by Cara Violet
“Of course,” she lied, and she knew he bought it, she’d already met Dersji once and he had a smarter mouth than what she did, it wasn’t hard to replicate. “You’re not scared of Dersji and I, are you?”
Ferak snarled and quickly yanked on her wrist again. This time Kaianan snarled back.
“You have no idea what you are talking about, Dersji Brikin and that smart mouth of his is dead,” he hissed out and then started laughing. “What are you trying to do?” Kaianan tightened her grip on his wrist. “There is no Siliou in this building for you to scorn me with dearest. Your just as smart as he is, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m smarter.” And with a concentrated look at him, Kaianan forced the Siliou inside the building, through the windows that had banged open, and lit up her hand in her violet aura, the flames stinging Liege Jarryd as he fell back and away from her. Immediately the Siliou departed and Kaianan breathed out at the effort it took her to do such a thing. It was worth it, the traumatised look on the Liege’s face was priceless.
“How the holom did you do that?” he said, holding his wrist.
Kaianan said nothing, her green eyes lingered on the bowl of stew and she felt a sense of relaxation come over her. She had a feeling there had been something in the soup. Oh well, it tasted good at least.
“Adrel,” Ferak called from the door, although Kaianan was unsure how he got there, so she continued to sway in her chair and rub on the fluffy orange cushions in curiosity. Were they alive? “Take her back to her cell, and get the Felrin cruiser ready for departure in an hour. I want to speak to Maya first.”
Kaianan didn’t really know what happened after that, someone had their hands on her and then everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Refusing to Comply
Caidus had ditched going to the Onyx Office meeting where Julius was going to reinstate his leadership. Caidus only got so far as the centre of the Hall in the Sile Mansion before he was sought after.
“Akki!” Julius called out, his voice reverberating off the black cobblestone walls, high ceiling, Bone statues and metal tables and chairs.
Caidus swung his head; gobsmacked to see the entire Onyx Office spilling into the Great Hall and Kydra a few metres behind Julius.
Caidus briefly halted and spoke nonchalantly: “A-dee.”
“You will address me as King, and my betrothed as Queen,” Julius said in a regal manner, coming to a stop. “I requested a meeting, why are you absent?”
Caidus’s mouth betrayed him and he let out a slight giggle when he spoke: “sorry, did you say to address you as King?”
“What has gotten into you?” Julius said quietly, “I am King of Sile; show your loyalty.”
“You go ahead and enjoy those powers. I’m leaving,” Caidus stated.
Julius’s face became pale. “You cannot,” he said. “I’ve elected you my lieutenant. I need you here, to rebuild; we must organise our new office.”
“I need to …” Caidus began and then looked back to all the onlookers, “I have to go Julius … I have to find her,” he whispered.
“I need you here Akki, supporting me as a Silkri Drake; I am persecuted by those who think I am unfit to lead and you are proving their point by acting against me,” Julius said inaudibly, out of earshot of the others. “I order you to remain here until things have settled, then you may depart with my approval.” He glanced back at the Office nervously.
“Don’t make this a scene, because you will lose,” Caidus said heatedly, and no touch of humour remained in his eyes.
Julius looked around at the Onyx Office members behind him once more. Caidus really gave him no choice. Then Julius’s demeanour suddenly shifted.
“Caidus Akki Nermordis,” Julius said at the top of his lungs, “you are instated as my lieutenant and you will be present in our succeeding meeting. You will make your way back with us and at the conclusion of this meeting, you will be given orders, as will the rest of your Onyx Office colleagues.”
“I must depart, dearest King; you would be sensible to not delay my intentions.” It was said with an air of finality and Caidus gathered himself and continued toward the door.
“You dare walk away from me!” Julius was shouting now and Caidus’s heart was beating faster.
Caidus again turned. “I have tolerated you beyond your merit, Julius. You’ve turned into a swine! Will Sile be your circus? I refuse to be a part of this right now.”
Once again something had triggered in Julius; his face flushed with indignation and his feet started moving. Toward his cousin.
Julius seized Caidus’s arm, yanking him around, and Caidus heard Kydra let out a little high-pitched sound in delight. Caidus expanded his aura. Red sparks shot out as his protective Silkri layer met Julius. Julius fired up his own aura and locked it around his form.
Caidus thought this was insane. Julius lifted his clutching fingers to Caidus’s robe and tightened it around his neck. Caidus thrust his hand forward and did the same to Julius.
“Cousin, I am not your enemy, we are both Silkri Drakes and you are my brother,” Caidus spoke through gritted teeth. “but you know what I want, and I will not be told. You want my allegiance; I will give it to you. Give me time first.”
Julius held Caidus tighter at the base of the hood on his black robe, wringing the material between his fingers and raised his voice: “Caidus Akki Nermordis, should you walk out that door, you will be banished from Sile!”
The Onyx Office members squabbled between themselves while Caidus sniggered. “You’re raving mad! So be it!” Caidus shouted and cocked his free arm back, punching Julius straight in the face and sending the new King soaring through the air. Julius landed flat on his back. His aura faded.
He raised a shaky hand and touched his nose. Blood filled his fingers and palm.
“You are against me? You are exiled!” Julius screamed. He fired an aura beam toward Caidus. But the beam hit a hanging picture frame of King Warlowes. Fragments of building began crumbling and the air filled with dust and soot. The smoke soon cleared and Caidus had all but vanished.
Chapter Twenty-Three: An Unexpected and Unwanted Rescue
Xandou stood, pacing his cell waiting on Kaianan to return. The guilt was eating away at him. Was it his fault she ended up like this?
“As it is written in the prophecy. Kaianan is the sacrifice, Holom’s door will open because of her.”
Lord Raquel’s voice rolled around inside his head. Kaianan, the sacrifice? How would her parents believe this? Who were they turning out to be? And why? This was such treachery—Kaianan should have been warned earlier! And what about removing her Liege from her. Heat filled his face again. His heart was torn. Apart of this was his fault. He trusted her parents to do the right thing by her, but the King and Queen obviously had other objectives in their minds when they decided to eradicate Kaianan’s memory. If only he knew why.
He’d at least finally told her the truth—most of it.
Why didn’t that make him feel any better? Why did he feel hollowed out when her face regarded him in disgust when he spoke of Dersji? This was all too much. The responsibility was his. He did nothing about anything, and maybe right now it was all too little too late.
A door creaked.
“Xandou,” the voice came up the long grey corridor that ran outside the cells in the Edification centre. He turned.
“The last time we met, you were watching me in a training room,” he said heatedly to Queen Maya, who had appeared. She batted her coloured eyelids at him and smiled.
“Oh Xandou, how you would have been such a great king. It is a pity.”
“What is a pity, is that you’ve turned our people inside out and condemned them to the Felrin right now!”
Maya crossed her arms. “You don’t need to concern yourself with things that don’t concern you.”
“It has everything to do with me, I am a Giliou who has a right to speak in Forsda, you know what I have worked toward.”
; “You should have saved her then, instead of getting yourself caught, perhaps?”
“That’s beside the point, Kaianan needs to be kept protected, don’t—”
“Don’t what? You sound like Metrix, Xandou. All the fear in the world yet no one believing in you. You going to betray your morals like she has?”
“How dare you,” he said bitterly.
“I need you to do something for me,” she said quietly.
“I’ll do nothing for you!”
“Yes, you will.”
Clenching his knuckles into his fists, he breathed out. “What’s in it for me?”
“Xandou,” she paused, and after an inhale and an exhale continued, “we need you to bring the Giliou home.”
He frowned. “The Giliou you banished? The ones you told if they left Forsda would be branded fugitives alongside me?”
“We will free you if you do this,” Maya stated.
Xandou mulled it over. “What do you want with them? You need protection from something?”
She didn’t answer him.
“Or perhaps, it is it Sile? Is it because Elli Nermordis is dead?”
Maya shot him a furious look. That was it, they were fearful of the Necromancers who now have no treaty or armistice with the Giliou because of Elli Nermordis’s death. If King Julius held onto his spot on the throne, he was most likely to support Kaianan and the Gorgon, not the Giliou and the Felrin. Kaianan had gotten that right. But how long would Julius remain in control was the question. It didn’t matter right now; Maya was still scared out of her wits at the war they could descend on her with half her Giliou Shielders parked in Layos representing Xandou.
“You don’t have enough to keep Sile and their Arch Mages at bay, I see … you’re worried we might just fall back into permanent civil unrest,” Xandou said. “And if I don’t do this?”
“We will keep you locked up until your Gorgon Queen is terminated and your fate will be no different than hers,” she said nonchalantly.
“You want my help? Leave Kaianan alone.”
“Out of the question,” she said.
“Well what is in question then? Is this not a negotiation?”
“It’s your freedom, Xandou, you can have your army back home in Forsda to protect your people under your free command.”
“You mean under your command. To perhaps spark a war with the Necromancers we could possibly avoid. What do you take me for? A fool? I will not march against Sile when I have obligations to the Gorgon royal family.”
“That obligation ended moons ago,” Maya said aggressively. “When they up and died or left Rivalex!”
“It never ends, Maya, Laro thou Maiy,” Xandou said firmly. “They are family just as much as my Giliou brothers and sisters.”
“Xandou, stop using that ancient tongue! You were sent there to keep an eye on her and then to get rid of her if we needed! Those safe locks were set up to distract the Gorgons!” Maya’s outburst seemed unwarranted. “We needed the girls separated and isolated so we could work out what we would do with Kaianan—how we would end her!”
Astonishment hit him; he became motionless at her revelation. He was sure she didn’t mean to be so honest. The bitter words washed over him and threatened to drown him. He thought the several meetings he had attended with Maya and Queen Agantha were about Kaianan’s security. Apparently not. With an effort, he recalled one meeting in particular at the Manor, when Agantha said to Maya: “she will be in your hands when the time arises and the universe needs to use her full potential.” What did that mean? He had thought it meant she trusted the Giliou enough to place her daughter in their hands. But this wasn’t it at all. This was about controlling the prophecy. To prevent the very thing, they feared.
“It was all a lie?” he paused, staring at his feet. “There was no protection in the pre-planned safe lock on Earth?”
“No,” she said blatantly, “… and as the Felrin instructed us, we gave warning to Earth’s Underworld, that the Necromancers were there to destroy her and you bartered with the Earth Conductor for her. We spent months ensuring all of this would go to plan. We did this with Elli. You weren’t supposed to lead an Insurgence.”
“You mean you wanted Layos to be invaded, you arranged the attack and then you didn’t send Shielders? You knew I would be fighting against them?”
“I thought you would have been smart enough to realise it wasn’t your place.”
“Why are you doing this? Why do you want her dead so badly?”
“SHE WILL NOT RULE!” Maya boomed with rage.
The silence and tension hung in the air. This was a Queen full of fear, clinging to the throne she feared she would lose. But she never wanted it, did she?
“Ah, the Rivalex Mark brings new universal order. You fear loss of control, loss of your leadership. Loss of the very thing you clutch to now, Maya. How’s that working out for you?” Xandou tilted his head sideways.
“At least I’m not the one tied up,” she spat.
Xandou shook his head, “No, but I’m in physical chains: my mind is not shackled by fear, so in comparison I am the only free one in this room.” Xandou beamed right back at her. “Not if … but when … the prophecy becomes, I hope we are not on the same planet,” he said. “If you could be so kind to depart … Your impertinent attitude is putting a dampener on my spirits.”
The creek of a door sounded, Xandou turned and waited as four Giliou Shielders brought back an unconscious Kaianan, and when he went back to face Maya, she was gone.
Kaianan stirred. She opened her eyes to the ceiling of her cell, moaning. Was the soup worth the headache? Sure, it was.
“Kaianan,” she heard Xandou’s voice, “are you okay?”
Was it worth being brought back to deal with Xandou in the cell next to her? No, probably not.
“I’m fine,” she gurgled out, “… I mean, they gave me something to eat.”
“What? Did you eat it?”
“I did,” she smiled.
“And you’re groggy now?”
“Xandou, as far as I’m aware it won’t affect me,” she chuckled out, “whatever they’ve given me.”
“Stop being ridiculous! You’re sounding like a little girl! What did Liege Jarryd say?”
“Ferak told me I’m to meet the board of three principals, some Prudence lady is waiting for me.”
“When are they transporting you?”
“Shortly. Maybe he said one hour.”
“You’ve been out of it for half an hour, listen Kaianan, you might not be switched on right now, but you need to know, I think you were right.”
“Aren’t I always?” she placed a hand on her chest and smiled smugly.
“Shut up and listen.”
“Sure Xandou,” her hands waved softy about in the air above her, “since you asked so nicely, and since you kept the information about my Liege from me. What else are you keeping secrets about … ow, I know, about how they want you to be king! Ha ha!”
“Kaianan, I will break you myself,” his tone increasing.
“Not like the last time though, huh?” she said, spaced out. “Why did my ‘port send me to you? Xandou are we even best friends anymore?”
“That’s what we will always be. I have had your best interests in my heart since day one, I put you before anyone else you must see that.”
“I do, I still think you’re a liar though. I mean you’re pretty good looking so I would be wrong to believe you, this could be a trap.”
“I need to tell you—if you could be quiet—about your safe lock.”
“Are you talking right through me, Xandou?”
“The safe lock was a trap.”
She swayed on the hard bed when she sat up to look at him. “What?”
“The Queen just told me, the Felrin ordered the Giliou, and I believe your parents, to send you to a safe lock so they could use you as perhaps the sacrifice. The Giliou managed to form a treaty with the Necromancers under Elli, who would allow some
one passage to follow you to Earth, and supposedly kill you.”
Kaianan took several minutes to register this. The safe locks were there for her and possibly Chituma to be sent to and killed. That sneaky suspicion she had about people wanting her dead seemed like an understatement. The Felrin ordered it, fine, the Giliou and Necromancers partook, yes, but what about her parents? What reason did they have to send her to her death? “Why? Why did they want this?”
“I found it hard to believe, but they are all just scared of you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Maya is scared about you ruling,” he said, “about this whole new universal order being led by you, the Rivalex Mark …The Felrin would have been keeping close tabs and knew the best way for you to be sacrificed would be either in a civil conflict or at your safelock. Thus, placing no blame on them.”
“Ferak wouldn’t want to be blamed,” Kaianan said sarcastically.
“The problem is,” Xandou went on, “even though the Felrin have apprehended you now and plan on taking you with them, her fear still boils; she worries about the King-Julius-led-Necromancers invading because I have taken half her army, they are with us in Layos; the planet itself is also on a knife’s edge with civil war, especially if the Necromancers have completely changed their tune.”
“Ironic really,” she said blasé, “perhaps me leaving won’t stop a war after all. What a waste.”
“Kaianan,” he said tersely, “they all want you dead. You do know that, war or no war they want to kill you because they think it will stop you from taking over, even though your parents believed you were the sacrifice, even though Boku Jove believed it. These people think by killing you, the prophecy will be stopped.”
“What?” Kaianan’s fried brain was less than cognizant, “I can’t even take over a relationship with a boy—”
“What?”
“Yeah,” she dribbled out in jest, “Julius loved me, he said he couldn’t kill me like his father wanted, but I didn’t tell him what I felt.”
“What?” Xandou snapped again. “What did they feed you? Some type of truth serum?”