatures in the cellars - there were at least three of them hiding in the shadows -  yet they were the ones she could talk to; they wouldn't betray her. 

"Soon, my dears, what we desire will be ours..." she spoke over the sound of the clinking chains on the floor and against the walls. One let out a soft roar which was enough to let the floor above and beneath shake and tremble. The elf knew she shouldn't stay here any longer; they were too impatient and she had been here for at least half an hour already. Without any word she turned on her heel, closed the heavy doors behind her as the growling and snarling continued behind her, and took the stairs back up. 

She crossed the hall and passed another door which had a swirly staircase upwards and ended in yet another hall. Small arched windows let light fall through and cast eerie shadows on the dark marble floor. At the end of the hall there was an enormous door, at least seven feet high and intricately sculpted with swirling details and spikes. She pushed the doorknob down, which had the design of a skull, and entered the bedroom. 

The first thing which came into view immediately was the king-sized canopy bed, the ornate foot- and headboard caught the attention along with the bedposts, all intricately sculpted as well. Thick crimson curtains hung from top and descended down around the bed like a waterfall. The floor was dark, polished and smooth. A set of large window let moonlight stream in and gave access to a balcony. A small door in the wall led to the bathroom, and a sofa had been placed on the opposite wall of the bed. Her eyes, however, went over to the left side of the bed from where a heavy voice came. 

"When will you stop killing your servants? I heard from another elf you killed an escaped one.”

“You know we can’t allow the servants to go and spill our secrets, Obsidian.” The Empress spoke irritated while unclasping the fur-lined cape and let it fall to the ground. Then she removed all of her jewellery and her dress before walking over to the bed. With a heavy sigh she lied down and crawled against the male elf’s chest. Moonlight reflected the defined muscles and his silver hair which fell across his broad shoulders.

“They are starting to get impatient. We can’t keep them locked in for much longer.”

“You shouldn’t worry so much.” He replied as he pulled the covers over them both. “Our time will come soon.”

Yes, but how soon will it be? The Empress thought before finally closing her eyes.