The Unspeakable Truth (Part Two)

Lavender couldn’t believe what she was hearing. That was not possible.

“My father is my father,” Lavender denied. “He’s not the founder of the Empire.”

Hazel couldn’t believe it either. “There was a crypt where Emperor Halloway’s body was buried. He was there. Same with his son and every Emperor that ruled after them. They cannot be the same man.”

Lord Fournet nodded. “You start to see how this is difficult to explain. Physically, you are correct. Your father was not born the Emperor. But once he was coronated, once he became ruler of the Empire… he was the Emperor in essence. The Emperor takes control of a new body, kills its host, and walks among us once more. He was a parasite that cheats death. And his worst crime of all has everything to do with you both. I warn you. This will not be easy for either of you to hear.”

It was already straining credulity for Lavender. Balerifon would start laughing in a few moments and tell her this was all a lie. Surely, he would prove that Vallois was a liar and not a man of his word.

“He appears to only possess his descendants,” Lord Fournet continued. “Legitimate, bastard, it does not matter. Only that they trace their ancestry back to him. That means that any of his living descendants could serve as viable hosts. As long as a single member of House Wea’Vor lives, so too does the opportunity for his return. …When the Emperor began to suspect that we were getting around the Unspeakable Truth’s restrictions, he began to hide away some of his spare heirs.”

Lavender’s face went pale. No. No, this was a sick and cruel lie. “You can’t mean…”

“I am deeply sorry. But the reason you were sequestered away and protected by a dragon was to act as a spare body for the Emperor.”

Hazel remained quiet but slumped in her chair while she tried to process this. Lavender refused to accept this. “No. No, that’s a lie. My father loved me. He wouldn’t do this, I… Old man, deny it! Tell us that it’s a lie!” She raced over to Balerifon and lifted him up from his chair. “Deny it! For the love of the gods, man! Deny it!”

Balerifon’s eyes could not meet hers. He looked down and remained silent.

Lavender felt herself start to spiral. She had wanted to unite an empire that sustained THIS?! This monstrosity? Her purpose in life was just to live as spare parts for a monster? Ten years in the highest keep of the tallest tower, told to remain until her true love came. Not only was that a lie, but even the love of her family was too!

She couldn’t stay here. A guttural scream escaped her lips as she found herself racing back to that tallest tower, back to her room to suffer once more.

----

No one at the table tried to stop Lavender. Not even Dora and Robert, who were both struck dumb by everything they’d heard. Shaunce looked uncomfortable at the way Lavender had left the table. But Vallois kept his hands folded in front of his face and unmoving.

Everyone now looked to Hazel. Hazel, who had no choice but to sit there and process this in front of everyone. Hazel, the living head of House Wea’Vor.

“All of that hunting. Killing people accused of being descendants. That was for this?” Hazel finally got out. “You’ve killed so many of us, the Emperor has to be gone by this point.”

Lord and Lady Fournet looked to each other. Neither looked certain of whether or not to say Hazel was right. But what Lady Fournet admitted was, “There has been no sign of the Emperor since the end of the revolution. Maybe he is truly gone. Maybe he is not. We cannot be sure.”

Vallois grunted but kept his opinion to himself.

“And what of the realm?” asked Hazel. “When the House of Wea’Vor is finally gone. It’s absolute bedlam. Even if overthrowing our family was the right thing to do, the realm is a wretched mess. You’re all bickering amongst yourselves over the scraps of the Empire. The Guilds have more power than some of you. Roads aren’t safe. You haven’t improved the lot of the common man.” She stood us and pointed to Vallois in defiance. “You can’t tell me this is what you intended.”

Vallois finally unfolded his hands. There was no smile hidden behind it. No stifled laugh. Only a look of determination. “This is not how it will remain. I will unite the realm under the banner of a new Empire. One free from the Unspeakable Truth. Free from its legacy. It will take time but I will fix this.”

Hazel grit her teeth at his pronouncement. He sounded like a pale imitation of her sister.

A fist slammed into the table. Balerifon’s anger had peaked. He could not hold it in a moment longer. “Not you. Never you.”

Vallois glowered at Balerifon. “I won’t accept a lecture from the Emperor’s lap dog.”

“And I will not accept moral superiority from a thief!” Balerifon shouted.

Robert felt compelled to ask the obvious. “What is goin’ on here?” He looked to Vallois and Shaunce. “Ya’ll got beef we don’t know ‘bout?”

The tension at the table was growing thicker with each passing moment. Vallois rubbed the tips of his fingers against his thumb, back and forth. “In the past year, a dragon attacked a trade caravan travelling in my lands. I assembled warriors to join my son and I to hunt it down. It took us a week to corner it. The crimson beast put up a valiant effort. But ultimately, we were victorious.”

Balerifon spat out, “The dragon. It had red scales, yes? A scar running down the side of his face, from eye to mouth?” The stunned look on the father’s and son’s faces told him everything he needed to know. “I dared to hope… You bastards. Caecilius was my brother!”

Dora thought she was missing something. “That makes him a murderer. Not a thief.” But the wheels in her head were already turning. She was starting to suspect that Balerifon’s rage was not reserved just for what Vallois had done to end the life of Caecilus. But for what Vallois had done after ending his life.

“What I did, I did to secure the future of the realm,” Vallois said with an even keel.

“What you did,” shouted Balerifon, “is break the greatest taboo amongst dragonkind! You took the blood of a dragon into yourself! Against his will, at the cost of his life!” He looked on the verge of tears. “A man who can do that, could do anything. And he cannot be trusted with the future of this realm.”

Hazel coughed politely. This conversation was deteriorating fast and she needed it to end. “Lord-Prince Vallois, I thank you for your time. Now if you will excuse us…”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Vallois got out of his chair. “One way or another, all of this ends today.”

Now Hazel was getting worried. “You gave us your word that you would not harm – ow!”

Hazel clutched her head. A single strand of hair flew across the table and slid itself between Vallois’ finger and thumb. Vallois took a deep breath, closed his eyes…

And opened the eyes of a dragon. “This is the hair I will not harm.”

----

Balerifon stared in horror at the change in Vallois’ eyes.

The table beneath him began to shake. No, the entire chamber began to quake. An aura of fire came from Vallois, whose smile was almost sickening with how wide it had grown.

The announcement of a dragon’s arrival is a terrible thing to behold in person.

He could not mistake the continued rumble for anything else. Not with the way smoke was escaping from the holes in the floor.

“Hazel!” he shouted. “Take the others and get out of here as fast as you can! The volcano, it’s awake!”