by J J Marshall
“He’s here you know,” Jake said, continuing to speak as Kyrina gazed at him. Raising an eyebrow, Kyrina leaned forward and placed her chin upon her hand.
“Irisi?” Kyrina asked as fear flooded her body. She hadn’t seen him since the night she had fled to Jake. The night they came up with her plan to leave. Memories flooded Kyrina as she shut her eyes.
*
The night air kissed Kyrina’s exposed skin as her lungs begged for her to stop running, burning as she struggled to breathe. Tears poured down her cheeks as her feet crashed against the marbled floors below. Her white silk dress billowed behind her. Crickets chirped in the night.
Her fists pounded rapidly against a large oak door as sounds of guards yelling and the smell of smoke filled her. The door cracked, revealing a young Jake, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“I’m done,” she wept as she pushed past him, into his chambers. Shutting the door, Jake turned and was thrusted backwards, arms filled with the sobbing queen. He held her tight, his large strong arms, giving her comfort as he stroked her hair and soothed her.
“Hush, my queen. It’s okay, you’re safe with me. What happened?” Jake asked, righting her, and wiped the salty tears from her cheeks. His eyes darkened as he took in the bruises around the young queen’s neck. Anger flashed in his dark irises as he paced before the queen, blue lightning bursting from his palms as he singed the cuffs of his jacket. Jake froze.
“Did the king do this to you?” he asked. Kyrina nodded silently and collapsed in a sobbing heap on the floor.
“That son-of-a-bitch,” Jacob hissed, before he knelt down, pulling Kyrina into his lap. She felt his arms wrap around her like a security blanket as she sobbed. He held her until the tears stopped.
“He said he would kill me. Said he would kill our sons if I refused to join his army. I told him he was selfish and not being rational that there had to be another way to co-exist with the humans. Irisi became irate, he lunged at me and choked me. I hit him until he let go then ran. I ran until I came here,” Kyrina stammered out, looking up at Jake. Her puffy eyes pink in color were now dry as her tears stained his shirt.
Bending down, Jake pressed his lips to the young queen’s forehead, before lifting her head to meet his own gaze. He pressed his lips into hers for only a brief moment before pulling away.
“We have to get you out of here.”
“It wouldn’t matter if you did, Irisi will find me. He always finds me,” she sobbed. Besides, what would happen to my children? He will harm them just as he harms me. He is Falling. And if I leave, I won't be able to save them.”
“I’ll look after them, but today, we fake your death. We get you to the other side of the veil. You’re strong, my queen. You will be a force to reckoned with. I have no doubt. But if you stay, you will die. Your husband is a disturbed king. He will kill you.”
“Will you look after all of my children,” Kyrina added. “Nina too?” Jake nodded silently.
“All of your children will be safe with me,” Jake echoed.
The sounds of guards filled the hallways outside his chamber. Picking the queen up, he moved her to his bed and stood next to the door until the halls quieted.
*
Kyrina opened her eyes as reality flashed back to her and Jake flooded her vision. Her heart hammered against her chest as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She felt something for Jake, though showing him would be wrong and she knew it.
“Your son,” Jake answered.
Kyrina stiffened as her throat closed. She tried to swallow, wincing as the lump grew. Her heart palpitated as her world began to spin. She needed air, but standing would mean sure failure. Kyrina shook her head as she attempted to steady herself and spoke.
“Which of my sons is here?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Both,” Jake answered, leaning back in his chair, watching the young Queen as he lit a cigarette. The bitter smell of smoke churned Kyrina’s stomach but she didn’t have the heart to have him put it out. “Karsten is a lost cause, Ky. He has adapted to Irisi’s ways. The ways of the New.”
“I suspected Irisi would infect them both,” she muttered. “I’m more so surprised that only one has taken after their father. What about Orian?”
“He’s here. What side he will fight for though, is undetermined. He joined Consortium ranks, though I’m not sure that’s where his heart lies. You may be able to persuade him over, if you can find him.”
“Orian has always been a good boy, trying to please everyone and it broke my heart to leave him with his father,” Kyrina admitted. “Call a meeting. Call a meeting of the Renegade generals. We will find my son and when we do, we must have an army ready. Attack on the Midland is our only chance at survival.”
Jake nodded and stood from his seat as he turned and made his way towards the door, Kyrina following from the rear. He stopped when he reached it and flashed the queen his smile.
“I almost forgot,” he said as reached the door, “Happy Death Day, Kyrina.”
Kyrina giggled as blood flared beneath her skin, making her cheeks burn red hot. “Thanks Jake, I couldn’t have faked it without you,” she said, winking at him as he turned to leave.
******
Eighteen
Orian
Black haze clouded Orian’s vision as he jolted awake. The air around him sizzled with electricity. The hairs on his arms stood on end, as he gazed down. His mark throbbed but had stopped fading and white lightning shrouded his skin. Orian furrowed his brows. How peculiar, he thought as the creak of floorboards captured his attention. He snapped his neck upward and then froze as though he had seen a ghost.
There standing before him was Hanna, well sort of. Light cascaded around her, enveloping her entirely. She was in front of him in spirit. Orian froze. How? How could she be a Realm Walker? Only those with the Mark of the Angels could do that, and even then, one would have to be skillfully trained to do such things, even he was not as experienced as Hanna appeared to be. But then she reached out and he saw it. The other half of his Mark. He had to be dreaming right? Snap out of it. Closing his eyes tightly Orian rubbed at his face. It was a dream. There was no way Hanna could Realm Walk. The thought was ludicrous, and yet, as he opened his eyes, she stood before him in. Hanna curled her arm back, startled as Orian outstretched his own hand.
“Hanna,” he whispered, his voice almost nonexistent This is crazy! he thought. I’ve never met a human who could Realm Walk. I’ve read about the Forsaken, but they’re long gone, unless…. Orian’s thoughts trailed off as he shifted his weight on his bed, crossing his legs. “I will find you, I promise,” he stated. How? He wasn't sure yet, but he would, he had a plan…sort of.
“Don’t. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. And stop spying on me,” she whispered back. Her brows furrowed as she took another step towards Orian. “I saw you that night, fall from my window. I saw your wings. Who are you? What are you?”
Orian’s lips curled upwards as a smile formed on his handsome face, wishing the real Hanna was there instead of her spirit. She had seen his true form, in all its entirety and now had so many questions. Questions that he fully intended to answer when he found her.
“I fully intend on keeping my word. I will explain everything to you soon,” he paused for a moment, pondering what to say next. “You have the other half of my Mark. Which means I am with you, literally. And that you can see and speak to me. I will see you soon, Hanna, you’ll see,” Orian said reassuringly as Hanna stepped backwards, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her body crashed silently into the floorboards as Orian lunged from his bed trying to catch her and failing miserably. He crashed stomach first into the floor, skidding a few feet. Blood trickled down his arms from new cuts as Orian cursed under his breath and stood, brushing dirt from his uniform.
Fuck this, I’m out!
Grabbing what few belongings he had, Orian vigorously shoved them into his bag and slung it over his shoulder without looking back. Graspin
g his door handle, he gave it a turn and peered out into the hallway. Empty. Perfect! Sliding his form against the door frame he crept into the halls, his senses on high alert. He pushed his body tightly against the cool, hard walls as he silently crept towards the front door.
The halls were pitch black as Orian made his way through Mikasa’s shop, praying he didn’t run into anything. Room after room, he passed successfully until finally he had made it to the front door.
Reaching out he grasped the handle and pulled. Loud screeching sounded overhead as sirens rang out. Red light erupted throughout the room, circling and casting shadows and light that danced across the walls.
“Fuckin’ ay!” Orian whispered under his breath as he thrust himself out into the night running as fast as he could into oblivion.
*******
Nineteen
Henry
Henry stirred with a start, covering his ears with his pillow, and groaned. Sirens blared through the shop, ripping him out of his peaceful dreams. Just one night, he silently wished. Just one night in which I can actually sleep without interruptions. Red light cascaded his room and his heart hammered against his chest. Something was very wrong and he knew it. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he rolled from his bed. His feet burned against the hard floors as he reached for the shirt, he had tossed aside a few hours ago. He shivered, crossing his arms in front of his chest, he hugged them to his body before leaving his room. Flashing lights spun from the walls as his ears struggled to distinguish the voices down the hall. Nina, Mikasa and Karsten all stood outside in pajamas as two uniformed officers spoke to the little librarian. Her glasses where falling off her face and her curly hair was a mess. Guilt washed over Henry as he approached his team, mentally taking note of his team mates. He rubbed at his eyes, struggling to stay awake. One person was missing…. Orian.
What the fuck! Where’s Orian?
Irritation washed over the young general as he gnashed his teeth against one another and flexed his jaw. His skin prickled hot with electricity, red, hot power.
“Where’s Orian?” he yawned sleepily, hiding his anger. Of course, it was the prince. He should have known. He should have protested when the king insisted he tag along. But he did not. And now there would be a price to pay.
“He left!” Karsten shouted as he anxiously paced back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. He looked devilishly divine, although he drove Henry stark raving mad.
“What do you mean he left?”
“Did I stutter you twit? He triggered the alarm when he waltzed out the fucking front door!”
Sparks sprang from the general’s skin as he fell apart at the seams. His blood was boiling, literally, as Karsten’s words sank in. Orian was gone…. Rogue. Fuck… Flames licked at his fingertips as Henry turned on his heel. Get it together, don’t let them see you like this. Contain your energy. Contain the light, the flames. He marched past his team back into the screaming house. He had just barely made it into his bedroom before his anger engulfed his arms into flames. His skin lay untouched beneath the flames, showing sparks of light around his arms and for a moment he wanted nothing but to sink to the ground and cry. He was dead. Irisi would surely have his head for this. He was charged with Orian and had lost the little twat. I’ll find the little shit and kill him myself. Wordlessly he slammed his fists into the wall, watching as the flames licked at the paint and drywall. Henry didn’t bat an eye.
I will definitely die.
Dark purple marks peaked beneath the surface of his skin as Hendrix’s knuckles began to swell. The flames vanished as quickly as they came, leaving the general alone in the dark. He flexed his hand and sank on his knees, praying that he could find Orian, praying that he would survive this mission. Leave no evidence.
Suddenly, the alarms overhead silenced. Footsteps clattered from the hallway outside stopping in front of Henry’s door as a small, light knock pounded. Henry let out an exasperated sigh as his tired body pushed itself up. Grasping the handle, he pulled his door open, trying to keep himself at ease.
Anger and guilt filled Henry as the disbelief set in. Karsten stood motionless in front of him with a wry look upon his face. He quickly entered the general’s room and closed the door. He took a seat on Henry’s bed. Karsten’s pupils darkened as they met Henry’s and for a moment, Henry was nervous.
“What the shit?” Karsten breathed, his lungs working hard to process the air. Henry smiled, the last time he had seen Karsten out of breath he had also been in a bed.
“You come to my room in the middle of the night, pound on my door, stroll uninvited into my room, and all you have to say is: ‘What the shit?’” Hendrix gritted out. Quiet had been good. Had given him time to think. But now, with Karsten’s delectable body in his room, all he wanted was a distraction. Karsten remained stone cold as he waltzed in, taking a seat on Henry’s bed.
“I don’t believe I stuttered,” Karsten replied with an air of nonchalance in his voice. He leaned back on his forearm and for a moment the white rage Henry had felt moments before peaked. His eyes looked Karsten up and down, taking in his comeliness.
“What are we going to do about Orian?” Henry shrugged and joined Karsten on the bed, crisscrossing his legs under himself. He rested his face in his hands and breathed a defeated sigh.
“The last person I want to speak to is your father. You and I know very well that will end with one of us dying…or both.” The words rang around in Henry’s head. Dead, that’s what he would be if Irisi found out, and he sure wasn’t ready to die. Karsten chuckled, punching Henry on the shoulder as though they were longtime friends. Henry scratched at his head, slightly confused.
“Something I say amusing to you?”
“We would have been dead a long time ago if anyone found out what we did,” Karsten continued to laugh. The corners of Henry’s mouth perked up as he fought the smile forming on his lips, failing miserably. “What I am is illegal in the Midland. I know that. I also know that I do what I must to survive. You’re our fearless leader. So, do what you must to survive. Are you getting my drift?”
“Fuck it, we do what we came here to do,” Henry stated simply.
“Study the humans?”
“No. Release Virus X. I’m done with these stupid, asshats. Let them kill each other while we sit back and reap the rewards. We need this world and frankly I don’t want to do any fighting. I’m tired of this back and forth. Let’s just get it over with,” Henry replied. Karsten sat up, furrowing his brow as he concentrated on the general’s words.
“We don’t have Virus X. We came here to study these deplorable beings. I say we find Orian and go home.” Henry shook his head and shrugged.
“Let the Renegades deal with his traitorous ass. Let your father deal with him. Right now, he is the least of my concerns. I have been working with alchemists back home and have concocted up a sample of the virus. I was going to relay everything we found back to your father and tweak the disease as need be, but frankly I’m just tired of this all. Tomorrow I’m going release the vial to the world, and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, the world, as the humans know it, dies.”
*
Birds chirped from the window ledge, filtering slits of sunlight through the slated windows as Henry came to. His head swam as he quietly digested everything that had happened the night before. Karsten coming to his room, talking to him like he was a friend, something that was unusual for the young prince. Sitting upright, Henry extended his arms above his head as his back snapped and popped; a quiet snore to his right caught his attention. Peering over, he took in Karsten’s sleeping form, peacefully snoring away on his bed as Henry rose and tiptoed to the door, leaving, and making his way down the hall into Mikasa’s office.
Mikasa sat in a small wooden chair sipping a cup of steaming liquid as she gazed down at a local newspaper, her feet crossed beneath her. Lifting her head from her article, she peered over her round spectacles at Henry. Henry smiled and took a seat across from her.
“Coffee?” she asked, peering back down at her paper.
“No. Thank you, though. That’s very generous of you,” he said gruffly. Quietly, Mikasa nodded, returning her attention back to her article. “Mikasa, I don’t do small talk. I need to know about the human immune system and how it operates. I know you are very smart and have the resources and the knowledge to provide me with what I need to know.” sighing, Mikasa pushed her coffee away and stood up, the legs from her chair screeching across the dark floor beneath them as she did.
She stepped over towards a bookshelf that lined the back wall of her office, muttering under her breath. Her fingers travelled from spine to spine as she continued to speak. Finally, her fingers found what she was looking for and she pulled a large white book from the shelf and approached Henry taking her seat.
“Here. I believe this will have everything you need to know,” Mikasa said as she slid the large textbook across the table. “Read it, General. I can tell you what you need to know, but this will teach you things you ought to be aware of.”
“Thanks,” Henry said.
“You plan on killing them, don’t you? Today? Soon?” Mikasa continued, hesitantly. Henry squirmed beneath her gaze.
“Yes,” Henry muttered, more to himself than to Mikasa.
“Very well,” she said, waving her hand in the air before settling down to sip her hot coffee. “Do what you must, but do not bother me in the meantime.”
*
Henry sat in his room for much of the day reading the massive textbook Mikasa had loaned him. After hours of studying, his head ached and his brain felt like mush. Slamming the book shut, he moved from his bed and rummaged through his pack before finding a small, clear glass vial, containing a light green powder. He had stolen it from the lab. Virus X. Slowly, Henry dropped the vial into his pocket, smiling as it lay gently against his thigh. He would complete the very mission kings before Irisi had failed. He would be the hero. Henry’s cock twitched at the thought, at the power, and a dark realization hit him in his very soul. Karsten was power. Karsten was the throne, and the only way to achieve that power, was to win the prince’s heart and take him out. Then and only then would he truly be a hero.
