14.5.0

Preparations for the arrival of the noble guests proceeded flawlessly. Castle Blackpool buzzed with activity day and night. A small army of highly skilled, efficient help arrived from Lyr. Bright bunches of purple snow orchids adorned the arches above grim, stone doorways. Windows sparkled in the crisp early winter light. The kitchens overflowed with wondrous delicacies that would be hard to come by in the North even during the summer. The dark, dour abode had lost its air of masculine disinterest. It was now filled abundance accented with an undertone of Lyrian excess. Castle Blackpool was appropriately regal and ready to receive its guests, with time to spare.

Wednesday evening came and went without any sign of Zyrdicia. She was not at home in the cloud world, and no one had heard from her in Lyr since the night of the bloodbath at the Cauldron. She failed to not respond to telepathic contact from Portia or the prince. She could not be found in the viewscope or the monocle. She had simply disappeared.

14.5.1

Dirk slept fitfully at first, waking at the slightest sound, thinking Zyrdicia had arrived. When he finally fell asleep in the wee hours of the night, he tumbled into familiar dreams of her. He awoke with a start shortly before dawn. Something was wrong. He knew it with absolute certainty.

In the dream, as the violent passion had reached its zenith, the dream gave way to a second dream of her. She pulled him through with her, somewhere. For a brief instant, in the surreal union of an orgasm that fused souls and encompassed consciousness, he had seen through her eyes and been in her body.

The pain was unbearable. Death would be a thousand times kinder. His lungs burned as though filled with hot magma. Drawing breath was an exercise in agony unlike anything he had ever known. Every fiber of his being screamed in pain-filled misery.

He awoke from the nightmare a moment later, gulping air into his lungs. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared disconcerted at the ceiling above the bed. He could not rid himself of the sensation that she was either dying, or already in Hell. His coronation hung in the balance of a demonic game in which he had no hand.

Passivity was out of the question. He got out of bed and dressed quickly. He grabbed the monocle and sent out a telepathic summons for Astaroth. He wasn't at all sure what to expect. He had never summoned a demon by himself before.

The dark angel appeared a second later in a violet burst of light. It looked annoyed. Its enormous eyes scanned the room incredulously. "You dare to summon me without so much as a pretense of protective device? No mortal in history has been so rash as to summon a Sephiroth thus!'

"I need no protective device. You won't harm me. We've already settled that."

Astaroth shrugged. "True. What do you want, my arrogant Chosen one?"

"Where is Zyrdicia?"

"Suffering."

"Bring her to me this instant!"

Astaroth shook his head. "No, that cannot be. The suffering is necessary. Letting her escape it would ruin an ingenious trap. She hasn't experienced enough torment yet."

"You arranged this trap?" Dirk demanded suspiciously.

"Oh, yes. Baal is playing both sides in the war in Hell. Azriok was foolish to trust her to him. He thought Baal would simply retrieve her. Instead Baal is going to subject her to torture unlike any she dreamt possible at Sephiroth hands. And the blame for it will all fall to Azriok. She'll want to die, hate her existence, and most importantly, despise Azriok when it's done."

"She already does hate him, you fool!"

"Not enough. Consider this a gift. We are ensuring she does not ever leave you for Azriok again," the angel replied innocently.

"I have no need of your dubious assistance," Dirk replied dryly.

"Suffer with her, if you enjoy guilt. It's your fault, after all. Had you done a better job snaring her heart the first time, none of this would be necessary."

"Bring her here at once! My coronation cannot wait for your senseless games with her."

"Hell has its own timetable, princeling. Baal will release her when he releases her." With that, Zyr's messenger disappeared.