The Emperor of Destruction

Chapter 1: The Epiphany of the Bouncing Head

Princess Margaret McMasters thought her cousin Cunha was going to be her

savior

.

But as Princess Margaret watched cousin Cunha murder her dear brother Prince Darvin, and gasped as Darvin's head bounced down the steps of the throne room, Margaret suddenly realized that perhaps she didn't know Cunha

quite as well as she thought she did

.

Even though they were cousins, Cunha has grown up largely separate from the rest of the McMasters clan. In fact, Margaret only had three solid memories of Cunha growing up, all around the tender age of eighteen.

**********

They were

all

McMasters at the family ball in Rockrod, all descended from the founding Impressionators. Four hundred years ago, the McMasters clan had discovered that they had the unusual ability to connect to the Power, the Power at the Roots of the Earth. "Gravity", the Wise Men called it; but whatever it was called, the McMasters family was among the few who could tap into it. Very quickly their feats became the stuff of legends, and before long the McMasters Empire of Aridor was born. Over 400 years, from father to son to father to son, the power had been handed down to the current generation, ruled by Emperor William, a kindly old man who was grooming his elder son Delos to take his place. Margaret was his daughter, and she had a younger brother named Darvin.

Margaret first saw Cunha at a family gathering.

Margaret knew who he was, even though they had never formally met. He grinned at her from across the room like they were old friends, sending a chill down her spine. He had dark hair combed roughly over his forehead, dark eyes, and an even darker smile. The tingling of what she would later learn was

ahmen

only intensified when he sat down next to her at a grand dinner festival.

"Hello, Cousin," he said, smiling at her.

Margaret didn't quite know what to say. She knew they were both about the same age, but Cunha seemed older, and more... experienced.

Not trusting her voice, she gave him a watery smile. He put his hand over hers.

Margaret felt a familiar tingling in her body. It has only been a few harvests since she had Made the Change. Her Phongfruit Forest was still growing, as were her Wisdoms, though not quickly enough to suit her, as she fondled them in her bedroom mirror and urged them to hurry up and

grow

. The tingling she felt was growing more and more familiar. It was her

ahmen

. Men had

jizz

, women had

ahmen

, regardless or not whether they had the ability to harness the powers of the Roots of the Earth. Like most McMasters, Margaret had the Power, though not as impressively as her brothers Delos or Darvin.

Cunha smiled at her. "You are a pretty thing. No wonder they've kept you hidden from me all these years." Those dark eyes seemed to probe her.

Hidden from

him

. A secret thrill ran through Margaret's Sacred Gorge, though she tried not to show it.

"I haven't been hiding," Margaret protested, in a higher pitched voice than she intended. It was the other way around! Cunha was the one who had been cloistered away for some mysterious reason-

Her thoughts were cut off by the feeling of Cunha's fingers playing over her hand. It was so casual that no one in view even took notice of it.

But for Margaret it was the most intimate experience imaginable. The way Cunha was looking at her said it all. She was

his

.

And then Rogar, Cunha's father, came over and said to him, "What are you doing?", and Margaret blushed as if she had been caught Juicing him. Rogar pulled Cunha away, and that was the end of her first encounter with her cousin Cunha.

********

Margaret's second encounter with Cunha came at another family dinner, a few months later. Cunha was sitting at a separate table, sandwiched by his mother and father, as if he couldn't be trusted to be alone, even in such a public setting. Margaret caught him staring at her. Margaret traded glances with him shyly, getting embarrassed whenever she met his gaze. Cunha would give her a sly grin which would cause Margaret to feel her

ahmen

rising again.

Margaret noticed that Cunha was talking to Marta, one of the serving girls, flirting with her every time she came by with a tray of food. One time he reached over and whispered something in her ear. She tittered and looked incredulously at him. Cunha nodded. Marta, biting her lip and looking tense, casually finished making a circuit with her tray, and then put it down and climbed the stairs to the balcony above the dining hall. And then, a moment or two later, Cunha followed her.

Cunha turned to flash Margaret a grin as he made his way up the stairs. The balcony was currently unoccupied. What could he and Marta....?

A few moments later, Margaret found out. It was the shadows, on the ceiling of the large banquet hall which gave them away. Margaret saw shadows of a man, clearly on top, plunging in and out.

He was bangsticking her!

Margaret was shocked. But the shadows gave it away clearly. She saw what must be Cunha's Cheeks of Plenty pumping up and down. She looked around her. Everyone was so consumed in their food and discussion that they didn't noticed. She reached out with her fledging Power. She could almost sense it; the heightened

ahmen

of Marta, the

jizz

of Cunha... his

jizz

felt really strong!

"Margaret dear, are you all right?" First Stewart Magister asked. He was such a kind man. Ever since Mother had died he had shown special concern for her.

"I'm fine," said Margaret weakly, hoping she wasn't blushing.

And then Cunha came down the stairs, a moment later, looking like a triumphant war hero. Marta followed a discrete minute later, her head down.

Cunha swaggered over to her. "My dear Cousin! How are you?" He kissed her cheek.

"What... you....." Margaret was speechless. She lowered her voice. "I... I didn't know you were sweet on Marta."

Cunha made a face. "I'm not."

"But... you... you...."

"Yes," Cunha grinned. "Me, me. It was all me, Cuz. And if you like, someday it can be all you."

He allowed himself a moment to enjoy her expression, and then sauntered back to his table, with a distinct bounce in his step.

********

The third and last time Margaret had encountered Cunha before he was sent away was at another family gathering, an outdoor picnic to celebrate the coming of Spring, on the banks of Lake Pinafore. It was an unusually hot day, and she wanted to go swimming, but she hadn't brought a bathing gown. So Margaret walked away from the gentle lawn and feasting tables and headed down to the wooded part of the shoreline. When she had gone far enough, she took off her clothes. She looked at herself critically. Her Phongfruit Forest was beginning to grow in nice and thickly, but her Wisdoms were still quite small. How would anyone take her seriously if her Wisdoms were small, even if she was a Princess? Margaret cupped her Wise Ones for a moment, frowned, shook her head, and entered the water.

The water was cold at first, but delicious, the perfect balm for a hot day. Margaret started to paddle around, just enjoying the serenity, when suddenly she felt something start to pull her down. No, something wasn't pulling her down, it was

pushing

her down. She cried out as her head dropped below the water for a few seconds. She fought to keep her head above water. She paddled furiously. What was pushing her down?

She caught a glimpse of someone, standing there, on the shoreline. "Help!' she cried. "Help!" she cried again, even as she got water in her mouth. She struggled furiously against the force pushing her down, down, down....

And then the force pushing her down was replaced by another force, one which was lifting her up. Margaret found her body being pulled out of the water. Her body floated on a gentle current of air, until she reached the shore and was gently set on her feet. Right in front of Cunha.

"It's dangerous to go swimming alone, Cousin," said Cunha mockingly. "Who knows what could happen?"

"You saved me! Thank you-" said Margaret. Suddenly she realized that she was naked, and Cunha wasn't even pretending not to stare at her body. Margaret felt insecure as she felt Cunha ogling her. She reached up and covered her Wisdoms with one hand, and her Phongfruit Forest with the other.

"No," said Cunha mildly, and Margaret wordlessly dropped her hands, as if he had uttered a word of Command. Cunha smiled and nodded, as if this confirmed something he already knew, and he scrutinized her. He stared into her eyes, looking for something. Then he nodded again, and reached out and caressed one of her Wisdoms.

"Cunha!" Margaret squealed, inadvertently pushing her Wisdom further into his palm.

"So soft... so soft and luscious," said Cunha with a little smile.

"No," Margaret cried.

"They are small, but you will undoubtedly get wiser in time," said Cunha. He released his hold on her Wise One, and pressed his lips against hers. Margaret groaned as she felt her

ahmen

rising within her. Using her ability with the Power, she sensed that Cunha's

jizz

was rising as well.

When Cunha pulled back, Margaret said, "We... we shouldn't."

"We should," Cunha assured her. Margaret practically melted as he took her in his arms. She could feel him starting to lean her backwards, to lower her to the ground-

"What in the name of the Global Cloaca is happening here?" a voice roared.

Margaret turned to see Uncle Rogar. She quickly pulled away. "Uncle! This isn't what it seems! Cunha, he...."

"I saved her, Father," said Cunha, giving a crooked grin. But his grin vanished when his father clouted him on the head. "Ow! Why did you do that for?"

"You come with me," said Rogar, sounding very angry as he took an iron grip on Cunha's arm.

"You'll regret this!" Cunha yelled, as he was dragged away.

********

And that was the last time Margaret saw Cunha before he was sent away. When she heard the news, at first she thought it was because of... what had happened between them. But then she heard an even more incredible story.

Cunha's mother was dead. And so was Cunha's father.

"What? How?" Margaret asked.

"No one knows," said Delos, her oldest brother. "Except, perhaps Father."

"And why is Cunha being sent away?"

Delos gave her a little smile. "No one knows. Do they, little sister?"

Margaret didn't like that smile. Only Father had been told what had happened on that day... so she thought. "Where did they send him?"

"Over the Unending Sea," said Delos.

"The Unending Sea? When is he coming back?"

"I'd put my money on never," said Delos, giving a grin. "Do you pine for him, little sister? Mark your calendar!"

********

Never

turned out to be ten years. In ten years, things slowly changed. Margaret finished Making the Change and became a beautiful woman. Her Wisdoms never grew as far and wide as she liked, but that didn't stop her from tripping up and marrying Lord Farnham Beaumont seven years later, and every time he filled her with hot wax from his candelabra Margaret hoped and prayed to the Womb of the World that she would start baking a meat pie for him in her Sacred Gorge, but so far, that hadn't happened.

Her father, Emperor William, grew old and sick. He had some sort of illness that even Peine, the resident Wizard, could not treat. He obviously didn't have much time left.

Which meant that her oldest brother, Delos, would become Emperor of all of Aridor.

The Empire had fallen on hard times. The authority of the Emperor had crumbled, and the Emperor's cousins had declared themselves independent Kings and set up their own regimes. The Empire of Aridor once ruled over the Northfold, Southfold, Eastfold, and Westfold; in present times, it only ruled over the Centerfold. The Northfold now called itself the North Kingdom of Uppsala, ruled by their cousin Harrison McMasters; the Southfold was called Arad and ruled by their Cousin Imad McMasters; the Eastfold was now the East Kingdom of Tansguard and ruled by Wafford McMasters; and the Westfold was said to be ruled by another Cousin, though since the Binochi Corridor had been closed, no one really knew for sure.

This was a process that had been a hundred years in the making; Emperor William didn't cause the decline, but his rule was uninspiring and did little to reverse it. Additionally there was the matter of thinning bloodlines. Emperor William's great grandfather inherited less of the Power than his grandfather, and his father inherited less than him, and William even less than his father. William at his peak was still powerful in his own right, but magically speaking was little more than a dwarf compared to his ancestors.

It was thought that Delos was the most powerful of the three of William's children; Delos, Darvin, and Margaret. As the oldest son, it seemed only logical that he would become Emperor as Father declined in health.

But in Margaret's opinion Delos was not suited to rule. He was a playboy who was more suited to fast horses, slow women, and old whiskey. Delos was not a bad person but simply a self-indulgent one who only cared for himself. He was the kind of person who would let the peasants starve while musicians and jugglers entertained him in his hall during festival. He would make a terrible Emperor.

Margaret thought her younger brother Darvin would make a

better

Emperor. Not that she thought he would be a

great

Emperor; Darvin was kind, and sensitive, and thoughtful, but his strengths were also his weaknesses. He was a boy who loved reading books and picking wildflowers. Margaret had doubts as to whether he had the mettle to truly become Emperor.

But those were the choices available, and so Margaret worked on Darvin. It disturbed her even more that she really had to work hard to persuade him to take his birthright; it further convinced her that maybe he didn't have the drive to be a good Emperor.

But Delos must be stopped at all costs, she decided. So she worked on Darvin and eventually persuaded him that it was his duty to take the throne, for the good of the realm. Margaret sensed their time was running out. Father was sicker and sicker and was seen in public less and less. The Wizard Peine, who Margaret never trusted, claimed he was doing everything he could to make her father "comfortable" in his declining days, but Margaret never trusted the shifty wizard.

The day came when Margaret entered the throne room to talk to Father and nearly gasped when she saw Delos sitting on the throne. "What is this?" she demanded.

Delos smiled. "Father has asked me to manage to some routine day to day affairs for him while he is recovering."

They both knew that was a lie. Father would never recover. But was the rest a lie as well?

"I don't believe it," said Margaret. "Magister can run things just as well."

"Magister is First Steward," said Delos. "If there is a matter about the vintage of wines or the plumpness of fowl to be served at a feast, I would leave that in his more than capable hands. Anything else... leave that to me."

"We'll see about this," said Margaret, turning on her heels.

"Father is not to be disturbed," said Delos. "There are guards around his chambers to make sure of that."

"I am the royal princess of Aridor!" Margaret cried.

"I'm sorry," said Delos, with a sad smile. "Those are his orders."

Margaret ran back to her quarters, weeping. As she stared into her mirror and cried, she noticed a folded note on the countertop. She opened it.

I can help. Meet me where we last met, at Pinafore Lake, at the eighth evening bell.

Could it be? Cunha?

********

It was with some trepidation that Margaret walked in the small forest behind Rockrod Castle with a small lantern. The night felt big and dark. What was she doing here? She should really be at home with Farnham. But instead of being with her husband she was out here, looking for-

"Cunha!" she said.

Cunha was standing with a small circle of men. He was flanked by two women, and there were also two small children.

Cunha looked all grown up now, and yet the same. Margaret flew into his arms and hugged him. He hugged her back.

"Hey Cuz," he said, giving her a firm hug. He pulled away, and lifted his own lantern. "Let me look at you." He stared at her up and down. "You've grown into quite a woman."

Margaret found herself blushing and it was as if she was 18 again. "Cunha, I'm married now, to Lord Beaumont."

"As am I," said Cunha. "May I have the pleasure of presenting my wife, the lovely Selvanna." He indicated a gorgeous dark haired woman.

"Hello Margaret," said Selvanna evenly. "I've heard so much about you. Cunha said you were beautiful. I can see that he was right."

Selvanna's words were nice, but there was something about her manner, about the calmness of her tone, that caused a chill to ripple through Margaret's Wisdoms. Selvanna gave her a hard stare, and Clare visibly flinched. But then Selvanna broke out into a firm smile and the moment passed.

"And these are my children, Karibdis and Tripoli," said Cunha. He pointed to two young boys who looked like their father. They couldn't have been more than a handful of harvests old. "Boys, say hello to your Cousin Margaret."

"This was the one before Mom?" Karibdis asked. Plainly, he had come with a set of expectations.

Cunha gave a little laugh. "This is your Cousin," he said again.

Karibdis shrugged. Tripoli, who was even younger, gave Margaret a hard stare.

"Boys," Cunha explained, apologetically. And then the woman on the other side of Cunha grabbed his arm. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Of course," said Cunha. "Margaret, this is Zaragoth."

"Zaragoth," said Margaret. She looked confused. Zaragoth looked much too old to be a child. Selvanna was the wife. Who or what then was Zaragoth?

Cunha smiled at her befuddlement. "Zaragoth is my... consort."

"And my

darling

younger sister," Selvanna said, in a strained voice.

Oh. My. Goddess!

Cunha had evidently taken a wife, and then taken his wife's sister as a mistress. Margaret couldn't believe it. She shook her head vigorously. She had to focus. "Your message talked about helping," she said.

"Quite right," said Cunha. He looked around at Selvanna and Zaragoth and the men around him. "Why don't we go for a walk?"

********

They went by the lake. The moons were out and it was a bright night. The crickets were chirping loudly, and Margaret could also hear the gentle lap lap of the water coming to shore. "What happened to you, Cunha?" she asked. "Why did you leave?"

"I had no choice," said Cunha. His face looked pained in the dim light of the lantern. "Father... father was always a rough man. He used to beat Mother, did you know that?"

"No! I never did!"

"He did," said Cunha. "One time Mother couldn't take it anymore. She started seeking out the affections of another man. Father eventually caught her, and killed them both."

Margaret grabbed his arm. "Cunha, your father killed your mother?"

Cunha nodded grimly, his features yellow from the lantern light. "When Father calmed down, he couldn't live with what he had done. He killed himself."

"Did... did my father know this?"

"Of course," said Cunha. "But he knew the scandal would be terrible for the McMasters to bear. So he sent the only living witness over the Unending Sea."

"You," said Margaret.

Cunha nodded.

"Oh, Cunha, I'm so sorry," she said, still holding onto his arm. "That must have been terrible for you!"

"It was... a challenging experience," said Cunha.

"What... what did you do? Where did you go?"