The Seven (WIP)

The Seven (WIP)

"Madlings!" Helen boomed in a trance voice Coral was used to but still hated to hear from her lover.

"Does your guard often interrupt your guests?" A new voice enters the battlefield.

"Better her than me," Coral laughed as she pulled her legs onto her shiny new throne. "If I had to listen to that noise, we would get nowhere. I genuinely do not understand how they do it. Blind faith." Coral scoffs as her guests stare at her, confused.

"Months have passed since the Madling Queen claimed her throne. In that time, she has done little more than parade around boasting about success." Helen stated.

"Harsh, it was only a victory lap or two. So many people adore me now. It took time to weed out the fakes." Coral interrupted.

"Now pinned between two nations wishing the destruction of Atlantis. Coral continues floundering in a hopeless attempt at rebuilding her kingdom." Helen continued. Coral was used to these trance phases now but still hated it.

"Your toy seems to have lost its faith in you." A new challenger spoke.

"Shhh!" Coral raises a finger to her puckered lips. "She's setting the scene."

"To prepare for the shadow looming within the Obsidian Wail Coral must gain allies. Coral called for each of the seven to join her for tea. Five members refused Coral outright. The two that accepted were no ally to Coral either."

"Wha!?" Coral hated trance mode. This shit broke her brain. "You're not my allies?" Coral asked, rubbing her temples with her fingertips.

"No." Said player one.

"Drop dead, and I go home quicker." Said thing two.

"Why are you here then?" Asked Coral earnestly. Coral always hated playing these games. The political dance.

"Business," Player two answered immediately.

"Curiosity," Thing one hesitated before answering. Coral wondered if she could use curiosity as an advantage.

"My Queen? May I be of assistance?" Helen said the original recipe voice.

"Oh, my love, you have done plenty. You have reminded our guests that we hold no military power. That I am a terrible Queen and that they are no allies to Atlantis. So please, dear, enlighten us why they are here?" Coral was biting her inner lip as she forced a smile at her visitors from the south.

"Forgive me. My Queen," Helen blushed as she stood steadfast three feet from Coral's throne.

"Gods, amirite? They show up without an invitation. Tell you to swallow their entire load of creamy bullshit. Then expect you to smile and beg for more. All without a single fucking tip!" Coral scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Do you always conduct diplomatic meetings in such a manner?" Asked the first challenger that appeared. Madam curiosity.

"This was a waste of our time Paramour!" The second visitor snarled. Coral thought if he was already bored with her schtick, she might be fucked.

"Patience Harvest," Said the Paramour. "I want to know what she plans."

"You expect me to divulge my entire plan to you here?" Coral asked, leaning forward to stare at the fully covered figure of the Paramore. The Paramore wore a thin but long dress. The dress was beige with long sleeves cuffed around the Paramores wrist tightly. What Coral hated most, however, was the ugly mask she was staring at. A face of a woman frozen in time like the dolls with the painted faces she played with as a girl. She couldn't even distinguish the woman's hair as each inch of her flesh was covered somehow.

"Yes," said the Paramore instantly, "You are a foolish child who lucked her way into a nation. Lilith held your hand, your entire spoiled life."

"Careful, my lady." Helen interrupted.

"Bark louder, dog!" The Paramour quipped back. Coral couldn't gauge any feelings from the Paramour with that stupid mask. "You only prove my point. Look around," The Paramour gestures to the grand hall Coral built her new throne in. "You surround yourself with pirates, prostitutes, and ONE paladin."

"These pirates, prostitutes, and ONE paladin won me a Kingdom. It would be best if you watched your tongue. I'm not above killing guests." Coral bluffed, but she had never met these two nerds. How would they know?

"They defended their homes, and you were there to pick up a vacant title.

These creatures won you nothing. You have two people in this room of any worth. The rest would crumble when they stepped one toe in the Wail." The Paramour said as the Harvest chuckled beside her.

"Two? I have far more than two notable champions." Coral felt a pit form in her belly. She wanted to stab this woman, judging her people.

"No, you have two." Stated the Paramour bluntly. "Your dog," Paramour points to Helen. "And that pirate." Paramour point to a pirate in the corner. "I am old. I see right through you, child." dozens of people celebrated around them, yet only two looked at the guests.

"Wha!? How are you so sure? I could have hundreds of people waiting to assassinate you. This nation is quite known for assassination." Coral puffed up her chest, gloating. She was terrible at bluffing. Was it the "Wha?" that always gave her away?

"It is my job to know," Paramour stated. "I assess risk and reward scenarios for the Cartel as a member of the Seven." Paramour snaps her fingers to awaken the sleeping Harvest. "I have observed enough of you, child. Your nation is no risk to us, and there are zero rewards for helping you." Paramour walked forward, ignoring Helen drawing her sword. "Tell us your plan. Convince me you can lead this dance, or we walk."

"I intend to suck, fuck, and cuck every Son of Cayn personally until they bow before my mighty prostitute kingdom!" Coral screams, jumping from her throne and thrusting her goblet into the air. As the grand hall around her roared in chorus, Coral brought the goblet to her lips, hoping no one would notice it was empty. Her climax had changed her, but Coral's people still had a particular view of her.

"Such a disappointment." Paramour sighed as she turned away from Coral. Plus side Coral didn't have to stare at that creepy doll mask anymore.

"Can we go? There is no plan. This whole display is juvenile. You figured her out ages ago. I should never have come here with you, Paramour." The Harvest laughed towards Coral as he raised from his seat.

"Yes, this was a giant waste of time. Seems she learned nothing from Lilith. We will complete the work without her." The Paramour didn't stop as she passed Harvest swiftly. Coral was watching the only hope her people had to survive walk away. Why was she so fucking inept at this political dance?

"Wait!" Coral screamed after the two Cartel members, who ignored her, continuing their brisk pace. "Please?" Coral cried out as she stepped from her throne. Everything around Coral grew silent as her cry had at least stopped one of them. "Paramour? Right?" Coral sauntered forward as the woman in the doll mask turned to face her.

"She isn't worth the investment." The Harvest said as the Paramour raised her hand. Just as when she snapped to wake him, the Harvest followed the Paramour's cues.

"I ask you a question. You answer that question. No more games, do you understand?" The Paramour asked in a parental manner. It was a tactic used to get brief, concise details. Lilith had done this with Coral as well.

"Yes," Coral answered. She had fucked up this whole display of confidence. How hard could a game of truth on truth be?

"Why am I the Paramour?" Asked the Paramour.

"The Seven uses titles, not names. You give up your names so the past can't be used by other members of the Seven." Coral answered.

"How are the Seven chosen?" A second question asked by The Paramour.

"The Seven claim to be the richest individuals in the Wasteland," Coral answered.

"Claim? Girl, I am.." The Harvest started to chime in, but the Paramour raised her hand to silence him. Coral thought the Seven each held an equal say. Now she was curious. If the Harvest was the richest, why did he respond to the Paramour as Helen did to Coral?

"Why are you, Queen?" The Paramour asked another question. Two simple, straightforward questions that any acolyte heading to the front lines would know. Now, a left hook of subjective opinion where Coral needs to explain WHY she was Queen. There could be a million answers to this question.

"Wha!?" Coral didn't verbalize her confusion. Her heart was beating in her throat. Turning around from the Paramour, Coral was frantically looking for an answer. Was she Queen because Helen fought against Vesper? Was she Queen because she was born with a Royal title? Was she Queen because these souls that partied and laughed around her loved and respected her? Coral's mind was being pulled to the first time she brought Lilith to the Castle.

"Why are you Queen, Coral of Atlantis?" Paramour was losing her patience if she would give Coral ten seconds to think Coral would have an answer. "Answer!"

"Because these people think I hold power over them, but I don't!" Coral spits out the first thing that pops into her brain. Coral turned back at the Paramour. Coral couldn't make out anything due to the mask. With his narrowing eyes glancing at the Paramour, the Harvest gave Coral hope.

"Your plan?" Paramour asked in the same direct way. It was as if Lilith was scolding her as a child. This wasn't very pleasant. Coral had lived four decades, yet she was treated like a sprout.

"Madlings," Helen spoke in her trance. "The P.."

"No spoilers," Paramour spoke calmly as she snapped her fingers.

Coral gasped as she watched Helen's unwavering green eyes flutter shut. There was silence as Helen's armor clashed with the ice floor. A sickening clang echoed as everyone gasped. Only one ran to Helen in response, the pirate. The Paramour was correct. Dozens of people surrounded her, and she only had two, now one, people of substance.

"Naughty girl, she was gonna give it all away." The Harvest snickered, reaching over to grab a mug of ale from the hand of a gawking onlooker. "Tell me, gorgeous are you a naughty girl?" The Harvest asked as he stopped to admire the former owned of her ale.

"Lilith slept while the Obsidian Wail cried." The Paramour spoke each word growing more venomous. "She believed that by following the teachings of a madwoman, she could save her people. Then when she unleashed him upon us all. Lilith took a fucking nap." The Paramour spoke as she began to creep toward Coral slowly. It was as if all of time stood still as she stared into that stupid mask. How could someone with painted hearts for eyes freeze her lungs, her heart? Coral couldn't move!

"Watch, gorgeous." The Harvest grabbed his now chosen companion for the evening. Pulling her hips close to him. He grins as he turns the woman's head from him to Coral. "A rare sight watching a Queen be humbled."

"Your puppies are blind fools that follow their lighter path willingly to their doom." Another snap from the Paramour. Helen's slumbering body and the pirate burst apart with invisible magic shooting them into opposite corners of the hall. Coral fought with everything she had and couldn't respond as the Paramour inched closer to her. "They expelled their defenders because you promised them freedom. Freedom to fuck, suck, and cuck, is their way to victory as you claim your plan to be. These are delusions of a child." The Paramour stops inches from a frozen Coral.

Coral was passionate as she formed a dagger of ice in her palm. Coral used an ice leg from the table nearest her. With one thrust, Coral shot her hand forward to smash that fucking mask to bits with her dagger. As plates and jugs shatter on the ice floor, Coral screams, breaking the spell that bound her. The blade strikes true in the center of the Paramour right blue painted heart eye. Coral huffed as not only had the Paramour vanished. Coral was alone.

"You are a small piece in a game you can't see." The Paramour's voice cut into Coral's brain. Coral looked around her empty grand hall. Moments ago, this was a chorus of wild excitement. A night full of people enjoying themselves. Coral had heard the Harvest enjoyed Coral's lifestyle. She believed this display would impress her guests. "Lilith is nothing more than a pawn to the Moon Dragon. Vesper was nothing more than a pawn for the Blood Dragon." Coral turned to the voice behind her. The Paramour stood before Coral's throne, still and doll-like. "Why should I believe you are not just another Victim?" The Paramour sat on Coral's throne, staring down at her.