by Cara Violet
“You don’t have to do this to prove it, Chit. I know you love me.”
“But I want to experience a deeper connection with you.”
“We already have one.”
“No, being true to who I am means being your equal. I want to learn the ways of the Silkri.”
“I don’t know about—”
“Please.” Her eyes begged. “I have no allegiance and no training in any of the auras. I know with Silkri you will teach me to defend myself. Metrix was able to kidnap me, look at the state I’m in. I will be better off, Caidus.”
He had no argument to that. And that deep bubbling rage he had been trying to bury about the Giliou woman, resurfaced. He had to control this anger. Getting himself killed was not going to keep her protected at night. He had to remind himself of that.
“I’ve never been surer about anything,” she said again.
“Well, I don’t know how I can generate a connection on my own. And to be honest with you, I don’t trust myself to do it right, I still don’t have the best control of my aura yet. I don’t want to hurt you, Chit.” That was a statement of truth. She wasn’t a Drake, so it shouldn’t come naturally to her to use her aura to reach out to him. Even though Chituma had never used her aura, harming her with the use of his could spark a reaction in her that may not be welcomed by her evolved form. And he didn’t want that.
“Can’t you at least try?”
Could he? He closed his eyes and tried to gauge the process. As soon as he did his aura swept up around her. Her jaw dropped as it touched her skin and when Caidus opened his eyelids in shock, the flames of Silkri disappeared.
“Do it again,” she insisted.
He gulped and shook his head. “No, that was just me checking my strength. I’m going to kill you if I do it. You’ve had a whiff of it. We will work on it more as you get some further knowledge. For now,” he whispered softly in her ear, “we must rest.”
Chituma sighed and fell into his chest. Caidus lay against the wall of the cave, exhaling out noisily. Ideas ran through him at a million miles. What he had felt in those few seconds was enough to intoxicate him. The connection he could have with Chituma was beyond anything he had ever experienced. The probability of her making a change in the Siliou though was not good, but he felt the need now, to ensure he at least tried to help her. Had it not been for that sublime moment, he would have disregarded her whole argument.
This time when he exhaled, he collapsed in exhaustion while the surrounding lights dimmed out and he dozed his eyes closer and closer shut.
“General! General Krivta!” A guard of Sile caught up to the General as he made his way through the asphalt streets of Sile, running through the gates and up the Mansion’s steps.
“General, sir. I have news,” he said.
“What is it?” Krivta’s words were short and abrupt.
“We have word of Jahzara missing.”
Krivta pursed his lips at the information. “Ah,” he said to himself while smirking, “the Vectors are unmonitored then?”
“I believe so,” the guard said uneasily.
“Interesting, to say the least,” the General sneered. “Any word on Metrix and Nake? Did they make it through the Vector?”
“No, no word has been given.”
“Ah, so we are unsure if our Defeated King has been greeted.”
“Aye.”
“We must let Master Skeletongrey know,” Krivta ordered.
“Aye, here Master Skeletongrey comes,” the guard said, his vision at the top of the Mansion steps to the two individuals coming down to meet them. General Krivta was greeted by an exasperated and flustered Fenix and Darlia—he looked unsure of what to make of things, but he surely wasn’t impressed.
“Well, come on the both of you, speak up,” he said, looking manic.
“It’s Julius, sir, he’s missing,” Darlia said. “And so is my daughter.”
“Caidus Akki Nermordis and Chituma of Layos also had a run-in with Darlia,” Fenix cut in.
“He is my son, Fenix,” Darlia was trying hard not to show emotion in her words, “My—only—blood—son.”
“Son or not he is now a traitor to Sile and the Defeated King,” Fenix spat.
“Not to me,” she said.
“Enough, the both of you,” Krivta said. “And what has transpired?”
“Well he decided to free Julius, clearly.” Fenix said.
“You can’t be so sure,” Darlia whined.
Giving a look of pure disgust to both of them, Krivta snarled, “Ah, blood and bones of a Harpy, fask the both of you. This is not good enough.” He clenched his teeth, turned and hastily made his way back into the Mansion.
“Where are you going? Please don’t hurt him,” Darlia said to his floating red cape.
“Fenix, get this woman out of my sight. And in Holom’s name, get the Onyx Office in session, now.”
Chapter Forty-One: Foggy Edges
His heavy head weighed him down. When Xandou finally churned his eyes open, he felt his skin pressed against moist dirt and bark. Blinking, he sluggishly lifted his head up, staring skyward to the trees. A shrilling sound was ringing in his ears. What had happened? How long had he been asleep?
Rattling his earholes with his fingers, the high-pitched sound eventually faded, but it was soon replaced with that of distant voices. Turning on to his side, his body stinging in pain from being thrown about, Xandou studied the direction the voices were coming from.
To his dismay, he saw several Giliou Shielders—and Liege Jarryd—searching the woodland. He blinked, caught sight of Jahzara a little way off from Ryar, and in one swift movement, lit up in his azure aura, scooped up the unconscious boy and the Conductor, and ‘ported them out to safety.
Ryar regained consciousness, rolling over on his backbone to take a deep, steady breath. He wriggled his body in the damp forest floor looking up to giant Miry trees above him. His brain had to go over what had just occurred. Jahzara had set her black smoky haze on the cruiser, and the cruiser was … was blown up. The whole of Forsda was burning if he remembered correctly. But how did they get here?
This wasn’t the scarce trees behind the Palace, under the mountain—this was dense forestation. He flopped back on his belly and squinted toward a wooden cabin a few metres in the distance while scratching his head. “Where are we?”
“HOW DARE YOU?!” The voice exclaimed. “You knew, didn’t you? All this time, you knew!”
Ryar jerked his head around to see Xandou standing aloofly… screaming and pointing, at—at Jahzara. However, Jahzara, who was sitting awkwardly on the ground, did not meet the Giliou’s eyes.
“He was my best friend, my comrade!” Xandou went on, obviously hysterical, waving his arms desperately.
“Your passion is high, Xandou,” Jahzara said through gritted teeth, keeping her gaze downward. “Perhaps the feelings you are expressing are resonating from the death of Metrix?”
“How dare you!” he said, storming off.
“I had no choice Xandou. I am a Conductor; a gatekeeper of the Siliou for Rivalex.”
Xandou’s head whipped around followed by his long blonde hair and Ryar was confronted by a man with a face of absolute rage. “You killed innocent Giliou, Jahzara!”
“We all make sacrifices, Xandou.” Her eyes were on him now, her voice trying to stabilise and meet his aggression.
“For our people! Not against them!” He threw his hands up.
“I did this for my people,” she said with as much strength as she could muster, “And if you knew any better, you would see I did this for Kaianan.” Absolute malevolence overtook her and Ryar was sure this was some sort of stare-off between them. He looked back and forth to both of them during the long silence … eventually Xandou’s face dropped and his eyes were filled with dirty tears.
This had become quite the scene, but Ryar couldn’t continue to play prop. Time was not on their side. He cleared his throat and mechanically they both faced him
. “I’m sorry to interrupt your – er – talk or banter – or I mean whatever exchange this is,” he said, maintaining a polite tone throughout, “… but I think we should seek cover somewhere.”
They both continued to stare at him, until Jahzara, who was now studying her stomach wound, spoke up. “I can’t go anywhere until I am healed.”
Good, he had her on his side. Now for Xandou. The Giliou master didn’t flinch. Ryar came to the conclusion Xandou wasn’t going to reply either, so he went on.
“Perhaps we should retreat into the cabin for now,” he suggested, pointing toward the small wooden shack. “What do you think?” His eyes were on Xandou. For what felt like an eternity of waiting, abruptly ended when Xandou simply rotated on the spot, and walked away.
“You can’t leave us!” Ryar called.
“Leave him.” Jahzara said firmly.
“Fine,” Ryar scolded, “I can see what is inside to repair what I can of you, Jahzara.”
“Thank you, Ryar,” she said, looking to the back of Xandou in consternation and sighing.
Ryar was tempted to chase after him and call him a coward. Instead, he did as Jahzara instructed and headed for the cabin door.
Xandou stormed through the tall trees, shouting as he gained ground through the Valley Woods. He had loved this place as a child, loved coming here with Kaianan … with Desrix and Yasminx on occasion too—even Thia and Ravi. Shared memories of their childhoods, Giliou against Gorgon, Archibel and Darayan would also join Kaianan … where had those days gone? Times when Xandou had never actually killed a man.
Tears were stinging his eyes. Guilt spilled through him as he focused back on his friend’s death.
“Damn you, Boku Jove!” he yelled through the tears.
The uncertainty of what Boku Jove had said about Kaianan, and somehow what he had told Desrix roared through his veins. Had the foreseer known Kaianan would leave him? That Desrix was going to sacrifice himself for Xandou?
“Xandou, your inaction will cost you and I think the time for forgiveness is over, don’t you?”
Kaianan’s last words infested every inch of his brain. Inaction. Forgiveness over. But was it? Would there ever be a way for him to make up for what he’d done? For his inapt standing by and not doing anything?
Was that guilt of and in itself? He had to make amends.
Xandou panted, felt his skin crawl and then his knees buckled under him. He’d just lost Desrix and was certain Yasminx had been captured by Maya … inaction and indecision would no longer burden him.
It was time to let Kaianan go.
This wasn’t about her anymore.
Not after Desrix had sacrificed himself for Xandou, and what the meaning of Laro thou Maiy meant to him. He had to stop clutching at control, at everyone else, at snapping, at the need to just be in charge. There was no one to guard, Kaianan was no more. No more, he cursed to himself. The Insurgence was what Xandou knew best. There was angst, unease and a civil war looming on his very home planet. This is what he had to care about now. People had to stop dying. Protecting this world was his job. This wasn’t swordplay in the Swamp Lands or Valley Woods anymore. Nor was it banter and fun between friends. Rivalex needed a leader, needed to survive any threat coming at it, this was his homeland and the outcome of victory was in his hands alone.
Everything fell away from him. On his knees, he picked up the moist dirt, smoothed it across both his cheeks and made a promise to Rivalex, and no one else.
Chapter Forty-Two: Gathering Thoughts
Dersji had moved Kaianan to the edge of the woods to catch her breath and camouflage them. She could have sworn she’d been here before, was this the Woods Devine? The Felrin city walls were not too far across the dessert they just landed in. It all seemed strangely familiar. It made her think about that time she’d been here with Arlise. That felt like a lifetime ago, given the circumstances. Lately everything seemed like a lifetime ago.
At present, Dersji Brikin was crouching beside her looking beat. It must have been something to do with the wound in his gut. The smart mouthed Seevaar deserved it, she thought. She tried to sum up the past few hours in her mind; her near death experience, transforming, and the Defeated King rising up from Holom.
“What the holom happened back there? What the holom is going on?” Kaianan was shouting now, feeling a horrible burden on her now Holom’s Door was opened. Was this her fault?
“Well my dearest,” Dersji said sarcastically, “as the Felrin predicted the Defeated King was set free, wasn’t he?”
“What?”
“Those damn principals knew he was waiting in the Holom Galaxy, you see. Someone would open Holom’s Door eventually. It’s unfortunate you couldn’t stop him. But you will be able to if I train you.”
“What are you talking about! You knew?! You knew the Defeated King was waiting in the Holom Galaxy to be let out? My gosh! This is worse than my parents branding me as the sacrifice!”
“Your parents branded you the sacrifice!” Dersji had a huge smile across his face in disbelief. “Ha! Good Giliou, Agantha must be stretching these days. I’m surprised they let you out so far, I mean a safe lock in another galaxy? The Milky Way? Doesn’t even make sense—”
“My parents are dead.”
This time it was Dersji looking shocked. “What?”
“They were killed by the Necromancers who invaded the Layos Manor.”
“Agantha?” he whispered, “Agantha is dead?”
“Did you just hear me?”
Dersji said nothing but got up and hobbled away.
“What do you care about my mother?” Kaianan waited. Dersji was completely out of view now. What was his problem? She didn’t know why but Kaianan all of a sudden burst into tears. Dersji might have joked about what she looked like, but she’d just become some ugly hybrid. Although she hated how her parents advised her on the period of enlightenment, she somehow relied on them to sort through all the twists and turns in her life. And even if they branded her the sacrifice, did she really care? She needed them now.
The tears kept coming.
“Kaianan, shhh!”
Dersji had come back and crouched down beside her, the surprise gone from his face. “My son and Adrel are over there but we must not draw attention to ourselves,” he said, “I need to work out a way I can train you. Kaianan, you went toe to toe with the Defeated King, don’t you see now why we were bonded together? My job is to train you to defeat him. I’ve finally worked it out—”
“He’s supposed to be defeated already!”
“Shh, listen to me—”
“Tell me about the Principals.” She said, glass-eyed frozen. “What did they know and why did no one else know about the Defeated King?”
“There are some things that have even surprised me.”
“Like what? Who are they and why are they after me?”
“They want to kill you.” Dersji had no compassion in his voice and Kaianan knew it’s because he probably didn’t have any. Besides this information wasn’t new to her, she’d figured it out already. “There is also another prophecy,” he confessed.
“Another prophecy!”
“Shh, listen, you have been foretold to set a new universal order, and they believe, as the second prophecy states, that you will rule.”
“Me?” Kaianan said incredulously, “are they crazy?”
“I asked myself the same question, there’s no way you could lead, you’re a damn—” Kaianan pulled a face at him, “sorry, anyway, apparently the hierarchy shifts and you as the Rivalex Mark will create revolution. However, they also mentioned something about a Relic that will end Siliou connection.”
“End Siliou connection?”
“A ripple.”
“Who’s the Relic?”
Dersji’s brown eyes went to Arlise. “You already know that.”
“Why do I feel like you’ve told me things like this before.”
“Because you’re smart enough to catch on.” De
rsji said, looking back to her and scooping his hair behind his ear. “The prophecy said a universe hindered with war will blossom into oblivion, if and when, Holom breaks free.”
“Holom’s already broken free, the Pernicious are out.”
“Yes, they have broken through the Siliou the Felrin so coherently designed to keep the Conductors in complete control.”
“So what do we do to stop it?”
“That’s something I don’t know, but I do know killing you won’t work. The Felrin have become—”
“Control freaks,” she offered.
‘What?”
“Arlise, I think – I think Arlise despises the Felrin, he told me the Felrin control the mayhem so the galaxy doesn’t know about it.” Just like they were trying to control the Hunted Gorge prophecy by killing her.
“Yes,” Dersji nodded hollowly, “he has reason to speak out about such things.”
“And you never did?”
“Not until they put Arlise on a mission to death. But I haven’t been able to do anything since.”
Kaianan glowered. “You sound weak.”
“I’ll twist that head off your shoulders, I’ve been training you, Kaianan, with all my time.”
“Really? I find that hard to believe! Look at me now!” she exclaimed angrily, “I’m a damn—”
“Don’t you give me that attitude—”
They both stopped and looked up.
A loud screeching zap sounded in the atmosphere, followed by a huge slice ripping through the Siliou of Felrin’s purple sky. Kaianan got up and followed Dersji back out the woods to the vast Felrin dessert that ran to the horizon and to the huge Felrin city walls.
The burning Felrin cruiser from Croone came spinning through the gap in time, just outside the Felrin capital—half-contained and half-destroyed. Another loud explosion sounded, a good hundred lengths away from them. Kaianan stared back at the burning metal and flames now sweltering across the purple horizon. She could see how the smoke filled the cockpit and heard the warnings blaring. Another explosion on the right wing sent debris raining through the air.
