by Cara Violet
“And what then of my parents?” Her groggy mind bringing her back to the main source of pain within her. “What reason can you give me about why they wanted me dead?”
Xandou took a few minutes to regard Kaianan, who was looking worse for wear. “That I honestly don’t know, and I can offer only my apologises for not catching on sooner.”
Sorry? He was sorry? Well she was sorry she wasn’t sorry. A veil of enmity spread through her bloodstream like liquid fire. This information was burning the only conscious part of her to pieces, he was lucky there were metal bars between them, otherwise she would have reached out and burned her aura right through him. “Xandou, your inaction will cost you and I think the time for forgiveness is over, don’t you?”
A door groaned and shut, and Kaianan fell back down against her bed, utterly exhausted.
“Well, well, well,” a blurry figure had thrown her cell door open and walked in, “it’s time to go, princess. Get on your feet, now.”
“What are your plans for her?” Kaianan heard Xandou say.
“That’s none of your business, Giliou,” the Felrin replied.
“Adrel,” Xandou went on as Kaianan, finding some more liveliness, got up on her feet and rotated her neck cracking it several times. “You must understand, Kaianan is—”
“As good as dead,” Adrel snickered.
Kaianan’s body stood there facing Adrel with absolutely no energy. Her shoulders sagged and so did her eyes which she had to really concentrate on to keep open. Standing and walking was her main focus.
“You feeling okay for the trip, princess?” Adrel asked mockingly, pretending like she didn’t know Kaianan had been poisoned.
Kaianan’s vision was becoming clearer. She looked down at the smaller and slender Adrel. Why was this wicked girl so pretty? Kaianan couldn’t compete with Felrin beauty.
A glint caught Kaianan’s eye. Where had it come from—
Further in the distance, a looming shadow was creeping up into the cell, heading for Adrel. It was a shadow. A person? Kaianan retreated a step. A masculine hand sneaked up on the Felrin girl’s shoulder. Kaianan stared at the long fingertips jerking her upward and into the ceiling. Adrel went flying, a large crack connected her skull to the concrete and Kaianan’s mouth fell open when the unconscious girl dropped unresponsively to the ground.
“Kaianan!” Xandou was shouting, Kaianan’s ears burned at the pitch. She squinted and then got a better look at the intruder’s face.
Curly, ash blonde hair fell like a round scoop in the middle of the intruder’s forehead and Kaianan remembered those blue steely eyes from the moment she was standing in the museum and laid eyes on him for the first time on Earth. The Silkri Drake was as powerful as ever.
“Oh hello, Caidus …”
His body in grey and black Necromancer robes turned slightly as he got closer, and she was shot right back to that moment in the water on Earth. To his pleading desperation. To his begging expression asking for Chituma’s location, and in that split second, she knew exactly why he was here—why he had saved her at Julius’s wedding.
“Well, well, well …” he said, trying to contain his excitement. “I face you as a damsel in distress for the fourth time ... I, in no way, understand how you get yourself into these positions … first you escape us and then you end up in here?”
“You know,” Kaianan said, “the Felrin that lay before you had the same questions.”
He advanced a step.
She tried to hold her ground and continue. Apart of her wished this wasn’t Caidus but Julius. “You know I need to go with the Felrin,” she giggled. “How the holom did you get in here anyway?”
“Could you just fear me like everyone else? … and no, you’re coming with me,” Caidus lifted his arm so quickly she barely saw it before a tight grip was tugging at her hair and neck. “We have a date with your sister. Shall we?” he whispered. “I will get us to the watchtower and you will get us through the Euclidean Vector to Chituma.”
“Get your hands off her!” Xandou yelled.
Kaianan tried to calm herself as Caidus leant within an inch of her. She could smell the breath coming out of his mouth, a faint scent of meat lingered. She studied his face and then he dropped his eyes down. “Let’s agree on this one, shall we?”
“I’ll kill you!” came Xandou’s voice.
“Just move,” he ordered Kaianan, ignoring Xandou, and grabbing a leftover bandage on the concrete bed, he thrust it to her. “Well?” he asked. “You want to stay here and stare at him,” he gestured at Xandou, “wait for her to wake up,” he pointed at Adrel, “or do you want to save your sister?”
For the first time Kaianan felt conflicted about saving Chituma. If she went with Caidus now, would the Felrin bring Shiek and Liege to Layos and attack the city and the Manor? If they didn’t, could she live with the fact Chituma’s life was hanging in the balance? And what of Xandou? Should she at least try and rescue him from his own people? Maybe he would protect the Gorgon capital and keep the Insurgence in Layos? Maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe the distance between them had just become too great.
Maybe this was irreparable and unescapable damage either way she looked at it.
“Let’s go.” Her voice involuntarily agreed and Caidus escorted her over Adrel’s unconscious body and several more lifeless Giliou Shielders in the corridor and out to the exit; not before she claimed her Silver Rapier from Adrel’s scabbard.
Nor at any stage did she look back to the quiet Xandou. She didn’t want to.
“Quickly now,” Caidus said, lifting Kaianan by her underarm and heaving her up off the dirt. With not much snow around, not far from the Valley Woods, the ground was relatively moist. Kaianan manoeuvred out of his grasp and he watched her sit back down in the dirt and wipe her half-torn, bloodied white tunic and orchid chestplate down of residual mud, “…we can’t have Chituma waiting,” he said. “Hang on, where’s your robe? Aren’t you cold?”
She shook her head and denied him when he offered her his own robe. He didn’t care about her refusal and put it on her anyway.
“We’ve waited this long,” she said, and brushed her leather boots of additional mud, then flung her long brown hair over her shoulder; letting out a huff and nodding in thanks toward him as she snuggled into the robe.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked concernedly, and from his point of view there was a lot going on under the surface with her.
“Why do you care?” she snapped.
“You seemed a bit wishy washy when we were escaping,” he said, recalling how she banged into several walls and doors, thankfully not generating too much attention their way, and just in time for him to get them out securely.
“They poisoned me,” she divulged in slight anger, “are you happy about that?”
Caidus wanted to strangle her.
“You know you don’t have to pretend you like me,” she said, lifting her legs up and getting to her feet, “I know you will kill me when you find her.”
He rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly. “You have such a trait for assuming the worst, I must say … continue on …” He pointed north, toward the watchtower and she wandered on in that direction.
“I’m assuming you’re playing nice.”
Caidus couldn’t help but smirk as he walked beside her, he tried not to betray how much this amused him. How could he give her the truth without coming off sounding regal? “Kaianan, I really don’t know where or when you got in your head I want to kill you, but that’s complete nonsense. Your sister has been a blessing in my life, helping me realise there is more to live for … When I was younger all I wanted was revenge, waiting for the opportune moment to regain my right to the throne, and hating my family in the process. We are brought up like that. Addi the same—but he took my spot—I was meant to be King—I look at the situation now and I think he has done me a favour. Chituma would have never been accepted into Sile.”
“How did this happen without my knowledge? Yo
ur relationship?” She faced him and he could see the confusion brimming in her green eyes.
“You were caught up training in the Kan’Ging with Dersji …” he said. Kaianan gave him a quizzical look. “… you know, Dersji Brikin?” he said again. She shook her head and let out a bothered noise. How was it she had absolutely no idea about her Liege? Caidus couldn’t comprehend it. The whole planet knew about their bond as soon as it had happened. That’s why the Battle of Middle Forsda was pushed forward. The Drake governance said it was about resources, but Caidus had a feeling they were scared of her, of what she meant for them, and were upset the Giliou agreed to protect her. War was a good way to kill two Seevaars with one swish of the blade. Pity his father didn’t see the error of this. It cost him his life and Caidus the throne. In a sick way, it was a blessing in disguise.
“How did you lose your memory then?” he said, letting the thoughts of his father desert him.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged and her demeanour became withdrawn.
“Well, our relationship was simply a friendship. Two kids confused about their place amongst their people. Stumbling upon her alone in the Valley Woods was … was fate. And being a Necromancer I shouldn’t believe in such nonsense,” he chuckled, and felt the cold brush his cheeks, to his left Kaianan had lifted his hood over her head to keep warm.
“Chituma and I exchanged stories and from there we made time for each other.” He went on. “I was an angry child, caught up in the wrong way of thinking … I think there’s parts of me that still are.”
“Your people tried to kill me, you do know that,” she said bluntly, “You go against them a lot by ordering fugitives to ‘port out? They could hang you on the spot.”
Caidus had that fear as well. They could kill him and then go searching for Chituma if they knew the extent of his feelings. But what was risk to him? Without the reward of being with her, it was no life to live. And what did others understand of jeopardy? This was no more than usual for him. “I don’t go against anyone. I do what is right.”
“And what is that? In your mind, Caidus?”
“To be free to love, bravely.”
“Who, Chituma?” Kaianan said, almost in a laugh.
“Yes.” His voice was stern. “Love is for the brave who meet underwater.”
“Don’t give me that crap! That poem is rubbish.”
“Why are you so angry?” Caidus regarded her and could see torment ripping into her expression.
“And what about your people?” she said contemptuously, “your people who are stuck under a wretched dictator?”
In addition to the sudden heat he was feeling on his cheeks from small rays of sun shining through the fog and clouds above, Caidus felt a flush over his face when she spoke about a wretched dictator. Given what he knew about Julius, he had put all his faith in the Silkri Drake, that Julius would change the Sile governance. After the scene at the wedding, and then in the Guest Hall where Julius had banished him after the King’s Burial, he wasn’t so sure.
Caidus glanced sidelong to Kaianan, contemplating her. What would Julius do now? She asked a good question. Would the Sile people be stuck under a wretched dictator in Julius, or would he change?
Caidus himself wasn’t so sure and his voice showed his doubt: “That will change with King Addi. There … there will be freedom.”
Kaianan snorted. “You sound like a half-kept Felrin. And some King your cousin will be. He is an authoritarian, a bloodhungry dictator and you know it.”
“How did you heal, Kaianan?” he retorted, and her body shuddered a little at the question. “You think I don’t know that when Metrix stabbed you in the chest, he got on his knees and used his gifts on you? You might not agree with his choices but he is a good man.” Caidus knew she would refuse to answer so he went on in spite of it. “He will provide freedom regardless of what you think, I asked that of him. I believe in him and I think you do too.”
“Perchance he will do something about something,” she muttered out, “but don’t neglect to ask that of yourself.”
Caidus watched his charcoal boots press into the soggy grass. “Aye. He will, and I think its thanks to you he will be a lot more courageous than I first thought.”
Kaianan was silent at his words and then said: “Perhaps Chituma has been able to give you the drive and ambition I was not able to give him.”
Caidus nodded, “Yes, perhaps. But Chituma and I love each other more than anything.”
“More than you believe you need to change the dire state of the universe?”
Last summer month, Chituma came to him with the same reservations. Their letters and secret rendezvous were filled with words of change, how, why and can it be done. It was in the Haret river, floating together, with Chituma in his arms and he could smell her beautiful hair that was sticking to her soft porcelain skin—it was there they both realised you couldn’t change other people. Backward and forward they tried to slyly persuade friends and family. But it never worked. “We focus on each other, Kaianan. We need to be realistic.”
“If being together is your only goal, Rivalex would be your only concern,” she said to him sharply. They were so different it astounded him they could even be related. Chituma was kind and agreeable. Kaianan seemed holom-bent on shovelling out anger and orders to those around her. An exalted trait perhaps.
“Your sister is humble, and comforting …” Caidus admitted, but he was back in another moment and time with her. Watching Chituma’s mouth widen and her teeth smile before him. He was seized by sudden torment.
“That’s the girl I know,” Kaianan said, breaking his vision.
“You are very different.” He said harshly, “she is shy.” She did not respond to this and his mind took him to his cousin. “Addi caught up with you, I know. I spied on you one day. I always knew he had a soft spot for you,” he said and noticed the watchtower appearing not too far off in the horizon.
“I know how he felt after I was with him on Earth.”
“He is in dire need of a friend now,” Caidus said, not wanting to remember the last seconds in the Guest Hall with his cousin in such trepidation. With an effort, he kept believing Julius stood for something more.
“He needs to be saved from himself,” Kaianan said.
“Aye, don’t we all, though? You as a damsel in distress and me as broken-hearted man.” Caidus glanced his eyes sideways and caught her trying with difficulty not to laugh.
“You do know they are conspiring against him.” Her voice was deeper and angrier. “He must act to protect himself.”
“He knows what he needs to do.” Caidus grew volatile for some reason and didn’t know why. She had pushed his buttons. Why did she take everything so personally? “We aren’t raised to love each other, but to keep others in fear—”
“To what extent of a sound mind?”
“Enough to maintain a strong empire, Kaianan,” His voice was unintentionally malice-filled. “You really do need to seek more information about that which you don’t know. You come across as self-assured and self-informed. Don’t let your prejudices persuade you in this instance. You know nothing of our culture, stop assuming you do.” He finished and by her averting gaze he understood he had silenced her. Good. Girl was overly righteous, and what for? She had no idea what she was truly fighting for. There must be a source for this fury. He had never seen Chituma so and he wasn’t going to be tempted to ask Kaianan what got her so cantankerous.
Kaianan turned back to him as they arrived at the bluestone watchtower. “I’m not saying I know your culture, in fact I think the Silkri culture isn’t too different from Kan’Ging, but your system, your matriarchy is wrong.”
Caidus just stared at her. She had a point. But Julius was going to fix that.
“Tell me,” she began, “what are you planning on doing when you find Chituma?”
“That’s between us,” he said, studying her hollow face of contempt. A part of him felt he should hug her or comfort her. W
hy was she consistently hostile? And was this the way she had always been? What in Giliou’s name did Addi see in her? Aside from her pretty eyes, luscious lips, and beautiful, long dark hair, how could anyone not see the fury pouring out of her? There was no way he could console her—it wasn’t his duty. “Just so you know, when we go through that Euclidean Vector this conversation ends.”
Kaianan’s big eyes fell to the ground then up to the smoke bellowing from Jahzara’s tower. She took
off his robe and without looking, handed it back to him. “I had a feeling.”
Chapter Twenty-Four: A Connection, Somewhat
Julius stood in front of Kydra while she undressed. He kept his eyes from watching any longer and regathered his thoughts away from the Onyx Office and focused on what he needed to do—convince his members of his ability and, more importantly, establish his leadership. He walked over to the dark-stained bedside table, and heard Kydra murmur.
“I was so proud witnessing your demanding command over the people,” she said, and this time he brought his eyes to her. He couldn’t see much: she had lit over a dozen black candles, creating a dim atmosphere. He could just make out her blurry figure scurrying over the top of the bed and swinging open the black chiffon hanging from the posts. In her red silk undergarments, she fondled the post nearest him and batted her eyelashes.
“You need to worry about what they will think now that Caidus has deserted you,” she continued, seizing him around the neck and pulling him closer to the bed. “You should even consider putting me in charge.”
He took in the words like an egotistical poison and said nothing.
“You are too handsome, King, to be standing so still,” she said, turning him on the spot to massage his shoulders. “You know I am your biggest advocate, Addi,” she whispered into his ear. “We will rule Sile wherever our aspirations may take us. We can take Layos and Forsda, claim Rivalex.”
He closed his eyes, sneered and pivoted to properly face her, clasping her neck in his hand. He remembered his aggressive hold of her in the Heir Library before his trip to Earth.
