The Great Purge

There was smoke everywhere. Fires burned below. I sat at the top of the tallest tower. It would fall soon as everything else had. I was the Master’s spymaster. He threw flames into my home hoping to eliminate me. He did succeed in destroying my servants, but I am smart and fast. I slipped out the back window as the flames roared and consumed everything. My cloak was supposed to be fire-proof but it was burned up like so much smoke in a strong wind.
 
He was a conqueror. He destroyed and acquired us like possessions. He took the worlds of others and threw their masters into hellfire. His rage was unparalleled. He was feared. That all changed. As he grew older, his appetite for destruction waned. Then it all changed.  
 
As I stood in the tower, I watched in horror...in anguish. He stood among the worlds, among the cities of his conquest...and fire raged. Fire and destruction and death everywhere. I could smell the burning of flesh and hair. I could see people dying by the thousands. I could hear their cries for help, for mercy, to ask why. No answer was forthcoming. Our master burned it all. Every last vestige of his vast empire was being reduced to a cinder.  
 
Behind me in the tower stood a small group of my closest subordinates and friends huddled together in a frightened mass. They wept as their families were purged by the great fiery inferno. If hell existed, it came to settle on our world to stay. “What do we do, Spymaster? Where do we go?” asked one of them. She was in shock. The desperation in her voice tore at me. I tore my eyes away from the destruction below.  
 
“Can you open the gate?” I called to the pale soldier amongst them. He nodded once. “Do it quickly. I will mask our escape.” I peered down into the growing massacre of my people. I clenched my fists. How could he do this to us? We served him faithfully for decades! The pale soldier clenched his fists and smashed his palms together. He drew them apart to reveal three small black marbles. He threw them against the wall. Three swirling black vortexes opened. He pointed to the middle hole. “Now, people!” The foundations of the tower finally started to buckle. “It’s our only chance!” They ran into the center hole. I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and focused. The tower started to tilt. The center of gravity was changing. I opened my eyes and two more of me stood on either side. I nodded to them and they ran into the side vortexes to mask the escape. Only the pale soldier and I remained. He grabbed onto my arm and threw me into the center portal. He followed. I landed on my back. The last sight I had before the portal slammed shut was of the ground rushing up to meet us, fire filling my vision.
 
The handful of survivors looked around. “Where are we?” asked one of them.  
 
I stood up and took off my dark hood. “Safe for now. He won’t think to look for us here.” The land was mostly unformed. Various griffins, dragons, and werewolves dotted the landscape. Creatures of every mythology and legend could be found. A mighty castle pierced the clouds in the distance. “We go there,” I ordered. Obedient but weary, they obeyed. They followed me to the drawbridge. It lowered and we were allowed passage. No one greeted us. No one was there. A great voice touched my mind. It saw the truth. The Living Castle saw us and saw what we suffered. Without another word, we were assigned tasks and positions throughout the structure. If we were going to live here, we were going to do our part in protecting it and maintaining it. We had found sanctuary. We found Mythra.  
 
My name is Niki. We survived the great purge. We are the Mistresses, and this is our story.