Introduction

Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.

If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!

The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found HERE.

Part 23

Mary had waited patiently for nightfall and as her guests arrived she sent her heir and the Forest Prince to wait in the antechamber. In the meanwhile, she say patiently on her throne. Though the curtains were drawn, the creature waited in the deepest shadows at the back of the throne room.

As the deepest shadows grew longer the nightmarish creature slowly stalked forward.

The first few times they had met like this, the two of them had waited until Millmor could be seen from the Throne and they were face to face. But the Monarch and the Regent had grown accustomed to one another.

Mary had also sent her guards away. Millmor unnerved them and they were prone to drawing or levelling whatever weapon they had in the direction of her guest. No matter who she chose, their fear response was too great to stop.

Instead, she preferred to meet with Millmor alone. This was something that greatly pleased and honored the Night Regent. He was grateful for her trust and he had never made Mary feel as though she was in danger of the Ghoul King.

King and Regent both, he was not royalty, but he had been a noble as some point. Before Derric's parents had died. It fell to this Beast to look after the young Forest Prince and the Ghouls that infested the forest to the west.

There had been a time that Mary's subjects had avoided that forest or at great need, would travel through the woods during the day and at great haste. Those that did, would get through most of the time. Those that attempted the journey during the night never made it, or so the stories were told.

Now, after those very Ghouls had fought to protect her Kingdom from the undead scourge, led by the Ghoul King and the Forest Prince, they did not think of the people of Dragonhold as prey.

Merchants would take with them a sign that the Ghouls would recognize and left them to travel through the woods unscathed. Foreigners still had to travel around the woods and even then, they might not be safe at night. Especially at night. Especially if they were nefarious in nature.

The Ghoul packs had needed to roam further from their forest during the knight to expand their hunting grounds since they could not feed off hapless locals and farmers. They were being trained that way.

Mary and Millmor had met many times to fine-tune their predations. At first, there had been mistakes. It had pained Mary, but she had not acknowledged this handful of deaths as caused by the Ghouls. Mostly, there had been nobody to witness the raids that went wrong. She did not need her people stirred up in anger towards the Ghouls.

There had been one grown man that had seen a Ghoul attack on a farm and lived. Somehow he had hidden away. His wife and child were killed and devoured by the creatures. He had vowed to never rest until every Ghoul was destroyed and the forest burned to ash.

Mary winced as she remembered that day. She had gotten Adiran to place a spell on his tongue and had the man declared insane. Their cover-up was that the farm had been attacked by the undead as the city had. The man, driven insane was said to be lashing out at night denizens that he could find instead the undead forces that were more out of reach.

Her actions might have been deplorable, but she was not about to allow Dragonhold's people to feel enmity toward the Ghouls. After a discussion with the Ghoul King, the actions of the Ghouls would change. Mary realized that while the Regent held the title of 'Ghoul King', he had very little in common with them.

At this point, weeks after the incident... the accident with the farmer and his family, there was a pristine sense of peace in Mary's Kingdom. Millmor's servants would predate on trespassers and criminals and the night was often more safe for the innocent than during the day, when no Ghoul would be seen.

"My followers have behaved themselves." Millmor's deep voice rumbled in the shadows. If she had not known better, Mary would have found his tone threatening. "So I assume that the reason Your Majesty wishes to speak to me about has to do with the stupid grin on a certain young man's face."

As he was speaking there was a change to his voice. The growls and lisped consonants caused by a fanged maw was replaced by a rich and cultured bass voice.

Out of the shadows strode a figure of a large bearded man. His well toned muscles were covered in a manly matt of hair. This was the Millmor that had stood on the battlements of Dragonshold with his massive axe in hand, staring down the undead hordes and directing his Ghouls in that battle.

"Well yes." Mary replied. "It has exactly to do with those two young ones."

"They are rather fond of one another." Millmor agreed.

"Indeed. And they are both royalty." Mary added.

Millmor's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you suggesting a betrothal? There is not much in it for your Kingdom I fear."

Mary nodded. "That may be. But he is a fine warrior and he possesses... unique gifts. But, I require his help."

Millmor grunted and nodded. "They are going on some sort of quest again, the two of them, others, the two of them do not care."

"They are going to break my brother's curse."

"Your... brother?" Millmor had not known about the Clarpratians it seemed.

"Indeed. My maiden house. They have the curse of the Lifedrinkers. Not like Lucien. They crave blood and flesh from humans. My brother, the King of Clarprati is doing all he can to remain sane and follow through with this curse."

Millmor walked up and down before the Queen. She did not mind. This beast of a man was actually quite brilliant. She would give him time to think.

"Derric would never be happy to sit by and wait while Magna was away and possibly in danger." He said at last. "But there is something more to this... something that you brought me here to say."

Mary smiled. He was not wrong. "If there is a solution to this curse... who is to say that there are not other cures for other curses."

"You mean ours."

"If he is serious about her, he will try." Mary said.

"If she is serious about him, she will help him." He countered.

"Agreed!" She said and walked forward putting her hand out for Millmor to take. "Should the curse on Derric's Kingdom be lifted, with my daughter's help, they have my blessing."

"As do they have mine." Millmor agreed.

"Right. With that matter settled. I believe that they leave tomorrow." Mary said. "Best we prepare them as best as we can."

Over to you @lex-zaiya! There is a journey to plan!

Here is an explanation of Chain Stories and here is the current Chainstory Library

Mortis Custos

Start

Sanguifex

by @zakludick	by @lex-zaiya
Part 1	Part 2
Part 3	Part 4
Part 5	Part 6
Part 7	Part 8
Part 9	Part 10
Part 11	Part 12
Part 13	Part 14
Part 15	Part 16
Part 17	Part 18
Part 19	Part 20
Part 21	Part 22
You are here!	Coming soon!

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