by Kelly A Nix
Sula waves her hand through the hologram and glances at the closed door at the end of the dark hallway. When nothing happens, she sighs and signals for her visor to activate the Skiska and Frack channel again. She opens the statistic for the channel and raises an eyebrow.
Somehow these fools have convinced 80% of the empire to subscribe to their channel.
Queen Sula flicks and twists her fingers until a list of comments appears, and she selects the highest voted one. The commentary opens to a hologram of a hybrid with pink hair, black eyes, and tan skin. The commenter’s handle is PinkKaji. The young adult grins and speaks with a high-pitched voice.
“Queen Sula has revolutionized the empire and led us to prosperity through peace and tranquility.”
Sula raises an eyebrow at the perky and optimistic perception of her accomplishments. Reading a written reply to PinkKaji’s sunny comment, Sula laughs.
“How did this get the most votes? Your naivety is an embarrassment to your people. I wish there were a war we could ship you off to, so you could harden up from the realities of life. I hope all of your generation isn’t as soft as you. Otherwise, we are all doomed. Anyway, Queen Sula didn’t care about peace and tranquility. She cared about stabilizing our economy after the war ended.”
“A war that she ended by surrendering,” another commenter, BigBeast, adds to the thread. Below, CrzyPple voices her opinion.
“No, she didn't. I know we all hate to admit it, but we were losing the war. How many generations of warriors lost armies after armies fighting the Camille? How many Kaji lives were sacrificed? How many Kajian planets were destroyed? For what? Our pride? We don’t even know why the war started. Queen Sula saved us from another generation of fighting.”
Several angry commenters respond with the various reasons for their roles in the war. All of which refer to some nefarious Camille attack. Then, CrzyPple returns.
“I know the Camille did some horrible things, and they should be punished. But how many dead Camille did you see during the war? That’s right. None. We don’t even know what they look like. They have galaxies of slaves to throw at us, and, after centuries of fighting, we never even scratched their surface. I’m tired of being cannon fodder.”
“I just don’t like that we surrendered. And you know that’s what happened because they never released the details of the ‘treaty.’ If there even is a treaty,” commenter YutFap adds, but CrzyPPle has a quick response.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you have level ultra-clearance that allows you access to top secret information? Anyone with a brain would know that surrendering would include occupation. I haven’t seen any Camille soldiers forcing Kaji from their homes, so I’m guessing we aren’t being occupied.”
Over time, the comments morph into offensive language and absurd conspiracies. Sula chuckles at one commenter’s suggestion that the entire hybrid population consists of Camille spies meant to occupy the empire and tear it down from the inside. When a noise echoes from the dark door, Queen Sula wipes away her hologram and eyes the door without moving from the wall.
After a few moments, the metallic noises grow louder and then stop. The door slides open, and Solum steps out. Seeing his queen waiting, Solum pauses a couple of steps into the hall. The heavy metal door slides shut behind him, and he stares at Sula with a calm mask. Blood and other thick fluids coat Solum’s hands and arms. Sula glances at the foul-smelling mess on his uniform then to his ebony eyes, noting the dark circles underneath.
“You’ve ignored my last two summonses. Given the condition of your offspring, I have chosen to forgive you. I’ve come to you instead.” She flashes an irritated smile. “There are things we must discuss that cannot be postponed any longer.”
Solum takes a deep breath then continues down the hall. Biting back the discourteous words that come to mind, Sula watches her packmate. He doesn’t meet her gaze; instead, he stares beyond Sula, even proceeds to walk past her without acknowledging her presence. Surprised at his audacity, Queen Sula spins around to face the warrior.
“How dare you?”
Solum stops. Refusing to face the raging royal at his back, he angles his face to the side so that Sula can see a fraction of his masked expression. Lips pressed together, she glares at him with furious amber eyes.
“I am your queen, and you will face me when I speak.”
“I wasn’t there, Sula,” Solum whispers. With her temper flaring and blood rushing, Sula almost misses it, but his words reach her ears and calm her fury. She remembers similar regrets when Uta died, and she sighs for her friend.
“She hasn’t died, Solum. You can’t mourn the loss of your daughter when she is still fighting for survival.”
A condescending chuckle echoes from Solum as he faces his queen. She stands straighter and studies him with wary eyes. Solum drops his political mask, no longer wishing to maintain the control that keeps him from violating every code he holds sacred. Instead, he reveals his hatred and vile contempt for his queen. Sula recoils and holds her hands up as though they could shelter her from his animosity.
“I’m not mourning. Atae will recover. She is strong. She is Kaji,” Solum says. “I haven’t obeyed your summons because seeing you makes me want to forget all about my honor and commit atrocities.”
With a frown, Sula stares are her closest friend. She studies his dark features and angry scowl, then shrugs at him. Solum is a passionate warrior and possesses great skill and insight, but they have been packmates for a long time. The last time he was this angry, Solum had just caught his lover in bed with Uta. She smiles at the memory and crosses her arms over her chest to meet Solum’s gaze with an arched eyebrow.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve been this angry with me, Solum. I believe last time involved Uta and me in the royal bed-chamber.”
Solum blinks at the comment and the memories it conjures. He was expecting a fight, a reprimand, or some nasty retort, not a walk down memory lane. A blush floods his dark skin as his anger morphs into embarrassment.
“That was a long time ago.” He tries to wrangle control of his flustered mind, but Sula slinks closer to him with an inviting smile.
“I know, but I haven’t seen you this angry in so long. It reminds me of…before.”
“Before?”
“Before…Uta and Roga,” Sula says. She lays a hand on his chest and peers up into his dark eyes. Solum remembers their relationship before Uta and Roga. It was a passionate, all-consuming affair. An affair that burned bright and hot but ended in an explosion of betrayal and pain. Solum narrows his eyes at his queen and swats her hand away from his chest. Biting back an amused chuckle, Sula smiles at the warrior’s rejection but doesn’t move away.
“Why are you angry with me, Solum?”
“I wasn’t there.” His angry tone cracks under the weight of his guilt. “I wasn’t there because I couldn’t find the ship. I was supposed to be there training with Atae, but I was still here looking for that damn ship. I didn’t leave to meet her until I received her message. Despite what you said, I never truly believed she could be in any danger. But I was wrong. If I’d left here on time, she-”
“And if you’d left any later, she’d be dead,” Sula says. “You raised her to be strong. She is Kaji.”
“You knew about the ship. You knew it wasn’t a rumor? How? How did you know about the hole in our security?”
“Did you find a hole?” Sula asks. Solum glares at her, but she doesn’t flinch from his anger. She stands firm against it and waits for his response.
“No,” he says. “But there must be one. How else could the ship have landed on our planet and escaped without detection?”
“Of course.” Twisting from him, Sula averts her gaze, and Solum spots the lie stretching across her face before she hides it behind her royal mask. He snarls at her.
“You knew. You knew about the security threat and did nothing. You allowed an enemy to trespass into our home. You allowed an enemy to attack my offspring.”
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“Do you think I wanted this?” Sula snaps her head around to face him. “You think I wanted her harmed?”
“I don’t care what you wanted. I only care about what happened because of you.”
“You wouldn’t even have her if it weren’t for me. She’d be dead along with Roga if I had not-”
“Don’t you ever mention my mate to me again.” The veins along Solum’s arms and neck bulge with rage as he clenches his fists. “If you were anyone else, Sula…”
Queen Sula steps back from her packmate and reigns in her temper. The snarl slips from her lips as she raises her head, and her mask falls into place. Only her eyes reveal the cold, calculating anger simmering underneath. She straightens into a regal posture that emits an aura of superiority. Determined to get the information for which she came, Sula narrows her eyes at Solum.
“Was she the target?” she asks.
“No.”
“Who or what was the target?”
“I don’t know.”
“Was the Gortox a faithful servant?”
“No,” Solum says. Sula releases a silent breath at the news.
“Why did they attack her?”
Solum hesitates before answering, “Wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Just a coincidence?”
“Just a coincidence,” he says.
“How many escaped?”
“Just one.”
She clenches her jaw at his clipped answers but hides her frustration. “What do we know about him?”
“Just that he is a mercenary. And that his name is Lisbon,” Solum says. Sula dips her head, then asks a final question.
“How is she?”
“She has healed from her attack, but something else has taken hold.”
“Not an illness. Kaji are not susceptible to viruses.”
“But she is not only Kaji,” Solum says. Sula’s brow knits together, and she nods.
“You have a point. Still, are there other theories?”
“One other.” He sighs. “This could be her shifting phase. That could explain her current condition and her resistance to the poison.”
“Have you seen her shift?”
“Not yet,” Solum says. Sula steps closer with an eager expression.
“Coach her. Talk her through it, and help her control it.”
“I could be wrong. She could just be sick.”
“Or,” Queen Sula slips her hand around Solum’s arm to lead him down the hall toward Atae’s room. “Her body could be ripping itself apart and reassembling on a molecular level. Don’t you remember puberty?”
The corner’s of Solum’s mouth quirks up, and she releases his arm. Sula smiles at him before walking away. Watching her leave, Solum realizes his anger no longer claws at him. Once again, he is amazed by his queen’s ability to subdue her enemy without a single threatening move. He chuckles as she reaches the corner. At the last minute, Sula spins to face him.
“Oh, what about the other one? I trust she is still safe?”
“Of course. I spoke with her guardian after the attack. She is exactly where we left her.”
“Good. I have a feeling we will need her soon,” Sula says, then rounds the corner.
Chapter 12
Atae jolts awake as her body convulses, and she curls into a ball with an agonizing groan. As her unused muscles contract all at once, Atae gasps and writhes in the grand bed. Then her body calms, and her muscles relax. Heart still pounding, Atae refuses to move from her fetal position of safety. She just breathes and listens to the drumming in her chest. Atae sits back against the soft pillows and enjoys the cold air on her hot skin.
As she wipes the sweat and hair from her eyes, the youngling notices a mark on her arm. With a small smile, Atae examines her first real battle scar, two thin, black streaks that stretch across the length of her forearm. The hybrid flexes her arm and twists her wrist to each side to feel for any discomfort. She finds it sore from disuse but not painful. She considers the best way to show off her new scar to Jeqi and her other classmates. Atae guesses that she is the first of them to be wounded in a life or death battle. She runs a finger over the rough texture of her healed skin and remembers the unpleasant feelings of helplessness.
Maybe I won’t show it off.
Atae’s body stiffens, and she flails back into the pillows. She cries out as the convulsions return, and Solum barges through the bedroom door. At first, he searches for an intruder then realizes his daughter is alone and under threat of a different enemy. Solum jumps onto the bed next to Atae and places his rough hands on both sides of her face.
“Focus Atae,” he says. “Force all your pain into your eyes.”
Unable to think past the agony, Atae does not understand, so she closes her eyes and waits for the pain to subside. Instead, it worsens, and Atae cries out again. A silver fog slips from the crevices of Atae’s soul and drapes her mind. The glinting particles stab at her brain as they search for something.
“Atae, open your eyes. Look at me. Ignore the pain and focus on me,” Solum says.
With her jaw clenched, Atae cracks open her eyes and looks to her father for help. She peers into his eyes and sees the inner turmoil that swirls in his dark gaze. She does not understand until his round pupils elongate, and Solum stares back at her with his battle beast eyes. If not for the debilitating pain, Atae would have jerked away from her father in surprise.
“Focus, Atae.” Solum speaks with a gravelly voice before the rest of his shift takes hold. His daughter doesn’t understand, but she wills the pain down and heaves it away. She forces the pain out of her body through her eyes. A strange, feral growl whispers from the fog within Atae’s mind, and her arms and legs stop hurting. For just a moment, she can breathe easy as all her muscles relax. But when the white fog continues its search through Atae’s mind, her facial muscles tighten again.
The muscles of her face contract past their breaking point, and Atae hears her cheekbones crack. Her jaw muscles pull at her already clenched mouth, and several teeth snap, filling her mouth with blood and drowning her scream. Panic blossoms deep within her chest as the fog claws at Atae’s mind, but before it can overwhelm her, a sharp pain stabs at her forehead. A cracking noise drowns out everything but the pain, and Atae’s skull splits apart under her skin. Unable to find what it needs, the fog recedes into the darkness of Atae’s soul, leaving her exhausted, unconscious, and whole.
Later, Atae awakens with a start as a familiar nightmare haunts her consciousness. She shakes her head, and the cruel chuckle fades from her mind with a shiver. Heart pounding, Atae whips her head around to search for threats. The light peeking through the large window illuminates every corner of the room, and she marvels at its elegance. A huffing noise draws her attention to a battle beast lying next to her over the bedspread. The animal, covered in silver fur, stares at Atae then bumps its wet, broad nose against her face. A hot slobbery tongue sweeps across her cheek, and Atae giggles. After a couple of licks, she pushes the beast away.
“Stop it. Father, stop it,” Atae says. He licks her once more for good measure, eliciting another giggle.
Solum lays his huge, fur-covered head on her small lap, and she pets his face, enjoying the rare display of affection. He tilts his eye up to Atae and offers a low whine. She smiles at his concern.
“I'm fine. Honest,” she says. To be certain, Atae touches her cheek and forehead. Her worried expression melts into confusion after she inspects her perfectly normal face.
Was it just a dream? Atae wonders as she looks at Solum with suspicion.
“When did you take your second form?”
Ignoring her protests, Solum attacks Atae with his slobbery tongue again then jumps down to the marble floor. He strides around the large bed to Atae’s side. Covered in silver fur, his four legs are like massive tree trunks, but despite his muscular frame, he glides around the room. A thick, hairy tail, long enough to touch Solum’s nose, follows behind the beast. The hulking creatur
e sits on his rump and stares at Atae.
Since Solum rarely spends time in his second form around Atae, she marvels at her father and revels in the chance to see his battle beast so close. Atae notes every blade-like talon on the warrior as she does with every battle beast she comes across. Knowing that every Kaji sports four beast blades in addition to the four talons on each paw, Atae notes two of the beast’s razor blades on each front leg. They stretch from the wrist to the elbow. The forearm blades are used in combat for defending against belly attacks. The second pair of blades is located at the tip of his tail. The larger tail blade extends past the tip, and the smaller one looks more like a horn, sitting below its larger companion. They are both useful for flailing at opponents.
Atae sighs and runs her hand through her thick hair, then pauses as she realizes how long it has grown. Her short pixie cut is now falling past her ears.
“How long have I been…”
Atae glances at her father, but his only response is an impatient snort and a demanding shake of his head.
“Right. You can’t speak.”
Atae throws the sheets to the side and swings her legs over the bottom of the bed to stand. Solum growls at her, and she realizes why. Her unused legs complain as she demands too much from them too fast. Atae stretches to work out tension in her unused muscles, then she grips the side of the bed and forces her body to stand. Her muscles rebel against the sudden strain, but she is determined to reach her goal. Atae sets her gaze on the bathroom a few steps away, clenching her jaw and balling her fists. She places one foot in front of the other, and Solum watches in silence. When she reaches the bathroom door, she pauses and glances at her father. Her fuchsia gaze meets the black abyss of Solum’s eyes. In his beast form, it is difficult to tell where his coal eyes end and his dark skin begins. Like his first form, the rough silver fur coating his entire body contrasts with his dark complexion. For an instant, Atae draws strength from his dark gaze.
She catches her breath as sweat beads on her forehead, then Atae pushes the door open and walks into the lavish bathroom. Even in her exhausted state, she cannot help but stare in awe at the splendor before her. Exquisitely detailed images of a forest decorate the walls. It’s so convincing that, for a moment, Atae worries that she stepped back into the wilds. At the far end of the room, a large pool, carved out of the wall and floor, swirls with frothing bubbles of soap. A small waterfall cascades from the ceiling into the pool to churn the bubbles and small pink leaves throughout the water. Atae removes the thin clothes draped across her body and steps into the warm water.
