by Eric Vall
“But I do not believe that was their intention,” Alyona added and looked up at me with those piercing purple eyes of hers. “I think they were merely defending their territory.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think,” the princess said as she turned to face the cat Demi-Humans, “these are the citizens of Tikal.”
“I thought you said Tikal’s citizens were lion Demi-Humans.” I jerked my head at the group in front of us, and I could see their grips tense on their weapons. “These don’t look like lions.”
“The lion Demi-Humans were the rulers of Tikal,” Nike corrected as he walked up on my other side, “but there were numerous other races and species residing within the city, too.”
“So, you see,” Alyona went on, “you cannot kill them, my love. Because these are the people we are meant to treat with.”
“Fuck,” I snarled and dug my talons into the earth. “You gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“I think it might be best if you change back into your human form,” Alyona suggested as she ran her hand over my scaled foreleg. “To show that you mean them no harm.”
“Yeah, fuck that,” I snorted, “I mean them a lot of harm for attacking Ravi. But, for the sake of our mission, I’ll refrain from burning anyone alive.”
“How cordial of you, my lord,” Laika said as she scowled in the direction of the cat Demi-Humans, “I think it’s more than they deserve.”
I huffed a dry laugh. Laika was loyal to a fault, and if anyone fucked with her pack, she wasn’t very inclined to forgive them. It was something we had in common, and one of the things I loved most about the wolf.
“Alright,” I sighed and kneaded the dirt with my claws, “here’s the plan. Since it’s obviously useless to tell you guys to stay back, we’ll all approach, but we’ll do this my way, understood?”
“Yes, my lord,” Laika intoned with a bow, and Nike nodded from my other side while Alyona smiled up at me.
“Okay, I’ll go first,” I said, “and everyone else will file in behind me so I can use my body as a shield if need be. As the royal members of our party, Ravi and Alyona will be in the middle, and Laika, Nike, and the dryads will encircle them for safety. I’ll address the cat Demi-Humans first, and if they don’t attack us outright, then we can proceed from there.”
“Understood, brother,” Nike replied as he drew the Sword of Light from his storage space. “We’ll be prepared for anything.”
“No one will hurt Milady,” Polina chimed in with an uncharacteristic scowl, and her sisters nodded beside her.
“Or pretty Ravi,” Marina added as she smiled at the phoenix.
“Good,” I growled, “then let’s go meet these pricks.”
My friends all nodded, and then I lifted one of my enormous legs and stepped forward. The moment I did so, the cat Demi-Humans all brandished their weapons, but their leader held up his hand as he watched me.
A mutual understanding seemed to pass between us, because when I took another step forward, the cat Demi-Humans didn’t move. They remained still as stone as my party and I advanced across the field between our groups, and the leader’s eyes never left mine.
As we drew closer, and now that we weren’t attacking each other, I studied the cat Demi-Humans a little more intently. My initial cursory glance had been correct, these weren’t lions. If I had to guess, I would say they were jaguar Demi-Humans instead. The ears perched on top of their heads were rounded, and I could see larger rosettes on their tannish fur with black spots in the center. Their tails were similarly spotted, and sharp white claws extended from their fingers. Their skin tones ranged between golden, tan, and darker brown, and their eyes were various shades of amber and green.
The lead jaguar was a little more distinct than the rest, though. He stood taller than the others, his black hair was braided into a long plait at his back, and his skin was a rich mahogany hue. His eyes were almond in shape and a piercing bright yellow in color, and they tracked me with the intense scrutiny of an apex predator. His chest rippled with corded muscles, and his torso was bare except for a tooth or a claw that hung on a tattered leather string around his thick neck. He wore what looked like a long skirt made from an unidentifiable material, but it was dyed in shades of green and brown, probably to blend into the jungle at his back. His feet were bare, like the rest of the jaguars’, and I watched his clawed toes flex into the dirt as my party and I finally came to a stop about fifteen yards away.
Silence stretched between our groups for several long moments, and I bared my fangs in warning when the jaguar leader’s eyes flickered over my shoulder.
“You don’t need to look at them,” I rumbled as I lowered my head to look into the jaguar’s yellow eyes, “your business is with me.”
“Is it, now?” the man asked, and his voice was a deep, rich timber with a lilting accent. “And here I thought it was with the phoenix who invaded our territory.”
“I didn’t mean to--” Ravi started to apologize behind me, but a small growl slipped from my lips, and the phoenix lapsed back into silence.
“She wasn’t invading anything,” I told the jaguar leader. “We’ve been traveling for some time, and she was just scoping out the land beyond the Crimson Canyons.”
Surprised mutterings rose up from the jaguar ranks, and they shared looks of confusion. Then the leader sharply flicked his tail, and his men fell quiet.
“You traveled through the Crimson Canyons?” the jaguar Demi-Human questioned, and his eyebrow twitched to reveal his shock.
“We did,” I said.
“And how did you survive?” he asked as he cocked his head to the side. “Legend says a wrathful dragon lives in those canyons, and all who meet her perish before her might.”
“If you haven’t noticed,” I sneered and bared my three-foot long fangs again, “I’m not exactly a helpless traveler. Besides, the Crimson Dragon and I have … an understanding.”
The jaguar blinked his yellow eyes in surprise. “And who are you to have an … understanding with the Crimson Dragon?”
I’d thought he would never ask.
“I am Lord Evan,” I declared as I drew myself up to my full imposing height. “I am the Lord and Guardian of Hatra el Shamash.”
“Hatra,” the jaguar echoed as his black eyebrows arched toward his hairline. “I had heard … rumors that the old ruined city had been resurrected.”
“And restored,” I added and puffed out my chest in pride. “This isn’t just a rumor, it is the truth. I have brought Hatra el Shamash back from the dead.”
“Then why are you here, Lord Dragon?” the dark-skinned Demi-Human asked with a frown. “Surely, you have enough to deal with in your own city? It is not an easy feat to come back from the dead.”
“I’m here on behalf of His Eminence, the glorious sun of Rahma, King Rodion,” I explained.
I expected the jaguars to be awed or shocked by my declaration. What I didn’t expect was for them to let out a series of hisses and snarls. Their ears pinned back against their heads, and their tails lashed back and forth in aggravation.
The lead jaguar was more stoic, but his yellow eyes narrowed a fraction, and his upper lip twitched in the beginnings of a sneer.
“The glorious sun and king of Rahma,” he repeated in a mocking tone. “And what does his Eminence want with Tikal now? He has been perfectly content to ignore us for years.”
“My father hasn’t ignored anyone,” Alyona spoke up from behind me, and I suppressed a sigh as the lead jaguar’s eyes darted over my shoulder again.
“And who speaks to me now?” he questioned as he brought his gaze back to me.
Well, the proverbial cat was out of the bag, so I stepped slightly to the side to reveal the rest of my party. Laika, Nike, and the dryads were still circled tightly around the princess and the phoenix with their weapons drawn, but Alyona laid a hand on Laika’s shoulder, and the wolf Demi-Human moved aside with a deferential if cautious bow of her head.
&n
bsp; Then Alyona stepped up beside me, and she raised her petite chin as she faced off with the leader of the jaguars.
“I am Princess Alyona, the Divine Maiden, daughter of His Eminence King Rodion, and princess of Rahma,” she intoned in a strong if cold voice. “And who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”
The lead jaguar dragged his yellow eyes over Alyona, and his sneer deepened until a deep growl rumbled in my chest. Then he brought his gaze up to meet the princess’s again.
“I am called Jai of House Onca,” he said as he dipped his head only a fraction which was itself an insult since Alyona was technically his sovereign. “I am one of the lords of Tikal and the leader of the jaguar faction.”
I furrowed my brow. Jaguar faction? What did that mean?
“Well met, Jai,” Alyona nodded her head, “it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“I cannot say the same, I’m afraid,” Jai said as he studied Alyona and then me.
My lips curled back from my fangs as I growled at the jaguar in warning, but he merely held up his hands.
“I am no fan of King Rodion, but I am not fool enough to harm his only daughter,” the jaguar scoffed. “I do not mean you nor your party any harm, Evan of the House of Hatra el Shamash.”
“Lord Evan,” Alyona corrected as she pursed her lips.
“Lord Evan,” Jai conceded with a quirked eyebrow. “My apologies. But you still haven’t answered my question. Why are you here? Why has Rodion sent you?”
“His Eminence has sent us because Rahma teeters on the brink of a civil war,” Alyona explained with a frown.
“Rahma has been as such for years,” Jai shrugged, “what is the king’s concern now?”
“The king is concerned because The Breach is growing stronger,” I growled. “The demons are weakening the veil between the worlds, and if Rahma is too busy being embroiled in petty disputes, then the nation, and the world, will fall.”
Jai sighed and averted his yellow gaze to the sky overhead. “The Breach has been a bedtime story we tell our children for generations. Ever does it grow strong, ever does the world teeter on the brink of destruction. It is a tale as old as the sun.”
“Hey, this isn’t just some story,” I snapped. “I’ve seen it for myself. I’ve battled miasma, behemoths, fucking zombies, and demonized harpies. Evil shit is happening all across not just Rahma, but the whole of Inati.”
“What do we care for the rest of Rahma or Inati?” Jai frowned, and his spotted ears pinned back against his head. “Neither have ever cared for us.”
“That’s not true,” Nike said suddenly from beside me, and his silver eyes were narrowed. “I visited Tikal once when I was a boy, and it was a prosperous and peaceful city under the rule of House Oel, who have always been loyal to the King of Rahma.”
At the mention of House Oel, the jaguar warriors dissolved into hisses again, and Jai narrowed his yellow eyes into slits as his tail lashed behind him.
“And what would a boy know of the affairs of Tikal or House Oel?” Jai growled at Nike.
“I am not a boy any longer,” Nike responded in a cold voice, and even though his face looked young, something ancient and powerful flashed in his mercury colored eyes.
I could tell the noble and the jaguar were very close to coming to blows, and as much as I wanted to punch the smug, stubborn cat in his face, I knew that was counterproductive. Alyona had been right, attacking these people wasn’t going to accomplish anything. We were on this campaign tour to mend rifts and restore people’s trust in the crown and King Rodion. The fate of Rahma depended on it, and if I was ever going to rule over this kingdom one day, I had to ensure it remained intact first.
So, if Jai and the people of Tikal felt as if they’d been ignored or abandoned by the crown, then I was going to rectify that right now.
“Alright,” I announced and stepped between Jai and Nike, and as I came between the two, I shifted back into my human form to deescalate the situation. “We didn’t come here to fight. We came here to treat and make peace for the good of Rahma.”
Jai scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“You say the crown has never cared for Tikal,” I addressed the jaguar, “why do you say that, Jai of House Onca?”
“Because it is the truth,” he replied, and his voice was so low it was almost a hiss. “Tikal has suffered for years, for generations. First at the hands of House Oel, and now … ” He trailed off and clenched his jaw, and then he raised his chin in defiance. “Never has His Eminence noticed the plight of our people. Never has he deigned to care.”
“You believe my father does not care?” Alyona said, and her voice was suddenly glacial.
I glanced back at the princess, and if I was a lesser man, the expression on her face would have made me break out into a cold sweat. Her eyes were as piercing as amethyst daggers, and her mouth was such a sharp line it could cut someone to ribbons.
“I know he does not,” Jai sneered at Alyona.
By the way Alyona’s purple eyes flashed, I half expected her to tear the jaguar a new one, but instead she cocked her head at him.
“Jai of House Onca,” she intoned, “have you ever been to The Breach?”
The jaguar’s ears twitched, and his tail flicked behind him. “No.”
“I didn’t think so,” Alyona smiled, but it wasn’t a kind expression, “if you had, you would not presume to say my father does not care for Tikal, or for all of Rahma for that matter. The Breach is a nightmare beyond all description … so the only way for you to understand is for you to see it.”
I blinked and tried not to let my confusion show on my face. What did Alyona mean by that?
Jai seemed similarly puzzled, and he frowned at Alyona as his warriors shifted uneasily behind him.
“See it?” the jaguar echoed.
“Yes,” she confirmed and lifted her hands. “Here, let me help you.”
Before anyone could say a word, Alyona started to chant a spell under her breath, and a glowing purple magical array appeared before her. Runes and sparks spun within the array, and the feel of the princess’s pure power permeated the air. Her voice rose in volume and cadence as she continued the incantation, and Jai’s yellow eyes went wide as he took an uncertain step back.
Then Alyona shouted one last word, and a rift split the air in half.
The jaguar warriors cried out in alarm, and Jai stumbled backward and fell on his ass.
Hell, I couldn’t even blame him.
Because there in front of us stood The Breach.
Alyona’s spell had been some type of portal, and the magical doorway was about twenty feet wide and ten feet tall. Purple magic sparked along the edges in intricate runes and symbols, but I couldn’t even appreciate it because my attention was arrested by the image on the other side of the threshold.
The sky was a deep and bloody red, and clouds of midnight black blocked out the sun. The only light to be seen was random flashes of blue lightning, and the glow of a white magical array so vast it seemed incomprehensible. The array was shaped like a dome that towered into the crimson sky, and it pulsed and shuddered like a stuttering heartbeat.
And beneath the dome was a writhing, pulsating mass of demons.
I couldn’t even pick out the shapes of individual monsters, it was just a teeming mass of grotesque black limbs, flashing fangs, and scarlet eyes. An unholy screech emanated from the dome as the demons threw themselves at the barrier by the hundreds, only to be burned to ash by the magic’s purity. Waves of demons fell only to be replaced with legions more, and in between waves, The Breach itself could be seen.
It was like a festering black wound that stretched for miles, and it oozed miasma like infected, rotten pus. An overwhelming sense of despair, hopelessness, and foreboding also radiated from The Breach, and looking at it made me feel like the world was already lost.
As we watched, some demons were powerful enough to force their way through the barrier dome, an
d then they fell upon the armies that awaited them on the other side. The human soldiers and mages looked pitiful in comparison, and I was sure we were about to witness them be slaughtered.
Then the portal began to shrink and fade until it snapped out of existence with a hiss of sparks.
Alyona stumbled against me slightly, and I reached out to steady her.
“You okay?” I demanded as my eyes skipped over her tired face.
That had been fucking intense.
“I’m fine, my love.” She smiled up at me gratefully before she rose to her full height again and turned to address the jaguars.
Jai was still flat on his ass on the ground with his mouth agape, and his yellow eyes bulged out of his head in horror. His men fared little better. The once fearsome warriors cowered together with their tails tucked between their legs, and their ears laid plastered to their skulls in terror.
Alyona took a small step forward, and Jai flinched back against the dirt, but the princess offered him her hand. His yellow eyes flickered from her face, to her hand, to me over her shoulder, before he finally reached up and slid his palm into hers. Then Alyona helped him to his feet before she took a polite step back to stand at my side.
“Now you see what my father, His Eminence, is up against every single moment of every single day,” Alyona said as she stared down the jaguar. “Without him, the barrier would fall, and The Breach would be fully unleashed upon the world. It is not that he does not care for you, Jai of House Onca, it is actually the opposite. His Eminence cares too much, so much so that he has spent years, decades, generations defending this kingdom against the horrors of the demon world. He has committed his entire life to it. However, when one is concerned with the bigger picture, some of the details get lost, so I am sorry Tikal has become overlooked in recent years. Lord Evan and I want to change that. Will you help us accomplish this?”
Jai looked from Alyona to me, and then his gaze drifted to the spot where the portal had stood. I could see many emotions warring in his face, so I decided to help him out a little.
