DILEmma

The Sorceror entered the room,his eyes darting allover his barely illuminated surroundings,he glanced over the only bed in the room,the sheets on it covered a body.He opened it,saw the Empress, and immediately pulled the sheets over.The smell of a corpse filling the air.She was dead.

The demon looked at the craddle beside the bed,at the craddle beside the bed.It was empty.

He ran to it for a closer look,he could sense the child's presence but couldn't find him then he let out a silent growl.

The Emperor had used the barrier of Delu to hide her.A barrier that only the emperor and his bloodline could use which made the person appear to be in another dimension invisible to the eyes and no one could see,hear or touch him except the person who erected it,for the person appeared to be in another dimension not on the same location.A barrier that could only hide the living.

The demon had stormed out of the room carrying the tray,and vanished.A moment later the Emperor appeared in the hallway carry the file.He found the guards unconscious, quickly pushed it open and got in.

The candle had almost burnt out and the place was barely illuminated.A sheet was was pulled over a body on the same bed Fiona had lain.

From under the white sheet rose a number of edges representing the head nose,shoulders and feet of the body.From the features protruding from beneath the sheets he could tell it was his wife but as he walked towards her he clutched at the same irrational and vain hope everyone in his position would leap for.

That the person under the sheet was not his wife,though within him he knew it was nothing more than vain hope but still he prayed it was someone else.

As he rose the white sheet,he clutched the side of his bed with the other hand mouthing a silent prayer.

He closed his eyes,took a deep breath,opened them again and looked.

On sight of Fiona's lifeless body he froze at first,then dropped the sheet.A small sob escaped his mouth as he slumped to the floor.

He buried his face in his hands and wept silently.He wasn't dreaming,Fiona was dead,gone.

Now he understood those signs she had given off earlier when he was with her.She was dying and had been hiding it, struggling to wait till she saw him and had he been a moment late,he wouldn't have had shared her final moments.This was her reason for being angry at him but why didn't she tell him and why had she prevented him from healing unless_unless the situation had been a hopeless one.

What could be beyond healing,had she been poisoned,then the healers could have extracted it.He had questions and wanted answers.

Tyran stumbled to his feet then his mind drifted to the unconscious knights outside.

No doubt someone had gotten in here but the barrier of Delu could have kept her hidden and he wouldn't find her which means she had died before the intruder arrived.

Tyran went around Fiona's bed to his son's craddle.The craddle was empty,his son was alive.

He raised an index finger which radiated a pink light at it's tip then the barrier and his son came into view then he placed a hand on it muttering some words and it disappeared.

The child was silent as ever though from the look on his face Tyran could tell he had been crying.A smile broke across the baby's face when he saw Tyran.He giggled and reached out his hands towsrds Tyran to be picked by him,his huge eyes staring into his father's.

Tyran carried him,his first time carrying a child.

He is such a beautiful thing,Tyran thought.

He picked up the file he was given earlier,went over to Fiona's bed, pulled the sheets over and took her hand.

They were cold,her eyes closed,she was somewhere he couldn't reach her.He would have given the world to be with her now but Fiona wouldn't want that.She had left him with a gift, their son to protect and he had promised her.

Tyran leaned closer and kissed her forehead then he covered her face with the white sheet.

Approaching the door,he saw the guards were awake,both watching,eyes alert they bowed curtly on seeing him.

Tyran glared at both,his face flaring with rage.

"Who did you let in through here?"he questioned

"No one your majesty!"they both chorused.The Emperor raised a brow,

"No one?"

"No_"one started to say but paused as he recollected something.

He bowed and said in a Shakey voice.

"A_actually_the...a birthhome worker"

"A birthhome worker you say, could have been anyone disguised as one."

"You majesty we...we didn't let him in...he_we don't remember anything more than how he looks but we didn't let him in I swear!"

"Describe him"

"He's huge with tanned skin,didn't have the body of a worker.More of a warrior"the other knight said.

Emperor Tyran thought through what they had just said,his mind searching for someone he knew with that statue.

Then it popped up in his head,Dark.The sorceror he had banished ten years ago who had rebelled with his elder sister for his throne.He had killed her and Dark was tried in sorceror City with a punishment of banishment from Delvin.He had secretly thought of killing him himself,but the sorcerors concluded on banishment.He was back probably for revenge.

The knights fell on their knees, lowering their heads,

"Your majesty please spare us!"The both chorused.

"If you were unable to protect the Empress then I have no use for you"Tyran said drawing out his sword.

"Spare us your Imperial Majesty,We beg of you!"they pleaded.

"Save it for the gate keepers at the land of the dead".

In the blink of an eye, Tyran's sword made its downward plunge, slitting through their necks sending their heads rolling across the floor and their bodies dropping after their heads.

He swung his sword in the air to throw off some blood then put it back in it's sheath and walked down the hallway.

Now approaching the stircase he saw a young demon opening a door at the extreme of the floor he was in.The demon sighted him,bowed curtly and began shutting the door when Tyran called out

"You there!"

The demon opened the door and stepped out.

"Your majesty".

The Emperor motioned for him to come closer.When he reached where Tyran stood he bowed again,this time not raising his head.

"Your majesty".he said again but in a much lower tone.

Tyran eyed his outfit and badge,boldly written on it was the word physician,his name was written much smaller and Tyran didn't bother straining to see it.

"The Empress died here?"

"Yes your majesty".

"What happened?"Tyran asked."what caused her death?"

"I wasn't the attending physician but from what I heard,she was poisoned and had a hard time giving birth.Its a miracle she could push the baby out and the child still lived.Her death was caused by internal hemorrage.Most of her organs were torn by the poison and the bleeding,non stop".

"The healers couldn't take out the poison?"

The demon raised his head and shook it.His gaze now fixed on the child.The Emperor caught him staring and he quickly averted his gaze,returning it back to the concrete floor,Tyran didn't take his eyes off him surely he could smell him but soon enough these would be just mere memories in the land of the dead Tyran thought.

The physician scratched his head and continued,

"It had already leached into her bloodstream.For some reason they were unable to pull out the poison.It prevented her organs from closing up or healing.There was nothing we could do".

"And she wasn't moved to another birthhome?The Best healers called..."

"She refused being moved your majesty,we had to obey her orders.After the healing process,her majesty even refused non staff seeing her.On her orders her maid servant brought people in,her ward was restricted"

Tyran considered this,Fiona had probably prevented contact with many because of her child.She had also restricted movement into her ward but that had cost her her life.If a skilled healer had come to her she might have had a slim chance to survive but had she done that,word might get out about his son.She had preferred his life to his something any mother would do.

Knowing Fiona, she had known he would kill them all to hide his son's nature so to make his job easier she had refused contact with anyone other works making his job easier.

With a wave of his hand Tyran dismissed the physician and was walking down the stairs when Gerald's voice came up in his head.

"Your majesty no worker is out now but they will leave at the first hour of the day,that's when the night shift ends,so the person at reception says.I have also been watching the entrance and haven't seen any leave".

"Take the dead empress and leave with her corpse at once"

"Dead!"Gerald said out loud that it almost exploded Tyran's ear drum.

"She's dead, leave now with her.From floor one you'll come here and smell a corpse".

Tyran said finally and vanished to appear outside far above the building,his black wings spread out, flapping against the strong wind around him.

He looked below him and saw the birthhouse streched out below him now less than ten times it size.His eyes scanned the area around it.There was no one around for now but it was already a minute before the first hour of the day,soon like Gerald had said night shift workers would start leaving.He had to act fast.

"Are u with her!"

Tyran called out but there came no response,he concluded Gerald had teleported with her to the palace then he reached out a hand,in the other held both the file and his son.

He muttered few spells which sent flames arising from various corners of the building.Within a few seconds the whole building was set ablaze.

From above,he could hear agonizing screams emerging from the building, Tyran ignored the screams though he could not help but feel pity for the lives he took,still they were nothing compared to his son's.

Although Tyran deemed destroying the birthhouse destruction of any leads to finding Fiona's murders he had considered it worth it and the other part of his plans Fiona had made it easy for him.

The Emperor teleported into his chambers,and placed the child on his bed,unsure of what to do with it.

The baby slept soundly,free of every care I'm the world.Tyran envied him.He sat on his bed and opened the black file,then he flipped through the pages which had names of the birthhome staff written on it and the district in Urah which they lived.

In the first page he opened,was written:morning shift staff,then the names of the workers followed on the next five pages.

The Emperor ran his fingers through the pages.There wasn't a name he recognized but with their location his assassins would find them.About forty workers took the morning shift,five physicians,ten healers and the others just midwives and other non professionals.

Tyran sighed at the copious work he had to do.He would keep the assassination confidential that even his own knight would not know.He flipped through the pages to the list of workers taking the night shift yet not a single name he recognized as well.

They were all probably dead by now but still,he would have to confirm this from his assassins.He closed the file,placed it on the table next to him and climbed into bed.

His thoughts went back to Fiona,tears ran down his eyes, gently soaking the sheets beneath his head.As much as he wanted to yell out his grief and pain,he didn't want to wake the sleeping child beside him so he took it all in, swallowing his grief.

Why had Fiona given birth at that birth house,who had poisoned her?

He cursed himself for not being there for her when she needed him the most.He would have to begin an investigation which he would take up on himself.And also put a bounty on Dark.

Perhaps Carolene would know something, he had burnt down the birthhouse and was unsure if she had survived and would send his knights in search of her this morning but for now he would sleep since he had been awake throughout the night.

Tyran closed his eyes and had a mental picture of his wife.His mind clouded with memories of their past together and he did not know when he finally fell asleep.