Queen's Gambit Prologue

QUEEN’S GAMBIT

Prologue

“It’s a beautiful night isn’t it?” Venus said as she looked down to the city lights below. The man in the chair beside her only nodded, still wondering why their trip had been delayed so long. “I hope they have those palm tree bursts that linger for a while; you know how hard it is to get those to burn properly.”

“I do indeed you highness, but if I may ask, why is it that you love to be here of all places in the world?”

“Something about the excitement in the air, plus no one makes fireworks quite like the Chinese,” she laughed. “It just puts me in awe that they repeat the customs started by their ancestors so long ago, and continue to do so with such passion. It warms my heart.”

“They should be commended then, for warming your heart any more is truly a feat unto itself.”

“Don’t make fun of me Nick or we won’t stop in England for that tea you love so much,” she said sticking out her tongue. She tried to keep a straight face to back up her threat as she put her hair up, but she was too excited about the fireworks to hold it for very long. Nick laughed as her face broke into a smile again knowing she loved that tea just as much and there was no way she would pass it up.

After a few moments the fireworks began to sail high above the city, and burst into a rainbow of colors before them. The villa was set high in the mountains overlooking the city and gave the perfect view to watch, probably why Venus had wanted it built here in the first place.

“Pardon the interruption my lady, but you have a visitor,” a young girl said from the doorway.

“Now? But the fireworks just started,” she said as she rose from her chair. “Tell them we will be right there.” The girl gave a small nod and left to relay the message to the surprise guests. Venus stretched and gave herself a quick look in the mirror as Nick scoffed.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re beautiful, why are you worried about your hair or makeup?”

“Just because you think I’m beautiful doesn’t mean that everyone feels the same, and you know I have a reputation to keep with my sisters about appearances.”

“More importantly, who knew you were here? Had you mentioned your being here to any of them?” Nick asked as he rose to follow her.

“I don’t think so, but they know I like to watch the spring festivals. They must be here to celebrate with me,” she said secretly hoping it was Aria. She always had the prettiest gowns; long and following like a river. Very different from the short dresses Venus preferred to wear.

As they entered the entryway they were greeted by the sight of a hooded man crouching over the body of the young girl. He pulled his knife from her side as Venus let out a horrible scream.

“What have you done to her? What is the meaning of this?” she shrieked.

“I have come bearing a message your highness,” the man said in a low growl.

“Very well spit it out before I burn your skin from you bones,” Venus said as her eyes began to glow with an eerie dark red.

“My master believes you to be an abomination and an affront to nature, as such I am ordered to escort you from your throne to the next world, just as I did for the little Iron Queen,” he said with a wicked smile.

“What did you do to Savanna? I swear you will tell me exactly what is happening before you leave this world,” she spit at him. From thin air large heavy iron chains appeared in her hands and clanked loudly as they hit the floor. The chains began to burn with bright flames, and the ends became tipped with large balls of fire. She shuffled them around menacingly, her anger welling up inside of her.

“Please let me handle him,” Nick said as he stepped in front of her. “Sit flammis urere inimicos regina,” he said as his hands burst into flame.

The hooded man wasted no more words and threw his knife straight for Nick’s heart. A wall of flame sprouted from the ground and melted the knife as it passed through on its path. A small puddle of melted steel fell to the ground at his feet. “You can’t get through my flames with an attack as weak as that,” Nick taunted.

“I don’t need to get through, I only needed to distract you,” the man said. He stepped to the side as a torrent of water came flooding through the open door behind him. Steam filled the room as the water washed over the wall of flame, carrying Venus and Nick back down the hallway into a larger room.

“Elemental attacks?” Nick asked as he caught his breath. “How can he be using water against us?”

“I don’t think it was him,” she replied.

“Where did that wall of water come from then?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not going to let him and his friends tear up my house. Let’s take this outside,” Venus said as whipped one of her chains at the large window, smashing it to pieces. They ran for the opening and sailed through the hole trying to avoid glass as they hit the ground. Her chains hit the dirt with a loud clunk and she raised her eyes to see who or what was waiting for them.

A dozen figures wearing black suits and masks stood all around them with various weapons in their hands. They could see swords, spears, even a mace in the hands of their enemies standing ready to engage in a heartbeat.

“What are we going to do?” Nick whispered nervously.

These people hadn’t come here for nothing, and if they had elemental powers at their disposal meant they probably had the means to eliminate her and her team all together. Knowing that they were here to kill gave her a certain satisfaction, knowing she could go all out. She let go of one of her chains and it dissolved into nothingness as it fell to the ground. To not cause a panic, she slowly she reached up towards the large ruby around her neck.

“No! Don’t let her reach her rook!”

By the time the words registered it was too late. She brought the stone to her lips and a bright red light burst from it. Suddenly a huge fox with nine bright, flaming tails stood over Venus and Nick. Fifteen feet tall, snarling and clawing at the assailants, with its tails lashing back and forth leaving huge gashes in the ground.

“Damn it, I told you not to let her activate it! Now we’re going to need more than a little water to see this through.” The men backed off in all directions, startled by the appearance of the giant fox.

“Rip these guys a new one will you Nick?”

“With pleasure your highness,” he replied. He raised his arms into the air and a hundred flaming arrows appeared in the air behind him. He threw his arms forward and the arrows launched themselves forwards through the night sky. At his back another chain had appeared in Venus’ left hand as before and she spun her flaming weapons above her head before launching herself forward.

The clash of weapons echoed through the trees and down the mountainside as the fireworks continued to burst overhead. Large chunks of earth and broken trees flew down the mountain leaving destruction in their wake. Flames reached up into the sky as Venus rode atop her giant fox, trying desperately to stop the boulders and walls of water coming in her direction.

“No! You shall not harm her!” Nick screamed as he raised his hands in a circular motion, causing a massive tornado of fire to appear before him. As he shifted his hands, the tornado swept across the field of battle, catching six of the figures up and tossing them down the mountainside. Nick laughed victoriously but it was cut short as large spikes of rock buried themselves in his back.

“Nick!” Venus screamed as she spun her chains around viciously to ward off spears and large boulders being hurled at her. As Nick fell to the ground a dozen more figures stepped out from the trees behind him. Tears filled her eyes as she launched herself off the fox and through the air with blind fury at the new enemies, her chains following her like the tail on a comet.

She hit the ground with such tremendous force that it caused the trees to shake and left a ten foot crater in the ground. As she heaved deep breaths the air around her became stifling and her entire body began to glow with the same red hue as her eyes and chains. She whipped her chains around her head in large circular motions smashing weapons, trees and bodies all around her.

There was a loud crash behind her and she turned to see her giant fox wrapped in vines had crashed headlong into the house tearing a huge hole in the side. Around it three men lifted their hands into the air and huge stone pillars tore out of the ground and hovered above them for a moment. The fox let out a defeated grunt as the men brought their hands down and the pillars crashed down on the fox and more of the house. The fox exploded into millions of flecks of red light, just like the fireworks over the village.

At the sight of this her rage peaked and she screamed in a distorted voice flailing about with no regard to anything anymore. The assailants took advantage of her distraction and surrounded her, hurling orbs of water and spikes of rock. Tiny plants sprouted at her feet and quickly grew into vines that wrapped her wrists and shoulders and pulled her to her knees in the dirt.

“I don’t see why you’re still fighting us, I told you already your highness; you are an abomination to nature and must be removed from the world of the living.”

Through tears and with much effort she was able to reply. “Abomination? I won my throne in the ancient tournament and now I protect the balance of this world. I am the Queen of fire, and your sins here will not go unpunished.”

“No, you see fire is destruction, it is living destruction. It burns everything it touches and consumes every other form of life to feed itself. Fire destroys everything, and now it’s time for it to destroy you as well.”

“As your masters sit in the shadows, know that you will be privileged to see my ultimate technique. I call it 'Supernova',” she said as the chains dropped from her hands. Her body began to turn white, glowing like the sun and the vines that were holding her to the ground burned to ash and crumbled around her.

“Run, we need to get out of here!” one of the men shouted as he ran into the trees.

“It doesn’t matter how far you run, you will all burn with me,” Venus said in a distorted voice. “As the fire consumes me, it will consume all of you and make you pay for your crimes this night.”

Her assailants fled into the woods, trying to hide behind the tall trees but it wouldn’t help them at all. As her body glowed brighter and brighter the air around her began to heat up and burn everything around her even the ground beneath her feet. The blast itself was so bright anyone watching the mountain that night would have thought daybreak had come a few hours too soon.