by Cara Violet
Kaianan was panicking. The King was spitting blood now and had fallen into Julius’s arms.
“Konrolic,” Julius said with a crack in his voice, “please, help him.”
Kaianan was frozen on the ground watching the Arch Mage lower himself down next to them and then shook his head.
What had happened? One minute this was a formal wedding, now the King was dying and people were being chaotic.
“Traitor!” Came General Krivta’s voice. Kaianan watched him running down the aisle followed by Nake and Metrix. She got to her feet and pulled the blade from her scabbard.
“Stop that,” Caidus hissed and stood in front of Kaianan.
“What are you doing?!” Kaianan said.
“Traitor!” General Krivta boomed reaching them.
“What are you talking about?” Caidus said to the general. “I’m no traitor.”
Kaianan stood hiding in his shadow. She had to tell Julius; this was her only chance.
“Julius,” she whispered, “they are going to assassinate you … they know about Caidus!”
He didn’t even look to her.
“She is the trait—” Krivta tried to say but Kydra had, in a frenzy, thrown her veil off, yanked a Skeletongrey’s blades from their scabbards and begun swinging at Kaianan, screeching at the top of her lungs: “How you have tainted the most precious moment of my life, I cannot comprehend!”
Caidus stiffened in front of Kaianan.
She tried to push him aside to get to Kydra, but, Caidus sent his elbow backward and clocked Kaianan in the nose.
Kaianan fell like a toppling building to the snow, and out of the corner of her eyes she watched as Kydra got closer, Caidus simply, and slyly, stuck his foot out sending her through the air, falling in a heap among her fur dress.
When Kaianan landed, side down, the soggy wet snow splattered on the left side of her cheek. She opened her eyes and rubbed her nose where Caidus’s elbow had connected with it.
Everything became quiet, except for the loud gurgling blood coming out of King Elli.
Julius was still holding his father, the Arch Mage, Konrolic was summoning his aura around the King. Kaianan could barely lift her neck to witness it. Red sparks zapped in every direction over Elli. Yet Elli’s mouth poured more blood over his chin.
General Krivta’s voice came from above them, “My King, how could this be?”
That lying Seevaar, Kaianan thought. He had orchestrated this.
“Help him.” Kaianan listened to Julius who was sobbing as he spoke to Konrolic.
“It’s poison,” the Arch Mage finally said. “It’s too potent. He is dying. I cannot halt it. There are no options. Even the Siliou has deserted him.”
She watched Julius charge up in his aura and touch his father’s throat and the light burst from his fingers as he did. He was trying to heal his father like he had her. Did everyone know about his gift? Was he about to expose it?
“It will do no good, dear boy,” the Mage said, clutching his hand, “as strong as your healing capabilities are, this is not Siliou damage that can be fixed. His aura has left his body. It’s poison to his preform insides; his organs are deteriorated. You can’t repair something not running on aura.”
Kaianan stood in shock as King Elli Nermordis slipped down and away from Julius’s grasp—his head and body had dropped heavily to the snow. They were motionless, soaking in fresh blood. Tears pricked Julius’s eyes and his muscles twitched with grief—he had boiled over.
He rose; his chest heaving and his nostrils flaring. His ceremonial robes were covered in blood. Everyone had eyes for Julius. He suddenly glowed in his Silkri aura and Kaianan, tongue in her throat, had never seen anything like it. Was he possessed?
“It was her,” Metrix had walked out from behind the general, pointing right at Kaianan.
“It wasn’t me,” Kaianan said looking to Julius. “Listen to me Julius, they know about you and Caidus.” She shot a look to Caidus. Caidus pushed his lips back in a nervous smile. “Reason with me, please.” Kaianan tried to read his eyes through the aura bursting around him.
“You must stop living in this dream world you believe in, you cannot control every situation,” Julius said in an almost mechanical tone.
“I most cer—”
There was little more than a shift in the air to alert her, the moment General Krivta tackled her.
“G’offf me!” she tried to shout; her voice muffled as it was pressed into the snow.
Her ear caught the sound of expanding auras, and she sensed the atmosphere wane against the many forces entering the Siliou.
“Do you see that, Queen Kaianan?” General Krivta snarled in her ear, grabbing Kaianan in a choke-hold and forcing her head up to glare at the Necromancer audience.
Metrix and Nake were alight in their blue and red auras, respectively. Swarms of pulsing scarlet eyes then appeared between the rows, there were Arch Mages everywhere. Some showed teeth, and Kaianan even saw a pudgy one motioning his finger across his neck as if to threaten her.
“That is the sight of determination,” Krivta said slowly in her ear. “Or, to be clearer, the sight of termination.”
Kaianan grasped vainly at the general’s huge forearms squeezing her around the neck. The action was futile, she couldn’t pry him away.
“Goodbye, Queen,” he said.
Caidus listened to the Gorgon Queen grunt and turn red under the General’s grasp. She could not be killed, not now when she held vital information about Chituma. He gritted his teeth, and from behind the brute he shot his Silkri aura to her. One small ball of red light hit her. He waited.
Her body started to vibrate.
“You will feel my absence,” she hissed.
All at once Caidus saw the menacing faces of the Necromancers turn in pale-faced shock as General Krivta gasped and struggled to keep hold of the Layos Queen. As soon as her violet aura shot out of her, the Necromancer General was thrown high into the air. Kaianan locked her violet force field around her body, and Caidus, who had braced himself, headed for her as the rest of them cowered in the snow at her raging second skin still shooting sparks.
Before he got to her, a simmering groan got louder, and at last instant, he watched Kaianan leap out of the way of Krivta’s body hurtling downward. She fell in the snow and lost her aura.
“Amateurs,” Caidus cursed, strolling past all the bodies in the snow.
“Leave her to the others,” Fenix Skeletongrey shouted.
Caidus snorted at him trembling in the slush against a bunch of roses. “Who the holom are you to me? Do you not know who I am?”
Caidus ran straight at the Gorgon Queen as she tried to stand, and slammed into her midriff, bringing them both to the courtyard pavers.
“Get the holom out of here,” he whispered. “’Port already.” He allowed Kaianan’s elbow to push him off as she said: “What?”
Caidus repeated himself, though he didn’t need to. She had scrambled to her feet and, slightly limping, raced north. He was sure she was headed for the Swamp Lands. He hoped she got through the city quickly. He turned around to where the others were rising and Fenix was suddenly coming for him.
“Prince Akki let her go!” Fenix yelled, pushing Caidus aside and following Kaianan, who had gained good ground.
“Dammit, full of lies, you Skeletongrey!” he shot back while Julius ran past him, joining the pursuit.
“You, fool!” Julius spat. Caidus moaned and pivoted around to hurry after them both.
“No! I will get her!” He heard Metrix add. Caidus looked back, and over his shoulder saw Nake and Krivta alongside the Giliou, running in his direction. Great.
“What are you bloody doing, Ah-kee?” Julius asked as Caidus caught up to him.
“Never you mind.” But his eyes were on Kaianan, not too far in the lead, who had exited the unattended dropped wallgate and was dodging through the buildings and homes of the intermittent streets of Sile. He nudged Julius running next to him, t
rying to slow him down. It didn’t work.
He cursed. Caidus didn’t understand why Kaianan wasn’t ‘porting. Fenix had almost reached her. A Silkri beam shot past Caidus—was that Krivta or Nake firing from behind? He resisted the urge to cease its trajectory, instead increased his pace. Too late, Caidus saw the Queen headed towards a street that led north to the grasslands, but not in time to evade the beam.
He heard Nake snigger as Kaianan stumbled to her hands and knees on the asphalt.
She crawled, stood, and kept going, out to the wet grasslands, half-concussed and with Fenix on her tail. I need her damn well alive! Caidus swore. He looked sideways at Julius as they hit the grassy landscape.
“You can’t let her be slain, Addi,” he said. “You’re here in complete contradiction! You swine!”
“Enough!” Julius shouted, punching his cousin in the stomach mid-run. Caidus dropped like a sack of potatoes into the thick grass. Coughing, hungrily searching for air, he squinted past the tall grass to see Julius’s torso and Fenix’s head bobbing as they ran.
“Cheap shot!” he screamed but was sure no-one was listening.
Julius’s heart raced: he saw Fenix reach Kaianan and push her, tackling her to the dirt. They grappled on the ground momentarily until she broke away, running again, and Fenix followed in pursuit. Julius hurried.
Suddenly Kaianan flew upwards, in a backflip—and unpredictably Fenix was staggering forward as if he had tripped on something. His blade had fallen out of the scabbard at his hip, and the knife somehow stabbed itself into the hard soil. The exposed hilt pounded into Fenix’s chest as he fell on it. He keeled over, sinking to the ground.
“I think he’s knocked himself out.” Julius said, coming to stop.
Kaianan planted her feet in the soil, spun around to face him, and with rage, said: “Are we really reduced to this, Julius?”
He stood still, taking in her expression. There was a profound anger in her eyes. In truth, he couldn’t blame her. A part of him could now understand what she felt when her parents were killed. The animosity, the rage, all of it was eating away at him. Deep down, he knew she didn’t kill his father. But he understood now—why she was doing the things she was doing. How could he make her see that though? “I …” he began.
“Who are you trying to be? You’ve thrown away all your aspirations—” She cut across him.
“I am the King of Sile,” he said agitatedly, his face blotched with tears.
“This has everything to do with you seeking an exalted place in Sile’s hierarchy,” she said, “You’re delusional ... How else will you prove yourself, Julius? Do you really want to live the same life as your father?”
Julius couldn’t think and work out how to respond. Exalted place in Sile’s hierarchy? Yes, that was his worth, his right. Who the damn holom was she to criticise him for that? Prove himself? Through torture and duress, killing assignment after killing assignment, she had no idea how he had to prove himself. He resolved they had nothing in common. A lust perhaps, but he knew his worth. Clearly, she had no belief in her own and there was nothing he could do about that.
He clutched his hilt in disgust and his words came out aggressively: “My name is King Addi, and you had your opportunity to seek a better life than the one granted to you in a prophecy. I had given you every chance to better your life with me!” He continued in a frenzy, brushing his free hand through his hair, “You could have been my Queen, Kaianan. But now don’t want to live up to your status? When you’re already a damn Queen?! Stop being so hypocritical!” He broke. It was all too much for him, his voice had cracked and he wasn’t able to properly get his point across. He sounded antagonising without meaning to. Caidus was right, he couldn’t allow her to be killed. But trying to control her was a ridiculously futile thing to do.
Kaianan blinked with annoyance at the man of rage in her presence. “You’re confused, I’m evolving every day,” she said in justification. “It’s you who is uncertain of who you are. What do you use your Silkri aura for? You don’t use it, do you? Or you do to murder innocent people?” She couldn’t continue to look at him. The sympathetic expression smudged all over his face seemed out of place. He was vindictive and callous and now he was electing to feel something more? Why did he settle for everything that was put in front of him? Why didn’t he want more?
Why are you forcing him to want more?
“I don’t know, because we all should,” she muttered to the voice in her brain and tilted her head at Julius’s eyes growing wider at something past her. Without so much as a shape in her peripheral vision, Kaianan heard a blade slicing through the air and dived. Below the grass, she landed unscathed and started crawling north. She heard the grass swishing behind her and it wasn’t long until she was seized by her calves, screeching, and dragged back to a smaller clearing.
Her body was turned over and General Krivta, who stood over her with Nake, projected his elbow back and sent his knuckles into her nose. She felt something split and her neck jerked sideways to spill blood from her nostrils.
“Enough,” Julius said, pushing them aside to stand in front of Kaianan. He was a huge ball of burning aura flames.
Everything Kaianan could see was blurry and the way the pain was pulsing in her face right now, she thought it was going to fall off.
“What is going on here?” she heard the General’s voice sound with a crisp of rage.
“She will be trialled,” Julius said, jamming his hands on his hips, next to his scabbard. As her vision improved, she noticed Caidus had re-emerged and had his arms crossed next to Julius, also burning huge aura flames and adding: “Yes, back to the Mansion and in the cells she goes for questioning.”
“Will she now?” Krivta said.
Kaianan had raised her eyebrows. What were they talking about? Trial? There was no such thing in the laws of Sile that gave anyone a just and fair trial. Hope flickered through her. Was this Julius displaying his new governance? Never had she been more excited about what he could do. Maybe he wasn’t lying to her? Maybe he would really start setting new examples—
Before she could finish her thought, her chest lurched in a hard spasm. Rapid and profound pain bled through every artery in her circulatory system. She gasped, producing nothing but a slow wheezing sound as she did. Her eyesight fell to darkness and she tapped her hands across her body to feel a sharp blade wedged into her chest.
With both boys’ eyes on Krivta they had inadvertently left her unguarded and Metrix had come from nowhere.
“No!” Caidus pivoted and screamed.
“Blast you!” Julius shot a Silkri beam straight into the Giliou that sent her through the air and into the unconscious Fenix.
Kaianan could only move her eyes. Her body was cold and she couldn’t feel her limbs. Every part of her was numb. Tears fell down her face in the confusion. Her eyelids fluttered as she searched for Julius in complete shock. Help me, she thought. His face occupied a saddened uncertainty.
In that moment, Kaianan thought time stopped. It had slowed right down. Julius was somehow shining like a bright light in the Siliou and she felt—what was that? Was it his love seeping around her?
Julius lowered himself to the ground with what look like a mixture of tears, sweat and dirt across his pale grey face. “I’ll deal with it,” he said. “Keep them back.”
“Stay there, Krivta,” Caidus fired up brighter in his Silkri aura while the General ceased chuckling and was pushed back.
“Really?” Krivta said through Caidus’s aggressive aura. “You’re threatening me?”
“Care to take me on, General?”
It was all muffled replies to Kaianan while she felt the blade gradually being removed from her chest. After several horrifying encounters with maniacs, it was the Giliou ordered to protect her that had finished her. How ironic. She really didn’t understand Metrix’s hate. Why had she spiralled out of control against the Giliou? Against her ancestors? To the point of wanting to kill her—killing her.
“Keep breathing, Kaianan,” Julius placed his hands on her wound, holding in the blood flow as she tried to suck in the air using her torn lungs, not realising she had stopped.
She contemplated him with exhaustion. He remained silent pressing his hands on her. The tears kept coming from her eyes in pain. Not just physical but mental pain. Accept death. The words rang through her. She must accept it. It was a natural path, was it not? She decided not to be fearful anymore, death was a certainty for everyone. She searched for Julius’s eyes.
Why couldn’t he be the one who left his family and came for her? Why couldn’t he be the man she met on Earth? Why did he choose to become King of a desecrating Sile empire? Her tears were down her face, past her hair line and in her ears as she lay there half dead. She wanted him to know she loved him. Know that even though their time was short on Earth, it was enough for her. He was enough. She knew he could change if she told him she loved him.
“Don’t be a slave to the very evil you are trying to defeat,” she whispered, surrendering to the light, “… I …lo …” Her words drifted off.
Yet her vision had stopped dimming, it was somehow recovering; Julius’s red pupils and face had become clearer. What was happening? Something was changing within her. She could feel and move her feet and hands again. She pleaded with her body to get to safety. The purple aura spun brightly around her.
Julius jerked back, released his hold on Kaianan and locked his eyes on the remaining green in hers, still glowing. She was begging him, trying to tell him how she felt with no words.
“If this is the last time I see you,” he mumbled out, “Kaianan, Queen of the Gorgon, then goodbye and good luck.”
She couldn’t reply, Kaianan faded into the nothingness of her ‘port and within a few seconds she was gone.
Chapter Nineteen: Locked up and Jaded
Kaianan felt her body thud on a marble floor. If there was one thing she needed to get better at, it was ‘porting. Screams reached her ears. She was getting sick of people having that reaction to her. Although she could hear and see what was going on around her, her body had stopped functioning.
