The Final Strike: Beginning

1| The Final Strike

The sky was drizzling slightly, weeping over the demise of one of the most glorious empires in the history of shape-shifters. 

It had been hours since the clouds had turned grey and started dampening the surface. It was the first rain of the monsoon. The soil was soft and muddy and it had soaked up to her knees.

'Lily epitomes the damsel in distress. Look at the lines of worries on her forehead. Aah, Dash would have surrendered both of his kidneys for innocence.' Sierra blew on her nails, watching the back of Lily who ran deeper into the woods. Her flip-flops slapped against the surface. Her face was sweat-soaked and her breathing came out rugged.

'She is Lily, my best friend and the head maid of the palace.' I chuckled at my miseries. 

The palace was now crumbled to pieces as thousands of insensible, brain-washed dogs climbed up to the treasures I and my husband, the Emperor, had preserved for years.

They were looting every one of my precious possessions, only at the command of a single person—Alpha Ibhaan.  

I watched her approaching us, near the river where we were standing. None of us was affected by the bad weather. The prickly drops did not bother me. I had my back towards her, yet I know Lily could predict the expression and conflicts her Queen might be having at the moment.

I, Elizillian: the Empress serpent, was waiting for her with my heart in my mouth. Above all the mockery, the dread of the inevitable was hovering above us. 

Even though all of us were prejudicially familiar with the circumstances, our hope lingered on the sentence of confirmation as if it would change anything and chase those horrendous werewolves out of the region.

Lily's heart was beating furiously. Her pants were audible even from afar. It made my heart break into a million pieces with each step she was taking towards us, the Empress, the Queen, and the general's mate.

I could feel it coming out of her in waves. Our fate has been determined. It was going to be the worst nightmare. 

'I am finally free.' Sierra, the Queen of the Vikat region (South of Ahi-Empire) sighed. 'The King desereved all of it. He was useless and hardly a thing to repent in the first place but I do despised losing my wealth and possession.' She rolled her emerald green eyes, peering deep into the crystal blue water. 

'Yeah! I like the general. Not much though! I am pleased me made the arrangements for our safe escape before the attack. It was thoughtfull of him.' Julie agreed, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. 

'Ah, he was a loser, babe. All of them! We could have been far better rulers if we were given real power rather than some pseudo title.' Sierra shrugged. 

We all turned towards the jungles where the melodious sound of anklets softly jingles, battling against the hue and cries in the distant background.

Ordinarily, Lily would twirl in arrogance. 

The sound is used to accelerate the heartbeats of the males effortlessly. The powerful snakes would turn around to acknowledge her gracing presence. She would squirm in pride when she would spot longingness floating in those dark orbs.

The Emperor used to admire it and her too. He never expressed it verbally before me but being a female, I could sense desire in his body. Now it was all but falling on deaf dead ears. The seduction and happiness were evaporating along with the Empire's regime, and so was the hope in my heart.

'The werewolves have taken over.' Lily panted breathlessly. Her sweat-soaked face was crimson. Her gasps were the only sound audible.

The serpent observed my rigid posture but slightly fallen shoulders. Something broke in my heart. Maybe the last bits of hope. 

I could feel a warm liquid rolling down my cheek. Was I…was I crying? No, I could not. I would never. Nope. Naah. Nada. Not in a million years. My Emperor's death cannot affect me. 

The loss of region? Ella observed.

Yeah! Yes. It does. It is upsetting me. I am no longer an Empress with command. I am simply nobody. Or rather somebody who would be hunted down to be raped and brutally killed. The Alpha's warriors might be searching every corner of my castle. Who knows the Ibhaan might have announced a reward of some sort. It won't take them long to find the dungeons and finish the 9-mile walk here. And then…and then? Then, what? What will happen? Maybe, just maybe, they will drag me to their Alpha or Lycan or maybe they would throw me in the bed of one of the most dreadful omega. Humiliate me like anything before my organs would be ripped apart. 

'No!' I scream aloud, watching the horrendous future unfolding before my eyes. 'I cannot. This cannot…' I gasped, feeling my throat tighten. 'I cannot accept defeat.' 

The females said something. They were trying to console me. I could not hear a word of it. No matter what Lily, Julie, or Sierra said, it fell on deaf ears and a heart heavy with loss. Still, Lily could not stop herself. She was overwhelmed and adamant about annoyingly spilling the details. 

Refreshing, it was. Ella added, licking her lips. 

'Those dogs are dancing on the dead bodies. We are homeless. We are street beggars. Everything is gone, Empress. Everything...they ruin-ruined us. You are a widow. I am a widow now. Queen Sierra…General's mate…all of us…*hiccup* Our males are killed. Those monsters are brutal. They are taking their heads with them.' The young serpent cried. 

'Just head?' Sierra asked, folding her hands to her chest. 

'Whole of them. Now, they are hunting for us.'

'That's ressuring.' Julie tsk-tsked. Lily fell to her knees and sobbed on the earth. Nobody moved. The heavenly fragrance of the earth that used to soothe her and a million other souls of The Ahi-Empire was now stinking with the presence of excessive iron in the blood, raw gunpowder, heavy dark smoke, and fire everywhere.

The war was over. The werewolves were the new rulers. Alpha Ibhaan is the chief man. The army of snakes had surrendered but I would not.

Lily was gagging and vomiting. The knot in her stomach was legitimately making her see white spots, but then females like her aren't that fragile. Her Empress needed her in that deciding moment of disaster. As a head maid, it was her duty to be at my side. She had taken a blood oath for the effect. She will never let her ancestors down.

Lily was reminded of the great valour of her mother and grandmother and great-grandmothers by a rather distorted Julie and an almost nonchalant Sierra. 

'Rules and oaths and blood and bonds—are the foundation of our Empire. We can take more than it appears. Surely, in front of the mighty werewolf, we are mere reptiles. We lack muscle strength but, the snakes can kill. But we are venomous. Our Lord, Sovjas, has blessed us with the deadliest poison available on the face of the earth. It is our strength. We are the best revenge-seekers in the history of civilization. The serpents do not forgive, Lily. We got this.' I heard Julie's encouraging words. 

It was the truth at once but now it sounded more like a mockery. 

The mythical creatures around the world used to fear the serpents and our wrath. Even a single parchment could bring havoc in the neighbouring politics. 

It was until Alpha Ibhaan took over the reins. Still, the Emperor had never predicted the worst invasion in our territory. None had ever fostered such courage except him...the filthy, douchebag Alpha. I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. At the moment, I would give every breath of mine to have that dog's head hung in the middle of the square.

'Did Emperor Dhairya—' The small yet sensational voice was hesitant. I could not come up to speak it aloud. I could not believe that it was I who was speaking.

My twenty-five-year-old self had never anticipated that my eyes would witness such a massacre of my netizens. Ideally, I should have died alongside my husband: following my husband's commands, listening to his orders, ensuring his happiness, and providing him with all the pleasure available in the world. Those were the clauses of THE GOOD WIFE CHARTER that I had read before getting the crown.

I had never given a fuck about it then. How can I now, when he is no more? I am furious, but not because of my husband's demise. It was the destroying force that had enraged the devils.

'They killed them...all of them. M-M-M-Emperor Dhairya is-is no more. The dogs killed your husband, Lizzy. They killed our Emperor.' Lily's voice came out hoarse from all the crying and yelling. She was still weeping over the horrifying scene she had just witnessed.

The scream of agony and for help was still echoing in her ears.

'Congratulations. You finally got rid of that- Ahem! How disheartening! My condolence.' Sierra adds in, twirling one of her red strands between her index finger and thumb. 

'I have seen them dying, children being abducted by brutal creatures who, I think, might feast on them late at night and guffaw at the crunchy taste of their tails. The snakes were lying all over, like bundles of ropes after they attended the original form. I have seen shape-shifted females dragged by dogs. Who knows what those monsters might do to them? Those pitiable females will be raped, tortured, and murdered brutally, Lillian. They will extract the poisonous canals out of their bodies and...no! I cannot even imagine it.' Lily visibly shudders.

Unlike serpents, werewolves crave mating throughout the year. If they find their 'soulmate', there is nothing between them and the woman. Not even a rubber to protect the unplanned pregnancy. They won't think twice before pinning them on their bed and performing the horizontal dance with or without consent.

The dogs never bothered about acceptance, to begin with. They have no respect for their women who, according to them, are only destined to birth their pups.

They neither seduce nor impress. It was all the four of us had learned in our classes about world geography and shared politics. Things were not different in our Empire, but the males protected and fed us. They do not bother us about sex until habitation season.

Even during the season, the males would try to seduce the females rather than forcing themselves like some lust-driven beasts.

It was all a female serpent would need: respect and a mighty snake to protect us while we lay eggs. The females are most vulnerable during inhabitation. Unlike werewolves, once pregnant, a female serpent cannot shape-shift. We would have to crawl around and hiss venom to protect ourselves. It is in those times that a powerful mate comes to the rescue.

Now, the shield has been snatched off, we are unprotected from the naked eyes of our predator.

'I am glad I am not pregnant. How chaotic it would have been to crawl all the way to some safe place.' Julie breathed out, looking around where we were standing. 

With immense water at one end and death on the other, it was not the best place to think all of it.

It is something that has been happening for years. It will happen again and again. It happens after each war. How could the war between the serpents and the werewolves be different?

'Did they eat him?' Sierra asked rather slowly.

My heartbeats are going wild in my chest. My eggs were still unhatched and in the warmth of the castle. I cannot go and rescue my unborn child. Oh, honey! I don't think they would have been left intact. Maybe, the Alpha might have feasted on a salty omelette for the mid-day snack. 

'You look rather pale, Empress. Are you okay?' Lily searched my face and felt herself in awe at my beauty...again. Even though she has seen me a billion times, naked and clothed, she still behaves as if it is the first time she is looking at me. Cladded in a knee-length floral night robe, I stand more than five feet tall in all my pride. My bronze hair was flirting recklessly with the heavy wind while my brown skin had taken a shade of pink. I was not used to being in the open for a long time.

It had been a week since the four of us had taken refuge in an unknown corner of the city: Fital Ranges.

Almost seven days when the earth had been shaken by the massive explosion of bombs. The trembling was rapid with tanks approaching the castle, followed by army troops. Emperor Dhairya had to command an immediate flight.

In short--they fought. They lost. We are screwed!

'Oh, you cannot even stand on your feet for more than two hours. How would you-*hiccup*?' Lily fell into another round of hysteric crying, dampening the already damped surface. 

Indeed. As a princess, my whole life has been surrounded by comfort. Till fourteen, my father provided me with every ounce of luxury available in our regime. I was pampered, spoiled, and awry of the sorrows of society. My preaching made me a ruler who would be more concerned about filling up the treasures than fretting over social issues. It was the males who had to concern themselves with all of it.

It was the first time I had found herself in gruesome trouble. I hate it.

It was during my fifteenth habitation season, that I lost myself to the courtship of Emperor Dhairya, the cobra. I was smitten with the copious tongue flicking, nudging, and body rubbing during the party. The male had attempted to dominate and impress me with his large size wrapping around my body like no other. His persistent attempts to convince me had melted my heart that he was a suitable mate to bear offspring.

The cobra dance had gone on for quite some time before I had allowed copulation, which had taken roughly two days.

My golden eyes were blank at the recollection. The heart-shaped lips whimpered when another explosion echoed in the background, shaking me to the core. The time was my worst nightmare.

'We have to leave now.' I hissed in a venomous voice. My eyes were zeroed in on something ruffling behind Lily in the woods. Maybe the dogs had traced the hidden canal. There was a troop of soldiers approaching us.

Lily's tall frame tensed. She was not expecting me to consider fleeing. But Sierra and Julie were ready on their toes. It was written all over their faces.

The bravery wanted her to see me fighting till my last breath. She wanted me, Emperess Elizillian, to wrap her mighty tail around their throat and inject the venom down their heart.

Her long braided hair wiggles from side to side when she rakes her eyes at the female who once used to own the whole region, but was now staring at nothingness. Her ocean-blue eyes had moisture of pain and helplessness.

'Do you not want to fight, Empress Elizillian? How can we show our backs to the enemies?' Lily asked in bewilderment. Her voice broke at the edge as it turned desperate in expectations. And I absolutely did not notice her using my full name with a title instead of an endearment.

Nope. We did not hear it. 

'The braves do not act impulsively. Their every action is planned. We were caught off guard in the middle of the night. We are snatched off our land and honor. We will do the same for them. In fact, worse. We are retreating to return, Lily. We will be back to seek revenge from the Alpha. Now is just not the right time. I am not hiding because I am scared. It is a strategy.' I explained in a powerful voice.

Is it? Ella asked.

My eyes kept flickering back into the wood where smoke could be seen from a distance. I knew we were short on time and any conflict could only result in death. I wouldn't die without making my enemy taste the bitterness of my venom.

'Where are we going?' Lily asked, climbing by my side. The determined words had restored her faith in her Empress. If I said I had plans, I HAD plans which in reality I never had but let's just pretend I have some sort of mind-blowing plan that's gonna screw up our enemies in no time. 

Ahem!

'Anywhere that takes me away from him. I need to perform penance for my enemy's destruction. From today onwards, my life will be solely spent on seeking revenge on the Alpha who killed my husband.' I hissed, slipping into the character.

I turned around, closed my eyes, and took the form of my origin-a long golden King Cobra with a crown on its head. The hissings of Ella can be heard even from a distance. It was scary yet beautiful.

Lily follows the queue and so did Sierra and Julie. In no time they all shapeshifted into a black, green, and brown snake slightly smaller than me. Together, we joined the flow of the river. I had decided to let my fate lead me. I had blind faith in my lord, The Sarvojas.

He would figure something out for better. If he won't...let's just hope he would.