And it begins.
The Death Knight could not say what for sure, but he sensed it as he rode up the winding road to the new keep. The closer he got the more ominous and foreboding the feeling became. Even his deathcharger whinnied slightly in the cold wind, a sound Roland did not think he had ever heard his mount make, he even patted it on the neck reassuringly.
Roland dismounted the frightened beast and left it still a hundred yards from the keep entrance. He squinted to see the great hall doors, using his supernatural sight to its farthest reaches. They were closed and two guards stood on the ready, nothing amiss there he thought at least. Still, he drew forth his runeblade and made his way forward, even his sword sensed something; its unnatural glow seemed not nearly as bright as it once was.
There was something evil in his new manor, and his wife and child were in there. Something the man had not felt in a very long time began to well up in his throat, primal fear. He stopped, and issued a silent command that would be heard through worlds if needed. Mere moments later, a portal opened and his forsaken mage cavey ambled through it. Roland had given the mage back his jaw for good service, but he had not yet earned his legs to be reattached properly. It still made Roland a little sick to watch whereas before he found it quite amusing, funny how a woman could change a man so quickly he thought, those thoughts again turning to his home where Sylrissa could be in danger.
“Sir! Er I mean Roland, what would ya have a me?” he asked in that irritating gilneas accent that Roland was sure he faked. Cavey groveled before him, bowing to his knees, only wanting to serve the man he had helped kill.
“Your wards, in my manor, why are they not working?” He asked, impatiently beckoning the mage to rise to his feet. Cavey looked back at the manor and then to Roland. “Oh aye, well I will do’em right now Roland, tis an emergency and all. Ya had me busy in Silvermoons and…” A dark tendril of magic cut off his words wrapped around his throat and lifted him from the ground.
Roland stood below him, a half crazy rage in his eyes, the tendril snaked from his pointed hand around the mages neck. “You have not even got around to it yet!” he yelled in disbelief.
Cavey shook his head and spoke, the tendril having no physiological way to stop him from speaking, just hold him above the ground and put enough pressure to separate his head if Roland so chose.
“My Lord I thought the manor in Silvermoon teh be tops for priority, I will begin at once!”
Roland resisted the urge the snap his neck right off, he would have, but he may need his energy for more important things than tormenting his stupid mage. He let Cavey full with a thwack on the ground, the mage quickly recovered and got to his knees, looking up at the deathknight with a mixture of fear and pleading.
Roland shook his head. “The Warlock, he works for Sub Rosa now, get him and bring him to me. Tell him gold is no object. Wake him up if you have to and do not come back without him in tow.”
With that Roland marched towards the manor, on the outside it looked quite splendid. Almost all the work Lady Ravenmourn had asked to be done was finished and it was beginning to look like a loved and lived in manor of its former glory.
However the closer he got the more he could feel the presence, it was like a weight on this chest now as he approached the smiling guards at the door. There was no need to ask them if anything was amiss, he could tell from their faces they thought there was nothing wrong. He gave each a nod and made his way inside.
He needed to apologize to his son, the earlier outburst on Roland’s part had been petty jealousy and he owed the boy better than that. He would never hurt his boy; on the contrary he was quite worried as he made his way to Xaevviers quarters.
Something whispered to him in the hall, he looked around and there was nothing, he closed his eyes and could still hear it, it was like a 1000 voices of doubt all at once. He stopped, clamping hands over his ears and growling.
They will all die under your watch……This is your fault…..You are a failure……What about your other oaths?……Do the children not count?…………….Anne, Calithia,Eressia,Xyrianna, Xarriel, Kelsian, Sairalis, Llue, Deylivia,Barranna, Ciandra……Have you ever not broken an oath?
Roland screamed, swinging his sword wildly into a wall, attacking unseen voices that seemed to know everything and all about him.
“SILENCE” He smashed the wood furnishings into sawdust , using his foot when the pieces became too large for his blade.
“Damn you I will rip your fucking tongue out!” He screamed in rage into the air, falling to his knees.
Xaevvier ran in, terror on his face as he went to his father’s side. He had never heard anything thing like that from Roland and Xaevvier was shaking when he grabbed his father and embraced him.
“Shhh, Shhh father it will be fine, Shhh” Xaevvier could not hear the voices, nor did he feel the heavy presence in the room. All he knew was that his father was the most fearless man he had ever met, and he was on his knees screaming at something that was not there. This scared the young man more than anything in his life ever had.
The voices seemed to quiet down when Xaevvier came out and Roland was so glad to see him he latched on to him and squeezed even tighter. “Lady Ravenmourn?’” Roland’s tone was full of fear as he asked.
“She is fine, with the cook I do believe.” Xaevvier could not help but smile thinking of the desert she had promised him that her cook was famous for.
Roland nodded, content for the moment, but he slowly stood and dusted himself off. “You and her are leaving…. they are coming.”
They….He had wondered briefly who would strike first and now he knew.
This was NOT the style of the Cardinal…
