Whitney Writes…

Sister Imperator smiled. The smile that had always made Nihil and his other three sons’ blood run cold; but for Copia, it had always been reassuring. A testament to the fact that his mother always prevailed. She had sworn to him that he would rise through the ranks of the Ministry one day, taking his father’s role from his undeserving, ineffective brothers. Her words, not his. Copia had always thought that his brothers – half-brothers, as his mother always reminded him – had the effect that was needed at the time. But that was not the point. His mother had sworn that this would happen, and she had made it happen.

The corpses of his brothers were proof. He had said he would miss them, but his mother swore that they were merely in his way. They had to be gotten rid of. She wouldn’t need to know that he kept their memory and spirits alive. Copia shifted uncomfortably, trying to dispel such thoughts. The beads and fabric of his new robes rustled softly. He could hear two of his newly appointed Ghouls sliding forward at the sense of his discomfort. He waved his gloved hand at them, subtly dismissing them.

He could hear the smile in her voice, as she caressed his dark hair as he knelt before her. “Rise, my darling Copia,” she said, pride dripping from her voice. “Rise as Papa Emeritus IV.”

Inktober 2023, Prompt #13: RISE