Year 2: The Encroaching Dread - Chapter 1

Commander Kalina Gens never liked taking too long to get ready in the mornings.

First, when she woke, she would ring her bell, summoning six maids to bathe her, do her hair and makeup, and feed her, all while telling her of what tasks she had to accomplish during the day.

In total, it was only thirty minutes of her otherwise busy day that she spent getting ready for it.

Anything beyond that was inefficient to her and unnecessary.

Her snow-like hair was straightened and ran down to her lower back, her lips were marked with red lipstick, her eyelashes above her ruby irises were curled, and her uniform was fastened securely around her body as the other servants went about their business.

A freshly pressed, ironed and washed white military style suit complete with a cap, and a sabre on a leather belt by her waist on her left side. She was one of the commanders of an organisation founded by Lord Ruthven originally, several hundred years ago long before Saint Themis had ever been born - Spike.

Securing Prosperity, Inducing Kindred and Eternity - an agency that moved in complete secrecy in the shadows of the empire, to push it in the direction the Vampire Court wanted it to move.

When the Demon Emperor had first arrived in Aangapea, Lord Ruthven had immediately reprioritised the group’s objectives to locating and observing the Demon Emperor, while also taking action to ensure his objectives were fulfilled.

When the undead burnt Black Port, it was Kalina’s father, Valeria Gens, who had hypnotised the lords and ladies of Silverten into not sending aid to Prince Julius’s expedition, all to get the old nobles out of their keeps and those who were members of the court put in their place.

Following the signing of the treaty with the Demon Emperor, Spike was officially handed over to Lord Mímir, a change that some had taken to less kindly than Kalina.

“Kalina.” Her father put a hand on her shoulder. “We stand on the edge of greatness. I managed to appeal myself to the Demon Emperor personally about my achievements in the south. If you, a Commander of Spike, can achieve great things, we will greatly move up the ranks and could even one day sit upon his council.”

Her father, despite his hopes, never imagined that Kalina would be the deputy headmaster of the Academy within the first eight months of service to the Demon Emperor, let alone have many achievements besides that to show.

She had found and eliminated six rebel cells personally with her personal brigade, she had stopped the student uprisings in the Academy with ruthless efficiency, and she had personally seen to it that the local lords who had attempted to attack the Demon Emperor’s farms were caught and subsequently hanged.

Kalina Gens was something of a celebrity in the world of the vampires, but her name never reached the Demon Emperor’s ears.

Her achievements, and failures, were Lord Mímir’s too, or any other member of the council if they saw fit.

At first, Kalina had felt frustrated, but she had long grown to accept that that was the way of things, and all she had to worry about was carrying on her job to the best of her abilities.

In time, the Demon Emperor would know her name, her achievements and reward her.

Patience. She took a shallow breath. We are the Demon Emperor’s tools to be used as he decrees.

That is all.

“Captain Ronovan is outside, my lady.”

“Send him in.”

“At once.”

A tall, imposing vampire, wearing a black version of the same uniform, entered, although he carried a morning star at his waist.

“Good morning, Commander.”

“Captain. Report.”

“Yes, ma’am. The culprits behind the smuggling ring have been identified and I’ve prepped the men to intercept and capture them later this morning. Will you be joining us or-?”

“Administrative work for the Academy takes priority, as Lord Mímir has dictated,” Kalina said. “While dealing with minor pests is never a bad thing, it is not his majesty’s current focus.”

“So I’ve heard, ma’am. Something about expanding this place at an even greater rate.”

“Not just here. The Demonic Legion hunts the rogue princess and her brigands, and the Summoned Heroes shall be dealt with soon. Well, those are the rumours among the court at least.”

Ronovan grinned. “A rumour at court is often true, Commander.”

“Quite.” She lowered her arms as the maids finished buttoning her shirt up. “Father asked me to pass on his praises, and a chest of silver for the men.”

“Please tell your lord father we’re very grateful.”

Kalina nodded, then she straightened her hat. “Don’t spend it all at once.”

“We’ll try our best.”

“Your dismissed, Captain. Let me know how the raid goes the moment it’s over.”

“Of course, Commander.”

He bowed, then took his leave.

***

“Now, who can tell me why the Demon Emperor’s name was not passed down through history?” Kalina asked her morning lecture.

There were about one hundred students in her classroom, a mixture of races, genders and expressions throughout.

Men, elves, dwarves, lizardmen, beast-kin, of young ages both male and female, were looking at her, some with twinkles in their eyes, excited to learn more about the ‘true history of Aangapea’, while some, those who were a little older or more enlightened, looked bored or as if they were suppressing their anger.

Before, they had been openly displaying it, but Kalina had shown them first-hand what happens to those who stand up to and question the Demon Emperor’s beliefs.

An excitable elf girl, eight years old, shot her hand up, desperate to be picked.

“Yes?”

“Because they wanted to erase him from history to make themselves look better!”

“A perfect answer.” The girl was clearly happy to receive Kalina’s praise. “The Demon Emperor was once the ruler of this whole land, until the ancient peoples banded together, jealous of his might and wisdom, and dethroned him. Sadly, using foul, forbidden magics, they sapped his strength and threw him out of our world, into another dimension.

“All this time, however, the Demon Emperor has been fighting to return, to restore the natural order and to bring about another eternal age of peace and prosperity.”

“What about the Golden Age after the War of Unification?”

One of the problematic students, a thirteen-year-old called Ryan, rudely asked, not bothering to raise his hand.

Kalina knew he was one of the more educated children, an heir to a ruined noble house whose name had been burnt away from history, someone who was often connected to the anti-empire factions within the school. Kalina had almost squashed them all out, but Ryan and some of his closer friends remained in open defiance.

More subdued than they used to be, especially after the student riots were brutally suppressed, but he kept on fighting.

“The Golden Age was then followed, quite shortly afterwards, by the Dark Age of the Holy Empire of Themis,” Kalina answered. “Saint Themis’s death left a hole in the heart of this world, one that could not be filled by the next emperor. He proved much more inadequate than her and, on his death, civil war raged. It wasn’t as large in scale as the War of Unification, but it was a bloody, despair filled time. Not only that, remember, the War of Unification only began because the seven kings of the seven lands of the south-east hated one another, and always looked for a chance to shed blood.

“The Holy Empire of Themis praised and looked up to the saint and her noble actions, but those actions should not have needed to happen at all. Had the Demon Emperor been kept on the eternal throne as was his right, so many lives wouldn’t have been lost, generations of people like us would know peace. Even now, as his majesty tries to usher in a new golden age of peace, the alliance in the west demands war and bloodshed. If they ever, somehow, managed to make it east, they’d slaughter us all.”

“Even us?!” A young lad, perhaps six years old, screamed.

“They would, sadly, all because you’ve learnt the truth,” Kalina said in a solemn voice. “His majesty needs each and every one of you boys and girls to grow up big and strong, and loyal, so that he can protect you and your families and friends from the bloodthirsty monsters in the west. Do not worry - I shall guide you all down the correct path, and you’ll see a wonderful age dawn across all Aangapea.”

Classes were often designed in ways to both educate the youth the Demon Emperor had taken to the Academy and to indoctrinate them into serving the Demon Empire. The children were, largely, young enough to be subject to suggestions and many took without much effort, especially because the teachers, Kalina included, twisted all negatives about the Demon Empire into positives.

The Demon Emperor was cruel and merciless to rebels, but he treated the good boys and girls like they were his own and showered them with lavish gifts.

Why couldn’t they see their parents? It was because their parents wanted them to grow up big and strong protectors of the empire fast, and they didn’t want to distract their children from their education.

How could they trust their teachers? Because their teachers were kind, sweet and honest with them, about everything and anything.

The Demon Emperor gave us some guidance, as did Lord Mímir and Lady Mania, but our teachings also incorporate the techniques Spike has used for centuries, Kalina thought. Some of these children are already loyal servants - others will be by the time they graduate.

Every day, the Demon Empire grows stronger, your majesty - I hope you know just how much hard work and effort we do for you.

***

As the deputy headteacher, Kalina only taught in the mornings. After the school’s lunchtime, she retired to her office to handle paperwork, important tasks relating to Spike among other things.

Today, however, when she arrived in her office, she found Lord Mímir waiting for her, carrying a sealed scroll marked with an ink seal of a Satyr’s Skull.

“Lord Mímir.” She dropped to one knee. “We are honoured by your visit.”

“My apologies for showing up unannounced, Kalina.” He gestured for her to stand which she did. “I shall only be making a passing visit today.”

“Is it regarding the smuggling case or-?”

“Here.” He handed her the scroll. “From the Demon Emperor himself, in recognition of your achievements.”

For the first time in four hundred years, Kalina Gens cried as she read the scroll’s contents.

The Demon Emperor had personally written and signed a letter to her, stating her accomplishments and his pride in her as a loyal servant, that she was to be made Supreme Commander of Spike and that she would be given a grand castle or estate of her choice anywhere in the Demon Empire from a list of fifty seized properties from the old countries.

From her dedication to her work, Kalina Gens had risen to a station far above her wildest dreams.

She had vain hopes of making it to a seat at the council, but she knew that was a pipedream and nothing more.

This news, however, made her wonder if she could make that impossibility possible.

“Thank you, Lord Mímir,” she said through her tears. “Please, tell his majesty how grateful I am to him and that I shall endeavour to reach even greater heights!”

“Of course, and it’s your own talent that has brought you this far. Continue the excellent work. I shall try to stop by whenever I can to help with your tasks and lessen your burden, but Spike is yours, Supreme Commander. See to it that you reach those greater heights you seek.”

***

“Three former slaves, given the chance to serve and work off their debts and return to their families, engaging in smuggling of illegal documents and letters into our Academy,” Kalina coldly read out the charges of the prisoners from today’s raid.

The ragged figures, bloodied and exhausted, were stood on small wooden stalls, ropes looped around their throats, anxiously watching the commander as she walked around them, her heels clacking loudly against the stone floor of the prison.

“You were, initially, chosen out of pity for the crimes committed by you by the Machai during the Sack of Themis, you were paid well, fed, clothed and treated well, and you have repaid this kindness with treason.”

She kicked the first stool and the young man began to choke, swinging freely in the air as his comrades tried to avert their eyes, but they could still hear the sounds of him dying between them.

“A single offense would be forgivable with just a warning. Multiple, confirmed offenses, including the smuggling of contraband and rebel propaganda into the halls of the Academy, however, is unacceptable.”

Another stool was kicked and it was the woman’s turn to hang.

The final prisoner, a young boy of sixteen, cried as he heard them dying beside him.

Kalina, slowly, placed her foot on the stool, between the prisoner’s feet.

“What a waste of your life.”

Then, she pushed the last stool, and kept eye contact with the youth as he died.

Once he’d passed, she turned on her heel and marched away, leaving her subordinates to finish up.

“Make sure the undead wear their clothes so those who knew them recognise them,” she commanded without a hint of emotion in her voice. “I want the students monitored more closely for the next month; search any student’s room that you suspect has contraband or propaganda inside it while they’re in class. This should hopefully be the last of these sorts of incidents we have for a while. Remember, leave no traces of your investigations and document everything.”

“Yes, Supreme Commander.”

“Ronovan.”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I want you to interrogate these smugglers’ friends and families. Don’t get too rough or abrasive with them; appeal to their humanity, seduce them into believing that you are on their side and wish to protect them from the cruel commander’s wrath.”

“…By your orders, though please allow me to apologise in the future if I say anything that would discredit you or your honour.”

“I won’t hold it against you, for I know you’ll be acting. Of course.” She turned to face him and gave him a sinister smile. “If I discover that it’s not acting, there is no place in Aangapea that you can hide from my wrath.”