Night Reach

Prologue

“The forsaken is right though that door,” one of her armed escorts whispered as they flew down through the prison complex.
They landed at the doorway and one of the Valen opened the heavy metal door with a large runed key. She looked into the room at his inert figure, face impassive as she took in the naked form that lay on the cold stone in the middle of the tower. He looked so innocent… so helpless in the sallow light his cell provided. She stepped forward and waved away her escort, her wings folding up to fit thru the small door frame. “Leave me. I will resuscitate him myself.” They bowed, spread their wings, and flew out into the open complex below.

Her attention was still completely locked onto the naked figure that was held to the stone by impenetrable ebonsteel shackles. “How things change…” She stepped closer, hardly believing herself. She had been assigned this task because she was only a captain but still skilled enough to perform the awakening. She was only here because she was expendable and she knew it, but somehow the fear hadn’t set in yet. Perhaps she just had faith that not even he could break through ebonsteel.

She was close now, close enough to touch. Slowly she reached out. Her hand touched his face. No movement. She exhaled slightly, then began to trace the crystalline skin that all of her race had. The deep purple coloring, the shallow cheeks, and the flared nostrils were all signs he was a Valen like her, but he was so much more.

“You have been a scourge to millions, left the corpses of entire worlds in your wake. Why would they want to awaken you?”

She continued stroking his face and his dark brown hair, so perfect just like the rest of him. He stirred slightly, but continued sleeping. Until she had been sent here to awaken him, he had been sleeping for centuries. It had taken half a world’s resources to successfully cast the spell that had kept him bound. She knew the Emperor would have much rather killed him, but as close to immortal as he was it would have been all but impossible. And even then, the Emperor thought he might be able to eventually control him.

It was time to begin the awakening. She slowly pulled a dark green orb out of her pouch, looking at it with a sort of reverence. It contained the power of millions. Beside her, he stirred again, even in his sleep feeling the pull of the magic. She lowered it to his chest and pushed, chanting a complex spell the entire time. It slid through as if there were no skin or muscle there. She continued chanting, her deep purple eyes radiating the strange powerful light of the orb, and he stirred again. Then suddenly he began to thrash. His body thumped against the stone, but the ebonsteel shackles held. His purple skin seemed to be trying to rip itself off of him and he shrieked in pain. His coal black eyes opened and he turned towards her, still thrashing. She took an involuntary step backwards as his piercing gaze met hers. He looked away and shrieked again as the trembling reaching a climax.

And then it was over. He laid still, chest heaving, still staring into her eyes. She continued to stare back, once again not believing herself. Where was this bravery coming from?

He spoke. “And you would be?”
His voice was oily and casual, as if he had only woken up from a brief nap.
“I am Narjena. I was sent-“She stopped talking as he swung himself into a sitting position, still bound by the shackles. Her bravery did have its limits it seemed. She recovered herself. “I was sent to awaken you.”

He smiled. “You were? How odd.”
He stretched and looked at his hands, each sporting wicked looking claws that looked to be able to rip a tree in half.

“I expected that I was going to have to wake myself. I had almost figured it out when you came tiptoeing in.” He winked at her. She shivered.

“Well I am to relay to you that the emperor wants to see you. He has an offer that will end your sentence of exile…”

He looked up and smiled, a vividly ruthless smile that left her out of breath.

“I might just have to go and see him then,” he said, his smile still stretched across his face as he stood.

“However, I am to accompany you and you are to remain in your shackles,” she murmured, face still impassive. She hoped he couldn’t see the trembles that were suddenly going through her.

“I think not,” he said as he snapped the ebonsteel off with a simple flex. “These chafe too much to keep on. You wouldn’t want me to be uncomfortable would you?”

Narjena took another step back and quickly unslid her sword from its sheath on her left hip. How had he snapped the ebonsteel!? As the strongest substance known to any of the races, only a god should have had the strength to snap them in two like they were nothing! He had grown in power yet again…

He chuckled at her surprise and then he was flying. A blink of an eye later, he was behind her, her sword in his hand as he studied the magically enhanced runes that covered the blade. It shimmered slightly in the dim light of the room.

“This is a very nice sword Narjena. One that will serve my needs for a while, until I replace it with the emperor’s.”

She gasped at his speed. He was impossibly fast, impossibly strong. Of course she had heard how he had crushed worlds, but until now it had seemed fake somehow. Like a legend or a work of fiction. It was so real now and she was shaking with terror as he looked up at her.

Suddenly she was up against the wall, her wings crushed behind her and his hand at her throat.

“Do you know what I am Narjena?”

She struggled to nod. She knew. Everyone knew. How could she have done this? She let him loose. Orders or not, she had helped release this monster back into the galaxy.

“What am I,” He questioned as he loosened his grip slightly, allowing her to breathe and speak.

“You are the…” She stopped. She couldn’t say it. Couldn’t admit it.

“Tell me!” His eyes flashed and he slammed her against the wall again. She could hear one of her wings snap.

“The Night Reach! You are the Night Reach!”

He smiled his creepy smile again, full of teeth and viciousness. “You are correct. I am the Night Reach incarnate. And how good it feels to say.” He threw her to the floor.

“Thank you so very much for letting me have the sword. I am a number of things, but I am not a thief. Consider the sword a trade for your life.” He went towards the door but stopped and sniffed at the doorway to the outside world.

“Ah… Fresh air. And… An army.” He turned towards her. “You brought an entire army with you? Did you expect them to hinder me should I choose to turn down the emperor’s offer?”

She grunted in pain and sat up so she could speak. “It was just a security measure.”
He laughed, harsh and ridiculing. “Your Emperor is foolish. This entire charade was pointless. But I must remember to thank him for all of the blood. I have been very very hungry during my stay here.”

He disappeared into the light outside. Narjena stayed on the floor, crumpled into a small ball. The screaming of her Valen didn’t last more than ten minutes, but it still hurt her worse than her wing ever would.