"Aaaaaaaaaand, Chapter 8. Congratulations and well done to any readers from the UK, who will be (or have already received) their AS/A2, and next week (?) GCSE Results. Congratulations to all of you.

A word of warning.

The following chapter contains some scenes of brutality against a child. I do not in anyway condone violence against children, animal or human, or against adults, animals or human. I really shouldn't need to say it but then you'll always get that one psycho who thinks that I must clearly be in support of such atrocities because a villain does some crazy stuff.

Just wanted to get that cleared up. This is not a story for young children. The story is marked Teen – and though I encourage you to use your common sense, I live in the mantra: Sense isn't common, Knowledge isn't general.

Of course this announcement may just be to build up tension. Maybe, everyone will be happy and cheerful in this chapter… Maybe everyone will survive! Maybe I just want to mess with your heads and build up the tension to incredible amounts, for both my entertainment and yours!

I guess we'll see won't we?

So what are you waiting for? Read the chapter – and remember to leave a review!

Cheers: Haradion"


Chapter 8: The Lord of Golgorath

Rish'ut had retreated from the overlook from where he observed the Fights, to an ante chamber. Whilst Sekmet had taken up residence in one of the deeper caves, undisturbed by the others in the Tower, Rish'ut preferred the highest den – the air was marginally cleaner, dryer, and smelled less of damp and mould than Sekmet's enclave.

A Wilddog stepped towards him, and Rish'ut gave a small smile.

"They are here?" He asked. The Wilddog nodded.

"Would you like us to wait for Lord Amun before –"

"If I wanted them to wait, I would have had them wait. Bring them in now. Amun can catch up in his own time. I want to see them immediately." Rish'ut snapped impatiently. The Dog nodded. Behind him emerged half a dozen Wilddogs. The two in the middle held a pair of Lion Cubs in their jaws. Rish'ut gazed at them.

"Who Commands?" He asked.

"I, Harrin." Said the leader. Rish'ut looked at the whole party.

"Is this all? Twice your number left in search of the Lion Pride…" He observed. The Wilddog named Harrin shifted.

"There were complications. A number of our comrades were killed acquiring these pair of cubs." The dog answered. Rish'ut shrugged indifferently.

"Where is Sekmet?" He asked. Again the dog took a moment to respond.

"We believed her to have returned here by Gateway. It appears she and Bane are still missing." Rish'ut took this news with a sour expression.

"Make for full report. Succinctly." he said. The dog relaxed and recounted the tale, of how the Shaman had attacked the tree of Life, and fought Rafiki. The duel had ended in stalemate when both sides were rendered unconscious by the exploding energies. Then he said something that made Inti stand up and blink.

"The Shaman murdered one of my comrades with some kind of black magic. The result was… unpleasant… but resulted in the creature that called itself 'Bane'. As distasteful as the practice was, I cannot argue against the results. With only a drop of the Prince's blood, he found the Pride's trail. We tracked them across the Great Desert and to the Jungle's edge, and struck again. Almost at once it went disastrously wrong." Rish'ut growled.

"How so?" He asked. Harrin stared at Rish'ut.

"The Lady Sekmet is a supremely gifted fighter – but she doesn't have the mind of a tactician. She couldn't keep herself out of the fray, and forsook any attempt at ambush, surprise, or subtly. The attack had no structure, no backup plan, and no focus. With Marsade gone, it fell to Bane and Sekmet to lead my troops. We were slaughtered." Harrin said. Rish'ut stared at him.

"You are a brave one, Harrin. Your forget yourself." He said. He held up a claw and slashed at Harrin. Harrin gave a loud bark, and leapt back, crouching low, and began to growl softly. Instantly, the other Wilddogs backed next to him."

"I have never heard of a more accurate description of Sekmet in my life." Another voice said. All heads turned as another great figure strode into the cave. He was taller than Rish'ut, but a pair of Scars ran over his face from forehead to neck, straight across his snout. Amun moved with the cool grace of a cat, lightly on his feet. His claws were sheathed, but his front paws and legs were covered in small lines, scars innumerable that crisscrossed their way up his limbs. One canine tooth protruded from his jaw, chipped at the top where it had been struck out of place, leaving his with a permanent smirk. Rish'ut paused.

"How good of you to join us, brethren." he said.

"How good of you for inviting me." he replied coolly.

"How long were you lurking their?" Rish'ut asked calmly, but his eyes where narrowed.

"Long enough. Why does it bother you?"

"I like to know where the snakes are, before I lie in the grass…"

"Very wise. I see one right in front of me, and I do not refer to the Wilddog. Stop your prancing around and focus for once. Please forgive my associate – no doubt he merely sought to remove a twig from your coat."

"No doubt." Harrin said carefully, whilst Rish'ut brooded.

"Do continue with your report." Amun said. Harrin nodded.

"When the tide of the battle began to turn, I and my predecessor acted, taking the cubs and retreating to a safer distance." Harrin said. Amun smiled.

"You mean you made good your escape. What of Bane and Sekmet?"

"The Shai'tan was too busy tearing a youth limb from limb to notice – by that point she had fully descended to a berserker rage. I lost track of Bane almost as soon as we entered the fray. We took these." He said, and finally pointed to the lion cubs, quite forgotten about in all the commotion. Instantly, all eyes were upon the cubs. Sara shrank back, and Inti leapt to his feet and snapped at Amun's paw as he approached. Amun casually struck him as if swatting a fly with the back of his paw. Inti gave a loud gasp for air as it was forced from his lungs. Sara gave a quiet squeak.

"You've done very well Harrin, better than could have been expected given Sekmet's incompetence." he said. Rish'ut gave him a sharp look.

"Sekmet is –"

"A fool." Amun said calmly. "A violent, unstable, emotional wreck and a fool. An exceptionally dangerous fool, but a fool nevertheless." he said mildly. Rish'ut paused, but said nothing. Then he changed the subject, seemly forgetting how had nearly killed the Wilddogs moment before Amun interruption.

"Which of you is the Prince?" Rish'ut said, turning his attention to the cubs. Amun held up a paw.

"Rish'ut, please, use that bundle of cells between your ears." he picked up Sara in a clawed grip.

"This one is a girl." he said. Rish'ut eyes widened, and then narrowed in annoyance.

"What was the purpose in bringing her here then? You should have killed her immediately. This one is the prince." He said turning to Inti, unsheathing his claws.

"Now I'll finish this once and for all!" he said, taking a step towards him.

"NO!" Inti shouted desperately. Sara said nothing shaking in fear.

"Except of course for one thing…" Amun said. Rish'ut turned to him.

"What is it now Amun? Stop your prattling and do something useful. Inform the Emperor of this triumph."

"You could do that if you want Rish'ut, but I would advice against it. In fact, if you do inform the Emperor that we have captured and killed the Prince right now, I will be departing this blasted tower the moment you do so. I will not be within a mile of him." He said calmly. Rish'ut caught the tone in his voice. He snarled.

"What are do you mean? What trick are you trying to play here?" he asked.

"No trick. I was just curious about something."

"Curiosity? You know what they say about curiosity, Amun. What is it?"

"The Wilddog claims that between you, Sekmet, and the Shaman… you constructed a method of tracing the Prince via a single drop of his blood. I don't see how this can be so." he said calmly.

"He's a Shaman! Who has the faintest idea how he does it, what matters is that he does!" Rish'ut snapped.

"And yet, neither of these cubs have a scratch upon them. From whence comes the blood then, if not from a wound?" Amun asked. Rish'ut froze. Then he roared angrily.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" he asked Amun, who shook his head, and Harin, who replied with the same. He paced up and down and then rounded on Inti.

"If you are not Prince Kiava, Son of Kovu, then who in seven hells are you?!" he bellowed. Inti said nothing. His mind was racing, trying to work out a way of surviving this. From what little he had seen of the Shai'tan, he had no illusions. As soon as they realized he was of no use to them, he would be killed, cub or not. And for wasting their time, it was liable to be a slow death. It was all he could do to stop of curling into a ball there and then. Is wasn't fair! He and Sara had done nothing – knew nothing. They weren't important, and yet here they were, standing between two warlords, awaiting his inevitable death for the crime of being mistaken for Kiava. Damn him… he fought. Why couldn't Kiava have found someone else to get caught for him!

"I am waiting!" Rish'ut, and struck at Inti again. He let out a groan as he was sent flying through the air and landed on the ground with a loud thump.

"Leave him alone!" Sara shouted, suddenly finding the courage to speak again at watching her brother being beaten blue. Rish'ut turned to her and his paw shot out, pinning her to ground on her back. Slowley, his claws unsheathed, hovering millimeters away from her eyes.

"Let's try that again shall we? Who are you?" Rish'ut asked. Amun watched the spectacle without comment. Harrin glanced at the great Tiger with the small cubs but didn't so much as flinch. Inti stopped, upon seeing his sister.

"No!" he said. And Rish'ut paused.

"Your name?" he prompted. Inti gave in.

"Inti. My name is Inti." He said. Rish'ut smiled pleasantly.

"You see? Not so difficult is it? And yours?" He asked the lion cub trapped under his paw. She stopped squirming, submitting.

"Sara…" She muttered. Rish'ut released her, and she crawled to her feet, running over to where Inti stood.

"Where is Kiava, Ex-Prince of these lands?" Rish'ut asked again. Sara hesitated, and Inti stepped in.

"We don't know. I saw him run away, but we didn't see him again until the Wilddogs found us." he said.

"And the rest of the lionesses – if they escape Sekmet, what will they do?" Rish'ut asked. Inti's mind raced, anxious to say something. Rish'ut caught the hesitation, and struck out again, never quite drawing blood, or causing lasting injury, but inflicting sufficient pain. Inti shouted out in protest.

"I don't know! I don't! Please, please stop!" he gasped. Rish'ut took a step back.

"They are useless too us. If the Emperor discovers this… unfortunate incident… then it will not be good news for anyone in this cave." he said. He motioned to the Wilddogs.

"Kill the cubs." he ordered turning away.

"No!" Sara shouted.

"Please!" gasped Inti.

"WAIT!" Another voice said. All eyes turned to Harrin.

"If I may my Lord? They may know something of importance they do not recognize, or else if the lionesses turn up again, they may be useful bargaining tools. Perhaps the lives of two cubs may be worth more than the life of a deposed prince, to these cubs' mothers? Leave them alive until they are for certain of no us to you." He spoke calmly. Rish'ut paused. Then nodded. He left the cave to watch more of the fights. Amun gave a smirk, as Harrin let out an audible sigh of relief.

"You must be getting sentimental… I will never know why you just did that, Harrin, but your are brave indeed to speak so to The Lord of Golgorath." he said sarcastically, mocking his companion's title.

"And you spoke in less than flattering terms about the Lady Sekmet… You are either very brave, or very stupid. Perhaps your talents lay elsewhere than in my Brethren's service… perhaps you and your pack will find yourselves more suited to tasks I have for you… Consider well. When I return from the task the Emperor has set me, the choice will be yours." he said. Harrin nodded slowly.

"What of the cubs?" he asked the departing Shai'tan. Amun gave a snort.

"Rish'ut was right about one thing. The Emperor discovering this failure would be an… inconvenience. Since the cubs have their lives for now, they can earn their continued health… Put them in the cells below. If they get hungry, they can dance for their dinner. In the Fighting Pits. I imagine the situation will resolve itself, one way or the other. Perhaps with their lives flashing before their eyes on a daily basis, they will recall something. If not… Well, we may have some fresh entertainment."

He said.

Inti and Sara both thought back to bloody fight they saw on the way inside the den. A fight between two prey! They were going to force them to fight in the pits! He thought at the variety of creatures he had seen in and around Golgorath, then remembered that each animal who didn't directly served the Shai'tan would have to fight for food. Snakes. Hyenas. Willdogs. Panthers. Groups of vicious predators, and desperate prey. He hadn't even begun to learn how to hunt yet! Kiava had taken one "lesson" as he called it from Danyal, but it was always Danyal, or Almasi, or else Damu or Vitani who had hunted. Now more than ever, he felt so very alone, and so very frightened. He struggled to his feet, still aching from where the Shai'tan had casually struck him. Harrin glanced at the swelling bruises as he led the way, seemingly knowing his way around the tower. As he led the way deeper into the spiraling catacombs, Inti cast one envious glance to where the fighting pits – and the entrance, and the daylight and the Pridelands lay waiting. Harrin shook his head.

"Be my guest." he said. "But there are four dozen of Rish'ut 'pets' between here and there, plus another dozen creatures who answer directly to the Shai'tan. You'd not get ten steps – and you look rough enough as it is." He warned him. Inti spat at him.

"Now is that a way to treat the person who just saved your life?" Harrin asked. Inti gazed at him contemptuously. No matter how low he sunk – no matter what the Shai'tan did to him – he knew that he would always, always be better than this filth, this dog who seemed to own their very lives. Sara, gave a quiet, muffled word, that might have been a word of thanks, but it was drowned out by the roaring from the pits. The crowd of animals roared again, and Harrin knew that blood must have spilled. It would have been kinder to slit the cubs throats – but there was no way he was going to risk both Rish'ut's, Amun's and spirits knew who else's wrath by giving them that small mercy. The deeper they went the darker and more damp the air felt. There must have been an underground stream or river nearby. They stopped in front of a rock face, and seized a heavy boulder. It moved out an inch. When it had, he adjusted his position, to push his whole back against the rock. It slowly rolled out of the way, revealing a small cave, some long forgotten den from some burrower, he turned to Sara and Inti.

"In you go." he told them. Inti looked at the dark hole. it looked like the lair. A Gaping mouth seeking to swallow him whole. He stumbled back.

"No… Not on your life…" He whispered. Harrin's patience was wearing thin now.

"If I have to make you, I will. And if I make you, I'll be sure to lock your sister in a cell on the opposite side of this tower, so do as I say, right now or you will not be able to move, without hurting for weeks. He said. Inti recalled. Threats of pain meant nothing to him, but the threat of being sealed away inside the dark hovel, by himself, knowing that his sister was in the same state, but powerless to see, hear, or talk to her was more frightening than any threat of physical force. He gaped for a moment, then, not wishing to antagonize him any further, lest he carry out his threat, moved into the darkness, Sara following close behind. When they had done so, Harrin pushed back the boulder into its previous position. He shook his head.

"Sentimental my arse…"He muttered. Then turned away. he didn't look back.


The twin cubs watched as the final glimmer of light disappeared as the cave was sealed shut. Sara was shaking, and Inti's injuries hurt more than ever. Defeated, he fell to the ground, and began to sob quietly, not caring if his sister, his ancestors, or any living thing on earth saw him weaken. Sara laid down next him, he own tears long since used up.

"Stop your sniveling... and whimpering… I should be able to sleep without having to listen to your whining." Said a voice. Instantly, both the cubs went deathly silent and whirled around in fright, as a pair of dark red eyes stared at them out of the darkness.


AN:

There you go guys. A Relatively short chapter in all. I bet all of you are desperate to know whose the red-eyes are, aren't you? Well, you'll have to wait, because in our next chapter, we return to Kiava's part of the story. Should give you plenty of time to get your theories in. Of course, there is an obvious choice… but hey – who said I was obvious… It has to be someone other than that, right? I mean – that's too obvious.

Of course, this could be me double bluffing… maybe it really is the obvious choice… or is that too subtle for me?

Well… I guess we'll all find out won't we?

Apologies for the rather brutal scenes for Amun, Harrin, and Rish'ut. But hey – these are not nice people. They are going to do some crazy things, and whilst I will never go overboard with messed up violence, and mature themes, I want to keep the characters "real", whilst not giving up the flavor of the Lion King. Humanity has proven time and time again what it is capable of. Some of that darkness must be reflected in the story for the good deeds of the Protagonists to shine through, to be worth something. If you feel this is something, I did well, or if you think I went overboard, let me know in the reviews so I can adjust as the story goes on. By the stories conclusion, I want everyone to be having a blast.

So long.

Haradion