Page 87 of Of Skulls Of Shackles

I dismounted, feeling the preordained tearing of my white gown on the savage splinters of my horse’s coat. I stroked its tasseled mane after and then turned to monsters and shells.

“This fright will go down in the history of monsters. This dusk you share in a fright of immortals, of ages, and humans shall speak of this night forevermore. Be filled with honor of this terror, dear monsters. I would not prefer to scare alongside any others.”

With that, I jumped very high to the top of a distant building. If I managed to reveal myself, as I believed I possibly could, then I could not be close.

Pawns and shells dispersed, some sliming, and some disappearing underground, while others melted into shadows.

After watching them for a time, I strode to the edge of the towering apartment building that overlooked the presidential grounds. My toes clawed over the edge, and I relished in the sway and rock of the building.

Humans had gathered, certainly. The important ones—a laughable concept—sat on a raised platform off to one side. There was a palpable confusion to the gathered creatures, a tang of confusion and fear. Why were they all here? They could not rightly say, but that a mysterious voice upon the radio bid them to.

A thick cloud covered the blaring light of the full moon, and a deeper darkness than dusk gripped Vitale.

Screams arose.

“Ah, the beginning,” I said with a grin.

Higher rose the screams, to add to the scent and feeling of the gathered humans. Delightful. So delightful that I could not bear to witness it alone. I had not thought to invite him to join me.

Yet the thought apparently summoned him for me.

“A grand fright,” murmured King See from behind.

I listened to his footsteps until he stopped on my right side. “Will you enjoy this with me?” I asked him.

“It would be my honor. What has happened?”

“My sliming pawns just stuck the humans to the ground. They are stuck.”

“The children?”

“Them too. Their view of the scare will be limited, but where adults might still question the truth, the children here never will, and so a generation will pass before my reset is full and complete.”

King See chuckled. “A scare to last across ages.”

Panic. Horror.Humans tried to rip their bodies free.

“Werebeasts,” I murmured.

They circled the presidential grounds, and their snarls were terrible.

I cast forth my power and pulled. Just gently. There was a veil over the eyes of humans meant to keep them whole. If I wished the ideas of skulls eliminated, then I must break humans just enough, as I had been brokenjust enoughin the process of finding queendom.

I pulled gently at their veil of humans, and knew I had succeeded when their screams switched off to silence. They were locked in terror.Perfect.

Now they could seejust enoughof the werebeasts that prowled and snapped and raced through their midst. Saliva, mange, and yellowed eyes. Frozen as they were, the humans could only hope their time was not up.

As it was, I could feel some humans slide into insanity despite the gentleness of my unveiling of them. Some were more fragile than others, and though the ruin annoyed me, I could only fathom that the insanity of some would strengthen the experience of this dusk.

Werebeasts continued their prowl, retreating to the outskirts.

“My princes?” asked King See, wrapping an arm around my waist.

I, too, felt the utter romance of this moment. This might be our first date, and I could not think of how such a date might ever be outdone and bested. I rested my head back on his shoulder. “Taking pawns.”

My pawns of fang and spear sliced through humans, giving them small wounds—a few accidentally deeper than others—that would last beyond this dusk and provide further proof of the real horrors of this night.

I pulled further on the veil, so humans might see some terrifying details of my taking pawns.

---