23.8

Zyrdicia took vengeance very, very seriously. It would never be enough to merely kill Dirk. It was imperative that she destroy his life first. And to do that, she had to make sure that Eric Greystone won the war. Losing to Eric would hurt Dirk far more than losing to her.

Eric was a vital pawn in her plan. So she decided to go and see him.

She magically appeared in the throne room of Castle Greystone and watched the guards' terrified reaction. Weapons clattered. Servants tripped over their own feet to escape. She might have laughed, had she been in a better mood.

"Ha-ha-halt, demon!" yelled one of the guards.

Zyrdicia flashed a gorgeous, empty smile as she rummaged through the man's brain's contents. Finding his identity, she savored his fear for a moment. Adopting an excessively friendly tone, she said, "Sir Wallace, Captain of the Guard. There's no need to be so frightened. Today I haven't come to kill anyone. I've come to hand victory to your master on a platter. Be a good boy and run along and find him for me."

"You'll not come anywhere near Prince Greystone, demon!"

She cringed inwardly at his label for her, fighting the strong urge she had to show him just how demonic she could be. She willed her expression into a mask of sweetness and said, "I intend to undo his blindness and hand him the keys to Karteia."

Eric Greystone's voice rang out from across the room angrily from a doorway, "YOU! Whatever you want here, you won't get it."

"Eric," Zyrdicia greeted. "How nice to see you again. Pity you can't say the same. Would you like to see again?"

"We're not falling for your evil tricks."

"Sadly, this time I haven't come to perpetrate any evil tricks. I really wish that the circumstances were otherwise. As much as it galls me, this time I've come to help you."

"We've had enough of your 'help' already," he spat angrily.

"The food sent to Baaldorf was clever. You have to give me credit for that dreaming that one up!" she protested, laughing. Seeing his rage, she shrugged. "I suppose you don't have a sense of humor. But I really am not here to hurt you this time. Perhaps this will convince you..." Zyrdicia snapped her fingers, releasing the magic that had blinded Eric's eyes.

He gasped as his vision returned.

She continued in a condescending tone, "Eric, I'm very angry at Dirk. I want to rip him limb from limb. But I have to make him suffer before I kill him. And nothing will make him suffer more than losing to you. So as much as it annoys me, I need to help you to win your war get back at him."

Eric bellowed, "I don't care what you are after, what lies you are spinning or what diabolical scheme you've concocted with Dirk. I despise you, and all you stand for. You killed Marko. He was like a brother to me!" He glanced at a nearby guard and ordered, "Bring me my sword!"

Zyrdicia shook her head knowingly, "Silly, prince. The problem with human attachments is that humans are so fragile. They die. If not by my hand, by someone else's. As for working with me, you really have no choice. Your war is all but over. Your troops are starving. Your people are dying. And Dirk's army is poised to wipe you off the map when the snow thaws. In another year, your family's legacy will be a mere footnote in history books. But I could change all that today. I know his military's weaknesses, and I will show you how to drive him out."

"Out of Tronin?"

"No, stupid. Out of power entirely!"

Eric's jaw dropped momentarily.

Before he could respond, she continued, "He has assigned almost all his troops to holding on to the occupied territory in the South. I've already put a civil war against him into motion in the North. Large numbers of his men from the castle will be defecting to serve me in Geshna. If you want to drive him from power, you need to exploit his weakness in the North. Take Castle Blackpool while he is distracted."

"You're dumber than I thought if you believe that I would fall for that. Sending my men to their deaths fighting their way into Castle Blackpool isn't high on my list of priorities this week."

"They won't have to fight their way in. I will give you the magic to get them in. Remember how we surprised you with our army in Mora Valley? This would be the same thing, in principle. Really, it's a fitting payback for him, don't you think?"

"I still don't believe you."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, prince, and your times have never been more desperate. I'm your only chance of beating him. Imagine, when you capture him, you can make him give up his title, his kingdom, his army, his money - everything - in return for his life. He's a coward, and he'll promise you anything to stay alive."

"I'm not interested in giving Dirk Blackpool any hope of staying alive."

Zyrdicia scowled angrily. She was quickly losing her patience. She snapped, "Killing Dirk will be my pleasure, not yours. I will torture him for centuries before I consign his soul to the fiercest demon I know for eternity."

"I'm not going to help you. I will beat Dirk on my own. I don't need to make any bargains with a demon like you," Eric said confidently. His sword arrived then. He snatched the blade from the servant, preparing to rush at Zyrdicia.

She rolled her eyes, forcing herself to quell her frustration and anger. She held up one hand, using her magic to freeze the good prince in place. She was afraid to do anything more to him - she might well lose control and kill him. She growled, "Why do you bother putting up a fight? I sense I am the only foe you have ever truly feared. Listen to your fear, princeling, it keeps you alive."

Eric gulped hard, struggling to move against the magic that held him fixed like a statue.

She opened her hand to reveal a small, arcanium cube. She telepathically moved it from her hand across the room and set it at Eric's feet. She said, "Open it when you are ready to move your men to attack Castle Blackpool. When you open the box, it will create a magical portal straight into the heart of the castle. It will only work once, so prepare yourself carefully."

"Why should I believe you?"

Zyrdicia smiled sweetly as though it were a silly question. She replied, "I knew you would feel that way. Here is all the proof you need."

Next to the arcanium cube, a neatly stacked sheaf of papers appeared. "There you will find every detail of Dirk's troop assignments in every location. His troop movement schedule, supply line details, and everything else you need to hurt him. You'll also find all the passwords for moving through every bridge, road, guard station, gate, encampment, and fortification he controls. The passwords were current as of a few days ago."

"How do I know they haven't changed?"

"Geoff is in charge of the occupation in Tronin, so you can be sure he hasn't changed a single one. He has trouble remembering any codes and passwords as it is, so once he has a set he likes, he leaves them be."

With that, Zyrdicia vanished. She knew that the information she had left Eric would be irresistible. And as soon as he tested the information and learned that was, indeed, exactly what she promised, he would then have no choice but to use it. It would be all too easy to exploit it. The resulting success in Tronin would tempt him to use the magic box. Eric would soon come to realize that there was only one way to ever really be rid of Dirk - her way.