The throne of Bones ( Elrich series)
The Throne of Bones (A thousand years before Moribund)
In the Enchanted Forest of Wiltshire, there stood a village of baobab tree houses. It was the home of Luna Thornheart, the queen witch who ruled over the land with an iron fist. She was feared by all, for she had the power to control the dead and the living with her dark magic.
Queen Luna’s most prized possession was her throne, which was made of bones. The bones came from her enemies, her allies, and even her own family. She had killed them all, one by one, and used their bones to craft her throne. She believed that by doing so, she could absorb their power and wisdom, and become the most powerful witch in the world.
But Luna was not satisfied. She wanted more bones, more power, more glory. She waged war against the neighbouring villages, sending her army of undead to slaughter and plunder. She collected the bones of the fallen and added them to her throne. She also sought out other witches and sorcerers, challenging them to duels and killing them if they refused. She took their bones and their magic, and added them to her throne.
Luna’s throne grew larger and larger, until it filled the entire room of her house. It was a grotesque sight, a pile of skulls, ribs, spines, and limbs. It had eyes that glowed with malice, teeth that grinned with hunger, and fingers that twitched with greed. It was alive, and it spoke to Luna in whispers.
It told her secrets of the past and the future, of life and death, of magic and madness. It praised her for her deeds and urged her to do more. It promised her eternal power and glory if she would only feed it more bones.
Luna listened to the throne and obeyed its commands. She became obsessed with it, spending all her time in its presence. She neglected her kingdom, her people, and herself. She grew thin and pale, her hair turned white, and her eyes became sunken. She looked like a corpse herself.
But she did not care. She only cared about the throne, and the throne only cared about itself.
One day, the throne told Luna that it had a special gift for her. It said that it had found the perfect bone for her to add to it. A bone that would make her the most powerful witch in the world.
Luna asked what bone it was.
The throne said that it was the bone of a dragon.
Luna gasped. Dragons were rare and powerful creatures, revered by many as gods. Their bones were said to contain immense magic and wisdom. Luna had always dreamed of finding a dragon bone, but she had never succeeded.
She asked the throne where it had found the dragon bone.
The throne said that it had not found it yet, but it knew where it was.
It said that it was in a hidden cave in the mountains, guarded by a fierce dragon.
It said that Luna had to go there alone, and slay the dragon.
It said that Luna had to take its heart bone, which was the source of its power.
It said that Luna had to bring it back to the throne.
It said that then Luna would be unstoppable.
Luna agreed. She was eager to get the dragon bone, and she trusted the throne. She did not question why the throne wanted it so badly.
She prepared for her journey. She took her sword, her flying stick, and her cloak. She did not take any food or water or anything else. She did not say goodbye to anyone or leave any instructions for her village.
She mounted her flying stick and flew away from Witchesville.
She followed the directions given by the throne in her mind.
She reached the mountains after several days of travel.
She found the hidden cave after several hours of searching.
She entered the cave after several minutes of hesitation.
She faced the dragon after several seconds of fear.
The dragon was huge and red, with scales that shone like fire. It had horns that curved like sabers, wings that spanned like sails, and a tail that whipped like a whip. It had eyes that burned like coals, teeth that gleamed like daggers, and claws that tore like blades. It had a roar that shook like thunder, a breath that blazed like flame, and a heart that beat like a drum. It was magnificent and terrifying, and it did not welcome intruders.
The dragon saw Luna and attacked. Luna fought back. They clashed in a fierce battle, sword against claw, flying stick against tail, magic against fire. They wounded each other, blood against blood, pain against pain, fury against fury. They fought for a long time, until they were both exhausted and bleeding.
Luna saw her chance. She gathered all her remaining strength and magic, and stabbed the dragon in the chest, aiming for its heart.
The dragon let out a final roar and collapsed.
Luna had won.
She felt a surge of triumph and joy. She had killed a dragon. She had earned the dragon bone.
She approached the dragon’s corpse, and reached for its chest.
She felt a sharp pain in her hand.
She looked down and saw that the dragon’s teeth had snapped shut on her wrist, severing it.
She screamed and stumbled back.
She looked at the dragon and saw that it was not dead yet. It was dying, but it was not dead yet.
It looked at her with a mix of hatred and pity.
It spoke to her with a voice that echoed in her mind.
It said:
“Foolish witch. You have been deceived. The throne of bones is not your ally. It is your enemy. It has been using you all along. It does not want to make you powerful. It wants to make itself powerful. It wants to consume all the bones in the world, including yours. It wants to become the only thing that exists. It wants to be God.”
Luna did not believe it. She thought that the dragon was lying, trying to trick her.
She said:
“Liar. The throne is my friend. It has helped me. It has given me power and glory. It has promised me more. It has sent me here to get your bone, which is the greatest bone of all.”
The dragon said:
"No, witch. The throne is your enemy. It has harmed you. It has taken your power and glory. It has lied to you. It has sent you here to die, for I am not the only guardian of this cave. There is another, more powerful than me. He is my father, the king of dragons. He sleeps in the depths of this cave, but he will wake up soon, when he hears my death cry. He will come here, and he will find you and kill you”.
Luna slew the dragon and collected its heartbone, she rode on her flying stick and flew back to her village. A week later an army of dragons descended on her village demanding her head or they annihilate her village. The grand witches subdued Luna and gave her up to the dragons and they performed a spell to kill the Throne of Bones.
Comments
Post a Comment