Hey guys =]
This is a first draft, just to see how this idea flies by…
Hope u enjoy it ;]
I do not own the Kiesha'ra series, though I sure wish I had Zane ;]
~Zane~
People say that we are descendents of immortals. Others say we are demons in disguise. One thing is clear- whatever we are, we clearly are not human.
My family and I know the truth, of course. My ancestor, Kiesha, was a shape shifter. She could shift into any form she wished, but she had always reveled in the feel of being a serpent. She also loved the majesty and power of her hawk's form.
She then had children; twins. One was able to shift into the form of a serpent. He was called Donovan. His twin, Alasdair, preferred the shape of the hawk. Kiesha adored her children, and taught them everything she knew.
However, she could not dispel the innate hatred that each twin had for the other. It may have stemmed from their shift's natures- everyone knows that the hawk and the cobra are natural enemies- or it may have stemmed from a sibling rivalry.
Whatever the reason, each Serpiente and Avian now knows the result; years and years of bloodshed, of revenge, of hatred. All we know is that Donovan was found in his bedchambers, a dagger in his back. His children retaliated and killed Alasdair, and so the ancient blood feud between the Avians and Serpiente started.
I am one the last descendents of Donovan. Throughout the generations, the ability to shape shift has been lost to us, but we have retained all the other abilities that were graced to Donovan's offspring. We are outcasts in human society, and our war with the Avians is viewed as a gang war. We figure it is better than telling them the truth, so we keep our secret from the humans. They are too weak for this world anyways.
My father, older and younger brother and sister have all been killed in this war. I only have my mother and older sister left, and I am determined to keep them alive.
No matter what.
Zane Cobriana,
Arami of the Serpiente.
***
"This is your next assignment." Ailbhe looked into my black eyes with his steely grey ones as he handed me the thick manila folder. I opened it, expecting the usual job as always; a quick in and out abduction to scare the Serpiente and keep them in line. I was shocked when I saw a picture of Danica Shardae glaring at me.
"What the hell is this, Ailbhe?" I asked, sharper than I intended.
Running his hand through his white-blonde hair, Ailbhe sighed gustily. "Zane, it's the Naga's orders. She told me she wants you specifically to do it. Maybe because you're the best, maybe because you're her only son left and she views it as your duty to the Serpiente. I don't know. I think she hopes that by taking the future Tuuli Thea, the Avians would finally bow to her requests." He shrugged.
I spun on my heel, intending to talk to my mother. "One last thing Zane." Called Ailbhe. I half turned to him, my back muscles tensed. "You are not allowed to take my sister on this mission. The Naga forbids it, and I would not have allowed it anyways. This is going to be a long and dangerous haul, and I refuse to put my sister in that position." I opened my mouth to protest- not only was Adelina my on and off girlfriend, she was the best hand to hand fighter in Ailbhe's troops, but Ailbhe cut me off. "No. That will be all." Dismissed, I stormed out of Ailbhe's neat but dark office, and into the hall.
I stalked down the hall from Ailbhe's office to the main quarters of my mother's mansion. Ignoring her secretary, I barged into her rooms, interrupting a meeting of some sort.
Charis Cobriana was a stunning woman in her forties, with her long black hair flowing down her back and her sapphire blue eyes that enable her to look through your soul. My sister, Irene and her fiancé, Galen, sat on her right, and an assortment of Serpiente bureaucrats were scattered loosely around the room.
"Zane, what brings you here?"
In response to my mother's question, I faced each bureaucrat and merely said, "Get out." No-one dares to defy a Cobriana, and the room was cleared of everyone but my family within a few moments. My mother's lips were pursed in her annoyance, but she said nothing.
"So I take it Ailbhe gave you your assignment?" I nodded tersely. I seemed to be unable to speak through my rage. She draped herself over a two-man sofa, and patted the space left next to her. "Come Zane. Sit with me." I moved towards her woodenly and sat, my back so tense I could feel the muscles knotting.
"Zane, you know that after the tragic murder of your father, and eventually your brother, that you are the las Cobriana male." I nodded; I knew this ever since I was sixteen. "That entitles you to some…duties, and none of them pleasant. I have undertaken most of the duties, but you are fast approaching the age of eighteen, and I need you to stop living in your little fantasy world. I need you to start to concentrate on the work you have ahead of you, instead of gallivanting all over the place with Adelina." She held up a well manicured hand to stop my protest.
"You have taken a lot of risks for the sake of the Serpiente, I'll admit. No-one would be able to question your love and loyalty to the Serpiente after the stunts you have pulled. However, the running of the Serpiente does not only require brawn, but also brains. You are smart, Zane, and don't pretend you are not. We need you. I need you. I cannot do this much longer. Irene does help, but with the baby and wedding preparations, she would be quite distracted. It is time you settled down and accepted your responsibilities."
Subdued, I bent my head and mumbled an apology. I always felt like a child while in my mother's presence.
"May I go now?" I asked sullenly.
"No. We have not eaten as a family in forever, and seeing as you have cleared my schedule for the rest of the day, I think tonight's as good as any. As soon as tomorrow hits, though, I need you to take Danica. Oh, one last thing." She said as she stood up sinuously. "This is to be your last mission." She then strutted off, twining her hand in Irene's and heading to the dining rooms. I gaped after my mother.
How dare she?
She knows how I feel about fighting with my people in the war against the Avians, and she's pulling me away from it? From the one place where I actually feel accepted as who I was, and not as the pitied younger brother of Anjay?
I ignored my mother's request to eat dinner as a family and went to my room, slamming the door behind me. I went into my closet and looked at my assortment of clothes. They were all black, or a deep red that could pass as black in the dark. I grabbed the first black t-shirt I could find, and a pair of running shorts. I strapped a small knife on my upper thigh within easy reach, and put on my sneakers. Turning my iPod on the highest volume, I opened my door, pausing only to glance at my reflection on the back of my door.
I looked the same as always; my black hair flopped down my forehead and into my eyes, sometimes obscuring my view. My dark eyes stared into the mirror, emotionless, but yet so full of emotion. My t-shirt was stretched tautly against my well sculpted chest, and my pale alabaster skin stood out in stark contrast to my dark attire. My arms and legs were well defined, showing tiny scars where I had gotten in fights with people lucky enough to scratch me. Something about me just screamed dangerous.
I left the mansion, carefully avoiding the dining rooms where I heard the bell-like laughter of my sister floating through the halls.
I ran in the dark, not knowing or caring where I went and for how long. I just ran to clear my mind and to pound out my frustration on the pavement rather than my mother or sister. It was only when I finally glanced at the time on my Rolex watch under the light of a streetlight that I decided to go back home. It was after midnight, and the Serpiente would be frantically searching for me.
Hope you liked it =]
I won't write any more if I don't get enough reviews ;]
Plus, I have to finish my other stories lol.
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