The Night of Cobrador
On the night that shook the kingdom, Cobrador of the Void prepares an offer for Aurora. But Morteus has interests of his own.
Cobrador of the Void waited until Aurora crossed the gardens with the last of the prisoners.
Hidden near the wall, he watched the young woman lead the group through the side passage of the castle. Aurora was the daughter of Charles, King Alfred's brother. She had grown up close to the throne, listening to decisions she wanted to make herself one day.
That night, however, she needed to move unseen. The two bears accompanying her could barely fit through the passage, and she went back to help them before heading toward the forest.
Cobrador watched until they had all disappeared among the trees.
He was a deity, though his closed cloak and concealed face could make him look like a traveler from a distance. He had come to the castle because of Aurora. Now that he had seen her slip away, he knew how to make his offer harder to refuse.
Days earlier, he had found the king's niece in one of the kingdom's temples. He had waited for the other visitors to leave and listened as she finished a prayer.
Aurora had asked for the chance to rule.
When he approached and told her what he was called, she rose from the bench.
“Did you hear?”
“I heard what you asked for.”
Aurora looked toward the temple entrance. No one was there.
“My uncle believes only he can decide what is best for everyone,” she said. “And after him, it will be Anastacia.”
King Alfred's daughter, Aurora's cousin, was being prepared to succeed him.
“And you want to take that place,” Cobrador replied.
Aurora held his gaze.
“I want that chance.”
He had offered his help. In return, if Aurora reached the throne with his assistance, she would have to build a temple under the Crown's protection and give his representatives a place in the kingdom's decisions.
She had not accepted.
“I don't even know what you can do for me yet.”
“Then find out what you need. We can speak again.”
Aurora had left the temple without making any promises.
Since then, Cobrador had been following her movements. He wanted the influence a queen could grant him: open doors, protection for his followers and a council willing to hear his demands.
The death of an important man could help him obtain all of that.
After Aurora left, Cobrador entered through the passage she had used to free the prisoners. He crossed the deserted stretch of gardens and reached the corridors of the council wing.
He did not need to seek out Alfred. The king's death would place his daughter at the center of the succession. Cobrador wanted to weaken the government and offer Aurora a chance to compete for power.
Arthur Raven was in the smaller hall, gathering the papers he would take to the next meeting. He was one of the king's councilors and represented a family with land, soldiers and influence of its own.
Cobrador stopped at the door.
Arthur looked up.
“The council doesn't meet until tomorrow.”
“I know.”
The visitor entered. Arthur put the papers on the table and examined the cloak concealing his face.
“Who let you through?”
Cobrador kept advancing.
Arthur pulled back his chair to stand, and its back struck the wall hard. When he saw the blade emerge from beneath the cloak, he tried to reach the door.
Cobrador intercepted him. The councilor collided with the table, making a second thud, and tried to push aside the arm coming toward him. He could not stop the blow.
Arthur fell near the center of the room.
For a few moments, Cobrador remained beside him. Then he heard footsteps in the corridor and withdrew through the side door.
The scream came when he was already going down the stairs.
A man had found the body.
Cobrador crossed the gardens while soldiers rushed to the council wing. James Raven, Arthur's son, would demand an answer. Alfred would have to explain how one of his councilors had been murdered inside his own castle.
And Aurora would have to explain where she had been.
Leon, her husband and another member of the council, could confirm her absence from their chambers. Perhaps he would believe her explanation about freeing the prisoners. Perhaps he would insist that she tell the king everything. Cobrador did not know how Leon would react, but he hoped Aurora would fear the question.
Helping prisoners escape already put her in defiance of Alfred's order. Having done it on the same night as a murder would make any explanation harder.
If she sought help, Cobrador would be willing to offer it. On his terms.
Before the gates were closed, he had already left the castle by the same route as the fugitives.
Cobrador returned to the forest and made his way to the cave where a rift connected that world to the realm of the gods. He crossed the opening and stayed close to it, waiting for Aurora to call.
The passage did not belong to him. Other deities could reach it too. That night, however, he remained alone beside the light.
It was not until the following night that he heard his name.
Aurora was in the chamber on the other side, still wearing her traveling cloak. Cobrador approached the opening without crossing it.
“How did you find this place?”
“Elyra spoke about the rift. She's the elder who was imprisoned in the castle. Then Satobear explained the way.”
The bear Aurora had helped free knew the cave. Hearing her answer, Cobrador understood why she had taken so long to arrive.
“Did you return to the castle after freeing the prisoners?” he asked.
Aurora nodded.
“Arthur was dead. Leon wanted to know where I'd been. I told him what I had done, but he insisted that we needed to speak to the king.”
“And did you?”
She took a moment to answer.
“I told my uncle that Leon wasn't in our room that night.”
Cobrador watched the young woman through the opening. He had expected Aurora to flee an accusation. He had not foreseen that she would try to place it on her husband.
“Alfred ordered his arrest,” she continued. “Anastacia went to speak to him and then came to find me.”
“Does the king's daughter believe Leon?”
“She still didn't know whom to believe. I said he'd told me where the prisoners were. I took Anastacia to them.”
“And what did they say?”
“I didn't stay to hear. When they find out I lied, they'll come looking for me.”
Aurora glanced toward the cave corridor.
“I didn't kill Arthur.”
Cobrador already knew. He saw that she was waiting for a response and chose his words before speaking.
“But now you'll have to convince your uncle of that. And explain why you accused Leon.”
“That's why I came. You said you could help me.”
“I can help you stand against Alfred. My terms haven't changed.”
Aurora stepped closer to the light.
“The temple and your representatives on the council.”
“Under the protection of your crown.”
She remained silent.
Cobrador was in no hurry to fill the pause. The more Aurora thought about what awaited her at the castle, the more she would value his offer.
“And Leon?” she asked.
“When you have the power to stand against the king, you can demand your husband's freedom.”
“I told him I'd come back for him.”
“Then you need to decide how you intend to keep that promise.”
Aurora stepped away from the portal and sat against the wall. She was tired, but she still would not accept.
Cobrador remained on the other side. He let her spend the night considering his offer.
The following morning, Cobrador was still waiting beside the portal. Aurora remained in the cave on the other side of the opening, without having accepted his offer.
Hearing footsteps, he turned. Morteus, the god of exchanges, was approaching. He had four eyes and wore a cloak marked with crescents.
Both gods were in the divine realm. They could speak to Aurora through the portal, but the light of the passage made it difficult for her to see them.
Morteus stopped beside Cobrador.
“What is she asking for?”
“Help to take King Alfred's throne. I've made my offer. I'm waiting for her answer.”
Aurora stood when she heard their conversation.
“Who is with you?”
“My name is Morteus,” the newcomer replied.
She approached the opening. She knew that name and knew that the god of exchanges demanded payment for his help.
“Do you want something from me too?”
“First, I want to know what you need.”
Aurora looked toward the corridor leading to the cave entrance.
“My uncle will send people to look for me. I can't go back to the castle now.”
“I can help you leave this place,” Morteus said. “If you come with me, I'll take you somewhere Alfred's soldiers cannot reach you.”
“And will you help me become queen?”
“That would have to be agreed later. For now, I'm offering you a place to stay.”
Cobrador turned toward him. Morteus was offering Aurora a way out without demanding the seats on the council that he had asked for.
Aurora noticed the difference too, but she still wanted to know:
“What will I have to do in return?”
“If you decide to ask a god for help to win the throne, come to me first. You will hear my offer and learn what I want in return. Then you may accept or refuse.”
“Even if I go with you now?”
“Yes. Crossing with me does not oblige you to accept that second agreement.”
Cobrador interrupted:
“He hasn't promised to help you rule yet.”
Aurora answered, looking toward the figure she could barely make out through the light:
“I know. But you want your representatives on my council and still haven't explained how you intend to put me on the throne.”
“That's what you came to me for.”
“And I still want to rule. But I need to leave before they find me.”
Cobrador fell silent. He had expected her fear of returning to the castle to make her accept his terms. With Morteus there, she had another choice.
Aurora addressed the god of exchanges again:
“I'll go with you. If I need divine help to claim the crown, I'll hear your offer first.”
“Agreed,” Morteus replied.
She took a step toward the portal, but stopped when she heard someone call her name.
Anastacia had reached the cave with the soldiers and her companions from the forest. The princess, King Alfred's daughter and Aurora's cousin, had come to bring her back.
Cobrador remained in the realm of the gods. Through the opening, he heard Aurora ask the group not to approach.
“We've come to get you,” Anastacia said.
“I'm not going back now.”
The princess asked why she had lied about freeing the prisoners and accused Leon, her own husband.
“I needed to leave the castle,” Aurora replied.
“And you left your husband imprisoned in your place.”
Morteus stepped through the portal and entered the cave. He now stood beside Aurora, in front of everyone.
Cobrador stayed behind, away from the opening. He heard Elyra, the elder of the Hidden Village, recognize Morteus and tell the princess that he was the god of exchanges.
Anastacia spoke to Aurora again:
“What did you ask him for?”
“That's my decision.”
Morteus held out his hand to Aurora.
“We can go.”
“Aurora, wait,” Anastacia pleaded. “You don't even know if you'll be able to return.”
Aurora hesitated before the offered hand.
“Leon is waiting for you,” the princess insisted.
Hearing her husband's name, Aurora looked at Anastacia.
“Tell him I'll be back.”
Then she took Morteus's hand.
The god of exchanges entered the portal first. Aurora followed him as Anastacia ran to try to reach her.
Cobrador saw them both arrive in the realm of the gods. He could still hear the princess calling Aurora, but the opening began to close. The light narrowed until it disappeared completely.
Anastacia and the others remained in the cave. Aurora was now with Morteus and Cobrador, with no open passage through which she could return.
Aurora let go of Morteus's hand and turned toward the place where the portal had been. She waited, but Anastacia's voice no longer reached her.
Then she looked around. A path stretched ahead, and Cobrador was watching her from a few paces away.
Now she could see him clearly, without the light of the passage between them.
“I came with Morteus,” Aurora said. “I didn't agree to what you asked for.”
“I know,” Cobrador replied.
Morteus called to the young woman.
“Come, Aurora. I'll take you away from the passage.”
She looked back once more and then followed him.
Cobrador remained where he was. He had killed Arthur Raven, Alfred's councilor, to increase the pressure on Aurora. He had hoped she would need his help so much that she would agree to give him influence over the kingdom.
Aurora had indeed sought him out. But Morteus had arrived before she accepted and offered a way out that cost her less at that moment.
Cobrador watched them walk away. Arthur's death had caused the crisis he wanted. Even so, Aurora was leaving without owing him anything.