He had it. His forces had been weak, and he had stared death in the face. But he had it. The Key of Night.
The artifact pulsed in Vladan’s hand as he raised it high above his head. Around him, his dead legions were crumbling under the mighty weight of the Flesh-eaters that they had found guarding the hidden city in the desert. He knew that he was moments away from utter defeat, the small army he had managed to summon from the dead, even with the bones he had animated, had simply been too weak.
Now though, the battle immediately ceased.
The moment he held the key above him, the Court had ceased to fight, and he had managed to reign in his army’s attacks following the sudden silence. It seemed to suck in the light around it, it sort of fell into the artifact, a disk so black it seemed to simply occlude reality itself. Around him, utter silence but the sound of the wind across the sands, whistling through the crumbling towers or skeletal heads. From within the army, an Archregent made his way to Vladan. Stopping a number of feet away, it bowed ceremoniously and Vladan could suddenly hear the creature speak in his mind.
‘Great Lord, we welcome you. You hold the Howling Night, and so with great honour, we serve you. Please, do with us as you wish, we ask only that we may serve you with our blood and our swords.’n
Although Vladan could hear the regent’s voice in his head, he could not quite get over the fact he could also hear the gurgling moans that actually passed the creature’s lips. That said, he had dealt with ghouls before, and so was not put out too much.
‘That is well my servant,’ he replied ‘for I do wish you’d serve me, and serve me well. Tell me, are there more of you? Who do you ally with in this great land of yours?’
‘There are more yes, great Lord, many of us are still loyal to the master of the Night. Say but a word, and the desert lords will answer your call.’
‘Yes…’ Vladan smiled to himself, ‘that is what I wish! Muster the desert lords! It is to war I take you, war and glory!’
And the desert shook.n