Hey new story! Yay for Gremlins! ;)

I hope you enjoy it. It is finished and bit by bit getting put up. Read and Review.

Any and all comments are much appreciated, just try not to be too-long winded or over-critical.

There is a different between that and constructive criticism.

Thanks though loverlies!

Enjoy

Winter was fast approaching, or it was as far as Tzar Reiz could tell, but that was of no consequence now. What was of import was that the Gathering drew nearer with every minute. He was dressed as required this momentous day in black silk robes adorned with silver embroidery and jewels to make any thief drown in his own drool. He wore no crown or hat or covering of any kind upon his noble head, and doing so around the stone would have dire consequences. Consequences that had led to his ascending to the throne, he mused. His feet were bare, as was custom of all Tzars (only those of lesser status wore shoes), and instead of toenails he had permanent silver claws protruding off his feet as if to warn of the power the Stone gave to him.

This Stone, the very stone he now stood beside, was known as the Stone of Kalele. It was the Stone of Rule to the ignorant and the symbol of every Tzar's eternal power. Only when the Stone was tired of its Tzar or angered by him did it relinquish its hold about him. It was an excruciating death to be sure, but power and the possibility of eternal life however slim are incentive enough to ignore that risk.

His hands encircled the sapphire-like Stone, stroking it lovingly in persuasion. The Stone had been in existence since the beginning of the Creationox when cities first formed, but the Tzar lineage had not begun until later. That was when the cities formed a primitive government and the system of time keeping known as the Diabo. The cities had formed a hierarchy, as well as this system, and each was responsible for a different aspect of their lives.

The Dom was where all royalty resided. It was larger and grander than any other city, and it was where the Tzar, his Tzarina, and his eight other wives were to live. Participants of the formal rituals also lived and worked in the Dom. The lower cities were called by their number, and there were eight. The First City was, of course, the Dom. The Second City would have control over who participated in the rituals, and other duties of survival and comfort for the city dwellers were divided among the rest of the lower cities.

As Tzar Reiz touched the Stone in hopes of gaining more information, news that would determine his actions in the upcoming winter, Safime Grenash walked, or more precisely waddled, into the center of the Ovalrina where Tzar Reiz stood. The man was dressed finely in white, though not as finely as the Tzar. However, he was in ornate robes nonetheless. Instead of silver embroidery and jewels the Safime was covered in intricate patterns of gold. The designs were no less fine, but only few in the Dom were permitted to wear such a holy color such as silver.

The Safime, the safe-keeper of time, cleared his throat in order not to disturb the Stone more than necessary, for it angered easily. The Tzar turned his head with a cocked brow and a curious look upon his face.

"Tzar Reiz," Safime Grenash began, "The Gathering, sire? Shall you attend this night?"

Tzar Reiz almost smiled at the nervous tone of Safime Grenash's timid voice, but fortunately he restrained his less than noble impulse. He nodded absently before turning back to the beautiful Stone. The Safime began to say more, thought better of it, and quietly left. Before the heavy jeweled door even closed behind him it swung open once again. The Tzarina Liline silently moved through the doorway, turning her back to the room too close the door.

"Why do you show such insolence, female?" Tzar Reiz asked in a low menacing tone, breaking the silence and making the Stone cry out its shriek in discontent. The Tzar resumed his stroking of the Stone as he watched his wife, a fairly loose term rarely used.

Tzarina Liline, the First Wife of the Tzar Reiz, was by far the most beautiful of the wives he had. There were eight. (As was with their traditions, the First of anything involving multiples was the only one given a name. For example, the First Wife of the Tzar was called the Tzarina, but all the other wives were merely a number and a name.) At the moment her hair was pulled into a bun atop the crown of her head. Braids hung in loops from her bun wrapped in spirals of small sapphires and diamonds connected by strings of silver. Her face was void of decoration save for the three diamonds surgically implanted into the skin beside each eye. The diamonds formed a line that curved upward. A tear shaped sapphire was in place between her brows by the same surgical process. The gown upon her slim body was of silvery silk. It was cut low across her breasts with a strand of small sapphires and diamonds beneath her bodice. Small sleeves clung tightly to her arms slightly off the shoulder, and the rest of the silvery-white dress hung limp from the bodice, its hem barely gracing the Stone floor. Her tiny feet peeked out from her luxurious gown by a hair, which was just enough to see the ornate slippers upon them.

The Tzarina bowed her head, keeping her eyes level with her husband's, and spoke very softly. "Forgive me, Tzar Reiz. I was not thinking."

Tzar Reiz's look became distant for a moment before his gaze once more focused on the Tzarina. "Indeed, you seem to forget many things, but you are forgiven… for the time being. You are but just a female."

Tzarina Liline kept her head bowed until the Tzar motioned for her to him. "Now, what news do you bring me?" The Tzarina clasped her hands afore her, considering how to answer. A few seconds later, though, she was still considering, and Tzar Reiz disliked waiting. He cried out in anger, "Answer me, you worthless whore!" Liline jumped and immediately began a reply.

She managed to stutter, "Sire, I only wished to inquire something of you."

Tzar Reiz groaned loudly, his fingers, scraping across the Stone, which screamed louder than before. It was a screeching sound that delved into the furthest depths of agony of one's mind. "Get on with it, female!" The Stone grew hot to his touch, purposefully making him let go. Before the Tzarina could even begin to ask anything of him, Tzar Reiz was screaming again, "Infernal woman! Out of my sight!"

Tzarina Liline tried to object, pleading, "Sire, if only I may ask one thing of you-"

"Out!"

"Please sire-"

"Safime Grenash! Take her away!" Tzar Reiz yelled. His eyes practically bulged from their sockets, his face looking as if it would burst from their sockets, his face looking as if it would burst into flames at any moment. "She shall be lashed at the Gathering this night!" When the Safime began to object, Tzar Reiz merely hissed, "If you do not leave me now, you will join her!"

The door slammed shut behind the retreating figures. With the newfound silence inside the Ovalrina, Tzar Reiz sighed in relief, looking giddy at the thought of the coming event at the Gathering. Lashings did excite him so.