FicWad

Even this dry, barren area of the shinigami realm hadn’t completely escaped the cold. The searing hot winds blasted the ice off the jagged, porcupine-quill like rocks, and thick white fog blanketed the entire area as the ice melted, froze back onto the rocks, and melted to become fog again. It was nearly impossible to see anything in the steamy haze-it took a full ten minutes for Xithl to finally find the entrance to the underground tunnels. When Armonia and Xithl got to the end of the tunnel, they could barely squeeze their way into the cavern, it was so crowded. Hundreds of shinigami had crammed themselves into the cavern, and they were packed around the stone columns that ran from the floor to the ceiling. Shoboro was visible above everyone else-he’d had the good sense, or privilege as King, to stand on a rock. Once he saw Xithl enter the room, he started to speak.
“Everyone, thank you for coming-and a special thank you for going out of your way to find this place. The tower isn’t safe at the moment, and I know you’re wondering what’s going on. I’m sorry…it isn’t good news. Sidoh…if you would be so kind…please. Tell everyone what you told me.”
The gnarled, ancient shinigami slowly rose up off the wall he’d been sitting against, his joints creaking. The small black rock beside him looked up with several worried eyes as he spoke. His voice was quiet, and as dry as ancient parchment, but everyone listened as if their lives depended on it.
“We have a mutiny on our hands,” he said. “We all know of the frustration of those living in the basement of the tower-Moloch has taken advantage of that frustration and cultivated it into anger and a taste for revenge. He plans to use them to overthrow Shoboro and usurp the Kingship-they’ll be storming the tower any time now.”
“How do you know all this, Sidoh?” asked Gamek.
Sidoh gestured toward his head. “My ears are just as strong as my eyes. When I’m in the tower, I can hear everything that goes on within it. For years now, Moloch has been talking to those in the basement; planting the seeds of discontent…not everyone has joined him; only seventy or so. However, he must think it’s enough, because he just gave the word a few hours ago for the plan to move ahead. I’d have given you more warning, but I didn’t get much of one myself…I didn’t expect him to act so suddenly after announcing his plan, and I didn’t think it was necessary to concern you with this unless there was actually a solid threat, your highness…”
Shoboro shrugged. “We’ll do the best we can with the time we have. According to Sidoh, Moloch has mentioned that he has a scythe…a tzargantium one…hence, the evacuation from the tower. Everyone…I’m sorry to drag you into this, but we have a large-scale crisis on our hands. I’ve worked with Xithl to come up with a plan, and we’ll need some assistance. I’m sorry it’s come to this…as King, I know there must have been something I could’ve done to prevent it…”
“Prevent it? How?” said Mordra. “What the hell could you have done to make Moloch less of an underhanded bastard? Waved your hands and said a few magic words?”
“Yeah, Shoboro!” shouted Sanke, the shinigami with a cow skull for a head and a feather headdress-Mordra’s mate. “I dunno what the hell’s wrong with those ingrates-you gave them a home, and now they’re turning on you? Before now, I’ve never heard of a King letting shinigami live in the tower…if you hadn’t let them, they’d be freezing their asses off under a rock or something! It’s their own damn fault if they can’t suck it up and accept that they’ve had a little bad luck!”
“We’re with you, Shoboro! If the King needs our help, it’s our duty and our pleasure to help him!”
The small cavern boomed with cheers of agreement. Shoboro looked awestruck. He smiled as a lump formed in his throat…he hadn’t expected this...
“Thank you…all of you. Your support…if you think I am worthy to be King, I’ll give my heart and soul not to disappoint you.”
More cheers…Shoboro raised a hand, and the shinigami quieted down.
“We have very limited time left…we need to make this quick and clear,” he said. “Sidoh?”
“Moloch plans to have the mob attack Shoboro and overwhelm him with sheer numbers- he mentioned an ‘element of surprise’, so I assume his plan was to do it when you were off your guard. He also said that it may be difficult to convince you to give up your position, and that was what the scythe was for…it was wise to evacuate the tower while they were in the basement, plotting…”
Shoboro sighed. “As Sidoh mentioned…there is an element of danger here, so I want you to think carefully before you agree to anything. If there are only seventy renegades, I only need about a hundred and forty of you to help me. We need to subdue them in order to regain control of the tower…the standard way of doing that is to rope them from a distance, handcuff them, and then take them somewhere to calm down and await trial. It would probably be best if we entered the tower and remained concealed using the hidden passages. Armonia…do you remember where you built them?”
“Clear as crystal.”
“Thank you. Once we’re in, we wait for them to attack and find themselves alone in the tower…Xithl predicts that they’ll wander the tower looking for other shinigami, and then we catch them alone, rope them up, handcuff them, and take them out of the tower and into these tunnels until everyone is captured and the fair trials can begin. This is to be done slowly and carefully…I want no one getting hurt, no matter whose side they’re on, and I don’t care how long it takes. As for Moloch…as King, it’s my duty to take care of him.”
“Shoboro…,” said Xithl.
“No, Xithl. We’ve had this discussion before. Moloch has a weapon, and trust me, he knows how to use it…he’s dangerous. If anyone has to fight him, it needs to be me. I’ll be the one to lead him away from everyone else so the rounding up can occur safely, and when the time comes, I’ll take care of him…I can match him in a scythe fight, if I need to.”
“Shoboro, please…hear me out. By the sound of it, Moloch may be willing to kill you…do you really think taking him on is a good idea?”
“Is letting him kill someone else a better idea?”
“It’s only you that he’s interested in. A small group of shinigami could probably lead him away to no ill effect. Right now, there are a lot of upset shinigami in that tower who aren’t thinking straight, and Moloch’s done an excellent job of turning you into a scapegoat for that mob’s problems. If you’re spotted in that tower, it will only incite more fury in them…things will only get uglier. Your presence would likely do more harm than good…it’s best if you stay away from the tower in the first place.”
“So, as King, you think I should let the shinigami do this themselves, while I sit back and do nothing?”
Xithl sighed. “We have no proof that Moloch will actually kill. Once we remove his backup, he may well give up and surrender. Please, just consider this-instead of heading straight to the tower and facing him right away, wait until after we’re finished. Then, if you feel that it’s necessary, you can head in and try to subdue him yourself.”
“He won’t surrender.”
“What makes you think so?”
“I know Moloch…he doesn’t surrender. That’s why he’s done this in the first place.”
Rhyinn reached up and grabbed Shoboro’s hand, snapping his attention away from Xithl. “Please, Shoboro,” she said. “Be reasonable. Don’t put yourself in danger, just because you feel obligated to help…Xithl has some good points. If Moloch surrenders, you won’t have to fight at all. Think of Micoran and your daughter…and…and me. If you…if the worst…well…what would we do, without you? Give him a chance to surrender.”
“He won’t surrender.”
“Please, Shoboro.”
There was a long silence as Shoboro thought, looking from Rhyinn to Xithl to the shinigami crowded around the room.
“Have some faith in the shinigami who’ve come here to help you, Shoboro. We can take care of this…taking a risk like that just isn’t necessary,” said Xithl.
There was another long pause…Shoboro sighed. “Very well. I’ll humour you, Xithl…but it will come down to me against Moloch, in the end. Believe me-that’s just the way he works. Now, you all know what’s going on, and you all know the risks. If you’re willing to help…Xithl?”
Xithl held up a box and swung the lid open. “How many of you…oh,” he said as the entire room raised their hands simultaneously. “That’s…encouraging. Hold on…I might not have enough stones,” he said as he took out a bag and poured the pebbles inside it into a box. “Well, maybe I do. It’s not necessary for us to involve everyone in this, so here’s how it will work. Everyone who wants to help, pick a stone from out of the box. There are about a hundred and forty black stones…if you get one of those; you’ll go to the tower. If you get a white stone, you back home to your families…and tell them how much they mean to you, while you’re at it. Since Shoboro has decided to listen to reason, there will also be…three… red…ones,” Xithl said as he picked three stones out of another bag, and dropped them in, one after each of his three final words. “Those with red stones need to make sure that Moloch and his weapon are away from the rest of the shinigami. He can’t know what’s going on, or he might try to…interfere.”
One by one, the shinigami lined up and picked stones out of the box; until only Xithl was left…he reached into the box and pulled out the last stone. A red one.
“Who else?” he called, holding it up. Armonia raised her hand, a red stone encased in it. Rhyinn started to raise hers…
“No. Don’t,” Shoboro hissed as he grabbed her wrist.
“Shoboro…if I have it, I have it.”
“No. I won’t allow it.”
“You can’t make an exception for me just because I’m your mate, Shoboro. Fair’s fair.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
“No. You heard what Xithl said…”
“Yes, I did. I don’t care.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Right here, Xithl!” Rhyinn called, switching the stone to her other hand and raising it high. Xithl had opened up the bags of rope and handcuffs, and shinigami were swarming around him, picking them up…he waved an acknowledging hand over their heads.
“Rhyinn! Just a few minutes ago, you didn’t want me to get involved because it was ‘dangerous’, and now you’re…!?”
“Xithl said that he’s only interested in you…and it’s not as though I’m going to fight him or anything. Let me do this for you, Shoboro…you’re in more danger than anyone else here.”
Suddenly, the cavern echoed with wing beats as a flurry of shinigami took off after Xithl down the tunnel, racing past Shoboro and Rhyinn as they went.
“See you soon,” said Rhyinn, kissing his forehead before she spread her wings, jumped up into the cloud of shinigami, and was swept away.
“Rhyinn!” Shoboro called…too late. He clenched his fists with frustration…he’d tried to explain it, but he hadn’t had enough time…how were you supposed to explain something that you knew, when it was in your gut instead of your brain? Shoboro knew that Moloch wasn’t going to give up as easily as they seemed to think he would… they’d only scratched the surface of something. Too late now, though…all he could do was hope for the best…hope he was wrong.