by J. E. Klimov
“Have you come to slaughter us too? Answer for your sins!”
Bence stumbled over the smaller Kai, who squealed and scattered. A pot filled with bo staffs outside a wooden hut caught his eye. He broke into a sprint as Calder chased him, fighting the quaking in his legs. His hours at sea made him unfit to run so suddenly. But he couldn’t stop; he could feel Calder’s breath at the nape of his neck.
A clatter jarred his eardrums as Bence crashed into the pot. Porcelain flew into the air. He blindly reached for a staff with both hands, wrapping his fingers around the wood and met Calder’s baton with incredible force. His muscles burned. The baton was inches from his face, pressing against the staff. Bence pushed, but Calder only shoved back.
Bence’s blood curdled at the sound of wood splintering. Eyes darting around for a solution, Bence readied himself.
CHAPTER
3
Bence tightened his abdomen and hoisted his legs, swinging them with enough momentum to knock Calder off his feet. Rolling back, Bence straightened and balanced himself like a wildcat.
“I don’t want any trouble,” he said through clenched teeth.
Wiping blood from his snout, Calder said, “You are a soulless assassin. I heard what happened. You not only murdered and pillaged Deran, but you also turned on your own kin. Filth─”
Bence pounced. Jabbing and twirling the staff, he unleashed his rage on Calder’s face until it was unrecognizable. Calder pawed at Bence. When the Kai’s claws caught the staff, fear of being overpowered flickered before Bence’s eyes. Then, Bence began to gain ground. His arms burned. He pushed harder, refusing to lose this fight. Bence slammed his skull against Calder’s snout.
Screams filled the air. Bence swung the staff back around, slamming it against Calder’s cheek. One by one, the Kai hopped onto him, trying to pry him off. Claws dug into his flesh, but his body was numb. He didn’t care if he was bleeding or whether his clothes were now tattered rags. A detached voice echoed in his mind: Kill.
Before Bence could strike Calder’s jugular, a dozen Kai pulled him onto his back.
“Get off me!” Bence thrashed his limbs.
Maris hopped into his line of vision. With narrowed eyes, he bit the middle of the bo staff and snapped it in half. Waving off the Kai, he leapt onto Bence’s stomach.
Air squeezed from Bence’s lungs, as if punched by a metallic fist. Coughing and gagging, he released his weapon.
“Cease this violence! I saved your life and this is how you repay me?” Maris’ voice ripped through the air.
“Ughn─Please─” Bence choked. Even though his adrenaline diminished to dregs, his heart continued to pound. That all-too-familiar haunting voice faded. His murderous impulse still latched on like a parasite.
As Maris stepped off Bence, he gestured to the rest of the Kai. Half attended to Calder, the other half surrounded Bence.
“You all saw it. Calder was assaulting me!” Finally catching his breath, Bence got on his elbows and scanned the Kais’ faces, all filled with fury. “I was defending myself.”
“Until you knocked Calder off his feet. Then you transformed into some wild beast.” Maris crossed his arms. His aquamarine ears flicked.
Bence cast his eyes downward. “Defending myself…” he managed to mutter lamely.
“Calder is okay, but he’s having a hard time standing. Have him escorted to my home, and I’ll be there in a little while.” Pasha’s voice carried through the crowd. Her voice remained calm. “Maris, clearly this man is troubled. Give him some provisions, but send him on his way immediately.”
“You heard her,” Maris said. The Kai scattered, breaking into chatter once more. “Bence, don’t move from this spot, or you will sail with nothing.” He hopped away, but Pasha remained close by.
She flicked her fin-like tail, her back facing to Bence. “I saw the ring on your necklace. I thought you were from the royal family, but it seems I was wrong. Calder has a temper, but I’ve never seen him react like that. When he had arrived with hundreds of Kai months ago, he spoke of an evil so terrible that it swept through the plains of Deran like a plague. He called this evil the Aeonians.” Pasha turned around with doleful eyes.
Bence bit his tongue as their gazes fell to the flower she had given him, trampled in the sand.
“Are you an Aeonian?”
As his hand flew to Isabel’s ring, Bence cleared his throat. “I am. I was.”
“Is this why you have taken this journey? Is this why you said you need to redeem yourself?”
“Yes.” Bence said, still staring at the engraved phoenix.
Sand shifted as she approached him. Placing a paw on his knee, she elicited a solemn smile. “I understand.” Pasha brushed her whiskers with a paw before attending to his wounds. Scratch marks plagued his shoulders, arms, and back, but most were superficial. Plucking another flower from her fur, she rolled it between her paws until effervescent goo seeped from its pores. It stung as she applied the substance, but his wounds cooled and the pain faded away. When she finished, Pasha curled into a ball beside him. Bence lay on the sand, focusing on the rhythmic breathing from her gills, and closed his eyes.
* * *
“Get up!”
Bence’s eyes snapped open.
“Hush, Maris. The man will be leaving soon. He was just resting.” Pasha’s voice was like a refreshing drink.
Bence stretched and found her still by his side.
“What were you doing so close to him? He could’ve hurt you!” a Kai next to Maris said. His arms held a basket of fish.
“I trust that Bence doesn’t harm those who don’t pose a threat,” she said. “Now, show me what you’ve brought.”
Charred fish filled one basket to the brim. Another contained a bunch of bananas and papayas. A third Kai struggled with a bin filled with water.
“Better drink your fill now because it won’t fit in your modest sailboat. We don’t like fresh water, but we know humans do. Here.” He gestured toward Bence. “Once you’re done, I will pour the rest into a traveler’s pouch.”
“Thanks,” Bence said before he dove for the water. Drinking in hasty gulps, he heard Pasha directing the Kai to his boat. The cold water soothed his burning throat. He drank so fast that his brain experienced a slight chill.
“You’re all packed and ready,” Maris said curtly.
As he reached for his satchel, Bence asked, “May I request another staff? To defend myself if I encounter any dangers in Camilla?”
“Ha! You think I’m that stupid? So you can beat on another innocent soul?”
“Maris!” Pasha hissed. “He’s leaving our island. Let him take a wooden staff for goodness sake!”
Bence snatched a staff lying in the sand. “Thank you.” Then, without another word, he trudged to his vessel. It was low tide, and the sand stretched for about a mile. It bobbed in the distance. He didn’t know what was in store in Camilla, but he was confident no one would recognize him there.
The vessel swayed violently as he boarded. Bence contoured his body around the baskets and settled in the center with mere inches of extra space. Once he raised the sail, he glanced at Maris and Pasha. Beyond them, the Kai were specks in the distance.
“Sail north. The wind has changed, but I still feel you can reach Camilla this time tomorrow,” Pasha said. She elbowed Maris.
“Bence, I don’t know if you’re a good man or not, but if you are ever in need, keep an eye out for a Kai. Mention my name, and they’ll help you. However, I can’t guarantee you will be welcome back to Pekering while under Calder’s rule.”
“I understand,” Bence replied. Each of the words in Maris’ last sentence stung like hornets. Another place I’m not welcome.
“I wish you safe travels.” Pasha splashed into the water and launched Bence’s boat from the sandbar.
When he lifted an arm to wave, eyes just blinked back at him.
CHAPTER
4
Drumming her nails against the oak table, Isabel wa
ited for Lief. The newly appointed Tuuli chief said there was a surprise. After all she had endured the last few months, she was sure nothing could shock her anymore. Tapping her feet against the floor, Isabel scanned the dining room. She lost count of the days she spent at Buryan. Stopping at a painting that hung over the kitchen’s double doors, Isabel bit her tongue. It was the portrait of Vindur, the Tuuli chief that preceded Dante, and soon, Dante’s face will be immortalized in that same frame. She shook her head to dispel her wandering thoughts.
Despite her curiosity over her surprise, exhaustion had consumed her for the last twenty-four hours, and her whole body seemed out of rhythm. Sachiel, the primary Kai elder, had taken her from Lea Island back to her temporary home in Buryan. Everyone was shocked that the new Queen of Deran arrived soaked to the bone.
This wouldn’t have happened if Bence hadn’t stolen my boat. Well, the fisherman’s boat.
That had been her first command when she returned to the Tuuli chief’s manor: ordering a new, larger boat to be built for the fisherman. Once that was taken care of, she bathed and slept until Aysu shook her awake.
“Your Majesty! There is great news. Everyone in Deran has a gift for you! Get dressed. Lief will meet you downstairs.”
Aysu’s appearance still rattled her. The petite Tuuli had lost so much weight, her skin stretched a little too tightly over her clavicles and rib cage. Red blotches plagued her face while gray shadows made a permanent home beneath her eyes. Aysu had not been the same since her master, Dante, died. Isabel hadn’t been the same either. The last time she saw Dante, he was a completely different person. Once a mild-mannered individual, chief of the Tuuli, a cherished friend, and her newlywed husband, he had appeared during her showdown with the Aeonians, possessed by Echidna.
That evil witch. She and her husband, Damian.
Isabel still couldn’t believe Bence was their son, even though he took her side that monumental night about one month ago. Regardless, neither Bence nor Isabel would stop the wrath that possessed Dante. She didn’t tell Aysu exactly how he died; she didn’t want to taint her image of him. She was already heartbroken at the fact his body had yet to be found.
“Queen Isabel?”
A cool voice entered the room. Isabel shuddered. She was still not used to the title. “Is that you, Lief?” A lean figure appeared at the doorway, filling the room with traces of sandalwood. His smile highlighted the crow’s feet branching from his eyes. The new Tuuli leader stretched his wings proudly and nodded.
“Your own horse awaits. The Tuuli are ready to escort you to your destination.”
Eyes widening, Isabel sucked in a breath. “Everyone’s going?”
“Of course! You are the queen, and we’re honored and quite excited to show you what the whole country has made for you.”
Shaking her head in disbelief, Isabel stood. “Let’s go.”
“After you.” Lief stepped aside, sweeping his silver robe out of her way.
Isabel bowed her head and made her way past the living room and toward the exit. Her fingertips grazed the linen couch, and her boots clicked on the stone floor. She plucked a wool cloak from a brass hook and secured the clasp around her neck. The door creaked as she pushed it open. A horse neighed just beyond the gates of the manor, and behind it stood a sea of Tuuli, some with wings, some without. Standing on their toes, the crowd cooed at her appearance. She cringed at the attention, but waved.
Lief’s hand grazed her back. “Come, Your Majesty.” Wisps of white curled into the frosty air.
Clutching her cloak closer, Isabel scanned the army of clouds. Deran stood on the brink of winter. While most of the island cycled through dry and rainy seasons, snow fell in certain regions. She recalled the days when Dante and she hurled snowballs at one another. They were carefree, and she was in love: memories that should’ve tasted sweet but only came off bitter like raw dandelion greens.
The cheering crowd pulled her to the present as she mounted her steed, and Lief mounted his cream-colored stallion. Tugging the reins, he sped into a canter, and Isabel followed. Flowers of every color showered Isabel as they traveled down the narrow, cobblestone street. Looking behind her, the manor shrunk and everyone dispersed to their horse drawn carriages.
The rocking motion of riding drew Isabel into a trance. She had no idea where she was going or how long the journey would be, but she was happy to let her mind wander. Soon, she would pass the graveyard where her parents were buried. The funeral had been three weeks ago. As the pain reverberated in her heart, she squeezed her eyes shut.
They’re really gone.
Everyone she loved. Her mother, father, and Dante. Even Bence, in all irony, who became a close ally was either dead or gone. Tears leaked from her eyes. Wiping them with the edge of her evergreen cloak, Isabel wondered if she could ever fill the shoes of her mother. Isabel had become Queen of Deran in the most unceremonious way.
Questions and doubt suffocated her. It had been a long journey since her armlet ceremony, when the Aeonians first shook the land. Memories deluged her mind. Not too long ago, the tribes didn’t respect her. They wanted her sister to receive the magical armlet and become successor to the throne. Even when Victoria passed away, they still seemed to prefer her. If Healers still existed, Isabel wouldn’t have been surprised if they called for her resurrection.
A chill found its way beneath her layers of clothing. She wasn’t sure if she would want to bring her parents back to life. Healers held a horrible reputation. Many had manipulated the dead. And even when they didn’t, some of the resurrected acted more like monsters than their former selves. But Isabel didn’t know of any Healers. They were stripped of their powers before she was born.
Songbirds circled above her, tweeting incessantly. A breeze blew at her back, filling her lungs with the scent of the ocean. Isabel wished the breeze carried a message. But only Isabel and Lief possessed the power of wind, and she wasn’t confident that her words had made it to Bence. She scowled. It had been foolish and a waste of energy. Even if he were alive, he had no means to respond.
His disappearance still puzzled her. She recalled overflowing with joy when she had laid eyes on him on Lea Island. The warmth of his body when she cozied up to him had brought her comfort for the first time in weeks, and to open her eyes to nothing but a dent on the sand had shattered her spirit.
The Buryan gates lifted and the guards saluted. Isabel brought her fingers to her forehead and signaled in return. Deran stretched before her. Rolling hills of grass and various trees dotted the land. The salty smell of the sea was replaced by the scent of pine.
“So, where are we going, Lief?” she asked, squeezing her thighs against her horse to pick up the pace.
With a wink, he said, “Back to your real home.”
Isabel smiled as wide as her lips allowed. “The castle! Has it been rebuilt?”
Lief shrugged. “Maybe.”
A laugh escaped her lips, and she nudged her horse into a gallop.
“Queen Isabel!”
The wind whipped through her chestnut hair. She ignored the dust cloud that formed when she merged onto the Western Royal Trade Route. Rabbits and deer scattered. Isabel whooped and waved her arms. The thought of rebuilding her life invigorated her. While sadness crept around every corner, and she knew she could never escape her losses, a sense of renewal was all she needed to hang onto.
* * *
“No peeking!”
Isabel’s fingers snapped shut. “Come on, Lief. Don’t be such a stubborn old Tuuli.”
“Keep your hands where they are. Don’t ruin the surprise!”
Lief commanded her to cover her eyes before they ascended the final hill. As she drew near her old castle, the sounds of people prattling amplified. Squeaks from the Kai and growls from the Foti filled her ears. They were all here. Goose bumps covered her body. There hadn’t been a gathering of this capacity since she received her armlet.
When her horse came to a halt, a hush swept across th
e crowd. The silence was unnerving. She picked up a whisper or two.
“Okay. Open your eyes!”
A blinding shimmer exploded before Isabel. A castle stood proudly, made of gold bricks framed with reclaimed wood. She gasped, trapping the air in her expanded lungs. The glistening metal towered multiple stories high. Tall windows adorned every side of the hexagonal-shaped building.
“But how…” she managed to whisper.
A howl erupted from the crowd. Gasps erupted from the people as they parted, revealing two beings. Isabel blinked in disbelief.
“No, it couldn’t be. Could it?” She’d recognize that ruby-studded mane anywhere.
Hakan, the leader of the Foti, guided Dover, the leader of the Kai, down the path.
A plethora of emotions overwhelmed Isabel. Dover is alive! The two-hundred-year-old something Kai who had been injured during the Aeonian War was hopping right toward her with a giant grin.
“Your Majesty,” Hakan purred, bending onto one knee.
Shock pricked Isabel’s fingertips. She never witnessed such reverence from Hakan. Turning to Dover, she nodded as the Kai bowed his head.
“Isabel, it warms my soul to lay my eyes on you again. My, how elegant you look.”
As she dismounted, Isabel chuckled. She wore polished boots, beige trousers and a white tunic. “There’s nothing regal about my attire, my friend.”
“No. It’s the way you carry yourself. The way you gaze onto your people. You have matured into a wonderful queen.”
“I was wrong about you. You’ve singlehandedly saved us all,” Hakan added.
Isabel’s mouth twisted into a frown. An image of Bence flashed before her eyes.
The wolfish Fotian leader continued, “Dover and I had the honor of creating the bricks that made your new home from the power of the Golden Falls. Everyone contributed to the building of this castle: the Foti, the Kai, the Tuuli, and even some Zingaris. The Zingaris are still shy from leaving their newfound territory, but Jabin led a group that scavenged for castle artifacts. We are happy to report that most items have been recovered. Even the ancient scrolls!”
