by Amber Morant
Azrael climbed into the backseat behind the driver. "Can you get me to the Assembly Hall quickly? I have an important message from the queen to her people."
The driver let out a rough grunt. "Can get you there as quickly as I get everyone else. No one more important than anyone. You all pay the same Drake's ether way. Besides, not the queen's people anymore. Rules from new chieftain."
"New chieftain? This I will have to see. What happened to the old ones? They get removed from their seat?"
The driver shifted in his seat. "You could say that." He looked into the rear-view mirror at Azrael. "So, what brings you out here? I'm assuming you're not from around here."
"Oh no I am. I'm here to see my parents and sister, though I guess I may be visiting someone else if they've been removed from their seats as chieftains."
The driver slammed on his brakes, sending Azrael onward. His face smashed into the driver's seat, pain searing through his forehead. "What the hell was that for‽" Azrael shouted and pushed the seat in retaliation.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to brake so quickly. Just...are you saying you’re the Azrael? As in the prodigal son Azrael? Has the queen finally released you from her service?"
Azrael leaned back into his chair, buckling himself in to avoid another accident. "No, she hasn’t released me yet. Please keep my reason for being here to yourself. I don’t need the entire cait shidhe knowing I was here. I am simply here to talk to whomever is in charge and then take my leave. Nothing more."
"I see...then I assume your sister hasn't told you the news of your parents. I will let her explain it to you. Not my place to get between family squabbles."
From there, the driver continued his trip in silence. Azrael could see in the distance a flash of red as his dragon climbed up the wall a short distance to look for a cave then jump back down. He had told the beast to mind where he went to avoid too much attention, now he was just as large of a billboard as all the other signs dotting the streets.
They finally reached the Assembly Hall. There was no fence or any fancy decorations as elves and drow held when they had government or upper-class buildings. Instead, it was a large stone pillar that reached all the way to the top of the cavern with windows dotting throughout. There was a long set of stairs that twisted around the entire pillar, flattening out every few stories to a door inside of the pillar or leading to a bridge that reached out to other buildings throughout the city.
"Strange being back home again. Definitely not what I would call a good homecoming either." Azrael scanned his hand across a screen next to the driver. "You take tips?" The driver nodded. "Good, I'll leave a large one then so long as you don't say anything to anyone. I know how you all like to chat to people riding in your cars."
The screen buzzed and then flashed green, acknowledging the tip processed. Azrael patted the drivers shoulder and gave as kind a smile as he could muster. He didn't need the driver to get scared from his warning too much. If he did have to take control of his people, then he needed to at least know they could trust him. Distrust and fear would just lead to a revolution. Even Kalio was dealing with that now.
He stepped out of the car and before he could even step five feet away from it, the driver sped off. A few guards wandered around the Assembly Hall, each of them having private conversations, unaware of the new person arriving. Each of them was in a uniform of sleek plate armor pieces of small pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves. The right pauldron had the symbol of red claw marks across it, the symbol of the cait shidhe. Inside the Assembly Hall was a set of uniforms for him just like these if he had joined the military ranks. Now he was ward to the queen and a dragon guardian.
"Are you all idiots?" A female voice called out. Azrael looked up to see a woman dressed in a long white dress that flowed into a pleating pattern. Around her neck was a large gold chain with the face of a cat on it. Her fur was like his own, a calico pattern with a small white spot in her neck.
"All of you should be stripped of your position if you can't damn well recognize my brother coming back!" She bared her teeth at one of the nearby guards who shrunk back in fear. The cait shidhe turned back to look at Azrael and smiled, a purr erupted deep from within her throat. "Brother, it is good to see you again. I take it the queen has finally released you?"
"No, I was here to talk to mom and dad. Though my driver said they're no longer in command. Who took the position? Was it our uncle? Would make sense that there wouldn't be any funds coming to the queen since he wasn’t exactly the best at managing even his own family income.” Another advertisement drifted above their heads about the restaurant again. “Though the advertisements everywhere are definitely different."
His sister shifted her weight from one foot to another. "So, no one told you?"
"Told me what, Rahani? What's going on?"
Rahani grasped Azrael's hands and squeezed. "You'd best come with me. It's easier to see for yourself."
She pulled Azrael toward the spire, but instead of going up the stairs, she turned to walk around. He used to play on this path when he was a child. They were going to the crypts where every chieftain was buried when they passed away. He had gone down there a few times as a child to play but walking there now gave him a sinking feeling.
They walked to the crypt in silence. The lone opening beckoning them forward. Rahani led him down the stairs, his mind in a fog. Each burial had a large wild cat above it. Lions, tigers, leopards, and more lined the walls. Their mouths open, holding a large orb with an image of the chieftain beneath them as they were remembered when alive.
The rows stopped at a large lion with an orb showing a middle-aged cait shidhe couple. The male had black fur with a large patch of white from his neck down body, hidden by the large chains he wore. The woman next to him, on the other hand was a calico, like his sister and himself.
"When did it happen?"
"Just a year ago. They had fallen ill, we tried to cure them but none of our medicine worked. When they asked for Kalio to help them, she ignored their pleas, saying that they needed to figure it out themselves."
"I see, so they left the place of chieftain to you?" If they had truly asked for help, he knew Kalio wouldn’t have refused, but his parents had forgotten their only son and damned their country. At times, she may have been cruel, but at least he knew she was just to those loyal to her.
"They did. The people didn't seem to mind. If anything, the country has gotten better. We've become far wealthier and I brought a far better peace than our parents did."
"All that wealth, yet you refuse to give any of it to the queen as payment?" Azrael bit his bottom lip and placed his hands on his parents’ orb. It felt cold, but he didn't feel as sad as he thought he would have. It was as if he was just looking at any of the other tombs of chieftains with the same nonchalant feelings. They weren't his parents, not anymore.
"What did you expect me to do? Starve our people like our parents did? No, I refuse to bow down to some woman who has never walked the sands like we have." Rahani reached out and stroked the small orb in the lion's mouth. "If you were here you would have understood. "Brother, take advantage of this freedom you have and leave the queen. Join us. There's a rebellion going on and you know they will win."
Azrael released the orb and looked at his sister in disgust. "If it weren’t for her, I would probably be dead by now. Do you realize how idiotic you sound trying to rebel against someone that conquered the kingdom on the back of her dragon? Our parents gave me away to her to keep you safe, you entitled brat! If you keep up this tantrum then she will destroy you all! I won’t protect you either when that day comes. You talk of struggle now yet you live in luxury with gold studded necklaces and high-tech gadgets roaming the streets as if it were common place. Don't talk to me about struggle when you were just an infant when we literally starved to death before she came to save us. In exchange for two simple things, pay taxes and me as a ward."
He lifted his hand in the air, wanting to strike his si
ster. He shouldn't have gotten so angry but knowing that his parents were the reason for the country’s failure so long ago fueled him. Even now, his sister had managed to undo everything their parents failed to do, but she had still forgotten about him until he came back himself. If they hadn't been such poor leaders, he would still have been here. Perhaps in his sisters’ shoes right now. Fighting the queen off from invading their people. Now he was her servant to use with as she pleased.
His arm began to itch. An infinity knot mark left on his forearm for all the keres to keep them in line. Any sign of disloyal thought pulled at the mark and signaled the queen if he chose to disobey her. A reminder of his bondage to the queen and loyalty to the throne. Azrael no longer belonged to the cait shidhe. Even now looking at her, he didn't feel at home here. It was just another location with people that needed to be put back in their place.
Azrael lowered his hand and sighed. "Just start paying again. I don’t want to hear the queen complain and be stressed about this." He turned around and walked toward the entrance, leaving his sister in silence. "Next time I get a report that you are failing in your duties, it will be your head that gets removed before my own. Don't forget that. If you fail, I will make sure there is someone as chieftain here that will listen. I don't care if the cait shidhe struggle. Just do what you're told."
Eleven
It had been almost a day before Anjuu felt comfortable returning to the town. The rebels had long since forgotten about her, or else they had assumed that she had fled into a different part of the forest. Even the kitsune had stopped tracking her down now that sher scent blended with its child.
The village seemed just as quiet as before. Unlike many of the reports where the rebels had burned villages and farmland down wherever they were, this was untouched. This confirmed her suspicions that the city and government supported the rebellion. To Anjuu, that made them all traitors. Something she would need to report to the queen about later.
The outskirts of the city were quiet as everyone was either at work already or not worried about some random drow walking around. It wasn't common, but no one needed to think about her reason for being out here and get themselves into more danger. She reached one of the corner stores, just as her stomach grumbled. She had rations waiting for her back in the hotel room, but the thought of a coffee and egg sandwich was calling her name right now.
"I'm sure the queen won’t mind me using some of her funds for a few drakes worth of a meal."
As she approached the store, someone stepped outside. They wore an oversized hoodie, but Anjuu could see the sign of fur and whiskers peeking out from underneath. She sucked in some air and took a step back. Even if the cait shidhe didn't take notice of her while focused on his own soda, this meant that she was in far more danger than just assuming the city housed the rebels.
She ignored the plea from her stomach and bolted behind the corner store. She would need to take every side street and alley she could find to get to her hotel room. Most likely the rebels were told which room she was staying at and were waiting to ambush her.
Anjuu felt the hide of the kitsune slide off her shoulder, having forgotten it was still there to disguise her scent. "You would have sold for some good coin or made a good pair of gloves if it wasn't for this. Maybe a homeless fellow will find you of more use than I can right now." She pulled the body of the dead kitsune cub and tossed it against a wall. It would just lead more attention to her having that throughout the city right now and she needed to get out of here unnoticed. Anjuu had wanted to keep the pelt, but there would be time to hunt once again when she wasn’t concerned with the rebellion.
The trip remained quiet without another sign of cait shidhe or the rebels from the forest anywhere. Occasionally she had to stop to check a corner before realizing it was just some elf or drow talking on their communicator about some business venture or a friend. Anjuu was able to reach the hotel within an hour and let out a sigh of relief when she saw no one was around. Despite this, she still proceeded with caution.
She looked over at the front door of the hotel, seeing there were different elves sitting at tables enjoying meals. Or waiting to be able to check into their room. None of them seemed to have any inclination to be looking for a shadow or a rebel, but she wasn't going to chance it anymore. Especially with one of the rebels being a dragon guardian, who knew what to expect at this point. Better to be safe than a dead drow.
Anjuu turned toward the wall, now able to see the handholes much clearer than before. She looked and her to make sure no one was looking and began her ascent up the wall. It went far faster now that she could see and was simply trying to get into hiding versus avoiding someone seeing her. Her dark clothes in the middle of the day would just stick out too much to try and take the climb slowly.
She reached her window and released the lock and trap. Needles laid out neatly so anyone that reached out for the window sill would be stabbed by at least one pin prick and instantly fall to the poison depending on their constitution. It was still untouched, which gave her a moment of relief. Perhaps no one had tried to get in yet. With a quick brush of her hand, she wiped the needles away. The pins pricked her skin, but the poison wouldn’t be enough to hurt her. It was her own personal poison she trained to become immune too in case it was used against her. She then pulled herself into the room and for once in a long day felt that she could be at true peace.
The shadow walked over to the front door leading to the hall and released the traps surrounding it as well. They would all need to be packed away before she could change into more appropriate clothing to get to the castle and report back.
She could hear someone walking outside of her room. She laughed at how absurdly thin the walls were for this place that no conversation seemed private around here. If someone decided to do sex work here, they would have to block off an entire wing to let others get some sort of peace and quiet. Her ears twitched, wondering if they would have any news like the other men had when she escaped.
"The news just announced the ren zhe are siding with the rebels now. This is getting ridiculous, honestly. Next thing we know, the queen is going to call you up and we'll have to kill our own parents because no one can seem to decide which side they actually want to be on."
"No point in complaining yet. We retire in just two months, so I don't think she’ll want old codgers like us running around the country. Most likely our kids will be the ones to kill us instead."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's just get to our room. I want to be well rested before we keep driving out to the beach tomorrow."
"Oh, don't worry, after I'm done, both of us will be sleeping well—"
Anjuu stopped listening, blushing a bit at hearing the two men outside talking about their sex life so casually after talking about killing people. Sure, she could do it because she was trained to change personas, but someone who did it casually was an entirely different matter.
"OK, let's get dressed and out of here before I have to hear them."
She started to undress, moving a few of her blades to different positions and adding a few extras to the hidden collection. There was no telling who she would run into. Anjuu pulled out her outfit for the day. A pair of dark colored jeans and a white tank top. She would put a black leather long tailed-coat on over it, but she needed to place her guns, poisons, and other blades around her body first.
Her mind wandered to part of the men's discussion on the rebels. "Ren zhe, hmm? My guess is as soon as I try and report back to the castle, she'll send me back out to investigate them. Might as well get it over with now. Better to make her wait with full news than half of the information."
Someone knocked, interrupting her thoughts. Before she could decide if they were one of the rebels, the door flung open. Anjuu grabbed her pistol, turned, and found herself aiming at a small elderly woman with a multitude of large fluffed up towels, preparing for the new day of guests. Her eyes grew wide as they drifted down to the pistol aimed at her.
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"I'm…I'm sorry ma'am. I will just take my leave. Please don't hurt me."
The woman turned to leave, but Anjuu held up a hand to stop her. "No, you will continue doing as you are now. You will pretend I'm not here in the slightest. Do you understand?" The woman nodded her head profusely. "Good, to you I don't even exist. You found my room empty when you got here to clean up." The elderly woman’s body was shaking in fear. Anjuu wondered if the woman would have a heart attack right there.
Anjuu let out a sigh as the housekeeper started working in the bathroom. She hadn't even used it he entire time she was here, leaving the woman just feigning actual work at this point. Anjuu let out a small yawn, feeling the energy slip away from her lack of sleep. No. She needed to stay awake until she left this place. Just until then.
She put the coat on and made sure all her items were packed away. The maid was silently sitting inside of the bathroom rocking back and forth, coping with the fact that she almost died. Anjuu laughed at herself. Not so long ago when she was a child, she would have reacted the same way.
The drow looked out her window to make sure the area was cleared. Down below, where she was only moments ago, now stood a cait shidhe and another elf, both with a communicator attached to their head. She had seen them all too often with the keres to speak with Kalio. Somehow, they had access to the technology that Kalio had invested so much in for her followers and those working for her, such as the quarries.
"Glad they're rebels, or I'd feel bad about this," Anjuu muttered and pulled out two knives from her sides.
Climbing onto the windowsill, Anjuu looked down at the two rebels. Her mind raced to calculate her jump and landing. She had one shot, or they would notify someone else of her presence. The housekeeper was still muttering in the bathroom to herself. Anjuu rolled her eyes before bringing her focus fully on the two below her.
