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Fate
She was lost.
The Star Tower was an endless maze of concentric circles stacked on top of one another and in the crimson depths Ajenke had lost sight of her mother's life heat as it vanished into thin air. The only thing she was certain of was that her mother had been going up, so she climbed, her legs burning as she pushed herself higher and higher, hoping against hope that the next horizon would give her a sign of her mother's whereabouts.
One question lingered in Ajenke's mind, one only her mother, or perhaps the Mistress, could answer – why? Why not escape when given the chance? She'd thought she'd understood the depths of her mother's hatred for the Shan and his clan.
Her obsession no longer angered Ajenke. It frightened her. And on some instinctual level, she knew that if she didn't pursue the Mistress then she'd lose her mother forever.
The scent of blood and the sound of shuffling steps made her slow and she crept on all fours up the rest of the stairwell. She peered over the edge, instantly focusing on the limping male walking across the circular platform that was suspended in the air by ornate, swirling pillars. He was heading for another set of stairs that curved around a huge, golden statue of a xora, its massive wings and eyes wreathed in flame. Beyond it Ajenke noticed the famous golden doors of the Star Court, broken and shattered by powerful explosives, the sound of guttural roaring and shouts echoing from within.
She skirted around the edge of the platform, keeping as close to the railing as she dared and shrugging off the temptation to look down into the dizzying crimson abyss. Crouched at the bottom of the stairwell, the scent of his blood was now potent. The male paused and she froze, her hearts hammering inside her chest as she held her breath.
"If you've come to kill me, do it now," he rasped. "If you're a friend, then help me up these damn stairs."
Ajenke slowly closed the distance between them until she was at his level, staying just out of reach. He bore no sigils of clan or rank except that of his graying dreadlocks, the long tendrils bound beneath his impressive crest. He was badly wounded, deep slashes cutting into his arms and chest. The worst was sealed up. But sealant gels were meant to be a temporary fixture and by the cool look of his already pale skin, he did not have long.
"Ah, it's you," he said as he leaned against the railing. "That was a very foolish thing you did this morning, young Mistress."
"Who are you and why should I help you?" Her gaze flicked up at the golden doors for a moment as a thunderous roar echoed down from the great hall.
"My name is Harsan and I'm trying to save your friend, Ahandra."
Shock coursed through her. "What? Is she in there?" she asked, pointing towards the Star Court.
"Saa." He grunted as he grabbed the railing and pulled himself forward, slowly taking one painful step after another.
Ajenke was torn. Her mother could still be anywhere. But her friend was here, in danger and the only person trying to save her could barely walk. She hissed a curse and looped the elder's arm around her shoulders, helping him up the last few steps before setting him down by the smoldering doors.
She settled into a crouch and slowly peered around the corner.
"What do you see?"
"There are many warriors. I see the Shan with his elite guardians shouting at a male in black. There are other warriors, but I don't recognize their clan symbol. And… I see Ahandra! Oh Goddess, she has her pup with her."
"Seinu." Harsan shifted closer to her, his breath coming in shallow rasps as he leaned forward. "Who's guarding them?"
"A Thousand Blade. But for some reason he's sided with the dark warriors."
"That is Jalan, also known as Captain Tcharr. He was my former student."
"You know who the dark warriors are?" she asked, turning back to look at him.
His blood-red eyes, tired and aged, did not blink as he replied. "They are Shadow Stalkers, my kinsmen."
Ajenke growled and gripped her sword. "Impossible. Auran is the last."
"That's what my brethren and I wanted everyone to believe. Why go looking for something that doesn't exist? It makes espionage a much easier task."
"What else are you not telling me?"
"A great deal. But you must trust me when I say I have severed the bond between me and my blood clan. I exist only to protect Auran and his family. His hope is mine. And I would gladly die for it."
Her growl faded, her grip on her sword relaxing. His words appeared sincere. Satisfied that he wouldn't stab her in the back, she turned and peered around the corner again.
Ajenke's hearts stopped.
She watched as the naked form of her mother was roughly dragged onto the throne dais, her limp body leaving a fresh trail of blood. Ahandra was thrown next to her, her pup's squeaking cries ringing across the room. "Oh Goddess…" Anguish twisted her hearts and threitak's fire filled her limbs.
"What? What happened?"
Ajenke unsheathed her sword. "The Shadow Stalkers have my mother! She's wounded and if I don't do something soon she's going to die."
"Where's Ahandra?"
"With my mother. On the dais. Chjit, they're surrounded."
"Listen. Listen!" he hissed, grabbing her arm before she decided to get herself killed. "There are slave entrances all around this place. If we can..." Electric prickles shivered through the cores of Harsan's tendrils, his hackles rising as his sixth sense detected a presence behind them. He slowly turned to look behind, his relief quickly morphing into apprehension as Auran strode up the stairs towards them.
His face was masked, but his steps were filled with purpose, muscled arms tense and bright with quick-flowing blood. Harsan would need to tread cautiously around the young warrior. His mandibles spread to say something when earth-shattering explosions ripped through the Star Court. Plasma blasts shrieked through air, followed by the clash of weapons and howling battle cries.
"Auran, yan!" Harsan barked as he ran for the entrance.
He paused, turning his mask's passionless gaze on the elder yautja.
"You must not go in there until Natharrak is dead, do you understand me? He will use you to strike down the Shan."
His voice came out as a muffled growl behind his mask. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"
Shouts of pain and rage filled the air, the trio flinching as a plasma bolt shrieked through the archway and slammed into the back of the golden xora, orange sparks showering down upon them.
Harsan had to shout over the thunder of the battle. "Natharrak is attempting to destroy the Thousand Blades! The Shan is confronting him now!" The revelation rooted Auran to the spot and for the moment, Harsan had the young warrior's attention.
Ajenke glanced between the two, utterly bewildered and growing increasingly frustrated the longer they waited to form a plan. Her mother and Ahandra were in there for the Goddess' sake.
"Natharrak wanted to be certain you would hand over the sword of Ashann to him, so he had me implant a device inside you before you fought Iyeiden. Do you remember that day?"
Auran looked away. There was still pain there. And confusion. Harsan allowed himself to indulge in a brief moment of shame. "You didn't kill Iyeiden."
His head snapped up.
"When you hesitated to finish your guardian, Natharrak took control and forced you to kill him."
Auran's shock quickly turned to rage and he shoved Harsan to the ground, the edge of his darkblade pressed against his throat. "Get. It. Out!"
"I can't, not without the right equipment," Harsan rasped. "But there is a way to shut it off."
"How?"
"The master control is lodged inside Natharrak's skull, directly linked to his mind. If he dies, the link is severed."
Auran snarled, his hand shaking as he gripped the haft of his blade. "Your blood was all over the clinic and around Saira's body. Ahandra would've been with her. Where is she?!"
"Jalan— Captain Tcharr took her." The elder warrior growled in pain, his chest heaving with sharp gasps as the blade bit into his skin. Bright trails of blood trickled from his throat.
Auran's grip on his arm tensed and through the dark veil of his mask's lenses Harsan saw his eyes widen in understanding. "You were following him. She's in there, isn't she?"
"Auran, I'm no longer a part of the sharin'atha—"
"Isn't she?!"
"If you go in there, you'll both die!"
"Yak'sallah! I should have never trusted you!" Auran jumped to his feet and bolted for the room.
"Iyan! Auran!" Harsan shouted after him, cursing as he struggled to his knees. "Ajenke, go after the fool!"
Ajenke muttered a curse and darted into the room, keeping behind the curving line of pillars to avoid notice. Auran had disappeared, utilizing the gift of invisibility. She would've kill for a cloaking device right now, she thought as metal shurikens whizzed by. It was an all out bloody brawl in the center of the room, the Shan's elite versus the legendary warriors of N'tharralis.
Without warning she was jerked to the floor, several plasma bolts shrieking past and smashing into the white-stone walls. I should be dead. She stared at the steaming holes the shots had punched into the stone, the invisible grip on her arm quickly dragging her behind a pillar. "Stay close," hissed the voice of Auran once he pulled her upright. "Keep to the walls."
"You have a plan?"
"Saa. You're going to charge the bastard guarding the dais."
"And you?"
"I'm going to kill him," he growled.
On his mark, they sprinted around the edge of the room, Auran placing himself between her and the battle, the hot breath of superheated plasma searing her skin as it howled past. Ajenke roared as soon as they were in the open and charged up the dais steps, the one called Jalan rushing in to meet her. Their blades never met, the dark warrior jerking forward with a bone-crunching halt, bright red blood spilling over an invisible hand and spattering onto the floor. The Shadow Stalker gasped, his head slowly twisting in confusion as he looked for his killer. Auran ripped his blade free and the shocked male tumbled to the floor.
Ajenke side-stepped the crumpled body and rushed to her mother's side. "Nana? Nana!?" she cried, shaking her shoulders, breathing a sigh of relief as her mother's eyes fluttered open.
"Ajenke?" Her voice was barely a whisper, her hand limp in Ajenke's trembling grip.
"I'm going to get you out of here, nana." She pressed her hands against the gaping wound in her mother's abdomen, her flesh ashen and cool to the touch. "Stay with me, do you understand? Stay with me." Ajenke looked around for bandages, locking eyes with a terrified and exhausted Ahandra, a pup cradled in one arm. Her friend had a wild light in her eyes and her robes hung from her unnaturally thin frame.
Ahandra wasn't sure whether to believe what she was seeing. Her friend was here. But that was impossible. She flinched as something cold brushed her skin, the air around her crackling with white arcs of energy. Auran's smell and warmth washed over her and she warbled in shock and joy as his strong arms wrapped around her and Seinu, the pain and the fear of the last several days disappearing.
"Why do you never stay where I leave you?" he rumbled softly.
"Because I know you'll always find me," she chittered, burying her face in his shoulder, his shallow purr chasing away her worries.
"I'm getting you out of here," he said as he looped his arms around her shoulders and knees.
"Don't move, Auran!"
He froze. Ahandra felt every muscle tense within him and he held her tight against his chest. Unbidden, Harsan's warning whispered in the back of her mind. Do not go near your bondmate until I tell you it's safe.
"Well, isn't this perfect?" Natharrak's hiss cut through the sudden quiet, dozens of bodies and limbs littering the blood-spattered floor. "I couldn't have planned this better. How good of you to join your brothers, Auran."
His growl trembled through her body. "Go to the lowest hell, Natharrak. You are no brother of mine."
"So, you've decided to remain Shaidra's kalai? I am disappointed," he said. Natharrak looked over at the Shan and his one remaining Thousand Blades' warrior. Even though he was outnumbered, surrounded by a half dozen people who wanted him dead, he didn't seem bothered by this. In fact, he continued to taunt the Shan, mercilessly, as if he'd already won, the confrontation and bloodshed a mere formality. "By now your entire family is dead. I had my best sent to infiltrate your pathetic defenses to ensure that the line of Kuuroch was eliminated forever. Just like your father did to my family."
"So help me, Natharrak…" Shaidra growled, his crimson eyes gleaming with hatred and anguish. His hands shook as he was overcome with rage, ragged, guttural breaths wracking his massive frame.
The dark warrior smirked. "You'll do what? Kill me? I told you before. I don't care. We're all going to die today. It's just a question of when and how." He looked at Auran, baring his fangs in a malicious grin. Ahandra clung to him, a terrible sense of foreboding gripping her hearts. "I take that back. I would like to see you die first… by Auran's hand."
Suddenly, Auran's limbs went slack and she slid onto the floor as he slowly rose to his feet. "Auran? Auran, what are you doing?" She juggled Seinu in her arms, trying to grab her bondmate as he walked away.
He didn't answer or look back. Instead, he unsheathed his darkblade and then a second sword, each fluid step taking him closer to the Shan. Without looking, Auran tossed Natharrak the second blade.
"Thank you, Auran," he said, smiling as he gently caressed the glass weapon. Slowly, it began to glow with an ethereal inner light, veins of white fire spreading from the hilt of the sword until the entire blade burned as bright as a star. Natharrak twirled it, admiring the illusion of flames that appeared as it arced through the air.
Ahandra's breath caught. She'd seen that sword in her dreams.
"The sword of Ashann, Threitar'sek. The Pure Flame. I should thank you as well, Shaidra. Without this gift I could never have convinced the High Clan to delay its response to your city's crisis. When they learned about your plan to usurp them, they were quite willing to negotiate with me." He chuckled darkly. "Ironically, by letting Kuuroch fall, the virus will almost certainly spread across the world and destroy them as well."
"You're insane. You would risk destroying an entire world for the sake of revenge?"
Natharrak smirked at the Shan's accusation. "No less insane than believing a statue can hear your prayers. Say I only kill you and your family. Then what? Another clan would rise up to take its place. And this would go on and on, endless bloodshed without purpose. So I decided to stop the madness in one fell swoop." His eyes widened and his mandibles pulled back into a wild grin. "In the end, we're all just an unfortunate accumulation of complex chemicals, living long enough to discern the vanity of our infinitesimal lives before disintegrating beneath the weight of the cosmic ages. I realized this when I was young and for a moment, I saw it. The endless void. The icy fate of eternity unraveling, the stars dimming and the ashes of the universe scattering into the nothingness!"
The nothingness that destroyed Kuuroch in my dream, Ahandra thought. The world hadn't ripped apart because that's what was going to happen to it. That was Natharrak's belief. It was the Shadow Stalkers' vision of the end of time. Everything was falling into place. The not-Auran. The sword. The burning city. It was happening so quickly. Too quickly. What else was she missing?
Her eyes widened. The prophecy.
When the dragon thirsts for more than light
And weeping maiden's tears burn the night,
Then shall the star born appear.
Slave and Warrior,
Savior and Abomination,
Two in one, sealed by blood,
Three in one, sealed by fate.
The dead will rise and the stars will fall,
Till the destined one wields the Pure Flame.
Then shall the star born die,
That the curse may be broken,
And the truth set free.
She quietly mumbled it to herself as she rocked back and forth to soothe Seinu. He hiccupped every few moments, too exhausted to cry anymore.
The dead will rise and the stars will fall till the destined one wields the Pure Flame. Threitar'sek. Her gaze flicked to Natharrak, the glowing sword held at his side. Was he the destined one? Auran was the star born, which meant he was going to die soon. But what about the curse?
She squeezed her eyes shut as the thunder of heavy blood pounded against her skull. The visions had ceased. For the first time in her life she wished she could go into the dream state. She was missing something. Something important. It niggled at the back of her mind. An important detail her tired mind had overlooked.
The Shan's roar ripped her from her thoughts and she watched in horror as Auran charged the huge warrior. His red-caped guardian rushed to intercept him, sparks flying as their blades smashed against each other. The two danced and swirled across the floor, Auran slowly overwhelming the more heavily armored warrior. With a piercing shriek, the bodyguard's golden blade tore in half, the end of the blade clattering across the hall. The shocked warrior barely had time to dodge Auran's first ferocious strike. The next strike tore through the jaw of his mask, jarring the exhausted warrior and he stumbled back. Auran wove his darkblade through his outstretched arms, slashing his black sword across his golden breastplate. Metal screeched and blood sprayed the air, the warrior crying out as he collapsed to the floor. Ahandra flinched as her bondmate stabbed his blade into the fallen warrior, silencing his groans.
The Shan charged Natharrak, but Auran was already in pursuit. He tackled Shaidra to the ground quickly rolling away and springing to his feet. The Shan roared and charged.
"Ahandra." She flinched as a hand shook her shoulder and she tore her eyes away from the fight. "Come on. We need to get out of here. Help me with mother, please." Her friend's desperate eyes pulled Ahandra from the grips of her own anxiety and she crawled over to the Mistress' still form, setting Seinu to the side. Her body was so cool and breaths so faint that for a second Ahandra thought she was dead and Ajenke was blind with grief. The flutter of eyelashes and twitching limbs banished such thoughts.
"We need to keep the bandages in place while we move her," said Ajenke, tearing her breechcloth into strips.
Ahandra's stomach clenched as Auran parried a strike she was certain would've killed a slower warrior.
Ajenke scanned the dead around them. "We could use cloaks to keep her warm—"
"Don't think I forgot about you two." Natharrak's sneering voice made Ahandra cringe. When she'd touched him earlier, his thoughts had become hers, his sick, twisted joy at the sight of so much chaos and death filling her for a brief moment. She'd seen the xashi, the burning city, Auran training beneath the Iron Towers, the deal with the Hish.
Her breath caught. The deal with the Hish. Destroy all traces of our technology those filthy huunan have managed to acquire. Kill all who've come in contact with it. Natharrak's words rang in her head. The Hish were going to destroy the Weyland facility and everyone who worked there.
Ajenke's shadow fell over her and she looked up to see her friend stepping in between her and Natharrak. Scorch razor in hand, she hissed at the approaching male.
"A brave gesture. Brave, but pointless." He drew closer, completely relaxed, not even bothering to glance behind at the titanic struggle unfolding behind him, as if he knew what was happening. Or maybe he just didn't care.
Ajenke growled and primed her rifle, shifting into a ready stance.
Ahandra crouched, ready to grab Seinu and run. The soldier in her bristled at the idea of running. She wanted a gun. But there weren't any guns, at least none nearby.
A howl broke the tense standoff and all three glanced at the two warriors. Shaidra was on his knees, one of his arms replaced with a bloody stump. Auran stepped on his blade, a solid punch knocking the Shan to the ground.
Ragged breaths echoed from within his mask, his muscular body littered with cuts and slashes, the blood from them soaking his tan flesh. Shaidra lay broken on the floor, helpless to defend himself.
But Auran did not deliver the final blow.
"Hmm." Natharrak turned away from the two females, more interested in humiliating his lifelong foe one more time before dispatching him. He stood over the Shan, drawing the glowing white blade over his bloodied chest. His mandibles spread but the words never came.
A crack punctured the heavy silence and Natharrak's head exploded in a shower of gore, his body thumping lifelessly to the ground.
Auran shivered and fell to his knees, gasping as he looked around in confusion. It quickly turned to horror as his eyes fell on Shaidra's mangled form.
Relief filled Ahandra and she looked across the room to see Harsan slumped against the entryway, sniper rifle cradled in his lap.
Ajenke huffed. "Nice shot—"
Bone-wrenching cracks pierced the air and all eyes snapped to the bloody heap that was Jalan, an empty injector capsule clattering to the floor from one of his hands. His body convulsed and foam frothed from his gaping mandibles as he gurgled in agony. He howled as black spikes ripped through his back and spinal bones tore through his flesh, blossoming into a long, sinuous tail tipped with a wickedly curved blade. Black carapace enfolded bulging muscles and acidic blood dripped from shredded fingertips as long, razor-sharp claws slid into place. His howls of pain morphed into sibilant hissing and the one that had once been Jalan gracefully rose to its feet.
"What the sjauk is that!?" Ajenke slowly backed away and set her weapon's sights on the dark creature.
"Ahandra! Ajenke! Run, God dammit, run!" Auran roared as he surged forward.
It charged Ajenke, its unearthly shriek sending icy shards of fear through her. She roared and unleashed several bursts of screeching metal. The creature shrugged off the hail of razor-edged discs, mouth gaping as it leapt for her throat.
A body suddenly collided into Ajenke from the side, sending her tumbling down the short staircase, her gun skittering across the bloody floor. A scream filled the air and she looked up in horror as the creature suck its fangs into Ahandra's shoulder and claw at her flesh.
"Yaaan!" Auran slammed into it, the force of the blow wrenching Ahandra from its jaws.
The creature quickly shoved him off, a powerful kick knocking him across the dais. Ajenke scrambled for her gun, slipping on the bloody marble as she dove for the weapon. The creature's shrieks and Auran's roar filled the chamber and Ajenke jumped to her feet, turning in time to see Auran ram a spear through the leaping monster's chest. Carapace cracked and the creature wailed in pain, sickly green blood oozing from its cold body.
It grabbed the shaft and slashed at him with its tail, sparks flashing as its needle-pointed end bounced off his armor. With a roar, he ripped the spear free and jabbed it through the creature's gaping mouth, the metal tip exploding out of the back of its elongated skull.
Auran let go of the spear, the monster's twitching body slumping to the ground, smoke filling the air as its acidic blood slowly ate through the stone.
Ajenke rushed to dais, Auran cradling Ahandra in his arms as he applied sealant gel to her mangled shoulder. He called her name over and over, running his hand over her cool cheeks. "She's not answering." He looked up at Ajenke, desperation filling his eyes. "What's wrong with her?"
Ahandra's breath came in shallow gasps as her dilated pupils swallowed her quivering orange irises. Trembling limbs contracted and locked, the stench of blood filling the air as her skin began to blister and crack around the bite mark.
Ajenke didn't answer, guilt and fear tightening her throat. She pressed her mandibles against her fangs and looked around for more cloth to use as bandages, freezing when she saw the Shan standing over her mother. The stubby tendrils on the back of her neck rose and she flared her crest, growling a warning.
He turned his tired gaze to her, his slumped shoulders indicating he was not interested in fighting. "Who are you?"
"I am Ajenke Djaidesh'erin, Mistress of the Midnight Blossom. Now get away from my mother."
He sighed and turned his gaze back to the Mistress. "Your mother…"
She bristled and primed her scorch razor. "I'll not ask again. Get away from her."
Ajenke might as well have been a fly buzzing about his head. He crouched over her mother, his one remaining hand resting over the deep stomach wound. "Before you shoot me, answer one question: Why did she hate me?"
She stared at him, her brow furrowing. "I don't know." She cut him off before he could reply. "And I don't care. Whatever you did, it tore her apart and for the last 25 years I've watched her suffer. If I asked her why she wanted to kill you she'd strike me and tell me to never speak to her about it. I learned to keep my tongue still and hate you as well."
"Who is your father?"
She growled. "That's another question."
"I consider them linked."
"Yan! No more questions."
Her mother shifted. Wheezing gasps escaped her chest and she coughed, moaning something.
Shaidra ignored the young female's growls as he leaned in on his remaining right arm, his long tendrils curtaining around Nyrendi's pale face as he pressed his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and breathed in her long forgotten scent as he strained to hear her rasping whispers.
"Shai… Shaidra. A-Ajenke is yours. I thought… I thought you sent… sent your assassins. Jaiendra… Jaiendra's clan sent them… The ship crashed… slavers came… I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Her last words faded away with her final breath.
Throbbing pain filled his hearts and skull and he was thrown back to the moment when he'd learned the ship he'd secretly stowed Nyrendi on had been destroyed. He'd lost her. Again. His limbs trembled as he pulled back, taking in her beautiful, frozen features before gently brushing his mandibles against hers.
Shaidra let out a shuddering sigh as he pulled away and stiffly climbed to his feet. He couldn't die. Not yet. There was one last thing he had to do.
Ajenke gaped at him, her brow furrowing in confusion. A soft warble escaped her throat when she looked down at Nyrendi's body. "Iyan."
Ajenke is yours. He saw the resemblance. She'd taken after his mother, Saira.
Her heaving cries warped into a seething growl and she brought up her rifle against him, a trembling finger clenching the trigger.
A small flicker of pride filled him. She'd inherited his temper and resolve. Good. "These are your mother's last words."
"Spit them out! Then I kill you."
He felt lightheaded, the Star Court and mess of bodies beyond blurring into a purple haze, silhouetting Ajenke's glowing figure. "A long time ago, your mother and I were secret lovers. It was a secret because she was of a lesser clan and their bloodline had not yet been approved to mingle with the Thousand Blades', especially mine, since I was next in line to lead the clan. When the clan wars began, I stowed her away on a ship to another city, where she would be protected by an ally. But the ship was destroyed. The explosion killed everyone onboard and I believed her dead."
His daughter —the words felt strange to think— lowered her gun slightly.
"Nyrendi told me she… she thought I had sent the assassins that crashed the ship and tried to kill her."
"Who sent them?"
Shaidra growled as he glanced over at his first bondmate's body. "Jaiendra."
Ajenke trembled, her eyes wild with pain. She wanted revenge. But the shan'ra was dead.
"There's one other thing she told me. You are my daughter."
She growled. "I don't believe you."
"A blood test would confirm it but I will take Nyrendi's word. Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter." The Shan limped down the dais stairs towards Natharrak's body and grabbed the now dull Threitar'sek. "Thet."
A feminine voice crackled to life from his wrist computer. "Saa?"
"I assume you've heard everything."
"I have been monitoring you since you left the control center."
"I need you to bear witness." He staggered back over to Ajenke, holding up his wrist comp before her. "Take the laser quill."
Numb, she plucked the thin instrument free. He took it, his hand shaking as he reached for her forehead.
She stepped back. "What in the hells are you doing?!"
Darkness clouded his vision and he staggered. Chills raced over his clammy skin. "Dammit girl, I'm marking you. Now step forward before I die."
"Why?"
"Ajenke," Thet chirped. "He will not hurt you. The mark will protect you."
"Let me do this," Shaidra rasped. "For Nyrendi."
Ajenke steadied him as he wobbled. She glanced between him and her mother, sighing in defeat. "Fine."
"Try to relax," said Thet. "The marks will heal cleaner."
She tensed as he pressed the sharpened edge of the quill against her brow, growling as the red laser bit into her skin. Her vanity forced her to relax her forehead, digging her claws into her palms to distract herself from the searing pain cutting across her scalp.
"With this mark, I bestow the right and authority to rule Kuuroch in its entirety to my blood heir, Ajenke Djaidesh'erin." With a final stroke, he finished the four-winged xora, the mark glowing an angry red beneath her crest. "May the Creators' wisdom guide you." He pressed the hilt of Threitar'sek into her palm.
She stared grim faced and pale at the blade as it began to gleam.
He was a terrible father, Shaidra thought. The best he could offer Nyrendi's child was a dying city. "Thet."
"Saa?"
"Watch over her."
"Saa."
He didn't hear her answer as his eyes drew shut. He was so tired. The Shan crumpled to his knees and collapsed against the cool floor next to Nyrendi.
Ajenke trembled, her breath coming in shallow, shuddering gasps as she stared down at the lifeless bodies of her parents, her forehead on fire. The right and authority to rule Kuuroch. The words echoed in her mind. Oh Goddess, this was insane. Her mother was dead. She wasn't ready for this.
"Kill her."
Harsan's voice jarred Ajenke out of a near panic attack.
"Auran, listen to me."
"Yan! Get away!"
She felt hollow inside. Numbly, she observed the one called Harsan pleading with Auran. Ahandra was moaning and shaking, the bite mark on her arm now swollen and black.
"The xashi's venom has tainted her blood, can't you see that? She'll change. She'll kill you and Seinu!"
"Yak'sallah, I can save her!"
Harsan took a step forward, quickly backing off as Auran loosed a sharp hiss. "Auran, you must listen to me. Natharrak infused the xashi distributed in the Tunnels with a strain from the serpents. Anyone bitten by someone infected is also infected."
"How do I stop the infection?"
"By killing her."
"There has to be a cure!"
"It doesn't exist."
Auran growled and looked down at Ahandra, tightening his grip as violent trembles wracked her thin frame, drool dribbling from her mouth. "I-I can't."
"You must. If she changes she will try to kill or infect all of us."
Auran squeezed his eyes shut as anguish tore through him. He knew Harsan was right. Despite her racing pulse, her limbs felt chill against his flesh. Any second now she would be transformed into a hideous monster that wanted to tear him limb from limb, just like Jalan, and he would be forced to kill her. Ahandra's death was inevitable.
His hands trembled as he turned her face away, shifting her until her clammy shoulders were pressed against his back. Nausea gripped his stomach as he locked his arm under her jaw and wrapped a hand around the side of her head. Harsan looked away. Ajenke choked on a warbled sob.
Auran tensed his arms, closed his eyes and with a quick jerk, snapped Ahandra's neck, the sickening crunch rending his hearts into a thousand pieces.
Author's Note: Yeaaah... I'm evil.
But I'm not done yet, no siree. Four more chapters to go people. I will try to get them out as quickly as possible. Next chapter: Starborn