by Kyle, Celia
Nakan snorted and turned toward the door. “There will be no succession. I am alive and it is time they know I still breathe.”
He marched through the halls, Aarom and the other warriors on his heels. As they passed through tunnels and branches of the maze within the mountain, they were spotted by other Aterans. Whispers followed in their wake as people expressed shock—and delight—that Nakan lived. Many of the warriors they encountered fell into line behind Nakan’s group, joining their march to the great hall. Others hurried ahead. To warn Chaze that things had not gone according to plan?
Nakan quickened his pace. He would see Chaze’s expression when the male realized Nakan was still alive.
By the time they reached the great hall, a large crowd had formed outside. Nakan shouldered his way through, pushing Aterans aside in order to make his way down the path. When his people noticed the commotion he caused, they moved aside for him, whispering his name. Everyone appeared shocked to see him and, to his pride, many appeared pleased he had returned. The Aterans he passed stood straighter when they saw him and when he met their stares, he found his own determination reflected there.
Nakan stormed the great hall like an avalanche of bottled rage and fury, the tides of warriors parting before him. He stared down at the central platform, the space occupied by Chaze and other arguing warlords.
“Chaze!” Nakan bellowed, glowering down at the male from the upper levels. “Your cowardly attempt to end me did not succeed, you dishonorable fool. Will you face me now in true ritual combat?” He spread his arms. “In front of the assembled warlords?”
Murmurs whipped through the crowd and within moments the great hall had burst into a roar of voices. Chaze spun and turned his attention to Nakan. The other male’s eyes went wide and then narrowed into a sharp glare.
Chaze whipped the sword off his back and made a sweeping gesture with one arm. The assembled warlords stepped aside to clear the platform.
Nakan strode down the steps to meet his foe, but before he reached halfway, a delicate voice called out to him.
“Nakan! You’re alive!”
He searched the crowd and spied Kalinda elbowing her way through the mass of bodies, making her way to him. When the Aterans recognized who was among them, they made a wide path so she could pass. She rushed to him, tears welling in her eyes.
A weight lifted off his chest—seeing his kode alive and well. When Kalinda reached him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.
She buried her face against his shoulder, tears soaking his scales. “I thought… I thought I’d lost you.”
“I will never leave you, my kode,” Nakan whispered. “We will be together until my scales turn white with age.”
She tipped back her head to look at him, wiping rivulets of tears from her cheeks. “You mean it?”
He caressed her cheek, prepared to say more about his feelings, only to be interrupted by a bellow from below.
“Are you here to fight, Nakan?” Chaze brandished his ancient sword. “I thought you were a warrior, not a foolish pup to drool over a female.” He pointed his blade at Kalinda. “She will be mine, Nakan. Your blood will stain the great hall and she will be mine. Eana has already shown me it is so!”
Nakan curled his lip with a growl and pushed Kalinda behind him. He wanted her far from Chaze. He glanced over his shoulder at Aarom and spoke to his friend. “Keep her safe.
He strode down the stairs, but Kalinda grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Nakan, you can’t—”
Nakan spared a moment to flash Kalinda a reassuring smile. “Fear not, my kode. This is my honor and duty as warlord of the Hard Sands.”
She pulled away and Nakan turned to face Chaze once more, resuming his descent to the platform. The broad stone slab was cleared of all except for his opponent. Chaze stood at the ready, the heavy, curved sword held with two hands. Nakan had no weapon, his blade lost to the chasm when he was pushed from the cliff.
But he needed no weapon. He would let his fangs and claws end the traitor’s life.
“You want a duel?” Chaze swing his sword with a mighty swipe. “Come, Nakan, and you shall have it!”
Nakan growled and crouched low, balancing on his feet. He circled his foe, searching for an opening. “You are a coward, Chaze. If you truly thought you could beat me, you would have issued a formal challenge according to the laws of our people. Instead, you chose trickery and deceit.” Nakan sneered. “Tricks will not save you.”
Chaze’s eyes narrowed and he held his blade up, ready to deflect Nakan’s attacks. What he spied in Chaze’s expression made him smile—fear.
Nakan had returned from the dead once this day and Chaze must have realize which of them the goddess truly favored.
Nakan snarled and lunged at his opponent. At the same moment, Chaze rushed forward with a swing of his blade.
Claw and sword clashed. The battle had begun.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kalinda braced her back against Aarom’s chest, the fight between Nakan and Chaze unfolding below. A contingent of warriors closed in around her, blades at the ready and their intent stares on the crowd around them in a silent threat to any other who might mean her harm. Though most eyes were on the battle between the warlord and usurper. Kalinda was the same, unable to tear her attention from her mate. She’d lost Nakan once today and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him a second time.
Nakan circled his opponent, fingers curled with his claw tips at the ready—no other weapon at hand for him. He swiped his claws at Chaze, deflecting the mighty swings of Chaze’s sword, but Chaze kept pushing him back, nearly forcing Nakan off the platform and into the crowd.
“Can’t someone help him?” Kalinda looked over her shoulder at Aarom.
He shook his head. “This he must do alone.”
“But he’s losing!”
“If he loses,” Aarom raised his chin, eyes hard. “Then it is the will of the goddess, but I do not believe she wishes for Chaze to rule.”
Kalinda rolled her eyes. Even after everything that’d happened, she couldn’t manage to believe in all of the talk about fate and destiny. She wanted to have faith—more than anyone in the mountain—and part of her felt like it wasn’t coincidence her ship had crashed on Atera. But there was a difference between faith and letting Nakan be killed because it was the “will of the goddess.”
“At least give him a weapon!” Kalinda gestured to the raging battle. “He’s fighting with his bare hands against a sword. It’s not fair.”
Aarom grunted. “A true warlord needs no weapons. It is a lesson he has needed to learn for some time. His body is his weapon. His body is an extension of the will of the goddess.”
She shook her head, unable to understand Aarom’s attitude and blind belief in the goddess. Sure, Nakan had claws, but they were clearly no match for Chaze’s sword. Chaze had superior reach, and greater strength. The only reason Nakan hadn’t been killed was he kept moving, using his agility to maneuver out of Chaze’s reach.
Yet as the battle raged on, Kalinda spied a pattern emerging. Nakan barely attacked his opponent, only using swipes of his claws to fend off Chaze when he got too close. Instead, Nakan kept moving, fancy footwork that reminded her of a human boxer while Chaze grew sluggish with the constant chase. He focused on using his sword, not caring about footwork or maneuverability. He was a brute, accuostmed to using his superior size and strength to defeat challengers. He’d probably never been in a fight that lasted this long, against an opponent focused on evasion rather than attack.
With each passing moment, Chaze’s movements grew clumsier and more ragged. The scales on his face darkened while his breathing came in heaving pants. The weight of his sword slowed him, yet he seemed determined to use the weapon instead of changing his strategy. Kalinda didn’t know much about fighting, but she recognized a losing scheme when it was in front of her. The brutish Chaze didn’t seem smart enough to look past his plans of sheer force a
nd strength. Faced with a more cunning foe, he found himself outmatched.
Chaze growled and yelled at Nakan, revealing more signs of impatience as the battle raged. “Hold still, you filthy sand spider!” He charged Nakan, trying to barrel his shoulder into Nakan’s middle. “Where did you learn to fight, a child’s play yard?”
Nakan grinned and flexed his claws. “A true warrior learns to adapt and exploit his opponent’s weaknesses—a lesson you might have learned had you ever fought with honor.”
“Your honor makes you weak.” Chaze rushed forward with a wide swing of his blade. Nakan ducked and darted to the side, swiping his claws across Chaze’s middle. A gout of blood spilled onto the stones.
Chaze spun and attempted to lift his blade again, but now Nakan was within his foe’s reach. He stayed close, swiping at Chaze in rapid succession and never giving him the chance to move out of reach or raise his sword once more. Chaze remained focused on using his sword until the last moments. Nakan sliced him across his chest, arms, and face until he bled from a dozen different wounds, but none were in a vital area of Chaze’s body. Kalinda could only wonder if Nakan toyed with his opponent.
“Is he going to kill him?” She directed her question to Aarom.
Aarom grunted. “I cannot say.”
“What?” She furrowed her brow.
“Tradition in times past spared a challenger if he was from a powerful house. It was better to retain the male’s strength while leaving him humbled. His house would pledge his loyalty to the warlord. Better than to kill and make a powerful family the enemy. But an opponent who is weak or without a powerful family that had no honor… he would not be spared.”
“It’s barbaric.” Kalinda was disgusted by the idea of killing someone because their family wasn’t influential enough. She’d thought politics on Earth were bad, but at least people didn’t literally put their lives on the line for the sake of power.
Aarom nodded. “Times have changed, Kalinda of Earth. Today, a warlord is likely to spare an opponent who challenges him in order to show mercy and honor. But those challenges are more formal. Some duels are not even true battles such as this one. A warlord may feel the need to challenge in order to show that his house will not be easily controlled. In such a case, the Right of Ka’Eana is a formality with the challenger yielding at first blood.”
Aarom sighed and focused on the battle below. “Though this is no formal duel. I do not expect Nakan to show mercy.”
Kalinda returned her attention to the fight. Both Nakan and Chaze grew tired. They had separated, circling each other slowly. Nakan had suffered a few wounds though he wasn’t nearly as injured as Chaze. Both warriors were sluggish, eyeing each other and searching for an opening. While Chaze appeared exhausted and on the verge of defeat, Nakan had a cunning gleam in his eyes—a male who knew his moment was nearly there. Kalinda leaned forward in anticipation and held her breath.
Chaze charged, sword overhead. Even Kalinda saw it as a desperate move. An attempt to end things with one final blow. Nakan rushed to meet his opponent though it seemed he wouldn’t be able to dodge the heavy strike. But he didn’t try to dodge. When Chaze was close and brought the blade down, ready to cleave Nakan in half, Nakan grasped Chaze by his wrists. At the same moment, he brought his knee up into Chaze’s gut, stunning him and knocking the wind from his lungs.
Chaze doubled over in pain and lost his grip on the sword. Nakan ripped the blade from Chaze’s hands and slammed the hilt into the back of Chaze’s head, knocking the male to the ground. Chaze fell to his hands and knees, attention turning to Nakan.
Nakan stood over his fallen opponent, gripping Chaze’s sword in his hands. His fingers tightened around the hilt. The heavy blade looked clumsy in Nakan’s hands—too big and unwieldy. But from the bloodlust in Nakan’s eyes, it seemed he was ready to use the sword to take Chaze’s head from his shoulders.
The gathered Aterans were quiet for a moment. Then they all went into motion. They stomped their feet and thrusted their fists in the air in a rhythmic chant in support of their warlord. The energy built, growing large until it felt as if it was near exploding. Kalinda clasped her hands to her chest, wanting to close her eyes, utterly horrified at the idea of watching the killing blow, but too afraid to look away.
“The crowd craves blood,” Aarom whispered. He scanned the surrounding Aterans, worry in his gaze.
Kalinda shook her head. After everything Chaze had done, after his threats in his quarters, she should have been happy at the prospect of his death. She should be chanting and cheering with the others, all calling for Chaze’s blood. But she couldn’t bring herself to join them. There had been enough violence already. More bloodshed wasn’t the answer.
She struggled to find her voice, to call out to Nakan and beg him to show mercy. Surely there had to be another way. They could spare Chaze and banish him from the city. Then he would never bother them again. Even Aarom had said sparing a warlord from a powerful house could strengthen relations among the Aterans. From everything she’d heard, the Hard Sands needed all the strength it could get.
She couldn’t find the words. She shook her head and released a sigh. Maybe it was a sign she didn’t truly belong. As much as she had come to care for Nakan, she had doubted whether she could have a place in his life. She was an alien from a different world with a different culture. It wasn’t as if humans weren’t violent. Her people had barbaric pasts and they could also be motivated by selfishness, greed, and hate. But even with all of Earth’s problems, she couldn’t imagine anyone on Earth striking down a challenger in this way. To kill in self-defense was one thing, but executing an unarmed man on his hands and knees…
She looked at Nakan, meeting his eyes. He stood frozen in place, clutching Chaze’s sword, moments from swinging it and taking the lethal blow. He paused, their gazes locked. From across the room, she silently pleaded with him. She knew he was better than this.
Nakan held her stare for a long while, the Aterans around the room chanting for blood. Finally, Nakan lowered his attention to Chaze. He held up the sword and then tossed it aside. It clattered on the stone platform, the clang of metal on rock echoing throughout the hall. The Aterans fell silent in an instant, no sound in the room other than the clatter of the sword dancing across the group to the far side of the platform.
“There is no honor in taking your life,” Nakan spoke loudly enough for all to hear, “but you will not be granted mercy a second time. Go,” Nakan pointed to the exit. “Return to your family and all will be forgotten.”
Chaze glared at Nakan, teeth grinding, but his shoulders were slumped and head lowered—defeated.
Nakan turned away and crossed the platform, heading for her.
Chaze’s head raised, a glare shot at Nakan’s back.
The crowd murmured among themselves, tone mixed between disappointment and excited pride. Many asked for blood, but many more approved of their leader’s decision to show mercy. They spoke rapidly to each other, so many voices overlapped that Kalinda couldn’t make out much of what was said.
With such a commotion, no one else seemed to notice when Chaze rolled to his feet and pulled a curved dagger from his belt.
Kalinda’s heart leapt into her throat. “Nakan, look out!”
She didn’t know if Nakan heard her over the crowd, but when he looked to her, she pointed behind him. He whirled and spotted Chaze in the nick of time. He dodged to the side and swept out his leg to knock Chaze off balance. Chaze tumbled off the stone platform and onto the ground below.
The crowd gasped and fell silent. One of the nearby warlords moved to Chaze, the male utterly motionless on the ground. When the warlord turned Chaze over, Kalinda saw the male’s own dagger buried in his gut. He had fallen off the platform and onto his own blade. He’d killed himself.
Nakan stopped at the edge of the platform, staring down at his fallen foe. He shook his head. “The fool was his own end.”
He turned away and issued orders to the g
athered males to take Chaze’s body away. Nakan strode across the hall, past the gathered warlords and warriors, all who swarmed him asking questions and begging for attention. He waved them all away.
“The battle is over,” he spoke to no one in particular. “Now is not the time to dwell on what has passed, but to look to the future. Return to your homes and think on what the future will bring. Tomorrow is a new day.”
He gave a few specific orders to some of the gathered warlords, but the entire time his attention did not waver from her. He pushed past them and made his way to Kalinda. When he was close enough, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.
Kalinda released a relieved sob and clung to him. “I thought you were going to kill him,” she whispered.
“I considered it,” Nakan revealed, “but then I did not believe this is what Eana would wish at the dawn of a new age.”
Kalinda pulled back and met his stare. “Oh? What would she wish for this new age?”
“Unity. Unity for all of Atera. The wars and conflict must end. Atera must join your community beyond the stars. We must do so under one world, one banner.”
Kalinda let a small smile touch her lips. “One banner? Yours?”
Nakan gave her a small smile and shook his head. “No, a unified banner. The three sand territories joined as one. We must make it so. To do that, the Hard Sands must be strong and unified ourselves. Only then can I convince the other warlords that it is time to put our differences aside and move forward as one world.”
He grasped Kalinda’s hand and led her past the gathered crowd to exit the hall.
“But first,” he murmured once they were alone. “I must rest.” He stared down at his filthy, dusty, blood-stained body. “And bathe.”
Kalinda giggled and squeezed Nakan’s hand. “That sounds perfect.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kalinda moved to help Nakan remove what little he wore, but the male quickly waved her off. “I can do this, my kode.”
