The silence of the Great Hall deepened as the candles flickered. Emalia watched him with an unblinking, crimson gaze that seemed to peel back the layers of his soul. Crispin tightened his grip on the Void Lash; the bone-clad spear remained steady.
"You mentioned terms," Crispin said. His voice was a low rasp that carried across the polished floor. "I would hear them before we move further."
Emalia smiled, her blood-red lips curved with a hint of melancholy. She stepped down from the throne; the velvet of her gown whispered like a dry wind against the stone. Her predatory grace made the Heart of Perseus thrum with rhythmic heat.
"Practicality is a trait of the Sî'Nareus," she remarked. She stopped five paces away, her presence casting a long, elegant shadow across the mirror-finished obsidian. "Centuries ago, a member of my line committed a transgression that remains a stain upon our history. He was a vampire of immense greed who sought the power of the Shae'Vaelryn for himself. The transgressor thought the blood of your ancestor would grant him dominion. He used his dark arts to ambush and enslave Perseus Sî'Nareus, trapping the man's very essence into a blood crystal."
Crispin felt a surge in his chest. The artifact in his ribs thrummed with a rhythmic, angry heat. He thought of his father's forge in Thalandir, of the quiet life he had lived before the abyss claimed him. Learning that the very line now offering him a pact had enslaved his ancestor made his hand tighten on his spear.
"He wished to consume that power…" She gestured toward the shadows of the rafters. "I chose a different path. I stole the gem before he could complete his ritual. Perseus had once had my life in his hands; his blade was at my throat while the Thunderbird circled above like a storm cloud. He could have ended my reign, yet he chose mercy. He saw something in me that I had forgotten existed. I repaid that debt by ensuring the survival of his line. To safeguard Perseus's blood from those aiming to forge an empire of ash, I infused it within my own veins. I have carried that legacy for seven hundred years."
She watched Crispin, her eyes reflecting the silver-indigo light of his spear. "I gave the Heart to his son, your forefather, in secret. From father to son, I watched it travel down the line until it ended up with a village smithy. I knew the Guild would never look for a King's legacy in a blacksmith's forge. It was the only way to ensure the line of Sî'Nareus survived the silence of the ages."
Crispin narrowed his eyes. "What is the price for returning it now?"
"A pact of mutual assistance," Emalia replied. She leaned forward; her red eyes locked onto his. "You may summon me and my children once. We shall emerge from the void to dispatch your foes and make them kneel before you. In exchange, I hold the same right. I may summon you once. You will use every ounce of your power to ensure my enemies bow to my sovereignty."
She raised a hand before he could protest.
"I will not force you to break any bond you have already promised. You will not have to betray your guild or harm those to whom you have already sworn protection. Our deal exists in the space between heartbeats, apart from the politics of the upper world."
Crispin investigated the darkness of the hall. He could feel Regulus' energy somewhere in the abyss within the room. He was a cold, heavy presence waiting in the rafters for a single signal. The slime's metallic resonance was a steady drumbeat in the back of Crispin's mind, a silent promise of violence if the Queen proved false.
"I agree to these terms," Crispin said. "However, know this. If there is any type of deception in this bloodstone, Regulus will attack. I will follow him. We will find out who would win between us before the dawn touches the spires."
Emalia let out a soft, melodic laugh that carried no malice. "I would expect nothing less from the heir of Perseus."
She reached for the clear crystal cluster he had provided. She used a silver needle to open a vein in her ivory wrist. Dark, ancient fluid spilled onto the glass facets. The stone did not absorb the blood; it pulsed with a sudden, crimson light. It transformed from hollow glass into a deep, cherry jewel that radiated an intense, localized energy.
She held the new bloodstone out to him.
Crispin took the gem. It was hot, vibrating with a frequency that matched the very marrow of his bones. He did not hesitate. He held the Void Lash spear in his right hand and pressed the bloodstone against his chest, over the Heart of Perseus.
A blinding flash of crimson energy erupted from his sternum. The bone-clad shaft of his spear began to groan and elongate. As the needle-teeth crown at the tip expanded and curved outward, it formed a wicked, shimmering blade of Aethereal bone. The rigid shaft became a reinforced spine of dark, metallic ivory. He looked at the grinding of bone on bone. The weight of it suddenly felt like holding a part of his own soul in his hand.
[Weapon Evolved: Sî'Nareus Soul-Reaper]
Reaper: The ability to teleport behind an enemy and deliver a lethal strike.
The jewel in his chest thrummed harder, as strong as his own heartbeat. Crispin gripped the heavy, curved handle. He felt the power of the bloodstone circulating through his system, sharpening his senses to a razor's edge. His vision flared, allowing him to see the minute ripples of Ki flowing through the air. He looked at the Queen, the silver-indigo light of the scythe reflecting in his eyes.
"Pact sealed."
Emalia bowed her head, a gesture of respect to an equal. "Go now, Sî'Nareus. Your journey has only begun."
Crispin turned toward the exit; his new weapon held at his side. He whistled low, and a liquid shadow detached itself from the ceiling. Regulus flowed across the obsidian floor, his chrome body rippling like liquid metal as he re-assimilated with the Shae'Vaelryn's shadow.