《The King's Remorse》


 Notes About This Story

    Hello, everyone!


    Welcome to the world of The King''s Remorse! I''m glad you''re here, and I hope you enjoy!


    Also:


    This story is only posted here on Royal Road under the username -Werewolf14- and on Wattpad under the username -Werewolf14-. If you find it elsewhere, I did not post it there


    This story is all mine and belongs to me. So does all of the art in this story- the cover of the story/the volumes, as well as the drawings in every chapter. I drew it all; it belongs to me and is mine. Do not use any of the drawings -in whole or in part- as yours. They do not belong to you.


    TRIGGER WARNINGS: The King''s Remorse is a fantasy story with fight scenes. There is blood and gore consistent with battles with weapons like swords and bows and arrows and magic. There are descriptions that give detail, although I avoid gratuitous descriptions. There is swearing. There is also manipulation and gaslighting, as well as many deaths, both of characters named and unnamed. The nature of one of the deaths was murder by neonaticide (death of a newborn under 24 hours old), which was the closest term I could find to describe what happened, although the murder was not committed by either parent. This particular death took place in the past, but has a very big effect on characters affected by the murder. There are mentions of past claims of child abuse that are false. The claims were made and were false, but still had many effects. A character has a great deal of anxiety. The King''s Remorse contains a lot of trauma from various sources and there are characters in some dark places mentally. There is self-harm, both in the past and in the present in the story, although it is not glorified, nor is anything listed here. I have tagged this story with ''graphic violence'' ''sensitive content'' and ''profanity'' for these reasons


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    I will put warnings at the top of chapters with particularly dark aspects, although please note that not every chapter will have one, even if there''s fights. If I do add a warning to a chapter, there will be a brief summary of why the warning is there with the general content (clear but with as little detail as possible) and if I feel a summary is needed so nothing is missed, I will add that to the author''s note at the end of the chapter with a watered-down description of what happened to hit the major plot points. However, I do want to restate that not every chapter will get its own warning, and that doesn''t necessarily mean that ''nothing'' happens that chapter- there still may be fights, difficult conversations, injuries, panic attacks, etc


    Please note the trigger warnings list above and consider if The King''s Remorse is right for you if any of the things mentioned are potentially triggering topics for you. Not every story is right for everyone, and the last thing I want is to accidentally give someone and unwanted surprise. There are so many stories out there, and plenty will be the right fit and a story you will love :) your mental well-being is important and no story is worth jeopardizing it!


    I hope you enjoy, and welcome to the world of Ragdon!


    -Werewolf14- :)


    If you have any questions about the content of this story, feel free to leave a comment below and I''ll reply as soon as I can!


    Below is a drawing I did of the island of Ragdon, where the story of The King''s Remorse takes place. There are also a few characters added (of course not to scale, though)


    Yes, there are animal characters in The King''s Remorse. Some can talk as humans do and do have some human-like ways of acting, yet also some mannerisms more closely aligned with the animal their character is based off of

 Undead - Prologue

    Prologue


    He kneels silently.


    He says nothing as he waits to die.


    Thank you for reading The King''s Remorse! I hope you enjoyed the prologue to the first section of the story, Undead!


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I look forward to sharing the first POV, as well as the entire rest of the cast of characters of The King''s Remorse as the story unfolds! There will be six sections in The King¡¯s Remorse, each with their own POV so six characters will be narrating the events of The King¡¯s Remorse


    As of October 12, 2024, I have finished the fourth section, Reborn, and have started on the fifth, which I look forward to sharing!


    I hope you have a wonderful week!


    -Werewolf14- :)

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 1 - A Very Bad Idea

    Undead


    ALEX


    Chapter 1


    A Very Bad Idea


    By the time I give into the itching desire, it¡¯s been weeks.


    And it¡¯s taken me just as long to find out that my brother, Grey, has the same feeling.


    ¡°Do you think we should go to the Erebus Tree?¡± Grey asks as we walk back from the school.


    The school is the only one in the Sea, our home of little tents.


    I work as the drill sergeant for the children, leading fighting classes ranging from archery to sparring to sword fighting. Grey runs the classes, teaching whatever¡¯s been allowed by the King on the given week, usually the King¡¯s history classes with an emphasis on his army of Guard and Soldiers.


    ¡°Why?¡± I respond, pulling off my backpack, opening it, and ruffling through the papers of various drills to get a snack. I find some jerky and offer Grey a piece.


    He takes it and replies, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Do you just feel like we really should go there?¡± I squint at him, slinging my backpack back over my shoulders before taking a bite of jerky and gnawing on it.


    Grey¡¯s silver eyes flash with surprise, and I tense. I¡¯d meant it more as a joke.


    ¡°Yeah, actually.¡± He turns around, walking backward to face me. ¡°Do you¡­ do you feel the same thing?¡±


    I sling an arm around his back and neck, pushing him faster. He falls into step beside me.


    There¡¯s too many people around, and I can see a handful of Guard and Soldiers lurking in their leather and metal armor. The bows and arrows of the Guard and the swords of the Soldiers are far too conspicuous and they look far too sharp.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I reply, ¡°but we need to keep moving.¡±


    Grey hums. ¡°That¡¯s probably true. How were classes today?¡±


    I shrug, letting him go. I take a bite of jerky and chew on it.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t bad. It was sword fighting today. Had a kid who was a little too enthusiastic with his wooden sword and gave another kid a black eye. The kid¡¯ll be fine, but the other¡¯s probably gonna get drafted as a Soldier. The King likes Soldiers like that. You?¡±


    ¡°I taught a history class on the Amethyst Throne and the King¡¯s Dragon.¡± The distant tone of Grey¡¯s voice told me all I needed to know.


    He doesn''t like his job as teacher, but it was that or the King¡¯s army and Grey didn¡¯t want to fight. He¡¯s always preferred to hang back and study his options, rather than go straight toward the action. He won''t stop teaching, though, since he argues that maybe he can stop things someday. Maybe the King can fall without a fight.


    I hum in response.


    ¡°Camden¡¯s supposed to stop by later. He¡¯s going to help with that fraying rope on the side of our tent,¡± I say.


    ¡°Are you two back together now or not?¡±


    I shove Grey in the shoulder, and he stumbles to the side, chuckling.


    ¡°No,¡± I shoot back. ¡°We¡¯re not together. He left me, alright?¡±


    Grey holds his hands up. ¡°Ok, ok.¡±


    We make our way down one of the alleyways, taking a shortcut back to our tent.


    The roads through the Sea twist and turn, crisscrossing in a maze-like network, without any real order to them. The Sea started off as just a handful of little tents that eventually grew to a sprawling expanse in the shadow of the King¡¯s castle.


    It¡¯s not long before we reach our shared tent, a small, two-person space that looks identical to every other one in the Sea. Split down the middle, the two sides are identical; a bed with a chest at the foot and a small shelf for other belongings at the side.


    Grey ducks inside, pulling aside one of the flaps in the doorway, while I pause outside.


    One of the ropes holding the side of our tent taut is fraying, nearly snapped in two.


    I drop my backpack off on my bed, then return outside and lean against one of the posts of our tent, waiting for Camden.


    ¡°Hey, Alex!¡±


    I look up and see Camden approaching at a jog, strides long and even. His dark hair swishes against his shoulders. He¡¯s wearing the usual attire of those in the Sea¡ª an off-white shirt and beige shorts.


    ¡°So what are we up to today?¡± he asks.


    I gesture to the fraying rope. ¡°We¡¯re replacing that.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Camden pulls the top half of his hair into a loose ponytail. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad. How was work?¡± I untie the old rope, and Camden takes the new one from Grey, who ducks back into the tent. With the rope undone, part of our tent sags with the tension gone.


    Camden shrugs. ¡°Eh, it was alright. Just basic cleaning and stuff around the Barracks. Nothing too crazy. You know how the Guard and Soldiers can be.¡±


    I tie on the new rope to the edge of our tent and hand the other end to Camden, who pulls it taut, then fastens it to the stake dug firmly into the ground. He ties a tight knot that I know won''t come undone, courtesy of his experience doing just about every job possible in the Sea as his way of getting out of the Guard and Soldiers.


    "Think that''ll hold?" I ask. "I''d rather the tent not fall on us tonight."


    Camden walks around the entirety of our tent. He nods when he returns and stands in front of me. He crosses his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I think it''ll be fine. I don''t see anything concerning."


    ¡°Wanna get dinner tonight?¡± he adds.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    I pause, narrowing my eyes.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re really gonna ask that?¡±


    Camden nods. ¡°Yeah. I want to have dinner with you.¡±


    I snort. ¡°You had your chance, Camden,¡± I reply. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve got plans tonight.¡±


    I don¡¯t, really, but I do want to go to the Erebus Tree. Hopefully tonight.


    ¡°No ¡®Cam¡¯, Alex?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I respond, returning to tying the rope down. ¡°No ¡®Cam.¡¯ I have plans, and it¡¯s a no from me.¡±


    ¡°What plans? You never told me you had anything going on tonight.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°A girl¡¯s gotta have some secrets, you know. And while we might see each other often, I¡¯m not telling you every detail of my life.¡±


    ¡°You sound like Katelin.¡±


    ¡°Comparing me to your sister?¡± I laugh. ¡°I¡¯m flattered.¡±


    ¡°Need anything else? I¡¯m happy to help.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m good. Should just be a quiet rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Let me know if you change your mind about dinner. The offer still stands.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right, Camden.¡±


    He smiles, holding up his hands, then walks off.


    xxxx


    During the time it took for the sun to set and the moon to rise, Grey went from calmly sitting on his bed and discussing the possibility of the Erebus Tree to pacing back and forth and nearly wearing a trench in the floor and sweating through his shirt at the mere thought.


    ¡°Grey, come on,¡± I try. ¡°We both feel something. We gotta check it out.¡±


    ¡°I know, but we¡¯re gonna get into trouble! There¡¯s no way the King would allow it, and I don¡¯t want his attention on us. What if the Guard and Soldiers catch us?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to be careful. We know our way around the Sea.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s most certainly against the rules.¡±


    I fight back the urge to roll my eyes. ¡°Grey, you know those rules better than anyone. I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t have them tattooed on your arm. There is no rule that says no walking around the Erebus Tree. The King would¡¯ve torn that thing down otherwise. What the King doesn¡¯t know can¡¯t hurt him.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a good idea,¡± Grey murmurs, running a hand through his blonde hair.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡± I press, tilting my head to the side. ¡°We¡¯re both feeling the desire to head to the Erebus Tree.¡±


    ¡°I am curious,¡± he replies, wringing his hands. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. I want to, but it¡¯s not how we keep our heads down and not make a scene. The King¡¯s bad, but he sits on the Amethyst Throne. It¡¯s not like we can do much. Better to just do our jobs and come back home and not get noticed.¡±


    I sigh. He has a bit of a point, but I can¡¯t stop thinking about the Erebus Tree and the curiosity claws its way through my skin. I want to figure out what¡¯s up, and I know he does too.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll just be quick. Scurry over there, see the Erebus Tree, scurry back.¡±


    ¡°Alex, we¡¯ve seen the Erebus Tree a thousand times. It¡¯s right in the middle of the Sea. It¡¯s impossible to miss.¡±


    Grey scratches at his arm but drops his hand a moment later, looking at his fingers as he wipes his palms together.


    I nod. ¡°Exactly, so why do we both feel like we just have to go see it? We¡¯ve seen it before, so what¡¯s different about it now?¡±


    Grey closes his eyes and chews on his lip.


    ¡°This is a terrible idea,¡± he grumbles as he sits down and tugs his shoes on.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful. We¡¯ll keep an eye out. We¡¯ll be quick, and then we can go to bed.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a good idea, Alex,¡± Grey says, leading the way out of our tent.


    ¡°Shh, we need to be quiet,¡± I whisper.


    xxxx


    We creep through the Sea, sticking close to the shadows.


    Insects chirp under the glow moonlight. A breeze rustles the dust of the walkways, and I can see the twisting branches of the Erebus Tree like knobby fingers silhouetted against the night sky.


    We¡¯re nearly there when a troop of Guard and Soldiers turn the corner, walking toward us. They¡¯re talking amongst themselves, and one of the Guard is moving backward to talk with a Soldier. The Guard are clad in their leather armor, buckled together with thick straps, bows slung over one shoulder and a quiver of arrows on the other with daggers on either thigh. The Soldiers move with slightly more difficulty in their metal armor that clinks with each step, swords sheathed at their waists.


    Grey grabs my arm, yanking me behind a barrel. He drops to his knees, and I follow suit.


    ¡°Shit,¡± he hisses out. ¡°Bad idea, very bad idea.¡±


    I hold a finger to my lips and flash him a stern look.


    He continues cursing beneath his breath, and I slap a hand over his mouth. He falls silent.


    I crouch low to the ground as the Guard and Soldiers draw nearer, still chattering to each other. None seem to be paying much attention to their surroundings.


    They walk by us painfully slowly, and I can feel every beat of my racing heart, the tightness in my chest, the roar of blood in my ears.


    There isn¡¯t technically a rule against walking around at night, but there¡¯s a curfew that everyone generally follows¡ª no one out past nightfall. And I don¡¯t have a reason that I could give the Guard and Soldiers that would satisfy them.


    I¡¯d end up before the King, and I don¡¯t know what he¡¯d do. Well, I do, and I don¡¯t like it.


    But the Guard and Soldiers continue on their way, none so much as glancing our direction.


    Grey and I give them a few minutes to leave before I cautiously creep out and check both ways, ignoring my brother¡¯s high-pitched whisper to be careful.


    ¡°We¡¯re good,¡± I say after watching the Guard and Soldiers turn off onto a walkway that would take them to a far-off part of the Sea, well away from the Erebus Tree, though I know they could always turn around.


    Hopefully not, I silently pray.


    I hold out a hand and help Grey to his feet. He looks to the direction the Guard and Soldiers walked off in to check for himself, and we both hurry along, staying as quiet as we can.


    We turn a corner, and the Erebus Tree bursts from the ground before us.


    A network of roots spreads across the ground like tangled ropes before convening upward in a gnarled trunk covered in rough bark. Branches spread upward, twisting into knots and splaying out in long limbs.


    Grey and I hesitate beside a tent, and I hold my breath.


    Power seems to radiate from the Erebus Tree, named after one of the most powerful beings on Ragdon; Erebus, who has power over life. They created the island and everything on it. Their counterpart, Lucius, controlled death. They were the one who brought every living thing to their end.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± I ask Grey.


    He stares at the Erebus Tree, chewing on a fingernail. His expression flickers between panic and desire.


    Grey shakes his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go before I overthink this any more.¡±


    We slowly approach the Tree, and I scan my surroundings for any sign of Guard or Soldiers. The shadows cast by the moonlight seem darker than usual, more predatory. The hairs on my skin prickle.


    A cursory glance at the Erebus Tree shows nothing. It looks identical to every other time I¡¯ve walked past it.


    Maybe I was just making it all up.


    Except that now I¡¯m here, I can¡¯t leave. Grey doesn¡¯t seem to be able to either. There¡¯s just something about the Tree that¡¯s different, despite it looking exactly the same. There¡¯s something that just brings me in closer, tells me I¡¯m right where I need to be in this very moment.


    I reach out a hand and let my fingertips brush against the bark of the Erebus Tree, then press my palm firmly against it. The roughness tugs against my skin, but I don¡¯t pull away and a pulse of power rushes through my arm.


    Grey does the same with a curious expression, seemingly forgetting the existence of the Sea.


    As soon as he touches the Erebus Tree, it starts to shift.


    I jerk back with a gasp, and Grey retreats a few paces, panic flashing across his silver eyes.


    The Erebus Tree makes no sound as it begins to move, but light shines from within the tangled web of roots. Orange and silver shimmers, reflecting on the moving roots.


    Pulled forward by something I don¡¯t recognize, I kneel beside the Erebus Tree. Grey follows suit.


    There, hidden within the roots of the Tree, are two necklaces bound by leather cords, one a pewter pendant in the shape of a wolf¡¯s head and the other a malachite medallion with a silver wing carved into it.


    The medallion is pretty, but there¡¯s something about the pewter wolf that just draws me in. I can¡¯t take my eyes off of it. I just know that it¡¯s mine.


    Grey sucks in a sharp breath beside me and reaches out. I¡¯m about to slap his hand away, but he picks up the medallion.


    When his fingertips brush the green surface, silver light explodes from it, casting harsh light on every surface around us.


    Grey scrambles to his feet, taking the medallion with him. He tenses with panic.


    ¡°We should go,¡± he says, voice rising. ¡°The Guard and Soldiers will be here soon. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re not going to notice this. This was a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, we need to go.¡±


    ¡°This was a bad idea,¡± Grey repeats, whispering more to himself. ¡°A very bad idea.¡±


    I grab ahold of the pewter pendant and stand up. Orange light flares from tiny curved grooves carved in the surface of the wolf¡¯s head. A chip creates a triangular indent on one ear.


    Heavy footsteps sound off in the distance, and I freeze.


    ¡°We should run.¡±


    But before I can, the pewter pendant pulses in my hand and I pause, vision fading from this world into darkness. Two voices echo in my head, low and deep and dripping with power.


    The Wolf and the Dove shall rise with the help of the Phoenix whom the King will despise.


    Just as soon as I was snapped from reality, I¡¯m thrust back into it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I tell Grey.


    We run off into the night, back to our tent. Neither of us look back.

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 2 - A Tilting World

    Chapter 2


    A Tilting World


    Back at our tent, Grey slumps down on his bed. I sit down on mine, across from him on the other side of the tent.


    The moon casts a soft glow through the thin opening between the flaps of our tent.


    Grey hunches over, staring at the malachite medallion in his hands. "What even is this?"


    I stand in the middle of the room and let the pewter pendant dangle from my hand, leather cord wrapped around my fingertips. It swings gently.


    "I don''t know," I reply. "But it seems important."


    "Should we return them?" Grey asks.


    The malachite medallion flares a harsh silver, a firm no. The pewter pendant echoes a similar sentiment.


    Grey flinches. "Maybe not," he murmurs.


    "I feel like we''re supposed to have these," I say, "but I don''t know what we''re supposed to do with them."


    "Well, it doesn''t seem like we can really return them."


    I snort. "No, I don''t think so."


    "Let me get some water," Grey says.


    He stands up but stumbles, foot catching on the corner of his bed. He falls hard, and the corner of the chest at the foot of his bed slices a shallow gash on his forearm. He bites out a cry.


    "You good?" I drop to the ground as he sits up, cradling his arm and cupping his hand to catch the blood.


    "Yea-." Grey cuts himself off as his forearm starts to glow.


    Silver light dances on the cut, and the blood dripping down his skin slows, until it stops entirely.


    "What''s that?" I slide off the bed to kneel beside my brother.


    "I cut myself, but there''s no wound," Grey mumbles. He twists his arm this way and that, marveling at the smooth skin that has no hint that the flesh had ever been broken.


    "Well, duh," I shoot back. "How?"


    We both hesitate before Grey lifts up the malachite medallion. It sways gently in his hold, innocent but glittering silver.


    "Do you think-," we both say at the same time, looking at the pewter pendant.


    "Let''s find out," I reply with a shrug.


    "No-. Alex-. Don''t-don''t do that," Grey pleads as I root around in my backpack until I find a small dagger buried at the bottom.


    It''s dull from lack of any real use. I mostly use it to show kids how to properly carry the weapons they use in class. It hasn''t been sharpened in I can''t remember how long, but it''s got a blade and it''ll serve its purpose.


    "Don''t worry, Grey. It''s just a test. That medallion thingy seems to have given you healing powers, so now we''ll see if the pendant did the same thing for me." I bring the necklace up to eye level. "You''d better give me some cool power, ok? You made me come find you. Healing powers will do."


    I grip the dagger in one hand after wrapping the pewter pendant around my fingers to get it out of the way.


    "Don''t do that," Grey repeats. "You don''t need to hurt yourself."


    "It''s a test, Grey. How else are we gonna find out? When the Guard or Soldiers get annoyed at us? Let''s figure this out now. It''s obvious neither of us are sleeping tonight."


    I tick my head to the side and take a sharp breath as I hold the dagger over the back of my hand.


    Like a bandage. Now or never.


    Before I can think too hard about it, I slice the dagger through my skin, creating a shallow cut.


    Blood bubbles up from the wound and down my hand. I stare at the broken skin, but no orange light glows. Neither does silver light.


    "That sucks," I sink back and settle down to the ground, wiping off the blade of the dagger and sticking it back in my backpack. I hold an old rag in my palm to collect the blood dripping down my skin.


    "Maybe I can heal you?" Grey offers. "I don''t want it to get infected."


    "Maybe."


    I hold out my hand and Grey takes it. He places his palm over the wound, but nothing happens.


    I sulk. "Dang it," I say. "It seems you can''t heal others. Maybe the pendant is faulty?"


    Grey shrugs, leaning back against his bed. "I don''t know. I doubt it if it wanted you to find it at the Erebus Tree. What are we even supposed to do with them?"


    "Did the medallion tell you anything before we left?"


    Grey shakes his head. "No."


    I hum. "Just before we left the pendant said a line to me. The Wolf and the Dove shall rise with the help of the Phoenix whom the King will despise. I don''t know what it means."


    Grey thinks for a few moments, then opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, rustling footsteps come to a halt just outside our tent. In unison, we each freeze and shove our necklaces beneath our thin mattresses. I wipe the blood off my hand and throw the rag beneath my bed.


    "Grey! Alex! It''s me!"


    I jerk my head up when I hear Camden''s hissed voice.


    Grey pushes himself up to sit on his bed, and I stand up, letting Camden in. He casts a quick glance either way outside before ducking into our tent.


    "What?" Grey asks.


    "Katelin got back from the King''s castle a few minutes ago. She said she had to work late and that the King''s angry. He''s got Guard and Soldiers out searching the Sea. I thought I should tell you guys," Camden says. "You know how the King gets when he''s upset."


    I force myself to keep a straight face but frown in confusion.


    "Yeah," I murmur. "Thanks for telling us. Is Katelin alright?"


    She works at the King''s castle and acts as a secretary for the King and the Judge and Justice, two gargoyles whose power and influence falls just below the King.


    Camden shrugs, running a hand through his dark hair. "She seemed to think it was pretty bad, but she''ll be alright. Just felt I should tell you in case there''s any new rules for school tomorrow."


    Grey sighs. "Thanks, Camden."


    "Do you know what he''s looking for?"


    "No." Camden shakes his head. "Katelin said he never told her. Only the Generals know exactly what he''s after."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I hum. "Hopefully this doesn''t cause too much trouble."


    Grey and Camden both huff a chuckle, though Grey''s sounds far more pained.


    "I don''t want to keep you up too long since I know you''ll both have an early morning, but I thought I''d let you know. Yeah?" Camden raises his eyebrows.


    "Yeah," I reply with a brief smile.


    "Rain check on dinner?"


    "Go to sleep, Camden." I roll my eyes.


    "Fair enough, Alex." Camden ducks out of the tent, and the flaps swish against each other after he leaves.


    Grey watches the entrance for a few minutes, then leaps off the bed, pulling out his medallion from beneath the mattress. I fish out my pendant.


    "We''d better run," Grey says, grabbing a backpack and shoving basic supplies in it¡ª clothes, a knife, a canteen.


    "Run where? We don''t have anywhere to go. There''s the Sea, the Barracks, and the King''s castle, and two of those are right where the King is. There''s nowhere else."


    "Did you hear what Camden said? It can''t be a coincidence that the King starts a massive search for who knows what the same night we find the necklaces. I''m damn near certain these-" Grey holds up his medallion and gestures to my pendant. "-are what he wants. We need to run, Alex. I don''t know where either, but anywhere''s gotta be better than here."


    I know he''s right, but a pang of fear still bolts through me.


    "I''m scared too, Alex," Grey murmurs. "We have to run. We''ll stick with each other. Together, ok?"


    He slips the medallion over his head. I follow suit and feel a faint trickle of fiery power spread through me.


    I nod, grabbing my own backpack and sticking snacks in it along with clothes and my dagger.


    "Let''s run."


    xxxx


    We dash off into the night, sticking close to the shadows and taking as many shortcuts as we can through the Sea.


    I can hear the pounding footsteps of Guard and Soldiers going tent by tent.


    "They''re already here," I whisper under my breath.


    Grey hisses between his teeth. "We have to be real careful now."


    "No way," I shoot back. "Really?"


    It''s not that far from the Sea to the King''s castle, but I''d hoped it would''ve taken them a little bit longer.


    "Come on," Grey says, grabbing my hand. "This way. There''s Guard and Soldiers up ahead."


    We change directions, heading out toward the far side of the Sea, away from the Barracks.


    My heart is in my throat as we creep through the Sea, changing direction every few minutes as we come across more Guard and Soldiers. They crawl through the walkways in packs.


    A group of three ¡ªtwo Soldiers and a Guard¡ª turns the corner. I lock eyes with one of the Soldiers for a moment, the shorter of the two who has russet hair, then shove Grey behind a tent.


    The pewter pendant hangs heavy around my neck as I squeeze my eyes shut and hold my breath, hoping that they''ll just walk by.


    Each footstep sounds painfully loud, and time ticks by agonizingly slow. Grey grabs my hand and squeezes it. I grip his tight enough that my knuckles pale.


    The three walk by, never stopping. The russet-haired Soldier trails a half step behind the others. He glances back, something unreadable in his expression, but he never says a word or makes a move toward us.


    "What the hell?" Grey hisses when they''re out of sight and a few moments have passed.


    "I don''t know," I reply, pulse racing. "We need to keep moving."


    We continue making our way through the network of tents, ducking around corners, changing directions in an instant, weaving through tents, taking every shortcut we know, and soon we''re exiting the Sea.


    A forest stands before us, sparse trees sprouting from the ground.


    "Come on," I say. "Let''s go. You and me. We''ll figure the rest out later."


    Grey nods, and we take off at a jog.


    xxxx


    We run through the night, and the moon slowly creeps across the sky.


    The forest is filled with the sounds of insects chirping and the occasional little critter scuttling around, but there''s no Guard or Soldiers.


    Until there are.


    We hear them long before we see them. Their heavy footsteps snap branches and kick up leaves.


    "Oh, no." Grey shudders.


    "Let''s just keep going. Maybe we can outrun them. We don''t have the heavy armor of the Soldiers." My backpack thumps against my back with every step.


    "What about the Guard? They have arrows."


    "Stop!" someone shouts.


    I whirl around and see a group of at least a dozen Guard and Soldiers. In the front I recognize the three Guard and Soldiers I saw earlier. The russet-haired Soldier holds his sword in one hand and stares at us with a distant, distasteful expression. The rest hold darker expressions.


    Grey breaks off into a sprint, and I follow suit.


    "Stop!" one of the Guard screeches. "Stop for My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV!"


    Yeah, I''ll pass on that, thank you very much.


    I stumble when an arrow whizzes past my ear, piercing through my hair, but I manage to catch myself.


    "Are you trying to kill her? My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV requested they be brought back alive, you damn idiot! Must I get a General to give you orders?" a Soldier snaps.


    "No, no, we understand!" comes the quick reply.


    Grey pants beside me, breath heavy and labored. My muscles burn and ache.


    Heat builds in my veins as I push myself faster. Something claws within my gut, pushing to the surface but held down.


    I sidestep a tree and duck beneath low-hanging branches.


    The Guard and Soldiers give chase, pushing us faster as they slowly gain ground.


    The pewter pendant bounces against my chest with every step.


    I''d just been intending to scratch that little itch in my mind. I thought it would be just like any other night in the Sea on Ragdon.


    We run until another group of Guard and Soldiers cuts us off and we''re surrounded from the front and back.


    I stop and turn around, then try to move to the side, but they circle around us.


    Grey and I stand back to back, panting. Fear curls in my gut, twisting within my insides as the Guard and Soldiers draw closer.


    Grey''s breathing borders on hyperventilating, and I can feel a prickling cool sensation on his skin when he grabs my hand. It chills my palm and fingertips.


    "Get back," I say.


    The russet-haired Soldier shakes his head, expression still flat. "We cannot do that," he says.


    I decide to name him Scorn.


    "Get on your knees so we can bring you to My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV," spits the Guard who was with Scorn.


    "No," Grey murmurs.


    His skin cools further, and I glance back at him in concern.


    The Guard and Soldiers close in.


    Grey''s breaths come faster and faster, and he''s trembling, whole body shaking. He grips my hand so tight I can feel my knuckles shifting.


    His fingers flex, and his eyes glow silver, piercing and bright.


    "Get back," he snarls, voice echoing with something deeper, another layer that reverberates in his chest.


    Scorn shifts his grip on his sword.


    "Come with us, and we''ll tell My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV that you cooperated," the Guard says.


    I decide to name him Screech from the way he kept shrieking at us.


    "No," Grey says, voice shaking.


    "Come with us," Screech repeats.


    "No. Let us go. We didn''t do anything," I say.


    "The King thinks otherwise, so we are bringing you in," the other Soldier snaps, voice short and harsh.


    Grey lets go of my hand and spreads his arms wide, then pulls them back and pushes them forward. Feathers erupt from his fingertips and soon envelop his whole arms, spreading down his body. His legs turn rough and scaly, talons growing from his toenails. The straps of his backpack shred and it falls behind him.


    Standing in the place of my brother is a bird. A grey bird with soft features. A dove.


    The Wolf and the Dove.


    The words flash through my mind.


    I stare at him for a few moments, forgetting the Guard and Soldiers all around us.


    The bird ¡ªGrey¡ª spreads his wings. The two outermost flight feathers are a dark grey, while the third is pure white. He chirps and stands up tall, fluffing out his feathers.


    His movements are a bit clumsy, but the intentions are clear.


    He wants out. So do I.


    But my mind remains stuck on how he just shifted into a bird. A were-dove? I think to myself.


    But the Guard and Soldiers standing in a ring around us are a more pressing issue.


    Grey lunges at the closest members of the King''s army, a group of Soldiers. He flaps his wings, leaping forward and grasps them in his talons. Scorn ducks out of the way. Armor crunches and bends and blood flows, and Soldiers collapse to the ground, hunched over wounds .


    Scorn makes a grab for me. His fingertips latch onto my backpack, but I shrug out of it and escape.


    I jump up onto Grey''s back after he glances back at me with a sad, panicked expression, and he takes flight.


    We were able to outrun the Guard and Soldiers for a little while. Maybe there''s a way out of this without fighting.


    We can''t take them. There''s too many.


    Maybe we can escape like this.


    Grey takes to the air, weaving through the trees and gaining ground as the Guard and Soldiers shout at us to stop and give chase.


    Guard fire arrows, and they hurtle all around us. One takes out a few of Grey''s feathers and one carves a shallow cut on my forearm, but the rest miss us.


    We head for the Lava Flats, an expanse of dark volcanic rock from a long-ago eruption of Ragdon Volcano. Hardly little plants sprout here and there from cracks in the surface.


    Grey and I had once visited just for fun to see what it looked like, but now we''re heading for it as fast as we can to try to escape the King''s Guard and Soldiers. It''s wide open, and we''ll be able to get out of range of the Guard''s arrows.


    Grey speeds through the trees, and I wrap my arms around his neck to hang on tight. My heart pounds in my chest. I stay low, pressing into my brother''s feathers to try to avoid getting hit with the arrows that continue to whiz by us. One cuts through my shoulder, and another nicks Grey''s wing.


    "Shoot them down!" Screech howls. "Shoot them down, but don''t kill them!"


    Grey flaps his wings faster, and we break into the Lava Flats. Immediately, he starts to climb, trying to gain elevation to get out of range of the Guard, who stop and stand in a line, nocking arrows into their bows and firing them just as fast.


    "Come on," I say, shaking but digging my fingers deeper into Grey''s feathers. "Just a little further."


    Grey chirps in response, and I can hear the stress in the sound.


    Most arrows miss us, then fall back to the ground, where Soldiers collect them. Just a little further, and then we''ll be there.


    But one arrow whistles through the air and lands with a shunk.


    Grey screams, and I see an arrow sticking through the wrist of his wing, which sags as blood soaks through his feathers and drips from the base of the arrow.


    All the momentum we had slows, and the world tilts as we begin to fall back toward the ground.

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 3 - Wont Mean Much When Were Dead

    Chapter 3


    Won''t Mean Much When We''re Dead


    Panic seizes my throat as we fall backward.


    I scrabble to hang onto my brother, and he flutters his wings, trying to regain control. Silver glows from the wound at his wrist, but it doesn''t heal like the cut on his forearm had in our tent.


    We spiral downward. Guard and Soldiers cheer and rush over from the edge of the Lava Flats, racing to meet us.


    "Come on, Grey," I plead. "Please. You can do it."


    He cries out as we plummet toward the ground.


    My grip slips, and I break away from him, free falling. Blood from the arrow piercing through his wing splatters on my face. My hair batters my face as it blows all around me.


    Grey flaps his wings, but only his uninjured wing works properly. The other shifts weakly at his side, hanging loose. Silver dances on his skin but it doesn''t work fast enough to heal his wing.


    He stares at me through wide eyes, and I hold his gaze. Grey folds his wings in close as best he can to try to get closer.


    The ground rushes up at us, and we''re nearly there.


    I close my eyes, and tears drip down my cheeks.


    Just before we hit the ground, Grey manages to catch up with me. He rolls us over so his back hits the rock of the Lava Flats first, but as soon as we make contact with the earth, we''re thrown apart.


    I tumble across the rock, and the rough surface creates a million tiny scratches on my skin. I skid to a halt and lay there for several moments, stunned, before my brain catches up and jumpstarts.


    I start to get my arms underneath me to assess the damage, but before I can, a foot pushes me back to the ground. My cheek presses into the rock, and I wince.


    "We''ve got you now."


    I turn my head and see Scorn standing over me, expression flat and distant.


    "Come on," he says, stepping back. "Get up."


    I try, but my arms shake. I glance up, eyeing the sword sheathed at Scorn''s waist.


    Perhaps if I can just manage to stand and get the sword from him. The training to teach kids to fight isn''t exactly the same as the training Soldiers go through, but maybe if I can get a weapon I can get away.


    "Get up," Scorn repeats.


    When I move too slow, Scorn sighs and grabs the back of my shirt, yanking me to my feet. Before I can react, he pulls my wrists together and binds them with rope behind my back.


    "You''re not getting away. The King wants an audience with you."


    "You aren''t gonna call him by that stupid title?"


    The words slip out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I tense myself, waiting for his reaction.


    Other Guard and Soldiers arrive before Scorn can reply but I still look over my shoulder and narrow my eyes at him. He just stares back.


    "Gotcha now. Thought you could get away, huh?" a Guard taunts.


    I ignore him and scan the Lava Flats for Grey.


    I find him, and he''s a little ways away, laying on his back and still in his dove form. He''s not moving, but he shrieks when a Guard yanks the arrow out of his wing. A Soldier presses a foot onto his uninjured wing when he tries to lash out at his attackers.


    "Shift back," a Soldier snaps, standing over his head and looking down at him. "Now."


    I squint at the Soldier.


    I name him Snappy.


    "Shift back," Snappy repeats, kicking Grey in the side.


    Scorn pulls back when I try to move to go to my brother.


    "Let me go," I spit.


    "No, I cannot," Scorn replies, voice level.


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    I tug against the bindings around my wrists and squirm in Scorn''s hold, but he doesn''t let go.


    Grey manages to shift back, and as soon as he''s done so, Screech shoves him to his stomach and Snappy ties his wrists together and hauls him to his feet.


    Guard and Soldiers lead Grey over toward me and Scorn and the others, and we walk off the Lava Flats and into the surrounding forest.


    xxxx


    The journey is silent. No one talks.


    Grey stares blankly at the ground, silver eyes looking at nothing. The blood dripping from his wrist eventually slows.


    Scorn keeps a firm hold on my arm and matches my pace.


    Screech moves faster than Grey, dragging him along.


    The Guard and Soldiers keep us apart, putting bodies in between the two of us, but I can still catch glimpses of my brother.


    Fear snakes through my heart, a curling, winding serpent telling whispering thoughts of everything that might await Grey and I at the King''s castle. What we might have to go through, what the King might do, what the Guard and Soldiers might do under the King''s orders. That far-off thought I can never quite think that our lives might be turning to sand falling through fingertips, ticking into their last hours.


    Birds chirp overhead as we make our way through the trees. Branches snap under the heavy steps of the Guard and Soldiers. A deer scampers away, startled by our presence.


    I shift in the bindings at my wrists.


    "Don''t try it," Scorn warns.


    I scowl.


    Sweat beads on the back of my neck, dripping down my spine.


    There''s too many Guard and Soldiers to try anything, even if my hands were free. Every one of them has weapons and knows how to use them.


    How are we going to get out of this? I think to myself. Worry gnaws at my insides.


    xxxx


    The King''s prisons are much smaller than I thought they''d be. They''re not the sprawling array of cells I''d imagined in my mind on the walk here. Instead, it''s just one long row of maybe two dozen cells. Torches cast flickering rings of light on the stone walls and harsh shadows of the iron bars of the cells.


    I don''t let myself think too hard on why there might be so few cells.


    Screech and Snappy lead Grey to one on the far end, and Scorn brings me to the one across from it.


    He pushes me inside, then unties the ropes before exiting the cell. The iron bars clang against each other as the door slams shut, and Scorn fastens the lock. He pauses as Screech and Snappy walk away, chattering about tomorrow''s meeting with the King.


    "We will come back tomorrow," Scorn eventually says. "Your audience with the King will be in the morning."


    His footsteps echo as he leaves.


    Soon after, the door to the prison closes, and Grey and I are alone.


    We''re both silent, with only the faint flickering of the torches to be heard.


    Grey sulks on his bed, hunched over and shoulders curling inwards.


    I walk forward and rest my arms on the cold iron bars of the prison cell.


    Even in the dim lighting, I can see the emotions flickering across my brother''s face, the words he''s thinking but doesn''t speak, the anxiety that''s slowly spiraling out of control.


    "Come on, Grey," I sigh. "Just spit it out."


    He only hesitates for a moment before responding.


    "We never should''ve done that." He takes a breath before continuing, and the words fall from his mouth like a waterfall, fast, slurred together. "We never should''ve found those necklaces. We never should''ve gone to the Erebus Tree. It was a stupid decision. Look where it got us."


    Grey swings a heavy arm around, gesturing at the cell he''s in, the prison, the dark stone walls.


    "Yeah, but look what they''ve given us. Or, well, you at least. Don''t you think that this means maybe we can make a difference?" I muse.


    Grey scoffs, leaping off the bed and crossing the distance to the front of his cell. His silver eyes flash with frustration. He grips the iron bars of his cell tight.


    "Make a difference?" he snarls. "The King is going to kill us tomorrow."


    "But maybe he won''t," I reply. "Maybe we''ll find a way to get out of here."


    "Alex," Grey starts, speaking slowly and looking at me in disbelief. "We''re locked behind bars. There is no way out. And even if there was, there''s Guard and Soldiers who will hunt us down the instant we set foot outside. We''re going before the King and the Judge and the Justice tomorrow. They have never not executed a prisoner of the King before."


    I pause, eyes dropping to the ground. I watch a cockroach scuttle across the floor and mull over my words.


    "I... I know. I''m scared, too. But maybe we''ll be ok. We found these for a reason," I murmur, lifting my pendant from my shirt and squeezing it in my hand.


    "The pewter pendant and malachite medallion aren''t gonna mean much when we''re dead."


    "You can heal yourself, Grey."


    He snorts, and I catch him rolling his eyes in the flickering light of the torches on the wall. "There''s a difference between healing an injury and healing death. Lucius''s claim is permanent. Once they take your soul, it''s over. They''ve never brought anyone back. And you''re my sister, Alex. I wouldn''t want to live without you."


    I run my fingers over the pendant, and orange light glows softly from the lines carved into its surface. "We''ve got these necklaces though. Maybe we can make a difference."


    Grey sighs. He runs a hand through his blond hair. "Maybe we could''ve," he says, "but look where it''s landed us."


    "We didn''t even get a chance."


    "We can''t take chances, Alex." Grey looks back up, eyes pleading with me to understand. "It''s the King. He rules the island. We have to keep our heads down and not make a scene. We''re supposed to just stay in line and survive, because what can we do against the King? He has his army. He has the Amethyst Throne. He has his Dragon. He has the Judge and the Justice, and they always rule in his favor."


    "I know that, but we both know it''s wrong." I lean against the bars of the cell, resting my chin on one. The iron is cool against my skin. "We just gotta try."


    "They''ll kill us."


    "They''ll kill anyone. If we make it out of this, we''ll have a chance to maybe change something. You can turn into a bird, Grey. You''ve got fucking magic. That''s gotta count for something."


    "We''ve spent our lives trying not to get noticed."


    "I think we''re a little late for that now." I chuckle. "The King sure has noticed us now."


    Grey just shakes his head.


    "Let''s just try to get some sleep," he says, turning around and walking back to his bed. "If we''re going to meet the King tomorrow, let''s at least try to get some rest."


    I sigh and turn around, eyeing my own bed. When I cross the cell and press a palm down on it, the thin mattress squeaks, and when I sit down, a rock jabs me in the thigh. A tear in the fabric shows small stones and thorns in the stuffing.


    Lovely.

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 4 - Its Best to Stay Quiet

    Chapter 4


    It''s Best to Stay Quiet


    I don''t sleep.


    I can barely shut my eyes.


    And Grey doesn''t sleep either. We spend most of the night watching each other, neither of us talking, because we have no words to fill the space. No words to say what we each want to, what we don''t know how to say, what could make tomorrow any less bad.


    Grey lays on his back and twists his wrist.


    "How is it?" I ask when I can manage to find my voice.


    Leg bouncing as fast as it can go, I twirl my hair around my fingers, then tug on my bangs and twist them. I try to slow my panting breaths, but I''m unsuccessful.


    "It''s healed. Not even a scar."


    We fall into silence again, and I''m all too aware of the time slipping by like sand through fingers.


    The door at the end of the narrow corridor heaves open, and the sound of chattering Guard and Soldiers fills the air. I manage to find words once more.


    We stand at the front of our cells, holding eye contact for as long as we can. A tear slips down Grey''s cheek, reflecting the flickering light from the torches on the walls.


    "I love you, Grey," I say. "No matter what happens, I love you."


    "I love you too, Alex," he replies.


    My heart pounds in my chest, a rabbit sprinting along, footsteps light and fleeting.


    The Guard and Soldiers bustle down the row of cells, stomping and loud, and I silently wish them to move infinitely slower, yet also faster. I don''t want to wait, but I want them to never come. But still, they do arrive, Guard dressed in their leather armor with bows slung over their backs and Soldiers covered in their heavy metal armor with swords sheathed at their waists.


    Snappy and Screech open the door to Grey''s cell, while Scorn unlocks mine. Before he pulls open the door, he looks at me.


    "Don''t make this harder than it needs to be, Alex," he says. "Are you going to fight?"


    I don''t respond, and I''m not sure I could have, even if I wanted to. All I can do is tense and stare at Scorn with wide eyes, pulse fluttering and stomach rising up my throat.


    Grey grits his teeth with a sharp breath as Snappy shoves him out of the cell.


    I take an unconscious step back as he''s walked away.


    "Are you going to fight?" Scorn asks again as he enters my cell.


    "What type of question is that?" I find myself saying.


    He frowns. "A genuine one. Should I be prepared for you to try to escape?"


    I scoff and gesture to the Guard and Soldiers waiting outside. "You think I can escape that?"


    Scorn glances their way, positioning himself with his back to the door of my cell. "It''s possible. A Soldier assumes nothing without fact and is to keep their fellow Soldiers in mind at all times."


    "You''re so damn cold," I mutter. "Just bring me to the King."


    A Guard outside the cell gasps. "Refer to the King of Ragdon by his full name: My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV!"


    The Guard makes a move to barge into the cell, but Scorn blocks his path.


    "The order stated unharmed, if at all possible," Scorn murmurs.


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    The Guard snorts, rolling his eyes. "Use the proper name. It''s not that fucking hard."


    I scowl at the Guard. Scorn takes that moment to get behind me and tie my wrists together. I don''t try to fight him.


    Scorn leads me out of the cell, down the corridor, and out to the main part of the King''s castle. Marble blankets the ground, and carved pillars tower toward the sky. Half a dozen expansions sit in various stages of completion, and each has its own style, giving the castle the look of a puzzle mismatched together. Most walls are white with faint hints of purple, but embellishments of gold and amethyst decorate the surface of the castle. Torches provide some lighting, but the sun peeking up over the roof illuminates the grounds.


    We don''t make it very far before the Guard and Soldiers stop. They pull apart and form two neat lines on the side of the walkway. Only Snappy, Screech, and Scorn stay where they were.


    "General," Screech says in surprise, drawing to a halt and pulling Grey back with him.


    I glance at my brother, but when I look back I see a cat-like creature floating at hip height.


    "What are they doing here?" Scorn murmurs under his breath.


    "General Spyro," Snappy says, bowing his head. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"


    "He requested it."


    "My Sovereign, His Exc-."


    "He voiced concerns, so I''m here."


    General Spyro walks around Screech''s side, and I get a better look at them. Their body fades in and out of existence like a cloud, and their fur is a mottled mix of a soft pink and blue. Two dark purple bandanas crisscross their head, covering their eyes and ears.


    "Let''s be on our way," they say, revealing a forked tongue and an array of sharp teeth. "It would be disappointing to be late."


    "Of course, General Spyro," Snappy says, pushing Grey back into motion.


    My brother eyes the General with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows. I have a similar expression.


    The Generals rank above Guard and Soldiers and are made up of various creatures, like General Spyro, but are rarely seen. I''ve never met any of the other Generals.


    Scorn nudges me back into motion, and I walk, body numb. I stare at the General, who leads the way, and the castle around me turns into a blurry smudge. My heart pounds in my chest, and my throat closes up, as if a snake had coiled around me tight, seizing my neck and constricting me.


    I start to tremble.


    "Stop," Scorn murmurs a while later, pulling me back to reality with a tug on my forearm.


    Two massive wooden doors stand before me, iron hinges engraved with intricate designs. A Soldier stands guard on either side, and when General Spyro draws near, each grabs ahold of an iron ring and heaves the double doors open.


    "He awaits," General Spyro says, and they float down to the ground, tail flicking as they pad into the Throne Room.


    I freeze, vision turning to fuzz. My muscles lock up.


    Snappy and Screech lead Grey through the doors to the Throne Room, but Scorn pauses with me.


    He leans in close to my ear.


    "It''s best to stay quiet," he says. "Talking only makes things worse."


    I don''t reply.


    My heart pounds too fast, and my anxiety skyrockets as we pass through the threshold and the massive wooden double doors held open by two Soldiers.


    The walls of the Throne Room are dark, illuminated by torches and the sprawling Amethyst Throne, a rock made up of swirling shades of purple. Tall columns hold up the ceiling, and a dark purple walkway inlaid in the marble floor leads directly to the Throne.


    The King of Ragdon lounges on the Amethyst Throne. He doesn''t sit on it; he lounges, leaning against one armrest, propping his head up on a loose fist, and throwing one leg over the other armrest.


    He studies us through narrowed purple eyes, and his pale white skin makes his black hair look ever darker.


    His Dragon lays coiled behind the Amethyst Throne, chin resting on it as it snores softly. The snakehead tail opens its purple eyes and raises off the ground, unfurling its hood and baring its teeth with a hiss.


    "Kneel," the King says.


    Snappy, Screech, and Scorn bring Grey and I to the foot of the Amethyst Throne.


    Grey drops to his knees, and when I hesitate, Scorn gives me a subtle push. My legs fold beneath me. The marble is cool against my skin.


    "Come, Judge and Justice," the King drawls to the room, making a beckoning motion with his hand.


    The Amethyst Throne rumbles beneath him, and the purples of it swirl.


    A minute ticks by, then another.


    I glance all around the room, shifting on my knees as my skin prickles and anxiety curls in my gut. I lock eyes with Grey, who shrugs, trembling as he swallows thickly.


    None of the Guard and Soldiers seem concerned with the wait, though. All stand still, heads bowed and gazes fallen to the floor.


    After another minute, the walls of the Throne Room shake and rumble, and two pairs of dark wings unfurl, one black and the other dark grey. Two gargoyles land at the side of the Amethyst Throne, both lowering their forelegs into a deep bow. Their bodies crackle with each movement that sounds like stones grinding across each other.


    "The Judge has arrived from the Garden, my King," the black gargoyle says. It turns its attention to me and Grey, and it narrows its red eyes. Horns sprout from its forehead, and they cast sharp shadows across its stony skin.


    "The Justice is here to serve, my King," the dark grey gargoyle says. It lifts a foreleg, and purple light sparks and sizzles between its toes.


    The Judge and the Justice are bigger than I could''ve ever imagined, each bigger than the draft horses I''ve seen used in the King''s army. They rise from the ground and sit back, wings tucked neatly at their sides and chests puffed out to give an air of confidence that''s second to only the King. The Judge continues to look at Grey and I.


    "I''ve called you here for the trial of Alex and Grey." The King gestures to us.


    "What are their crimes?" the Judge asks.


    "Being the Wolf and the Dove."

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 5 - Pick a Number

    Chapter 5


    Pick a Number


    I can''t hold back the flinch at the King''s words.


    The Wolf and the Dove?


    I give it a moment of thought and suppose that it makes sense. Grey can turn into a dove. The pewter pendant is in the shape of a wolf''s head.


    But still, a part of it just sounds crazy. Crazy enough to end up at the foot of the Amethyst Throne, though? I suppose so.


    "The Wolf and the Dove," the Judge echoes, tilting its head to the side. Light from the Amethyst Throne casts sharp shadows across its face, giving it an angular look.


    "Yes, they''re the Wolf and the Dove." The King shifts and rests his chin on a fist.


    "Are you sure?" the Judge asks.


    A small flicker of hope flutters in my chest at the cautious tone of the Judge.


    "I am."


    The Justice''s green eyes flicker back and forth between the Judge and the King.


    "Well, then," the Judge replies. It stands up, tail swishing across the ground, and flares its grey-webbed wings as it raises its head up high. "I have my verdict. They are both guilty."


    Grey hangs his head and sighs. I start to tremble.


    How the hell did we end up here? Yesterday we were working our jobs.


    "Now that the verdict has been reached," the Judge murmurs, then turns its attention to the Justice, "what will the punishment be to ensure Justice is upheld?"


    That''s the verdict? Is that how every trial goes? There was no deliberation, there was no case. Grey and I did nothing.


    I choke on a breath and dig my nails into my palms, shifting in the bindings at my wrists that feel way too tight. Scorn squeezes my shoulder in warning, and I want to scream.


    The Justice pauses, thinking for several moments before replying. Its green eyes glitter as it speaks.


    "For true Justice to be upheld, the punishment must be severe. Nothing short of death will do."


    I glance over at Grey, and my brother closes his eyes. He tightens his hands into fists. Above him, Screech and Snappy smile but keep their gazes on the marble floor, averted from the King.


    The King hums, and I look up at him. "Death it is, but who first?" he asks no one.


    Silence hangs in the air, tense and buzzing. A slow minute ticks by, then another.


    "Pick a number between one and ten," the King drawls. "You, Soldier, pick."


    He points at Scorn.


    Scorn flinches above me, and hesitates for only a moment before replying.


    "Three," he spits out.


    A smile oozes across the King''s face. "The Dove it is, then. Shoot Grey."


    "No!" I shout as molten terror shoots through my veins.


    "Someone silence her, or I''ll do it myself," the King says to everyone and no one in particular. "I hope I don''t have to do it myself."


    "It''s best to stay quiet," Scorn repeats from above me.


    A fire erupts in my gut, churning and blazing, flames burning my insides. The pewter pendant is a brand on my chest. I lunge upward, but Scorn''s hands on my shoulders forces me back to the ground.


    Screech chuckles. He bows deeply to the King before readying his bow and drawing an arrow from the quiver on his back. He takes his time nocking the arrow, running his fingers along it as he watches Grey.


    My brother shakes on his knees, skin pale and sweaty. Snappy keeps him pinned on his knees, despite his squirming attempts to break free. Panic blooms in his expression, as does fear.


    Screech strolls away from my brother until he''s a few paces away, then turns around. He smiles, but there''s nothing friendly in it.


    He slowly lifts his bow up and pulls back on the drawstring until his fingertips brush his cheek. He makes a show of aiming the arrow, pointing it directly at Grey.


    "Stop it," I choke out, then repeat it louder: "Stop it!"


    "That''s rude, little Wolf," the King says, holding up a hand for Screech to pause, an order that the Guard obeys, but he doesn''t lower his bow. "You are disrespecting my orders, Alex. I''m your King. I thought I told you to stay quiet."


    Scorn''s grip on my shoulders is iron tight, but I still struggle against him.


    "You''re going to kill my brother," I find myself saying.


    "And still you speak," the King muses.


    He stands up on the Amethyst Throne, but when his fingers leave the purple surface, the King''s face contorts in pain and he quickly sits back down.


    "Yes, I am going to kill your brother," he continues, shaking his head and squeezing his hand on the armrest of the Throne. It turns a lighter shade of purple around him, but remains dark and stormy on the rest. "I''m going to kill him, and then you. I cannot have the Wolf and the Dove living on my island."


    I can only stare at him, heart pounding in my chest. Heat rises within me.


    The King watches back through glittering amethyst eyes. He waits until he finds something he must like, because then he looks away. He waves his hand at Screech.


    "Continue," the King says, crossing his legs and adjusting his tie and suit jacket.


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    The first arrow Screech fires hits Grey in the shoulder.


    It whistles through the air and lands with an audible thunk. Grey screams, wrists straining against the bindings. He thrashes in Snappy''s hold, but the Soldier holds firm. Blood seeps through his shirt, pouring from the wound.


    I manage to get to my feet, and I struggle to break free from Scorn, whimpering in the back of my throat.


    "Stop fighting," he says, voice almost pleading. "It won''t change anything."


    "Let me go," I snarl back.


    Heat flares in my gut, burning through my veins. My breathing accelerates, and I bare my teeth. The pewter pendant is hot as fire against my chest.


    Screech shoots another arrow, and this one sinks into Grey''s stomach. My brother hunches over, choking on his breath.


    This time I scream.


    Scorn brackets an arm around my chest to keep me from breaking free. I struggle in his hold.


    "Alex, stop it. Please." Scorn''s voice is soft, and I growl, low, rumbling, animalistic.


    The heat continues to build, scorching through my body.


    A third arrow strikes Grey on the side of the neck, and blood streams down his throat and dribbles from his mouth. The malachite medallion shines bright beneath his shirt.


    "Alex, you''re burning up," Scorn breathes, confused.


    The King turns his attention from eagerly watching Screech and Grey to me. His amethyst eyes flicker as he studies me.


    I glower at him, another growl bubbling up from my chest. My gums ache as I writhe in Scorn''s embrace and stomp on his foot in a vain attempt to break free. My heartbeat pounds, a racing horse, and heat coils in my gut, flames curling around my insides. It all reaches a breaking point, frothing over like a boiling pot.


    My heart beats once, twice. The pewter pendant burns against my skin.


    And then I explode.


    Scorn stumbles back, then falls to the ground. He props himself up on his elbows.


    "What the hell?" he says.


    My canine teeth give way to sharp fangs, fur bursts through my flesh, and my bones snap as they reform to a four-legged frame with a long tail. Triangular ears unfurl from my skull, and whiskers sprout from my muzzle. Claws dig into the marble floor of the King''s Throne Room, and all my attention goes to my brother, who still kneels on the ground with blood soaking through his shirt.


    Silver glows from the wounds, but they don''t look like they''re healing as fast as they did before.


    He''s too injured, I realize. There''s too much to heal quickly.


    I snarl, and the sound rumbles deep in my chest, echoing and loud. I bare my teeth and raise my tail as my hackles rise.


    The King''s Dragon stirs from where it slept against the Amethyst Throne, purple eyes studying me. It flashes its fangs in return.


    I ignore it and rush Screech, who''s loading another arrow into his bow. My paws scrabble for traction on the marble floor.


    "Stupid mutt," the King says. "Someone get it! I wanted a show, and this is not that. I wanted entertainment."


    I crash into Screech, and we both go tumbling to the ground. I claw at his bow until I rip it from his grip and shove it away. I wrap my jaws around his upper arm and bite down as hard as I can. My teeth easily break through the leather armor. He screams.


    "Someone get it!" the King repeats, louder. He jabs a finger my way.


    I growl at him, then turn around and find Grey. He''s staring at me with wide eyes and a shocked expression, but he''s also hunched over, sagging in Snappy''s hold with his formerly white shirt turning a deep shade of scarlet from the three arrows that still stick out of his body. The Soldier tries to pull Grey to his feet, and the choked cry my brother makes snaps me from my daze.


    "You''re not getting him back," Snappy spits out.


    He grips Grey''s hair, then yanks out each of the arrows. He lets go of my brother, who slumps to the ground as he pants for breath, before stalking toward me with his sword drawn.


    I brace my legs in a wide stance when a paw slips on the marble floor. I watch my brother in horror, before Snappy''s swinging sword snaps me from my trance. The steel arcs and grazes one of my ears. I sidestep another attack before rushing him and tackling the Soldier. Metal groans as I bite down on his shoulder.


    When he shoves and kicks at me, I dig my claws into the closest thing I can find and tear several gashes on his cheek. Snappy cries out.


    "Shoot the dumb mutt!" the King howls, slamming a fist on the Amethyst Throne.


    All at once, I hear a flurry of arrows being nocked and the clamor of Guard and Soldiers racing to comply with the order.


    Shit.


    I scramble over to Grey and nudge him with my muzzle.


    He looks up, glazed eyes finding mine before looking past me. His gaze widens and he seems to return to the present somewhat.


    I crouch down, and he clambers up onto my back.


    "Have to go," Grey breathes, voice shaking with fear.


    I take off out of the Throne Room as the first arrows strike down right behind us. Just as I turn the corner, an arrow clips my hip. Whimpering in the back of my throat, I try to bite down the pain and focus on finding some way out of the King''s castle.


    Grey''s fingers lace through my fur, and we take off. I move as fast as my legs can take me. I change directions at the first sight of Guard or Soldiers, and it doesn''t take long to figure out that they''re herding us.


    Double shit.


    I pin my ears to the sides of my head and flash my teeth in frustration as I race up a flight of stairs.


    I feel Grey''s blood soaking into my fur, but I can also feel the warmth of the malachite medallion. I hope it''s healing him fast enough, because I can''t do anything, at least not right now.


    I climb a few more flights of stairs, then dash down the nearest hallway. Guard and Soldiers turn the corner, and I shift my weight onto my back legs as I scrabble to stop my momentum on the slippery floor. My claws dig shallow grooves in the marble. I turn around and sprint back the other way.


    An arrow whistles by us, nicking my ankle but falling to the ground without doing much damage. The cut still stings, but not as much as my muscles ache.


    Unused to my wolf form and the coordination it takes to move a canine body, my muscles burn on top of the pain of exertion. But still I run. It''s not really like there''s an alternative.


    The King won''t go back on the Judge and Justice''s ruling, and he seemed to be enjoying watching everything unfold.


    "Keep going, Alex," Grey says into my fur. "You''ve got this. We''re together until the end. There''s gotta be a way out."


    I let out a soft bark in reply, hoping he''s right and that we''ll be able to find a way out.


    xxxx


    The Guard and Soldiers corner us on one of the top levels of the King''s castle. I face them down, back to the glass windows behind us. I stare at them and raise my hackles and tail, flashing my teeth with a rumbling growl.


    "Surrender and we will tell the King you cooperated," a Guard says, stepping forward with an arrow nocked in his bow, although he''s yet to pull back on the drawstring.


    I spy Scorn in the crowd of Guard and Soldiers pinning us in, and I shoot him a dirty glare, glowering, but he just stares back with a distant expression.


    "But that won''t change anything, will it?" Grey replies. "That won''t change what the Judge and Justice said."


    "No," the Guard concedes, "but it might make it quicker."


    "That''s not better," Grey says.


    "Well, we''re at a standstill now, aren''t we?"


    The Guard tries to take a step forward, but I bare my teeth and he backs up. Internally, I chuckle, then internally groan as the group of Guard and Soldiers as a whole begins to draw closer.


    "Alex," Grey murmurs, "we have to jump."


    I flick an ear at his words. Surely I hadn''t heard him right. No way Grey would suggest something as reckless as that.


    My brother tugs on my fur, and he leans to the side to try to meet my eyes. I turn to him, and his expression is serious.


    "We have to jump," he repeats.


    Well, maybe he would.


    I glance behind us. It''s a ways down, and I can''t see the ground. I could run through the glass. Grey could shift. If we got far enough away, we''d be free.


    I take another look at the Guard and Soldiers. They''re slowly closing in, and all have their weapons drawn. Sunlight glints off swords, and the arrows remind me far too clearly of Grey kneeling at the foot of the Amethyst Throne with blood streaming down his shirt.


    There isn''t a way out, except for down. Not when Grey can''t fight and doesn''t want to, not when there''s so many Guard and Soldiers, not when there''s the King and the Amethyst Throne sitting somewhere below us with the Judge and Justice who sentenced us to death.


    I peer back at my brother, and he nods.


    "I''ll catch you," he whispers. The bleeding has slowed as the malachite medallion works its magic. "You just have to shift back."


    I nod in reply.


    I turn around, take a breath, and take off as fast as I can, claws slipping on the marble as I fight for traction. The window draws nearer and nearer, and I bound forward once, twice, a third time, and then I jump, ignoring the shouts and cries of the Guard and Soldiers behind us.


    I duck my head down as Grey presses himself to my back.


    The window shatters into a million pieces all around me.

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 6 - The Cream Puff

    Chapter 6


    The Cream Puff


    For the second time in as many days, I find myself falling.


    Grey manages to shift almost as soon as we are out the window; he pushes off my back and shoots himself into the air, where he then transforms into his dove form and tucks his wings in close to get nearer to me.


    Falling backward, I get to see all that. And now I have to figure out how to shift back to my human form since he can''t catch me as a wolf. I take a breath to try to slow my heart rate and push out the thought that I only have a few seconds to figure it out before I become a splat on the ground and accidentally do what the King wants and the Justice ordered.


    I burned to become a wolf. Maybe it''s the opposite to become a human again.


    I exhale and imagine my veins filling with ice, which works almost immediately, as my muzzle shortens and my paws uncurl into fingers. Fur gives way to skin, and my tail shrinks.


    Just before I hit the ground, Grey''s talons close around my body, and he beats his wings to gain ground and fly away from the King''s castle.


    Waves of arrows hurtle around us, whistling, and Grey cries out in a shaky call. He ducks and twists to avoid the arrows, but a few still nick his feathers and a handful break skin. Blood slowly drips from the three wounds made by Screech. It''s not as fast as before, but they''re taking a long time to heal.


    "Come on, Grey," I shout. "You can make it. Just a little further."


    He flaps his wings in an attempt to go a little faster.


    Behind me, I can hear the shouts of the Guard and Soldiers, the howling demands to shoot us down and bring us before the King again.


    But, despite the attempts of the Guard to bring us to the ground, we escape, and Grey flies on, leveling out and flying a little ways above the trees. We continue like that for a while, until I get uncomfortable.


    "Grey, can I get onto your back, please?" I ask.


    He chirps, gaining elevation, then drops me.


    My short-lived scream gets eaten up by my grunt as I land on his shoulders. I wrap my fingers around his feathers to steady myself.


    "That felt a bit extreme," I mutter, and Grey replies with a sound that seems like laughing.


    xxxx


    We fly for a long time. I look back, and the King''s castle is slowly disappearing into the distance, and when I turn around again, it''s gone.


    I hear and feel Grey''s sides heaving for breath, the struggle he makes as he tries to inhale, the wheeze as he draws air into his lungs. I can only see one of the wounds¡ª the one on the side of his neck. Silver burns within it, gradually healing the injury.


    Grey screeches as he suddenly pitches to the side when a wing falters and spasms, and panic flares in his eyes. Holding on tight to his feathers, I try to hang on as he plummets backward and tries to twist and roll over. Fear snakes around my gut and seizes my throat.


    Trees rush up at us, just like they did at the Lava Flats, and I shake as I cling to my brother.


    "Please, Grey," I plead. "You can do it."


    Grey manages to get right side up, and he flares his wings out as far as they''ll go in an attempt to slow us down. I press my face into the side of his neck and squeeze my eyes shut. Even with his efforts to slow our fall, it''s not enough.


    We break through the trees, snapping branches, and then we crash to the ground and tumble a few paces apart.


    I land on my stomach again, only this time there''s no Soldier pinning me there, no Guard and Soldiers capturing us and binding our wrists together and carting us off to the King.


    The forest is nearly silent, with a handful of singing birds and the faint sound of a breeze blowing through.


    I lay there for a minute as I regain my bearings. I twist my wrists and ankles, testing my joints, then push myself upright when everything feels fine.


    Grey shifts back to his human form and sits up, running a hand through his blond hair.


    "That was a shit show," he grumbles, rolling his shoulders and stretching with a grimace.


    I huff out a humorless laugh. "That was terrible."


    "At least we made it out, I suppose," Grey mumbles, pulling at his shirt to look at the tear in it from the arrow that struck his abdomen.


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    "At least we made it out," I echo.


    We''re silent for a few moments, until I ask a question.


    "Where do we go from here? We can''t go back to the Sea. The King knows who we are. Supposedly we''re the Wolf and the Dove, but I don''t know what we''re supposed to do. What do we do?"


    Grey shrugs. "I don''t know. I just wanted to keep my head down, teach, and not get noticed. Now we''ve got these necklaces, we almost just died, and we''re who knows where on Ragdon." He throws his hands up. "I don''t even know what to do."


    I''m about to reply, to try to help my brother with his stress and figure out a plan that we could reasonably accomplish, but I hear footsteps. I jump to my feet with Grey right behind me. My heart rate pounds, a thumping beat I can feel in my chest, and I start to panic.


    How the hell did the Guard and Soldiers find us so quickly? I think.


    I glance over at Grey, and his worried expression matches mine. We move to stand shoulder to shoulder as we scan the trees for any sign of movement. I see nothing but still hear the footsteps drawing nearer. I curl my fingers into tight fists as my skin starts to prickle with heat, pewter pendant burning against my chest. Invisible hackles rise on my spine. Grey''s shoulders draw back as the footsteps grow closer.


    "Do we run?" I whisper.


    "I don''t think we can," Grey murmurs, voice tight.


    However, the last thing I expect to see is two cats, each standing somewhere around hip-height at the shoulders. One has a twisted, grumpy look on his face and short black fur, and the other has a more guarded expression with fluffy tan fur.


    We each stare at each other for close to a minute.


    "Who are you?" asks the tan cat, breaking the silence. A black shock of fur falls over his brown eyes as he tilts his head to the side.


    "Are you with the King? Are you two Generals?" Grey asks in return. He stares at the black cat, eyes wide.


    The black cat snarls, long upper canines flashing in the sun as his ears pin to the sides of his skull. The yellow horns sprouting from his forehead glint in the light.


    "What the fuck? Hell no. I''m gonna kill the little cream puff." His eyes blaze with fury, a clear promise.


    Grey tenses, expression flattening.


    "Are you with the cream puff?" the black cat spits after seeing Grey''s reaction. He takes a step forward, tail lashing.


    "No, we''re not. We just escaped from him," I say, stepping in.


    "What did he do to you?" The tan cat squints at us, sitting down, fluffy tail flicking.


    "He tried to kill us."


    "I can see that. All that effort and they failed," the black cat mutters, eyeing Grey''s still-healing wounds. "The idiots. Can''t do anything right."


    "Phoenix!" the tan cat snaps, lunging over and batting him across the face.


    Phoenix bares his teeth and lashes out with a blow of his own. His claws flash in the quick movement. The tan cat dodges, then gets up in Phoenix''s face.


    I jump back as the two cats stare each other down. Phoenix glares at the tan cat, who just raises his eyebrows until Phoenix finally looks away, rolling his eyes and growling low in his chest.


    The tan cat turns back to us.


    "I''m Ky. It''s nice to meet you. That''s my brother, Phoenix. He was trying to say that he hates the Guard and Soldiers, not that they should''ve finished the job. I''m sorry you had to be on the receiving end of their attacks, but I''m glad you were able to survive. It looks like the injuries are healing well, I hope?" Ky studies Grey''s wounds, then narrows his eyes. He looks up at my brother. "How long has it been since the attack, if you don''t mind me asking?"


    Grey looks to me, freezing. He doesn''t reply, and I don''t know what to say.


    The silence stretches long and thin.


    Phoenix takes a step forward. A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.


    "Cat got your tongue, eh?" he snickers.


    "Do you, by chance, happen to have any necklaces?" Ky asks.


    "Necklaces?" I echo, hoping my voice doesn''t shake too much.


    "Yeah, necklaces."


    Grey takes a step back. "What do you mean by that?"


    Phoenix takes another step forward, closing the distance. His shoulders stand well above Grey''s hips.


    "A necklace," Phoenix echoes. "You know, a little dangly thing that''s hanging from something¡ª a chain, a cord, and so on. You wear it around your neck." He shifts his weight to his hind legs and stands up for a moment. "You know, like the one you''re wearing. I saw that flash of a leather cord. Don''t try to lie to me."


    He shows his teeth in a wide smile, then turns around and walks back to his brother.


    "I know what you''re thinking, Ky. You''re probably right. But we don''t need them."


    "Yes, we do. Four is stronger than two."


    "They haven''t even introduced themselves. How rude is that?"


    Ky rolls his eyes. "They''re the Wolf and the Dove. Not much introduction needed."


    I freeze, and I hear Grey draw in a sharp breath of air behind me.


    "Are you sure? They don''t look like much. Haven''t even tried attacking." Phoenix turns his attention to Grey, who hasn''t moved. "Besides, that guy looks terrified."


    Ky scoffs. "He''s healing as we speak. The injuries are nearly gone. But if you really need proof, I''ll humor you."


    "Whatever. Just be quick about it. The cream puff isn''t gonna die himself."


    Ky sits back down, wrapping his tail neatly around his paws. He focuses on me, and I tense, preparing myself for whatever he''s planning on doing. His brown eyes glaze over and go unfocused.


    Nothing happens, until Grey yelps and dashes back several paces.


    "What is it?" I ask.


    "There''s a fire!" He points at the ground in front of me.


    I frown. There''s just soil, some leaves, a few branches. No fire to be seen.


    "No, there isn''t. There''s no fire."


    "There, see?" Ky says. "They''re the Wolf and the Dove."


    "What are you talking about?" Grey snaps, breaking free from his earlier fear.


    He walks straight up to the two cats, and I follow suit.


    "You don''t know? I thought you would''ve by now." Ky holds our gazes for a few moments before shrugging. "Ok, then. The Dove can heal and turn into a dove. The Wolf cannot see magic and can turn into a wolf. That''s why you-." Ky looks at Grey. "-could see my illusion of fire and your travel companion could not. I''m guessing that''s why your travel companion didn''t have the same reaction to my brother''s fiery fur."


    "He''s on fire?" I ask.


    Phoenix snickers with a grin that''s all fangs. "Completely."


    Ky chuckles softly.


    Although, I think, I can''t see Phoenix''s fire, but I could see Grey''s magic. I could see the silver healing him.


    "Now that we''ve established that you''re the Wolf and the Dove," Ky says, "care to introduce yourselves?"


    "I''m Alex," I reply.


    Grey studies Ky and Phoenix for a few moments. "I''m Grey," he finally says.


    "Are you guys related?" Ky asks.


    "Brother and sister," I respond.


    "Sister, huh?" Ky echoes.


    "We have a cream puff to hunt down," Phoenix bites out. "Don''t even think about it."


    Phoenix glares at his brother who only squints back at him, ears drawing back briefly.


    "Hold on," Grey says. "You''re going after the King?"


    "Cream puff," Phoenix corrects, "and yes. I''m going to kill him. We''ve covered this already. And I''ve called dibs on taking his life, so don''t even think about it. I''ll kill you before you can reach him. He''s mine."

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 7 - Theyre All Talk

    Chapter 7


    They''re All Talk


    "You''re going to kill the King, but you''re animals. You''re talking to me right now," Grey says slowly.


    Phoenix sneers at him. "You got a problem with that?"


    "No, no," Grey replies. "I''m just confused on how you..." He runs a hand over the back of his neck and paces a few steps.


    "Spit it out or don''t bother speaking. If you wanna say something, say it."


    "You''ve said you''re not Generals, but the only other talking animal I''ve ever seen is a General. How are you... existing right now?"


    "We are not Generals," Ky says, cutting off Phoenix before he can speak. "We have never been Generals. Many Generals are animals who can talk, but there are others who are animals, just not Generals."


    "End of story," Phoenix adds.


    "Why did you come and find us here?" I ask.


    Phoenix rolls his eyes but doesn''t reply, and Ky thinks for a few moments.


    "We saw a bird falling through the tree line," Ky replies. "It looked suspicious so we decided to check it out. Then we saw you two and realized you''re the Wolf and the Dove. Four is stronger than two."


    "You want us to join you?" I say cautiously.


    Ky shrugs. "Sure. I think it''s safe to say we all want the cream puff gone. He tried to kill you two. Considering you two ran, you don''t seem like the loyal forever and ever type that some of his followers are."


    "He must''ve done something to yo-."


    Phoenix cuts me off with a rumbling growl and a flash of wicked teeth. He leaps forward, standing directly in front of me and glaring with murder in his eyes. I can easily imagine the flames across his body crackling and sparking.


    "Finish that sentence and you''ll be dead. You don''t get to ask that." Phoenix''s gaze is intense, and I have to look away.


    "Very well," Grey murmurs. "Still, though, how did you end up here? What are you doing so far out in the forest, away from the Sea? Forgive me for being suspicious, but out of everywhere you could be on Ragdon, you just happened to stumble across us?"


    Grey has a point, and I join him, standing at his side. It would be nice if Ky and Phoenix truly meant no harm, but the King has his fingers everywhere and I''m not sure yet.


    "We don''t live in the Sea," Phoenix replies. "Never have, never will. We live out here, in the forest, away from the cream puff as I plot his demise."


    "We''re always wandering," Ky adds on, "and we''re always moving. We''d been meaning to come down this way and check out Siren''s Lookout for a while but got sidetracked with finding food. We were originally going to come down yesterday but hunting took longer than we thought it would, and so we decided to get some rest and make the trek today."


    "How do I know you''re not using an illusion right now to trick me of something?" I ask, remembering how Ky had cast the fire illusion.


    "Oh, I cannot do anything to you. My powers will never work on you."


    I frown. "How do I know you''re not tricking my brother, then?"


    Ky glances over at Grey. "I could, technically, but I wouldn''t. I want your help. I think we could make a great team and take on the cream puff. The end of his reign is well past due. I mean, he''s been around for, like, a hundred years. It''s his time to go."


    "It''s his time to die, not just go," Phoenix snarls. "Besides, if we really wanted to hurt you, we would''ve done something by now. Ky doesn''t want to hurt you, and I don''t care enough to expend that energy. So, are you guys gonna join us or not?"


    He doesn''t care enough, I think to myself. That''s just lovely.


    "You want us to fight with you?" I ask.


    Ky nods. "Yes, we''d love that."


    "Love is a strong word," Phoenix mutters, wrinkling his muzzle and pinning his ears at Ky''s sharp glare.


    "I don''t want to fight the King," Grey says as he takes a step back. "I can see that you do and I have no intention of stepping in your way, but I do not wish to fight the King."


    "And why the fuck not?" Phoenix snaps back.


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    "I don''t want bloodshed. No one wins in a fight."


    Phoenix stalks up to Grey, eyes flashing. "I beg to differ," he snarls. "When the cream puff falls, I will have won."


    "That''s not what I mean," Grey replies, looking off to the side and running a hand down his arm. "Someone might emerge the victor, but innocents get caught in the crossfire and there''s injuries and deaths on both sides. How can you call that a win?"


    "So you''re just gonna let the cream puff sit on his Throne then, huh?" Phoenix snorts, then turns around. "Ky, let''s go. I''m not even gonna bother."


    "Phoenix, be nice. We can have a civil conversation," Ky murmurs.


    Grey sits down and leans back against a tree. He laces his fingers together as he speaks. "I never said that. I said that I didn''t want to fight the King. I''d prefer to get him off of the Amethyst Throne in a more peaceful manner. I can''t go up against the full force of his army, his Dragon, the Amethyst Throne, and the power he himself holds. A physical fight would entail just that."


    "So you want to ask him nicely to please stop," Phoenix deadpans.


    "He won''t listen to that," Grey says quickly.


    Phoenix huffs, flicking one of his long ears. "The cream puff ain''t gonna listen to anything except you beating it through his skull. He''s not gonna care until it hits him where it hurts."


    "The King has all the power," I say, crossing my arms over my chest. I stand beside Grey, and the two cat brothers seem far bigger, far more intimidating. "How''s anyone supposed to win against someone like the King? Grey and I got by keeping our heads down. I don''t know how you two did it."


    "How will anyone win against the King if they don''t try?" Ky muses, tilting his head to the side. The red bandana around his shoulders falls over his right foreleg, revealing a lengthy burned hole on the edge.


    "I don''t know," Grey replies, "but I don''t think you can if you go up against the whole of his power. He''s strong. He has many on his side. He has the Judge and the Justice who always rule in his favor."


    "They''re just hunks of rock. They''re stuck so far in the past they can''t tell up from down. Don''t even bother with them. Besides, they''re at the Garden more often than not."


    "What even is the Garden?" I find myself asking.


    Phoenix snickers. "A place I''ve been meaning to burn down for ages. We should go to it. It''ll be a blast turning it to pieces."


    "Well, aren''t you awfully punny today." Ky''s brown eyes glimmer with amusement.


    "How can you so casually insult creatures with that much power?"


    "Because I couldn''t care less about them. They''re not worth my time, and they''ll go crumbling to the ground, just like the rest of the cream puff''s reign. You shouldn''t care either. They''re among the less powerful of the cream puff''s creations."


    "Less powerful?" I snap, ignoring the dark glare Phoenix shoots my way. "The Judge and Justice sentenced us to death, and the King listened."


    "They''re all talk. They don''t attack. You can overpower them, so can I, so can Ky."


    "They sentenced us to death, and Grey almost died." I jab a finger toward my brother. "I almost lost him because of the Judge and the Justice."


    "He didn''t die though, did he?"


    "Phoenix, be nice," Ky says, folding his haunches and sitting down.


    "Grey''s standing right there, isn''t he?" Phoenix growls. "Any of us could defeat those stupid gargoyles. They''re all talk. Without the cream puff, they''re nothing. All they do is follow the cream puff''s demands. They didn''t even really sentence you guys, because the cream puff knew the verdict the Justice would give before they were even in the room. So really they''ve got zero power. You almost lost your brother because of the cream puff, not because of the Judge and Justice."


    I stare down Phoenix, working over his words, and he holds my gaze.


    "The Judge and the Justice might hold a great deal of influence, but I''m sure we don''t have to tell you how their trials usually go," Ky adds. "The cream puff''s on top. He could''ve overruled the verdict."


    "I''m still angry with the Judge and the Justice," I reply.


    Grey places a hand on my shoulder. "I''m alright," he murmurs.


    Ky ducks his head and nods. "And I''d never tell you to feel not angry. It must''ve been a horrific experience to go through."


    "Are you really going to kill the King?" Grey asks, crossing his arms over his chest.


    Phoenix huffs a laugh that rumbles in his chest, flashing his fangs as his eyes blaze. "There''s no question about it. I will kill the cream puff."


    "And what do you want from us?"


    "You''re the Wolf and the Dove. You both hold a great deal of power, and four is stronger than two, no matter what my brother might say. As you''ve said yourself, the cream puff is no easy target, and so we''d like to join forces. All of us want him gone."


    "Why us?" Grey asks.


    "You''re the Wolf and the Dove," Ky repeats. "It doesn''t matter if you''ve only had the pendant and the medallion for a short while."


    I frown. "How do you know more about the Wolf and the Dove than we do?"


    Ky chuckles, looking off to the side as his ears draw back and he ticks his head to the side. "I-. I like the Midnight Wolves. There''s a great deal of overlap between them and the legend of you two. I''ve always found it interesting."


    "Where did you learn all of that?"


    "I''ve... I''ve had a lot of free time on my hands. Phoenix and I have traveled a great deal of Ragdon. We can''t take the cream puff down with just the power the two of us have ¡ªshut it, Phoenix. You know it''s true¡ª." Ky shoots a pointed look at his brother before continuing. "We''ve been looking for alternative ways to still take the cream puff down, but also still be involved. I won''t settle for anything less than Phoenix getting his shot, but I know we can''t do it on our own."


    "My god, this is getting sappy." Phoenix wrinkles his nose and pins his ears to his skull. "Let''s get moving. The sun''s gonna start setting soon and we should probably find a place to sleep."


    xxxx


    We do find a place to sleep.


    Phoenix leads the way through the forest, and a while later determines that we''re far enough away from where Grey and I crash landed that the Guard and Soldiers wouldn''t find us, at least yet.


    "It''s an island," he says. "There''s only so far you can run. But lucky for you, the Guard and Soldiers are absolute idiots when it comes to fighting."


    I lay down on the ground, pillowing my head on my arm. Grey settles down beside me, and Ky curls up a few paces away. Phoenix glances at us, then turns his back to us, resting his cheek on a foreleg.


    Through breaks in the tree branches, I see stars twinkling above us and the colorful, swirling clouds of dust making up galaxies. A midnight blue blankets the sky, a dark background for the kaleidoscope of colors shining in the cosmos. Something about the mesmerizing sight makes me feel so small, yet also draws me in.


    "First night not in the Sea and away from the King," Grey murmurs, voice soft and distant. "Never thought we''d be anywhere but there."


    "Same here," I reply


    "Go to sleep," Phoenix grumbles without lifting his head. "I''m keeping watch."


    I doze off at some point a while later, falling into a dreamless slumber.

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 8 - You Cant Help Me

    Again:


    TRIGGER WARNING: self-harm (implied but not explicitly stated, brief mentions only, a character has self-inflicted scars)


    Chapter 8


    You Can''t Help Me


    Grey nudges me awake the following morning, and I stretch and sit up with a yawn.


    "We''ll have to get food at some point," he says.


    "There''s enough out here for all of us. Ever gone hunting?" Phoenix asks, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. His expression turns predatory and his eyes glint.


    I shake my head.


    "Probably easier in your wolf form. Although, for the sake of time, I''ll be back soon. You find water."


    "You won''t get lost?" Grey asks.


    Phoenix scowls at him. "No. Don''t ask that again."


    He walks off into the forest, flicking his tail.


    "Don''t worry about him. He''ll be fine," Ky says. "There''s a few little streams around here."


    "He''s going hunting?" I stare at the spot where Phoenix vanished.


    Ky nods. "He''ll find something. It''s not that hard for him. There''s not much prey can do against his flames, although he rarely uses them when he''s hunting."


    It''s not that far to a stream, and we reach it quickly. Ky wades out and drinks from the middle, while Grey and I crouch on the bank and cup our hands. The water is cool against my throat.


    Birds chirp overhead and a gentle breeze blows by.


    "That was faster than I thought it would be." Ky turns around and climbs out of the stream, shaking off his fur.


    A moment later, Phoenix emerges from the forest. He drags a deer alongside him, holding it in his jaws by the neck. He drops it on the ground, then tears at the deer''s legs, handing them to us. I take it and try to ignore the blood soaking through the fur and how it doesn''t connect to anything.


    "Food," he states before returning to the carcass and settling down at the stomach with Ky beside him.


    I look away as they both start eating, holding one of the deer legs limply in my hands. I stare at it, then turn to Grey who''s gone pale. His shoulders shrug up, and his breath shudders. He''s looking anywhere but down at the deer leg.


    "Aren''t you guys gonna eat?" Phoenix asks. "You said you were hungry."


    "I don''t..." I trail off. "I don''t know what to do with this."


    Phoenix glances up at us, then focuses his attention on the deer legs we each hold. The flesh darkens, and Grey stumbles back a step with a short yelp, nearly dropping the leg.


    "Fire!" he cries.


    "Relax," Phoenix snaps. "I''m not gonna burn you, Grey. If I wanted to do that, I''d just do it."


    Phoenix returns to eating, and Grey turns to me with wide eyes. I shrug and wince and we each look at our deer leg.


    "Well, better this than nothing?"


    Grey''s mouth thins out into a flat line, and I can see the anxiety swirling in his silver gaze. His hands shake.


    I peel a piece of meat off the bone and examine it. It''s cooked through, thanks to Phoenix, and isn''t too hot.


    "Looks like the same stuff we get in the Sea, Grey," I tell him, then take a bite. "Tastes about the same, too."


    Grey hums, cautiously tugging a strip of venison from the leg. He nibbles on the end of it.


    xxxx


    In the end, the deer isn''t as bad as I''d originally thought it might be. I''m not going to be picky, food is food, and it isn''t like there are many other options. I have a full stomach, so I''m not complaining.


    Ky and Phoenix polish off the rest of the deer and chew on the bones. Grey sets the remainder of the deer leg to the side and shifts so his back is to it. He looks at me and shakes his head.


    I send him a sympathetic look back.


    Before I can think of what to say that might ease his nerves, a scream shatters through the forest, echoing off trees and sending birds fluttering into the sky with squawks of alarm.


    I jump to my feet, tensing, and I look all around for any threats, but I see none. Ky startles, spinning around on his paws, but Phoenix stays put. He runs his tongue over his muzzle, then licks his paw and swipes it over his face. He cleans blood from between his toe pads.


    The world falls silent again.


    Grey and Ky scan our surroundings as well.


    "What was that?" Grey asks.


    "A scream," Phoenix mutters.


    "He was asking where it came from, dumbass," Ky bites back.


    Phoenix rolls his eyes. "I answered his question. He asked what it was, so I told him. Anyway, let''s get moving. I''ve finished and there''s no reason to stay here any longer."


    He gets to his paws, but before he can take a step, there''s another sound. This time, a mangled cry.


    "What the hell?" Phoenix groans, wrinkling his nose.


    "It came from this way," Ky says.


    He trots off, and I follow him, hoping nothing bad has happened, but I heard nothing happy about the scream. Perhaps someone''s injured, perhaps it''s a trap. I can''t think of anything good that it might be.


    Grey and Phoenix follow behind, my brother right behind me and the black cat grumbling about minding our own business.


    We come across a small open clearing a few minutes later. Grass and scattered flowers sway gently, and sunlight casts mottled shadows on the greenery.


    "Whoah," Ky breathes, eyes wide as he stops in his tracks. "Who are they? What''s wrong with them?"


    In the middle of the clearing, a blue-furred cat lies on their side. Turquoise hair sprouts from their forehead and neck, and two horns curl down behind their ears. Six shards of ice stick out from the end of their tail.


    The cat bares their teeth and digs their claws into the ground. Blood dribbles down their nose and jaw, and when they choke on a breath, tears stream from their eyes, freezing in small icicles on their cheeks.


    "What the hell is going on?" I ask. "That doesn''t look right."


    "No, it does not look right," Ky murmurs, coming to stand beside me. His ears and tail sag.


    The cat groans, writhing on the ground, and Ky scampers out into the clearing. Phoenix lurks behind a tree, carefully studying the scene in front of him.


    "Hi," he says, stopping a few paces away. "My name is Ky. How can we help you?"


    The cat rolls to their stomach after a shudder wracks their frame and cracks open a light blue eye. "You can''t. Go away. Forget you ever saw me."


    When I look closer, the cat''s new positioning reveals a network of thin scars on their forelegs. Some look old, and others appear to still be healing.


    The cat notices my attention and turns their head, tucking their limbs beneath their chest.


    "Nothing you can do. You can''t help me."


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    They open their mouth to speak again, but whatever they were about to say is cut off by a low groan. They fall back to their side, body arched in pain. When their hind legs spasm and kick and their claws flash, it isn''t hard for me to imagine how the scars on their forelegs came to be.


    "Ky, let''s go," Phoenix calls from the edge of the clearing. "They clearly don''t want our help. Let''s get moving."


    "Can you at least please tell us your name?" I ask.


    "Your fiery friend over there has the right idea," the cat mutters. "Go away. Leave me alone. You can''t help."


    I look over at Grey. He shrugs.


    "Could be with the King," he whispers in my ear, low enough that the cat doesn''t hear.


    "Who are you?" Ky walks up to the cat and crouches down. "We want to help."


    "Your friend doesn''t seem to want to help."


    "Don''t worry about him. What can we do?"


    "You can''t do anything. Go awa-." The cat is cut off as every muscle locks up and they groan, baring their teeth as their face contorts in agony.


    "Ky, can you just use one of your illusions so we can get out of here?" Phoenix curls his lips. He hasn''t ventured further than the tree line


    Ky turns around to look at his brother. "I could, but it wouldn''t be real."


    "So what? They''ll believe it, and then this can end and we can keep moving."


    "As soon as I end it, they''ll feel it all again. I can''t change whatever''s happening. I can only make them believe it''s gone."


    "And for however long you keep the illusion going, they''ll believe it''s ended," Phoenix shoots back.


    "It won''t be real though," Ky protests. "It''ll just be an illusion. It won''t be real."


    "Just do it. What''s the harm? You''re so stuck on staying here and they don''t seem very keen on saying anything helpful, so let''s try something different. You can make it go away, even if it''s fake."


    Ky looks off to the side, ears falling to the sides. Hesitation flickers in his brown gaze.


    "Do you want me to make it go away?" he finally says, turning to face the cat.


    "You can''t," the cat sighs, voice soft.


    "Not really, I can''t, but I can make you believe it''s gone."


    The cat is silent for a few minutes, and when they speak, their voice is hoarse. "You can try, but you won''t be able to make all of it go away. It''ll always be there. It never goes away."


    Ky nods. "I''ll do my best," he says as his eyes glaze over and he focuses.


    Nothing happens at first, and I almost start to worry. I don''t know what Ky''s illusions can do or what the limits of his power may be.


    But after a little bit, I see the moment the illusion takes effect. The sharp, rigid lines of the blue cat''s body begin to relax, and they settle on the ground, letting out a long, slow breath. Their eyes flutter closed as relief spreads across their face and the tension wrinkling and contorting their face eases.


    No one moves as the cat just breathes for several long minutes.


    "Thank you," they eventually whisper, voice still weak but far steadier than it had been before.


    Ky''s expression pinches for a moment, but he nods. "You''re welcome. May I ask your name? I''d like to know how to address you."


    "My name is Jabez. I use he, him, and his pronouns." He doesn''t lift his head as he speaks, instead continuing to lay on his side.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Jabez. I''m Ky, and that''s my brother, Phoenix, over there by the trees. We both use he, him, and his pronouns."


    "I''m Alex," I say with a wave. "I use she, her, and hers pronouns."


    "I''m Grey," my brother greets. "I use the same pronouns as yourself."


    "What are you doing so far out here?" Jabez asks, opening his eyes and glancing at us all. His pale blue gaze drags over each of us.


    "We''re traveling," Ky starts, but Phoenix cuts him off.


    "We''re going to kill the cream puff," the black cat says, voice firm.


    "The cream puff?" Jabez echoes, thinking for a moment before realization washes over his face. "Oh, the King. You''re going to kill the King."


    "Yeah," Phoenix says slowly, "I am."


    "Ok."


    The flatness of Jabez''s voice confuses me. Most would either be outspoken in support of the King, or quietly against him. There isn''t really an in between, yet Jabez''s lack of emotion only seems to say he doesn''t really care.


    "Do you work for the cream puff?" Phoenix demands, head high and shoulders squared. His expression turns dangerous.


    I tense, watching Jabez for his reaction. The air shifts, and Ky studies Jabez closely, as does Grey from behind me.


    "Not really, no," Jabez murmurs. His gaze turns distant, and he rolls onto his stomach, pillowing his chin on his forepaws. He glances at Ky. "Your illusion has worked. I know it isn''t real, but I appreciate it."


    "You''re welcome," Ky replies with a soft smile that doesn''t quite reach his eyes. "I''m glad it helped."


    "It''s been decades since things have been this calm. So many decades."


    I almost miss Jabez''s words with how quiet his voice is. I furrow my eyebrows. He doesn''t look as old as so many decades would imply. He appears older than me or Grey, older than Ky or Phoenix, but so many decades seems to imply that he''d be well on his way to one hundred. Yet he doesn''t appear to be a hundred years old.


    "Why haven''t you done anything?" Phoenix asks, sharp and curt. His muzzle wrinkles. I whirl to the side as my heart sinks in my chest. "If it''s been so many decades, why haven''t you tried anything? If it''s been so many decades, you would''ve been around before Arcane disappeared. Why not visit him?"


    Oh, no, Phoenix, I think as I turn back to Jabez. What did you just do?


    Pain and panic flash across Jabez''s face, and he jerks back, body stiffening. His eyes grow wide, and his ears pin to the sides of his head.


    "I cannot," is all he says before rising to his paws. "I''m sorry, I should be going on my way. Thank you again, Ky. I appreciate your efforts. You can let the illusion go now. I''ll be fine."


    Ky hesitates. "Are you sure? I can keep it going for as long as you''d like."


    "No, no, please take it back. I really should be going." Jabez shakes his head and shifts on his forelegs, rocking his weight from one leg to the other. The tip of his tail twitches.


    "Ok," Ky replies slowly, ducking his head.


    "Thank you. Please remove the illusion."


    "I-... alright."


    "I really should be going," Jabez repeats.


    "Why?" Grey asks, stepping forward to stand beside me.


    Jabez turns and meets Grey''s gaze, but he quickly looks away. "I-I-. I can''t be here, I should be going."


    What did Phoenix do? I think. Why can''t Jabez do anything? Why can''t Jabez go find Arcane, whoever he is?


    "The illusion is gone," Ky says, retreating a few paces from Jabez with a sad expression.


    "Thank you," Jabez replies, voice rougher than when the illusion was in place.


    He stands a little stiffer, muscles a little tighter. The lines of tension across his body seem more pronounced. His tail hangs to the ground, and his breaths seem to take more effort. Jabez starts off, but Phoenix cuts him off.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Phoenix asks. "You think we''re just going to let you go so easily? You''re acting awfully suspicious, you know."


    "I''m leaving. I appreciate you all taking the time to check on me, but I''ll be going now."


    "Did we say something wrong?" I ask, walking a short distance into the clearing. Grey follows close behind.


    "I''m leaving."


    "No, you really aren''t." Phoenix''s voice rumbles in his chest, a deep and echoing warning.


    Jabez inhales a sharp breath, sides heaving. His lip pulls back in the beginning of a snarl, a brief flicker of teeth.


    "I am. I cannot be here."


    "Why not? Ky helped you-."


    "He didn''t help. He only tricked my mind into believing it was all gone."


    Ky squeezes his eyes shut and tenses for a split second. Phoenix flashes his fangs when Jabez interrupts him.


    "Either way," Phoenix continues, "we did something for you."


    "You won''t be fooling me like that. It won''t work on me."


    Jabez takes a step back, and Phoenix quickly advances once more. I can quickly see the difference between the two cats. Jabez might be taller, but he''s far skinnier than Phoenix is. I can see the sharp outline of his shoulder blades when he walks back yet another step and the faint shape of his ribs when he gasps for another breath. Phoenix is intimidating without his fire, and I can imagine how he might look with it.


    "I''m not trying to fool you of anything. All I''m saying is that we did something for you, so now you need to do something for us." Phoenix drops his head until it''s flat with his back, a predatory stance.


    "I never asked for you to come here," Jabez replies. "I don''t owe you anything."


    "Phoenix-." Ky starts, but he''s interrupted.


    "Not now, Ky. There''s something not quite right about our new acquaintance." Phoenix flicks his ear.


    I lean over to Grey, chewing on a knuckle as I watch the scene unfold in front of me.


    "Do you think he''s right?" I ask quietly. "Do you think there''s something off about Jabez?"


    Grey hums, mulling the question over for a few moments. "I mean, there''s clearly something going on," he murmurs. "No one reacts like that without reason. But I''m not so sure Phoenix is necessarily completely right."


    "Phoenix," Ky repeats, louder. He trots over to his brother. "What are you doing?"


    "He knows something." Phoenix doesn''t break his gaze from Jabez, who''s staring at the black cat through wide eyes. "He knows something, and he''s going to share."


    "I-I-."


    "The next words out of your mouth better be answers."


    "I really have to go," Jabez says.


    "Should we intervene?" Grey asks. "This isn''t good."


    "How?" I reply. "Didn''t they say Phoenix is covered in fire?"


    "Yes, but there must be a way to have a more peaceful conversation." He twists his hands, running his fingers over his forearms in a nervous movement.


    Phoenix halts. "That''s not what I was looking for."


    "Take a breath, Phoenix." Ky moves to stand between Jabez and his brother.


    "Please, I''m going on my way. I have no quarrels with you. I didn''t ask for you to come here, and we can all go our own ways."


    "You know something. You''ve been around long enough to have seen Arcane before he disappeared for whatever you''ve got going on, and yet you haven''t. No one has such a blank reaction to the cream puff. You either love him or you hate him. There is no in between. So, tell me, Jabez. Are you with him or against him?"


    Ky pauses at the question, angling an ear back and tilting his head. The tension in the clearing thickens, and I hold my breath.


    Jabez doesn''t reply for a long time, and when he does, I can barely hear it.


    "Neither," he says, before ducking his head and bounding off.


    Phoenix starts after him with a rumbling snarl. I grimace at the broiling rage in the black cat''s eyes. Ky follows his brother, but at a much slower pace. Less a desire to catch Jabez and more a want to not be so far from Phoenix.


    "Oh, shit," Grey curses beside me.


    "What?"


    "Phoenix is using his fire. We should probably step in, right? There really oughta be a much more peaceful way of going about this where everyone can be happy."


    Before I can respond, Jabez cries out, ears pinning to his skull. His forelegs spasm and he pitches forward, jaw glancing off a rock. His head twists at an awkward angle. But Jabez rises back up quickly and turns around halfway, slamming his forepaws on the ground.


    Phoenix chokes on a roar as he tumbles back, caught by something I cannot see. He lands on his side, spitting and snarling.


    "What happened?" I ask, loud enough that Ky and Phoenix can hear but to no one in particular.


    "Jabez just made a wall of ice," Grey replies absently. "Phoenix got thrown back."


    "Stop!" Ky shouts, bounding forward to place a paw on Phoenix''s shoulders before he can stand up.


    Phoenix shakes off dust and dirt from his fur, sneering at the place where Jabez disappeared. He stays on the ground.


    "Why should I?" he asks. "Jabez owes us more than a few answers."


    "There''s someone else here. We have bigger things to worry about right now. We can find Jabez later."


    Someone else here?


    I turn around and scan the forest.


    "What the fuck? Who else is here?" Phoenix leaps to his paws and snaps his head back to turn and face his brother.


    "I don''t know, but someone is watching us."


    Grey crosses the clearing, and I follow. I walk backward, looking for any sign of disturbances in the forest. Everything feels ominous, and every shadow looks darker than usual, more threatening and menacing. I force myself to breathe, reaching up to grasp the pewter pendant around my neck.


    "Hello," a voice says a few minutes after Jabez has left, and I stumble, sent straight back to the foot of the Amethyst Throne when I watched my brother almost die.

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 9 - No Way Out but Kill

    Chapter 9


    No Way Out but Kill


    I catch myself before I fall, but I drop to a squat, fingers knotted in my hair and elbows on my knees. Every breath drags against my throat. My heart races in my chest, a fluttering pace like a butterfly.


    I blink, and I''m back at the foot of the Amethyst Throne. Scorn''s arm wrapping around my shoulders, the way his grip held me back from running to my brother who needed me then, needed me more than he ever had before. Screech nocking arrows, the way he seemed pleased to be firing them off. Snappy holding my brother down, the way he watched the blood soak through my brother''s shirt and drip down his skin.


    Grey crouches beside me, and I feel him drag a hand down my back. It pulls me back to reality. "I''m right here, Alex," he says. "I''m right here."


    "It''s that voice," I say. "The General. You almost died. I watched you... you nearly bled out, Grey."


    My voice cracks, and my brother pulls me into a hug. I snake my arms around his torso and hold him tight.


    "I know," he whispers, voice breaking over the words. "I know. I''m right here, though. I''ve healed. We''re still together. Nothing they do will tear us apart."


    "They''ll destroy lives, but they can never break the ties that bind," Ky adds. "I know you weren''t talking to me, but it''s true. There''s some stuff even the cream puff cannot shatter."


    Phoenix starts to pace as he growls low in his chest, a soft and echoing sound, and Grey grows restless, fingers twitching against my back. Ky pricks his ears, angling them all around, and scans the clearing and its surrounding trees.


    "Show your face, coward," Phoenix snarls. "I know you''re out there."


    "Hello."


    My stomach sinks when I see the now-familiar form swirl into place, a pink and blue mottled body, disappearing in and out of focus like a cloud. With twin purple bandanas wrapping around their head ¡ªone over their eyes and the other vertically under their chin¡ª they look down at us, nostrils quivering as they scent the air.


    I shake. Rage stirs in my gut. Grey tenses beside me, bringing his hand up to my shoulder and gripping it tight. I can feel the anxiety coursing through him, and I lift my own hand to squeeze his.


    "Spyro," Phoenix growls.


    I''m snapped from my trance, and I whirl around. "You know them?"


    Phoenix snorts. "''Course I do. They''re with the cream puff. I know everyone who''s with the cream puff, and I also know they''re all going to die, one by one."


    "He has requested you give yourselves up," Spyro says, floating just above shoulder height. They look straight at me despite the two bandanas wrapped around their head.


    "That..." Grey breaks through his fear, and Spyro turns their attention to him. "That won''t happen. You know it won''t. You know what happened in the Throne Room."


    Spyro tilts their head to the side.


    Before they can speak, Phoenix launches himself into the air, stretching his forelegs out to grip onto Spyro''s ribcage. But they vanish in a swirl of blue and pink, disappearing just as Phoenix brings his paws together. The black cat lands heavily on the ground, rumbling and hissing.


    "Come back here, you little coward," he spits.


    "I''m back." Spyro appears a few paces away.


    "You bring any friends or is it just you today?"


    "My closest friend did not join me," Spyro replies, slithering out of the way of Phoenix''s next attack.


    "We are not going to be returning to the King''s castle," I say. "You should know that."


    "The Judge and the Justice ruled you to be guilty and sentenced you both to death. The law states-."


    Phoenix grumbles a rumbling sigh. "Oh, come on, now, please. Shut it with that shit. No one here is buying it. We certainly won''t be helping you get the Wolf and the Dove to the cream puff."


    Ky flattens his expression in agreement with his brother.


    Spyro studies us, then turns their attention to Ky and Phoenix. They''re quiet for several long moments.


    I can hear my heart rate in my ears, and my breaths are short and shallow. The pewter pendant burns against my chest, a white hot brand. It''s comforting, and yet it also reminds me of Scorn holding me tight as I flailed in his grip and tried to save my brother, how my blood and body boiled until the heat of the pewter pendant let me shift into a wolf and bring me and my brother to what I hope will be safety.


    But it''s not safety yet.


    Spyro floats in front of us, one of the Generals in the King''s army.


    They open their mouth to speak, but someone else beats them to it.


    "Aww, look who it is."


    It''s a new voice this time. One I don''t recognize. The voice is as smooth as silk and as sweet as sugar, sliding off the speaker''s tongue like butter melting in the hot sun.


    "And who the fuck are you?" Phoenix pins his ears and spins around.


    I clench my hands into fists and ready myself for a new opponent. Spyro doesn''t really want to fight, but that doesn''t mean the next one won''t. Grey stands behind me, presence comforting.


    "It''s such a shame you don''t remember me, little black cat."


    Phoenix scowls.


    "If you want something, you should come out and get it," Ky murmurs. "Games aren''t much fun."


    "Who said anything about games?" the voice purrs. "But... very well, if you please."


    I raise my eyebrows when I see an odd creature, to say the least. Mottled browns and pinks decorate a worm-like body with two twirling forelegs adorned in broken chains, and a mane of chestnut hair sways in an invisible wind. Bright emerald eyes framed with long eyelashes study us from a cat-like head.


    Grey presses his arm into mine as he steps closer.


    "Who the hell are you?" Phoenix echoes.


    "I''m Daeva, the She-Wyrm. I''m saddened that you don''t remember me, little black cat. I thought you knew all the Generals in My Soverei-."


    Phoenix cuts her off. "Shut it with that stupid title. You''re gonna make my ears bleed."


    "You''re a General too?" I say before I can bite my tongue.


    I resist flinching back when Daeva turns her attention to me. I hold her calculating gaze.


    "Of course I am, Wolf. Didn''t you know all Generals are creatures like me? The King of Ragdon wouldn''t have it any other way."


    "Daeva," Spyro says. "I didn''t expect you to be here."


    "I thought you might need some assistance," she replies.


    "I was going to be bringing them to justice very soon."


    "Leave, Spyro," Daeva murmurs, voice dripping like honey, sticky and sweet. "Talking in circles won''t get you anywhere. I can handle them."


    "Ok." Spyro nods, then disappears in a puff of pink and blue.


    Daeva turns her head to us, body coiling like a snake readying to strike. Her emerald eyes glitter, and the chains swinging from her forelimbs glint in the sunlight.


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    "You will be returning to the foot of the Amethyst Throne. I hope you know that."


    Grey stares at her for several moments, and then he shakes his head. "No, I cannot do that. We will not do that. Please, just leave. No one has to get hurt. This doesn''t have to end in bloodshed."


    "Will your fiery friend agree with that sentiment, though?" A smile tugs at the corner of Daeva''s mouth as she gazes at Phoenix.


    "Just because he and I have our differences doesn''t mean I will be siding with you." Phoenix doesn''t break eye contact with the She-Wyrm. Murder burns in his gaze.


    Ky''s expression doesn''t look much different. Grey grows pale beside me, and I swallow thickly.


    I didn''t sign up for this, I think. I just wanted to see what was at the Erebus Tree, and then I''d go back to running drills and teaching kids the ins and outs of basic weaponry so the talented ones could be found to join the Guard and Soldiers. I didn''t think I''d end up here dealing with two Generals and feline brothers who''ve got a bone to pick with the King.


    "Leave, Daeva," Ky says. "Once Phoenix goes after you, there''s no stopping him."


    "There''s always death," she replies. "It would certainly make quite the impression on the ranks of Guard and Soldiers if I were to bring back the head of the Phoenix."


    "Yeah, that''s not happening," Phoenix mutters.


    The fight doesn''t last long.


    Daeva lunges for Grey, who dives out of the way, even though she looks like she''s still far away. My brother rolls across the dirt, grimacing when he lands on sticks and broken branches. The malachite medallion glows beneath his shirt.


    I back step and look between the two of them, and anger burns in my gut. I feel the pewter pendant''s magic sear through me, and I let it take over. Claws sprout from my hands and fur bursts from my body. The shift only takes a few moments. I bare my teeth.


    Daeva grunts as Phoenix barrels into her, and the She-Wyrm''s attention goes solely to the black cat. She snaps at his ear. The two wrestle with each other.


    I can''t help but wonder what the fight would look like if I could see the magic Phoenix uses, the magic I''m assuming Daeva has. But it doesn''t matter, because she hurt Grey.


    Ky sidles up beside me when I take a step forward, claws snapping a branch.


    "Don''t," he says, subtly blocking my path with his shoulder. "Phoenix has it under control. Leave this to him. He will hurt you if you try to take the kill from him."


    I take a breath and focus on shifting back. I can''t speak in my wolf form. Ice spreads through my veins, and fur gives way to skin.


    "Kill?" I echo once I''m back in my human form.


    Ky nods. "Daeva is a General," is all he offers as an explanation.


    Grey brushes dirt from his legs and rolls his shoulders. He eyes the fight for a few moments.


    Phoenix grapples with Daeva. He strong-arms her to the ground, pinning her down with his forelegs. When she twists and writhes in his grasp, nearly breaking free, Phoenix digs his claws in deep, and purple blood drips to the ground. Phoenix wrinkles his nose at the sight.


    "He''s going to kill her?" Grey asks, joining me and Ky as we watch.


    My stomach twists, unsure of what to make of the scene in front of me.


    Ky ducks his head. "Yes. Do not get involved. She''s Phoenix''s kill."


    "She could escape."


    "She won''t."


    The finality in Ky''s voice surprises me. The fight isn''t over, and yet he speaks as though it''s certain. Phoenix seems to have the upper hand, but Daeva''s still fighting back. Who knows if Phoenix could slip up.


    Daeva twists her forelimbs around Phoenix, one around his neck and the other around his chest, constricting and binding. She bares her teeth and hisses.


    I can tell the second the fight is over.


    Daeva snaps her teeth at Phoenix''s cheek, and the movement lets Phoenix bring a forepaw to the underside of her jaw, knocking her head back and revealing her throat.


    "You know what this is for," he snarls before sinking his upper canines deep into her neck.


    It''s not long before Daeva''s hold on Phoenix loosens and slips, forelimbs falling to the ground as she sags in his hold.


    It''s only another few moments before Daeva is hanging by her throat from Phoenix''s jaws.


    He locks eyes with Ky, and I can see his lips twitch in a smile. He pants for breath around Daeva''s skin. His eyes glow with satisfaction and lose their usual hard edge.


    "He''s going to kill her," Grey breathes, horror blooming in his silver eyes.


    Ky nods. "Yeah, that''s what''s going to happen."


    "We don''t have to do that."


    "She will not leave the cream puff. Daeva will never disobey him."


    "She isn''t fighting back. We''ve won." Grey turns his attention to Ky.


    He''s less friendly than he''s previously been, somewhere shy of Phoenix but not amicable.


    "She might not be fighting back now, but she was. She was going to bring us to the cream puff."


    "We don''t have to kill to win."


    Ky tilts his head. "And why not?"


    Something looms in his brown gaze that I cannot identify. Curiosity, yet also something more prickly, a dark creature lurking just out of sight in the shadows.


    "Just because the King kills doesn''t mean we have to. We can win without stooping to his level."


    "The cream puff will never listen to pretty words. His followers will never turn their backs to him. They try to kill us, so we kill them first."


    Grey runs a hand over the back of his neck, sharp and frustrated. He exhales through his nose and casts a stressed glance at Daeva and Phoenix.


    "We can talk more, but can Phoenix at least just let Daeva go? It can''t be that much longer until she has irreversible damage."


    Ky studies the She-Wyrm for a moment.


    "Just because Phoenix doesn''t do anything now doesn''t mean he can''t later," I offer slowly.


    "Phoenix," Ky says and his brother snarls, the sound muffled.


    "Phoenix," Ky repeats.


    The black cat casts a withering glare but lets Daeva go. Purple blood streams from her throat and drips from his canines. He scowls at Daeva''s unmoving form when her sides suddenly move as she draws in a breath.


    "What happened to destroying the cream puff?" Phoenix asks Ky before shooting a glare at Grey, who holds his gaze but raises his shoulders and tenses. "Don''t think I won''t talk to you as well. You''re next. You''d better have a damn good fucking reason for making my brother stop me. She''s my fucking kill and ain''t no way I''m not taking her life and sending her straight to Lucius on a goddamn silver fucking platter."


    I wince at Phoenix''s broiling rage, and I can see the lines of stress within my brother''s expression. He doesn''t want to kill, to have blood on his hands, and he doesn''t want to be a part of something that will result in deaths. It was why he never joined the Guard or Soldiers even though he could have. He believes there''s another way, and I don''t blame him. I feel the same way, even if in my heart I don''t know that it''s possible. The King has no qualms jumping straight to lethal force.


    "Grey believes we don''t have to kill," Ky states, sitting down a pace or two away from his brother.


    Phoenix looks at him like he''s grown another head.


    "You''re hilarious," he replies, "but you also know that''s not gonna happen. The cream puff needs it spoken to him in a language he can actually understand. We hurt him in the only way it will ever get through his skull."


    "We don''t have to kill," Grey says.


    Phoenix sneers, wrinkling his lips. "The cream puff does, and so do we. He''s a monster, and I don''t see any angels around knocking him clean off the Amethyst Throne."


    "Maybe the angels haven''t shown up yet," I say.


    "You can beat others without killing them." Grey crosses his arms over his chest. "Lethal measures aren''t always needed."


    Phoenix stares down Grey, eyes dark and fiery. "At least you know your enemy cannot come back to you. If your enemy is dead, they can no longer hurt you. Despite everything the cream puff has done, Lucius''s claim is ¡ªand has always been¡ª permanent. No one escapes their touch. If you kill someone, they''re done. End of story."


    Ky studies my brother for a few moments, head tilted to the side and tail wrapped around his paws.


    "How do you expect to survive in a world where there are so many who wish you dead, but you will not kill them first?" he asks. "They will never stop hunting you down because the cream puff will never stop sending them after you. You can only run for so long, Grey. They will catch up, and they will try to shoot a thousand arrows through your body.


    "You might have been able to survive without killing in your past life where you were just Grey, but you''re the Dove now. Your previous life is over. You cannot duck your face and hide. The cream puff knows who you are. I admire your moral compass and desire to stick by what you believe in, but sooner or later the cream puff will corner you and you will be faced with a situation in which there is no way out but kill."


    "I-I know," Grey starts. "I know you both do not agree, but I cannot just jump straight to killing. You''re ending a life. It''s so permanent, as you said, Phoenix. I''m aware some things perhaps might not be able to be solved with words and actions alone, but I cannot in my right mind skip straight over them. I know my life is no longer just the life of Grey. I know I''m the Dove now, whatever that may entail. But that doesn''t mean I can just stop trying to try to do things the only right way I know how."


    Phoenix stares at Grey for over a minute without speaking, and I eye him warily. The black cat takes a step back, then huffs a short laugh, humorless and full of disbelief.


    "Fuck this," he says. "I''m leaving. I''m not dealing with this. You guys do what you want, I couldn''t care less, but I''m not dealing with those who don''t get that the cream puff isn''t falling with pretty words and shimmering ideals that don''t match reality."


    The black cat stalks off into the forest, strides long and even. His tail flicks in irritation, and it''s not hard for me to imagine the crackling fire coating his inky pelt. Light glints off of the yellow horns curling from his forehead.


    Ky watches the spot in the forest where his brother left, then shakes out his fluffy fur to readjust the red bandana around his shoulders. He pauses for several moments before turning around. Twigs snap beneath his paws.


    "Don''t take this the wrong way," Ky says, "but we do want to work with you. We both want to take down the cream puff. Phoenix isn''t very good at listening to others'' perspectives. Anything short of complete destruction of the cream puff and his reign is too merciful in his mind. I might not fully agree with where you are coming from, but I''m also not going to ask you to change your mind."


    "This is sounding like a goodbye," I reply.


    Allies are nice. So is four against Guard and Soldiers, rather than two. I don''t know the extent of Ky and Phoenix''s abilities, but they both seem proficient in fighting.


    But if it came down to arguments over how to achieve the goal of taking down the King, I don''t know that Grey and I could do it. Especially Grey. He''s fond of his routines, of choosing when and where to draw attention, of knowing what comes next. Grey won''t budge on some things, and I don''t fault him for it or blame him.


    I don''t know what drives Ky and Phoenix and makes them feel that way, but I can''t tell them they''re wrong either. Something shaped their beliefs.


    Ky nods. "It might be. I''m sure we''ll see you around. After all, you''re the Wolf and the Dove. Ragdon is big, but it isn''t that big. And Phoenix hates to miss the action. I''m sure one of us will catch up with the other sooner or later. Phoenix just tends to have a habit of storming off for a while whenever he gets worked up."


    "We probably will," Grey murmurs noncommittally, grasping the malachite medallion in his hand as he stares blankly at Daeva''s still unmoving form.


    "Goodbye for now, I guess." Ky looks between us.


    He seems genuinely sad, and I can''t say I''m completely nonemotional either. They have the same goal as us, and they seemed like potential allies.


    Maybe they still are.


    But I''m not so sure. I hope we will run into them again and maybe we can work things out.

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 10 - Never Feel Guilty

    Chapter 10


    Never Feel Guilty


    I watch Ky walk away.


    He moves in even steps, shaggy fur shifting with every movement, and soon he''s disappearing into the trees, just a wisp of his tan tail that soon vanishes too.


    The forest suddenly feels a hundred times bigger. Every shadow seems to have eyes, and I step closer to Grey, who does the same. The hair on my arms and neck prickles as it stands on end.


    "Do you think that was a mistake?" he asks.


    "I don''t know," I reply, "but let''s get away from Daeva before she wakes up."


    "She can probably track our scent."


    I shrug. "Probably, but let''s at least start moving."


    "I''d rather not be here when she regains consciousness," Grey murmurs, eyeing Daeva''s form warily.


    "I feel the same way."


    She lays on her side, ribcage rising and falling in slow, even breaths. Her eyelashes rest on her cheeks, and her mouth remains slightly open. Dirt is smeared across her mottled skin. Purple blood oozes from the puncture wounds around her throat. I know they''re deep enough to scar; Phoenix had intended to kill.


    "Which way do we go?" I ask.


    "We could head north," Grey says, "up to the Badlands and Roya Point."


    "The Garden is near Roya Point. I don''t think we should go near there. Remember how the Judge said it came from the Garden?"


    Grey nods. "True, let''s stay away from there. But I still think we should try to put as much distance as we can between ourselves and the King''s castle."


    "Well, duh."


    xxxx


    We leave Daeva behind.


    It takes us a while to figure out which way we''re going and Grey has to shift into his dove form to get a higher vantage point. Neither of us liked separating, and Grey returns several times after only a few minutes, unable to take being apart. Eventually, though, he''s able to stay up long enough to determine our path forward.


    Neither of us leave the other''s side.


    We start walking through the trees toward Aiyana River and the furthest east stretches of the Badlands, a barren expanse of land in the shadow of Ragdon Volcano. Many stories exist on how no life came to be there. The most common says that Lucius wouldn''t let Erebus turn all of Ragdon lush with life, that they insisted on one part remaining dead.


    "Do you think we''re really gonna defeat the King?" I ask as we make our way through the forest.


    Grey hums in thought. He''s silent for a while and trails his hand across a few tree trunks, running his fingertips on the rough bark.


    "I hope so," he replies, "but I also do not know. It''s not going to be easy, but I do wish he were gone."


    "We''ve got these powers," I say, lifting the pewter pendant from beneath my shirt.


    "I still have questions on them, though."


    "Shoot," I reply, raising my arms and spinning in a circle as I walk. "No one''s around, and we''ve got time. Let''s hear ''em."


    "You couldn''t see Ky or Phoenix''s magic, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "But you can see my magic, right?"


    I nod, slowing my pace and picking up a long branch to use as a hiking stick. "Yeah... I don''t know what to make of it."


    Grey shrugs. "I don''t know either." He''s quiet for a moment before he continues. "We found the pendant and the medallion at the Erebus Tree, and yet we''ve been there countless times before. And no one else found them. Doesn''t that strike you as odd?"


    I sigh. He''s right. It is odd.


    "I don''t know, Grey, but we''ve got them. We have their power. Maybe they''ll let us take a shot at the King. And maybe the King will fall, and we can figure out our new place in the world. I don''t think we can ever go back to being regular old Grey and Alex, but maybe we can be something new. You can go back to teaching and give lessons not picked by the King, and I can... I can do something. Probably not teaching kids to sword fight and sending the best ones on the fast track for the Guard and Soldiers."


    "How did we find the necklaces though, Alex?" Grey says, and I can hear the strain in his voice. "How did we find them? It doesn''t make sense."


    "Lucius and Erebus probably intended it that way. They''ve both got extreme power. I see no reason they couldn''t have hid the pendant and medallion until the night we found them. But as for why that night, I''ve got no idea. Maybe it was their doing, maybe it was just chance, maybe it was something else. It''s not like we can just ask Lucius and Erebus." I trail off, only continuing when a thought dawns on me. I glance back at my brother, trailing the stick across the bark of a tree. "Remember that Arcane guy Phoenix mentioned?"


    Grey twists his mouth. "I think so. Why?"


    "Maybe he''d know something. I mean, there''s gotta be someone on Ragdon who''s got some clue on what the Wolf and the Dove entail. It doesn''t make sense we''d get these powers and have no clue what to do with them and there''s literally nobody who does. That seems rather pointless."


    Grey chuckles from behind me. "I do agree with you there."


    xxxx


    We walk for hours until the sun is setting, and we reach the furthest east stretch of the Badlands. A sharp breeze blows through, rustling my hair, and I brush stray strands behind an ear to get it out of my eyes. I squint against the particles of dust and sand in the wind. Before us, the Aiyana River winds through the ground, feeding into the Arcane Delta.


    The grasses along the banks are thick, stiff blades that sway in the breeze and obscure most of the path before us. They''re dense and bright, sharp streaks of color sprouting from the earth that give way to the shore and ocean off to our right and bleed into the barren landscape of the Badlands to our left.


    "Which way?" Grey asks.


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    I scan the expanse of Ragdon that stands before us. I feel a light tugging in my chest, urging me to go left, across the Badlands to some unknown destination. I shake the feeling off. The last time I gave into curiosity, I ended up with a magical necklace and nearly got killed by the King. I have no intention of venturing out into the dead landscape of the Badlands over a little feeling.


    "Let''s find someplace around here?" I say. "It''s getting late, and I''m tired. One of us can keep watch, and hopefully the Guard and Soldiers will wait until morning to find us, if they do."


    "Let''s hope they don''t find us," Grey replies.


    "True."


    We double back until we reach the more secure cover of trees.


    I settle down on a patch of grass and twirl blades between my fingertips, and Grey sits back against a tree trunk and strips bark off a stick. Emotions flicker across his expression, and he furrows his eyebrows, then runs a hand through his blond hair.


    "I was gonna say that we should find food, but I''m changing my question. What is it, Grey? I can tell you''ve got something on your mind."


    He twists his lips and looks off to the side.


    "Come on, spit it out. It''s gonna eat you alive until you chat about it, so might as well start now," I say.


    Grey stares firmly at the ground, gaze still averted. "Do you think Phoenix was right?"


    "About what?" I press.


    "The killing thing." Grey twists a piece of bark around his finger, and it crumbles. "He said there was no way the King would fall otherwise. I know it''s not going to be easy, but I also don''t want to become the King. I... I can''t just wish death on someone. I can hate every part of them, but I cannot wish another living being something like death. It''s so permanent, Lucius''s claim."


    I shrug. "You know you and Phoenix are literal opposites, right? You''ve got two very different personalities. Don''t have to know Phoenix for long to know you and him are opposites."


    "But do you think he''s right?"


    I think for a moment, mulling over my brother''s question.


    "I mean... I don''t think either of you are completely right. Not sure it''s a question that has only one right answer."


    "But still, Alex." Grey sighs, shoulders slouching. "Do you think I''m wrong for not wishing the King death? He''s terrible. I hate him. I know he''s screwing every kid over with what he chooses for classes, and I wish I could give them better. I want to give the children better. I know he''s unfair and is beyond corrupt. But at the same time, I don''t want him to die. I just want him to stop. I want him to realize what he''s done, and I want him to live with it for the rest of his life."


    "You know he''ll never feel guilty like you would, right? You''ve got a conscience, Grey. A hell of a conscience. The King doesn''t."


    My brother puts his head in his hands and exhales, slow and long. "I know, I know. I know that, but I still wish he could. I want him to feel guilty forever, but I know that won''t happen."


    "You''re forgetting that you and him are about as opposite as you can get, Grey." I tilt my head to the side, hoping with every piece of my being that my brother can understand that fact. "You''re thinking about this like a rational person who doesn''t wish to do harm to anyone. The King ain''t like that at all. You know that."


    Grey hunches over further. "I know. This is stupid."


    "Ain''t stupid. It''s your feelings." I stress the word and chuckle when Grey looks up and frowns, nose wrinkling.


    "Let''s find food," he says. "I''m done with this. You''re being silly."


    "Got you to smile, didn''t it?"


    "Shut up," Grey retorts, but there''s no real annoyance behind the words.


    "I heard there''s fish in the Aiyana River."


    "I sincerely hope so. I''m hungry."


    "Nice to meet you, Hungry."


    Grey laughs, and I grin.


    It''s not a far walk to the shore. In the middle of the Aiyana River, the water is dark and deep and curls around rocks and stirs up sediment on the riverbed as it races toward the Arcane Delta and out to the open waters surrounding Ragdon. But off to the sides, there''s sections of calmer, slower-moving water that gurgles and laps at the riverbank. Fish swim around, and light shimmers on their scales.


    "Here, fishy, fishy," I murmur as I crouch down.


    Grey kneels beside me, then frowns. "See any sticks around here? I doubt we''ll be able to catch anything with our bare hands."


    I''m about to reply when I hear lout footsteps.


    "Stop where you are! Show me your hands."


    Grey jumps, muscles tensing. I whirl around, and my stomach sinks at the sight of Guard and Soldiers steadily advancing upon us.


    "Show me your hands," the lead Guard repeats, voice cold and firm.


    The Guard and Soldiers file out from the grasses and wrap around us in a semicircle like a coiling snake.


    The Aiyana River bubbles and froths behind us, gurgling across rocks as it feeds into the Arcane Delta.


    We didn''t even get to eat, I think to myself as I rise to my feet. Grey follows suit, and his hands tighten into fists.


    The pewter pendant flares to life on my chest. Heat rises within me. I feel the wolf building beneath my skin, the shift nearing the surface, ready to explode.


    "My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV has ordered your presence at the foot of the Amethyst Throne. The Judge and Justice have spoken, and you have been found guilty."


    "Guilty of what?" I ask, crossing my arms.


    I shove down the crawling panic as the Guard and Soldiers close in further, the skittering of spiders over flesh and the ghost of a hand seizing my throat. I push away the memories of Grey kneeling on the marble floor before the Amethyst Throne, the blood spilling across his skin, the cold and distant smile of the King.


    "You have disobeyed the King of Ragdon," a Guard says. "You have disobeyed the orders of My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV."


    "You haven''t told me a crime we have committed," I retort. "What crime did my brother and I commit that the Judge and Justice found us guilty of?"


    The Guard scowls at me, and I hold his gaze and glare back despite the fear knotting in my stomach.


    "The King of Ragdon stated you are the Wolf and the Dove."


    "Ok?" Grey asks, standing shoulder to shoulder with me. I can hear the anxiety in his voice.


    "That means that you need to face the sentence handed to you by the Justice. The Judge found you guilty, and so the sentence of the Justice must be carried out."


    "I disagree," I reply distantly, eyeing the Guard and Soldiers and searching for a way out.


    How fast is the Aiyana River moving? If we can''t go through the Guard and Soldiers, perhaps we can go across the river, except the river is wide and the Garden''s on the other side.


    "It''s not your place to question the Judge and the Justice. They serve the King of Ragdon."


    "We''re not going with you," I say, staring down the lead Guard.


    Grey shifts on his feet beside me.


    "Yes, you are."


    The lead Guard takes a step forward, and Grey and I take a step back, and we fall into a standoff. No one moves. I can feel my heart steadily creeping up into my throat.


    The pewter pendant is a brand on my skin, white hot, and the wolf lurks just beneath the surface, all flashing fangs and claws begging for blood.


    The tension reaches a breaking point, and it snaps as a wave smashes into a rock in the Aiyana River.


    I let the simmering heat of the wolf burst from my skin. I explode as the Guard all nock arrows in their bows in unison.


    The first Guard lets his arrow fly, and it whistles through the air, snagging on my ear and slicing through waving grasses before it lands somewhere within them. Warm blood trickles through my fur but I ignore it.


    Grey shakes as he shifts into his dove form. His eyes widen as his gaze flickers across every one of the Guard and Soldiers slowly moving in, a snake tightening its coiling grip.


    I stand close to my brother, the two of us against far too many Guard and Soldiers.


    It''s the Soldiers who make the next move. They weave between ranks of Guard and make their way toward us, swords drawn and sunlight glinting off the sharp blades and their shiny armor.


    Grey leaps out of the way of the arcing sword of a Soldier, and I duck under another''s attack. We dodge their attacks, but neither of us makes any of our own. I can outrun the Soldiers in a footrace, and so I try to stay away.


    Unfortunately, it''s not long before someone catches up to me as I scamper between the churning mess of Guard and Soldiers.


    The flat of a Soldier''s sword slams into my shoulder, tripping up my paws and sending me tumbling in an imitation of a somersault. I grunt as the impact knocks the air from my lungs and lay there, stunned, while I try to catch my breath.


    Before I can stand, the Soldier pins my head to the ground, boot digging into my cheek. I grimace and growl.


    "Don''t fight. It''s easier if you don''t fight it."


    I pin my ears at Scorn''s voice and snarl in response.


    "Please don''t fight," he says.


    I bare my teeth and scrabble at his shin, but I can''t push him off. Scorn doesn''t move, and I can''t break free.


    Other Guard and Soldiers start to close in, but they suddenly go still as their faces fall in a look of horror. One by one, they drop to their knees. Several start shaking.


    A thick foreleg connects with Scorn''s side, and he falls down with a grunt. A pattering of footsteps follows. Scorn scrambles away, legs uncoordinated.


    "Come back here, you little shit," a voice snarls, low and rumbling. "And sincerely fuck you for not inviting us to the party."


    Phoenix.


    <figure>


    </figure>

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 11 - Let Your Hackles Drop

    Chapter 11


    Let Your Hackles Drop


    Scorn turns to fully face Phoenix, and I roll to my stomach and get to my feet. Scorn grips his sword a little tighter in his hand and locks eyes with the black cat.


    "We are here for the Wolf and the Dove," Scorn says. "I have no reason to fight you."


    Phoenix stalks forward another step, tail flicking and ears drawing back.


    "Yeah, well, I do have reason, so sucks to be you now, doesn''t it?"


    When a Guard comes at me with a dagger, I rear up and slam my paws into his chest, biting at his wrist. Blood fills my mouth, and I taste copper on my tongue. He drives a fist into my side. I drop my elbow onto his bicep and jerk my head, yanking on his other arm and dislocating his shoulder. The Guard cries out, teeth baring in pain.


    I stand back up when the Guard stops moving. I hope, distantly, that perhaps he''s alive since I didn''t tear at any vital organs, but I know my heart won''t exactly break if he never wakes up.


    My tongue lolls from my mouth as I pant. I''m somewhat peeved that Phoenix doesn''t even appear winded in the slightest, but at least he''s here, and I assume Ky is too. I doubt they''re ever apart, and I''m not sure how else the Guard and Soldiers would''ve stopped and dropped to their knees like they did.


    It doesn''t take a genius to figure out that Grey and I wouldn''t have stood much of a chance against the Guard and Soldiers.


    Now we do.


    "Go find Grey," Phoenix grumbles without looking back at me. "I can take care of these fish out of water. Go find your brother, Alex. We will be talking later. I''ve got a fight to finish."


    I do find Grey. He''s not far, and his dove form towers a few heads above the Guard and Soldiers.


    He''s fighting back, but not as enthusiastically as I have seen him fight before. He stops short of damaging anything crucial. Grey lashes out with his wings and shoves down attackers with his talons. Panic seizes his silvery gaze.


    Damn it, Grey. Fight for real. They''re trying to kill you. You can hurt them. They don''t deserve a fair fight.


    My muscles protest at the action, but I drag down a Soldier before he can clamber up onto my brother''s back. I sink my teeth into the back of his neck, and he goes limp, but not before another Soldier slices his sword through my side.


    I cry out and stumble to the side. My legs give out, and I collapse.


    Grey lunges in front of me before the Soldier can attack again. He spreads his wings and tenses. He twists his neck to stare down the ring of Guard and Soldiers.


    I flash my teeth and growl. I try to stand, but exhaustion and the wound on my side keep me down.


    "Let''s not."


    I manage to turn around and see Ky weaving through the Guard and Soldiers. His red bandana hangs over his chest, and his brown gaze is distant. Considering he hasn''t been attacked, I assume he has cast at least one illusion.


    "You good, Alex?" he asks.


    I nod in reply.


    "So here''s what''s gonna happen," Ky says, turning his attention to the Guard and Soldiers. "Option one is you all leave, and that''s my preferred option. We all leave alive, or at least those of us who have not met Lucius, and we go our merry ways. Or, option two: We continue this pointless fight because who here actually thinks the Wolf and the Dove wish to willingly go with you... and Phoenix and I finish you all off. My brother here loves hunting you down like the vermin you are, and I''m not opposed to the idea either. None of us like you."


    Grey shifts back to his human form and presses a hand to my shoulder as he kneels at my side.


    "Are you alright?" he asks.


    I nod. It hurts, but I''ll live.


    Grey lifts the malachite medallion. "I wish I could heal you."


    I give my best impression of a shrug, ignoring how the movement stretches the wound and sends pain lancing up my body.


    It''s fine, I want to say. I''ll be fine. I''m not mad about that.


    Ky circles us, a physical barrier. He never lashes out, but he never lets the Guard and Soldiers advance another step. He watches them carefully in a game of wills; who will break first, who will back down first.


    I close my eyes against the pain and trust that Grey will find some way to keep me safe, and that since Ky has faced down the Guard and Soldiers, he probably means no harm.


    "Give us the Wolf and the Dove, and My Sovereign, His Excellency, His H-."


    "I''ve had a long day," Ky politely interrupts. "Please refrain from using such an obnoxious title in my presence. Don''t waste your air. Instead, please let me know which of my two options you have chosen. My brother will not be waiting for your reply, so if you wish to leave with more than a handful of yourselves, I would suggest picking sometime soon."


    Someone, perhaps a lead Guard, gasps in horror. "The King of Ragdon-."


    "Please," Grey says. "You have injured my sister. You have tried to murder us. You have tried to bring us to our deaths. Fight against Ky and Phoenix if you so desire, but do not make the mistake of believing any of us will be going with you."


    "Works for us," another person says. I hear the shing of metal grating against metal.


    I open my eyes just in time to see Ky glance at the Soldier. His gaze glazes over for a moment, and the Soldier screams, dropping his sword and scrambling back.


    "What have you done?" a Guard demands.


    Ky scowls. "It isn''t that hard to bring nightmares to life. Now, leave."


    I curl my lips and pin my ears when a Soldier draws too close for comfort. Grey ducks his head, tenses his shoulders, and glares. His hand curls into my fur.


    "Aww, you''re being way too nice, Ky. It''s just so funny that any of them think they''re getting out alive. Well, except for the one that ran away. Stupid little Soldier turned tail and ran, and some of his friends got to me before I could catch up. I really hate having marks on my record, but there''s always next time." Phoenix shoulders his way through the throng, and several Guard and Soldiers fall to the ground, bodies smoking beneath leather and iron armor.


    Did Scorn get away?


    A Guard manages to nick Phoenix''s shoulder with an arrow, and the black cat whirls around with a roar.


    "It appears you just made your decision, whoever shot my brother," Ky calmly observes.


    "You''re not going to help?" Grey asks.


    Ky turns around and shakes his head. "No, Phoenix can take care of them and he''d get annoyed if I got in the way of his challenge. There''s not too many left. I''d give them a fifty-fifty of their retreat. None want to return to the cream puff without having completed their task, but also some do have a bit of self-preservation buried somewhere deep. Besides, none of the Guard or Soldiers are fireproof, and Phoenix is."


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    I take a deep breath and steel myself, shifting back as I let ice spread through my veins. The wound on my side screams as I push myself upright with a grimace.


    "He isn''t gonna get himself killed?" I ask.


    Ky wrinkles his nose with a laugh. His whiskers raise. "No, he''ll be fine. I''m fairly certain he could be drained of his blood and find some way to survive on pure spite. But on the off chance something does happen, I''ll keep him safe. It''s not that hard to twist the minds of the Guard and Soldiers."


    xxxx


    As it turns out, Phoenix does not need Ky''s help. He''s panting by the time the Guard and the Soldiers decide to retreat and has a few new nicks and scratches to show for it, but he''s in one piece.


    "Cowards," he calls after them in a mocking, sing-song tone.


    The Guard and Soldiers disappear, walking into the trees in the direction of the Sea, and Phoenix snickers and laughs as he watches them go. His face contorts into a sneer, lips pulled back into a smile that''s all fangs and bloodstained teeth, and his eyes glitter with a darkness that makes my hair prickle.


    Ky leaves us and picks his way over to his brother, avoiding the bodies I know lay in the thick grasses. Droplets of blood drip down the stalks, bright red against green.


    Ky stands next to Phoenix, and he''s far more relaxed than the black cat. Phoenix is tense, all angry angles and sharp shadows. A predator. Ky is softer and not just that he''s covered in shaggy fur. He''s cross, but it''s dissipated.


    I can almost feel Grey''s stress emanating from within him. He''s kept his hand on my shoulder, as if he''s afraid I''ll disappear.


    "Are you sure the wound is ok? We can find something to help it," Grey presses.


    I wave my hand in a vague gesture. "I''m fine, Grey. I''m not going to just keel over. See? It''s not even bleeding any more."


    I lift the hem of my shirt. The gash has clotted over, leaving behind only crusted blood smeared across my side in dulled splotches of scarlet. I wipe at it, and it flakes off.


    "Let''s find a place to stay," Ky says. "I think we could all use some rest. You in particular, Alex."


    As much as I''d like to say otherwise, I nod. I want to sleep. Finding Arcane and learning what the hell the pewter pendant and the malachite medallion are even meant to do can happen tomorrow.


    Or maybe in a few days.


    Grey helps me to my feet, and I lean against him as the four of us make our way into the tree line. Phoenix trots ahead, commenting about how he''ll find if there are any stragglers lurking. I can easily imagine the flames sparking across his inky pelt, lighting up the forest with reds and oranges.


    We find a patch of moss that Grey claims will be comfortable. After he touches it to make sure it''s dry, he slowly lowers me to the ground. Ky watches from a few paces away.


    "Alex, you stay here," Grey says. "I can find us something to eat."


    "I''ll go with you." Ky stands up and shakes loose dirt from his fur.


    "Who''s staying with Alex?" Phoenix asks, padding back to us.


    Ky sends his brother a meaningful look, and Phoenix bristles, glaring back.


    Ky raises his eyebrows. "Don''t be all grumbly about it, Phoenix. You fought the Guard and Soldiers, so I''m getting us dinner. Don''t pretend you would''ve rather hunted down a meal than fight them, because we''d both know you''d be lying."


    Phoenix sneers but doesn''t respond. Ky tilts his head, and Phoenix lays down, rumbling and irritated.


    "You sure you don''t need help?" I press.


    "I''m sure," Grey replies. "Rest. You need to heal."


    "Fine." I pretend to be upset, but in reality I''m glad. My side hurts just thinking about walking. The wound isn''t deep, but it stings and any movement sets it on fire with pain.


    "You''re seriously leaving me on babysitting duty?" Phoenix tries.


    "It''s not babysitting," I shoot back.


    Phoenix huffs, flicking an ear. "Sure feels like it. How''d you even get hurt, anyway? Weren''t paying attention enough?"


    "I might have taught fighting classes in the Sea, but I was teaching little kids. Most of my time was spent repeating to children how not to impale each other or somehow manage to off themselves. I''d rather not have to explain how someone''s kid died during classes ordered by the King."


    "Try to keep each other in one piece while we''re gone," Ky laughs. "Let''s go, Grey. I think I remember a good spot a ways from here."


    I watch as my brother keeps pace with Ky, and they soon disappear into the trees.


    Phoenix doesn''t budge, and I find myself watching him. When I soon get bored, I strip sticks of their bark and then pick at the inner wood.


    "You gonna stop staring at me?" Phoenix eventually breaks the silence.


    "I''m bored."


    He huffs."Shouldn''t have gotten hurt."


    "Like I asked for it." I frown at Phoenix''s back.


    "Be faster next time."


    "I hope there isn''t a next time."


    Phoenix snickers. "Like that''s gonna happen. Just you wait. You''re the Wolf, and the cream puff wants you dead. There''s gonna be a next time. I''d bet my life on it."


    "I thought you didn''t want to babysit me."


    Phoenix draws his ears back. "I''m humoring you because it''s better than sitting in silence with nothing to do, and I know if I track down Ky he''s gonna skin me alive for not staying here."


    "Ok," I reply, not sure of what else to say.


    "Why''d you come back?" I ask after a few minutes.


    Phoenix ticks his head and shifts his forelegs. "I like fighting. I heard there was a fight, and I joined in. Ky didn''t want you guys dying either, and he saw how the fight was going."


    "Yeah, well... for whatever it''s worth, I appreciate it."


    Phoenix doesn''t reply to that.


    Birds chirp overhead, and a breeze rustles the trees. Sunlight filters through the branches, casting mottled patterns on the ground.


    "You actually killed today," he says a while later.


    "I did," I respond slowly. I don''t know what he''s getting at.


    "Wasn''t sure you had it in you."


    "I''m capable. Anyone is. I just don''t wish to do so without extreme reason."


    "They''re Guard and Soldiers," Phoenix says, "what more reason do you need?"


    "They''re people."


    Phoenix lifts his head, flashing his teeth with a growl. "They might be in that they weren''t born worms or fish, but they''re not people in that they''re decent living beings. I know I ain''t a person, but at least I don''t follow a cream puff who orders deaths for those who do not follow him."


    I lean back against the tree and toss a rock away when it pokes into my spine. "They''ve got friends and family. They can pay for their crimes in other ways."


    Phoenix rolls over. "What''s to say they won''t escape prison? What''s to say they won''t outlive their sentence and find freedom again? Who''s saying they''re gonna learn their lesson? Death means they''re done. It''s over. No worries ever again."


    I hold his gaze for a few moments before looking away. A bird hops across the soil a ways away, pecking at the ground. "You can kill. I don''t wish to take lives gratuitously."


    "Damn right I''m gonna kill."


    "We''d make a good team," I murmur. "You do the killing, Grey and I will help with the other stuff."


    Phoenix scoffs, laughing as he rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He folds a forepaw toward his chest. "You wanna join us? That''s sweet. Ky''s gonna say ''the more, the merrier'' but I ain''t gonna say that."


    "Why is that?" I keep my voice level, non-confrontational, neutral.


    "Your brother won''t kill. That''s about the fastest way to meet Lucius that I can think of. I won''t fight alongside someone like that. And you don''t seem all that inclined either."


    "I have," I reply. "I''m not proud of it, but I have."


    Phoenix stares at me.


    "How old are you anyway?" I ask.


    Phoenix tilts his head. "Old enough."


    "Old enough for what? Are you even an adult? You look like you could be in school."


    Phoenix scowls, and I drop my gaze before holding eye contact too long. He stretches out a foreleg, flexing his claws, and they dig into the soil, sharp curves with wicked points. I distantly wonder how many they''ve brought to the ground, never to rise again, then decide against thinking about it too hard.


    "I''m old enough to tear down a stupid reign of a stupid cream puff who''s let power get to his head. I never went to school, because I''ve never lived in the Sea. I mean, why would I? I''ve got better things to do with my time, like kill the cream puff and make him beg. And yes, I am an adult. You''d say I''m around twenty, but neither Ky nor I have really ever kept track."


    "You''re twenty?"


    "Is that supposed to be surprising?" Phoenix''s lip curls.


    I shrug. "No, I don''t think so. I would''ve guessed you''d be younger. Neither you nor Ky seem all that old."


    "You don''t seem all that old either," he shoots back. "You got any other questions to interrogate me with, or are we done here?"


    "You ever gonna let your hackles drop?" The words slip out before I can really think them over.


    "What do you mean by that?" Phoenix snaps. His question is simple, but his voice has dropped, become the edge of a blade, razor sharp, wicked, gleaming, dangerous. A warning.


    "You ever gonna relax? You''ve got your walls built so high. You ever gonna let someone in?"


    "What? Am I gonna let someone in that I''ve known for, like, hardly twenty-four hours?"


    "No, not really that. I wouldn''t expect you to, and I know everyone''s got their secrets. Don''t take this the wrong way, but you''re not really the friendliest guy, you know, Phoenix?"


    He stares me down through fiery eyes, expression flat and disinterested.


    "Would you expect me to be any other way? You want me to be a little princess and sit pretty for you?" He inclines his head, eyes flashing as he pulls his forelegs in and squares his shoulders. His tail curls and flicks.


    "No, please don''t do that. I don''t know you well enough to say, so I don''t know if you''ve ever been something other than who you are now."


    Phoenix snorts, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye as he rests his jaws on a foreleg. "Ky is the friendly one, but he has his limits. I''m not the nice one. I fight first, and we''ll see about asking questions later. If I kill someone first, they cannot threaten me or Ky. It''s a guarantee they cannot do anything. Death is the only guarantee. Meeting Lucius is the only guarantee Erebus had to offer when they created life. It''s all going to end, and it''s the only permanent thing in this fucked up world."


    I hum and fold a leg, stretching out the other. I eye Phoenix''s prickling fur and his cross expression.


    "I''m sorry if I bothered you," I say.


    "Shut the fuck up," he mutters. "You meant the question. I would''ve told you to piss off if I didn''t want to answer. You better have been able to piece that together by now."


    I lean forward and open my mouth to reply, but Phoenix beats me to it.


    "Oh, lovely. Here comes Ky and Grey. They''re back, and now we can eat." He squints at me. "Keep your mouth shut, Alex. If you say I''m sorry one more time, I''m setting you on fire. I don''t care if you can''t see magic; I will find a way. You meant the damn question, so stand by it."


    I settle back against the tree, exhaling and deflating as my brother walks toward us with a rabbit hanging from each hand. Ky strolls beside him with another rabbit dangling from his jaws.


    Phoenix stands up and stretches, arching his back. He shakes out his fur and yawns.


    "Let''s eat!" he announces loudly.

 Undead - Alex - Chapter 12 - Peace Will be Bloodshed

    Chapter 12


    Peace Will be Bloodshed


    The talk doesn''t go well.


    It starts off as good as I imagine it probably could go, though.


    Ky settles down next to Phoenix, who Grey says cooks one of the rabbits.


    The brothers quickly polish off their own rabbits, while Grey and I eat ours slower.


    "You want to join us?" Ky asks.


    Tension falls over us like a choking blanket so fast that I find my breath catching in my throat. I freeze as I feel the weight of Phoenix''s prickly gaze. Ky has a far more neutral expression, but I know he''s awaiting our response just the same.


    Ky curls his fluffy tail over his leg and shifts his weight so he''s laying far more upright. When he runs his tongue over his lips and whiskers, I catch a glimpse of his sharp fangs. His teeth aren''t as long as Phoenix''s upper canines, but they''d still hurt.


    "Yes," Grey says bluntly.


    "Aww, that''s sweet." Phoenix rolls his eyes. "You gonna claim that you can still make the cream puff fall with sweet talking him off the Amethyst Throne?"


    "I never said that," Grey replies, voice level. "All I said was that I don''t believe we have to kill to the extent you think we do to reach the same goal. We both want the King gone. That is why I believe we can team up. Isn''t four stronger than two?"


    Phoenix snorts, shaking his head and flicking an ear. He flashes his teeth in a sneer. "You gonna pretend the cream puff''s followers still deserve the right to life like the rest of us do?"


    Grey hesitates.


    "Don''t fucking tell me you think they should be allowed to live after all they''ve done?"


    "The King is the one who ordered them," I say.


    Phoenix pins me to the ground with a fiery glare. "They could have said no. None did. No one said no. They all have to go. Only when they''re all gone and the cream puff has fallen and he has died beneath my claws and fangs can there be peace."


    "You fight for peace by taking lives?" Grey asks softly.


    "Change can''t happen by nicely asking the cream puff to stop. Sometimes you have to become a monster. I will become the monster that haunts him until he begs for death. Peace can happen, but it''s not gonna be laced in white and all pretty words and politely asking. Peace against the cream puff will be bloodshed."


    "It doesn''t have to be," Grey presses.


    Phoenix hisses and rakes his claws through the soil. He grits his teeth and snarls deep in his throat. "How else will you get the cream puff off the Amethyst Throne? His Guard and Soldiers will shoot you the second you even think of walking to his castle. His Dragon will set you on fire before you could even hope to reach the Amethyst Throne. He himself will order your deaths, just like he''s already done. And while the Judge and the Justice might lack any real power, they''re the law of Ragdon and will never rule in your favor. So, please, Grey, tell me how you plan on fixing that without bloodshed."


    Grey doesn''t reply. He ticks his head to the side as he swallows, thinning his mouth into a white line and biting his lip. He squeezes his eyes shut and pulls on the fringes of his hair. Something pleading and pained crosses over his expression.


    "We don''t automatically have to kill," he whispers. "Self defense is one thing, but we don''t have to kill them. Everyone''s capable of change if they put in the work."


    "What would happen," Ky muses, "if you were in a situation where there was someone who hated the cream puff and someone who followed him? They are both in trouble and if you do nothing, they will both certainly die. Who would you save?"


    I know my own answer immediately. There''s no question I''d save whoever hated the King. But Grey blanches as panic blooms in his silver eyes. He stutters on works, choking on non-answers, then hunches over with his arms bracketing around his head.


    "I-I don''t know," he bites out. "I can''t just assign value to life. Everyone''s a living being. Everyone has good inside them, even if it''s somewhere deep, deep, deep down and accessing it means facing terrible crimes committed. I know I''d save whoever didn''t follow the King. I cannot pretend otherwise, but people also deserve second chances. I couldn''t just knowingly leave someone to die."


    "Fucking hell," Phoenix grumbles. "This again?"


    "What do you mean?" Grey asks.


    The look in his eyes tells me he knows exactly what Phoenix is talking about but wants another moment to prepare himself.


    Phoenix sighs, low and annoyed. "You know the cream puff sees no value in those who ain''t like him, right?"


    Grey inclines his head, a thoughtful, neutral expression on his face.


    Phoenix continues: "You know he''ll let you die just as soon as he can. You know he wants a world where everyone bows before him and takes him at his word and never commits the ultimate sin of questioning him.


    "The cream puff will let anyone and everyone die if it means he hangs on to power that much longer.


    "He wants you dead, Grey. If you don''t know that after the mockery of a trial you got with those two old gargoyles, I don''t know what will get it through your head. The cream puff ain''t never gonna see the value of life beyond himself. That''s why I''m never gonna see the value in his life. He doesn''t deserve the right to life if he will let the rest of us die. He wants to eradicate us; he wants us gone, Grey. Why do you still claim he deserves life when he will oh, so willingly make us perish? Why do you claim he deserves life when he will order his followers to kill those who do not side with him? Why do you think you ducked your head for so long? Why do you think you made yourself small, kept as small a target as you could on your back?


    "Why do you think you are so afraid that you will refuse at any cost to stand before him and the Amethyst Throne?"


    Grey doesn''t respond. He runs a hand through his hair as Ky and Phoenix pin him with their gazes.


    I shift on the ground, pulling my knees to my chest. I reach out and press a hand to Grey''s shoulder, and he leans into the touch. His silver eyes speak of how torn he is, the anxiety curling within him.


    I see both sides, but I don''t know where I fall. I don''t wish death on anyone and everyone who has ever even thought of siding with the King. I know there''s a level of safety that comes with it, protections for pledging loyalty to the King. And yet I also do not not wish death upon them.


    It wasn''t that I liked the thought of taking a life, but Phoenix had a point¡ª Lucius''s claim is permanent. No one escapes their touch and their claim as they bring the next being to death.


    The King dead means he''s not coming back.


    But... I''d give damn near anything to have the King gone. If I had a shot at him, I''d take it. I wouldn''t take pleasure in it, but I''d take his life if it meant Ragdon could finally be free. If it meant everyone could finally breathe and relax. If it meant everyone could try to make a world that''s better for everyone, not just the King. Ragdon can improve, but not with the King still on the Amethyst Throne.


    Ky turns to me, brown eyes depthless and simultaneously ancient and young.


    "You killed today," he says. It''s a statement, not a question.


    I nod. "I did."


    He studies me for a moment, and I hold his gaze, resisting the urge to squirm. His eyes flicker between mine. He looks so young with his long fur, thick and fluffy, and his oversized ears. But he also looks so old with his endless eyes. Several long moments tick by at a snail''s pace, until Ky finally breaks away, seemingly having found whatever he was looking for.


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    "Let''s go find Arcane," he says. "Let''s head to the summit of Ragdon Volcano."


    "Why?" Phoenix grumbles.


    "Because he''s still alive and if anyone knows something about the pewter pendant and the malachite medallion, it''s Arcane," Ky says in a matter-of-fact tone.


    "Arcane isn''t alive," Phoenix groans in what sounds like an old debate.


    Ky scrunches up his face and shakes his head. "No one has found his body, and there''s no new Midnight Wolf. He''s alive."


    "Midnight Wolf?" I ask as Grey opens his mouth, and the expression on his face tells me he has the exact same question.


    "You don''t know?" Ky lifts his head and stands up straight.


    "No. No lessons ever covered it."


    "Of course the cream puff did," Phoenix mutters.


    Ky hums. "Well, then. Condensing a lot into a brief explanation. The Midnight Wolf is a creature with extreme power. Think somewhere on the same level as the cream puff and the Amethyst Throne-level power. Arcane is the current Midnight Wolf, since there''s only ever one at a time. Anyway, Arcane disappeared about sixty years ago. There was another powerful creature, although not as powerful as the Midnight Wolf, named Freedom, and he killed her by accident. Arcane banished himself, and he hasn''t been seen since. Many think he''s dead, but I know he''s alive."


    "How do you know he''s not dead?" I ask. "Sixty years is plenty of time for a person to die. Many in the Sea don''t live anywhere near that long."


    Phoenix snorts. "Arcane ain''t a human. He''s a wolf. He disappeared long before Ky or I was born, but supposedly he was massive and was covered in stars and galaxies. Looked like the cosmos. But as Ky would tell you, he''s immortal. Can''t die until he blinks and sheds the Midnight Tear. Immortality will do that, except that he''s too big for someone to not have found him so he must''ve died at some point. Arcane is gone, and we just haven''t found the new Midnight Wolf yet."


    "Don''t you think someone would have seen the new Midnight Wolf? All that power would leave a big impact on the world," Ky replies. "Arcane is alive."


    "Do you know where he went when he left after killing Freedom?" Grey asks. He moves so his legs are crossed in front of him and his elbows rest on his knees.


    "He went to the top of Ragdon Volcano," Ky says. "It was the furthest he could get, and Freedom died on the slopes overlooking the Sea so he''s stayed close to her. They knew each other before she died and were friends. That''s why we''re headed there now."


    "We should head down toward the Sea first though," Phoenix says. "The closest slope is a pain in the ass to go up. Easier further South."


    "Very well." Ky shakes loose dust off his fur.


    I stand up and help Grey to his feet. I brush dirt from my clothes and stretch out my back. The pewter pendant sits warm against my chest, a comforting weight.


    xxxx


    A part of me resists against the idea of walking back toward the Sea.


    Grey and I had fought so hard to get away from the Sea that I''m somewhat reluctant to return, even though I know we''re only going in the direction of the Sea to walk up Ragdon Volcano. When Grey had asked about not heading up the closest point, Ky had explained that he and Phoenix had searched Ragdon Volcano several times in their adventures across Ragdon and that the particular slope closest to us was difficult to climb. Given the potential dangers that would arise, especially once we left the last of the tree cover and were exposed, taking the easier route would be a benefit for easier navigation.


    I''d agreed, though, as had Grey.


    Ky leads the way, tail swishing behind him as he pads through the forest. Phoenix lags off to the side, ears drawn back. He looks around every so often. Grey and I walk side by side, and I find myself holding onto the pewter pendant as some sort of proof that it''s still there and I''m ok.


    A squirrel darts away when a branch cracks under my foot, and it rustles through the undergrowth and loose leaf litter. Sunlight breaks through the canopy in soft shafts of light that set the forest aglow.


    However, soon enough, the tree branches open up into open skies and grasses that sway at mid shin-height. A few shorter trees sprout from the earth with wide, gnarled branches. Clouds float by overhead, puffy and white.


    "We should be careful," Grey murmurs, staring up at the sky.


    "We should," Ky replies, "but I don''t think the cream puff has materialized the ability for engineering. The only thing of his that can fly is his Dragon, which is very dangerous, of course, but I don''t believe it would leave the cream puff''s side without good reason. We should keep an eye out for enemies on foot, though, but I can''t smell any right now."


    Phoenix stops mid-step and hesitates, holding a forepaw up as he looks off to the side and scents the air. He draws his ears back and wrinkles his muzzle, revealing more of his curved upper canines.


    "Hang on. There''s something off about this tree." Phoenix breaks off from our group and stalks across the grasses, head low and steps measured as he slinks toward the tree.


    Ky raises his head and pricks his ears, swiveling them around as he tastes the air. I watch on as well, although the tree looks like a tree. It''s got textured brown bark covering the trunk, spindly branches that stick out at every angle like broken fingers, and leaves that sway in the light wind. Nothing about it sets off any alarm bells.


    Except that the Erebus Tree looked normal, too. Look where that got you, my mind reminds me, pulling up memories of seeing Grey at the foot of the Amethyst Throne, the constricting arms of Scorn as he held me back, the half circle of Guard and Soldiers who cornered us in front of the glass window until I jumped through it because it was the only way Grey and I might manage to escape alive.


    Phoenix approaches the tree and circles it several times, carefully looking it over in its entirety. He squints at it, distrusting and cautious. Except that when he moves closer, the air around him shifts and ripples, reflecting the light like sparkling glass in a cloud of bright colors.


    In a split second, Phoenix is gone.


    Ky screams and sprints forward, while I gasp and take a step back, bumping into Grey, who catches me.


    "PHOENIX!" Ky yowls, voice several octaves too high and breaking over his brother''s name in panic. He circles the tree and searches for any sign of the black cat.


    I freeze, hands curling into fists. I whirl around, scanning for any Guard and Soldiers. Perhaps a General who has magic that might be able to make someone disappear, but I see no one. We''re alone in the shadow of Ragdon Volcano, with one of us missing.


    Ky paces, ears pinned to the sides of his skull and eyes wide. His sides shake with uneven breaths, and he cranes his neck to repeatedly run his face over the faded red bandana around his shoulders until he returns to his search.


    "Phoenix," Ky pleads. "Phoenix, please. Please, Phoenix. Come back. Come back, I need you. I need you, Phoenix. Please, you promised." Ky''s voice cracks. "You promised."


    Grey picks his way over to Ky, lifting his legs high in the shin-length grasses, and I follow him. All three of us give space at the spot Phoenix had vanished from, but we all examine it closely. Ky continues looking for any sign of his brother, and I crouch by his side in a vain attempt to comfort him.


    The space Phoenix disappeared into is hardly visible, and I don''t believe anyone would notice it if they weren''t looking for it. All that''s there is a slight shifting of the light that warps the image seen through it. If Phoenix hadn''t gone missing with it, I''d think it looked pretty, if I''d even noticed it in the first place.


    However, a few moments later, the spot starts to twist, and the shimmering colors turn angry, sharp and angular beams of light.


    Grey retreats several paces, as does Ky. I walk backward, shoulders tensed for what might happen.


    "That was absolutely stupid," Phoenix snarls, appearing just as quickly as he disappeared. His tail flicks high over his back and his fur stands on end. He trots away from the tree with his muzzle wrinkled.


    "Phoenix," Ky breathes, bunting his head into his brother''s neck.


    Phoenix runs his jaw over Ky''s ear, then they press their cheeks together. I look away when I feel like I''m interrupting something intimate and give Grey a hug that he returns. I wrap my arms tight around my brother, like it were the last hug I''d ever give him, trying to ease my own fears over seeing him so close to death at the foot of the Amethyst Throne, the panic I felt seeing so many arrows sticking out of him.


    Grey''s right here. He''s alive. You both made it out of the King''s castle. He''s healed from his injuries. The malachite medallion healed him. He''s alive.


    "I''m here, Ky," Phoenix whispers, voice far softer and more gentle than I thought he could speak. "I''m here. I''m not going anywhere. I''d never leave you. I''ll always come back, just like before. I promise."


    "I know, I know. Me too." Ky nuzzles into Phoenix''s shoulder, and the black cat closes his eyes and pushes in further.


    Grey''s arms are warm around me, a comforting embrace. I feel him tremble, and I run a hand up and down his back.


    "So what happened?" Ky asks.


    "Some dumb fucker put a stupid fucking portal in the worst fucking spot on this entire fucking island," Phoenix spits, curling his lip.


    Grey and I break away to listen.


    "Tell me about it," Ky replies, "but with less swearing this time."


    Phoenix snorts and feigns irritation, but he has a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "There''s a portal there at the base of the tree." Phoenix juts his chin at a vague point we had looked at before he returned.


    Ky pulls back and stands up straight, and something flashes across his eyes as his ears prick. "What did the inside of the portal look like?"


    "It looked like a unicorn vomited. It was all rainbow."


    "Rainbow," Ky breathes.


    "Does rainbow mean something to you?" I ask.


    Ky nods. "Yeah, actually. A rainbow portal means someone made it and it''s one-way."


    "Phoenix came back."


    "Sorry, it''s one-way for whoever made the portal and went through initially. But a rainbow portal also means the cream puff didn''t make it. Someone else had to."


    "Could Arcane have done that?" Grey asks. "Maybe no one has found him because he''s hiding there."


    Ky tilts his head to the side. "It''s possible. I don''t know how he would have done it, but there''s plenty I do not know about Midnight Wolves."


    "We''re going back there, aren''t we?" Phoenix sighs.


    Ky nods. "Indeed we are, so cheer up, will ya?"


    We do enter the portal Phoenix found.


    The black cat grumbles and complains about our plan and how stupid it is, but once Ky leaps through the portal, he shuts his jaws and follows close behind.


    I slide through after Grey, and several things become clear almost immediately.


    One: Phoenix wasn''t lying about the rainbow. Everything is bright colors that swirl together in ever-changing patterns and designs, just like a kaleidoscope. They''re mesmerizing, and I could spent forever entranced by them. Even the floor that''s a shiny white reflects the twisting colors. Through the kaleidoscope of rainbow, I can see a green field, and we all draw closer, then step through into the grass. Sunlight warms my skin. It all feels so peaceful, a sliver of paradise on Ragdon where things feel like they''re truly ok.


    Two: There''s two creatures living in the portal. One is a small cat, about a third of the size of Ky and far leaner, with a mane of brown hair tied back at their neck and little blue wings too small for flight. They''re high up in an oak tree, nearly out of sight. The other is a blue unicorn filled out with corded muscle, limbs that could end someone without trying, and a sharp pink horn that makes me gulp just looking at it.


    And, finally, three: The unicorn is currently charging at us, ears pinned, eyes flashing, and massive hooves pounding on the lush green grass.


    Fuck.

 Unknown - Prologue

    The Sea burns.


    Flames swallow the Sea whole.


    Thanks for reading the prologue to the next section of The King''s Remorse- Unknown!


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As I said in the previous chapter, Unknown will feature a new point of view. I hope you enjoy this next arc in the story of The King''s Remorse! It contains quite a few exciting things that I am extremely excited to share!


    I hope you''re having a great week!


    -Werewolf14- :)

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 1 - The King and His Dragon

    Unknown


    ASTRA


    Chapter 1


    The King and His Dragon


    The first time I see another living being other than my stepmother or the mice I eat is the same time she nearly kills the newcomers.


    They arrive around midday, a few hours after I woke up on a lazy morning and hunted a few mice for breakfast.


    I paw at the bones as my tail flicks in the grass. They''re fun to play with, and they snap when I bat at them.


    Sun filters through the clouds and warms my fur. I flutter my short wings, ruffling the feathers until they sit right. It''s uncomfortable when they sit wrong. They aren''t big enough to fly, but I use them when I run, angling them just right to help me stay steady and go faster.


    Brook, my blue unicorn stepmother, snaps her head up. She was grazing, nibbling on grass. Her ears swivel as she scans the Field, our home. It''s a ring of grass with a huge oak tree in the middle. A barrier surrounds it that swirls with a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors that mesmerize me. Neither of us have ever gone beyond the barrier.


    We can''t.


    But why would we? Everything we need is right here. We don''t need to leave the Field, and we can live forever here. There''s always food and water and lots of space to play.


    "Astra, come here please," Brook says.


    I trot over to her, tilting my head to the side.


    "Why?"


    "There are others here," she replies.


    "Others?" I echo, tilting my head to the side.


    It''s an exciting concept. I''ve never met anyone else, and I think it would be fun. My fur fluffs out as I bounce on my paws, ears pricking.


    "Astra," Brook says, lowering her head to look me in the eye. "Focus, please. Listen to me closely, ok?"


    I nod eagerly.


    "Thank you. I need you to hide at the top of the oak tree, alright? Do not come down under any circumstance until I tell you it''s ok. Don''t come down for anyone else. Do you understand me?"


    I nod. "I-I... ok."


    I don''t understand why. Wouldn''t new creatures in the Field be a good thing?


    "Hide at the top of the oak tree," Brook reminds me gently.


    "O-ok," I echo.


    I take a few steps toward the middle of the Field, and then dig my claws into the grass and launch myself forward. The edges of my vision blur and a clap sounds in the Field. I smile as I take one bounding leap, then another, and then throw myself upwards, spreading my wings to guide myself through the air.


    When my paws land on the branch I aimed myself for, I flare my wings as far as they''ll go to slow myself down and flex my toes for balance, wrapping my dew claws around the sides of the branch like an opposable thumb to completely stop me. I shake myself to get the long mane of brown fur tied at the nape of my neck to fall over my back. I turn around and crouch low, pressing my belly to the rough bark that pokes me through my short fur.


    Brook lifts her head high and a breeze stirs her mane and tail and the feathers around her hooves.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    As I sit in the oak tree, I think back on Brook''s words and why others in the Field might be a bad thing.


    I remember a story my stepmother had told me many times. One with an evil King and his evil Dragon.


    Maybe the visitors are the King and his Dragon.


    I shiver at the thought and press myself closer to the branch I lay on, ears drawing back. I don''t want Brook to have to fight an evil King on her own, but she told me to stay here.


    She''s strong. She''s the strongest creature I know. She can defeat a King. He''s just a King. She''s a unicorn. She''s stronger than a King. She kept me safe when my parents were forced to leave me.


    Four creatures enter the Field, and I freeze and drink the sight in. None look like Brook, but two look like me.


    They''re both huge. One has short fur, just like me, but it''s black and covered in fire. The other is fluffy but almost the same color fur as my beige pelt. I flick my tail in excitement and inch forward on the branch to get a better view, and the black cat looks up at me.


    But the other two stand on two legs. It takes me a minute, but I remember Brook describing the King in the story as a human.


    Maybe one of them is the King?


    Brook charges halfway down the hill of the Field, head lowered. Her hooves pound on the grass and her mane and tail stream behind her in waves of purple with pink ribbon. She''s angry. I don''t like it.


    "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Brook asks. Her voice is cold. I''ve never heard her talk like that.


    I draw my ears back. I don''t like her tone. I don''t like how upset she is. She''s never been... furious like this. She''s always been so nice.


    "We''re here cuz my brother found the idea of a rainbow portal absolutely irresistible," the black cat drawls, jerking his chin at the tan cat.


    "Who are you?" Brook repeats.


    "I''m Phoenix, that''s Ky," the black cat says.


    "I''m Alex," one of the humans says, the one with longer and light brown hair and a triangle necklace with a chip on one side.


    "I''m Grey," the other human says, the one with blonde hair and a green circular necklace with a silver wing on it. He offers a slight wave of his hand but lowers it when Brook glowers at him.


    "How did you find this place?" Brook demands.


    Her ears are pinned to the sides of her head and her neck is flattened straight. I''ve never seen her like this, and I don''t know what to make of it.


    Are they all dangerous?


    I tilt my head to the side and study the four new creatures.


    Phoenix looks back up at me again, and Brook snorts. She slams her hooves on the grass to get Phoenix to turn his attention back to her. She keeps her back to me.


    "We all know you''ve got that little kitten up in the tree," Phoenix murmurs, "so why not ask her to joi-."


    Ky swats a forepaw at Phoenix''s head, claws unsheathed. I jerk back with a gasp. That would hurt.


    "I''m sorry for Phoenix. He''s apparently forgotten his manners." Ky glares at Phoenix.


    Grey inclines his head. He doesn''t meet Brook''s eyes.


    "We found it by accident," Grey explains. "Phoenix fell through the portal, and then we all came through to see what it looked like. We thought there might be a being named Arcane here who had made this portal. Is there someone named Arcane here?"


    "No," Brook replies. "Who is Arcane?"


    "The... Arcane is the Midnight Wolf. Do you not know who he is?"


    Brook squints at Grey. "No, I do not."


    Grey hums. He doesn''t say anything else.


    "What do you think of the King?" Alex asks.


    Have they heard the story too? Do they know the story of the King and his Dragon?


    Brook doesn''t reply.


    Phoenix throws his head back and sighs. Flames flicker on his fur. "It would seem that we are at an impasse. Let me guess, you both hate the cream puff, and we hate him too. We''d all like him dead, so how about we continue on with this conversation. I''m hungry, and I want to sleep."


    "Phoenix!" Ky hisses.


    "What? They''re literally hiding in a fucking portal. I don''t know how much more obvious it can get. Maybe a flag that says I Hate the Cream Puff? Either the cream puff put them here, in which case any reasonable being''s gonna be awfully pissed about that, or they came here by choice, in which case they''re gonna have a damn good reason for hiding. The portal wasn''t meant to be found. They hate the cream puff, Ky. I can basically guarantee it."


    Ky squints, then turns to Brook.


    "Is he right?" he asks.


    Brook studies the four.


    "Tell me what your necklaces are, and then I''ll answer," she replies, jerking her head to the two humans.


    Grey looks to Alex, who nods.


    "It''s called the malachite medallion," Grey says, holding up his green necklace. "Alex has the pewter pendant."


    "So you''re the Wolf and the Dove, then, aren''t you?" Brook murmurs.


    Grey flinches but dips his head in response. "Yes, we are."


    "Phoenix is right, Ky," Brook says. "I hate the King."


    Is the King real?


    I stare down at the five in wonder. Does that mean his Dragon is real and dragons really can exist?


    I shiver at the thought, at how cool it would be to see a real-life dragon and not just have to use my imagination.


    "Who''s she?" Phoenix locks eyes with me, and I freeze. Fire burns on his body, but it doesn''t seem to harm him.


    "That is none of your business. You may leave now. I have things to do."


    "Things like what?" Alex asks.


    Brook fixes her with a cold glare. "Things like trying to find a way to repair what you have done."


    "What did we do?" Ky presses. "I apologize. We can help. We didn''t mean harm."


    "You just put us both in extreme danger."

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 2 - A Really Long Time

    Chapter 2


    A Really Long Time


    Extreme danger?


    I shrink down onto the branch of the oak tree and pull my wings tight against my sides. I rest my chin on my forepaws. I don''t know what danger Brook''s talking about, but I don''t like the sound of it.


    "What extreme danger have we put you in?" Grey asks. "I sincerely apologize. Is there a way we can assist you?"


    "You coming here made it so the King can now find us. I assure you that there has never been anyone named Arcane here."


    Brook''s voice is so cold, and I don''t like it.


    "Why are you seeking out a Midnight Wolf?"


    Alex takes a small step forward. "We''re trying to learn about the powers Grey and I have. Neither of us know about the Wolf and the Dove and what we''re supposed to do."


    Brook is quiet for a while. I creep out a little further onto the branch, but when it starts to sway, I shrink back and dig my dew claws into the bark to steady myself. My wings stretch out to the sides for balance.


    I watch as Brook''s tail blows in a breeze and the pink ribbons in her hair rustle.


    "What even is your name, anyway?" Phoenix asks.


    "I''m Brook."


    Grey looks all around the Field. His eyes are squinted, but he doesn''t seem confused. He studies it and looks between me and Brook. I meet his silver gaze and watch him.


    "Did you create this portal, Brook?" he asks.


    He didn''t know that. Does he not know who Brook is?


    I climb down to a lower branch to get a better look at the group. They''re the first other beings I''ve seen beyond Brook and my parents, but I don''t remember them. I hope Brook doesn''t make them leave.


    "Did I what?" Brook echoes.


    "The portal." Grey waves a hand around him at the Field. "Did you make it? I don''t think the King did, and I don''t believe your... companion could either. She seems too young, but I''ll admit I don''t know much about magic."


    I''m old enough to know magic. I frown at Grey but don''t say anything.


    "I did, which is why I know you have put myself and my stepdaughter in danger. I''m sure the King has already sent his army my way. Now, if you''d please leave, I need to find a way to fix this."


    "How does it work?" Ky asks. "Perhaps I can help."


    "Astra, please come down here," Brook calls, loud enough that I can clearly hear her but not so loud that it''s alarming.


    "O-ok..." I reply slowly.


    I tense my muscles and shift on my paws as I pick out a spot on the grass I want to land on. When I''m ready, I let the edges of the world blur as I hop off the branch and let myself break the speed of sound. The shock of landing rockets up my forelegs, but I ignore it. I haven''t broken bones yet.


    Phoenix snorts. "So she''s fast, huh?" he asks Brook, interrupting before Ky can continue.


    "Do you have a problem with that?" Brook challenges.


    I scamper over to her side and weave between her legs. I wrap my tail around one of her forelegs, careful to not poke her with the plates sticking out from the end of my tail.


    "What help can you offer?" I look up at Brook as she speaks. She narrows her eyes, ears drawing back.


    "I''m an illusionist," Ky says. "Was this portal one of the rainbow ones? The one-way portal where you cannot leave?"


    "Well, I can leave now," Brook replies icily. "We both can. That was never supposed to happen."


    "You were just gonna stay locked up forever? What type of life is that? Astra''s a kid." Phoenix wrinkles his muzzle.


    I mimic the action, seeing how it feels when my face scrunches up. He''s a cat, like me, but he and Ky are both much bigger than I am, and Phoenix looks like he''s glowing with all the fire on him. Ky''s long, fluffy fur makes me wonder how he doesn''t overheat.


    I curl around Brook''s forelegs and watch the new group. Grey and Alex are tall, but not as tall as Brook. They only reach her shoulders.


    Brook exhales, and the sound shakes in her throat. "If staying locked up forever is what it takes."


    "Were you ever planning on leaving?" Alex asks.


    Brook studies her, as well as the rest of the group. I don''t know what she''s looking for, but I know she finds it when she answers.


    "Yes. When the King is dead and his reign is over, Astra and I would have left."


    Phoenix flashes his teeth and grins widely. "Lucky for you I''m gonna kill the cream puff."


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Ky only narrows his gaze. "How would you know when the cream puff is gone? Are you able to keep track of what is happening beyond your portal?"


    Brook shakes her head. "No, but I know who would have come and found us when the King died, had you all not come in here and given the King a way to get to myself and Astra."


    "I do apologize for that," Grey says softly.


    "I''m sure you''re sorry, but you still gave the King a way to get to us, and that I cannot forgive."


    "I know, we''re sorry," Ky says. "But how do you plan on repairing the portal?"


    "I cannot. I can only cast that spell once. Some spells have a cost to them, and the one-way portal was the one I have."


    Ky smiles distantly for a split second. The corner of his mouth pulls up briefly, and Phoenix scowls at him and shakes his head.


    I slink out from beneath Brook to look up at her. "Do I have a really powerful spell too?"


    Brook squints as she smiles, lowering her head so she''s eye level with me. "I''m not sure, Astra. We''re still learning about your powers, and I''m sure there''s lots we have yet to discover."


    "So is this conversation going to go anywhere? We''re all just interrogating the other without actually saying we''re doing so. Can we just call it as it is?" Phoenix grumbles.


    "Well, since you asked so politely," Brook replies, returning her attention to the group, "why are you here? I designed the portal so it would never be found."


    Phoenix rolls his eyes. "I found it by accident. We were on our way to try to find Arcane, and I found a tree that looked funny and fell into the portal."


    "There''s a tree there now?" I ask before I can think over the words. "Brook said it was a field like this one."


    Alex hesitates, and she looks between me and Brook. "Yeah, there''s a tree. Did you not know that?"


    "It was a field the last time I saw it."


    "When was the last time you were on Ragdon?" Grey asks slowly.


    "Why do you want the King dead?" Brook asks in return.


    "We''re the Wolf and the Dove," Alex starts. "But mainly because he''s beyond corrupt. I teach kids to fight in the Sea and the best ones get shipped off to become Guard and Soldiers as soon as they''re old enough. It''s sick. Grey''s a teacher and the King decides what gets taught, not him. It''s not a life for the kids. They''re getting screwed over. I mean, no one should have to live with their head down and shoulders drawn in so they''re less of a target. Everyone should get to just live their lives and have the basic stuff everyone needs to survive and not have to wonder whether or not they''ll have it."


    Brook turns to Phoenix, and he holds her gaze. I step back beneath the safety of Brook''s body at the intensity of Phoenix''s eyes. They burn bright orange and red, like the storm of fire Brook told me the King''s Dragon could create.


    "No one should get to decide who lives and dies," Phoenix states. "The cream puff has gotten away with doing so for too long. He dies, and I''m the one making him beg for mercy that he won''t get."


    Brook is quiet for a few moments.


    "I created this portal ninety years ago and neither of us have left since."


    Grey''s eyebrows shoot up beneath his shaggy hair, and I snicker.


    Did they not know?


    "We came here almost a hundred years ago. Isn''t that a really long time?" I say.


    "Please forgive me if this comes across as rude," Alex says, "but neither of you look like you''re ninety years old."


    Brook snorts. "The portal I created latched onto our life forces. It slowed our aging, because once we die, the portal does as well. We each help each other, even if the portal is not a sentient being and just exists. The portal keeps us safe for longer, or rather kept us safe, and we kept the portal going. You would say I''m around thirty five, and Astra around ten."


    Brook suddenly straightens, and I jump, breaking the sound barrier and leaping to the other side of the Field. I flatten my ears back, and then race back to Brook and scurry between her legs.


    "Stay close, Astra," she calmly orders.


    I curl up on the ground and press my cheek into the long fur on one of her forelegs.


    "Shit," Ky mumbles.


    "Guard and Soldiers, eh?" Phoenix chuckles. "I bet we can take them."


    "Don''t be so arrogant," Brook warns. "I''m sure the King has sent a lot. It''s been ninety years and he hasn''t found us yet."


    "We can take ''em. Ky and I have spent a decade hunting them down. And it''s confidence. Arrogance gets you killed."


    Brook shakes her head. "No, I don''t think you realize what the King will do. Come, Astra; we need to move further from the edges."


    I follow her up the hill of the Field to the oak tree. Phoenix and the others follow us, and we gather at the base of the oak tree.


    I watch the shifting rainbow patterns of the barrier. They''re pretty.


    "What will the King do?" Grey asks.


    "He will send as many Guard and Soldiers as he can. I took Astra from him and kept her out of his reach. He lost his control over her."


    "The King will not touch Astra," Phoenix growls.


    Brook pins her ears and glares at Phoenix. "He will not. I do not appreciate you insinuating otherwise."


    "I''m agreeing with you, thank you very much. No one is touching Astra."


    Shadows start to appear behind the kaleidoscope of colors, and I shudder. The dark figures loom and contort as they move. They look like the monsters Brook told me stories of.


    "I''m scared, Brook," I press into her foreleg.


    "I know, Astra. I''m right here, and I am going to do whatever I need to so I can keep you safe. Stay close to me, ok?"


    More and more shadows appear, and they spread along the barrier. I curl up to make myself smaller. I can see the fuzzy outline of what I recognize as swords and arrows, and they all look so sharp, even when blurred by the shifting rainbows of the barrier


    "What the fuck..." Phoenix scoffs. He lifts his lips to show his teeth.


    I''ve never heard a word like that before.


    "What does ''fuck'' mean?" I ask.


    Alex covers her mouth with a hand as she laughs, and I tilt my head to the side.


    Phoenix glances at me. "You don''t know what ''fuck'' means?"


    I shake my head.


    "Don''t glare at me, Brook," Phoenix says. "She''s gonna learn about swearing sooner or later."


    "Do not tell me how to parent when you are barely an adult yourself. I''m aware Astra will learn about swearing, and I will not stop her. I just want her to understand what the words mean and the weight of that words can carry and the harm they can cause. I want her to understand how to be respectful with words."


    "You''ve never cussed someone out before? It''s mighty fun."


    Phoenix looks away from Brook.


    Brook leans down and nudges at me. I turn my attention to her.


    "What does ''fuck'' mean?" I ask her.


    Brook smiles. "It''s one of the swearing words Phoenix just mentioned. I will tell you about it, but it''s going to require some time. There are Guard and Soldiers here ¡ªthey''re the army of the King and his Dragon that I''ve told you stories about¡ª and we need to focus on them right now, but I will tell you about swearing words once this is over and we have plenty of time to discuss so I can answer all of your questions, ok?"


    I nod. "Ok."


    "Are they really trying to hide like that?" Grey asks, bumping his shoulder against his sister''s.


    She clucks her tongue. "Yup, I believe so." Alex chuckles.


    "What the hell?" Phoenix snorts, then raises his voice until he''s shouting. "You know we can all see you, right? You''re doing a awfully shitty job hiding behind the kaleidoscope barrier. Yes, I can see you. Rainbow does not hide metal or leather. No, moving back will not help you hide better. Just come out from there, would ya? It''s almost painful to watch."


    A growl rumbles in Phoenix''s chest when there''s a flurry of movement from behind the rainbow barrier. He smiles, but it''s not friendly. He looks scary, like a monster. He looks like he''s hunting, but there aren''t any mice out in front of him¡ª they''re all hiding. Fire crackles on Phoenix''s fur. It''s loud and sparking.


    I shrink behind Brook''s forelegs.


    The movement behind the barrier around the Field draws closer, and then it stops.


    But all at once, the barrier shatters into a million shards of rainbow.

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 3 - See You Never

    Restating trigger warnings: attempted kidnapping, foul language used against a child, fantasy-typical fight for the entire chapter, panic/feeling overwhelmed/desperation throughout the chapter


    Chapter 3


    See You Never


    I freeze as Guard and Soldiers stream into the Field.


    There''s far too many of them. Far more than I can count.


    The Guard wear brown uniforms, and the Soldiers are dressed in silver. The Guard carry bows, while the Soldiers hold onto swords.


    They all look so sharp.


    "Grey, you''re gonna have to kill," Alex says.


    "You''d better fucking kill," Phoenix adds. "I''m coming after you if you don''t."


    I look up at Grey. He closes his eyes and swallows.


    "I-..."


    "No time," Alex says quickly. "Kill. If they try to kill you first, it''s justified. Worry about it later. Kill a few. Or at a minimum knock them very unconscious."


    Alex turns into a wolf.


    "Just fucking kill them," Phoenix growls.


    Grey shakes his head and turns into a dove. He''s almost as tall as Brook as a bird.


    I jump up onto Brook''s back. Her horn starts to glow as Phoenix races off, his flames burning bright.


    "Astra, stay close. No matter what, don''t let them touch you. And if one of them does, I want you to make as big of a scene as possible and wiggle as much as you can."


    They''re going to kill the Guard and Soldiers? I swallow as I start to tremble. The Guard and Soldiers are going to kill us?


    "Brook, they''re gonna kill us!"


    Brook sighs above me. She''s not saying no. I take a step back and hop down to the ground, hiding behind Brook''s back legs and tail.


    "We are going to fight them off," Brook says.


    Phoenix makes the first move against the Guard and Soldiers. Fire bursts to life in front of him, and he sets a dozen ablaze.


    "Leave, little shits," he spits, tail lashing.


    In a jerking motion, Ky tilts his head to the side. A huge creature unfurls from the ground, with a thin tail and broad shoulders and moss that hangs off its frame. Huge hands curl into fists and it bellows. The Field shakes with every step it takes.


    "That''s just an illusion!" a Guard shouts, pointing at the creature.


    Ky laughs. "Is it?"


    I stop listening when a group of Guard and Soldiers come around from the side. I trip over my paws as I scramble backward. The grass of the Field is soft against my back, but one of the roots of the oak tree digs into my spine and I squeal.


    Grey blocks an arrow coming toward me with a wing. He grabs it in his beak and yanks it out, blood dripping from the wound.


    Brook rears up and slams her hooves on the ground when Guard and Soldiers draw too close.


    "Leave," she demands.


    "You know who we''re here for. The King of Ragdon has made his wishes clear. You, Brook, will be tried for your crimes in hiding Astra for ninety years."


    "I will not repeat myself."


    Brook glares at the Guard and Soldiers as I press myself back against the oak tree, sides heaving as I try not to cry.


    xxxx


    It happens so fast.


    Brook impales two Soldiers on her horn, lunging forward and blinking blood from her eyes. Grey pins more to the ground, talons digging into bodies until they don''t rise again. Alex darts off and grabs a Guard that she wrestles with, tearing at his leather armor.


    But a Soldier sneaks around back. Russet hair gleams in the sun and looks like fire. It matches the fire Phoenix has as he brawls through Guard and Soldiers.


    "We''re not here to hurt you," the Soldier says, "but you have to come with us."


    "I-I-." I shrink back against the oak tree and shy away as the Soldier draws closer.


    "Come with us, and we will all leave."


    "You''re trying to hurt Brook," I whimper, starting at the sight of Brook rearing up yet again and crushing a Soldier beneath the weight of her body, but not before a Guard carves a gash along her chest.


    The russet-haired Soldier glances at the others around him. They watch and slowly draw near.


    "Come on, Astra. We have to go."


    He draws his sword and reaches out for me.


    I scream at the sight of his hand so close. Blood roars in my ears as I leap to the side. I flare out my wings and push my toes into the ground, jumping forward. The edges of my vision blur, and a whistling clap rolls across the Field.


    I''m gone from the base of the oak tree in an instant. I duck my head and charge forward, unaware of where I''m going, just that it''s away from the Soldier who tried to grab me. My tail swings out to the side for balance as my wings angle to change the flow of wind over them.


    I swerve to the side when Alex collapses in front of me under the weight of several Guard. My claws rake through the grass as I change directions. The plates on my tail slice through the backs of a Guard''s knees, bringing him to the ground.


    I wouldn''t have hurt you if you''d never come. Go away. Leave us alone. Please. Please. Please just go away.


    My heart pounds in my chest as I shake.


    All around me, Guard and Soldiers flow together, moving, undulating, shifting around the Field as they each try to kill Brook and the newcomers. Sunlight glints on their weapons. It''s so bright and blinding. An arrow flashes beside me as it streaks through the air. A sword swings beside me. It cuts through fur and just misses flesh.


    I draw in a sharp breath and stumble, paws tripping up. I flare my wings to slow down so I can right myself.


    I pant for breath as the ache in my muscles shows itself, the exhaustion from running. I can go fast, but I can''t go for long.


    "Ahh, there she is," a Guard goads. "No stamina? Can''t run for long, can you? That''s ok. You won''t have to with My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Gardona XIV. He doesn''t want you to run. He doesn''t want you for you, even. He''s just got a little friend whom he can''t wait to show what he''s found."


    "All you''re gonna do is come with us, alright?" A Soldier crouches down. He''s smiling, but he looks like a snake. His eyes twinkle, but they''re not friendly. He steps forward, metal armor grating as he folds his legs into a squat.


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    I look between the Guard and Soldier, and then look past them. A few others stand a ways behind, but most have moved away, going after Brook and the others.


    I take a step back.


    "No, Astra," the Soldier says, holding out his hands.


    I stare at him with wide eyes. My heart races in my chest, and I can hear its every beat. My nostrils flare with quick, shallow breaths. I tense when he crawls another small step toward me.


    "See? It''s alright. You don''t need to run. We''re here to help, ok? Brook has held you hostage here. I know she seems nice and I''m sure she acts the part, but she''s keeping you from your real family."


    That''s not true.


    I wrinkle my nose and flash my teeth at the Soldier.


    "I know it''s hard for you to understand, and that''s ok." The Soldier ducks his head to meet my gaze.


    I look over him at the fight sprawling out across the rest of the Field, although I tune out the ruckus, too overwhelmed to process it all. But I do see Brook way on the other side. Her sides are soaked with sweat, and her ears are pinned to the sides of her skull. Scarlet blood stands out against her blue fur. It drips from several gashes.


    "I know it''s hard for you to understand," the Soldier repeats, drawing my attention back to him.


    The Guard and Soldiers behind him move in a little closer, forming a semicircle around me and him. I draw my ears back and curl in on myself.


    "We can bring you away from here, and you can meet your real family. They''re waiting to meet you, and they miss you dearly."


    "Brook is my family." I bare my teeth and spread my wings in a display of anger.


    "I know you think she is, I do not doubt that, but you have real family outside of here."


    "No," I reply firmly, glaring at him.


    "I-."


    "No is a full sentence," I growl, echoing the words Brook had told me.


    The Soldier pauses.


    "We''re trying to help, Astra," the Soldier says. He sounds annoyed.


    I shift on my paws, holding his gaze despite how doing so makes my skin crawl and my fur stand on end.


    He looks like a snake.


    The Soldier looks above my head and nods. I almost miss the movement, but I hear a Guard take a step and then lunge.


    I dig my claws into the grass of the Field and pull myself forward. The edges of my vision blur, and then I''m slinking through the mass of beings fighting. I pass by Grey, who lashes out with his talons at nearby foes before I launch myself up the oak tree. I only stop myself once I''m halfway up, and I flatten myself to a branch in hopes of not being spotted so quickly.


    I squeeze my eyes shut and try to slow my breathing, the racing of my heart, the panic spreading through every bit of my body.


    Before it was just me and Brook, just like every other day. Now it was the newcomers, and now it''s too many people and they''re trying to hurt me. They''ve hurt Brook. They''re hurting my stepmother.


    Tears sting in my eyes as they drip down my cheeks.


    "Please, stop it," I whimper, jaw chattering with fear.


    "Won''t you please come down, little kitty?"


    I jump, startled by the voice. A Guard stands at the base of the oak tree, looking up at me. I freeze.


    "If you won''t come down, I''ll just have to come up."


    A whine slips from my throat, high-pitched and shrill. I press my belly further against the branch and curl my tail against my body as I pull my wings in tight.


    I find Brook across the Field, kicking at Guard. I try to call for her, to tell her I need help so she can come to me, but my voice doesn''t work. I can only cling to the branch and tremble.


    I can only watch as the Guard grips onto the oak tree and finds a foothold. He starts to climb.


    "Come here, little kitty," the Guard says with a smile that doesn''t look friendly.


    My vision starts to blur as I distantly watch the Guard. He slowly climbs up further. I want to move, but I can''t, and my heart beats too fast, and I can''t catch my breath, and I''m shaking too much.


    "Come here," he repeats as he pulls himself up another few branches.


    With a sharp inhale, I hop up a little higher in the oak tree, panic rising further. The branches start to get thinner, and I have to spread my wings and use my tail for balance.


    When I look down, the Guard still has the unfriendly smile. My skin prickles and my stomach squirms. Tears soak into the fur on my cheeks.


    "My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV has been looking for you for a very long time. I hope you know that. He''s been waiting for you."


    "N-no," I whimper. "Please."


    "We don''t want to hurt you," the Guard says. "We just want you to come with us."


    "I-I-I c-can''t. Please."


    The Guard balances on a branch a foot or two away from me, and I freeze, staring at him as he stares right back. He tilts his head to the side ever so slightly, and I tense, back arched and wings partially spread.


    "Come here," the Guard repeats yet again.


    He reaches out a hand, and I can only watched, paralyzed as his fingers draw closer and closer. I stop breathing, unable to even call out for Brook or anyone.


    But the second his fingers brush the fur on my scruff, I react. Without thinking, I snap my jaws shut around the Guard''s hand. My stomach churns at the taste of blood and I want to throw up, but I hang on for a few moments, biting down as hard as I can.


    The Guard cries out, hissing through his teeth. I jerk back when he grabs at my muzzle with his other hand, digging a finger into the corner of my eye, my gums, my nose, any squishy parts he can reach. My teeth catch on flesh when I pull back, and I shake my head in an attempt to break free.


    "Bitch!" the Guard spits. "Do you know how hard that''s gonna be to heal?"


    He shoves me in the shoulder, and I lose my balance. My claws scrabble on bark, but I tip back and fall from the oak tree.


    I turn over in midair easily and find the spot I''m going to land. My paws aren''t on the ground so I can''t break the speed of sound, but I can control my speed. I flare my wings and splay my legs, twisting my tail to keep me level.


    When I hit the grass of the Field, I sink down and don''t move, only getting up when I hear the Guard climbing back down and complaining about his hand.


    "Someone get that stupid cat!" he shouts.


    I feel the weight of eyes on me and dart off, Soldiers running after me.


    "Brook!" I squeal as they draw closer. "Brook!"


    I slither between the legs of several Guard. They load their bows with arrows and fire them off one by one. A dagger nearly cuts into my nose, and I jerk to the side, changing direction.


    "Brook!" I scream, blindly racing as fast as I can.


    I trip over a Soldier''s leg and tumble to the ground, grass smeared with blood staining my fur. I land on my back and stay there for a few moments, before I roll to my stomach, only to see Guard and Soldiers closing in. Each stands so tall, looming above me with the sun right behind them.


    I curl up, ears back as I try to make myself smaller. I tuck my legs beneath my body, wings tight against my ribcage.


    Swords glint in the sunlight. I start to cry again, vision blurring until I begin to grow numb.


    "Yeah, that''s not happening. Don''t hurt kids, you piece of shit."


    I blink to clear my vision, and Phoenix barrels into a Guard. I turn my head when he slams a forepaw down, wincing when I hear a wet crack.


    "You all are done with that. She ain''t goin'' with ya. See you never," Phoenix says, wrapping a foreleg around a Soldier''s neck and bringing him to the ground after a swift bite to the back of his neck.


    I squeeze my eyes shut at the sight of the blood. Just for a moment, I find myself pausing, exhausted from the stress of the battle, drained from having all my senses overwhelmed.


    "What the hell are you doing, Astra?" Phoenix asks as he wrestles another Soldier to the grass. "I could hear you clear across this place."


    "I don''t know where Brook is. I got lost."


    Phoenix looks at me for a moment, teeth embedded in the throat of the Soldier. He creates a wall of fire to push back the others.


    He lets the Soldier go and moves on to the next one. "She''s fighting. Where the fuck do you think she is?"


    "I was trying to... to find her." I keep my gaze on my paws so I don''t have to watch, but just hearing is enough.


    My vision goes blurry as my breathing grows shallower and shallower and panic tightens its grip around my throat.


    "Astra," Phoenix''s rumbling voice snaps me to reality. He stands directly in front of me, and the flames crackling across his black fur keep me from seeing the rest of the fight.


    "Don''t do that. It ain''t gonna help. Stay here, and whatever you do, do not move. You''ll just get in the way, and I''m not dealing with that"


    "I-... I won''t," I whisper, voice hoarse.


    Phoenix hums. "Good. Don''t look if you don''t wanna see. If you do, that''s not my problem. But don''t go off into your mind. Never helped anything."


    "Ok," I say quietly, unsure of how to respond. My gaze drifts to the side, but I snap it back to my forelegs when I catch a glimpse of a split throat deep enough that I can see bone.


    I wrap my tail around my body and hide behind the plates on the end of it.


    I can''t see, but I can still hear Phoenix wrestling with Guard and Soldiers. Distantly, I hear Brook''s hoofbeats and Grey''s chirps. I can''t see, but I can still smell the scent of blood and sweat. I can''t see, but with every breath, I can taste iron and smoke on my tongue.


    I stay behind Phoenix. He keeps the Guard and Soldiers away.


    I want Brook, but she''s across the Field and I can''t get to her.


    And it works. Phoenix doesn''t let any Guard and Soldiers near.


    It works. Until it doesn''t.


    Phoenix rears up, just like he''s done before, but when his forepaw hits the armor of a Soldier, his claws get stuck, throwing him off balance. He twists, and a Soldier gets an arm around his neck. His snarl is different enough that I peek out from behind my tail, and then snap my head up when I realize what''s happening.


    "No," I whimper.


    Several Soldiers hold onto Phoenix. One has him in a chokehold, another wraps an arm around his chest to keep him on his hind legs, one grips him around his stomach, and another holds onto his tail. Phoenix writhes in their hold, and the armor of the Soldier gripping him in a chokehold begins to glow.


    But Phoenix''s flames start to flicker as he loses oxygen. His eyes widen, pupils growing. He flashes his teeth, but this time there''s fear in his expression.


    When I look around, I see everyone else in similar situations.


    Sweat coats Brook''s fur like a second skin, and her movements grow slower. An arrow sinks deep into her shoulder. She cries out, and I whine.


    Alex tumbles to the ground with a yelp, tripped up by a Guard. Blood coats one of her paws.


    Grey falls to his back when two Soldiers grab his tail and a wing, yanking back hard. A wing spasms.


    Ky snaps the neck of a Guard with his jaws and quickly scans the Field, eyes calculating. His ears draw back and his tail swishes.


    He finds me and sends me a sympathetic look, head tilting to the side. I''m sorry, he seems to say.


    I frown in return.


    "Stop!" Ky shouts.


    The fighting slows, pauses, but it doesn''t stop and continues on.


    It only halts when Ky speaks again.


    "STOP!" he yowls.


    The fighting does stop. I swivel my ears, both curious and scared of what Ky is going to do. It feels like everyone holds their breath.


    "I SUMMON THE BLOOD DEMON!" Ky screams, throwing his head back.

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 4 - I Wont Be Dead

    Chapter 4


    I Won''t Be Dead


    Reiterated Trigger Warnings: major character death, panic over the death, self-sacrifice


    Phoenix locks up in the Soldiers'' grips, and his eyes widen with horror.


    Why? What does the Blood Demon mean?


    Phoenix writhes, snapping at the Soldiers. He looks desperate. He cuffs one across the face and kicks another in the stomach and then breaks free, but not before a Soldier grabs onto an ear. Phoenix just shakes his head, lunges forward, and pulls until his ear rips in half.


    I jerk back at the sound of tearing flesh and press my face into my foreleg but I can''t look away. I stay low to the ground, trying to not see the bloodied bodies all around me, but they lay all around me with such blank looks on their faces. They look frozen in time. Their flesh is split and ripped, burned in places, but they look like they should be breathing.


    Because isn''t that what living things do?


    Brook had once told me that living things died. It''s what happens when I eat a mouse. She explained that Lucius rules over death and brings every living being to their death. She said that they''re the one who claims everybody when it''s their time to die. I''d asked what happens when Lucius dies, but Brook didn''t know.


    Is that what happened here? I wonder. Is Lucius here? Are they claiming the dead?


    A snarl brings me back to the present, and I look away from the dead Soldier I''d been staring at. Phoenix sprints over to his brother, forcing a path through the crowd. The Guard and Soldiers seem to realize something''s going on, and they fall back, forming a ring around the edge of the Field.


    "What have you done?" Phoenix cries. "Why''d you do that?"


    Ky''s mouth twists into something like a smile. His eyes water.


    Why is he crying? What''s going on?


    "There was no other way, Phoenix."


    "Take it back," Phoenix spits, but he doesn''t sound angry, not like he did with the Guard and Soldiers. He sounds... he sounds more desperate. "Take it back!"


    Ky runs his cheek over Phoenix''s jaw, nuzzling into his brother''s fur. "You know I can''t do that. You know that''s not how it works."


    "Us against the world, remember? It''s us against the world. We promised each other. You promised me, Ky. Take it back. Un... summon the Blood Demon. Take it back. You can''t do this, Ky. Please."


    "It''s already done, and you know it. I won''t lie to you, Phoenix. I won''t. I can''t lie to you. And you know that it''s not permanent."


    "Arcane doesn''t fucking exist! He''s fucking dead, Ky. Lucius has him!"


    Phoenix is angry, but Ky doesn''t blink.


    "He is still alive. He never died."


    "Please, Ky. I can''t lose you."


    "You won''t," Ky replies. "I won''t be dead."


    "But you won''t be here."


    "You know some bonds can''t be broken, not even by a force like Lucius. We will never be apart. But I still won''t be dead. Arcane can bring me back. You need his healing magic. The power of Aquarius. You need the power of a Midnight Wolf to reverse the effects of the Blood Demon. A spell like the Blood Demon has a cost, and to reverse the effects of the cost, it requires lots of power." Ky''s voice drops to a whisper, but I can still hear him. "We''ve gone over this, Phoenix. We both knew I could do this. We both knew someday I would. You can bring me back. Just find Arcane. Talk with him, don''t fight with him because I know you, Phoenix. Be nice. Talk with him, and he''ll bring me back. We will see each other again, Phoenix."


    "I can''t lose you." Phoenix''s voice cracks.


    "Fuck this," a Guard says. He pulls out an arrow from the bag on his back and sets it on his bow


    "Stop it!" I shout, leaping off the ground and racing forward with my wings splayed. "What are you doing?"


    I don''t know fully what''s going on with Ky and Phoenix, but I know it''s not good and I know the Guard and the Soldiers are the army of the evil King and Dragon that Brook has told me about. I wrinkle my muzzle and fluff out my fur until it stands on end.


    The Guard smiles at me, and it''s all teeth. There''s no sunny warmth in it. "I''m ending this," he says, voice smooth. "My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV has ordered you be returned to your real family and that the Wolf and the Dove be brought before the Amethyst Throne to face justice. The capture of Brook and the Phoenix will be bonuses, too. Ky''s going to die so we don''t have to worry about him."


    Ky laughs, and I turn around.


    Will he be ok?


    But my stomach sinks when Ky gasps and stumbles back a step. His claws slice through the grass of the Field and shred the blades, but he still falls. When he gets to his paws once more, I see blood dripping from Ky''s nose, jaws, and eyes in skinny lines. Scarlet soaks through the fur on his chest and runs down the insides of his forelegs. Ky''s long fur sticks together in clumps.


    What is happening? I tremble and make myself take long inhales to try to calm down.


    Ky chuckles again. "See? It''s happening." He locks eyes with the Guard. "I won''t die, but you will. The Blood Demon is coming. It never stops hunting, and it''s far less friendly than I am."


    "Do we go?" a Soldier asks softly. "We haven''t completed our job, but I don''t know what''s going on."


    Ky shakes his head. Blood stains his teeth when he talks. "Well, if you left, where would you go? There''s nowhere to go."


    I look around me in confusion. The rainbow barriers have been repaired. They stand tall, just like they used to, colors swirling in mesmerizing patterns. Except, they''re how they were before; a wall. Something I just instinctively know I cannot pass through. Somehow I just know I cannot walk through the rainbow barrier, so why should I even try?


    Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alex lean in toward her brother and whisper something that I can''t quite catch. Grey replies just as softly, and Alex nods her head. She looks around, then studies the Guard and Soldiers.


    "Should you be doing this, Ky?" Phoenix asks.


    Ky frowns at his brother. "It''s fine. It won''t change anything."


    "This is just an illusion!" the Guard shouts.


    "If it''s just an illusion, why don''t you leave?"


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    The Guard stomps past me, and I scurry out of the way. He reaches the barrier and walks forward, but runs face-first into it. I giggle despite the situation. The Guard tries again, and he stumbles back and falls down.


    I laugh again, but a thought crosses my mind. Are we all stuck here? Somehow, it bothers me. I''ve always known Brook and I were trapped in the Field. I''ve always known we couldn''t leave. But it never made me upset. Brook and I had everything we needed. She told me a perfect world couldn''t exist, but the Field was as perfect of a world as I could think of.


    But now I''m bothered by the fact that we might not be able to leave, and the Guard and Soldiers seem to feel the same way, too. They bustle around, moving as one and trying to escape. They turn around when they realize the barrier won''t give, murmuring and talking and I see them start to panic but the panic turns into anger.


    How did Ky fix it so fast?


    I look up to the oak tree, to where Ky and Phoenix stand. Ky leans against his brother''s shoulder. More blood drips down his fluffy fur. My insides twist, but I hold back the nauseous feeling in my stomach.


    Soldiers draw their weapons, and Guard pull out daggers.


    "Try it," Phoenix snarls. "I fucking dare you."


    He lowers his head, and his fangs and the yellow horns on his forehead shine in the light. Fire crackles on his fur. He stands in front of his brother.


    Brook steps over me so I''m beneath her stomach. I hadn''t heard her approach, but I snuggle into her leg. She favors her forelimb that has an arrow sticking out of it. When I try to rear up on my hind legs to get a better look, she hushes me.


    "Hello, Astra," she says. "I''m alright. I will heal."


    "You''re ok?"


    "I will be. Are you ok?" Brook ducks her head to look at me.


    I nod. "Yeah, but is Ky ok?"


    Brook pauses for a moment. She sighs before she lowers her head to meet my eyes and speaks. "No, he is not, Astra. He has made a great sacrifice for us, one that we must remember and honor. I don''t know what will happen, but Ky is not ok and we must remember what he has done here."


    "Ok."


    "Phoenix," Ky chokes out.


    He coughs violently, sides shaking. I pull my ears back and shrink down. Blood splatters on Ky''s paws and the grass. He stumbles, and his head stays low to the ground. Phoenix catches him, and Ky sags against his brother. When Ky blinks his eyes open, they look fuzzy and glazed. Phoenix jerks his forehead under Ky''s jaw, hooking his brother''s chin over his back.


    "Come on, Ky," Phoenix says. "You gotta stay standing. Just stay with me, ok? I''m here this time."


    Blood drips from Ky''s chest, and I watch the droplets fall to the ground. They don''t soak into the Field. Instead, they turn into a big puddle on top of the grass. The puddle reflects light and grows bigger and bigger.


    "Ky isn''t gonna be ok?" I ask, whimpering when Ky collapses to the ground.


    Brook is quiet for a long moment.


    "I don''t know," she says. "Ky says if we can find Arcane, then Arcane can bring him back. I hope it is true, but I do not know. That is my honest answer."


    "I hope he will be ok." I press my forehead against Brook''s leg, nosing against the long strands of fur around her hooves. Feathers, Brook had called them.


    The Guard and Soldiers grow restless and antsy. Brook taught me the word. Antsy.


    They rock back and forth on their feet, looking at each other and chatting, until a Guard fires an arrow. It cuts through Phoenix''s ripped ear, and he whirls around with a roar.


    "Who the fuck did that?" he spits. "Have some respect, would you? Show yourself, so I can fucking destroy you. Or maybe I''ll just destroy you all."


    Ky runs his muzzle across Phoenix''s back. The fire on Phoenix''s fur doesn''t burn him.


    "Please, Phoenix. The Blood Demon is getting close." Ky leans heavily against Phoenix. His legs look so weak, and his voice sounds so distant.


    "Ky-," Phoenix starts. He looks between his brother and the Guard and Soldiers before turning his attention to Ky after a snarl.


    "Stay with Ky, Phoenix," Alex says. She shakes her arms, and Grey rolls his shoulders, eyes watery. "We got this."


    xxxx


    It''s a standoff.


    Ky grows weaker, and Grey and Alex keep the Guard and Soldiers from getting too close. They pick off Guard and Soldiers, continuing the fight. Brook kills a few as well, but mostly she stands beside me. I alternate between watching the blood run down Ky''s fur and hiding behind my stepmother.


    There''s an energy in the air. It''s tense. It makes me want to run until I can''t any more. My skin crawls. I want to pace until all the energy is gone. I want to run.


    Ky stumbles backward, tripping over his fluffy tail, and he lands heavy on his hind legs. Phoenix braces him with his shoulder, holding Ky up until he falls. Ky wrinkles his muzzle when he hits the ground. He pants, and his eyes are unfocused. The puddle of blood around him grows even bigger.


    "You don''t have to watch," Brook murmurs.


    "He''s not gonna be ok, is he?" I say, voice trembling.


    "I don''t know. I don''t know, Astra."


    Ky doesn''t get back up.


    "Ph-Phoenix," Ky rasps. "I can''t keep the illusion up any longer. Keep them here, and the Blood Demon will do the rest."


    "I could''ve just killed them all." Fire burns on Phoenix''s short fur.


    Ky smiles slightly. "Maybe, but I didn''t see another way. There were so many Guard and Soldiers, and they were winning. This time, the Blood Demon will do it. Find Arcane, ok?"


    "He''s dead," Phoenix replies, but it isn''t so firm, not like it was before. It sounds more pleading.


    I can''t look away. Something''s changing in Ky, but I don''t know what. My breaths are trembling and shaky, and my eyes sting with tears.


    "He''s not, but even if he was, you''d find a way, wouldn''t you?" Ky''s voice becomes weaker, like it takes more effort.


    "I will drag him back from Lucius if I have to. You''re not leaving me. Can''t I do something?" Phoenix noses at the top of Ky''s head.


    Alex takes down a Guard who had started to get another arrow in his bow. Grey holds back a few Soldiers by crowding them back with his wings. His bird form is almost as big as Brook.


    I draw in a sharp breath when the rainbow barrier starts to twist. It grows grainy and out of focus, and the colors blur. The barrier curls in on itself and flickers. It stays up for one moment, and then it vanishes. It doesn''t shatter like it did when the Guard and Soldiers arrived. It just disappears like it was never there to begin with, returning to its broken form it was in after the Guard and Soldiers destroyed it.


    "You can''t do anything, Phoenix. I know you want to, but you can''t. I know how much you love me, and I love you just the same. So listen, please, ok?"


    "-The fuck? I''m gonna fucking listen, Ky. Are you crazy?" Phoenix exhales a short breath.


    "I know." Ky looks up at his brother. I can barely hear him. "Just remember to be nice, ok?"


    "Yeah, of course. But you gotta stay with me, ok? You can''t leave me, Ky. We promised, remember?" Phoenix ducks down to meet his brother''s gaze. His eyes flash. "You can''t leave me."


    Tears drip down my cheeks, and I begin to cry.


    "You don''t have to look, Astra," Brook says. She moves to stand more in front of me. "I''m right here."


    Even far away, I can see how Ky''s breathing slows and he slowly stops moving. I don''t want to watch, but I can''t look away. I don''t know what to make of it.


    "Be nice, Phoenix. Please be nice," Ky whispers.


    It''s subtle, when all movement stops, but I still catch it.


    Ky exhales, and he never inhales again. His eyelids flutter and then stop, halfway closed and halfway open. He''s staring at everything and nothing. He looks like he''s falling asleep, yet also waking up. The only sign that something is wrong, apart from his complete stillness, the way he''s just paused, is the scarlet smeared on his jaw and muzzle and the blood-soaked fur on his chest and the insides of his forelegs.


    Was Lucius just here? I try to imagine someone walking around, invisible to everyone else. Did Ky see Lucius? Did he know what they were here for?


    Phoenix''s face ripples, and then he takes a step back with a gasp. He pants in huge gulps of air. Steam rises from his eyes as he repeatedly blinks. His lips quiver, and then he bares his teeth and snarls. Roars. He throws his head back and screams.


    Flames explode all around him, churning outward in a ring. The fire blazes, loud, furious, echoing Phoenix''s rage.


    I dart behind Brook who takes a quick step back. Her horn glows as she creates a portal that channels the flames away from us. I squint against the heat.


    The blaze gets close to us, to me and Brook, Grey and Alex, but it never quite touches us. The bodies of the Guard and Soldiers are different, though. The ones too close to the fire get consumed in a split second, eaten by the fire until there''s nothing left. The rest scramble back, looking between each other like they''re debating whether or not to go after us.


    The fire burns high enough that I can''t see Ky or Phoenix, but I can still hear the bellowing roar of Phoenix.


    He''s so angry, but he''s also so sad. Ky is gone.


    I sniffle. I didn''t know him, but he was nice.


    Why did he have to die so we could live? Why him?


    When the fire drops, Phoenix is standing over Ky, head bowed to the ground. His sides rise and fall in jagged breaths. Ky hasn''t moved, and the puddle of blood around him looks scary. It doesn''t soak into the Field. It just sits there, just like how Ky doesn''t even twitch. He looks like he''s asleep, but if he were sleeping he would still move and he doesn''t.


    Brook steps closer to me, ears swiveling all around. She favors her foreleg with the arrow still stuck in her shoulder. I press into her as I try to make sense of what happened to Ky.


    Alex steps back, bumping into Grey. She holds her hand over her mouth. Grey wipes at his eyes.


    Phoenix''s tail flicks as he stalks around his brother''s body.


    He hisses and bares his teeth when the puddle of blood begins to ripple. He snarls when the air starts to rumble. He growls when the ground starts to shake.


    I crouch low and tense, ready to break the speed of sound and bolt the second I need to, the second Brook tells me to. The Guard and Soldiers shift and murmur.


    "You deserve this," Phoenix spits, glaring at the Guard and Soldiers with a fury I''ve never seen before, "but Ky doesn''t."


    A three-toed hand with a dew claw reaches out from Ky''s blood, long talons digging into the Field and tearing through grass.

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 5 - Say Your Prayers

    Chapter 5


    Say Your Prayers


    Guard shoot arrows at the hand rising from Ky''s blood, but they do nothing against it.


    Another hand reaches out and holds onto the grass on the opposite side of the rippling pool of Ky''s blood.


    I step back until I bump into Brook''s hind legs. I hold my wings tight to my sides and tuck my tail between my legs.


    Two horns emerge, arched in elongated curves and attached to the skull of a creature with a flattened nose and sharp teeth. Two teeth curve upwards to make a terrifying smile. Blood drips from its fangs and its red skin.


    My heart pounds in my chest as the creature turns its head and pulls itself further out of the puddle of Ky''s blood. Its talons claw at the Field and shred the grass so easily.


    Is it gonna hurt me?


    It has long ears that twist as it looks around through little purple eyes. Its neck widens into broad shoulders and arms that are bigger than me. Its hoofed hind legs make the ground tremble and shake when it gets its feet beneath it, and its furred tail whips behind it. Its feet look like Brook''s hooves, just split into two in the middle.


    "The Blood Demon," Brook whispers.


    As the Blood Demon rises to its full height, it takes in the last of Ky''s blood and the puddle vanishes, leaving Ky''s fur clean. He looks even more like he''s just sleeping with his eyes half open.


    What happened to you, Ky? Where are you? Did you meet Lucius, I think, but I know Ky said he wouldn''t be dead.


    The Blood Demon is the tallest creature I''ve ever seen. It towers over even Brook. I peer around Brook''s leg to look at the Blood Demon, who stares out at the Guard and Soldiers through its small eyes that cry red tears.


    The Blood Demon breathes in a long inhale, and then it bellows, face twisting into deep wrinkles. Its jaws open so wide that it looks like it could swallow the world. A tongue that looks like a snake drops from the Blood Demon''s mouth, and it drips blood that disappears before it reaches the ground.


    Phoenix stands over Ky''s body. He stares up at the Blood Demon. He looks like he''s about to cry.


    "Is it- is it gonna e-eat us?" I ask. My ears droop, and I tremble.


    "I don''t know," Brook answers. "I''m not going anywhere, though, so you just stay right with me unless I tell you otherwise, ok? We will work together."


    "Ok," I agree.


    The Blood Demon takes a step forward, and the ground trembles. I dig my claws into the grass to steady myself.


    Guard shoot arrows, but they pass through the Blood Demon''s body. Its skin ripples like a puddle, and the arrows don''t do anything.


    The Blood Demon walks down the hill of the Field. Its claws flash in the sun, and its horns cast dark shadows over its face. When it reaches the first Soldier, it crouches down to one knee. It takes the Soldier''s sword and bends to look him in the eye. Its tongue curls around the Soldier''s arm. The Soldier stares at the Blood Demon, until it snorts and stands back up, jerking its head back and pulling the Soldier into its mouth.


    The Soldier disappears down the Blood Demon''s throat.


    I start, breath catching in my throat. I want to run, I want to bolt, I want to be away, but I can''t. Brook is here, and I don''t know where I''d go. The Blood Demon is in my home. The Guard and Soldiers are in my home. There''s nowhere to go. I hide behind Brook''s legs, half hidden by her tail, but it''s not enough. I can feel my heart beat in my chest, I can hear it in my ears, and I can feel my vision start to close in.


    I watch the Blood Demon eat another Soldier. Its purple eyes pass over me before locking onto another target, and I shrink to the ground, wishing the grass would just open up so I could hide until everything was safe again.


    The Blood Demon eats a Guard this time.


    "This is what Ky did. This is Ky''s sacrifice," Phoenix growls.


    He''s far away, but I can still see the fire shining his eyes and hear it crackling on his fur.


    "I would kill you," Phoenix snarls, "but that''s for the Blood Demon to do. Say your prayers if you want Lucius to listen, but I doubt they''ll pay much attention to those who kneel for the Amethyst Throne."


    The Blood Demon closes its jaws on a Soldier and swallows him whole.


    xxxx


    Grey flies overhead in his dove form, circling low above Brook''s head. Alex stands beside me, just to the side of Brook. I still hide beneath Brook''s tail. I paw at one of the pink ribbons in her tail as I watch the Blood Demon stomp across the Field and chase after the Guard and Soldiers.


    The Guard and Soldiers all try to fight back, but they can''t hurt the Blood Demon. Arrows pass right through its body and swords do the same.


    Where do its meals go if it''s not solid? Won''t it get full? People seem like a big meal.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    One by one, the Blood Demon swallows every Guard and Soldier. They try to escape, but the Blood Demon gets to them first.


    The Blood Demon snaps its jaws shut on the last Guard, and his legs stick out from the Blood Demon''s teeth. But the Blood Demon tips its head back, and the Guard disappears. The Blood Demon licks its mouth. The teeth curling upward look like a bloodstained smile. A creepy smile.


    Phoenix meets the Blood Demon''s gaze, and the two stare at each other for a long time.


    I stay quiet, barely breathing. Alex crouches by my side and rests her hand on my shoulders, but the touch brings no comfort.


    But then the Blood Demon narrows its purple eyes and snorts. It flicks an ear. It turns around and leaves the Field, stomping down the hill and stepping over the shattered pieces of the kaleidoscope barrier.


    Phoenix watches the Blood Demon for a moment, and then turns to the rest of us when it disappears. When Alex tries to walk closer, Phoenix jumps in front of Ky''s body as a wave of fire bursts to life between us.


    "Don''t you dare take one step closer," Phoenix sneers. His face twists. "You killed my brother."


    "He... K-Ky said he wasn''t dead, though," I say, moving out from behind Brook. I tilt my head to the side.


    "Look at him," Phoenix snaps, flashing his teeth. He flicks his tail toward his brother. "Does that look alive to you?"


    I frown. "But he said Arcane could-."


    "I know what Ky fucking said. I was there and fucking heard it. But that doesn''t change the fact that Ky isn''t breathing, and you all are. It was a fucking mistake to go along with you, Grey and Alex. It was a shitty decision, and it cost Ky his life. I don''t care if he said Arcane can bring him back. Arcane better be alive, because he''s bringing my brother back. I''ll drag him back from Lucius if I have to. But Ky still died. He had to fucking die because none of you could fight."


    "He did it to save you," Alex murmurs.


    Phoenix glares at Alex, and I squirm at the intensity of his expression even though it''s not directed at me. She holds his gaze.


    "He still died. He still died because of what the cream puff did. My brother is fucking dead. And now I have to go find someone who hasn''t existed for sixty years."


    "We would have all died, Phoenix," Grey says. "There were too many Guard and Soldiers. Ky saved you. I cannot speak for Ky''s desires, but I can imagine he wanted nothing more than to keep you safe. It''s clear to me that you both care for the other endlessly."


    Phoenix looks over his shoulder at Ky, and then he walks over to his brother. Phoenix nudges Ky with his nose, and his brother rolls limply.


    "Why?" he asks. "We promised we''d never leave each other. We promised we''d be there forever. We promised we''d never be apart. We promised, Ky. We promised."


    Phoenix sits beside Ky for a few minutes. Grey and Alex shift beside me, and Alex runs her hand through her hair to push it out of her face. She smiles when she catches me looking.


    When Phoenix stands up abruptly, I tense at Brook''s side. My stepmother doesn''t move though. She just stays still. I look between Brook and Phoenix and mirror my stepmother''s actions as best I can.


    When Phoenix turns around, his head is low. He advances on Brook, murder in his eyes. He stalks toward my stepmother like how I hunt mice. But Brook isn''t a mouse.


    "What are you doing?" I ask, scampering between Phoenix and Brook. I raise my wings.


    "Move it, Astra," Phoenix growls. "You ain''t a part of this."


    "D-don''t hurt her. She hasn''t done anything." I tremble but I stand my ground, digging my claws into the grass of the Field so I don''t bolt.


    Phoenix looks like the Guard and Soldiers, and my heart pounds in my chest. He looks like how the Guard and Soldiers looked at me¡ª dangerous and monstrous.


    Phoenix jerks his head to the side. "Move," he repeats. "You are not a part of this."


    "Astra, it''s ok," Brook says.


    I turn around. "He''s hunting you."


    "No, he is not. He wishes to speak with me." Brook''s voice is even.


    Her mane falls over her face. Brook nods and inclines her head when I hesitate.


    "It''s ok, Astra. Please step aside. Why don''t you go sit with Grey and Alex, ok?"


    "C''mere, Astra. Come back here. You can sit with us." Alex waves a hand. Grey gestures to a patch of grass a ways off.


    I take a step but then pause, looking between Brook and Phoenix. After Brook nods again, I make my way to Grey and Alex, who both make room for me to slither in between them. I watch Brook with wide eyes, ready to run to her defense.


    "You knew the Guard and Soldiers would come here." Phoenix didn''t ask a question. He made a statement.


    "I told you the King would come looking when you came through the portal and made it so anyone could find us."


    "We stayed, and this is how you repay us?" Phoenix spits.


    I flinch, and Alex runs a hand down my back.


    "I understand that you are angry, and you have every right to be, but I won''t accept you lashing out at me. We can continue this conversation after some time to think things out if you''d like."


    Phoenix bares his teeth and hisses.


    "You knew they would come," Phoenix growls. "Ky died here, and all you have to say for yourself is that we should take a break and come back later?"


    "I meant that I cannot tolerate someone insulting me, even if I can understand why they may be doing so. I am happy to discuss, and I only offered a break as an option."


    "Care to explain why you were so certain the cream puff would send his little shitheads here? Please," he sneers.


    Brook sighs, and she takes a breath. Her tail swishes against her hind legs.


    "I was in the King''s army. But before you kill me, Phoenix, it was against my wishes. Hear me out, please, ok? That''s all I ask."


    Phoenix narrows his eyes to slits. Fire burns across his fur.


    "Thirty seconds."


    "I was a horse in the King''s army," Brook continues. "The Guard and Soldiers used me to carry equipment around and for anything that required heavy lifting, because I could move far more on my own than they could as a team."


    Phoenix snorts. "Why do I care about that? Why is that relevant to my brother being dead? All I''m hearing is that you''ve sided with the cream puff."


    "I left the King. I turned my back on him, and I brought Astra away. The second I made that decision, I left behind the King for good. I couldn''t follow him and keep Astra safe, and I could no longer believe in him and say I follow my conscience as well."


    The fire on Phoenix''s body burns brighter, and I start to stand up and take a step forward.


    "Stay here, Astra," Grey murmurs, gently wrapping a hand around my shoulder and bringing me back. "Brook can take care of herself, and she''s trying to keep you safe. She knows what she''s doing."


    I look up at him. "Brook is-is strong. She''s the strongest creature I know."


    Grey smiles. "I think she''s one of the strongest creatures I know, too."


    I gasp. "Really?"


    He nods. "Really."


    "You''ve been here for ninety years," Phoenix says.


    "We have."


    "Stupid. Shoulda left. Shoulda just taken down the cream puff when you had the chance."


    "I could not do that. I had to take care of Astra. The King is a very powerful man, who has the Amethyst Throne and the Guard and Soldiers on his side. I could not have taken down the King, and especially not with Astra under my care. She was barely a few months old when I built the Field. Even with the help of her parents, we could not have defeated the King. Astra came first, and so I built the Field to keep her safe."


    Phoenix flinches but it''s barely noticeable. He squints and then scowls at Brook, and he rolls his eyes.


    "Whatever. I''ll drop it for now. But you are all coming with me to find Arcane. Ky is dead, and you are doing your part to bring him back. We are leaving for Ragdon Volcano right now. Ky always said he believed Arcane was hiding out at the top after he killed Freedom."


    Brook inhales sharply.


    Arcane killed Freedom?

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 6 - Two Moms

    Chapter 6


    Two Moms


    Restated trigger warning: brief mentions of claims of abuse (mentions only, false claims¡ª they''re not true, wanted to mark it just in case and to give a head''s up)


    "Arcane killed Freedom?" I ask.


    "Yeah," Phoenix replies flatly.


    "What do you mean by that?" Brook presses.


    Phoenix snorts. "I mean that Freedom was alive, and then Arcane made it not that way. Why do you care about that?"


    "When did Freedom die?"


    "Like sixty years ago." Phoenix shrugs and flicks his tail. "Now, let''s be done with that and let''s get moving to find Arcane. Grey, you''re carrying Ky. If you hurt one hair on his body, I am ending you. I don''t give a shit about your healing powers. I will hurt you more than they can heal you for, and then I will kill you. I will take you from Erebus and send you straight to Lucius."


    Brook takes a step back, lifting her head high. She takes in a deep breath that shakes in her chest. She throws her head to the side and pins her ears back. She swishes her tail.


    "Freedom is dead?" Brook''s voice cracks, and I flinch.


    I''ve never heard her talk like that before. The name Freedom sounds familiar, but I don''t remember from where. Perhaps she''s from one of the stories Brook told me about with the world ruled by the evil King and his Dragon.


    What''s wrong, Brook?


    Phoenix wrinkles his nose. "I literally just said that. Why do you need me to repeat it?"


    "I know Freedom." Brook looks back at me, and she looks horrified. "She asked me to take care of her daughter."


    Phoenix glances between me and Brook a few times. He frowns, but then his expression changes. When he speaks, he''s far less irritated. "Well, shit."


    "Oh, no," Grey says.


    "Freedom is my mom," I whisper. The pieces fall together one by one in my head. "I have two moms."


    I smile. "Two moms is pretty cool."


    "I suppose you do have two moms," Alex says. She crosses her legs.


    "You''re still coming with me," Phoenix says, "but I won''t make Astra see Arcane if she doesn''t want to. I might be a monster, but I''m not that cruel. I''m not the cream puff."


    Phoenix stalks around Ky''s body, and Brook turns to face me more. She pants and her eyes are so wide that I can see the white around the red and purple. She holds her head high, standing straight up.


    "You didn''t know Freedom was dead?" Phoenix asks.


    "You said she died sixty years ago. Astra and I have been in the Field for the last ninety years. We have had no contact with the rest of Ragdon."


    Ragdon is real?


    Brook had told me stories of a world called Ragdon where the evil King ruled with the help of his Dragon. I thought she had made it up to entertain me.


    Phoenix narrows his eyes. "How did you escape from the cream puff? You claim you were a horse in his army. That means you were close with him. So what are you doing here? No one can escape him."


    "You are right. No one can escape the King. To keep Astra safe from him, I had to create a portal to a world he could not find. This wasn''t permanent, and I''ve never considered it an escape. I was just buying time and hoping that maybe one day the King would fall because his head got too big and he forgot he''s not Erebus or Lucius. You found us, and then the Guard and Soldiers did. I''m sure the King was looking for us every day for the last ninety years. He might not have cared so much about me until I took Astra from him."


    "And what''s so special about Astra? Forgive me for not buying your story," Phoenix mutters.


    Brook sighs. "It''s not Astra herself that he wants so much. I wouldn''t be surprised to hear that he couldn''t care less about her. The King wants her father, and he knew the only way to get to her father was to go after her. The King claimed Astra''s parents were abusing her and mistreating her so the Judge and Justice would take Astra away for their so-called investigation. It was less an investigation and more just listening to the King. But when the Judge and Justice ruled in favor of the King and agreed that Astra was being abused, her father and Freedom made me promise to keep Astra safe. The King had ordered me to have guardianship of Astra, and I agreed. I promised to keep Astra safe, no matter the cost." She stops when her voice breaks. "I took their daughter from them, and now Astra won''t ever get to meet her mother and Freedom won''t get to see her daughter grown up."


    "And who is her father? Care to share with the group?" Phoenix''s voice is distant.


    Why is he acting so cold? He''s on fire, but he''s so cold.


    Brook closes her eyes and swallows. Tears drip from her eyes.


    I stand up, skin crawling too much to stay on the ground. I think back to the stories my stepmother told me and I go through the names. There is one she said frequently with Freedom''s name.


    "Jabez," I say. Somehow, I know it''s right.


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    Brook nods. "Yes, your father is Jabez." She turns to Grey and Alex. "Please, is he alive?"


    "I do believe so," Alex says slowly. She has a weird expression on her face, like she can''t quite believe what''s happening. "We saw him recently."


    "How is he?"


    Grey hesitates, and I tilt my head to the side.


    "Is there something wrong with my dad?" I ask.


    Grey fiddles with his hands and tugs on the silver necklace around his neck. He glances at me. "I think so. I cannot say what, but when we met him, something was clearly wrong."


    Brook turns around fully. "What did you see?" she demands.


    Alex grimaces. "He never said what was going on, but he was clearly in a lot of pain. He didn''t tell us much."


    "Ky made an illusion to knock off the pain, and then Jabez told him to drop the illusion when we asked about the cream puff," Phoenix adds. "Jabez didn''t tell us how he knew the cream puff and he left. Wasn''t much to the interaction."


    "That doesn''t surprise me," Brook replies.


    "Care to elaborate?"


    "Yes, actually, I do care. I only know a little bit, so I cannot offer much more other than my personal feelings that Jabez not saying much didn''t surprise me. Jabez is not very talkative. Freedom knew far more, and she was far more chatty." Brook pauses and ticks her head to the side. "How did she die?"


    "She got a wound on her shoulder and Arcane fucked up and killed her. What little bit do you know? Grey, get Ky. Hurt him and I kill you. We will talk and walk. I''m not gonna be sitting here and waiting for the cream puff to send more Guard and Soldiers after us, and I''m not waiting any longer than I have to for Arcane to bring Ky back."


    Phoenix circles around Ky, and Grey gets to his feet and walks to the black cat and his brother. My head spins as I watch Grey crouch down and gently scoop Ky into his arms. Ky''s head and tail flop down. He still looks like he''s sleeping.


    Alex brushes her hand against my shoulder and I look up at her. She stands up and stretches out her arms, curving her back.


    "How you doin'', Astra?" she asks.


    "I''m ok. How about you?" I reply, echoing what Brook told me to say.


    "It''s been a long... I don''t even know how long. There''s been a lot going on."


    I nod absently, eyes wandering over my surroundings. Now that things have gotten quieter, it''s harder to ignore the dead Guard and Soldiers all around us.


    They''re so sleepy. So bloody and sleepy. Is that what Lucius does? Do they make you sleepy forever?


    I spin in a slow circle. Blood turns the Field brown. Grass sticks together and is stomped down. When I accidentally step on a Guard''s hand, I jump and bolt, circling the Field until I can stop.


    "Come here, Astra," Brook says. "Come here."


    They''re all around me, and they''re so still, and they lay in twisted positions, and they''re all red, and their hands are reaching out toward me in claws, and I can''t. I pant, wings flaring as I try to find some way out. I want to run back to Brook and hide against her until it all goes away, but I can''t find a way back. There''s too many Guard and Soldiers. They block my way.


    A Guard beside me stares up at me with unblinking eyes that look fake and empty. Blood covers his neck and half of his face is burned. I curl away from him and shrink back onto my hind legs.


    "P-please stop," I whimper. "Don''t d-do that."


    My vision blurs as I crouch down, every muscle tense and ready to run. I shake, and my mind goes blank with buzzing nothingness, and my body goes numb.


    I don''t react when I feel Brook''s soft nose pressing against my shoulder. I can''t react.


    "Astra," she whispers softly, moving so she blocks my vision with her legs and head.


    I quietly pant, staring at nothing.


    She''s quiet for a moment before she continues. "It''s ok if you cannot respond. This is beyond terrifying for anyone, and this is something no one should ever have to see. We have to leave the Field. I know you have never left before and that it likely feels scary, but we cannot stay here. It isn''t safe for us here. I will stay with you every step of the way, and we will find a new normal for our lives. I will not leave you, Astra."


    Eventually, I come back to my body.


    "Will we have a home?" I ask. I don''t want to lose the Field.


    "I do not know what Ragdon looks like or how it has changed, but we will find a home. We can make one that we like, and we will find a place to live. It might take a little while, but we will make ourselves a home."


    I reach out a paw and touch the feathers on Brook''s hoof. It grounds me.


    "Do we have to?" I keep my eyes on Brook''s fur. I don''t want to see the Guard and Soldiers. I can''t.


    I don''t know what they are. I don''t know what happened to them. I don''t know where Lucius took them.


    If Ky isn''t dead, then why do the Guard and Soldiers look so much like him?


    Brook smiles sadly at me. "I''m sorry, but we do. It isn''t safe here."


    "I don''t want to go."


    I don''t want to leave, but I don''t want the Guard and Soldiers to be here.


    Why can''t they go away? Why can''t it just be Brook and I again, just like how it was every day before?


    "I know, and I understand. But we need to. I''ll be with you the whole time, ok?"


    I nod, ears falling back. "Ok."


    I pull my wings in tight and get to my paws. I squeeze my eyes shut tight so I don''t have to see the Guard and Soldiers, but I still remember what they look like, the way they lay on the ground. My breath catches in my throat, and I curl my tail between my legs.


    By scent, I find Brook and press my face to her foreleg. I shift in place when the hair on the back of my neck rustles the feathers of my wings. Brook starts to move, but I wrap my forepaws around her leg, whining what I can''t say in words.


    "Alex can carry you, if you''d like. You wouldn''t have to see anything."


    I nod again, unable to speak.


    "Astra, I''m right behind you," Alex says. "I''m going to pick you up, ok?"


    I mewl, running my cheek over Brook''s fur.


    When Alex picks me up, I curl into her and hold a wing over my face. She starts moving, and I try not to think about what my surroundings might look like. Alex''s pewter pendant is warm against my fur.


    "We''re out of sight of the Field," Brook says a minute later. "Just don''t turn around."


    Alex sets me back down, and I dig my claws into the ground for balance. I twitch my tail, and the plates at the end drag against each other.


    Phoenix stands beside Grey, and he turns around. He looks at me for a second before exhaling.


    "They all deserved it, you know. They had it coming. They followed the cream puff. They deserved it. Don''t give them another thought. It''s not worth your time. Besides, we have to find Arcane. Ky''s counting on us."


    He killed my mom. He killed Freedom. But he can bring back Ky?


    I don''t respond to Phoenix. I don''t know what to say.


    "Let''s leave. We''ve already wasted enough time not heading to Ragdon Volcano."


    "Very well," Grey replies. He shifts his hold on Ky, and Phoenix watches him closely.


    I bounce over the shattered pieces of the rainbow barrier, following Grey and Phoenix. The kaleidoscope of colors still swirls in the jagged shards. I look at them for a moment, and they still mesmerize me.


    "Sure are pretty, ain''t they?" Alex says.


    I nod. "Really pretty."


    Brook waits for me to catch up to her. We reach the edge of the portal she created ninety years ago. I can see bits of Ragdon through the mouth of the portal. They''re blurry and out of focus, but I see glimpses of trees and grasses longer than the ones in the Field. A tall mountain sits in front of fluffy clouds. Ragdon looks pretty.


    Grey steps through first, and he disappears. Phoenix goes right behind him, and Alex hops through after. It''s just me and Brook.


    "Are you ready?" Brook asks. "I will be with you every step of the way. I''m not going anywhere, I promise."


    "Yeah," I say.


    I don''t know if I am though. I start to take a step and then pause before my paw can touch the ground. I want to turn around and see the Field one last time, but I can''t. I know I''ll see the Guard and Soldiers, but I still want one last look.


    "Would you like to go together?" Brook stands next to me.


    "Yeah."


    "Let''s go on three."


    I take a deep breath and flick my tail.


    "One," Brook says.


    "Two.


    "Three."


    We step through the mouth of the portal together, and the darkness swallows me.

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 7 - Where Did You Go?

    Chapter 7


    Where Did You Go?


    I blink my eyes until the darkness turns to blinding light to a clear view of the world all around me.


    I prick my ears, and my jaws fall open as I try to look at anything and everything all at once. It''s all so different from the Field.


    A breeze blows by, and it''s cold and I shiver. My fur fluffs up. It was never cold in the Field, and I don''t like it.


    Wildflowers grow in the grass beneath my paws, but there''s dead grass and some of the flowers are wilting. The grass was always green in the Field, and the flowers were always blooming.


    I see a baby deer run by a baby tree, chasing after their mother. In the Field, plants never changed. They never grew more, and they never shrank. Brook ate the grass, but it just went back to how it was. I ate mice, but there were never any fewer of them. I could walk the entirety of the Field with my eyes closed, because the landscape always remained the same.


    But out here in Ragdon, it doesn''t seem that way. Things do change.


    Alex picks up a deer skull and holds it by an antler.


    "Eesh, think that the Guard and Soldiers got hungry?"


    "No," Phoenix replies. "Look at the teeth marks. Probably one of the wildcats or something out here. Mostly prey animals, but there''s a few predators. Don''t worry a hair on your head though, Brook. None of them would touch Astra. She smells like you, but even if she didn''t, she''s too fast."


    Brook flattens her ears to her head. "I''m aware of that."


    "Were you ever gonna teach her to fight?"


    "No." Brook scowls at Phoenix.


    "Why not?"


    "Astra knows how to run."


    "But she doesn''t know how to fight," Phoenix replies.


    "She never needed to before you all came along. She knew how to run. She can outrun anything. She can outrun the King and the Amethyst Throne."


    Phoenix clicks his tongue. "And yet, she cannot outrun the cream puff forever."


    "She wouldn''t need to in the Field. The King did not know where she was for ninety years."


    "Were you going to stay there forever? Genuine question," Alex says.


    I turn to Brook.


    We were, right? We were going to live in the Field forever, far away from the stories of the King and his Dragon setting fire to the world.


    "We were," Brook confirms. "It was the only place I could say with any level of certainty Astra would be safe. Freedom and Jabez asked me to use my power to make that type of portal and create the Field."


    "Can you only create that type of portal once?" Grey asks.


    Brook nods. "Yes. The Field was never supposed to be found, not until Jabez and Freedom knew it would be safe for Astra. By design, the portal wasn''t easy to find."


    I think back to the fight. The fear that I felt, but also how Ky and Phoenix looked as they took down enemies. They made it look so easy. Couldn''t I have done something?


    Would Ky still be here if I''d known how to fight?


    "Can I learn how to fight?" I ask.


    Brook studies me, and I meet her eyes and prick my ears. I hold my tail high as I wonder what it might be like to learn to fight like Phoenix. I don''t want what happened in the Field to happen again. I don''t want to see dead people again, and I don''t want to see Ky die again either. But maybe I could''ve done something. Maybe I could''ve tried to help and... not killed Guard and Soldiers, but instead stopped them.


    But Brook doesn''t look so sure.


    Phoenix rolls his eyes. "Whatever, if you''re not gonna reply, then let''s get moving. We don''t have all day. The sooner we get to the top of Ragdon Volcano, the sooner we find Arcane."


    I trot forward, then turn around. "Which way are we headed?"


    "That way." Alex points toward a giant mountain growing from the ground.


    Ragdon Volcano, I assume. A flock of birds flies across the sky in front of fluffy clouds that remind me of the dandelions I saw in the Field and would blow on when Brook told me you could make a wish on one. I never had a wish¡ª there wasn''t anything I needed. All I needed was Brook.


    We start walking, with Grey carrying Ky in his arms. It makes for a funny sight; Ky droops down over the sides of Grey''s forearms. He''s too big to be carried, but Grey doesn''t set him down. But Ky still looks asleep and doesn''t move or react to anything.


    Trees grow all around us and are way higher than I could ever hope to jump. I wonder just how far I could see from the top of one. After passing by a few, I crouch down, angle my wings just right, and dig my toes into the ground. I throw myself upwards with a clap, and I start to climb the tree.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Astra!" Brook shouts, galloping over to me.


    "Yeah?" I look down at her, twisting my tail to keep my balance.


    "What are you doing?"


    "I want to see what everything looks like from the top of the tree."


    I peer around a branch and look out at the world. Off in the distance, I can see a purple castle with tall spikes and towers. Past it, I see a line of white, but it''s too blurry to make out what it is. Ragdon Volcano is tall. It fills up the island and looks so intimidating. It''s covered in dark rock, and everything looks so small next to it. I feel so tiny.


    "Astra, come down," Phoenix says. "We need to keep moving. Get down here, or we''re leaving you behind."


    Brook pins her ears and glares at him.


    Phoenix sneers back, wrinkling his muzzle. "Hey! I didn''t mean we''re actually gonna leave her behind, so chill. I just want to keep moving before we get found by another group of Guard and Soldiers. Don''t want to find out what happens to bringing back Ky if his body gets injured in any way."


    "I-I''m coming down," I say.


    After calculating my way down, I dig my dew claws on my hind legs into the branch and carefully lower myself to the next one. I hop from branch to branch, wings spread for stability, until I''m close enough to the ground that I can jump. Brook offers me a smile once I''m out of the tree.


    "We need to keep going," Phoenix growls. "We need to find Arcane."


    xxxx


    We walk for a long time.


    Soon, we leave the tall trees behind, and the ground turns into fields of grass that are far longer than the Field ever was.


    I had run ahead a few times and circled around the group, only returning when Brook called me back. I''d chased butterflies and stopped to examine flowers that caught my attention. I''d darted off in every direction to try and see everything on Ragdon.


    But now I am tired. I trail behind Brook, plates on my tail dragging on the ground. I stopped asking when we would stop the fourth time Phoenix glared at me.


    Brook looks over her shoulder. She swishes her own tail to scare away a fly.


    "I can carry you," she says. "You can sleep on my back if you''d like. I''ll watch over you."


    I prick my ears and smile. "Yes! Thank you!"


    I bound forward and leap up onto Brook, careful not to poke her with my claws. She keeps walking as I settle down, sprawling out with my chin on a forepaw. I watch the plants and flowers as we continue onwards, and soon the gentle and rhythmic movement of Brook''s steps lulls me into sleep. Dreamland drags me under into its soft, cloudy embrace.


    I sleep for a long time.


    But then I wake up, and my surroundings have changed. Instead of grasses all around me, it''s rock. I stand up on Brook''s back, tail twitching as I try to figure out where I am. Dark rock is all around us, and as I look around, I notice that we''re higher up than we were before. I can see the purple castle off in the distance, and below us, there''s trees that look just like the ones we''d passed by earlier. The trees are below us, which means...


    "We''re on Ragdon Volcano now!" I say, hopping off Brook''s back to examine the Volcano. I sniff at a plant, then wrinkle my nose at its bitter smell.


    "So observant," Phoenix mutters.


    "It''s so tall," I say.


    "Can we keep moving?" Grey says. "Ky is getting heavy, and I''d like to cover as much ground as possible before I need to set Ky down."


    "I can take a turn carrying him, if you''d like," Brook offers.


    Grey glances at Phoenix for a moment, but Alex walks over to her brother.


    "Here, let me help," she says.


    "You drop him, Brook," Phoenix warns.


    Brook nods. "I''m aware, Phoenix. I remember what you told Grey."


    "I don''t care how many portals you create. I will never stop coming after you."


    I explore the area around us as Alex helps get Ky draped safely over Brook''s back. Flowers sprout from cracks in the rocks, and they''re bright and colorful. I try and find every one before we start moving again.


    I stick close by Brook''s side as we make our way further up Ragdon Volcano. Grey and Alex frequently check behind us for any Guard and Soldiers, and Brook swivels her ears in every direction. I watch Ky. Every step Brook takes shifts him, and his ears wiggle. The red bandana around his shoulders flops over his neck. His brown eyes stay half open and half closed. He stares at the ground, but also through the ground, like he''s looking at nothing.


    I creep closer to Brook''s side and crane my neck to meet Ky''s gaze. He doesn''t move. He doesn''t blink. He just stares. I scamper away when my skin prickles and I feel unsettled.


    Where did you go?


    Maybe Arcane will have answers. But Arcane is also the one who killed Freedom, the mom I don''t remember, the mom I never really met. Is there some reason? Is there an explanation? Surely there''s a reason. Did Arcane really murder Freedom?


    xxxx


    When we stop for the night, my paws hurt and my legs feel numb. The sky is dark, but the moon shines bright. It''s silver, just like it was in the Field. The moon looks the same, with the same circles and dots as it did every time I looked up in the middle of the night to look at it.


    Brook lays down and folds her legs beneath her. Grey and Alex carefully lift Ky from her back and set him down on the ground. Phoenix watches them, then flashes his teeth when Grey goes to smooth out Ky''s fur.


    "Leave him be. I''ll take care of my brother." Phoenix flicks his tail and then settles down beside Ky.


    Brook stands up again and nudges me in close.


    I feel so out in the open with no trees around, but when Grey and Alex sit down and Brook shifts in place until she''s comfortable, I begin to get ready to sleep. There''s no grass to nose at until it''s just right or a patch of moss to lay down on, but I circle around Brook''s legs a few times to find a good spot and then I curl up. I twist and turn again and again until I can finally relax, but sleep stays just out of reach.


    "You keep moving," Brook says. "Are you alright?"


    "I can''t sleep," I say, stretching out and resting my head against Brook''s hoof.


    "Is there something I can help with?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Is it the novelty of Ragdon and everything that''s happened?" Brook asks.


    I sigh. "Yeah," I reply quietly.


    "It''s been a lot for everyone. I''m sorry I couldn''t have better prepared you, but I truly believed we would remain in the Field until Freedom and Jabez could come find us. I truly believed we could avoid the King and you would never risk meeting him unless the Field was found. I''m sorry that you are now in this situation without the preparation I wish I had given you."


    "You can prepare me tomorrow," I offer.


    Brook chuckles. "I suppose I can. You''re very smart, you know."


    "Can I learn to fight?"


    "Let''s discuss that more tomorrow. Safety is always a priority."


    I yawn. "I''m gonna sleep."


    "Goodnight, Astra."


    "Goodnight, Brook."


    I roll to my stomach and stretch out my forelegs and wings until they shake, and then I pull them both tight to my body and curl up with my back against Brook''s leg. Dreamland takes me a while later, and I sleep.


    When I wake up, it''s still dark out, and the moon still glows in the sky.


    Brook is asleep above me, and Grey and Alex sleep too.


    But Phoenix doesn''t.


    He lays beside Ky and holds his brother in a hug with his forelegs. His back is to me, and his head rests on Ky''s shoulder. Phoenix looks like he would be asleep, except that the tip of his tail curls every few seconds and his long ear ¡ªthe one not ripped in half¡ª flicks just as often. He takes a deep breath, but it catches and his sides shake.


    I get to my paws and creep forward, tilting my head to the side in confusion. I stop a few paces away from Phoenix. He doesn''t move and doesn''t seem to know I''m there.


    "Phoenix?" I whisper.


    He freezes, flames on his body growing brighter for a moment.


    "Go away, Astra," he hisses.

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 8 - Im Sorry

    Chapter 8


    I¡¯m Sorry


    ¡°Ph-Phoenix?¡± I repeat


    He grunts, tail lashing. It stirs up leaves. A growl shakes in his chest.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± I ask.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he bites back.


    I flinch and look down at my paws. ¡°S-sorry.¡±


    ¡°You ever stand up for yourself, Astra?¡± Phoenix doesn¡¯t turn around. His ears swivel every so often, listening in all directions.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever looked someone in the eye and told them no and not backed down? Have you ever fought someone off?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I guess with the Guard and Soldiers,¡± I murmur.


    ¡°Before that?¡±


    I shake my head, then respond when I realize Phoenix is still facing away from me. ¡°No. It was only me and Brook. I didn¡¯t have to tell her no. We knew what the other wanted and didn¡¯t want. We said whatever we thought.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ that sounds like the perfect childhood, yet also the most terrible.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad! Brook is a great stepmother! She¡¯s kept me safe.¡± I keep my voice at a whisper, but I can¡¯t help rushing over to Phoenix.


    He whirls around and blocks my path, keeping me from Ky but lays back down quickly. I do the same, and we face each other.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that. She would¡¯ve killed me if she saw me as a threat to you. We wouldn¡¯t be talking right now if she felt you were in danger. But you couldn¡¯t leave the Field. You couldn¡¯t see your own parents. You knew nothing but the Field for ninety years. You are ten years old, and you have never seen Ragdon.¡±


    ¡°Brook kept me safe.¡± I stare Phoenix down, trying not to show how my skin crawls. He watches back evenly, and I continue. ¡°I might be ten, but I know she¡¯s keeping me safe.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that either. She did what she had to. The cream puff is a truly fucked up guy. He¡¯s terrible beyond words.¡± Phoenix¡¯s eyes flash with rage I don¡¯t want to see. ¡°Even if Brook was keeping you safe from the cream puff, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you spent ninety years locked up. A prison is a prison, even if it feels like a perfect paradise.¡±


    But the Field wasn¡¯t a prison. I had nowhere I needed to go. The Field had everything I needed. I didn¡¯t need to leave it. Brook kept me safe from the King and his Dragon, even if I thought they were just stories. She didn¡¯t want me to worry.


    ¡°Why do you swear so much?¡± I ask.


    ¡°They¡¯re just words. They express how I¡¯m feeling. Sometimes I know it¡¯ll offend someone, and if they¡¯re sided with the cream puff, I¡¯ll do it to piss them off. I¡¯ll only offend those I wish to kill. Ky makes me stick to the lesser ones, so I have to get creative. And honestly it¡¯s more fun insulting someone when the insult can¡¯t be applied to just about anyone and still be offensive.¡± Phoenix smiles, and the moonlight glints on his fangs. ¡°You gotta make the insults special.¡±


    ¡°Do you not wanna kill anyone?¡±


    Phoenix looks at me for a moment. I tuck my paws beneath my body and curl my tail around myself when the cold night air soaks into my fur.


    ¡°You cold?¡±


    I nod.


    ¡°Come closer.¡±


    I do, and Phoenix makes his fire burn hotter. I rest my head on my forepaws. The warmth feels nice.


    ¡°I¡­ the only ones I really want to kill are those who side with the cream puff. They all deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Why do you call the King the cream puff?¡±


    Phoenix freezes, and the flames on his body die down to almost nothing before he stands up. His claws sink into the ground, and he bares his teeth, tail lashing to the side. His flames explode and curl as they crackle. Blue glows close to his fur.


    ¡°You don''t get to ask that fucking question. It¡¯s none of your goddamn business. Go to sleep. Take a fucking nap, Astra.¡±


    I flinch and shrink back, but I nod and turn around, scurrying back to my makeshift bed. I lay close to Brook and nose under my tail to stay cozy.


    Things are quiet for a while. Brook occasionally shifts above me and rocks her weight, and Alex rolls over, sending little pebbles bouncing away. I want to chase them but I don¡¯t. A line of birds rustle through the trees down the side of Ragdon Volcano, and I watch them fly across the sky.


    Imagine if I could fly, I think. I can already run fast, so imagine how fast I could fly.


    I look up at the sky. Stars twinkle, and I trace lines between them to make patterns. Smudges of color brighten the dark sky. Brook once told me they were galaxies super far away, places with other worlds where there might be other beings.


    Phoenix breaks the quiet.


    ¡°I¡­¡± he trails off. When he talks again, his voice is softer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Astra.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    I creep out from beneath Brook and walk closer. Phoenix turns around. He draws his ears back and looks off to the side.


    ¡°I was rude to you. I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve been rude to you.¡± Phoenix presses his shoulder into Ky¡¯s shoulder. He takes a breath. ¡°Ky would¡¯ve told me that, and it¡¯s true. So, uh, there we go. I apologized. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t gotta just shrug and accept it. You can be angry at me.¡±


    I tilt my head to the side. ¡°But I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Why? I¡¯ve acted pretty shitty toward you. You can be angry at me.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t let the Guard and Soldiers take me. You helped to fight them off.¡±


    Phoenix rolls his eyes. ¡°They had it coming.¡±


    We fall into silence again, and I lay my head on my paws. The fire on Phoenix¡¯s fur keeps me from getting too cold. Phoenix scans the mountainside of Ragdon Volcano, then goes back to grooming Ky. He bites at a stick and pulls it from his brother¡¯s body.


    ¡°Go to sleep, Astra,¡± Phoenix eventually says. ¡°No one¡¯s coming, and if they do, they¡¯re dead anyway.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I reply.


    Phoenix huffs. ¡°Why not?¡±


    I pause when my mind freezes. There¡¯s too many words, too many thoughts swirling around in my head like a storm. I can¡¯t figure out how to put them all together and form a sentence.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Phoenix repeats.


    I tense and try to get my head to work, try to figure out what words I want and how to line them up in a row.


    ¡°I-I¡­ the King¡­ Freedom. She¡¯s dead.¡±


    Phoenix turns around fully and raises his head. He looks at me for a while, and I can¡¯t read his expression. But eventually, he talks.


    ¡°Yeah, that sucks,¡± he says. ¡°Cream puff is a fucker who¡¯s gonna meet Lucius sooner rather than later. He¡¯ll fall at my paws and my claws. I¡¯ll make him pay for everything. And if when Lucius takes you, it¡¯s not just eternal sleep and there¡¯s something waiting for you when your heart finally gives out, I hope the cream puff gets to suffer for an eternity.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Arcane killed Freedom. Arcane isn¡¯t the King.¡±


    Phoenix nods. ¡°That¡¯s true, but still. Can¡¯t see a world in which the Midnight Wolf wasn¡¯t made to go against the cream puff. All that power to just sit around? Doesn¡¯t make sense. The cream puff killed Freedom indirectly. His bloodstained little fingers are everywhere. I¡¯m gonna chew off each and every one of his sticky fingers until he squeals like the pig he is.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what to say, and Phoenix tells me to sleep.


    xxxx


    I do sleep. Eventually, I doze off and find my way to Dreamland.


    I awake to Phoenix glaring at Grey, and Alex inching her way in front of her brother.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to harm Ky,¡± Grey says.


    ¡°You were touching him without my permission,¡± Phoenix shoots back.


    ¡°I apologized, and I truly mean it. I know we all want to keep moving, and so I wanted to carefully pick up Ky so I could carry him in my arms.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix,¡± Alex says, ¡°the longer we stay here, the longer it will take us to reach the top of Ragdon Volcano and find Arcane.¡±


    I get to my paws and creep over to Brook, pressing myself to her foreleg.


    Brook leans her head down. ¡°Phoenix caught you these mice earlier today.¡±


    She nudges two mice toward me with her nose. Their bodies look so similar to Ky¡¯s. They roll over when Brook pushes them, limbs floppy. Their arms splay out to the sides. I settle down and pick them up to place the two mice between my paws, and I bend down to begin eating, but then I stop.


    It feels wrong, eating the mice. They look so much like Ky.


    If Ky isn¡¯t dead, then why do the mice look so much like him? If the mice met Lucius, then where did Ky go? Where is Ky, if he¡¯s not with Lucius?


    When my stomach gurgles at me, I do eat, but I do so quickly.


    ¡°Fine, pick up my brother. See if I care. But you¡¯d better not fucking drop Ky,¡± Phoenix spits.


    ¡°I do not wish harm upon your brother, Phoenix,¡± Grey replies. He doesn¡¯t flinch.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone because we came to the Field.¡± Phoenix stalks ahead, tail lashing. The yellow horns on his forehead look so sharp and pointy in the sunlight.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone because the King sent his Guard and Soldiers to the Field,¡± Brook says. ¡°The King is responsible for what happened to Ky.¡±


    ¡°If y¡¯all had just fought better,¡± Phoenix snarls.


    ¡°Hypotheticals cannot change the present,¡± Grey says.


    Phoenix fluffs up his fur and turns around.


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± There¡¯s an anger in his words that confuses me. Phoenix was grumpy before, but now he¡¯s furious. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that hypotheticals can never change anything? That all they can do is make you sit there thinking over and over and over about every single ¡®what if¡¯ your mind can churn up in the depths of your brain. You think I don¡¯t know that every second I spend stuck on what could¡¯ve gone differently won¡¯t magically bring back my brother to me? You think I don¡¯t know that no matter how deep into every tantalizing hypothetical that they¡¯ll always remain fake and never real?¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s sides heave with each breath he takes through his teeth. His long canines look just as sharp and pointy as his horns do. He looks so angry.


    ¡°Arcane can bring Ky back,¡± Phoenix continues. ¡°Arcane will bring Ky back, because there is no world in which he does not.¡±


    Phoenix stalks ahead, steps heavy on the rock. ¡°He has to,¡± he whispers.


    We walk for a long time.


    As we continue moving uphill, I dash around, trying to see everything Ragdon Volcano has to offer. Brook calls me back every so often, and I return. When I get tired, I take a nap on her back, and then, reenergized, I skip around the group and race after rabbits.


    The closer we get to the top of Ragdon Volcano, the more rabbits I see.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be fewer rabbits?¡± Grey asks when Alex comments about them.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Alex replies. ¡°But we¡¯ve never been up here. It seems they¡¯re just really common.¡±


    ¡°I thought rabbits only had two eyes,¡± Grey says. ¡°And brown fur.¡±


    A rabbit pauses in hopping around and stares at us through too many black eyes to count. Its nose wiggles as it watches us. Two antennae grow from its forehead like Phoenix¡¯s horns, and its fur is rainbow, like the rainbow barrier around the Field. Its fur is covered in patches of every color.


    When I start to run after it, Brook tells me no.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Astra, but I don¡¯t know if the rabbit has any powers. I don¡¯t recognize it, so I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± I reply.


    We continue on, until we all start walking slower from exhaustion.


    When the top of Ragdon Volcano comes into view, I feel like I¡¯m about to walk out into the sky. I turn around for a moment, and the rest of Ragdon looks so tiny. I can still see the purple castle and the smudge of white beyond it. Everything looks so small.


    Phoenix trots ahead, and I follow.


    Maybe I¡¯ll be able to fly out into the sky since I¡¯m so far up.


    Grey gently sets down Ky¡¯s body when we do reach the top.


    We all look around, and I wonder if Arcane is about to pop out from one of the many boulders I see scattered across the top of Ragdon Volcano. More rabbits hop around.


    Their hind legs are so long!


    ¡°So here¡¯s what¡¯s gonna happen,¡± Phoenix says, ¡°Arcane is around here somewhere, and we¡¯re all gonna go off and look and find him. When someone finds him, make him stop and call for the rest of us. Grey and Alex, you¡¯re splitting up. Brook and Astra, I don¡¯t care what you do. I might not be very nice, but I ain¡¯t so much of a monster that I¡¯m gonna make you see the guy who killed your mother or friend.¡±


    Phoenix flicks his tail and walks off. Grey and Alex follow suit, and the three each go a different way.


    ¡°Do you want to search?¡± Brook asks me.


    ¡°Do you?¡± I reply.


    ¡°I am fine either way. I do not wish to see Arcane, but I also would like some answers as to what happened. I will leave it up to you.¡±


    I look at my paws. If what happened to Freedom was what happened to the Guard and Soldiers in the Field, then Lucius would¡¯ve come. Lucius doesn¡¯t return anyone they take. But I also want to hear what happened, but I don¡¯t think it will change anything.


    ¡°We can help Phoenix,¡± I say.


    Brook nods. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s search for Arcane.¡±


    I walk next to Brook with my nose to the ground. I sniff and listen, angling my ears this way and that. We continue wandering for a while, long enough to the point I begin to grow bored and lose focus. The flowers I keep passing look more and more interesting.


    But just when I¡¯m about to trot off and look at the flowers, I start running, ignoring Brook¡¯s calls for me to stop.


    I take off at a sprint, just slow enough that I don¡¯t break the speed of sound and create the whistling clap but fast enough that I can get to where I want to go. I¡¯m across the top of Ragdon Volcano in a few seconds, and I slow down to turn the corner around a particularly large boulder.


    I tumble back into a somersault when I crash into a leg.

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 9 - Cant or Wont?

    Chapter 9


    Can''t or Won''t?


    I roll to my stomach and look up at the biggest creature I''ve ever seen. They''re bigger than Brook, and bigger than even the Blood Demon. Stars and galaxies cover their body in as many colors as the rainbow barrier had, and eight golden earrings hang from an ear. Seven are golden rings, and one has a dangling diamond that catches and scatters light that I want to chase. A black mane of fur tinged with every color runs down their whole spine. They stand on four legs and look like a wolf.


    "You''re a giant!" I say, jaw dropping as I crane my neck back. My wings flutter with excitement.


    "I suppose I am to you," they reply softly.


    "Are you ever gonna blink?" I ask when we stare at each other for a long time and they never close their eyes.


    The creature shakes their head. "No, I cannot."


    I frown. "Why not? That doesn''t sound like fun."


    "I''m the Midnight Wolf," they say.


    I jump to my paws and gasp. "Are you Arcane?"


    He nods. "Yes, I am Arcane."


    "Ky said you could help him! You have to help him. He''s dead, but not really, but maybe he is? I don''t know. And Ky needs your help so he can be alive again. I don''t know if he met Lucius, but he''s not alive. Or at least he isn''t breathing and he''s not moving and living things move. It''s confusing. But you gotta help him, Arcane! You can do it. Ky said you could. He''s nice. At least, I think he is. But come on, he''s over here. His brother said he''s gonna find you so you can help Ky. He said he''d make you and he''s scary when he''s angry. He can hurt you. He has fire, and it''s so loud... but if you help Ky I don''t think he''ll hurt you!" I trail off, thinking for a moment, and then look up at Arcane. "You can help Ky, right?"


    Arcane''s ears draw back, and he sits down, curling his red tail around his paws. The swan on his foreleg flaps its wings. "I cannot. I''m sorry."


    My ears fall, and my wings droop. "Why not? Ky said you could. He said so before the Blood Demon got here. You have to help him."


    Arcane shakes his head. "I cannot."


    "Why? Is it because you killed Freedom?"


    Arcane flinches when I say her name, and he rises to his paws and backs up a few steps. "Y-." Arcane''s voice cracks. "Yes."


    "Why?"


    "I killed her," Arcane whispers. "I killed Freedom, and look what happened."


    Tears well up in his eyes when he looks at me. Arcane ducks his head to be at my level, but he still towers over me.


    "She''s my mom," I tell him in an attempt to make him feel better by sharing something I like. "Well, one of my moms. I have two. Isn''t that awesome?"


    Arcane takes another step back.


    "You... you''re Freedom''s child. I-I''m sorry." Arcane stares straight through me, before he backs up another step. "I''m so sorry. I-I-I can''t."


    Arcane scrambles back several paces and trips over his paws, falling back until he rolls to his side. He regains his balance and stands up.


    Arcane turns around and runs off. His red tail waves behind him as he bounds away. He disappears behind a pile of rocks. I watch him, and Arcane is gone.


    Brook canters up to me, slowing down until she stops before me. "Who were you talking to?"


    "Arcane," I say, looking over my shoulder. I can smell where he went.


    "Where did he go?" Brook looks past me, nose twitching as she scents the air. Her ears swivel in every direction.


    "I told him Freedom is one of my moms, and then he ran away."


    "What else did you talk about?"


    "I told him he should help Ky, but he said no. He said he couldn''t."


    Brook hums. "Phoenix isn''t going to be happy about that."


    "No?"


    "Phoenix loves his brother more than anything. Hopefully Arcane will change his mind. I''d like to meet him, though."


    "He went that way." I lean to the side to see a little further past the boulder. I can still smell the path Arcane took.


    xxxx


    Grey, Alex, and Phoenix show up shortly after Brook had reached me. Sweat drips down Grey''s face, and he scans everywhere, turning in a full circle with Ky still in his arms to see his surroundings.


    "Hey," Alex says, "where''s Arcane? Did''ja find him? We ¡ªwell, Phoenix¡ª heard a commotion, so we came over."


    "Astra did," Brook replies.


    "So... where is he?" Phoenix asks. He narrows his eyes and curls his lips. He flattens his neck, flicking his tail.


    "He left," I say. "He ran away after I told him Freedom was my mom. Is my mom?"


    "Fucking coward. Lucky for him, he reeks of power. Won''t be hard to find him. Honestly surprised you can''t smell it, Alex. You too, Grey. Human noses." Phoenix shakes his head.


    Alex huffs. "What does power even smell like? How can an idea even have a smell?"


    Phoenix takes a step to the side, claws digging into the rock of Ragdon Volcano. He draws his ears back. "It clings to your nose. Makes you want to sneeze. Takes over your senses until it''s hard to scent anything else. Power smells dark. It smells looming. It smells like a monster coaxing a child into the night with a gentle hand and soft words, only to leave the child in the middle of a dark forest with no one in sight. Power smells like your worst nightmare."


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "You have nightmares?" I ask.


    Phoenix snorts. "Everyone does. If they say they don''t, they''re liars. Everyone''s scared of something."


    "What are you scared of?"


    Phoenix goes very still as the flames on his body flatten out and he takes a deep breath, then looks at me with an angry expression. "Don''t ask that question, Astra. Anyway, Arcane went this way, and he still needs to bring Ky back from wherever he is currently."


    Phoenix jerks his muzzle in the same direction I watched Arcane run off in, and we set off. Brook offers to take Ky, but Grey declines.


    "I mean," Alex says, "it''s not like there''s really all that many places Arcane could be. He''s pretty big, right?"


    I scamper a few steps, bouncing on my paws. "He was really huge. He was bigger than the Blood Demon, and the Blood Demon was ginormous."


    We don''t have to walk long to find Arcane. He''s too big to miss, and he didn''t go far.


    Arcane sits with his back to us, hunched over and staring out down the slopes of Ragdon Volcano.


    Grey gasps at the sight of the Midnight Wolf, and Alex copies the sound. I look up at Brook, and she pins her ears and stops walking. Phoenix stalks forward.


    "Arcane," he growls.


    "Hello," Arcane replies. He doesn''t move.


    "You''re going to heal my brother."


    Arcane lifts his head but keeps his back to Phoenix.


    Grey gently sets Ky down. I watch how Ky''s fluffy fur shifts and then goes still, only moving when ruffled by a breeze. There are no trees to block the wind. Ky doesn''t even twitch.


    "I''m very sorry to tell you that will not be happening." Arcane shifts but remains sitting and gazing down the side of Ragdon Volcano.


    What is he looking at?


    Phoenix stalks up to Arcane, flames blazing on his fur. He glows.


    "Heal Ky. Heal my brother. He said you can help him, so help him." There''s no question in Phoenix''s voice. It''s an order.


    "I..." Arcane ticks his head to the side. His voice shakes. "I cannot."


    Fire explodes on Phoenix''s body. It pours off him in waves.


    "I didn''t fucking ask. I''m telling you to heal my brother. He said you can help him, so I am telling you to fucking help my brother."


    Phoenix takes another few steps closer. He looks like he''s hunting, but he only reaches barely halfway up Arcane''s foreleg.


    Arcane suddenly stands. He takes a step, rocking back and forth, before he shakes and braces his legs as he twists his whole body. The mane running down his spine flops back and forth. He yawns after he stops, turning around finally.


    "You tired?" Phoenix jeers.


    Arcane shakes his head. "No. I haven''t been around this many beings in sixty years."


    "Is it stressful?" Phoenix bites out in a sing-song voice that sounds too playful for him.


    I don''t know what to make of it.


    "Phoenix-," Grey starts, but the black cat cuts him off.


    "Don''t even try to tell me what to do. If Arcane''s stressed, I couldn''t care less. But right now my own brother is laying all but dead. So Arcane will be healing Ky. I know you''ve got the Aquarius constellation, Arcane, so don''t even try lying to me."


    "Do you know what happened the last time I used the Aquarius constellation?" Arcane asks.


    "You killed Freedom," Brook says before Phoenix can speak. She holds her head high, and her mane and tail wave in the breeze.


    Arcane lowers his gaze to his paws. I watch the tears wobble in his eyes. He still doesn''t blink, and it creeps me out.


    "I did," Arcane says, voice breaking. "I killed Freedom. That''s why I will not heal Ky. I can''t help your brother, Phoenix. I''m sorry. I truly am."


    "Can''t or won''t?" Grey asks. He studies Arcane.


    Arcane draws his ears back and slumps back down, sitting on his haunches. "Does it really matter?"


    "Yes, it matters. I don''t care if you''re scared. Well, too damn bad. Everyone''s scared. But what you don''t get to do is sit around and mope. You''ve had sixty years to do that. Now get up, and heal my fucking brother, Arcane. I''d do it myself, but I''m not the one who''s the Midnight Wolf, now am I?" Phoenix bares his teeth.


    Arcane watches Phoenix for a few moments before shaking his head. "No."


    Phoenix bristles and stares back before fire bursts from his fur and covers him completely to the point that I cannot see him. I jump back in surprise. Arcane doesn''t flinch.


    "You know that fire cannot hurt me. If you know Aquarius allows me to heal, then you also must know far more about Midnight Wolves." Arcane''s voice is flat.


    Phoenix snarls. "You''re just being a coward, ain''t ya? Just a dumb fucking coward hiding behind the fact that you made one kill sixty goddamn years ago! You killed one being by a complete fucking mistake, and now you ain''t gonna help my brother? Ky needs you. He believed in you. I never gave a shit. I thought you were dead. I didn''t care until my brother sacrificed himself when he didn''t have to and you, Arcane, are the only shot I have at getting my brother back. The only chance I''ve got at getting back my family. We came here, Arcane. And now you are being a goddamn pansy about it and won''t even try. I know you can do it. I know you still have that Aquarius constellation no matter how much you try to claw it off your body. I know Aquarius never goes away and you can''t separate it from yourself, no matter how hard you try. I know that you know that the only way you get rid of Aquarius is you die yourself. And I know that you know that you will never die until you shed the Midnight Tear, because you will live for an eternal eternity until that moment.


    "You know what you''re being right now, Arcane? You know? You''re behaving an awful lot like a cream puff."


    Arcane flinches this time, eyes narrowing but not closing.


    "You''re right that Aquarius goes away. I''ve tried too many times. I cannot claw the constellation from my flesh." Arcane sighs. "I''d close my eyes and shed the Midnight Tear so it all goes away and I can make things right. There''s only one reason I''m still alive, and some days it doesn''t feel like it''s enough. I''m immortal, but what does that really mean? I won''t die until I blink, but am I really alive right now? You just told me you thought me dead a moment ago, Phoenix. I don''t doubt that many feel the same way. Am I really still alive if most believe I am dead?"


    "You might be all but dead," Phoenix spits, "with you just living up here all alone and rotting for eternity. So tell me, Arcane, are you gonna be such a coward that you won''t take up a stance against the cream puff? Are you too scared, even when everyone thinks you''re dead?"


    Arcane turns his attention to Ky''s body. He does look scared, and light flashes on the earrings hanging from his left ear as he shrinks back. His purple claws dig into the ground, and he looks like he''s about to run.


    "It''s easier to just let everyone think I''m gone. Even if they acknowledge the inconsistency that there is no new Midnight Wolf, it''s easier. And what use could I be against the King? I''ve already helped him. I took out his biggest competition. I killed Freedom. She was so powerful, and she used her magic to alter everyone''s emotions just enough that they couldn''t fall for the King''s commands. Maybe it was manipulative, but she at least fought for a good cause. So how could I help when I''ve already helped the King?"


    "You''d be bringing back someone who didn''t fucking deserve to be cornered into fucking summoning the Blood Demon," Phoenix snarls. His flames explode and blaze.


    Arcane raises his eyebrows and pricks his ears. "Ky summoned the Blood Demon?"


    Alex frowns, and so do Brook and Grey. Alex looks surprised.


    Phoenix glowers. "What does it mean to you?"


    "I didn''t realize that''s what Ky had done. He''s an illusionist, right?"


    Phoenix nods. "Is an illusionist. You''re gonna help him."


    "He must be quite a powerful one, then, if he could summon the Blood Demon."


    "Ky is quite powerful. You''re gonna help him."


    "I can''t," Arcane pleads, taking a step back.


    "You will." Phoenix takes a step forward.


    "I can''t." Arcane takes another step back.


    "You will." Phoenix takes another step forward.


    Phoenix is shorter than Brook, and Arcane towers over my stepmother. But Arcane still backs up when Phoenix walks forward.


    "Please," Arcane says, "don''t make me. You know what happened with Freedom. I''ll just kill your brother."


    "But you won''t."


    "Why? Freedom is dead. The spot where she died is right down there." Arcane whips his head to the side.


    I follow his line of sight to about halfway down the side of Ragdon Volcano. I can see a few deep lines carved into the stone and dirt, but it otherwise looks like any other part of the Volcano I''ve seen. Where Arcane''s looking doesn''t seem like the place Freedom died.


    How did she die? How did my mom die when Arcane didn''t mean to? If he didn''t want to hurt her, why did she have to die? Why did Lucius have to take her?


    Arcane takes several deep breaths, and I pause, returning my attention to him. Maybe he can now heal Ky and make him better.


    "Ok," Arcane says. "You really want me to try?"


    "Not try. I want you to do. Heal Ky. It''s not that hard."


    "I-I..."


    "Do it, Arcane."


    "Please, Arcane," Grey says.


    "I-if you..." Arcane trails off. "If you solve a riddle, I''ll consider it."


    Phoenix scowls.


    A riddle?

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 10 - This Is the Real World Now

    Chapter 10


    This Is the Real World Now


    "A riddle?" Phoenix echoes. "You want us to solve a fucking riddle?"


    Arcane ducks his head. He still hasn''t blinked even once, and it''s creeping me out. I''ve been watching him closely, and he hasn''t closed his eyes.


    "Yes," Arcane replies, "a riddle of sorts."


    "Why not just heal Ky? You help my brother, and we say our goodbyes and we''ll just leave you here to spend eternity never seeing another soul forever. You can get back to your lonely little life and forget we ever came."


    "I can never forget."


    "Yeah, yeah, you killed Freedom. But Ky said you can help him, so help my brother. He''s the one who never turned his back on you. He never doubted you existed for a second."


    "I appreciate that."


    "Are you going to tell us the riddle?" Brook asks.


    Arcane sits down and paws at a loose rock on the ground. "Very well. I suppose, though, that it''s less of a riddle."


    Phoenix stomps in a circle around Ky''s body.


    "What do we have to do?" Grey asks.


    Arcane stares off to the side. One of the rabbits that I''ve seen hops across the ground. Its fur is still so colorful, and it has so many eyes. Unlike Arcane, the rabbit does blink. All of its eyes close at different times, and each eye looks at all of us. I take a step back under the attention, flicking my tail and lifting my wings in case I need to run.


    "You have to catch Lepus."


    "Lepus?" Alex echoes.


    Phoenix sighs and grumbles. "It''s the name of the rabbit constellation. Ky said you had it. And you do, don''cha? Right there on your muzzle. So we catch you a bunny, and you bring back Ky?"


    "If one of you catches Lepus, I will think about helping your brother. Tell me when you think you can catch Lepus. Do that, and I''ll think about it."


    Arcane stands back up and leaves. He''s giant, but he somehow manages to disappear out of sight.


    Phoenix spins around "Astra, catch Lepus. Apparently Arcane doesn''t know about your speed. This''ll be over quick."


    I nod.


    All around me, there are rabbits with rainbow fur, two antennae, and too many eyes to count. They hop around, sniffing the ground and nibbling on whatever plants they can find. I watch them and try to find the weakest one, the rabbit that will be the easiest to catch. As soon as I''ve found my target, I bounce on my toes a few times and then bolt.


    I flap my wings as I dig my hind toes into the ground to push myself past the sound barrier. The rabbits scatter immediately, which is my first sign something is different. In the Field, it always took at least few moments, if the mice ever noticed and reacted at all. But I bunch up all my limbs and then take another stride, stretching out as much as I can to go as fast as possible. I keep my gaze locked onto one rabbit, the one I''ve chosen. When it darts to the side, I swing my tail out for balance and use my hind legs to turn in the new direction. I never look away from the rabbit, no matter where it turns. It can''t escape, not when I can outrun it.


    I can''t run for long, but I can run fast.


    Every time the rabbit changes direction, I follow close behind, ears pinned as I draw in big breaths of air. I can feel my heart racing, and I know soon I''ll have to stop. The second thing I notice is that the rabbits run as fast as me. The one I chase doesn''t slow. The mice in the Field could never go as fast as I can.


    The rabbit runs straight ahead, and I take the opportunity to push myself faster than I''ve ever gone before. I don''t have much more time before I''ll be forced to stop, and I want to catch the rabbit. I squint against the wind. My muscles burn and stretch with the movement and speed. I haven''t run this fast, but it feels right. Like a part of me I''m just now discovering. I feel the air rush through my fur and the steady patter of my feet, the pattern of my paws hitting the ground in the same order every time.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    When the rabbit turns, it''s natural to lean and adjust to keep my balance, to use my wings and tail to steady myself.


    But then the rabbit disappears down a burrow that I''m certain wasn''t there before. I dig my claws into the rock to spin in a circle and figure out where the rabbit went. When I do so, though, my legs rotate out from beneath me and I skid across the rough ground, tumbling in a roll. The rock beneath me scratches my paw pads and tugs painfully at my fur and feathers. I come to a stop on my side and lay there for several moments, sides heaving as pain and numbness twist through my limbs, sharp prickles and the swirling, fuzzy feeling of nothing. My toes twitch as the exhaustion hits me like a blow now that I''m no longer moving.


    "Dang it!" I complain, echoing words I once heard Brook use, then add in one I''ve heard Phoenix use lots. "Fuck!"


    I stay down, panting as heat curls in my insides. My muscles burn and spasm, and my paws hurt. I open my mouth wider to try to cool down.


    Brook noses my head. I hadn''t heard her approach.


    "S-so... so-. F-fast," I manage to say, rolling to my stomach in a clumsy movement.


    "It seems so."


    "Whoah, Astra, was that rabbit faster than you?" Alex asks. She jogs up to me.


    It looks so awkward, a human running. Four legs is faster, and so much easier. I distantly wonder how Alex doesn''t fall over.


    Grey shifts into his bird form behind Alex and stretches out a wing to cast shade over me. I nod in response, trying to say thank you but I''m panting too hard.


    My vision blurs as I watch a few of the Lepus rabbits cross by us. Their forms warp and split, and I blink several times until each rabbit returns to one again. The thousand beady eyes of the Lepus rabbits stare at me and blink every so often.


    I''m so tired. I lay my head on my foreleg.


    "Are you alright?" Brook asks. "What can I do?"


    I shrug.


    "We can stay here for a while," Brook says.


    We eventually walk back to Phoenix. Brook carries me on her back after Alex had lifted me up. I doze on the short trip back, but wake again when my stepmother stops. Exhaustion pulls at me and Dreamland feels so tempting, but I stay awake.


    "So apparently the rabbit can''t be caught with pure speed," Phoenix mutters, "''cuz otherwise you''d have a rabbit in your jaws right now."


    "Unfortunately, I don''t think it will be that easy," Brook replies. I push myself up onto my forelegs and stretch out a hind leg to keep my balance. I flick my tail as I listen.


    "Duh, who''da thunk such a thing. Maybe I can just force him to surrender and heal Ky."


    Grey grows visibly uncomfortable. "Phoenix," he says carefully, "I don''t think that will work in the way you''re hoping."


    "Says the one who never wants to take a life. Grow up, Grey. This is the real world now. You''re gonna have to kill when you''re going up against someone like the cream puff. And Ky ain''t staying gone. So if I have to hash it out with a Midnight Wolf, so be it. I ain''t afraid. You don''t want to see it, no one''s forcing you to stay."


    "I think what my brother''s trying to say is that Arcane is a Midnight Wolf," Alex says. "I don''t know as much as Ky does about them, but they''re powerful. From what I understand, Arcane could heal anyone so long as Lucius hadn''t claimed them yet, no matter how extensive the injuries. That''s a lot of power."


    "So what? Ky can''t stay gone. If I have to challenge a Midnight Wolf, I will. No one can scare me. I''m not a kid anymore."


    Phoenix scowls and glares when Brook widens her eyes and lifts her head. He flashes his teeth, and I frown, looking between the two of them. Phoenix stiffens, and Brook relaxes, swishing her tail and taking a few steps away. Her hooves are loud on the rock of Ragdon Volcano.


    I watch both of them from Brook''s back. What just happened? I don''t understand.


    "Let''s make sure it doesn''t come to that, then. How about that?" Brook asks.


    "Fine, but I''m not waiting around. How are we going to catch a rabbit if we don''t go straight to the source? How will we catch Lepus if we can''t outrun a damn rabbit?"


    "Set a trap?" Alex offers. "Somehow corner the bunny, and then bring it to Arcane."


    "It..." I shift on Brook''s back and take a deep breath. "Lepus went... a hole appeared. It wasn''t th-there before."


    "It made its own den. It''s like you, Brook. It can make portals to other places."


    Brook doesn''t respond. She draws her ears back, then swivels them as she listens all around. She rocks her weight on her legs.


    "I don''t think so," Grey says. "I don''t think Lepus made a portal."


    "How else did it disappear? I''m assuming Astra''s not a liar."


    "I''m assuming the same as well. All I''m saying is that I don''t think Lepus disappeared from a portal."


    "Wait, hold up," Alex says. She fiddles with the pewter pendant around her neck. "How else would Lepus disappear? Do the bunnies have illusions or something?"


    "Arcane has constellations all over his body. I''m pretty sure I saw the Lepus constellation among those. If he uses Aquarius to heal, I''d guess that he can also use Lepus. I don''t know if the rabbit constellation holds any powers, but I''d also guess that he can summon those rabbits and control them."


    "So Arcane decides what the rabbits do," Brook says, voice trailing off.


    Grey nods. "I think so."


    I turn on Brook''s back and watch the rainbow rabbits hop around. Their noses quiver, and I try to mimic the movement, wrinkling my own nose.


    Arcane''s voice rings through my head, echoing what he''d told us: If one of you catches Lepus, I will think about helping your brother. Tell me when you think you can catch Lepus. Do that, and I''ll think about it.


    I tilt my head to the side. A breeze blows by, stirring my fur and ruffing the feathers on my wings. The antennae on the rabbits wave in the wind, and they all narrow their many eyes.


    But when I make the connections, I leap off Brook''s back. I tremble again, but this time it''s from excitement, not exhaustion.


    "I know it!" I exclaim.


    "You know what?" Alex asks.


    "I can catch the rabbit. I know how." I grin and then bolt, spreading my wings and angling them as I sprint off before anyone can reply and tell me to stop.


    I don''t break the speed of sound. I''m too tired for that. But it doesn''t matter, because Arcane can''t be far.


    I know I can catch Lepus, so now all I have to do is find the Midnight Wolf and tell him.

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 11 - I Said Id Think About It

    Chapter 11


    I Said I¡¯d Think About It


    It doesn¡¯t take long to find Arcane. He¡¯s too big to hide, he hasn¡¯t gone far, and I can track his scent.


    ¡°Arcane!¡± I slow to a lope, and then stop several paces away from him.


    The Midnight Wolf stands up. He slowly turns around, and he almost trips on his paws. He curls his toes to keep his balance. His claws are purple. Seven golden rings shine in the light on his ear, and a blue gem in the shape of a diamond does, too. The galaxies on Arcane¡¯s body shift and spin, as mesmerizing as the kaleidoscope on the barrier around the Field was.


    ¡°Astra,¡± Arcane replies, ducking his head momentarily. The diamond hits his temple when he does so.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to let you know that I think I can catch Lepus.¡±


    Arcane hums. ¡°I was wondering who would figure it out. Here, catch Lepus.¡±


    One of the rainbow rabbits swirls into existence and crouches on the ground, nose quivering. I tense my muscles, waiting for it to run or do something. But it never moves, and after a moment, I leap and catch it between my paws.


    ¡°You told us the answer!¡± I hold the rabbit to my chest so it can¡¯t escape.


    ¡°True,¡± Arcane replies, ¡°but some of your group didn¡¯t strike me as the type to catch the simple wording and command.¡±


    The rabbit shimmers and vanishes, and the Lepus constellation on Arcane¡¯s muzzle shifts. One of the stars making up its ear flicks.


    ¡°Phoenix wanted to fight you,¡± I say.


    ¡°That does not surprise me. I don¡¯t blame him.¡±


    ¡°But he said he wanted to hurt you. Fighting would hurt you. That¡¯s what fighting does¡ª it hurts everyone.¡±


    Arcane doesn¡¯t reply for a while. He sits down and tilts his head, angling an ear back as he thinks. He squints but doesn¡¯t close his eyes.


    ¡°Do you remember your mother, Astra?¡± Arcane finally asks.


    I shake my head. ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°Do you know anything about her?¡±


    ¡°Brook said she was really nice.¡±


    Arcane smiles. He shakes to shift the mane on his spine. I ruffle my wings so the feathers sit right.


    ¡°Brook is right. Freedom was very nice. One of the nicest beings I ever met. And she cared for you deeply, too.¡± Arcane glances at me before continuing. ¡°I only saw her a few times after you were born, but she was so proud of you. Wouldn¡¯t stop talking about you and what you¡¯d done recently and what you were up to, not that I¡¯d ever have told her to stop. She loved you so much, Astra.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°Because I killed your mother, Astra, but I never meant to. I was trying to heal a wound she got when she fell that was too deep to let heal on its own. My healing powers require that I keep a delicate balance, and when I was healing Freedom that day, the balance slipped and I accidentally killed her. That¡¯s why Phoenix¡¯s anger toward me doesn¡¯t surprise me. I cannot blame him. Ky and Phoenix are brothers. I don¡¯t know either of them personally, but they seem very, very close. Phoenix doesn¡¯t want to give up on his family. That¡¯s the same reason why I wouldn¡¯t blame you if you told me that you wanted to hurt me.¡±


    I look at my paws. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I want to believe you, but I don¡¯t know. Are you lying?¡±


    I stare up at Arcane, and he meets my gaze. ¡°I am not.¡±


    I sit down, back arched. I pull my tail and wings in tight. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I believe you. You killed my mom.¡±


    Arcane sighs. ¡°I know. It¡¯s why I stay up here. I cannot take back what I did, but I hope that one day I can finally get my chance to make things right.¡±


    ¡°So are you going to heal Ky?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    I spring to my paws and spread my wings. I hook my dew claws into the ground as I brace myself. ¡°But you said you would! You said you can help Ky! I caught Lepus, so heal Ky!¡±


    Arcane pins back his ears. He takes a step back. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t though. I only said that if one of you caught Lepus, that I¡¯d think about helping Ky. The last time I used the power of Aquarius, I killed Freedom, Astra. I can¡¯t make that mistake again.¡±


    I flinch.


    He killed my mom. He killed Freedom, and yet I still want him to use the same power that killed my mom on Ky to heal him. My mind twists at the realization.


    How can I want him to use the same power again? Does that make me bad? Does that mean I don¡¯t love my first mom?


    I think that makes me bad.


    Ky doesn¡¯t seem mean, but how can I want Arcane to use the power that killed my mom on Ky? What if he messes up? Would it be my fault, because I figured out how to catch the rabbit? I caught Lepus.


    My vision narrows, and then it blurs, and I can¡¯t get enough air, and I have to sit down, and I can¡¯t feel my legs, and I feel like I¡¯m going to fall over, and my body starts tingling, and then it goes numb. My heart pounds in my chest, and it feels like it¡¯s trying to run away from my body. I curl to the ground and pull my paws and wings in tight to keep my heart from escaping. I can¡¯t hear anything, but somehow Arcane¡¯s voice cuts through.


    ¡°Astra!¡± he calls. ¡°Astra.¡±


    I jerk away from him when I sense him getting closer, and my heart races even faster. Far faster than it had gone when I chased the Lepus rabbit, and I feel like my heart might really run away from me.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll stay over here,¡± Arcane says.


    ¡°You-¡­ you have to help Ky. I-I-. I want you to help Ky, but you killed my mom.¡± I start talking, and once I do, I can¡¯t stop. The words just keep coming from my mouth like the fleeing rabbits I¡¯d gone after, running, running, running. ¡°You killed my mom, and then I lived in the Field with Brook and she was nice and she¡¯s my mom, too, but then the Guard and Soldiers came. Ky had to die or not die but be gone because otherwise we all would¡¯ve died, but there were so many dead Guard and Soldiers and Brook got hurt and so did Phoenix and Grey and Alex. And I guess Brook knew the King and so does my dad, but Ky and Phoenix don¡¯t like him. They call him the cream puff. And everyone keeps talking like they know so much and I guess they do, but I don¡¯t. I know the Field and Ragdon isn¡¯t the Field. I thought Brook made it all up, but it¡¯s all real.¡± My voice cracks and shakes. ¡°It¡¯s all real.¡±


    ¡°You never saw the outside world?¡±


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    I shake my head, panting for breath. I swallow several times before I respond. ¡°No. Brook told me my mom and dad told her to take me somewhere safe because an evil King and his Dragon were going to hurt me. She made the Field so I could be safe.¡±


    Tears well up in my eyes. ¡°There were so many of them,¡± I continue, and my voice pitches up into a whine. ¡°There were so many, and they all wanted to hurt me, and they were all trying to grab me. The Field was supposed to be safe. Brook and I weren¡¯t ever gonna leave. But then they all came in, and they broke it all, and they walked over everything, and they destroyed it all. They all died. They were so bloody. They weren¡¯t moving, and they looked like they were sleeping. They looked how Ky does but bloody. Ky¡¯s not bloody. The Blood Demon took it all from him.¡±


    When I close my eyes, all I can see is the bodies of the Guard and Soldiers lying all around the Field. Some have burns, some have bones sticking out from their bodies, and some have more blood showing than skin. They¡¯re all dead, and I don¡¯t know what to make of it.


    But when I open my eyes, I can still see them.


    ¡°You never should¡¯ve had to see that,¡± Arcane whispers. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t go away. They were in the Field. They were everywhere. Brook told me the King has so many Guard and Soldiers. What if they come back? What if Brook dies?¡± I shake, and tears drip down my cheeks.


    Arcane sighs above me, and I look up at him. His mouth twists, and he wrinkles his muzzle. The Midnight Tear wobbles in his eyes, like it¡¯s going to fall but it never does.


    ¡°The Guard and Soldiers don¡¯t come up here,¡± Arcane says. ¡°They can¡¯t get to you. Your friends would kill them all.¡±


    ¡°Would you fight them? They¡¯re so scary. There¡¯s so many of them, and they have those swords and arrows and they want to kill us all and I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d want to,¡± Arcane says softly, ¡°but I don¡¯t know if I would. After what I did with Freedom, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s my place anymore to decide who lives and who dies.¡±


    ¡°You could help Ky.¡±


    Arcane looks away. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. I¡¯ll walk you back to the others.¡±


    xxxx


    When we reach the rest of the group, Phoenix immediately stands up from where he¡¯d been laying beside Ky¡¯s body.


    ¡°Well,¡± he says, ¡°you here to help my brother?¡±


    Arcane shakes his head, and Phoenix looks like he wants to fight someone. I scamper over to Brook. She noses the top of my head.


    ¡°It seems that you figured out how to catch one of the Lepus rabbits?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Yeah! I just had to ask. It wasn¡¯t really that hard.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re very smart, Astra. You¡¯re very intelligent.¡±


    ¡°Will you help Ky?¡± Grey asks. ¡°You have the Aquarius constellation, so I know you can.¡±


    Arcane backs up a step. ¡°You know what I did to Freedom, so you know why I feel I cannot.¡±


    ¡°You told us to catch a fucking bunny, and Astra just did it. Heal my brother.¡± Phoenix lashes his tail. He¡¯s panting and shaking, and his eyes glow.


    ¡°Why give us the riddle if you were never going to help Ky?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± Arcane ducks his head and rocks back and forth on his paws. He curls his tail between his hind legs. ¡°I want to, but look what happened the last time. I killed Freedom. I killed Astra¡¯s mother. I destroyed a family. I tore Ragdon apart. The King is now in power.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill the cream puff if that¡¯s what you¡¯re so worried about. The sooner you heal my brother, the sooner we leave. Bring back Ky. He¡¯s not dead, so I know you can.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s so close to death. Lucius must be hovering right over him, waiting to make their move. One little mistake, an-.¡±


    Phoenix stalks closer to Arcane, and I weave between Brook¡¯s legs. Grey shifts on his feet. He looks uncomfortable. Alex grimaces.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna make a mistake, now are you, Arcane? You¡¯re the Midnight Wolf.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix,¡± Arcane says, and it almost sounds like he¡¯s pleading.


    ¡°Arcane,¡± Phoenix sneers.


    Arcane leans back, and then he stands tall. His eyes hold an emotion I can¡¯t identify. Something ancient, distant, hesitant.


    The world feels like it holds its breath as Arcane studies Ky, and I stay still, just watching through wide eyes. I prick my ears as I wait. Arcane tilts his head, and his nose twitches. He keeps his tail close to his legs. The Aquarius constellation glows and shimmers bright on his shoulder.


    The power that can bring back Ky.


    Phoenix bares his teeth but makes no sound, tense as he watches Arcane. Crusted and burned blood lines the gash on his ripped ear, the one that the Soldier tore in two right after Ky summoned the Blood Demon. When the purple locks of hair fall into his eyes, Phoenix shakes them back.


    ¡°You fucking pansy. You can¡¯t even do it? Astra caught you a fucking rabbit. She caught Lepus, and now you¡¯re not gonna bring back my brother?¡±


    Phoenix paces and spits. His flames crackle and spark on his body, and they¡¯re loud.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t even use your powers, then what are you still doing here? Why are you still here if all you do is sit around at the top of Ragdon Volcano where no one ever sees you and no one ever visits you and basically everybody thinks you¡¯re dead. What are you even doing, Arcane? Sixty years has gone by. Help my fucking brother. I¡¯d do it myself, but unfortunately fire can¡¯t bring someone back. I¡¯m the only Phoenix.¡±


    Phoenix scoffs, and he ticks his head to the side, tongue curling around his teeth.


    ¡°He¡¯s the one who believed in you. Ky never lost hope that you were still out there somewhere. I believed you were dead. But it seemed we were both right. You¡¯re still alive, Arcane, but you might as well be dead.¡±


    Grey flinches, and Alex catches his arm before he can move forward. ¡°Not now,¡± she whispers in his ear. ¡°He¡¯s too angry.¡±


    I glance back at the two of them. Wind ruffles Ky¡¯s fluffy fur, and it almost looks like he¡¯s breathing. He still doesn¡¯t move, though, and I can¡¯t help but feel sad.


    I look back at Arcane. Maybe if I hope hard enough he¡¯ll change his mind. If Ky had never come to the Field, then he wouldn¡¯t have summoned the Blood Demon, and if he hadn¡¯t summoned the Blood Demon, he¡¯d still be ok. But he¡¯s not ok now, because he did come to the Field and he did summon the Blood Demon.


    Arcane only stays with us for another minute or two. Phoenix tries to convince him to help Ky. Arcane seems increasingly more uncomfortable. He can¡¯t stay in one place, and he shakes out the mane of fur on his spine several times.


    I step away from Brook when I see movement on Arcane¡¯s shoulder. The massive pink galaxy starts to spin as Arcane slowly backs away from Phoenix, who keeps stalking closer. Arcane bounces his attention between Phoenix and Ky, until he focuses entirely on Phoenix. The Aquarius constellation moves, stars flickering amongst the countless others scattered across his body.


    ¡°I have to go, please,¡± Arcane pleads.


    ¡°Help my brother, and then you can.¡± Fire pours from Phoenix¡¯s body. He¡¯s bigger than me, but he¡¯s much smaller than Arcane. He still advances.


    I wish I could be like that.


    Arcane turns around and leaves. He¡¯s gone a moment later.


    Phoenix stomps and hisses and snarls.


    I lay down on my stomach a little ways from Ky, head on my forepaws and wings stretched out on either side of me. The sunlight feels nice on my feathers. I examine Ky more closely than I have before.


    He lays on his side, just how Grey had set him down however long ago that was when we first reached the top of Ragdon Volcano. His shaggy fur ruffles whenever wind blows by. Ky¡¯s eyes are still halfway open, but he doesn¡¯t squint against the wind.


    Come on, Ky, I think, just move. You don¡¯t look dead. Just move.


    I want to scream at him. I want Ky to move. He can¡¯t be dead. He said he wouldn¡¯t be dead, but he¡¯s not moving. He looks dead, but he doesn¡¯t at the same time. He looks like he¡¯s on the edge between dead and alive. Within Lucius¡¯s touch, yet just out of their reach. Ky looks like he could so easily just stand up and ask what everyone¡¯s worried about. He could shake out the few twigs stuck in his fur and ask where Arcane is.


    It feels like if I hope it hard enough, I could get Ky to move and come back to life.


    Phoenix paces beside his brother, muttering curses against Arcane under his breath. He lashes his tail from side to side, and his fur stands on end. His flames crackle loudly, and I¡¯m not sure how nothing has gotten burned.


    ¡°Heal him,¡± Phoenix spits. ¡°All you had to do. It¡¯s not that fucking hard. I¡¯d do it myself if I could. All you had to do was just heal him.¡±


    Grey and Alex talk with each other, but I can¡¯t hear them well. Brook stands off to the side, keeping watch and scanning the horizon for any signs of Guard or Soldiers.


    Slight movement out of the corner of my eye has me snapping my head to the side. I watch as Ky¡¯s pupils slowly dilate until the black covers almost all of the brown, then constrict until the black are mere slits.


    ¡°Ph-Phoenix,¡± I say as I creep closer, belly brushing the ground.


    He stops pacing. ¡°What?¡± he snaps.


    ¡°Ky.¡±


    I prick my ears and watch Ky even closer.


    Phoenix crouches beside me.


    ¡°Ky!¡± he cries. ¡°Can you hear me? It¡¯s me, Phoenix. I¡¯m right here, Ky. Ok? Just listen to my voice. I¡¯m right here, I promise. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±


    Grey and Alex stop talking when they hear Phoenix and rush over, and Brook follows. Her hooves are loud on the rock.


    ¡°Stay the fuck back,¡± Phoenix growls when Grey tries to kneel near Ky. ¡°Give him room to breathe. He can¡¯t do that if you¡¯re all hovering over him.¡±


    Grey holds his hands up and retreats. Brook stops behind me.


    Ky¡¯s eyelids flutter and his eyes stay all the way open his time, but then all movement stops and he¡¯s just as still as he was after he summoned the Blood Demon.


    ¡°No, no, come on, Ky,¡± Phoenix says, nosing at his brother¡¯s neck. ¡°Please, Ky. I¡¯m right here. Whatever you need. I know you¡¯re not cold. I can feel it. What do you need, Ky? Tell me, please. It¡¯s me, your brother, Ky. I¡¯m Phoenix. Come back to me, please. I¡¯m right here. Tell me if I need to go find Arcane again. I¡¯ll do whatever I have to.¡±


    Phoenix squeezes his eyes shut, but I still catch the tear that hisses when it touches fire and turns into steam.


    Ky¡¯s eyes dilate partway again, and he blinks fully. I watch him for another few moments, and his side heaves in a deep breath.

 Unknown - Astra - Chapter 12 - It Cant Be Us

    Chapter 12


    It Can¡¯t Be Us


    ¡°Ky!¡± Phoenix cries.


    Ky exhales, and then draws in another breath. He blinks several times. When he lifts his head, Ky squints and frowns.


    ¡°Where¡­¡± Ky trails off. He looks down at his forepaws and flexes his toes to unsheathe his claws. He rolls to his stomach. ¡°You found Arcane.¡±


    He smiles, then turns in an uncoordinated movement to find his brother. ¡°You found Arcane, Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound so surprised?¡± Phoenix returns Ky¡¯s smile.


    A grin looks weird on Phoenix¡¯s face, but I guess it¡¯s better than a glare.


    ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t believe Arcane was still alive.¡±


    ¡°Well, after what you did Arcane was gonna be alive. And if he wasn¡¯t, I was gonna have words with Lucius so they would reconsider their stance on Arcane¡¯s dead status.¡±


    ¡°How did you convince him? I didn¡¯t think he would use the power of Aquarius after what happened with Freedom.¡±


    I gasp. He didn¡¯t?


    Phoenix jerks back a step, ears pinning to the sides of his skull. ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t think Arcane would use his power?¡±


    Grey widens his eyes, and Alex reaches for her pendant to fiddle with it. I press into Brook¡¯s foreleg.


    Ky shakes his head.


    ¡°Then why the fuck did you summon the Blood Demon?¡±


    Ky chews on his lip and thinks for a minute. He seems to think things over a lot. ¡°I¡­ nothing I can create is real. I can convince anyone of anything, but it¡¯s never real, not like your fire is. Everything I make exists only in others¡¯ minds. The Blood Demon is the only real thing I can make. Alex can see the Blood Demon. Anyone can. I don¡¯t have to make their minds process the illusion in the same way they see the Blood Demon, because everything I create is that¡ª an illusion. Except for the Blood Demon.¡± Ky presses his muzzle into his foreleg and takes a breath before he keeps talking. ¡°Each illusion takes energy, and so when I saw you being suffocated, Phoenix, I panicked. There was only one way I saw any of us getting out. An illusion to control as many Guard and Soldiers as were in the Field? I didn¡¯t have the energy after the fight. And so I summoned the Blood Demon, even though I knew the cost. I decide what purpose the Blood Demon serves when I summon it. It would do whatever I said. I told it to make a way for us to all safely get out of the Field, and so it ate the Guard and Soldiers. They never could¡¯ve stopped it. The Blood Demon is, arguably, the most powerful thing I can create. But it¡¯s got a cost. The level of power sustained within the Blood Demon is a lot. It cannot be had freely.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ because I had the power to. I know you¡¯ve got your fire, but you were being strangled. Brook said she created the Field but could only do it once. The Wolf and the Dove don¡¯t have any big powers like the Blood Demon. They¡¯re just powerful to begin with. I didn¡¯t know about Astra, so it was only me. I had to, Phoenix. We were going to all end up dead.¡±


    ¡°You almost died.¡±


    Ky tilts his head to the side. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Phoenix.¡±


    Phoenix noses into Ky¡¯s neck, and Ky sits up.


    ¡°You¡¯d better be back. Otherwise I¡¯d have to find Arcane.¡±


    Ky laughs. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. You¡¯re right.¡±


    Ky sighs. He runs his cheek over Phoenix¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m back, Phoenix. I¡¯m here. I¡¯m not going anywhere. You got me back, ok?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here. The cream puff isn¡¯t gonna die himself. He¡¯s gonna need some convincing that I¡¯m gonna give him.¡± Phoenix pulls away and lashes his tail. ¡°I¡¯m gonna show his heart that it shouldn¡¯t be beating any more, and then I¡¯m gonna set fire to his flesh but never let it deal too much damage, and then I¡¯m gonna scorch his lungs but still let him breathe. I¡¯ll make him know every little thing he¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°He will know,¡± Ky replies as he follows his brother.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I ask.


    Phoenix looks back over his shoulder. ¡°You are gonna go wherever Brook tells you to.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix, try again,¡± Ky snaps. ¡°That wasn¡¯t very nice and I know you didn¡¯t mean that.¡±


    ¡°Ky and I are leaving. We¡¯re not repeating what happened in the Field.¡±


    Ky stops and sighs. He flicks the end of his tail. ¡°No, Phoenix.¡±


    Phoenix turns around, ears drawing back. I look between the two of them.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Grey whispers, rubbing his hands and forearms. Alex bumps her shoulder into his.


    ¡°Yes, Ky,¡± Phoenix shoots back.


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing this.¡±


    ¡°Yes we are, Ky. You know what happened in the Field, and you know it¡¯s not happening again.¡±


    Ky takes a breath. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? I was there, remember? I¡¯m the one who summoned the Blood Demon. I know what happened that day. And I also know that it wasn¡¯t any of their fault.¡±


    Ky jerks his head back to the rest of us.


    I pull my wings in tight and stand with my paws close together. Brook nuzzles my back before she stands up straight again.


    ¡°We can¡¯t repeat it again,¡± Phoenix pleads.


    It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen him asking like this. I don¡¯t know what to make of it.


    ¡°I know,¡± Ky says. His voice is gentle, nice.


    ¡°We can¡¯t. You know that.¡± Phoenix¡¯s nostrils flare.


    ¡°I know. I know we can¡¯t. You don¡¯t have to convince me of that. But I also know that it was no one¡¯s fault but the cream puff. The Guard and Soldiers were the ones who overran the Field. Brook and Astra never asked for that to happen.¡±


    ¡°They coulda stopped them.¡±


    Ky draws his own ears back. ¡°No, Phoenix. Don¡¯t go there. I know that you know that¡¯s not true. There were too many Guard and Soldiers. There was no stopping them in any way but the Blood Demon. You got me back, Phoenix. And there¡¯s safety in numbers.¡±


    Phoenix scowls. ¡°We were fine on our own before we met Grey and Alex.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to be alone any more.¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s expression darkens further. ¡°What can they do for us? I¡¯m the one who will kill the cream puff.¡±


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    ¡°Everyone needs friends. And they all have their own powers. The cream puff is powerful and he¡¯s got a lot of Guard and Soldiers on his side. But even if the cream puff wasn¡¯t a worry, don¡¯t you think it would be nice to have some friends? We¡¯ve been alone for ten years.¡±


    ¡°We were fine for ten years. Then we meet Grey and Alex and all of this happens. We meet them and then I nearly lose you. That¡¯s not happening.¡±


    Ky sighs. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m supposed to be listening, but I can¡¯t stop.


    I squint when a breeze blows by that ruffles my feathers and fur.


    ¡°I know that, Phoenix. But look at them. They¡¯re all still here. They stuck with you. Who convinced Arcane to let me come back? I don¡¯t think it was all you, Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Astra figured out the riddle,¡± Phoenix mutters.


    ¡°See? I know you hate the cream puff, and I know you want him and everyone who supports him dead. I do, too. No one¡¯s telling you that you can¡¯t. But it also can¡¯t be us forever.¡±


    Grey and Alex both look like they want to say something, but neither speaks. Phoenix glances back at us, then stares for a moment before he exhales through his teeth and bristles. His fur stands on end and his fire crackles and sparks. He pins his ears and lashes his tail.


    ¡°We were fine for a decade, Ky. A fucking decade. We don¡¯t need anyone else. It¡¯s always just been us. We¡¯re fine on our own. Everything bad that¡¯s happened has happened since we met Grey and Alex. What part of that don¡¯t you understand? I can¡¯t lose you again, Ky. We don¡¯t need them.¡±


    Phoenix presses his forehead into his brother¡¯s neck, and Ky tilts his head up. Ky¡¯s thick fur keeps him safe from Phoenix¡¯s horns, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯d hurt Ky anyway. Not with how he wanted to fight Arcane to make him bring back Ky.


    ¡°Please, we don¡¯t need them.¡±


    Ky gives a sorry look to Brook, but she shakes her head. It¡¯s ok, she seems to say. She doesn¡¯t seem upset at all.


    ¡°Phoenix, things haven¡¯t been fine.¡± Ky pulls back. ¡°Things aren¡¯t ok. The last decade of our life has been spent hunting the cream puff. The fucking King of Ragdon. I¡¯m not saying we shouldn¡¯t, but it¡¯s consumed us. We need others beyond just us. We can¡¯t be just us, Phoenix. We need to each be someone beyond hunting the cream puff. Can you honestly tell me one thing you enjoy? You can¡¯t say anything about the cream puff, because that¡¯s not something fun. We need friends, Phoenix. They¡¯ve stuck around. None of them like the cream puff. You¡¯ll still get your kill, but it can¡¯t just be us anymore.¡±


    I tilt my head to the side and sit down. Ky said that it couldn¡¯t be just him and Phoenix after a decade, but it was me and Brook for ninety years. Why didn¡¯t she say that?


    Phoenix growls. ¡°Whatever. See if I care. We¡¯re leaving, Ky. If they follow, whatever, but I¡¯m not leaving you.¡±


    xxxx


    We walk down the side of Ragdon Volcano, and everyone is quiet. No one talks, and it makes me uncomfortable. I can feel all the words in my throat, but I don¡¯t speak them. I just watch everyone and wonder when someone will say something.


    I hold my tongue, a saying I heard Brook use a while ago, but it gets harder. I bound around the group to try to burn off energy, staying close so I don¡¯t go too far and stay within Brook¡¯s sight, but I feel itchy and my skin prickles.


    Why is everyone so quiet?


    Phoenix stalks down the Volcano. He¡¯s rigid and looks like a predator. He¡¯s scowling and has been the entire time, but he also hasn¡¯t left Ky¡¯s side.


    Alex stays beside Grey, who eyes Ky frequently. He looks like he¡¯s waiting for Ky to disappear.


    But, eventually, it¡¯s Ky who speaks first.


    ¡°Lucius told me what Arcane did,¡± Ky says.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t die,¡± Phoenix says quickly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. But I still saw Lucius. I wasn¡¯t dead, but I wasn¡¯t alive. That was enough for them to come find me. I saw Ananta, too. She¡¯s intimidating, but Lucius was kind. They told me what Arcane did. He killed Freedom by accident.¡±


    ¡°Has Arcane seen Lucius?¡± Grey asks.


    Ky nods. ¡°He has. Apart from me, Arcane is the only one who has seen Lucius without having died. Lucius told me that what Arcane did was truly a mistake. Lucius knows when everyone will die, and Freedom wasn¡¯t supposed to die then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to have confirmation that what Arcane did was a mistake, but it still doesn¡¯t make it better. Freedom never should¡¯ve been separated from Astra,¡± Brook replies, glancing at me. She ducks her head and noses at my shoulders.


    I feel her nose quiver against my fur as she breathes.


    ¡°That¡¯s ok, Brook,¡± I say. ¡°You kept me safe! You made the Field. I¡¯m ok.¡±


    ¡°I know, and I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re ok. I still wish you could have grown up with your mother, though. You both deserve to have gotten to know each other. Freedom loved you so much. She told me so many times that she was so proud of you and so proud that she got to be your mother.¡±


    ¡°If Lucius takes everyone when they die, then Lucius would have to put everyone somewhere,¡± I say as I bound down the mountainside and stop to look at a blossoming yellow flower. ¡°No one can just disappear if Lucius takes everyone. So if they put everyone somewhere, then Freedom is somewhere. I can see her when I die. So we won¡¯t really be apart. She still exists. She¡¯s just Somewhere, rather than Here. She¡¯s still my mother, so really I have two moms!¡±


    Phoenix stops.


    ¡°Somewhere, rather than Here?¡± he echoes.


    ¡°Lucius can¡¯t just take someone and then put them nowhere,¡± I reply. ¡°They¡¯ve gotta do something with everyone they take.¡±


    Phoenix humphs, then continues walking.


    xxxx


    We¡¯re most of the way down Ragdon Volcano by the afternoon. I skip ahead of the group to find every plant and flower I can and to chase after birds and squirrels. I catch one of the squirrels and eat a bite, but when I don¡¯t like the taste I gave it to Ky, who finishes it off.


    ¡°What was it like being¡­ not dead but not alive?¡± I ask.


    Brook stiffens and Alex grimaces. I frown.


    ¡°What? Was that not nice? It was a question.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Brook says, ¡°and it¡¯s ok to be curious and to ask questions. That¡¯s how you learn. But Ky might not want to share. We have to remember that part, too. You can be curious, but not everyone will be willing to share, either ever or in that particular moment.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Ok. You don¡¯t have to answer, Ky,¡± I add on.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Astra. I don¡¯t really remember most of it, to be honest,¡± Ky says. ¡°I remember meeting Lucius, even though they never brought me to death. And I caught glimpses of what happened between when I summoned the Blood Demon and when Arcane healed me, but for most of it, it was all black. There was nothing. It was like being more than just asleep. I didn¡¯t dream. I was just¡­ gone.¡±


    ¡°Gone?¡± I echo.


    Ky nods. He tilts his head and he thinks for a while. ¡°It was like¡­ nothingness. I wasn¡¯t even aware of time passing. In the times I caught glimpses of the world through my eyes I knew time had passed, but those glimpses were all too short to really get any sense of how much time had gone by. And when Lucius came to visit me, I had no idea of the time when they talked to me.¡±


    ¡°You were floating?¡± I ask.


    Ky slows down, and I do the same, watching him as he goes over his words.


    ¡°No,¡± Ky says. ¡°It was beyond that. It was more than some extreme daydream, or even the deepest sleep. I never woke up, but I could¡¯ve if I was asleep¡ª someone could¡¯ve shaken me awake, I could¡¯ve woken up on my own, and so on. Before Arcane used the power of Aquarius on me, I was way past asleep. Nothing could have woken me up. It was all dark, yet there wasn¡¯t even darkness. There wasn¡¯t anything in my head, because it was all gone. I was gone. It was just¡­ nothingness.¡± Ky sighs. ¡°Maybe like the world before Erebus created it all, I don¡¯t know. I just know there couldn¡¯t even be darkness in my head because I was completely gone.¡±


    ¡°Whoah,¡± I breathe, because I don¡¯t know what else to say.


    I can¡¯t imagine what Ky¡¯s describing. I¡¯ve fallen asleep in the past and have been very deeply asleep, but I always woke up, either on my own or when Brook nudged me awake. I can picture darkness to an extent, but not nothingness. I don¡¯t know what it would look like. What the world might¡¯ve looked like before Erebus made it all.


    We continue on, and the only time anyone talks is when Phoenix checks on Ky or when Grey says he¡¯s going to check ahead and shifts into his dove form. The rest of the time we¡¯re silent.


    I hop up onto Brook¡¯s back, rest my chin on her mane, and take a nap for a while, but eventually I get restless and return to the ground, trotting ahead. We reach the bottom of Ragdon Volcano, and I make my way into the trees. They¡¯re tall. I¡¯m sure I could see so much of Ragdon. I¡¯m sure I could see so far.


    It¡¯s tempting to climb one, but something keeps me on the ground.


    There¡¯s something pulling me forward. There¡¯s an energy in the air, something that feels like it¡¯s waiting. Something that feels like the moment of anticipation right before I dig my claws into the ground and sprint forward, the moment right before everything comes alive and I can breathe. There¡¯s something I can¡¯t step away from, and I don¡¯t want to.


    I keep going. I should probably wait for Brook and the others.


    I don¡¯t.


    I stop when I see a cat walking through the trees at the bottom of Ragdon Volcano. I watch them for a moment.


    They¡¯re bigger than me. They¡¯re taller than Phoenix, but skinnier. I can see ribs. Their fur is blue, a lighter shade than Brook¡¯s. They have six shards of ice on their tail, like how I have the six grey plates on my tail. And they have horns curling behind their ears, just like I do. Ice lines their cheeks, and I see tears dripping from their eyes.


    What are you so sad about?


    ¡°Astra,¡± Brook says, and I glance back over my shoulder before looking back at the cat.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Phoenix snaps. ¡°Him again?¡±


    Phoenix has met him?


    The cat pauses and lifts his head. His pale blue eyes trail over everyone. He looks heavy and tired.


    But then he finds me, and his expression turns into shock, before it turns into fear.


    ¡°No,¡± he gasps. ¡°Please, no. This can¡¯t be. I didn¡¯t look for you, I swear.¡±


    He pants for breath and stumbles back several steps. He turns his attention to Brook, who has stopped beside me and pinned her ears back. Not in anger, but in surprise.


    She knows him?


    ¡°What happened?¡± the cat asks. ¡°I didn¡¯t search for you. Please, she can¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I ask. He seems distantly familiar, but I don¡¯t remember.


    The cat bares his teeth and squeezes his eyes shut. He curls up on the ground, stretching out a paw and raking his claws through the soil. He lashes his tail fast enough that a piece of ice on it cuts into his hip. Blood freezes and turns into crystals on his fur.


    ¡°Jabez,¡± I say, putting the pieces together in my mind. ¡°You¡¯re my father.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± he begs. ¡°Astra.¡±


    Jabez opens his mouth to say something more, but his voice cracks and turns into a scream. His body trembles and his limbs spasm.


    What is happening?

 Unbound - Prologue

    The Tear rolls toward the ground.


    The world disappears in a flash of white the moment the Tear brushes the soil.


    Thanks for reading The King''s Remorse! Welcome to the third section, Unbound! I hope you enjoy! Please comment your thoughts and consider a vote!


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Any guesses as to where the story will be heading next?


    Any guesses as to who the third POV is? There are no repeating POVs in The King''s Remorse; there will be a new POV for each of the six sections


    I hope you''ve had a great week!


    -Werewolf14- :)

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 1 - I Didnt Look For You

    Unbound


    JABEZ


    Chapter 1


    I Didn¡¯t Look For You


    I know I should be dead.


    I know I was dead.


    And I know I was once natural.


    I was a pet. A house cat. I belonged to the King before he took the Throne, and he called me Ice. I was his, and he was mine. We were best friends, and our lives were one.


    And then I died. Old age took its toll, and Lucius came for me.


    But then I lived again.


    I lived again in a body I didn¡¯t recognize, with a mind far too human and a voice that spoke like a human, with magical powers I didn¡¯t used to have.


    Instead of being able to curl up comfortably in my best friend''s lap like I¡¯d done a million times, I now stood at the King¡¯s hips at the shoulders. My once-white fur had turned a pale blue while horns curled down behind my hears. Turquoise hair arched over my forehead, and six shards of ice jutted out from the end of my tail, three on each side.


    The King used the power of the Amethyst Throne to fuse my then-dead body with the soul of a human he had killed, and that warped power gave me control over ice. I can sense the water in every living thing, and I can freeze it and bend it to my will.


    I¡¯d never wanted to be brought back to life after I died. I¡¯d lived a happy life with my best friend, and I¡¯d died in his arms. I¡¯d done my best to comfort my friend as I slipped away under Lucius¡¯s touch, done my best to show my friend just how much I loved him as I fell into the buzzing white warmth of a forever slumber.


    That bond was why I stayed, the close tied of a friendship stronger than anything. Why I didn¡¯t immediately leave once I¡¯d realized what the King had done.


    But I didn¡¯t recognize the person on the Amethyst Throne. I didn¡¯t recognize my best friend in the King, although I knew he was the same person.


    I forgave him for what he did, even though I never wanted to be brought back. Lucius had taken my soul. Lucius had claimed me and brought me to death. I saw Ananta, the black vulture, flying over me, circling until Lucius arrived and reached out their hand.


    It was my time to die then, nearly a hundred years ago.


    Even still, I managed to find happiness in my new life.


    I found Freedom, fell in love, and had a daughter with her. A sweet little creature named Astra.


    But the King took all of that away when he started a trial against us with a claim of abuse against Astra. The Judge and Justice stepped in, ruling in the King¡¯s favor, and Brook had to take Astra away.


    She created a portal to make a world for her and Astra, one where the King couldn¡¯t touch them.


    I stayed when the King forced me to, even after Arcane killed Freedom in a tragic accident.


    The King cursed me out of his anger of Astra being out of his reach, and I took it. Astra will break my curse, but I will never seek her out. Brook is keeping her safe, and so long as she stays in the portal world, the King cannot reach her.


    But now, after so long without Freedom or Astra, I still remain with the King.


    He¡¯s taken everything, but he is the only one I know.


    He was once everything to me, in my life as his house cat, Ice. Now, ninety years after he took Astra from me and Brook locked herself and my daughter away, sixty years after Freedom died from Arcane¡¯s mistake, sixty years after the King cursed me, I still don¡¯t know what our relationship is. I don¡¯t want to see him, but I can¡¯t leave. I remember who he was before I died and he stepped onto the Amethyst Throne. Freedom said he¡¯d never chance. He hasn¡¯t, and yet I can¡¯t just leave.


    I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d go.


    And so I spend my days wandering the grounds of the castle. I meander around the outskirts of the Sea and make my way around both sides of Ragdon Volcano¡ª across the Lava Flats and up toward the Arcane Delta. I always hated the name. The King named it the Arcane Delta to celebrate Arcane ridding the world of Freedom. A celebration of a murder, even if it was accidental.


    It¡¯s been ninety years, and I¡¯ve traveled across the entirety of Ragdon. I crossed the Badlands, visited my and Freedom¡¯s home at the base of Ragdon Volcano, tried to walk away from the memories since I cannot run. The curse causes far too much pain. I don¡¯t know the damage it¡¯s done to my body, but I can feel it seeping through my cells a little more with every year that¡¯s passed by.


    Once, I trekked around Ananta Spring and walked along Roya Point to reach the Garden. I never drew close. I couldn¡¯t make myself draw close, but I could see it and that was enough.


    The Garden loomed off in the distance, stone walls tall and looming and as cold as the Judge and Justice were the day they took Astra away from me and Freedom. Moss grew in a light green against the flat grey. I saw the Garden decades ago, but the sight is still seared in my memory. Two tall spires towered over the rest of the Garden. On each one, the Judge and Justice stood watch, bodies curved neatly into seated positions and wings held folded at their sides. They were so still that they looked carved from stone. I knew they guarded, not to keep anyone from coming into the Garden, but instead to keep anyone from coming out.


    The Garden is where problematic citizens of the King of Ragdon are sent so they can learn better. That¡¯s what the King says.


    I know it¡¯s instead a prison. It¡¯s where the King sends those he doesn¡¯t want to deal with. The Garden is as far away from his castle and the Sea as anyone can get. The Aiyana River nearly cuts Roya Point and its surrounding land off from the rest of Ragdon. No one reaches the Garden by accident.


    But the one time I visited the Garden, the Judge turned its head. Its eyes were closed, but it opened them to gaze at me. Its red eyes glowed in the afternoon sun. I stared back silently, wishing I could make it understand what it did when it ruled in the King¡¯s favor and sent Astra to live with Brook, who later took my daughter away to live in a portal so the King could hopefully never reach them. Freedom and I had asked her to do so, but Astra would¡¯ve been safe with us.


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    Except that she wasn¡¯t, because the King lashed out at her in his anger toward me.


    When I refused to help him find the portal so he could find Brook and Astra, the King cursed me. He used the same power of the Amethyst Throne he used to bring me back to life and froze my blood until it was nearly solid. Nearly. And then he made it so every few months, my heart would beat once. The result was excruciating pain that never ended. My blood expanded in my veins, but the curse refused to let me die.


    I took the curse. Finding Astra would break it, but I couldn¡¯t do that to her. I did and still do take everything the curse throws at me, because it¡¯s what I can do for my daughter. The King can be angry at me. I won¡¯t let him take out his anger toward me on her.


    xxxx


    I¡¯m walking at the base of Ragdon Volcano.


    It¡¯s one of the days where I start moving and don¡¯t stop or really think about where I¡¯m going. I don¡¯t walk fast; I can¡¯t. I¡¯m too tired to move fast, and I know that if I keep expending energy meandering along I¡¯ll eventually grow too tired to even stand up. I just can¡¯t find it within me to care. I¡¯ll sleep for as long as I can until the pain or nightmares wake me up, and then I¡¯ll keep going because it¡¯s all I can do.


    I let my head and tail sag. No one will try to come after me. The Guard and Soldiers don¡¯t bother and the Generals know better. They might beat me, but there would be no benefit. I¡¯m fine being known as the traitorous best friend living out his days cursed by the King of Ragdon and the Amethyst Throne.


    The King will probably never change, but I¡¯ve never been able to quite give up hope that just maybe. Maybe he¡¯ll wake up and realize. Maybe he¡¯ll understand what he did. Maybe he¡¯ll be able to see just what he did to me when he brought me back and how I was so happy to die in his arms that way because I¡¯d lived a life knowing only love and affection and he was my best friend and I got to slip away into the peacefulness of Lucius¡¯s touch feeling his fingers through my fur and hearing him say over and over how much he loved me and how much I meant to him. Maybe he''ll get that I didn''t want to wake up all alone, cold and confused and scared in a body that''s never been mine, even after nearly a century.


    But it¡¯s been so long, and with every year that ticks by, I find it more and more unlikely and that breaks my heart more than the curse ever could.


    I¡¯m stuck in my head, letting my thoughts take over my consciousness, leaving me disconnected from reality in a pleasant way I¡¯ve grown fond of, and letting my paws run on autopilot.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± a voice growls. ¡°Him again?¡±


    I¡¯m brought back to reality, and I can¡¯t quite say I want to be back so soon. I always know I¡¯ll have to return, but daydreams where I¡¯m reunited with Freedom and Astra and the best friend I once knew are so tantalizingly wonderful and reality is so cold and painful.


    The voice is familiar, one I know I¡¯ve heard before. But I can¡¯t quite place the gruff irritation, the almost juvenile scoff.


    I stop walking and lift my head to look back. I¡¯m greeted with the sight of six individuals.


    Six individuals I have seen before, just at different times.


    I recognize Brook immediately. She¡¯s about the same age, but there¡¯s an exhaustion to her that¡¯s new. Deeper lines in her face that I recognize; I have many of my own. They¡¯re lines that only come from stress. I then see Grey and Alex trailing a ways behind. Grey still looks like one of the fresh-faced new Guard or Soldier recruits, the ones in the first days before reality shatters them to their souls. I wonder how long it will take for him to break. I¡¯ve never seen anyone make it out on the other side without scars, both physical and mental. Especially mental. Alex looks tired, and it strikes me that she might break first.


    Maybe if Grey can cling to his belief that no one has to kill he¡¯ll make it. Maybe Alex will find some way, too, even if I know she will kill far easier than her brother.


    Maybe the King will fall easy, even though I¡¯ve been wanting that for almost a hundred years. Even though I want the King to stop, I don¡¯t want him dead.


    But when I see Ky and Phoenix again, I know the chances of the King living are slim, if there¡¯s a way to actually defeat him. I could never do it, not even alongside Freedom. The two of us were too weak to go up against the King and stand even the slightest chance, even when our daughter¡¯s wellbeing was on the line.


    So what¡¯s so different now?


    My gaze shifts to the side, and I see what¡¯s so different. Something that hadn¡¯t quite clicked when I¡¯d seen Brook in person after ninety years.


    Astra.


    She¡¯s standing in front of me.


    She¡¯s grown up. Still a child but not the infant I¡¯d last seen. She has feathered wings like Freedom¡¯s, and swirls on her wrists like Freedom did. Horns peek out from beneath the hair on her neck, and she still has the six grey plates on her tail that match the shards of ice on my own tail.


    She¡¯s the perfect mix of us. She¡¯s so beautiful.


    The joy of seeing Astra again is shattered when I realize what seeing my daughter means.


    Someone found the portal, and the King can get to Astra.


    ¡°No,¡± I gasp. ¡°Please, no. This can¡¯t be. I didn¡¯t look for you, I swear.¡±


    I stumble back several steps as the air is knocked from my lungs like I just got punched in the chest. I turn my attention to Brook, who looks just as shocked as I am. How is Astra here? I never searched for her.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I plead. ¡°I didn¡¯t search for you. Please, she can¡¯t be here.¡±


    I can¡¯t lose you again, Astra. The King got to you, and there was nothing I could do. I can¡¯t lose you again. I took the curse to keep you safe, and I never searched for you, even though you will break it and I¡¯ve always known that. You can¡¯t be here. It¡¯s not safe.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Astra asks.


    Pain lances through me, sharper than any of the physical pain I¡¯ve felt. I can take the physical pain, but this pain darts through me like an arrow, ripping through my heart, even though the question makes sense.


    Astra was an infant the last time I saw her. She wouldn¡¯t remember me.


    My heart clenches as it tries to beat, and I groan as I sink to the ground. My body moves on its own as the pain makes me lock up. I feel myself stretch out a leg and rake my claws through the soil. My muscles spasm, and my tail lashes, a shard of ice on it cutting through my hip. I barely feel that pain over the agony of my heart straining to move nearly frozen blood through my veins. I curl my lips and bare my teeth as the throbbing comes in waves like the ones I¡¯ve seen lapping against the shore of the Freedom Coast when the ache of her loss grew too strong and I wanted to wallow and speak to her. The pain rises and falls and digs its talons in deep, clinging onto me, never to let go.


    I groan. The pain has been around for too long for me to beg for it to release me. I fantasized in the beginning, tantalizing dreams chasing me into my waking hours where I stayed with one paw still in Dreamland and I got to live as if the curse never existed. But I broke myself of that desire. The curse wasn¡¯t going to go away. Astra would break my curse, but I couldn¡¯t search for her. The King wanted her dead, and I couldn¡¯t give him that. I had to keep my daughter safe in the only way I could; letting Brook take her into the portal and never seeking my daughter out.


    Except that Astra stands before me.


    Astra isn¡¯t with Brook in the portal and I didn¡¯t search for them, which means someone found them.


    ¡°Jabez,¡± Astra says.


    Her voice is like music to my ears. I¡¯d always wondered what she¡¯d sound like as she got older. How she would speak. What she would say. What she would want to talk about. What she would want to share. In my dreams she would talk to me, rambling on about everything and nothing, and I would drink it all up, hardly saying anything so I could hear her speak. In my nightmares she would tell me how I abandoned her, how I never looked for her. I would try to explain myself and how I couldn¡¯t search because it was the only way I could keep her safe since I couldn¡¯t defeat the King and I didn¡¯t know of any other way, but in every one of those nightmares, she always turned around and walked away, ignoring every one of my pleas.


    ¡°You¡¯re my father,¡± Astra adds on. The realization is clear in her voice.


    I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for my nightmares to come to life and for Astra to accuse me of leaving her. The pain from the curse hurts, but I know it¡¯s nothing compared to the pain that would be losing my daughter again, this time by her own decision.


    ¡°Please,¡± I beg, sides trembling. ¡°Astra.¡±


    The pain of my heart beating, of the curse that has all but frozen my blood, is nothing compared to what comes the second Astra¡¯s name is out of my mouth.


    My voice pitches into a scream I can¡¯t swallow down, and my body shudders and spasms. My back arches, and darkness clouds my vision until everything goes black.


    I sink into the depths of unconsciousness. It¡¯s come sooner than it ever has before, only this time I don¡¯t want its previously merciful hold. I have Astra back.


    I fight against the slow and steady claim of unconsciousness, buck against its clinging depths that slowly pull me downwards, but in the end, it wins. My body still shakes as the voices all around me grow warped and then silent. The ringing in my ears whines, but then that ceases too. It¡¯s all dark, and I¡¯m simply gone.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 2 - Never Her, Always Me

    Chapter 2


    Never Her, Always Me


    The world returns to me slowly, like it usually does.


    It''s not the first time I''ve lost consciousness, and I know it won''t be the last. I''ve long since stopped counting the number of times it has happened.


    The darkness has claimed me again and again. When the pain reaches its breaking point, when the dizziness hits and everything starts spinning, when I see stars and lose touch with reality, when my energy levels drop too low and my mind can''t stay in the present.


    But this time it''s different.


    I feel different as I come back to my body. A part of me still wishes I was still in the embrace of nothingness, but another part of me itches with anticipation. It wants to wake up.


    That fact alone is enough to make me draw in a deep breath and shift my legs. My paws still feel foreign to me as I flex my toes. I''m used to the feeling, but it hasn''t gotten any less unpleasant.


    "Oh, yay, I think he''s waking up," someone says above me.


    "It looks like it," replies someone else.


    I wade through the fog in my brain and manage to piece together that the second voice belongs to Grey.


    "Jabez, can you hear me?" This time, Brook speaks.


    I groan in response and try to move more, but all I''m able to do is clumsily bring a forepaw closer to my chest.


    "Is he ok?"


    My heart starts to race when I hear Astra. It was real, seeing her. She''s really here, which means she''s no longer in the world Brook created, and that means the King can get to her. I whimper in the back of my throat. The best friend I knew for my entire life as Ice cursed me after I got angry with him for bringing me back to life, and then he tried to hurt my daughter to get back at me. He can''t hurt her. The King can''t hurt Astra.


    He can''t hurt her. Me, but never her. Never her, never her, never her. Always me.


    I''d long ago come to some sort of internal acknowledgement that the King could do what he wanted to me. I could take it. His anger was directed at me. But he couldn''t hurt Astra, and yet Astra now walks the island of Ragdon, where the King sits on the Amethyst Throne. The King can hurt me, but now he can also get to my daughter.


    My heart races in my chest, and my thoughts screech to a halt. I feel every squeeze and release of my heart. I feel it clench and then let go. I can feel my blood sluggishly pulsing through my veins. I can feel the protest from my veins when the water freezes and crystalizes. I grit my teeth against the pain and grimace as it spreads through my body in sharp, biting pin pricks.


    For the first time since the King cursed me, my heart beats as it should. It starts, and it doesn''t stop. The King''s curse made it so my heart would only beat four times a year, and my blood was so close to frozen that it would take hours for just one heartbeat to occur.


    My paws tingle with the renewed blood flow. The prickling sensation spreads through my body, and the stillness I''d grown used to shifts away like ice floating down a stream.


    I blink open my eyes, squinting against the light until I adjust.


    "What happened?" I ask.


    "You said Astra''s name, and then almost immediately after you collapsed. You were unconscious for a while," Brook replies. She ducks her head, and I meet her gaze, but only for a moment.


    I can''t look away from Astra. I curl my claws into the back of a forepaw, because if it''s a dream, I don''t want to wake up but I also need to know.


    Please, let this be real.


    I''ve had too many dreams where I got my daughter back, and the heartbreak of realizing it wasn''t real and reality still exists hurts far more than the physical symptoms from the curse ever could.


    My claws dig into my skin, and I don''t wake up. I shift to lay straighter. I gather my paws beneath my body, muscles tensing.


    "This is real," I whisper.


    Phoenix widens his eyes and nods in a dramatic move. "Yes," he says slowly, "this is real. We''re all here."


    "Please," I say, "you can''t be here. Astra, you can''t be here."


    I get to my paws and take a step back as panic seizes my now-beating heart.


    In dreams, I''d fantasized about how it might feel for my heart to beat once more. It was a sensation I''d never thought about when I was Ice or in the beginning as I''d adjusted to my life as Jabez, the King''s pet more than I''d ever been as Ice.


    I''d belonged to the King as Ice. I had always been his, have always been his. But we''d been friends when I was Ice, the little white cat he''d found and we''d found each other and we''d grown close. We''d been friends. But after the King used the power of the Amethyst Throne to take me from Lucius''s claim and form me into Jabez, the relationship fractured from equal to something far more one-sided.


    I was the King''s, but he wasn''t mine. I''d never be able to shake off the hold he had over me. The power of the Amethyst Throne coursed through every fiber of my being, and I''d never be able to dig it out. I could never escape the King, but he could escape me.


    Every time I fantasized about my heart beating again, I''d somehow gotten away from the King. I was free. I never would''ve imagined it would be when I faced my daughter after close to a century.


    Astra stands across from me, looking at me with a sad, confused expression.


    "What is it, Jabez?" she asks. "Are you scared?"


    In an instant, I''m back to the first time I ever saw the King. He wasn''t the King back then. He was younger. He''d largely stopped aging when he took to the Amethyst Throne, but he''d still age for another twenty years at the first time we met.


    I was a kitten, skinny and timid, white fur matted with mud and twigs. The King was a lanky kid, on the verge of adulthood and just beginning to figure out his place in the world. He kept to himself, as I''d learn. He was quiet, thoughtful toward me, but that would eventually begin to change. The thoughtfulness would warp into something far more calculating.


    "Hey there, little guy," the King had said when he''d found me on what would eventually be named the Freedom Coast. He had crouched down and reached out a hand.


    "Are you scared?" he''d asked softly when I''d tensed and hesitated before cautiously creeping out and nuzzling into his fingers when he ran them along my whiskers and over my ears.


    Well over a century later, I wished that I had run away. I''d have lost out on the friendship that grew for some twenty-odd years, but I wouldn''t have to face what the King did and losing my daughter for ninety years and having to live through losing the love of my life.


    Even with my frozen heart and the physical pain that tried to break me down, the grief always won out. The curse could never drown out the grief of losing my family. Of having to try to somehow make sense of the love the King had shown me as Ice and the cruelty he showed after taking to the Amethyst Throne.


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    I blink, and Astra''s waiting with her head tilted to the side in a gesture that makes me smile for a moment. The expression feels so strange, but it also makes a flicker of warmth bloom within me. I want that sensation again.


    "I am scared," I admit, willing the tears welling in my eyes to slow but they don''t. They never do. It''s a subconscious habit to snap the icicles on my jaw now. It has been for longer than I can remember.


    I''m so cold that the salty tears freeze. The water turns to ice, leaving the salt behind. The salt dries out the fur on my cheeks, leaving it patchy and discolored in spots.


    "Why are you scared?" Astra asks.


    I sit down and force myself to stay in the present. Or, at least try to stay in the present. I don''t want to get lost in my head, not when I have what I''ve wanted to badly here in front of me, even if the joy of seeing my daughter is overshadowed by the sharp, jagged fear of knowing what the King might do.


    I pause and think over my words. I don''t want to lie. I could never lie to her, but I also don''t want to scare her. Astra deserves a world with peace. She deserves to get to be a child.


    "The King is a very bad person," I say, swallowing down the immediate guilt that bubbles up in my throat. My mind shares memories of me as Ice cuddling with the King, him feeding me strips of meat, us going on walks, nights huddled together while the King made up stories and talked until the first light of dawn, nights where we snuggled and slept soundly in the hold of Dreamland.


    "The King is a very evil King," Alex says.


    I''d forgotten she was there.


    I shake to try to free myself from the threads keeping me partway to unconscious, to try to clear my vision, to try to jumpstart my brain and let me think.


    Grey watches me with concern, and I turn away. Phoenix narrows his eyes at me, and I draw my ears back and shift on my paws under the open scrutiny.


    "You know the cream puff," Phoenix says.


    I nod. "I do."


    "You''ve known the cream puff for a very long time." It''s not a question.


    I nod again. "I have."


    "And you''re still with him?"


    Phoenix lowers his head and flicks the tip of his tail. It''s clear how he''s waiting, and it''s clear that he already knows the answer.


    "I..." I blink back the memories of standing before the Amethyst Throne and holding the gazes of the Judge and Justice as they questioned me about the abuse the King claimed Freedom and I had committed against Astra. "I do not agree with everything the King has done, but it is true that I have known him for a long time. I knew him before he first sat upon the Amethyst Throne and became the King of Ragdon."


    Phoenix hisses and bares his teeth. Ky speaks up before his brother can.


    "The cream puff is no King, is what Phoenix was going to say." Ky turns around. "Take a deep breath, Phoenix. In... and out... we will get nowhere if you burn it all down."


    "Ragdon would get a reset. Burn everything the cream puff has ever touched, and we''ll get to start anew."


    "You''re the only fireproof one here. Take a breath, Phoenix, and we can see what we can work out through a conversation." Ky smiles. "Most tend to respond better to words than threats."


    "Threats are more direct. No room for misinterpretation."


    I take a step backward.


    "We can have a conversation, Phoenix. Not everything requires jumping straight to violence."


    "He follows the fucking cream puff. Jabez sides with the fucking cream puff. What more justification do I have to offer?"


    "Listen to him!" Ky shoots back, holding Phoenix''s gaze, even as his brother bares his teeth and flames crackle and curl across his body. Oranges and reds and yellows flicker in reflections on his long upper canines.


    "Why? Jabez just said that he knows the cream puff."


    "Jabez is here right now. His daughter is Astra, and she went into hiding from the cream puff. Jabez knows Brook, too. There''s clearly more to the story, ok? Jabez hasn''t attacked."


    "I don''t think he could, now, could ya?" Phoenix slides his attention over to me, eyes narrow slits of fire.


    "I... I couldn''t beat you physically in a fight. I can use my magic, though, if I have enough energy." My voice is quiet, rough.


    "Do you like the cream puff?"


    I rock on my paws. "I don''t like what he''s done," I whisper. "I liked him when I was Ice, back before he took to the Amethyst Throne. I don''t like what he''s done since he first sat on the Amethyst Throne."


    "I can''t..." Phoenix scoffs and throws his head to the side, stalking off as he lashes his tail.


    "Phoenix, give Jabez a chance to talk," Grey says.


    "No. He had the chance to condemn everything the cream puff has done, and he hasn''t."


    "He''s Astra''s father," Ky says quietly. "Let him speak."


    Phoenix goes very still, and my fur stands on end. I take a step closer to Astra. Brook seems to notice, too, and she pricks her ears. Her horn starts to glow as she taps into her powers.


    The fire on Phoenix''s fur dies down to almost nothing. The flames barely reach further than his short fur. He looks over his shoulder, a wrinkle to his muzzle. His ears are pinned and his toes curl into the ground, claws unsheathed.


    "Don''t," he grinds out. "I know what you''re doing, and it''s not gonna work."


    "I know you''re angry, and I am too. I know you don''t want to do that to her."


    I look between the brothers. Alex shares my confused expression. I glance at Brook, but it''s clear she''s realized more than I have. When she notices my attention, she shakes her head.


    Ignoring Phoenix, Astra picks her way over to me.


    "You''re older than I am?" she asks.


    I hesitate, and then laugh. "Yes, I am."


    "I''m ninety, so that would make you... whoah, are you a hundred years old?"


    "I''m older than that." I push back the instinct to do the math. I know how many years I lived as Ice ¡ªa little over two decades¡ª but I don''t want to let myself realize how many years it''s been with the curse.


    "Astra, get away from him," Phoenix growls. "He''s with the cream puff."


    "Phoenix," Brook warns. "He''s not the enemy."


    "He knows the fucking cream puff. He''s known him for a goddamn century if Astra''s ninety but she''s ten. However the fuck that portal worked. He''s gonna bring the cream puff and his Dragon and the Guard and Soldiers out here and the Generals are gonna tag along, and it''s gonna end up as a bloodbath. I''m not risking Ky like that."


    "I can take care of myself, Phoenix." Ky frowns at his brother, flicking his fluffy tail. "And if you''d just give Jabez a chance to speak, I think we could all figure this out."


    "The Generals would''ve already brought the Guard and Soldiers here by now. Jabez has had enough time," Alex says.


    "He''s getting too close to Astra." Phoenix scowls at me.


    I can see the edge in his eyes, the hard lines of his body as he tenses, the waiting in his flames. I can feel the heat with my powers, and the ice in me calls out to the water in my surroundings, itching to drop the temperature.


    "He''s her father. He hasn''t seen her in ninety years. Who wouldn''t want to be close to their family in that situation?" Alex retorts. Grey places his hand on her arm and moves around Phoenix''s side.


    "Get away from him, Astra," Phoenix repeats.


    "B-but." Astra''s face falls.


    There''s enough hurt and confusion in Astra''s voice that I react. I don''t have much energy and certainly not enough to do something I know will further antagonize Phoenix, but I can''t see her like that. I am her father, and I have the ability to keep her safe, even if I know it will cost me.


    I take a step in front of Astra. Not enough to block her from Phoenix''s sight, but enough that it''s clearly intentional.


    Brook reacts first, but Grey manages to try to get around to Phoenix. He shifts into a dove in a flurry of feathered wings, but he''s not fast enough.


    Phoenix lunges, all flashing fangs and fire and fur as dark as night. His purple claws reach out toward me, and I scramble back, reacting on instinct. I feel the energy seep from my body as my powers turn the ground to ice. Phoenix slams into me, and my back hits the ground hard enough that my teeth rattle and my neck twinges as it''s twisted at an awkward angle.


    Brook brings Astra away, and my focus goes solely onto the black cat pinning me down. Phoenix has a paw on my abdomen, another on my chest, and a forepaw by my cheek.


    "What do you think of the cream puff?" Phoenix hisses, teeth in my face.


    "I want him to stop," I choke out, paws sliding on his throat and jaw as I try to push him off.


    I bunch up my hind legs and kick at Phoenix''s belly. He growls and makes a grab for my neck. I dig my claws into his face.


    "Phoenix, cut it out," Ky snaps, shoving at Phoenix''s side. "You want to kill someone, go find Guard and Soldiers. Jabez isn''t fighting back, not really. He''s just defending himself."


    When Phoenix doesn''t stop, I reach out with my powers, chest heaving and vision blurred with panic, and I feel the call of the water in Phoenix''s veins. It makes my heart twist, replicating what the curse has done to me, but Phoenix''s teeth are snapping shut far too close to my throat and he''s not stopping, even with Ky and Grey and Alex all pushing.


    "I''m sorry," I whisper before I squeeze my eyes shut and let my powers turn Phoenix''s blood to ice.


    I go limp beneath him and wait, and it''s only another moment before Phoenix collapses atop me. He lands heavy and motionless, and I release my power, allowing Grey and Alex to roll Phoenix to the ground. I take a breath, checking that there''s no lasting damage or remnants of my ice, and then stand up. Now upright, exhaustion hits me like a punch to the gut and I sway, stumbling as my head spins and my limbs tingle.


    I make myself look up, head low, and I see Astra staring back at me. Her wings droop at her sides, and her eyes are wide


    "Astra, I-," I try, taking a small step forward.


    She takes a step back, and my heart plummets through my paws. The exhaustion slips from my mind as panic begins to set in again.


    There''s fear in her eyes, the same fear I''ve seen too many times in my nightmares when Astra turned her back on me. She''s scared, her pupils wide and dark against the blue of her irises.


    I can''t see her do that in real life. I''d never live through it. And so I turn around and leave, almost stumbling on my paws as I ignore Brook''s calls for me to stop and Grey and Ky asking me to come back.


    I trot off into the forest as fast as I can, blocking out the pain and exhaustion and the way the edges of my vision blur and warp, an early sign I''m going to pass out and lose consciousness. There''s only one place for me to go, only one place where the door is always open, even if it''s with strings attached.


    I scent the air, find the right way to go, and make my way back to the King''s castle.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 3 - You Owe Me Your Life

    Chapter 3


    You Owe Me Your Life


    I trip and fall halfway back to the King¡¯s castle.


    Tired enough that my mind keeps shutting off, my legs stop responding and go limp. I step on one of my paws, and that¡¯s enough to get me to stumble. I crumble to the ground and don¡¯t bother getting up. I let the darkness swirling in the depths of my head and far-too-human soul wash over me. The cold bite of the ice within the tendrils of black prickles, but it¡¯s nothing against the happiness turned to bitter apple fear over seeing Astra again, nothing against the grief and the agony over not even being able to enjoy what I once fantasized over in feeling my heart beat again.


    Too exhausted to do anything more, I close my eyes and let myself drift on the ice in my head. Freezing Phoenix¡¯s veins had drained more energy than I realized. I don¡¯t have enough energy left to make it back to the King¡¯s castle right now.


    I also don¡¯t have the energy to face the King. I can¡¯t risk him realizing Astra¡¯s free. We both always knew what would break my curse¡ª I¡¯d have to see Astra again, recognize that my daughter stands before me. If the King figures out that my heart is beating once more, he¡¯ll know that Astra is out of the portal Brook created. I don¡¯t want to know what he¡¯ll do. A part of me hopes he will bide his time. In that case, I¡¯ll have time to work something out with Brook. And if Brook trusts Grey and Alex or Ky and Phoenix, I¡¯ll trust them enough to let them help keep my daughter safe, even if I won¡¯t let them be the sole beings responsible for her safety.


    Scraggly trees around me cast jagged shadows that twist and warp as my vision goes in and out of focus. Pain pulses in my paws, tiny pin pricks that shoot through my flesh as blood flow begins to resume something closer to normal circulation. But from the way I can feel the ice grating through my body, I know things will never return to how they were before. My body won¡¯t recover. The curse did so much more than simply stop my heart.


    Even with the exhaustion pulling be down into unconsciousness and the pain sending chaotic signals through my body, I keep going back to the fear in Astra¡¯s eyes. The way she looked at me first with curiosity and excitement, but then with fear and hesitation after she saw what I did to Phoenix. I never want to leave her side, not after ninety years apart, but I can¡¯t forget the fear. The genuine fear I¡¯d last seen when the Justice gathered a tiny Astra up in its arms and she thrashed and screamed, pupils blown so wide I could barely see the blue of her eyes.


    I press my nose into my forelegs with a whimper, ignoring the uneven skin from the scars and closing my eyelids so I don¡¯t have to see them. It doesn¡¯t matter, though, because I can still feel them. The ghost of each one, the burning sensation lining exactly where each scar is in my mind¡¯s eye. I don¡¯t remember how I acquired each scar. Some came from seeing no other way, desperation for a way out, to feel anything but the pain I could not control and replace it with something I could control. Others happened when I was unconscious but my mind was awake. Sometimes the pain was enough to snap me back to reality. Others I didn¡¯t even mean to make. I was thrashing, limbs spasming, and claws met skin and dug in.


    xxxx


    I reach the King¡¯s castle sometime the next morning. The sun is high in the sky, so I stick close to the trees to avoid its sharp glare. I keep my gaze on the ground and squint against the bright light.


    I¡¯m still tired, exhausted beyond what one night of sleep could ever hope to erase. My powers sit heavy in my chest, pressing in a way that¡¯s less insistent as it is a firm reminder. A reminder I¡¯m not Ice and never will be. A reminder in the same way is the feathery wisps of the human soul I can feel throughout my body.


    I never figured out who the soul belonged to. I tried, in the beginning before the exhaustion from the curse hit too hard and I barely had the energy to get up and move, let alone search for someone without any clues as to their identity. The King had to have killed them, but that didn¡¯t help. He has killed many in his time as King of Ragdon. I want to know who they are. It¡¯s been long enough that their relatives are all certainly dead, but I want to know their name and tell them that I¡¯m sorry and never wanted this.


    For the billionth time, I wish I could¡¯ve told the King to let me go. I wish I could¡¯ve told him as I died as Ice that I wanted him to let me go, that I never wanted to be brought back. It was my time to die, and I knew it. Maybe if I could¡¯ve told him how much I loved him and that lying there in his warm embrace eased any fear I felt he wouldn¡¯t have done what he did. The way he kept running his fingers over my cheek and side comforted me.


    I amble through the expansive gardens surrounding the King¡¯s castle, locked-up muscles quivering at the exertion and joints aching. Beneath a neatly-trimmed tree with leaves that spill out over the cobblestone walkway, I pause for a short while, catching my breath and stretching. I shake out my limbs and paws.


    By the time I make it to the massive doors at the entrance, the sun is beginning to dip into the horizon in oranges and reds that look far too much like the Dragon¡¯s fire. I lay down again a ways before the entrance to the King¡¯s castle when the muscles in my back burn too much and start to spasm.


    Guard and Soldiers pass me by. Few spare me a glance. They¡¯re used to seeing me around, seeing me fighting against the curse and the symptoms, seeing me unconscious on the ground, unaware after I¡¯d passed out. I watch them as they go by, and most keep their eyes straight ahead, just as they¡¯d been trained. A russet-haired Soldier slows down but continues on his way.


    Taking a deep breath, I arch my back, grimacing before I make my way inside the King¡¯s castle. Two Soldiers hold open the doors.


    From there, it¡¯s muscle memory to make my way through the hallways lit up by torches and the setting sun. Lines of gold and purple spread through the marble floors and walls like veins. I bite my tongue against the nausea that rises up in my throat. I keep my eyes on my paws and let my vision blur so I don¡¯t have to see anything else.


    I only stop walking when I reach the double doors at the entrance to the Throne Room. An iron dragon on each door holds the ring to pull it open. Embellishments carved into the doors depict the King¡¯s Dragon, the King himself, and the Judge and Justice.


    ¡°What is your business here?¡± one of the two Soldiers standing guard at the doors barks.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jabez-.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± he snaps. ¡°What is your business here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to see the King,¡± I say to my paws, twitching the end of my tail.


    The other Soldier seethes, and I frown for a moment before realizing my mistake.


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    ¡°Refer to your King of Ragdon appropriately in the way he deserves. He is the King of Ragdon. Respect him. You serve your King of Ragdon. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    I draw my ears back, and my fur prickles. I haven¡¯t forgotten that. I can¡¯t forget who the King of Ragdon is. The knowledge clings to me like my own shadow.


    The first Soldier opens his mouth to add on, but the King beats him to it.


    ¡°Come in!¡± the King cries from within the Throne Room. ¡°It¡¯ll be a party!¡±


    I shrug at the two Soldiers, who both scowl but nod and then reach for the iron rings each held in a dragon¡¯s mouth. They pull the huge double doors open, leaning back to get enough force. I flick my tail against my hind legs as the Soldiers slowly heave open the doors.


    They hold them open as I cross the threshold into the Throne Room.


    I¡¯ve been in the Throne Room thousands of times, but my heart still races at the sight of the Amethyst Throne and the dark purple walkway inlaid within the marble floor. My vision flickers between reality and the memories of the mockery of a trial that took Astra from me and Freedom some ninety-odd years ago. The ghosts of the Guard and Soldiers who gathered float in wisps across the Throne Room. Below the towering columns that look like looming trees, I can see the stony outline of the Judge and Justice, the glow of the red and the green eyes, until both vanish.


    Behind the Amethyst Throne, the Dragon lifts its head and exhales sharply, violet flaring in its nostrils as it narrows its purple eyes and stares at me with a piercing expression.


    I snap back to reality and pad forward until I¡¯m at the foot of the Amethyst Throne. The Dragon looks down at me, and its snakehead tail rises from the opposite side of the Amethyst Throne to bare its fangs.


    I stand quietly and keep my gaze near the King¡¯s feet, hoping that maybe if I don¡¯t say a word I¡¯ll be able to slink away before he notices me. But after a minute, I see the King¡¯s legs move. The fabric of his purple suit whispers as he uncrosses his legs.


    ¡°Bow, Jabez,¡± the King orders, resting his head on a fist. The golden buttons on his suit glimmer in the torchlight and the glow from the Amethyst Throne.


    I flinch at the power behind the words, the way I can feel the low thrum of energy from the Amethyst Throne in the King¡¯s voice. It¡¯s the opposite of the way he spoke to me when I was Ice. That was so warm, and this is so cold.


    I sigh, though, and lower myself to my elbows on my forelegs, turning my head to the side to bare by throat. The instinctual fear whispers through my body. I exhale slowly but it¡¯s not enough. I feel too exposed here in front of the Amethyst Throne with my neck displayed.


    ¡°Hello, King.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s King Garonda XIV. Call me by the proper title, Jabez. I made you. I brought you back to life. Don¡¯t you forget that. Your life is because of me. I¡¯m your King. I¡¯m the King of Ragdon. I¡¯m Your Sovereign, Your Excellency, Your Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I reply softly. ¡°My mistake. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I can feel the weight of the King¡¯s gaze raking across my body. I don¡¯t move, even though everything within me is bubbling to the surface, screaming at me to do something. To run, to hide, to drain my energy and try to do something ¡ªanything¡ª and keep Astra safe.


    He¡¯s gonna know, he¡¯s gonna know, he¡¯s gonna know.


    The words batter through my head. It¡¯s the only thought I can think.


    My heart beat pounds in my chest, so loud I¡¯m nearly certain the King can hear it himself.


    The King inclines his head and studies me, trailing his gaze. I can almost feel the invisible line drawn on my fur. I pin my ears back and resist the urge to bare my teeth and snarl.


    ¡°Something¡¯s different with you, Jabez,¡± the King drawls, voice too calm, as if he¡¯s talking to everyone and no one. ¡°Something¡¯s different, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask, acting with faux confusion.


    The King is quiet for a moment, and he drums his fingertips on the Amethyst Throne, slouching down as he relaxes.


    ¡°Your heart is beating, isn¡¯t it?¡± the King asks, voice light, as if he hadn¡¯t just delivered terrifying news.


    I keep my head tilted to the side to hide the way I exhale sharply. I hope it¡¯s soft enough not to be heard, but a growl rumbles in the Dragon¡¯s chest. I watch it out of the corner of my eye, and it raises its wings, unfurling them.


    I want to lie, but I can¡¯t. The King will catch me, and he¡¯ll make my life worse. But confirming his suspicions could mean he finds Astra. Maybe she won¡¯t have time to hide. Maybe the Guard and Soldiers will find her, and they¡¯ll bring her back, and the King will have her, and I won¡¯t be able to stop him to protect her.


    My heart pounds in my chest, a fluttering beat echoing my fear and panic. The Dragon and its snakehead tail both tilt their heads to the side, and I know I¡¯ve been caught.


    ¡°The Amethyst Throne tells me my Dragon can hear your heart.¡± The King smiles. ¡°Care to share with the group?¡±


    I swallow down the lump in my throat. He can¡¯t get to Astra. She was safe from him for a time, but now she¡¯s not. I lift my head, ignoring the twinge of pain and the pinching sensation, to look up at him.


    The King can do what he wants to me, but he cannot touch her. I have to do something, anything. I have to put his focus back on me. I have to get him angry at me, and maybe he¡¯ll forget that he was angry with Astra.


    ¡°No, Bryant. Not after what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    The reaction is immediate. The Amethyst Throne pulses with power, and the room shakes. Threads of dark purple spread across the Throne Room like blood pouring from a wound. The Dragon gets to its feet and clambers over the Throne, jaws parted in a snarl. Only Bryant¡¯s touch on its side makes it pause. Violet glows in its throat, the precursor to its fire.


    ¡°I¡¯m not Bryant. I¡¯m the King of Ragdon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the King though,¡± I say, rising up onto my paws. I make myself meet his gaze, and he glares back at me. ¡°You¡¯re Bryant. I know you¡¯re not the King of Ragdon. There has never been a King of Ragdon. You made up that title. You¡¯re Bryant. You found me when I was a kitten, and you named me Ice, and you took me in and loved me for twenty years before I died of old age and Lucius claimed me. You went against Lucius¡¯s final touch to take me from them, even though I never asked to be brought back.¡±


    ¡°I did you a favor,¡± Bryant hisses. ¡°You owe me your life.¡±


    I flex my toes to keep myself from crying any more than I already do. ¡°I never asked to be brought back. I never asked for that. I don¡¯t owe you anything, Brya-.¡±


    Bryant rises up, bracing himself on the Amethyst Throne with one hand while he slams his other against one of the armrests of the Throne. ¡°Do not call me that,¡± he spits. ¡°I am the King of Ragdon, and you will address me as such.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± I say. ¡°You made up that title. I know you¡¯re somewhere in there. I know the person who cared for me so much as Ice is in there. You couldn¡¯t have just disappeared. But you¡¯ve instead become someone I do not know, and you have done things that can never be taken back or forgotten.¡±


    The King stands, and I see my opportunity.


    He keeps his fingertips on the armrest of the Amethyst Throne, but he¡¯s fully upright. I stay low to the ground as I take a deep breath and summon every ounce of energy I can, and then I lunge. My joints complain at the exertion, but I know it¡¯s my chance. I shove away the pain and force myself to move faster.


    In a few quick bounds, I¡¯m on the Amethyst Throne, claws digging into its surface for traction. I feel power surge through me like an overflowing river, and I can feel the tendrils of its being brushing against my mind. I push the Throne away as much as I can and ignore everything I can¡¯t. It¡¯s a tantalizing kind of feeling, the power of the Amethyst Throne, but I¡¯ve had enough experience with fantasizing to recognize it and force it away. I was brought back to life through the power of the Amethyst Throne and a person¡¯s grief and twisted desire to never have to say goodbye.


    I could forgive the King for not wanting to say goodbye. I didn¡¯t want to either, even though I knew it was my time. I couldn¡¯t forgive him for what he did to Astra and to me when he actually brought me back and then grew angry that I didn¡¯t appreciate his actions.


    But now I have a chance, and I take it.


    The Dragon growls and steps forward.


    The Amethyst Throne¡¯s power courses through my body, mixing with the power I can never remove from myself, the echoing touch from what the King did all those years ago. When the Dragon moves to attack, I react. Ice sputters and explodes in sharp bolts, jagged and pointy. The Dragon jerks back when a spine of ice almost hits it in the face.


    I wrap my forelegs around the King¡¯s middle and dig my jaw into his shoulder, holding him close. I kick a hind leg into the Amethyst Throne, sending us both tipping backward. The Dragon starts and tries to catch the King, but it¡¯s too late.


    The King¡¯s arms come around my sides, and we tumble back, off the Amethyst Throne and away from its touch.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 4 - Trust Me

    Chapter 4


    Trust Me


    My back slams into the marble, and all the air is knocked from my lungs.


    The King writhes in my grip. I shove him off me, away from the Amethyst Throne, and get to my paws, gasping for breath. My claws rip tears in his purple suit. When the King stands, he¡¯s confused and horrified. I keep myself between him and the Throne, crouching low.


    ¡°What have you done?¡± the King snaps.


    ¡°I want Bryant back. I need to understand why you¡¯ve done all of this. I don¡¯t get it. I knew you as Ice, and you never would¡¯ve done this. What changed?¡±


    The King steps toward the Amethyst Throne, but I hold my ground. The Dragon rumbles behind me, breath shaking in its throat, a low, threatening kind of growl.


    My fur prickles and stands on end. Everything turns a bit sharper. My tail twitches.


    ¡°Stay,¡± the King orders, voice sharp and curt, leaving no room for discussion.


    I frown, ready to disobey, but he¡¯s not looking at me. I follow his gaze, and the King is looking at the Dragon.


    It snorts, narrowing its eyes, but when the King flattens his expression, the Dragon sits back like a sulking kitten, grumbling and irritated. Its snakehead tail hisses, tongue flicking out. It shoots me a withering glare, one that tells me as soon as the King says so, it will come after me.


    We¡¯re the same thing, the Dragon and I. We¡¯re borne of the same magic, borne from the same being. The King created us both. The Amethyst Throne runs through our veins.


    The King made me into who I am. The King created the Dragon and made it who it is.


    How can the Dragon be who it is ¡ªsome twisted, callous creature who obeys the every word of the King¡ª and yet I¡¯m still me? What¡¯s the difference between the two of us? The King made both of us. How could the King have made something like the Dragon? How could he have made something like me?


    I turn around.


    ¡°What have you done?¡± I ask. ¡°Have you always been this way? Did I just never see it as Ice? Or did something change so drastically? What happened to you, Bryant?¡±


    A whimper slips from my throat, and tears drip down my cheeks.


    I want to understand, but I have no idea where to even begin. I remember him when I was Ice, and I remember everything he¡¯s done since he brought me back as Jabez, and I know he¡¯s done things to others outside


    Who knows where the Generals came from. None of them are natural. Who knows what other families he¡¯s destroyed.


    What have you done?


    I stare at the King through watery eyes, silently begging him to come back, to offer some explanation, to offer some reasoning, something that would make it clear why he did it all. But I know there is none. Nothing could explain what he did to me, to my daughter, to Freedom, to Astra.


    At last, though, I see something shift in the King¡¯s gaze. A recognition I haven¡¯t seen in decades. A softness I haven¡¯t seen since I last saw Bryant as Ice.


    ¡°Ice,¡± he says with a soft gasp under his breath. ¡°Jabez.¡±


    ¡°Bryant.¡± I don¡¯t let my expression waver. I don¡¯t give in to the hope that traitorously blossoms in my chest. It wouldn¡¯t take much for that same hope to shatter as fast as it came.


    ¡°What have you done?¡± He repeats the question, but there isn¡¯t the accusation behind it. There¡¯s confusion, but not anger.


    ¡°I took you from the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I want to know why you¡¯ve done this all. I need to know.¡±


    Bryant is quiet for a few moments.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say goodbye. We could be together forever. We could be best friends, just like we were when we first met, only this time, we¡¯d never have to say goodbye,¡± Bryant says, and my chest constricts like a snake is wrapping around my middle, squeezing until I feel like I can¡¯t breathe.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that, Bryant,¡± I reply. ¡°No one gets to live forever. Lucius claimed me. I lived a happy life. I died that day, and I died as the happiest creature on this island. You loved me, and I loved you, and I knew nothing but that care for my entire life.¡±


    ¡°I brought you back so we could love each other forever. You¡¯re my best friend, Jabez-.¡±


    Tears roll down my cheeks, a sensation I¡¯m so used to, but this time it¡¯s different. It¡¯s a different kind of pain. I know what Bryant is saying and I want to badly to be able to agree, but I can¡¯t. I know that what he¡¯s talking about can never be done. Not really.


    ¡°You¡¯re calling me Jabez. My name was always Ice, but now it¡¯s Jabez. You¡¯ve changed me, Bryant. You fused my body with a human soul. I was a cat. I was Ice. But you warped who I am, Bryant. I¡¯m no longer me. I¡¯m pain, I¡¯m agony, I¡¯m grief for a life I once knew but can¡¯t know any more, I¡¯m every day spent wishing for the release of unconsciousness, I¡¯m everything I wish I was but can¡¯t be any more. I was Ice, but now I¡¯m Jabez, and I can never return to Ice, not after what you¡¯ve done to my body and my mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your best friend. You¡¯re my best friend.¡±


    ¡°We were best friends, Bryant. You changed our relationship when you brought me back from Lucius¡¯s claim. Our relationship was equal, but now it¡¯s not. The power imbalance can never be righted. I can never forget what you have done."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I keep my back to the Amethyst Throne so I can see Bryant. He tries to move closer, but I step forward to crowd him away, and he drops to the ground.


    ¡°Please, Jabez,¡± he pleads. ¡°The Amethyst Throne is angry. If I just go back, I can appease it. I¡¯ll give it what it wants. It¡¯s angry, Jabez. It¡¯s angry.¡±


    ¡°No. You can never undo what you¡¯ve done, but I can¡¯t let you return. You¡¯re not the same, but I want you back.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Bryant says, voice cracking. He kneels, braced on his hands, and he looks up at me. I flinch back when I realize the height difference, how I¡¯m looking down at him down my nose. I¡¯m trembling as I distantly watch a tear track down Bryant¡¯s cheek, feeling like I¡¯m trapped outside my body. My heart flutters in my chest, and the veins all throughout my body burn.


    I stay, looking down at Bryant. A part of it feels good, and my stomach twists at that realization. A part of me enjoys seeing Bryant on his knees, for once looking up and not down, for once the subject and not the ruler. I stay like that and hold my head a little higher. It¡¯s not that I want to do anything to Bryant. Instead, I just want him to realize what he¡¯s done, to acknowledge every wrong he¡¯s committed, to say that he knows he can never take it all back. I want to hear him say sorry, even if I know it won¡¯t change a thing.


    ¡°Jabez!¡± Bryant cries, snapping me from my thoughts, the way I¡¯m trying to sear the image of Bryant on his knees into my head.


    His purple eyes are wide, face frozen in absolute fear. The expression feels all to familiar. I felt it the day I realized the King had brought me back, I felt it the day I saw the Justice fly away with Astra, I felt it the day the Judge and Justice ruled in favor of the King and took away Astra, I felt it the day I told Brook in broken words that she had to take Astra as far as she could get from the King, I felt it the day the King cursed me, I felt it the day I realized the curse really wasn¡¯t going away, and I¡¯ve felt it every day I feel the curse claim a bit more of my body, my ring, my soul. The first time my heart beat under the influence of the curse, the first time I lost consciousness from pain, the first time I lost consciousness from exhaustion, the first time I realized I didn¡¯t remember hours and hours of time, the first time I realized I had to find a way to live with the curse because I couldn¡¯t find Astra and break it.


    I want to feel bad for Bryant. I know how that fear I can see on his face feels. I know how deep it can dig. I know that it doesn¡¯t come from nothing. I want to want to do something. In some distant, deep part of me still hung up with our relationship as Ice, I do feel bad. I want to comfort him.


    But the larger part of me feels numb. I can¡¯t forget what he¡¯s done, no matter how much I also can¡¯t forget my life as Ice.


    ¡°Jabez, listen to me very carefully,¡± Bryant says, looking above my head. He slowly gets to his feet.


    ¡°Why should I?¡± I say, shifting on my paws when my joints start to ache. I just sound tired. I¡¯m drained to my bones. I¡¯m too tired to care. I want to sleep, but I know that no amount of sleep would ever make me less tired. The exhaustion I feel can¡¯t be cured by sleep. I don¡¯t know if it ever can be cured.


    ¡°Please. I¡¯ll explain, but I need you to trust me.¡±


    ¡°My trust in you disappeared long ago. If you think you can trick me into bowing to you again, you can¡¯t. I want so badly to get what we had so long ago when it was you and I in my life as Ice, but we can never get that again. Not after what you¡¯ve done to me and every other being on this island.¡±


    A thump echoes behind me, but it sounds too far away. I can barely hear it, and I¡¯m too wound up with what Bryant¡¯s saying to be able to pay it any attention.


    ¡°I know, I know, Jabez. But you know how I feel about you. Please! You have to listen to me! I¡¯m trying to save you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you told me after you brought me back. You murdered a human for their soul, all so you could bring me back to life.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear the idea of having to say goodbye to you, Jabez! Can¡¯t you understand that?¡± Bryant¡¯s hands curl into bloodless fists and he shouts, but his voice cracks. His eyes turn red with tears and anger.


    I shake my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say goodbye either, but I never would have murdered another for that. Death is a part of life, Bryant. Everyone dies. Lucius has never given anyone back. Erebus exists to continue the cycle of life after Lucius claims another soul. They each balance the other out. You took me from Lucius. You threw off their balance.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one little cat I brought back. Neither are gonna care.¡±


    ¡°You murdered someone to do that. You destroyed their life and the lives of everyone who knew them. You committed one of the few things that can never be taken back-.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, ok, you win. You have to trust me, Jabez. Please. I¡¯m trying to save you.¡±


    Bryant looks above me.


    ¡°Why? You brought me back from the dead. You cursed me. I have lived in endless, never-ending pain for decades. I can¡¯t ever escape it. Why do you claim you are now trying to save me.¡±


    I start to turn around to try to see what he¡¯s looking at, but Bryant snaps out an arm and keeps my head facing him. I scowl, and ice crackles at my paws. I can feel the energy seeping through my skin with every crystal that forms.


    The ground begins to shake, and then it begins to rumble. There¡¯s another thump, and this time I can clearly hear it.


    ¡°What?¡± I snarl. Anger is exhausting, and the few times I¡¯ve gotten truly angry have all resulted in me losing consciousness.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Amethyst Throne,¡± Bryant whispers. ¡°I have to go back. I can make it calm down.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t you pretend you¡¯re trying to sacrifice yourself,¡± I snap. ¡°I believe that somewhere deep, deep down you really do care, but it¡¯s buried beneath the decades you had to take back your curse and let me get my daughter back. You¡¯ve had so long to step off the Amethyst Throne and try to make things right. You forced me back to life, so now I¡¯m forcing you to stay off the Throne. I¡¯m making you do the only thing you can still do right. I loved you, Bryant. I was the happiest cat alive as Ice, and now I don¡¯t know who you are.¡±


    I have to widen my stance and brace myself when the marble beneath my paws nearly ripples with how much the ground shakes. Cracks splinter up the pillars in the Throne Room, and dust and debris falls to the ground like stone snow. I sidestep a falling chunk of rock the size of my head.


    The quick movement throws me off balance, and dizziness sends my head spinning. I stumble as I lose my sense of where I am in space and vertigo makes the room look like it¡¯s tilted at a sharp angle. My eyelids flutter as I begin to sway, but before I slump to the ground, Bryant wraps his arms around me and yanks me out of the way as something slams down.


    A roar sounds somewhere above me.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Bryant shouts.


    My consciousness swims in my mind, and I distantly register that I¡¯m laying on Bryant¡¯s chest, head on his shoulder, and that he¡¯s beneath me. I start to shift to roll off him, but he holds me tighter.


    ¡°Stay, Jabez. It¡¯s not safe.¡±


    I shake my head to clear my mind. ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m trying to help.¡±


    I life my head to look him in the eye, and he holds my gaze for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he says.


    A growl rumbles behind me. The Dragon.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got your Dragon working for you?¡± I get my forepaws under me and push myself up.


    ¡°No, no, no, no,¡± Bryant replies quickly, holding up his hands by my paws. ¡°I didn¡¯t do that. I took credit for the Dragon, but the Amethyst Throne created it. The Amethyst Throne controls the Dragon. Usually it¡¯s just sleeping. The Throne wants me back, so it has the Dragon working for it. The Dragon can move; the Throne can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°The Amethyst Throne has power in my body. I¡¯m certain it has power in your body, too. Tell the Dragon off.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    I step away from Bryant and turn around to face the Dragon.


    ¡°You can¡¯t have Bryant back. He has to realize what he¡¯s done.¡±


    I want to spit and snarl, but I can¡¯t challenge the Dragon, nor the Amethyst Throne. So I just hold the Dragon¡¯s purple gaze.


    The Dragon takes a step forward, and I hold my ground, tail twitching by my hind paws. I draw my ears back and breathe slowly. I see the snakehead tail on the Dragon, its fangs, its hood, its twinkling eyes.


    ¡°Jabez!¡± Bryant shouts.


    I see movement out of the corner of my eye, and I dive out of the way, paws scrabbling on the marble floor.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 5 - The Snake

    Chapter 5


    The Snake


    There''s a snake.


    The snake isn''t the one on the tail of the Dragon.


    It''s different.


    This snake is metallic silver with deep, glittering amethyst eyes. Chains make up its body, and they clink as it rears up, baring its fangs and hissing, the sound trilling high in its body. I can''t see its tail; its body disappears into the Amethyst Throne, a permanent connection.


    I curl my lips, fur standing on end.


    The snake lunges, and Bryant shoves me. Hard. My shoulder slams into the marble floor, and when I regain my senses, I get to my paws and turn around to see Bryant struggling with the snake. It''s wrapped around him, chains digging into Bryant''s purple suit. Bryant holds onto the base of the snake''s head, and his arms shake as he tries to keep the snake from biting him. Venom drips from the snake''s fangs, splattering on the ground in shimmering, metallic droplets.


    "Stop that!" I snarl.


    Anger takes so much energy, but in this moment, it feels right. Anger at the threat of the snake, the threat of the Amethyst Throne and the Dragon. Anger at the situation I''m in, we''re in, Bryant and I. Anger at how all of this could''ve been avoided.


    Fury curls in my chest like claws, as cold as the depths of the lonely unconsciousness I''ve fallen into countless times. It sparks in dry, frozen shards of ice that splinter and shatter.


    But before I can reach Bryant, the Amethyst Throne pulses. Violet glows from deep within it, and the Dragon straightens, stepping back to crouch low to the Throne. A melodic tone rumbles in its chest, and it focuses its attention on the snake, narrowing its eyes. The snake pauses, going still in Bryant''s grip and making a sound that vibrates through its chains as they rattle.


    The snake slithers further around Bryant''s body, and then it tightens its grip to bring Bryant to the ground. His legs collapse when the snake takes a foot out from beneath him, and the snake flexes its chains to drag him closer to the Amethyst Throne. Blood smears across Bryant''s forehead, leaving a scarlet streak on the marble floor when the snake pulls him further. I race forward and try to pry the snake off, but I can''t.


    "Let him go. He''s not going back to the Amethyst Throne."


    I turn my head when I feel Bryant''s hand on my cheek. He exhales sharply when one of the snake''s coils bands around his ribcage.


    "Hush, Jabez," he says. "The Amethyst Throne won''t let me go so easy. Let me go back. The snake won''t hurt me. Not like you think it will. I need to go back. The Amethyst Throne is angry, but I can give it what it wants."


    "You said that before, and I can''t."


    I dig my claws into the rings of the snake''s chains and pull, yanking back as hard as I can. The snake locks up around Bryant in response, winding ever tighter as it hisses, the sound airy and dry, clicking in its throat. I lean my weight back on my hind legs, trying to gain traction on the marble floor, and hook a foreleg under the snake''s chain body. The shards of ice on my tail scratch across the ground. Doing so ruins the Throne Room more than it already has been, but I don''t care. It''s already destroyed. It feels right to break something. At least the Throne Room can be repaired.


    The Dragon chuffs as colors swirl within the Amethyst Throne.


    "No, don''t do it," Bryant warns, trying to twist in the snake''s hold. "Don''t you dare do it."


    A claw catches between two chains as they fold up. Pain sparks at the end of my toe, until the claw snaps and breaks. I spit and flash my teeth, pinning my ears as blood drips to the floor. It continues to drip, now that my heart beats again.


    "You can''t get me, snake. I won''t let you win."


    The snake''s violet eyes flash as it turns its attention to me. The snake unwinds one loop from around Bryant''s shoulders. It releases a sound that sounds like a twittering laugh, low and dangerous.


    My fur prickles. Something''s not right.


    All at once, the snake''s coils go limp, and Bryant''s free. He sits on the ground, unmoving, and staring at me with fear written all across his face. I hold his gaze, then look between the snake and the Dragon.


    The snake slithers forward, eyes twinkling. Its chains clink as it draws closer. Invisible fingers trail across my forelegs, running over every scar and pulling up every memory of how each one got there. I swallow, drawing my ears back. I feel the ghostly fingers circle around my wrists as more drag up my neck to encircle my throat.


    The fingers seize up like shackles at the same time the snake lunges, jaws parted wide and venom oozing from its fangs. I jump back, pulling my forelegs in close, but the snake still twists around my middle. I gasp on a breath as my throat closes up with the ghostly feel of a collar latching shut. A heartbeat passes by, air live with anticipation.


    The snake bites me, just below the base of my skull.


    I scream as pain explodes through my body. My back arches as every muscle locks up. My toes curl to the point of aching, claws fully unsheathed. My tail lashes as my limbs spasm. I twist until my body can''t move any further, and then I collapse to the ground.


    The snake''s fangs sink further into the back of my neck, and I can feel them as they break through flesh, through blood vessels, through nerves, through muscle. I can feel teeth grate along my spine, scraping across bone until the snake''s fangs are lodged in tight.


    At the first wave of venom, the pain from the snake''s initial bite sparks and bursts and explodes further, increasing tenfold before I can even start to ready myself. I shudder, jaws parted in a yowl I don''t have the air to voice.


    "Jabez," Bryant breathes, placing a shaky hand on my cheek.


    My vision blurs and warps, but I can see his face. Tears drip down his cheeks. The sight reminds me of when he held me as I died as Ice. A part of it gives me that aching feeling in my chest, the one that, as Ice, made me want to curl up in Bryant''s lap and start purring. I can still purr as Jabez ¡ªI used to put Astra to sleep with the sound¡ª but through the pain and the sword-sharp edge of the venom setting every nerve alive, I feel no such desire. I just feel a flattened-out echo of the anger I''d felt before the snake bit me.


    "If-if you... if you really cared," I rasp, throat raw, "you never would-would''ve let all of this happen. You would have s-s-stopped it long ago. You... you would have-have destroyed the Ameth-Amethyst Th-Throne. Don''t you-you t-tell... don''t tell me you-you''re sorry, Bryant."


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I twist and contort, grimacing when the snake sends more venom into my body. My temple slams into the ground when I throw my head to the side. This time, black spots bloom in my vision, growing until all I can see is black. My head spins despite me laying flat on my side.


    Bryant smooths a hand over my forehead. I try to lift a paw to bat at him, to push him away, but I can only weakly move a foreleg as I try to remain awake.


    Venom spreads further with every beat of my heart, and I can feel it take its toll.


    I pant, panic trying to form as I struggle to get enough air, but consciousness slips away from me before I can register the growing desperation for a breath.


    I cling on for as long as I can, hoping that I can hang on long enough to pull the snake''s fangs from my neck and break free, but after losing my vision, my hearing goes next, falling into buzzing. The connection between my mind and body severs, leaving me unable to feel anything, and I sink beneath the deep, dark waves of unconsciousness.


    xxxx


    I return to reality slower than I ever have before.


    My mind swims, bobbing in the sea of unconsciousness that hold me tight in its soft, lingering grip. It''s comforting, yet disorienting enough that I don''t want to stay. I don''t know where I am, and I know that''s a problem.


    I push through enough to get my first sense of where I am. My hearing begins to return. Footsteps sound as though they are far away, and someone talks through the fog in my head.


    I register a hard material digging into my shoulder and hip, the tingling in a paw that''s fallen asleep, the ache of joints that have been still long enough to lock up. Nothing concerning because I''ve felt it all countless times before, nothing alarming, until I feel the pain in my neck.


    I''ve felt pain along my spine, but this is different. It''s sharper, rolling like waves with edges as jagged as shattered ice.


    With a groan, I start to move, pulling my forelegs in close and flicking my tail. I draw my ears back as bolts of pain radiate from my neck, choking on an inhale. It burns, everything burns. My claws unsheathe as I curl my toes. My muscles spasm, and any sense of figuring out where I am drifts away.


    Eventually, I go still and the pain softens but still remains. I drift off back into the grasp of unconsciousness before I can return to the reality I know exists but cannot make contact with.


    xxxx


    The next time I wake, I lay where I am, still, flank rising and falling with each slow breath. I remain for as long as I can in the in-between place somewhere in the middle of conscious and unconscious, aware that I''m on the ground and distantly able to hear, but unable to see or fully grasp onto reality.


    Eventually, though, my vision blurs into focus and I blink until the floaters disappear. I curl my lips and bare my teeth at the bright light.


    The pain in my neck returns as I look around and piece together my surroundings. When I roll to my stomach, something heavy shifts over my back, moving until it''s draped over my spine. Something twitches in my neck, something foreign I don''t recognize.


    It draws me further into reality, and I take a deep breath.


    Rubble covers the ground in a thin dusting, chunks of rock scattered about. Some are small, about the size of my paw pads, while others are bigger than my head.


    I lift my head, but a tight band around my neck cinches until I can only drag in a shallow breath. Something grazes along my spine.


    The snake''s teeth.


    Memories flood into my head as venom spreads through my bloodstream. My vision blurs and I sway where I lay.


    Stay, a voice says in my head. Don''t move. It doesn''t speak, not really. There are no words spoken, only an intention given that I can clearly understand. In my mind''s eye, I can see the flash of the snake''s glittering gaze, the curve of its fangs, the pulse of the Amethyst Throne''s power.


    So, I stay. I don''t move.


    But either way, I''m too dizzy to stand and I don''t trust myself not to fall if I did.


    "Jabez," someone says.


    It takes me several moments to recognize the voice. Bryant. King Garonda XIV. The King of Ragdon.


    "Bryant," I murmur, looking up with only my eyes.


    He lounges on the Amethyst Throne, head pillowed on a folded arm behind his head. The other rests lazily on the armrest. He watches me, purple eyes narrowed and an easy grin on his face.


    "You''re awake. What a surprise! The Amethyst Throne and I thought you''d be out for another few days. The snake really did a number on ya, you know? But I guess you''re just special! You took the venom like a champ. True inspiration, you are. I should have the Generals take notes. The Guard and Soldiers, too. There''s this model Soldier you should talk to. He''s rising through the ranks fast. Never says no, follows every order without hesitation, does everything he''s asked, and he volunteers for everything. Just a true model Soldier. Everyone should be like him. Oh! Wait, I''m getting off track, aren''t I?" Bryant trails off, before he leans forward with a gasp. "Wait! You called me Bryant. Never do that again. I am King Garonda XIV, the King of Ragdon, the one true ruler of this island, for I sit on the Amethyst Throne. You, Jabez, are my pet cat, just like you were as Ice."


    "You brought me back to life and fused me with a human soul," I say as my vision blurs and exhaustion pulls on me with heavy hands. "I chose to belong to you as Ice. I never chose it this time. I could''ve left as Ice, but I didn''t want to. You never gave me that choice as Jabez. I don''t know who you are any more. I don''t understand what you''ve done, but you can no longer take it back."


    King Garonda XIV''s expression morphs into a scowl, and my own twists into a scream as the snake tightens its grip and sends venom flooding through my veins. The Amethyst Throne''s bindings around my wrists flare with heat and I jerk my paws to try to escape.


    "Why?" I snarl, glaring up at the King with all the anger I can muster through the pain. "Despite it all, I cared for you. I tried to save you from the Throne, and this is what happened? Why?"


    "I brought you back to life. We never have to be apart again. You may not see it now, but this is a gift. We had such a short amount of time together when you were Ice, but now we''ve been together for over a century. We''ve had our rocky patches. You left for someone who could never give you what we can give each other, but you''re back now. You''ll see. You may not now, but you will."


    I grit my teeth as tears drip down my cheeks.


    I don''t know what to make of it. He was so kind when I was Ice. I don''t know how he became who he is as the King.


    Was he always like this and I was just couldn''t see it?


    Can''t things go back to how they were before?


    xxxx


    The sun works its way across the sky, and the light shining through the windows of the Throne room moves across the ground. Guard and Soldiers come into the room and clean up the floor, removing the fallen chunks of marble. Others bring in tall wooden ladders that seem like they''re held together with hopes and prayers that Lucius doesn''t arrive today to climb up and replace the columns stretching all the way to the ceiling. The Guard and Soldiers fit in new pieces of marble, and the Amethyst Throne seals in the cracks, leaving no trace the columns were ever broken in the first place.


    When night falls, the King dozes off, settling down on a fluffed purple pillow and drifting away into Dreamland.


    But I don''t sleep.


    The snake''s chain is too heavy, and every time it shifts, the links of its body pinch together and tug on my fur. Its teeth immobilize part of my neck, and I can feel every bit of where it''s biting me. When I squirm, its fangs move. I want to scream, but that wouldn''t do anything.


    I squeeze my eyes shut, timing my inhales and exhales until the weight around my chest and heart eases. Until I feel less like I''m about to explode and drain all my energy coating the entire Throne Room in a blanket of ice.


    I shouldn''t have come back to the castle.


    I never should have left Astra.


    I couldn''t bear to see the fear in her eyes, but I should''ve stayed. At least then I''d know for sure how she felt. It would break my heart, but I would''ve heard it straight from her that she didn''t want to see me again.


    I should never have left her the last time I saw her after the Judge and Justice ruled against me and Freedom. I should have found some way to stay with her. I should have found some way to go up against the Amethyst Throne and win.


    But I couldn''t.


    And after I lost Freedom and Astra, the King was all I had left. He was the only one I knew.


    I shouldn''t have come back to him, but I didn''t know where else to go.


    Look where that got you, I think to myself as I glare at the far wall of the Throne Room.


    A few torches cast rings of light on the marble. The Dragon snores behind me, exhales rumbling and deep.


    Off in the corner of the Throne Room, I see movement. I look up and prick my ears.


    A creature materializes half into existence. They freeze, eyes widening as they tense, curling in on themselves and arching their back. Long ears tipped in loose hanging fur pin to the sides of their head. Antlers extend far from their skull, casting spindly shadows on their green, mottled fur.


    I open my mouth to speak, and the creature shakes their head vigorously. The fear seeping from their body is nearly tangible.


    They paw at their face several times. It takes me a moment, but then I notice it:


    The strap of leather bound tight around their muzzle. Tight enough that I''m sure it restricts blood flow.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 6 - Hes Nobody

    Chapter 6


    He¡¯s Nobody


    The sad thing about the leather strap is that I¡¯m pretty sure it could be easily removed.


    Perhaps the Amethyst Throne cursed it somehow, but the leather in itself doesn¡¯t look all that complicated. It¡¯s just a strip with a metal buckle at the end. It looks like one of the belts I¡¯ve occasionally seen people wear. The strap is bound too tight to just pull it off. I can¡¯t take it off, and neither can the creature.


    But I¡¯m fairly certain that anyone with opposable thumbs and a bit of basic dexterity could undo the buckle.


    But until it¡¯s off, the creature cannot talk.


    I want to say something. I want to speak, to talk to them, to figure out what¡¯s going on. The snake has me chained to the Amethyst Throne. That much I know for certain. But I want to help.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I whisper, pricking my ears for any sign of response from the creature.


    They freeze, pressing their body up against the far wall so much that I¡¯m somewhat surprised they don¡¯t melt into it. Their mottled, green fur shifts as they push themselves further against the wall. They crouch to the ground, long ears pinned to the sides of their skull. Their eyes are so wide that I can barely see the beige against the white. One of their twisted antlers carves a long gash in the wall. I wince at the sharp sound, but the King doesn¡¯t blink.


    ¡°A-are you ok?¡± I ask.


    The creature shakes their head, desperation written across their face.


    Of course they¡¯re not ok. Who would be? Their mouth is bound shut. They cannot speak. Their voice has been stolen.


    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± the King snaps, bringing me back to reality.


    ¡°I-¡­¡± I pause, working over my words as the collar of the Amethyst Throne¡¯s magic tightens until it digs into my neck just enough that I can¡¯t forget about it, but not so much that it impedes breathing. I curl my claws into the marble and wrap my tail around my body, trying to push away the instinctual panic over the collar around my throat.


    ¡°There¡¯s a creature in the corner,¡± I say.


    The creature stiffens, and their tail presses into their abdomen as they flatten to the ground. The patterns on their fur morph into new shapes. I begin to be able to see the wall directly behind them.


    The King hums.


    ¡°Does he have green fur, long ears, and a leather strap around his muzzle?¡± the King asks.


    I frown. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. That¡¯s Outis. He¡¯s nobody. Don¡¯t worry about him. Pay him no mind. He¡¯ll probably disappear soon enough.¡±


    I glance at the King, then turn my attention back to Outis. I tilt my head to the side. Outis looks above me, gaze fixated on the King. His nostrils flare.


    ¡°Outis is nobody?¡± I echo.


    ¡°Pay him no mind. He never leaves, but he¡¯s nobody. Life goes on without him.¡±


    How can he be nobody? He¡¯s right there. It¡¯s impossible to be nobody when you¡¯re right there.


    I don¡¯t respond to the King. The shackles around my wrists cinch and my toes tingle, but nothing further happens.


    Outis tilts his head to the side. We watch each other for several long moments. He relaxes the slightest amount, but when the King¡¯s cufflinks on his suit jacket rap against the armrest of the Amethyst Throne, Outis flinches and vanishes in a green cloud.


    xxxx


    I need to escape. I know that.


    I can¡¯t stay here, forever trapped in some terrible limbo, partway between belonging to the King in some glass prison and the freedom to finally be with my daughter that¡¯s now so tantalizingly close after being only a dream a breath away for so long.


    But at the same time, if I¡¯m here with the King, maybe that will be just enough to keep him from going after Astra. He¡¯ll have me. His anger was only ever directed at me, not my daughter. She never did anything to him; I did. I told him no. I turned my back to him after realizing that he¡¯d brought me back from the dead, back from Lucius¡¯s claim. I found my version of peace with Freedom and Astra, and I¡¯d drifted away from the King. His anger was at me for leaving him.


    Maybe having me back with him will be enough that he won¡¯t want to lash out at my daughter.


    Maybe if I just stay here and live with the snake, Astra can find her own happiness. We never met, not really, at least for her. I knew her for the months after she was first born and that flicker of a moment when I got to see her again. She doesn¡¯t really remember me. She doesn¡¯t really know me.


    Maybe she¡¯ll forget and she¡¯ll grow up thinking that I never really existed. She can grow up and live her life how she wants, a long life where she¡¯s happy and makes friends and is kind. I know Brook will teach her not to judge, to be respectful, everything Freedom and I would¡¯ve done ourselves, if we¡¯d had the chance.


    You can¡¯t give up, some small voice in the back of my head tells me.


    And I know that, but is it giving up if it¡¯s the only thing I can think of that might keep Astra safe?


    I¡¯m no match for the King, the Amethyst Throne, the Dragon, now the King¡¯s snake. Who knows what else he has, what else the Amethyst Throne has? Giving in, at least for now, and not fighting the snake might work. It¡¯s a better shot than certain death if I challenged the Amethyst Throne.


    I can take the pain. I can suffer it long enough to build up a tolerance and bide my time. I know I can adjust. I know I can get used to the pain. I did. I have for decades.


    Astra can¡¯t. She can hate me for not being there. She might already. It would destroy me inside, but the King can¡¯t get to her. He¡¯s already gotten to me. It¡¯s too late. But Astra still has a chance.


    My eyes burn with tears, and my vision blurs. My skin prickles in a thousand places. Freezing tears on my cheeks, the twisting sensation in my forelegs, the snake¡¯s teeth always shifting just enough that the wound can¡¯t ever begin to heal over, the patches of split nerves around scars where feeling never returned quite right. Tiny little agonies that have become background noise, a low drone I¡¯d learned to ignore until it got too bad that I no longer could.


    Except now the snake is here, and it¡¯s a pain that¡¯s screaming in my ears, something far louder than anything I¡¯d heard. And it¡¯s a different pitch to anything I¡¯ve felt; it¡¯s a pain I don¡¯t know where to begin tuning it out.


    But if adjusting to the snake and everything it brings keeps Astra safe, I¡¯ll find a way. I have to. She grew up without me, and I couldn¡¯t keep the King from taking her away. He took her from me, but if I can play nice with the King, perhaps she¡¯ll get a shot at a happy life.


    I shove the thought out of my head that I know who the King is. The only thing I¡¯ve seen him do in person was tell the Judge and the Justice that Freedom and I abused Astra, but I know he¡¯s done terrible things to others. I don¡¯t have to have been there to know that. He might¡¯ve been nice to me when I was Ice and played the part after he brought me back from Lucius¡¯s claim, but that could¡¯ve all been pretend. Maybe he was only ever nice to me but hurt others.


    Maybe¡­


    I shut down the train of thought and sigh. I stretch out a foreleg, but tuck it under my chest when I see the scars. I know they exist and I know how each one got there, but I don¡¯t want to see them right now. Not when I¡¯m fighting against the snake. The King, too.


    What did you do, King? Why did you have to do it all? Couldn¡¯t things have stayed how they were? Were they ever how I remember them?


    xxxx


    Flames engulf the entirety of the two wooden doors to the Throne Room a short while later. I¡¯d dozed off, but I quickly wake up again. Smoke billows to the ceiling, and I sneeze, wrinkling my nose at the sharp scent.


    ¡°Phoenix,¡± the King spits.


    ¡°Cream puff,¡± Phoenix spits right back, squinting and stalking forward with confidence I wish I had. His strides are long and smooth. He¡¯s angry, furious, glaring at the King with such rage that I almost expect that the King would burst into the same flames crackling on Phoenix¡¯s fur.


    "I expected more of a challenge coming in here. I must say I''m really awfully disappointed. No matter, though."


    Alex is right behind Phoenix, and she quickly shifts back to her human form when she sees me. The pewter pendant swings around her neck, her brown hair swishes around her face and shoulders, and her orange eyes are wide.


    ¡°Jabez!¡± she gasps. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Bad question,¡± Ky replies, slinking into the Throne Room along the same wall I¡¯d seen Outis pressed up against earlier. His long fur shifts with every step. The red bandana around his neck falls to one side.


    ¡°True. I¡¯m sorry, Jabez. We¡¯ll get you out of there.¡±


    ¡°I woul-.¡±


    Phoenix cuts off the King.


    ¡°Is that really the best use of your time?¡± Phoenix¡¯s eyes trail over me, and my fur prickles. I don¡¯t hold eye contact. ¡°Or are you really just that much of a shitty person that you can¡¯t even make anyone want to spend time with you? You really gotta chain someone just so they won¡¯t abandon ya?¡±


    ¡°Tell them, Jabez,¡± the King says.


    ¡°Tell them what?¡± I reply, watching as Brook hurries in after Astra. Ky quickly pulls Astra to the side.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Brook says as soon as she finds me.


    Brook tries to step in front of Astra to block her vision, but my daughter still finds me.


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    ¡°Jabez!¡± Astra shrieks.


    She freezes as she looks at me, but then she turns her attention to the King. She glares at him, curling her lips into a snarl and flaring her wings out to the side as her fur fluffs up.


    ¡°Let him go,¡± Astra demands.


    ¡°Can¡¯t do that, little cat,¡± the King says


    ¡°You have to let him go,¡± Astra repeats with a determined nod.


    I¡¯m torn between the pride of seeing my daughter but also the terrorizing fear of her being in the same space as the King, the exact same place where the King took her from me and Freedom ninety years ago. My vision flickers between the present and the memories of the Judge and the Justice presiding over the faux trial, the crowd of Guard and Soldiers, the false emotion of the King as he spun his tail of abuse.


    ¡°Astra,¡± I say.


    ¡°Jabez!¡± she repeats. She pricks her ears, and her blue eyes are wide. I can see bits of Freedom in her¡ª the claws on her feet, the wings, the splashes of color across her fur. Pride blooms in my chest, but it¡¯s smothered by how scared I am.


    ¡°You gotta go with Brook, ok? Go with Brook. Please.¡± I gather my legs beneath me and lift my head to hide the snake¡¯s fangs in the back of my neck. I try to pretend, to give the illusion that I¡¯m more ok than I am. I know Astra¡¯s smart. I know that she knows this situation isn¡¯t alright, but if she thinks it¡¯s better than it is, I¡¯ll save her that pain.


    My heart rate spikes, and I find Brook, silently pleading with her to get Astra out of the Throne Room.


    She can¡¯t be here. The King is going to get to her again, just like he did before.


    A part of me wonders how Astra even managed to get into the King¡¯s castle in the first place, but Brook¡¯s panicked and apologetic looks tell me it was probably her darting away. The few months I had Astra held several of those events¡ª Astra running off without warning. She could move fast and far on her own, but her magic, even though she lacked much control, let her go even further.


    A horde of Guard and Soldiers pile into the entrance to the Throne Room, but Ky and Alex halt them. Grey stands beside Brook to help her, while Phoenix takes another few steps toward the King.


    I catch a glimpse of Ky, who scrambles back several steps when two Soldiers launch a volley of attacks with their swords. His eyes glaze over as he swishes his tail, and a dozen Guard and Soldiers drop to their knees, then turn to attack their fellow brothers in the King¡¯s army. A trickle of blood drips from Ky¡¯s nose, but he quickly licks it away.


    But when a Guard breaks past Ky and Alex, Phoenix spins partway around to wrestle him to the ground. Phoenix sinks his teeth into the Guard¡¯s neck, shaking his head until he stops moving and blood sprays across black fur and the marble floor.


    When Phoenix turns to the Amethyst Throne, lips pulled back into a scarlet smile, I feel the snake chitter and the Throne thrum with energy.


    ¡°You know,¡± he purrs, ¡°you should listen to kids.¡±


    I watch Astra. She has her back to me and protests against Brook¡¯s attempts to bring her away.


    The King leans forward, elbows on his knees and fingers laced together. He stares at Phoenix with something in his eyes that I can¡¯t identify. ¡°Why would I listen to someone who ran?¡±


    ¡°Why would I listen to someone who chained his fucking friend so he couldn¡¯t run away? Why would I listen to someone who cannot make any relationship that isn¡¯t just one fucked up power dynamic where everyone else cannot leave?¡±


    ¡°I could say the same to you,¡± the King replies. ¡°How many friends do you have?¡±


    ¡°I have all the friends I need.¡±


    ¡°And so do I. Jabez knows we are friends. He¡¯s just remembering it now.¡±


    I close my eyes and take a breath, sighing. The King could stop this. He knows I don¡¯t hate him, not like I know I should. I hate everything he has done, but I cannot forget how he was when I was Ice. But if I could just get my thoughts in a line, string them together, stop swimming in the depths of my mind from how tired I am, the pain I¡¯m in... maybe then I could work things out.


    ¡°You¡¯re fucked up.¡± Phoenix snorts. ¡°I hope you know that. Can you even make a complete list of everything you¡¯ve done? Can you tell me every single thing you have done to those on this island?¡±


    ¡°You would like me to tell you every way I have helped this island? I can start with Jabez. He was the first. He died, and the-.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Phoenix snarls, taking another step closer.


    ¡°The Throne,¡± I bite out, panic rising in my throat.


    I can feel it through the rumble in the floor, the vibrations in the snake¡¯s body, the prickling of the hair along my spine, that instinctual feeling of just knowing something is very wrong.


    ¡°Go. It¡¯s the Throne.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not all that different, you and I,¡± the King says to Phoenix, leaning to the side as he studies the black cat.


    ¡°Yeah? Fuck you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re less creative, I see.¡±


    ¡°Why would I waste my words on someone who believes what you have done is right? You might claim not to remember everything you¡¯ve done, but you will. I will make you.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± I force the words out, wishing with everything in me I was free, gone from the touch of the King and the Amethyst Throne.


    But, still, I¡¯m stuck. The snake¡¯s body lays heavy over me, a weight I can never forget. A weight that presses down across my body like a brand.


    The power of the Amethyst Throne builds up. It funnels its energy into the snake, that then channels it into me. My fur stands on end, and I pant against the raw power churning within me, a boiling pot with no outlet.


    ¡°What is there to remember? I¡¯ve only helped Ragdon. It¡¯s my duty, as King of Ragdon, to help my citizens. I alone can help them, and I accept that duty, just like I did when I first took the Amethyst Throne. Everything I have done has been to bette-.¡±


    Phoenix spits and snarls, eyes flashing.


    I swallow down the nausea at the sensation of the Amethyst Throne¡¯s magic coiling around my insides. It needs somewhere to go, but there¡¯s nowhere. I don¡¯t know what to do with it, and I don¡¯t have the energy to use it up. The power seeps through every cell in my body. I lick my nose as I start to shake and my mouth waters, a side effect of how much my head spins. I get to my feet in an instinctual movement to feel less vulnerable, but I sway and have to lock my joints and brace myself.


    Phoenix ticks his head to the side and pulls his lips back into a wide snarl that¡¯s all bloodstained teeth. His tail lashes, and he widens his stance, violet shock of hair falling over his eyes until he shakes it away.


    He leaps forward with a roar, and a wall of fire descends upon the Amethyst Throne. The King doesn¡¯t blink, and I have a split second to be confused before a wall of ice rips from my paws. I drop a moment later, gasping for breath as I feel the power of the Amethyst Throne draining from me like water through a broken bucket. The snake¡¯s chain body gets twisted beneath my side. It squirms and writhes, pulling its fangs against my flesh until its body wriggles free, though its teeth still remain firmly lodged up against bone.


    My vision blurs from exhaustion and pain. I shudder, dragging in air through gritted teeth.


    I spasm as the power is drained from me faster than it ever has been before. Ice spreads further and further in jagged spikes, and it seeps the energy from me just as quickly as it moves.


    Phoenix tears at the wall of ice. I can feel every score he carves into its surface, the sharp curve of his claws, the weight he throws at it when he leaps yet again, the heat of his fire, every point of contact with his flames as he tries to melt his way through.


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡± someone screams, though I don¡¯t know who.


    I slump to the side, unable to hold myself up. The embrace of unconsciousness hovers nearby, vast and clawed and soft and all-consuming. It¡¯s an acquaintance I¡¯ve gotten to know that¡¯s neither friend nor enemy. My breathing slows, and I sigh in a long exhale.


    ¡°Phoenix! You¡¯re killing him!¡±


    I hear an echoing roar, a short snarl, and then a rumbling hiss.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a monster, but I¡¯m not as low as you, cream puff. Using those you know as living shields? Only the lowest of the low would think of such a thing, let alone actually do it. I want to kill you, and I will kill you. But I won¡¯t kill Jabez. It¡¯s not his choice to stand in my way. You forced him to fight. Consent is a thing, remember? I tell others to get out of my way so they can. If they stay in my way, that¡¯s on them. But you don¡¯t even give the option. Low. Next time, fucking lift a finger yourself. Ain¡¯t that hard, fucker. We will free Jabez, and then I will rip the life from your body and send you to Lucius in so many pieces not even they will be able to identify you, much less take you. They¡¯ll just send you off to be forgotten, because no one will ever want you. That¡¯s a promise. Unlike you, I don¡¯t break my promises. Fuck you.¡±


    I try to move to see where Astra is, to find my daughter, but I can¡¯t. I can barely keep my eyes open or track the reply to Phoenix. My body is numb, and I can¡¯t move. Each breath drags against my throat like grit in a breeze.


    A few moments later, I hear footsteps around me, and then there are hands all over me, and my nerves scream underneath their touch. The collar of the Amethyst Throne cinches ever tighter, and I wheeze and choke as I try to breathe. The snake rips out chunks of fur as it coils around me and works its fangs in deeper, carving across bone. Someone¡¯s fingers dig into the skin under my jaw to turn my head to the side. An arm brackets around my forelegs to hold me still. I¡¯m held upright, slumped against someone¡¯s body.


    I feel someone grab at the snake¡¯s head. Its fangs twist in my neck, teeth against bone and breaking through flesh and muscle and sinew. I ground out a cry, screwing my eyes shut as every muscle locks up in pain and my jaws part in a scream.


    ¡°You know,¡± the King says slowly, drumming his fingers on the arm of the Amethyst Throne, ¡°you really shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°And why not?¡± Alex says.


    ¡°If you break him free, the Amethyst Throne will just have to reclaim him. The power of the Throne through the snake¡¯s venom causes irreparable damage every time it has to bite again. The damage slows once it has its bite, but biting again would just speed it all up.¡±


    The King lets his gaze trail over to me, and I watch him back through fuzzy vision with the feeling that I¡¯m seeing my body watch the King. Someone ¡ªGrey, I think¡ª still holds me up, supporting my weight. No one tries to tug on the snake again. The look the King has is the same look he had when I was Ice. He¡¯d watch me as I curled up in his lap, chased insects around him, played with bits of string he found, purred as he stroked my fur. But this time I feel so much worse. There¡¯s not the same love, the friendship we¡¯d had. The relationship is now so much more one-sided. He can leave, but I can¡¯t. My vision blurs in and out of focus, and I look away from him.


    ¡°Who knows what agony would await if such a thing had to occur,¡± the King continues in a drawl. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want that level of suffering on your hands, would you?¡±


    I''m set back down, and I sink into the floor, breathing through the sharp jabs of pain as my muscles complain and my joints crack. Footsteps retreat, and I distantly watch Grey and Alex and Ky go.


    I fight through the haze of the venom, the unrelenting pull of exhaustion, the promise of unconsciousness. The tantalizing whispers of its mercy, the release I¡¯d get, but I say no this time.


    In a jerking motion, I roll to face Phoenix and Brook. I see Astra half-hidden behind Brook¡¯s foreleg and hoof.


    ¡°You have to go,¡± I ground out, cutting Alex off before she can reply. ¡°Leave.¡±


    Astra flinches back, and I hold her gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯ll survive. You have to go.¡±


    Her expression falls into something sad, and I twist and curl my paws beneath my chest to hide how I dig my claws deep into my foreleg. She can¡¯t see my fear, how I don¡¯t know if I just lied to my own child because I don¡¯t know if I can survive this. I¡¯ve lived through more than I thought I¡¯d make it through, but I don¡¯t know if I can stand against the snake long enough to survive it. I know I have to, but I don¡¯t know if I can.


    But I do know that Astra can¡¯t stay here. None of them can.


    The King chuckles from above me, and I hear him shift in his seat, the whisper of his suit creasing.


    ¡°You have to leave,¡± I say, louder this time when no one moves. Blood smears beneath me, warm until it freezes.


    I get my paws beneath me and try to stand, to tell them all how they cannot stay, but the snake tightens its grip on the back of my neck and I drop, clenching my teeth to muffle a yowl. Pain bolts down my spine, and my nerves sing with the burn of the venom. I shudder, and my jaw glances off the ground as I collapse.


    Astra starts forward. Brook lunges after her, but Grey gets to my daughter first. He scoops her up, only grimacing as she claws at his arms. Green glows on his skin, slowing slightly the more Astra tears at him. He flinches when one of her wings catches him in the side of the face, but he holds onto her.


    ¡°Please,¡± he says, ¡°you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Astra wails. ¡°I have to help him! He¡¯s my dad! Freedom is dead, and you won¡¯t kill him too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, little cat, you must be mistaken,¡± the King purrs. He stretches out a leg to rub at my shoulder. I growl, and it¡¯s worth it. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill your mother. That was all Arcane¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, cream puff,¡± Phoenix growls. ¡°No one believes a word of your lies.¡±


    I close my eyes. I did, though. I believed the King. I believed him for years.


    ¡°It would be best not to waste your words,¡± Ky says. ¡°None of us will fall for your lies.¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie? I did not kill Freedom. I didn¡¯t lay a hand on her.¡±


    Phoenix curls his lip. ¡°Just shut up, would ya? We both know what you did. You don¡¯t gotta lay a hand on someone to kill them, do you?¡± He narrows his eyes. ¡°Jabez here sure knows as well. I¡¯ll bet he remembers every second of it-.¡±


    I interrupt Phoenix before things go on too long. They all have to get out of here. I don¡¯t want to find out what happens when the King and the Amethyst Throne send out the Dragon. I don¡¯t want to find out if the Amethyst Throne has another snake. I don¡¯t want to find out what else it may be able to do.


    ¡°Go,¡± I plead yet again. ¡°You have to leave.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave with you,¡± Brook replies, ears drawing back in determination. She takes a step forward, and her hooves echo in the Throne Room.


    "Jabez!" Astra writhes in Grey''s hold.


    I bite my tongue until blood pools in my mouth. Alex steps up beside her brother and murmurs something to Astra. She looks between me and Alex with her ears pinned to the sides of her head.


    ¡°No, that can¡¯t happen right now. The snake isn¡¯t coming off. You have to leave. Now.¡±


    No one moves, and I lay there, panting. My heart races, and the haze of the venom creeps over my eyes until my vision blurs and turns double, until my legs start to tingle and feel like foreign objects somehow attached to my own body. I keep one of my forelegs beneath my body so Astra doesn¡¯t see the wound. I doubt she would leave if she did, and I can¡¯t risk that.


    ¡°GO!¡± I shout with as much force as I can manage, flashing my teeth in a show of energy I have to fake.


    But they can¡¯t stay here. I can¡¯t let anyone else get stuck.


    ¡°Go,¡± I repeat, this time softer than before.


    And they do.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 7 - Lost in the Current

    Chapter 7


    Lost in the Current


    Grey leaves first with Alex right behind him, her hand on his shoulder. She feigns a lunge at a Guard who gets too close, flashing her teeth, though she remains in human form.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± she mutters.


    Brook lingers, gently ushering Astra out of the Throne Room after a long look at me. I nod.


    I¡¯d made her promise to keep Astra safe all those years ago, when the Judge and the Justice ruled in favor of the King¡¯s false claims that Freedom and I were abusing Astra, claims made after I refused to let things stay the same after I realized what the King did in bringing me back to life. Freedom made her promise, too. Brook has kept that promise. She could¡¯ve said no, could¡¯ve quit, could¡¯ve left instead of spending ninety years locked away. Instead, she protected Astra in a way neither I nor Freedom could¡¯ve done.


    She didn¡¯t have to but she still did anyway, and I¡¯m eternally grateful. I want to keep Astra safe with my own power. I want to get to know her. But my own mistakes are still nipping at my paws, and I won¡¯t risk them biting at Astra too.


    I can take it. I can take it. I can take it. She can¡¯t. She shouldn¡¯t have to learn how to like I did.


    Ky stands and stares at the King for a long time. A thousand emotions swirl in his brown eyes. He remains still, ears pricked and fluffy tail held out behind him. He doesn¡¯t blink. Out of the corner of my eye, I see how the King doesn¡¯t either.


    ¡°We will be back,¡± Ky says, ¡°and when we return, we will not leave until we have gotten every bit of what we have come for. Farewell, cream puff. Remember that you had every opportunity to say no, to change your mind, and that you did neither. Remember that you brought this upon yourself. Remember that no one forced you into anything.¡±


    Ky watches him for a moment longer, before ducking out the door, swiping a paw at a Guard and taking out his knee. Phoenix remains, slowly creeping closer to the King. His head is low, level with his back, and his tail flicks.


    Brook urges Astra toward the exit, coaxing her every step as she protests and continually looks back at me.


    Go, I silently plead with Brook. She can¡¯t be here. You have to keep her safe. Please. Keep her safe like I cannot. I can make no promise about myself, but Astra has to be ok.


    Brook inclines her head, ears drawn back, but she nods in another promise to do everything she can to keep Astra safe.


    The snake bites down harder against my neck, and blood spills through my fur. I bite down on my tongue until the taste of rust fills my mouth. Astra¡¯s so close. She¡¯s almost out of the Throne Room. She has to get out. She has to leave. I grit my teeth, screwing my eyes shut and panting.


    Astra¡¯s almost at the door. She¡¯s nearly at the door. She¡¯s nearly out. She¡¯s nearly away, somewhere the King is not. He never leaves the Amethyst Throne, so if she can just get away, then maybe she can get that much further. Brook had to make a portal to another world to keep Astra safe for ninety years, but if she can just get away maybe we can get just a little bit of time to figure something out.


    The snake tightens its coils and jerks me back. My shoulder rolls beneath me as I move, and the open wound I¡¯d clawed on my foreleg drags across the floor, sending searing pain shattering through my body. Every freshly broken nerve on the gash howls in unison, raw and split, screaming at a pain I know won¡¯t kill me. I¡¯m not in danger, not from that little wound at least. I exhale through my gritted teeth, wrinkling my muzzle. It hurts, yes, but it¡¯s not life-threatening. Why does it hurt so much? Why don¡¯t the nerves understand?


    It¡¯s a stupid question, I know, but if it won¡¯t kill me, why do I have to feel it?


    The snake jerks me back again. This time, I cry out as my body locks up and spasms. The pain coupled with another dose of venom is too much, and the sensations push me past what I can tolerate. I squeeze my eyes shut as I pant, mouth open and lips wrinkled to bare my teeth. The snake¡¯s chains wrap around one of my hind legs, and the links catch on my skin around my ankle, pulling my leg to the side and twisting my spine until I¡¯m forced to my back. A growl rumbles in my chest at how exposed I feel, how vulnerable, belly-up beneath the Amethyst Throne.


    I push my head back to shove the snake¡¯s head against the marble. Maybe if I can smother it enough, it will suffocate. Maybe I can make it panic enough that in a self-preservation attempt where it¡¯s scared enough it can¡¯t think, the snake will let me go and I¡¯ll be free.


    The snake writhes beneath me, and its fangs tug and yank on my skin.


    I press my head back further. I sigh. There¡¯s no way. The snake won¡¯t feel the fear it and the Amethyst Throne have brought. There¡¯s nothing I can do to make it that afraid. But the thought still feels nice.


    Upside down, I see Astra turn around. Her blue eyes are so wide, so worried, so brutally honest, and I can see every bit of her emotion. Nothing is hidden, unlike the King.


    Phoenix steps between Astra and the Amethyst Throne when Astra lunges, weaving around Brook¡¯s hooves and skidding across the marble. She stops before she hits him. I roll over, and the snake shifts so it lays heavy across my back, a permanent weight reminding me of what¡¯s happening. That the Amethyst Throne is always there. That I¡¯m trapped with it. That I can¡¯t escape. That my best friend has become someone I do not know, someone I cannot forgive, someone I can no longer understand.


    ¡°Go!¡± I roar, putting as much force behind the word as I can.


    Grey, Alex, and Ky have all left, although I know they haven¡¯t gone far and won¡¯t, not until everyone leaves. Half the group is gone. The other half still has to go.


    ¡°Astra,¡± Phoenix snaps. ¡°Get out of here! Brook will take you to safety.¡±


    She flinches. ¡°But Jabez-.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t coming this time," Phoenix interrupts. "Next time, ok? Go. Leave.¡±


    ¡°Go, Astra! Please," I plead.


    Astra remains far too still. She looks between me and the Amethyst Throne, then at Phoenix and back at Brook, who keeps asking her to please come to her. I hold my breath, feeling the snake slither over my back as I hope with everything within me that Astra will just go. I want her to stay. I want to get to finally talk with her. I want to hear what she has to say. I want to know who my daughter is after so many years.


    But I can¡¯t. Not yet.


    My stomach drops when Astra starts looking between me and the Amethyst Throne in a calculating sort of way. I get my legs beneath me, ignoring how the snake bites down harder in a warning. Behind me, I feel the Amethyst Throne start to rumble, as if some creature awakening from a slumber.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Grey, Alex, and Ky all return. In her wolf form, Alex shoves a Soldier out of the way as she leads her brother and Ky back into the Throne Room. Another Soldier tries to stop them, but Ky crushes his throat. No more Guard or Soldiers come after them, and it seems the King has decided to let the group remain.


    My skin prickles, and my fur stands up on end. I shift on my paws. The snake¡¯s chain body hangs heavily to the side. It throws me off balance, and I lean to counteract its weight.


    The snake works its fangs in my neck. I hiss in response.


    Alex whispers something to Grey, who leans into Brook¡¯s side. Brook replies as she walks closer to Astra.


    My daughter still hasn¡¯t moved, and she can¡¯t be here, and the Amethyst Throne is going to get to her, and the King will try to take her away, and the King might succeed this time, and-.


    I cut off my spiraling thoughts and force myself to take a breath. I pause for just a moment, and the Amethyst Throne acts.


    ¡°NO!¡± I scream when the power of the Amethyst Throne surges through the snake and into me. I gasp at the influx of energy, a tantalizing feeling I want but don¡¯t wish for, not like this. Put the power keeps coming, pouring through my body past the point of comfort. I stumble and stagger to the side, legs buckling beneath me until I catch myself and manage to remain upright.


    ¡°Go, go, go,¡± I choke out, begging. ¡°Go, please.¡±


    The power builds and builds and builds, ice splintering through my body in spikes that shred my insides and freeze them into twisted shards. Every breath drags across my throat, scarred and raw and hypersensitive. Behind me, the Dragon roars, the kind of roar that starts in one¡¯s gut and shakes everyone who hears it.


    ¡°Brook, get her out of here,¡± I plead, voice pitching ever higher as I struggle to reign in the power of the Amethyst Throne. I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to face the group as a whole, but mostly my daughter.


    I hear Brook move, but I cannot tell if she manages to bring Astra away.


    My daughter speaks, and her voice is still everything I dreamed of for decades, every day after the King forced Freedom and I to ask Brook to take her away. But right now it just makes me sick.


    My hind legs fold into a partial crouch and I spread my forelegs wide to brace myself. I curl my tail in close to my body.


    You can stop this, King. Tell the Amethyst Throne ¡®no.¡¯ Please. You¡¯ve already won against me several times. You got me to give in, for some length of time. You have me now. We both know there¡¯s no escaping easy. I cannot promise I won¡¯t try, but you have me right now, chained to the Amethyst Throne by the snake. You have the Dragon to keep me here. You have me. You don¡¯t need my daughter. She¡¯s done nothing. You can stop this, King. Please.


    But the power hits a breaking point, the King does nothing, and ice rips from within me and explodes in the Throne Room. Blinding arrays of jagged spines of ice tear through the air, blanketing the floor and smothering the columns supporting the ceiling in shards that wrap around like feathers on a wing. Windows shatter somewhere in the distance, and I hear several shouts and cries. There¡¯s a commotion, a struggle, and yowls and snarls that I pray to Lucius and Erebus are not Astra crying out in pain. I hear another roar that I think belongs to the Dragon, followed by the searing heat of what I can only assume is the Dragon¡¯s flames.


    Please, keep Astra safe, Lucius and Erebus. No matter what happens to me, Astra has to stay safe.


    It goes on forever. Not really, but I feel like it¡¯s never-ending, how ice pours from my body and my own abilities take the power of the Amethyst Throne and mold it into the ice covering the Throne Room. I lose track of time, swept away in the torrent of dark and freezing waters swirling within me until they crackle and hiss and burst into existence in a physical form.


    I¡¯m lost in the current, rocking and bobbing on the waves. When my legs give out, the ice catches me and keeps me upright as I sink further and further into its embrace. My vision blackens with spots and fuzzy smudges as my own power seeps from me like water leeching from rock. The ice holds me tight, unable or unwilling to let me go. I think it¡¯s both.


    I drop entirely into the hold of the ice. I cannot stand on my own, and I drift on the waves as I lose my grip on what¡¯s reality. Nothing feels real as the Amethyst Throne channels its power through me and drains me of my own.


    I cannot tell how long the Amethyst Throne channels its power through me, but when at last the ice slows and the shards cease shattering and splintering as they expand further, I sag to the ground, limbs limp. Sides heaving with ragged breaths, I blink until I start to see a little clearer.


    Why? is all I can think. It¡¯s a question I¡¯ve thought again and again and again over the last decades. Sometimes in passing, sometimes in an all-consuming way that sent me spiraling for weeks and I didn¡¯t do much to stop it because I knew the King would never let me go but I also didn¡¯t care enough to even try. My lover was dead, and my daughter was gone but I could never search for her.


    Except that now, Freedom is still dead, but I have Astra back. That¡¯s reason enough to try. If it came down to it, I would stay with the Amethyst Throne to get Astra away. But after what the Amethyst Throne did just now and what the King didn¡¯t try to stop, I can¡¯t stay here. Astra could be hurt, and it could be my fault. I¡¯d tried and failed to keep the power of the Amethyst Throne at bay. It¡¯s a game, how long I¡¯ll be able to hold out until the Amethyst Throne shows me just how much power it really has.


    The snake wraps its body around one of my forelegs, pulling it backward until my elbow digs into my ribcage with a sharp bolt of pain. I hobble up onto three legs, then sit and brace myself with my other foreleg when I can¡¯t keep my balance. The world tips to the side and I stumble.


    ¡°What the actual fuck was that?¡± Phoenix snaps, face scrunched up in a sneer of annoyance. He rolls his eyes and squints, tail flicking.


    I pant for several moments until I can catch my breath enough to respond, lifting my head and searching until I can find the black cat. ¡°The¡­ the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you, Jabez. I was asking the cream puff. I know you would never dare do anything to risk hurting your kid. And I can¡¯t see you actually thinking you¡¯d stand a chance if you went up against me or Ky or any of the others. Wasn¡¯t you. It was the cream puff.¡±


    Ky narrows his eyes, grimacing for a brief moment as he draws his ears back and lifts his chin. He doesn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± the King says. ¡°It was the Amethyst Throne. It was the Dragon. See?¡±


    I follow the King¡¯s finger he points toward the opposite wall of the Throne Room. The doors are now smoldering bits of wood still alit in places with glowing embers. Cracks have splintered up the marble walls surrounding the doorway.


    That was the Dragon¡¯s doing, I realize. That was the Amethyst Throne.


    I see Grey holding a shaking Astra with Brook standing over the two of them, nuzzling into my daughter¡¯s forehead. My heart plummets through the ground when I see the singed grey feathers on the floor and the glowing green burns on Grey¡¯s exposed skin. Astra had almost been caught in the fire, and Grey had to let himself get injured to keep her safe.


    ¡°Yeah, right, you didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Alex scoffs. ¡°You really are just as shitty a person as I thought you were before I had the misfortune to meet you.¡±


    We can¡¯t stay here. None of us can. Grey got burned because the Dragon tried to hurt Astra. If he couldn¡¯t heal himself, who knows what the damage would¡¯ve been? Astra can¡¯t get hurt, but how many will have to sacrifice some part of their being to ensure that? I can¡¯t protect her here. Maybe to an extent, but not in the way I have to.


    I know that Astra cannot stay here. No one can. I could stay. I could remain with the King. It might keep him happy. He¡¯d have me.


    But there¡¯s the nagging little thought in the back of my head. That What if? that¡¯s now speaking so loudly.


    What if the King decides me chained at the foot of the Amethyst Throne isn¡¯t enough? What if he goes after Astra and I can¡¯t do anything because I¡¯m stuck here? I cannot stay here forever, live for an eternity with the King because the Amethyst Throne channels its power through us and sustains itself through our vessels.


    We can¡¯t stay, I tell myself. My daughter needs me. I can give myself to the King, but he could decide tomorrow that only me isn¡¯t enough.


    I was his and he was mine when I was Ice, but I¡¯m still his and he¡¯s no longer mine after he brought me back from Lucius¡¯s claim as Jabez.


    I can¡¯t keep making the King happy in an attempt to appease him. It won¡¯t work like it did, though I don¡¯t know that it ever really did. I can play the part I know the King wants. I can pretend like things are still the same as they were when I was Ice. But in my heart, I know it¡¯s not true. And I also know it cannot guarantee Astra¡¯s safety in the way it did when I never sought out the location of the portal Brook had created.


    I know that I have to escape.


    The snake exhales in a long hiss, and its chain body slithers across my body. I ignore the warning.


    I lock eyes with Brook. She inclines her head in a silent question, asking what I¡¯m going to do. I tick my head to the side and lick my nose as I ready myself.


    I crane my neck, twisting to the point of pain, and grab onto the chain of the snake. I hook my claws through the links and try to block out the pain from the snake biting down harder in retaliation.


    Now or never. It¡¯s now or never.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 8 - Then Things Changed

    Chapter 8


    Then Things Changed


    The snake sends a wave of venom crashing through me, and it sears through my veins. I cough as I choke and sputter, but I still grit my teeth and squeeze my eyes shut as I flex my toes and pull as hard as I can on the snake¡¯s chains.


    ¡°Jabez!¡± Astra cries.


    ¡°Stay here, please,¡± Brook says. ¡°The Amethyst Throne is very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°We need to help,¡± Alex says.


    I adjust my grip and curl my lips as I resist the snake and snarl. The sound changes nothing, but it feels good. It feels right. Another snarl rumbles in my throat.


    But when the snake doesn¡¯t budge, and all that happens is the pain grows and grows and grows until it¡¯s screaming from every bit of my body and it¡¯s all I can hear, all I can feel, all I can think, the temptation to just stop grows too.


    A sob catches in my throat. I want so badly to lose myself in the icy waves of unconsciousness, drifting so far from reality that maybe I won¡¯t have to feel it all. I know I can¡¯t. I know I have to keep trying, but I still want to and I hate that I do. Astra needs me. Maybe I could¡¯ve helped her by staying with the King, but I know all it takes is one little time where he gets upset. I can¡¯t help my daughter when I¡¯m trapped and chained to the Amethyst Throne.


    xxxx


    I yank on the snake¡¯s body again, and it responds with more venom.


    Saliva froths on my lips, and blood runs freely from my mouth and neck. Tears pour down my cheeks, and I lose touch with reality. I don¡¯t know how long has passed. I can barely feel the ground beneath my paws. I feel like I¡¯m floating, detached from my body.


    I feel a paw against my hip, and I flinch, kicking out with a hind leg as a broken growl cracks in my chest.


    The snake spasms and writhes, twisting around my left foreleg until I lose all sensation and my paw goes limp.


    I hear a whimper behind me that¡¯s followed by the snake¡¯s body going taut. I groan as the snake¡¯s fangs tug on raw flesh, hypersensitive from the venom and all the broken nerves. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to slow my fluttering heartbeat. I want to scream, release all of the everything from within me, and let it all go, escape everything until I¡¯m somehow free and don¡¯t have to deal with it all. I want to scream out all of the everything until maybe I can just be left alone and I can be with my daughter and we can figure out some semblance of a normal with the gaping hole Freedom¡¯s death has left in my heart.


    Maybe I can rebuild with Astra, maybe I can someday find some way to escape the King, but I cannot escape what he¡¯s done. My body will never recover. It can¡¯t.


    I feel the paw brush against my hip again. I shift away the slightest bit, as far as I can go with the snake¡¯s chains still tight against my foreleg.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Phoenix mutters.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ky replies. ¡°I¡¯d imagine another victim of the cream puff. I don¡¯t think you could get your mouth bound like that without the cream puff.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Phoenix spits.


    ¡°They ain¡¯t gonna respond,¡± Alex shoots back. ¡°Their mouth is bound.¡±


    ¡°Outis,¡± the King drawls. ¡°Oh, Outis. What are you doing here? You know you cannot do anything. You¡¯ve proven that time and time again. Wander the halls of my castle. You know that¡¯s all you can do.¡±


    I squint against the light when I open my eyes. Outis sits on his hind legs and holds part of the snake¡¯s body in his forepaws. He stares at Astra and the others with open distrust.


    Alex kneels beside me, telling me softly that she¡¯s behind me and setting her hand on my back. The touch makes me shake. The sensation of my fur moving over my skin sets off my nerves, each one hypersensitive and overloaded from what the snake has done. I shiver.


    She apologizes and grips onto the snake¡¯s body.


    ¡°Outis,¡± Alex says, ¡°are you here because you know how to free Jabez?¡±


    Outis draws his ears back and shrinks away. He studies Alex for a while before he ducks his head, nodding a hesitant yes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± the King protests. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about.¡±


    Alex ignores the King.


    ¡°Are you helping Jabez right now?¡±


    I keep a bit of tension on the snake¡¯s chain body as I watch the interaction between Alex and Outis, but I take the time to catch my breath.


    Outis shrugs up his shoulders and drops his gaze to the ground.


    ¡°He¡¯s not even gonna tell us, is he?¡± Phoenix spits.


    ¡°He cannot,¡± Grey replies. ¡°The King took his voice from him. Perhaps he holds the ability of speaking vocally, but the King has made that impossible.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t even tell us anything.¡±


    ¡°Outis has communicated.¡±


    Phoenix harrumphed in reply.


    ¡°Jabez, why don¡¯t you just stop for a little bit, hm?¡± I hear the King¡¯s voice, and it stirs something within me. Something shifts within the dark, icy depths of my consciousness, far beneath the waves, and awakens from stillness.


    ¡°You can stay here, Jabez. Things can be just how they were, just how they have always been. You can stay with me, here, and we can be together,¡± the King continues, voice soft. The same tone he used when he spoke to me when I was Ice. Then, it was so soft and kind, but now it just sounds condescending.


    I jerk out my forelegs and cry out with anger and the sharp dagger of pain that slices through my neck when the snake¡¯s fangs yank on the flesh of my neck. This time, however, I do scream. Rage and fury pour from within me, and once I start, I cannot stop. Tears stream down my cheeks and I can barely breathe and black spots crowd in my vision, but I keep going. The agony of the King''s betrayal falls from my mouth and I twist and contort on the ground from the pain. Eventually, the scream turns into sobs that shake my sides, and those soon give way to all that¡¯s left: a pounding, splitting headache and icicles on my face from frozen tears.


    Stolen story; please report.


    I stop moving but keep my claws hooked through the snake¡¯s chain. Behind me, Alex does the same, fingers curled around the chain links. I think Outis hasn¡¯t let go either, but I don¡¯t know for certain.


    ¡°Things aren¡¯t how they¡¯ve always been,¡± I grit out, voice rough like the gravel used to pave some of the walkways around the King¡¯s castle that I avoid since they cut up my paws. ¡°Things can¡¯t stay the same. You can¡¯t take back some of the things you have done. Stop talking to me like that. Don¡¯t you realize nothing can ever be the same? I remember you as Ice, but now I don¡¯t know how to take those memories and compare them to who you are now.¡± My voice cracks and a new wave of tears drips down my face. ¡°You were my friend when I was Ice. You were my best friend. But now I don¡¯t know who you are. No friend would do the things you have done.¡±


    The King¡¯s face darkens.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare,¡± Phoenix snarls. ¡°You call on the Amethyst Throne, and we will be on you before you or your purple friend can even think to say sorry. We are leaving with Jabez, and we will not leave without him. But don¡¯t turn that into some shitty pointless threat of ¡®oh, well, then I guess you ain¡¯t leavin¡¯ at all¡¯ because we both know that we can just walk on out of here. So don¡¯t even bother speaking. It¡¯s so painful to hear. I think my ears might be bleeding. Ky, can you check?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Ky confirms. ¡°Your voice conclusively does make Phoenix¡¯s ears bleed. Don¡¯t talk, cream puff.¡±


    ¡°You fucking-.¡±


    ¡°Ope,¡± Ky says, lighthearted, before his voice takes on a dangerous tone, the sharp angle of a blade, a threat woven through every syllable. ¡°Please don¡¯t speak. We don¡¯t want you to cause more bodily harm, do we?¡±


    xxxx


    After I catch my breath, I ready myself to pull the snake from my neck, once and for all. I crane my neck, twisting it to the point of pain, and adjust my grip on the chain. I ignore the nauseating feel of bone against metal. Instead, I tug and pull, even as blood pours down my neck and drips from my nose and down my jaw. Saliva froths in my mouth as I pant. The snake¡¯s venom burns and sears through every bit of me, and I grit my teeth, nostrils flaring, as I pull as hard as I can.


    Alex and Outis do the same as Grey and Brook keep Astra at bay and Phoenix is Phoenix against the King and Ky tags along. The black cat keeps the King¡¯s attention off of me, and Ky lends a hand.


    Fear curls in my gut and I stand, unwilling to be lying down with the snake shifting across my back. It doesn¡¯t feel safe, especially with the King so close and the Dragon breathing down my neck. I can feel its heavy gaze piercing straight through me. It won¡¯t leave the Amethyst Throne without a direct order, but it still holds a great deal of power. I can feel its looming shadow stretch over me and I shrink into myself as I try to break myself free from the snake.


    Blood splatters on the ground, making the marble slippery. I try to brace myself on my hind legs, but they keep sliding out from beneath me. I glare at the Dragon and the side of the King¡¯s head as he says something to Phoenix, who goads him into another exchange. Purple and red flare in the Dragon¡¯s eyes as it lowers its head and creeps a step down the side of the Amethyst Throne.


    Behind me, Alex and Outis tug on the snake¡¯s chain. Nausea roils within me, beating in time with the pain.


    I dig my claws into the marble, but it¡¯s not enough. A hind leg slips out from beneath me, and with my forelegs caught up in trying to pry the snake off of me, there¡¯s nothing to catch myself. I twist as I fall, and my jaw glances off the ground. The shock bursts through me. I feel bone grate across bone and muscles and ligaments strain, pulled to their limit, until the force surpasses the breaking point and my jaw shifts to the side, snapping out of place.


    I groan, wishing that the icy darkness of my consciousness would wash me away into the churning waves. But that thing inside me shifts again, rumbling. The water trembles with the sound waves. It won¡¯t let me rest. It forces me to stay conscious, no matter how much I don¡¯t want to feel the pain, the dizziness, the anger, the blood soaking through my fur, the snake¡¯s fangs still lodged in my neck, the venom setting every nerve alight.


    There¡¯s another sound I hear, though, and it¡¯s not from me. It¡¯s not from anyone else in the group either, nor the King or the Dragon. It¡¯s a chittering sound, high and rhythmic, that makes my fur stand on end.


    It¡¯s the snake, and its metal teeth are beginning to groan as it chirrups. Something¡¯s starting to move.


    That sound and that sensation give me a little more energy, a boost that I so desperately need. My vision blurs until it goes completely dark and I cannot see. My hearing falls entirely into a loud buzzing ringing noise. Blood and saliva stream from my mouth and nose, and tears mixed with scarlet blood freeze on my cheeks and jaws. I flick my tail, and the shards of ice rubbing against the thin fur on my legs keeps me from getting lost in my mind.


    I take a deep breath, steel myself, and then pull as hard as I can. Alex and Outis lend their assistance as well. My claws scream from how far they¡¯re bent, and the howls of pain become all I can feel, the loudest sound in my body, the only thing my brain can repeat over and over. Except, I manage to hold my daughter in my mind¡¯s eye. How she¡¯d suffer if I didn¡¯t do everything I could to try to find some way to give some measure of a promise of her safety because that was my duty as her father. How the King had betrayed me once and gone after her all those years ago, and I cannot say that he¡¯d never do it again. How I knew who the King could be, even though he¡¯d been so kind when I was Ice, but then things changed.


    I can play nice. I did play nice for decades. I can pretend like nothing is wrong. I can take it. But Astra can¡¯t. I can take what the King can do, but I don¡¯t want anyone else to have to. The King cannot go after Astra or Brook or anyone else. Staying with the King, chained to the Amethyst Throne by the snake, is a temporary measure. With every second that passes by, the King might grow unsatisfied.


    I have to escape.


    Panting and wheezing with every breath, I curl in on myself to try to gain more leverage.


    The snake¡¯s fangs begin to slip. It thrashes in my grip, coils snapping shut on fur. My skin yanks painfully as clumps of fur are ripped out, and I cry out, the sound high and shrill in the back of my throat.


    I keep trying, though. I keep pulling as hard as I can, even as a claw snaps from the force and blood spills down my wrist


    When I finally manage to rip the snake¡¯s teeth from the back of my neck, its fangs snap. Blood flowing freely down my neck and chest, I throw the snake as far away from me as possible, then stumble to my paws and try to scrabble away. I only make it a handful of steps before I slip and crash into the ground, landing heavy on my shoulder.


    I cough and sputter on blood and spit. I can barely see through the haze of exhaustion and fear and pain and venom and how much everything still runs through my body. Panic takes hold in my heart, and I try to stand; laying down still feels far too vulnerable. The snake could return at any time and¡ª


    ¡°Jabez, please,¡± Alex says. I feel her hand on my side, and I flinch.


    More hands catch me before I can fall again, and they help me to the ground. When I try to turn my head to see who¡¯s there, pain seizes in my neck, and my limbs lock up in unison and I shudder, muscles spasming as I jerk. I can only turn my spine so far.


    ¡°Jabez!¡±


    I manage to focus my eyes enough to see Astra. I smile despite it all. She¡¯s ok. She¡¯s here. Astra is here.


    ¡°Astra,¡± I ground out, before drawing in a breath that ends in more coughing.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna get you help, ok?¡± Alex says. ¡°Just stay with us, Jabez. I know someone who can help. They¡¯re very skilled, and they¡¯ll be able to patch you right up. Just stay with us, and we¡¯ll take care of everything.¡±


    Someone ¡ªI think Grey, but I can¡¯t see¡ª moves to pick me up.


    ¡°No, stop it.¡± I choke on the words. ¡°Get out of¡­ here. All¡­ of you. A-Astra can¡¯t stay. No one-no one-one can.¡±


    ¡°No one is staying behind, Jabez. No one is staying behind,¡± Grey murmurs.


    My head spins as I¡¯m lifted. I sink into the hold, body limp. I¡¯m drained beyond anything I¡¯ve ever felt before. I can barely keep my eyes open.


    ¡°Please, Jabez,¡± I hear someone plead. The voice is high and shatters over the words. The voice sounds like my daughter.


    I try to push through the fog and stay afloat in the icy sea crashing through my mind, but I¡¯m too tired, too exhausted, and I sink beneath the waves. I paddle my paws and try to resist, but unconsciousness pulls me straight to the cold darkness in the depths of my mind.


    I hear Astra say something, I feel whoever¡¯s holding me start to move, and I¡¯m out.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 9 - You Are Safe

    Chapter 9


    You Are Safe


    TRIGGER WARNING: this chapter is largely a big panic attack Jabez has, where he has a flashback and fully believes he is back with the snake. He fights back against what he believes is the snake. There is no self-harm, but I believe in the very brief mention that it¡¯s clear what was going to happen. There was no intent of self-harm, but it would¡¯ve happened if another character hadn¡¯t stepped in. In his flashback/panic attack, Jabez does unintentionally harm others trying to help when he believes he is going to be trapped by the snake again and is fighting against that belief. There are also a few brief mentions of scars from past injuries Jabez has inflicted upon himself


    Consciousness returns in pieces.


    I drift in and out of reality, hearing snippets of conversation before falling back into the darkness of my mind and slipping away again.


    ¡°-will wake up!¡±


    The voice sounds familiar, high-pitched, almost shrill in how they whine the question.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± another voice says, low and rough, almost a growl. It¡¯s less familiar, but I still recognize the tone.


    ¡°He will.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    ¡°You better mean that.¡±


    There¡¯s a pause. ¡°I do. I know you care.¡±


    ¡°You care too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    There¡¯s another pause. ¡°I do. Not in the way that you care, but I care.¡±


    I drift off as I float on the waves of my consciousness.


    xxxx


    I don¡¯t know how long has passed by the time I manage to wake up and stay in reality.


    I take a deep breath, sighing out an exhale, and stretch my legs and flex my toes. My joints shift and a few crack. Every movement is sluggish, and my body feels numb and like it belongs to someone else, like I¡¯m a stranger in my own skin.


    ¡°Jabez!¡± someone shouts.


    I pin my ears against the sharp sound.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re excited, Astra, but Jabez is likely very tired. We need to be gentle as he heals.¡±


    I paddle my way through my mind, seeking and searching until I¡¯m able to connect enough with my body that I can move with more intention.


    When I open my eyes, it takes me several long minutes before I can make sense of my surroundings. I¡¯m in one of the tents in the Sea. A person I don¡¯t recognizes sits in front of me, fingers laced together with a silver ring on their left hand. They have long hair and soft features but a stiff expression. A scar cuts through their right eyebrow and ends partway down their cheek, leaving one of their brown eyes partially squinting. They perk up when they see me watching.


    ¡°I¡¯m Wyatt,¡± they say.


    ¡°Jabez,¡± I whisper in reply.


    Astra¡¯s wings flutter and rustle as she watches me, eyes wide as she bounces on her paws. Grey and Brook both nod.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. Your friends here say that you use he, him, and his pronouns. May I confirm with you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I murmur.


    ¡°Thank you. I use they, them, and theirs pronouns.¡±


    I nod as my head swims. I try to cling to Wyatt¡¯s words and turn them over in my head like stones on a riverbank, but they slither away like snakes in the-


    Snakes. Snake. The snake.


    Fuck.


    My body freezes, turning to ice in an instant. I go still, and memories come crashing over me in a massive wave I cannot escape. I¡¯m helpless, a whine slips from my throat, there¡¯s something wrapped tight around my neck, and I can¡¯t breathe. Backing up, I¡¯m met with resistance that only adds to the panic seizing my insides. Ice swirls around my paws, draining energy I don¡¯t have and leaving exhaustion to amplify the haze around the edges of my mind. Flashes of the Throne Room flicker through my vision, and I feel the thrum of energy from the Amethyst Throne all around me.


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    ¡°You are in the Sea, Jabez,¡± someone says. ¡°You¡¯re with Astra. She¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°Snap the fuck out of it,¡± someone snarls.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, Phoenix. Do you want me saying that the next time a nightmare hits?¡± someone else spits.


    ¡°He¡¯s not there!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not either! Do you really think you can control something like that? I know you don¡¯t like Jabez, but at least be civil.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking a walk.¡±


    ¡°Yes, do that. We¡¯ll still be here when you¡¯re done.¡±


    Memories of the silver glint of the snake¡¯s chains and the weight of its body as it slithers over me slink through my mind, weaving through every place I thought was safe in my mind and cutting through the peace of the last remnants of unconsciousness. I can feel the snake coil around my body, squeezing and chittering as its amethyst eyes glitter and sparkle. Its fangs curve into sharp points that I can see so terrifyingly clearly, and I shudder. The snake draws closer, nearing my neck.


    I lash out, claws tearing through something soft beneath my paws. My tail arcs behind me, spines ripping into something stiff beside me that quickly gives.


    The snake remains, though, and it climbs further up my body. I feel the fur around my shoulders prickle as the snake zeroes in on my spine. My breath catches in my throat, I cry out, and I reach up with a paw, claws unsheathed and ready to pull the snake off of me.


    Someone curses and I hear a flurry of footsteps that don¡¯t make sense. Guard and Soldiers would kneel for the King; they wouldn¡¯t run. And the King never leaves the Amethyst Throne.


    Hands grab my paw before I can fight back against the snake, while another lands on my side.


    ¡°Jabez, please,¡± someone says as I thrash in their grip. ¡°Breathe. Please, breathe.¡±


    ¡°Clear out,¡± someone else says, voice calm in a way that cuts through the panic. ¡°Jabez needs space.¡±


    I squeeze my eyes shut when the snake¡¯s purple eyes become all I can see, except that it follows me into the depths of my mind, chains clinking as it follows me into the icy waters of my head. Even in my mind, the snake chases after me.


    I¡¯m on my back, forepaws held in a firm hold despite my writhing attempts to escape. The snake¡¯s chains pinch my fur, holding me fast, and I kick out with my hind legs. Someone grunts and lurches back.


    ¡°Jabez, you are safe. You are in the Sea. I am Wyatt talking to you right now, and Grey is the one holding your forepaws. He is doing that for your safety. Take a deep breath, Jabez. You are safe here. You are in the Sea, in my tent, where I can give you medical attention. Can you please nod if you can hear me? Take your time.¡±


    I pull back against the snake¡¯s hold-. Grey¡¯s hold?


    I drag in a breath, and then another one. Instead of the sharp jerk of chain links catching on fur, I feel the curve of fingers around the back of my paws. There¡¯s no pain like there was with the snake. I take another breath, feeling my heart rate begin to slow. The voice ¡ªWyatt¡ª is one I¡¯ve never heard before. I knew virtually everyone close to the King. But Wyatt, I don¡¯t recognize them.


    It¡¯s enough to get me to continue taking in deep breaths. Wyatt counts out inhales and exhales, and I follow along, focusing on their calm voice until the panic slithers away like the snake, although it doesn¡¯t disappear.


    When I¡¯m able to fully reconnect with reality, only Grey and Wyatt are in the tent with me.


    ¡°Hello, Jabez,¡± Wyatt says, kneeling by the head of the bed I¡¯m lying on.


    Large gashes carve through the bed, and scattered feathers cover the blankets repaired so many times they¡¯re more stitches than fabric at this point. Behind me, in the thick burlap making up the walls of the tent, more gashes give little peeks through to the rest of the Sea. A breeze stirs up dust, a handful of people walk by, and a few Guard ride by on horses.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I croak out, unable to meet their gaze.


    ¡°Can I get you something to eat, or perhaps some water?¡±


    I shake my head.


    ¡°The snake came back,¡± I whisper, as if saying it any louder would make it true. My skin prickles with the sensation of the snake¡¯s chin gliding over the back of my neck.


    I lift a forepaw to scratch at my throat, but Wyatt holds up a hand.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t, Jabez,¡± they say. ¡°I wrapped a bandage around your neck. It took a long while to stop the bleeding, and I don¡¯t want any more harm to come to you.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ is the snake gone?¡± I need the confirmation, to hear the words said out loud.


    Wyatt sighs. ¡°Almost. The snake¡¯s fangs snapped into two when you broke it away from yourself. Both fangs are, unfortunately, touching either side of your spine. I don¡¯t have the tools here to be able to even try to remove them, and the risk without the power of someone like Arcane is far too high.¡±


    Wyatt gestures to a long table taking up the entirety of the other side of their tent. Piles of bandages sit in neat piles beside what looks like the same thread I¡¯ve seen Guard and Soldiers stitching up their shirts and pants for beneath their armor. On the other end, I see jars filled with different color things, some liquid, some solid.


    ¡°There was only so much I could do for your neck and jaw. I will do as much as I can with what I can do myself, but I will not be able to reverse all of the damage. The King and the snake did a lot to you, both physically and mentally. You could, once you¡¯ve healed up, try to seek out Arcane.¡±


    I run my tongue along my lower jaw. It¡¯s shifted to the right, and my lower canine tooth digs into the outside of my upper lip. The muscles ache. Comparatively to my neck, though, it¡¯s not that bad.


    ¡°I cannot see Arcane. He killed my lover. He will not touch me with his magic.¡±


    Wyatt doesn¡¯t flinch at my harsh tone, but I still sigh and look off to the side, settling down with my head on my forelegs. The twinge of pain from my chin rubbing against the scars distracts me from the snapped snake fangs still in my neck and keeps me tethered to reality.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say, flicking my tongue out to lick my nose. Dried blood flakes off my skin. I shift and squirm at the memory of the raw fear and desperation I felt with blood pouring from my body and the snake still holding tight.


    My chest burns and I flick my tail. I can feel the panic rising again.


    ¡°I nee-need t-to go.¡± I stumble on the words and get to my paws, only to sway and tumble off the bed, just barely catching myself.


    I nearly run face-first into Alex, who whirls around with a surprised expression.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Jabez. I, uh, didn¡¯t see ya there.¡±


    ¡°Jabez!¡± Astra squeals, running circles around Brook¡¯s foreleg until I take a step toward her.


    I plaster on a smile and shove back my exhaustion. She needs me, and I¡¯m here. There¡¯s no King, no Amethyst Throne, no snake chaining me in place. I¡¯m free, or at least as free as I can be. The King will do something in retaliation, but for now, I¡¯m here and she¡¯s here and that¡¯s enough.


    ¡°Hello, Astra,¡± I reply. ¡°How are you?¡±

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 10 - Monsters Do Monstrous Things

    Chapter 10


    Monsters Do Monstrous Things


    Astra squeals and bounds forward.


    Brook moves to follow, but I shake my head. My daughter wants to see me, and the least I can do is allow it.


    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Astra says, her whole body lighting up with excitement. Her feathers rustle, and she shivers as a grin all but splits her face in half.


    I didn¡¯t realize how much I had missed the unfiltered glee Astra possessed until now, when I get to see it again.


    I try to return her smile, but moving my face in such a way feels foreign. The tendons that had snapped when my jaw dislocated ache with the movement, and it takes me longer than I know it should to pull my lips up into such a simple expression.


    ¡°Are you really back?¡± Astra asks.


    I feel the weight of everyone¡¯s gaze; Brook, Grey and Alex, Ky and Phoenix. The black cat stares at me with a squinted expression. Flames crackle and spark across his dark fur, lighting up the scattering of scars on his own body. He¡¯s waiting, just like everyone else is, and it¡¯s clear he has an expected answer.


    ¡°I am,¡± I say, breaking away from Phoenix¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Are you gonna leave?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I reply. ¡°I am not going to leave.¡±


    Astra tilts her head to the side, watches me for a few moments, and then nods. She bounds up to me, lifting her chin so she looks straight up at me. I crane my neck down, but grimace when my muscles spasm and I have to step back and twist my head to meet my daughter¡¯s gaze, moving my eyes more than my spine. The wounds from the snake¡¯s fangs tug and pull, but I ignore it as best I can.


    I want to see my daughter, and I hate that my neck and the snake''s fangs are keeping me from seeing her with ease.


    Astra rubs her cheek along my shoulder and elbow, over scars and places where the fur no longer sits right. I contort my face into another smile to hide how I grit my teeth, though the nerves running under my skin tingle and prickle at the sensation of my daughter¡¯s affection. Twinges of pain race along the nerves, accompanied by numb spots and places that only feel pressure.


    Anger flares in my gut, an iceberg of blinding white ice, all sharp angles ready to slice and shred and cut until I don¡¯t know what I have left. Was it really too much to ask to be able to enjoy something as simple as exchanging affection and showing love? I can still remember when Astra began to walk and was soon clambering all over me, still uncoordinated but determined to climb onto my back so she could chew on my ears. I could feel every needlepoint of her claws, the pinch of her dew claws curling into my skin, though never breaking the flesh, the points of her teeth as she bit at me.


    Astra as someone older than a young child, yet not quite firmly an adolescent, wouldn¡¯t act the way I remembered her when she was a few months old and still figuring out how her body moved. But still, a part of me longed to feel every sensation again, even though I knew enough nerves had broken that I no longer can.


    Why did you do that, King? Why did you have to destroy everything? Why would you make it so simple affection hurts? Why would you take that from me?


    ¡°Why do you have so many cuts on your body?¡± Astra asks, bringing me back from stewing in my mind. She noses at the scars on my forelegs.


    Alex and Grey grimace, and Brook opens her mouth to say something, but I shake my head again. Astra can ask her questions. The least I can do is answer whatever she wants to ask. She¡¯s my child, and I have her back again. I don¡¯t want to tell her no, not after we were separated for so long.


    ¡°I¡­ I have gotten injured.¡±


    I don¡¯t want to tell her how the scars she¡¯s currently sniffing and examining were self-inflicted. How I couldn¡¯t control what I did in the midst of the worst of the pain, the worst of the disorientation, the worst of the symptoms. How sometimes I had crumbled enough that I just needed something, anything, to try to pull me from it all. How sometimes I¡¯d create a lesser pain I could control to try to snap my focus from the greater pain I couldn¡¯t control.


    Astra gasps, eyes wide and ears pricked. ¡°Was it the King? Brook said he is really, really evil. I saw him, too. He¡¯s really mean.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Yes, the King caused the injuries.¡±


    ¡°Are you gonna die?¡±


    I flinch and pause, ears drawing back as I try to think of an answer that doesn¡¯t feel like it might end up as a lie. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not gonna leave? Brook said you had to so I could stay safe.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to leave, Astra.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay safe so you don¡¯t have to leave and get hurt.¡± Astra''s eyes grow wide, huge pools of deep blue. "I promise I''ll stay safe."


    ¡°Nothing that the King has done is your fault, Astra. Please remember that. The King is responsible for his own actions.¡±


    ¡°But-.¡±


    I shake my head, lowering myself so I¡¯m eye level with Astra. She has to understand. ¡°The King and only the King is responsible for his actions. Everything he has done he decided to do. You haven¡¯t made him do anything, Astra. Nothing the King has done is your fault.¡±


    Astra drops her gaze to her paws as she curls her tail around a hind leg and hugs her wings to her sides.


    Phoenix wrinkles his muzzle but doesn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Where can a guy get food around here?¡± he says.


    ¡°Food?¡± Alex replies, turning to the black cat. ¡°There¡¯s a buffet over by the Erebus Tree. It¡¯s a communal food area. I make no promises on how stocked it is or the quality of the food, but it¡¯s at least edible if you¡¯re not in a picky mood.¡±


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not just veggies I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Who knows, Phoenix,¡± Ky teases, butting his head into his brother¡¯s neck, ¡°maybe you¡¯ll have to become a rabbit. You¡¯ll wake up one morning and have buck teeth and a fuzzy tail. You have the long ears. Or, at least, one is still long.¡±


    Phoenix flashes his teeth and swipes a paw, claws unsheathed, and Ky dodges. ¡°Fuck off. You¡¯re already basically a rabbit. You have the fluff.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go,¡± Grey says.


    Astra bounds after Alex and Brook, who lead the way. I follow behind, and Grey keeps pace with my slow speed. He doesn¡¯t complain.


    xxxx


    True to Alex¡¯s words, there is a buffet by the Erebus Tree.


    Also true to her words, there¡¯s few options.


    I find a spot in the shade beside a tent identical to all the rest to get out of the sun and stiffly lay down on my side with a long sigh. The walk felt nice, but my joints ache and my paws are sore. I crack open an eye when I hear Grey talk.


    ¡°You can stay here, Jabez,¡± he says. ¡°I will find you something.¡±


    I hum, letting myself try to relax while the rest of the group wanders over to a long, wide table set up nearly touching more tents on the other side of the gap in the Sea. Others move about, and someone leads a horse through. The colt prances beside the person leading them, nostrils flaring when they see Brook. I scrunch my face up as a loud whinny pierces through my head.


    People sit scattered about, and the low drone of chatter fills the back of my mind. It¡¯s not enough to distract me from the throbbing ache in my spine at the base of my skull, but the discomfort from the sound takes the edge off the hurt in my paws. I learned years ago that swapping one pain for another could sometimes work. To an extent, at least. I¡¯d end up paying for it either way, but the momentary lessening of one thing was worth it.


    ¡°Jabez,¡± Grey says, bringing me back from my thoughts. ¡°I have a rabbit, if you¡¯d like.¡±


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    I nod, rolling to my stomach. I wince when the bandage around my neck pulls tight, pressing against the raw skin around the puncture wounds from the snake. Exhaling sharply through gritted teeth, I hold back a whimper at the memory of how tight the snake bound around my body.


    Grey places the rabbit in front of me, and I paw at it, hooking my claws through its fur and pulling it closer. Alex settles down next to her brother, and Ky and Phoenix each help carry a deer carcass that¡¯s more bone than flesh that they drop in a crumpled heap. As Brook chews on grass, Astra sniffs a mangled leg of the deer. Phoenix uses his back teeth to crack open marrow.


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna eat it, eat it,¡± he says.


    Astra tilts her head to the side, then takes a bite.


    Alex watches, as does Brook.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like the mice,¡± Astra tells Brook.


    Brook nods, and her purple mane falls over her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not,¡± she replies after finishing another mouthful of grass. ¡°The animals here are different than they were in the Field.¡±


    Astra bites her lip and tilts her head to the side. Ky moves closer to Phoenix when Astra steps around to take a bite from the deer¡¯s flank. Ky cranes his neck to lick a patch of blood from the faded red bandana wrapped around his shoulders.


    ¡°You spilled?¡± Phoenix asks. He wrinkles his muzzle as he tears off another bite from the deer.


    Ky eats another mouthful. ¡°It¡¯s not going anywhere. It¡¯s been ten years. We still have the bandana. And before you say it, Phoenix, we both know nothing¡¯s happening to it.¡±


    ¡°Damn right,¡± Phoenix mutters.


    ¡°Are you going to eat?¡± Grey asks, voice carefully neutral.


    I pull my forelegs in tight beneath my chest, wrapping my tail around my hip. I keep my gaze on the ground, but I can still feel the weight of Grey¡¯s attention. My skin prickles as my forepaws start to tingle from being pinned under my body.


    I shrug. ¡°At some point.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    I can hear the unspoken worry, the poorly hidden please, Jabez, eat.


    Astra turns around, and I shrug my shoulders up as my daughter watches. Ears pulling back to my skull, I avoid eye contact.


    I paw at the rabbit and bring it closer to me, then take a small bite.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± I ask, seeking out a distraction.


    ¡°About?¡± Alex asks.


    I jerk my head to the side to gesture to the Sea and the King¡¯s castle, then clench my jaw as a jolt of pain lances up and down my spine as the embedded snake fangs catch. Exhaling slowly, I take a moment, then reply. ¡°The King. Everything. I¡­ I wish I could say I didn¡¯t think he would, but¡­ the King, he will react. I left him, I broke the curse, I¡¯m as free of him as I can ever get. I don¡¯t want anyone to get hurt.¡±


    I take another bite of the rabbit. It¡¯s awkward chewing with a crooked jaw, and my teeth don¡¯t line up quite right, but I manage.


    ¡°-The fuck? We¡¯re gonna kill the cream puff. Do you really think no one¡¯s gonna get hurt? That¡¯s what he does, Jabez. You know him so well, so you should fucking know that. He¡¯s a piece of absolute shit. He¡¯s gonna hurt people. That¡¯s his whole shtick. He kills, he hurts, he destroys every single thing he touches,¡± Phoenix spits the words, low and as sharp as arrows, as he stalks toward me until he¡¯s standing over me, flames bright against his black fur and reflecting in his fangs and yellow horns. He leans in close and I force myself not to shy back. ¡°Look at yourself. Answer me this. Be honest. How much has the cream puff destroyed you?¡±


    Ky lurches to his paws and barrels into his brother. ¡°Phoenix!¡±


    ¡°That was mean,¡± Astra cries.


    Alex gets to her feet, pewter pendant bursting with orange. I jump up, getting between Astra and Phoenix as fast as I can. My heart races in my chest as I watch Ky pinning Phoenix down, teeth bared as he holds the flesh on his brother¡¯s cheek in his mouth. Every muscle in Phoenix¡¯s body is tensed. I ready myself in case he makes a move toward Astra. Brook comes up beside me.


    ¡°You cannot say that,¡± Ky says when he relaxes his grip on Phoenix.


    The black cat rolls to his paws and shakes off. When he looks between me and his brother, he squints and scoffs.


    ¡°Am I wrong though? Look at Jabez. He fucking died, and the cream puff brought him back to life, and then the cream puff went and fucked with him for however many decades he¡¯s been around. Tell me that what the cream puff did to Jabez is natural. Tell me it¡¯s not the cream puff destroying Jabez.¡±


    ¡°You can be angry,¡± I say, ¡°but I played my own part in what happened to me.¡±


    I never sought out Astra to break the curse the King placed on me. I took it for decades. He didn¡¯t have to do that, but I also could have broken the curse as soon as I found Astra, if I just looked for her. But I took it. The scars I clawed into my own forelegs burn. I can feel the line of each individual one, its exact location. I can remember the pain I felt, the agony that drove me to scratch in the first place, to curl my claws and break skin because I saw no way out. The King never made me do that. Those scars weren¡¯t me destroying myself, but letting the curse stay in place and staying with the King because just maybe he¡¯d finally change was. I chose to do that.


    Didn¡¯t I?


    ¡°If the cream puff was a decent person who did the bare minimum, he wouldn¡¯t have messed with your kid.¡±


    ¡°I made the choice to agree. I could have said no.¡±


    Phoenix growls, eyes flashing. He morphs before my eyes. He was tense before, but now he looks ready to hunt. ¡°No, you couldn¡¯t have. Astra is your fucking kid. A parent doesn¡¯t leave their kid. Nothing can break that bond.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I agree, but I could have said no. It never crossed my mind, but I possessed the capability.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better not fucking abandon your own kid. I¡¯ll kill you if you ever try.¡± The intensity in Phoenix¡¯s eyes tells me he¡¯s not joking.


    I didn¡¯t think he was, though, to begin with.


    I glance back at Astra.


    She spent ninety years without me. She knows Brook, not me. She still has so long to go in growing up, but she doesn¡¯t know me. She¡¯s spent so long without me so how will she adjust to having me around? Does she really want me here? Maybe it would be better to leave. Brook did a good job raising her. Perhaps better than I could¡¯ve ever done. If I couldn¡¯t keep Astra safe back when the King claimed abuse against her by me and Freedom, how could I now? I couldn¡¯t take what the King gave me and come out unscathed. I have the scars, mental and physical, to prove it. I know Phoenix has a point, but I also agreed to what the King did to me¡ª I took the curse and never once sought out Astra to break it. I would have lived with it forever.


    But I¡¯m here. I cannot forget how happy Astra seemed to see me. Maybe if I just give living with her a try. Maybe if I tell the King no enough times, he¡¯ll finally get it and listen. I don¡¯t really want him to die. I just don¡¯t want to see him again. I want to try to forget that I ever knew him, even though I so love the memories of how he was when I was Ice, despite how they¡¯ve grown so painful.


    I¡¯m just about to reply when someone a ways from us shouts and jumps to their feet, dropping their plate and all the food falls off it. I can¡¯t tell what they¡¯re pointing at. Grey and Alex turn around.


    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Grey breathes, silver eyes widening as he gasps. The malachite medallion around his neck flares, glowing on his chest. ¡°Shit, shit, shit.¡±


    Brook shakes her head, expression hardening. Ky and Phoenix perk up. Blood stains Ky¡¯s chin and throat, and I push back the memory of my own blood freezing in a thick, heavy ring, some twisted mockery of a necklace.


    Around us, others begin to stir, going quiet as everyone turns their attention to where the person pointed to.


    Phoenix chuckles, low and rumbling, and he curls his lips into a wicked smile.


    ¡°Fuck, yeah,¡± he purrs, eyes flashing. He shakes out his coat, then arches his back in a deep stretch. He curls his claws deep into the ground. His long upper canines are streaked with blood. Fire crackles across his fur, short flames licking the air as small puffs of smoke float away, dissipating quickly.


    I follow their gaze as Brook moves to stand over Astra, nose twitching as she scents the air and swivels her ears in every direction. Any trace of softness has vanished, replaced by someone with the capability of pain I don¡¯t want to be on the receiving end of.


    Across the horizon, a smudge of silhouetted figures draw closer. Some are up on the few horses the King¡¯s Guard and Soldiers have that aren¡¯t used for carrying things around, but the majority are on foot. I can see the faint outline of each of them. They are all headed toward the Sea. As they move, whispers spread through the crowd around me; some ask about what is happening, and others scramble into motion in an effort to get to safety.


    ¡°No.¡± I exhale. ¡°No, the King can¡¯t be doing this.¡±


    Why? You¡¯re angry at me. Be angry at me. I understand, even if I don¡¯t really. You are angry at me, King. Not anyone else. No one else has hurt you. They don¡¯t deserve this. Be angry at me and only me. Why are you doing this?


    I watch the silhouettes draw closer, and panic sparks in my gut, a curling kind of feeling that wraps around my insides and pulls and tugs until my skin feels both too big and too small simultaneously. I flick my tail and rock on my paws.


    There¡¯s no way I can reach the King¡¯s castle in time, and even if I could, there¡¯s no way I could guarantee Astra¡¯s safety by returning to the King. On my own, I know I could not defeat the Guard and Soldiers approaching. Even with the rest of the group, I don¡¯t know. The Wolf and the Dove are powerful, but neither Grey nor Alex are very practiced with their powers.


    ¡°Well, what did you expect someone like him to do?¡± Phoenix asks. ¡°He¡¯s a monster. Monsters do monstrous things. You literally said it yourself¡ª you knew he¡¯d do something.¡±


    I exhale sharply. ¡°I know, I know I said that. But I didn¡¯t want to think he¡¯d actually do this.¡±


    ¡°Well, he is,¡± Phoenix snaps back. ¡°Get ready to take your pick of the army.¡± He pauses, flicking his torn ear. ¡°Stay out of my way, Jabez. I didn¡¯t kill you when you were chained because you didn¡¯t have the choice to move away, but now you do. I will kill you and go through you if it means I get my shot at the cream puff.¡±


    I don¡¯t have to look at Phoenix to know he means it.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Grey?¡± Phoenix calls.


    Both Grey and Alex turn to look at the black cat.


    ¡°Fucking kill this time. Ain¡¯t no way the cream puff has given any other order than destroy. I won¡¯t be coming to save you, and I doubt Alex wants to be saving your ass every other second ¡®cus you won¡¯t just give a quick lethal blow.¡±


    Grey scowls. ¡°It¡¯s not right. You don¡¯t need to take a life¡ª.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. You wind up dead, that¡¯s your problem.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t leave, Jabez, right?¡± I feel Astra press up to my leg.


    I turn my head as much as I can, but I can¡¯t crane my neck far enough to be able to fully see her. My neck aches, and the tension in the muscles around my spine sends sharp, biting pain lancing up and down my body.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave,¡± I reply. ¡°You, Brook, and I will find a safe place.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Ky says. ¡°I cannot create portals like Brook can, but I can create illusions if needed. Phoenix can handle himself.¡±


    Phoenix gives Ky a confused look, but he doesn¡¯t say anything or protest.


    I turn to Brook. If she trusts Ky, I will, too. She won¡¯t let anyone near Astra.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Brook murmurs.


    Wyatt walks into my field of vision, and I focus my attention on them.


    ¡°I have a friend,¡± they say, ¡°who could help you all hide. His tent is on the side of the Sea.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°Myles,¡± Wyatt replies. ¡°He will be on your side. He knows of the Wolf and the Dove and supports them. He disagrees with the King¡¯s views on what should happen on Ragdon. He hasn¡¯t heard of you, Jabez, or everything that happened with Astra, but I know him and I know Myles will want to help. And¡­ he has his¡­ own reasons for disobeying the King, though it¡¯s not my story to tell. He wouldn¡¯t mind me saying that much, but the rest is his story to tell.¡±


    Brook studies Wyatt for a moment, then nods.


    ¡°Take us to Myles,¡± she orders, just as the Guard and Soldiers reach the very edges of the Sea.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 11 - One by One

    Chapter 11


    One by One


    TRIGGER WARNINGS: this chapter contains scenes of fantasy-typical violence; there is not gratuitous detail although there is still some; the violence in this chapter was ordered for manipulative reasons; Jabez¡¯s headspace in this chapter is not in a good place


    Myles has an air to him that puts me at ease. He¡¯s all soft curves, friendly brown eyes, and a warm smile with curly hair that falls over his forehead and ears in tight coils.


    Wyatt leads Brook, Astra, Ky, and I across the Sea in the opposite direction of the approaching Guard and Soldiers. We follow Wyatt, and they soon draw to a halt near the very edge of the Sea at a tent a little smaller than most, one for only a single person.


    ¡°Myles,¡± Wyatt calls, slapping the back of their hand on the flap of the tent.


    ¡°Oh, hello,¡± Myles says as he steps out. He¡¯s dressed in the usual attire of those in the Sea: An off-white shirt and beige shorts. His sleeves bunch up at his elbows when he leans against a red wooden staff.


    ¡°We need your help,¡± Brook says.


    Myles nods. ¡°I can do that.¡±


    ¡°The King has sent Guard and Soldiers here,¡± I say, voice high and thready. The muscles spasm in my neck when I try to move my head, and I grit my teeth, biting my tongue before I can cry.


    One glance at Astra tells me she¡¯s beyond her limit. She¡¯s pressed up flat against Brook¡¯s foreleg, cheek buried in Brook¡¯s feathers. The look in her eyes is distant, somewhere far, far away.


    Keep it together. We have to keep it together. We have to make it out of here.


    I turn my whole body around. The Guard and Soldiers are closer, and the sunlight reflects off the Soldiers¡¯ armor in harsh beams of light. They¡¯re closer than they were before. A small group of people rushes out from the Sea. I look away before I can see what happens, but I can still hear. I pin my ears and squint my eyes against the shouts of those asking what¡¯s happening and why and the slick squelch of bloodied weapons and the thud of bodies collapsing to the ground. I catch my own name, and I stumble.


    Please, I beg whoever has fallen and met Lucius just now, I don¡¯t want this. Please, you have to know that.


    I flinch when I feel a hand on my shoulder and then cry out as the snake¡¯s snapped-off fangs still lodged in my neck stick and press against my vertebrae.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Myles says.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whisper. ¡°I can¡¯t stay with the King but if I di-.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Myles interrupts. ¡°You can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you,¡± Ky says.


    I close my eyes and take a breath, willing myself to stop trembling and shaking so I can just think for one moment.


    ¡°You have friends here who need you, and the King¡¯s gonna make his own choices. You are not responsible for what the King does. The King has had his chance a million times, and he has made his decisions very clear.¡±


    I sit down.


    ¡°You¡­ y-you can¡¯t do that,¡± Astra says, wings low at her sides. The long fur on the back of her neck falls over one shoulder. ¡°You can¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± I reply quickly. I can¡¯t hear how broken her words are again.


    I can¡¯t leave her. I won¡¯t. I left once. I can¡¯t again.


    When memories of my life as Ice with Bryant before he took to the Amethyst Throne and became King of Ragdon, I try to shove them away. That was so long ago. A lifetime ago. I know all that, and yet¡­ he has sent his Guard and Soldiers.


    And for what?


    I can¡¯t go back to him. My daughter needs me. I can¡¯t keep giving him bits of myself when he keeps taking and taking and I get nothing in return. He chained me to the Amethyst Throne. Surely the King knows all that.


    Does he want me to finally break?


    The sad thing is that the King might be right. I¡¯ve survived for decades and saw how my best friend became someone I don¡¯t know and felt as my body turned against me and kept going when I lost my daughter and then my lover. If the King is trying to break me, he¡¯s slowly succeeding.


    How much more can I really take? What will be the last straw? How many more straws do I have left?


    ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault, Jabez.¡±


    I hum in response to Brook. I know she¡¯s telling the truth, but a part of me cannot fully hear and listen.


    Astra bunts her head against my shoulder, rubbing her cheek over my fur. I feel her sniff the bandage wrapped around my throat.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be ok,¡± she says.


    ¡°I know,¡± I whisper, hoping that she¡¯s right and that my agreement won¡¯t turn out to be a lie.


    ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± Ky says. ¡°The Guard and Soldiers are in the Sea. Phoenix will take out as many as he can. Grey and Alex will do what they will. I¡¯m sure others will join in. But we need to leave.¡±


    ¡°Where is safe?¡±


    ¡°Not many go out to the Wailing Marshes. I¡¯ve got a little place out there. It¡¯ll be safer than here.¡±


    Ky tilts his head. ¡°Phoenix and I have been out there. We¡¯ve never seen a house there.¡±


    Myles shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s not that old and I tried to hide it. I only build it for one person, but it¡¯s far enough away from the Sea that I don¡¯t think the Guard and Soldiers will find us, if we can reach it. The Siren¡¯s there, too, in the ocean below.¡±


    Almost everyone has heard of the Siren ¡ªan aquatic serpentine creature with enough power that it could pose a threat to the Amethyst Throne¡ª and knows how dangerous it can be. The catch is that it has to be summoned and until then will lurk somewhere beneath the waves at the cliffs of the Siren¡¯s Lookout. Its power lies in its song, and some say its voice can be heard in the breezes that rustle the tall grasses of the marshes around the Siren¡¯s Lookout.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    xxxx


    We don¡¯t make it far.


    Myles leads the way, using his wooden red staff as a walking stick. I force myself with limited success to stay in the present and not drift away into the churning seas of my mind


    But soon a dark shadow passes by overhead, blocking out the sun for a few moments. I try to look up and see what it is, but I can¡¯t move my neck enough. Except that then I see what it is.


    The Dragon soars over the Sea, purple wings spread wide. Light glints off its amethyst scales as it soars through the air, scanning.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± I breathe, watching as the Dragon crosses the Sea.


    It somehow seems even bigger than it did curled up around the Amethyst Throne. People scream and I see a few horses in the King¡¯s army rear and spook. Smoke drifts from the Dragon¡¯s nose and mouth. Its snakehead tail twists and hisses, fangs glinting in the sun and looking far too similar to the snake that bit me. I blink away the images that arise.


    I can tell the exact moment the Dragon finds us: First, its snakehead tail locks onto us, and then the Dragon¡¯s entire body tilts as it turns, angling its wings. It inhales audibly, even from across the Sea. Its throat and chest illuminates beneath its scales, a light violet under purple.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Wyatt says.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck,¡± Ky hisses, teeth chattering.


    I step in front of Astra as my ice prickles in my toes.


    The Dragon gains more ground, rising higher into the air, then tucks its wings against its sides and dives toward us. The Dragon plummets through the air. Once it¡¯s close enough, it opens its jaws and unleashes a wave of fire that soon becomes all I can see.


    Brook squeals, loud and sharp and shrill and filled with fury. Nostrils flared, she pins her ears and arches her neck as her horn glows with bright pink light. She stomps her hooves, and clouds of dust rise. I close my eyes against the blinding flash of light, then blink away the afterimages that float in my vision.


    Before the Dragon¡¯s flames can reach us, a ring of pink hovering in midair swallows up the fire. Twinkling sparkles spit and fizzle around Brook¡¯s horn as she snorts and brays, mane and tail flowing with the energy she¡¯s rapidly spending. Her powers take in the Dragon¡¯s fire before the ring closes up and vanishes.


    The Dragon unfurls its wings and swoops up, missing us. It circles back around as it flies around the Sea again.


    Myles brandishes his staff like a weapon, and Ky flicks his tail back and forth, eyes never leaving the Dragon. Astra presses herself to my side. Brook¡¯s flanks heave as she turns her attention from the Dragon to the forests near the Lava Flats, away from the Sea. Pink dances and flickers around her horn, reflecting on her forehead and in her eyes.


    The ring of pink reappears within the forests, big enough that the top is visible above the tops of the trees. Fire explodes from within the ring, and trees turn into matches as they go up in flames.


    What did you tell the Dragon to do, King?


    I watch Brook¡¯s portal release all the fire it had absorbed. A portion of the forest disappears as it¡¯s seared and turned to ash.


    We can be upset about the King later. We have to get out of this first.


    The Dragon rises up into the air, but following close behind is Grey in his dove form. Grey slashes at the Dragon¡¯s wing with his talons. For the second time, the Dragon unleashes a stream of fire that blankets part of the Sea in seconds, before anyone can escape. I let myself shut down before I can hear the aftermath, but I can¡¯t block out everything.


    ¡°PHOENIX!¡± Ky screams.


    He lunges forward, fur fluffed out. Myles grabs onto his bandana, and Ky freezes, ears pinning. He takes a small step backward to take the tension out of the bandana, then doesn¡¯t move any further.


    ¡°Let. Go,¡± he demands, so still that it¡¯s unsettling.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Myles says, stepping back with his hands up. ¡°The Dragon breathes fire. None of us are fireproof. We have to think things through. We can¡¯t just jump in.¡±


    A growl rumbles in Ky¡¯s chest. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that I can burn?¡±


    Ky shakes out his pelt, but he¡¯s still trembling, claws sunk so far into the ground that there¡¯s indents.


    Myles has a sad look on his face that¡¯s matched within Wyatt¡¯s expression.


    ¡°If we do nothing, people will die. Phoenix is the only one who can never burn. He¡¯s strong, but not as strong as the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    ¡°We have to be careful,¡± Brook says. ¡°We only get one shot.¡±


    With a roar, the Dragon then inhales yet again, throat and chest flaring in a bright violet as it readies itself. I watch, body going numb, as Phoenix clambers up a smoldering pile of splintered wood and smoking bits of burlap. The Dragon releases a stream of fire that explodes on the ground in massive billowing clouds of orange and red tinged with purple. Grey dives and plummets through the air toward where I can only assume is Alex. The flames from the Dragon envelop Phoenix, and Ky screams, dropping to the ground with his pupils blown wide.


    Brook curses under her breath, and Astra whimpers.


    What happened? How many homes will be destroyed? How many are dead? How many more will die? Should I have just stayed with the King? Maybe then this wouldn¡¯t be my fault.


    I know I didn¡¯t tell the Guard and Soldiers to storm the Sea and I know I didn¡¯t tell the Dragon to raze the ground, but maybe I could¡¯ve prevented the King from making the decision in the first place. I tremble, and the twin puncture wounds along my spine burn. The bandage around my neck feels like a choking collar. Once again, I can feel the ghost of the venom spreading through every bit of my body, the weight of the snake¡¯s body and the pinch as its chain links catch on my fur and tug. I can¡¯t see Phoenix, but I know he¡¯s there, somewhere enveloped within the inferno.


    My powers itch beneath my skin. I want to send a tidal wave of ice across the Sea to stop the Dragon, to find Phoenix and get him out of the flames. Phoenix cannot burn, but he doesn¡¯t know the Amethyst Throne. He¡¯s not a child, but he¡¯s not much older than Astra. He doesn¡¯t know the extent of what the Amethyst Throne can do. He¡¯s going to get himself killed. The Sea is going to burn, and it will be my fault.


    The fire from the Dragon spreads across more of the Sea, consuming every tent one by one, until it stops in its tracks.


    I know we need to go, but I can¡¯t move. I¡¯m frozen in place, as if my own powers have acted upon me. Part of me wants to dissociate, to lose myself within the currents of the icy waters in the depths of my mind. I want to feel the cold embrace of the oceans, not the panic and fear the King has brought yet again. I want to drift and only know the waves and try to forget everything that¡¯s happened.


    Astra presses further against me.


    ¡°Stay with me and Brook,¡± I say, running my jaw over her neck and shoulders. I feel Astra hum in reply.


    The flames from the Dragon shake and vibrate then get thrown back toward the Dragon, that snarls and twists out of the way.


    ¡°Fuck right off, cream puff,¡± Phoenix roars.


    When the Dragon falls toward the ground in an attempt to avoid the fire Phoenix keeps sending at it, the black cat sinks his claws into its wing and clambers up onto its back, ripping and tearing at its scales.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of the lower slopes of Ragdon Volcano. The dark stone stretches across the ground with little clumps of grass sprouting here and there.


    In an instant, I see myself and Freedom building our home. I called upon water and brought it up from the ground to freeze in cracks and holes, shattering rock that Freedom then moved away. We built our little home, where our daughter, Astra, lived for the first few months of her life.


    I stop and stare through the expanse of Ragdon Volcano, seeing the moment the Justice came and grabbed Astra in its stony hands. Its green eyes locked onto us, and they became all I could see as it told us of the King¡¯s claims of abuse. Claims that we abused Astra and she wasn¡¯t safe with us.


    My throat closes up as I remember the panic that put me in a chokehold as I realized what was happening and just how little power I had to stop anything.


    I wish I could have told my younger self what would happen. That after the trial, we wouldn¡¯t see Astra for ninety years, that the last time we saw Freedom was when she walked away because we couldn¡¯t be together in our grief, that we would lose Freedom too, that the King would curse us and we would take it because breaking our curse meant putting our daughter in danger and we couldn¡¯t do that. We had to take the pain and the suffering because the alternative was letting the King find Astra.


    That the pain might never go away because it¡¯s still here, even after we¡¯ve found Astra again.


    No, stay in the present, Jabez. Astra needs us.


    But I see movement on the side of Ragdon Volcano, and I freeze, as if the ice has taken over my body and maybe it has because I cannot seem to move at all and the thought of disappearing into the churning waves of my mind seems so much more appealing.


    A figure makes their way down toward the Sea, big enough to be seen, even from so far away. Colors spread across every part of their body, working toward a bushy red tail that swishes with every step. They¡¯re so far away, but I can almost count the earrings, see the golden rings and the diamond gem.

 Unbound - Jabez - Chapter 12 - Make Things Right

    Chapter 12


    Make Things Right


    TRIGGER WARNINGS: violence consistent with a fantasy battle; this is a continuation of the last chapter and the content will be similar, just what happens next. Self-sacrifice, a big death. An offer of death, a question of if one would like another to take their life. Out of anger and frustration, one character heavily implies that he thinks another should use magic that would cost them their life; not directly telling them to take their life, but he says to ¡®make things right¡¯ and they both know what he¡¯s referring to¡ª that magic. Jabez does not react well to Arcane making his appearance, and his headspace reflects that.


    Panic blooms in my chest like freezing water expanding upon itself over and over until it¡¯s unrecognizable from what it was before.


    ¡°Arcane!¡± Ky cries, pricking his ears as my heart plummets through my paws and I cannot stop the deluge of images crashing over my eyes and mind from one of the worst days in my life.


    Arcane killed my love. He sent her to Lucius before her time. He made a mistake, but it cost her everything. Arcane¡¯s power should have healed that wound on Freedom¡¯s shoulder, and instead he took her life.


    She was my everything, and while we¡¯d drifted apart after the King took Astra away and Brook brought her to the Field, each too caught up in our own grief to know how to remain together, I never stopped loving her. The days passed by too fast for me to know how much time had actually gone by until it was too late and I could no longer say goodbye. Freedom was gone, and I couldn¡¯t tell her how much she meant to me and how much I loved spending time with her and how much I adored waking up a little early to watch the sun rise together and how much I cherished getting to have her in my life. I couldn¡¯t tell her how much I loved watching her with our daughter, how the way she had to arrange things just right in our own home before she could sleep amused me, how I¡¯d never forget the way she¡¯d squint her eyes when she focused, how the way her mane and feathers glowed when the sun hit just right stole the breath from my lungs and the way her black eyes turned into starlit skies made time stop in its tracks. I wanted to tell Freedom that she was the most beautiful creature I¡¯d ever seen and ever would see. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her and still do love her. I want to tell her that I¡¯d give anything to have our family back together again.


    But I cannot.


    Because Freedom is dead, and she died at the paws of Arcane.


    The same Midnight Wolf making his way into the Sea right now. He¡¯s tall enough that he stands over the tents. People gasp in shock, the same number flocking towards him as those who move away. Stars and galaxies swirl on Arcane¡¯s body, made up of a million different colors, except all I can see is the rainbow of Freedom¡¯s wings, all the colors on her body and in her feathers. Stars shine on Arcane¡¯s pelt, but I can only see the constellations I¡¯d try to trace in Freedom¡¯s eyes as she watched the sun rise and set every day.


    Tears burn in my eyes and freeze on my cheeks as I sniffle and choke on a breath.


    ¡°He accidentally hurt Freedom,¡± Astra says, voice level and neutral. I twist my shoulders and arch my neck as much as it will move to look at her. She studies Arcane with a tilted head and a curious expression.


    ¡°He did. He killed her, but he did not mean to.¡±


    Astra hums, lips twisting.


    Above Arcane, the Dragon tussles with Phoenix, who roars and claws at the Dragon¡¯s scales as its snakehead tail arches and lunges for the black cat.


    Ky yowls as Phoenix contorts his body to miss the snake¡¯s fangs. I shudder and shake when I catch a glimpse of the purple venom dripping from the snake¡¯s teeth into its mouth and down its throat.


    The Dragon rises up into the air, and Ky paces back and forth. Brook watches everything as she tries to catch her breath. Foam collects on her fur a physical manifestation of just how much the portal she created cost her. I steel myself, staring down the Dragon and shoving down the panic with everything I have.


    I have never had enough energy for more decades than I care to count, but I draw upon everything I have and tap into the ice powers I avoid using for that very reason; they cost far too much energy. With Astra behind me, I have everything to lose and have to try.


    I want Arcane to help. He¡¯s the Midnight Wolf and he has power that rivals that of the Dragon. But he used his power wrong and it cost Freedom her life.


    As the Dragon¡¯s jaws part and a stream of blazing fire pours from its maw, Arcane shifts his weight to his hind legs and rears up, a short bark falling from his mouth as he sprints forward, huge paws slipping on the ruined tents and charred pieces and bodies. People scream as they scatter. Arcane doesn¡¯t step on anyone but destroys more tents in the process. The Dragon¡¯s flames hit Arcane in the shoulder, and the Midnight Wolf stumbles back but doesn¡¯t move, eyes squinted but not closed. The Midnight Tears sway, tantalizing as they seem to be so close to falling yet never do. They sparkle, visible even from so far away; Arcane towers over the remaining tents in the Sea.


    Arcane takes the fire, the damage. All he does is squint and scrunch his nose for just a moment, so brief I almost miss it.


    I flick my tail and stamp my paws as desperation and frustration curl in my chest like twin currents swirling together in the depths of an ocean, cold and quiet and so far from anything there¡¯s no escape; unstoppable and unavoidable. I¡¯m forced to feel both so fresh and raw, a scab yanked off to reveal the brand new skin, still so sensitive and the nerves still so raw.


    How dare you only squint in the face of death, Arcane. If you were anyone else, you¡¯d be dead. You¡¯d have met Lucius. And yet you only squint in the face of such destruction. You saw death arrive when you meant to heal, and you did nothing when it was Freedom who Lucius took.


    xxxx


    I thought I¡¯d found some semblance of peace with Freedom¡¯s death, but seeing Arcane shattered any measure of balance I found. I¡¯ve found myself falling, pulled straight to the depths of the churning oceans of grief and despair with dwindling air as the bands around my chest hold me down and squeeze until panic and pain spread through every crumbling piece of me, mixing together until I cannot tell them apart.


    I miss Freedom so much. I never got to say goodbye or tell her I love her or say every little meaningless thing I wanted to, share every seemingly so mundane moment that with her felt so bright and novel because we were together. I want Freedom, but I can no longer play a part in her life since she is gone in the only permanent way.


    I sink to the ground with a sob, pushing my cheek against Astra¡¯s when she nuzzles into me.


    ¡°Freedom¡¯s with Lucius,¡± she says. ¡°Brook told me they¡¯re very nice and take good care of everyone when they die.¡±


    I bite my tongue until I taste blood. I want to scream. It¡¯s not fair and I know life isn¡¯t fair, but none of this should have happened. It doesn¡¯t matter how nice Lucius may be, because Freedom should be here and she¡¯s not.


    What happened to the life I had as Ice? Couldn¡¯t I have just died then and never have been brought back? I didn¡¯t ask to be pulled from Lucius, and I didn¡¯t ask to go through any of this. Freedom didn¡¯t deserve to die. I want my lover and my best friend back. I want Freedom back, and I want Bryant back, not the King.


    ¡°I know,¡± I whisper when I no longer feel like if I open my mouth I will spit and snarl and yowl my anger to the world.


    ¡°Brook said that we can see Freedom again.¡±


    Everything within me is so raw, nerves screaming, and it¡¯s all far more than I can take. I want to claw at my skin until I¡¯m free from this cage and can run until I¡¯m somewhere that¡¯s away. Somewhere I''m free from it all. Somewhere I don¡¯t have to face the killer of my lover. Somewhere I don¡¯t have to face my own daughter I do not know. Somewhere I do not have to face the betrayal of the very body I must live in until something finally gives out and I can escape.


    ¡°I know,¡± I croak, unable to tell Astra that I hope that¡¯s true with every fiber of my being but that I do not know if Lucius will take me back.


    Erebus did not bring me to life this time; the King did. I don¡¯t know if that means Astra is not Erebus¡¯s creation either.


    If you won¡¯t take me, Lucius, at least take Astra. Please. She deserves to meet her biological mother. They deserve to get to know each other and spend their eternity together. If you won¡¯t take me, take Astra when it¡¯s her time.


    Phoenix slashes at the snakehead tail of the Dragon and wraps his jaws around its throat as his flames erupt across the Dragon¡¯s scales. Reds and oranges mix with violet as the Dragon twists and flaps its wings to rotate in midair. Its jaws part, and I see each individual fang gleam in the sunlight, so big and long and sharp¡ª


    Ky screams, and blood drips down his muzzle and chest as his eyes glaze over and turn a foggy shade of brown. I tense as I watch Ky¡¯s tan fur stain scarlet. My skin prickles with the ghost of the frozen collar of blood around my own throat, tightening until I felt I¡¯d choke.


    From atop the Dragon, Phoenix hesitates for just a moment. He watches his brother, and it¡¯s enough for the Dragon to slam its palm into the black cat¡¯s side and tear him from its body. Broken scales shine and glint in the sunlight, ripped from the Dragon¡¯s skin as Phoenix falls through the air, jaws parted in a roar. I don¡¯t see where Phoenix lands.


    Ky¡¯s blood drips onto the ground. It begins to coalesce, forming together in a stretching and squishing motion. I see two horns that pull away from a wrinkled face with a flattened nose and twin teeth that curl up, leaving lips curved into a harsh smile.


    ¡°The Blood Demon,¡± Astra whispers, voice hollow and faint. She backs up into me with a whimper. ¡°Ky, you can¡¯t die again. Arcane-. Arcane didn¡¯t want to-. He-.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like last time. Nothing I can create is real, but the Blood Demon is. Gotta keep family safe.¡±


    Ky takes off running into the Sea. Wyatt places a hand on Myles¡¯s arm, gently keeping him in place.


    ¡°Arcane can help. We need to stay here,¡± they say. "See? The Dragon is coming.¡±


    The Blood Demon stands up. Its red skin is stretched across a muscular frame, and its beady purple eyes lock onto the Dragon as its thin tail whips back and forth. With a bellow, it starts after Ky, hoofed hind legs stomping with every step.


    Ky¡¯s an illusionist. What is that? He said it¡¯s real?


    ¡°Jabez,¡± Brook says, bringing me back to reality.


    Fuck.


    ¡°Stop this,¡± Arcane murmurs.


    He lifts a paw that halts the Dragon in its tracks when it dives again. It recoils, amethyst blood dripping from the wounds on its body as it flaps its wings. Phoenix isn¡¯t on its body any more, and I don¡¯t know where he is.


    ¡°We should help Ky,¡± Astra tells me. She turns around and stares up at me with big blue eyes.


    I immediately shake my head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But he needs help! Phoenix does too!¡±


    I shiver as panic seizes my body. ¡°No. They can take care of themselves. Grey and Alex will help them. We need to stay over here. The Dragon is very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But what if-.¡±


    Brook drops her head and nuzzles into Astra¡¯s back, ruffling her feathers.


    ¡°Ky and Phoenix can take care of themselves,¡± she says. ¡°They are both very capable. It is safest for us over here.¡±


    ¡°The fuck you gonna do, Arcane?¡±


    I perk up at Phoenix¡¯s voice. He clambers up onto a pile of smoldering ruins, tail lashing. His flames blaze on his body. Ky¡¯s with him, and the Blood Demon eyes the Dragon from behind the brothers. I see Grey and Alex too. Grey leans in to Alex¡¯s side, mouth moving but I can¡¯t hear what he says. Alex shakes her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Arcane replies.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should apologize to.¡±


    ¡°I did the right thing,¡± he continues, though he doesn¡¯t sound convinced. ¡°I left. I-I didn¡¯t use my powers. I haven¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I broke that with Ky, but¡­¡±


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    ¡°You didn¡¯t mean to kill Freedom,¡± Ky cries.


    ¡°And yet I still took her life.¡±


    ¡°You know you can make this right,¡± Phoenix drawls, lips twisting into a toothy grin.


    Grey¡¯s face falls into a look of horror.


    The Dragon soars in the air, and its snakehead tail opens its mouth into an echo of a smile, all teeth and sharp, predatory angles. The Dragon mimics the expression, pricking its ears as it rotates its wings to circle the Sea again.


    The Blood Demon watches the Dragon. One of its ears flicks, and its tongue lolls over the side of its jaw, dripping with saliva stained scarlet.


    ¡°You know what you did, Arcane,¡± Phoenix snarls, blood boiling and bubbling on his jaw. ¡°You murdered Freedom. You killed her. You took her life. You sent her straight to Lucius.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Arcane snaps back, but the words have no bite to them.


    He just sounds panicked, and I find myself curling my lips. It was an accident, but he didn¡¯t have to do it. The wound would have healed on its own. Freedom may have walked with a limp. Her shoulder might never have healed right, but she¡¯d still be here and we would¡¯ve figured it out. She didn¡¯t have to die.


    ¡°You can make this right,¡± Phoenix continues.


    ¡°No!¡± Ky shouts, catching on quicker than I do. ¡°Stop it, Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°You know what you can do.¡± Phoenix scowls at his brother''s flashed teeth.


    ¡°Arcane, don¡¯t,¡± Grey says. ¡°There¡¯s always another way.¡±


    The Midnight Wolf sits down. Agony flares within his expression.


    xxxx


    I¡¯m crossing the Sea before I realize what I¡¯m doing. It¡¯s as if my paws have a mind of their own, and I lash my tail. The ocean of anger churns and batters within me, icy currents and crashing waves narrowing down to a pinpoint of fury.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to feel bad. You should have said no,¡± I spit when I¡¯m close enough. The few remaining in the Sea make way. I hope the rest have found some semblance of safety if it still exists on Ragdon.


    Arcane pricks his ears and zeroes in on me in an instant.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± he chokes out. ¡°I didn¡¯t- I didn¡¯t mean to. I didn¡¯t want to. I t-tried-. I tried to help. A-Aquarius.¡±


    ¡°You told me all of that before. I¡¯ve heard it all. I know you didn¡¯t mean to, but you still killed Freedom.¡±


    ¡°I can make this right,¡± Arcane says.


    ¡°How?¡± I shake my head, vision blurring with tears that drip down my cheeks in frozen lines of ice. ¡°You killed her. You took everything Freedom was going to be away from her. You took every choice and decision she was going to make away from her. You took everything she was going to enjoy from her.¡±


    Arcane cranes his neck down. He towers over the Sea, several times bigger than the Dragon Phoenix and Alex are trying to kill, but he doesn¡¯t seem that large. He seems so small, and yet looming in his shrinking presence. He has the air of a killer, just not in the same way as the King.


    I know he regrets what he did. He should, and I want him to. But regret changes nothing.


    Arcane breathes, and Freedom does not. Arcane gets to choose, and Freedom does not.


    Remorse will not bring back Freedom.


    ¡°How?¡± I repeat. ¡°What can you possibly do that will make things right.¡±


    Something flickers across Arcane¡¯s face. He looks over our surroundings, the burning tents, the bodies, the splatters of blood, the Dragon that soars overhead, the smoldering ashes that I know will take so long to clean up, so far beyond repair that it will be starting anew.


    ¡°The world will be ablaze,¡± Arcane murmurs, tilting his head as he scans the Sea. ¡°You were right.¡±


    Who was right?


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it,¡± Ky pleads.


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    Horrified, Ky slaps Phoenix across the face with his paw, claws sheathed. ¡°I¡¯m not answering that. We both know why. I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you. Shut your fucking mouth.¡±


    Phoenix flashes a paw, claws grazing Ky¡¯s cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me,¡± he spits, baring his teeth as he lunges toward his brother.


    Ky doesn¡¯t flinch. He frowns, eyebrows furrowing as he bares his teeth. ¡°Stop being a fucking idiot. Shut your mouth before I make you.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Ky glares at Phoenix¡¯s sneer, and he doesn¡¯t back down until Phoenix rolls his eyes. ¡°Realize what you¡¯re telling Arcane to do and then think for one fucking second. Would you ask me to do the same?¡±


    Phoenix scoffs.


    ¡°I thought so. Now don¡¯t speak until you¡¯ve got something nice to say.¡±


    Arcane stands up, stretching out a hind leg as he arches his tail. He shakes out his pelt, and stars and galaxies twist and rotate with the movement. The swan on his foreleg flutters its wings and the rabbit on his muzzle flicks its ears.


    ¡°I appreciate your efforts, Ky,¡± Arcane says, ¡°but Phoenix is right. This is the only way I can make things right.¡±


    ¡°How can you make things right?¡± I echo, repeating myself yet again. ¡°You cannot.¡±


    The Dragon dives and unleashes a spray of fire. Phoenix grits his teeth in a closed-mouth snarl as he leaps up vertically, forepaws stretched out as he reaches out with his magic and seizes control of the flames. The Blood Demon swipes a forearm at the Dragon¡¯s wing, just as it passes over head. Together, the black cat and the Blood Demon shred the membrane of the Dragon¡¯s wing and send it tumbling.


    Grey hesitates, but Alex shifts into her wolf form and darts after the Dragon. Phoenix lands hard on his shoulder, ripping open the skin with a wound that looks far too similar to the one that Freedom sought out Arcane¡¯s help for. I swallow down the nausea and look away, taking deep breaths. Phoenix doesn¡¯t seem fazed and races after Alex. The Blood Demon slams a hoof onto the Dragon¡¯s other wing, breaking bone. Ky takes out the Dragon¡¯s snakehead tail, while Alex pins down its head, wrestling with it while trying to avoid its legs and teeth. Phoenix barrels into one of its forelegs, pushing it far enough that the joint begins to stretch past its range of motion.


    ¡°Make me,¡± he taunts. ¡°I fucking dare you.¡±


    ¡°Hold the Dragon there, and it will be gone soon enough,¡± Arcane murmurs.


    ¡°Please,¡± Grey begs. ¡°Don¡¯t. Let¡¯s talk about this. I¡¯m listening, I assure you. We can take as long as we need. Just talk to me; I¡¯ll listen.¡±


    ¡°I have to at least try. No more talking. I¡¯m sorry, Jabez,¡± Arcane says, holding my gaze. I don¡¯t look away, despite how much seeing Arcane¡¯s red and green eyes makes my skin crawl. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry. My apology changes nothing, but for what it¡¯s worth, I really am sorry. I only meant to help.¡±


    I can¡¯t reply. I can only stare back. My voice is lost somewhere among the churning waves within, the endless, depthless ocean I simultaneously fight against but want to sink into.


    xxxx


    Arcane closes his eyes.


    It takes me a few moments to realize just what he has done.


    Arcane¡¯s eyes are closed, and he never blinks. The Midnight Tears shimmer with a million stars and galaxies as they fall from his eyelids and begin to roll down his cheeks. Every second that ticks by lengthens evermore. The troubled expression on Arcane¡¯s face relaxes into something peaceful, and anger sparks in my gut. The rage is a violent rip current curling and twisting and pulling everything until I feel ice prickling at my paws and the yawning void of Freedom¡¯s loss that I thought had begun to scab over breaks apart anew, and every bit of pain I had once felt returns yet again, just as raw and agonizing as the first time I felt it.


    How dare Arcane look peaceful.


    How dare Arcane get peace.


    How can he after he murdered my lover, my everything? How can Arcane get peace but I cannot? If Arcane does, does Freedom have peace? Is she at rest within Lucius¡¯s claim, their domain, wherever they take those who have passed from Erebus¡¯s creation into Lucius¡¯s touch with their vulture in Ananta to guide the way? Is Freedom happy? Is she ok, in whatever definition of ok might still exist?


    The Midnight Tears wriggle along Arcane¡¯s chin until gravity¡¯s pull becomes too much and they free fall. I watch, jaw slack. The Tears mingle and mix into one and every second stretches ever longer.


    When the Midnight Tears hit the ground, the soil ripples like a water droplet in a lake. Arcane remains perfectly still, face lax, but his paws curve and arch, a reflection interrupted by splashing water. The undulating soil spreads further, growing rapidly in size and speed as Arcane freezes in space, as if time holds its breath for him. Jaws parted and eyes closed, Arcane doesn¡¯t breathe, move, react. He just remains.


    No one says a word, and it¡¯s as if time really has stopped. The ripple continues until it¡¯s out of my sight. I cannot look away from Arcane. Stars continue to twinkle across his colorful pelt. Galaxies twist around each other, but they soon begin to stretch, elongating in an extreme sort of way, bit by bit until they¡¯re moving all at once toward some unclear center in a circular motion. The colorful swaths of stardust and constellations rotate around and around, and soon embers in the Sea stir into the air.


    Phoenix snarls and digs his claws in deeper into the Dragon as bigger bits of the Sea stretch and break off. Alex breaks away from the Dragon and runs toward Grey, but she darts out of the way when one of the tents still standing gives out, burlap flapping into the air in stiff movements as the wooden trunks supporting each wall fall. One flips and contorts, stretched into a wispy remnant of what it once was.


    A kaleidoscope of color surrounds Arcane in a churning whirlpool that rotates and collapses upon itself, drawing into somewhere within Arcane¡¯s body.


    Astra, I think as I watch the bits of things spiral around Arcane in an imitation of a twisting galaxy.


    Brook had stayed back with Astra. I had left my daughter behind. It¡¯s not just Arcane who¡¯s getting pulled into the magic of the Midnight Tear; others in the Sea are too. I scramble back a few steps, then turn around, gritting my teeth against a spasm of pain in my neck. A ways away, I see someone get lifted into the air like they were floating away. One of their arms looks too long, and they bump into a chunk of wood. On the other side of me, a horse tumbles through the air, head over hooves with a sharp squeal of fear.


    Except that I only make it a pace or two before I¡¯m dragged back. Sinking my claws into the soil, I strain to make it any further, any closer to my daughter. Ice spurts into existence, freezing in sharp icicles that snap and hiss. The impulsive use of my magic drains energy tangibly.


    I feel the magic of the Midnight Tear begin to work on me. Deep within my neck, the still-healing scarring wounds from the snake tug, and I feel pulling on my joints and old injuries in a way I never have before. The shards of ice on my tail stretch, and I feel myself being lifted. Before I can fully comprehend what¡¯s happening, I¡¯m ripped from reality and shoved deep into the waters within my mind. Bubbles hurtle all around me as I crash beneath the surface of the waves. I open my jaws to scream, but no sound comes out. The water is so cold I turn to ice as everything seizes up.


    Do you want to go? a voice in my head asks.


    I know without thinking what the voice is asking me; do I want to go, to I want to leave forever, do I want to escape, do I want to see if I¡¯ll meet Lucius after I was taken from them once, do I want to meet my end the way I should have when I died as Ice?


    I could get my own chance at peace. I could leave behind the King, I could leave behind the agony of losing everything, I could leave behind the betrayal of my body, I could leave behind losing Astra only to get her back as someone I do not know.


    I could say goodbye to it all, and the thought feels so tantalizing. I want it so bad. I want to escape so badly.


    I¡¯ve opened my jaws to say yes, to agree, to consent when Astra¡¯s memory comes bouncing into my mind, just how I remember her as an infant. All big, toothy smiles, the brightest blue eyes I¡¯d ever seen, a bundle of fur who could never stay in one place for long, always too caught up exploring the next thing that managed to capture her fickle interest in that moment.


    I want to go. I want to leave this all behind. I could say goodbye to the world that has hurt so much¡­ and yet I cannot.


    I¡¯ve clung to the thought, the ever-fraying thread of hope that I had never fully managed to snuff out, that maybe things would get better for decades.


    Do you? the voice repeats. Do you want to go? It won¡¯t hurt. You¡¯ll feel no pain. You¡¯ll float away and drift into forever.


    I could see Freedom again. I could be reunited with my lover, if Lucius would take me back. I could explain to them what happened, that it wasn¡¯t my fault, that I didn¡¯t want to be forced back into the world of the living.


    But¡­ I would be leaving Astra behind, and I¡¯ve only just gotten to see her again. I cannot leave her again, not when I have a choice, a say in the matter. Brook is a capable stepparent, but I can¡¯t leave my daughter.


    Freedom would surely understand that it will have to be a little longer. We can see each other again, but she will have to wait. Our daughter needs me. I need to be with our daughter. I need to do everything I¡¯ve never gotten to yet for her.


    No, I reply. I do not want to go. It¡¯s not my time yet.


    There¡¯s a pause.


    Very well, comes the reply. Ok.


    xxxx


    I¡¯m shoved back into reality, and it¡¯s chaos.


    There¡¯s a flash of white and a boom that rolls across the terrain. Everything falls to the ground in heaps. Nothing is where it was before in the Sea, although landmarks remain in their original locations; the Erebus Tree, the King¡¯s castle off in the distance.


    Arcane is gone. All that¡¯s left of him are a few colorful wisps of stardust and the twinkling remains of the Lepus constellation, though those soon dissipate into nothing.


    Shaky, I get to my paws and blink repeatedly with a sigh, flicking an ear. Around me, others look similarly disoriented. Some scratch their heads and others talk amongst themselves. I see a few horses from the King¡¯s army trotting loose, though I don¡¯t see any Generals or Guard and Soldiers.


    Good.


    Before I can begin seeking her out, Astra comes barreling toward me. She crashes into me faster than I can react, and I let myself fall to the ground, ignoring the protest of my joints and the snake fangs lodged up against my spine. Despite the ache, I smile and relief soaks through me, a balm to the hurt.


    She''s alive, she''s here, she''s with us.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I say. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ok!¡± Astra presses into my side, nuzzling into my neck. Her wings ruffle as her feathers fluff up and her tail shivers with excitement.


    I rub my cheek against hers as I roll to my stomach, uncomfortable with the feeling of laying belly up for too long. Gritting my teeth so as not to make a pained sound, I get to my paws, remaining still until I¡¯m certain I won¡¯t stumble.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± I reply. I¡¯m not ok and won¡¯t lie, but I also don¡¯t want to worry my daughter.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Arcane used the power of the Midnight Tear,¡± I say. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what it means, but we can find out together. Do you know where Brook is?¡±


    Astra shakes her head, bottom lip quivering. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find her. I-I couldn¡¯t find anyone. You¡¯re the first one I found. I¡­ I ran all over and didn¡¯t see¡ª.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we can look together. I¡¯m glad you found me, and we can go try to figure out where Brook and the others are.¡±


    Astra nods, but she doesn¡¯t seem convinced.


    xxxx


    Brook finds us before we find her.


    She comes charging up to us, scaring off a small group wandering through the Sea. Her tail sails behind her, and the ribbons in her hair flow and flap as her hooves thunder across the ground in heavy beats.


    When Astra spots Brook, she bounces on her paws. She¡¯d been pacing around me, too antsy to walk at the stiff amble I could manage with how tired I am and how much energy I¡¯ve spent. My muscles ache and I can feel my body locking up. The low throb of the snake¡¯s fangs in my spine has been increasing, and now my neck spasms with every movement.


    ¡°Oh, you are both ok.¡± Brook presses her muzzle into the top of Astra¡¯s head, inhaling deeply, and Astra circles her forelegs, rubbing her cheek and tail against Brook¡¯s fur.


    I manage a nod.


    ¡°D-do¡­ do you know where everyone e-e-else is? I couldn¡¯t-. I couldn¡¯t find them.¡±


    Brook smooths out the hair on Astra¡¯s neck before replying.


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Ky¡¯s with me, but I don¡¯t know where Grey or Alex are.¡±


    I step back and to the side and see Phoenix. The wound on his shoulder has burned over and he has a few scrapes I think will scar, but he¡¯s in one piece. Ky seems unharmed but worked up. His tail flicks back and forth and he shakes out his fur. Phoenix keeps running his jaw over his brother¡¯s back, brushing up against him as his flames spark and flicker in bursts of uneven light.


    ¡°Where is Alex?¡± Grey shouts, voice pitching up a few octaves in panic.


    ¡°What?¡± Ky asks, whirling around as Grey sprints toward us, frazzled.


    ¡°Alex!¡± Grey replies. ¡°Alex, where is she?¡±


    ¡°She was just here. She helped kill the Dragon,¡± Brook says.


    ¡°I know that. But she¡¯s not here. Where is she?¡± Grey shakes his hands, then runs his fingers through his hair, silver eyes wide. He sinks to his knees. Astra bunts her head into his shoulder but steps away when Grey shrugs away from her touch.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find her. Ragdon is an island so she can¡¯t have gone too far.¡±


    ¡°I know, Astra, but please, this isn¡¯t the time.¡±


    Grey takes in a heaving breath, scratching his nails against his arms in a movement I recognize immediately. I¡¯ve done it myself and still have the scars. Worry swirls in my gut.


    ¡°Where are you, Alex? Where the fuck are you?¡±

 Reborn - Prologue

    Prologue


    Her eyes open, but they belong to someone else.


    Someone from beyond.


    Welcome to the second half of The King''s Remorse! I''m so glad you''re here, and I hope you enjoy! Please comment your thoughts and consider a favorite/follow if you''re enjoying the story thus far!


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Not much to say with this prologue, but do you have any guesses as to what will happen in the second half of The King''s Remorse?


    Or perhaps in this section? There are three more to go, including this section


    Who is the ''her'' in the prologue?


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 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 1 - Stupid Necklaces

    Reborn


    GREY


    Chapter 1


    Stupid Necklaces


    I¡¯ve never felt I had a future.


    I never wanted to fight. I¡¯ve never been one to step toward the action.


    I¡¯d rather stay behind.


    But the King wants Guard and Soldiers. Fighting is always encouraged.


    I never take part. I never want violence.


    I¡¯ve always hated fighting.


    It¡¯s why I became a teacher, rather than a Guard or Soldier in the King¡¯s army.


    Why does hatred always seem to turn into violence? Why does that violence turn into murder? Why do others always seem to have to die in an endless cycle of hatred that never seems to end? Why must we so quickly jump to destruction that can never be undone or taken back? Why must others lose their lives at the hands of the rage of a few?


    What ever happened to listening and learning?


    Surely there¡¯s a better way that doesn¡¯t involve fighting.


    Why must hatred broil into violence when we don¡¯t have to sort out problems using our fists? We can talk and avoid committing actions we can never take back.


    The King seems to disagree, and he tries to funnel as many as he possibly can into his Guard and Soldiers. I felt the pressure to join, the urge to follow what so many of my classmates did, but I couldn¡¯t make myself.


    I didn¡¯t want to fight. I don¡¯t want violence. There must be another way. Always, there has to be another way. No matter the circumstances, taking a life can never be undone. That singular action has such a strong ripple effect; the life you took, that being had friends and family who loved them. Their lives will never be the same. Even just fighting to injure. What if you break their leg and it never heals right? What if you accidentally make contact with a lethal injury?


    I can¡¯t do it.


    And somehow I ended up as the Dove, with the malachite medallion around my neck and healing powers to prove that it wasn¡¯t a dream.


    It hangs heavy around my neck like a leaden weight, a permanent reminder that others expect something of me I don¡¯t know that I can give.


    With my sister by my side, Alex, the Wolf, my best friend, maybe I could do it.


    But she is gone, missing, and I don¡¯t know what to do.


    I kneel on the ground in some unknown location in the Sea, hunched over as my fingers lace themselves through my hair. A scream bubbles up in my throat, a lump I cannot swallow down.


    ¡°Where are you, Alex? What happened?¡±


    We had been fighting in the Sea, battling the Dragon that¡¯s now nowhere to be seen.


    Arcane sacrificed his life, shed the Midnight Tear, and removed those he perceived as evil. His powers created a spiraling force that absorbed everything, then spat it right back out. I got pulled in, as did Alex. There was nothing, and I floated in the false peace of emptiness like a feather cradled within the embrace of a breeze. It felt so soft and kind, though I know empty wouldn¡¯t solve the problem of the King. I knew Alex was somewhere there with me. That was enough; she was there and we still had each other. It was the last time I saw her.


    And then I got thrown back onto Ragdon clear across the Sea, ripped from the place Arcane¡¯s Midnight Tears had brought me to, and I couldn¡¯t find Alex. She¡¯s gone, missing, and I don¡¯t know what to do. I don¡¯t know what to do without my sister. I need her by my side, the goofy support who throws in her opinion, speaks her mind, and sticks up for what she believes in. She listens, knows what to say, and is the most capable being I know. I need my sister. I need to know she is ok. She never would have just left.


    I can feel the panic rising up in my chest in a choking network of thorns and vines that make my skin feel far too small. My throat seals shut, every breath coming shallower and more ragged than the last, and I shake as the edges of my vision blur and my brain flatlines into the spiraling thought in my head: Where the fuck is Alex?


    ¡°Alex,¡± I wheeze. ¡°Please, Alex. Come here. Come back. Where are you?¡±


    I sit in silence for far too long. Every bit of my body screams at me to move, to search, to do something. Anything. Alex is somewhere out there, and she needs me. What if I can¡¯t get to her in time? What if something terrible happens because I was just a little too late. What if I should¡¯ve already been going, already been on my way. I don¡¯t know where she is; I don¡¯t know where to start looking, but she¡¯s not right next to me so anywhere that¡¯s not here is better than here.


    Except¡­ I can¡¯t move. My body remains frozen, locked up in a state of panic, a spiral I cannot break out of. It¡¯s like I¡¯m plummeting through the air again after the Guard¡¯s arrow pierced through the wrist of my wing when Alex and I first tried to escape over the Lava Flats, on the run immediately after we found the pewter pendant and the malachite medallion.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me, Alex.¡±


    It¡¯s selfish, I know. The wording, it cuts as sharp as a blade. It¡¯s somehow Alex¡¯s fault that she¡¯s gone, even though I know with every bit of my being she wouldn¡¯t just leave me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I choke out in a broken whisper as tears roll down my cheeks in slick waves. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alex.¡±


    ¡°You can lead, Grey,¡± Myles says, dark brown eyes wide with hope. His voice comes from somewhere behind me. ¡°I don¡¯t like the King. Wyatt doesn¡¯t either, and there are more of us. We¡¯d follow you. We¡¯ll find Alex.¡±


    I shake my head.


    ¡°Not without Alex,¡± I reply, voice high and thready. The smoke from the Dragon and the burning Sea drags across my throat like coarse sand.


    ¡°I know,¡± he says. ¡°We¡¯ll find her first. Nothing without Alex.¡±


    Myles¡¯s words run right over my head. ¡°Alex is a better fit,¡± I murmur. ¡°She¡­ I¡¯m not built for that.¡±


    Surely he knows I¡¯m not fit for that. I can¡¯t lead. I need my sister. I need to not have everyone watching. I need the calm order and routine that being a teacher brings, even if the King¡¯s teachings change as often as his moods. But wrangling a classroom full of children and swallowing down the ache at the lessons that focus more on the King¡¯s wants rather than the truth is easier for me than joining the ranks of the Guard and Soldiers. I¡¯d be away from the comfort of what I know, but I¡¯d have to so physically fight. I¡¯d have to make the conscious decision to intentionally cause harm, perhaps even kill. I¡¯d have to obey a King I¡¯ve never understood. Teaching isn¡¯t easy, but it was better than the alternative of the Guard and Soldiers.


    I still feel the guilt over teaching what I know to be false. Feeding children lies was something I promised myself I¡¯d never do, but I couldn¡¯t not. Fear kept me from keeping my promise. The horror stories of the King, meeting him, the Generals few ever saw and fewer still lived to speak of, the punishments brought, each tale worse than the last. I could never figure out how much was truth and how much was tall tales. What would await me if I went against the King¡¯s orders and someone caught me? The thought of having that many eyes on me, having to say with such clarity exactly what I did and how I did not agree with the King, knowing that I wouldn¡¯t be walking away unscathed with no consequences because that¡¯s not who the King is, it all terrified me. I don¡¯t want the eyes on me. I don¡¯t want to feel the weight of everyone watching, waiting, judging. If I got caught, the King and his closest followers would look even harder at the education the children received. If they removed me, they could replace me with someone worse.


    I did the best I could in the cramped little classroom with rows of desks leaning against each other from joints long since worn out. I had my own desk in the corner that I rarely used for anything other than storing stacks of paper. Within the King¡¯s lesson plans, I found ways to add in as much accuracy as I could. I tried to teach my students to think critically, to question, to study different perspectives, to see biases.


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    I know I wasn¡¯t any hero to my students, but perhaps I kept them a little further away from a villain. Maybe a few didn¡¯t join the ranks of the Guard and Soldiers. Maybe a few were able to realize that the King wasn¡¯t some savior, even if only in some ambivalent way.


    But what did it matter now that Alex is missing? All her time teaching those stupid battle exercises to the students seeking to become Guard and Soldiers didn¡¯t save her. All her time goofing around with Camden and hearing the stories he told her from Katelin¡¯s time working alongside the King in a job that mostly entailed looking busy and staying out of the way when the King got angry didn¡¯t save my sister either. Us sticking together and trying to just go in, do our jobs, get out, and keep our heads down didn¡¯t save her either.


    What could I have done?


    Maybe if we didn¡¯t go to the Erebus Tree that night. Maybe if Alex and Camden had gone off to go grab a quick dinner. Maybe if I had just refused. Maybe if¡ª


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that, Grey.¡±


    Brook nudges her nose against the back of my head, shoving me forward and pulling me back to reality.


    I look over my shoulder and frown. Don¡¯t do what?


    ¡°What ifs will only drive you further into panic. What ifs will change nothing. No one can change the past, not even Lucius or Erebus. We must focus on the present and what we can do now.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯d never gotten these stupid necklaces,¡± I spit, tears springing up in my eyes as my voice becomes thick and I grab the malachite medallion in my fist, ¡°then Alex would still be here.¡±


    The medallion weighs heavy. I want to rip it off. I want to sprint to the cliffs of Siren¡¯s Lookout and throw it as far as I can. But I can¡¯t. Something keeps me from turning the want into an action. Some twinge deep in my subconscious that I hate. Some little piece intertwined with the heat I feel when my healing powers kick in. Some little nudge that keeps the malachite medallion with me because I¡¯m the Dove and it¡¯s my power.


    I thought maybe it could help me, but now I just hate it.


    I need my sister. She needs me. I need to be there for her, because she¡¯s all I have.


    Panic rises in my chest, and I curl my fingers as my breath catches in my throat and my skin crawls and itches and it¡¯s too small and there¡¯s not enough air and I can¡¯t breathe and I¡¯m going to vibrate out of my body and¡ª


    ¡°Grey!¡±


    Jabez¡¯s voice snaps me out of my spiraling fear. Bits of ash and soot cover his blue fur and stain his paws.


    ¡°I can¡¯t-. I-I need-. I have to find her. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t lose her. She has to be ok.¡±


    I jab a hand against my cheek to wipe away the tear that falls.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find her,¡± Ky says, voice soft.


    His ears and tail droop, and his brown eyes hold too many emotions for me to count.


    Phoenix snorts and throws his head to the side, rocking on his paws and flexing his toes to unsheathe his claws. The wound on his shoulder puckers and stretches when he straightens a foreleg. A wicked laugh bubbles in his throat.


    ¡°If the cream puff did anything, he¡¯s double dead. And before you say it, Ky, I¡¯m making that a thing. If he doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s coming for him, he really is a fucking idiot. A bigger one than anyone coulda thought. Fucker¡¯s gonna get everything tenfold. Lucius won¡¯t know what to do with him when they come for him. There¡¯s not gonna be anything for them to take.¡±


    Phoenix pulls his lips back into a sharkish grin, all fangs in a predatory smile. Flames burn, embers glowing in his eyes. Harsh shadows flicker across his body, cast by the crackling fire.


    My heart squeezes and I shift where I sit, pulling a knee close to my chest. He has every right to feel however he does, but the thought of him inflicting that suffering upon another living being makes me squirm with a knee-jerk no. Hurting someone back doesn¡¯t undo what they did, and taking a life doesn¡¯t hold them accountable like justice would.


    But if the King did something to Alex. If he hurt her. If he¡­ if he¡­ if he did something worse.


    I don¡¯t even want to think it.


    If the King was responsible for why Alex is missing, though, maybe I would feel differently. I¡¯d never tell another that how they feel is wrong. I want the King to face what he¡¯s done and have to answer to it all. I don¡¯t want him dead; I want him in a prison cell. If he¡¯s hurt Alex, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do. I don¡¯t know if that would change what I want to happen to the King. He can¡¯t get another chance to hurt someone, but death can never undo past actions.


    I run my fingers through my hair, tugging on the strands until the point of pain. Why couldn¡¯t we have just never gone to the Erebus Tree to find those stupid necklaces? I wish I had just paced and paced and paced until morning and then gone to teach for the day and continued that until I forgot I ever had that desire to seek out the Erebus Tree in the first place. However much I don¡¯t want the King in power and however much Alex and I perhaps are supposed to take down the King¡­ can removing the King from power be justified by Alex going missing? Can a number of lives lost become the price tag for taking down the King? How can someone say that it¡¯s ok that others died because, in the end, we got what we wanted?


    Myles leans on his staff as he lowers himself to his knees in front of me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises and I won¡¯t, but I¡¯ll help you search for Alex in any way I can. We all will.¡±


    I nod, body numb.


    ¡°We all will,¡± Brook echoes.


    ¡°I have to find her, but I can¡¯t even come up with a plan.¡± I bury my face in my crossed arms. ¡°I can¡¯t stop thinking the worst.¡±


    Myles places his hand on my shoulder. He waits until I¡¯m able to lift my head and look at him before speaking.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got all of us. Me and Wyatt. Brook and Astra and Jabez. Ky and Phoenix, too, I¡¯m sure. We¡¯re here to support you, and we will search for as long as it takes.¡±


    ¡°What if it takes years?¡± Panic sparks yet again in my gut.


    As long as it takes could be years. All that time without Alex, when she¡¯s who knows where. She could be waiting for me. She could be all alone. She could be trapped somewhere. She could be waiting for me for years, wondering where I am, wondering why I left her, wondering why I haven¡¯t found her. She could be stuck with the King, Guard and Soldiers, Generals, all so cold and unfriendly.


    Memories of the two of us kneeling at the foot of the Amethyst Throne barrage through my skull, hurtling flickers of the fear, the arrows tearing through my body, the mockery of a trial, the panic, the hurt, the pain as my body screamed in agony, the warmth of sticky blood coating my body.


    What if that is Alex?


    It can¡¯t be years without Alex. I can¡¯t let her be alone for so long. I have to make sure she¡¯s safe. She¡¯d do the same for me. I can¡¯t leave someone behind.


    And if something I can¡¯t even think of¡­ if¡­ if Lucius has come for her, she still cannot be left all alone for years.


    No. Alex wouldn¡¯t leave me like that. Lucius can¡¯t have taken her. She¡¯s out there, and I have to find her.


    ¡°Grey,¡± Wyatt says, placing a soft hand on my back to guide me back to the present, ¡°we will do what we must to find Alex.¡±


    We¡¯re all quiet for a moment. Astra shakes off, then hops up onto Brook¡¯s back to lay down. Myles uses his staff to push himself back to his feet. He stretches out his legs and walks in a small circle, avoiding a fallen log that once supported a side of a tent.


    ¡°Alex has a friend named Camden, right?¡± Wyatt asks.


    I look up at them, narrowing my eyes.


    Wyatt shrugs. ¡°You and Alex became a bit famous and I heard the name Camden alongside hers a handful of times.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s her friend. Alex and Camden were ¡ªare¡ª close friends. Lovers. I don¡¯t know. They never really figured out their relationship. The last time they saw each other Camden wanted to go on a date but Alex turned him down. I think Camden got cold feet and broke things off and left their relationship as friends.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he knows something?¡± Myles asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s gotta be worth a shot, right?¡± Ky says with a hopeful smile.


    Phoenix rolls his eyes. ¡°Grey, either you go track down this Camden guy, or I¡¯ll find him myself.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re gonna help?¡±


    ¡°The cream puff doesn¡¯t get to hurt anyone else.¡± Flames burn on Phoenix¡¯s inky pelt, and the low rumble of his voice coupled with the snarl on his face make for an unsettling sight. ¡°If Camden knows something, we will find out what.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whisper.


    ¡°I might be a monster,¡± Phoenix says, ¡°but I¡¯m not completely heartless.¡±


    I don¡¯t reply, unsure of what I could even say.


    ¡°What Phoenix is saying is that we can go and speak to Camden and see what he has to offer.¡±


    Phoenix sneers. ¡°That¡¯s what I said. And so what if Camden decides to clam up and he needs some convincing? The cream puff doesn¡¯t get to hurt anyone else.¡±


    I find myself standing, and I stumble as blood flow returns to my legs and I lose my balance.


    ¡°No,¡± I say, pointing at Phoenix, who bristles. ¡°You cannot hurt Camden. I understand that you may be angry at the King. While I do not agree that lethal force is needed against the King, you are entitled to your opinions. But you cannot hurt Camden. He is not the King.¡±


    Phoenix takes several slow steps forward, tilting his head to the side as he narrows his eyes and holds my gaze. He flicks the tip of his tail, and I resist the urge to step back and retreat. ¡°Even if he holds information on the whereabouts of Alex?¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t want him hurt. Camden will tell us what he knows. He doesn¡¯t want anything to happen to her. They¡¯re friends.¡±


    There¡¯s no way. Camden wouldn¡¯t do that, right? He and Alex, whether platonic friends or lovers, were close.


    I hate the bead of doubt that twirls in my chest, a feather dancing on the wind. But Alex isn¡¯t here. I dig my toes into the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.


    ¡°Whoah, whoah, whoah,¡± Myles says. He waves his hands and steps in between us, tucking his red staff beneath an arm His shirt bunches up around his elbows. ¡°We haven¡¯t even spoken to Camden yet. How do any of us even know what he may or may not be willing to tell us? Let¡¯s first start by just finding this guy, ok?¡±


    ¡°We do need to find Camden,¡± Ky agrees. He springs to his paws, eyes sparkling. His fur fluffs up and he pricks his ears as his bandana falls over a shoulder. ¡°However, we also need to find the new Midnight Wolf.¡±


    ¡°I thought Arcane was the Midnight Wolf. We just saw him.¡± Astra looks over the Sea.


    Once a sprawling array of matching white tents, either housing two, four, or, occasionally, more, but now only a handful remain. The rest lay in heaps, crumbled, burned, reduced to rubble and ash by the Dragon.


    I shove away the thought. Alex had helped hold down the Dragon as Arcane shed the Midnight Tear. It had thrashed and fought back hard. Fire broiled in its chest and throat as Phoenix roared in its face, daring it and egging it on as he used his own fire against it. Alex helped pin it to the ground, doing so right up until the world disappeared and we became separated.


    Ky shakes his head. ¡°Arcane was the Midnight Wolf, but not any more. He blinked. He shed the Midnight Tear. Arcane is dead. Someone is the new Midnight Wolf, and I bet they¡¯d know where Alex is. Even if they don¡¯t, I think they¡¯d at least have some idea.¡±

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 2- For the First Time

    TRIGGER WARNING: self-harm (scratching) from stress/anxiety; the character does not realize he¡¯s doing it at first, but the character does cause minor (temporary, not permanent) bodily harm from doing so; also discussion of past panic attacks, big ones where more serious scratching self-harm was done that caused more serious bodily harm


    Chapter 2


    For the First Time


    ¡°You have to do it!¡± Astra exclaims, wings fluttering and vibrating. The grey spikes on her tail rasp across each other.


    Jabez nods. ¡°You should,¡± he says. ¡°You should find Alex, and I think this is your best shot.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think the new Midnight Wolf will know?¡± I ask.


    What if I should be here? What if Alex comes back here and I¡¯m not here because I¡¯m all the way on some other part of Ragdon and she doesn¡¯t find me and she goes off searching for me and we¡¯re always apart and one step behind because we¡¯re always where the other just was and we never see each other again and¡ª.


    No.


    No.


    No.


    I dig my nails into my arm. I can¡¯t think like that. I need to think in steps. Neither Alex nor I would spend a forever doing something that was never working. Both of us would try something else. With an inhale, and then an exhale, I try to calm myself down a little bit.


    Except that it doesn¡¯t work. I can feel the panic rising in my stomach, in my chest, in my throat, curling through my insides like prickling vines and puncturing thorns. In an instant, I¡¯m back to the foot of the Amethyst Throne as the Guard sent the arrows ripping through my body. Fear seizes hold at the memory of how warm my blood felt, how I almost laughed as it trickled down my back and across my abdomen, how hard I eventually had to fight to not lose the fear I¡¯d felt in the beginning.


    Jabez nods again, and when he speaks, I begin to be able to pull myself to reality and stay there.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find Camden, speak with him, and then find the Midnight Wolf,¡± Ky suggests.


    ¡°All of us?¡± Myles asks.


    Brook shakes her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. Astra and I should stay here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay too. I want to stay with Astra. And I shouldn¡¯t go. Not¡­¡± Jabez trails off. When he speaks again his voice is far softer. ¡°Not after the snake. It did a lot of damage. I can¡¯t leave Astra, either.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t make you,¡± I say.


    It¡¯s true. I wouldn¡¯t make Jabez leave his daughter. Not after so long apart. Not when they¡¯re family.


    Jabez nods, something soft and grateful coming across his expression. Astra rubs her cheek across his throat. Jabez winces when she draws close to the back of his neck, but he still presses closer.


    xxxx


    I both want to sprint into the tent Camden and Katelin share and I want to drop to my knees and scream because Alex is gone and she¡¯s not here and I don¡¯t know what to do and what am I supposed to do and I can¡¯t think and everything won¡¯t stop and she¡¯s not here and I don¡¯t know where Alex is and I can¡¯t breathe and my skin is too small and I can¡¯t breathe and we never should¡¯ve gone to the Erebus Tree and we never should¡¯ve gotten the necklaces and what went wrong and Alex did nothing wrong and we were just trying to get by and how did everything go so wrong that now Alex is missing and I don¡¯t know where the fuck my own sister is and we¡¯re supposed to be at each other¡¯s sides because we¡¯re supposed to be there for each other.


    Ky walks beside me, close but not touching, which I appreciate. He takes a soft breath, glances my way, then mulls over his words. I wrap my arms around my sides and try not to pay too close of attention to my surroundings. There are only a scattering of tents in the Sea that remain fully intact, and mangled bodies lay all around. A few people mingle about, most searching, and some loose horses trot through the rubble. When a small group of Guard try to round up the horses, they¡¯re descended upon by the closest people. Phoenix cackles, but I can only close my eyes and take a shuddering breath, clenching my hands into fists and digging my nails into my skin until they break the flesh. The malachite medallion heats up on my chest as my healing powers kick in.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make it hurt less,¡± Ky says, pulling my attention away from the fallen Guard, ¡°and I¡¯m sure the not knowing helps nothing. It bothers me deeply and I¡¯ve only known Alex for a short amount of time. I can only imagine what you must be feeling. But we¡¯re all here. I know words cannot magically bring Alex right here, but we are here. Lean on us, ok? We are all here for you, and we will do everything we can to help bring Alex home where she belongs.¡±


    ¡°Where even is home?¡± I whisper, voice cracking. ¡°I¡¯m sure our tent is gone. We lived in the Sea, but we sure as hell can¡¯t live here any more. We don¡¯t have anywhere any more.¡±


    Ky gives a sad smile, and Phoenix flashes his teeth at his brother who doesn¡¯t appear to notice. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ky murmurs, ¡°I know the feeling.¡± He looks up at me for a moment, before he slumps his shoulders and his whole body seems to lose all air. ¡°Really, I do. But home is where you make it. Home can be anywhere. A house is any one of the tents here, logs you stack in the woods, a hole you dig in the ground, a cave you find. But a home is wherever you decide it is. A house is a location; a home is a feeling. You¡¯ll find a new home, Grey.¡±


    Brook comes up behind me and voices her agreement. Myles does, too.


    ¡°Camden¡¯s right up here, isn¡¯t he?¡± Wyatt asks, walking up ahead.


    ¡°Three ahead of you on the right,¡± I say automatically, all the years of living in the Sea coming back to me. ¡°Er, well, the only one still mostly standing.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Camden?¡± Myles calls, taping his fingers on the singed fabric of the tent Camden and Katelin share. There¡¯s a few holes in the sides, and one of the supporting logs leans far to the side, but it¡¯s upright and in more or less one piece.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Camden says. He pokes his head out. The top half of his hair has been pulled back into a ponytail.


    ¡°Do you know where Alex is?¡± I ask, hoping my voice doesn¡¯t shake as much as I think it does.


    ¡°I¡¯d assume she¡¯s with you¡­¡± Camden trails off, frowning. He opens the flap of his tent further when he sees the rest of the group with me. He scratches his side, then steps out of his tent, letting it flop shut behind him with a stiff rustle. Several small cuts and injuries cover his body, but he looks mostly unscathed. ¡°Since it seems she is not, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re all trying to find her?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Yes. Have you seen her?¡±


    A spark of fear bursts to life in my gut, crackling and bristling and fizzing with anticipation, nerves, the feeling I can¡¯t shake of what the fuck is going on? The only other logical thought I could¡¯ve come up with was that Alex had wound up with Camden.


    ¡°I think I might have caught a glimpse of her during that fight with the King¡¯s Dragon, but before that, the last time I saw Alex was when I helped fix those ties on your tent before y¡¯all found your necklaces and ended up as the Wolf and the Dove and the King was trying to kill you both. Katelin told me bits and pieces, but it sounds insane.¡±


    I fight the urge to drop to my knees. Alex needs me to stay strong and listen.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Katelin?¡± Phoenix asks. Fire glows on him, and he stands with his legs wide and his back straight, tail flicking back and forth and expression set into something still yet fully alert.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Camden eyes the black cat for a moment before responding. ¡°My sister.¡± He frowns. ¡°She works for the King?¡±


    ¡°Does she, now?¡± Phoenix presses, moving forward. One of his paws breaks a small board in two.


    ¡°Not like that,¡± I jump in, holding out my hand. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like the King.¡±


    ¡°Katelin can speak for herself.¡±


    ¡°Are you all speaking about me?¡±


    Katelin pushes her way out of the tent. Long brown hair falls in loose waves down her shoulders and back. She¡¯s tall, almost as tall as Camden, and strong. Her makeup enunciates her features subtly. She wears a collared, button-down shirt and skirt outfit that hugged her tall frame. The short heels she wears look out of place in the ruins of the Sea, and they sink into the loose ash and dust that covers the ground, smearing the surface of the shoes. The outfit may have once been neat, but now it¡¯s been scratched and cut up. A gash carves through Katelin¡¯s arm and a few small burns litter her skin. Wyatt eyes the injures with careful eyes, and I can almost see them thinking over each one.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Phoenix growls. ¡°Do you work for the cream puff?¡±


    Katelin hesitates.


    ¡°Well?¡± Phoenix snorts, taking a step closer and tilting his head to the side. He raises his eyebrows.


    ¡°Not in the way you seem to think.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked.¡±


    Katelin sighs, fixing her hair and smoothing out her shirt and skirt in a nervous movement that she seems to have done a million times. When she pulls her palms away, she wipes off some of the dust that¡¯s smeared on her skin. ¡°I¡¯m basically a glorified secretary. My job is mostly looking busy so I don¡¯t have to go see the King. I know my job is to report to him, but¡­ I think you all can agree that not seeing the King is the better option. Honestly my job doesn¡¯t really need to exist, but I think the King wants to have someone to go send off on tasks since he already has everything he needs without him having to ask with his Generals, Guard, Soldiers, and the landscapers, cleaners, and so on.¡±


    Phoenix squints his eyes. ¡°How long have you worked as the cream puff¡¯s so-called secretary?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Camden asks.


    Phoenix fixes him with a glare. When Brook and Wyatt move in to say something, Ky shakes his head. Myles gently ushers Astra back to Brook, who nuzzles her into a foreleg. Curling up and wrapping her tail around her legs, Astra leans into Brook, and Myles wipes a few ashes off of her wings.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve left.¡±


    Katelin studies Phoenix for a moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s very easy for you to say, Phoenix.¡±


    Phoenix lifts his head. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± His voice is low, flat, tight with a tension I haven¡¯t heard before.


    How much more of this before we can find Alex? I know it takes time, but I want Alex now. I don¡¯t want her waiting while we¡¯re searching. I don¡¯t want her stuck in situations¡­ stuck in something terrible. Stuck in some unspeakable¡­ no, Grey, we can¡¯t go there.


    ¡°You have magic.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Phoenix agrees, ¡°and I will use it. But I never asked for magic. I did not give it to myself.¡±


    Katelin chews on her lip for a moment. Brook pulls Astra a few paces away and whispers something to her that I cannot hear. When Jabez sits down with a stifled groan and a grimace, Wyatt makes their way over to him and kneels by his side.


    ¡°I have worked as the King¡¯s secretary for¡­¡± Katelin glances at Camden. ¡°Fifteen years? Gods, it¡¯s been a while. At least fifteen years. A very long time, regardless.¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s expression bursts with rage. ¡°You know every single one of the Generals, then.¡±


    Katelin furrows her eyebrows, confused. She nods. ¡°I do. There used to be more, but I do. ¡°There are Spyro and Daeva. Outis used to be one, but the King determined he cannot do his job and so he bound his mouth.¡± She shudders. ¡°That was rough event. I know the others, too.¡±


    Astra gasps and her whole body lights up. She interrupts Katelin before she can continue. ¡°You used to be a General, Phoenix!¡±


    Phoenix flinches, eyes widening. For the first time I¡¯ve seen it, fear flashes across his expression.


    Neither he nor Ky responds, but they look at each other with pain.


    Camden licks his lips. He clears his throat and cuts in before anyone else can speak. ¡°Uh, no. I, uh, don¡¯t believe Phoenix was a General. All the Generals I know of, which I¡¯ll admit are only Spyro, Daeva, and the former General Outis, have been Generals for decades. Phoenix appears to be about the same age as Grey and Alex.¡±


    Astra¡¯s ears fall back. ¡°Oh,¡± she says.


    When Phoenix speaks, his voice is gruff, stiff in a tense sort of way, like he has to force the words out, as if they¡¯re lodged in his throat, resisting being spoken. ¡°I¡¯m not a General, Astra. I never was. I¡¯ve never worked for the Ki-cream puff.¡±


    I watch, rocking on my feet and rubbing at a forearm as Phoenix¡¯s gaze falls off to the side and he slouches, eyes unfocusing to stare into nothing until he¡¯s seeing something that¡¯s not here. When Ky folds his ears to the sides of his head and runs his cheek over Phoenix¡¯s jaw, his brother jerks back, then smiles, a genuine smile, not one of the wicked grins that¡¯s all snake teeth and bloodied lips.


    ¡°So, to confirm,¡± I say, sighing as I return to the original reason why we came here, ¡°Camden, you do not know where Alex is?¡±


    Camden shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grey. I do not. I wish I did. Do you need help searching? She might just be hiding somewhere to try to get away from all¡­¡± Camden gestures vaguely all around us. ¡°This, you know? It¡¯s a lot.¡±


    I twist my lips. ¡°She might be.¡±


    I want to search there, but I also want to search for the new Midnight Wolf, like Ky suggested. Both seem like possibilities. Both feel plausible. I pause for a moment, trying to feel within my heart, my soul, my being, as to whether one feels more true than the other, but neither does.


    Brook steps forward. ¡°Since we need to split up regardless, how about we do both. Astra, Jabez, and I can stay here, while Ky, Phoenix, and you, Grey, can search for the new Midnight Wolf. Myles and Wyatt, you can choose. And Camden and Katelin, you can, too.¡±


    ¡°I cannot leave my job, as much as I would like to. And speaking of, the King will be expecting me. So excuse me, but I must see if I have an outfit he will find acceptable. I sincerely hope you can find your sister, Grey. If I hear anything from the King or those in his castle, I will pass it along to Camden and do my best to make sure it makes its way to you and your friends. Word spreads, but you have to be listening right.¡± Katelin inclines her head, then ducks back into the tent she shares with Camden, who subtly moves to stand in front of the opening to block it.


    ¡°I can help from here to try to find Alex, but I cannot leave my sister. Her job¡­ it¡¯s dangerous. The King, he¡­ he is unpredictable. He has strange requests. Katelin hates it, but how is she supposed to tell the King of Ragdon that she doesn¡¯t want to work for him? What reason is she supposed to give him? She thought it was a great opportunity all those years ago, but now she¡¯s stuck.¡±


    ¡°What job do you do?¡± Phoenix asks, eyes narrowed.


    Camden snorts and rubs at the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t really have one. I work the odd jobs now and then, but it¡¯s mostly under-the-table. Someone fixes some clothes for me and I fix a broken table. Someone makes me new earrings as a gift for Katelin and I fix their tent. I can do most jobs well enough to get by. Katelin does the work for us, and so I do almost all of the other work.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, cream puff would get pissy if he found out about you,¡± Phoenix snickers, wrinkling his muzzle. ¡°Can¡¯t have you lazing about in the Sea when you can be a brainless fish in his Guard and Soldiers. Don¡¯t worry. We ain¡¯t gonna turn you in. I¡¯m gonna kill the cream puff, you see. I¡¯m going to make him feel every bit of what he has done over and over until he begs and begs for mercy that will never come. I¡¯m going to see how far I can push his body until his heart gives out long before I am done with him. Lucius won¡¯t know what to do with him. They won¡¯t know what to do with so many pieces.¡±


    Camden squirms at the sick smile splitting Phoenix¡¯s face in two.


    ¡°I, uh¡­ I won¡¯t get-get in your way, ok?¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the black cat agrees.


    I start to scratch my arm, but I stop when I realize what I¡¯m doing. Twisting my forearm, I can see the red lines appearing where I had drawn my nails across my skin. A few small droplets of blood bead together, but within moments, silver light shimmers from beneath my flesh and the red welts begin to knit back together and fade.


    I can hear Alex¡¯s voice in the back of my mind. I can almost feel her gently bringing my fingers from my skin as she tells me that she¡¯s here in that tone that breaks through the fog and never sounds sharp, judgmental. We¡¯ve known each other forever so of course she knows that it doesn¡¯t take much to for me to go from uneasy to I can¡¯t cope. She¡¯s pulled me away when I went past what I could deal with on my own too fast for me to realize. She¡¯s helped me come back from panic attacks where I scratched at myself, some times worse than the others, sometimes enough to scar.


    Most times, fear over teaching pushed me over the edge. In my mind, I¡¯ve seen my students walking away from the Sea and off to the Barracks to become Guard and Soldiers. Some to become lead Guard, those who rank just below the Generals; others to train incoming Guard and Soldiers in a more official manner than what Alex did; others to do less of the fighting and more of the strategizing and the work to keep everything running smoothly since the King will not do that himself. I always try to take deep breaths, to slow my racing heart, to focus on the present and what¡¯s real, but my mind twists reality and I quickly have a hard time telling truth from fiction. I know my students, at least before I found the malachite medallion and lost my job as teacher, would all return home to their parents at the end of the day, but in the midst of my panic attacks, all I could see was them going from their parents to my classroom to the Barracks to Lucius¡¯s claim in a chain, one-by-one, all in a single file line that never seemed to end and I knew every face.


    My fear was always that I would never be able to keep my students from meeting Lucius before their time, because there had to be another way than an ever-growing army and far too many deaths that could always be prevented. No one needs to die like that. The King doesn¡¯t need to be King. We¡¯re one island. We don¡¯t have to fight.


    They don¡¯t have to become Guard and Soldiers. The students don¡¯t have to become Guard and Soldiers. We don¡¯t have to fight. There¡¯s another way.


    I¡¯d thought so in the past, and I still do now.


    I feel the ghost of warmth as I imagine the rasp of Alex¡¯s hand over mine, the firm squeeze to hold me in the present and tether me to something I can cling to.


    ¡°Take a deep breath, Grey,¡± she¡¯d say. ¡°I¡¯m right here. Listen to my voice, and we¡¯ll inhale together, ok?¡±


    I close my eyes and focus on the warmth of the malachite medallion and I drag in as slow of an inhale as I can manage, but it shakes in my throat.


    Alex, where are you?


    My sister should be with us.

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 3 - Something Similar

    Chapter 3


    Something Similar


    I bite my lip.


    ¡°Grey.¡±


    Camden¡¯s voice cuts through the haze in my mind.


    ¡°Your sister is strong,¡± he says, and I nod.


    Of course I know that. She¡¯s the strongest person I know. Camden is just pointing out the obvious.


    ¡°No one knows that better than you.¡± Camden ticks his head to the side. ¡°Well, apart from Alex herself. She knows that. She¡¯s strong, and we¡¯ll find her. All of us.¡± Camden gestures to everyone, and I turn to look at them all, each of them who all nod their agreement.


    Katelin emerges from the tent. She has changed into a new outfit. The shirt she¡¯s wearing is a pale purple with gold buttons, and her skirt matches the color of the Amethyst Throne almost perfectly. I swallow down my immediate panic at how closely Katelin¡¯s outfit matches that of the King¡¯s.


    ¡°The King will be expecting me soon. I will listen for anything, Grey,¡± Katelin says.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I manage to whisper around the lump in my throat. I scuff my toes in the dirt and try to look anywhere but Katelin to avoid another panic attack until I hear her leave and I am sure Katelin is gone.


    When a light breeze blows through, the thick air stirs up the embers and ash, and smoke rises through the air. I sneeze.


    Phoenix mutters under his breath.


    ¡°Is the Sea at risk of burning further?¡± Brook asks.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve stopped it if it was.¡± Phoenix flicks his tail. ¡°Can we come up with a plan and do something before we stand here and do nothing all day? While I¡¯d love for the cream puff to send me more Guard and Soldiers to kill and perhaps a General or two to tussle with, Grey looks like he¡¯s about to have a heart attack or something.¡±


    ¡°We leave-,¡± I say, gasping. ¡°We need to- go. We need to find the new Midnight Wolf. They need to know something. They¡­ They have to. They have to.¡±


    They can¡¯t not know. They have to know where Alex is.


    ¡°Fair enough. Let¡¯s leave then.¡±


    Phoenix starts off in the direction of Ragdon Volcano, walking toward where Arcane stood as he shed the Midnight Tear, pulled everything in toward him with an unstoppable force, than spat it back out, leaving me without my sister. I want to follow him, but I can¡¯t take a step. I can¡¯t get closer. I can¡¯t go there.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Ky says. ¡°We at least need to say farewells.¡±


    Phoenix bares his teeth. ¡°No goodbyes.¡±


    Ky inclines his head in agreement. ¡°No goodbyes. It¡¯s See you laters.¡±


    Phoenix squints for a moment, then rumbles a scoff. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re coming back, right?¡± Astra asks when Phoenix makes his way back. She flares out her wings and waves her tail behind her.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    He lets her press her forehead against his shoulder.


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave. The Dragon made you go away. Its fire made you go away.¡±


    Phoenix laughs, though it¡¯s more a wrinkling of his muzzle than a smile. He pulls back to look Astra in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m fireproof, Astra. No fire can hurt me. Remember that. I ain¡¯t burning, ok? I can never burn.¡±


    Astra chews on her lip, then she nods. ¡°Ok.¡±


    She turns to me, and I drop to the ground, kneeling so I¡¯m closer to eye level with her, then brace myself. To stop myself from trembling so much, I clench a hand into a loose fist.


    I don¡¯t want Astra to worry, but I know I cannot hide how scared I am. Brook knows her best and can take care of Astra. She was taking care of Astra just fine in the Field. Perhaps we never should¡¯ve gone into the Field.


    Then Astra would¡¯ve been safe. She wouldn¡¯t be out here, where she could be hurt. Astra wouldn¡¯t be here where the King can get to her.


    No, Grey, breathe. Take a breath. In, and out. In, and out. We cannot change the past. What¡¯s done is done, and we need to focus on what we can do now.


    ¡°Ragdon is an island, so Alex is here. You¡¯ll find her. And Brook and Jabez and I will stay here.¡± Astra pauses. ¡°And Camden and Katelin, too! We¡¯ll all stay here and then all of us will work together. Brook said that if we try really hard we can do anything. We¡¯ll find Alex, Grey.¡±


    I force myself to smile.


    I hope she¡¯s right. I wish I had her belief that things are so black and white.


    ¡°You know that, right, Grey?¡± Astra asks, and I cringe. Now I have to reply. ¡°We¡¯ll find Alex!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I trail off. I don¡¯t want to lie to her, but I don¡¯t know. I do not know. My heart rate spikes as I admit that to myself, acknowledging how powerless I am and how little control I have.


    ¡°I know,¡± I finally say, hoping my voice doesn¡¯t shake as much as I think I do and that I sound more sure than I feel.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Camden says, pulling up the top half of his hair into a loose ponytail like he usually wears. ¡°We¡¯ll all be rooting for you. I¡¯ll be here helping Katelin, and she¡¯ll be at the King¡¯s castle using every trick she¡¯s got to see what she can find. Go find the Midnight Wolf, and we¡¯ll all work together to find Alex and bring her home.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even have a home,¡± I find myself saying before I can think it through.


    ¡°I can make a new one for you. I¡¯ll be helping to make a lot of new homes for people, Grey,¡± Camden says, gesturing to the charred Sea all around us.


    ¡°That¡¯s something to worry about later,¡± Brook adds on.


    I nod, silent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I say.


    ¡°You can find them,¡± Astra assures me.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jabez cries before we can leave, and I pause, looking back at him.


    Wyatt steadies him when he sways on his paws, but Jabez shakes himself out, ears drawing back for just a moment before he recovers.


    ¡°What?¡± Phoenix asks after studying me for a moment and recognizing that I¡¯m not going to speak. I cannot. I¡¯m too caught up in my head, wondering Jabez may have to say and hoping that it helps, that it brings me closer to Alex, closer to knowing where my sister is and why she¡¯s not here.


    Jabez mulls over his words, thinking them over. I force myself not to rush him. I force myself to give him time. I force myself to remain patient. Everyone thinks at their own pace. Hurrying him along won¡¯t work in the way that I want it to. I need to wait.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s something you need to know,¡± Jabez says. ¡°You need to now about the King. Er, well. More about the King. Well¡­ you know what I¡¯m trying to say. How he made me. I was Ice, as I think you all know, or at least most of you. I was the King¡¯s housecat before he was the King of Ragdon. He named me Ice, and I died from old age. Lucius claimed me when I died, just as they should have, but the King couldn''t accept that. He brought me back using the power of the Amethyst Throne. I know you¡¯re looking for the new Midnight Wolf, but I think it would be helpful to know what I know of how the King brought me back as Jabez.


    ¡°The King made me. I was Ice, and then I was Jabez. His power, his connection with the Amethyst Throne, his twisted vision¡­ he combined all of that and made me me. He turned me from just a regular animal into who I am now; somewhere between animal and human. He¡¯s never said either way, but I believe he did the same thing he did to me to create the Generals. Brook, too, which I know you know.¡± Jabez locks eyes with Brook, who doesn¡¯t look surprised, much to my own surprise. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be shocked if he did the same to the Judge and Justice too, though I do not know. However, the King did not create the Midnight Wolf. There¡¯s similarities between how powers work in those created through the power of the Amethyst Throne ¡ªthere¡¯s a piece of it inside of me, and there always will be a part of the Amethyst Throne within me¡ª but the Midnight Wolf is entirely different. The Midnight Wolf has no piece of the Amethyst Throne.


    ¡°The power of the Amethyst Throne, it draws on you. It draws from within. There¡¯s a direct tie between your magic and your being. The limit is internal; how much energy do you have, how much can you take, how far your imagination can go, etcetera.


    ¡°The power of the Midnight Wolf, however, draws from everywhere. It¡¯s like Erebus and Lucius; their power is everywhere; it¡¯s everything, comes from every little thing, and is every bit of the world. Arcane¡¯s power never relied on only himself; his power came from everywhere. The limit to the power of a Midnight Wolf is different than the Amethyst Throne; it¡¯s a mental limit, but it¡¯s also a limit of the power itself, not the Midnight Wolf. The Midnight Tear can only be used once, for example. The power of Aquarius, the constellation that gives the power of healing, has a very delicate balance of healing as shown with the death of Freedom. Each power has its own unique limit, but the source it draws from is endless and eternal; it has no end or beginning. A Midnight Wolf is, for all intents and purposes, immortal. They can only die if they shed the Midnight Tear, as we all know and saw with Arcane.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°As for why I shared this,¡± Jabez says, voice softer now that he¡¯s talked so much, ¡°I thought you might want to know a little more about Midnight Wolves? At least, that¡¯s my understanding of them. Arcane told me what he knew, but it¡¯s from what I remember what he told me, and it was shortly after Freedom died so I do not remember it all.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jabez,¡± I manage to say.


    Phoenix takes a step back, then turns around. His tail flicks as his flames burn close to his pelt. He narrows his eyes.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he says. ¡°The cream puff made you and turned you into something between animal and human, and you think he did that to the Generals, too?¡±


    Jabez¡¯s lips twist into a grimace. When he tries to turn his head, he jerks to a stop, muscles spasming. Wyatt watches him, their expression patient.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replies. ¡°I think so. I don¡¯t have any definitive proof, but I think that¡¯s how he made them. He at least did something similar.¡±


    ¡°And how did he make you, again?¡± There¡¯s an edge to Phoenix¡¯s voice, one I can¡¯t quite figure out.


    Ky seems to recognize his brother¡¯s line of questioning and perks up, joining the black cat. He pricks his ears as the red bandana around his shoulders falls to one side.


    Brook walks closer, standing a pace or two behind Camden. When a few curious onlookers draw near, Wyatt silently ushers them away before Jabez notices. Myles smiles in a quiet show of thanks, and he trades his staff from one hand to the other..


    I cross my arms over my chest and fiddle with the sleeve of my shirt.


    Jabez rocks on his paws. ¡°He took my body after I died. He didn¡¯t let it go. Bryant couldn¡¯t let me go and say goodbye. He took me¡­ the, uh, Ice, me and brought me to the Amethyst Throne. Then he took a human. I never learned their name and I still don¡¯t know who they were to this day, though may they rest safely with Lucius all the same in whatever peace they can find. The King¡­ he killed them. Hit their head so they couldn¡¯t fight back, and then slit their throat right there before the Amethyst Throne. Their blood combined with the power of the Amethyst Throne, soaked through my fur and flesh, and took me from Bryant¡¯s house cat he named Ice as a kid because I had white fur and turned me into the King¡¯s first pet project because he didn¡¯t know how to let me go when it was my time. He turned me into Jabez.¡±


    For the second time, I see a spark of fear within Phoenix¡¯s expression. His ears fall back, and not from rage. He looks genuinely shocked, like a child learning some secret they were not a part of.


    When he turns to Ky, the two don¡¯t say anything but exchange an entire conversation with their eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying the Amethyst Throne played a part in your creation?¡± Ky asks.


    Jabez nods. ¡°Yes, that is how the King brought me back to life after I died as Ice.¡±


    Ky turns to Phoenix. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    The two brothers stare at each other. Neither says anything further. There was so much emotion in Ky¡¯s singular word to speak for an entire conversation; no one has to say anything, but my mind still races, thinking, wondering.


    Jabez squints, frowning.


    ¡°Right now is not a good time,¡± I hear Brook telling Astra, ¡°but I am more than happy to discuss with you the meaning of the word fuck. You can use the word fuck, but I want to first make sure that you understand its meaning and the weight it can carry.¡± She pauses. ¡°Yes, I know that you want to talk about it, but now is not a good time. We are trying to figure out where Alex is, and Jabez just told us some important information, and several are about to leave. Once things have quieted down and you, me, Jabez, and Camden have made sure the four of us are safe, we will talk about what fuck means, ok?¡±


    Astra murmurs her reluctant agreement.


    Phoenix snarls, and the roar in his throat echoes, low and rumbling, thrumming with raw fury. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill that fucker. I¡¯m gonna rip his throat out. I¡¯m gonna¡ª.¡±


    Phoenix cuts off as he seethes, hissing out a sharp exhale with a burst of flames so explosive that I stumble back to avoid getting singed. Brook¡¯s eyes widen and she pushes Astra back with a hind leg. Ky jumps away from his brother, lifting a paw to protect the bandana around his neck. I catch sight of the burn mark across one side.


    When Phoenix¡¯s flames die down, Jabez takes a breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jabez whispers, shrinking in on himself. ¡°If I had known¡ª.¡±


    Phoenix cuts Jabez off, so many emotions clouding his expression that I can¡¯t pick them apart through my own haze of anxiety and fear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even say it,¡± the black cat snaps. He turns to me, and I perk up so I don¡¯t miss what he says.


    ¡°Grey, we¡¯re leaving. Let¡¯s go."


    xxxx


    No one talks as we leave the Sea behind. Or, rather, what¡¯s left of the Sea. I hear Myles¡¯s staff hitting the ground in even beats alongside our footsteps. The occasional breeze carries distant, indistinct chatter to me. Phoenix leads the way, ears pinned and muzzle wrinkled in a snarl. He lashes his tail every so often as he walks. Ky trails a ways behind, padding along. Anyone in our way in the Sea makes way when they see Phoenix.


    I stifle a groan when I see a body lying trapped under a log with an arm reached out, fingers gnarled and twisted. Burns stretch across taut skin. Pausing for a moment, I force myself to look.


    I hope you have found peace with Lucius.


    I push away the flashes that flicker by of the Dragon swooping by, the barrage of flames, the searing heat, the panic as I became caught up in the moment of the battle from all sides.


    Soon enough, though, we¡¯re leaving the Sea behind.


    We walk through the Wailing Marshes, and the winds blowing through the reeds creates a haunting melody that creates gooseflesh on my skin and raises the hair on the back of my neck. Past the Marshes, we move up through the Lava Flats, where I push back memories of the Guard shooting me and Alex down to take us to the King.


    Now is not the time. Alex needs me.


    None of us want to go the other way around Ragdon Volcano and have to walk past the Barracks and the entirety of the King¡¯s army of Guard and Soldiers. There wasn¡¯t a discussion on which way we¡¯d go; we just went the opposite way of the Barracks.


    ¡°Not¡­¡± Myles pauses for a moment as we leave the Lava Flats behind and reenter the trees. ¡°I¡¯m not questioning this, and I full-heartedly agree with our plan. But¡­ what, exactly, is our plan? Where are we headed to?¡±


    ¡°The Midnight Wolf,¡± I reply, welcoming the shade and cover the trees bring.


    Had he not been listening?


    ¡°I know that,¡± Myles replies quickly, ¡°but where is the Midnight Wolf? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone knows,¡± Wyatt says.


    Panic sparks within me. ¡°How are we supposed to find them?¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Ky says quickly.


    He turns around.


    ¡°There¡¯s a magic to the Midnight Wolves. They¡¯re very special.¡±


    ¡°Special?¡± Myles asks, something in his voice I wasn¡¯t expecting.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask.


    ¡°What do you mean by special?¡±


    ¡°I just meant the there¡¯s lots of cool things about them. Although, saying that out loud, I do recognize that could sound a little odd.¡± Ky flattens his ears to the sides of his head and curls his lips in a grimace.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Myles says. He¡¯s quiet for a moment. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know if you meant that Midnight Wolves were like Lucius and Erebus. They¡¯re both genderless.¡±


    Ky lifts his head in recognition. ¡°Arcane used he, him, and his pronouns, and as far as I know was cisgender, although I never asked. What are your pronouns again? Mine are he, him, and his.¡±


    ¡°He, him, and his as well.¡±


    ¡°Mine are they, them, and theirs,¡± Wyatt says. ¡°I¡¯m not genderless like Lucius and Erebus, though. I¡¯m nonbinary.¡±


    I shake my hands by my sides. I have heard similar conversations in my classroom among students as they shared their identities and explored who they are or tried to figure out who they are. I want to say something, but I don¡¯t know what.


    ¡°Don¡¯t slow down,¡± Phoenix says. ¡°We can walk and talk. The new Midnight Wolf isn¡¯t gonna find themself.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Myles replies, exhaling slowly. ¡°Just give me a moment.¡±


    Wyatt wraps one of their arms around Myles¡¯s shoulders and pulls him in for a hug. Myles leans into them and takes a breath.


    ¡°Take as long as you need,¡± they whisper.


    I agree with Wyatt, but I also want to keep moving. My legs itch to continue walking, to keep going, to never stop until we find Alex. I don¡¯t want to stop, but I can also tell Myles needs the embrace.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ky asks, voicing the question I was about to. ¡°Do you need something?¡±


    ¡°When I was born,¡± Myles murmurs, ¡°my name was Sadie, and my parents called me their little girl. I¡¯m Myles, though, and I¡¯m a man. Sometimes this stuff just takes a lot out of me. Just give me a minute.¡±


    Ky tilts his head to the side. ¡°Oh, ok. Thank you for telling me. Let me know if there¡¯s something I can do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me,¡± I echo, mind whirling and unable to fully process what Myles said.


    ¡°We gonna keep going?¡± Phoenix asks. ¡°I do not care. You told me your name is Myles.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Myles says, pulling away from Wyatt, who lets him go and takes a step back.


    ¡°How are we going to find the Midnight Wolf?¡± Wyatt asks.


    ¡°By continuing to move,¡± Phoenix deadpans, craning his neck to give Wyatt an unamused look.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any way the new Midnight Wolf will be on this half of the island,¡± Ky says. ¡°I think we are far more likely to find them or some sign of their presence up near Aiyana River and Ananta Spring. Even the Badlands might have something.¡±


    ¡°Will the Garden have something?¡± I ask.


    Phoenix growls. ¡°You really wanna see the Judge and Justice?¡±


    I freeze.


    ¡°Yeah, thought so. Even if either of them did know something, those two have their heads stuck so far up the cream puff¡¯s ass they ain¡¯t sayin¡¯ nothin¡¯. Or, at least, you ain¡¯t hearing it.¡± Phoenix smiles. ¡°We can destroy it if you want, Grey.¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t have to destroy the Garden.¡±


    ¡°But what if we find something?¡±


    I incline my head, then shrug. ¡°We can learn information in different ways.¡±


    Phoenix harrumphs, as if he senses that neither of us will agree right now. Or, perhaps, he saw Ky¡¯s raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep walking,¡± I offer.


    As we move, Myles swings his staff to knock a few leaves off a low-hanging tree branch. I watch them sway to the ground. Sunlight streams through the trees and casts dappled shadows on the ground. Birds chirp and hop along branches, and I begin to lose just a hint of the tension that has gripped me so tight with claws sunk deep into my insides because I know that Alex would love it here, right now. She¡¯d tell me about the forest, about the trees. With our new powers, she¡¯d probably challenge me to a race with me in my dove form and her in her wolf form. She¡¯d probably want me to take her flying and offer to let me sit on her back as she races through the forest as a wolf. Maybe with the freedom that would offer, together, we could both relax, even just a little.


    I lose just a little tiny bit of the tension, and I feel the claws loosen just a little bit more at the sight of a butterfly fluttering through the air.


    But that tension returns just as soon as it dissipated when there¡¯s cracking in the forest, and then creaking, and then a loud crash as a tree falls.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Phoenix says.


    Wyatt frowns, and they pause as Myles places a hand on their side in a gentle gesture. In his other hand, Myles holds onto his staff tighter, brandishing it like a weapon.


    We all stop and draw closer together. Ky crouches low to the ground, eyes partially glazed over. Phoenix roars. I pant, heart racing as I feel my stomach rise in my chest. Not literally, but I¡¯m not fully convinced otherwise; the lump in my throat feels so solid and I can¡¯t swallow it down and I feel like I can¡¯t breathe.


    Who¡¯s there? Who¡¯s there? Who¡¯s there?


    The crashing grows louder, and something slams into a tree, that groans but doesn¡¯t fall.


    The malachite medallion burns hot against my chest. Dove unfurling within me, I feel my body begin to heat up and the feathers extend beneath my skin, ready to shift as soon as I call upon it.


    We¡¯re all gathered at the base of a large fir tree.


    I know it¡¯s not Guard and Soldiers near us; they would have called out already and made their demands. We would have heard them talking. They wouldn¡¯t have been able to knock over a tree. Ky and Phoenix would have smelled them. Phoenix would have already been on them long ago.


    The Dragon is dead, and it¡¯s not any of the Generals, either.


    But who¡¯s left?


    The new Midnight Wolf?


    A bit of hope sparks in my gut, a flicker of light. Maybe they know where Alex is. What happened to her. How we can find her.


    I step around a tree trunk, then throw myself back as a tusk swings directly in front of my face, rams into the bark right above me and sending it spraying.


    I squeeze my eyes shut and shield my face as I land hard on my back and curl up to protect myself.

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 4 - Freedom Was Dead

    TRIGGER WARNING: I¡¯m not entirely sure how much of a warning this needs, but I thought I¡¯d mark it anyway since I''d always rather be safe than sorry: there¡¯s the equivalent of a zombie in this chapter¡ª a character who is undead and brought back from the dead, but in a body that has been decomposing for a long time and reflects that (drawing above reflects the character in life). The character herself also is not entirely happy to have been brought back to life, and her mental state reflects that. Very brief discussion of false accusations of abuse against a child (one sentence level of brief, but I thought I¡¯d mark it)


    Chapter 4


    Freedom Was Dead


    I roll away and manage to get to my feet, scrambling away.


    I wonder if I¡¯ve hit my head at first, but since the malachite medallion isn¡¯t sending silver light across my body, I reconsider.


    In front of me is an enormous creature bigger than Brook with huge rainbow feathered wings, a brown lion¡¯s mane, an elephant¡¯s head and forelegs, green-skinned hind legs with taloned toes, and a blue tail ending with two yellow spikes and a large pink tuft of fur. Orange skin stretches across the creature¡¯s ribcage with a purple strip underneath. However, what catches my attention are all of the injuries and missing pieces of flesh. A massive tear rips through the creature¡¯s left shoulder down to the bone, and maggots crawl through muscle and sinew. Skin pulls back around one of the tusks to reveal sections of skull and rotten flesh. Large pieces of the creature¡¯s skin hangs loose around bone, as if there¡¯s nothing underneath, and I feel that may be the case.


    One of the creature¡¯s wings snaps open in a rapid, uncontrolled movement, shaking for several seconds before finally stilling and folding up again.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Ky asks.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± the creature asks, staring above us.


    I don¡¯t think they heard us, and their question doesn¡¯t seem directed at us.


    ¡°Hey! We were talking to you,¡± Phoenix snarls.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that. I never asked you to. I didn¡¯t tell you to. I forgave you sixty years ago,¡± they whisper, voice pitching up into something desperate. ¡°Why?¡±


    I frown. It sounds so familiar, but I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it.


    Wyatt steps out from Myles¡¯s side, pushing their hair over their shoulder as they approach me.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Wyatt murmurs.


    I shove them away as the creature¡¯s tail comes arcing around, stiff and heavy.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Phoenix spits, flames crackling on his body. ¡°Who are you, and what is going on?¡±


    Trunk curling up, a look of bitterness crosses the creature¡¯s gaze. They trumpet as their wings flare out in jerky, uneven movements. A few feathers fall out, along with a chunk of flesh riddled with maggots. I grimace at the sight of the crawling critters, then wonder what must be going on for the creature to have ended up in this situation, and I can tell that Wyatt is wondering the same thing.


    I look again, fingers drumming at my thigh.


    Phoenix rounds in front of the creature to keep them from getting away. Head spasming to the side as their black eyes turn toward him, they frown.


    ¡°Please,¡± they say, speaking to us for the first time.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Phoenix demands.


    ¡°Where did Arcane go?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Phoenix repeats.


    They don¡¯t know that Arcane is dead?


    How could they not? They should know. Arcane shed the Midnight Tear. Unless¡­


    My gaze returns to the injury on their shoulder, and several pieces fall into place.


    ¡°You¡¯re Freedom,¡± I say, and I know it¡¯s true.


    She turns around. One of her forelegs slips out from beneath her, but she catches herself.


    ¡°I am. Where is Arcane? I need to speak to him.¡±


    ¡°Arcane is dead,¡± Ky says, moving to stand beside me.


    Myles runs his fingers across the gouge Freedom had carved into the tree with her tusks, eyeing it closely.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I cannot control this body very well. I was dead for sixty years. I never asked to be brought back to life. Freedom was dead, and a part of me wants to say that it should have stayed that way. I¡¯m sorry, whoever you are with the blond hair. I did not mean to try to hurt you.¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s expression darkens until he looks far more like a lethal predator than he usually does. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, and I start to scratch my fingernails against my forearm. Phoenix stalks forward.


    ¡°You have a daughter,¡± he growls. ¡°You gonna leave her?¡±


    Freedom gasps, and her wings spasm, shaking. Her hind legs give out, and she crumples to the ground with a sharp cry. Fallen branches crack beneath her weight. It takes her several minutes of struggling, in which Wyatt and Myles and I try to help her stand, but Freedom¡¯s sheer size makes it very difficult to assist. She is much bigger than Brook.


    ¡°Astra!¡± Freedom breathes when she gets her limbs back under her again.


    ¡°Yeah, Astra,¡± Phoenix shoots back flatly. ¡°You gonna leave her?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t, but how can I go back? It¡¯s been so long.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been ninety years. You can go back now, but the question is: You gonna?¡±


    I can tell Phoenix is looking for a very specific answer. That part isn¡¯t hard to tell, but I wish I knew why.


    ¡°Is she doing ok with Brook?¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± I say, ¡°but I don¡¯t think she¡¯d mind meeting you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Freedom tilts her head to the side. ¡°I want her to grow up happy. I-I want her to have everything.¡±


    Phoenix snorts. ¡°She¡¯d have everything if she had you, too.¡±


    Freedom draws her ears back, curling her trunk around one of her tusks. Her tail jerks, but it looks uncontrolled. ¡°What if she doesn¡¯t want to see me? Astra doesn¡¯t remember me.¡±


    Ky smiles. ¡°I think Astra would be very happy to meet you.¡±


    Freedom shudders, limbs locking up as her gaze turns distant. She¡¯s looking at me, yet looking through me at the same time. I pause, waiting. Wyatt frowns, taking a step closer. They hold up a finger when Ky perks up, and he waits. Freedom shakes and twitches, trunk and wings pulsing in repetitive movements. Eventually, though, she slows, and I find myself breathing again.


    ¡°What can we do, Freedom?¡± they ask when she stirs again.


    ¡°Where is Astra?¡± Freedom seems to ignore Wyatt¡¯s question.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the Sea,¡± I reply, toeing at a branch under my feet. It breaks, bark crumbling off.


    ¡°Is Brook with her?¡±


    ¡°Brook hasn¡¯t left,¡± Phoenix says. ¡°From my understanding, Brook has been with Astra for the last ninety years.¡±


    Freedom smiles as her body twitches. ¡°She kept her promise.¡±


    ¡°That she would keep Astra safe in the Field?¡± Phoenix asks.


    ¡°Yes. After the King ruled that Jabez and I were abusing Astra, we made Brook promise to keep Astra safe and keep her away from the King since neither of us were strong enough to go up against the full force of the King. Both of us were strong, but not that strong. She¡¯s still with Astra though?¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I nod. ¡°They¡¯re both in the Sea. Brook said that she couldn¡¯t create another portal like the Field.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming Jabez is with them?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°Is he still with the King?¡± Freedom¡¯s voice is low, flat.


    I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Freedom exhales. ¡°Good. I knew he had to leave, but I couldn¡¯t convince him myself. I could tell him who the King was all I wanted, but he had to be ready to hear it all. No matter how much I wanted, he wasn¡¯t ready yet. I¡¯m very glad he¡¯s no longer with the King.¡±


    I smile, and it¡¯s genuine. ¡°Me, too.¡±


    The relaxed nature of Freedom¡¯s expression turns rocky, and she stirs as she stands up a little straighter. Her feathers ruffle as she raises them above her back, flaring them and revealing the network of rotten flesh and gaping injuries riddled with dirt and grime and maggots. When she takes a rattling inhale, one of her ribs pops out of place. Lines of yellow light curl around her limbs and feet, staying close beside Freedom.


    I can tell immediately that it''s magic, but I cannot tell what it does, and anxiety clenches in my gut and crawls on my skin. I pick at my nails as I try to stay calm. I draw closer to Myles and Wyatt when I sense the change in atmosphere. Phoenix pads closer to his brother, lips curling into a snarl as he lowers his head and raises his hackles.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Freedom demands, ¡°and how do you know so much about me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the Dove,¡± I say quickly, reaching into my shirt to pull out my necklace. ¡°Here, look. I have the malachite medallion. My sister, Alex, is the Wolf and has the pewter pendant.¡±


    ¡°Where is Alex?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. She went missing after Arcane shed the Midnight Tear.¡±


    ¡°Who are the rest of you?¡± Freedom asks, voice as sharp as the daggers and swords used by the Guard and Soldiers. Yellow tendrils of light swirl around her feet, a soft yellow but sharp and intimidating. These move with such intention that it¡¯s as if they¡¯re moving on their own accord.


    ¡°I¡¯m Myles and this is my friend, Wyatt. We live in the Sea,¡± Myles says. ¡°We don¡¯t have any magical powers or anything like that, but Wyatt acts as a doctor and they help as much as they can, and I do what I¡¯m able to. Don¡¯t worry about the staff; it looks like a weapon, but I just use it to help me get around. I injured my knee a few years back and it didn¡¯t heal right. If I¡¯d known about Wyatt back then, though, I think it probably would¡¯ve. They help me now though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Ky. I know a lot about the Midnight Wolves. That¡¯s how I knew about you and how you died and how you knew Arcane. Grey knew your name because we tracked him down. I can create illusions and one of mine is a, for lack of a better word, real illusion that temporarily puts me in the place between life and death. Only Arcane could bring me back, but he refused to heal anyone after he accidentally killed you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Phoenix. Ky¡¯s my brother. I¡¯m here because Grey¡¯s trying to find his sister and he refuses to kill. I have no qualms about taking life when it¡¯s justified. The cream puff needs to die, and if finding Alex means I get closer to killing him, then you can sure as hell be certain we¡¯re finding Alex. I do not care where she is. We¡¯re finding her.¡±


    Freedom stares at us for quite a while, silent as she works over what we said. I can see her thinking. She reaches up with her trunk and breaks a branch off a tree, snapping it before thwacking it against her wrists, then chewing on it. The yellow tendrils coil around her legs, and some dissipate but not all.


    ¡°If I am to believe you all, then where is Arcane?¡± Freedom asks.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± I reply. ¡°He shed the Midnight Tear and blinked.¡±


    ¡°Dead?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Myles tilts his head to the side.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been dead for sixty years.¡±


    ¡°How did you come back from Lucius?¡± Phoenix demands, lips curling. ¡°The King did that to Jabez, and it took murdering a human, fusing a human soul with the animal body, and a fuck-ton of power from the Amethyst Throne, from my understanding.¡±


    ¡°Lucius returned me to my body. My being has no connection to the Amethyst Throne. I did not come from the power of the Amethyst Throne¡±


    Phoenix pins his ears. ¡°They did what? What did Lucius do to you?¡±


    ¡°They returned me to my body. Lucius said Arcane made a deal with them, but I didn¡¯t believe them. Arcane wouldn¡¯t be that stupid, so I figured that something else must have happened. So surely Arcane isn¡¯t actually dead?¡±


    Ky shakes his head. ¡°No, Arcane is dead. He just shed the Midnight Tear. He just blinked. He¡¯s very recently dead. How long have you been alive again?¡±


    Freedom sighs. ¡°Not very long. He¡¯s actually dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did blink,¡± Ky confirms.


    ¡°The idiot,¡± Freedom mutters. A few of the wisps of yellow split and curl into whorls that spiral in sharp irritation.


    ¡°Arcane made a deal with Lucius?¡± Phoenix snaps, snorting. He bares his teeth and squints his eyes in a look, not of rage, but one that mirrors something far closer to disbelief.


    ¡°Lucius let someone go free from their claim?¡±


    Freedom nods. ¡°Yes, and they never should¡¯ve done it. I was dead. I was dead for sixty years, and I can only imagine the effects this will have.¡±


    Myles stands up, reaching out a hand with something pleading in their expression. ¡°You¡¯re Freedom,¡± he says. ¡°You¡¯re Freedom, and you¡¯re alive. You¡¯ve proven that you cannot die.¡±


    Freedom tilts her head, seeming to get lost in a moment. ¡°I can die. Arcane showed that when he killed me, even though he never meant to. But you are correct, Myles, in that no one can take away that people of all sorts will always exist. There¡¯s freedom to life. There¡¯s freedom to simply existing and enjoying the air you¡¯re breathing and the meal you¡¯re eating and the friends you¡¯re laughing with or the moment you¡¯re spending with only yourself or a pet and the book you¡¯re reading. Not even the King can take away the freedom and wonder and magic of your existence, the existence of your friends, the existence of every single being on this island, no matter how much he might like to. Nothing changes that, whether I am alive or dead.¡±


    Phoenix snarls, snapping the moment and breaking it. ¡°Lucius made a fucking deal? They made a deal for a life? They were willing to bring someone back to life?¡±


    Freedom flinches away from Myles, then nods. ¡°Yes. It was not my choice. I never asked for them to do that, but they did. Arcane said it was his life for Freedom¡¯s, but only when the new Midnight Wolf was ready. I suppose it makes sense that he could only call upon this deal after he blinked and shed the Midnight Tear; the deal wasn¡¯t valid until he could die.¡±


    ¡°What was the exact deal?¡± Wyatt asks, then adds on: ¡°If you know, that is, of course.¡±


    Freedom flicks her tail as one of her wings jerks and spasms, leaving her grimacing and scrunching her face.


    ¡°A-Arcane didn¡¯t mean to take my life, and Lucius knew that,¡± Freedom says. ¡°It also wasn¡¯t my time to die, sixty years ago. I wasn¡¯t supposed to die then.¡±


    Phoenix snaps his head up at Freedom¡¯s words, and he fixes her with an intense stare, ears pricked and tail straight back, the tip flicking back and forth.


    ¡°Lucius offered to bring me back to life in exchange for Arcane¡¯s life. His life for mine. One of us had to be dead, so as not to disrupt the balance of life and death any more than it already had been. Arcane was ready sixty years ago, but Lucius refused, saying that he had to wait until now. They said that Arcane would know because ¡®The world will be ablaze.¡¯ And only then could Arcane blink.¡±


    Myles hums and nods. ¡°That makes sense. The Sea was set on fire by the King¡¯s Dragon. So the world was, in a very real sense, ablaze.¡±


    Freedom inclines her head. ¡°Then Lucius was right, unsurprisingly.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ky asks, changing the subject. ¡°Arcane and Lucius brought you back through the deal they made, so what do you plan on doing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Freedom says. ¡°I woke up, and I was alive on the side of Ragdon Volcano with no memory of the last sixty years. I¡¯m here now, alive, and I suppose I must make the most of it.¡±


    ¡°The better question,¡± Phoenix butts in, and I wince, hoping that he won¡¯t ruin this for us and start a fight, ¡°is how you managed to be brought back. Lucius takes lives. They don¡¯t give them back.¡±


    ¡°I never asked to be brought back,¡± Freedom bites out, wings rising as her voice sharpens and her black gaze hardens into something dark and pointy. The type of thing lurking in the depths of a nightmare that haunt the tendrils chasing into lingering waking moments.


    ¡°I know, so how the fuck did you end up here alive again?¡±


    ¡°Phoenix¡ª,¡± Ky starts.


    ¡°No, shut it, Ky,¡± Phoenix shoots back, ¡°there¡¯s something going on here. How come she gets to come back, but no one else does? Why did Lucius agree to bring her back, but no one else?¡±


    Ky draws his ears back. ¡°I don¡¯t know. They work in mysterious ways. We can¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s all I can say. Lucius¡¯s power is beyond what any of us can understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair. It¡¯s not fair,¡± Phoenix spits, and he suddenly sounds like a child.


    Ky runs his cheek over his brother¡¯s cheek, and the two lean into each other, closing their eyes. Phoenix relaxes slightly, exhaling and flames dying down a little. He noses into his brother¡¯s fluffy fur and the red bandana.


    ¡°It isn''t fair,¡± Ky echoes into Phoenix¡¯s shoulder.


    Phoenix rumbles into his brother and flexes his toes.


    I look away when the exchange reminds me of Alex, and I find myself wondering where she is more than before.


    Where are you? Where did you go? Do you know that we¡¯re looking for you? Do you know Freedom? Do you know that Lucius brought her back to life? Does Freedom know anything?


    ¡°Did Lucius tell you anything?¡± Wyatt asks Freedom.


    ¡°Only that Arcane truly did make a mistake. He didn¡¯t mean to kill me, and I wasn¡¯t supposed to die that day.¡±


    ¡°I thought that you could only die on the day Lucius knew you to die?¡± I say.


    Freedom appears to shrug. ¡°I did, too, but it seems not. Arcane still killed me.¡±


    Lucius just got far more complicated, although they never fully made sense to me. I supposed they never really would, and how could they? They have infinitely more power than I could ever hope to have. They¡¯re an entity who only appears when someone dies, and they guide everyone to some unknown afterlife.


    But perhaps¡­


    If you could bring back Freedom¡­ could you find Alex, Lucius? I can¡¯t let myself think that you have brought my sister to death, but if you have the power to bring someone back from the dead, Lucius, could you bring my sister back to me, wherever she is? Could you help me find her? You know more than I know. You have power beyond any of us. You can help. I know you can. Please, Lucius.


    I close my eyes, bowing my head toward the ground with a sigh. I¡¯ve never been one to pray. I always knew Erebus and Lucius existed; everyone has always known. Less of a proven fact and more of an act of faith, we all collectively believed, with a few stories of the two showing up together or apart for one being or another.


    If you can hear me, Lucius, can you please help me find Alex?


    I dig my toes into the soil and scuff at the dirt. They won¡¯t listen; Lucius won¡¯t listen. They bring dead souls to death. They won¡¯t help me find my missing sister. Alex is somewhere here on Ragdon, and it¡¯s up to me and my friends to find her.


    We will, because Alex cannot be dead. She can¡¯t be.


    She can¡¯t be, I repeat to myself, unable to even think of the alternative.


    Phoenix snarls and spits, the rumble in his chest pitching into a low roar as he stalks toward Freedom, demanding that she tell him what she¡¯s doing here and that she tell him why Lucius made the deal when they never brought anyone back before.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I know,¡± Freedom says. ¡°I-I¡­ I don¡¯t know why Lucius made the decision to make the deal with Arcane, but they said that they would bring me back in exchange for Arcane¡¯s life. You said Arcane is dead, and Lucius brought me back to life.¡±


    ¡°Did Lucius tell you why they haven¡¯t brought anyone else back from the dead?¡± Phoenix snaps.


    Freedom shakes her head, and Phoenix growls.


    Flames burst from his body with his anger, yellow tendrils leap from Freedom¡¯s body, and the cautious balance we had found between us shatters in an instant as the two of them react to the other¡¯s magic.

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 5 - Pastiest Shade of White

    Chapter 5


    Pastiest Shade of White


    I inhale sharply as I feel the dove beneath my skin spread its wings and raise its feathers, ready to burst from my flesh and take over. The malachite medallion pulses with magic and energy that surges through me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it-,¡± I try to say, but it¡¯s too late.


    Flames billow across Phoenix¡¯s pelt as he lunges toward Freedom with a snarl.


    Freedom trumpets and lifts a foreleg. When she sets it down, yellow tendrils burst upwards like water splattering as a droplet hits a puddle. They fall back toward the ground, and begin to twirl as her black eyes flash with stars. Her feathers rustle and the shafts glow the same color as the feather; red closest to the dark blue skin making up her elbow, arm, and wrist, then yellow in the middle, and a light turquoise for the furthest feathers.


    I push Myles and Wyatt behind me, shivering with anxiety as Phoenix spits at Freedom.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Ky shouts, slapping out a paw in an attempt to snap his brother out of his rage, but it doesn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Why did Lucius do it?¡± Phoenix snarls. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Stop it, Phoenix,¡± Ky tries again, stepping between the black cat and Freedom, whose tendrils wriggle across the ground, emanating from within her. Ky¡¯s tail swishes across the ground as he struggles to stay between Phoenix and Freedom, and it draws very close to one of the tendrils. I hold my breath and watch as the tendril pauses and pulsates, as if thinking about acting upon Ky with whatever Freedom¡¯s magic does, but it turns away.


    Freedom curls her trunk up on her forehead. ¡°This will not end well, Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even touched each other.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this,¡± I plead. ¡°We can talk this out. We can all share our sides, find common ground, and find a good solution. We¡¯re all mature beings. We all want what¡¯s best. We do not need to fight.¡±


    ¡°But how do we know that Freedom is telling the truth?¡± Phoenix counters. ¡°How do we know she isn¡¯t with the cream puff? How do we know Lucius didn¡¯t bring her back for some ulterior motive? How do we know she isn¡¯t up to some plot that only benefits the cream puff and royally fucks the rest of us. How do we know the second we leave here she isn¡¯t gonna pull some dick move and have the cream puff sending the entirety of his army our way? Remember what I told you, Grey? Death is the only guarantee Lucius offers in this fucked up world. But now it seems they can¡¯t even guarantee that.¡± Phoenix sneers. ¡°Maybe if I send Freedom back to them they¡¯ll come talk to me and we can have a little chat about their newfound hobby.¡±


    I hesitate, looking between Freedom and Phoenix. Closing my eyes, I sigh.


    ¡°Freedom lost Astra to the King, Phoenix. Did you forget that?¡± I ask. ¡°I do not believe that someone who fought so hard to keep her daughter safe would work with the very person responsible for the loss of her daughter in the first place.¡±


    Freedom never would¡¯ve hurt her daughter like that, right? Freedom was dead when I was born, but I learned she stood against the King growing up and Brook said she cared about Astra so much. She wouldn¡¯t side with the King.


    I can¡¯t quite shake the seed of doubt Phoenix placed in my head, though.


    ¡°Phoenix,¡± Ky says, ¡°take a breath. Breathe. It¡¯s ok. We will figure this out. We¡¯re still here. Together forever, remember?¡±


    Phoenix wrinkles his muzzle and scowls.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± he says, baring his teeth and pinning his ears. ¡°He can¡¯t keep winning. He can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°The King?¡± Myles asks.


    ¡°Who the fuck else?¡± Phoenix whirls on Myles, eyes flashing as a low growl rumbles somewhere deep in his chest.


    Wyatt steps in front of Myles, and Phoenix tilts his head to the side.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna go after your buddy. I might¡¯ve become a monster, but I¡¯m not the cream puff. I ain¡¯t him.¡± Phoenix draws in a ragged breath as something wild flares in his gaze.


    ¡°We know,¡± Ky says quickly, scrambling to get his brother¡¯s attention back on him.


    ¡°Then why the hell is everyone trying to keep everyone else away from me? Why is Freedom using whatever the fuck type of magic she¡¯s got? Why are you doing that thing where you¡¯re talking so nicely and I know you¡¯re just trying to talk me down?¡±


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t need a fight right now.¡± Ky¡¯s expression saddens. ¡°We just had the fight in the Sea. I don¡¯t want to know how many died. The number is far too many. I don¡¯t want anyone else to get hurt. I know you can handle yourself, but I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt.¡± Ky¡¯s voice drops off into a whisper I can barely hear. ¡°I don¡¯t want to watch you disappear in flames again, Phoenix.¡±


    Phoenix sighs. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna do that, Ky. You know I can¡¯t burn. Flames can¡¯t do anything to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about the flames. We¡¯ve been over this before.¡± Ky drives his forehead into Phoenix¡¯s shoulder, nuzzling in close, and his brother lowers his eyebrows and looks off to the side.


    Freedom ticks her head to the side. Her wings unfold and rise as she falls backward, hind legs buckling beneath her. Myles and I scramble out of the way as she tumbles to the side. Freedom slams into the tree we¡¯d been standing beneath, and the trunk shakes, loose leaves swaying to the ground as birds scatter and call. When Freedom¡¯s ribcage drags against the bark, a layer of skin sloughs off and remains on the tree. No blood bubbles up from her flesh, and she doesn¡¯t grimace or cry out in pain.


    I look away and try to keep a neutral expression as my stomach twists. Wyatt hurries over.


    ¡°What can I do?¡± they ask.


    ¡°So you¡¯re asking her what you can do?¡± Phoenix jeers.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Ky says.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking,¡± Ky replies, ¡°and I know that your anger is not directed at Freedom.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? I¡¯m angry at everyone.¡±


    ¡°Not really, you aren¡¯t.¡± Ky¡¯s voice is soft, even.


    I watch the interaction between the two brothers, and I shift on my feet, unsure of what to do. As a teacher, I had stepped in between many arguments and fights and gently assisted my students in figuring out differences and helping them get along. But here, I can tell there¡¯s more to what Ky and Phoenix are talking about. I¡¯m curious, but I¡¯m not going to ask. Phoenix is already so on edge and Ky isn¡¯t in a sharing mood.


    Phoenix exhales through gritted teeth, eyebrows furrowed until all I can see of his eyes are two thin slits, blazing and glaring. He lashes his tail, pulling his ears further against his skull.


    ¡°If Freedom would just talk this would all be easier.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not really one for talking, either,¡± Ky replies. ¡°You have never shared all that much with anyone.¡±


    ¡°I talk to you, thank you very much.¡± Phoenix sneers at his brother.


    ¡°What would you like to know?¡± Freedom asks.


    ¡°Tell me about Lucius.¡±


    ¡°I do not know that much more than you do, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. You met them when they brought you back.¡±


    ¡°Our interaction when Lucius did so was very brief, and they said very little.¡±


    Phoenix looks unconvinced, and the look in his eyes is wild, inching closer to snapping. ¡°So how the fuck did you get the manifestation of death to bring you back to life?¡±


    Freedom hesitates. ¡°I did not convince Lucius to bring me back to life. I did not ask or beg them to do so at any point in time. Arcane was the one who made the deal with Lucius. I had no part in that discussion and subsequent deal.¡±


    Phoenix snarls, sides heaving, and the yellow tendrils around Freedom¡¯s legs brighten and quicken from a dull, sluggish color to tendrils mimicking the color and pace of a canary bird flitting through the trees on rapid, fluttering wingbeats. They coil and twist around her limbs in wisps. A few begin to reach out toward Phoenix, but they return to their host just as quick.


    ¡°Take a breath, Phoenix,¡± Ky suggests in a soft voice. ¡°We do not need to burn the forest down.¡±


    ¡°I will not!¡± Phoenix snaps with a sharp growl.


    ¡°I will not,¡± he repeats, and it sounds like he¡¯s trying to convince someone. But who, I don¡¯t know. ¡°I will not burn the forest down.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Phoenix says again, looking his brother in the eye before he breaks away with another snarl that rumbles and echoes in his chest. He paces, and his flames crackle and sputter in response to his shaking emotional state.


    Myles and Wyatt share a concerned look with each other, and when they catch my eye, I echo it. I want to step in, but I don¡¯t know that I can do anything and instead put Myles and Wyatt behind me. The dove rises within me, feathers spreading and ready to shift.


    ¡°Phoenix,¡± Ky says, moving to stand a step or two away from his brother. He looks Phoenix right in the eyes. ¡°I know how upset you are. I am, too. But I am worried right now, and¡ª.¡±


    Something snaps in Phoenix¡¯s expression, and the atmosphere changes. I can feel the shift in the air. With the malachite medallion warming fast on my chest, I step further in front of Myles and Wyatt, readying myself to shift into my dove form if needed. I do not want to hurt Phoenix and I do not know how much I can do against him, but I must try.


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    ¡°You¡¯re worried?¡± Phoenix asks with a humorless laugh. ¡°Of what I¡¯m gonna do?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re angry¡ª,¡± Ky starts.


    Phoenix laughs again. ¡°Oh. Oh, I¡¯m angry? I¡¯m angry. Of course I¡¯m fucking angry. Why the fuck do you think I want to kill the cream puff and destroy his fucking life?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Freedom asks. ¡°I know some of what the King has done, but not all. I can understand wanting to end the King¡¯s reign¡ª.¡±


    Phoenix roars, the sound pitches up loud enough that it echoes in my head, and fire explodes from his body before I can understand what¡¯s going on.


    Flames lick at my skin, wrapping around my arm, my wrist, my neck. I feel them carve into my flesh in sharp, searing cuts. I scream as my legs give out, body taken over by the pain that shatters through me until it¡¯s the only thought in my head and everything else is forgotten. I don¡¯t breathe as I grit my teeth and curl up, body tensed as the heat burns deeper, throbbing. The malachite medallion is a brand on my chest, another heat so hot it¡¯s overwhelming, two temperatures beyond anything I¡¯ve ever experienced and I don¡¯t know how to cope. My skin swells where it¡¯s been burned and it feels like it¡¯s crawling. The pain stops within parts of my arms, but not everywhere and not before I feel the full force of it. When I inhale, fire scorches my throat, bringing tears to my eyes as I instinctively cough. Smoke fills my lungs and I feel like I¡¯m choking.


    I can feel the malachite medallion seeking out the dead nerves within my skin to knit back together and the raw skin in my throat, but the damage is extensive enough that it cannot work quickly. The gash on my forearm I got when I tripped on my bed after first finding my necklace was minor and simple in comparison to the burns.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to tell me that the cream puff doesn¡¯t deserve to die. He deserves to feel every single thing he¡¯s done dealt back to him a hundredfold.¡±


    I hear Phoenix panting, and each exhale is a low rumble against his vocal cords.


    "You don''t get to tell me that."


    As soon as Phoenix¡¯s flames are gone, Wyatt is by my side. They usher me off my knees and onto my back as Myles gently holds me still. I shrug out of his grip and move up into a sitting position, head spinning and cloudy. The sensation of his touch combines with the feeling of the burns and turns into something unbearable. Lying on my back feels far too exposed. Myles lets me go without complaint but Wyatt squints.


    Wyatt tugs at the malachite medallion and tries to pull it off over my head, but they can¡¯t. It won¡¯t come off, and I exhale through my teeth when the cord of the necklace digs into the skin below my jaw.


    ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± I say, voice raspy and hoarse.


    ¡°It cannot come off?¡± Wyatt asks as they lift my left arm, cradling my fingers as they take a closer look.


    ¡°It can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Ky shrieks.


    Phoenix hisses, spitting. ¡°Freedom was gonna tell me that we should just let the cream puff fuckin¡¯ live. Ain¡¯t no way I¡¯m gonna hear that.¡±


    Phoenix''s heavy steps stomping across the ground, I try to get my body to respond and stand but pain holds my body hostage and Myles gently resists my attempts to move. I groan when Wyatt rotates my arm to examine the underside of my forearm. I can feel the malachite medallion piecing my body back together again, but it''s slow, and pain throbs from the burns.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that,¡± Ky replies


    ¡°Ask her.¡±


    ¡°Were you going to?¡± Ky asks.


    ¡°I was going to say that things are more complicated than simply black and white,¡± Freedom replies. ¡°There are many shades of grey to almost everything.¡±


    Phoenix scoffs. ¡°The cream puff is the pastiest shade of white there is. He doesn¡¯t have a hint of grey in him at all. What question is there with him? The cream puff¡¯s gotta go. He¡¯s gotta die.¡±


    Wyatt makes quick work of looking over my arms and the burns across each one. They then examine my neck, gently touching the skin around the injury as they get a closer look. The heat from the malachite medallion warms my chest through my shirt, and I wish I could rip it off but I know I can¡¯t and I also know it¡¯s helping to heal me. I need it, no matter how much I wish I wasn¡¯t the Dove and that things could go back to how they were before the night Alex and I sought out the Erebus Tree.


    I keep my eyes closed, but I hear Freedom take a breath that rattles and wheezes in her lungs.


    ¡°I will not and cannot argue with you. I despise the King with every fiber of my being for what he has done to me and my family,¡± she says quietly.


    ¡°Phoenix, you have to apologize,¡± Ky says.


    ¡°The fire wasn¡¯t as hot as it could¡¯ve been. It wasn¡¯t even as hot as I make it for Guard and Soldiers. I doubt it went that far into his skin, Ky. It didn¡¯t even go past his arms!¡± I hear Phoenix talking, but I can¡¯t pay that close of attention. My skin tingles as the malachite medallion begins to heal me. ¡°Tell Wyatt that yeah, my fire exploded and I didn¡¯t exactly have full control, but I didn¡¯t have the fire all that hot. Even without control, I had enough control that the fire didn¡¯t do too much damage.¡±


    ¡°You tell them that yourself if you¡¯re so concerned. I¡¯m more focussed on the fact that you burned Grey. And it burned Grey¡¯s neck.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. Intention counts for something, but you still fucking burned him. You¡¯ve got every right to be angry and I am, too, but you hurt Grey. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s hurt emotionally, not just physically.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    ¡°No, Phoenix,¡± Ky snaps. ¡°You don¡¯t get to brush this one off and pretend like you don¡¯t care. You might disagree with Grey on a lot, but I know you are not a monster. You are not the cream puff. You still have your heart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been ten fucking years. We¡¯re so fucking close, but we¡¯re still so fucking far.¡±


    Even with my eyes closed as I sit hunched over as Wyatt examines my arms and neck while the malachite medallion slowly sets about healing the burn wounds, I can sense how tense Phoenix is, and I can hear how he paces, every step stiff and bitter.


    Ky sighs. His breath shudders. ¡°I know, Phoenix. It¡¯s been ten years. It¡¯s been so long. Too long. Far too long.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re never gonna destroy the cream puff at this pace.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re closer than we¡¯ve ever been.¡±


    ¡°Are we, Ky?¡± Phoenix asks, disbelief in every syllable. ¡°Are we really?¡±


    Wyatt tilts my head to the side, their fingers gentle but firm as they examine my neck. There isn¡¯t much they can do out here, not without all the supplies they have in their tent in the Sea. And with the malachite medallion healing me, they don¡¯t need to do as much as they would on someone else; they just need to keep an eye on how my wounds are healing.


    Ky sighs. ¡°Yes, Phoenix. We are. We have never had friends. We have never met others and stayed with them for any actual length of time. This is the longest we¡¯ve ever been around others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve made it into the King¡¯s castle. We¡¯ve seen him face-to-face. We¡¯ve taken on Generals. You¡¯ve gone after who knows how many Guard and Soldiers. You just helped kill the King¡¯s Dragon. How long do you think this would¡¯ve taken us on our own?¡±


    Phoenix growls. I hear him begin to pace again. Behind me, I hear Freedom shift on her feet. I open my eyes, looking over Wyatt¡¯s shoulder. They offer a tense but genuine smile, glancing up at me before returning to the burns that I can feel are beginning to repair themselves with the magic of the malachite medallion.


    "Will the malachite medallion heal you entirely?" Wyatt asks.


    I attempt a shrug but stifle a choked groan when the movement lights up pain and sends agony searing across nerves.


    "It should," I offer instead. "It heals me, but I don''t know the extent."


    "The malachite medallion seems to be doing so now," Wyatt says, "but we should keep a very close eye. The medallion can do more than anything I can do on my own, but if it stops working, then I can work on my own to assist your body with healing."


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Freedom tells Phoenix.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Ky says softly. ¡°Please.¡±


    Phoenix growls, bottom jaw chattering as he wrinkles his muzzle and hisses, eyes flashing and flames leaping and crackling unpredictably. The purple shock of hair blows with the current of the fire blazing across his body as he bares his teeth, snarling at Freedom¡¯s request.


    Myles and Wyatt and I stay quiet, remaining by the tree Freedom had bashed with her tusks. I want to say something, try to figure out what has Phoenix so wound up, so angry, so furious, but I can tell that saying anything will not help and will only make things worse. My throat is still raw from the heat and smoke I had inhaled.


    ¡°Calm down?¡± Phoenix scoffs. ¡°Fuck off. Don¡¯t tell me to calm down.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix,¡± Ky tries, fluffy tail swishing against his hind legs.


    ¡°You know what?¡± Phoenix ignores his brother, stalking around Ky to face Freedom, whose neck spasms. The muscles on her side contract as she shudders. ¡°You don¡¯t get to tell me what to do.¡±


    ¡°I do not want to fight,¡± Freedom says, voice warning and wary. She takes a step backward as Phoenix takes another two forward, tail high and head low.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever asking.¡± Phoenix rakes his claws through the ground as fire blazes on his pelt. ¡°I certainly didn¡¯t ask you to do something as stupid as telling me to calm down. When has that ever worked?¡±


    ¡°I do not want to fight,¡± Freedom repeats.


    Her yellow tendrils curl around her legs and body, reflecting in her black eyes. Phoenix snarls, and Freedom¡¯s tendrils respond.


    When a few of them shoot forward, rushing for Phoenix, he dodges the first ones by leaping over them with a roar, but as strong as he is, he¡¯s not agile and the next ones hit him on his paw and hindquarter. The yellow spreads out like a spider¡¯s web in thin fingers, and Phoenix seizes up, limbs going stiff as he chokes on his next breath. A spark of fear flares in his eyes.


    ¡°Easy,¡± Freedom says, voice low and oddly soft.


    Phoenix snarls, but his body relaxes with pulses from the wisps of Freedom¡¯s magic dancing across his body.


    I narrow my eyes. I don¡¯t understand what Freedom is doing, but I don¡¯t like it. I thought she had been going against the King and keeping him at bay, but with what she is doing to Phoenix, I don¡¯t know. Confusion twists within me.


    ¡°Please help me understand,¡± I say. ¡°What are you doing right now?¡±


    Phoenix glares at me, rage in his eyes that¡¯s telling me to attack and ask questions later.


    I cannot do that, I silently reply. I cannot just jump straight to violence. We can solve problems peacefully. We don¡¯t have to sort things out with our fists. Words work, too, if we give room for listening and understanding.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight,¡± Freedom explains. ¡°I spent so long fighting. I kept the King at bay, but it was every day. Every single day, and it was never enough. He was always stronger, and he kept getting stronger. I knew what he had done to Jabez, and I tried to make things right for him. I tried to make it so the King could never hurt anyone else, but he did. He hurt so many, and he kept hurting so many. I can manipulate emotions. I suppose my name doesn¡¯t quite fit. Freedom being the same thing determining something as personal as what you feel. But I can manipulate emotions, and that¡¯s what I did to Phoenix. I don¡¯t want to fight, and I panicked.¡±


    ¡°You changed Phoenix¡¯s emotions?¡± Ky asks.


    Freedom nods. She studies Phoenix, who¡¯s glaring at her as yellow tendrils wisp across his body and snake around him to keep ahold of him through Freedom¡¯s magic. He¡¯s still relaxed in a false sort of way. The edges of his body are soft, and his ears fall low while his tail brushes the ground. His limbs sit in a heavy set. Yet, underneath it all, there¡¯s the usual tension riddling Phoenix¡¯s being, the thrum of rage. His eyes tell everything Freedom¡¯s magic won¡¯t let the rest of him say: Phoenix is furious, and if Freedom¡¯s magic wasn¡¯t holding him in place, he would be attacking.


    ¡°I did change Phoenix¡¯s emotions. That¡¯s what my magic allows me to do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that to him!¡± Ky snaps, baring his teeth. His fur fluffs up.


    ¡°Freedom, can you please let Phoenix go? We don¡¯t need another fight,¡± Myles says, stepping away from where Wyatt and I are. He walks over to stand near Ky and Freedom. ¡°Grey is already injured. We don¡¯t need anyone else getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°I can let him go, but I don¡¯t want a fight.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t manipulate my brother¡¯s emotions,¡± Ky growls, stalking forward a few steps.


    I watch over Wyatt¡¯s shoulder as Freedom looks between Ky and Phoenix. Myles moves to sit up straighter, gripping his staff tighter.


    Before Freedom can respond, Myles stands up, bracing himself on his staff and supporting his right knee.


    ¡°We need to continue,¡± Myles says.


    Wyatt kneels in front of me, continuing to look over my injuries as the malachite medallion glows on my chest and silver light dances atop the burns, but they watch Myles and their fingers pause in rotating my arm to check on the entirety of the wound on my left arm.


    ¡°We need to continue,¡± Myles repeats. ¡°We will do so when Grey feels ready. Astra, Brook, and Jabez are in the Sea. You can see them there. Please, remove your magic from Phoenix, and we will continue and you can see your family and Brook in the Sea.¡±


    I can hear the underlying message.


    We should part ways here, before things get worse.


    The interaction hadn¡¯t started off too badly, but it had so quickly taken a turn.


    Freedom is quiet for a moment, but then she nods. ¡°Yes, I understand. I will go seek them out now.¡±


    One by one, she calls back the tendrils from Phoenix, keeping a careful eye on him as he scowls at her and growls. When the last tendril is gone, he lunges for her with a roar, rushing her, but he sprints right by her, just barely missing her. Freedom stumbles to the side in an effort to avoid Phoenix, and her side slams into a tree, one near the tree she had torn with her tusks. She grunts and watches where Phoenix had dashed off into the forest, seething with rage.


    Ky doesn¡¯t seem surprised at Phoenix¡¯s actions and makes no move to follow him.


    Freedom takes a breath, inclines her head at us, then starts off in the way we came. Her steps are uneven and her gait is unsteady. She slowly makes her way toward the Sea.


    When she¡¯s out of sight, I look at the tree beside me, at the gouges made by her tusks and the bark bearing the sloughed-off pieces of her skin.


    What happened to you, Freedom? What happened when you died, when you came back? Why did Lucius bring you back?


    I look at Wyatt and nod, and they stand and offer me a hand that I take. They help me up, holding on until they¡¯re sure I¡¯m stable.


    When I let go, they run a hand through their hair and push it all back over their shoulders. They twist the ring on their finger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I say. ¡°We need to find Alex. The malachite medallion will heal the burns as we move, but we need to find Alex.¡±

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 6 - How Much Longer?

    Chapter 6


    How Much Longer?


    My skin is stiff and mostly immobile where Phoenix burned me. The malachite medallion works to heal me, but it¡¯s a slow process. I focus on meditating as best as I can as we walk, counting out breaths with finger taps on my thighs, but I¡¯m not very successful. I can¡¯t focus, not how I know I need to for me to truly meditate.


    Ky has apologized continuously, and Wyatt has barely left my side. They now lean over my shoulder to look at my neck. While they pull back when they see how I shrink in on myself even though I don¡¯t say anything, if I was more relaxed, I don¡¯t doubt they would have asked if they could have touched me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what got into him,¡± Ky says as I tune back into listening to the world around me.


    Myles walks a few paces ahead of the group, swinging his staff as he walks and scans. Ky swivels his ears, too, and I hadn¡¯t bothered to listen before, instead just following and paying minimal attention.


    ¡°He was angry,¡± I murmur, voice still hoarse.


    ¡°It¡¯s not an excuse.¡± Ky shakes his head. ¡°Phoenix has been beyond furious and blinded by rage, but he has never hurt anyone he didn¡¯t want to. I¡¯m sorry. I thought I could keep him under control.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix is not your responsibility. He can control himself. You just said so.¡±


    Ky sighs, pausing for a moment and watching a small bird hop across a patch of moss, pecking at the ground. ¡°He can, but he¡¯s never been very good at thinking things through. He can handle himself, but he gets so angry. I know he¡¯d never hurt anyone, but now I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe he intended to hurt me, Ky,¡± I say, and I don¡¯t.


    Ky turns around quickly, brown eyes wide. He shakes his head. ¡°No, Phoenix did not mean to hurt you. He might disagree with you on a lot, but he wasn¡¯t angry with you.¡±


    ¡°He was angry with the King, wasn¡¯t he?¡± It¡¯s a rhetorical question, but I still ask.


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s angry with the cream puff.¡±


    ¡°So he didn¡¯t mean to hurt me,¡± I say. ¡°It was an accident. Phoenix was worked up over something.¡±


    Ky sits down, shoulders slumping as he pulls his lips back and his expression turns into something painful. He shakes out his fur, digging his claws into the ground, as he tries to slow his breathing. The red bandana shifts across his pelt, and when I catch a glimpse of the darkened patch along the edge, I wonder if Phoenix burned that part, too, like he did my skin.


    I stop walking, as do Myles and Wyatt. We wait and give time for Ky to think over his words. He bites his lip, then licks his nose, shifting his whiskers as he draws his ears back.


    ¡°He¡¯s angry, my brother,¡± Ky says, staring off at the ground a ways in the distance. His gaze is somewhere far away. It reminds me of how his eyes looked when he had summoned the Blood Demon before Arcane had brought him back, when he was in the place between life and death. ¡°He¡¯s so, so angry. We both are. I just don¡¯t explode like he does. We¡¯re angry in different ways.¡± Ky exhales. ¡°The cream puff has to go. He has to die. He can¡¯t stay on the Amethyst Throne any more. His Dragon is gone, but he has to die, too.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask softly. I know Phoenix almost certainly wouldn¡¯t say, but if Ky is open to talking, maybe he will.


    Myles leans on his staff, a curious expression on his face.


    Ky¡¯s face scrunches up, and he squeezes his eyes shut. He shakes his head. He curls his tail tight around him and draws his shoulders up.


    ¡°No. Phoenix wouldn¡¯t want me to say. When we¡¯re both ready, we¡¯ll share, but not until then.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Wyatt replies when I hesitate for a moment too long. ¡°Take as long as you need. We¡¯re all here for you, when or if you¡¯d ever like to share.¡±


    xxxx


    There¡¯s a stream that runs alongside Ragdon Volcano for a ways, then near the Badlands as it makes its way out to the oceans surrounding Ragdon. No one has ever named it; it¡¯s very small and when it gets too hot it dries up. But it¡¯s thankfully running now and we¡¯re able to get water. We stop at the stream to rest.


    Wyatt wanders off to find us something to eat, talking about how they know which plants will give us enough nutrients to sustain us and which ones will make us sick. Ky then adds that he knows which animals will keep him and Phoenix running and talks about needing meat and not just leaves, and he vanishes into the trees.


    Myles and I look at each other, shrugging, before he sets down his staff and sits down, rubbing at his knee.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I ask, settling down on the rocks beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be ok,¡± he replies. ¡°My knee¡¯s just acting up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I just need a bit of rest and I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s an old injury. I was in Guard training and got my legs swiped out from beneath me. Landed on my knee and that was that.¡±


    ¡°You were in Guard training?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a guy. Didn¡¯t want to be a teacher or do anything like what Camden or Wyatt does. Got roped into Guard training before I really realized what was happening. Thankfully got out before anyone realized I didn''t agree with what the Guard were fighting for.¡±


    I wince, looking away as my cheeks flush. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I was more surprised you were in Guard training at all. Didn¡¯t think you would¡¯ve. Glad you got out. I¡¯m sorry you got roped into it.¡±


    Myles waves his hand in a dismissive gesture, but I can tell it¡¯s not aimed at me specifically. ¡°It¡¯s in the past. It¡¯s not worth getting into again. I got out of the Guard before I was really in it, and I have Wyatt for when I can¡¯t deal with my knee on my own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you have figured things out,¡± I say.


    I pick my way through the rocks down to the bank of the stream, hoping in my heart that perhaps all of us will be able to figure everything out. If the King could be removed from the Amethyst Throne, we could make a better government for Ragdon, one that¡¯s fair. What that might look like, I don¡¯t know, but it wouldn¡¯t be the King. Alex wouldn¡¯t be missing, and we could figure out what our necklaces mean. Astra could have a home. Freedom and Jabez could be together again and figure out how to deal with being brought back to life.


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    I kneel by the stream and stick my hand in the water, letting it run over the burn, then lean in enough so my forearm is submerged too. The coolness feels soothing, a balm as the malachite medallion continues to heal the wounds Phoenix dealt me. The burnt skin has begun to peel, and I can see bits of new, pink skin underneath.


    I crouch close to the water and cup my hands, bringing as much as I can to my mouth to drink, then repeating the process. Water runs down my arm and drips from my elbow, landing on my shorts but I ignore it. When I¡¯ve had my fill, I sit beside Myles again, who then puts down his staff and kneels by the stream to drink, too.


    Wyatt and Ky return. Ky drags a deer by the throat, while Wyatt holds a large bundle of leaves and branches in their arms. Ky drops the deer on the rocks, and Wyatt sets down the various plants beside the deer.


    ¡°How are we going to eat the deer without a fire?¡± Myles asks.


    ¡°Make one,¡± Wyatt replies. ¡°We don¡¯t need Phoenix. I know how. I¡¯ll go find sticks. You stay there, Myles. Rest your knee. I can tell it¡¯s hurting you.¡±


    True to their word, Wyatt does make a small fire, but not until after Ky has confirmed that he doesn¡¯t hear any Guard or Soldiers around us. They gather a variety of sticks and branches, then clear a space in the rocks to arrange the wood in a triangle shape, leaving the rest off to the side. After walking out into the trees again, they come back with dry grass and two more sticks, one of which is more flat.


    Turning around to face Wyatt, I watch as they kneel beside the fire pit and set the grass in the middle below the sticks with some poking out the side. They put the flatter stick on a rock, hold it down with a foot, and then place the other stick perpendicular on it, rotating it between their hands as fast as they can.


    I recognize what they are doing almost immediately. The friction between the two pieces of wood moving will create a spark, thus starting a fire. Alex had mentioned it to me as a lesson she one taught early on to her students, thinking that if they might one day join the Guard and Soldiers that they might need to know how to make a fire. She got in trouble since they wouldn¡¯t need to know that. The King would provide everything. How could she imply to such little children anything but that?


    Alex had known the steps of how to start a fire how Wyatt is doing now, but she had never been able to put the steps together in practice and make a fire in real life.


    I pause.


    Alex.


    Where is she?


    I squeeze my hands into fists, ignoring how the movement pulls on my stiff skin. I want to scream. It doesn¡¯t feel fair, how my sister is just gone. She was here, and then she wasn¡¯t. I saw her during the Dragon¡¯s assault on the Sea. I saw her, right up until the power of Arcane¡¯s Midnight Tears pulled us both straight into the dark depths of the cosmos of Arcane¡¯s magic where I lost her, and when I got spat back out by the black-turned-white power and flung back onto Ragdon, Alex was nowhere to be found.


    I can¡¯t get that moment out of my head. It replays over and over and over in my head in an unstoppable loop that¡¯s right behind my eyelids, waiting for me every time I close my eyes, even to blink.


    ¡°How much longer?¡± I find myself asking.


    Wyatt doesn¡¯t stop spinning the stick between their hands. Smoke curls from the shallow indent in the flatter stick, but there¡¯s no spark yet, not enough heat to start a fire.


    ¡°How much longer for the fire or to find Alex?¡± they clarify.


    I exhale, deflating and falling into my arms. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Alex, I guess. I need to find her. I need to know that she¡¯s ok. She never would¡¯ve disappeared like this. She never would¡¯ve. Where is she?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to find the Midnight Wolf. They oughta know something,¡± Myles says.


    ¡°Get some food,¡± Wyatt says. ¡°All of the plants can be eaten as is, and all parts can be consumed. Nothing in that pile will make you sick. Hopefully I can get a fire started soon and we can cook some of the deer. Ky, help yourself to whatever you need.¡±


    With a smile, Ky settles down beside the deer and pushes it onto its side. When he drives his forepaws into the deer¡¯s belly and then sinks his teeth into the soft flesh there to take his first bite, I look away with a thick swallow.


    A short while later, Wyatt manages to start a fire. The grass they had set up catches first in smoldering little flames, then the sticks, and soon after a bigger fire is blazing, heat pouring off it and warming me up. Myles helps Wyatt peel meat off the haunches of the deer and impale them on long sticks that they then lean over the fire to cook. Blood drips and splatters on the rocks, hissing and bubbling as it evaporates.


    I stare off into the river, watching the water gurgle by and absently rubbing my fingers over the burns on my left arm, the worst of the injuries that spans from the back of my hand up to halfway up my bicep.


    Every second that ticks by is the longest I¡¯ve ever been without my sister, and the thought makes me both paralyzed and also shake.


    Myles brings me back to reality with a gentle touch to my shoulder.


    ¡°I thought you might like this,¡± he says, leaning over and handing me one of the pieces of meat on a stick, stick end toward me.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I mumble, taking it.


    Myles smiles. ¡°Let me know if you¡¯d like some of whatever Wyatt found and one of us can get you some.¡±


    I grip the stick hard enough that my knuckles turn white. Back when Alex and I had first run into Ky and Phoenix, we¡¯d eaten a deer together. Phoenix had made a fire and cooked the legs for us. I picked at the meat then, but Alex had cautiously consumed hers. Food was food.


    My stomach twists. Alex should be here with us, eating venison again, and she¡¯s not.


    Alex would tell us to eat, Grey.


    None of us will be able to find her on an empty stomach. I glance around. Wyatt and Myles are pulling meat off the stick, and Ky is working his way across the ribcage of the deer, muzzle bloodied and grimy.


    xxxx


    When we¡¯re ready to leave, the fire has died down to just embers, and I have managed to finish the meat on the stick Myles handed me. Ky ate nearly the entire deer and left the rest for the scavengers.


    Myles stands and grabs his walking stick, stretching for a moment before heading off toward the woods for a few paces, while I eye the embers. They¡¯re still burning.


    Before I can say anything, Ky jerks his head, and Wyatt and I move out of the way. He starts digging, sending up a spray of soil and rocks that bury and smother the fire. Within moments, the remnants of the fire are covered and Ky pushes himself out of the shallow hole he dug, shaking the loose dirt off his shaggy fur.


    ¡°That should be good. And if not,¡± Ky sighs. ¡°Phoenix will know. He¡¯ll make sure it doesn¡¯t turn into anything.¡±


    ¡°He will?¡± I ask softly, careful in case it¡¯s something Ky doesn¡¯t want to answer.


    ¡°If, in the very unlikely event that this isn¡¯t actually put out, Phoenix won¡¯t let it turn into an actual fire that poses any risk.¡±


    ¡°How will he know?¡± Wyatt asks.


    Ky scowls. ¡°He will. He will know. He won¡¯t not know. He¡¯ll know.¡±


    How? rings through my head, but I know Ky won¡¯t answer.


    As if seeing my question, Ky shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t ask, Grey. I won¡¯t answer. Phoenix will tell you when or if he wants. Now is not the time for this conversation. Not when he just burned you, even if not intentionally. Not when all of us are stressed and still dealing with what just happened. Not when neither Phoenix nor I want to share yet. I am willing to talk, but not until my brother does, too, and not until we are all in a better headspace.¡±


    I take a breath, then nod. ¡°Ok.¡±


    xxxx


    When we find Phoenix again, we¡¯re nearing the Badlands.


    He pads out of the trees, looks our way, squints at me with a wrinkled nose, and then keeps walking. He stays ahead of us, head low as he makes his way toward the Badlands, leaving behind paw-prints as big around as my hand.


    The trees thin out, turning from tall firs and oaks into short, scraggly things that look far more like bushes. Grass and moss beneath my feet begins to turn brown the further we go and eventually begins to crunch before disappearing altogether. The dirt mixes with sand before the whole landscape suddenly opens up. Foliage vanishes, there one moment and gone the next, leaving behind an expanse of virtual nothingness filled with sand and hills. I see a handful of dead bushes that could only come up to my calf -if that high- scattered far apart, but nothing else. It''s just empty, and I shudder.


    How are we going to get across this? How far does it go?


    A breeze blows through, stirring up a whirling cloud of sand. I squint as it gets in my eyes and sneeze. I shift into my dove form and ignore the sharp pain in my arms and neck as the burns stretch and contort to allow for the new body shape, then hold up my wings to shield my face. I allow Myles and Wyatt to come into the small barrier.


    ¡°Welcome to the Badlands,¡± Phoenix mutters, throwing up a wall of fire to shield himself and Ky from the sand.

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 7 - Welcome to the Badlands

    Chapter 7


    Welcome to the Badlands


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Myles says, echoing the singular thought bouncing around in my head so fast I¡¯m afraid it might burst from my skull.


    The Midnight Wolf is across the Badlands. They¡¯re not on this side of Ragdon. Many have searched for where Arcane came to be when the previous Midnight Wolf died, and no one could find the location. Wherever Midnight Wolves come to be, it¡¯s past the Badlands.


    We have to cross it.


    I chirp in reply, tightening my wings around us and ducking my head when another gust of wing sends sand skittering across my feathers.


    There¡¯s no chill to the wind. It¡¯s a dry heat, one I feel in my bones as it saps the moisture within me. The water I¡¯d just drunk begins to seep from me. I can almost feel it bubbling up from beneath my skin to blow away with the sand blowing through my feathers.


    We¡¯re hardly even in the Badlands, and I don¡¯t know how we will cross it.


    When the wind dies down and the sand settles back to the ground, I shake out my feathers to let the sand fall free, folding my wings back to my sides and allowing Myles and Wyatt to separate. Phoenix drops the fire barrier he¡¯d thrown up around himself and Ky as he rolls his eyes and snorts, flicking his tail and kicking at the sand with a forepaw. Ky shakes out his fur.


    ¡°Well, it looks like we¡¯d better cross the Badlands fast.¡±


    ¡°The question is how, though,¡± Wyatt says, running their hands through their long hair. ¡°There¡¯s so many risks. Exposure, dehydration, lack of shelter, lack of water, lack of food, sunburn, heatstroke, getting lost.¡±


    ¡°Several of those things are basically the same thing, just with a different name.¡± Myles brushes sand off his clothes.


    I shift back to my human form. Rubbing at my arm, I take a breath.


    We will find Alex. We just need a plan. We need a plan to cross the Badlands.


    ¡°All can be very serious," Wyatt says. "The symptoms¡­ someone could die so easily. The sun is powerful. No matter how strong someone is, the sun is relentless, and everyone needs food and water. Without either, you can¡¯t live long. And it doesn¡¯t take long for the sun to take its toll. We need a plan if we are going to make it through the Badlands safely.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Phoenix starts. ¡°One paw in front of the other and we don¡¯t stop until we¡¯re on the other side. Or, one foot for you humans.¡±


    ¡°That is a very bad idea,¡± Wyatt replies bluntly.


    Ky tilts his head to the side. ¡°We could carry some, but none of us have a bag.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone know the layout of Ragdon?¡± Myles asks. ¡°Perhaps we don¡¯t even really have to go through the Badlands. Maybe there¡¯s a way around.¡±


    ¡°Cool idea,¡± Phoenix says. ¡°But do any of us actually know how big the Badlands really is? Maybe it¡¯s not so big that it¡¯s really that much of a concern. Maybe it¡¯ll just be like a half day at most?¡±


    ¡°Whatever we decide, we need water,¡± Wyatt says.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    Phoenix trots up ahead, making his way up the sand to stand atop a sand dune. He slips several times, legs sliding out from beneath him as his paws scrabble for traction on the shifting sand. When he makes it to the top, he looks around, ears swiveling.


    ¡°Do you see anything?¡± Myles calls.


    Phoenix turns around and shakes his head. ¡°Nothing other than sand. A shit ton of sand.¡±


    ¡°Grey, can you fly up? Maybe you¡¯ll see something,¡± Ky says.


    I nod. Calling on the dove within me, the bird unfurls its wings beneath my skin, and feathers sprout across my body. The malachite medallion has healed a little more and the shift hurts a little less this time.


    At first, I fly up a little ways. The sun beats down from overhead, warming my back in a way that¡¯s somewhere between pleasant and too hot. I flap my wings to stay aloft, then angle myself to catch a current through the air that takes me higher. Golden sand stretches out ahead of me. Ragdon Volcano looms behind me, blocking my view of the King¡¯s castle and the Sea beyond it.


    I almost fly down, to tell the group that no, I didn¡¯t see anything. Disappointment wraps itself around my heart like a snake and the dove inside me coos a mournful sound. Except that it also tells me to keep going, to look a little more, to fly a little further. I beat my wings again, despite the ache from the burns. The malachite medallion bounces against my chest with every wingbeat, and I soar across the sky, adjusting my tail feathers with every change in the wind. Further east, along the lowest slopes of Ragdon Volcano, I can see little bits of greenery here and there. To the west, I see more greenery along the coast of Ragdon. When I dive down toward the edge of the island, I see a thin stream, one that looks like it might feed into the bigger one Myles and I sat beside when Ky and Wyatt went to find food.


    It might not entirely solve our food problem, but we might have water.


    A bit of hope curls around my heart. Perhaps we will be able to cross the Badlands. We¡¯ll make it across, and then we¡¯ll be able to keep searching for Alex and we¡¯ll be able to find my sister.


    I circle a few times before diving back down to the group.


    ¡°The Badlands is huge,¡± I say once I¡¯ve shifted back to my human form.


    The burns tingle as the malachite medallion continues to slowly heal them. Phoenix squints as he eyes the injuries, and I rock on my feet, tapping my fingers against my thighs.


    ¡°Did you see a way we can cross?¡± Myles asks.


    ¡°There are some bushes or something that go at least most of the way around the base of Ragdon Volcano, and along the coast there¡¯s a stream.¡± I point to the east.


    ¡°Water,¡± Wyatt says. ¡°We¡¯ll need that.¡±


    Ky nods. ¡°It is very important.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Phoenix mutters. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. It¡¯s gonna be dark soon and we still need to find Alex.¡±


    xxxx


    We make it to the stream.


    It¡¯s less a stream and more a brook, small enough that I can step over it without too much difficulty. However, as Wyatt pointed out upon our discovery of it, water runs freely through it and there¡¯s a handful of plants growing up through the rocks that we can eat.


    We walk for the rest of the day, stopping every so often to drink. Progress comes slow with how much the sand moves beneath us and the heat of the sun. Sweat drips down my back, but I ignore the heat and focus on Alex. Ky spends most of the time wading in the river to cool off. Wyatt asks about him creating an illusion for himself, but Ky brushes him off, saying it¡¯s not worth it. Phoenix sends him a funny look, but when Ky shakes his head, Phoenix shrugs.


    Phoenix is the only one who¡¯s unbothered. He trots up ahead, then waits for us to catch up.


    ¡°You sure you can¡¯t, like, suck up all the heat or something, Phoenix?¡± Myles asks as we reach the black cat yet again, voice light in a way I know he¡¯s joking.


    Ky stiffens, and Phoenix grits his teeth, eyes flashing before his expression evens out into something far too flat that doesn¡¯t feel natural.


    ¡°No, I cannot.¡±


    Myles cries out as his foot slips on the sand. He leans on his staff and brushes off his leg. ¡°Fair enough. Thought it was worth asking.¡±


    ¡°I can do a lot, but I¡¯m not that powerful. My powers do not let me control something as vast as the Badlands. You¡¯d have to ask Erebus about that. Pray to them, and maybe they¡¯d listen. If Lucius was willing to bring someone back to life, maybe Erebus will be game for changing up the landscape of their creation.¡±


    I frown but don¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Do you think Lucius or Erebus would help defeat the King?¡± Wyatt asks.


    Phoenix snorts. ¡°Erebus created life. They created everything. And Lucius brings every living thing to death. They both could¡¯ve stopped the cream puff at any time. Erebus could¡¯ve never created the cream puff, and Lucius could¡¯ve taken him from life whenever they wanted, yet neither ever did that. So absolutely the fuck not. It¡¯s on us to take down the cream puff. I¡¯m gonna kill him. Erebus and Lucius had a thousand chances before the cream puff was born, before he took to the Amethyst Throne, and after until now and they haven¡¯t done shit.¡±


    ¡°Why would they kill the King before he had done anything? Why would they kill a child?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Because he¡¯s the cream puff?¡±


    ¡°A child is innocent.¡± The faces of my students I taught drift through my head, wide eyes that remind me of Astra. Ready to learn, absorbing everything around them whether hate or love.


    ¡°That child was the fucking cream puff,¡± Phoenix snarls, flames sparking with streaks of blue and hints of violet.


    How could someone hurt a child?


    ¡°A child has not done anything.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s not about what that kid has done; it¡¯s about what that kid will do. Would you kill one child to save everyone from what the cream puff will do?¡±


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    ¡°Teach the King better,¡± I say quietly.


    Children are smart. They pick up on a lot. They know lots. They can do better if we can teach them better than we were taught ourselves.


    It¡¯s an impossible decision, one that makes my brain flatline¡ª how can one life be justified as better than another bigger number of others simply because it¡¯s one compared to many? I can¡¯t do it. There has to be a different way, even in hypotheticals.


    Phoenix barks out a dry laugh. ¡°Teach the cream puff? That¡¯s your alternative. Good luck, Grey. Good fucking luck.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to kill children. The King already does that when he makes students believe his Guard and Soldiers are the best thing for them. He kills them in their mind and soul, and then he kills them in their body and sends them to Lucius. Children are smart, and they can learn. They don¡¯t have to die so they don¡¯t become a monster. They can learn not to become a monster. They¡¯re smart.¡±


    ¡°What if they still do? The cream puff was never gonna learn,¡± Phoenix growls.


    I sigh. ¡°We find another way.¡±


    Phoenix rolls his eyes. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s called making them say hello to Lucius and their pet vulture Ananta.¡±


    xxxx


    It¡¯s nighttime when Phoenix approaches me.


    The Badlands has cooled off now that the moon is rising into the sky, and the sand is no longer hot to the touch.


    Myles and Wyatt had laid down beside each other a few minutes ago and are now both asleep.


    Ky is curled up in a ball of fluffy, tan fur, but I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s actually asleep. He¡¯d been giving Phoenix pointed looks, which his brother had returned with nasty sneers and flashed teeth, until the black cat had sighed loudly and grumbled, telling Ky to shut the fuck up and take a nap.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re awake, Grey.¡± Phoenix walks over to me, paws sliding on the sand.


    As he steps closer, a few bits of sand turn to glass from the heat of his flames, tumbling down the dune as they cool.


    ¡°I-¡­ yes?¡± I stand up.


    Phoenix stares at me, the look in his eyes close to a glare. He wrinkles his muzzle and grits his teeth, pinning his ears back before speaking.


    ¡°I did not mean to burn you,¡± he states, voice flat and leaving no room for argument or misinterpretation.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say, narrowing my eyes as I begin to tiptoe into the conversation.


    I know Phoenix didn¡¯t intend to hurt me, but I also know how angry he is. While I haven¡¯t known him for long, in the time I have known him¡­ it hasn¡¯t taken much to make him snap at someone.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t me apologizing,¡± he replies. ¡°That was me telling you a fact.¡±


    ¡°I was thanking you for telling me.¡± I glance at him before breaking off eye contact, unwilling to risk starting a fight I¡¯d never want. ¡°I knew you didn¡¯t mean to hurt me with your fire, but I still appreciate hearing it from you. I appreciate you coming to tell me.¡±


    Phoenix bristles. ¡°I¡¯m not a fucking pansy,¡± he hisses, voice quiet enough not to wake the others. ¡°I¡¯m not the cream puff. I¡¯m not a coward like he is, scared to do anything himself. Always sendin¡¯ others to do his own work cuz he can¡¯t be bothered to lift his own fingers. Probably has someone hand-feed him when he thinks no one¡¯s watching. Too hard for a delicate little cream puff like him.¡± Phoenix¡¯s eyes glaze over with sheer rage. He starts shaking, flames crackling and sizzling across his pelt, sputtering and uneven but just as dangerous; a pot of water verging on boiling.


    ¡°I never said you were,¡± I reply. ¡°You are not the cream puff. You and him are not the same.¡±


    ¡°No, we are not,¡± Phoenix agrees in a low voice. ¡°He hurts everyone. I only hurt those who deserve it.¡±


    He sits down and stares at me for a while, long enough that my skin starts to prickle and I cannot hold his gaze, yet still he watches me.


    When Phoenix comes closer, his whiskers brush my skin and I can¡¯t hold back the flinch. The black cat jerks back, squinting before he recovers and morphs his expression into a scowl.


    ¡°Hold still. I¡¯m gonna help you heal. Your necklace isn¡¯t doing a good job.¡±


    ¡°It takes time,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s doing a shitty job of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not used to it.¡±


    ¡°Taking time and not being used to it are two very different things. Pick one.¡±


    Phoenix sniffs at the biggest burn, the one on my left arm, then the one on my right arm. When he leans back on his haunches and pushes himself up onto his hind legs to look at the burn on my neck, I¡¯m reminded of when we first met and Phoenix did the same move to see if Alex and I had the pewter pendant and the malachite medallion. He presses a paw into my shoulder for balance. I can feel the heat of his fire radiating off of him. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see his flames on his forearm, and they¡¯re so close to my skin. So close.


    Too close.


    He could burn me again. He could burn me. The flames just have to touch me. He¡¯s so close. He¡¯s too close¡ª.


    I want to back up and move away, but before I can, Phoenix bunts his muzzle into my jaw, knocking my head to the side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tense up,¡± he grumbles, quiet enough to keep from waking the others. ¡°You¡¯re making it harder.¡±


    ¡°What are you even doing?¡± My voice somehow stays similar, though I feel my heart pounding in my throat so hard I¡¯m afraid it will burst through my skin.


    ¡°Helping you heal. The burns have some of my magic in them. I can take most of it away and make it easier for your little necklace to heal you, but I have to see where the heat is. Now shut up and let me see what the burn looks like.¡±


    ¡°Most?¡± I echo. ¡°Why not all?¡±


    ¡°Magic leaves a trace behind. Remember Arcane and Freedom? I can sense the heat in others, and I can sense my magic. I can act on both, but in this case I need to find them to take them back. It''s delicate. Not just something where I can find their general vicinity and throw an overload of power to make that little bit explode, whether or not I hit it spot on. I don''t have to set others on fire with the fire on my own body. Can overload the heat within their own bodies with my magic to turn their warmth into a flame and char them that way. In your case, Grey. It''s a hell of a lot more delicate than just trying to create a flame. Creating a fire is really easy. This won''t be. So stay still.¡±


    I gasp. Delicate versus close enough. I don''t like it. When I try to scramble back and away from Phoenix, he puts both paws on my shoulders and digs his claws into my skin, leaning his weight back and pinning me in place. Two paws and forelegs covered in fire, now on both sides of my head, so close to my neck. The first burns haven¡¯t even healed yet.


    ¡°Stay fucking still,¡± Phoenix grumbles. ¡°You¡¯re making this difficult and I¡¯ve never done it before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not be your practice run,¡± I say, fingers drumming at my thighs as I try to breathe. My lungs don¡¯t work, or my brain doesn¡¯t send the message right, or something else because it doesn¡¯t work, and there¡¯s too little air, and I can¡¯t breathe.


    What could go wrong? He¡¯s never done this before, and he already hurt me once. What if this time is worse? He didn¡¯t mean to hurt me, and I know he wouldn¡¯t this time, but what if? Alex is already missing. Things can¡¯t go more wrong. He¡¯s never done this before. What if they do go more wrong? What then? What if Phoenix messes up? What if he can¡¯t do it?


    ¡°I don¡¯t usually try to heal those I¡¯m killing. And since I don¡¯t aim to kill anyone I don¡¯t want to kill, there¡¯s never been a reason to learn, so stay still, Grey. Don¡¯t fucking move. Think you can do that for me?¡±


    Phoenix gives me a condescending look.


    My breathing turns ragged as my vision blurs. I start to shake and my skin feels several sizes far too small. My flesh crawls, and it takes everything within me not to start scratching to try to relieve the pressure and stop the skittering feeling all across my body. I feel like I¡¯m dragging in air through a straw and my throat seizes up and my chest can¡¯t expand because there¡¯s claws piercing my organs and bony fingers holding my ribcage like a vice and¡ª.


    There¡¯s something on my shoulders I don¡¯t recognize. A part of my brain, somewhere deep in its depths, knows I should. It¡¯s the same thing right in front of me, shadowy and silhouetted beneath bright flames that send the dove within me fluttering with rapid wingbeats scattering across my insides. It wants to take to the sky in shrieks of alarm to warn everyone all around of the danger because it¡¯s fire and look what that did last time. It was an accident, but it hurt. It¡¯s right in front of me, teeth like the Guard¡¯s daggers and eyes as dangerous as the Dragon¡¯s. Somehow I know the comparison wouldn¡¯t be appreciated but I can¡¯t figure out why. I can¡¯t remember why. I can¡¯t get enough air and the fire¡¯s sucking it all up but there¡¯s no smoke and I don¡¯t understand and I can¡¯t think and black spots are filling my vision as I shake and my body begins to go numb and my knees go weak.


    ¡°Grey,¡± Phoenix snaps as he lowers himself back to the ground. With his weight gone, I sink to the ground, knees in the sand as I hold up my body on my hands and gulp down air. I stare at my fingers with some distant emotion that borders on hysteria. They look fake. They look like they belong to someone else. They aren''t mine. They look so pale, like a ghost. I want to laugh for some reason I can¡¯t quite understand. Everything is so much that I can barely stop myself from breaking down into hysterical laughter.


    ¡°I can do almost anything from a distance with just a glance, but everything I¡¯ve done has always been to cause damage,¡± Phoenix continues, and I follow along absently. ¡°The majority has been with the intent to kill. I don¡¯t know how to do this without getting up close and seeing the wounds. I have to be close to sense the heat and my magic and take it away. Let me know when you¡¯re gonna let me, but until then I¡¯m gonna sit here. Ain¡¯t leaving.¡±


    How would Alex react if she saw me here? Not continuing to search for her because I couldn''t let Phoenix take back some of his magic to make the burns less bad? Would she laugh? Would she get mad?


    I know in my heart that she wouldn¡¯t be so cruel. She¡¯s talked me through more panic attacks and anxiety spirals than I can count, nodded along as we worked through what I could and couldn¡¯t control, and laughed with me at the absurdity of some of my worries.


    Leaning back, I sit down and pull my knees into my chest, wrapping my arms around my shins.


    ¡°Is this really your first time trying to take back your magic?¡± I ask.


    Phoenix nods. He flicks the tip of his tail back and forth, and I track the movement as I try to bring my breathing back under control. ¡°Yes. I told you that. I never try to heal anyone I want to kill. Defeats the whole purpose.¡±


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°Can I kill the cream puff?¡±


    I frown. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Can I kill the cream puff?¡± Phoenix repeats.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I reply slowly.


    ¡°There¡¯s your answer.¡±


    ¡°You just said you¡¯ve never done this before.¡±


    ¡°Then why were you asking if I can do it? I can. I¡¯ve just never done it before. So sit still and don¡¯t move.¡±


    I inhale through my nose, tapping out four beats on my leg, then hold my breath for another four beats, exhale for another four beats, then hold my breath for another four beats.


    In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four.


    ¡°Ok,¡± I whisper with a nod, hoping I sound more confident than I feel.


    Phoenix nods, gaze firm.


    ¡°Stay still,¡± he repeats yet again. ¡°Do not move. I need to call out my magic and pull it back to me.¡±


    The black cat moves to stand in front of me. He stares somewhere near my collarbones, squinting his eyes as he squares his shoulders.


    For a while, I don¡¯t know if Phoenix is doing anything. I feel the same, and nothing about him has changed. I¡¯m about to ask what he¡¯s doing when I feel a tugging sensation deep within my body. When I react on instinct and start to squirm, a flash of teeth and a sharp exhale have me freezing in place, clenching my teeth and fists. Something shifts beneath my skin and the dove inside me sends feathers sprouting across my back before I can stop it.


    Stay still, stay still, I tell myself.


    Phoenix¡¯s magic heats my skin as he calls it to the surface. Instead of burning me like it did last time, I only feel the sensation of heat dancing across my body, rather than the pain as it seared through my flesh. The malachite medallion cools on my chest, and I feel it give way to Phoenix¡¯s magic, as if deciding to allow the black cat to act upon his own powers.


    With my eyes closed, I manage to breathe, to stay upright, to keep from moving. Bit by bit, Phoenix draws out his magic, until I hear him sit back with a loud sigh.


    ¡°You can move, Grey.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± I whisper, unable to say anything else.


    I hold my arms out in front of me. The burn marks are still visible and I see the faint silver light of the malachite medallion returning to them to continue healing, but they are much fainter and hurt less.


    ¡°Whoah.¡±


    Phoenix snorts. ¡°What, you think it wasn¡¯t gonna work?¡±


    I jerk back with a start. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now sleep. Alex isn¡¯t gonna find herself and I ain¡¯t waitin¡¯ up for you when I¡¯ve got a cream puff to kill after we¡¯re done finding her. I¡¯m not slowing down. I¡¯m heading back to the Sea and the cream puff as soon as we find Alex.¡±


    Phoenix stalks back to Ky with a flick of his tail, bunting his head into his brother¡¯s shoulder, who slides over as Phoenix flops down, stretching out as he flexes his toes and unsheathes his claws. His flames glint on the purple, highlighting every bit of the lethal curve.


    I look away and lay down, back to the rest of the group. Wrapping my fingers around the malachite medallion, I try to rest, try to relax enough that I can find my way to Dreamland. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to see some figment, some image my mind conjures up of Alex, some false piece of my sister to cling to to keep me going until I can see my real sister again.


    Maybe, another part of my mind has to remind me, stirring up panic in my gut.


    I curl up, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arm not holding onto the malachite medallion around my ribcage.


    Maybe we¡¯ll see Alex again.


    No, I have to. Alex is somewhere out there. She wouldn¡¯t give up. Arcane wouldn¡¯t have killed her. She¡¯s not the King. She doesn¡¯t deserve it. She has to be out there somewhere.


    She¡¯s somewhere here on Ragdon. I just have to find her.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, Alex. We¡¯ll find you, I promise,¡± I vow, holding onto the malachite medallion a little tighter.


    I hope it has some connection to the pewter pendant around Alex¡¯s neck and that she can somehow hear me, wherever she is.

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 8 - Send You Straight to Lucius

    Chapter 8


    Send You Right to Lucius


    The next morning comes too soon, yet also not soon enough. I¡¯ve barely slept, yet I¡¯ve also slept too much.


    We should already be well on our way to tracking down Alex and figuring out where she went, yet I know we also need rest. We do. We cannot find her if we all drop dead from exhaustion.


    ¡°You ready, Grey?¡± Myles asks as he stretches, using his staff to help loosen his muscles in preparation.


    Wyatt crouches in front of him, running their fingers over his knee.


    ¡°Any pain?¡± they ask, pressing on a few spots, one after the other.


    Myles shakes his head. ¡°Not really to any of those. A little, but nothing more than usual.¡±


    ¡°Bend it for me. I want to feel how it moves.¡±


    Myles does so, and Wyatt keeps their hands on his knee, then shrugs.


    ¡°Nothing strikes me as concerning right now, but tell me if anything changes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Doctor Wyatt.¡±


    xxxx


    Our journey through the remainder of the Badlands goes as slow as it did yesterday.


    Sand moves with every step, dragging out our progress into a crawl. Every time we stop for water, the restlessness within me screams at me and scrapes at my insides, gnaws at my ribcage, to keep going. It demands to know why we¡¯re not going, why we¡¯re not hurrying on, why we¡¯ve paused for something like water when Alex is out there. That voice within me tells me Alex would never stop for anything, not even sleep. She wouldn¡¯t rest until she had found me if our positions were switched.


    I kneel beside the brook and cup my hands to drink. I need water, I know. I need rest; I know that, too. I cannot find Alex if I drop to the ground unconscious from exhaustion, from dehydration. I need to take care of myself in the necessary, basic ways so I can find my sister.


    Alex won¡¯t mind. She¡¯ll understand. She has to.


    After everyone has taken a short break for water, we continue. The sun shines down on us, hot and unobstructed. Ky spends most of his time splashing through the brook to cool off.


    My shirt sticks to my back and my chest, clinging to my skin with sweat. The sensation makes me squirm and pluck at the fabric and fiddle with it to try to get air flowing through. I want to shift into my dove and fly as fast as I can to the edge of the Badlands, soar up high to see if I can catch any sign of Alex, scan the skies and the ground until I find any clues I can piece together so I can see my sister again.


    After Phoenix used his magic on me yesterday, my arms and neck had healed more overnight than they had before since he burned me. Moving causes little pain, only little twinges that I can feel disappearing bit by bit as the malachite medallion sends silvery pulses of its powers coursing through my body, knitting my flesh back together.


    My knee buckles and bends at a funky angle when I slip on sand and lose my balance.


    ¡°Whoah, there,¡± Myles says. ¡°You ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I reply. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I just stepped funny. We need to keep going.¡±


    Wyatt eyes me for a moment, looking me over with a careful gaze, before focusing on something over my shoulder. They squint, narrowing their eyes. I step to the side, and I¡¯m about to ask what¡¯s wrong, when Phoenix parts his jaws in a guttural growl, lunging forward a step as his eyes flare with unchecked fury.


    Fuck.


    I whirl around to see a horde of Guard and Soldiers off in the distance, a smudge of brown and silver on the horizon of the Badlands.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some water now if we need,¡± Wyatt starts, ¡°since I doubt we¡¯ll be able to later, and then we need to keep moving. I know we just got some, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to for a while. I don¡¯t know that they will stop for water, and they won¡¯t let us once they¡¯ve caught up.¡±


    ¡°Or we just don¡¯t let them catch up,¡± Myles replies.


    ¡°They won¡¯t let us rest,¡± Phoenix rumbles. A smile plays across his face. ¡°They will catch up to us sooner or later. They will regret it when they do.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go as far as we can,¡± I say. ¡°We can go faster than them. The Soldiers have a lot of armor, and they¡¯ll stay together as a group.¡±


    Ky glances at all of us. ¡°We¡¯re all good.¡± His eyes find mine, and he holds my gaze and speaks, as if possessing the skill of hypnotism. ¡°You¡¯re gonna kill this time, Grey, if needed. Ok?¡±


    I clench my hands into fists. ¡°I will not kill. I¡ª¡­ I-I-I can¡¯t. Their families. Two wrongs don¡¯t make a right. I cannot kill them. What if they can unlearn what they¡¯ve been taught in the past?¡±


    Ky ducks his head and clenches his jaw, dragging his face through the water. Droplets cling to his whiskers when he lifts his head again and lets his fluffy tail float across the brook. Phoenix snarls, stomping up ahead as he lashes his tail and lets his fire burst across his pelt. Wyatt studies me for a moment but doesn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I cannot just leave behind my beliefs now that I am the Dove,¡± I say. ¡°I cannot abandon who I am in favor of being someone I am not. I¡­ I can¡¯t do that. I won¡¯t.¡±


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    ¡°That is admirable,¡± Ky says, ¡°but I hope you recognize that they all will be doing their damn best to try to kill you and send you right to Lucius. You will not be able to search for Alex if you are within Lucius¡¯s realm.¡±


    I pause and hesitate, realizing that what Ky has said is true. I cannot search for Alex if I am dead and Lucius has found me. If I am claimed by them, I cannot find Alex.


    ¡°Just fucking kill,¡± Phoenix sighs. He closes his eyes. ¡°Grey, I am not having this conversation with you every single time someone comes along who wants to kill whatever group we both happen to be in. I will kill. We both know that. Old news. You need to kill, because you are going to get yourself killed, and whoever is around you, because whoever is trying to kill you is going to figure that out pretty quickly, if they haven¡¯t already. Guard and Soldiers are stupid, but they ain¡¯t that stupid.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I trail off, rubbing my fingers against my mouth and chewing on a knuckle. ¡°I will consider what the best decision is. I cannot turn my back on what I believe, but if something has to change, I can¡¯t do it fast. A life will always be a life. That type of decision can¡¯t be made fast.¡±


    Ky studies me, head tilted and eyes squinted as he takes me in. I hold his gaze.


    ¡°I admire your dedication, Grey. I won¡¯t tell you that you have to abandon your beliefs. Stand by them all you¡¯d like. But I¡¯m telling you that you will not be able to talk the cream puff off the Amethyst Throne. Some just cannot be reasoned with.¡±


    I clench my jaw. ¡°I know. Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    xxxx


    I breathe a sigh of relief when I catch sight of the swath of grasses at the edge of the Badlands. The blades are short and thick, hardy in soil that¡¯s more sand than it is dirt, but it¡¯s green and I can see a few trees further on in the direction that I know will take us toward Ananta Spring and the Aiyana River. We just need to follow the brook a little further. We¡¯re almost out of the Badlands.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Ky says, picking up his pace to a trot. He splashes through the water, coat soaked through up to his shoulders, giving him an odd look with his back dry and fluffy and the rest of his fur flopping straight down. ¡°Just a little longer. We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    He ducks his head to swallow down some water without stopping. We all go a bit faster, pushed on by seeing the grasses and the trees off in the distance.


    However, that excitement is ruined in a moment, shattered with the Guard and Soldiers gaining ground on us far faster than we thought.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Wyatt says, glancing over their shoulder, turning around to walk even faster, then turning back again.


    Myles looks back and curses. ¡°Shit. Shit, shit, shit. That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, I was wondering when they¡¯d actually catch up. I thought they were all turning into pansies and were too scared. Running off to go hide behind the legs of a cream puff who¡¯d sooner use them as a meat shield than lift a single finger for them.¡± Phoenix smiles as a growl that sounds all too pleased rumbles in his chest. Flames flicker in his eyes and he raises his head, holding his tail high as he shakes out his paws.


    Stretching out his front legs, then his back legs, he turns to me. ¡°You¡¯re gonna actually fight, Grey, ok?¡±


    xxxx


    Hardly any time has passed, it feels, when the Guard and Soldiers do reach us. I hear the clink of Soldiers¡¯ armor and the buckles on the leather armor of the Guard, and the demands for us to stop and surrender ourselves to the justice of the King of Ragdon. When we don¡¯t, they advance upon us.


    ¡°Oh, Phoenix,¡± a voice purrs, voice sliding through my ears like molten sugar gone rotten, so sweet it burns my nose and churns my stomach and makes me gag.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Wyatt asks, spinning around so fast they lose their balance and their hair whips across their face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Myles trails off, knuckles locking tight around his staff.


    My teeth chatter as the malachite medallion heats against my chest and the dove unfurls its wings with a low coo, one that rumbles in its chest.


    We won¡¯t fight to kill but we will keep our friends safe. We will protect those we care about with everything we have.


    Can I even kill? a part of me asks. I don¡¯t want to find out, but with the Guard and Soldiers around me, all of whom have their swords and bows and arrows at the ready, I don¡¯t know that I¡¯ll be able to avoid it.


    Can I take a life? Can I send someone to Lucius with such intention? Can I deal that final blow? That injury that¡¯s the difference between a difficult recovery and never coming back?


    I curl my hands into fists to keep myself from scratching at my legs. If I have to¡­


    ¡°Oh, fuck you,¡± Phoenix spits.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not very nice. Is that any way to speak to a lady?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the furthest thing from a lady, Daeva.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix,¡± Daeva chastises, clicking her tongue in a disapproving sound.


    ¡°Daeva,¡± Phoenix mocks.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just make this easy, alright?¡± Daeva purrs, fluttering her eyelashes as she floats out from behind a group of Guard, who have their bows pointed at us, arrows nocked and ready to fly.


    When I see her, I immediately recognize her. With long, stretching forelegs and mottled skin in a variety of shades of earthy pinkish tans and a mane of tan hair with a feline face, I wonder if Daeva came to be in a similar fashion to how Jabez said he came to be Jabez after living as the housecat Ice.


    ¡°No,¡± Phoenix states firmly. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV has stated that the Wolf and the Dove, Ky and Phoenix, Brook, Jabez, Astra, and anyone else who has assisted them in any capacity shall stand trial for their crimes and be held accountable to the fullest extent as determined by the Judge and the Justice,¡± Daeva says.


    Phoenix looks unimpressed.


    I swallow and chew on my lip.


    Does she actually believe that? The trial the Judge and the Justice gave me and Alex wasn¡¯t a trial. They already knew the verdict before they got there. The King determined we were guilty and decided the trial before we were captured.


    Ky bares his teeth when a Soldier tries to touch him and Myles jabs his staff into the abdomen of Guard who try the same thing at him and Wyatt, sneering at them all.


    ¡°No,¡± Myles insists.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Phoenix says. ¡°No. Please don¡¯t ever say that horrific title again. I think my ears are bleeding. Besides, the cream puff should really work on a more creative title. I mean, come on. Can he be more blatantly full of himself?¡±


    Daeva seethes, inhaling sharply as her emerald eyes flare with rage. Phoenix plops to the ground with a smug smile.


    There¡¯s several moments where no one moves. Daeva¡¯s face scrunches up with anger, and I grow concerned she might pop and explode with fury. The Guard and Soldiers all watch the General for orders, but she gives none. Myles and Wyatt stand side by side, while Ky stands a few paces beside them, keeping an eye on everyone around him but making no attempt to lash out and deal any attacks of his own. I can feel the weight of the gazes of the Guard and Soldiers on my back as if they were touching me. I can feel the impact of swords, daggers, arrows piercing my flesh and severing nerves, blood vessels, the spark of pain as it lights up my body.


    I want to shift into my dove and fly as high as I can, fly away and away and away and away until I no longer have to deal with anything, but where would I go? Ragdon is the only place I have lived. There is nowhere else I can go, and here is where I have to be to search for Alex. I cannot leave, not until I have found the new Midnight Wolf and talked to them to see what they have to say on where Alex may be.


    So I stay.


    And when Daeva¡¯s muzzle twists into a wicked smile that mirrors that of Phoenix¡¯s and her forelegs and tail begin to stretch and the broken chains on her forelegs clink, the Guard and Soldiers begin to grow restless.


    And when Daeva lunges for Phoenix and he releases an explosion of fire that spreads out in a ring around him, burning around me but not harming me, not like before, the Guard and Soldiers attack, moving over those who got caught in Phoenix¡¯s flames.

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 9 - The Embrace

    TRIGGER WARNINGS: fantasy-typical fight, blood and wounds consistent with a fight, panic and stress and fear, character death of a named character as well as unnamed characters


    Chapter 9


    The Embrace


    Phoenix and Daeva roll out of sight, tussling and brawling, teeth flashing as magic flares on the both of them, flames and stretching limbs. For every blow Phoenix deals, Daeva lashes out in turn, until I can no longer see them and I have problems to deal with of my own.


    The fight moves fast, and my anxiety skyrockets, weaving its way through my body and turning everything around me into a haze. I¡¯m rooted in place as shouts erupt around me and the shing of weapons being drawn grates across my ears and people move far too fast and I see flames exploding out of the corner of my eye and I smell sweat and smoke. I cannot move. Somewhere in my mind, a wriggling feeling tells me that I must; that I have to. That there¡¯s some very important reason, but another part of my mind won¡¯t let me fully connect to the why. There¡¯s something very bad going on around me and I should be trying to help. A splatter of blood hits me across the face and I flinch.


    There¡¯s something I should be doing.


    I know there¡¯s something I should be doing, but what?


    ¡°Grey!¡± someone shouts behind me.


    I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I jump, fingers splaying out as I reconnect with my surroundings.


    Wyatt stands beside me, a Soldier¡¯s sword in their hand, dripping blood as they hold onto my shoulder.


    ¡°You good there? Looks like you were having some trouble.¡±


    I curl my fingers into my shorts. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do this.¡±


    Wyatt hums. ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice. Fight now, and we can talk later, ok? We can talk all we need later, but right now we do not have a choice. Fight, Grey. However you need to. There are no rules if they attack first with the intent to kill. Defend yourself so we can all find Alex.¡±


    A Guard comes for Wyatt, and they swing the sword, slicing through the Guard¡¯s ribcage. Blood pours down their side, and I look away.


    An arrow sinks into the back of my arm, and I screech through bared teeth. The malachite medallion blazes on my chest like a brand. I sprint away from wherever the arrow had come from as I grip it, edges of my vision blurred through pain and anger, and rip it out. Hot blood bubbles down my skin in rivulets.


    I make it to Ky, who is reared up on his hind legs, tussling with a Soldier. The Soldier reaches around his shoulders to yank at the ruff of fluffy fur around his shoulders. Instead, he grips onto the red bandana and jerks. Rage flares in Ky¡¯s eyes. He moves with the Soldier to release the tension on the bandana, sending them both to the ground. His full weight falls onto the Soldier, crushing the air from his lungs, and Ky curls his claws into the Soldier¡¯s throat in the space above his armor, a hind paw high on his thigh.


    I run forward and reach out for the Soldier¡¯s hand. I wrap my fingers around his and pry them away from the bandana. Whatever it means, it¡¯s important. Dirt stains and sun-faded spots, it¡¯s important to Ky. I offer a silent apology when my bloody fingers leave scarlet smudges on the fabric.


    The Soldier rips his hand away from mine and punches Ky across the face. With a snarl and bared teeth, Ky slices his claws through the Soldier¡¯s throat and shoves his paw up underneath his jaw, forcing the Soldier¡¯s head up at an unnatural angle, until it lolls to the side.


    Teeth chattering, I look away as the light fades from the Soldier¡¯s eyes and something shifts within him. He¡¯s still human, and he looks exactly the same, yet he¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s not there.


    Where did you go?


    A Guard shoots an arrow yet again. I cannot immediately tell which Guard since the fight still surrounds us from all sides. The arrow does not hit me this time. A blessing, in that the malachite medallion can heal me a little more. A curse, in that it still hits its target. Ky yowls, curling around himself to bite at the arrow lodged in behind his shoulder.


    As if acting on instinct, Ky shakes his head and takes a step, then yelps, eyes glazing over for a moment as he casts an illusion. Around me, half the Guard and Soldiers tilt their heads to the side and, almost in a trance, approach their comrades with weapons drawn. A Soldier runs his sword through a gap in another Soldier¡¯s armor, while a Guard shoots an arrow through a Soldier¡¯s neck and a Guard stabs another Guard in the heart.


    What¡¯s the limit on what Ky can do?


    A few seconds later, I see the blood. A thin trickle runs from the corner of Ky¡¯s mouth, while more drips from his nose.


    Ky licks it away quickly, but not fast enough. He catches me looking and shakes his head. I hesitate, but when he gives me a firmer glance, I concede and nod.


    A Soldier unaffected by Ky¡¯s illusion swings their sword in a huge motion. I duck down and step back, and the force carries the Soldier away from me, exposing their back. I drive my shoulder into their side and send them stumbling into a Guard, who barks out an angry shout. The two fight amongst each other, and soon more join in. They throw punches and hurl insults. Nothing fatal, but it¡¯s enough to distract and pull some from the fight with injuries that will take a long time to heal. I turn away and seek out Myles and Wyatt, trusting in Ky and Phoenix.


    I step over bodies, some burned, some with throats and torsos slashed open by teeth or weapons, and some with stab wounds. I see a few with puncture wounds where Phoenix sunk his upper canine teeth into their flesh, then pulled out without ripping skin, leaving a gaping wound hemorrhaging blood.


    It could''ve been slower.


    I drop to my knees with a shriek when an arrow pierces my lower abdomen. The malachite medallion flares on my chest, a brand against my skin as it tells me to shift, to remove the arrow and go after the Guard as it heals me; it will seal the wound before I lose any more blood, as long as I don¡¯t get more injured than it can heal at once.


    I take a breath and grit my teeth against another wave of blinding pain. Memories of the Guard at the Amethyst Throne when the King and the Soldier holding Alex decided I would be killed first after the sham of a trial with the Judge and Justice wash through my mind. How many arrows shot through my body, how much blood I lost, how I thought I was going to die that day and I wouldn¡¯t get to say goodbye and I would die for a reason I didn¡¯t understand over a necklace I had just found and a word and a being ¡ªthe Dove¡ª I didn¡¯t even know I was so soon before. How could I truly have been the Dove when I hadn¡¯t really even know what that had meant?


    I yank the arrow from my body and shift into my dove form as blood seeps from my belly. I whirl on the Guard, who¡¯s accompanied by several more Guard and Soldiers.


    I cry out in frustration, somewhere between a coo and a grunt. The sound drags across my throat, rasping like the sand beneath my talons and between my feathers as I flap my wings and stir up a cloud. Flying forward, I grasp the Guard in my feet and take to the air, shaking him when he tries to stab me with his dagger until he drops it.


    However, he beats at me with his fists, and one lands on my ankle. The pain stuns me for a moment, and I loosen my grip enough that I let go of the Guard. He falls from high enough that I know he won¡¯t make it, not with how he falls headfirst.


    No, I think, diving after the Guard before I can think it through.


    I tuck my wings into my sides, plummeting after him. An arrow whizzes past my head, forcing me to twist to the side and leave the Guard to his fate. He hits the ground, shoulders first and head right behind. His neck twists and I hear a crack as I tumble into two Soldiers, biting at them with my beak and crowding them into their comrades.


    When I catch a glimpse of the Guard, I hesitate for just a moment. His head lays at an angle that¡¯s anything but natural, and his eyes stare straight into mine, blank and glassy, while his arms sprawl out to the side. His knuckles are reddened with the beginnings of bruises. Scratches litter his leather armor, both old and new.


    A flurry of punches scatter across my face. Startled, I shift back to my human form, tripping over my feet before I fall backward. The Soldiers are upon me before I can react. I roll away to dodge the first sword strike, but the second connects with my arm, on top of where Phoenix¡¯s burn injury is still finishing healing. Blood seeps through the gash, and I gasp at the pain, biting back a screech that still slips through.


    ¡°Oh, good,¡± Phoenix says after ripping his incisors through the Soldiers¡¯ jugular veins. ¡°You fucking killed, Grey. I thought I was gonna have to force you into that.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Get over it. He was gonna kill you. Self defense. Simple as that. Don¡¯t give him another thought and move on.¡± Phoenix flicks his tail, raking his gaze across the battle around us.


    ¡°He was alive.¡±


    ¡°And now he ain¡¯t and he can¡¯t kill ya. Easy. Now go kill more so they can¡¯t hurt you. Lucius will take them. Hopefully to somewhere mighty unpleasant.¡±


    Maybe to someplace where they can unlearn everything the King taught them. Maybe they can still learn better. Maybe they can work to become better than they are. Everyone can change.


    I duck when a Soldier stomps forward, gripping his sword in two white-knuckled fists that he heaves up with gritted teeth and swings in a movement that carries his whole body sideways. I drive my elbow into the space below his ribcage where Alex once told me the armor isn¡¯t as thick. He goes down with a cry of pain.


    Phoenix watches from the sidelines and gives me a pointed look at the Soldier crumpled on the ground, still alive. He raises an eyebrow.


    I shake my head. No, I will not kill the Soldier.


    An arrow whizzes past my spine, brushing the cord of the malachite medallion. It didn¡¯t break. I¡¯m not sure that it can break; I cannot remove the malachite medallion. The sensation of the arrow so close to my body sends me darting forward a pace and a half.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna get yourself killed, Grey,¡± Phoenix drawls.


    I feel the heat of his flames as he trots up behind me. I turn to face an incoming attack from a Guard and see Phoenix slam his forepaws down on the head of the Soldier just as he¡¯s beginning to stand. He doesn¡¯t get up again, and his armor glows a faint yellow.


    The injuries I¡¯ve sustained scream and make every movement an agony. My abdomen is one searing wall of pain. Sweat coats my skin and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s more from the exertion or the injuries. I can feel the malachite medallion healing me, but it¡¯s slow.


    It can only heal me for so much at once.


    I cannot fight to injure. I have to fight to kill; the fight has to be over quick enough.


    I glance in the direction of the Guard¡¯s body, remembering the unnatural angle of his neck and hold back a shudder.


    Two Guard come for me, each with their dagger drawn. One has his bow slung over his back.


    We exchange punches and attacks as Phoenix allows himself to get caught up in another round of battle. I attempt to back away, to leave and give them an opportunity to escape, but they only advance further.


    I make my way around to the back of the Guard and grab at his bow, jerking it back. He immediately tries to slip out of it, but I pull back harder. His arm releases from beneath the bowstring, leaving it taut around his throat, until he steps back to create enough give to almost slip free, but I see a way out of this. I snap one side of the bow to release the tension, then wrap the bowstring around the throat of the Guard. He scrabbles at his neck and tries to kick at me. The other Guard tries to attack me, but I manage to keep the Guard between us.


    I silently plead with them to stop, with all the Guard and Soldiers here to stop. I don¡¯t want to fight. I want to find my sister and go home. I don¡¯t want to be the Dove. I just want to be Grey who teaches students and tries to teach them that the King isn¡¯t actually the man he says he is. I don¡¯t want to go up against the King and his entire army because I don¡¯t want a fight. I want to talk it out and find a resolution that doesn¡¯t involve dead bodies on both sides.


    But they don¡¯t listen, and I keep my grip on the Guard until he stops fighting and slumps into my hold, his full weight leaning into me. For just a moment I¡¯m worried I kept the bowstring around his throat too long, but when I loosen it and lower him to the ground I see his chest rise in a shallow breath. He¡¯ll have a bruise and probably some sort of nasty injury, but he¡¯s alive. He¡¯s not meeting Lucius, although I¡¯m certain they are here somewhere I cannot see as they collect souls to bring into their claim.


    I pull the broken bow free from the Guard¡¯s neck, and the bowstring feels like a snake in my hold, something dangerous and waiting, a pair of beady eyes watching with gleaming fangs ready to strike. With my other hand I bend to pick up the Guard¡¯s dagger.


    I want to sink to my knees and breathe, count to four with taps on my thighs over and over until the storm in my head quiets down to the point it lets me think again, try to figure out some way to feel whatever it is I have to feel so I can know how to find my sister and piece together whatever I have to so I can know where the new Midnight Wolf is. But I can¡¯t.


    The remaining Guard advances upon me, muscles tense but footsteps light, eyes locked on as he watches me.


    We circle each other, and I let him make the first move; if he had retreated and gone, I would have let him, but he didn¡¯t. He lunges at me, dagger at the ready and violence in his face.


    ¡°Come with me, Dove,¡± he demands as he tries to grab my arm and force me to the ground.


    I twist free of his grip, driving the hilt of my dagger into the junction between his shoulder and neck, right above where his leather armor ends. He jerks away with a sharp cry.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    My vision blurs out and I choke, then scream, when he grabs at my waist and digs a thumb into the still-healing wound from the arrow. New blood seeps out as white-hot pain sears through my body. I clench my fingers around the dagger so hard I wonder if they¡¯ll break before the dagger does.


    ¡°Again, Grey!¡± I hear Phoenix shout.


    His voice sounds so far away, like he¡¯s across Ragdon from me. Cold sweat breaks out across my skin, and I shake as the Guard pushes his thumb further into the arrow wound. Nausea roils in my gut and I dry heave.


    ¡°Grey!¡± Phoenix roars. ¡°You¡¯d better fucking stab him right fucking now. I swear to fucking Erebus and Lucius if you don¡¯t I¡¯m coming over there and beating it through your skull. Oh, get back here, you cowardly little Soldier¡­ You touch me again with that sword and- Fuck. You.¡±


    He trails off, and my vision swims, blurring as I lose touch with my body. I hang onto the dagger, my only tether to the world.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me, Dove,¡± the Guard spits. ¡°You must stand trial before the Judge and Justice.¡±


    ¡°STAB HIM!¡± Phoenix snarls.


    You stab him, I think, thoughts drifting around my head like iron wings on a sharp breeze, edges like razors, slicing through everything it brushes against. You should stab him, Phoenix.


    I begin to go limp in the Guard¡¯s grip as the pain takes its toll, and I sag into the ground beneath me.


    Alex. I have to find Alex.


    But I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t have the energy.


    I¡¯m sorry, Alex. I¡¯m so sorry.


    I can¡¯t. I failed.


    ¡°GREY, STAB HIM RIGHT! FUCKING! NOW!¡± Phoenix breaks off into a pained yowl and growls something at someone else.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I adjust the dagger in my hand, dragging my other hand across the dirt and sand and coughing when I inhale dust. I can feel blood seeping through my shirt into the ground as the Guard drags me a pace or two, then lets go, kneeling by my side and leaning over my back.


    When I open my eyes, I can barely see. Phoenix is a black and orange smudge surrounded by silver and brown as he turns into a blur and moves, knocking the other fuzzy blobs to the ground. My own hand right in front of me is just as out of focus. All the energy has drained out of my body, and while the malachite medallion tries to heal me ¡ªI feel it pouring every bit of its magic into my body to counter the injuries I¡¯ve sustained¡ª it¡¯s not enough. Its heat cannot warm me against the cold of my wounds. Every breath rasps against the back of my throat. The dove within me flutters weakly.


    "STAB HIM!" Phoenix roars again.


    Alex.


    My sister is out there. She¡¯s somewhere out there.


    I need a little more, I tell the pendant. Just a little more. I know you¡¯re giving everything you have, but please, I need more. I need more if I¡¯m going to find Alex. I won¡¯t survive going back to the King. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll survive this.


    It pulses against my chest, a flare of heat, like it¡¯s telling me it heard my request.


    I don¡¯t get much, but I get a little more energy, a soothing balm of warmth that flows over my body like an afternoon breeze on a calm, pleasant day. It¡¯s a small relief to the agony that is the Guard¡¯s persistent attack upon me and his intent to bring me back to the King. That trickle of healing energy patches over the worst of my injuries just enough to the point I can move with great difficulty. I pant for breath, steeling myself.


    For Alex.


    I count to four, then shove myself up onto an elbow, whirl around and force my brain to shut off as I drag the dagger¡¯s blade across the Guard¡¯s throat. Red fills my vision as blood pours down the Guard¡¯s chest and splatters across my face and body. I go stiff as the Guard slumps forward, head falling into my shoulder as he chokes on his blood, then goes limp.


    Breaths coming short and shallow, I push the Guard off of me, standing up with the dagger still in my hand. My legs tingle and go numb, but I force myself to stay standing, shaking with stress, pain, fear, the magic of the malachite medallion, and everything that has happened hitting like a knockout punch straight to the face.


    xxxx


    When Phoenix finds Daeva again, the fight isn¡¯t pretty.


    It¡¯s slower than it was before, when he had gotten the upper hand so quickly. The two seem far more evenly matched.


    I¡¯d found Ky again shortly after killing the Guard. He¡¯d asked about all the blood, and I¡¯d shook my head. There must¡¯ve been something in his expression, because he had a look of understanding and didn¡¯t press.


    Daeva¡¯s forelegs and tail stretch out and contract as she curves her body all around, graceful to Phoenix¡¯s brute strength. She taunts him, voice like molten sugar left out in the sun too long. Phoenix bites back to every scathing insult, chewing her out just as she does him.


    Phoenix feigns a lunge to the left and Daeva follows, leaving her back exposed, and Phoenix takes advantage. He leaps to her rear and scrapes his claws down her back. Purple blood streams down her skin, and Daeva yowls. She elongates her tail and wraps it around his foreleg, tripping him up and sending Phoenix tumbling to the ground with a hiss.


    When I move to step in, Ky stops me.


    He shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t, Grey. This is Phoenix¡¯s fight.¡±


    Ky must see my concern because he shakes his head again, a well-worn grief washing over his features. His ears fall to the sides.


    ¡°Phoenix will not lose this fight. He truly lost a fight once before, and he will not lose again.¡±


    Myles swings his staff and whacks a Guard across the temple. He drops to the ground unconscious. Behind him, Wyatt trails by a few paces, jabbing at a Soldier with a long sword and a frustrated expression on their face.


    I grip the dagger I still have when another Guard draws too close and hold it tight, dropping into a low stance like I¡¯d seen Alex do when she taught her students how to fight. Balancing my weight and staying light on my toes, ready to move and react¡­ except that the whole position feels unnatural and foreign.


    I can feel the malachite medallion working to heal me, but I can also feel the injuries and they plead with me to stop, to lay down, to rest, to do anything but keep standing and moving and fighting.


    I don¡¯t want to fight either.


    Blood trickles from the arrow wound on my abdomen, a sickly warmth on my skin that makes me want to vomit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I say, hoping with everything in me that the Guard won¡¯t make the first move.


    ¡°Look around,¡± Wyatt says, raising their voice until it rings out loud enough that virtually all can hear them. ¡°Many of your comrades have fallen and met Lucius right here. We can continue fighting, and Aiyana will accompany you as you walk from Erebus¡¯s creation to meet Ananta and Lucius.¡± They lace their fingers together, expression thoughtful. ¡°Now, I understand your King does not appreciate failure, but I¡¯d like to ask you to consider this: Which do you value more¡ª your life or serving your King? Would you give up your life in a mission that has proven time and time again to be so unsuccessful, yet you always go about it in the same way?¡±


    Why¡¯d you give them new ideas?


    Yet at the same time, I can¡¯t help but hope that maybe, even just for one, Wyatt¡¯s words might spark some sort of thought, a little something that might begin the process of changing the way they think and make them reconsider what they¡¯ve believed as Guard and Soldiers.


    ¡°We will not return without the Dove and the Phoenix and their allies,¡± a Soldier barks.


    ¡°You will not be returning with a General,¡± Ky replies immediately without looking back. ¡°And you will be getting not a Dove, nor a Phoenix, nor any allies. You won¡¯t even be getting a little Illusionist, either.¡±


    ¡°We cannot return,¡± the Guard who had been approaching me says, something torn in his expression.


    I stand up straight, holding the Soldier¡¯s sword at my side.


    ¡°We will not go with you,¡± I reply.


    The Guard considers me. ¡°Then we are at an impasse, because none of us can leave without you.¡±


    Ky takes a breath and sits down, still watching Phoenix and Daeva fight. ¡°Pretty soon none of you will have the chance to leave. I¡¯d carefully consider what my friend just said¡ª they¡¯re rather smart. They¡¯re skilled as a doctor, but they¡¯re not skilled enough to heal however many of you have had the dumb luck to survive this long.¡±


    Phoenix wraps his forelegs around Daeva¡¯s body with a dry roar, voice hoarse. His claws sink into the flesh on her shoulders, digging in until they draw purple blood. He shoves her away, throwing her into the sand, the rocks by the brook. She spits at him, hair a halo of dirty, mottled browns beneath where she lays. Her emerald eyes glitter like shards of gems, chipped off and broken, tilted just right to catch the sun in a blinding glare.


    Her forelegs and tail twist, shattered chains around her forelimbs clinking as she elongates her legs to reach for Phoenix who glares at her, sides heaving, then lunges, as Phoenix steps back several paces to rear up and meet her, flames blazing as he roars.


    ¡°You need to come with us,¡± the Guard repeats.


    ¡°What the fuck,¡± Ky scoffs, huffing through an open mouth with an expression of disbelief. ¡°What part of no has not been clear to you?¡±


    ¡°None of us are going with you,¡± Myles adds.


    A few gashes litter his body, and the side of his shirt has been torn. Blood stains the split edges. Wyatt curls their hands into fists when a Soldier tries to sneak up behind them, staring the Soldier down until he retreats.


    Ky tears his gaze away from Phoenix¡¯s fight, trusting his brother to keep going, and walks around the three of us.


    ¡°You have not captured any of us. Phoenix will kill Daeva. We will kill anyone who does not retreat, and Phoenix will kill anyone who remains after he is done with Daeva. He will not be in a merciful mood after sending his first General to Lucius, and I will help him. I am telling you to leave. I have already turned some of you against each other with my illusions, and I can do it again. Leave, but we¡¯re keeping Daeva.¡±


    ¡°The Dove looks like he¡¯s about to pass out. Are you sure you should be making such bold claims?¡± a Guard asks, one who appears to hold a leadership position from his presence and how his leather armor doesn¡¯t look quite the same, though I can¡¯t get a good look through the Guard and Soldiers standing in front of him.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ky says, confident with his head held high.


    ¡°Leave,¡± Myles echoes. ¡°We will not go with you. You were not successful, and I know you do not all wish to die here today. You may bring your fallen comrades with you to honor them properly with their families, but please, leave.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the lead Guard says. ¡°You will be coming with us.¡±


    Ky closes his eyes and sighs. When he opens them again, cloudiness starts to swirl over his gaze with the start of an illusion. The memory of the blood dripping from his nose and mouth flashes through my head.


    ¡°Please,¡± I cry out. To whom I¡¯m speaking, I don¡¯t know, but I just want someone to listen. This back and forth clearly isn¡¯t working; it¡¯s going nowhere and none of us are going to agree. We¡¯re not going with the Guard and Soldiers, and they¡¯re not leaving without us. If we could just all part ways without any more deaths.


    Except for Daeva¡¯s, a voice in the back of my mind tells me, knowing that Phoenix isn¡¯t going to give up his fight with Daeva easily.


    ¡°Go,¡± Wyatt demands. ¡°You will not win here. You have not won. How many more must you lose to Lucius¡¯s claim before you all can understand that? We will not go with you.¡±


    Ky shakes out his fur with a low growl. ¡°How many of you have been Guard and Soldiers for a decade or longer?¡±


    I study him for a moment, widening my stance when I begin to sway from exhaustion and blood loss, then look at the scattering of nods. A few frown in confusion, but even fewer seem to immediately put pieces together that I do not understand.


    ¡°For those that have been in the Guard and Soldiers for over a decade, you will know why we will never go with you. So leave now, if you want to explain to the cream puff why this doomed mission he sent you on failed. Otherwise,¡± Ky says, ¡°the cream puff will be left to assume and come to his own conclusions on just how, exactly, you all failed.¡±


    xxxx


    The Guard and Soldiers do leave, in the end, but not without threats of how they will return and bring us to the foot of the Amethyst Throne for our trials.


    I stare blankly at the sand and brook as they leave, hearing the sounds of Phoenix and Daeva still tearing each other to pieces, though they sound so far away, as if they¡¯re somewhere on the other side of the Badlands and not so close to us.


    Wyatt approaches me, movements predictable and slow.


    ¡°Hey, Grey,¡± they say, voice soft and quiet. ¡°Would you allow me to take a look at your injuries? I¡¯d like to see how you¡¯re doing.¡±


    I drag my gaze to theirs. I have to watch them for close to a minute before I can process what they¡¯ve said.


    I shrug. ¡°Do what you need to. I need to make sure nothing happens to Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grey. Tell me if anything hurts or if you¡¯d like me to stop at any time and I will.¡±


    Wyatt¡¯s touch is light, and they work their way across my wounds as I witness Phoenix¡¯s fight against Daeva.


    I hope and pray to Lucius that there will be something left of them both by the end.


    Phoenix holds Daeva¡¯s tail down with his hind legs, brackets a foreleg around her ribcage, and knocks her jaw up with his other forepaw, leaving the entirety of her throat exposed. For just a moment, I see Phoenix hesitate. He stares, jaw chattering, as his eyes widen, lighting up in a way that, for just a moment, reminds me of a child.


    He smiles, chuckling, then runs his tongue across Daeva¡¯s skin. He does so slowly, lip curling. She bares her teeth, muzzle scrunching up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, General,¡± Phoenix sneers, hissing the words against her throat.


    I almost don¡¯t want to watch, but I can¡¯t look away. Wyatt places a hand on my shoulder as they lean to look at a scrape across my arm, a steady weight that I lean into, a tether in the storm of my thoughts. They keep me here, present, even as Phoenix and Daeva tear each other apart and hiss and spit, each straining against the other despite exhaustion and injuries, both internal and external. Phoenix only has a few bite wounds, but I don¡¯t have to have Wyatt¡¯s healing training to know that Daeva has done more damage than can be visibly seen and he¡¯s letting on.


    Daeva squirms in Phoenix¡¯s hold. His muscles strain as he locks down his grip to keep her down. One of Daeva¡¯s forelegs extends and wraps around Phoenix¡¯s shoulders and neck, while the other lays over his flank.


    Phoenix pulls his lips back into a grin that¡¯s all sharp, bloodstained teeth. When Daeva thrashes, he locks down his grip, digging his claws in deep and snarling as he pins her to the ground harder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± he spits.


    ¡°Let me go.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Revenge,¡± Ky murmurs, a light smile on his face. He watches with an eagerness that doesn¡¯t quite fit the situation. He pricks his ears and holds his tail high, anticipation written across his body.


    Phoenix laves his tongue over Daeva¡¯s throat yet again, and she pins her ears, hissing.


    ¡°You know what this is for,¡± he growls.


    When Phoenix parts his jaws and sinks his teeth into Daeva¡¯s skin, I hold my breath, unable to look away yet also unable to stomach the sight. Phoenix doesn¡¯t let go, and he doesn¡¯t sever blood vessels that would let her reach death quickly. He doesn¡¯t use his fire to sear her flesh. He holds down on her throat, and Daeva tightens her grip on Phoenix, wrapping her forearm around his neck and squeezing until he snarls and rakes his claws down her side and sends a wave of flames skittering across her skin. She parts her jaws in a soundless scream, and I grimace. Phoenix curls his lips into a wicked grin, and Ky¡¯s mouth quirks. Wyatt looks over Daeva and shakes their head. Myles stands silently and takes it all in.


    It¡¯s an embrace, of sorts. A twisted embrace, what Phoenix and Daeva are sharing, with Phoenix¡¯s jaws locked around her throat.


    I freeze, shoulders pulling up as Wyatt places a hand on my shoulder. They¡¯ve continued working their way around, a calming presence I¡¯m grateful for, and a touch that¡¯s both warm and clinical as they see if anything looks off with the wounds I¡¯ve sustained. The malachite medallion will heal, but I want their opinion, too.


    Ky takes a step closer to Phoenix and Daeva, leaning in to watch, ears pricked further. Head low and tilted, he reminds me of a kitten, somewhere between child and adult, as he watches Daeva fight back against Phoenix. She tries to angle her head and bite at the paw Phoenix has pressing up beneath her jaws as she twists and writhes. Extending her tail, she yanks on the hind leg she can reach. Phoenix bites down harder, forcing her to let go before she pulls too hard on her own flesh.


    I can almost see Lucius walking among us, perhaps right beside me as they approach Daeva, whose struggles become less frequent and weaker. Phoenix¡¯s eyes brighten with every attempt she makes to escape; each one is shorter and less successful and takes longer to occur. Soon, Daeva sags in Phoenix¡¯s body as her eyelids flutter around her unfocused eyes. She leans further into Phoenix. Her long, brown hair whispers as it falls across her back, skin torn with scratches and wounds.


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask, stepping away from Wyatt and ending their examination. They let me go without argument. ¡°Why is Phoenix doing this?¡±


    Phoenix growls around Daeva¡¯s throat. She has almost stopped moving, but I can see her side rising and falling in the slightest of breaths, little wheezes as she clings to life.


    ¡°The King of Ragdon deserves it,¡± Ky says, not referring to the King as the cream puff like he¡¯s done before. ¡°He needs to fall. He needs to die. He cannot keep hurting others.¡±


    Phoenix snarls again, fire rising on his body. He shifts in place, muscles tense, body like a bowstring pulled taut.


    ¡°Daeva has been defeated.¡±


    ¡°We defeated her once before,¡± Ky counters. ¡°She came back. She has proven that she will follow the cream puff¡¯s orders to the letter and to the end. She will continue to try to kill. Will you continue to hold to your belief that killing is never necessary when those who wish you harm will stop at nothing to take your life? What would you have done if you were out here alone and they all came after you? You tried to fly away when it was you and Alex and they shot you down. If Alex hadn¡¯t been there in the King¡¯s Throne Room you would have died. Will you die for your belief that you do not have to kill, Grey? How far will that belief take you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I sigh. I look at Daeva, whose eyelids have fluttered shut, eyelashes long over her cheekbones. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I killed twice, but I¡­ I don¡¯t know that I can again.¡±


    The bodies of the Guard shatter through my mind again, and everything blurs until all I can see are their faces. My skin turns to ice as sweat drenches my body, and my throat closes until I feel I cannot breathe.


    Phoenix exhales and snarls, the sound muffled by Daeva¡¯s body, but it¡¯s enough to bring me back to reality before I can get swept away in the panic attack. He pins his ears as he shakes. He adjusts his grip on Daeva¡¯s throat, loosening his teeth to wrap his jaws as far around the entirety of her neck as he can, then jerks his head to the side, letting her neck snap with an audible sound. When her body falls to the ground, sand rises up in a cloud that settles across her in a thin layer. She doesn¡¯t move and lays completely limp, looking exactly the same as she did in life, yet somehow unrecognizable.


    Rage keeps every bit of Phoenix¡¯s being locked up tight, as stiff as a bowstring. His sides heave in furious breaths before he spins around, paws heavy on the sand.


    I wonder where Lucius is, what they look like as they bring her to death, to their side of this world. Perhaps their vulture is here, too; Ananta swoops in alongside them to assist in claiming Daeva from this world.


    Phoenix could¡¯ve done that first. Why did he have to make her suffer like that?


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, Grey?¡± Phoenix scoffs as he stalks toward me, paw prints leaving glass behind from the heat of his flames. ¡°You don¡¯t fucking know? I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re having this conversation. How about you, Myles and Wyatt? How do the two of you feel about killing? Hm?¡±


    Myles shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but sometimes you¡¯ve gotta.¡±


    Wyatt tilts their head to the side. ¡°I do not wish to kill; however, there are some instances that may call for stronger force, including lethal measures.¡±


    Phoenix paces on the sand, leaving deep gulleys as he slips on the shifting ground. Ky tries to comfort him but the black cat shakes him off as his flames crackle and spark on his body with streaks of white and blue.


    ¡°This is ridiculous. The cream puff deserves it. You know that, right?¡± Phoenix cries. ¡°Right?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s bad,¡± I say in reply, silently begging that we can somehow figure this out and speak in a way where we can both understand, ¡°but not everything has to be solved through lethal violence. There has to be another way. We cannot just kill everyone.¡±


    Phoenix doesn¡¯t reply. He stares at me, strangely quiet, before he shakes his head, muzzle curling and ears pinning as he squints his eyes.


    Phoenix lunges for me. He bounds forward several paces, then rears up and shoves his forepaws into my chest with something desperate in his expression. I tumble back into the sand as Phoenix leaps to stand over me, forepaws on either side of my head and a hind paw on my stomach. The stiff stalk of grass digs into the skin behind my ear and a rock presses up against my shoulder blade, but I cannot move. Freezing in place, my breath catches in my throat, but I manage to bring my hands up to my sides, holding them open. I look somewhere near Phoenix¡¯s shoulder, squinting against the blinding brightness of his flames. Silhouetted behind the flames, the small, twin horns on his forehead curl inward, deadly points looking even sharper from below.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to tell me that the cream puff¡¯s violence doesn¡¯t make him deserve death. He deserves far worse than death. There isn¡¯t punishment enough for him.¡±


    The rage in Phoenix¡¯s voice makes me shiver. A splatter of bloodied saliva hits me on the cheek, and I wince, trying to turn away, but a paw batting me across the face makes me turn back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to turn away when I¡¯m talking to you.¡± Phoenix leans in close until his nose nearly touches mine. I can see every bit of his upper canines, how they extend far past his lower jaw. I grit my teeth. ¡°You don¡¯t get to turn away so you can¡¯t hear. I thought you said you wanted your students to hear what a fucked up guy the cream puff is? How they shouldn¡¯t follow him?¡±


    ¡°I do, but I can¡¯t just tell them that.¡±


    ¡°Sure you can. It¡¯s real fuckin¡¯ easy.¡±


    I squeeze my eyes close and take a breath, resisting the urge to try to squirm away. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I am entirely capable of telling my students how corrupt and messed up the King is, but if the King catches on, I will be removed as a teacher and someone else will be assigned and I will lose my position. I can¡¯t try to help that way. But I can teach the kids how to think critically and question things and how to consider different perspectives and the biases someone may have. I have to teach what the King assigns, but I also fit in other teachings from others. We learn about others, not just the King. If I do that, then I have to believe that they will be able to recognize what the King is doing. Perhaps not every single student, but enough that I can make a difference. Everyone¡¯s worth understanding, and that can happen if we all listen and offer an ear and a bit of kindness.¡±


    ¡°There is no understanding the cream puff.¡±


    I still don¡¯t meet Phoenix¡¯s eyes. ¡°I meant that the kids learn that the King isn¡¯t the only one who has a story to learn about. You can learn about and understand everyone, because everyone has a story. That story isn¡¯t necessarily one you agree with. The King has a story, but his is one filled with terrible decisions.¡±


    ¡°Is this your way of getting me to tell you why I fucking hate the cream puff so fucking much?¡±


    This time I do meet his gaze, and I almost flinch at the rage broiling within. ¡°If you wish to share. I will not attempt to force you to do so if you don¡¯t wish to.¡±


    Phoenix studies me for several long moments that seem to tick on for eternity, as he looks between my eyes.


    Finally, he steps away, sitting down as he flicks his tail and flexes his toes on a forepaw. He draws his ears back, then relaxes them. When Ky rubs his cheek over Phoenix¡¯s neck, he leans into it and returns the gesture, nuzzling into the red bandana around Ky¡¯s shoulders and taking a breath.


    I push myself to my elbows, then sit up, careful to not move too fast; this moment is one that could shatter with so little as a breath out of place.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t always hate the cream puff this much,¡± Phoenix starts. His gaze turns distant as he loses himself to a memory I can immediately tell is extremely unpleasant. ¡°Until I was ten, I didn¡¯t really know who he was and just didn¡¯t like him but mostly didn¡¯t particularly care.¡±

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 10 - Poppy

    TRIGGER WARNINGS: Discussions of: murder, neonaticide (not by parents, but that¡¯s the closest word I could find for what happens), attempted kidnapping of young children, a child committing a murder (NOT the newborn murder¡ª wanted to specify that), grief/pain/horror/anger/all the emotions that come from murder, attempted kidnapping, and a child being driven to taking a life


    Chapter 10


    Poppy


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really care about the King of Ragdon until I saw the fire.¡±


    I hold my breath as Phoenix¡¯s entire body shifts from anger to grief. He trembles and swallows, screwing his eyes shut as he grits his teeth. His muscles tense, and he drives his paws more firmly into the ground. His fire pulses, seeming to react to whatever memories Phoenix is seeing behind his closed eyelids.


    ¡°We never really kept any sort of calendar like some of you do in the Sea. We lived far out in the forest, so fucking far away from the fucking cream puff.¡± Phoenix snarls, baring his teeth as he stands in a jerky movement, tail lashing as he slashes at the sand and sending an arc spraying up into the air. He¡¯s trembling, shaking, vibrating hard enough that I wonder if he¡¯s about to explode. ¡°But you¡¯d say we¡¯re somewhere around twenty and I didn¡¯t particularly care much about the cream puff until about a decade ago.¡±


    I flinch when some of the sand hits me but don¡¯t say anything. Myles sits down behind me and Wyatt beside him.


    Ky walks up to Phoenix and looks at him with a long expression, a well-worn grief in his face.


    The grief is a decade old. It¡¯s half their life old.


    ¡°I never cared much about the cream puff until I saw their bodies. Each of their bodies. I thought the cream puff was a just a story. I knew he was real, but I didn''t think he''d be able to get to us. I didn''t think he''d ever actually reach us, touch our lives. I didn''t fucking care about him.¡±


    ¡°We were playing,¡± Ky whispers. His shoulders slump and his face slackens as his eyes go blank and distant. ¡°We were ten and wanted to play in the forest.¡±


    ¡°We were kids,¡± Phoenix hisses, voice cracking. ¡°We were just playing.¡±


    Phoenix spends the next several minutes pacing. No one speaks.


    The wound is raw, still fresh, even ten years later. I wonder if it had even begun to scab over, if the nerves had begun to knit back together. I don¡¯t think so. Perhaps every time the King came up, the memory was ripped back open, bloodied and bruised and flayed, torn apart again until the pieces can be jumbled back together in something resembling a whole once more.


    I hunch over. I''ve seen similar grief in students whose family members have ended up hurt, but nothing quite like this. Being their teacher, I interacted with them, but never in such a personal way; I couldn''t. There was always a hierarchy. I was the teacher, and they were the student. They could talk, but they couldn''t truly share, not in the way I wished everyone could. But here, Phoenix has laid it all out. Ky, too, although I''m not sure either could stop if they tried. Their emotions pour from them like a cascading river.


    ¡°Onyx found us out in the forest. He¡­¡± Phoenix pins his ears, flashing his teeth. ¡°He was our father. He was a General. The cream puff made him. He never told us how. Never got the chance. We were only ten, and they never talked much about the cream puff. Said he wasn¡¯t very nice, but they never said much. I don¡¯t think they wanted to. We were far away from the cream puff. So far away. They thought we were safe. They¡¯d run and they hadn¡¯t found us in ten years. Surely we¡¯d be safe, or so they thought. Shoulda been. We never saw anyone.


    ¡°They both knew that the cream puff was bad, but I don¡¯t know if they realized how bad,¡± Phoenix adds, voice suddenly so soft and broken.


    ¡°We never figured out how they found us,¡± Ky says.


    ¡°Probably Spyro,¡± Phoenix mutters. ¡°Little fucker can go invisible. I know now how to find them ¡ªjust throw up a fuck-ton of smoke¡ª but none of us did then. Onyx and Ivy left, but they were the only good ones. They actually had a heart.¡±


    ¡°Onyx found us and said we had a sister. Our mother, Ivy, had just given birth to a daughter, and we had a newborn sister.¡± Ky¡¯s face lights up with a smile. ¡°We were so excited. We had a new sibling to play with. I wanted to know what magic she had. Onyx could control stone. Ivy could control plants. She could grow anything and entertained us as kittens with her creations.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to know what our sister looked like,¡± Phoenix says. ¡°I thought she¡¯d look more like me, but Ky thought she¡¯d look more like him. We¡¯d argued about it for weeks, to the point our parents had to get involved.¡±


    ¡°Who was right?¡± Myles asks. I tilt my head to the side, curious to hear the black cat¡¯s response.


    Worry creeps up in my gut, a snake coiling around my insides. I¡¯ve only met Ky and Phoenix, and I¡¯ve never heard of Onyx or Ivy or a sister of the brothers. I fiddle with the hem of my shorts as concern grows for where this story is going.


    Phoenix¡¯s expression darkens into a scowl. He growls with a rage I haven¡¯t heard before, though it¡¯s not directed at Myles and he doesn¡¯t lunge. His flames burst from his pelt and billow toward the sky in huge clouds of reds and oranges streaked with blue. His jaws part far enough that they could wrap around the entirety of a person¡¯s throat. There isn¡¯t so much anger written across his body so much as there is pain. Memories painful enough they have consumed him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Phoenix says, voice hoarse and softer than I¡¯ve ever heard. He chokes on his words, but smothers it with a snarl. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Phoenix takes a breath, gaze settling into something steeled and cross. ¡°Onyx left before us and reached home first. We were a ways behind. By the time we got home our home was¡­ it-.¡± Phoenix spits and hisses, throwing his head to the side. ¡°Our home was on fire.¡±


    ¡°The fact that we were playing so far away from home that day is the only reason we are still alive,¡± Ky says. ¡°If we were at home, we would¡¯ve died.¡±


    ¡°They would¡¯ve all burned, and I would¡¯ve been killed by the Guard and Soldiers.¡±


    ¡°The King ordered your deaths,¡± I breathe.


    Fuck. The King was bad, but¡­ I knew he¡¯s done this before. He did it to me and Alex, but¡­ what will he not do? What line will he not cross?


    Phoenix sneers. ¡°Was that not clear to you before, Grey?¡±


    ¡°It was, but just¡­ I know he¡¯s that bad, but to order the deaths of children.¡±


    ¡°My parents didn¡¯t deserve it either,¡± he snaps, eyes flaring. He fixes me with a glare and holds my gaze. ¡°They were everything I had beyond Ky. I had the three of them, and my life was complete. My sister would have added to what I, at ten years old, thought of as the perfect life. I know now there¡¯s no such thing, but when I was ten, I didn¡¯t need anything more than my family. My parents did what they thought was right, and the cream puff in all his selfish idiocy forced them to meet Lucius before they were supposed to. They deserved to know their daughter, just as their daughter deserved to know her family.¡±


    ¡°Your parents did not deserve what happened to them. They left the King, like you said. They turned their backs. That must¡¯ve taken extreme strength and courage.¡±


    ¡°It did,¡± Ky says, voice firm and final. ¡°They gave up the stability their jobs as Generals would have offered to do what they knew was right and offer us a life outside of the confines of what the cream puff would have demanded of us.¡±


    ¡°They gave up everything,¡± Phoenix spits, baring his teeth. He slashes at the sand, purple claws carving gashes that turn to glass with how hot his fire is burning. Tail lashing, he paces and squeezes his eyes shut.


    I spare a glance at Myles and Wyatt.


    Wyatt looks back at me, expression sad and soft. They incline their head in a silent question of if I¡¯m ok. When I shrug, they seem satisfied and nod when I return the question. Myles doesn¡¯t look up from where he¡¯s leaning against Wyatt¡¯s shoulder. He has one fist pressed to his mouth and the other clenched tightly around his staff.


    Phoenix laughs, humorless and strained. He pulls his lips back, teeth fully bared. Something wild glows in his eyes. Something other. Something unhinged. Something that I have no doubt could be unleashed on an army of Guard and Soldiers and destroy them all with how much Phoenix shakes, with how much he¡¯s struggling to hold on.


    ¡°You can take a break, Phoenix,¡± Wyatt says, voice level and calm, though I can tell the story has bothered them. ¡°You do not need to share more if you do not wish to.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure Phoenix hears them; he¡¯s too lost in his head.


    ¡°Our father, Onyx, was kind, and our mother, Ivy, was, too. They were Generals in the cream puff¡¯s army, until they turned their backs on him. If Jabez was created from his housecat body as Ice and the soul of a murdered human, I would be entirely unsurprised to hear that¡¯s how the cream puff created Ivy and Onyx as well. Ky and I shouldn¡¯t even exist.¡±


    Ky snorts.


    ¡°Ivy and Onyx might¡¯ve had a stolen soul in their body, but they always had more of a soul than the cream puff has ever had.¡±


    ¡°Damn fuckin¡¯ right,¡± Phoenix mutters. ¡°I want to crack open the cream puff. I will, and when I do, I bet I¡¯m gonna find just stale bones and dust. He¡¯s gonna be so far dead he¡¯ll be just a shell with a cruel smile carved on its face. No being with a soul can do what he¡¯s done. There has to be a reason for what he¡¯s done. No one can do what he did and sleep.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he does sleep,¡± Myles says. When Phoenix narrows his eyes, Myles continues. ¡°I started Guard training but only went for a few days. I figured out that I really hated it very quickly and got out quick before anyone else realized I did not have the same enthusiasm the others did, but while I was there I heard all these rumors that the King doesn¡¯t sleep. There¡¯s enough¡­ details to the rumors that I¡¯m tempted to consider that there¡¯s some truth to them and that the King may actually not sleep. He¡¯s certainly not an average human. There¡¯s something very, very wrong with him, to say the absolute least. Something drove him from what Jabez said he was when Jabez was alive as Ice to who he is now.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Phoenix shakes his head, dismissing Myles entirely. ¡°Jabez is mistaken. The cream puff cannot be two different people. He has always been who he is now. Jabez just didn¡¯t realize it.¡±


    I bite my lip. I want to say that I don¡¯t know that I believe Jabez was mistaken. I want to say that I know I don¡¯t have the full story but that I think it¡¯s entirely possible who the King was before he took to the Amethyst Throne was different to some degree than the King who ordered the deaths of Onyx and Ivy.


    But right now, when Phoenix is sharing such a tense, intimate story, is not a good time.


    Phoenix shudders and shakes his head again. He looks a decade younger, a kitten just beginning adolescence. ¡°Don¡¯t say it, Grey. He cannot be two different people. He¡¯s always been a monster. I don¡¯t know that he¡¯s ever been human.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s two different people. The King has only ever been one person. The most I was ever going to say was that I believe people can change, and sometimes those changes can be big. I didn¡¯t mean that I believed the King was ever two separate beings. He has always been responsible for his own decisions. He could¡¯ve said no at any time, and he hasn¡¯t to this day.¡±


    Phoenix snorts. ¡°Don¡¯t hold your breath for someone like the cream puff growing a conscience. He won¡¯t. He ordered my parents to burn to death for the supposed crime of being decent beings. You won¡¯t talk him off the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    I close my eyes, pulling my legs to my chest and crossing my forearms across my knees, cheek atop them. ¡°I know he won¡¯t listen to reason like you or I will.¡±


    ¡°We do not think the same way, Grey.¡± Phoenix¡¯s voice is rough but calm, grating but clear. ¡°Do not hold your breath for me either.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I murmur, cracking open an eye to watch the flickering reflection of light from Phoenix¡¯s flames on the uneven surface of the sands of the Badlands.


    Dried blood cracks into scaly pieces and flakes off my skin with memories of the fight against the Guard and Soldiers and the two Guard I killed. I remember the sheer panic I had felt taking the lives of each of the Guard. It took so long, and everything within me wanted to stop. Time slowed down watching the first Guard fall to the ground, and choking the second took an eternity before Lucius finally came.


    I start to scratch at my forearm to scrape the blood from my arm but stop when Myles places his hand over my own. I glance up, then look away, unable to hold eye contact and feeling somewhat embarrassed.


    ¡°Please,¡± he says. ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯m here. We can wash it all off in the stream, ok?¡±


    ¡°After they¡¯re done.¡±


    I don¡¯t want to interrupt. I can¡¯t imagine if Alex had burned alive.


    Except that a part of me has already run through the possibility. She¡¯s missing, and I don¡¯t know what happened to her.


    xxxx


    ¡°By the time we reached our home, the fire had consumed it in its entirety. It was all on fire.¡±


    ¡°I could do nothing,¡± Ky said, tears soaking into the fur on his cheeks. His voice is so soft that I have to strain to hear him. He sinks to the ground, paws slipping on the sand. His eyes are locked on something in front of him, though he¡¯s looking past it, lost in a memory. ¡°I can create anything and could then, but it¡¯s always an illusion. I could¡¯ve created an illusion that the house wasn¡¯t on fire, but what would that have done? I wasn¡¯t as skilled then, and even if I had created the perfect illusion with the abilities I had then, I would¡¯ve only been able to make an illusion that the house wasn¡¯t on fire. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to target each of their minds directly like I can now. Nothing I could have done would have changed the fact that our house was burning down before us and our parents and newborn sister were inside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fireproof,¡± Phoenix says, lip twitching in the beginnings of a snarl. ¡°I cannot burn now, and I couldn¡¯t then. Set me on fire and leave me for a century, and I¡¯ll still be here when you return. I can¡¯t burn. So I ran into the fire. Neither of us knew how long our family had been in there. Maybe I can save them, I¡¯d thought. If I got close enough, maybe I could control the fire. How na?ve I was. I can control a fire like that now, but I was weak then. The fire was too big, and I was too small.¡±


    ¡°Nothing could either of us could have done would have changed the fact that they were already dead.¡± Phoenix takes a deep, shuddering breath that chatters his teeth. He closes his eyes as his nostrils flare. ¡°They were already died. My guess is that they died from smoke inhalation. That¡¯s my very, very twisted hope. I know fire. I am fire, and fire is me, as Onyx always said. He was stone, and stone was him. The fire burned fast and hot, which creates less smoke than a cooler and slower-burning fire, but it was an enclosed space for a while and there was so much fire that they¡¯d had to inhale some smoke.¡± Phoenix squeezes his eyes shut and I feel tears roll down my cheeks as my heart clenches in my chest. ¡°I at least hope that if the fire itself dealt the last blow that forced them from Erebus to Lucius that they were already unconscious to the point they felt nothing. The cream puff shouldn¡¯t have gotten that last bit of cruelty. My family shouldn¡¯t have had to suffer like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Wyatt whispers. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can say.¡±


    ¡°The King doesn¡¯t deserve the Throne,¡± I murmur.


    ¡°No one who burns a house down full of innocent beings does.¡±


    Who decides? Who decides who is innocent? I want to say, but I hold my tongue, then hate myself for even wondering that when Phoenix is sharing how the King burned his family alive. But Onyx and Ivy and their daughter were innocent. They were all innocent.


    xxxx


    ¡°We tried to kill all the Guard and Soldiers who had been there and killed our family,¡± Ky says. ¡°I summoned an illusion of a monster, but it wasn¡¯t very convincing. At least, not like my illusions can be now. The Guard and Soldiers taunted me. I couldn¡¯t do much against them; I wasn¡¯t powerful enough with my illusions and if I were to have physically attacked them, I would have lost. There were too many of them, and I was not physically strong enough or skilled enough to take them all down. Phoenix killed them all. He burned them all alive, in an act of fitting karma. That was the first show of what his powers could do in the way of what they can do now."


    ¡°I killed the Guard who held the torch last. I saved him for last,¡± Phoenix says with a wry twist of his lips, staring somewhere between right at me and right through me. ¡°I sat on his chest and clawed at his face until I was screaming, and then somewhere in there I broke his neck. That was the first time I killed someone, but I was shaking so much that I barely remember it. I couldn¡¯t calm down for what was probably ages. They set our home on fire sometime in the early afternoon, but after I left the house and ended up killing the Guard, the next thing I remember was that it was so dark outside. It was so quiet. Ky was with me and we were curled up together.¡±


    The flat affect of Phoenix¡¯s voice makes gooseflesh prickle on my skin.


    Tears stream down my cheeks. I wipe at my face, and they drip down my fingers, slick and salty, but they just keep coming.


    He was ten. He was ten, and he felt he had no other option than to kill. I don¡¯t think he had any other way out if he wanted to live. They killed his family, and they would have killed him, too.


    Did he feel the same way I do after killing the two Guard? Did he feel the rising panic, the shaking fear, the mounting horror at the realization at just what taking a life truly means?


    He was ten, though. I¡¯m not. He didn¡¯t have any other choice. He had just witnessed his family¡¯s murder.


    ¡°The King needs to be defeated. I¡¯ve never felt otherwise,¡± I say, ¡°but I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡±


    Ky nods. ¡°He does. Do you now understand why neither of us will agree with you that there¡¯s a way to defeat the cream puff that involves anything other than killing him?¡±


    I incline my head. ¡°I do. I will never tell you that you shouldn¡¯t feel how you feel. That would be cruel of me.¡±


    ¡°But you do understand?¡± Phoenix presses.


    ¡°I do,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Do you agree?¡± he pushes, taking a step forward.


    I don¡¯t move and think for a moment, trying to find the right words but finding myself unsure of what to say. ¡°I¡­ I know that your feelings are completely valid, Phoenix. I might feel differently, but I am never going to say that you shouldn¡¯t feel how you do.¡±


    ¡°How will you make the cream puff pay if not by death?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the idea of punishment isn¡¯t a black and white answer.¡±


    ¡°It is with the cream puff.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°It is more clear-cut than with other cases. I will agree on that.¡±


    That makes Phoenix snarl. His eyes light up and he bares his teeth, lashing his tail.


    ¡°I saw their bodies. I saw their bodies burning in the fire. Tell me, Grey. What kind of monster does that and does not deserve death? What punishment fits burning two parents celebrating the birth of their child for the shortest stretch of time prior? What would you tell my parents and sister you did to hold the cream puff responsible and get justice for them if not death? The cream puff still breathes, yet they do not. My sister barely got to breathe. She never got a name that I got to speak. I never got to know her. I never got to teach her anything. We never got to play. We never got to create games together. We never got to run through the forest. We never got to chase each other. We never got to play fight. She never got to grow up. She never got to walk. She never got to run. She never got to feel the sunlight on her fur. She never got to experience the thrill of magic through her veins. She never got to see what the outside of our home looked like. She never got to truly meet our parents. She never got to meet me. She never got to meet Ky. She never got to learn how to hunt. She never got to learn how to control her powers. She never got to learn what her powers are. She never got to eat. She never got to drink. She never got to nurse. She never got to wrestle with us. She never got to speak. She never got to swim. She never got to climb. She never got to do anything. She felt the slightest bit of love for a tiny bit of time, and then all she felt was fear as she burned alive. What would you say to my sister?


    Phoenix ticks his head to the side, muzzle wrinkling with rage and frustration. ¡°What could you say to her that would justify her losing her life so young? What did she do? She was an infant, barely born, had only just made it to this side of the world from Erebus¡¯s creation. What did she do wrong that justified her meeting Lucius before she had even nursed once?¡±


    I hesitate.


    It¡¯s not about that, I want to say. It has nothing to do with her being so young. I just don¡¯t want more deaths. Your sister didn¡¯t deserve to die. She deserved to get to feel everything Erebus¡¯s world has to offer. She only got the shortest little glimpse from within the embrace of her parents. She deserved to get to experience everything you just said and more, everything she wished to experience and more. I just don¡¯t want more deaths. I don¡¯t know if taking more lives will give the justice that the King deserves. I want him to pay in full. I want him to pay for everything. Every single thing he has done.


    I echo my thoughts, and Phoenix¡¯s expression darkens into something murderous.


    ¡°The cream puff cannot pay. There is nothing that can make him pay. He doesn¡¯t get to breathe when my parents and sister do not. Every bit of air in his lungs is stolen from every breath my sister should¡¯ve gotten.¡± He stalks up to me, and for a brief moment I grow concerned he will throw me to my back and pin me down again. ¡°Every breath he takes should¡¯ve gone to her.¡±


    A shudder passes through Phoenix, too many emotions to count bubbling up within him. Me, as well. I can almost reach out and poke the swirling feelings coalescing all around us, moving far too fast to be able to work out and make sense of.


    ¡°I know you care, Grey. I know you care about life with some fucked-up sense of don¡¯t take lives. But even you must believe that the three lives of my parents and sister matter far more than the one life of the cream puff.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say. ¡°If given the choice between saving your parents and sister or the King, I would choose your family every time. However, the argument of which lives matter more is one I do not like to use. Between your family and the King, the choice is more clear-cut, but it implies there is a line and an inherent worth that some lives have and others don¡¯t. The argument can be made with a level of convincing evidence for those like the King and your family, but that leaves a grey area in the mid-.¡±


    Myles elbows me. ¡°Probably not the best time, Grey.¡±


    I spin around to face him. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Myles gives me a shrug. ¡°Probably not the best time for another debate over the morality of killing and what worth the King¡¯s life has.¡±


    ¡°I-¡­ true,¡± I admit.


    ¡°We returned a year later,¡± Ky says, changing the subject. ¡°It¡¯s the only time we¡¯ve ever returned to where our home was.¡±


    ¡°There were still a couple of stones that Onyx had summoned for the home, but the rest was mostly gone,¡± Phoenix adds. ¡°The field was filled with poppy flowers. Those weren¡¯t there before. We never knew our sister¡¯s name, but we thought Ivy might¡¯ve been trying to tell us she and Onyx had named her Poppy from within Lucius¡¯s claim. That field never grew anything but grass and dandelions in the decade we lived there, but it was filled with poppy flowers that day. It couldn¡¯t have been a coincidence.¡±

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 10.5 Short Story Extra Chapter Part 1 - Inferno

    Chapter 10.5 Part 1


    Inferno


    The Story of the Phoenix


    (A Bonus The King¡¯s Remorse Story)


    NOTES: This is NOT from Grey¡¯s POV and this story takes place about a decade ago. This is the backstory discussed in the previous chapter ¡ªChapter 10 ¡®Poppy¡¯¡ª and, thus, is from Phoenix¡¯s POV. Another note: This chapter is PART ONE! There will be Part Two in the next chapter. This story is about 13k words long and so I wanted to break it into two


    You can skip this chapter and you will not be lost going forward; you got the important information in Chapter 10 ¡®Poppy¡¯. This is a bonus story for those who wish to see what happened that day from Phoenix¡¯s perspective, not from only what he said in Chapter 10 ¡®Poppy¡¯


    As you may be able to guess, there are:


    TRIGGER WARNINGS: murder of both adults and an infant, neonaticide (not by the parents, but that¡¯s the closest exact word that I could find for what happens), young children left behind by the murders committed and who witness the murders but not directly, the grief and pain and horror and anger and all the emotions that come with that, children lashing out in rage and grief, a child committing murder in retaliation


    Everything that was discussed by Phoenix in the previous chapter ¡ªChapter 10 ¡®Poppy¡¯¡ª happens in this chapter, but instead of it being discussed as events that happened in the past, those things play out in the present and are from the perspective of ten-year-old Phoenix


    Please do note the warnings, as these events are no longer spoken about in the past tense; they happen in the present and are shown right when they happen with the immediate reactions. Phoenix¡¯s backstory deals with very heavy topics that affected him greatly¡ª he is who he is in the current time, a decade after the events he shared in Chapter 10 ¡®Poppy¡¯ in large part because of what happened to him that day


    Please take care to protect your wellbeing!


    And if you ever find yourself struggling, please reach out for help¡ª there are hotlines available, although the numbers and how to contact them depend on where you are. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health!


    I wrote this short story as a Halloween short story two years ago¡ª one of four short stories I wrote during the ¡®spooky season.¡¯ I knew Phoenix¡¯s backstory since around the time I created his character about eight or nine years ago; since I knew in 2022 that I would be editing The King¡¯s Remorse upon finishing Pockets of Gold and Silver, my previous work, I wrote out the short story. That version, written in 2022, was accurate to the original draft of The King¡¯s Remorse. However, it¡¯s not accurate to this current The King¡¯s Remorse. With the story hitting the plot point where Phoenix finally decides to share, I decided to edit the short story. So, without further ado, here is the edited and updated short story of Inferno:


    Phoenix bares his teeth in a snarl.


    ¡°Get back here! You coward!¡± he growls.


    ¡°Never!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m gonna make you stop. I¡¯m gonna get you!¡±


    Phoenix accelerates to a sprint, paws thudding against the soil as a smile tugs at his mouth. He pricks his ears, tail high in the air as he races forward. He¡¯s nearly there. So close he can taste it, and his flames sing on his pelt, responding to his excitement. Just one step more, and -.


    His forelegs slam into a barrier and he pitches forward, head over tail. Dirt sprays in the air as he skids across the ground with a low oomph. He grumbles and scrunches up his face, letting the fire covering his black fur blaze hotter to burn off the dirt covering him.


    ¡°That was rude, Ky.¡± He spits leaves out of his mouth and glares at his brother from where he lays on the ground. He flicks his tongue against his teeth to loosen the dirt.


    Ky gives a smug grin, shaking out his tan fur. His brown eyes glow with humor, and his fluffy tail flicks.


    ¡°You have your fire, and I have my illusions. It isn¡¯t my fault you¡¯re not the Wolf and aren¡¯t immune to magic.¡±


    Phoenix gives a pouty sulk and sends a thin line of fire toward Ky, who leaps out of the way. Their parents, Ivy and Onyx, had mentioned the so-called Wolf, the person who would take down the evil King. Phoenix thought the King was a made-up bad guy meant to scare him and Ky into going to bed. But he wasn¡¯t scared of bad guys. He had his fire.


    ¡°Meanie! Don¡¯t burn me!¡± Ky scampers out of range when the line of fire tickles Ky¡¯s toes.


    ¡°You¡¯re just scared. Nothing burns that I don¡¯t want to burn, so if I burn you, I mean it.¡±


    Ky looks up at Phoenix with big eyes. ¡°You¡¯d burn me?¡±


    Phoenix flattens his expression and nods, narrowing his eyes and leaning forward when Ky¡¯s face melts into something sad and pathetic.


    Phoenix can only keep a straight face for a few moments before his expression cracks and he shakes his head, smiling. ¡°Nah, I like you too much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought!¡± Ky harrumphs stalks forward, chest puffed out and head high. His oversized ears droop slightly over his head.


    Phoenix shakes off his excess energy from their interaction, then ducks down, forelimbs braced against the ground as he crouches in a play bow. ¡°Think you can get me?¡±


    Ky prances in a circle. He drops down to mirrors the pose, and the long fur on his chest and belly brushes the ground. ¡°I think I can!¡±


    He lunges, and Phoenix scampers out of the way, jumping up onto a low hanging branch of a nearby tree to escape his brother¡¯s attack. He unsheathes his claws to climb. His weight on the joints of his toes aches, but he has to escape his brother. When Ky starts climbing the tree, Phoenix sets a ring of fire around the trunk, blocking his brother¡¯s path upward. Ky retaliates with an illusion of rain.


    Even though Phoenix knows the rain isn¡¯t real, his flames still begin to sputter, despite his efforts to keep them going. His attempts at practicing and growing stronger have yet to truly pay off, like his father, Onyx, say they will. Yet, he reminds himself. Onyx couldn¡¯t create his massive, intricate stone creations when he was a kitten Phoenix¡¯s age, he said over and over.


    Practice, he had stressed when Phoenix grew frustrated at how his magic wouldn¡¯t respond during one of their training sessions. Work with your fire, not against it. The two of you are one. You are fire, and fire is you, just as I am stone and stone is me.


    What is Ky? Phoenix had asked.


    Ky is like your mother. Ivy is a part of everything you see around us.


    Phoenix had walked in a circle, eyes wide as he took in everything around him, until he had tripped over his paws. Trees and flowers and vines and leaves surrounded him from all angles.


    Ivy¡¯s all of that?


    Onyx had nodded. Yes, she is. She¡¯s woven into the web of the plant life. She¡¯s a part of the life. She isn¡¯t plants, not like you and I are stone and fire. Ky¡¯s like Ivy in that illusions have a life to them, but not in the way that Erebus made illusions for Aiyana to carry into this world. Ky creates his illusions and casts them upon a living being; they don¡¯t exist without someone to act upon.


    Ky¡¯s really powerful. Ivy¡¯s super strong.


    Onyx had smiled, his slate eyes lightening like a mountainside warming beneath the morning sun. The stripes on his cheeks had shifted as he had dropped his head to make eye contact with his son.


    Ivy is the strongest being I know. She¡¯s amazing. Both you and Ky are beyond powerful, each in your own way, and more than either of you know. Your magic is powerful, Phoenix, but there¡¯s more to strength than physical capability and what you can do with your magic.


    ¡°Cheater,¡± Phoenix grumbles at Ky¡¯s illusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s called using your resources,¡± Ky shoots back.


    Phoenix opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, his dad appears from the trees.


    ¡°Ky! Phoenix! Come over here!¡± Onyx shouts, an excitement in his voice that has Phoenix leaping off the tree without looking at the ground beforehand.


    The landing sends a force jolting up his bones, but he barely feels it.


    Onyx towers over Ky and Phoenix, easily over three times their size, with short grey fur and ancient, dark slate eyes. Light fur lines his belly, right where Phoenix likes to curl up and sleep; the fur is long enough to be cozy but not so long that he overheats. Ivy¡¯s fur is soft but she¡¯s too fluffy and Phoenix doesn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Your mother just had her baby,¡± Onyx says, voice trembling as he smiles, fangs showing beyond his lips, just like Phoenix¡¯s canines, except that Onyx¡¯s are further back in his mouth. ¡°You have a little sister!¡±


    Phoenix gasps. His sister can play with him and Ky!


    Ky leaps into the air. ¡°Really?¡±


    Their father nods. ¡°You can come meet her.¡±


    Ky turns back to Phoenix. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°I will be back at the home. Your mom needs me. We¡¯ll be waiting for you, so don¡¯t be long!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Phoenix replies distantly.


    A sister.


    What a big responsibility. Ky and Phoenix will have to show her all their favorite games and make sure she learns all the rules right so they can play properly. They will have to show her the forest so they can run around all day and show her the best hunting spots.


    But her magic!


    Surely they¡¯ll have to make new games to play when they learn what her magic is. The possibilities are endless. What will her magic be? What can they play? What games will they be able to make up? What ideas will she have?


    Phoenix shivers with glee at the thought. Maybe she¡¯ll think up games not even Phoenix and Ky thinking together could ever come up with!


    ¡°I will see you there. I need to help Ivy.¡± Onyx ducks off into the trees, slipping away on the path back home.


    Phoenix knows he is using his stone magic to make his journey back home faster.


    Their shared home of four ¡ªnow five¡ª feline individuals is a little den hidden away far off on the side of Ragdon Island, away from the main settlement of the Sea, a place where Ky and Phoenix had been told the majority of the others live and that it is very close to where King Garonda XIV¡¯s castle sits


    Neither Onyx nor Ivy told Phoenix much, but some bedtime stories featured the King as the villain and the Wolf and the Dove as the sibling heroes who would overthrow the tyrannical King. Phoenix had smiled and wiggled in excitement the first few times hearing the story, clambering up closer to his mother to hear more of the story. More about how the Wolf and the Dove had their own powers and could shift into their respective animal. Ky had gasped in awe at that, and Ivy had returned a smile to the both of them with such warmth and love that made Phoenix feel all fuzzy inside.


    Phoenix knew the King was real, but bedtime stories always ended with the hero defeating the villain in a satisfying conclusion, if Phoenix didn¡¯t fall asleep first.


    Ky bounds ahead a few paces after Onyx is gone and the brothers have gotten over their combined shock at having a sister, then turns around. ¡°Come on, Phoenix! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Phoenix smiles. ¡°Race you there! Last one back has to catch dinner for a week!¡±


    He breaks off into a sprint.


    ¡°No fair! You started first!¡± Ky whines.


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that ¡®cus you know I¡¯m gonna win!¡± Phoenix shoots back.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Yes, too!¡±


    Phoenix grunts as Ky tackles him to the ground, swatting at him with his paws, claws sheathed. He sulks, eyes narrowed and nose wrinkled, then rolls over onto his back, kicking his hind legs into Ky¡¯s stomach and throwing him off. But his brother just bounds forward again and wraps his paws around Phoenix¡¯s shoulders, teeth wrapping around his ear.


    Phoenix is just about to bat at the side of Ky¡¯s face to get him to let go, when he sees a string of Guard and Soldiers marching through the forest. Members of the army of King Garonda XIV, the King of Ragdon. The Guard carry their usual bows in hand, arrows neatly tucked away in their quivers and leather armor strapped on tight. The Soldiers have their swords sheathed in their scabbards, and their metal armor rattles with every step as they plod through the forest.


    What are they doing here?


    One of the Guard holds a flaming torch, and the fire calls out to Phoenix, although he ignores it. Maybe they just want better lighting?


    Phoenix pauses, foreleg halfway to reaching Ky¡¯s face, and his brother¡¯s grip on his ear loosens, and then lets go completely as Ky sits back on his haunches. The brothers watch as the Guard and Soldiers slowly make their way past, before they disappear out of sight. The Guard and Soldiers don¡¯t spare them a glance, and Phoenix doesn¡¯t think they had seen him or his brother.


    ¡°What are they doing here?¡± Ky asks.


    Phoenix tilts his head to the side with a frown. He shrugs. ¡°No idea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    ¡°Very. Maybe they¡¯re looking for the Wolf and the Dove?¡±


    ¡°Ooh, yeah! I think so! Maybe the Wolf and the Dove are out searching for ways to kill the King! Like those stories Onyx and Ivy told us.¡±


    Phoenix stands up and shakes off the strange interaction with seeing the Guard and Soldiers. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s keep going. We need to meet our baby sister!¡±


    The brothers take off again, racing through the forest. Trees pass by in a blur as they follow a trail they have run across a thousand times before.


    They are just about to turn onto the final stretch of the path to their home when a boom rolls across the landscape. The ground shakes, and songbirds flutter up into the air with squawks of alarm. Phoenix skids to a halt, looking all around as his ears swivel to find the source of the sound. He draws in a wheezing breath as he shrinks in on himself.


    ¡°What was that?¡± he asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ky murmurs.


    It starts off as just an itch, a little tickle in the back of Phoenix¡¯s mind. But when he draws in a breath through his nose and that sharp scent makes contact with his brain, Phoenix jerks his head up with a gasp.


    Smoke.


    He can smell smoke, and it calls to him like those flames on the Guard¡¯s torch had. It draws in his powers, and he knows which direction it¡¯s coming from. He can see the faint clouds rising above the tree line.


    ¡°We need to get home now.¡±


    There must be some measure of panic in his voice, because Ky runs just as quickly as he does. They each push the other a little faster, and then a little faster, then faster still.


    They cover the distance in not even a quarter of the time it would¡¯ve normally taken them, and Phoenix hardly sees his surroundings¡ª he just follows the smoke and the growing haze spreading through the trees. Ky sneezes as the smog grows thicker in the air, but Phoenix doesn¡¯t react. Fire has never bothered him. It can¡¯t. They¡¯re intertwined; each inextricable from the other.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Phoenix breathes as he slows to a halt in front of his home.


    What was once a little house made by Onyx and Ivy tucked away within the forest has been consumed by fire, and the flames reach up well over halfway as high as the surrounding trees with smoke pouring out above the treetops. Phoenix¡¯s ears draw back against the sides of his skull as he whimpers high in the back of his throat. He starts to shake. The tree their house had been built around is blazing in bright reds and oranges, and bits of the branches and dirt that had made up the walls of their home are blackened and charred.


    Shock keeps Phoenix frozen in place, mind blank and flatlining, until Ky bumps into him when he backs up as the flames explode out a former window, sending sparks and debris flying and more smoke billowing out into the air. Phoenix¡¯s brain finally makes the connections and realizes what he¡¯s seeing.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± Ky chokes out.


    Phoenix watches the flames dance before his eyes.


    He has never been afraid of fire.


    Fire is his friend. It is his shadow. His constant companion.


    Flames flicker across his pelt, caress his skin with a warm touch, and are his comfort. He is never without his fire. They are each other.


    But as he gazes at the fire consuming his home, fear snakes around his heart, digging jagged talons into his chest and making his throat close up.


    For the first time ever, he hates fire, and he sees anything but comfort in it. He wants to rip it from his skin, tear himself away from his fire.


    How can it destroy his home? It¡¯s supposed to be a friend, not burn something so familiar.


    ¡°Phoenix!¡± Ky cries.


    ¡°Our mother and father are in there,¡± Phoenix whimpers, eyes wide with horror. He tries to fold in on himself, curl up as tight as he can, and he backs up into Ky, who leans into him just as hard as he leans into Ky.


    ¡°And our sister,¡± Ky adds.


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Phoenix gasps.


    And once he can get his legs to start working again, he sprints toward his home, ignoring Ky¡¯s screams for him to come back. Phoenix isn¡¯t sure he can stop running if he tried. He just knows that his parents are inside his home, inside that fire, and so is his sister, and he has to save them. The fire is the bad guy, and he can defeat the bad guy, just like in those bedtime stories. He doesn¡¯t want to leave Ky behind, because what if the fire spreads and it gets to Ky, too, but Ky¡¯s strong¡ª Onyx said so. Phoenix has to save his parents and his sister.


    Phoenix rushes into the inferno, but instead of feeling comfort as the blaze engulfs him and the feeling of coming home, all he feels is pain. Pins and needles prickle at his flesh as the flames lick his skin. Heat sears his paw pads as he makes contact with the floor of his house and he¡¯s forced to stop just as soon as he¡¯s made it inside. Sparks and blinding reds and yellows and oranges batter all around him, and he soon loses where he is, despite having lived in the house for his whole life. He can¡¯t see anything, not even his own nose or whiskers. Each breath is grating, smoke like sand against his throat and rubbing his insides raw. He squints against the howling wind, the tornado of the spiraling flames, and pins his ears to the sides of his skull as he tries to adjust and tell up from down, make sense of where he is.


    Phoenix shouts for his parents, begs for them to reply, but his voice is lost to the fire.


    He pricks his ears and swivels them around, straining for any sound.


    But he can only hear the roar of the blaze, the crackling of the flames, the scream of the wind as it batters him from every angle.


    He reaches out with his powers, feels the thrumming energy of the inferno as it merges with the energy within himself, and tries to take hold. He tries to channel his abilities, just like his father had taught him. The fire is me, just as I am the fire.


    But the fire is too strong, too chaotic. He cannot get a grip on the flames, cannot latch on and begin to call to the blaze to make it respond to his will.


    Phoenix plants his paws on the ground and levels himself. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, curling his lip as the heat of the fire bakes the flesh of his mouth, and then stares down the inferno as its flames dance all around him in a dizzying array of reds and oranges.


    ¡°Come on,¡± he hisses as he tries to latch onto the power of the fire, grip onto some small piece and begin casting out his control. But every attempt fails, bounces right off like water on the feathers of ducks he had seen out in the Singing Marshes. He¡¯s harmless against the inferno, and he hates the feeling. And as desperation grows within him, he continues to try and he continues to fail.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Phoenix stares wide-eyed at the flames, lashing his tail. ¡°I am you, and you are me. Onyx said so! Why won¡¯t you listen? I have to save my family!¡±


    Again and again and again and again he tries to take control of the blaze, and each attempt fails and the fire just continues to howl and shriek on every side of him.


    Phoenix begs for his parents to come to him, begs for his newborn sister to somehow make her way toward him so he can bring her to safety.


    ¡°Please,¡± he whimpers. ¡°I have to save you. They want to kill you. They¡¯re trying to kill you and I don¡¯t understand why.¡±


    His legs give out, and he slowly crumples to the ground as the flames roar around him. He draws in a shaky breath that rakes against his irritated throat, and he coughs. Fire cannot truly harm him and neither can smoke, but a part of him wishes it could. Wishes it could do real damage so he didn¡¯t have to feel the pain and the worry and the agony of the unknown. It hurts so much and Phoenix doesn¡¯t know what to do with the pain. He wants his parents. They¡¯d know what to do. They¡¯d know how to help. They always do.


    Phoenix sniffles. He looks around, but he can only see the fire.


    He tries again. ¡°Onyx! Ivy! Sister! I¡¯m here! I can get you out!¡±


    Phoenix gets to his paws and stumbles forward, moving through memory since the fire still blinds him to everything. He keeps his stance wide as he staggers and tries to keep his bearings.


    When he reaches the part of the home where they all slept, a branch crashes the ground, sending up a cloud of sparks and ash in a flare of whites and yellows. Phoenix scrambles back a few paces and shakes his head to clear his vision from the blinding flash of the impact.


    He bumps into a wall of stone, half built and mostly crumbled. It¡¯s the work of his father¡ª it¡¯s too big and intentionally shaped to be natural. As Phoenix looks around, he can see the remains of his mother¡¯s magic; charred vines spread across the floor and walls like blackened veins. The beginnings of a thick tree surround the area, curling around the stone, incomplete and hastily crafted, nothing like some of the intricate creations Phoenix has seen Ivy make.


    They had been in here. His parents had been in this room.


    Hope flares in Phoenix¡¯s chest. He¡¯s getting close.


    If his mother¡¯s vines are still here ¡ªif his mother¡¯s vines and tree haven¡¯t yet completely burned¡ª then they must be nearby.


    Phoenix clings to that bit of hope. He tries to scent the air but can only smell smoke and everything that¡¯s burning, but he catches onto something else, something sharper. Something that makes his stomach twist, though he doesn¡¯t know why. He just knows through some instinct that it¡¯s wrong. A part of him wants to turn back around and leave fast, but he can¡¯t. Not when he¡¯s found a sign of his parents, and if he¡¯s close to his parents, then he must also be close to his sister. If he¡¯s close, he can save them. Ky¡¯s waiting, and he has to keep going.


    Phoenix takes a few steps forward and then trips over two lumps on the ground. For the second time that day, he falls down face-first. He jolts upright and shakes out his fur, whirling around and squinting into the flames. He slides his paws forward, trying to find what he had bumped into.


    He doesn¡¯t find it at first, but then he does. Phoenix feels something solid, yet burned from the flames. Crouching down, he nudges the shape with his nose, and his whiskers brush across it. Except, he feels fur. Long fur, singed and broken and stiff and patchy from the flames, bur fur all the same.


    Ivy.


    Phoenix scrambles back and trips over his paws and tail, falling onto his side and hitting his elbow on the ground. He wants to stay down, but he can¡¯t leave what he knows but cannot admit to himself. He claws himself back forward, dragging himself on his stomach and closing the distance.


    His heart sinks through his toes and his expression falls as tears well up in his eyes and stream down his cheeks but they evaporate as soon as they fall in the fire. Just as quickly, the hope plummets into horror and decays into despair.


    ¡°No,¡± he pleads, voice cracking and raising several octaves in pitch until it borders on a whine. ¡°Please, no. No, no, no, please. Come on, please.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± he begs, ears drawing to the sides as he gathers his legs beneath him, leaning back, and shakes his head. ¡°No¡­¡±


    His lips quiver, and his body begins to shake.


    Up close, Phoenix can catch glimpses through the roaring flames of two blackened shapes and the faintest hint of a third, tucked away beneath limbs. One is the size of his father, one is the size of his mother, and the third is small enough to be his newborn sister.


    None of them are moving.


    Phoenix gasps, flattening himself to the ground as horror seizes his throat. He claws at his face as he struggles to get enough air into his lungs. He shudders from shock, and his vision blurs. He knows what he is seeing, but none of it makes sense. How can they all be here? Phoenix just saw Onyx. His father just told him that Ivy had given birth to a daughter. Ky and Phoenix were supposed to meet her.


    Why did Lucius have to take them?


    Why did the King have to kill them?


    Why did the King have to send Guard and Soldiers to set their house on fire?


    Why couldn¡¯t Phoenix save his family?


    The Guard and Soldiers and King are the bad guys, and the heroes are supposed to defeat the bad guys. Why couldn¡¯t Phoenix defeat the bad guys this time?


    ¡°Onyx, Ivy,¡± Phoenix whimpers, voice shattering until he screams and cries and sobs. He falls apart.


    He knows he has found the bodies of his parents and sister, but he doesn¡¯t want to admit it.


    ¡°Sister,¡± he whines, shaking as he curls up beside his dead parents.


    He reaches out with a paw toward their bodies without looking but doesn¡¯t touch. He can¡¯t. He can¡¯t touch them. He¡¯s afraid, terrified. Onyx and Ivy would know what to do, but they¡¯re not here.


    ¡°Wake up,¡± Phoenix begs, tears streaming down his face, lost to the flames just like his voice is. ¡°Please, wake up.¡±


    Phoenix should go back outside and tell Ky, but how could he? What would he say?


    How could he tell his brother that he was too late? That he had the opportunity to save his family but he couldn¡¯t do so? That he was too weak to bend the fire to his will and make it stop? How could he tell his brother that he couldn¡¯t save his family, when if he had been just a little faster and a little stronger they could both be meeting their sister right now? How could he tell Ky that he was just a little too late, that he was so close?


    Phoenix chokes, then draws in a gasping breath.


    He¡¯s a coward and he knows it, but he can¡¯t go face his brother. He wishes yet again that he wasn¡¯t immune to fire. That he couldn¡¯t just lay in here until the flames die down and then walk away unscathed. Maybe if his powers were over water he could¡¯ve done something, but he knows that¡¯s a lie. He had every ability to stop the fire, but now he¡¯s too late.


    His parents are dead, and so is his little sister.


    It doesn¡¯t matter that he¡¯s a kid. He can control fire. He should¡¯ve been able to save his family. And they would still be here if he wasn¡¯t so weak.


    Phoenix turns his attention toward the bodies of his parents. ¡°Please,¡± he whimpers. ¡°Please wake up. Please come back.¡±


    They don¡¯t move. Everything is silent despite the roar of the fire and the howl of the wind. Phoenix can¡¯t hear any of it.


    His parents don¡¯t budge, and neither does his sister. The flames continue to eat at their bodies. Phoenix watches as his sister¡¯s tail curls up as the fire burns her flesh, the only part of her he can see.


    ¡°No, stop it,¡± he sniffles, reaching out yet again to the blaze and trying to take hold of it. To force it to move away and leave his family alone. To stop destroying the last thing he has of them.


    ¡°Please, stop.¡±


    But the inferno keeps burning, keeps battering every surface of his home, keeps roaring around him, keeps chipping away at everything he has known.


    Phoenix curls up a little tighter on the floor of his home, right beside the parents of his sister. He wishes he could see Onyx and Ivy again and get just a little longer with them. He wishes he could meet his sister and know her name. He wishes he could get a little time as a whole family.


    He stretches out a paw, squeezes his eyes shut, and imagines, with sobs wracking his sides, that it was any other afternoon and they were all taking a nap together, as one happy family. It was ok that he doesn¡¯t know his sister because she was going to play with him and Ky later. She was going to tell him her name when she wakes up, because she¡¯s going to wake up. She just needs more time. Lucius is going to give her back, because they can¡¯t keep her. They can¡¯t keep Phoenix¡¯s family.


    Can¡¯t Lucius understand that Phoenix needs his family?


    It¡¯s not fair.


    He needs his parents.


    The world is so big for just him and Ky.


    Phoenix shivers despite the overwhelming heat of the inferno.


    He can pretend for just a little longer. He can pretend his parents and sister back into life, and then this will all just be a horrible memory. He can wish hard enough, and they¡¯ll all be a family again.


    But Phoenix knows he can¡¯t, and he knows he and Ky are alone.


    The fire slowly consumes more of the home he grew up in and the bodies of his parents and sister. Phoenix will have to leave soon; he doesn¡¯t know when the house will collapse. He doesn¡¯t want to. He wants to stay here forever. He wants to keep pretending. He wants to hide, stay here with his parents and sister. He doesn¡¯t want to leave. He needs his parents. He doesn¡¯t want to face the world without them. They¡¯d know what to do, and he doesn¡¯t.


    ¡°Please.¡±

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 10.5 Short Story Extra Chapter Part 2 - Inferno: Hecatomb

    TRIGGER WARNINGS: murder of both adults and an infant, neonaticide (not by the parents, but that¡¯s the closest exact word that I could find for what happens), young children left behind by the murders committed and who witness the murders but not directly, the grief and pain and horror and anger and all the emotions that come with that, children lashing out in rage and grief, a child committing a murder in retaliation


    Chapter 10.5


    Inferno: Hecatomb


    Phoenix doesn¡¯t know how long it has been when he finally leaves the burning remains of his home. The fire still blazes within, and smoke continues to billow out into the sky, leaving the air heavy with ash and smog. Tears blur his eyes, soaking his cheeks with salt and soot that not even the flames on his own body can seem to burn away. Phoenix stumbles outside, unsteady, gaze unseeing. He manages to sit down. He sniffles as his lip quivers.


    Phoenix had wanted to stay longer, stall for just a little while more with his parents and sister, pretend for as long as he could that it was any other day at any other time and they were all one happy family taking one happy nap. Half of the house collapsed after the flames destroyed too much of the support structure and Phoenix still couldn¡¯t meld his energy with this fire to gain control, and the fantasy Phoenix had created to pretend so he didn¡¯t have to face reality shattered.


    He had cried and cried and cried and begged Lucius not to take them. He begged his parents to wake up. He begged his sister to come with him. He¡¯d protect her, like a sibling should do.


    Another part of the house had come crashing down, and Phoenix had flinched, scrambling out of the way as it nearly hit him and a blinding wave of sparks arced in front of his eyes in dazzling whites. They had sizzled as they rolled across the ground.


    ¡°I have to go,¡± he had realized out loud. ¡°I can¡¯t stay.¡±


    He got no response, and his stomach dropped out from beneath him. It was the loudest silence he had ever heard. It was the first time his parents had never replied to him. It was the permission he needed but couldn¡¯t get. He couldn¡¯t leave the bodies of his parents and sister, but he had to. He needed his parents to tell him that it was ok for him to leave, but they would never reply.


    Phoenix couldn¡¯t burn, but he could be crushed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he had pleaded. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He had started to leave, then turned around when he couldn¡¯t make it more than a few steps. He darted back to Ivy¡¯s side; he couldn¡¯t reach Onyx, not with the house collapsing around him.


    ¡°Please,¡± he had begged. ¡°Wake up. I need you. I love you. I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know what happened, but I¡¯ll keep you safe. I promise. Please, I need you. Ky needs you.¡±


    He had closed his eyes, though he could barely see anything. Behind his eyelids, he saw Onyx and Ivy. Short, grey fur, and long, violet fur. Warm smiles, kind personalities. Teaching him and Ky how to harness their powers, how to hunt, how to find water, how to play fight.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Phoenix had sobbed when he was forced back as everything crumbled around him and he fled the house.


    Outside, Phoenix shakes as his flames crackle in uneven patches across his fur. He sinks to the ground as he pants.


    ¡°Phoenix!¡± Ky races over to him as he picks his way through the field of debris.


    There is hope in Ky¡¯s brown eyes.


    Phoenix doesn¡¯t like that hope. He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s supposed to say. Onyx and Ivy would know, but he doesn¡¯t.


    How is he supposed to explain that Onyx and Ivy and their sister are all dead?


    Phoenix had hope, and it was right before he found his parents¡¯ bodies. Right before he found his sister¡¯s body. He thought that the stone and vines and the tree would lead him right to his parents and sister. They did, but he thought they¡¯d all be alive.


    Maybe Ky believes that their parents and sister made it out ok. Maybe he believes that they¡¯re racing off into the woods to some unknown location because he and Ky can take care of themselves, just like Onyx and Ivy had taught them, and their sister is currently helpless. Maybe he believes that their parents were never actually home¡ª they left for some reason he and Phoenix don¡¯t yet know.


    A part of Phoenix wants to let Ky hold onto that hope for however long he can play along for. That feels less cruel than what Phoenix is feeling right now. Phoenix doesn¡¯t know what he is feeling, but he doesn¡¯t like it.


    It¡¯s an ugly monster inside, some spitting demon with gnashing fangs and jagged talons whispering awful things to him. A part of Phoenix agrees. It¡¯s the King¡¯s fault.


    But Phoenix should¡¯ve been able to save his family, and he was too weak to do so.


    Phoenix controls fire, and his family died by fire.


    ¡°Where are Onyx and Ivy? Our sister? Did you find them?¡± Ky stares at Phoenix, ears drawn back and eyes wide. Panic fills his brown gaze.


    And still hope.


    Phoenix grits his teeth and looks away, eyes flitting across the field. Guard and Soldiers mill about, though they don¡¯t seem to have noticed the two brothers.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find them,¡± Phoenix lies through his teeth.


    The pain hurts so much for Phoenix, so why would he do it to Ky?


    Onyx and Ivy would know what to say, but Phoenix doesn¡¯t know.


    ¡°What?¡± Tears begin to well up in Ky¡¯s eyes, and it takes everything Phoenix has not to double back and tell the truth.


    Ky doesn¡¯t need to know what Phoenix saw. He doesn¡¯t need to know how close Phoenix was. How long he spent laying beside the bodies of Onyx and Ivy and their sister because it was the only chance he¡¯d get to spend time as a family and he couldn¡¯t leave and he just wanted to pretend and couldn¡¯t stop himself from crying and he couldn¡¯t make himself leave.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find them,¡± Phoenix repeats, then adds in a bit of truth. ¡°The fire was¡­ so strong. So chaotic. I could hardly see anything.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re outside? They¡¯re safe somewhere?¡± Ky¡¯s voice wavers, teetering on the line between hope and realization. ¡°They¡¯re safe, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Phoenix¡¯s lip quivers, and he bites his tongue so he doesn¡¯t tell his brother what he saw. But he can¡¯t lie and say they¡¯re alive. He can¡¯t say that. His voice drops to a whisper, so soft that Ky has to prick his ears to hear. ¡°No, they¡¯re not. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Ky shakes his head, stepping back and swishing his tail. He shakes his head again. ¡°No, no. The King wouldn¡¯t do that. He¡¯s mean, but he¡¯s only in the Sea. We¡¯re far away. He¡¯s a bad guy, but he¡¯s over here. And the Guard and Soldiers wouldn¡¯t do that. Ivy and Onyx¡­ Ivy and Onyx said they¡¯re not very smart, so Ivy and Onyx are way smarter. If the Guard and Soldiers set the house on fire, our parents would¡¯ve just escaped.¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s sides shake with sobs he can barely choke down. He doesn¡¯t know what to say. He silently begs for his brother to understand, but Ky just shakes his head, eyes wide with panic and fear and confusion plastered across his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what happened. They-they-.¡± Phoenix can¡¯t continue. He can¡¯t say it. He can¡¯t make it real in that way. He knows it¡¯s true, but saying it makes it that much more concrete. That much more real. ¡°They¡¯re gone, Ky. They¡¯re dead. Ivy and Onyx and our sister are¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    Phoenix looks down at his paws. He is lying, but not in the way Ky thinks. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be telling the truth¡­ but I am.¡± His voice is hardly more than a whisper.


    They sit in silence.


    ¡°Hey! I found them!¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s head snaps up as he sees Guard and Soldiers running toward him. Ky jolts to his paws, yanked back to reality by the thundering footsteps of the Guard and Soldiers.


    That ugly thing in Phoenix¡¯s chest rears its head, snarling and snapping its teeth, eyes flashing as it spits and bays for blood. It feasts on Phoenix¡¯s pain and grief and confusion, gobbles it up. It calls to him, tells him that if he can just kill, he will feel better. Blood will soothe his pain.


    Phoenix doesn¡¯t know what to do.


    Please, he calls out to his parents. I don¡¯t know what to do.


    The Guard and Soldiers draw closer as they all realize that Ky and Phoenix are standing near their collapsed and burnt home. A growl echoes in Phoenix¡¯s chest.


    They took his parents and sister from him.


    Something settles in Phoenix¡¯s chest. It fits into place, sliding just right and nocking perfectly, designed just so. A spark of anger he¡¯s never felt before flares to life in his gut, feeding the demon in his chest and the flames on his pelt.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Ky squeals, rushing forward a couple of paces as tears drip down his cheeks, staining his tan fur darker. He fluffs out his fur to make himself look bigger. ¡°Get away from us! You¡¯re mean!¡±


    His eyes glaze over, turn distant, and the Guard and Soldiers stop, frowning in confusion.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± one of the Guard murmurs.


    Ky weaves an illusion, then casts it with a bitter glare. A hulking monster materializes, unfurling from the ground and rising to tower over the Guard and Soldiers, and it swipes a clawed hand at them. Purple skin stretches across its lean, muscled frame, and wiry hair sprouts across its back in uneven clumps. Horns curl from its head and a thin tail snaps as it lashes it back and forth. After it draws in a breath, it bellows, revealing sharp fangs. The ground rattles as it stomps a foot against the ground, crushing grass. Phoenix recognizes the beast immediately; Ky had summoned it many times before.


    The edges of Ky¡¯s illusion are jagged, and there¡¯s a clear line between the monster and reality¡ª Ky cannot yet blend them together seamlessly, just like Phoenix doesn¡¯t have complete control over fire.


    Guilt coils in Phoenix¡¯s gut like a snake. He flexes his claws into the ground until his toes ache.


    Ky¡¯s monster flickers in places and some proportions are warped.


    ¡°What?¡± a Soldier taunts, waving his sword at the seven-eyed monster Ky had scared Phoenix with in the past. ¡°You think I¡¯m gonna be afraid of something as fake as that?¡±


    Get them, the angry part of Phoenix rumbles, the part frothing at the mouth, baying for blood. Kill them. You¡¯re strong enough.


    Phoenix doubted that. He hadn¡¯t been strong enough to save his family. There were far more than three Guard and Soldiers who stood before him.


    He was one kitten, not even an adult. He had much more growing to do, much more practice to do before he knew how to control fire like Onyx did stone and Ivy did plants.


    Kill them.


    Phoenix wanted to, but some part of him questioned that. The questioning part grew smaller with every heartbeat. The Guard and Soldiers didn¡¯t question when they killed Onyx and Ivy, and his sister. They weren¡¯t even leaving him and Ky alone after burning their home and destroying everything. They weren¡¯t letting him and Ky try to somehow make sense of what the King had just ordered his Guard and Soldiers to carry out, even though Phoenix couldn¡¯t think of a way that it could ever make sense.


    Phoenix stares down the Guard and Soldiers who continue to mock Ky and his unsuccessful attempts to chase them off with illusions.


    Anger churns in his gut, broiling into a frothing mess that bubbles over and warps into a raging storm. These were the Guard and Soldiers who murdered his family. The King had given them their orders, and they followed through. They could¡¯ve said no, and they didn¡¯t.


    And as Phoenix finds the Guard who is still holding the burning torch, something snaps within him and breaks into a jagged edge sharp enough to draw blood. It makes his lips curl.


    Phoenix reaches out to the fire, lets his powers brush against the flames and caresses them. This time, he can take hold. He wraps his grip around the flames and takes control off the fire. It bends to his will and his bidding. The fire is his now, not the Guard¡¯s.


    Why couldn¡¯t this be me before? I could¡¯ve saved my family.


    ¡°I¡¯m done with this. Let¡¯s get him,¡± the Soldier says, the same one who had been poking fun at Ky.


    ¡°No.¡± Phoenix takes a step forward. His voice is small, tired, hoarse. ¡°You won¡¯t be doing anything to my brother, not after you took my family from me.¡±


    ¡°And what are you gonna do about it? You¡¯re such a small little cat.¡± The Soldier smirks, and the demon in Phoenix¡¯s chest grins back, all teeth and smug satisfaction.


    Phoenix gazes back with big eyes. He just wants the Guard and Soldiers gone, but there¡¯s only one way. He wishes for the millionth time he could go back to the morning when it was just his family and his sister on the way, but he and Ky were debating the gender of their sibling. He wants that back. He wants the safety of his parents, where they had all the answers to all the questions he could think of, and they could help with any problem he needed help with.


    Phoenix turns his attention back to the Guard¡¯s torch. He feeds energy into the fire after regaining his control over the flames. The torch crackles and snaps, sparks bursting from the flames and flying through the air and popping.


    A few moments later, the flames explode, billowing out and engulfing the Guard and Soldiers in oranges and yellows and reds. The Guard and Soldiers begin to scream.


    Every breath Phoenix takes shakes in his chest, a mix of adrenaline and anger and fear that sharpen everything he sees. Every breath rakes against his throat, a reminder of the fire still burning in his home, of his family charred on the floor, of what the King ripped away for reasons Phoenix doesn¡¯t understand.


    Phoenix seethes and bares his teeth in a snarl he has never meant before but knows he means now. He growls in pure anger for the first time in his life, snarls in rage and fury.


    How dare they.


    Phoenix continues pouring his powers into the roaring flames, funneling his anger and twisting it into fuel for the fire. He gasps for breath as tears sting in his eyes. His jaw trembles, teeth chattering together as he loses himself into wrath for the first time. His body shakes and he doesn¡¯t know what to do, but it feels right.


    How dare they. Ivy and Onyx didn¡¯t deserve this. Neither did my sister. How dare they send them to Lucius like this.


    The Guard and Soldiers scream and howl, and they rush about as they attempt to put out the fire. Phoenix¡¯s flames are hot, but not hot enough to incinerate.


    Not yet, he tells himself. Someday.


    The leather armor of the Guard wrinkles and cracks, and the metal armor of the Soldiers glows but does not melt, instead acting as insulation and trapping the heat against their bodies.


    They killed my family. They burned my family alive.


    Phoenix would feel pity. He would feel remorse. He would feel bad for them.


    Onyx and Ivy taught him and Ky all of those things. They taught him and Ky to care about others.


    But Phoenix doesn¡¯t feel any of that.


    It¡¯s karma.


    Phoenix was too weak to save his family, but he is strong enough to get some small bit of justice for them. He is strong enough to take down the Guard and Soldiers who murdered them.


    xxxx


    Phoenix keeps the Guard holding the torch alive the longest.


    He doesn¡¯t know why he does it; the other Guard and Soldiers drop dead one by one, falling limp against the ground with dull thumps. Smoke curls from their bodies in lazy trails as they twitch and gasp for breath in ways that only make Phoenix think of his parents and sister in the inferno that the home had been before they all go still. A part of Phoenix knows it¡¯s because he wants to know the why.


    Surely there¡¯s some reason, some explanation. The Guard can tell him, and then it will just make sense, because Phoenix doesn¡¯t understand.


    Why are his parents dead? Why is his sister dead?


    He begins to cry again, though he¡¯s not sure he ever even stopped.


    Phoenix approaches the Guard with the torch. He¡¯s gasping for breath on the ground with only minor burn marks on his body. Nothing like what his family suffered in the inferno before their deaths. Phoenix hopes they inhaled enough smoke fast enough, though the thought makes his insides twist and his face twist into something sad. His ears droop and his tail drags across the ground. He knows smoke will kill faster than the actual flames, but his family didn¡¯t have to die.


    The Guard would be dead if Phoenix had let the flames do their full damage.


    ¡°Aww, kitty feelin¡¯ sad?¡± the Guard mocks, raising his eyebrows as he pushes himself up onto an elbow.


    Phoenix bristles and bares his teeth, flames jumping and crackling on his inky pelt in reaction to his sudden burst of rage.


    ¡°Cute,¡± the Guard snorts, squinting, then circles a finger to gesture at the dead Guard and Soldiers. ¡°You think this is gonna change a fuckin¡¯ thing?¡±


    ¡°You murdered my family.¡± Phoenix draws in a ragged breath as he stalks closer, making a sound somewhere between a snarl and a sob.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! I swear!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re holding the torch.¡± Phoenix jerks his muzzle toward the Guard¡¯s hand that still holds the piece of wood, burning at one end with flames that call out to Phoenix¡¯s powers.


    The Guard leans back as Phoenix steps closer, and Phoenix feels Ky watching from a few paces away.


    ¡°I had my orders.¡±


    ¡°You could have said no.¡±


    Phoenix shoves the Guard to the ground and pins him down by sitting on his stomach. He¡¯s not big enough to hold the Guard down with just one paw, but with his entire weight he can do it.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV is not someone you say no to,¡± the Guard gasps, disbelief and horror washing over his face. ¡°You do not disobey the rightful King of Ragdon! You must be the children of Onyx and Ivy.¡±


    The Guard looks between Ky and Phoenix from his position on his back on the ground.


    ¡°You are,¡± he breathes. ¡°We were not aware Onyx and Ivy had any children.¡±


    ¡°You say no to a bad guy,¡± Phoenix growls. ¡°If they do bad things, you say no and you stop them. The King told you to murder our family.¡±


    ¡°My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV is not a bad guy, little black cat,¡± the Guard says, returning his attention to Phoenix. ¡°What he says is law. Everyone obeys, because he is the King of Ragdon. He told us Onyx and Ivy must die, so they did.¡±


    ¡°But if someone is doing something bad, you have to step up and stop it,¡± Ky protests. ¡°You can¡¯t do something wrong. Bad guys can¡¯t get away with it. The King told you to kill our family.¡±


    ¡°The King of Ragdon does nothing bad. He is justified in the deaths of Onyx and Ivy. Whether or not he shares his reasoning is up to him.¡±


    Phoenix frowns. Onyx and Ivy had told him otherwise. No one ever did nothing bad. Everyone messed up and made mistakes. The Guard is wrong.


    ¡°The King told you to murder our family,¡± Phoenix snarls.


    How come the Guard cannot understand?


    The Guard cranes his head up, raising his eyebrows again. ¡°I had my orders. The King of Ragdon is always right, and I will live my life serving him. End of story.¡±


    Phoenix opens his mouth, pulling his lips back and showing his teeth as rage broils within him. He swipes a paw at the piece of wood in the Guard¡¯s hand, and it cracks from the force. Splinters dig into his paw pads, but Phoenix barely feels them.


    ¡°Scary,¡± the Guard mutters. ¡°Why are you doing this? It won¡¯t change anything. We killed two at the King of Ragdon¡¯s orders, and you have killed far more at no one¡¯s orders. You¡¯re a child. I¡¯m not. I had orders and it¡¯s my job. You had no orders and it¡¯s not your job. You and your brother will be tried by the Judge and Justice. You will be separated and each held accountable for your actions today. The loss of your parents will be taken into consideration, but ultimately, you are both responsible for your own actions, and you had no orders to take any lives. You should know better, but it seems neither of you do. The Judge and Justice will likely order me to testify at each of your trials, and I will have no choice but to recount what I witnessed.¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s ears start ringing, but he hears almost none of what the Guard says. Ky whimpers, and Phoenix sees him turning to him with wide eyes and tears in the corners of his eyes. His oversized ears droop by the sides of his head, and Phoenix hates seeing his brother that way. Phoenix watches his brother for several moments as he pants, unable to process and make sense of what the Guard just said.


    Two? They killed two at the King¡¯s orders?


    ¡°You killed three,¡± Phoenix corrects.


    ¡°Three?¡± the Guard echoes.


    When Phoenix sees the genuine confusion on the Guard¡¯s face, he roars and he rears back and slams his paws down on the Guard¡¯s chest as hard as he can. The Guard grunts and curls up, blood dribbling from his mouth as his face contorts with pain.


    ¡°You murdered three. THREE!¡± Phoenix snarls. ¡°You murdered my parents and my sister. She was hardly here before you-you forced her to Lucius. She didn¡¯t get to live. We didn¡¯t get to play.¡±


    ¡°Grow up. Life isn¡¯t about play. So what? At least she didn¡¯t have to grow up with parents who turn their back on others. Onyx and Ivy were Generals, you know? Your parents would¡¯ve left you the second they thought they coulda got somethin¡¯ better. You¡¯re better off without them.¡±


    ¡°You lie,¡± Phoenix spits. ¡°My parents cared about us. They loved us. You murdered them, and you murdered my sister. I don¡¯t care what you think.¡±


    The Guard snorts. ¡°You must, because I¡¯m still here.¡±


    ¡°I want to know why you murdered my family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you already; My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV gave us orders to kill Onyx and Ivy. We carried out his orders.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ky asks.


    ¡°The King of Ragdon ordered it.¡±


    ¡°Why would you carry out his orders?¡±


    ¡°He ordered it,¡± the Guard says.


    ¡°Why would you do that? He ordered you to commit murder.¡±


    ¡°The King of Ragdon ordered me to do something, and I will carry out his orders.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the King of Ragdon ordered me to do so.¡±


    Phoenix wants to scream.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand it, because Onyx and Ivy didn¡¯t teach you right. Come with me, both of you. You¡¯ll see. You¡¯ll understand. There¡¯s a Soldier, a real good one. A model Soldier. He¡¯s rising up through the ranks fast. One of the good ones. Not many like him, but if you can learn from the ones like him, then you¡¯ll do good. You¡¯ll understand. Onyx and Ivy could never teach you right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m never going with you,¡± Phoenix growls. ¡°You murdered my family. They didn¡¯t deserve it.¡±


    The Guard narrows his eyes, and Phoenix glares back, forcing him to stay still despite how his skin crawls.


    The monster within Phoenix stirs to life. It whispers to him, telling him to make the Guard pay, to make the Guard hurt, to make the Guard bleed.


    Anger and frustration and guilt build up in Phoenix¡¯s body, a boiling ball of energy with no outlet. The Guard must see the shift in Phoenix¡¯s posture. He pushes at Phoenix¡¯s throat and tries to move him away, but Phoenix leans back on his hind legs and drives his forepaws into the Guard¡¯s chest again, slicing through the leather armor. Blood trickles down the Guard¡¯s chin.


    He snarls as the Guard coughs, grimacing and crying out as the skin of the palm he had pressed into Phoenix¡¯s neck bubbles and blisters from the heat.


    Rage cracks and splinters into something more, and Phoenix begins to shake as he loses control. His vision blurs, he unsheathes his claws, and his lips curl, gums aching for vengeance that he longs to taste on his tongue.


    ¡°You murdered my mother.¡± Phoenix lashes out, claws slicing through the Guard¡¯s cheek. ¡°You murdered my father.¡± He rips into the Guard¡¯s other cheek. ¡°And you murdered my newborn sister.¡± He slashes across the Guard¡¯s forehead and nose.


    The Guard laughs, and Phoenix pauses, sitting back on his haunches on the Guard¡¯s stomach with his full weight. The Guard¡¯s face is swollen. Blood coats his body like a second skin.


    ¡°They deserved it,¡± he snickers, choking on blood and saliva until he spits it out and clears his mouth. ¡°Do what you want¡ª I don¡¯t care. But Onyx and Ivy deserved it. They supported the Wolf and the Dove. And you know what? No one even knows who the fuck they are! For all we know, it¡¯s just a stupid fucking lie made by a few disloyal citizens. Ivy and Onyx spouted that horrific false tale about how My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV is anything but the rightful King of Ragdon. And as for your sister, are you sure she was actually born? You know, you sure you didn¡¯t see, like, a little patch of dirt? Maybe you just really wanted a sister but you didn¡¯t, you know, actually have a sister?¡±


    Phoenix inhales through his teeth and every muscle in his body locks up as his vision turns red with fury. His tail lashes like a whip, and his flames rumble and thrum with energy. He hears Ky taking several steps back.


    ¡°You won¡¯t learn the truth from your brother over there,¡± the Guard says.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Phoenix says, shoving his face in front of the Guard¡¯s. ¡°Do not speak of my sister again. Do not speak of my par-¡±


    ¡°You can learn the truth with me, with the ranks of the Guard and Soldiers. You never will learn anything from your fami-.¡±


    Phoenix screams as his insides shatter and the building, broiling mess of anger and rage and grief and confusion and horror and pain and sadness and sorrow and fear detonates within himself. Flames erupt across his body, snapping and sizzling and sparking as they explode. He rises up into a low crouch on his hind legs and raises a foreleg, then brings his paw down hard against the side of the Guard¡¯s head. His claws latch on behind the Guard¡¯s ear and hook onto the underside of his jaw. His skin rips and tears as Phoenix snaps his head to the side. His neck twists as blood spurts from the shredded flesh. And then his neck snaps.


    Phoenix gulps down a huge breath of air, and then another. Once his mind isn¡¯t so dizzy, he looks down at the Guard beneath his paws.


    He hasn¡¯t moved, and his eyes are half closed and glazed over. The blood on his skin is starting to dry in cracked, scaly patches.


    Horror washes over Phoenix. What has he done? The Guard¡¯s head is twisted at an impossible angle and he¡¯s nearly beyond recognition as something human with how torn up he is. Phoenix did that, but neither Ivy nor Onyx would teach him that. Nor would they teach him to kill the way he did all the other Guard and Soldiers.


    They aren¡¯t here to tell you not to, the demon within him purrs. The Guard and Soldiers deserve it.


    A part of Phoenix agrees.


    The Guard doesn¡¯t move again, and Phoenix manages to stumble a couple of steps away before his legs give out and he crumbles to the ground as he sniffles and then sobs. He doesn¡¯t budge when Ky bumps his head into his shoulder and lays down beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Ky croaks. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    It takes Phoenix what seems like ages before he can reply.


    ¡°I know,¡± he manages to say.


    Exhaustion slams into him, and Phoenix slumps to the side with the force it hits him with. He rests his head on Ky¡¯s shoulders. He needs a familiar scent. He needs something other than smoke. Fire has always been familiar, a constant companion on his body, but now he can¡¯t escape it. Phoenix buries his nose in Ky¡¯s fur as sobs wrack his body.


    He can¡¯t stop shaking, can¡¯t stop crying, can¡¯t stop gasping for every breath, can¡¯t stop the tears soaking through Ky¡¯s fur, can¡¯t stop the sobs as he begins to be able to think and realize what¡¯s just happened. He feels like he can¡¯t breathe. He doesn¡¯t know if he¡¯ll ever stop trembling.


    He doesn¡¯t know if he¡¯ll survive. It feels impossible.


    Phoenix presses closer to Ky, inhales his brother¡¯s scent, and reminds himself that he still has his brother.


    Ky is still here.


    xxxx


    The next time the silence is broken, Ky speaks and it¡¯s dark. The silvery moon hangs high in the sky and stars twinkle. Phoenix cranes his neck back and wonders where Ivy and Onyx and his sister have gone.


    Where did you take them, Lucius? Why can¡¯t I see them again? Bring them back. I need them. It¡¯s not fair.


    ¡°Are they really gone?¡± Ky whispers. It¡¯s not a question, and his voice is so soft, unsure, shaky.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Phoenix replies, nose still buried in his brother¡¯s thick fur, fluffy strands tickling his cheeks, the only thing keeping him tethered to reality. His voice is as thin as a spider¡¯s web, and he¡¯s not even sure Ky heard him. Phoenix repeats himself. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re really¡­ they¡¯re-. They¡­ they¡¯re really¡­ really gone.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­¡± Ky exhales. He doesn¡¯t turn back, but when Phoenix glances up, he can see the tears dripping down Ky¡¯s muzzle as he stares at his paws and the way his nose quivers as he shudders with every breath. He can feel it, too, with how heavily he leans against Ky, two brothers clinging to each other support. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Phoenix bites his lip. How is he supposed to tell Ky what he saw in their home? How is he supposed to tell his brother what really happened to their parents and sister?


    The frustration builds and builds within Phoenix. Exhaustion pulls on him and tries to drag him down, lull him into sleep. But every time he closes his eyes, all he sees are his parents¡¯ bodies and his tiny sister wrapped up in their grip. Phoenix didn¡¯t even get to learn her name, and now he never will. Her name is lost with his parents, and a part of Phoenix wishes he can go after the Guard and Soldiers all over again, the same part twisting within him in an oozing, gelatinous form, bubbling and frothing with spitting fangs demanding blood, the same part with emotions Phoenix cannot identify and doesn¡¯t understand, because he doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s happened. He doesn¡¯t know how to make sense of it all.


    Phoenix wishes he had a chance to tell the Guard and Soldiers everything they just stole from the world by not telling the King no, like they should¡¯ve done. Like Ivy and Onyx always said to do if he or Ky ever felt someone was doing something wrong. But Phoenix also felt that the Guard and Soldiers never would¡¯ve listened. The Guard with the torch never did.


    ¡°Why?¡± Phoenix spits, and the word leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.


    Phoenix knows why, at least according to what the Guard said. His parents once supported the King, and then they left him.


    But didn¡¯t the King know what he had taken? Didn¡¯t the King know who his parents were? Didn¡¯t the King know who his sister might¡¯ve been? She would¡¯ve been the best sister, and Onyx and Ivy were the best parents Phoenix could ever want.


    All Phoenix has left are memories and what ifs and the burnt remains of his home and whatever parts of a body cannot burn. Phoenix doesn¡¯t want to know.


    His eyes find the Guard who¡¯d been holding the torch, and anger sizzles through his body, burning along every nerve hotter than he¡¯s ever felt. He hopes that wherever Lucius brought the Guard makes him suffer. He hopes wherever Lucius brought all the Guard and Soldiers makes them all suffer. He wants them to feel everything they¡¯ve done, all the fear his family felt as they burned alive. Phoenix can never burn, but he knows fire, just as it knows him. Phoenix knows what fire can do, what it did to them and their bodies.


    Phoenix doesn¡¯t realize how much he¡¯s shaking until Ky jabs a paw into his chest and snaps him back to reality.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    He snorts.


    ¡°I know that look.¡± Ky frowns, drawing his ears back with a cross expression. ¡°I know what that look means, and it wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    Phoenix can¡¯t meet his eyes. ¡°I know that."


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± he repeats, ducking his head to force Phoenix to make eye contact.


    Phoenix shrugs away from Ky¡¯s advances. ¡°I know that.¡± He turns his back to his brother.


    They stand side by side, until Ky grumbles, moves to stand in front of Phoenix again, and swats him across the face. Phoenix growls in response, scowling at his brother before turning away from Ky.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault!¡± Ky says yet again, walking around Phoenix to speak to his face.


    Phoenix grumbles. ¡°I know that!¡±


    ¡°Clearly you don¡¯t, since you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°Just drop it.¡±


    ¡°Did you order our parents deaths? Did you demand that our sister be killed?¡± Ky asks.


    Phoenix shakes his head and rolls his eyes. ¡°Of course not!¡±


    Why would he do such a thing?


    ¡°Did you set our house on fire?¡±


    ¡°No, bu-.¡±


    ¡°Then it wasn¡¯t your fault, Phoenix.¡± Tears sparkle in Ky¡¯s eyes, but he holds Phoenix¡¯s gaze.


    Phoenix looks back until he starts to cry again.


    ¡°There was nothing you could¡¯ve done. It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Ky sniffles.


    But there was, Phoenix murmurs to himself.


    There was something he could¡¯ve done, but he was too weak to do it. He doesn¡¯t voice his thoughts aloud. Ky wouldn¡¯t get it.


    Phoenix blinks away the tears, but every time he closes his eyes, all he can see are the bodies of his parents and sister. How the fire had burnt their skin in the glimpses he caught through the raging flames. How his sister was tucked away between his parents, but even their protection wasn''t enough.


    How much time had Phoenix spent snuggled away in that exact position in the past? How often had he been cuddled up between his parents, never feeling as safe as he did between them just like that?


    Phoenix glances at Ky. At least he doesn¡¯t have those memories. At least he can remember their parents only as they were and their sister as she might have been. Not as they were in their final moments.


    Phoenix¡¯s heart twists as he thinks about just how close he might have been. If he had just been a little faster, a little stronger, who knew what could¡¯ve been?


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Phoenix¡± Ky asks. ¡°I know you. What aren''t you telling me?¡±


    There¡¯s something in his brother¡¯s gaze. Something so honest.


    What is Phoenix supposed to say? Onyx and Ivy would know. They could help Ky and Phoenix through the conversation. There¡¯s only been a handful of times where Phoenix has outright lied to his brother. Phoenix knows Ky deserves to know. He deserves to know and have answers, even if it¡¯ll hurt. Even if Phoenix can barely get the words out.


    He clenches his jaw so hard his teeth hurt and steels himself. He digs his claws into the ground to steady himself. He takes a deep breath because he feels like he¡¯s about to pass out and the world is spinning and warping and his heart is about to beat out of his chest. What had he thought when he woke up this morning? That it was a beautiful day and that he had a gut feeling he would be meeting his new sibling soon?


    Phoenix didn¡¯t think he could be more wrong. He did get to meet his sibling, but only in the most twisted of senses¡ª he met his sister dead as her body burned.


    Eventually, he¡¯s able to speak.


    ¡°They died there,¡± Phoenix whispers.


    He doesn¡¯t want to tell his brother. He doesn¡¯t want his brother to know what their parents and sister looked like. He doesn¡¯t want his brother to know it was him who couldn¡¯t save their family like he was supposed to.


    Ky closes his eyes, bites his lip, and deflates. He bumps his head against Phoenix¡¯s neck and presses in close. Two brothers seeking out the only comfort they have.


    ¡°I¡­¡± he trails off. ¡°I know. I knew what you weren¡¯t saying. I didn¡¯t want it to be true, but why else would you lie?¡±


    ¡°How?¡± How could Ky have known that Phoenix was lying to him?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my brother, Phoenix. I know you, and I know that you wouldn¡¯t want me to be hurting.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t save them,¡± Phoenix whispers into the fur around Ky¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°It was¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s not on either of us to stop the King. It was such a big fire, and we¡¯re kids. It¡¯s the King¡¯s fault.¡± Ky chokes as he starts to cry. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have died, but it¡¯s not our fault. It¡¯s the King¡¯s fault. I couldn¡¯t have done anything, and neither could you.¡±


    Phoenix steps back, lashing his tail.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. You control illusions, but I control fire. Onyx said fire is me like I¡¯m it. I should¡¯ve been able to stop it.¡±


    Tears stream down Ky¡¯s face as he sobs.


    ¡°Phoenix, please. The fire was so big. It was already so huge. It was as big as the house. You couldn¡¯t have stopped it. It was too big. It¡¯s not our fault.¡±


    ¡°But I should¡¯ve been able to. I was weak, Ky. I was weak, and it cost them their lives. I should¡¯ve been able to save my family.¡±


    Phoenix wants to scream. There¡¯s too much energy coursing through his body, buzzing within, the beginnings of a firestorm with nowhere to go.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Ky whispers. His voice breaks, and Phoenix exhales through a snarl.


    He doesn¡¯t want to hear his brother cry. He doesn¡¯t want to hear any of it. Phoenix pins his ears to his skull.


    His claws dig into the soil. Fire bristles on his pelt. Every nerve in his body is alight, thrumming with energy and singing for destruction. Hate burns in his chest, and anger broils in his gut, a bubbling, churning storm howling within him. A demon baying for blood.


    And Phoenix wants to feed it, wants to nurture that best in his soul the same way his parents did him until the King murdered them.


    He grew stronger when he fed his fury to his powers. He managed to take down the Guard and Soldiers with that rage.


    Phoenix could do it again. He could do it over and over again.


    He could take down the King who¡¯s not a King.


    He was never a King. A true King wouldn¡¯t murder those who disagree. A true King wouldn¡¯t be the bad guy. Right?


    Phoenix swipes at the grass, claws shredding through the blades, and he hisses out a sharp breath.


    He has seen the bodies of his parents, lying motionless on the floor and he can¡¯t forget. He knows what they looked like when they were alive, and he knows what he saw in the fire. He can¡¯t put those two thoughts together; they won¡¯t fit. How can the two be the same. How can the image of what he thought his sister might be fit with what he saw of her in the fire, too? Phoenix can¡¯t make either of them work.


    Phoenix stares through the ground, feeling hollow, and his jaw chatters as he shakes.


    ¡°I know they died in that fire, Phoenix,¡± Ky says softly, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws. His ears draw back to the sides. ¡°And I think you saw them. It was the King. It was the Guard and Soldiers. It was them. It¡¯s their fault. They¡¯re the ones to blame!¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s eyes sting and he throws his head to the side with a snarl. Now is not the time for tears. Tears won¡¯t solve anything. Tears won¡¯t bring back his parents and sister. They¡¯ll still be dead.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve done something. I should never have stopped. We should¡¯ve been faster. We should¡¯ve run straight home. We should¡¯ve fought the Guard and Soldiers. I should¡¯ve burned them all! I felt the fire in the torch. I¡¯m the fire and the fire is me, like Onyx said. I should¡¯ve burned them all right there. I should¡¯ve killed them when they were walking there. Ivy and Onyx would still be alive, and so would our sister.¡±


    Ky shakes his head with teary eyes. ¡°What reason did you have?


    ¡°Look what they did!¡±


    ¡°What reason did we have to suspect them? We thought they were trying to find the Wolf and the Dove.¡±


    Phoenix twists his lips. ¡°But we should¡¯ve known. Why else would they be carrying a torch? Surely they were going to light something else on fire!¡±


    ¡°It was a torch!¡± Ky paces around a few steps, sniffling. He flicks his tail and sits down again. ¡°Come on, Phoenix. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s the King¡¯s fault. He¡¯s the one who did this. I want Ivy and Onyx back. I want Lucius to give them back. I¡­ there-there wasn¡¯t anything we could''ve done.¡±


    Tears stream down Ky¡¯s cheeks and his sides quiver with every breath. Voice thick, he chokes on a sob.


    Phoenix holds his brother¡¯s gaze for a moment, then looks away with a huff and a scowl. There must''ve been something he could¡¯ve done. His parents and sister died by fire, and he controls fire. There has to have been.


    Phoenix glares at the Guard who had been holding the torch. It¡¯s his fault in part. Phoenix reaches out with his powers and latches onto the Guard¡¯s skin and armor. As Phoenix feeds his energy into the Guard, he feels the heat building and building. There¡¯s a new curl of smoke as broken flesh catches flame, a thin tendril that twists, following air currents, and it grows until the Guard¡¯s body sparks and flickers and bursts into flames.


    Phoenix watches as he channels more and more energy into the blaze. He feels himself growing tired and he wants to react, to feel something as he destroys another being¡¯s body, but he feels almost nothing.


    Why did you have to take away my parents? Why did you have to take away my sister?


    The fire burns tall and bright, casting harsh shadows on the ground. As the flames flicker, light dances across the surrounding grass and trees. The hurt remains, but something settles.


    I can destroy the cream puff.


    Because the King isn¡¯t the King.


    He was too weak to do it himself. He couldn¡¯t commit the murder of Onyx and Ivy and their daughter himself. He had to go and send others to do it.


    Phoenix hates that so much. The hate burns in his gut and feeds that angry, churning thing, that feeling he cannot understand, doesn¡¯t know what to do with, within him.


    The King is like the little pastries Onyx and Ivy had told Phoenix about in their stories, soft and squishy and entirely destructible.


    Because Phoenix will destroy him. He doesn¡¯t get to order the deaths of Onyx and Ivy and kill them and their daughter and take away his and Ky¡¯s parents and sister and then get away with it.


    ¡°You feel better now?¡± Ky asks.


    Phoenix shakes his head. ¡°No.¡±


    Ky sighs. ¡°Me neither.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we ever will?¡±


    Ky shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Ivy and Onyx would. They know basically everything.¡±


    ¡°Knew,¡± Ky corrects, and Phoenix wants to cry all over again.


    ¡°Knew,¡± he whispers.


    xxxx


    A flash of red in the grass catches Phoenix¡¯s attention. It¡¯s way off to the side of where their house used to stand. It¡¯s not blood; it¡¯s a different shade, and it intrigues Phoenix enough that he wanders over to investigate.


    A red blanket, singed in places and smeared with dirt, but red. A soft shade, not harsh like the fire had been but not so soft that it borders on pink. A solid, yet soft, shade of red.


    A baby blanket, Phoenix realizes.


    One his parents had created. Phoenix nudges it with his nose, careful not to poke it with his canine teeth, as Ky approaches from behind. He recognizes the energy of Ivy¡¯s magic. She hadn¡¯t created it long ago, likely right before his sister¡¯s birth. Phoenix hasn¡¯t seen the blanket before.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ky asks.


    ¡°It was for our sister,¡± Phoenix murmurs, voice distant.


    ¡°Ivy made it?¡±


    Phoenix can¡¯t speak, so he nods. He folds his legs and curls up, rubbing his cheek on the blanket, careful of his upper canines and his flames. The blanket is already damaged; he doesn¡¯t want to lose the last thing he has of his parents and the only piece of his sister he will ever get to truly see. Tears spring to his eyes and he can¡¯t hold them back. Ky lays down beside him, length of his back against his.


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave this here,¡± Ky says.


    Phoenix shakes his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t carry it.¡±


    Phoenix shakes his head again. ¡°No.¡±


    Ky is quiet for a few moments. ¡°I want to wear it,¡± he states.


    ¡°Wear it?¡± Phoenix lifts his head and cranes his neck.


    ¡°Yeah, like around my neck. Tie it on.¡±


    Together, they do manage to knot the blanket around Ky¡¯s neck. The blanket is big enough that it will stay loose enough for Ky to grow into, but Phoenix hates the reminder that there¡¯s going to be an after his parents and sister. A with Onyx and Ivy, and an after, a life without them when he cannot even imagine what it''s going to be like without them to turn to, without them to guide him and Ky and teach them. A before his sister and now a without, because Phoenix never even knew her.


    All she got was the shortest little life, when she should¡¯ve gotten so much more before meeting Lucius.


    Phoenix bristles.


    His family is dead because of the King, the cream puff.


    The cream puff has to pay.


    The demon in Phoenix¡¯s chest twists and pulls him in and he goes. Onyx and Ivy would know what to do with all these feelings that Phoenix can¡¯t even take apart and make sense of. Onyx and Ivy would know what to do about a King who had just done something so bad, so horrific, like ordering the deaths of those who didn¡¯t deserve it. Phoenix doesn¡¯t know, and he hates it. He will figure it out. He has to.


    The cream puff won¡¯t pay by Phoenix sitting around and doing nothing. The cream puff will pay by hunting him down, and Phoenix will do that, no matter how long it takes and how hard it is. The cream puff will pay by Phoenix ripping him from this throne and destroying his life the same way he destroyed Phoenix¡¯s life.


    Phoenix was weak, and it cost Onyx and Ivy and his sister their lives. He won¡¯t be weak like that again. He will grow stronger. He will learn to wield his power until no one can beat him, until he can stop any fire in its tracks, until no home will burn down again. He will learn to wield his power until no Guard and Soldier can destroy Onyx and Ivy and their daughter and Phoenix and Ky¡¯s sister and hurt Phoenix and Ky like they did ever again.


    You can¡¯t do that. You don¡¯t get to do that.


    You will pay, Phoenix vows. You will all pay.


    A growl rumbles deep in Phoenix¡¯s throat, and his lips twist and contort into a grin that is all teeth.


    ¡°You just set the clock on your reign, cream puff.¡±

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 11 - Where Do We Go?

    Chapter 11


    Where Do We Go?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that was a coincidence,¡± Wyatt says. ¡°Lucius and Erebus can work in mysterious ways. I¡¯ve heard stories of those who I¡¯ve treated or their family members who have interacted with those they know whom Lucius has taken into their claim. They have told me who they have spoken to and the signs they have seen; something that to another would seem unremarkable but to them held such meaning. Such as a field full of poppy flowers.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a coincidence,¡± Phoenix snaps, insistent. ¡°Ivy isn¡¯t gone. Onyx isn¡¯t either, and neither is Poppy. They aren¡¯t gone. Lucius just won¡¯t give them back. They did with Freedom, and so they must with my family. Freedom wasn¡¯t supposed to die that day when Arcane killed her, and my family wasn¡¯t supposed to die that day when the Guard with the torch set fire to our home with the others at the orders of the fucking cream puff.¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s entire face twists and contorts into a grimace mimicking a demon, something monstrous, something so wicked, yet filled with such pain and heartbreak.


    Who would he have become if the King had never ordered the deaths of his parents? Who would Ky have become?


    Another thought crosses my mind: Just how many lives has the King touched? Have any of us managed to escape unscathed?


    I¡¯m not sure any of us have. I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s a spot on Ragdon the King¡¯s touch hasn¡¯t reached.


    ¡°We lived for a decade on our own, and then we found you.¡± Phoenix fixes me with a harsh stare. ¡°We found you and Alex. We killed Guard and Soldiers, every single one we came across. I never got my shot at the cream puff, but I consoled myself with the knowledge that I was getting stronger. Nothing will burn unless I want it to. Never again will a home burn down under the orders of the cream puff.¡±


    The skin where Phoenix burned me itches with the ghost of his fire and I resist the urge to scratch.


    ¡°We¡¯re stronger as a team,¡± Myles says.


    ¡°We are,¡± Ky agrees, ¡°but we don¡¯t know where to go. Phoenix and I were stuck for a decade. No, don¡¯t give me that face and disagree¡ª we were. We¡¯ve gone a hell of a lot farther in the time we¡¯ve known Grey and Alex than we ever did in the previous decade. But still¡­¡±


    ¡°Poppy is her name.¡± Phoenix flexes his claws, jaw tight.


    ¡°Her name is Poppy,¡± I say, nodding.


    ¡°The cream puff took everything. I didn¡¯t even know what it truly meant to lose someone to death when I was ten, but the cream puff took everyone except Ky. He would have taken my entire family, including me, if not for the fact that Ky and I just so happened, through sheer luck, to be playing out in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Grey¡¯s killed, we just offed a slew of Guard and Soldiers and sent them to Lucius on one of the King¡¯s shiny silver platters, and we¡¯re on the side of the Badlands we know the least about,¡± Myles says, swinging his red wooden staff in an arc. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°The better question is where do we go,¡± Wyatt adds.


    ¡°We find where the Midnight Wolves originate,¡± Ky says.


    ¡°We find the new Midnight Wolf,¡± I say.


    ¡°I get that.¡± Wyatt nods, twisting their lips and rocking back on their feet. ¡°But where. We¡¯re past the Badlands. We¡¯ve made it through, but this is still far too big an area to reasonably search.¡±


    Wyatt gestures to the expanse of land around us. Scraggly grass surrounds us, rising up to above our knees a ways off in the distance up ahead, but off to the east, walking alongside Ragdon Volcano, the ground turns into rocky sand. They are right; Ragdon isn¡¯t exactly a huge island, but it¡¯s not small. We cannot search it all in any sort of short amount of time. We could never hope to find Alex with anything short of extraordinary luck and both Erebus and Lucius helping.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I hum, tapping my fingers together as nerves begin to twirl and stir and tighten.


    Which way, which way, which way? they ask, taunting and demanding and whispering such horrible things.


    How come you haven¡¯t found Alex yet?


    How come you haven¡¯t found her?


    She would have found you, you know. She would¡¯ve found you by now. She probably hates you. She¡¯s probably wondering where you are. She probably thinks you betrayed her. She probably thinks you¡¯ve turned your back on her, you monster.


    I¡¯m not a monster, I reply.


    Monsters do monstrous things, they respond, echoing what Phoenix told Jabez when the Guard and Soldiers attacked the Sea in the fight that resulted in Arcane coming down from Ragdon Volcano, shedding the Midnight Tear, and Alex disappearing.


    I would never abandon my sister.


    Are you sure? Where is Alex right now?


    I¡¯m trying to figure that out, I plead. I¡¯m not a monster. I¡¯m not.


    I dig my nails into my palms, leg shaking so I shift my weight to the other. I clear my throat and run a hand through my hair.


    ¡°Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas?¡± I ask, forcing my attention away from my mind. It¡¯s too mean, too cruel right now. I need a distraction; I need to do something to show myself that I¡¯m going to find my sister, that I¡¯m not a monster. ¡°Anything they might¡¯ve heard that could be useful?¡±


    ¡°I say we head up to Ananta Spring,¡± Myles says. ¡°I feel like that¡¯s a good starting point. We can walk along Aiyana River to the Arcane Delta. Perhaps the spawning place will be somewhere along there? I don¡¯t think it would be somewhere here, out in the Badlands. That¡¯s in the middle of nowhere.¡±


    Wyatt purses their lips. ¡°True.¡±


    I exhale and curl my fingers through my hair. ¡°But what if that¡¯s wrong? What if it is in the middle of nowhere? What if it¡¯s intentionally exactly where no one is gonna look? What if it¡¯s right where we¡¯d never even think of? What if we miss it and we never find the new Midnight Wolf and then we never find Alex and I never, ever see her again? How could I live with myself?¡±


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    ¡°Deep breath, Grey,¡± Wyatt murmurs. They take an exaggerated breath in, then blow it out loudly. ¡°Inhale with me. Then exhale.¡±


    I watch them and force myself to follow. My heart pounds in my chest, loud enough that I can hear it, can feel it throughout my body. Fingers tingling, a sort of hysteria bubbles up in my chest. It¡¯s the kind that makes me want to giggle. The absurdity of the situation strikes me like a fist to the chest: Alex and I went from living as nobodies in the Sea to finding necklaces to nearly getting killed at the King¡¯s orders to running for our lives with the knowledge and the weight that we¡¯re supposedly supposed to defeat the very King who nearly had his Guard and Soldiers slaughter us. I wanted to teach. I never wanted to hold that weight of that responsibility on my shoulders. I never thought that scratching the itch of the urge to seek out the Erebus Tree would lead to such disastrous consequences.


    I want the King gone, but does it have to be me? I don¡¯t want to kill. I don¡¯t want that attention. I don¡¯t want a fight.


    Can I do it?


    How am I supposed to defeat a King if I can¡¯t even find my sister?


    No, I tell myself, knowing that Alex would tell me the same; she wouldn¡¯t let me speak so poorly. I cannot let myself do the same.


    With several deep breaths, I center myself.


    I can find Alex. I can, and I will. I won¡¯t stop searching.


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Ky says. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will work, though.¡±


    ¡°Try it.¡± It¡¯s worth a try. Anything is.


    Ky nods and closes his eyes. Widening his stance, the tan cat lets his ears fall to the side as he concentrates. His sides heave with several long inhales and exhales through gritted teeth, bordering on hisses.


    When Ky opens his eyes, they¡¯re glazed over, but I see no illusion; no one around me appears affected, either. Nothing seems to happen for what feels like a short eternity, some long while that stretches on for seemingly forever. Ky breathes slowly, every inhale longer than the previous.


    But then I start to see flickers of color, little bits and pieces of illusions, things I know are not real but look so convincing. They seem to be right there, right in front of me and Ky, floating between all of us. If I just reach out my hand, I feel certain I could touch them. Ky¡¯s fur begins to sway and my hair rustles against the back of my neck as a wind picks up, then blows harder as the illusions grow in number and strength.


    With a grimace, Ky braces himself and furrows his eyebrows, unsheathing his claws and pinning his ears as he waves his tail back and forth.


    Illusions swirl all around Ky, battering him and sending his long, tan fur thwacking his sides in uneven beats as it hurtles around and stirs up dirt and rustling the plants until branches crack and leaves scatter to the ground. Light glows and reflects in his brown eyes. Unfocused, he¡¯s watching something I cannot see nor follow. Some of the illusions I can see, however, and what I can see I cannot understand.


    I almost miss it. The red bandana around Ky¡¯s shoulders ¡ªthe blanket Ivy made for Poppy¡ª starts to loosen. Myles reacts faster than I do; he grabs the bandana as it slips off.


    Too absorbed by the illusions, Ky doesn¡¯t react, and Phoenix becomes entirely focused on the blood dripping from Ky¡¯s nose and mouth as soon as he sees it. A little trickle trails down from his lips and soaks into the fur along his jaw and droplets of red run down his chin. A single scarlet tear falls from the corner of his eye, much like I¡¯d seen on the Blood Demon.


    Shit.


    Phoenix inhales as his eyes widen. Nostrils flaring, he clenches his jaws and pins his ears. Fear erupts in his expression like an explosion and his flames crackle, out of control.


    Ky¡¯s eyes flicker between the illusions as he tries to work them out, and his ears swivel, tip of his tail flicking back and forth. Some are recognizable shapes ¡ªanimals, locations, things¡ª but others are far more abstract, and I don¡¯t know what they mean. I can only hope Ky does. If he can figure it out, I don¡¯t care that I don¡¯t understand. It doesn¡¯t matter. The Midnight Wolf will know where Alex is, and then we can find her and bring her to safety.


    Phoenix bunts into him with his head, trying to snap him from using his powers, but Ky shoves him off and drives his shoulder into his brother.


    ¡°Uh, uh,¡± he murmurs distantly.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± Phoenix snaps.


    ¡°No,¡± Ky mumbles, turning away to focus on a smear of color in the air that I cannot make sense of.


    I look between the two of them, as does Myles, who still holds onto Ky¡¯s bandana. Poppy¡¯s baby blanket.


    ¡°The fuck you mean no? You¡¯re fucking bleeding, Ky! Stop using your powers, and let me help you.¡±


    Phoenix rears up and pushes his forepaws into Ky¡¯s flank. He stumbles, then sits down with his back to his brother.


    ¡°My choice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ stupid one. I¡¯m not letting you make it. You always get to choose, but I won¡¯t let you choose to hurt yourself. I¡¯m your brother, Ky.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Ky says. ¡°I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Phoenix mutters. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself. I won¡¯t let you. I¡¯m your brother. It¡¯s us against the world, remember? Nothing comes between us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop because I know where the Midnight Cave is.¡±


    ¡°Midnight Cave?¡± I echo.


    ¡°It¡¯s where the Midnight Wolves spawn.¡±


    Hope blooms in my chest, a flower revealing its colorful petals to soak up the sun, a bird unfurling its feathery wings to take to the sky. If Ky knows where the Midnight Wolves spawn and where the so-called Midnight Cave is¡­ then we¡¯re close. Potentially so close. The dove within me flutters, chirring as it responds to the idea that we could be so close to Alex.


    A shiver passes down my spine, and I rock up onto the balls of my feet, digging my toes into the sand through my worn shoes. There had never been a pressing need to seek out new ones in the Sea, and now I was regretting that decision, though I just had to find Alex first; everything else could come later.


    ¡°Where is the Midnight Cave?¡± Wyatt asks.


    ¡°Near Ananta Spring. Close to where Ragdon bends to turn into the strip of land that runs along the opposite shore of Aiyana River to the Garden.¡±


    ¡°We really need to burn that fucking place down,¡± Phoenix grumbles, curling his lip.


    ¡°Not right now.¡± Ky shakes his head. ¡°We need to find the new Midnight Wolf and ask them about Alex.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Phoenix doesn¡¯t sound convinced.


    I take a breath. ¡°Alex is my sister,¡± I say softly.


    I know it could easily strike a nerve with the story Phoenix told me about his own sister, Poppy.


    And it does.


    Phoenix scowls, expression darkening until he¡¯s glowering at something somewhere around my shins.


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know how familial relations work, Grey?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let Alex go. I have to find her. We can go after the Garden, but I have to find Alex. I don¡¯t know where she is. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happened to her.¡± My breath catches in my throat. ¡°If¡­ if there¡¯s something I need to do, then I have to do it. She¡¯s my sister.¡±


    Phoenix huffs, rolling his eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll find her. Don¡¯t worry so much.¡±


    But he himself doesn¡¯t sound like he believes his words. He sounds like he¡¯s trying to convince himself. With a clenched jaw, Phoenix stalks a few paces away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do something so fuckin¡¯ stupid as letting a sibling go. You become able to do that, you¡¯re as shitty as the cream puff and I¡¯ll kill you myself. Only a monster can let go of a tie like that.¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s forgetting Alex,¡± Myles says, cradling Poppy¡¯s baby blanket in his hands. ¡°We¡¯ll find her. We¡¯ll figure out what happened. Where do we go next, Ky?¡±


    Ky tilts his head to the side, drawing an oversized ear back as he thinks and scans our surroundings. A breeze blows by and stirs up sand and dirt. He licks away some of the remaining blood on his jaw.


    When he gives Myles a pointed look, he hands the red bandana back to Ky, helping to slip it over the fluffy tan cat¡¯s head and arranging it over his shoulders.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    He pushes up on his haunches and starts off in a direction I wouldn¡¯t have walked in myself. I would have guessed we should be heading more directly toward Ananta Spring. Instead, Ky makes his way to the east.


    However, as we begin walking, I start to feel. A thrum of something hums within me, buzzing through my skin. The malachite medallion responds in kind, heating up against my chest with a pulsing energy. Feathers sprout along my neck and back. I extend my fingers as my arms go rigid and I resist the urge to shift into my dove form.


    ¡°Grey, what¡¯s going on?¡± Wyatt asks. They move to stand at my side.


    I force my legs to keep moving.


    I have to find Alex, I tell myself. Have to find Alex.


    ¡°Keep going,¡± I ground out. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. We need to find the place where they spawn.¡±


    ¡°The magic of the Wolf and the Dove must be more closely tied to the magic of the Midnight Wolves than I thought,¡± Ky muses.


    ¡°I thought you said-.¡±


    ¡°Whatever Ky said, he doesn¡¯t really know,¡± Phoenix interrupts.


    ¡°I only have some educated guesses. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    We¡¯ve only walked for another few minutes when Phoenix speaks again.


    ¡°So, Ky,¡± he says, ¡°what was that blood about when you were weaving those illusions? You gonna tell me? I¡¯m not gonna let it happen again.¡±

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 12 - The Midnight Cave

    Chapter 12


    The Midnight Cave


    Ky draws his ears back at Phoenix¡¯s question and starts to walk faster. He doesn¡¯t reply and flicks the tip of his tail, irritation prickling off him.


    ¡°Ky,¡± Phoenix repeats, ¡°what the fuck was that blood about?¡±


    Trailing several paces behind Ky, I cannot see his expression, but I can see how his body tenses and stiffens, losing the natural movement of every step and instead falling into something far more jerky and angular.


    ¡°Has the bleeding continued?¡± Wyatt asks. ¡°When did it start?¡±


    Ky growls in the back of his throat, pinning his ears.


    Phoenix bounds forward, cutting Ky off and moving to stand in front of his brother when he tries to step to the side.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t like you,¡± Phoenix says.


    Ky holds Phoenix¡¯s gaze for a moment before looking away with a sigh. He sucks on his teeth, then wrinkles his muzzle. The brothers stare at each other for several minutes, waiting to see who will break eye contact first. Phoenix scowls, expression dark and demanding, but Ky frowns back.


    When neither looks away, with a snarl, Ky lashes out at Phoenix, teeth bared and fur standing on end. Brown eyes flaring a sharp copper, the soft edges of him bleed into something predatory that reminds me of his brother. Phoenix takes a step back, jerking his head back as Ky swings a forepaw at his face, then lunges for Phoenix. They tussle, and Phoenix takes Ky to the ground.


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m fine,¡± Ky says as he rolls over and pins his brother with a paw on his chest.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Phoenix spits, glowering at Ky. ¡°If you ain¡¯t gonna fuckin¡¯ tell me, I¡¯m gonna find out for myself. You ain¡¯t gonna keep a secret like that. I¡¯m not gonna let you hurt yourself like that. You¡¯re not gonna do that. I¡¯m not gonna let you.¡±


    I can hear the undertone of fear in Phoenix¡¯s voice, and I can hear the desperation running through Ky¡¯s words.


    What¡¯s going on?


    But when that same feeling pulses within me again, my attention shifts. It pulls me from somewhere distinctly other to¡­ an entirely different way and I turn. The dove within me knows which way to go¡ª it follows the malachite medallion, wings fluttering within me as it coos and calls, beak chittering and clacking.


    When I start walking without really knowing which way I¡¯m going, I find myself following my feet without thinking consciously. Wyatt grabs my arm, but I shrug them off with more force than I think I¡¯ve ever used on another being before. They apologize before I can do so, and regret pangs within me. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing, but it feels right, and yet it doesn¡¯t at the same time. Either way, I know that it¡¯s the way I need to go; the malachite medallion tells me it¡¯s where I need to be going, and the dove within me echoes that feeling, tilting its head this way and that and cooing and clicking as it urges me onward.


    Ky lets Phoenix go, then trots up ahead, angling his ears. He scans the horizon, tail flicking behind him.


    The sand of the Badlands fully gives way to dirt and short grasses that crunch beneath our feet. A handful of scraggly bushes sprout from the ground, but I remain able to see so far, far enough that I wonder how much further we¡¯ll even have to go. Where could we be going? Where could Ky be taking us? Where could the malachite medallion be leading me?


    Myles walks a few paces to my side. His staff makes soft taps every step.


    ¡°What were you doing,¡± I ask, ¡°when you made all those illusions, Ky?¡±


    He twists his lips. When he doesn¡¯t reply for several beats, I wonder if Ky even will, but he does.


    ¡°I was trying to make a connection. My magic is tied to Ivy¡¯s. Phoenix¡¯s is tied to Onyx¡¯s. Phoenix is fire and fire is him, like Onyx was stone and stone was him. Ivy had that intimate connection that went beyond just being plant life, and I can reach in to touch others¡¯ minds to manipulate their perceptions of reality. Your malachite medallion is connected to Alex¡¯s pewter pendant, and both of those have a very close connection to Erebus and Lucius, to my understanding. Erebus and Lucius also created the Midnight Wolves, so I thought that if I could somehow try to find their magic, then perhaps I could find where the Midnight Wolves spawn.¡±


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    ¡°You were trying to find Erebus and Lucius¡¯s magic?¡±


    Ky nods, slowing down a bit. He tilts his head to the side. ¡°Everyone¡¯s got their own¡­ aura, of sorts. Their own thread. I can tie them together, if I want. I can manipulate each one, to an extent. Nowhere near what Erebus or Lucius could do, but I have my own power with my illusions. With enough focus I can seek out certain ones.¡±


    ¡°Was that those colorful illusions I saw?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°How did you know which thread was the right one?¡± Myles asks.


    Ky keeps moving, and Phoenix keeps pace a couple steps behind him. Ky hums, tail swishing behind him.


    ¡°The threads¡­ they¡¯re like string. I can tug on them. I can tie them together in my illusions. I leave together my illusions. When I was a kitten, what I wove together wasn¡¯t very intricate and I couldn¡¯t do much with the auras, the threads, but I can do much more now. With the threads now, when I tug on them I can see much more. I can sense much more about who the auras belong to. Sometimes they¡¯re humans, sometimes they¡¯re other beings, sometimes they¡¯re plants, sometimes objects without life. I can sense the power within each. Every being leaves their own mark on their thread. To find Erebus and Lucius I had to look for the thickest, darkest threads, the tautest ones thrumming with the most power. They each hold the most power in this world. No one sees Erebus after they bring every individual into life, and no one sees Lucius until they bring every individual to death, which makes finding them difficult. I just had to find their thread and look for the similar energy.¡±


    ¡°What do you see when you look at the threads?¡± Wyatt asks.


    ¡°The world is made up of string. It¡¯s an infinite array of threads, all tied together in a knot that can never be undone. To remove one thread is to unravel the universe.¡±


    We keep walking.


    xxxx


    We come across rocks.


    Ky almost walks straight past them, and Phoenix does, muttering something about how much longer? but with a few more curses.


    Myles pauses, and I do as well. The dove in my chest settles down, wings folding shut after rustling feathers until they sit right. I don¡¯t want to, but I do anyway; something keeps me in place. The rocks lay in a ring with one off center in the middle. The ring isn¡¯t all that big. With all of us crowding around the ring, we take up a good portion of the space. Each of the rocks look like any I¡¯ve seen across Ragdon. Unassuming, mottled with greys and browns with lichen spreading across the surfaces in small smatterings, and plain, the rocks wouldn¡¯t have drawn my attention if the malachite medallion doesn¡¯t tell me that this is the right place. When I start considering moving elsewhere, it pangs against my chest, a sharp, searing flare of heat that hurts but deals no lasting damage and tells me in no uncertain terms no.


    Wyatt sits down on a rock on the edge of the ring and stretches out their legs. Myles uses his staff to scratch his back.


    Is this the right place? I think. Are we here? Where are you, Alex?


    There¡¯s no hidden places. There¡¯s no spots Alex could be behind. If she were here, I would¡¯ve seen her already.


    Ky spins in a slow circle, paws leaving prints half as long as my foot but twice as wide. He squints as he takes in the scene, as do I. Phoenix grumbles as he lays down. He licks his paw, then spreads his toes wide to remove dirt trapped between his paw pads. His flames singe and sear the small foliage sprouting beneath and around him.


    I pace as I tap my fingers against my thigh. I feel like I¡¯m in the right spot, but I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m supposed to go, where I¡¯m supposed to look. I don¡¯t see another being. I don¡¯t see the new Midnight Wolf. I don¡¯t see anything that stands out as a door, an entrance, a new location to move to.


    I just see land, space that¡¯s no longer the Badlands but isn¡¯t far from it and is in some in between kind of space between the Badlands and the shores of Ananda Spring. I cannot see either, yet I know both are there.


    My focus keeps returning to the rocks. I haven¡¯t seen any others quite like them in a while, despite how they look like any other rocks on Ragdon. All others were much smaller or not in this number. There¡¯s thirteen rocks here; twelve in the ring and the last off center in the middle.


    ¡°Thirteen,¡± Myles murmurs, a frown crossing his forehead, as he brushes a lock of tightly curled hair from his forehead.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I turn to him.


    He leans on his staff, shifting his weight on his feet. He chews on a nail. ¡°Well, if you ignore one ¡ªsay, the rock in the middle¡ª you¡¯ve got twelve.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more,¡± Wyatt says.


    Ky narrows his eyes as he pricks his ears. He¡¯s catching onto something faster than I am, and I want to know what. I scour my mind for anything, but I can¡¯t remember. Panic rises within me.


    If I can¡¯t remember, I might lose Alex. I might never see her again. I might not find the new Midnight Wolf. I could lose them forever, and then I might lose Alex forever. Lucius might bring Alex into their claim, and I¡¯ll never get to say goodbye.


    My eyes prickle with the beginnings of tears, and I pinch my skin hard enough that my nails leave indents. The sting of pain snaps me from my spiral, but my heart still pounds in my chest and my blood still sings with energy and the zing of anxiety. My skin feels three sizes too small and I can¡¯t stand still. I pace.


    ¡°Like the zodiac constellations,¡± Myles continues. ¡°Taurus, Pisces, Gemini, Cancer, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Libra, Aquarius, Aries, Virgo, Leo, and Scorpio.¡±


    The ground rumbles.


    I freeze, eyes finding everyone else to confirm they haven¡¯t disappeared.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Phoenix curses, stalking around Ky¡¯s back and trailing his tail over his brother¡¯s spine.


    ¡°What about the last one?¡±


    Myles shrugs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s in the middle.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s twelve zodiac signs.¡± Wyatt frowns, moving to stand near Myles. They press a knuckle to their lips as they cross an arm over their chest.


    A single crack jerks through the soil, sprouting from the rock in the middle of the ring like a bolt of lightning.


    When the ground lurches, I gulp.


    Before I can think through options, the singular crack splinters into far too many to count, and the soil swallows us whole as it gives out.

 Reborn - Grey - Chapter 13 - The Kings Remorse

    Chapter 13


    The King¡¯s Remorse


    I fall backward.


    Fear seizes me in a chokehold as my gaze blurs until all I can see is the arrow in my elbow when I first shifted into my dove form and the terror I felt as I plummeted through the air and Alex fell from my back. I can¡¯t crash into the ground again. I can¡¯t lose my sister again. My wrists burn with the memory of the rope the Guard and Soldiers bound around my skin. I remember the panic and horror and dread I felt as the arrows sank into my body and I thought I was going to die and meet Lucius as pain roared through me.


    That can¡¯t happen again. I can¡¯t lose Alex. I have to find her.


    I call on my dove again as I see Myles and Wyatt tumbling into the sinkhole after me, but I feel no feathers sprout along my body. The malachite medallion doesn¡¯t react to my request and the bird within me stays strangely silent.


    Phoenix roars and throws himself against Ky as the ground gives way, pinning them both to the side of the crumbling sinkhole. His purple claws sink in deep, toes flexing as his muscles strain to hold them both up.


    Ky scrabbles at the soil, but it¡¯s too soft and his claws curl straight through, carving gullies that provide no purchase. Phoenix manages to gain traction, but he isn¡¯t strong enough to hold up their combined weight, despite his desperate attempts and his panicked looks at the fall and how far it is.


    I seem to fall for an eternity; I watch in such detail as Ky slips from where Phoenix had held both himself and his brother against the wall of the sinkhole. With an alarmed cry, Ky tumbles toward me, and I watch in seemingly slow-motion as his limbs splay out to the sides and his fur batters around him. Phoenix whirls around with a scream. He hesitates for only a moment, looking between the surface as his forelegs strain to hold on and the rest of us, before he leaps at his brother.


    Phoenix catches up fast and tumbles into Ky, wrapping his forelegs around his brother¡¯s flanks and shoving them both away from the side of the sinkhole, where rock juts out, sharp and jagged.


    We all fall through the middle of the sinkhole.


    No one speaks.


    When I try to call on my dove again to shift so I can fly and attempt to catch, to save others because I can¡¯t just let us all fall to our deaths, the malachite medallion and the bird within me still remain so quiet. I feel no feathers sprouting from my skin. I feel no shifting bones as the human gives way to the avian.


    I can feel the dove within me, but it doesn¡¯t react to my desire to shift.


    Come on, I beg. I¡¯m falling. We¡¯re all going to die. This is like when Alex and I jumped out of the King¡¯s castle. This is like when the Guard shot me from the sky.


    The dove within me blinks silvery eyes but doesn¡¯t otherwise react.


    Please, you¡¯ve gotta help me. I need to find Alex.


    Phoenix snarls and lashes his tail when he rotates in midair, spinning so he¡¯s falling paws-first again. His flames create a long trail behind him that cast flickering light on the walls beside us.


    How far down are we going?


    Before I can get an answer to that, my back hits a shockingly soft surface. With a low oomph, I slide down what looks like just air. When my feet touch solid ground, I drop to the ground, boneless and weak. I hunch over, forearms on the dirt and bracketed around my head. Through deep breaths, I try to calm the haze of hysteria bubbling up within me.


    I¡¯m unsuccessful.


    How hard is it supposed to be to find my sister? Is it really that much to ask to want to know where Alex is? Is it too much to ask? I just want to find Alex.


    I never wanted a target on my back. I just wanted to live my life with my sister. I wanted peace. I wanted my students to be safe. I wanted myself and Alex safe.


    Was that really too much to ask?


    Ky laughs as he splays his toes wide and skids down, and Myles runs his fingers across the invisible barrier that caught us. Wyatt studies it, their features turning into a studious frown as they press on it. Phoenix lands harder than Ky and rolls to the ground, grumbling and snarling the entire way.


    ¡°Fuck that,¡± he snaps. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ stupid. What the actual fuck are we doing here? This better be where Alex is, otherwise I¡¯m demanding an audience with whoever the fuck came up with that fucking idea.¡±


    Phoenix lashes his tail, pinning his ears and shaking out his fur, flames crackling and sparking on his pelt. He wrinkles his muzzle into something dangerous and predatory.


    At Phoenix¡¯s words, I rise to my feet and take a few steps away from where I¡¯m standing and look around. We¡¯re in the mouth of a cave, and a long one at that. Brown stone walls stretch high around us with stalactites hanging toward us. I almost walk into a stalagmite but manage to catch myself. Gems of every color jut out from the rock, glowing with vibrant sparkles. Phoenix¡¯s flames shine bright, but they aren¡¯t needed to see with how much light the gems cast.


    Energy that I cannot quite put my finger on buzzes and hums throughout the entirety of the cave and the air. The hair on my arms and neck rises, and the dove within me coos, warbling. Silver eyes brightening to a degree I¡¯ve never seen before, something grasps the dove¡¯s attention like a noose around a neck, snapping my own focus to the yawning darkness stretching into an unknown nothingness.


    ¡°We should continue,¡± I say.


    The malachite medallion pulses against my chest, flaring with a harsh silver light.


    Ky flicks his gaze to the medallion.


    ¡°The power,¡± he murmurs, brown eyes fogging over.


    I wonder what he sees, if he¡¯s seeing the threads he had mentioned.


    ¡°What about it?¡± Wyatt asks.


    ¡°Do you feel the pull, Grey?¡± Ky asks.


    ¡°The malachite medallion wanted me to walk here, and now it wants me to walk into the cave.¡±


    Ky huffs. ¡°Unsurprising. I can see the thread. The power¡¯s tying the malachite medallion to this cave very closely, and whatever¡¯s further down. I¡¯m guessing you can feel it?¡±


    I nod.


    ¡°Then we should probably go down there,¡± Myles says.


    Wyatt looks up, craning their neck back. I do the same, and the mouth of the sinkhole is a smudge above me.


    How the fuck are we supposed to get out of here?


    ¡°Well,¡± Wyatt says, ¡°I don¡¯t see a way up, and we are clearly down here for some reason.¡±


    ¡°What if we get stuck?¡±


    Phoenix snorts. ¡°I think we are already stuck, Grey. I don¡¯t think we can get much more stuck.¡±


    I sigh, rocking on my feet. A part of me wants out of the cave. Its walls feel so compressing, like they¡¯re closing in. The glowing gems shine too bright, blinding shards of precious stones chipped from the depths of the earth and stuck here in some place I know I have to be but don¡¯t understand why.


    Just talk to me, I tell the dove within me. Tell me why you want me here. Talk to me. Please.


    I wrap my fingers around the malachite medallion as the urge curls through my gut to dig my nails into my arms and scratch until the sting of pain bites through me, chewing through the anxiety thrumming within me, winding me up higher and higher. I¡¯m shaking, breathing turning ragged as I skip several steps on my way to a panic attack.


    ¡°Inhale,¡± Wyatt tells me, and they obey their order, dragging in an exaggerated breath, just like Alex has done countless times in the past.


    I hear them breathe and force myself to copy them. I breathe in, then exhale, repeating the action over and over, tapping out counts of four on my skin until the static clears from my gaze and my mind settles down. No longer spiraling, I can think easier.


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    Another part of me knows I have to be here. That part of me doesn¡¯t want to leave, and that part of me takes a deep breath, settling into the knowledge that if the Midnight Wolf is here, I can talk to them and if they know where Alex is, I can get that information and I can find my sister.


    xxxx


    We continue further into the cave, leaving behind the mouth where we fell in. The gems embedded in the walls shine, illuminating the way, glittering and glimmering all around us until my vision sparkles from the overwhelming array of dazzling colors. Rubbing at my eyes, I force myself to keep going; Alex needs me.


    The cave snakes back and forth, seeming to go on for both eternity and no time at all. Phoenix plods on beside me, spending more time watching his brother than his surroundings, brow furrowed into something somewhere between confusion and worry. Myles and Wyatt stick close together. The cave walls around us stay so uniform and consistent that I lose track of how far we have gone.


    But when the cave opens up, all those thoughts disappear, vanishing as if they were never there in the first place.


    So much light shines that I can see the roof of the cave, where stalactites hang in jagged, worrying points dotted with countless gems.


    Ky trots way up ahead toward where several ghostly figures float. I recognize one as a representation of Arcane, and his form towers over the other three. One is a black vulture with a reddish head and a ruff of yellowed neck feathers, how many imagine Ananta to look. Another is a grey and beige crane with a red crown, how many imagine Aiyana to look. The last is a figure I do not recognize: a human with pale white skin and bright red hair, shackled at the wrists by silver metal bindings. Shirtless, they gaze out at the cave through blank blue eyes, crisp as the frost that occasionally nips at the grasses in the Sea.


    ¡°Who¡­¡± I start, then trail off, unsure if the figures are real or not.


    Ky squints, ears pricked as he studies the four figures, then shakes his head. ¡°They¡¯re not illusions like I make, but they are not alive. I can see the threads of the magic of Lucius and Erebus everywhere though. They both have a very heavy presence here.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who the human figure is?¡± I ask.


    Ky shakes his head again. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize them. Perhaps they were alive before me, or maybe they have some connection to the power of the Midnight Wolf, or perhaps Erebus and Lucius had some other reason for placing their image here.¡±


    ¡°-The fuck is this?¡± Phoenix asks. ¡°Ky, is this one of the zodiac constellations?¡±


    ¡°What does it look like?¡± Myles asks.


    ¡°A wolf.¡±


    I know that I should know what the twelve constellations are. But my mind is too scattered, too scrambled, to remember


    ¡°No, none of the zodiac constellations are a wolf.¡±


    ¡°But we are searching for the Midnight Wolf,¡± Ky muses, ¡°and Lupus is the wolf constellation.¡±


    A round, stone platform sits in front of the four figures. Only rising to mid-shin height, the twelve different colored gems on the platform cast sharp shafts of light on the ground.


    Phoenix pricks his ears, fur rising along the back of his neck as he raises his tail. He twitches his nose and tastes the air, approaching the dais.


    ¡°Alex was here,¡± he says.


    ¡°What?¡± I reply, voice cracking over the word.


    ¡°Alex was here,¡± Phoenix repeats. ¡°I can smell her. She was on the platform.¡±


    ¡°Alex?¡± I call. I raise my voice, tripping as I scramble forward. ¡°Alex? We¡¯re here. Are you here, Alex? Alex!¡±


    I wrap my fingers around the malachite medallion, squeezing tight as energy shudders through me, searing in my veins with no place to go.


    ¡°Grey,¡± Ky says, nose twitching. Ears low, he doesn¡¯t meet my gaze. He takes a small step toward me. ¡°Grey.¡±


    Phoenix rumbles, flicking an ear. ¡°Grey, Alex ain¡¯t here. Dunno where she is, but she¡¯s been gone for a while.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I drop to my knees, fear seizing ahold of me.


    ¡°We were too late. Alex was here, but we were too late.¡±


    I curl up as agony snakes through my heart, slithering around the dove that struggles against the sharp scales catching on soft, downy feathers. With a harsh coo, something flashes in the dove¡¯s silvery eyes. I wrap my arms around my knees, knotting my fingers into my shirt as tears drip down my cheeks.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have stopped. We should¡¯ve kept going. Why did we stop? We should have kept walking. We should¡¯ve left immediately. What if¡ª.¡±


    Phoenix cuffs me over the head, claws sheathed. His breath stirs my hair as he steps forward until he¡¯s standing directly over me.


    ¡°Look at me,¡± he demands. When I don¡¯t move, he repeats himself. ¡°Grey, look at me. I can and will make you.¡±


    Hesitating for another moment, I lift my head. My lip quivers, and my vision blurs with unshed tears. Phoenix¡¯s flames reflect in his eyes, bright enough against his inky fur that I have to squint. Ky stands off from his shoulder, brown gaze pained.


    ¡°Alex was here,¡± Phoenix says. ¡°I¡¯ll hit you again if you start it with the what ifs. Alex was here. She was alive here. I do not smell death. Nothing in here smells of death, and I know that smell, Grey. I am very familiar with what death smells like. We both know that.¡±


    ¡°But what if¡ª.¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh,¡± Phoenix snaps, baring his teeth with a growl. He lashes his tail. ¡°What did I tell you?¡±


    He tilts his head, sticking his nose further into my face.


    I take a ragged breath, trying to slow the rising panic, the fear, the dread, the horror, the way my mind immediately starts free falling into every single thing that could have happened to my own sister.


    ¡°But¡ª.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Phoenix cuts in before I can speak, voice firm and leaving no room for argument. He pins his ears. ¡°No buts. No debates. This is not a negotiation. Alex was here. She was. I am correct about that. A feline¡¯s sense of smell is much better than that of a human¡¯s. Trust me, Grey.¡±


    ¡°But if she isn¡¯t here,¡± I croak, ¡°then where did she go?¡±


    Phoenix sighs, rumbling.


    He steps away from me and paces, toes flexing as he digs his claws into the cave floor, then swipes at loose pebbles and sends them skittering across the rock. He lashes his tail and ticks his head to the side, lip wrinkling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know where Alex went. I don¡¯t know where she is. I just know where she was. She was here, Grey. She was. Alex was here. But she¡¯s not now, and I don¡¯t know where she went.¡± Phoenix takes a breath, tilting his head back.


    When the glow of the gemstones catches with the burning of his flames and reflect, they refract in Phoenix¡¯s eyes, amplifying every bit of what he¡¯s feeling to the nth degree. Emotions flicker across his fiery gaze like a storm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find Alex, Grey,¡± Phoenix murmurs, voice rough but the least unkind I¡¯ve ever heard him speak. ¡°You won¡¯t lose your sister, too. The cream puff doesn¡¯t get to take everyone. I don¡¯t smell death here, and Alex isn¡¯t here so she¡¯s somewhere out there. We¡¯ll find her.¡±


    I¡¯m as certain as Phoenix is, but I don¡¯t have the same confidence. What ifs swirl around in my head, the only thing I can think, and they drown out everything else.


    ¡°We will,¡± Ky echoes.


    ¡°We will,¡± I whisper, closing my eyes.


    The malachite medallion a solid warmth against my chest, I imagine that I can reach out through the universe, across Ragdon, to wherever Alex is, to tell her that I¡¯m searching, that I¡¯ll find her, that I love her.


    xxxx


    ¡°Hey,¡± Wyatt says, drawing my attention to them. They¡¯ve pushed themselves up onto the wall of the cave, bracing themselves with a hand to keep their balance, while they trace their fingertips on their other hand across an ancient-looking scroll of writing on the wall.


    ¡°What?¡± I reply.


    Myles raises his head from where he sits on a small stone jutting out from the wall. Bracing himself on his staff, he twists.


    ¡°Look at this,¡± Wyatt continues, ¡°there¡¯s a poem. A¡­ prophecy.¡±


    Ky whirls around, almost bowling over Phoenix as he sprints to Wyatt. Grumbling, Phoenix makes several halfhearted threats against his brother, but he rolls his eyes and a small smile betrays him. He pads after Ky as we all draw closer to where Wyatt has climbed a little higher.


    ¡°A prophecy?¡± Ky asks.


    Wyatt nods, then reads aloud:


    ¡°The Wolf and the Dove shall rise


    With the help of the Phoenix whom the King shall despise


    The Demon shall eat until it¡¯s full


    To the war it shall feel the pull


    The Father shall be found


    From the curse to which he is bound


    The flame of the King shall set fire


    To the countless acres of the Sea and the mire


    The Mountain Prisoner shall face their fears


    After being alone for countless years


    One shall disappear


    Only then shall things be clear


    The fatal bite


    Shall make things right


    Count on the assistance of the Deer and Eagle


    And then shall topple the highest steeple


    Help shall arise from a sacrifice


    A scream shall claw through the air in a slice


    The lost one shall swiftly howl away


    The pains and sins of the Night and Day


    Claws and arrows shall pierce veins


    Eager to see who shall start the next new reign


    Heartbreak shall fuel the rage


    Of the Warrior and the Mage


    The battle shall last for days and nights


    Until at last the foe shall turn and take flight.¡±


    We¡¯re all silent for what feels like forever. I chew on my lip and mull over the rhymes. My mind whirls far too fast to make sense of what they mean.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Phoenix drawls, ¡°what the fuck?¡±


    Ky squints, something thoughtful in his expression. ¡°A prophecy.¡±


    ¡°Some of those lines make sense,¡± Myles says.


    ¡°One shall disappear,¡± I murmur under my breath.


    Ky climbs up the cave wall, stretching upward as he examines the scroll. Ears pricked, he mouths along as he reads. Phoenix wrinkles his muzzle, shifting in place and grumbling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that I¡¯m included in that,¡± he snaps.


    ¡°Why?¡± Myles asks. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re gonna take down the King.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a prophecy to tell me that, and I was gonna do it without the Wolf and the Dove beforehand anyway!¡±


    Myles switches his staff to his other hand. ¡°So what? You¡¯re still gonna do it.¡±


    Wyatt twists, but they don¡¯t get down.


    Phoenix rolls his eyes. ¡°Whatever. If I¡¯m included by name, why isn¡¯t Ky? Why aren¡¯t either of you? There¡¯s only a few, so really the whole thing is just stupid.¡±


    Ky shakes his head. ¡°No, Phoenix, I don¡¯t think so. I think this was created with the belief it would be true.¡±


    ¡°A prophecy doesn¡¯t force you to do anything,¡± Wyatt says. ¡°It doesn¡¯t set the future in stone; it cannot force your path in any direction.¡±


    ¡°It says¡ª.¡±


    Wyatt exhales. ¡°I know what the prophecy says, but I also know that it cannot force anyone to do anything. Everyone can choose, and you chose long before you knew of the prophecy¡¯s existence that you would take down the King and kill him.¡±


    Phoenix bares his teeth but doesn¡¯t reply. He glares off into the distant expanse of the cave in the direction we came.


    I scratch at my collarbone.


    One shall disappear.


    Thoughts tumble through my head, and I make a connection I feel I should¡¯ve made far sooner.


    ¡°Alex,¡± I whisper, voice turning high and thready.


    Myles perks up, looking around. He glances at me. ¡°Is she here?¡±


    Phoenix scoffs, but I barely hear the sound, too lost in my mind.


    I start to tremble.


    I shake my head.


    ¡°No,¡± I say, ¡°she¡¯s not here.


    ¡°Alex isn¡¯t here. I don¡¯t know where Alex is, but she was here. Alex was here after Arcane shed the Midnight Tear, after he died.¡±


    I face the grey stone dais where the Lupus constellation glows with slowly pulsing and shifting lights between the twelve different colored gems.


    Ky draws his ears back, tail swishing against his hind legs. He frowns, and then his expression softens into realization as anxiety coils in my gut, a snake hunting for a songbird.


    Ky realizes far faster than I did, but I speak before he does.


    ¡°Alex is the new Midnight Wolf.¡±

 Relearn - Prologue

    Prologue


    RELEARN


    It opens its mouth


    The Lullaby sings them to death


    Thank you for reading! With this Prologue, the fifth of six section of The King''s Remorse has begun! Relearn will bring a new POV, and I look forward to sharing! With only two POVs left in The King''s Remorse, the story has begun to approach the final stretch, though there are still arcs left and plenty of chapters to go! Please comment your thoughts and consider a favorite/follow if you enjoyed this chapter!


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Any guesses as to who will narrate the Relearn section of The King''s Remorse?


    Any guesses as to what may happen in Relearn?


    Any theories on where the story may go after the final chapter of Grey''s Reborn section?


    Any theories on Relearn''s Prologue?


    I hope you had a nice week!


    -Werewolf14- :)


    For those who celebrate, Happy Spooky Season!

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 1 - Blue Eyes Like Those

    TRIGGER WARNING: Animal abuse. It happened in the past, but there are details for most of the chapter; most of the chapter takes place in the past through a memory. Brook shares what the King did to her


    Relearn


    BROOK


    Chapter 1


    Blue Eyes Like Those


    I made a promise on the worst day of my life.


    I made a promise the day I took my best friend''s daughter from her.


    She and her lover had just lost everything, and the King''s actions sealed his own fate in my mind. I would never and could never follow him again, but I wouldn''t need to do so because I was going to seal myself away from the world until the moment I met Lucius. Even then, my body would never return to Ragdon.


    I''d be taking my best friend''s daughter away from them forever, but it would keep her safe. They wanted her out of harm''s way, and it was the only way.


    I promised Freedom and Jabez that I would do whatever I had to so I could keep Astra safe.


    Ninety years passed by, and I haven''t gone back on that promise. I can''t now, not ever.


    I started to resent the King when he turned me from a draft horse used in his army into one of his mutant creations. A creature with an animal body fused to the soul of a murdered human and warped by the corrupted power of the Amethyst Throne. I never asked to be made into a unicorn with the power to create portals, but when Freedom needed me to protect Astra because the King made the mistake of letting the Judge and Justice choose me to be Astra''s caretaker, I used everything at my disposal to make sure the King couldn''t touch my stepdaughter and my best friend''s only child.


    And my plan worked for ninety years. I created the rainbow portal, the one Astra and I couldn''t leave and the one designed to be extremely difficult to find. It worked until Phoenix found us.


    Jabez came first; from the King''s housecat, Ice, to a feline animal whose head reaches somewhere between my wrist and elbow.


    After Jabez, the King continued his project. I remember the day he turned me from only a draft horse into who I am now: Brook, a blue-furred unicorn with the power to create portals. Someone long ago told me the ribbons in my mane and on my tail are pink, but they look grey to me; horses cannot see red and the King''s project did not gift me with that ability.


    That fateful day, a Guard had led me from the stables attached to the King''s barracks and into the King''s Throne Room, still a draft horse with dappled white-grey fur and feathers the Guard and Soldiers kept talking about cutting off because of how hard they were to clean. I followed the Guard willingly, keeping pace beside him so the lead rope always had slack. I remember wondering what job the Guard and Soldiers would ask of me. What I''d be pulling, moving that day. I remember the confusion when the Guard led me into the King''s Throne Room.


    A small gathering of Guard and Soldiers had formed a half-circle at the foot of the Amethyst Throne. I spooked at the sheer power emanating from the Amethyst Throne, a rock colored various blue-grey colors Soldiers had said was a color called purple. I felt the thrum deep within my body. My nostrils flared, my eyes widened and rolled, and I reared up with a roaring neigh deep in my chest. I turned to bolt, but the Guard yanked on the lead rope, twisting my neck at such an angle that, despite how I could easily pull him, the bolt of pain from the awkward angle made me pause. I felt several sets of hands on my body, and Guard and Soldiers surrounded me, blinding light reflecting off the Soldiers'' armor. I crow hopped, until someone dug curled fingers into a muscle under my ribcage, just behind my foreleg. I jumped, exhaling sharply in pain as I kicked out a hind leg, then went still when the Guard jerked on the lead rope again.


    "Easy," the Guard said. "You''re here to see Our Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV."


    The Guard dropped to a knee, still holding onto the lead rope, and he gestured to someone sitting on the Amethyst Throne while keeping his head bowed to the ground.


    I had tilted my head to the side in that moment. I hadn''t understood what was happening, with the limited knowledge I had in that moment; I couldn''t have acted in the way I needed to. I should''ve used the brute strength I had and forced my way out of the Throne Room, even if it had cost me my life because the Guard and Soldier shot me so full of arrows and swords I couldn''t move and bled out. Maybe not so many would''ve died. Maybe I wouldn''t have had to understand the full depth of just what the King had done.


    Maybe he never would''ve turned me into a monster.


    I''m not a monster like him, but I''m a monster all the same.


    We all are.


    Aren''t we?


    xxxx


    I got a closer look at the King, who wore a blue-ish grey colored suit I heard Guard talking about was a shade mimicking the Amethyst Throne and was another shade of purple. His inky black hair fell in front of his face, skin pale enough that he looked dead.


    In front of the Amethyst Throne, I saw another person, a person I didn''t recognize. I still don''t know their name. They kneeled facing the Amethyst Throne. Long hair fell over their shoulder. I heard their heartbeat, how fast it raced in their chest. I could smell the sweat on their skin, almost taste the fear permeating the air. They were close enough that I could just walk over, take a few steps and I''d be right there.


    I did not understand fully what was going on. I was confused, and I still believed the King and the Guard and the Soldiers. I had no reason not to. They fed me and I worked for them. I had not learned different.


    But hearing the terrified beat of the person''s heart, picking up on the scent of their fear curling through the air in a sick cloud, made me take those few steps forward, knees cracking as I lumbered closer, head low and ears pricked.


    I''d brushed their cheek with my nose, blowing a breath of air across their face as I tried to understand why they were so scared. The person stiffened and tears rolled down their cheeks from their eyes.


    No, don''t cry.


    I nudged at their head again.


    "It-it''s ok," they croaked, dropping their gaze to their lap. "Go, horse."


    I nickered softly, remaining in place.


    They''d looked up this time. "It''s ok, horse." They sighed. "Blue eyes like those, I''d''ve named you Brook, you know?"


    A name? For myself?


    "Uh, uh," the Guard chastised, pulling on the lead rope in sharp, jerking motions. "You need to stay here for this part."


    I''d flinched as the rope rubbed against my fur, biting into my skin. The Guard yanked harder. I could''ve resisted; I knew I was stronger than just one person, but the Guard was asking something of me and I knew I was supposed to listen. The muscle on my upper abdomen twinges with the memory of the fingers dug into it.


    I hadn''t understood what was going to happen, and it would forever eat at me. I could''ve done something, if I had only understood just a little sooner.


    With one last look at the person, I turned and walked back to the Guard. I bunted my nose into his shoulder as an apology. He patted the side of my muzzle.


    "Don''t worry," he murmured, "you will be receiving a gift not many will soon."


    A gift?


    I didn''t understand what the Guard meant, and I''d forever wish that I had, because I could''ve done something. I outweighed every Guard and Soldier. I was stronger than every single one. I could''ve taken out many. I had the strength and endurance. I''d never learned to fight, but I could''ve figured it out. A trial by fire.


    xxxx


    I watched with a tilted head as a Soldier had stepped up behind the person, sword drawn, and the person stopped breathing, a shrill whimper falling from their lips, followed by a sniveling sob. I nickered, not yet understanding why the bitter, sick scent of fear bottomed out into pure terror. With one hand holding them on their knees, the Soldier took his sword and drew it across the person''s throat.


    Blood had gurgled up from the sliced wound across the person''s throat immediately, streaming in a bright spray of grey down their throat.


    I''d reared up again, exhaling a low scream.


    Why''d you do that?


    The Guard patted my neck. He allowed me slack on the lead rope as I paced in place, hooves clattering on the marble floor, nostrils squared and whites of my eyes flashing. I swiveled my ears, alternating between pricking them forward as I watched the person sway on their knees, then go limp in the Soldier''s grip and collapse to the ground when the Soldier let go.


    Blood pooled on the marble around the person, the acrid stench rising and filling every bit of the Throne Room. Tail raised and swishing, I tried to rush forward. I could hear the rapidly slowing heartbeat of the person, and I did not understand why no one was trying to help them.


    I understood now, looking back upon it and with a far fuller understanding of the King and his army and the Amethyst Throne. But then I was still the unnamed draft horse who did not realize what the King had done and who willingly did the work asked of me.


    The Guard holding the lead rope yanked back on it, and I spun around, raising my head and tail and swiveling my ears. Blowing, I tried to free myself, lifting my jaw and drawing my ears back. With heavy steps, my hooves slipped on the marble. Behind me, I saw the person''s unmoving body, pool of blood now almost twice as big. I could barely hear their heartbeat now.


    One heartbeat, two, three, a fourth so soft I didn''t know if I actually heard it, and then a fifth, and the person''s body had gone silent. A strained noise had wrung up from deep within my chest.


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    I can still feel the pain now, as if that day happened yesterday, not decades in the past.


    "The Amethyst Throne is ready, and the horse is here. Everything is in place, My Sovereign, My Excellency, My Honor, My Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV," the Soldier who had slit the throat of the person said, kneeling before the Amethyst Throne, head bowed so far his forehead brushed the marble.


    I watched as all the Guard and Soldiers in the Throne Room turned to face the King, and I shifted on my hooves, itching with anticipation and unease. My nostrils flared and I swiveled my ears.


    The King had taken a breath, spreading his legs as he leaned back and draped himself across the Amethyst Throne, as if he didn''t have a body laying beneath him with blood oozing from their slit throat.


    "Bend, horse," the King had purred, standing to a crouch, eyes glowing in that blue-grey fire that the Guard and Soldiers said was purple.


    "Accept the gift of the Amethyst Throne."


    "Kneel," a Soldier barked. "Kneel for the Amethyst Throne and the King of Ragdon. Kneel to accept the gift offered to you."


    A Guard in front of my shoulder had kicked his toe at my pastern and I''d jerked my hoof back, lifting my foreleg, when another at my ribcage pulled my leg back. The movement twisted muscles in unnatural directions, and I tried to move out of the way.


    I wish I had fought back more. I wish I had broken free. I wish I had put up enough of a fight that I''d forced my way out of the Throne Room, no matter how many arrows the Guard shot through my back and how many swords the Soldiers shoved through my legs


    But I didn''t.


    They said it was good, the Guard and Soldiers. They said the Amethyst Throne was good. They followed the Amethyst Throne and the King of Ragdon. So shouldn''t I?


    I had believed like they did and still do for a long time. Sometimes it was easier. I''d had that framework, that way of thinking for my entire life. I was a draft horse in the army of Guard and Soldiers, and I had helped with what was asked of me. I did so without complaint.


    But I wish I had protested.


    I''d allowed the Guard to drop one of my forelegs to my knee, stretching my other back. I stumbled on my hind legs to adjust to the awkward position. I had snorted, throwing my head to the side and swishing my tail.


    I drew my ears back when I saw thick tendrils of blue-grey light emanate from the Amethyst Throne, curling across the marble floor. A firm hand on my shoulder had kept me on the ground, even though every bit of me wanted to stand and bolt. The lights snaked across the ground.


    Mixing with the person''s blood, the grey tendrils expanded and swirled further.


    With a deft hand, the Guard holding the lead rope untied it as he and the rest of the Guard and Soldiers stepped back just as the tendrils reached me. They''d hit me across my body, surging through every bit of my being with a searing heat that scorched my throat and lungs as I dragged in a wheezing inhale.


    Pain seized me, and I reared up with a scream. The Throne Room tilted as I stumbled underneath the vibrating power surging through my veins and across my nerves. Picking up more blood from the puddle beneath the person''s body, I felt the energy of another join in my own body¡ª that of myself, the Amethyst Throne, and now the person''s soul.


    Three energies mixing within my body had created a sensation that made my fur prickle. I ground my teeth and flared my nostrils as I bucked and crow hopped. Heart pounding in my chest, a racing beat singing alongside the howling desire to run, to bolt, I staggered in an unbalanced circle, scanning desperately for an exit, ears pressed to the sides of my head as I''d drawn in a raspy breath. Sweat had foamed on my fur as fatigue slowed my movements.


    "Let it in," the King had murmured, eyes glowing with a razor-sharp gleam that made my skin prickle.


    There were too many Guard and Soldiers; they surrounded me from too many sides, and I saw too many eyes staring back at me. The King watched me with an unsettling gaze, and the Dragon behind him had unblinking eyes on its head and snakehead tail.


    The tendrils hung onto me, and the magic of the Amethyst Throne wound around my very being, coiling alongside my internal me. I''d felt it brushing up against such intimate parts of me, the insides of my own self, parts of my own me. My own soul. I could feel the person''s soul, scattered and shattered, sticking to bits of myself throughout my body, here and there, a foreign feeling I wanted to shake off. I could feel the magic of the Amethyst Throne soaking into my organs, and I wanted to run from it all.


    My mane and tail grew, and ribbons knotted themselves in the hair as a horn spiraled up from my forehead, adding an awkward weight.


    As the energy within me rose and twisted and wound up ever further, I coughed, throat feeling so narrow I felt I wasn''t getting enough air. Kicking at my abdomen, I try to free myself from the magic seizing my body. I couldn''t.


    I still cannot. The magic is as much a part of me as my own heart, my own four hooves, my stomach.


    Exhausted, my legs had finally given out, and I''d collapsed, unable to remain upright any longer and unable to have the option to run and flee. Now forced to allow the Amethyst Throne to set its magic into my body, I laid on my side, panting. The new horn on my forehead tapped against the marble, keeping me from turning my head too much


    Legs sprawled out beneath me, forelegs twisted like a foal''s as they tried to get their bearings and stand for the first time, I tried to catch my breath, ribcage heaving with wheezing breaths. Fear and confusion had my heart clenching in my chest.


    "It failed," the King had snarled.


    I felt warm, sticky blood dripping down my nose and muzzle.


    Me? I failed? Did I?


    The Dragon stood up, unwinding itself from the back of the Amethyst Throne where it slumbered. In slow movements, the Dragon stretched. I shifted my head, groaning at the effort of the exertion doing so took. The Dragon unfurled its wings as its snakehead tail parted its jaws in a yawn that had me wanting to bolt at the sight of the fangs and the venom my gut knew instinctively lurked inside.


    I squirmed on the ground, still too weak from the magic of the Amethyst Throne to stand, yet panicking all the same. Every bit of my being screamed at me to run, but I couldn''t. I couldn''t even stand.


    "It failed," the King repeated. "It did not accept the gift of the Amethyst Throne. The magic worked, but it did not accept."


    With glittering grey eyes I knew were purple, the Dragon turned its attention to me, stepping down the side of the Amethyst Throne. Its scales shifted and caught the light as it drew closer, arching its neck with a predatory glint in its gaze.


    I rolled to try to gather my limbs beneath me, but my knees slipped on the blood of the human the Soldier had killed, smearing my fur with the substance they should still have.


    They should still be here. They should still be alive. They shouldn''t be dead. Why did they kill them?


    Fear surged through me, raw and unchecked, beyond anything I''d felt before. A hoarse scream rubbed my throat raw, nostrils flaring as I pinned my ears and scrambled to my hooves. Slipping on the blood covering the ground as I struggled to keep my hooves beneath me, I stumbled into a Guard and knocked him into a Soldier. Someone tried to grab my tail, and I kicked at them before I could think twice. My hoof connected with something solid, and I heard someone fall back with a low oomph, followed by a wheeze for breath.


    I''m sorry. I know I shouldn''t have.


    I stepped on the leg of the human the Soldier killed, panicking further at the sound of the crack of bone and the way the limb gave beneath my hoof.


    No, no, no! I''m so sorry, I didn''t mean to.


    Blubbering panic and apologies had spilled from within me, filling my mind in a cascade. My nostrils squared as I gasped for breaths that came shallower and faster, each more so than the last as I clambered to scramble out of reach of the thousand hands reaching for me.


    I did not want to hurt them. I did not want to hurt the Guard and Soldiers, but I did.


    I know that I should have just lashed out. I had every reason to. They had hurt me, even if I had yet to realize it yet. I know I should have fought back.


    But I did not in the way I wish I did now, some century later, as I stand watch over Astra, my own stepdaughter, biological daughter of my best friend.


    And so, as the Guard and Soldiers had kept trying to capture me, to wrap a lead rope around me as the Dragon stalked closer, towering over the heads of the Guard and Soldiers, I kept squirming away, squealing


    Stop, stop, stop, I''d begged silently.


    "Stop!" I croaked, the word scraping across my vocal cords, strange and unfamiliar with how the sounds moved my muscles and mouth and the signals it required from my brain.


    With a sharp inhale, I''d flinched.


    What was that?


    The King smiled. He leaned forward, squinting as he brought a knuckle to his mouth. "So the horse can speak."


    What have you done to me?


    I looked at the person''s body. I thought of the tendrils of the power of the Amethyst Throne and how it took up their blood.


    Is a part of them within me now?


    "What did you do to me?" I rasped, echoing my thoughts.


    "The Amethyst Throne gave you a gift. That gift is one you must accept," the King said.


    I stepped back, and when I bumped into someone I didn''t see, I spooked and lurched forward, emotions dialed up past what I could handle. When my head started to fall, muscles fatiguing from the added weight of the horn on my head, I wrenched myself upright with a strained neigh. My forelegs slipped out from beneath when my hooves lost traction on blood, twisting joints and ligaments past their natural range of motion, and I gritted my teeth as I flicked and lashed my tail.


    In the span of a heartbeat, something had sparked within me, erupting from a tiny flame into a blaze that sends searing heat burning through my horn. Light grey shone bright from my forehead, and a ring opened in front of me, shimmering in the same light grey color. I groaned at the energy drain.


    "Get the horse!" a Guard shouted.


    "Get it!" the King had roared, jabbing a violent, pale finger at me.


    Raising its wings, the Dragon advanced upon me, white teeth sharp and dripping saliva. The Dragon exhaled a low, rumbling roar.


    Eyes rolling as adrenaline and panic flooded my body, the ring of light shone brighter. In one heartbeat, two, three, it swallowed me whole, and suddenly I was gone from the Throne Room, standing upon grass I''d never seen before, surrounded by scents I didn''t recognize. Hooves crushing the blades, I''d wandered around for a while before stopping, dropping my head and gasping for breath and basking in the smothering silence.


    With no one around, I''d stood until the sun set, and after the moon rose into the sun and I found a spot in the trees after a drizzle started, I leaned against the rough bark until the first rays of sunlight bathed the sky with light. I''d grazed for a while after that, lost with nothing to do, without the Guard and Soldiers giving structure to my day and asking jobs of me.


    xxxx


    I''d met Jabez the day after I portaled myself out of the Throne Room.


    Confused and terrified, I''d seen him and readied myself to bolt.


    "No," Jabez had said, expression tired. "I don''t want to hurt you. Did... did the... King do that to you?"


    I widened my eyes. I couldn''t speak with how tired and scared I was, but Jabez took my reaction for the answer it was.


    "Fuck."


    He sighed, shaking his head, lips pulling to the side.


    He ticked his head to the side, then looked up at me. "I''m Jabez. What''s your name?"


    "I don''t have one," I''d answered, throat twisting around the words. I hated how speaking made me feel, forming sounds in a way I''d never done before.


    Jabez shrugged but didn''t otherwise react. "What do you want to be called?"


    I paused. I''d never given much thought to what name I''d like to have. I did not know my parents, having been taken from my mother as soon as I could stand to begin training, so they couldn''t name me. The Guard and Soldiers had never given me a name, either.


    With the question, the choices were limitless. Almost too limitless. Too many names swirled through my head, while simultaneously I could think of almost no names as well.


    I''d taken a step back, until a memory crossed my mind.


    Blue eyes like those, I''d''ve named you Brook.


    I thought back to the words of the person I didn''t know whose soul now resides within me, somewhere alongside my own.


    "Brook."


    xxxx


    Some hundred-odd years later, Jabez lays beside Astra now, a short distance from the Erebus Tree, licking his paw while Astra toys with the bones of a fawn she ate. The tight set of Jabez''s jaw feels far too familiar and the way he keeps eyeing his daughter echoes my own feelings.


    I chew on a mouthful of grass.


    I feel much quieter than I did that day in the Throne Room. I''ve only set foot in the Throne Room twice since the day the King turned me from a draft horse into the blue unicorn I am now: once for the faux trial of Jabez and Freedom over the King''s accusations of child abuse against Astra and once after the King had chained Jabez to the Amethyst Throne with the chain snake.


    After the Dragon set fire to the Sea and Arcane shed the Midnight Tear to reset the world, the King left it the Ragdonians in the Sea to rebuild. Grey, Ky, Phoenix, Myles, and Wyatt still had not returned, and no one had seen Alex.


    Camden and Katelin frequently stop by, but no one has seen Alex and rebuilding takes time, longer when the King refuses to help.


    "If you listened and obeyed, your King of Ragdon would provide everything," a lead Guard had said early on after the Dragon burned the Sea.


    I consider taking Astra and leaving the Sea behind, fleeing like some of the Ragdonians have done.


    But I don''t know where we''d go. Ragdon is an island.


    The King can find us. The King will find us.


    Grey and the others know we are here, and if Alex returns ¡ªwhen Alex returns, I correct¡ª she will return to the Sea. I need to be here, and so does Astra. Jabez, too.


    There is safety in numbers.


    In the Field, we were safe for ninety years, but when the Guard and Soldiers came, we almost died, outnumbered as we were.


    We ran, but the King still found us.


    Where can I take you, Astra, that the King cannot follow?


    I don''t know, and I hate it.


    I promised Freedom that I would keep her daughter ¡ªand my stepdaughter¡ª safe, and I don''t know how to make sure that I keep my promise, no matter what.


    I don''t know where I can go that the King''s necrotic touch cannot follow. The King has to die, but I don''t know how to make that happen while keeping Astra out of his reach.

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 2 - The Deer and the Eagle

    Chapter 2


    The Deer and the Eagle


    Jabez rolls to his side, drawing in a slow breath before releasing it all in a loud sigh. Astra abandons the bones she¡¯d been playing with to cuddle up next to him, curling up beside him and resting her head on his foreleg, a wing over his flank. He twists his neck at an awkward angle, a pained, yet happy, expression crossing over his face as he gazes at his daughter before he lays back down and closes his eyes.


    I take a few steps toward them to keep watch, swiveling my ears every so often to listen for any sign of Guard or Soldiers.


    The Sea is relatively quiet. Some bustle around, moving things around and reconstructing tents with what supplies we can find and scrounge together. I rest a hind hoof, swishing my tail against flies.


    I¡¯ve helped out where I can, assisting in removing debris too far destroyed to be reused and transporting things too heavy for people to move easily. Astra has tagged along, both because she doesn¡¯t want to leave and because I don¡¯t want her to go.


    Jabez helps as much as he can, but he rarely leaves Astra either. He¡¯s tried to apologize for the King¡¯s actions, saying that the King wasn¡¯t like this when he first met him and that he would¡¯ve stopped the King if he could¡¯ve and that if only he¡¯d known.


    Guilt swims in the depths of Jabez¡¯s eyes every time he sees another tent that collapses beneath charred logs that could no longer support the weight asked of it underneath the damage, the injuries sustained by someone that would never heal right, the sobs of friends and family members forced to say goodbye to a loved one too soon, a parent holding an empty infant swaddle.


    Jabez startles awake when what I assume is a tent cracks and crumbles, sending a loud boom rolling across the Sea as it crashes to the ground. Astra stirs against Jabez¡¯s side, but he hushes her, nosing against her until she settles back down and falls back asleep. She curls her tail up against her legs, grey plates at the end whispering across each other as she shifts around until she¡¯s comfortable.


    Jabez turns to me, eyes wide with fear and ears pinned to the sides of his head.


    ¡°The King only could¡¯ve done this if some part of him was like this,¡± I murmur to him. ¡°You cannot apologize for the King¡¯s actions; what he does is not your burden to carry. His actions are not your own. The King has had every opportunity to assist and help us rebuild the Sea, and he has chosen every single day not to. He could choose right now to help, and we both know that he will not. He could walk down here and make a genuine apology and vow to do better and prove through his actions that he means what he says, but we both know that he will not even offer empty words.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known,¡± he croaks, eyes turning glassy as tears drip down his cheeks and freeze along his jaws. ¡°I never should¡¯ve approached him when I was Ice.¡±


    ¡°You had no way to know. You were doing what you thought was best. The King is not a good guy, but he seemed nice.¡±


    ¡°He was nice,¡± Jabez whispers, voice hollow. ¡°He was nice. I¡­ I thought he was nice. What kind of monster does that make me? He tricked me, and I fell for it!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a monster. I grew up in a very different situation, but I believed the King was nice, too. He¡¯s tricky. He¡¯s smart. He¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s¡­ The King¡¯s the monster, Jabez. The King¡¯s a monster with a shifting face.¡±


    ¡°If he has a shifting face,¡± Jabez says, ¡°then I should¡¯ve seen. He showed me his real face at some point, but if I ever saw, I wasn¡¯t truly seeing. I wasn¡¯t letting myself. I saw what I wanted and he got the Amethyst Throne, I lost everything for decades and forever, and only Lucius knows how many have died because of Bryant¡¯s actions the second he became King Garonda XIV.¡±


    I sigh, closing my eyes and shaking my head. Jabez¡¯s jaw trembles, slack with agony a century old.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stop him,¡± I murmur.


    ¡°How?¡± Jabez doesn¡¯t sound angry. He just sounds tired, exhausted beyond just not sleeping well. His blue eyes look dozens of shades paler, one for every year he¡¯s been alive, another weight added to his shoulders.


    I swish my tail when I feel a fly land on my hip.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I answer honestly, gaze finding Astra as she noses into Jabez¡¯s foreleg, breath stirring the fur around the scars across his skin. The tip of his tail flicks but he doesn¡¯t otherwise move.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I repeat, ¡°but we will find a way. The King will fall. He has to. Astra needs somewhere safe to live. There¡¯s nowhere here on Ragdon, and I cannot create another Field. Even if I can, who¡¯s to say the King won¡¯t just find it? He found us the last time.¡±


    Jabez pants, eyes flashing. He looks down at his daughter, flexing the toes on a forepaw. ¡°I know. I just can¡¯t forget who he was. He was so nice. I thought Bryant was the best. I trusted him, Brook. How am I supposed to explain to my own daughter that I trusted the most dangerous person to her so much that I would have died for him? How do I explain that to her? That I fucked up so much and that he screwed with me that much?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I say, ¡°but she will listen. She¡¯s Astra. You and Freedom raised her well. I continued with what you started


    Jabez hums. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    xxxx


    ¡°Come, Brook!¡± Katelin shouts, fear blooming in her dark eyes. Brown hair swishing around her shoulders as she comes to a brief halt and beckoning me with rapid movements of her hand, she barely stops before readying herself to run the same way she came. ¡°Someone¡¯s trapped. It doesn¡¯t look good. We need your help.¡±


    I jerk upright, stomach twisting at the information.


    ¡°Stay with Jabez and meet us there,¡± I tell Astra. ¡°Stay with your father.¡±


    I fix her with a firm stare, ensuring that Astra understands. She nods.


    ¡°Camden will come over in a few minutes. He¡¯s on his way,¡± Katelin adds. ¡°He told me he made you a present.¡±


    Astra pricks her ears, raising her wings. ¡°A present?¡±


    Katelin nods. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise, but he said he thinks you¡¯ll really like it.¡±


    When Astra settles back down beside Jabez, I pause for long enough for Katelin to step up onto a log we haven¡¯t been able to remove yet, then grasp my mane and clamber up onto my back. I don¡¯t let myself react when her knee digs in behind my ribcage; she¡¯s relatively short, and Wyatt, who¡¯s the taller than Grey or Camden, would likely have a bit of trouble climbing up onto my back. I twist my neck and offer my head as leverage, careful of the horn on my head. Katelin takes the assistance, pushing off my forehead.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Ok,¡± she says once she¡¯s centered across my back, and I take off, following her directions on where to go. I¡¯m not fast; I¡¯m far stronger than I am fast. But I summon every bit of speed I have, racing through the Sea.


    Katelin¡¯s fingers curling into my mane, she leans down, legs hugging my sides as she hangs on, then moves to wrap an arm around my neck, before moving to hold on to my mane higher up my neck.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you fall,¡± I say, turning my head to glance at her, since, with Katelin on my back, she¡¯s just barely out of my field of vision.


    ¡°The only horses on Ragdon are in the King¡¯s army. I¡¯ve seen them, but have only ridden one once and that was because the King has a twisted sense of humor and was feeling particularly rude! Turn left here and then it¡¯s straight on. You¡¯ll see. Right where that crowd is.¡±


    Galloping along, I draw my ears back and push myself a little faster, turning where Katelin says to.


    There¡¯s a crowd gathered on the side of the pathway Katelin has ushered me down, a growing collection of antsy people moving all around each other in one continuous swirl. Some try to shove forward, while others stumble back.


    ¡°Come, come, come,¡± someone shouted, beckoning me.


    I slow down only when I¡¯ve reached the group.


    With most of the people only reaching my shoulders, I can see clearly what¡¯s going on: Someone lays trapped beneath a collapsed tent, yet another instance of destruction after the havoc the King and his Dragon wreaked. One of the supporting logs of the tent crushes the person¡¯s abdomen and legs, leaving them unable to escape, and, despite multiple other people attempting to push it off, they¡¯re still stuck.


    Katelin slides off my back, catching her balance when she sways on her legs.


    ¡°Help me, and I can get the log off them. Will someone be able to assist them after? Wyatt¡¯s not here, and they need medical attention.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Wyatt, but I can help,¡± someone says.


    I don¡¯t recognize them, but they¡¯ll be able to help.


    I stand still as people fasten a harness around my shoulders and across my chest. Listening to the weak groans of the person trapped ¡ªMilla, I heard someone say¡ª I rock on my hooves and swish my tail, antsy to get moving. I feel people tighten buckles and belts around my body. The feeling has become far more familiar than it¡¯s been in close to a century with how much I have been assisting in rebuilding the Sea.


    The King keeps the vast majority of the horses on Ragdon in his army for use within the Guard and Soldiers. There¡¯s only one other that I know of in the Sea, a young pangar¨¦ bay colt. Much leaner than me, he¡¯s lighter on his feet and faster, far nimbler. He has approached me a few times, prancing around, somewhere between a foal and a young stallion.


    ¡°Ok, we¡¯re ready, Brook,¡± someone barks.


    I throw my entire weight into the harness, digging my hind hooves into the hard-packed soil of the Sea and carving out gouges as I find traction. It takes me a few moments to get the log to give beneath the force I use to pull it. I can feel the age in the straps used, how old they are and how many times they¡¯ve been used.


    One chance, I remind myself. Milla is counting on us. She needs us. We must succeed.


    ¡°Keep going, Brook. It¡¯s working,¡± the person acting in Wyatt¡¯s stead says. ¡°You¡¯re freeing Milla.¡±


    I keep the pressure and take another step, slowly removing the log from Milla. When someone tries to grab at the harness around my shoulders, I throw my head and snort, pinning my ears and flattening my neck when I make a move to nip at them. I¡¯d tell them no, but I¡¯m too tired and I need to focus. The dirt beneath my hooves keeps slipping. The panic and fear oozing off everyone makes for an unsettling internal experience that throws me off.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Katelin shouts.


    She shoulders her way through the crowd, outfit of multiple shades of grey with golden buttons, a light shirt with a high collar, and a thick belt around her waist.


    ¡°Leave Brook alone. She¡¯ll let us know if she needs help. Let her do her job.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to make sure the horse knows where to go. The colt doesn¡¯t know. He needs a guiding hand.¡±


    I draw my ears back as irritation grinds through me in the same sharp, fiery burst like the spicy pepper a few Guard once gave me for a few laughs. I¡¯d felt sick for the rest of the day with burning and pain curling through my mouth and body, but the Guard had laughed it off and let me remain in my stall. I hadn¡¯t understood what they had done or why they had done it. Still to this day, I do not know, but I don¡¯t think there is a reason. They knew they¡¯d be able to get away with it, and I was an easy target at the time, just a horse in the King¡¯s army who happened to be at a convenient place of the wrong place at the wrong time and I became the unknowing victim they had fed a spicy pepper to and ate it willingly despite the funny smell, not realizing what would happen.


    ¡°The colt can understand you, even if he cannot speak to you like I can,¡± I say, voice rough from exertion and frustration.


    The person turns to me. ¡°Well¡­¡± they gasp. ¡°I-I know that!¡±


    ¡°Your comment did not imply that.¡± I pause to take in a deep breath as I pull the log the last way until it¡¯s a safe distance away from Milla.


    I stop, head low as I pant. Eyes closed, I don¡¯t see who tells Katelin what to do as they remove the harness from my body. With the weight gone, I feel like I can stand a little taller, even if I sometimes welcome the weight.


    Please, Lucius, I silently beg as I hear the tense voices turn to shouts. I cannot tell you how to do your job. It¡¯s not my place to understand, but please. I beg of you. I do not know Milla. I have never met her, and only you and Erebus know her in her soul, but is this what she deserves?


    I flinch when the stand-in for Wyatt cries out, hoarse, voice cracking and breaking.


    What if Wyatt hadn¡¯t left? What if I had picked somewhere else for the Field to be, and then Phoenix had never found us, and then Grey wouldn¡¯t have come to the Field and brought Alex, and then we wouldn¡¯t have all gone up to the top of Ragdon Volcano, and then Astra wouldn¡¯t have solved Arcane¡¯s riddle to bring back Ky, and then Arcane wouldn¡¯t have shed the Midnight Tear, and then Alex wouldn¡¯t be missing now, and then Wyatt wouldn¡¯t have gone with Grey. Wyatt would be here now to help Milla, and they could work with everyone and they could save Milla.


    Someone screams, and I squeeze my eyes shut, pinning my ears, but I know better than to think that will save me from hearing such sounds again in my nightmares..


    I¡¯m so sorry.


    xxxx


    I¡¯m still where I stood as Katelin helped take the harness off my body. The harness lays beside me as a young child crouches next to it and wipes away the dirt and sweat.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I murmur, lowering my head, careful of my horn.


    When I see movement out of the corner of my eye, I perk up, expecting to see Jabez and Astra. Perhaps Camden, too. However, I do not see any of them.


    Instead, I see two beings I do not recognize.


    I frown when I see the walking person, and I frown far harder when I see the walking eagle. Standing at a height of somewhere above my withers, the eagle is tall, covered with golden feathers, with wings and a tail tinged with a darker brown color. The center feather on the eagle¡¯s tail is a light grey that I wonder if it is genuinely grey, or if it is some other light color instead.


    The two stop a ways away from us. Nibbling at their wing to scratch an itch, the eagle seems relatively unbothered, but the person rubs their chin, eyes trailing across everything in their vicinity.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± the person says, brushing a lock of tightly curled black hair over their shoulder. ¡°So is this, like¡­ Ragdon. It¡¯s not, is it?¡±


    Two circular green earrings dangle from their ears, and a green stud stands out against the dark skin of their nose. Around their neck and hanging from a black cord, a light grey rectangular pendant with two three-tined antlers. They wear similar clothes to what the Ragdonians in the Sea wear; plain white, khaki, but rather than the very light colors faded over time into greys, this person wears clothing that has a little more brown within it.


    They turn to the golden eagle standing beside them. The eagle¡¯s bright golden feathers fluff out as they turn to the person, arching their neck as they blink, chirping. Something flashes over their gaze. A yellow necklace with twin folded bird wings rests against their chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like that, Icarus.¡± The person waves a dismissive hand at the eagle. ¡°Ignore him. He¡¯s got an attitude.¡±


    The eagle ¡ªIcarus¡ª turns at the dig. He squawks, taloned feet stomping on the ground. He flares out a wing, but only one. I squint when he hardly moves the other, until I see the wing hanging limp at his side. Golden-brown feathers lay scrunched up, with some cracked and broken, the wing itself stuck locked in a folded position, wrenched beyond how it would naturally bend by a metal ring and leather straps. I can sense a power very similar to the Amethyst Throne, but with something distinctly other.


    I can sense something that reminds me of Arcane, yet I can also tell he had nothing to do with why Icarus¡¯s wing is bound; that bit of power I can sense on both Icarus and the person currently leaning against him.


    ¡°Who are you and what are you doing here?¡± I ask, stepping forward and tapping into my powers in case I¡¯ll need them.


    ¡°I¡¯m Seneca, and we are here because of Arcane. And because the King is a nasty fucker. We are the Deer and the Eagle, and we can help.¡±

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 3 - The King on the Carnelian Throne

    Chapter 3


    The King on the Carnelian Throne


    ¡°Uh,¡± Katelin trails off as I take a step back, moving to stand over the young child who has since stopped wiping off the harness.


    I prick my ears, taking in Seneca and Icarus. The two don¡¯t move, and the child crawls a pace until they¡¯re pressed up against a foreleg, fingers knotted in the feathers around my hoof.


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re here because of Arcane?¡± Katelin finishes.


    Seneca inclines her head slightly. She spreads her palms. ¡°Arcane¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    I raise my head, snorting. ¡°He is.¡± I keep my voice flat.


    How does Seneca not know? Everyone does. Who are they?


    When the child whimpers, fear rolling off them in waves strong enough that I can feel each pulse, I blow a breath of air across their hair and nuzzle into their forehead. They bring their little hand up to my chin, pressing their fingertips into my whiskers. I only smile when they tug at my mouth and face.


    ¡°Gentle,¡± I whisper.


    ¡°You talk,¡± the child says, big brown eyes gazing up at me with unfiltered wonder.


    Only a few years younger than Astra at most, they remind me of my stepdaughter.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Someone approaches, beckoning with their hands for the child to come with them as several carry Milla¡¯s body away, wrapped haphazardly in a torn strip of burlap. People disperse at the sight of unfamiliar others. No one recognizes them, and if they¡¯re working alongside the King, they¡¯re a danger.


    It wouldn¡¯t be the first time the King tried to turn tricks. Some have fallen, believing his sugar-sweet lies. Seneca and Icarus could be part of the King¡¯s tricks, some new effort of his to try to sway some to his side, to influence them to listen, to make them hear his false tale.


    Are they? Are Seneca and Icarus followers of the King and the Amethyst Throne?


    ¡°Arcane was the Midnight Wolf, right?¡± Seneca asks.


    ¡°Where did you come from?¡± Katelin asks in turn.


    I nudge the child into the arms of the person who scoops them up and turns, carrying them away. Heat thrumming through my veins and tingling within my horn, I watch the retreating person and child and Seneca and Icarus, ready to intervene and portal the child away. No innocents should get caught in the crossfire, especially not children. Seneca and Icarus can wait for just a moment; this child needs to be safe.


    Katelin glances at the hill above the Sea where the King¡¯s castle resides, and Seneca follows her gaze. A few spires and steeples and towers peek up, visible from the angle and above the handful of tents still standing and the few trees. A thin, triangular flag sways in a light breeze. I remember seeing it every time a Guard would bring me to the King¡¯s castle to help with whatever addition he wanted to build at that moment in time. I¡¯d spooked the first few times at the sight of it flapping erratically in the wind, but after the Guard and Soldiers beat me out of my fears, I no longer spooked.


    ¡°Ahh, so that¡¯s where he lives,¡± Seneca murmurs. ¡°Icarus was wondering. We were debating on our way here. We¡¯d¡¯ve been here sooner, but unfortunately¡­¡± Seneca gestures to Icarus¡¯s bound wing, and he releases a long, low chirp. ¡°Stuck wing. He can¡¯t fly.¡±


    ¡°Is that something we can help with?¡± I ask, squinting.


    Is his wing genuinely stuck? Can he truly not move it, or is this fake?


    Icarus ticks his head to the side, eyes flashing with something dry and sardonic. Feathers along his back ruffling, he chitters, lower jaw chattering as he seems to try to say something.


    ¡°I know, Icarus. I know,¡± Seneca says. ¡°But Icarus is saying that no, you cannot help with his wing in how you might be thinking.¡±


    ¡°Why can we not help?¡± Katelin asks, crossing her arms over her chest. Her shirt tightens across her back with the movement and her long, dark hair shifts.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Seneca glances at Icarus, who releases a low screech, high and shrill.


    ¡°Ok, ok, I get it.¡± Seneca rubs at an ear, but with a smile on her face, I don¡¯t think she really means the supposed implied irritation. Or she at least is feigning it. She seems so genuine, and her friendship with Icarus seems so true as well, but the King has some good actors and he himself fooled me for so long. ¡°No, you cannot help. The King bound Icarus¡¯s wing. Before you say it, not this King. The King who attacked Icarus was a different King. The King we know I think was someone different. Does your King wear a hideous orange?¡±


    Katelin shakes her head. ¡°No, our King wears purple.¡± She plucks at her shirt. ¡°He wears an outfit like this. It¡¯s pretty close to these colors.¡±


    Seneca grimaces, then turns to the golden eagle. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse. Those purples or the oranges of our King, Icarus.¡±


    Icarus snorts, laughing in a string of trilled chirps.


    The last of the crowd disperses, young child gone and leaving behind only me and Katelin with Seneca and Icarus.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re both pretty shitty.¡±


    ¡°So you have a King, too?¡± I ask. ¡°Where are you from? There¡¯s only one King, and he lives in the castle and sits on the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    Seneca shakes her head. ¡°No, the King sits on the Carnelian Throne.¡±


    ¡°Where did you say you¡¯re from, again?¡± I press, walking forward until I¡¯m even with Katelin, whose dark hair sways in the breeze.


    Icarus stalks in a circle, feathers ruffling as he huffs, chittering an irritated breath. He scoops up a talon-ful of dirt and throws it. Seneca doesn¡¯t blink at the action and ignores him.


    ¡°We¡¯re from Ragdon, but our Ragdon is different than your Ragdon. Arcane¡¯s Midnight Tear, it resets time, in a sense. But it also creates different¡­ timelines of Ragdon Island,¡± Seneca says. ¡°They¡¯re almost the same. Our Ragdon Islands both have a King, but yours sits on the Amethyst Throne and ours sits on the Carnelian Throne. However, the main difference is how the Ragdon Islands were made. The original island came first, made by Erebus, of course. However, when a Midnight Wolf blinks and sheds the Midnight Tear, the timeline splits into two and that Ragdon Island splits into as well.¡±


    ¡°How many Ragdon Islands are there?¡± Katelin asks.


    Seneca shrugs. ¡°As many as there have been Midnight Wolves. I don¡¯t know the number. I don¡¯t know if anyone does. I think only Lucius and Erebus know that number.¡±


    I narrow my eyes, snorting as I swish my tail and stomp a hoof. ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Before the King bound Icarus¡¯s wing, he and I spent a long time working to figure out how we could work best to get to another timeline of Ragdon Island. We ended up not having to, which is good because I don¡¯t think there is a way. Arcane¡¯s Midnight Tear was different, though. It wasn¡¯t the same.¡±


    Katelin shook her head. ¡°Something was different.¡±


    ¡°We got pulled into his implosion after he shed the Midnight Tear, which should¡¯ve been impossible since we were not in your timeline of Ragdon Island. But we did. Something was different.¡±


    I look off to the side, ears swiveling as I listen out for any signs of danger.


    Arcane brought them to this timeline of Ragdon.


    No wonder they smelled slightly of him, even if I knew the Midnight Wolf wasn¡¯t the cause of the harm on Icarus¡ª that was the King. Seneca and Icarus¡¯s King? Our King in another timeline? Was he even the same King? The King on the Cornelian Throne, whoever he is.


    Arcane¡¯s magic clings to Seneca and Icarus.


    The Deer and the Eagle, they¡¯d said.


    Sticking to their skin and beings, I can sense the last remnants of him, the last bits of his power as the Midnight Wolf, the last bits of his self before he disappears forever, lost to Lucius¡¯s claim for all eternity until Lucius claims Ragdon itself, brings Erebus to death, and the world will end, taking the universe¡¯s something into a vast nothing.


    ¡°I think something was different,¡± I find myself murmuring.


    ¡°How so?¡± Seneca turns to me.


    She walks over to a log and sits down after wiping off the dust. Icarus follows, settling down on the ground, ruffling out his feathers. When he tries to preen the feathers on his bound wing but can¡¯t bend enough to reach them, Seneca wiggles her fingers without turning her head and Icarus sidles up closer, sitting down further and placing his wing in her lap. With movements that are too confident and smooth to not have been done a thousand times, Seneca begins to run her fingers across Icarus¡¯s feathers, mimicking what he¡¯d do himself if his wing weren¡¯t bound by a magic none of us can undo.


    Icarus whistles a few times.


    ¡°You cannot do it yourself,¡± she murmurs. ¡°We help each other.¡±


    ¡°Arcane shed the Midnight Tear after the King¡¯s Dragon set fire to the Sea. You¡¯re standing in the Sea now. This used to be countless tents. A lot of weird stuff happened¡ª.¡±


    ¡°BROOOOOOK!¡±


    I flinch at Astra¡¯s high-pitched squeal. Normally I¡¯d be thrilled to see her, but not with Seneca and Icarus here.


    Astra races over, light blue wings spread wide and mouth open with her tongue lolling to the side. Her green dew claws splay out as she slows to an easy lope, brown hair bouncing with every stride.


    I step between them, watching as Seneca glances up from where she¡¯s working on Icarus¡¯s wing. The golden eagle tilts his head and allows Astra to approach. Jabez chases behind his daughter, too slow to keep up and I cannot stop her in time. He pants, gasping for breath as he stops beside me.


    Icarus makes no move to pull his wing back and attack, but I still rush forward, pulling magic into my horn.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Astra exclaims. ¡°I¡¯m Astra! Who are you?¡±


    Icarus chatters in response, blinking as he listens to her.


    Seneca looks between Astra and me, amusement lightening her dark brown gaze.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Astra presses Icarus, leaning forward, ears pricked and tail raised.


    ¡°He¡¯s not gonna reply,¡± Seneca says, elbows on her knees.


    Astra turns to Seneca. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t speak.¡±


    Astra frowns. ¡°Why not?¡± she repeats


    Jabez approaches his daughter from behind and bunts his nose into her back. Katelin watches the interaction between Astra and Seneca from the side, while I remain a little closer, magic coursing through my body, a heartbeat away from exploding.

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 4 - One Timeline; Two

    Chapter 4


    One Timeline; Two


    Camden arrives a short while after, half his hair tied up in his usual ponytail. He presses a hand to his sister¡¯s shoulder, and she pats his back.


    Camden holds up a woven mouse he grips by the tail in his other hand, a mishmash of scraps of straw and burlap and fabrics worn out beyond reuse. ¡°I have a present for Astra.¡±


    ¡°Little busy,¡± Katelin says.


    Camden looks between Seneca and Icarus, then drops his eyes to Astra, who¡¯s still the closest one to the two newcomers by far, easily within reach of Seneca to grab her, to stab her with a knife squirreled away in a shirt, a waistband, a sleeve, somewhere I can¡¯t see. Easily within reach of Icarus to gouge her with talons curved into fatal points, to tear at her sensitive flesh with his beak, to peck at her, to rip at her, to pummel her with bony taloned fists made of scaled toes, to arrack my stepdaughter.


    I can see a hundred ways they attack my stepdaughter and send her to Lucius, shattering my heart and my promise to Freedom.


    But neither does any of those things. Seneca watches with a small smile, and Icarus allows Astra to hop around him, firing off a thousand questions, then a hundred more before the golden eagle can answer.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be happy to see the mouse,¡± I murmur, voice tight. I square my shoulders and arch my neck. ¡°Astra, please come here.¡±


    Jabez approaches Seneca and Icarus, body tense from pain and fear. I take a few steps closer, resisting the urge to race forward and barge between the two newcomers and Astra, in case doing so spooked them. I do not want them going after Astra, but with her so close, I have to get her away first. I could blast them with my portal magic, but I cannot risk Astra getting caught within the blast itself. I don¡¯t know what kind of magic Seneca or Icarus may possess, and I do not want Astra getting caught in the crossfire.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he talking?¡± Astra asks, achingly oblivious. ¡°Why can¡¯t he speak?¡±


    Normally I wouldn¡¯t mind; I¡¯d slow down and explain things clearly and honestly but simply until she understood at the level that satisfied her curiosity. But in this case, her curiosity and obliviousness has gotten her into the situation.


    ¡°Go over to your¡­¡± Seneca looks up at me from where she still sits on the log, the question clear in her expression, but she seems to recognize what¡¯s going on¡ª that I want Astra away from her and Icarus.


    ¡°Brook is my stepmother. I have two moms! Isn¡¯t that cool?¡± Astra bounces on her paws as Jabez tries to lead her away, steps stiff.


    She ducks under Jabez when he leans, pressing his shoulder gently into her head to nudge. He doesn¡¯t move his neck; I don¡¯t think he can from pain. He hasn¡¯t said much and doesn¡¯t say much about how he feels, but he has tells that I¡¯m slowly learning. He has subtle actions of what he does or doesn¡¯t do that give away how he¡¯s feeling, even when he says nothing.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s very cool. That¡¯s very special that you have two mothers,¡± Seneca murmurs, nodding along. She jerks her head at me. ¡°Why don¡¯t you head over to your stepmother? She seems pretty worried about you.¡±


    Astra turns toward me, eyes wide with innocence. ¡°Why are you worried, Brook?¡± She turns back to Seneca. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Seneca, but why don¡¯t you go back over to Brook. I think she¡¯s very worried about you.¡±


    Astra trots over to me. When she bunts her forehead against my foreleg, then winds around my legs, tail trailing behind her, I feel myself begin to relax, but only by a little. Astra rubs her cheek against my leg.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you were worried,¡± she says.


    ¡°I wish to ensure your safety,¡± I reply. ¡°That is something I cannot and will not budge on.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Astra says, bouncing up to put her forepaws a little above my wrist.


    She cranes her neck backward, and I see Jabez cringe, shifting his shoulders at what I assume is a reaction to the extreme range of motion Astra¡¯s doing. The snake¡¯s fangs are still embedded in Jabez¡¯s neck, and, pressed right up against his vertebrae how Wyatt said they were, he cannot rotate his spine how he should be able to. The wounds have scarred over in gnarled patches of furless skin, angry and reddened from where the snake¡¯s venom dripped for the entirety of the time the Amethyst Throne had him chained.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The pain.


    Jabez told me it was ok. He survived. It¡¯s not. The King has taken everything.


    The monster. He has to go, but how? We can¡¯t touch him.


    I look up at the King¡¯s castle, both so close and so far, untouchable from the Sea, looming in its size and simple presence. I can almost feel the energy of the Amethyst Throne from where I stand.


    xxxx


    ¡°Can you get back?¡± Camden asks.


    Seneca shakes her head. ¡°No. The King. Our King, the one on the Carnelian Throne, has all but destroyed Ragdon. He took everything from the ground, and he¡¯s made everything built but his castle uninhabitable, much like here. I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s anything to go back to, even if we could, but still, I think it was a one-way kind of journey. Neither Icarus nor I could ever figure out a way to travel between the timelines of Ragdon, and only when Arcane shed the Midnight Tear in that unusual event of doing so could we travel between the timelines? The average being must admit it was really rather unusual.¡±


    ¡°How did Arcane bring two timelines together?¡± Katelin asks.


    I nuzzle into Astra¡¯s forehead when she sits down and leans into me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he officially did,¡± Seneca replies. ¡°Only Icarus and I left our timeline of Ragdon. Everyone else stayed with the King. Our King, the King on the Carnelian Throne.¡±


    Camden rubs his chin.


    ¡°The Midnight Tear splits a timeline into two,¡± he says. ¡°I guess that Arcane might¡¯ve possessed the ability to interfere with the timelines, but I thought a Midnight Wolf could only split a timeline into two. How would he have been able to access another timeline of Ragdon he¡¯s not a part of, then bring two beings back to this timeline of Ragdon?¡±


    ¡°What happened when you went from the Ragdon with the King on the Carnelian Throne to this Ragdon with the King on the Amethyst Throne?¡± Katelin asks.


    I prick my ears, taking a step to put Astra beneath my abdomen. I ready myself to portal myself and Astra away. There¡¯s few places to go on Ragdon; the Sea is the only place inhabited apart from the King¡¯s castle or the Barracks. A few live elsewhere, but virtually all live in the Sea. When the Guard and Soldiers came for me and Astra in the Field, they almost killed us. I cannot be caught alone again. Under such an attack, I cannot portal away. I need a bit of time to summon the magic needed to portal and direct the energy, even if I¡¯m just telling my magic to take me and Astra anywhere else.


    Icarus chatters, giving Seneca a pointed look. The feathers on his head raise, as he pushes himself up off the ground to stand. His talons curve in long, deadly points.


    ¡°Icarus says that he was sucked into whiteness and he was floating for a while, but that when he was spat back out, he was on a Ragdon that looked very similar but not quite the same. I was near him, and that¡¯s when we realized that we were in another timeline of Ragdon. We¡¯re here now.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he speak?¡± Astra repeats, looking up at me.


    ¡°It seems Icarus has his own way of communicating,¡± I say. ¡°He and Seneca have been talking with each other. He chirps to communicate. We talk like humans do to communicate.¡±


    ¡°Icarus can shift into a human,¡± Seneca explains, ¡°but the binding on his wing keeps him from being able to do so.¡±


    Astra¡¯s face falls and she pouts. Her ears fall to the sides. ¡°That¡¯s sad. We should go talk to the King and explain that he should take off the binding.¡±


    Katelin huffs a laugh that she stifles behind her hand. She pushes her hair behind her ear, then smoothes down her shirt. ¡°Astra, I appreciate your positive thinking, but I don¡¯t think the King will listen to that.¡±


    ¡°Why not? If we explain it really clearly, then he¡¯ll have to listen because it¡¯s the facts.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ he¡­¡± Katelin sighs, and I can tell she doesn¡¯t want to have to explain to Astra that the King doesn¡¯t think like she does.


    ¡°The King on the Carnelian Throne doesn¡¯t care about facts,¡± Seneca says. ¡°He only care about what he thinks is true, whether or not it actually is. The objective truth doesn¡¯t matter to the King on the Carnelian Throne. To him, what he thinks is true becomes the truth.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Astra asks.


    I sigh, wishing I had the words. I wish I knew some way to explain in just a few sentences. I wish I knew the answer myself. I wish I knew why the King ¡ªthis King, the King on the Amethyst Throne¡ª was the same as the supposed King on the Carnelian Throne in that he preferred the truth to align with his own beliefs, even if that then twisted truth did not align with reality.


    ¡°The truth has to be real,¡± Astra protests when no one speaks.


    ¡°Reality can be tricky,¡± Camden says, lips twisting into a wry angle. ¡°The truth can be manipulated. What¡¯s true depends on what someone believes. If someone can change what you believe, then they can begin to change what¡¯s perceived as true.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean that what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong are any different. You have to be nice. Making someone not be able to fly isn¡¯t nice. That would be like if someone made me not be able to run. That would be mean. The King shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, you know.¡± Seneca pulls a knee to her chest, forearm bracketing around her shin. Her green shoes dig into the peeling bark of the log. ¡°What the King on the Carnelian Throne isn¡¯t nice, but it¡¯s more complicated than black and white, Astra.¡± Seneca leans on a hand, shoulder coming up to her ear as she takes a breath, licking her lips. ¡°Right and wrong can be subjective, depending on who you ask. You and I would probably agree on a lot, but if you asked your King or mine, they¡¯d give you a different answer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Astra huffs, stomping in a circle. She harrumphs, lashing her tail, careful not to hit me with the grey plates at the end. ¡°That¡¯s stupid. That¡¯s not right. You¡­ you can¡¯t curse someone. You can¡¯t do what they did to my father. You can¡¯t be happy when they killed my mom. That¡¯s not right. You can¡¯t argue that it is.¡±


    I duck down and press my muzzle into Astra¡¯s shoulder, letting her know that I¡¯m here. She can feel whatever emotions she is, but I want her to know that I¡¯m here to support her however she needs me to.


    Astra whimpers.

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 5 - The Dust Devil

    Chapter 5


    The Dust Devil


    The following day, several groups of Guard and Soldiers travel around the Sea, informing as many Ragdonians as they can find that they are needed by the Erebus Tree for a demonstration ordered by the King, who has requested their presence.


    ¡°Requested?¡± Camden snorts. ¡°Like hell he requested anything. I bet they were just translating his words into the least offensive language they could think of so people would actually show up.¡±


    Jabez grumbles without opening his eyes. Astra rolls to her stomach from where she¡¯d been sleeping against his side but had been resting for the last while.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asks


    Jabez stiffens. ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it your neck? It looks like it hurts. Brook told me a snake bit you. That¡¯s scary.¡±


    Jabez bites his lip, and I remain quiet, watching the interaction.


    ¡°It was scary. My neck does hurt. A lot hurts. It¡¯s just a tough morning today. I¡¯ll be ok, Astra. I¡¯ll stretch and get something to eat and that will help.¡±


    xxxx


    When we make it to the Erebus Tree, there¡¯s already a solid collection of people there. Astra bounds ahead, then retreats back to trot alongside Jabez, prancing in place to keep pace with his slow plodding. Icarus walks alongside Seneca, whistling and chattering, responding to what she says. I only get half of the conversation but they seem to mostly be discussing why a King would use a demonstration to showcase something when he could share it himself.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t leave the Amethyst Throne,¡± Katelin says, butting into the conversation.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t?¡± Seneca echoes.


    Katelin shakes her head. ¡°I¡¯ve worked as his secretary for years and I have never seen him leave the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    ¡°He cannot leave the Amethyst Throne,¡± Jabez says, voice thick and rough.


    Seneca hums. ¡°Our King could leave the Carnelian Throne, but he had to sleep on it. He couldn¡¯t stay away for too long. He¡¯d leave, but he¡¯d always return.¡±


    ¡°A fool,¡± Jabez murmurs, exhaling a long, sighing breath. ¡°Always a fool.¡±


    Icarus chirps repeatedly, pitch fluctuating. He turns sideways, hopping more than walking.


    ¡°He agrees,¡± Seneca translates. Her tightly curled hair sways as she keeps pace with Icarus. ¡°He didn¡¯t know that the King had a secretary. The King on the Carnelian Throne didn¡¯t have a secretary.¡±


    I snort, and Katelin echoes the sound. She shakes her head.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t, really. My job is mostly just keeping busy and looking like I¡¯m doing something important so I can avoid him. He usually just wants someone to complain to and order around. I spend the majority of my time pretending that I¡¯m doing something.¡±


    Seneca chuckles.


    ¡°You should quit,¡± Astra pipes up.


    Katelin shrugs. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I have good ideas.¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± I say.


    She¡¯d be a far better ruler than the King would be, King, Queen, Monarch, whatever she wants to be called.


    We find a spot off to one side, a little ways from the stage but close enough that we can see. Icarus sits down, and Seneca leans against him. I scan the are surrounding the Erebus Tree and see groupings of Guard and Soldiers.


    Many from the Sea file in, filling up the space.


    Astra jumps up onto my back as Camden settles into place beside Jabez with Katelin at his shoulder. Her weight against my withers is comforting, yet makes my nerves tingle with anxiety. I don¡¯t know if she should be here, but I don¡¯t know where else she should be.


    I see the young pangar¨¦ bay colt held on a short lead on the other side of the crowd. He dances on his hooves, trying to rear and jerking his head up.


    I don¡¯t see who¡¯s holding the other end of the lead rope or what they do, but the colt eventually settles down, mane swishing against his neck.


    As Spyro approaches the wooden stage, I can¡¯t help the prickling feeling that this was a bad idea. My limbs itch with the desire to run, to tell Astra to bolt and I will find her.


    What do I do to keep Astra safe? Follow the King¡¯s orders to the letter and I keep putting her in danger by putting her in his path, but disobey and I have a target on my back and by proximity hers, too.


    What do I do?


    xxxx


    ¡°Dust Devil, come to the stage,¡± Spyro says, once they and a lead Guard stand at the center of the stage in clear view of everyone present.


    They float somewhere around the height of the ribcage of the lead Guard, scanning the crowd despite the two blue-grey bandanas in a color I know matches the Amethyst Throne and the suit the King wears wrapped around their head; one is vertically around their jaw and the top of their head, while the other covers the top of their muzzle and binds around the back of their head. Their nose twitches, and they stand a little taller as their mottled body fades in and out of existence. Spyro shifts in place, taking a step back and turning to the side as someone approaches the small flight of stairs up to the wooden platform in front of the crowd. They watch silently, tail waving behind them.


    I watch, ears pricked, as a figure in a black cloak crosses the stage. Hood pulled far over their head, I can only catch the quickest glimpse of their nose before they look further down, shoulders hunched. Their hands tremble, shaky and pale.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Come, Dust Devil,¡± Sypro repeats, voice ringing clear.


    A ways off behind me the Erebus Tree sprouts from the ground, and I find myself wondering yet again where Grey and Alex are. I wonder where they each may be on Ragdon, if they might¡¯ve found each other, if they¡¯re both ok, how many times the King has gone after them and if they¡¯ve made it out ok.


    The Dust Devil, as Spyro refers to them, keeps their head down and doesn¡¯t look up.


    ¡°Prepare for the Dust Devil¡¯s magic. He has received the gift of the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    I snort, flinching as everything in me tells me to bolt, to run, to be anywhere but here.


    He can¡¯t have done it again. The King can¡¯t have given another gift.


    ¡°So,¡± Seneca says, leaning in to Katelin¡¯s side, ¡°do your King¡¯s demonstrations usually feature unwilling participants?¡±


    Icarus whistles something.


    ¡°Icarus is wondering why he¡¯s got magic, too. I mean, if that guy just said that the Dust Devil has received the King¡¯s gift, I¡¯m assuming that he¡¯s referring to the Amethyst Throne giving the Dust Devil some type of magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I manage to whisper, fighting to hold back the memories of when the Amethyst Throne gave me my own gift. I struggle to hold back the memories of the pain, the confusion, the feeling of betrayal as I lay on the ground struggling to breathe. ¡°I do believe the Dust Devil will have magic if he received a gift like I did from the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry, I think. I¡¯m so sorry.


    If the Dust Devil received a gift like I did, then another person who very well may remain forever nameless died, murdered at the orders of the King by a Soldier or Guard who has fallen for the King¡¯s lies.


    The lead Guard standing beside Spyro on the wooden stage looks past the Dust Devil and waves at a Guard. With a beckoning hand, the lead Guard curves his fingers to call upon the Guard.


    Is he another one of the King¡¯s projects? I wonder as I see the ground tremble around the Dust Devil¡¯s feet, soil rattling at his feet. Spyro drops through the air and crouches, head tilted to the side to watch.


    The Dust Devil seems to be, but is he for certain? I thought I knew everyone the King had made, but it¡¯s also been ninety years.


    The Dust Devil turns to Spyro, mouthing something that looks an awful lot like a plea. Spyro shakes their head.


    ¡°No, Dust Devil. The King of Ragdon, Our Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV, has deemed you to be the rightful Dust Devil. You must step into your role and show your powers to the world. Show the Sea what you can do.¡±


    I look at the crowd. I know many aren¡¯t here; they¡¯re either working or are otherwise elsewhere.


    ¡°What¡¯s he gonna do?¡± Astra asks.


    Camden grimaces, biting on a knuckle as he wrinkles his nose. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have a good feeling about that Guard though.¡±


    I duck my head. We¡¯re off to one side, far enough away that I don¡¯t have to worry about injuring anyone with my horn.


    ¡°Stay close to us, ok?¡± I tell my stepdaughter.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    xxxx


    The Guard approaches, dagger at the ready. The Dust Devil shakes his head, taking a step back, but the Guard keeps coming. Within the span of a breath, the Dust Devil stops, body seizing up as he drops to his knees, chest thrust forward and back arched in a violent curve, hands out to the sides, mouth open with choked gasp turned scream. Black horns spiral up from the Dust Devil¡¯s forehead as dark veins spread from his eyes like ebony tears and raise up on his hands. His fingernails sharpen into claws as his hair grows until it¡¯s past his ears and sweeping in every direction.


    Icarus chitters, feathers fluffing out. Seneca steps back, fear flashing across her gaze. She bumps into Katelin, who steadies her with a hand between her shoulder blades. Icarus looks between the two of them.


    When the Dust Devil raises back to his feet, he¡¯s not the same person. The way he holds himself is not hunched over like he wants to disappear. He looks the same, but he¡¯s someone else. Shoulders back and spine straight, the Dust Devil stands too tall to be who he seemed to be before; now, he looks confident, unbothered with the approaching Guard who¡¯s still wielding the dagger and advancing steadily. He turns to the Guard, gaze flickering. I catch a hint of that same fear I¡¯d seen before, the soul-deep exhaustion, a tiredness like the one Jabez has told me he doesn¡¯t know if any number of nights of sleep could ever heal. But beneath that fear and hesitation, I see something different, something predatory.


    Something snake-like, I muse when I catch a glimpse of the blue-grey tinge to his eyes that matches the color of the King¡¯s suit.


    I can almost see the two sides to the Dust Devil as he turns to face the Guard fully.


    Spyro and the lead Guard step back, retreating to the edge of the stage, while the other Guard and Soldiers stand guard around the perimeter.


    Almost as many Ragdonians lean toward the soon-to-be fight as who hesitate or lean back, seeming to want to go but not willing to truly do so.


    ¡°Hey, Astra,¡± Camden says, pulling out the mouse he¡¯d made. ¡°I have a present for you!¡±


    Astra¡¯s eyes light up, and Camden¡¯s present tears her attention away from the stage, eliminating the need for me to continue my internal dilemma on the best way to keep her from watching.


    Bouncing on her paws, Astra wriggles with excitement. ¡°That¡¯s for me?¡±


    Camden nods, holding the mouse by its tail and wiggling it. Astra tracks the movement, then lunges, pupils blown and ears pricked.


    ¡°Thank you, Camden,¡± she mumbles around the mouse.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he replies. ¡°I thought you might appreciate it.¡±


    Astra swats at the mouse, pouncing on it. Icarus keeps the mouse from rolling too far when she hits it too hard by gently pushing it back to her with his good wing. Jabez blocks her view of the stage.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just leave?¡± Seneca asks.


    Katelin jerks her head toward a group of Soldiers marching in almost uniform formation after a few people walking away. Swords drawn, it¡¯s not hard to guess what will happen. And a few moments later, screams ring out. Soon after, the Soldiers return with bloodied swords.


    ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± Katelin murmurs, lips twisted.


    Seneca grimaces. ¡°Eesh.¡±


    xxxx


    The Guard comes within a few paces of the Dust Devil, and the Dust Devil jerks as if he wants to retreat but he stays in place. He undoes the amethyst snap to his dark cloak, letting it fall to the ground and revealing the shiny silver armor of a Soldier.


    The King gave the gift to a Soldier?


    Dropping into a fighting stance, the Guard rises up onto his toes and waits for one beat, two, and then lunges, rushing forward in long, sure strides.


    The Dust Devil inclines his head, watching with brown-grey hair that I assume has a tinge of red to it considering the grey I see. He spreads his arms, palms down, before flipping them palms up. The dirt on the wooden stage rattles. He pulls one hand to his stomach and sweeps the other in an arc in front of him. The dust responds in kind; it condenses into one stream and whooshes across the stage, hitting the Guard in the legs mid-stride and sending him pitching off balance.


    The Guard hits his shoulder hard on the stage. He grunts.


    The crowd gathered gasps and murmurs as realization washes over them. I pin my ears, throwing my head and shifting on my hooves. I snap my tail in frustration; there¡¯s nowhere to go, and there¡¯s nothing to do.


    The King cannot win. He cannot keep winning. He¡¯s untouchable, but he can¡¯t be.


    The Guard tries again, but the Dust Devil ends the fight with one move. As the Guard springs from the ground, dagger still at the ready, the Dust Devil allows him to get close, eyes trained on the leather-armored member of the King¡¯s army.


    When the Guard gets within a half step, the Dust Devil takes his hands, fingers open, and snaps them into tight fists, jerking them straight apart with an intense look at the Guard, who seizes up. He manages a small step forward before he begins to collapse, dropping the dagger as he grasps for his throat with a wheeze. Grimacing, he makes one last move to attack, but the Dust Devil punches the Guard in the jaw.


    The Guard falls to the ground and doesn¡¯t rise.


    ¡°Kneel,¡± the Dust Devil says, raising his chin and looking down his nose at the Guard.


    The only sign something is amiss is the jerk and spasm of the Dust Devil¡¯s arm.


    Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, the Guard wipes at his face with the back of his hand, then pushes himself to a seated position.


    ¡°I bow before the Amethyst Throne, Dust Devil.¡±


    The Guard braces himself and shifts until his legs are beneath him in shaky movements, then drops until his forehead brushes the ground.


    I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s bowing so far because he believes so truly or because he cannot keep himself upright. Perhaps it¡¯s a mix of both.

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 6 - Here but in a Million Pieces

    Chapter 6


    Here but in a Hundred Pieces


    Days pass by after the Dust Devil fought against the Guard and won in such definitive fashion.


    Guard and Soldiers still patrol the Sea, crawling around in groups like skulking creatures, eyeing everything with a squinted gaze that reminds me far too much of the faux trial that took Astra from Freedom and Jabez at the orders of the Judge and Justice from the accusation lodged by the King that they were somehow abusing her.


    Seneca and Icarus stay with us. They offer commentary and observations, bits of information about their timeline of Ragdon and the King on the Carnelian Throne.


    Katelin returns to her job as secretary to the King of Ragdon on the Amethyst Throne each day for the better part of the day. Every time, Camden and the rest of us watch her go.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Camden tells himself. ¡°Lucius doesn¡¯t want her yet, and the King has no reason to hurt her. He doesn¡¯t know that she doesn¡¯t like him.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see her again,¡± I say, hoping that it¡¯s true.


    ¡°The King didn¡¯t kill Jabez,¡± Astra says, ¡°so I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll do the same to Katelin. We¡¯ll see her again.¡±


    Astra nods with certainty.


    Jabez blinks, raising his eyebrows. I take a step back, working over her logic and confused.


    ¡°Thank you, Astra,¡± is all Camden says in reply.


    ¡°Even if he did know,¡± Seneca says, part her own words and part a translation of a string of Icarus¡¯s chirps, ¡°he seems like the type of guy to get a little too much enjoyment out of watching others squirm. Would he keep someone around because he knows they don¡¯t want to be there? He could hold something over her head.¡±


    Camden chews on his lip. His eyes fall to the ground as he shrugs in a noncommittal kind of way, worry flaring in his gaze. ¡°Yeah, could be.¡±


    Icarus chitters, fluffing out his feathers and shaking so they sit right.


    ¡°Icarus wants to know what you were getting up to this morning.¡±


    I turn my attention to Camden, as does the golden eagle, whose eyes shine bright enough in the sun that they seem to glow from within. His feathery winged pendant hangs heavy around his neck from the thick black cord.


    ¡°I had to help out a family on the other side of the Sea over by the Barracks. Some Guard and Soldiers were harassing them. Weren¡¯t leavin¡¯ ¡®em alone or anything. I caught a few snakes and let them loose in the Barracks and made sure they were in their particular beds. The family oughta be fine. Told ¡®em to find me if the Guard and Soldiers messed with ¡®em again. Fuckin¡¯ power play.¡±


    Seneca and Icarus share a deer they¡¯d caught earlier, roasting it over a fire usually kept burning by the Erebus Tree. Jabez picks at a rabbit, cheek on his foreleg as he chews on a bite.


    I¡¯m chewing on a mouthful of grass when the wind shifts direction, bringing with it a new barrage of scents, including one that gets my attention. I jerk my head up, moving to stand in front of Astra, and prick my ears, swallowing the bite I took before I¡¯ve finished chewing it.


    I watch as a large creature stumbles through the Sea, crashing into some of the last remaining tents that still stand without needing repairs. I hear them fall, then get to their feet again with great effort.


    Astra presses up against a hind leg as Jabez pushes himself to his paws with a groan he muffles with gritted teeth. Icarus allows Seneca to climb up onto his shoulders, and together, they watch, scanning the Sea for anything else.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Camden all but shrieks, fingers curling into fists so tight his knuckles pale. ¡°I just checked that tent; it was one of the few that was actually mostly fine!¡±


    I frown and swivel my ears, scenting the air. I can¡¯t quite place the smell, but I know it from long, long ago. It¡¯s familiar, the type of smell that¡¯s impossible to forget. It¡¯s the type of smell that¡¯s ingrained so deep in brain tissue that it can never be dug out.


    I scent the air again, then frown.


    There¡¯s no way.


    That scent has been dead for decades. That scent was killed by Arcane. Arcane killed her; he took her life. She died and met Lucius.


    But when I catch a glimpse of a grey trunk and a rainbow wing rising over the top of a tent, I know I must investigate closer.


    Is that really Freedom? How? Is this an illusion? Am I dreaming? Is this a trick by the King to make us see something we want so badly?


    ¡°Watch Astra, ok?¡± I ask Camden. ¡°I need to see who that is in the Sea, but Astra cannot be there.¡±


    I need to do this. If Freedom is here, how? And if that¡¯s not her¡­


    I don¡¯t want to think that, not when the ache in my heart at her loss has returned, rearing its head just as strongly as it did the first time. The thought of seeing her again, even if that doesn¡¯t make sense, presses too deep into my being for me to want to think anything else, however irrational the logical part of my brain tells me the thought of Freedom living again is.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep Astra entertained, Brook. Go.¡± Camden nods, strands of dark hair falling into his face as he gives me a determined look.


    xxxx


    I race off into the Sea, hooves pounding against the ground beneath me as I track down the being in the Sea. My tail waves behind me as I run.


    It doesn¡¯t take long to reach the place where the tent had collapsed. I don¡¯t see the creature, but I see paw prints that don¡¯t quite line up. Something itches in my memory when I see massive circular impressions in the ground along with clawed, four-toed imprints as well.


    It can¡¯t be, but I¡¯ve never seen paw prints like that anywhere else.


    I trot forward and follow the paw prints. They continue in a haphazard pattern, staggering and uneven. Every so often, one drags and leaves scuff marks in the soil. A few deep gouges dig trenches in the ground.


    But as the scent becomes stronger, I walk faster, and soon I reach her.


    I¡¯m greeted with a sight I haven¡¯t seen in almost a century.


    A grey trunk curls around one of two massive tusks, pulling on burlap that¡¯s wrapped around the tusk. Black eyes narrow in frustration as she trumpets, flaring rainbow wings and lashing a tail that ends in what I know is a long, pink tuft of fur but looks grey to me. Green claws on her hind legs dig into the soil for purchase as she leans back, pushing off with her elephant¡¯s forelegs.


    ¡°Freedom,¡± I breathe.


    And then I notice it¡ª the rotting flesh, the bones, the muscles and ligaments hanging limp and disconnected from anything. One of her wings snaps open and shut a few times, and her head ticks to the side, driving one of her tusks into a wooden support.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I ask, rushing to her side.


    The look Freedom gives me breaks my heart, but looks so similar to the looks I¡¯ve seen Jabez trying to hide.


    ¡°Freedom was dead,¡± my best friend tells me. ¡°Lucius had me, and then they gave me back. I was in the ground. I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ what can I do?¡±


    Freedom steps forward, pressing her forehead to the support for the tent. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she whispers. ¡°I really don¡¯t. I don¡¯t understand anything myself. I don¡¯t know what I need.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back though?¡± I ask, trying to make any sort of sense of seeing Freedom again, nearly a century after I last saw her and sixty years after Arcane killed her in the tragic accident on Ragdon Volcano.


    Freedom twists her head but keeps her forehead against the log. The mane on her head rasps against the debarked trunk, hairs tangling against each other. She gazes at me through black eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she says, ¡°but my body is in a hundred pieces. I have my magic; I can manipulate others¡¯ emotions. I can move, but I cannot control myself fully.¡± Freedom sighs, but there¡¯s no anger, only a bone-deep tiredness and a helplessness that I wish I could take away. ¡°Am I back? I don¡¯t know. But I¡¯m here, Brook. I¡¯m here.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Would you like to see Astra?¡±


    I keep my voice neutral as I ask the question, but I hope with everything within me that Freedom will say yes, because I don¡¯t know how I will tell Astra that her biological mother did not wish to see her. I would find a way to tell her, but I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ll respect Freedom¡¯s wishes, but I want her to get to see her daughter. I want them to meet and to have a relationship that¡¯s not only me telling stories. I want Astra to know who her mother is through her own experiences.


    ¡°Does she want to see me?¡± Freedom asks.


    I nod. ¡°I think she would be very happy to see you.¡±


    Freedom huffs a small, short laugh. ¡°She¡¯s still cheerful?¡±


    I incline my head. ¡°Yes, Astra¡¯s very, very cheerful and happy. I kept my promise, Freedom. I kept Astra safe. I will continue to do so.¡±


    ¡°I should see her,¡± Freedom muses, ¡°but what if she¡¯s angry? I left her. I told you to take her away. I couldn¡¯t keep her safe from the King. I wanted to, but¡­ I¡¯m strong, but the King was ¡ªand still is¡ª stronger. Will she be upset, Brook? I don¡¯t want her to be angry. If she¡¯d be happier not seeing me¡­¡±


    Freedom trails off, and I step in.


    ¡°I¡¯m not Astra, but I¡¯ve known her for the last ninety years. I believe that she will be happy to see you. I think she would love to meet her mother.¡±


    Freedom laughs, but there¡¯s no humor in it. ¡°I¡­ you¡¯re her mother, Brook.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m her stepmother. You are her mother. You never lost the title. You are and will always be her mother. You love her, Freedom. You love Astra just as a mother should.¡±


    Freedom backs up a step, standing up a little straighter. She watches me for a moment, but then I see something shift. Her black eyes which had been looking at me suddenly look through me, gazing into space, gazing at nothing, everything, something. A hind leg buckles and gives out, crumpling beneath her weight as a wing snaps out, vibrating. Freedom¡¯s head ticks to the side, an ear pinning back as her trunk contracts and curls.


    I hear her draw in a choked breath, ragged breathing coming in tiny gasps.


    Her forelegs lock, toes pressed into the dirt. The loose flap of skin on her side that¡¯s draped over her ribcage sways as she trembles and shakes.


    For long enough that I begin to consider calling for help, Freedom looks at me without any recognition in her eyes. She says nothing and hardly moves, finally looking at me, but with a stare that¡¯s just as blank as when she was shaking.


    But then Freedom blinks and she takes a breath and there¡¯s recognition.


    ¡°Brook,¡± she says, voice a bit hoarse.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you¡­ you had to, uh. Sorry you had to see-see that.¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± I hurry to say. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Freedom nods, eyelids heavy. A fly buzzes around an open wound on her jaw.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she whispers.


    ¡°Nothing to apologize for.¡±


    ¡°That happens sometimes. We should go meet Astra.¡±


    xxxx


    Astra, true to my belief, is thrilled to meet Freedom.


    Freedom and I walk back side by side, and it¡¯s like we¡¯ve gone back in time a hundred years, all the way back to before the King made the claims of abuse of Astra against Freedom and Jabez and the Judge and Justice gave custody of infant Astra to me and Freedom and Jabez told me to take Astra somewhere the King could never reach her.


    Freedom doesn¡¯t talk much, but the brief conversations we do have fall into familiar, comforting patterns that I know from a century ago that I didn¡¯t know if I¡¯d ever get to have again.


    I¡¯d take Astra to the Field again in a heartbeat, craft that portal once more to bring her away from the King again, even knowing that we¡¯d never return to Ragdon again and would never see another being again apart from songbirds and mice and voles. I¡¯d do it all again, but that doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t miss talking to others. I love Astra more than anything and I¡¯d happily spend the rest of my life with only her, but a part of me always longed to know what was happening outside of the Sea, a part of me always wondered.


    We reach the group ¡ªCamden sitting beside Astra and repairing a hole in the stuffed mouse he made, Jabez still picking at the rabbit, Seneca leaning against Icarus and dozing with an arm slung over her eyes, Katelin still presumably at the King¡¯s castle¡ª and Freedom hesitates behind me, but there¡¯s nowhere to go and when Astra hears my return, she perks up and bounds over.


    She looks past me, sees Freedom, stops, and gasps.


    ¡°Whoahhh.¡± Astra¡¯s blue eyes grow wide, and she leans back to stare up at Freedom. ¡°Are you a zombie? Brook told me all about those and how they¡¯re dead but alive and that they¡ª.¡±


    Jabez coughs unsubtly behind Astra, stopping her from rambling. She looks over her shoulder, then back at Freedom, then at me, then frowns. Realization crosses over her face after she¡¯s had a few moments to think things over.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. That wasn¡¯t very nice of me. I¡¯m gonna start over. Hi! I¡¯m Astra! What¡¯s your name?¡±


    When Freedom doesn¡¯t respond, I turn my neck around.


    Tears drip down Freedom¡¯s cheeks. I see her ribs flare and shake with uneven breaths. Her tail twitches, brushing against her lightly scaled hind legs.


    ¡°Why are you crying? Are you sad? Are you having a bad day? Brook says that everyone gets those and that it¡¯s ok and that sometimes you need to cry and that if you need to cry that you should do that. So if you need to cry you should do that. It¡¯s ok to cry. You can cry.¡±


    Astra walks up to Freedom, parroting what I¡¯d told her many times.


    ¡°Brook said that you need to feel emotions and process them but I don¡¯t like to do that.¡±


    Seneca chokes on a laugh and Jabez smiles. Icarus chitters.


    ¡°Oh, hush, Icarus. You¡¯re not any better.¡±


    His eyes haven¡¯t left Freedom since he first saw her, but he hasn¡¯t approached. Freedom hasn¡¯t looked away from Astra, and I think Jabez is giving her space to reunite with their daughter. I can see the disbelief, the pain, the hope, the grief, the awe, the thousand emotions mashed into a churning sea that leaves him shaking, eyes wide and tears dripping down his cheeks to form icicles on his jaw. But still, he waits.


    ¡°Brook is like that, isn¡¯t she?¡± Freedom laughs, but it¡¯s thick with emotion and nerves.


    ¡°Brook¡¯s smart.¡±


    ¡°That she is. Brook¡¯s among the smartest I know.¡±


    Astra stands up straighter with a gasp. ¡°You know Brook?¡±


    Freedom nods. ¡°I do. I knew her a hundred years ago. I haven¡¯t seen her in a very long time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool! Who are you?¡±


    Freedom cannot hide her flinch. She winces. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m Freedom.¡±


    Astra twists her lips, face scrunching up in deep thought. I wait, allowing Astra to think. I can see the exact moment she puts the pieces together; Astra looks back at Jabez, then back toward Freedom, then at me. She approaches Freedom, taking a few steps closer to her mother.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± Astra tilts her head to the side. ¡°You¡¯re my mom.¡±


    A shudder passes through Freedom, and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s involuntary or not. Freedom draws her ears back. She reaches out with her trunk, then pulls it back like she¡¯s been burned.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were dead,¡± Astra states, voice flat.


    Freedom nods again. ¡°I¡­ I was.¡±


    Astra hums. ¡°Oh.¡± She squints. ¡°So you¡¯re-. You¡¯re, like, a zombie?¡±


    Freedom laughs. ¡°Kind of, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool.¡±


    Jabez approaches. His steps are stiff, and he stumbles more than once but he makes it. I stay back, and so do Camden, Seneca, and Icarus, giving the family space to reunite after decades apart. Nearly a century for Astra with a mother she does not remember, and sixty years for Jabez with a lover he grew apart from after the loss of their child. He told me that he had not seen Freedom since long before since Arcane accidentally killed her; asking me to take Astra away from Ragdon into the Field, while necessary, was too much for them each to bear.


    Freedom freezes when she sees Jabez.


    I watch as Jabez gives a cautious smile, body tense and guarded.


    ¡°Hello,¡± he says softly.


    ¡°Jabez.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my dad,¡± Astra says, wings rising from her sides.


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my mom,¡± Astra tells Freedom, ¡°and Jabez is my dad and Brook is my stepmom, so I have two moms and a dad.¡±


    xxxx


    Astra chatters Freedom¡¯s ear off as we make our way to find somewhere quieter, more private.


    Freedom listens diligently, but she says little. Jabez doesn¡¯t speak much, either. It¡¯s almost as if they¡¯re both¡­ waiting. Like they don¡¯t know how to fill the silence after decades apart.


    Both have died, and both live again.


    I want to talk with Freedom. We used to speak for ages, all morning, all afternoon after I left the King. Jabez would join in sometimes, and the three of us would spend all day together. I watched them fall for each other.


    But now, Jabez is someone different after ninety years stuck with only the King as someone he knew, despite knowing what the King had done but the King was the only one he still knew, as he told me. Freedom is someone different after sixty years dead. I¡¯m someone different after ninety years in the Field.


    What is there to say?


    How do we fill the silence?


    Camden, Seneca, and Icarus give us space, though I hear Icarus chirping to Seneca a few paces behind me. They talk softly.


    What could I even say? Where do I even begin? I cannot pick up my friendship with Freedom right where it left off.


    The last time I saw her was the worst day of my life. She all but thrust Astra into me after the quickest goodbye, yet what I¡¯m sure she thought at the time was the most permanent goodbye.


    Take her. You have to take her.


    She and Jabez had told me to take Astra, that I had to take her somewhere the King could never reach. After the faux trial where the Judge and Justice had ruled in the King¡¯s favor after only a few pieces of shabby evidence, they felt hopeless, that there was no way they could keep Astra safe themselves. They had told me to


    Was that the right choice? Should I have waited until they were in a more level headspace? Was waiting worth the risk?


    If I had waited, the King would have checked in at some point. He would have put tabs on me and made sure he¡¯d known where I was, just like he did when I was a nameless draft horse in his army.


    But if I had waited, I may have known if taking Astra was truly what Jabez and Freedom had really wanted.


    I open my mouth. I want to say something to Freedom. I just got her back. She¡¯s here. She¡¯s right here, right in front of me. I could reach out and touch her with my nose. I could lean into her like I used to so often.


    Her skin hangs loose over her frame, chunks are missing, I can see wasted muscle and bone, but it¡¯s her. It¡¯s Freedom.


    But what can I say?


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to come back,¡± Freedom says, interrupting Astra¡¯s latest ramble.


    ¡°Why?¡± Astra gasps, a hint of betrayal weaving itself through her words that I hope Freedom doesn¡¯t catch onto.


    ¡°Arcane made a deal with Lucius. They would bring me back. Arcane¡¯s life for mine.¡±


    ¡°He fixed things?¡± Astra asks.


    ¡°That depends on your definition of fixing things.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    xxxx


    The following day, Camden leaves to show Seneca and Icarus around the Sea in what he called his unofficially official tour, an unsubtle way of distracting himself from when Katelin left again early in the morning to return to the King¡¯s castle. They leave shortly after eating, each selecting something from the buffet near the Erebus Tree.


    Freedom wraps her trunk around Jabez¡¯s tail, and he turns back, pricking his ears as he waits for her to speak. She takes several moments to find the words, a foreleg spasming rhythmically as her head ticks in time. Her tail snaps to the side, and the spikes on either side arc through the air, getting stuck in the ground for a moment before she jerks them back out.


    ¡°What happened when I was gone?¡± Freedom asks.


    Jabez¡¯s eyes scan the Sea, and I can see the fear within the pale blue depths. His short fur rises on his back, and his ears pull back. He shakes his head, gaze rising to meet Freedom¡¯s black eyes.


    ¡°Not here.¡±


    Freedom nods. ¡°Very well.¡±


    When they leave, Astra tries to follow, but I stop her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s let Freedom and Jabez talk,¡± I tell Astra. ¡°They want to catch up. There are things they need to talk about, ok?¡±


    ¡°Grown-up things?¡± Astra asks.


    I nod. ¡°I think so, yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Astra says, bottom lip wobbling.

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 7 - Blind Spot

    TRIGGER WARNING: major character injury, permanent injury, near-death, a child driven to kill (the child does take a life), a very big fight (I hope this is clear with the aforementioned warnings but I still wanted to mention it since those warnings are in the context of a battle-type fight)


    Chapter 7


    Blind Spot


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand what?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Why is Freedom here?¡± Astra¡¯s blue eyes widen and turn glassy with unshed tears. ¡°I thought she was dead.¡±


    I sigh. I wish I could give better answers, but Freedom died when we were in the Field. I don¡¯t know as much as I wish I did, but I also don¡¯t want to know about my friend¡¯s death. When she was dead, I didn¡¯t want to know because if I didn¡¯t acknowledge it, then maybe it wasn¡¯t really real. But now¡­ I don¡¯t know what to think.


    ¡°Freedom is here because she loves you, Astra. I know you probably don¡¯t remember her, but she is your birth mother. I¡¯m your stepmother, as you know. Freedom would like to meet you, if you¡¯d like that. You can say no, though, ok? You remember that you can say no to anything, right?¡±


    Astra nods. ¡°You can always say no.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Yes, you can.¡±


    ¡°How did Freedom come back?


    ¡°Arcane made a deal with Lucius. That¡¯s what Freedom said. Arcane made a deal with Lucius that he would trade his life for hers, and Lucius would then bring Freedom back to life.¡±


    Astra twists her lips, humming as she furrows her brows into a look of deep thought.


    ¡°Why would Lucius make a deal? I thought once Lucius claimed someone, they died forever and ever?¡±


    I take a breath, sighing. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Astra. I cannot answer that question.¡±


    xxxx


    We¡¯ve made our way through the Sea, and we¡¯re on the outskirts, more or less near where we¡¯d leave to head out toward the Lava Flats.


    I plod along, watching Astra as she trots up ahead. She stops every so often, crouching down to look at flowers, plants, vines that catch her interest. She sniffs them, then bounds off.


    I swivel my ears and scent the air, keeping track as the wind changes direction and listening for any unusual sounds.


    There¡¯s nothing, until there is.


    I hear an all-too familiar sound of stomping boots, and they draw closer. The clink of buckles is accompanied by the thump of sword sheaths against thighs with every step. Panic sparks in my gut, a flickering little flame, hot as it burns a hole through my insides. I blow a sharp breath through my nose, squaring my nostrils as I widen my eyes and flash the whites.


    I speed up to reach Astra, neighing as I urge her to go faster. I scan around me, angling my ears in every direction to pinpoint the exact location of the Guard and Soldiers. They¡¯re a little lower than us, still firm within the Sea¡¯s limits, while we are trailing along the territory just outside.


    I nudge Astra and we turn to go back toward the Sea. I hope it¡¯s the right decision, but I don¡¯t want to be separated. Much longer, and we¡¯d have no choice but to venture further away from virtually everyone. Perhaps others around might change the outcome this time. I hope so, thinking back to the battle in the Field when Ky felt he had no choice but to summon the Blood Demon.


    Would we all have died if he had not made that decision?


    I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any way to really know for sure, but a part of me wonders and remembers just how many Guard and Soldiers there had been.


    I start to run as Astra picks up speed and lopes alongside me, body moving easily and spine curving as she bounds beside me. My spine doesn¡¯t move, but I stretch my legs a little longer. I¡¯m not built for speed like Astra is, but I¡¯m strong. I can fight. But right now, I need to be fast.


    I don¡¯t know if this will work, but we cannot be alone. It¡¯s too late to go back in time and never leave Jabez and Freedom and the others, and it¡¯s too late to find a way to call out to them.


    But the Guard and Soldiers catch up to us before we can truly reach anyone in the Sea. They must¡¯ve heard us and taken a shortcut through the Sea, one of the many that exist with how haphazardly the settlement of tents was built.


    An arrow whizzes through my mane, skimming the top of my neck, and I roar, anger searing through my veins alongside icy fear that slides through me, sealing up my throat and locking up my legs and narrowing my vision until it¡¯s little more than pinpricks.


    Astra snarls, and I exhale, snorting a warning that should¡¯ve been clear but the Guard and Soldiers didn¡¯t understand. Pinning my ears, I neigh another warning, throwing my head as I rear when a Soldier tries to attack.


    I kick out at him with my forelegs, kicking him in the temple with a hoof. Grey blood sprays as he falls back, body convulsing until he lays still.


    Fear surges through me, and determination sharpens my vision. I snap my tail as I ready myself.


    After that, the Guard and Soldiers fall upon us both. With a bray that pitches into another roar, I scramble to keep Astra close to me and memorize her location so they cannot separate us.


    I spin and lash out with my hooves, my teeth, my horn, my muzzle, my legs, everything I have, whirling around and attacking anything in sight. Brown and silver surround me as the Guard and Soldiers draw in closer. Calling upon my portal magic, the twisted gift of the Amethyst Throne that I do not want but will use if it means keeping Astra safe, I bring the now-familiar blistering heat to my horn, ready to portal myself and Astra away to anywhere, just not here.


    Just as the heat hit its breaking point, a Guard¡¯s dagger sinks into my shoulder. My squeal of alarm contorts into a scream. Jerking back, I pull away, and hot, sticky blood drips down my fur.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt my stepmother!¡± Astra screeches.


    She launches herself at the Guard, landing on his back and shoulders. She claws at his neck, chest, anywhere she can reach. Astra sinks her teeth into his scalp, and the Guard howls, reaching back to grab at her.


    I drive my horn into the Guard¡¯s abdomen before he can get his fingers wrapped too tightly around Astra¡¯s fur. His own blood gushes and sprays from his body and soaks my forehead, making my forelocks stick to my fur.


    Someone tries to attack my hind legs, and I quickly kick back. Both of my hooves connect solidly with bodies.


    Again, I ready myself to portal both me and Astra away to anywhere but here. Anywhere will have fewer threats.


    Again, someone attacks me. This time a Soldier, who swings his sword at my flank, but I rear up out of the way fast enough that it doesn¡¯t cut as deep as he¡¯d been intending. Gasping for breath as my ribs ache, I bite at the Soldier¡¯s ear, yanking hard enough that it starts to give and the Soldier turns clammy and pale and looks like he¡¯s about to vomit.


    I try a third time, except that a Guard fires an arrow into my eye.


    I see the arrow as it whizzes through the air. Time seems to slow down, every moment stretching into an ever-longer eternity, until the tip of the arrow sinks through my cornea, pupil, past the lens of my eye, and continues at an angle until it hits bone. Bunching my hind legs beneath me, I leap forward as my vision goes dark in my eye, blurry sand consuming what was once clear images of my surroundings. Flickering light wavers in front of my injured eye. The edges of my vision lose focus, seeing as normal for the last time, before my vision tunnels and everything goes dark as my eye sends the final images of the other side of what my uninjured eye sees to my brain.


    I land hard on my forelegs, then throw myself up onto my hind legs, rearing up as I try to escape the arrow, the blindness as raw panic takes hold and controls my movements.


    I throw my head, crying out in a scream as panic wraps its talons around my chest and seizes my lungs. I shake my head and try to dislodge the arrow, but I only manage to snap it in half when I lean back and break the end of it off against my shoulder. Doing so jolts the arrowhead still inside my eye, and I roar.


    A Soldier¡¯s sword cuts through my side, straight across my ribs, splitting the skin. I feel it all, how the flesh rips apart and tears into two, how my own blood bubbles up like it¡¯s doing in my eye, how the hot, sticky blood oozes down my side in a thick stream that splatters on my feathers as I scramble to hold off the Guard and Soldiers and fail to stay calm like I know I need to but cannot do because if my life is in danger, then so is Astra¡¯s, and I made a promise to Freedom and even if I hadn¡¯t it¡¯s my duty as her stepmother to defend her, and¡ª.


    I cut myself off from spiraling any further.


    It won¡¯t help.


    The pain hurtling across my nerves might be causing my brain to shatter into only the most basic of functions, but Astra needs me and I need me if we¡¯re both going to make it out of this. So, despite no vision in one eye and wounds scattered across my body, I take a breath, even if moving my ribcage sends excruciating pain screaming through me.


    I squeal, stomping a hoof and thrashing my tail, hitting it against my hind legs.


    ¡°Leave,¡± I insist.


    I buck and kick at a Guard who tries to come up behind me from the side, hiding in my now huge blind spot, far bigger than it ever was before. Instead of just in front of my nose and directly behind me, it¡¯s now half of my field of vision. Anxiety and panic clench within me, seizing around everything within me.


    Anxiety curls within me and I don¡¯t stop moving, turning my head every which way, desperate to not miss anything. I don¡¯t know how to deal with this, and I don¡¯t like that. Unease keeps me moving. It¡¯s going to make me clumsy, it¡¯s going to make me sloppy, it¡¯s going to cost me, it¡¯s going to get me killed. I can¡¯t have that happen.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Astra needs me.


    Astra stays beneath me, spinning in a slow circle as she watches. She smells of blood, but not of her own. It¡¯s some tiny relief I¡¯ll take.


    ¡°You should breathe, Brook. That¡¯s what you told me when I was crying, remember? To take a deep breath and count to five and then breathe out and count to five?¡±


    I almost laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but I also know that she¡¯s trying to help.


    ¡°Thank you, Astra. I really appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Breathing will help us catch the bad guys, right?¡±


    Astra growls when a Guard gets too close, lunging with her wings flared. I do take a breath, right before I lunge myself and sever his jugular vein with my horn. He collapses, hands clutching his throat as blood gurgles through his fingertips. He chokes, coughs and sputters on blood, before falling still on his side, eyes going distant and glazed.


    I carefully nudge Astra¡¯s attention back toward me with a foreleg, taking care not to use too much force or weight with my hoof. She turns around, eyes wide and pupils dilated with fear. Her jaw chatters, and I want to shield her from everything. I want to bring her in close and keep her from it all. I want to make her forget what has happened and keep her from ever having to learn what the world can do.


    I can¡¯t, though, and I hate it.


    A Guard¡¯s dagger slices through one of my hocks, and buck and kick at him, hoof catching him on his shoulder and collarbone. When I realize that he had been standing in my now half-body-wide blind spot, the panic that had begun to ease into the tension of Guard and Soldiers posing such a threat to myself and Astra flares back to life, filling me up until I feel little else beyond the fear and pain of the arrow still lodged in my eye, scraping bone.


    Someone gets in close, pressing up against me and jumping up in my blind spot, one hand on the long hair of my mane just in front of my withers as they vault up a ways, reaching for what I realize far too late is the arrow still lodged in my eye. I¡¯d snapped off half of it in my initial panic, but the rest is still pierced through the flesh of my eyeball.


    When their fingers close around the remaining shaft of the arrow, I jerk my head without thought, neigh falling into a scream as fear surges through my veins and I rear up. Their feet scrabble at my body, a foot on my forearm and another somewhere on my shoulder until I fall back down. Sweat foams on my body from the stress, exhaustion, fear, exertion.


    The person grabbing at the arrow still in my eye distracts me enough that a Soldier comes up on my other side ¡ª the side I should be able to see so well on, so normally¡ª and rakes his sword down my side. I should¡¯ve dodged it, but I didn¡¯t.


    Pain shatters through every bit of my body, every piece of my being, cold and icy with daggers razor-sharp and tiny enough to slice the fabric of everything I am into a million threads. I crumble, I¡¯m put back together again, and I crumble again beneath the pulsing waves of screaming pain that¡¯s the only thing I can see, hear, smell, taste, feel. It overloads my senses until there¡¯s nothing left but agony.


    Hot blood feels like it¡¯s burning as it drips down my side in thick, oozing globs.


    The person gripping the arrow hangs onto it and my mane longer, though I cannot tell how much; beyond the pain there is nothing, not even time. But when they let go, the arrow goes with them, causing even more damage.


    I¡¯d had little hope of what Wyatt could do, whenever they returned, to restore vision to my eye. Fighting for myself and Astra left hardly any time to consider the future, but still, I did not think Wyatt could do much. But after the person yanked out the arrow and I felt the damage it does moving backward, going against the way an arrow is supposed to move, I know there is no way Wyatt can give me back the vision in my eye, even with their skills.


    I scream as the person falls the distance back to the ground, throwing my head up and rearing to kick out at them as a new wave of blood pours down my face and throat, joining the streams of blood running down my flank from the gash. My fur turns slick with blood and sweat and grime.


    Increasingly dizzy, I gasp for air, mouth wide and tongue thick in my mouth.


    I spin to drive my horn into a Soldier¡¯s chest when I see him approaching from the side I can still see from. His blonde hair turns splattered with grey as my horn punctures through his armor, his skin, his sternum, then his heart. I hate the feeling of the resistance of metal and bone, then the give of soft organs.


    It¡¯s for you and Astra. You can do this.


    But spinning that abruptly costs me; my mind whirls, and I lose where I am for a precious few moments.


    A sword¡¯s hilt to my temple has me stumbling, legs buckling like I¡¯m a newborn filly again, gangly and off-balance, unable to stay upright. My hooves slam and clatter on the soil, thumping as I try to keep myself standing, but I cannot; a foreleg gives out as stars dance in front of my darkening vision in my uninjured eye. Dizzy and disoriented as I am, I cannot feel the amount of panic I know I should be at losing any amount of vision in the eye that¡¯s supposed to be seeing just fine.


    My haunch hits the ground first, then my hip, then my flank, then my shoulder hits hard enough that I cry out. Finally, my cheek hits. I fall on the side of my blinded eye, and with no arrow still in my eye, no further damage is done after the impact, but my teeth still rattle in my head, chattering against each other as I crash to the ground, legs sprawled out and head back.


    Flank heaving with breath, I watch as Astra scrambles over to me. She moves so her back is to me, wings flared and her stance wide.


    She¡¯s defending me. It¡¯s supposed to be the other way around; I¡¯m supposed to defend her.


    Dread coils in my gut, a snake in the grass watching with twinkling eyes. I flare my nostrils as I wheeze and try to stand.


    Please, no.


    Astra lashes her tail and growls.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Astra spits. ¡°Leave us alone! Go home to your parents. I know you all have them. Go to your families if your parents aren¡¯t nice.¡± Astra glances over her shoulder. ¡°Brook says sometimes parents aren¡¯t nice. But leave us alone. You hurt Brook. You can¡¯t do that.¡±


    I feel my own blood soaking into the dirt beneath me. It sticks to my eye in muddy clumps. I try to lift my head, but only manage to roll a little ways before strength leaves me and I collapse back down again.


    Astra, run. You have to run. I can¡¯t keep you safe like this.


    I paw at the dirt, trying to find the ability to roll, because if I can roll, I can get my legs beneath me. After that, I just have to summon the strength to push myself upright, but every beat of my heart saps a little more from me. Strength leaves me with every pulse of blood from my wounds.


    ¡°Go, Astra,¡± I croak. ¡°Run.¡±


    Astra cranes her head back, eyes wild and wide as tears drip down her cheeks.


    No, you shouldn¡¯t cry. Feel your emotions, but not like this. Please, you shouldn¡¯t be afraid. You shouldn¡¯t be scared like this. I¡¯m supposed to keep you safe. I have to take it all away, but I can¡¯t.


    A Soldier spins his sword in his grip. It turns into a silver arc in my blurry vision as he approaches me and Astra.


    ¡°Finally,¡± he says, ¡°we can get some who oppose My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV. We need those who understand the hierarchy to be in leadership. They can show the others how this world works. The two of you, Brook and Astra? The two of you clearly don¡¯t know how the world works. The two of you clearly do not know how to bow before the rightful King of Ragdon, My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV.¡±


    I can only watch as fear begins to paralyze me, freezing me cold, as the Soldier draws closer. He¡¯s so casual, body so loose and at ease, so opposite from Astra and I that it makes anger flare within me.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Astra shouts, voice pitching up into a shrill screech. ¡°Stop it, stop it, stop it!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± a Guard replies. ¡°Neither of you will bow before the King of Ragdon and the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    Astra paces a step in either direction, and I can see the building, bubbling frustration. She shakes, feathers on her wings rustling, and I see the moment everything froths over and explodes.


    Astra screams, shrill and loud and filled with such fury that I shudder. There¡¯s such emotion and rage that my skin prickles, fur shifting as unease shivers across my body.


    I scrabble with my legs, scraping and carving at the soil in vain attempts to roll myself so I can stand, but I can¡¯t and Astra needs me and she¡¯s going to die and I¡¯m going to die and we¡¯re both going to die and Lucius is going to come for us and I can almost see them walking among us and I¡¯m going to break the promise I made to Freedom and¡ª.


    I exhale, raising a cloud of dust in front of me. Pain blurs the vision in my uninjured eye, and I feel my blood seeping from my injured eye and the gash stretching across my ribcage and every little wound littering my body. I feel its sticky warmth. I feel the dirt clumping up and caking around the injuries until mud forms. I feel the heat as my body tries to stop the bleeding. Exhaustion leaves me feeling like I¡¯m moving beneath the thick blankets the Guard and Soldiers used to place over my body when cold snaps moved through¡ª detached, slow, clumsy.


    There are far fewer Guard and Soldiers, but they¡¯re not gone.


    A Guard taunts Astra, baiting her into attacking. I try to stop her. I try to stand yet again. I try to get up to defend my stepdaughter and stop the Guard whose actions are to blame. I have to stand, but I cannot and I hate it.


    Someone moves toward me, and I struggle but still cannot stand. The cold, grey gleam of metal glints in the sunlight like the snake¡¯s fangs that had bitten Jabez


    ¡°Let her be,¡± a Soldier says. ¡°She¡¯s gonna die, anyway. Look at her¡ª she can¡¯t even stand. What¡¯s that about a horse always needing to be standing?¡±


    We can lay down, I think bitterly. We just don¡¯t lay down for long.


    I hate that some part of what he said isn¡¯t entirely wrong. There¡¯s some little thread of truth. Horses don¡¯t spend a great deal of time on the ground.


    And I can feel my blood dripping from my body into the ground.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we just¡­ you know. Send her to Lucius?¡± Another Soldier speaks. I recognize him. Spyro had said he¡¯s the Dust Devil. Dark hair streaked through with grey that I assume must be red.


    ¡°You mean end her right now?¡± a Guard clarifies.


    I watch, heart fluttering in my chest. I swallow, closing my eye tight.


    Come on, Brook. We have to stand. We have to get up. We have no other choice. There is no alternative. There is no other choice than to stand and fight.


    Come on, Brook. Stand.


    Don¡¯t make it easy for them. Astra needs you. You need you.


    Stand. Fight. We¡¯re stronger than any of them.


    Am I stronger than them like this? Blinded in one eye, losing blood from a myriad of wounds, exhausted beyond measure, terrified past anything I¡¯ve felt before.


    Yes, I tell myself.


    I won¡¯t stop fighting. I am stronger.


    ¡°Send her to Lucius, Dust Devil,¡± a lead Guard says, face impassive and cold, carved from the same stone as the Judge and Justice as they ruled in the favor of the King and the Amethyst Throne. ¡°Kill her.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Astra shrieks.


    Bloodied mud streaks on my jaw and throat as I manage to get my knees and hocks beneath me. Hind legs first, I push myself to standing. My muscles scream, and icy sweat pours across my body, foaming on my fur. My vision blurs in my uninjured eye, sending the world tilting and pitching this way and that. I stumble like a newborn foal, and I have to splay my legs wide to stay upright.


    ¡°Send the unicorn to Lucius?¡± the Dust Devil clarifies.


    The lead Guard nods, annoyance flaring in his features. ¡°Kill her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Astra lunges forward.


    ¡°Astra,¡± I rasp. ¡°Come here.¡±


    ¡°Still you stand,¡± the lead Guard murmurs. ¡°You should have stayed down. Perhaps your death would have been easier.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you kill us.¡±


    ¡°How? You cannot portal. You cannot fight. You can hardly stand.¡±


    I don¡¯t know.


    The lead Guard is right.


    I turn my head as much as I am able to in my exhausted state. I cannot lift my head higher than level with my withers, but I still remain standing, no matter how much I sway.


    Anger flickers in my gut, a wavering flame that burns out of spite and stubbornness.


    ¡°This¡ª.¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Astra screeches as she flares her wings out to the side and lashes her tail.


    She growls and snarls and spits and bares her teeth, pinning her ears and stomping her paws. When a Soldier tries to approach her from the side, I glower at him, snorting. Thankfully, he¡¯s spooked enough that he retreats.


    However, scaring off the Soldier turned enough of my attention from staying upright and I sway on my hooves. I lose my balance. Scrambling to stay on my hooves costs me, and I scrape a hoof across a fetlock on my foreleg, straight through my feathers and through the thin layer of skin protecting tendons and bone.


    Once more, I stumble and fall. This time, I make sure to fall on the side of my injured eye; if I cannot stay upright, I at least need to make sure I can see.


    I hate that it¡¯s come to this.


    Sides heaving, I struggle for enough air.


    Please, but I don¡¯t know who I beg to.


    What is begging for? Who will hear? What will pleading do?


    The lead Guard is not dissuaded like the Soldier was, and he comes closer.


    With a hiss, Astra digs her hind toes into the ground and throws herself at the lead Guard. He smirks when he sees her face scrunched up in anger, but his smug grin falls into shock when he¡¯s falling and hitting the ground as Astra dives through the air, wings spread to angle herself right. He barely has enough time to draw in a wheezed breath before Astra¡¯s sitting on his upper abdomen and tearing at him.


    Her claws dig into every part of him she can reach with her forepaws; his chest, shoulders, face, head. She cries out, tears streaming down her face as she shakes so violently that I can see her vibrating. The grey plates on her tail slice through the leather armor on his leg and cut across his thigh and knee, exposing muscle and bone.


    Blood sprays when she rips through the Guard¡¯s jugular veins, shredding his neck. Bits of flesh start flying soon after, when there¡¯s little blood left in his body and all the gashes have left the Guard¡¯s skin too broken up to remain intact as Astra continues to slash at him.


    I close my eyes for just a moment, too dizzy to make sense of what¡¯s going on and head spinning far too much to truly make sense of what¡¯s going on.


    Through a haze, I hear a commotion, then seven words, gruff and irritated and snarled.


    ¡°The actual fuck is going on here?¡±

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 8 - Nice and Slow

    TRIGGER WARNING: major character injury (continued from Chapter 7 Blind Spot)


    Chapter 8


    Nice and Slow


    Vision in my uninjured eye too blurry to see anything and energy too sapped to move, I can only listen as Phoenix stomps over. His steps come heavy and firm, confident.


    ¡°Astra, go stand next to Brook. Wyatt might have questions, so answer any that they ask you. It¡¯ll be very important. Guard and Soldiers, say a little prayer if you¡¯re feeling particularly inclined. Now, stay very, very still. This will only take a moment. There¡¯s a child present, so I¡¯m gonna make this nice and quick. Be thankful.¡±


    Wyatt¡¯s here? The others are here? Did they find Alex?


    I try to move, but the little movements I manage send pain screaming across nerves, searing every individual line raw until some part of me wishes I could peel them free from my body despite how I know that¡¯s not how it works but the pain.


    ¡°The Phoenix,¡± a Soldier says.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Phoenix drawls, ¡°so I¡¯m here. Wonderful, glad we could all have that revelation. Shocker, I¡¯m sure. I could be almost anyone. Now, you hurt a child, and you hurt a stepparent in front of their stepchild. That¡¯s the biggest no-no you can make underneath hurting an innocent. Don¡¯t hurt a child, and do not hurt their parent, especially not in front of the child. You were already dead. You¡¯re associated with the cream puff. But now you¡¯re doubly so. Who¡¯s ready to meet Lucius?¡±


    Through vision blurring in and out of focus too quickly for me to make sense of much, I do manage to see the brightness of Phoenix¡¯s flames and the bright yellows. His fire billows out around him in pulsing waves.


    A Guard draws his dagger, dropping into a fighting stance and readying himself for a fight against the black cat, the Phoenix.


    With a dark snicker, Phoenix lunges for the Guard, laughing deep in his chest, the sound predatory and unsettling in a way that makes my fur prickle. His flames crackle and blaze as he takes one leaping bound, two, and then lunges, forepaws outstretched with claws unsheathed. Jaws parted to reveal his long upper canines, the black cat wraps his forelegs around the Guard, bringing them tumbling to the ground. Phoenix¡¯s flames spread from his body to the Guard¡¯s, and the black cat smirks as the Guard begins to squirm, but he just holds the Guard a little tighter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt kids. You should¡¯ve known this would happen if you hurt kids. Hurt innocents, and bad things will happen. You should¡¯ve known this was preventable.¡±


    Phoenix sticks his muzzle right up in the face of the Guard as he speaks, face wrinkling into a snarl. His voice pitches into a growl that rumbles in his throat.


    Astra pads up to me, dropping into a crouch by my head. She watches Phoenix through big eyes, ears back and the tip of her tail twitching back and forth with uncertainty.


    ¡°Will Phoenix be ok?¡±


    I pant for a few moments, getting enough breath to reply. ¡°Yes.¡±


    He will be. Phoenix will be ok.


    ¡°We got a lot of them, so he¡¯ll be ok because of that, right?¡±


    I close my eye. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Talking drains far more exhaustion than it should, leaving me sleepy, but I can¡¯t drift off into Dreamland. Not when there¡¯s Guard and Soldiers around. Not when Astra needs me. Not when Phoenix is fighting. Not when Grey and Wyatt and Ky and Myles are supposed to be here. Not when there¡¯s still things I need to do.


    I need to find Freedom and Jabez and explain what happened. I need to make sure that they are ok, same with Camden and Katelin. I need to figure out where Seneca and Icarus are and see if they had anything to do with this and if they did¡­ I don¡¯t want to go down that road and rabbit hole.


    Phoenix¡¯s flames eat at the Guard, burning his flesh and causing deep cracks to form in the Guard¡¯s armor. The Guard continues to scream, and Phoenix continues to hold him tight, pinning him to the ground with his legs. Every time the Guard shudders and spasms and contorts and writhes, the black cat locks his forelegs, tensing his muscles and pressing down on the Guard¡¯s legs with his own hind legs. Phoenix¡¯s tail flicks, and the black cat watches as the Guard slowly burns.


    The Guard¡¯s movements grow slower as the flames and smoke takes its toll, and Phoenix relaxes his grip as the Guard falls into unconsciousness. When the Guard¡¯s eyes flutter shut, Phoenix sinks his teeth through the Guard¡¯s jugular vein and rips it wide open, quickly sending the Guard to meet Lucius.


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you hurt children and make them witness harm to those who care for them. Who¡¯s next?¡±


    xxxx


    When Wyatt gets here, they rush over to me, their eyes widening and face falling.


    ¡°Oh, shit! Brook!¡±


    They sprint over, dropping to their knees when they reach me.


    I take a breath, vision in my uninjured eye going blurry. A bolt of fear lances through me; if I lose vision in this eye, I won¡¯t be able to see at all. The thought scares me.


    What would the adjustment be like? Will I still be able to take care of Astra? Will I still be able to be a good stepmother to her if I cannot see anything? Will I be able to do everything I need to? Will I still be able to help rebuild the Sea and take down the King?


    No, one step at a time, Brook. We can¡¯t get ahead of ourselves.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Brook,¡± Wyatt says as they do a quick but thorough once-over of my body.


    I take a labored breath, groaning at the pain.


    ¡°As-Astra,¡± I wheeze, grimacing when I realize how much effort it took to say her name.


    I realize that she¡¯s not here and that I¡¯m missing a chunk of time; I remember Phoenix killing the Guard with his flames and teeth, but nothing after until Wyatt came over. If the Guard and Soldiers got to Astra¡­


    ¡°She¡¯s ok,¡± Wyatt replies, putting an end to my quickly spiraling worry. ¡°Grey¡¯s with her. Grey and Camden are taking her to my tent so she can get checked out.¡±


    ¡°Astra¡¯s ok?¡±


    Wyatt nods. ¡°Astra¡¯s ok,¡± they confirm.


    The tension in my body leaves all at once. My muscles relax, and for once my exhale isn¡¯t accompanied by a searing lance of pain through my ribs. The throbbing of my eye dulls at Wyatt¡¯s words.


    Astra¡¯s ok.


    I did it. I kept her safe. She¡¯s safe. She¡¯s with Grey. He¡¯s back, and so are the others. Astra is with Grey and Camden. They can stay with Astra. I can rest, just for a little while. Freedom will understand. I just need to close my eyes, just for a little bit. I just need a bit of rest, for once, while the King might be taking a break.


    ¡°Astra¡¯s ok,¡± I echo.


    Just a little rest.


    ¡°Brook!¡± Wyatt calls. ¡°No, no, Brook, you need to stay with me. Stay awake!¡±


    They tap my cheek, and I wrinkle my nose, drawing back an ear. I paw at the ground with a foreleg.


    ¡°Rest,¡± I say.


    ¡°You can rest when you¡¯re in my tent. I cannot move you on my own. I need you to walk just a little further. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re stable, but I need you to walk. We¡¯ll help, but I have no way to move you on my own. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I stare at Wyatt blankly as I work through their words, sorting through them in my mind until they begin to make sense.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Rest,¡± I whisper. ¡°Tired.¡±


    I feel more blood drip from my eye. Wyatt has to understand. They have to understand how exhausted I am, how tired, how sleepy, how drained, how much I just need to close my eyes for a little bit.


    ¡°Rest while I do what I can here, but don¡¯t fall asleep. I need you to walk back to my tent. We¡¯ll help you every step of the way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± I find myself admitting as Wyatt turns my head so they can look at my eye.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± they say at the injury. ¡°You have every right to be tired, Brook. Physically, mentally, emotionally.¡±


    I flinch when I feel their fingers at my cheekbone.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± they say. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to touch your eye. I¡¯ll be as gentle as I can, though, but it¡¯s going to hurt.¡±


    There¡¯s a note of worry ¡ªhigh and thready¡ª in their voice that concerns me. They don¡¯t voice the worry so I don¡¯t say anything, but what has them so scared?


    ¡°Ok,¡± I murmur, giving cautious permission for Wyatt to do what they need.


    Wyatt doesn¡¯t reply; they¡¯re already tilting my head a little more and crouching low to the ground, fingers touching and pressing and moving


    Myles comes running, gait uneven as he uses his staff to support himself. He carries a bag over a shoulder, and he¡¯s barely set it down before Wyatt has a hand digging through it and pulling out bandages that they use to scrape off the dirt


    They say something to Myles that I don¡¯t catch.


    My nostrils flare and I flinch as Wyatt touches my eyelid, exhaling sharply at the pain. If I had more energy and wasn¡¯t as disoriented, I would¡¯ve tried to get up¡ª every instinct within me says to do so, but the rest of me is too tired, too confused from the blood loss and sheer exhaustion from the injuries, the exertion, everything.


    Myles places a hand on my cheek as he rounds to my flank.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be here, Brook. Wyatt wants me to help out. Stay with us, alright. Talk to me. Tell me a funny story about Astra, ok?¡±


    ¡°Do that,¡± I murmur. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Wyatt says, ¡°tell me a funny story about Astra. She seems very kind.¡±


    I smile. ¡°She is very kind. Can I tell you about all the flowers she¡¯s seen since we left the Field?


    Myles hums. ¡°Please do. We just need you to stay awake. None of us can carry you. We need you to walk. Wyatt¡¯s just worried about you being stable.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand,¡± I say.


    ¡°I figured,¡± Wyatt says. ¡°Just let us take care of everything. I¡¯m sorry for the pain that we may cause; we¡¯re trying to help.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I groan when Myles presses down on my flank.


    Wyatt shuffles through the bag still sitting beside them, then holds something to my mouth.


    ¡°Eat this. It¡¯ll help with the pain.¡±


    I take it, wrinkling my muzzle at the sour taste. I don¡¯t ask what it is; I¡¯m still far too dizzy, mind still far too clouded to bother trying to muster up the energy. Any energy I do have I save for when Wyatt will likely ask me to stand and move.


    ¡°Now tell me about those flowers Astra¡¯s found,¡± Myles says. ¡°I bet she found some very pretty ones.¡±


    I chuckle despite the pain. ¡°She did. She found all the ones she thought were the best. Ones for every color of the rainbow, multicolored ones, spiky ones, fuzzy ones, every type of flower.¡±


    xxxx


    I don¡¯t know how long has passed by when Phoenix returns, covered in sizzling blood. Wyatt has finished bandaging the worst of the wounds, and Phoenix takes one look at me and grimaces.


    Myles and Wyatt help push me to lay down in a more upright position as Wyatt says something about blood flow and making sure I¡¯m not going to faint and lose consciousness and taking standing one step at a time now that Phoenix eliminated the threat of the Guard and Soldiers.


    ¡°You look like shit,¡± Phoenix mutters.


    I snort. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Glad you didn¡¯t abandon Astra, or I would¡¯ve had to finish the job.¡±


    I take a moment to study Phoenix. His tone and posture don¡¯t line up with his words; he¡¯s too stiff, too restless for the dismissive, dark meaning of the words.


    ¡°I won¡¯t abandon Astra,¡± I say, ¡°no matter what. I will not leave her. She is my stepdaughter. We may not share flesh and blood, but we are family.¡±


    Phoenix holds my gaze, intense in his stare as he looks me in the eye, searching for something. I hold his gaze in turn with my eye from where I lay upright, legs tucked beneath me. Phoenix narrows his eyes, squinting, then nods.


    ¡°She gets a childhood,¡± he says, voice final.


    I exhale through my nose, pricking my ears. I twist my head to get a better look at Phoenix.


    ¡°She gets a childhood,¡± Phoenix repeats when I don¡¯t reply, a level of pleading I¡¯ve never heard before.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say. Confusion swirls within me; I thought that much was clear, that I wanted Astra to get a good childhood, one she deserved that was as normal as possible, whatever normal was supposed to be.


    Phoenix nods again, slightly stiff. ¡°Good,¡± he murmurs. ¡°Good.¡±


    xxxx


    As difficult as getting me to laying down in a more upright position on my stomach was, standing is harder tenfold.


    Myles and Wyatt support me, but the effort they can put into lifting me is very, very little combined to what I can put in and the effort needed for me to stand. They help in getting my legs into the right place and unfolding them so they sit right, but I need to push myself up fully.


    It¡¯s for Astra, I remind myself. So we can see Astra once Wyatt has helped us and we have rested and healed enough. It¡¯s for us, too. We survived, and Wyatt can help us. Myles, too.


    Myles and Wyatt stand on either side of me as I take several breaths. Forelegs shaking, I brace myself and gather my hind legs beneath me. The movement causes the ground to tilt precariously, and I sway, leaning into Wyatt, who grunts as I shift more and more of my weight into them.


    ¡°Brook, Brook!¡± they cry out.


    Stumbling, I manage to right myself before I take myself and Wyatt to the ground. I swish my tail in irritation. I just want to stand. I just want to rest. I just want to do what I know that I can in a normal situation. Is that really too much to ask? But I know that this situation is far from normal, whatever normal may be.


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you,¡± Wyatt says. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll take it nice and slow. Nice and easy. Just follow my lead, ok?¡±


    The soft, level, even tone of their voice is calming, and it puts me at ease.


    With a hand on the side of my jaw, gentle fingers pressing with just enough pressure to be grounding, Wyatt guides me forward, taking steps as slow as I do as I try to figure out how to make my legs work as whatever they¡¯d given me for the pain kicks in. It takes just a bit of the edge off, leaving me feeling fuzzy on top of the dizziness from the blood loss and the exhaustion. I drag my hooves forward one at a time, raking them through the dirt and kicking up little pebbles.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Myles says when I clip a larger rock with a hind hoof and take a chip out of the tip of the surface.


    I hum as I focus on not losing my balance yet again.


    Ragdonians watch as Wyatt and Myles help me through the Sea. I can feel the bandages they¡¯d wrapped around the worst of my injuries soaking up fresh blood as it seeps through with a hot, sticky warmth.


    I feel the Ragdonians¡¯ eyes on me, looking, staring, as I slowly make my way past, unable to lift my head higher than my withers. This time, it¡¯s not because Wyatt¡¯s holding the lead rope too low; it¡¯s because I don¡¯t have the energy. It¡¯s not by choice, still, but it¡¯s not another taking the choice from me. There¡¯s no one to blame.


    My eye aches, pain dulled by the concoction Wyatt had given me, as does the gash along my flank, but I limp along, ignoring the subtle agonies. The wound on my fetlock slowly drips blood.


    Myles comments on it but doesn¡¯t stop me, likely realizing that if he made me halt and take a break I wouldn¡¯t be able to start again. He offers me a sympathetic look but doesn¡¯t say anything further.


    Sweat foams on my fur after only a little further, and my vision blurs to the point that I can barely see anything but I force myself onward, knowing that there is no other choice. There¡¯s no other option other than forward. I have to keep going. I must. And so I take one more step, and then another, and then another, and then another yet.


    Soon, I lose myself to just one more step, and each step rolls into the next and I don¡¯t know how many I¡¯ve taken, because they just keep coming. I cannot see where I¡¯m going, and I cannot see where I¡¯ve been. I just am, and the pain has managed to become a background buzzing, looming in the entirety of the back of my mind but not the crushing, all-encompassing presence, the one that¡¯s so heavy it¡¯s inescapable, claws blocking every exit.


    I¡¯m so lost in my own head that it¡¯s unexpected when Wyatt slows and guides me to turn with a gentle hand on my neck. They don¡¯t say anything when I bump into them, only offering a soft, steady this way, Brook.


    xxxx


    ¡°Can I rest now?¡± I ask as I duck into the tent.


    To my surprise, it¡¯s big enough for me to fit comfortably. I can fit on one side, with plenty of space for others. Camden had pushed several beds to one side, cramming them together, to make space for me, and he arranged blankets on the ground to provide a softer surface to lay on than the hard-packed dirt of the Sea. I blindly follow Wyatt as they guide me to the blankets with a gentle hand on my jaw.


    ¡°Rest,¡± they say, and it¡¯s the permission I¡¯ve been waiting for. ¡°I¡¯ll be with you the entire time and continue treating you.¡±


    I lay down, controlling my descent as much as I am able to, and my eyes close as soon as I¡¯m down. Drifting off to Dreamland, I feel Astra curl up in the bend of a foreleg, pressing in close, and I savor in the connection, ignoring the twinge of guilt that I¡¯m keeping her from her parents.


    We can figure out the relationships later. Astra gets to decide.


    For now, I need rest, and I allow myself to get swept away into Dreamland, pulled down deep into its hold.


    xxxx


    Days pass by, and I barely leave the nest of blankets Wyatt made. They switch them out every so often, after they get stained with blood from the times they cleaned my eye and the wounds across my body. They make sure I get enough to eat, despite my lack of hunger. They make sure I get enough to drink, despite my lack of thirst. They make sure my pain remains under control, even if I don¡¯t remember much from the exhaustion that hit as soon as I lay down. The exhaustion clings to me like the blood Myles wipes from my body.


    ¡°They¡¯re gonna scar, aren¡¯t they,¡± I ask sometime later, long after I¡¯ve lost track of time.


    ¡°The bigger ones, yes,¡± he replies. ¡°I¡¯m not sure on the smaller ones. Wyatt¡¯s very skilled, but their abilities have limits. My honest answer is that I do not know.¡±


    I lay upright on my stomach, legs tucked beneath me and head twisted to lay near my shoulder in a position that reminds me far too much of when I¡¯d panicked in the moments after the Guard shot the arrow through my eye and I¡¯d driven my temple into my shoulder in my fear. I lift my head.


    ¡°I figured,¡± I murmur.


    I blink, and I wrinkle my muzzle as I shiver when half of my field of vision is dark and static and my brain knows there should be input from my surroundings like there is from my other eye but it¡¯s not getting that from my right eye. My brain doesn¡¯t know what to do with that, and neither do I.


    I¡¯ll adjust. I know I will. I¡¯ll figure out how to do the things I want with sight in one of my eyes, rather than both.


    But a part of me still bucks and pulls back and resists.


    How did this happen?


    I was defending Astra. We were going on a walk, and then we got attacked, and then I lost vision in my eye. What happened? What went wrong? I don¡¯t understand. I want to go back in time and duck, twist further, stand a step to the side. Surely there¡¯s something I could¡¯ve done?


    No, I tell myself. We cannot dwell on what could have been. This is our reality, and we will adjust. We can live our life. We have to hold our head high; we will be ok.

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 9 - There Is a Scar

    Chapter 9


    There Is a Scar


    Astra comes to visit, and so does Grey.


    Astra bounces into the tent. She barely looks around, when normally she¡¯d look at everything, oohing and aahing at it all, her curiosity and excitement contagious. Instead, Astra glances each way, then, when she finds me, she bolts over, weaving through Grey¡¯s legs and sending him tumbling back into one of the support logs for Wyatt¡¯s oversized medical tent.


    Grey grunts but doesn¡¯t say anything; he just catches himself and takes a breath, ticking his head to the side.


    ¡°I take it Wyatt has helped you, Brook?¡± Grey asks.


    I nod, pausing in answering Astra¡¯s questions that she¡¯s shot off like a throng of arrows.


    As she speaks and I reply, I look over Astra, taking in every bit of her appearance, the way her fur sits, the way she carries herself, if she¡¯s limping or favoring any part of herself, if any bandages cover her body. I don¡¯t smell the bitter tang of pain ¡ªthe scent that clings to Jabez like a second skin, as much a part of him as he is it; pain is him and he is pain¡ª on Astra¡¯s body, nor do I see any bandages, but I do see a few scrapes. She moves quickly and with her usual ease, face and posture light and easy.


    Astra¡¯s ok, I assure myself, seeing her for myself and that she¡¯s in one piece. Astra¡¯s ok. We kept her safe. Wherever Freedom is, she and Jabez will know that Astra is ok. I kept my promise and my duty to Astra to keep her safe.


    ¡°Alex is the new Midnight Wolf,¡± Grey says when Astra¡¯s chatter lulls for a moment. He¡¯d been fiddling with a stick, peeling the bark off and tearing it into tiny pieces.


    ¡°What do you mean Alex is the new Midnight Wolf?¡± I ask. I sit up a little straighter, frowning. My forelocks fall over my eye and I shake my head to shift their positioning.


    If Alex is the new Midnight Wolf, then shouldn¡¯t she be here with us? Shouldn¡¯t she have come back from wherever Grey and the others went on their search for the new Midnight Wolf, who apparently is Alex?


    Grey shakes his head, something pained flashing across his expression. I see a crack in his gaze, the shudder that passes through him, the agony.


    He still hasn¡¯t seen his sister, I realize, and my heart sinks.


    ¡°Alex is the new Midnight Wolf,¡± Grey repeats. ¡°That¡¯s why she disappeared after Arcane shed the Midnight Tear. She went to the Midnight Cave, where the Midnight Wolves go when they spawn, and then she¡­ she¡­ I don¡¯t know where she is.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s on Ragdon, right?¡± Astra asks, pushing into my chest and resting her legs over my folded forelegs.


    I bend down to nuzzle into her forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think so. I don¡¯t know why she¡¯d leave.¡±


    ¡°Seneca and Icarus are from-from the¡­ the¡­ other Ragdon, whatever it¡¯s called.¡±


    Grey snaps his head up. ¡°Other Ragdon?¡±


    Astra nods. ¡°They¡¯re from another¡­ what did they call it?¡± Astra pulls away to look me in the eye. ¡°Alternate timeline?¡±


    ¡°Yes, alternate timeline. Seneca said she and Icarus are from an alternate timeline of Ragdon.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± Astra says.


    ¡°Where are they, Seneca and Icarus?¡± Grey asks. ¡°I¡¯d like to meet them.¡±


    ¡°Probably with Katelin and Camden.¡± I tilt my head to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t know where Katelin and Camden are, though. Katelin might be working at the King¡¯s castle.¡±


    Grey shook his head. ¡°No, I saw her over by the Erebus Tree.¡±


    I push up on my forelegs in an attempt to stand but don¡¯t make it far. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. We can go see Seneca and Icarus. I think you¡¯d get along with them. I don¡¯t know them well, but they have a King of their own on their timeline of Ragdon. The King on the Carnelian Throne.¡±


    ¡°The Carnelian Throne is orange,¡± Astra adds, ¡°and the King wears orange. Icarus said so.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Icarus said so?¡± I ask, turning my attention to Astra, whose green dew claws brace herself as she rocks on her paws.


    ¡°He told me.¡±


    ¡°He chirps.¡± I furrow my eyebrows, licking my lips and chewing.


    Astra nods. ¡°You told me that¡¯s his way of communicating. I tried to understand and I think I¡¯m learning.¡±


    I hum. ¡°I see. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re trying to understand Icarus, Astra. It¡¯s important to try to understand others. All communication is communication.¡±


    xxxx


    I try several more times to stand up, but I eventually make it to my hooves. The change in posture has my legs tingling and the change in blood flow making my head spin but I remain upright. I shift on my legs as I adjust. Astra watches with big eyes, pacing as she makes sure I won¡¯t fall.


    ¡°I was scared,¡± she tells me. ¡°I thought you were gonna¡­. I thought you were-. I thought¡­¡±


    Tears well up in my eye, blurring her image.


    ¡°I was scared I was going to lose you too, Astra. You¡¯re so precious to me.¡± I lean my head down until I¡¯m nearly nose to nose with my stepdaughter. ¡°Always remember that I love you more than anything. I love you so much, Astra. I will fight through anything to get to you and keep you safe, but love isn¡¯t about violence. I want to show my love for you by making sure that you get the best life possible. ¡±


    Rustling my tail against my legs, I follow Grey out of the medical tent. Wyatt turns around; they¡¯d been sitting with Myles just outside.


    ¡°How are you feeling, Brook?¡± Wyatt asks.


    ¡°Much better. I think with a bit more rest I¡¯ll be back to normal,¡± I reply.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯m glad to see you up and moving. How¡¯s your eye feeling?¡±


    I incline my head. ¡°It aches, still.¡± I pause.


    How do I put into words the psychological effects? I know my injured and now blind eye will heal. I trust in Wyatt¡¯s abilities and Myles¡¯s ability to help in a pinch like he had when they¡¯d both found me. But what about the psychological effects? I know I¡¯ll be ok. I have Astra. I have Jabez and Freedom, wherever they are. I have others, but I just lost half my vision in a split second, the briefest of moments.


    Wyatt twists their lips, pushing their dark hair over their shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be ok, Brook,¡± they tell me. ¡°No one expects you to be. What you just went through with the fight, the threats you faced, the injuries you sustained, the stress your body went through physically and emotionally and mentally, no one expects you to be ok. It takes time to work through it all. Take your time. And with something permanent like losing vision in one of your eyes, that also takes time to adjust to and to work through. Don¡¯t push down your emotions. Feel them. Work through them. We¡¯re all here for you.¡±


    I huff. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Where are¡­ Seneca and Icarus, right?¡± Grey double checks.


    Astra nods her head firmly. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re Seneca and Icarus.¡±


    ¡°They should be with Camden and Katelin, I think, so long as Katelin isn¡¯t up at the King¡¯s castle working. That¡¯s my best guess.¡±


    ¡°If they aren¡¯t with Camden and Katelin, then they¡¯re probably with Freedom and Jabez. I heard they¡¯re over by the coast.¡±


    ¡°Freedom Coast?¡± Grey asks.


    Astra shakes her head as we start walking toward the Erebus Tree, the common meeting space for nearly everything.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°No, the coast closest to the Sea. It doesn¡¯t have an official name. It¡¯s just got real steep cliffs. I saw them myself. Jabez told me not to get too close. They were scary. I don¡¯t like them. The cliffs were so tall, and it was such a long way down. I couldn¡¯t really even see the bottom. I didn¡¯t realize how high up we were, and the waves were so angry. They were smashing against the cliffs!¡±


    Astra shakes off the stress of the memory, then keeps trotting and padding ahead.


    I wish that I could do that with the memories of the fight. I kept her safe. I kept Astra safe, and she made it out alive, until she had to kill someone. I wish she never had to. I¡¯ll never be able to forget how much she shook, how hard she trembled, the spray of the Guard¡¯s blood as my own stepdaughter¡¯s claws ripped through his flesh and tore him to shreds and I was too helpless to do anything when it should''ve been the other way around: I should¡¯ve been the one killing the Guard since he posed enough of a threat that he would not back down on his own. Astra should not know what it feels like to take a life.


    I don¡¯t want to know, either, but Astra¡¯s my stepdaughter. She¡¯s a child. She deserves a childhood. I don¡¯t want her to grow up any faster than she has to.


    Astra doesn¡¯t seem affected by the experience, but I don¡¯t know. She might be. She might wake up tonight, tomorrow, a year from now, and suddenly it hits.


    I¡¯ll be there for her and I¡¯ll figure out how to support her in the best way I can.


    xxxx


    Seneca and Icarus are with Camden. He says that Katelin¡¯s still at the King¡¯s castle as he fiddles with a few strands of the black hair he¡¯s left hanging loose when he pulled half up into a ponytail.


    ¡°The King¡¯s making her work more,¡± Camden spits bitterly, ¡°and he¡¯s making her work for longer. I think he¡¯s just getting¡­ getting so¡­ so spiteful. I think he¡¯s just getting mad.¡±


    ¡°The King needs to be nicer. Brook says that you should be nice to people and show them respect because you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in their lives and everyone deserves respect,¡± Astra says, echoing nearly word for word what I¡¯ve told her before.


    Camden smiles but it doesn¡¯t reach his eyes. He raises his eyebrows and ticks his head to the side, taking a breath, but doesn¡¯t respond to Astra.


    Icarus fluffs out his feathers and shakes, ruffling them until they all sit right. He stretches his bound wing, but he cannot move it far and a pained noise slips from his throat when one of the leather straps catches on a joint, pinching and digging into thin, sensitive skin.


    ¡°It sounds like your King on the Amethyst Throne¡¯s gotta go,¡± Seneca says. ¡°How are we going to do that, though? He¡¯s up at a castle it seems like no one can really get to, and he¡¯s got a lot of power. The King on the Carnelian Throne is¡ª.¡±


    Seneca is cut off by Phoenix.


    ¡°How we kill a cream puff is by destroying his oh, so very mortal body enough that Lucius has no choice but to come, except that the cream puff¡¯s body has sustained enough damage that not even Lucius knows what to do with the bloodied remains.¡±


    The black cat stalks up to the Deer and the Eagle in long, even, confident strides with Ky trailing a pace behind. Ky tilts his head to the side, ears pricked as he takes in Seneca and Icarus.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Phoenix drawls. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡±


    Phoenix raises his tail and flicks the end as he moves in front of me and Astra, positioning himself so his haunches block Seneca and Icarus¡¯s view of Astra. Ky comes to stand by his side, looking far more curious than his brother¡¯s open and blatant distrust and prickling irritability. Astra sits up on her own haunches, forepaws hanging in front of her belly, ears pricked as she watches the interaction. The tip of her tail twitches.


    ¡°Well,¡± Seneca says. ¡°I¡¯m Seneca, and that¡¯s Icarus.¡±


    Phoenix drags his eyes from the dark-skinned woman to the golden eagle, who chirps what I assume is a hello.


    The black cat squints. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before.¡±


    Seneca shrugs. ¡°We¡¯re not from around here. You just got here.¡±


    ¡°I remember those I see, and I haven¡¯t seen you. So I repeat: Who the fuck are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Seneca, and I¡¯m the Deer. Icarus here is the Eagle. He is stuck in his eagle form and cannot talk because of that.¡±


    Icarus chirrups.


    ¡°Icarus says hello,¡± Astra announces. ¡°And he said that he can¡¯t fly because the King on the Cor-Carm-Carnnelian Throne bound his wing.¡±


    She stutters and struggles on Carnelian but makes it through.


    Seneca frowns but nods, impressed. ¡°Yes, that is what he said. You picked that up fast, Astra.¡±


    Astra beams, preening.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already got the Wolf and the Dove, but I¡¯m gonna kill the cream puff,¡± Phoenix snarls. ¡°That¡¯s my job. I¡¯ve already called dibs on his life. He¡¯s mine. I get to kill him, and you¡­ the¡­ the fuckin¡¯ Deer and Eagle or whatever the fuck you think you are? You ain¡¯t gonna come on in here and screw that all up. It might take a while, but I will be killing the cream puff and delivering him to Lucius myself, no matter what. He will die at my claws and teeth. I will do it myself. No one will take that kill from. No one.¡±


    Seneca raises her eyebrows. ¡°Eesh, ok. My mind hadn¡¯t gone straight to kill the King on the Amethyst Throne, but apparently we¡¯ve gone there and that¡¯s where things are at. You can kill the King. He¡¯s yours. I do not wish to kill more than needed, and if you feel the King¡¯s death is something you need to do, you can. It seems you¡¯ve determined his blood on your conscience is worth it in your mind.¡±


    Phoenix bristles, baring his teeth. ¡°You judging me?¡±


    His voice deepens and turns into something far more dangerous. His eyes sharpen into a hard set, waiting, daring.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not judging. Considering how firm your intent is to take the King¡¯s life, I¡¯d assumed that you had already determined that the scar on your conscience of taking the King¡¯s life is worth it.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what a fucking monster the cream puff is? If you say you ain¡¯t from around here, I could maybe get it, but the King is a monster. The worst kind. There is no scar on your conscience for a life like that. I¡¯d be doing the world a favor, but in my case, I¡¯m doing it for myself. He needs to die. He needs to have no fucking way he can do another thing. Death is the only permanent, the only guarantee anyone ever gets in this screwed up world.¡±


    ¡°There is a scar, Phoenix,¡± I say. ¡°No matter how justified the death may be. But I can understand that you want to take the King¡¯s life.¡±


    Phoenix turns around, a mix of anger and grief so raw I can nearly feel it myself. He looks at me, eyes flaring with a thousand emotions before he blinks, forcing them away. He turns his attention to the Erebus Tree.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve never let them go,¡± he whispers, voice turning hoarse.


    When he finally drags his attention back to me, after a long silent conversation through looks exchanged through holding eye contact with Ky and brief snarls and a threatened cuff across the face with claws unsheathed, Phoenix glowers at me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to tell me that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Brook!¡± Astra squeals, rushing forward before I can stop her.


    Wings flared and short fur fluffed up, she tries to make herself look bigger, but she¡¯s ten and not full grown, and Phoenix outweighs her several times over. Still, he takes a step back, face twisting.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt Brook. I just don¡¯t want her to tell me there¡¯s a cost to killing the cream puff when the alternative is worse than anything.¡±


    ¡°Why is the alternative worse than anything, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± I say carefully.


    Phoenix¡¯s jaw chatters as rage, unfiltered and raw, flickers across his face.


    ¡°He killed my family. He murdered them all. He has to die. I have to kill him myself. I need to know that he is gone. He needs a fate worse than death, but death is all I can give him. A horrible death where he feels the tiniest fraction of what he did to my family when they burned alive and I was too fucking weak to stop the fire.¡±


    The hollowness in Phoenix¡¯s body and voice speak volumes. I can see flickers of a child terrified beyond anything, filled with pure terror, struggling to wrap his head around events no one should have to face. The same fear flits across Phoenix¡¯s face now.


    Phoenix lost his entire family?


    I look between Ky and Phoenix. They look simultaneously so young and so old as they stand before me, both kittens and full-grown adults. Ky looks haunted and angry, and so does Phoenix, but Phoenix¡¯s rage simmers and broils in the front of him, blatant for anyone to see, mere moments from bubbling over and snapping and exploding out. Ky¡¯s anger is more muted, leaning more into the haunted emotions. He¡¯s quiet, and his body is quieter, too, more shut down, but I can still see the anger beneath it all. He wants the King gone.


    Phoenix¡¯s lip quivers.


    ¡°He murdered my family, and I will kill him. He had every chance to not do so, and yet he still ordered his Guard and Soldiers to carry out such a stupid decision that cost the newest newborn their life and two lovers and parents and beings above all else because they were all someone.¡± Phoenix¡¯s voice cracks as the scabbed over wound breaks open again, fresh blood flowing as the pain arises anew once more. ¡°Ky and I were playing in the forest and took our time to return after hearing our sister had been born and that was the only reason we weren¡¯t in the house when the Guard and Soldiers set fire to it. I should¡¯ve been able to stop the fire, but I was too weak and I couldn¡¯t. My parents and sister died that day. We still don¡¯t know what our parents named our sister, their daughter, the little kitten born that day who was alive for the shortest blip of time before the Guard and Soldiers snuffed her light out and sent Ananta seeking her out on her dark fucking wings to call in Lucius.¡±


    Seneca studies Ky and Phoenix for several long moments, and Icarus does, too, before they both nod.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Seneca says. ¡°You will kill the King on the Amethyst Throne in the way you feel is necessary to exact your revenge for him ordering the murders of your parents and newborn sister. Neither Icarus nor I will step in your way or stop you unless we see a direct threat to your life.¡±


    Phoenix raises his head, eyebrows furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, but I¡¯ll take your word for now.¡±


    Icarus ducks his head, leaning forward. He whistles, clicking his tongue.


    ¡°He says that¡¯s wise,¡± Seneca says.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve all met each other,¡± Grey says, changing the subject, ¡°what exactly is our plan on stopping the King? We don¡¯t really have a plan, and the King¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s powerful, whether we want to admit it or not.¡±


    ¡°Brute force,¡± Phoenix says. ¡°If we hit him hard enough, he¡¯ll break sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s too strong,¡± I counter. ¡°We should take a subtler approach. Try to catch him off guard.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, Guard,¡± Astra laughs, waving her tail behind her.


    Camden tilts his head to the side. He¡¯s about to speak, when he¡¯s interrupted by a shout.


    We all lift our heads, and Icarus squawks in alarm, feathers rising on the back of his neck.


    Katelin comes sprinting toward the Erebus Tree. She huffs and puffs, cheeks flushed from exertion. Her hair waves behind her in time with her strides. When Katelin reaches us, she stops and hunches over, hand on her collarbone and the other on her knee as she gasps for breath. The top buttons on her shirt are undone, collar thrown upward, and smudges of dirt are smeared across her legs. The grey I know is purple of her shirt and skirt because Camden told me how he hated the King made Katelin wear the same colors he did that matched the Amethyst Throne a while ago is rumpled on the fabric.


    ¡°Hang on, stop,¡± she says. ¡°We need to head to Siren¡¯s Lookout! The King just sent Guard and Soldiers there. I didn¡¯t stay to listen to what they were planning on doing, but it¡¯s something big. Whatever you were planning, it¡¯s a change of plans.¡±


    Ky freezes, eyes going wide and ears drooping.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± he curses. ¡°The Siren.¡±

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 10 - I Cant Kill Them on an Empty Stomach

    TRIGGER WARNING: sacrifice of a human at the orders of the King


    Chapter 10


    I Can¡¯t Kill Them on an Empty Stomach


    ¡°Shit,¡± Phoenix hisses, fiery eyes flashing. ¡°That¡¯s fucked up.¡±


    ¡°The Siren?¡± Grey asks, voice rising several octaves with anxiety. His fingers tremble, and he folds in on himself several times over.


    ¡°Yeah, that creature that could, without much effort, sing everyone to death? It could make everyone forget to breathe. But the real fucked up thing is that it could kill the cream puff, and yet he¡¯s summoning it. Although he¡¯s not gonna do it himself. He knows it could kill him, but he¡¯s doing it anyway.¡±


    Seneca grimaces. ¡°We need to stop him. Or whoever he¡¯s sent to summon the Siren.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, obviously,¡± Phoenix grumbles. ¡°I¡¯m getting a bite to go. I can¡¯t kill them on an empty stomach.¡±


    xxxx


    Phoenix does grab something to eat. He gets a rabbit that he splits with Ky, and it¡¯s gone in mere moments.


    Ky points us in the direction of Siren¡¯s Lookout, and I wonder how much he knows about the legends of Ragdon and how many are actually true. Gone from Ragdon for ninety years as I was, there¡¯s so much I¡¯ve missed and so much I don¡¯t know. Ky¡¯s younger, but he seems to know so much more.


    I look down at Astra, who¡¯s following close behind Icarus and chatting with him about something that I cannot follow along with.


    Is it safer to stay in the Sea? How far does the Siren¡¯s song carry?


    Ky seems to sense my hesitation.


    ¡°I know it might not seem like it,¡± he says, ¡°but it¡¯s safer for you to be at Siren¡¯s Lookout. Please trust me, even though I know it¡¯s gotta be hard. It¡¯s safer for both you and Astra. No matter what happens, stay at Siren¡¯s Lookout. Remember that, please.¡±


    I hold Ky¡¯s gaze, then nod. ¡°Ok.¡±


    I hope he¡¯s not wrong.


    xxxx


    Freedom and Jabez join us partway to Siren¡¯s Lookout. They tell us that Katelin told them as she ran to us at the Erebus Tree; they¡¯d been making their way to us and she found them first and they changed course for Siren¡¯s Lookout.


    ¡°Will they summon the Siren?¡± Astra asks as Freedom runs her trunk over her head and neck.


    Spasms shudder across Freedom¡¯s body, and her wing flutters, snapping open until her body goes quiet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jabez says. ¡°But we will try to stop them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna be fucked if they summon the Siren, but we ain¡¯t goin¡¯ down without a fight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be harder if the Siren rises, but nothing¡¯s over until it¡¯s over,¡± Ky says softly. He draws his ears back.


    A cloudy film swirls over his eyes before it pulls back. He flicks his tail, tan fluffy fur swishing across his body.


    When we reach the Wailing Marshes, the reeds brush against each other in a haunting, urgent melody, as if they can tell that something¡¯s about to happen. The blades rasp against each other like musical instruments. I throw my head and stomp my hooves at the antsy feeling rising within me. I turn my neck to take in as much as I can see with only one seeing eye.


    Siren¡¯s Lookout spreads out in front of the Wailing Marshes, an expanse of grey stone cliffs that look so innocent, just rock partially hidden behind the thick stalks of reeds whispering across each other like living beings talking in conversation. I¡¯ve been here before, when Guard and Soldiers have taken me here before. I¡¯d heard them talking about the Siren, I remember, but I hadn¡¯t understood. I hadn¡¯t realized what the Siren was. I hadn¡¯t truly understood. I didn¡¯t understand until now.


    Fuck.


    I scan Siren¡¯s Lookout, but Phoenix breaking into a sprint, fire streaking behind him in bright grey colors mixed with brilliant yellows draws my attention. I lock onto him, following where he¡¯s honed in like an arrow. Grey rocks on his feet, shaking his hands as he takes rapid breaths, quickly hyperventilating.


    Freedom brushes his shoulder with his trunk but she herself is trembling and I don¡¯t know whether its because of the damage done from being dead all those decades or the stress of the Siren hanging over our heads. Maybe it''s both.


    ¡°Get back from there!¡± Phoenix bellows, bunching up his spine as he bounds faster and faster, and I see where he¡¯s headed.


    The Dust Devil kneels with his back to us. He crouches on the very edge of Siren¡¯s Lookout, bracing himself on one hand as he traces and draws and carves. His movements are sharp, and he holds his body in a stiff sort of way, but also with a confidence that doesn¡¯t seem to match the bone-deep exhaustion I remember from the first time I saw him. That defeated hollowness that struck me so hard. He moves with purpose, every movement sure.


    I hesitate in the Wailing Marches, the reeds brushing against my legs, the highest blades rustling alongside my cannons. The reeds whisper across each other, and I can almost hear them speaking, saying something, talking of Ragdon and the King.


    Are you trying to tell me something? Are you the beings Lucius has claimed? Are you the beings the King has wronged? Are you the beings trapped, forever cursed to walk this island because the King lashed out in cowardly rage when he should have looked inward for what¡¯s wrong in the world?


    Ky trots up ahead after Phoenix, who has nearly reached the Dust Devil. Ky¡¯s shaggy tan fur shifts with every step. The red bandana falls in front of his chest like a faux shield. No more blood drips down his nose, but I can still see the grey droplets. Grey moves more carefully, but Phoenix barrels forward.


    A crowd of Ragdonians moves in as well, and with that many beings, no one can stay silent in the way Ky and Phoenix and Grey were likely thinking. They must¡¯ve heard. Word must¡¯ve spread, that the Siren was going to be summoned, that the King was trying to bring the Siren to life, to the surface, to¡­ whatever the Siren is. I don¡¯t know if the Siren lives, but it belongs at the bottom of the ocean, well below the waves.


    I keep Astra beside me as the Dust Devil pauses, holding a knife. He pushes his cloak from his shoulders and throws it off the cliff, where it falls in a dark plume of fabric, plummeting into the crashing waves. His brown hair streaked through with brown-grey I assume is red blows in the breeze.


    Rolling his shoulders, the Dust Devil stands up, sunlight glinting off his silver armor in blinding reflections that make the carving of the Dragon in his chest plate look like its eyes are glowing. He widens his stance, blinking as he slams his palms together. Dust bursts in a cloud at his feet around his boots. Segmented black horns curl up from his forehead as dark veins sprout amongst the scattering of freckles on his face. His fingernails lengthen into ebony claws.


    ¡°Leave,¡± he says, voice low and commanding.


    A handful do leave, retreating the same ways they came and heading back toward the Sea with fear written clear across their faces and in the tight set of their bodies.


    Grey shakes his head, fingers scratching at his thighs as he licks his lips. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t know what you are doing, but please stop. I¡¯d like to talk and have a conversation.¡±


    To my surprise, the Dust Devil does seem to pause and genuinely consider Grey¡¯s proposition. He tilts his head to the side, something warring in his expression. He takes a step forward, then takes a step back. Gritting his teeth, the Dust Devil huffs, clenching a hand into a fist tight enough that it draws blood.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t it obvious, Grey?¡± Phoenix shouts back as he trots up toward the Dust Devil. ¡°Our friend, the Dust Devil, here is summoning the Siren. Aren¡¯t you, Dust Devil?¡±


    Eyes squinted in mocking humor and annoyance, the black cat waits for the Dust Devil to reply, flames crackling loudly on his fur.


    The Dust Devil nods, running his hands through his hair, eyes wide. The tings of blue-grey I recognize as purple widens and shrinks, alternating between the two in an odd display.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he whispers, almost too quiet for me to hear. ¡°I am trying to summon the Siren.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ky asks, a thread of worry weaving its way through his voice.


    ¡°The King told me to.¡±


    ¡°And you just do whatever the fuck the cream puff asks?¡±


    The Dust Devil hesitates for a moment but nods. ¡°Yes. It is my duty as a Soldier to carry out the requests of my King of Ragdon faithfully and without question.¡±


    ¡°If you cannot question someone, should you really be following them?¡± Grey asks. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to force you into anything, but that¡¯s a genuine question.¡±


    ¡°I am a Soldier,¡± the Dust Devil says, voice firm.


    ¡°I know,¡± Grey says.


    I take a step forward. ¡°Did you choose to be the Dust Devil?¡±


    The Dust Devil narrows his eyes.


    Something shifts in his expression, then it snaps shut like a trap and he¡¯s gone, locked away beneath the veneer of someone ¡ªsomething¡ª else. In the shortest span of time, I thought that perhaps we could¡¯ve talked with the Dust Devil, but then he was gone, lost, thrown beneath something else.


    Where did you go?


    ¡°Bow before the Amethyst Throne and the rightful King of Ragdon, Our Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV. Kneel as I summon the Siren at his request. The Siren has never before been summoned, but in his name the impossible shall be completed.¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Ky shouts. ¡°The Siren has never been summoned because of the danger! The power it possesses can kill us all!¡±


    ¡°Silence, illusionist,¡± the Dust Devil snarls, holding up a hand. Dirt swirls around his ankles. ¡°Do not question the King of Ragdon.¡±


    Ky rushes forward, but the Dust Devil throws up an arc of soil that knocks him off his feet. I move forward, but Phoenix beats me to it, roaring as he sends a wave of flames at the Dust Devil, who blocks them with a wall of dust as the black cat checks on his brother.


    Seneca shifts, taking a step back and rolling her shoulders and head as antlers that curve forward with sharp tines sprout from above her ears. Fur breaks through her flesh as her fingers morph into two and fingernails expand into cloven hooves. When Seneca stands at her full height in her deer form, her antlers reach Icarus¡¯s shoulders if he stands fully upright.


    Icarus chitters, and Seneca blows, raising her tail. She eyes not the Dust Devil but Guard and Soldiers approaching from far off on Siren¡¯s Lookout.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Grey curses.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I murmur, squaring my nostrils and shifting on my hooves.


    ¡°We should outrun them,¡± Astra says, dancing on her paws.


    ¡°You can, but not all of us are as fast as you,¡± I reply. I duck my head to nuzzle at her.


    Astra hums. ¡°Right. You are right.¡±


    Phoenix tries to round the Dust Devil to get to the cliffside and make his way along the cliff¡¯s edge, but the Dust Devil sends up another wave of dust that keeps him from doing so.


    What is the Dust Devil hiding? What sort of spell is he casting? What does he not want us interfering with in his attempts to summon the Siren?


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want to do this,¡± Grey pleads. He paces and stalks back and forth, running his hands through his hair and tugging at the strands and scratching at his arms until Icarus nudges him with his beak.


    A smile that couldn¡¯t look more out of place on the Dust Devil¡¯s face splits his cheeks in two. He curls his fingers, and Ky begins to choke, sand falling from his lips.


    Ky widens his eyes as dust pours from his nose. His tail falls, ears drooping. He trembles, spasming.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the Dust Devil purrs, ¡°but I do. My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV requested it. Whatever ¡ªand I mean whatever; I will obey every order, every request, every ask, every word said to me by the rightful ruler of this Island of Ragdon¡ª My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV orders, I will dutifully carry out without question, because those words came from the King of Ragdon.¡±


    ¡°You make my ears bleed,¡± Phoenix snarls. ¡°Get your magic off my brother!¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Through what I can only assume is brute force, the black cat brawls his way through the dust and soil the Dust Devil sends hurtling around them both. Seneca rushes over to help, but only after sending Icarus a withering glare that I assume was a message for him to stay here, which he does; the golden eagle comes to stand beside me and Astra, standing watch as the Guard and Soldiers on the far side of Siren¡¯s Lookout draw steadily closer.


    The crowd of Ragdonians on Siren¡¯s Lookout hasn¡¯t dispersed much. There¡¯s still far too many for the Dust Devil being what I know is far too close to having summoned the Siren.


    Phoenix breaks through the barrier the Dust Devil tries to keep erected between him and the black cat, and once he does, Phoenix tackles the Dust Devil to the ground, forepaws slamming the Dust Devil to the stone cliffs of Siren¡¯s Lookout. With a snarl, Phoenix cuffs the Dust Devil across the face.


    I look over at Ky. Seneca reaches his side and noses at him. Ky shrugs, glancing back at the Deer. Blood drips down his jaw, and my heart sinks through my legs. He looks relatively unfazed, but the tremble in his paws and the panic in his eyes tells a different story; dust runs from his nose.


    He can¡¯t breathe.


    The Dust Devil is keeping him from breathing.


    The tension in Phoenix¡¯s body says everything I need to know about how much he wants to tear the Dust Devil to pieces, but he cannot, because if he kills the Dust Devil and that does not undo the magic, Ky could die. I want to help, but I don¡¯t know what to do and I can tell Icarus doesn¡¯t know what to do either. Fear and disbelief keep me frozen in place, unable to move for far too long.


    Blood drips down Ky¡¯s jaw further, and I can¡¯t tell at first whether he is summoning the Blood Demon again or if the dust filling his lungs and throat has done enough damage to rub his tissues raw. I see Ky¡¯s lips move, and I cannot tell at first if he¡¯s trying to clear some of the dust that¡¯s pouring from his throat or if he¡¯s speaking the words of I summon the Blood Demon to bring the immense sanguine creature.


    But when I see the ground ripple with grey, my heart sinks and panic seizes me.


    I remember Ky¡¯s words when he told us to stay at Siren¡¯s Lookout, but the part of me that wants to listen to that, to trust him cannot obey when fear has seized me in the way it has. Terror wraps claws and snake fangs around my heart, my being, my soul and I¡¯m terrified for Astra. She cannot hear the Siren¡¯s song. The Guard and Soldiers scare me. I¡¯m petrified of what the King can do to Astra. But I don¡¯t know the Siren. I don¡¯t know what threat it poses. That¡¯s enough for me.


    ¡°Astra, if I tell you to run, I need you to do so immediately, ok? Run as far and as fast as you can, and I will find you as soon as I can, ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ok.¡±


    Maybe if she runs far enough, she will not be able to hear its song. Maybe there¡¯s somewhere she can run where she can escape the Siren and the King.


    Phoenix wrestles the Dust Devil to the ground, strong-arming him to the ground, then wraps his jaws around his throat. He bites down harder, then a little more, then a little more, until the Dust Devil lets Ky go. Soil and dirt pours from Ky¡¯s mouth as the illusionist coughs and chokes and sputters. The Dust Devil waves his hand, and the rest leaves Ky¡¯s throat and lungs, leaving him able to breathe normally, and he gulps down air.


    The Dust Devil shoves the black cat away, and he goes willingly


    ¡°Leave, and let me do the work My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV informed me I must do. I was tasked with summoning the Siren by the rightful King of Ragdon, and it is my duty to carry out the wishes of he who has saved my life.¡±


    ¡°You do not owe him your life,¡± Jabez says, flicking an ear. ¡°He told me that, and I believed it. You owe him nothing.¡±


    ¡°I owe him everything,¡± the Dust Devil corrects, eyes flashing the blue-grey I know is amethyst. He cracks his knuckles in what seems to be a nervous gesture. ¡°I owe My Sovereign, His Excell¡ª.¡±


    Grey shakes his head, pleading in his silver eyes. ¡°No,¡± he whispers, ¡°no you don¡¯t. You owe him nothing.¡±


    I start to wonder if we can get him back. Perhaps the Dust Devil can stop. I feel the tiniest flicker of hope in my heart, my gut, my chest. I eye the Guard and Soldiers nearing us and I know we have to work fast.


    ¡°Is it an equal relationship if you must call the King by such a title? Does he listen to your voice? Can you disagree with him?¡± Freedom asks. She raises her trunk, curling it as she waves her tail.


    ¡°Why would I need to disagree with my rightful King of Ragdon?¡± the Dust Devil questions, and the genuine tone in his voice scares me the same way it would almost make me feel bad if he hadn¡¯t tried to kill Ky and the other crimes he¡¯s committed in the name of the King.


    ¡°This is going in circles. He¡¯s not gonna listen,¡± Phoenix grumbles. He stalks in a circle, stomping his paws on the stone cliffs of Siren¡¯s Lookout, before turning back to the Dust Devil, who watches him as he stands somewhat awkwardly, facing away from the sigil he¡¯s almost finished that will summon the Siren once complete.


    ¡°How about you just don¡¯t summon the Siren? Call it a day and say it didn¡¯t work. Too bad, so sad, what a bummer, cry a few tears and go home?¡± Phoenix asks, a sarcastic lilt to his tone.


    But the Dust Devil looks mortified. He shakes his head and takes a step back. ¡°No, no, no, I¡­ I could never. No, I could never lie to My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ shame.¡±


    xxxx


    The Guard and Soldiers reach us. They split into two groups; one makes for the gathering of people. Instead of herding them away like I thought they would, they make an odd effort to more or less keep them there; the Guard and Soldiers don¡¯t try to chase people away, nor do they try to attack. There¡¯s an odd air of watch, that underlying sentiment that¡¯s never spoken but rather implied without words.


    The other group is far smaller, only a Guard and two Soldiers who accompany him. They approach the Dust Devil.


    Phoenix takes a step back, while I take a step forward to stand over Astra.


    Ky looks back, and he swivels his ears and shakes out his fur.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run,¡± Ky says. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere you can run from the Siren. Some songs can be outrun. Some songs cannot be heard if you¡¯re far enough away, but its Lullaby carries far faster and further than even Astra could run at her fastest. Not even Astra can outrun the Siren¡¯s Lullaby.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I reply, then whisper, far too quiet for him to hear, ¡°I know.¡±


    Ky shakes again, more rapidly this time, and the ground shakes again. I see his lips move, but the sound is too soft for me to pick up, even as I strain.


    But when I see the three-toed hand emerging from a rippling pool, my heart sinks and my legs nearly give out.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Freedom asks.


    ¡°The Blood Demon!¡± Astra shrieks. ¡°Ky! Stop it!¡±


    Ky doesn¡¯t respond if he hears Astra¡¯s words. He doesn¡¯t wait for the Blood Demon as it pulls itself out of the ground again, smushed nose drawing in deep, heaving breaths as its tongue lolls far out of its mouth and its curved teeth on its upper jaw wrinkle its lips into an imitation of a smile. Broad shoulders and a thick neck pull its grey flesh taut across its frame. I know the Blood Demon is red, and for not the first nor the last time a part of me wished I could see in the way considered normal. The Blood Demon¡¯s cloven hooves stomp as it gets one leg, then another, out of the puddle. Its thin, wiry tail snaps as it rises to its full height¡ª tall enough that it would stand a head or two above me.


    With slow, heavy steps, the Blood Demon makes its way over to Ky, massive twin horns curving forward over its forehead casting its beady eyes into shadow. Its flattened nose wiggles as it sniffs the air, then draws in a long breath and lets it out in a bellow that carries, echoing across Siren¡¯s Lookout.


    Ky turns to face the approaching Guard and Soldier, tail held high. Phoenix stands a few paces in front of him, flames crackling in an eerie kind of way. He¡¯s waiting for a fight, ready, confident, though he keeps half an eye on the Dust Devil, as if daring him to make a move. Tense, the black cat is ready for something, anything.


    When was the last time he got to rest?


    Jabez and Freedom close in around Astra, though I can tell from Jabez¡¯s posture and body language that he¡¯s getting tired and the pain is increasing. Astra shivers beneath me, then leans against my foreleg with a yawn that¡¯s not from sleepiness but stress.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whisper, leaning down and angling my head so I can see her with my eye. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Astra. I¡¯ll do everything I can to keep you safe. Just stay with me. We¡¯re a team, and we have Jabez and Freedom and everyone fighting alongside us, ok?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna work together, ok, Astra?¡± Camden says, and Grey agrees with him.


    Icarus chatters, and Astra nods slowly, then more firmly.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she says. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re gonna work together.¡±


    xxxx


    The Guard and the two Soldiers who broke off from the bigger group reach the Dust Devil. The fight breaks out almost instantly.


    Phoenix lunges for one of the Soldiers, clawing at his armor as his paws struggle for traction on the smooth surface. He snarls when the Soldier nicks his skin with his sword in the close combat. Grey jerks with a start, like he wants to break into the fight and stop it but he holds himself in place.


    The Guard passes both Ky and Phoenix by, heading straight for the Dust Devil, whose demeanor snaps in a moment and goes from the cautious body language that seemed to fold in on himself into something entirely different; a person with far more confidence who holds himself fully upright.


    With his shiny dagger drawn, the Guard moves to attack the Dust Devil, body oddly tense compared to all the training sessions I¡¯d been privy to as a draft horse in the King¡¯s army before he turned me into Brook. The Guard¡¯s knuckles pale to a dull white around the handle of the dagger and a sheen of sweat sparkles on the back of his neck.


    I try to urge Astra toward Icarus and Freedom, who, in turn, wrap Astra up between them, walling her off within a barrier of protection yet again. Freedom nudges Astra behind her with her trunk, and yellow tendrils swirl around Freedom¡¯s elephant¡¯s feet, moving as if they had a mind of their own.


    When the Guard and the Dust Devil begin to brawl, Phoenix sniggers, lips twitching in a mocking close-mouthed smile. He wrinkles his muzzle, flames crackling loud enough that I can hear them from where I stand with Guard and Soldiers mingling among the other Ragdonians, and Phoenix then turns back to where a Soldier, with a fatal wound to the hollow of his throat rolls over as blood pours down his front and pools in his mouth as he coughs and sends bloodied spittle flying from his lips, lays on the ground, making an attempt to roll over.


    ¡°No,¡± Phoenix growls.


    He cuffs the Soldier around the face with sheathed claws, then rakes his claws through the Soldier¡¯s jaw and jugular vein. In a few moments, the Soldier goes still, then after another few stops moving entirely and takes on another look, seemingly a different being entirely than the moment before. The difference between life and death, when he was within Erebus¡¯s hold before he passed over into Lucius¡¯s claim. When Erebus¡¯s crane, Aiyana, gave him to Ananta who signaled to Lucius that the Soldier was here.


    What do I do? I think as my heart races in my chest, pulse quickening, doubling over, getting faster and faster before I can do anything about it. How do I keep Astra safe? Ky said to stay here, to not run away, but I don¡¯t know what else to do.


    That Soldier could be Astra and I don¡¯t know that I can get an audience with Lucius to trade my life for hers, and I don¡¯t know that I can find my way into Lucius¡¯s realm to fight my way to get her back and pull her back into Erebus¡¯s hold.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Freedom says.


    She brushes her wing up against me. Despite how her feathers shake and tremble, I find the comfort I did before I left at her and Jabez¡¯s request, before I found out she died beneath Arcane¡¯s magic. Somehow, just as she did all those decades ago, she knows when I¡¯m spiraling, when I¡¯m struggling, when I need comfort, and she knows just what to do without having to ask.


    ¡°What are they doing? We¡¯re gonna end up dead. Can we take all of them?¡± Grey asks. He scratches at his arm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Camden says.


    ¡°We have to figure it out,¡± Jabez murmurs, eyeing the Guard and Soldiers.


    With the two Soldiers dead and the first group mingling with Ragdonians but doing nothing to indicate they intend to cause any harm, Phoenix doesn¡¯t make a move, much to my surprise. He watches, eyes narrowed and whiskers raised as his ears swivel back and forth between pinned and pricked. Ky watches, too, as his tail swishes against his hind legs.


    When a Guard tries to approach, Jabez lunges, slamming his paws on the ground several times as he spits and snarls, stirring up dust. His sides heave and I know it¡¯s from the exertion of all the energy he just spent. I flatten my neck and pin my ears, blowing. Icarus flares his feathers and Freedom raises her wings.


    The Guard retreats, holding up his hands, and Jabez returns, panting. Astra runs her cheek across his shoulder and he nuzzles into her.


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t mess with us!¡±


    Icarus turns his attention back to Seneca, who stands beside Ky. Her head moves back and forth as the Guard and the Dust Devil exchange blow after blow.


    Seneca glances back at Icarus, head tilted to the side, and her antlers cast sharp shadows across her face. The dark green triangles beneath her eyes are visible even from far away.


    The Guard trips and lands on his knees, but before the Dust Devil can land any sort of killing blow with his fists or nails elongated into claws with his magic, the Guard drops in a clumsy kind of roll to lash out and attempt to keep the Dust Devil at bay. With a sickening crack, the Dust Devil grabs onto the Guard¡¯s leg and twists until bone breaks. The Dust Devil¡¯s face doesn¡¯t move or budge except for the tiniest wince that¡¯s gone before I can even confirm it¡¯s there, leaving me wondering if I¡¯d imagined it. The Guard howls, kicking out with his other leg at the Dust Devil¡¯s forearm.


    When the Dust Devil lets go, the Guard shoves himself forward on his good leg, dagger at the ready as he sends the Dust Devil falling to the ground on his back. The Guard on top, he¡¯s about to sink his dagger deep into the hollow of the Dust Devil¡¯s throat.


    Do it, I think, tense above Astra as Jabez and Icarus stand in front of her, trying to prevent her from seeing much.


    Camden stands below me, distracting Astra with the mouse he¡¯d made and trying to keep her talking about something, anything. Katelin tries to join in, but she¡¯s mostly just quiet, exhausted and drained and scared. She leans against her brother, hugging herself. Grey lingers beside them.


    Despite the Dust Devil¡¯s attempts to push up against the Guard¡¯s forearms, the tip of the dagger brushes his skin and draws a pearl of blood, shiny and grey in a shade I know is a bright, scarlet red. It glistens in a sick kind of way, looming, waiting.


    ¡°A little more, dear Guard,¡± Phoenix purrs. ¡°Don¡¯t let me stop you here.¡±


    That moment of distraction is enough.


    The Dust Devil, despite hesitating, rips the Guard¡¯s dagger from his hand and spears the Guard in the heart. Underneath the Guard as he is, the Dust Devil is immediately drenched in blood when he yanks the dagger out, and it spills over his silver, metal armor and the ground beneath him, soaking the stone of Siren¡¯s Lookout.


    ¡°Aww, shucks.¡± Phoenix tilts his head to the side. ¡°So sad. I really thought it was gonna go the other way.¡±


    The Blood Demon draws in deep breaths, grunting as it scents the blood spilled. Its jaws chatter and its pupils shrink then blow wide. It roars, tongue lolling as it bellows and watches the Guard¡¯s blood spill. Ky watches the Blood Demon, then turns his attention back to the scene with the Guard, and fear works its way across his expression. I draw my ears back.


    What do we do? What do I do? What can I do from here? I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know, and I hate that.


    The Guard shakes and spasms as Lucius comes for him, then takes him and brings him into their claim, then collapses atop the Dust Devil, who grimaces as Phoenix snickers and laughs at him. The Dust Devil pushes the Guard off of him, then rolls the Guard¡¯s body to its side as blood continues to seep from his body.


    The Guard¡¯s blood pools around him. With nowhere to go and nowhere to seep into, it stays in place, forming a puddle that soon begins to move.


    Like worms, the Guard¡¯s blood pulls from his body entirely, leaving him far too pale, and begins to wriggle like it has a life of its own, gifted by Erebus. It creeps without aim at first, moving as though it¡¯s searching, and the Dust Devil sits up.


    ¡°Get it!¡± Ky shouts, eyes finding the Blood Demon. His voice pitches up into a shriek. ¡°Stop it! Please, you have to stop it! Don¡¯t let the blood reach the sigil!¡±


    The Blood Demon tilts its head, teeth glinting in the sunlight. It licks its nose, flexing its fingers. Tail snapping, it tilts its head the other way. Then, it shakes its head.


    Ky¡¯s face falls into panicked pleading. ¡°Please, please, you have to be able to do something.¡±


    The Blood Demon¡¯s long ears droop. It leans forward, taking a few small steps and hope blooms in my heart when the Blood Demon leans down to sniff the Guard¡¯s blood and even takes a lick. But then the Blood Demon stands back up and turns around. It shakes its head again.


    No.


    Ky closes his eyes, and he looks like he¡¯s about to cry. He looks over at Phoenix, really looks at him, as if he were trying to memorize every bit of his brother. Then Ky turns his attention back to the Guard¡¯s blood. He sits down and waits, pain in every bit of his body language.


    The blood starts moving with a purpose, with aim, and it¡¯s located the sigil.


    The moment the Guard¡¯s blood touches the sigil to summon the Siren, the sigil lights up a blinding blue. The Dust Devil flinches and shields his eyes. Ky squints but doesn¡¯t look surprised, and Phoenix doesn¡¯t even blink. The Blood Demon raises its head, eyes unreadable.


    Below the cliffs of Siren¡¯s Lookout, the roaring waves of the ocean storm ever more, turning into a churning mess that slams against the stone so hard I wonder if we¡¯re all about to tumble into the sea as Ragdon shatters and crumbles beneath the force. Sea spray flies up into the air and hangs in rainbow mist for so long that I wonder if time has frozen. I grimace at the pounding thud, thud, thud of the agitated beating of the ocean as it hits Siren¡¯s Lookout. The sea grows angrier and angrier, and then it all goes still.


    Everything stops all at once, and I don¡¯t know what to make of it. I swish my tail and swivel my ears, turning my head in every direction to try to find something, some input, some sense of what I should do next, but I see nothing.


    xxxx


    It¡¯s so soft at first, the most beautiful song I¡¯ve ever heard, that I almost miss it.


    Muffled as it is by the oceans, it doesn¡¯t hit in the same way.


    It goes quiet for a while, but then I hear it again.


    I hear a song, and that¡¯s the first impression I get of the Siren.


    Shit.

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 11 - Hypnotizing Predator

    TRIGGER WARNING: Major character death, it¡¯s a violent death and is of a main character, grief over the death


    Chapter 11


    Hypnotizing Predator


    I start to lull off into a trance, pulled into the Siren¡¯s song, but I yank myself out with gritted teeth, and not without great effort.


    I hear chattering clicks and hums that pitch high and low, an entrancing kind of song that draws louder and louder until I finally see the Siren.


    The Siren bursts from the waters below, erupting in a spray of colors that I know would be far more vibrant if I could see more than greens and blues and greys. Some small part of me wishes I could see it all, but the rest of me is seized by a fear so strong that I very nearly turn around and bolt, the deep, primal instinct to flee hovering over me so thick and all-consuming as it is.


    Mist hangs in the air for several moments before tumbling back down to the roaring waves.


    Two toes and a dew claw sink into the stone cliffs like its soil. Sunlight glints on the surface of the Siren¡¯s skin, reflecting off the dripping water, the lines of its gills as it draws in a breath.


    How can it breathe out of the water? Shouldn¡¯t it be suffocating right now?


    Milky, murky creamy yellow eyes streaked with lines of every color but no pupil gaze at everyone.


    The Siren inhales a long breath, baby blue chest seeming to suck up all the air through flared blue-grey gills that I know in my gut are purple because it¡¯s the exact same shade of blue-grey as the King¡¯s damn fucking suit as he sat on the Amethyst Throne and its constantly shifting mirage of purples. The Siren opens its jaws, full of long, mismatched teeth that don¡¯t line up but somehow make it all the more unsettling. Its frills of jagged teal-green lines against a greyed-out yellow I guess is a blinding orange that would make for a dizzying display flare out as it chatters its jaws, then begins to click, a thrumming sounding in its stomach and deep in its throat as its body spins and contorts in a twisting motion like a hypnotizing predator.


    I nudge Astra beneath my stomach, wondering if I should tell her to run as far and as fast as she can or if it¡¯s safer to keep her here with me where I can see her. She can outrun any arrow the Guard can fire at her, any dagger or sword hurtled her way, but Ky said no one can outrun the Siren¡¯s song. With no pupils, I cannot tell where the Siren¡¯s attention is, and I¡¯m certain movement will draw its focus straight to her.


    Ky said to stay in place. Perhaps this is why; if the Siren got summoned like it did by the Dust Devil, stay in place and hope for the best.


    I hate this decision though. It¡¯s no decision; it¡¯s no choice. I don¡¯t know that it¡¯s the safest option, but I don¡¯t know that the alternative is any better. I¡¯m too worried to run through the potential probabilities, the ways things could go right or wrong and what I¡¯d do. I¡¯m too scared to talk it through with Freedom and Jabez and Camden and Katelin and Icarus. Astra, too. She¡¯s not helpless. She can fight, even though I don¡¯t want her to. I never want her to have to. We have numbers, but the Siren could sing us all to death.


    All I can think of is the promise I made to Freedom.


    I flick my tail and look to her, hoping she knows that I¡¯ve tried my very best to keep my promise. Astra¡¯s in one piece, but I don¡¯t know what sorts of scars she carries on the inside. I hope Freedom knows how scared I am that I know I might end up breaking the promise because I didn¡¯t choose right.


    ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t move,¡± I tell Astra, leaning my head down to make eye contact. ¡°Stay with me, ok? We¡¯re a team, got it?¡±


    Astra nods, pupils wide with fear but she still trusts me. That much I can tell. ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± I nuzzle her, breathing in her scent and closing my eye and soaking in the brief moment of peace, however much we have.


    If Astra¡¯s with me, then at least I can keep an eye on her and do my best that way. If she¡¯s with me, it means I¡¯ve done something right thus far.


    I just have to keep it that way.


    xxxx


    Ky and Phoenix stand with Seneca and the Blood Demon at the cliff face of Siren¡¯s Lookout near where the Dust Devil kneels beside the Guard¡¯s body. The Guard is still far too pale, blood leached from his body to summon the Siren in a way that would almost make me feel bad for him if I didn¡¯t know that he would¡¯ve tried to harm myself and Astra if the King had told him to.


    He very well might have walked himself willingly to his death, and there¡¯s something so fucked up in that I can¡¯t quite turn it over in my head to look at it in a way that makes sense.


    What have you done, King? What sort of spell did you put on this island? What did you do to Ragdon?


    The Siren drags itself further onto the cliffs, and the crowd of Ragdonians gasp and scream, beginning to try to scatter, but the Guard and Soldiers in and amongst them keeps the crowd from dispersing easily. With metallic shings of swords being drawn and the flash of arrows pulled from quivers, the crowd goes silent and stops moving.


    Apart from the background whispering and murmuring of the Wailing Marshes, the only sound I can hear over my own breathing and racing heart is the Siren¡¯s low rumbling, somewhere between a purr and a rhythmic moan.


    No one dares speak, not even the lead Guard. I don¡¯t see any Generals, nor do I see the pangar¨¦ bay colt. A part of me expects the Judge and Justice to appear, to say that this is what we deserve, that there¡¯s been another trial, and the punishment, the consequence is the Siren, whatever it desires and does is what¡¯s supposed to happen.


    The siren opens its jaws, and its long, thin teeth ¡ªeach a different length¡ª glint with strands of saliva. The gills on its throat and muzzle flare as it shifts its tiny ears and shakes its frills, disorienting me. It chitters low in its throat, humming.


    Jabez stumbles, gaze distant as he twitches and sits down clumsily.


    The Siren lowers its head and creeps a step closer, then another.


    I want to charge in front of Jabez, to make a scene and summon my power to my horn and create a portal to put the Siren directly in front of the King in the Throne Room, or perhaps set aside, tuck in my desire for revenge and let it rest for Astra¡¯s sake, and put the Siren somewhere far, far away¡ª as far away as I possibly can put it. But terror keeps me frozen in place, legs locked tight to the point I cannot move.


    The Siren is so enormous, head bigger than my body. Jabez could fit in its mouth easily, as could any human. The thought makes my stomach twist, and I kick up at my abdomen at the thought of the pain.


    Icarus shrieks, feathers rising as he raises his free wing and tries to move his bound wing but doesn¡¯t succeed in moving more than his shoulder joint a little.


    The Siren bellows in reply, but it¡¯s not the same sound the Blood Demon makes. While the bellow of the Blood Demon is a roaring, dominant call, the Siren¡¯s sound is something far more piercing and eerie.


    Astra whines and Camden shudders, muscles spasming as he presses his hands to his ears. I bray and whinny, throwing my head as the sound shudders through my head and mind, scrambling my thoughts and destroying anything I tried to plan before I could string more than one or two things together.


    I manage to catch Phoenix roaring and snarling and trying to charge at the Siren, flames blazing high on his pelt and Ky¡¯s frantic look, panicked beyond anything I¡¯ve seen on him before. His eyes dart all around, blown with terror, before something resigned passes over his expression.


    Blood drips from Ky¡¯s nose as his eyes glaze over and he whispers something that looks like an apology before Phoenix slumps over mid-stride, breathing evening out. Ky tilts his head to the side, seemingly casting another illusion.


    The Blood Demon turns its attention to him, and Ky looks up at it, then nods.


    What are you going to do?


    I see the Blood Demon step up to Ky, reach out its three-fingered hand, clasp onto Ky¡¯s forehead and press its thumb into his fur deep enough to puncture flesh. Ky seizes up as the Blood Demon allows him to access its power and draw upon it. Ky¡¯s eyes glaze over again, but this time with a flare of bright brown behind the cloudiness.


    The Siren draws in a deep breath, deeper than all the others before, and Ky screams. He scrambles to scan the landscape and find us. He finds his brother, and Phoenix is still asleep on the stone of the cliffs.


    Time seems to slow down as the Siren opens its jaws to begin to sing and Ky slams his paws down as he pulls from the Blood Demon¡¯s power.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    xxxx


    A fuzziness settles over me. It comes at me in a brutal, slamming force that I cannot resist. It¡¯s insistent in a way that wriggles its way into my mind before I even truly realize what¡¯s going on.


    Ok, I find myself saying as I agree to the secondary presence sharing my mind and my headspace. I could fight it and try to push the presence away¡­ but why would I?


    I forgot why sharing my headspace was even a bad thing. Was I supposed to be the only one in my mind? Were there not supposed to be two minds in one?


    I feel a twinge of guilt that accompanies the presence in my headspace. It¡¯s not mine; the guilt belongs to the presence.


    Why do you feel guilty?


    I study the presence.


    It clings to every bit of my mind, paying extra close attention to my hearing, leaving me feeling like someone stuffed my ears full of the fuzz of cattails Jabez told me Astra once got into as a young kitten. Up close, something feels so familiar, like I know the presence from somewhere. I dig through my mind to try to figure out why, but I feel so slow, like I¡¯m wading through the fuzz of cattails.


    I¡¯m barely aware of anything going on around me; I don¡¯t know, and there¡¯s a reason I should be panicking about that. I know that much, but I cannot figure out why. There¡¯s something I need to be doing, something I need to be keeping an eye on, but I cannot remember what, and that should be making me panic but it¡¯s not and that should be a problem but it isn¡¯t.


    What¡¯s going on?


    I want to hear, but I can¡¯t and I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason why I cannot hear but I don¡¯t know what that is and that bothers me. It should bother me more, but I don¡¯t know why it doesn¡¯t.


    Blinking heavily, I try to make sense of what I¡¯m seeing, but everything is blurry and a mess of jumbled shapes that I cannot make sense of.


    I know that panic should be rising within me faster than I can handle it, but for some reason it¡¯s not; I remain calm. Too calm. Far too calm. Fear swirls within me, but the second presence in my mind ¡ªthe one that hangs over me and clings to every part of my mind like fuzzy cattails¡ª washes it away before it can truly gain a hold within me.


    What¡¯s going on? I think yet again, but I¡¯m unable to think things through with how heavily the second presence in my head keeps me feeling slowed down and sleepy.


    xxxx


    Before I can think any more, I¡¯m thrust back into reality so fast that I stumble a step forward with a snort and a whinny. I throw my head, exhaling sharply through my nose and swishing my tail. I shake off the strange feeling of the cattail fuzz feeling of the secondary presence in my head. Stomping a hoof and snapping my tail again, I try to rid myself of the crawling feeling across my skin, the skittering sensation across the still-healing wounds on my body.


    Astra rubs her forehead against my foreleg, whining. She curls in on herself, wrapping her tail tight around her paws.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I murmur, looking around in hopes that I¡¯ll see the answer.


    All around us, people are rising to their feet, but some lay on the ground and they aren¡¯t moving.


    When I see Ky, I remember.


    I remember his panic and his terror at whatever the Siren was about to do, the song it seemed like it was about to sing.


    What could have him so scared?


    I inhale sharply. I remember what he said about the Lullaby.


    Except as I get a better look at Ky, I see that things aren¡¯t right. There¡¯s a ring around Ky, a ring of beings including us; me and Astra and Freedom and Camden. A large ring where those outside are all unmoving ¡ªnot even one¡ª and those inside are virtually all rising to their feet. Along the edge of the ring is the only place where there¡¯s a mix.


    As I look at Ky himself, I watch him sway on his paws. He watches Phoenix for a brief moment, and I watch as blood streams down his nose and muzzle in thick clumps. He coughs, hacks, then goes entirely still as his eyes stare through the world.


    Ky whimpers high in the back of his throat, a shrill final cry.


    A swan song.


    He shudders, eyes rolling in his head. Blood streams from his mouth and nose, dripping from his eyes like twisted tears. His legs give out, and all at once his muscles go limp and he sags.


    ¡°Ky!¡± Seneca cries out as she rushes over as the first spasms wrack the illusionist¡¯s body, having shifted mid-sprint.


    Realization passes through me as Icarus chirps in a series of chitters and chirps.


    ¡°Was that you, Ky?¡± I ask, though I doubt he can hear me.


    Ky continues to shudder as his muscles alternate between trembling and locking up, twisting at such unnatural angles that I worry bone will break. Blood foams in his mouth, and his teeth chatter together as his jaws clack against each other. His toes flex as his spine contorts. Ky¡¯s tail curls and twists, and I almost scream.


    I don¡¯t know how much time passes as Ky shakes. It feels like eons stretched into eternity. Astra whimpers and squirms as if trying to crawl into my skin from worry and discomfort.


    When Ky finally relaxes, I feel Astra do the same against me, except that Astra draws in a breath.


    Ky does not.


    Ky does not breathe. He remains still. Far too still.


    ¡°Ky?¡± I ask, finally moving from the edge of the cliffs and creeping up to him.


    Siren¡¯s Lookout stretches far too far, becoming longer than it¡¯s ever been. The gouges the Siren carved with its claws look like endlessly deep trenches I could fall for ages into. The edge of the cliff looks so far away I¡¯d have to walk all day to reach it.


    Grey follows close behind me, as do the rest, but I hardly notice them, too caught up in the absolute stillness of Ky¡¯s body. It¡¯s too still for the chaos of life. It¡¯s unnerving, unsettling, and I don¡¯t know what to make of it. I don¡¯t like it.


    When I reach Ky and he¡¯s beneath me, there¡¯s no recognition in his brown eyes, even with Seneca in front of him. I look over at Phoenix, who¡¯s the only one still sleeping. His flank definitively rises and falls in clear breaths, but Ky does not move.


    I nudge him with my nose, all too aware of Astra right behind me, but it¡¯s too late to try to shield her from this. I can scent the light cloud of death hanging over Ky¡¯s body, and I know it will only grow stronger.


    Body.


    The word hits hard, striking through me and leaving a wake of pain and agony wide open behind me. The word hits like an arrow through the chest, straight to the heart. The wake is the worst, coming right after the initial blow, right when the sting is the strongest and the bottoming out of the pain is falling into the deepest chasm.


    Ky¡¯s body is a mix of life and death, and I know Lucius and Ananta must be wandering somewhere around here. Erebus¡¯s claim over Ky¡¯s being has left; their gift of life snapped, and now Lucius has laid claim to whatever¡¯s left of the illusionist.


    I look up and see bodies laying around Siren¡¯s Lookout, along with the massive gashes carved through the stone of the cliffs, where the Siren had clung to Ragdon before everything went as fuzzy as the fluff of cattails.


    How many did the Siren sing to death with its Lullaby? How many has Lucius taken and brought under their claim?


    I look between the gouges in the cliffs of Siren¡¯s Lookout and Ky, and I realize what he had done.


    ¡°He drained the Blood Demon of the last of its power to cast an illusion to make us believe we couldn¡¯t hear,¡± I murmur.


    Icarus chatters.


    ¡°Ky could do that?¡± Seneca crouches by his body and gently smoothes out fur ruffled by the wind.


    I nod. ¡°Ky was a very powerful illusionist. He can¡ª. Could do almost anything if he could imagine it.¡±


    I cringe at the slip-up in tense. It doesn¡¯t feel right, talking about Ky in the past tense. He¡¯s right here. I can see him. He¡¯s whole, just with blood staining his fur. But blood washes out.


    I can see Ky, and he looks just like Ky. Yet at the same time he looks wholly different. Something isn¡¯t right, but I don¡¯t know what. I cannot quite say, but it¡¯s everything that makes Ky Ky.


    I don¡¯t know what that little piece is, but it¡¯s missing.


    Lucius took it away when they came for Ky and claimed him. Maybe that¡¯s what Lucius takes. They take that little piece that makes someone who they are. But if so, then why does it feel like such a massive piece? Why does it feel like Lucius has ripped away such a massive part of Ky¡¯s body, his being?


    I stomp a hoof, squeezing my eyes shut. I want to scream, to roar, but I can¡¯t. I¡¯m reduced to silence.


    Grey places a hand on my shoulder, leaning into me, eyes watery.


    How can Ky just be gone?


    ¡°Wake up, Ky!¡± Astra cries, tears dripping down her cheeks. Her wings droop, and her tail sags and drags on the ground.


    What can I say? What can I tell her? How I can even begin to try to help her start to make sense, begin to wrap her mind around a loss such as this? How can I tell her that this won¡¯t be like Freedom¡¯s death, where Ky won¡¯t come back? She¡¯d understood that Freedom wouldn¡¯t come back, but then she did. How do I tell her that Ky will never return? Lucius has him, and they don¡¯t give anyone back. Freedom¡¯s return was a one-time event.


    How do I support her when I cannot even believe Ky¡¯s dead myself, despite how I can see his death and tell Lucius has brought him into their claim with every sense I have. He no longer exists in Erebus¡¯s realm.


    Come back, I want to say, but I know that¡¯s not possible.


    ¡°Why?¡± Grey whispers.


    Ky looks so small, lying on the ground as he is. He looks like a kitten, a child. He looks years younger all of a sudden, so young in death, and really, he is. He¡¯s too young.


    I shake, trembling as my teeth chatter and I draw my ears back.


    I cast an illusion so he wouldn¡¯t have to see me die, I hear over the wind. Perhaps it¡¯s the reeds in the Wailing Marshes or something else, but I recognize the voice immediately; it¡¯s Ky¡¯s.


    ¡°What?¡± Seneca asks, standing up and looking around.


    Grey looks to Ky¡¯s body, which hasn¡¯t moved.


    Katelin takes a step back as Freedom turns around, raising her trunk toward the Wailing Marshes.


    ¡°Is he talking about Phoenix?¡± Camden asks, looking at the black cat, who still sleeps.


    Before anyone can continue, Ky¡¯s ghostly voice continues.


    I made him sleep longer so he wouldn¡¯t have to see me die. There was no time. We couldn¡¯t say goodbye. This was the next best thing.


    Tears drip from my eye. He sounds so much like a child. What Phoenix wouldn¡¯t have given to say goodbye, even if he had to see Ky die, I¡¯m sure, but that it also would¡¯ve been the most painful memory of Phoenix¡¯s life, perhaps, to see the last of his family die at the hands of another one of the King¡¯s decisions.


    Another glance at Phoenix shows that he¡¯s still asleep, still blissfully ignorant to the fact that the last of his family just died, and I wonder how many more moments will pass like this; we all know and he doesn¡¯t. Some tiny part of me hopes that he will sleep forever, and he can never know but not join Ky in Lucius¡¯s claim because I don¡¯t want another entire family to die at the hands of the King, even though I can only imagine the pain Phoenix is about to feel and I know there is nothing I can say or do.


    I can almost see the waves of hurt rolling off of Astra and she was only friends.


    The bond Phoenix had with Ky went deeper than family or brother could ever describe.


    How could you take Ky? I want to demand of Lucius, but I know it¡¯s not my place. How could I ask a being such as Lucius or Erebus such a question?


    Who decides who is born when and who dies when?


    xxxx


    Far too soon, Phoenix begins to move. He twitches his paws and takes his time as he awakens, but he wakes up. Flicking an ear, he yawns, still unaware of what awaits him, and I feel a tear track down my cheek, tracing along my jaw until it drips to the ground much like Arcane¡¯s Midnight Tears had done when he sacrificed himself.


    I want to tell Phoenix to run, to leave. I don¡¯t want him to have to face what has happened, but he will not go without his brother.


    Scrunching up his face in sleepy confusion, Phoenix gets to his paws, back to us and Ky¡¯s body. Camden watches, and Grey holds his breath, a finger over his mouth. Jabez sits, staring blankly at Ky¡¯s body. I don¡¯t think he blinks.


    Phoenix stretches, arches his back, then begins to look for his brother.


    ¡°Ky?¡± he calls. ¡°Ky, where are you?¡±


    I draw in a sharp breath, but it must be loud enough to draw Phoenix¡¯s attention, because he turns around, and I see the exact moment he zeroes in on his brother.


    Phoenix charges forward, and all the hazy exhaustion in his body vanishes in an instant like evaporating water in a fire. His flames bristle and blaze, exploding in massive plumes of fire and smoke.

 Relearn - Brook - Chapter 12 - Swan Song

    Chapter 12


    Swan Song


    I scramble back as Phoenix rapidly approaches. With his teeth bared and his eyes glowing with rage and fear equal in measure to the desperation burning throughout his entirety, he makes for a predator who feels almost as dangerous as the Siren, despite how I know that the Siren possessed a far greater capability for damage. Something about the hard set to Phoenix sets me on edge, but I can''t blame him, not knowing what''s about to happen and that I cannot do anything about it.


    "Ky!" Phoenix shouts, voice pitching into something pleading as he skids to a halt beside his brother, driving his nose into his brother''s side so hard that Ky nearly rolls over from the force, though he flops back to his side.


    Phoenix''s panic bottoms out into sheer terror. His eyes widen, pupils blown so wide that I can hardly see his fiery irises.


    "Ky, please," Phoenix begs. "Ky, wake up!"


    I take a step forward, about to step in, but then I lean back and set my hoof down in place, deciding against speaking.


    I can tell Phoenix is on the edge, teetering back and forth on the brink of explosion. He''s so close, just a breath away from combusting. He''s shaking, pacing back and forth as he tries to get Ky to wake up, as he tries to awaken his dead brother.


    How do I tell him in a gentle kind of way that Ky will never wake up? That he has just lost the last living member of his entire family when he is hardly not a child? How do I tell him that he has lost everything when he''s so young? How could I tell anyone such a thing and not have it destroy their whole entire world?


    When Phoenix finally turns his attention to us, he''s crouched over Ky''s body, holding onto him in a kind of hug. Anger and rage broil in his eyes, and his flames make him look all the more lethal.


    "What did you do?" he demands, long upper canines glinting in the light and reflecting his fire.


    "None of us did anything," I say slowly. "Remember the Siren?"


    "I do," Phoenix drawls, voice lilting in a sarcastic kind of way.


    "Ky used his illusions to defeat the Siren."


    "And how would he have done that?" Phoenix asks, disbelief clear in his words. "Answer my fucking question, and then tell me how the fuck you are gonna wake up my brother. Cuz Arcane ain''t here and Alex ain''t around. Who knows where she''s gone and fucked off to."


    "I do not know exactly how," I reply, ignoring the sharp biting tone of Phoenix''s, "but I do believe that Ky took the Blood Demon''s power and sacrificed his life to defeat the Siren and prevent its Lullaby from harming as many as it could have. I think that Ky¡ª."


    "Do not put words in Ky''s mouth," Phoenix snarls. "Do not put words in his mouth. Ky can speak for himself. Wake him up and he will show you that he is perfectly capable of doing just that."


    The black cat pushes himself up as if to give Ky room to stand, but Ky does not move, even when Phoenix has sat up fully.


    "Come on, Ky," Phoenix says, an edge to his voice that tells me he''s still in denial but knows in some small, far-off corner of his mind.


    "Ky won''t wake up," Katelin whispers, and I don''t know if it was to Phoenix or for herself.


    She holds herself tight, arms banded around her middle.


    Phoenix spits and snarls and hisses. His tail lashes and he snarls, eyes squeezing shut.


    "No," he says, voice suddenly far less angry, far less sure, far quieter. He sounds like a kitten. He sounds a decade younger, all of a sudden. "That''s... that''s not right. Ky will wake up."


    Phoenix looks at his brother, wrinkling his muzzle and flicking an ear. He noses at a patch of blood on Ky''s shoulder, then licks it away, careful with his long upper canines. There''s such care in the moment, such familial intimacy between the two brothers, that I feel perhaps I should look away and let Phoenix have the moment to himself, knowing it''s one of the last he will have with Ky, with his brother.


    I can scent on the wind Ky''s body and his dead body. He''s gone, brought under Lucius''s claim the moment he died and his heart stopped beating, but the rest of him remains, dead, gone, no longer here, passed away, moved on.


    What words describe Ky now? I don''t know.


    Phoenix brings me back to the present.


    "Tell me," he demands, a foreleg around Ky.


    I pause, remembering how Ky had said that he''d kept Phoenix asleep so his brother wouldn''t have to see him die, because there wasn''t time to say goodbye. How could I explain that to Phoenix in a way he''d listen to? I don''t want to step wrong and make a mistake. I only get one chance at this, and I must get it right.


    Phoenix bares his teeth and snarls. "Tell me!" he spits.


    I take a breath. "Ky..." I start.


    "Yeah?" Phoenix tilts his head and lifts an eyebrow in a challenge. "What about him."


    I take another breath to calm my nerves. The last thing I want or need right now is to react in such a way that I do not have a fully level head. Ky deserves my very best effort, and Phoenix needs that, too. He might be more prickly than usual, but he just lost his brother, something he likely already knows but needs spelled out. I cannot rise to his challenges, no matter how hard he pushes.


    "It''s about Ky," I continue.


    "I assumed as much when you literally just told me his fucking name," Phoenix hisses, venom laced through every word. "What about my brother, Brook? Spit it out or leave us alone. I''m waiting for Ky to wake up."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I close my eyes and wish that Ky would just wake up, that this was some terrible nightmare, that the King hadn''t just taken countless more lives, far too many who didn''t deserve to meet Lucius this early. I wish that the King wasn''t a monster, because a monster is the King


    A breeze blows by, stirring up Ky''s fluffy fur, and he looks like a kitten, not much older than Astra. And he isn''t, really. If Astra hadn''t lived in the Field, she''d be ten¡ª she looks ten. Ky is only a decade or so older. For him, he had just lost his parents and sister ten years prior, what must''ve felt like yesterday. What must feel like yesterday to Phoenix.


    "Ky won''t wake up," I find myself saying softly.


    Phoenix''s body turns rigid, hard as stone.


    "You don''t get to say that. You don''t get to lie."


    "I wish with everything in me that I was."


    "Ky is not dead," Phoenix hisses. "He is not."


    Phoenix shakes, flames burning bigger and brighter in response. He lashes his tail, sides heaving with every breath. He covers Ky''s body with his own as he buries his nose in the ruff of fur on his brother''s neck, a forepaw by Ky''s muzzle.


    "Ky is gone," I whisper.


    I watch as Phoenix begins to cry. His sides begin to shake, and his breaths turn ragged. Steam rises from his eyes as the black cat sniffles. His tail curls and his ears pin as he presses his muzzle further into Ky''s fur.


    "There is no way Ky is gone," Phoenix croaks, voice crumbling and shattering across the words. "He can''t be. He''s right here. Can''t you see him, Brook? Ky''s right here. He''s right here. I can see him. You can, can''t you? Brook, Ky''s right there. He can''t just be gone."


    Phoenix''s sides shudder with a sob, the first time I''ve ever heard him make such a horrible, painful sound, filled with such agony that I don''t know if I should offer to move in closer to give comfort or offer to give space.


    "Ky can''t be gone."


    My eyes widen, my ears draw back, and I swish my tail with realization; Phoenix is beginning to realize himself that Ky''s gone, dead, brought under Lucius''s claim, their permanent hold in their realm.


    Phoenix lost his parents and sister when the King ordered their murders a decade ago. They died, and he and Ky spent the subsequent ten years hunting down the King. Now, Ky died saving Phoenix and as many as he could from the King''s actions summoning the Siren.


    Phoenix lost his entire family to the King, and my stomach twists in my gut, nostrils flaring as I shift on my hooves, throwing my head.


    What could I possibly say to ease the pain? There isn''t anything. Nothing could take away that agony, that kind of ache and loss of losing someone Phoenix had a bond with someone that a word as simple as brother could not describe. It''s not big enough, nowhere near vast enough to cover such a relationship that went so deep, had been through so much, was so unbreakable and I know not even Lucius''s claim could ever hope to touch.


    Drawing in a huge breath, Phoenix screams. He roars, head thrown back, jaws parted wide, eyes squeezed shut tight. Tears turn to steam on his cheeks and his flames blaze in a twisting inferno, so violent it creates its own wind currents. Phoenix''s howling cry breaks in his throat as his voice cracks, grief shattering something within him.


    People stop at the sound of Phoenix''s yowl. They turn around to bear witness to the black cat standing over the body of his brother, body locked up with rage and grief and agony tumbling through his body in a churning, boiling mix with nowhere to go but explode. There isn''t anything that can be done but bear witness to the black cat''s anguish and torment at the loss of his brother, the one he was closest to, the one who understood how it felt to lose his entire family because he had, too. Something within Phoenix breaks because I can almost see it; I can nearly see the fractures splinter across the surface of the black cat''s body.


    Something breaks within me, too. Tears drip from my eyes. I see the blurriness in my uninjured eye, and I feel the wetness on my cheek below the eye I can no longer see from.


    Bad eye, someone had tried to tell me.


    It''s not bad, I replied. It''s not good or bad; it just is. I will adjust. That is what anyone does in this world. Everyone adjusts. Everyone tries to get by.


    What a sad life.


    Without the King, perhaps the world could be kinder.


    I pull my ears back, bowing my head as I take time to honor Ky''s sacrifice.


    Lying on his side on the cliffs of Siren''s Lookout with his shaggy, tan fur stirred up with the gusting winds, he looks years younger than he is. His oversized ears bend, one pinned beneath him and the other sitting at an awkward angle from how he fell when his heart stopped as the Blood Demon vanished and Ky met Lucius.


    Phoenix doesn''t look any older.


    When Phoenix''s scream trails off, he hunches over Ky''s body, sides heaving with gasping breaths. He coughs, billows of smoke rising off his fur, then snarls, spitting with such a rage that my fur stands on end and I raise my head, standing up a little straighter.


    Anger broils within Phoenix, rolling off him in waves so thick I can almost touch them. He shakes, trembling and jaw chattering. His lips pull back to bare his teeth and he lashes his tail as he draws in seething breath after seething breath, so far beyond just simple anger that rage doesn''t even begin to cover what he''s feeling. Fury isn''t strong enough;


    Phoenix covers Ky''s body with his own, burying his face into the ruff of fur around his brother''s neck again.


    I approach, ignoring Phoenix''s snarls and growls.


    He looks like a kitten, all oversized paws and big eyes. Scared and angry and agonized by losing his brother.


    He''s lost everything to the King.


    Phoenix tries to tell me to leave, but his voice cracks and his words turn into sobs that he presses into Ky''s fur. He digs his toes into Ky''s body, as if his brother were trying to leave, though I know Ky never would. His sides heave with sniveling cries as he falls apart, the crackling blaze of pain and grief finally breaking through as Phoenix loses the ability to hold it back and it crashes through him like a hurtling wildfire.


    "Come back to me, Ky," the black cat pleads, flames dying down as he pins his ears and flicks his tail. "Wake up, Ky. Please."


    He won''t, I want to say, but I know that Phoenix knows that his brother will not wake up, too.


    "Please, Ky. You can''t leave. Us against the world, remember?"


    Phoenix pulls back, eyes watery and steam rises from the corner as tears meet flames. He pulls back to run a paw over Ky''s shoulder and flank as he presses his cheek to Ky''s muzzle.


    The sun shines in a blazing display that sets the ocean on fire, hanging in the sky at a blinding angle that casts half of Ky''s and Phoenix''s forms into silhouettes.


    Phoenix steps so he''s standing over Ky''s body, flames hardly longer than his short fur. Eyes closed, he breathes, heavy and deep, as tears drip from his eyes only to evaporate before they fall far. His blue-grey locks of hair that I know are purple fall across his forehead and around the short yellow horns curving up from his skull. He flicks the ear he''d ripped in half to get to Ky when his brother had summoned the Blood Demon, but this time Ky had kept Phoenix from being able to get to him; Ky had made Phoenix sleep with an illusion.


    What will Phoenix do now?


    What will any of us do now? Ky is dead. Phoenix has lost everyone in his family. The King is winning. He can''t win, but it feels like he is. We have to keep fighting, but it feels impossible.


    Astra turns around, face sadder than I''ve ever seen her look before, and she presses her muzzle into my foreleg as she begins to shake, body wracked with sobs.


    Using his horns, Phoenix drives Ky''s head up, then grasps the bandana in his teeth, holding it with a care that doesn''t quite seem to fit, but I can tell it must mean something dear to him as he tugs on it until it comes off from around Ky''s neck.


    He wrestles with the bandana but manages to get it around his own neck, where it sits around his shoulders, tighter than it had fit on Ky. The bandana hangs lopsided.


    Phoenix grits his teeth, growling as he swipes a paw at nothing, then lashes his tail as he paces.


    He roars again, from deep within his chest. It echoes in his throat, rolling across Siren''s Lookout, so full of pain and grief and agony that I can feel the emotion skittering across my body.


    "You''re dead, Bryant. You''re fucking dead."

 Reform - Prologue

    Prologue


    She strolls through the Sea with Tears in her eyes


    A trail of bodies falls in her wake


    Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the prologue to the final section of The King''s Remorse, Reform! Please comment your thoughts and consider a favorite/followThe author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    What will happen in this final section?


    After the Siren and Ky''s death at the end of the last section, Relearn, with where things left off, where will the group go from here?


    Is there an ally waiting for them, or are there only more enemies in store in this final section?


    I hope you''ve had a nice week and if not I hope the coming days will bring something nice for you!


    -Werewolf14-

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 1 - It Is All In Your Head

    Reform


    LUKE


    Chapter 1


    It Is All In Your Head


    I feel like I should''ve broken by now.


    My body has, at least.


    A shattered ankle held together by will and a knee that threatens to snap with every step, I''ve long since broken in more ways than one.


    The only thing holding my body together is the need to serve the King.


    I''m a Soldier.


    That''s what I am.


    I spend each day carrying out my King''s wishes.


    The only problem is the little voice in the back of my mind raising questions about the King, questions I know will get me labeled a traitor in an instant and carried off to a painful death as ordered by the Judge and Justice, one far more painful than the lasting ache in my leg.


    The King cannot know any of those questions, and so I play the part of the Soldier. It''s my job, my duty to serve, and I must follow every order.


    xxxx


    They say that eyes are the windows to the soul, but do they know how eyes lie? Do they know how eyes deceive? I''d say they''re more like doors, with how eyes can shield so much, say the most devastating sentence and then twist the knife with yet another that''s just as cruel. Or, for those lying for survival, hide the fear and the desperation behind a facade so convincing that perhaps not even the own eyes know the mask is there.


    "Maybe I don''t even know it''s there," I whisper, rolling over in my bed and swiping my pillow from beneath my head to pull it to my chest.


    I knew I had begun to construct the mask shortly after I had twisted my ankle only a few days into Soldier training. It had swelled up and been nearly impossible to walk on, and at first others had been sympathetic and the doctors had tried to help. Yet, as my ankle didn''t stop hurting and the doctors couldn''t figure out what was going on, they began to stop looking at my symptoms and me and began questioning whether I was making the entire thing up.


    I''d wanted to scream.


    "I think it''s time to consider that this is all in your head," one had stated after a few minutes of prodding at my ankle.


    It had taken everything within me in that moment not to cry, because that''s what Soldiers do¡ª they do not cry. A Soldier never cries. I''d known that without having to be told. No one needed to tell me not to ever shed a tear, and I had kept to that. I have never cried, except for in the privacy of my own little room, once I had risen through the ranks enough to earn that privacy instead of the shared bunks in the Barracks.


    My room is small, in the far corner of the Barracks, near where the Generals and the lead Guard sleep, but it''s mine and I can cry my silent tears here, sobbing to myself whenever things get to much before I piece myself back together enough to face the world and pretend to be the Soldier that everyone else thinks that I am.


    I hug my pillow to my chest. It''s the only soft thing allowed in my room, not that there''s much else; it has a bed, a chest for clothing and little supplies, a small window on the wall opposite the door, and a stand for my armor.


    I had tried to return to the doctor the week after the one doctor had told me it was in my head to see someone else and get a second opinion, because things hadn''t gotten better and I could still hardly walk, but they saw it was me and shook their heads, all but chasing me away.


    "No, Soldier," they had said. "We told you your diagnosis. It''s not our fault if you won''t accept that you are making this all up. Go back and just get over it. Deal with it and get over the fact that you are making this up. You just want attention. Go cry about it. Go find your mom and leave. Not everyone is cut out to be a Soldier, and you can''t just take the easy way out."


    "But I''m not making it up," I had replied as my ankle throbbed, pulsing with white-hot pain that threatened to send me keeling over as sweat poured down my neck and back. Agony shot up my let, searing up my bones and howling across muscle.


    "I''m the doctor," they''d snapped, "and I am telling you that there is nothing wrong. Go home and get over it. It''s in your head. Snap out of it."


    I gritted my teeth.


    The pain of the betrayal and dismissal hurt far more than the physical pain.


    The doctors were supposed to help, and they didn''t. They were supposed to listen and respect me, and they didn''t. They did not listen to my concerns, and they did not listen to what I had to say. They didn''t even try.


    I vowed to never see another doctor again, no matter what. I learned basic wound care. I taught myself to care for the broken bones I acquired over the years I was a Soldier.


    I didn''t have anyone. The doctor was wrong; I couldn''t go home to my mom. She had died of sickness in the Sea. They didn''t know what it was and they couldn''t cure it, and she died.


    It was the Guard and Soldiers or finding something in the Sea to keep me out of the Guard and Soldiers. I chose Soldier training. I wanted out of the Sea, and this way I could best serve my King of Ragdon, the very ruler I grew up hearing stories about.


    My mom respected him, so I did as well.


    A knock on my door snaps me out of my thoughts.


    "Yes?" I call out.


    I know they won''t come in, not unless it was extremely urgent or I invited them in, which I have not.


    "Soldier, Our Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV has requested your presence in the Throne Room," someone tells me.


    "I understand," I reply, already sliding out of bed and into my underclothing so I can put on my armor.


    I don''t have to think any more, as I slide on the pieces in a familiar rhythm, then fasten the buckles on the leather straps in an equally familiar rhythm. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I pull on my boots, then tug the last of my armor over my shoes. The weight of the armor over my shoulders and my body is a familiar comfort I''m used to, one I rely on, if only so I don''t lose my mind. I count on that pressure; it''s something I know will be there each day.


    What does the My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV want?


    I''ve never been called to him alone, and never directly. I have never had the privilege of being called before the King of Ragdon directly, and I feel light in my stomach at the thought.


    A small, little, tiny part of me raises the points of alarm, the questions that I shove away, because I can''t be betraying My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses like this. I cannot commit such a sin. I cannot hurt him so.


    He''s my King. He serves Ragdon Island; that''s why he''s the King of Ragdon.


    He''s King because he serves Ragdon for the better good. Remember all those training sessions?


    I push my palms into my face, pressing them into my eyes. I take several deep breaths, trying to calm the racing of my heart and the ragged come and go of my breath.


    Why is this so hard? The other Guard and Soldiers can''t be going through this? Do they have such a fight with their mind every day?


    I grab my sword from its stand and sheathe it in my scabbard, though I hold onto the hilt of the sword, feeling the well-worn hand-hold from all the time spent sparring, practicing on my own and with others, running through drills, actual fights where the stakes were far higher than just simple bruises, chasing down the Wolf and the Dove.


    I blink back the memories of pinning the Wolf to the ground when I helped capture her and the Dove in the Lava Flats, the sheer emotion in the Wolf''s eyes, so raw. It was something that had caught me off guard; I wasn''t sure the last time I had felt emotion so... brutally clearly. With the emotions so surface-level, they were right there, and I couldn''t recall the last time I had felt my own emotions so close to my skin. I didn''t know what would happen if I felt them there.


    Would they claw their way free, leaving me flayed raw, nerves so exposed I didn''t know if I''d ever be able to cover them up again? Would they rip my skin apart, tearing me to pieces as I''m forced to feel in the way I''d seen the emotions so close to the surface on the Wolf?


    What would that feel like, to have such blatant emotions?


    I stand in front of my closed door, arm reached out toward it, fingers nearly brushing the handle, but I pause before closing my hand around it to take myself into the hallway I know will lead to the castle of My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV. I make myself take several deep breaths, repeating that I''ve hidden my betrayals to the King of Ragdon thus far, that I''ve stayed away from doctors thus far, that I''ve kept my ankle from costing me my life and job as Soldier thus far, that I can do it for just one more day.


    Tomorrow I will repeat the same. The following day the same again, then again the next day, and again the next.


    We can do it, Luke. We''ve got this.


    Right?


    Dropping my chin to my chest, I exhale.


    The King of Ragdon is waiting, and I know I should be going; I should already be halfway there, each step faster than the previous, because how could I be so selfish, right? But I can''t stop shaking. It''s my duty as a Soldier to serve My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV.


    Enough stalling. Leave, I tell myself.


    I pull open my door before I can stop myself and turn around and stay in my bed all day, forgetting food and the King of Ragdon''s simple request to see me.


    xxxx


    The Barracks are a dusty place.


    I sneeze when I exit the long building reserved for the Generals and the lead Guard and a handful of others who have risen through the ranks enough to not be thrown in with the haphazardly arranged sleeping assignments that I''ve never been able to figure out. I don''t think they were given much thought. I don''t know how much thought was given to many things.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I sneeze again.


    Unlike the Sea, Guard and Soldiers don''t sleep in tents; they sleep in sturdier buildings more similar to the castle of the King of Ragdon near the stadium used for training drills and other lessons. I remember the time spent there, learning the basics of sword fighting. How many times I''d been beaten, bruised, knocked flat on my back by opponents in a trial by fire. I could still remember the hits, the strikes from the wooden swords as I and the other Soldier trainees learned to become what My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses wanted us to be.


    I turn away from the Barracks and focus on the castle of the King of Ragdon. I don''t want to see the Barracks, don''t want to look at where I sleep every night, where I hug my pillow more than use it beneath my head because I want something to cling to.


    The castle of the King of Ragdon stretches tall toward the sky. Always under construction, it''s constantly changing in appearance, growing in size bit by bit, more and more magnificent as it sprawls across the skyline. I wonder what it will look like in a few years. Marble towers reach higher than the rest of the castle, topped with triangular, purple flags, while various buildings lay, connected by different walkways and smaller buildings, behind a light purple portcullis. Just inside the portcullis, a fountain douses the air with the sound of splattering water, spouting from the mouth of a lizard that''s a near perfect lookalike of the King''s Dragon, down to the intense look in its eyes and the eyes of its snakehead tail.


    Inside the castle, torches cast circular rings of light on the ground. Marble stretches long and far in the hallways. I feel dizzy, but I hold my head high, knowing that I''m a Soldier and knowing how hard I worked. I''ve walked these halls for years, despite the pain in my ankle and how I know I probably broke it and it never healed right. I learned to deal with the injuries that came my way from my days as a Soldier, refusing to see a doctor.


    I make my way through the castle of the King of Ragdon, lost in my head. I don''t have to think; I''ve been here enough that I know my way to the Throne Room by heart. I know the hallways like the back of my own two hands. Perhaps even better. I don''t want to look at my hands. Everything I have done has been for the King of Ragdon and honoring the wishes of My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV, but... sometimes...


    Stop.


    I shut down the train of thought before it can go any further. I must not betray the rightful, honorable King of Ragdon.


    But...


    No.


    xxxx


    I reach the Throne Room, and I force my mind into silence.


    It''s not a peaceful kind of silence, but it''s quiet. The kind of quiet where I''ll be able to listen. Take orders. Obey.


    I approach the two large doors with circular handles hanging from within the mouths of iron forged into the shape of the Dragon, and two Soldiers nod at me in acknowledgement, then step forward to heave open the doors in unison. Taking a deep breath, I wait for them to finish opening the doors, before I step through.


    My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV sits upon the Amethyst Throne, the picture of majesty and royalty. His purple suit matches the Amethyst Throne to a level of perfection I can only hope to reach someday. He watches me approach with his jaw resting on loosely curled fingers, a mildly bored expression on his face as I approach.


    "My Sovereign, My Excellency, My Honor, My Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV," I say as I drop to my knees, bowing to the ground until my forehead brushes the marble.


    I brace myself on one arm and hold the other near me. My ankle throbs in a now familiar dull pulsing kind of pain.


    It never healed right. That much I know. I don''t have to be a doctor to know that it didn''t heal right, but a doctor probably couldn''t have told me that; they''d have told me it was in my head and never figured out what was going on.


    "You are going to receive a gift from the Amethyst Throne," the King of Ragdon tells me without greeting.


    I don''t look up. I don''t outwardly react to his words, because I was told that I shouldn''t. It was ¡ªand is¡ª wrong; don''t show the King of Ragdon emotion. Listen. Always listen. Never react.


    Inwardly, I feel happy. The King of Ragdon has seen how much I cared. The King of Ragdon has appreciated what I had done.


    "Of course, My Sovereign¡ª."


    The King of Ragdon cuts me off, and fear blooms in my gut like blood pouring from a stab wound from one of the greatswords I''ve seen used.


    "Call me Bryant," he says, shattering my world, before he sends me spiraling. "We are equals, now. You will be my righthand man."


    "I-I''m sorry," I blurt.


    I don''t know what I''m apologizing for, but it feels right. It feels like I should be apologizing.


    "We are equals, Dust Devil," the King ¡ªBryant, I correct immediately as more fear pours into my gut and insides, filling me up until there''s room for nothing else¡ª purrs.


    "Yes, Bryant," I say without looking up.


    I remain on my knees, forehead almost touching the marble.


    If Bryant says we''re equals, then we are. He''s the King of Ragdon. He knows best. I should ¡ªand will¡ª listen, because he''s the King of Ragdon. What else should I do?


    "You are going to become the Dust Devil," Bryant tells me.


    "Ok," I say softly, obeying because that''s what I should do.


    Right?


    No, I correct harshly. We cannot question. He''s the King of Ragdon. Our mother told us that. The world told us that.


    "Are you ready?"


    I see the shadow of Bryant ¡ªnot My Sovereign... not the King of Ragdon, but he''s still the King of Ragdon, but he''s Bryant, now... who is he?¡ª stretch long before me as he leans forward.


    "Yes, my-." I clear my throat. "Yes, Bryant."


    "Good."


    I can feel the weight of his words pressing down on my shoulders, the expectations. I don''t know why he said to call him Bryant; he''s the King of Ragdon, but I won''t say no. I''ll listen, like I know I''m supposed to.


    "Let down the barriers in your mind," the King of Ragdon ¡ªBryant¡ª instructs, interrupting my thoughts and I''m disappointed in myself that I stopped paying attention to him, much less while I kneel before my King as he sits upon the Amethyst Throne. "Let in the Amethyst Throne. Let it give you its gift. Accept its gift. Accept the gift with open arms and don''t resist. It''s meant to be, and the Amethyst Throne chose you, Dust Devil."


    That''s not my name, instinct wants to say, that knee-jerk reaction wants to bite out before I can think. But the stronger training of the Soldier wins out and catches me before I can begin to dig a grave, and I hold my tongue.


    If the King¡ª if Bryant wants me to be the Dust Devil, then I''ll be the Dust Devil. I signed up to be a Soldier. I''m a Soldier, now. I''ve been a Soldier for years, since the day I joined the ranks and began training in the Barracks on day one.


    "Ok, Bryant," I reply, voice soft and submissive.


    Whatever Bryant says, I''ll do.


    The Amethyst Throne glows with vibrant shades of purples and violets, swirling with new energy and thrumming with a buzzing sound. There used to be Bryant''s Dragon that slept upon the back of the Amethyst Throne, rarely moving except to intimidate, or, on occasion, lash out and incinerate. The Sea was the farthest it flew. But then it died at Arcane''s paws, just like he''d killed Freedom.


    "Do not resist," Bryant repeats as tendrils erupt from the Amethyst Throne.


    The amethyst tendrils condense and coalesce into one that weaves and slithers towards me and from it comes a snake with a chain for a body. Metallic, its glittering amethyst eyes lock onto me. A chittering, clattering sound comes from the snake, and it leaves behind the Amethyst Throne to make its way toward me.


    "Do not resist," Bryant repeats again.


    I push down my panic and force myself to stay in place and only watch as the snake draws nearer. It''s what the King ¡ªBryant¡ª wants. I must obey. It''s what my training tells me. It''s what everything I''ve learned tells me, despite the fear that now crawls through me. Despite the terror seizing every bit of my body as I begin to shake and the snake blurs from panic, I lock my legs and hold myself in place, still bowed down, head tilted so I can watch as the snake slithers closer, body twisting as it pushes itself forward and winds toward me.


    The snake wraps itself around my arm, and I lean back, sitting up on my knees, no longer hunched over in a deep bow and propped up on a forearm. It pauses, holding itself up as it meets my eyes. It doesn''t really have eyes, if that''s what they can be called. Twin pieces of the Amethyst Throne lay embedded in its silvery metal head, swirling with shifting colors of purple.


    The snake forces itself into my mouth, chains grating across my teeth as it moves down my throat as it crashes through the barriers in my mind and strong-arms its way into my mindscape.


    I scream at the pain, unable to hold back the outward reaction and keep myself composed like my training tells me I should around everyone, but especially the King of Rag¡ª Bryant. Tears stream down my cheeks as I dig my fingers into my armor and claw at the metal, slicing my fingertips open until blood coats my hands and wrists as I try to free myself from the snake''s intrusion. My face turns slick with salty tears.


    "Let it in," I hear Bryant say somewhere far away.


    I don''t understand why Bryant would want me to let in such a horrific force, but I cannot give any more energy to his order.


    Snake in my throat, I can do nothing as it works its way into my body, consuming my being. Venom dripping from its teeth, the snake wraps itself around the depths of my mind, chains cinching into the nooks and crannies of spaces I didn''t know existed and spaces I used to hide from the world until I know the snake won''t go away easily.


    Why would you want to remove me? a voice asks.


    I pause; that wasn''t my voice.


    I look around, frowning.


    You really cannot figure that out? Maybe we guessed wrong. We thought you were the best Soldier candidate we could find for a power such as the Dust Devil''s. Maybe you aren''t cut out for this.


    No, I reply without speaking, knowing that I am cut out for the Dust Devil, whatever it is, because it will serve my King ¡ªBryant¡ª and I know I need to do that. I can be the Dust Devil. Tell me what I need to do. I can be the Dust Devil. I can be him-. Them-. Whoever-. I-I can be the Dust Devil. Tell me. Please.


    Hmm, the voice muses, maybe you are.


    Please, I beg, holding my stomach as it roils with nausea and agonizing pain that has sweat soaking my back and making my hair stick to my scalp and the back of my neck. Please, I can be the Dust Devil.


    The snake''s... invasion into the most personal pieces of me cuts so deep, and I can feel it rooting through myself, me. Its glittering amethyst eyes scour over every bit of me, raking across everything with such a heavy weight that I can feel the scratch of its gaze, the indentation it makes, the scar it leaves behind.


    Venom drips somewhere in my body, wherever the snake ended up. I do not know where the snake is in my body. Maybe it''s everywhere, fused with me so firmly we cannot be separated, so connected so deeply that we cannot be separated; one is the other.


    I take in slow, deep breaths to calm myself. Or at least try; my heart races fast enough that I fear it will pound out of my chest, and sweat beads on the back of my neck and down my spine, soaking my undershirt and skin. My hair sticks to my scalp with sweat as I pant, shivering at the feeling of the snake lurking beneath my flesh, and my throat burns from the rough, foreign drag of its scales.


    My mind slows to a crawl and everything spins, hurtling to the side like a massive blow to my flank and temple that I would be surprised hadn''t sent me tumbling to my shoulder if I could just get my brain to work. My head tilts to the side, following the twisting motion I felt as I begin to go limp, until I feel myself begin to twitch as my vision closes over.


    The snake chatters in my head as I fall backward. Instinct tells me to jerk my arms back, to protect myself, to catch myself, but I cannot; I have no control over my own body, and I can do nothing as I watch the snake slither in my mind, awake as I am pulled into unconsciousness as my body jerks and spasms. The muscles in my forearm shake rhythmically. My throat closes up on a breath.


    "Yes, Dust Devil," I hear Bryant say, the final words that cross into my brain, though I cannot make sense of them, "let it happen."


    Darkness claims me, pulling me under and leaving the snake free in my mind.


    What is happening to me?


    xxxx


    When I wake up, I don''t know how long has passed, and I am so groggy that it takes me far too long to recognize the Throne Room and that I lay with my back to My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV.


    No, there''s something wrong there, I think, but I cannot remember what.


    "I''m over here," the King of Ragdon says.


    No, there''s something wrong with that as well.


    I push myself up onto an elbow, groaning at the effort it takes to do so.


    What happened?


    I clench a hand into a fist at the pain that howls across every one of my muscles at the effort of simply moving. My arm nearly gives out, feeling like I have to communicate with another''s body to get my own limb to respond and cooperate.


    Blood pools in my palm, the one where I''d clenched my fingers into a fist. I open up my hand, and it takes me several moments to realize what''s different. My nails are now far closer to claws than they are fingernails. I draw in a sharp, shaky breath.


    What?


    Fear pools in my gut and I curl in on myself, confused and scared. I slowly get my body to rotate my hand over so I can see the entirety of each nail.


    I hold my hand in front of me. My fingernails are black, long, pointed, sharp and deadly. Weapons instead of the short, dull nails I always kept them as. I wonder if they''ll always be like this, or if I''ll be able to file them down, perhaps, or otherwise cut them.


    The snake hisses and spits at such a ridiculous notion, a low, rhythmic noise echoing in its throat as its eyes flare a blinding purple. No, I should be grateful. How could I even entertain such an idea for the briefest of moments? I should be ashamed.


    I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry.


    Yes, I''m grateful. I''m so grateful for this opportunity. I know this opportunity easily could''ve gone to someone else. I''m grateful, I promise. I''m so grateful, see?


    I smile in my mind to prove my gratefulness.


    The snake chitters in response in my mind, twisting its body in clear distrust and its eyes flash¡ª a warning that it will be watching me closely.


    But when I turn my attention to everything around me, I see bodies. Strewn in crumpled heaps with limbs in contorted positions, it is clear to me that the bodies of the Guard did not die naturally. Nor did they die from injuries sustained from Guard or Soldier weapons¡ª daggers, swords, bows and arrows. I''ve seen enough of those injuries to recognize them immediately with the shape of the wound, how each weapon cuts into the skin and breaks flesh.


    Was that me?


    The snake chuffs, lifting its head.


    "Welcome to your new life, Dust Devil."

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 2 - Kill, Dust Devil

    Chapter 2


    Kill, Dust Devil


    No, this can¡¯t be.


    The snake in my head makes a rhythmic sound, one that echoes in its throat, and I want to scream. It knows my thoughts. It hears every one, weighing each and every single thought like the Judge and Justice do words and actions.


    When did my thoughts become no longer my own? I want to ask, but I already know the answer: When Bryant let me allow the snake into my head. That is when my thoughts were no longer my own.


    Except that some small part of me says earlier. Far earlier.


    I eye the bodies of the Guard, trying to work out how they died. I don¡¯t remember anything, and the gap in my memory confuses me. Twisting my hand palm-up, I curl my fingers to look at the black claws that have replaced my fingernails.


    ¡°What is on your mind, Dust Devil?¡± Bryant asks.


    ¡°I am wondering how they died,¡± I say, answering immediately and honestly. ¡°The Guard.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Bryant says with a shrug. His voice is light. Far too airy, nonchalant. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t figure it out. You killed them. You killed the Guard.¡±


    I tense up, breath catching in my throat. If this wasn¡¯t what My Sovereign- Bryant. I have to get his name right because I can¡¯t disappoint him because I have to be a Soldier because I can¡¯t do this wrong because I have to get this right because how can I not remember this because how can I not remember something so small?


    ¡°I killed them?¡± I echo.


    Bryant nods, looking all too pleased. ¡°Yes. Your Dust Devil powers are working splendidly.¡±


    He claps.


    I nod in return, feeling somewhere so far away, a thousand, a million years away. Maybe Lucius or Erebus made a mistake, but I know that¡¯s not possible with either of them. Instead, I look at the bodies of the Guard and feel nauseous at the sight of blood for the first time in my life. I swallow down bile.


    I don¡¯t recognize any of the Guard, but that doesn¡¯t say much; I don¡¯t interact much with either the Guard or the Soldiers.


    They died gruesome deaths, with sand still running from their noses and mouths. I see dusty, sandy soil pooling from between the pieces of the leather armor of the Guard. Blood stains the dust a dark red and turns it into a thick mud. My hands are clean, but when I look at them I could swear I can see the flood running down my wrists beneath the plates of my own metal Soldier¡¯s armor and between my fingers and dripping to the ground. Nostrils flaring, I wonder how much blood is on my hands, streaming across my skin from my palms and fingers, staining the edges of my nails ¡ªclaws¡ª a rusty blood russet. I begin to shake, but I force myself to stop; Bryant doesn¡¯t want to see that.


    What have I done? Mother, what have I done?


    I thought she followed the King of Ragdon. I thought she liked Bryant. I thought she agreed with him.


    I don¡¯t understand.


    Mother, are you proud? Bryant, are you proud of me, my King?


    Bryant must see my confusion.


    He leans forward on the Amethyst Throne as it swirls with a myriad of purple colors, responding to Bryant¡¯s shifting emotions. I push myself to my knees, hands flattened on the marble floor that reflects the flickering torches on the walls as I try to not poke myself with the black claws that have replaced my fingernails. The horns on my forehead weigh my head down strangely and make me want to lie down. My boots force my ankles at an awkward angle, but it¡¯s ok: I can see Bryant ¡ªthe King of Ragdon¡ª in all his glory.


    ¡°Let me show you again. The Amethyst Throne will showcase the power it has gifted to you again, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Bryant shouts for the Soldiers standing at the doors to the Throne Room to send in Guard and Soldiers, whoever¡¯s closest.


    Looking at the bodies around me and the way the Guard lay contorted in positions past what the human body can naturally do, I shiver as fear curls in my stomach.


    Are you not grateful?


    No, I am. I¡¯m grateful, I promise. See?


    I smile, to show Bryant that I agree with his decision, no matter how the traitorous part of my brain that the snake keeps eyeing with a hawkish attention balks at the thought. How could Bryant ask for more Guard and Soldiers? I didn¡¯t understand the reason.


    He doesn¡¯t need a reason, though. A King does not need a reason to do anything. He¡¯s King. That¡¯s the reason, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s what my mother said. That¡¯s what being a Soldier taught me. I didn¡¯t need to understand; only Bryant did.


    xxxx


    ¡°Stand, Dust Devil,¡± Bryant says when one or two dozen Guard and Soldiers enter the Throne Room.


    They keep their heads down, then drop to their knees in a deep bow when they reach the foot of the Amethyst Throne. None look at me.


    I rise to my feet, unsure of what to do. I look around, as if that may answer my internal dilemma.


    Don¡¯t you see? the snake in my head murmurs, chains slinking over each other as it slithers in my mind in a slick kind of way.


    No.


    You¡¯re the Dust Devil. They¡¯re all beneath you.


    But they¡¯re not.


    But they are. You have the power of the Amethyst Throne. It gave you a gift few have ever received.


    How many?


    You and Bryant are the most powerful.


    That implies more.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The snake doesn¡¯t reply. Its eyes just glitter, unreadable. It shifts and its coils slide across each other, dragging across my mindscape. The sensation makes my skin crawl.


    ¡°Kill them, Dust Devil.¡±


    I blink at Bryant¡¯s order.


    I¡¯m Luke, I want to say,


    No, you¡¯re not, the snake chitters, hissing rhythmically.


    I feel the power of the Dust Devil rising within me, building and building. I feel the energy of the dust and dirt in the Throne Room, everywhere in every nook and cranny cleaners of the Throne Room hadn¡¯t been able to reach. Magic flares.


    ¡°Kill, Dust Devil,¡± Bryant says, repeating himself, and I know I must obey.


    If I didn¡¯t before, I must now. Not that I had any other choice. A Soldier as I am, Bryant can order me as he wishes, and I will obey, because I am a Soldier. I am a Soldier, I remind myself. I am a Soldier. It¡¯s a fact I seem to be forgetting recently. Forgetting more and more.


    When it becomes clear that I don¡¯t know what to do, the snake presses forward, leaning hard against the front of my mind. I shove back, instinct telling me that if the snake wins whatever this mini battle is that I won¡¯t remember what happens next.


    That¡¯s not true, the snake says.


    Liar, I reply. Liar, liar, liar.


    The snake¡¯s heavy weight is almost too much to bear, especially as the Guard and Soldiers draw closer, weapons at their sides and arrows nocked in bows, arrowheads pointed at my chest. The faces of the Guard and Soldiers are impassive and blank, as hard and set as the weapons they hold in their fists.


    When I take a step back, the Guard and Soldiers move forward.


    ¡°Kill, Dust Devil,¡± Bryant repeats yet again.


    No. The King of Ragdon had to say his order three times, something I don¡¯t think he¡¯s ever had to do in his entire reign, perhaps in his entire life. He is King, after all. Hasn¡¯t he always had such immense power? How could he ever had not?


    Yes, the snake chuffs, exhaling through its nose and squinting its eyes. It curls its tail. Bryant repeated himself. Kill, now. Now, Dust Devil. Don¡¯t hesitate. Don¡¯t think, just do. Do it. Do it! Do it, Dust Devil!


    I feel the immense pressure, the immense weight of the snake crushing me from all sides, pushing, prodding, leaning on me and trying to bend me to its will, into turning my focus to taking the lives of the dozen or two Guard and Soldiers still slowly advance upon me.


    Why? They¡¯ve done nothing to me.


    The King of Ragdon ordered it. Their deaths are what he wants.


    In that case¡­ If he wants it? With that logic, surely that makes it ok¡­ right?


    I try to justify their deaths in my head. I try to justify that blood on my hands.


    I look down at my fingers, to where the black claws still curl gently from where my fingernails used to be.


    Do it, Dust Devil. Kill them. Use the power of the Dust Devil.


    But¡­ I think, musing my confusion over in my mind. But what is the power of the Dust Devil?


    Let me in, the snake replies. Let me show you.


    It winds across the boundary I¡¯d erected to keep it out of the forefront of my mindscape, pressing in an insistent kind of way. I don¡¯t want to, but the light keeps glinting on the weapons of the Guard and Soldiers and it¡¯s so bright and I feel cornered because they¡¯re all around and everywhere and closing in around me and I¡¯m still on my knees and I can¡¯t move and I just can¡¯t and I slip and the snake takes over and then it¡¯s all over.


    The ground rumbles with a thundering sound. Head ducked, my spine unrolls as I straighten and I become the Dust Devil; I¡¯m no longer Luke. I¡¯m now someone else. I stand, and it¡¯s over.


    I hold my hands palm-side out at my sides, or maybe it¡¯s the snake, the Dust Devil, doing so. At this point, I don¡¯t know who¡¯s who. It could be me, or maybe it¡¯s not. I don¡¯t know.


    The snake lifts my hands, or maybe I do. Dust and dirt and whatever little similar bits lay around nearby that those who clean the King¡¯s castle couldn¡¯t get to swirl, caught up in the magic of the Dust Devil.


    Lazy, don¡¯t deserve¡­ the snake mutters in my mind, but I shut it out.


    I want to say something, but I¡¯m caught up in the horror of watching that very dust and dirt target the closest Guard and Soldiers, shooting toward them and wrapping around them in tight bands. They drop their weapons in loud, sharp clatters that make me want to cover my ears and grimace.


    Stop, they didn¡¯t do anything to me. I don¡¯t want them dead.


    The King of Ragdon said¡ª, the snake starts.


    I¡­ I trail off when I realize what I was about to say, and I cannot even think it, both because the snake will hear it, but also because I cannot even admit it to myself. The realization of what I was about to say shakes me to my very soul, the deepest parts of my being. It burns, horrifying and cold, a dreadful kind of feeling that sends me reeling, yawning open wide.


    I turn my full attention to the dust that wraps around the Guard and the Soldiers, coiling around each of them like sandy snakes.


    The first one reacts, and I gasp, an outward reaction I couldn¡¯t control. They claw at their throat as dirt and dust pour from their nose and mouth, and they choke, coughing until there¡¯s nothing left in their lungs and they begin to suffocate. I rotate my hands palm-side up and curl my fingers into fists. A burst of purple dust explodes from my knuckles. Energy surges through me like lightning, and I gasp at the exhilaration sensation, like balancing on a razor¡¯s edge.


    See, the snake murmurs, isn¡¯t it nice?


    I almost revel in the feeling, the euphoria of the magic soaring and searing through my veins, through my body, through every bit of my being with every beat of my heart.


    I¡­ I¡­


    I don¡¯t know what to make of the magic, the power I can wield. The snake steps back, giving me more control, and I brush my fingers against the bands of power. I can feel the thrum of the energy, and it scares and intimidates me, yet it also draws me in, luring me closer with promises of what I¡¯ll be able to do.


    The righthand man of Bryant, the King of Ragdon, the magic tells me. You are the righthand man of the King of Ragdon, of Bryant. This power gives you that ability. You earned it through your actions, through your sacrifices. This power is yours. It is yours. You own this power, Dust Devil.


    Stay in control, I tell myself, working to not lose myself in the current of the abyssal swirl, endless and depthless and so, so tempting. The power has to yield, not us. It¡¯s for Bryant. Isn¡¯t it?


    The snake doesn¡¯t reply, but it tilts its head.


    My hands shake as I twist them. I don¡¯t let myself feel as I bring the rest of the Guard and Soldiers to the ground under my own decision. I say that I¡¯m sorry the entire time, repeating it over and over and over and over in my head, because I cannot speak. My voice ran off somewhere, dashing off with its tail between its legs. The King of Ragdon asked me to do so, so I have to.


    Right?


    Yes, the snake snaps.


    Ok, I say quickly, before anything else can consume my mind.


    The snake seems satisfied, and we watch as the Guard and Soldiers fall one by one under the magic of the Dust Devil. I hold my hands in fists, keeping the Guard and Soldiers bound under the power as they slowly suffocate. Magic dances through my blood vessels and soaks into every bit of my body, intertwining with every piece of me. Everything that makes me me, until I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the power of the Dust Devil and the Amethyst Throne and what¡¯s me. Who¡¯s who? I don¡¯t know. I cannot feel what¡¯s me and what¡¯s the Dust Devil. It happened so fast.


    I lost myself to the pain in my ankle over a long time, a gradual time. I don¡¯t know the moment I forgot when I didn¡¯t have pain and that constant dull ache that turned into the stabbing throb if I walked wrong or too long or someone hit my leg in training or I got injured.


    But now, with the power of the Dust Devil and the Amethyst Throne racing through me, I feel alive. I feel powerful. I¡­ I feel. It¡¯s tantalizing. It¡¯s addicting.


    Do I want this? I ask myself.


    A part of me does. This feeling, I want it. I want it forever. I want it more. I want more of it. I want to feel this powerful. I want to feel this in control. I want what the power of the Dust Devil, this gift of the Amethyst Throne, can give to me.


    Yet another part of me does not. That part does not want the snake able to see every thought I have. It does not want to give up control over every thing I do by having the snake in my mind; that compromise is far too much for that part of me. Why must we make such an allowance? Why must we give up so much, allow such a cost to occur? The snake gives up nothing and gains so much.


    Is this power worth it?


    I look up and see the pleased expression on Bryant¡¯s face, the easy smile spreading across his face as he takes in the bodies of the Guard and Soldier with dust sliding from their noses and mouths as they lay in crumpled heaps on the ground. He turns toward me, head tilted. His inky black hair shifts to fall over his forehead, making his purple eyes stand out ever more. That smile doesn¡¯t waver as Bryant¡¯s attention focuses on me, and that settles my decision.


    Yes, I respond to my own question. This power is worth it.

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 3 - As Stiff as a Corpse

    Chapter 3


    As Stiff as a Corpse


    Back in my little room in the Barracks, I begin to question my decision about the power of the Dust Devil being worth it almost immediately after I settle down to try to sleep at Bryant¡¯s order.


    He had phrased it as a request, but I knew better than to try to disobey. I should listen. He¡¯s my King of Ragdon. He¡¯s My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV.


    I lay down on my side, my vision blurred, and I lost where I was. The world spun violently to the right, as if pulling me with it, though I didn¡¯t move despite it feeling so, and everything lurched as the snake hissed in my mind.


    What are you doing?


    Nothing, of course, it replies as I fist my hair and pull until I feel bolts of pain lance through my skull in a vain attempt to bring myself back to reality.


    But I float too far away, lost in whatever current drags me away until I lose who I am. My body goes numb. An arm flops to my mattress, but I don¡¯t feel it hit the sheets. I stare through my wall, and I don¡¯t notice when a cat with mottled greens for fur materializes on the far side of my little room, padding carefully and holding their body close, as if they¡¯re a half step from bolting. They watch me through wide amber eyes. Mouth bound shut with a leather strap, they say nothing. Their tail twitches behind them, draped close to their hindquarters.


    I only notice when the cat draws near enough to my bed that they could reach out with a foreleg and touch the frame. I shift my eyes but don¡¯t otherwise move. I know they¡¯re not a General, but I am not aware of other animals such as this one near the castle of the King of Ragdon or the Barracks.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The snake stirs in my mind, then hisses in a violent reaction.


    Do not listen to him. Outis knows nothing. Outis is nobody.


    I tilt my head on my pillow and meet the gaze of Outis, who watches back in silence. His amber eyes hold a thousand emotions in a haunted kind of way. I wonder what he¡¯s seen.


    Don¡¯t listen to Outis? He cannot speak. Who took away his voice? Why?


    The snake chitters and chatters, winding its chain body over itself as it coils up. The links of its body clack over each other.


    Outis is nobody, the snake repeats.


    ¡°But I can see Outis right here,¡± I whisper. I focus my attention on him. ¡°You¡¯re right here.¡±


    Outis tilts his head to the side, pricking his long ears. They¡¯re longer than Phoenix¡¯s, tipped in tufts of fur that hang down and wiggle with every little movement he makes. I watch with near hysteria as the images of the Guard and Soldiers suffocating on dust flash behind my closed eyelids when I blink. I remain stuck, unable to open my eyes, trapped in my own mind as I watch each one drop again and again. Unable to escape, I watch over and over as the Guard and Soldiers asphyxiate on my own magic. I didn¡¯t know them and it was Bryant¡¯s orders¡ª


    The but hangs so loudly in my mind, unspoken but so clearly there. The snake hears it, too.


    How dare you, it hisses. You did what the King of Ragdon asked of you.


    ¡°What did I do?¡± I whisper, rolling to my back and wrapping my arms around my body.


    You did what the King of Ragdon desired of you, the snake repeats.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I know,¡± I murmur, ¡°but why does it hurt this much?¡±


    Because you are not strong enough. You must be worthy of the gift of the Dust Devil. Get stronger, or this gift will go to someone else.


    The snake¡¯s cold eyes bore into me, dark and stormy swirls of amethyst, from within my mind. Outis watches, too, from his vantage point beside my bed. The green cat narrows his eyes, swishing his tail. He takes a small step closer, angling his head.


    Outis looks as pained as I feel as I bracket my arms around my head and squeeze, as if with enough pressure I can force the snake from my head. I¡¯d betray Bryant, the King of Ragdon, but I¡¯d no longer have to share my headspace and mindscape with the snake.


    No, I think with a whine in the back of my throat, I can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s not worth it. I cannot turn my back on Bryant. I cannot turn my back on his reign. I cannot turn my back on the King of Ragdon. I cannot say no.


    No, you cannot, the snake solemnly agrees.


    xxxx


    I lay on my side and stare at Outis, and he watches back. Neither of us speak or move. In a slow, fluid movement, Outis sits down, body slouching in a way that seems to show that he carries far too much weight on his shoulders and back.


    What do you have to say? I wonder.


    Slowly, I reach out a hand. Outis flinches but doesn¡¯t move away.


    I wrap my fingers around the loose strap of the leather band used to muzzle Outis, and he freezes, going as stiff as a corpse in my grip. His wide eyes flicker around, then meet mine, and we watch each other, both unmoving once more for an undetermined eternity, before a strangled, mangled sound slips from his throat. Fear blooms in Outis¡¯s face, reminiscent of the fear I myself had felt when I had injured my ankle all those years ago.


    Were we both¡­ hurt by the King of Ragdon? He¡¯s my King of Ragdon, Bryant, but he hurt me. The snake¡­ it hurt getting into me. It¡¯s a gift, but it hurt me.


    Gifts hurt. It doesn¡¯t matter if I hurt you. Bryant gave me to you, the snake hisses. You ungrateful Soldier. Traitor to the King of Ragdon. Traitor to the Amethyst Throne. You should be forced to give me up to someone worthy of my gift, to someone worthy of the gift of the Dust Devil.


    I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I say. I¡¯ll prove I¡¯m worthy. Just please don¡¯t make me give you up. I¡¯ll show that I¡¯m worthy. I¡¯ll show that I shouldn¡¯t give you up. I¡¯ll show that I¡¯m worth your time and your energy. Please.


    That power that I felt when I used the magic of the Dust Devil. I want it again. I want to feel that surge, that rush.


    And I want to see that look of appreciation on the face of Bryant. The look that showed that he was pleased with what I had done.


    But now, when I see the fear on Outis¡¯s face, and I know that it came in some way from Bryant, I don¡¯t know. Something within me pauses at that. He looks so scared, Outis does. He looks so terrified as I grasp the loose end of the leather belt used as a muzzle against him, Outis does. I remember how I felt when the King of Ragdon, Bryant, told me how he wanted me to let down the barriers in my mind and allow the snake into my mind. I remember how I felt as the snake slid down my throat. I remember the fear I¡¯d felt. The terror. The horror. The frozen panic that rooted me in place. And I remember the pain, the choking and the gagging as the snake forced its way into my mind and shouldered past such intimate parts of my very being to get into my mindscape.


    Touching the belt wrapped around Outis¡¯s muzzle, I can feel the magic and it¡¯s familiar; I know it¡¯s from the Amethyst Throne. If I felt all of that when the snake ¡ªa being of the Amethyst Throne¡ª entered my mind, then surely Outis has felt similar things. Perhaps he felt similarly when someone bound his mouth and muzzled him. Maybe the magic did the same things to you.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ve felt the same way,¡± I murmur as I trail my finger from the leather belt to Outis¡¯s cheek.


    Don¡¯t do it, the snake spits.


    I don¡¯t know what seizes me to try to reach out and touch Outis himself, but he strikes me as so similar. Like we¡¯re two of the same. I recognize him in some way. He might know me. Not personally, but he might know. He¡¯s had the magic of the Amethyst Throne put onto him.


    You received a gift, you traitor, the snake hisses, venom in its gaze and dripping from its fangs. Where it falls from its teeth and lands on the sensitive tissues of my headspace, the flesh bubbles and corrodes beneath the venom.


    Outis remained as still as stone when I first touched him, but when I groan in pain from the snake¡¯s venom, he flinches, pauses, eyes me with pupils blown so wide I cannot see his irises, then dissipates into a cloud of mottled green colors.


    Oh, goody, he¡¯s gone, the snake all but cheers.


    What did Outis ever do? I don¡¯t recognize him. I¡¯ve never seen him before.


    You shouldn¡¯t waste any of your precious time, Dust Devil, on someone like Outis.


    ¡°But what did he do?¡± I ask.


    Everything.


    When I try to press further, the snake shuts down and doesn¡¯t reply, instead glaring at me with a fury that makes me squirm in place. I bury my face into the crook of my folded arm, curling up on my little bed in my little bed as I try to adjust to powers I don¡¯t understand.

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 4 - Not Dreaming; Nightmare-ing

    Chapter 4


    Not Dreaming; Nightmare-ing


    My sleep is filled with nightmares. I see the Guard and Soldiers. I see them fall over and over and over again. I see dust pour from every bit of their bodies, whispering a million promises as it blankets the ground in piles that grow and grow until they meet and then rise until the Guard and Soldiers die standing, held upright by the dust and dirt and sand. I see the Throne Room covered in the very material I should be able to control, but it does not respond, even as I beckon it, and I¡¯m helpless as it rises and rises in the Throne Room and I tip my head back as the dust rises to my chin.


    My vision warps, and the Throne Room clears and I begin to forget why I thought it wasn¡¯t clear to begin with. The Guard and Soldiers advance upon me again, bows nocked with arrows and swords drawn and all at the ready. Again, their bodies spit out sand and dust. It spills from their mouths in whispered promises of the power of the Amethyst Throne I know is somewhere here in the Throne Room, but I cannot see it, yet still it lurks, an ever-watching, ever-present thing. An element never to be escaped. The dust tells me a thousand, a million, a billion promises of what the Amethyst Throne can do for me, whispers them right in my ears, and I listen. I hear the promises, and they call to me in the most tantalizing kind of way. I want it so bad. I want the peace the dust tells me the Amethyst Throne can bring, the power I will have.


    But at the same time, I remain there, watching as the Guard and Soldiers fall again and again and again to the very powers the dust tells me to embrace.


    I don¡¯t want that. I don¡¯t want to just¡­ kill.


    The snake slithers into my dream. Nightmare? At this point, I don¡¯t even know what this is. I know I¡¯m not awake. I know I¡¯m dreaming. No, not dreaming. Nightmare-ing? Yes, perhaps that: Nightmare-ing. Perhaps that describes the strange happenings in my unconscious subconscious and the images it has created for me.


    I need to get out of here.


    I try to pinch myself. I try to wake myself. I try to escape the nightmare.


    Except that again, I see the Guard and Soldiers fall to the dust once more. Instead of the room filling with dust and dirt and sand, the Guard and Soldiers fill up, expanding until they¡¯re almost spherical, inflated like I once saw someone do with animal intestines. When they pop, blood and guts splatter on me along with dust.


    xxxx


    I awake scratching at my face as I try to scrape off the pieces of the Guard and Soldiers from my face, from my neck, from my chest, from my shoulders, from my arms, from my hands, from my everywhere across my body. I scratch until my skin is raw.


    Stop it, Dust Devil. You will make yourself bleed.


    I need to get them off. I rub at my throat. I can feel the blood dripping down my jaw. I can feel the flesh as it thwacked onto my cheek with a wet shlick. I can feel the muscle as it slid down my collarbone and beneath my shirt, and I all but rip the fabric from my skin and rake my fingernails down my chest as I try to rid myself of the flesh and organs covering me.


    Dust Devil! the snake hisses. Stop this nonsense! This is stupid! You were dreaming, and now you are awake. There is nothing on you. Look at yourself. You are fine. I thought you were better than this.


    You are wrong, I say. I¡¯m covered in blood. The Guard and Soldiers exploded. They are all over me.


    I run my fingers through my hair, and I can all but feel the bits of organs and flesh coating the strands. When I pull my hand back, I¡¯m shaking so hard I can barely see, but I know it¡¯s there. I know the blood and the flesh and the organs and the pieces of the Guard and Soldiers are there. I know they are. They¡¯re there. The snake¡¯s wrong. It just can¡¯t see it.


    My lungs are too small, and I can¡¯t catch my breath, and I can¡¯t breathe, and there¡¯s not enough air, and I¡¯m going to pass out, and I can already see the sides of my vision closing in, and the snake is screaming at me from the depths of my head where it resides, and I cling to my hair as I gasp for breaths that won¡¯t come, and I cough and sputter as my throat closes up, and my eyes widen, and my body goes numb and tingly, and I start to sway.


    Before I can fall, the snake barrels forward, slamming into my mind as it rears up with a spit that drips with venom that burns my head. It catches me off guard enough that I manage to drag in a wheezing breath. It rakes across my throat. I pant, shaking as sweat beads rapidly across my skin.


    Get yourself together, Dust Devil. It¡¯s an embarrassment to be seen like this. How can you call yourself the Dust Devil like this? It was a nightmare, if you¡¯d even call it that. I can give you a nightmare if you¡¯d like. No one would allow something like that to affect them in such a way. Decide to pull yourself together, and see Bryant when you¡¯ve chosen to be the Dust Devil again.


    xxxx


    I don¡¯t know how long it takes me to calm down enough to go through the habitual motions of changing into my underclothes, then make sure my armor is all up to the orders Bryant wants before slipping into it. I fasten every buckle, pulling each one snug, then take several deep breaths before I open the door to my little room.


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    I¡¯m only a couple paces out the door when a young Guard approaches me, steps uncertain but with a confidence that I¡¯ve seen in a few. It¡¯s the kind of confidence that I know will get them far. Some part of me twists at that, but I push it down.


    ¡°May I ask you a question?¡± the Guard asks, face a young puppy¡¯s¡ª eager to please and wide-eyes, unbroken.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I nod.


    ¡°What¡¯s it like, being a Guard or Soldier for My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV? I have never had the privilege to speak with a Soldier of your status; everyone says you¡¯re one of the best, if not the best, Dust Devil.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I trail off, thinking over my words. It¡¯s not like I can be honest.


    I will kill you, you ungrateful¡ª.


    I am grateful, I quickly say to the snake to get it to be quiet so I can think and choose my words carefully. I¡¯m grateful. I¡¯m very grateful. I¡¯m so grateful.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot of work,¡± I start, because it is a lot of work. ¡°I can only speak to being a Soldier, but I had to put in a lot of early mornings and late nights. I spent a lot of time in the sparring rings and put in a lot of time training to learn how to fight. But it¡¯s not just fighting¡ª it¡¯s getting stronger, making sure you get food and sleep when you can, listening to your King of Ragdon because he is the rightful King of Ragdon. It¡¯s more work than you have likely ever done before, but if it¡¯s the job for you, then it¡¯s all worth it, right?¡±


    The last word slips in without my consent, but I cannot help it.


    The new Guard¡¯s eyes widen as they drink up every word I say, hanging on each syllable like every one is something precious.


    ¡°Whoah,¡± they breathe. ¡°Thank you so much. I¡­ I-I don¡¯t want to take up too much of your time, but I never thought I would get to speak to a Soldier like you¡ª someone of your¡­ status so soon. It¡¯s been a privilege, Dust Devil.¡±


    The Guard sticks out their hand, and I take it before I can second guess myself and overthink my way into another panic attack. I try not to let my skin crawl or my hand shake. I try to keep my grip and my handshake firm but not too tight. I don¡¯t know that I succeed.


    xxxx


    The two Soldiers standing guard at the entrance to the Throne Room heave open the massive double doors as I approach, pulling on the rings in the mouths of the miniature replicas of the Dragon.


    I keep my gaze low, trained somewhere near the base of the Amethyst Throne. When I reach close to the end of the violet walkway that stretches from the doorway to the foot of the Amethyst Throne, I begin to drop to my knees as habit has me do, but Bryant¡¯s sharp voice keeps me from doing so: ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I frown.


    ¡°We are equals! Silly Dust Devil.¡± Bryant laughs, the sound so opposite the sweat beading on my neck and between my shoulder blades. ¡°Lucius and Erebus, what do you think you are doing? Stand up. Never drop below another, Dust Devil. You¡¯re above them all. You were chosen by the Amethyst Throne; you are the Dust Devil.¡±


    Like I¡¯ve told you, the snake murmurs in my head, voice swirling around everything, clouding over my entire mind.


    ¡°Right, I know,¡± I reply. ¡°I apologize, my King of Ragdon.¡±


    Bryant squints at me, before he breaks out with a massive grin. ¡°It¡¯s no worry. You just don¡¯t need to kneel before an equal.¡± He waves his hands in a dismissive gesture. ¡°Now, I have a job for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I stand up straighter and push a few stray strands of hair out of my face, tucking them in with the rest.


    Bryant leans forward on the Amethyst Throne, looking down at me. Torchlight glows on his violet suit, and light from the Amethyst Throne reflects in his purple eyes.


    ¡°Show the world who you are,¡± Bryant says. ¡°Show Ragdon who the Dust Devil is.¡±


    ¡°How will you have me do so, if it pleases you to share?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Speak freely, Dust Devil,¡± Bryant chastises. ¡°We are equals. You are my righthand man.¡±


    Righthand man is not an equal, I want to say.


    How dare you correct the King of Ragdon, the snake hisses, coiling in my mind like it¡¯s about to strike. Its eyes flash with irritation and frustration.


    ¡°How shall I show the world who the Dust Devil is?¡± I ask.


    I don¡¯t know what to say, and I don¡¯t know how to say it. This new relationship I have with Bryant is something I don¡¯t know how to figure out. He says we¡¯re equals, but he¡¯s the King of Ragdon, and I¡¯m a Soldier in his army, while I¡¯m also the Dust Devil. I will follow his orders as I should, and I will obey him. I will listen to him. He will give orders to me, and I will not give orders to him. He is the King, and I am not.


    ¡°I am having a stage built where you can showcase your talents. Model Soldier that you are, I want everyone to know who the Dust Devil is. I want more to aspire to be like you.¡±


    No¡ª.


    Careful what you say next.


    I¡­


    I trail off, thoughts not my own. The snake curls through my mind, twisting what I¡¯m thinking until my head swims and I cannot tell up from down, what¡¯s my own thoughts and what¡¯s the snake putting ideas into my consciousness. I bring a fist to my mouth as I squeeze my eyes shut, wrapping my other arm around my middle.


    He¡¯s got it wrong. I just didn¡¯t want them to know that my ankle hurt. I just wanted to be like the others. It¡¯s a mistake.


    The snake hisses in my mind, chains clinking as it writhes with rage. The Amethyst Throne makes no mistakes.


    I groan in pain. Please.


    Begging? Maybe the Amethyst Throne needs to transfer the power of the Dust Devil to another Soldier.


    I wonder if that would wash away the blood, but I know it won¡¯t.


    I¡¯m trapped here, but there¡¯s nowhere to go. I must serve. I have to do my duty. I signed up for this. It¡¯s my job. There¡¯s nowhere else I can go other than the Barracks at night, and the King¡¯s castle during the day. It¡¯s the never-ending cycle I will repeat until I die and meet Lucius or I can perform my duties no more, in which case I will retire and train new Guard and Soldiers, still never leaving the Barracks until inhaling dust and exhaustion takes its toll and my mortal body gives out and Lucius takes my soul.


    And you realize it, the snake murmurs. You are trapped with us. Trapped with the power. Who would believe you? You have such a gift. You have been given something so many want. Something so many would kill for. Who would believe that you want to give it all up? You, someone so small, will turn your back on someone such as the King of Ragdon? The King of Ragdon who you are now the righthand man of, the King of Ragdon who you are now the equal of, the King of Ragdon who you are now the confidant of? You have heard things he will tell no one else.


    What has he told me that he will never tell another?


    That is for you to figure out.


    So nothing, I determine. This is¡­ I cannot make sense of it. I don¡¯t know what to do.


    But I know what my training tells me to do.


    Yes, the snake whispers, lurking close behind in my mind. Its eyes glitter, twin shards of bright amethyst. You know what to do.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I trail off. ¡°I will show everyone who the Dust Devil is.¡±


    I¡¯m Luke. I¡¯m not the Dust Devil, but if it¡¯s what the King of Ragdon wants. If it¡¯s what Bryant wants, then I can do it. I can showcase the talents of the Dust Devil.

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 5 - The Gift of the Amethyst Throne

    Chapter 5


    The Gift of the Amethyst Throne


    The stage is dauntingly big. It¡¯s wooden and stretches so far I wonder if I¡¯m dreaming again. I¡¯m wrapped up in a cloak that¡¯s thick and too warm. I¡¯m sweating beneath my armor, and I can feel myself rapidly overheating. My breaths come shallow and short and my vision blurs, leaving my body deteriorating at a pace far too fast for me to do anything about it. That is, until the snake steps in and takes partial control over my mind. I know it cannot do anything, but it can trick me into thinking it has.


    As the power of the Amethyst Throne trickles through my body, that surge, the singing zing races along my veins and nerves and my body comes alive, lighting up like a torch bursting into flames. I choke back a gasp, and it feels like I open my eyes as the fuzziness vanishes.


    I watch with a distant kind of feeling as a Guard leads a pangar¨¦ bay colt on a short lead. They stop and tug on the lead to get the colt to halt as well. The colt spooks and tries to rear, jerking back and nearly yanking the Guard with him. He would¡¯ve, if it hadn¡¯t been for three other Guard reacting quickly and grabbing their fellow Guard to hold them steady. The pangar¨¦ colt tries to back away and free himself from the lead, but he cannot and after several moments of struggling, he eventually settles down and remains in place, ears swiveling around as he shifts in place on his hooves.


    Spyro materializes in my field of vision, directly in front of me. Their pink and blue pelt flickers in and out of existence like a cloud.


    ¡°You are ready,¡± they tell me. Not a question, their words are, instead, a statement.


    No¡ª.


    Yes, the snake corrects.


    ¡°Yes,¡± my voice says. Whether it¡¯s the snake or it¡¯s me, I do not know.


    ¡°Good,¡± Spyro says.


    The double blindfolds covering their eyes and ears prevents me from telling if they are actually looking at me when their head turns to face in my direction, but I imagine that perhaps they are.


    xxxx


    Spyro makes their way onto the stage before I do. I appreciate that, because anxiety twists within my gut at the thought of stepping foot on the wooden planks, despite how I know that the feeling is a betrayal of the King of Ragdon. But waiting lets the stress stir and coalesce and build and grow until it¡¯s gnawing on my insides like a whole other being that I share my mortal flesh with.


    I¡¯m barely paying attention when Spyro turns toward me. They stand beside a lead Guard at the front of the stage. Someone nudges me, and I snap back to the present.


    ¡°Dust Devil, come to the stage,¡± Spyro says.


    I glance out at the crowd from the corner of my eye, curling my fingers into fists to stop myself from shaking. The snake hisses and spits in my mind, cursing me for betraying Bryant with my uncertain actions.


    ¡°Come, Dust Devil,¡± Spyro says.


    They repeated themselves.


    Though I cannot see their eyes, the set of their body floating in midair has a slightly harder set to it, something a little more firm.


    I walk up the couple of stairs to the stage and cross it halfway, standing beside the General. They flick their shallowly forked, green tongue before speaking again: ¡°Prepare for the Dust Devil¡¯s magic. He has received the gift of the Amethyst Throne.¡±


    I¡¯m Luke. I¡¯m not the Dust Devil.


    You are now, the snake replies.


    xxxx


    A Guard approaches across the stage, dagger at the ready. I shake my head ever so slightly and take a step before I can realize what I¡¯m doing, but the Guard keeps coming. Within a heartbeat, the snake realizes what is happening and seizes my mind in an attack so brutal and immediate that I can do nothing to fight back and stop it. I choke on my next breath, coughing so hard that I lose all air in my lungs and cannot breathe. My body locks up as I drop to my knees, chest thrust forward and back arched past the point my spine naturally curves. Hands out to the side and mouth open with a soundless gasp turned scream, black horns rip from my forehead and blood runs down my temples and into my hair. Dark veins spread from my eyes, bubbling up from beneath my skin with a popping sensation. Ebony spreads up my hands and wrists as my fingernails fall away to make room for claws.


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    The snake urges me back to my feet, extending a level of control over my body that does not fully move me as if the snake were me, but it can take command of a great deal. When I stand, my spine is straighter, shoulders further back. I stand with more confidence, somehow feeling far taller than before. Exhaustion clings to me like my own shadow, something I don¡¯t think I could ever peel away, no matter how much I sleep and rest and meditate and pray to Erebus and Lucius to fall into a slumber so deep that every bit to the unneeded will fall away, lapped away like the ocean graces against the shore. But the snake pushes that to the back in a way that I know the tiredness will come slamming back into me far harder than it was taken to the side.


    The Guard advances upon me further, and the snake turns my attention toward him. Dagger at the ready instead of his bow, I can tell he¡¯s looking for a fight that¡¯s up close and personal. He doesn¡¯t want to hit me from afar.


    We can do that, the snake muses.


    Why are we attacking one of our own? What are you doing? I ask when the snake rears up, chains clinking. Fear lances through me as venom trickles down the links of its body.


    I barely notice Spyro and the lead Guard moving to the edge of the stage and the other Guard and Soldiers forming a ring as they give us room to fight.


    So easy, the snake murmurs.


    I see a blue unicorn as the Guard advances further toward me, despite my silent begging for them to stop because please, I don¡¯t want to do this, I don¡¯t want any more blood on my hands, I don¡¯t want to fight, you have to understand. The unicorn¡¯s pink mane blows in a light breeze that stirs the hair on the back of my neck as I undo the cloak around my shoulders, and the unicorn¡¯s horn gleams in the sunlight. They watch me with an unreadable expression, until I see a flash of sadness and realization, a sharp exhale flaring their nostrils as they jerk back with a start.


    Did they get the gift of the Amethyst Throne, too? Who are you? What¡¯s your name?


    I¡¯m almost distracted by watching the unicorn to see the Guard rising up onto his toes and readying himself to fight. Whether I do so or the snake does, I don¡¯t know, but one of us inclines my head. My hair falls over my forehead, curling around the ebony horns breaking through thin skin.


    The snake takes further control and acts for me. It spreads my arms up, palms down, then flips my hands the other way around. It curls my fingers to gain a hold on the dust. Dirt on the wooden stage rattles, and the worn planks shake. Under the snake¡¯s control, I pull one hand to my stomach and sweep the other in an arc in front of me, enforcing my magic¡¯s hold on the dust around me. Dirt and sand respond; it condenses into a stream and whooshes across the stage. It hits the Guard in the legs mid-stride and sends him pitching off balance and tumbling down with a cry.


    He lands hard on his shoulder, grunting.


    The crowd around me gasps and murmurs as they realize what I have done and a fraction of what I know I can do. If I can do this and more, what can the King of Ragdon do? What can the Amethyst Throne do?


    I hear the bray of frustration from the unicorn and see them throwing their head out of the corner of my eye.


    The Guard makes another move for me, but the snake only snickers at the effort. There¡¯s a level of humor to the sound that unsettles me and makes something within me twist in discomfort. I don¡¯t look at it too much; I cannot. I don¡¯t want to hear what the snake will say. I don¡¯t want to hear what a traitor I am, because I know what those thoughts are.


    When the Guard gets within a half step of me, the snake reacts for me, shoving me back into the depths of my mind. It curls my fingers into tight fists, then rips my hands apart with a wide-eyed look at the Guard, an intense focus I¡¯ve only seen from Bryant himself in the moments I was most uncomfortable.


    As the Guard seizes up, he only manages a small step forward before he collapses as he claws at his throat, wheezing and dropping his dagger. I punch him in the jaw, if only to prove the snake wrong and that I am not a traitor.


    I¡¯m sorry, I think to the Guard. I don¡¯t want to hurt you.


    I don¡¯t feel right, hurting the Guard. I don¡¯t like it. He hasn¡¯t done anything to me.


    With the one punch, the Guard falls and doesn¡¯t rise, though I can see him breathe after I encourage dust to spill from his throat. He chokes and sputters and gasps, coughing again and again.


    ¡°Kneel,¡± I say coldly, raising my chin to look down at him. I ignore the clench of my stomach, the way it twists with some little monster whispering to me in a language I can speak, if only I¡¯d listen.


    I turn a hand into a fist to quell the shake of an arm.


    Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, the Guard wipes at his face with the back of his hand, then pushes himself to a seated position.


    ¡°I bow before the Amethyst Throne, Dust Devil.¡±


    The Guard braces himself and shifts until his legs are beneath him in slow, shaky movements, then drops until his forehead brushes the ground.


    ¡°Would everyone give a round of applause for the Dust Devil?¡± Spyro asks.


    Claps erupt through the crowd. Not deafening, but loud nonetheless.


    I push down the discomfort.


    Traitor, the snake hisses. Coward.


    I know, I sigh.

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 6 - Trust Me

    TRIGGER WARNING: Extreme violence committed against another, intentions of murder


    Chapter 6


    Trust Me


    Bryant calls me to the Throne Room later. Much later. Days and days have gone by, stretching into mundane nothingness that I spend sprawled out on the too-small bed in my small room with little other than my thoughts to keep me company, save for the snake occupying such a massive part of my mindscape. It whispers to me, telling me things I know are lies, but they sound so true that I just can''t help but wonder. I try to push back and remind myself every time, but the snake drives me to tears, ugly sobs that have me sniveling as I try to figure out what''s real and what''s false.


    Listen to me, the snake says. Just listen, Dust Devil.


    I''m Luke, I say, begging the snake to just understand.


    I can tell you what is real, if only you would just listen to me, Dust Devil.


    I absently start to scratch at a finger when I see the blood begin dripping down from a nail. I know it''s the blood of one of the Guard I killed, and I have to get it off.


    Stop it, Dust Devil.


    It''s the blood, I reply silently. I have to get the blood off.


    There is no blood.


    No, there is. Can''t you see it?


    It''s not there.


    You lie. I shouldn''t listen to you.


    Stop scratching, the snake hisses.


    I look down through watery eyes that blur everything around me until it looks like I''m looking through an ocean of salty tears. I see the uneven form of my finger. There is no blood on it; it''s no longer there.


    I solved it. I scratched away the blood. It''s gone.


    It was never fucking there, the snake snaps.


    But I saw the blood with my own two eyes.


    You clearly cannot trust yourself.


    If I can''t trust myself and my eyes, then who can I trust?


    Me. Trust me, Dust Devil.


    But I don''t want to. I don''t want to trust the snake. But what other option do I have? The snake says the blood was never there, and if I can''t trust my eyes, then I need someone or something that I can trust to tell me what I am actually seeing. The snake could be that.


    Ok.


    Get out of bed, the snake hisses, chains clinking as it slithers in place. Go to the King of Ragdon and listen to Bryant. The Amethyst Throne is telling me that it has a job for you. Bryant is getting impatient, and so is the Amethyst Throne.


    xxxx


    "Kill the Dove," Bryant tells me almost as soon as I''ve entered the Throne Room.


    "The Dove?" I echo. My armor feels too tight, and I shift beneath its constricting weight.


    Bryant narrows his eyes, violet irises flaring in a dangerous kind of way. "The Wolf is missing. No one knows where she is. She may be the new Midnight Wolf after Arcane murdered my Dragon. The Midnight Tear cost Arcane his life. Silly guy. He should''ve known that would happen."


    I''m sure he did, I think. He had to have known. He was the Midnight Wolf for decades.


    "Kill the Dove. Take his life. The Wolf shouldn''t have left. Kill the Dove."


    Take the life of Alex''s brother?


    Something flutters in my gut. Fear curls within me, along with an unknown emotion. Something painful. Something antsy. Something reluctant. I don''t know how to feel about it.


    He''s my King, my King of Ragdon. I should listen, right? I hate the doubt. I hate the confusion. I hate how I don''t know. I hate that things don''t make sense.


    "Ok," I whisper, and I feel like I just agreed to something that will lead me to my end, whatever that means. I feel like I just sealed my fate.


    You just sealed the fate of the Dove, the snake corrects.


    Then why do I feel like I just sealed mine?


    You can''t trust yourself, remember?


    But I don''t think that''s true, but I''m too tired and too caught up on Bryant asking ¡ªtelling¡ª me to kill the Dove, and I don''t respond to the snake.


    "Great," Bryant says, clapping his hands. "Let me know when you have done so. I wouldn''t trust this task with anyone else but you, Dust Devil."


    I nod, numb inside, and twist my lips as I rock on my feet, unsure of what to say to fill the silence that stretches long in an awkward kind of way.


    "Go," Bryant eventually tells me.


    xxxx


    I don''t start trying to track Grey immediately, much to the snake''s frustration. It screams and hisses and spits at me in my head, demanding that I find the Dove and complete my task. Instead, I hide in my room, unable to face what I just agreed to. I curl up on my bed and stare blankly at the wall. I don''t eat or drink until I''m dizzy enough that rolling over makes me almost pass out. Black and white dots fill my vision as I push myself upright, and when I stand, I nearly drop like a rock and collapse in a crumpled heap by the head of my bed, but I manage to get water and a small meal that I can barely taste over my panic and nerves.


    Find the Dove. Kill him. Do what Bryant told you to. Listen, Dust Devil.


    I know, I say, pulling my legs to my chest. I rest my chin on my knees. I know I have to.


    It''s not a have to. It''s a get to. You get to carry out the requests of the King of Ragdon.


    The snake is right, I know, but why does it feel so wrong? Why does something within me squirm so much at the thought of truly carrying out the orders of Bryant and taking the life of Grey? I''ve killed before. I have that type of blood on my hands, the kind that will never wash away, no matter how many times I wash my hands and how much water runs over my skin, no matter how hard I scrub, even if I scrape away to the bone.


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    And yet this feels different in some way. It''s as if I''ve thought more, as if my eyes are further open, as if some eyelids I didn''t know existed blinked apart.


    It''s a while before I find Grey, and the snake and I disagree on why it takes so long. The snake thinks it''s because I don''t look, but I don''t know. Maybe it''s because I''m coming up with a plan. The Dove is strong. He''s half of the Wolf and the Dove duo. I can''t go after him unprepared. Every bit of my Soldier training tells me doing that would be idiocy.


    You''re the Dust Devil. You''re strong, the snake hisses. Stop being a coward and go after the Dove. You know you trust me, right?


    I do, but I have to be prepared, I reply.


    The snake''s amethyst eyes flash. It''s been so long. Just go after the Dove already. Grey won''t meet Lucius himself.


    xxxx


    Grey is walking along the edge of the Wailing Marshes when I see him.


    "The Dove," I murmur, slowing in my walk. The words slip out before I can stop them, and I immediately lose the element of surprise as Grey turns around.


    "Hello," he greets.


    I eye him hesitantly, waiting for him to lunge at me in a flurry of fists or talons like the snake told me to expect. It''s better to just attack first, before he can do anything¡ª hit first and hard, it had told me. The Dove can be very violent.


    "You''re the Dust Devil, right?" Grey asks.


    I nod, but don''t respond out loud.


    "It''s nice to meet you."


    There''s a thousand emotions within his silver eyes.


    Kill, Dust Devil, the snake hisses, pressing up from the depths of my mind with enough force to know that if I don''t do something soon it will do something for me.


    But I don''t want to hurt Grey, not in the way that the snake is telling me to. I don''t want his blood on my hands, but I also know that Grey poses a threat to the King of Ragdon. But still, what''s the point of taking a life? I don''t want that blood on my hands. I was there when Bryant sentenced Grey and Alex to death. Grey could''ve lunged at Bryant, but they escaped.


    Kill, the snake snarls, pushing forward in my mind with a vicious pressure as it looms in the depths of my mind, yet close enough that it''s a threat to my control over my own body.


    "You have to run," I say. "Please."


    "What do you mean?" Grey narrows his eyes.


    "Run," I repeat. "Get out of here. Please."


    "Do you need help?" Concern washes over Grey''s expression as he tilts his head to the side, blond hair falling over his forehead.


    "Please."


    "I can help you."


    Grey takes a step toward me, malachite medallion beginning to glow a harsh glint of silver on his chest. The snake sees the medallion, its eyes lock in on the necklace, and it''s over.


    With a crashing kind of force, the snake barrels into the barriers in my mind, and we merge in as one. I no longer know what''s me and what''s the snake; we''re inextricable.


    The malachite medallion. It will be our trophy to bring to Bryant. We shall present it to him as proof that we completed his order.


    Equals do not give orders to each other, but I don''t reply.


    I groan as the snake begins to take control.


    Ebony tears drip from my eyes in veins that burn as they break through skin. My fingernails give way to inky black claws. Horns break through skin with searing pain and grow from my forehead as they drag against thin, sensitive skin.


    "Are you ok?" Grey asks, eyes wide.


    "Run," I beg.


    The snake makes me roll my shoulders back and twists my hands palm-side up as I scratch and claw from within my mind, trapped in a prison I so desperately want to escape. I drag my nails down the barrier it throws up against me. Panting, venom drips from its jaws as it narrows in on Grey and his malachite medallion.


    I can feel the hunger in the snake, the gnawing want so powerful it''s almost more so than the powers of the Dust Devil themself.


    Grey roars as the first wave of sand slams into him. I feel tears drip down my cheeks. Dust cinches around Grey''s wrist and sends him hurtling into a tree with a crack. The Dove lays there for several moments, hunched over and still, before he begins to stir and slowly get up with a groan of pain.


    With a cry, Grey shifts into his dove form, and he looms over me with a presence that''s twice the size he is. Despite the damage he could so easily do with the length of his talons, the sharp angle of his beak, the strength lurking beneath the fluff of his feathers, Grey still holds back. I can see the pleading in his eyes.


    Finally, when he seems to recognize I won''t stop ¡ªwhen the snake won''t stop, though he doesn''t know that¡ª, Grey does what I told him to do: Grey flies away.


    Or, at least, he tries to.


    The snake sends dust after him the moment it realizes what Grey intends to do. With sand lodged deep in his feathers and wounds littering his body that are slow to heal with the sheer number Grey''s self-healing powers need to combat, he cannot fly fast. I fight back against the snake and shut down the wave of dust it sends after the Dove.


    Let him go; he''s not fighting back. This is not self-defense.


    Traitor to the King of Ragdon. You have your orders.


    Please, he''s not fighting back.


    Despite my pleading, three ropes of sand and dirt fly out toward Grey''s flapping form, moving faster than the Dove can. Two miss, but one latches onto his foot, yanking back fast enough that it seems to almost dislocate Grey''s hip and ankle. Grey shrieks as he flips in midair, spinning with the pull of the rope of dust as it takes him to the ground. He plummets through the air, then slams onto his back.


    His wings slump out to the side, stunned, as I race toward him. A trickle of blood drips from his nose and mouth, and when I reach Grey, there''s a haze in his eyes, though a silvery glow envelopes his body. The malachite medallion against his chest pulses steadily.


    Flapping one of his wings as he recovers to flip himself over, the Dove rises to his feet in an unsteady kind of way that has me stepping back to avoid getting crushed if he loses his balance. I curl my fingers, this time without the snake''s interference.


    There''s an edge of panic, fear, and yet still reluctance. I know that I should, even though it feels so wrong. The King of Ragdon told me to. I got my orders from the King, from Bryant. So why do I still hold the hesitation. No one else does, right? No other Guard or Soldier feels this way, right?


    I pull my sword from its sheath when Grey lunges for me with a loud cry. He flares his wings in an intimidation attempt, then takes off as he tries to escape again. When he flies directly above me, I slash with my sword. Hot blood splatters across my hair as my blade slices through Grey''s thigh. Matted thick, my hair sticks to my scalp.


    He''s the Dove. He''s not Grey. He''s the Dove.


    He''s Grey, just as I am Luke.


    Grey screams. The Dove ¡ªGrey, the Dove, Grey, THE DOVE¡ª tumbles to his side but manages to right himself, only to catch himself and desperately flap his wings to gain air and soar higher. Hissing, the snake spits in my mindscape and snarls at how the Dove is getting away and we are just letting him.


    Catch the Dove. Get him. Do your job, Dust Devil. Do what you told the King of Ragdon you would. Obey Bryant. Trust me; you told me and Bryant that you would. Don''t you remember?


    But I don''t. I don''t remember that, or at least not like the snake is saying. And yet I did say that I would kill the Dove. I agreed to kill Grey, and the thought makes something within me swoop with a nauseating, sick feeling.


    What am I doing?


    What Bryant wants. You are faithfully carrying out his requests. It is not your place to question what he says. Listen, because he is your King of Ragdon.


    Grey gains air and distance, wind providing the lift he needs to speed away from me. Until the snake unleashes a venom-filled attack upon my own mind, I thought he really might get away. I cannot stop the snake as it seizes control, and the snake quickly wraps its power around the magic of the Dust Devil.


    Sweeping my arms, I gather up the sand around me, adding in dust into a disturbing mixture that the power of the Dust Devil has complete and utter control of. Swirling my hands around each other, I condense the sand and dust into a tight ball that brims with grainy and gritty energy. The particles that hit me grate across my hands and carve tiny abrasions, tiny flicks across my flesh that sting, but I hardly feel the pain. I can''t feel the pain; not the physical pain when there''s so much emotional pain over what I''m doing. I keep going back and forth over the should so much that I cannot even begin to allow myself to consider what I am feeling physically.


    It''s the first break I have ever had in the pain from my ankle, and I hate it.


    The snake sends the dust after Grey.


    The wave hurtles after Grey faster than I can keep track of, and it makes me stumble back fast enough that my bad ankle gives beneath me, leaving me tripping to the side. How can my powers move that fast?


    Because they were a gift of the Amethyst Throne and the King of Ragdon.


    I watch as the dust slams into Grey, and the Dove drops as blood soaks through his feathers and from his talons. I expect him to crash into the ground. I brace myself for that very outcome. Only, it doesn''t happen. The Dove spins in midair, wings spasming as he tries to remain aloft.


    The snake hisses and unleashes further control over the dust.


    No, I say as the snake smothers Grey''s beak with the dust.


    I start after Grey. He struggles in midair but somehow stays up in the air. He must lock his wings and fight long and hard, because he glides through the trees, slowly suffocating, as I continue to chase after him.


    Stop it, I shout at the snake, clawing my fingers bloody in the depths of my mind as I try to free myself.

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 7 - What Have You Done?

    TRIGGER WARNING: Murder, continued from the previous chapter, one character intentionally murders another, major character death


    Chapter 7


    What Have You Done?


    Grey fights back, finally, when I catch up to him.


    He lays on his side, still in his bird form, trembling and spasming. When he manages to drag in a breath, the sound is wheezing and grating, as if the air drags across sand. It probably does. Sand and dust probably coat the upper part of his airway.


    Grey¡¯s eyes flash as I approach him, walking around the wing that lays stretched out an awkward angle. But before I can decide what to do, the Dove decides for me. The Dove gathers his legs beneath him, flapping his wings and splaying his tail feathers as he struggles to get his balance from the injuries across his body, the myriad both internally and externally. With a piercing shriek, he lunges at me.


    I flinch as Grey¡¯s talons sink into my arm, piercing through my flesh and severing muscle and tendons.


    Fucker, the snake spits.


    We¡¯re trying to kill him. He has every right.


    He¡¯s Grey. He doesn¡¯t fight back.


    He¡¯s fighting for his life. Anyone would, I shoot back.


    I scrabble to shove the Dove away. I pound and punch with my fists, the Soldier training that was beaten through my mind coming back in waves. Except that I learned it against humans, not huge birds. I can see the fear in Grey¡¯s eyes as he flaps his wings and grips my forearm, toes curling tight around my armor and talons digging deep into my flesh.


    With a sharp kick to the abdomen, the Dove lets me go. He cries out, something soft and pleading in his voice. He looks between my eyes, his own silvery gaze pained and scared.


    We should let him go. We should leave now.


    The snake¡¯s presence looms, heavy and hard in my mindscape.


    No. Trust me. We need to kill. This is what Bryant wants. Your duty as a Soldier is to obey and to listen to the orders of the King of Ragdon.


    Grey spreads his wings and manages to take off and begin to fly away. The Dove makes it partway into the sky as blood soaks through his feathers and drips from his body as it splatters on the ground, leaving a scarlet trail of where he goes.


    And see what you¡¯ve done, Dust Devil? Because you made us distracted, the Dove is getting away. The King of Ragdon ¡ªBryant¡ª wanted him dead. Dead, Dust Devil. Because of you, he is getting away. Catch him. Catch the Dove, Dust Devil. Catch the Dove, bring him to the ground, and kill him. I am done helping you. This one is all on you. It¡¯s your fault. I won¡¯t help you any more and do your work for you.


    I never asked to kill.


    You don¡¯t have to. Bryant tells you. He takes the choice out of your hands so you don¡¯t need to make any decisions.


    I sigh and close my eyes, until the snake shatters my mind with a thundering hiss that makes me rub at my ears to see if they¡¯re bleeding. The wounds on my forearm tug with the movement, pulsing in time with the throbbing in my bad ankle, but I ignore the pain.


    Get the Dove, Dust Devil!


    The snake puts so much pressure on my mind, all but consuming me from every angle, that I find myself putting my hands up and calling upon the dust and the dirt around me. I flip my hands palm-side up, curl my fingers into fists, then stretch out my arms and slowly unfold my fingers, sending long tendrils of dust after Grey. He¡¯s gained distance from me, but the magic of the Dust Devil catches up, latching onto one of his ankles. The tendril seizes him, and Grey shrieks, the sound pitching into something high and desperate.


    Please, I beg the snake, just let the Dove go. He has hardly fought back. He doesn¡¯t want to fight. Just let him go.


    Don¡¯t you want to please your King of Ragdon?


    I do, I say, but¡ª


    Then we have to kill the Dove. That will please him. Now let¡¯s work together. We can kill the Dove.


    But I don¡¯t want to please the King of Ragdon like this. I want to do something else for Bryant.


    The snake, through my body, jerks on the thread of dust, and Grey crashes into the ground, landing on his back. He doesn¡¯t move for several long moments that stretch into something concerning. I approach slowly and draw my sword at the snake¡¯s harsh encouragement.


    For the first time, the sight of blood makes my stomach twist.


    I¡¯ve taken lives. I¡¯m¡­ able to take that step. I have killed. I remember how it felt, despite how it kept me up at night with the viciously vivid images. I cannot forget. Yet there¡¯s something different here. Something that I cannot put my finger on, even though the snake claims the death of the Dove is the same as everything else, that it should happen.


    Stop, please, I say. I don¡¯t want to kill the Dove.


    Don¡¯t you want to obey the King of Ragdon? Bryant made this one request of you. Complete it. Carry out Bryant¡¯s request.


    I¡­ I do, but not like this. It¡¯s not right.


    Do not say that the King of Ragdon is wrong. How dare you, the snake hisses, amethyst eyes flashing dangerously.


    With a heaving shudder, Grey shifts back into his human form. When the shift finishes, I can see just how much damage the Dove has sustained. Scrapes cover his body and bruises bloom beneath his skin. Wounds lay scattered across his body, and blood streaks across his clothing.


    xxxx


    When Grey manages to get to his feet again, I try to back away, to retreat. I try to leave, because I don¡¯t want to do this. I fight against the snake, doing everything I can to hold it back. The snake writhes behind the barrier I try to put up.


    Come on, Dust Devil. He¡¯s almost gone. Just a few more hits.


    No, I can¡¯t.


    Obey the King of Ragdon. Listen.


    The snake presses forward in my head until I feel its control seeping through my mind like a disease, like a fever. The horns on my forehead grow, and the thin skin around them aches as it splits further. Veins splinter further below my eyes, growing across my cheeks like spiders¡¯ webs. I curl my hands into fists, claws digging deep into my palms until my own blood drips from between my knuckles.


    Grey studies me, silvery eyes examining my entirety, and I can see him thinking.


    I try to shut the snake into a tiny little box into the back of my mind. I try to close it away, try to lock it up. I try to push the snake into the furthest depths of my head, away and away and away and away. Only¡­ I cannot. The snake doesn¡¯t listen, and it spreads through my mindscape. I feel the magic of the Amethyst Throne drip, drip, drip into my veins, and I feel the warmth of its power rush through my body, and the feeling is like stretching out to rest after being on my feet all day. It¡¯s like the sun on my skin after days of rain. It¡¯s like taking a deep breath of a crisp, cool breeze. It¡¯s like a hot drink heating my insides on a cold day.


    I try to fight against the Amethyst Throne, but I¡¯m exhausted and the Amethyst Throne is relentless, a steady pressure that never gives. At some point, I slip up, and the snake seizes control.


    Through my body, the snake lunges for Grey with my sword drawn. Or maybe it¡¯s me. Perhaps the snake has convinced me enough that it no longer needs to push.


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    But no, I do not want this. That¡¯s the snake speaking, I remind myself.


    Is it? the snake asks. Is it really me speaking? Do you not hold those desires deep, deep inside of you? Do you not hear them whispering to you when you think no one is watching? I thought you agreed to trust me. Didn¡¯t you, Dust Devil?


    I force myself to stop, and I wrench myself backward a step, knuckles paling around the grip of my sword. With my other hand, I run my fingers through my hair, throat dry.


    Come on, the snake murmurs, voice coming from every nook, crevice, and cranny in my head, so loud and all-consuming that I cannot escape. This is what the King of Ragdon wants. Bryant told you to do this, and I know you want it to. Don¡¯t you feel that part of you? Don¡¯t you feel that part of you that thirsts for blood? Everyone has it. Feed it, Dust Devil. It¡¯s what Bryant wants.


    I¡¯d heard similar things in my Soldier training. The level of violence the snake wants me to commit ¡ªa murder¡ª was discussed so easily, so freely.


    Maybe everyone does feel that way.


    Yes, the snake replies, everyone does.


    It urges me on, ushering me to attack Grey ¡ªthe Dove¡ª yet again. But again, I hesitate.


    I don¡¯t want to. I¡­


    Do it, the snake snaps, losing all of its gentle understanding in a split moment. I thought you wanted to be the Dust Devil.


    I do, but not like this.


    The Dust Devil obeys Bryant. Listen, Dust Devil. Listen to the King of Ragdon.


    Tears prickle in my eyes as the snake sends its control along my nerves and through my veins. It takes control of me, and when Grey moves, the snake locks in like a predator onto prey. I stab Grey in the chest, a little ways below his collarbone, and my sword sinks straight through skin and muscle until the blade grates across bone and I yank it free, speed of my movements amplified by the snake.


    Why? I scream in my mind, unable to voice my shock beneath the horror and the lockdown the snake has me under.


    Because Bryant ordered the death of the Dove, and if you are too weak to follow through, perhaps you were never supposed to be the Dust Devil and we were wrong. I will do this in your stead. When we return to the castle of the King of Ragdon with the malachite medallion of the Dove, we will rethink your status as the Dust Devil, traitor.


    With what I can only imagine is a punctured lung, Grey chokes and stumbles when my sword pulls free, blood blooming across his shirt in a sickening display of scarlet and dripping down his chin as he coughs and sputters. The malachite medallion blazes brighter. Grey hunches over, hands on his knees, and his knuckles turn white as he holds onto his legs.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Grey asks, voice rough and strained and hoarse. He lifts his head to meet my gaze. ¡°I saw you. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d do this.¡±


    I scrunch my eyes shut. I¡¯m torn in two¡ª the snake spitting at me to finish Grey off, to kill the Dove and take the malachite medallion as proof, and yet the other part of me wants to let Grey go. There¡¯s no threat to me. Grey has not tried to hurt me like I¡¯ve hurt him. I want to listen to the me part, the part of my conscience. There¡¯s no threat.


    My own blood soaks in around my armor, pulsing from the wounds Grey inflicted in his dove form, but I can hardly feel the pain over the emotional turmoil surging through my veins and my being. I don''t know how to wrap my mind around what''s happening, and I don''t know what to do. The snake is telling me to take Grey''s life and I know I should trust it because it''s a part of the Amethyst Throne, the very same Amethyst Throne my King of Ragdon sits upon... but my own conscience is questioning the order Bryant gave me.


    Why? I ask. Why would I hurt him? It would be self defense.


    I scrabble with the snake, clawing for every bit of control I have and manage to gain back. If I can just hold out long enough for the snake to tire, I can push it back into the depths of my mind until it sleeps, and I can let Grey go and he¡¯ll live.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you fought back?¡± I ask.


    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to-to die,¡± Grey croaks as he hunches over, swaying as he tries to remain standing. ¡°Everyone deserves a¡­ a second ch-chance. You didn¡¯t¡­ you coulda-coulda hurt A-Alex, but you didn¡¯t.¡±


    He knows I was there? He recognizes me from when I brought the Wolf to the Throne Room?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± My voice is hardly more than a whisper.


    ¡°Say no.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. It¡¯s the snake.¡± Tears prickle in my eyes.


    The snake presses forward, and I strain to hold it back, knowing that all the snake has to do is lean its full weight and I will become powerless.


    Grey swallows, panting for breath as more of his blood leaves his body with every beat of his heart despite the healing powers of the malachite medallion.


    ¡°Say no,¡± he repeats. ¡°You can. The Amethyst Th-Throne can¡¯t win f-forever.¡±


    My sword feels like it weighs as much as a body in my grip, and I nearly drop it. I feel Grey¡¯s blood drip from my armor onto my shoe. I squirm in my boots, almost feeling the squelch of wet blood between my toes.


    Let the Dove go, I plead.


    No. Bryant said he must die, so his fate is sealed.


    Please.


    Are you becoming a traitor to the Amethyst Throne?


    No! Of course not, I reply, but it¡¯s too fast.


    I begin to question, to wonder. Do I really have to do this? Why did the King of Ragdon tell me to kill the Dove? Why not someone else? Why not do it himself? Why did I become the Dust Devil? Surely I cannot be the only one to have questioned him. Surely there are others like me.


    I try to turn my back, to walk away so I can consider more. My head hurts with all the thoughts, all the realizations that are beginning to come to the surface like a slowly bubbling pot. I cannot think, I cannot sort through everything in my mind. I need time. I need space. I need to be alone.


    I cannot rightfully take a life when I am questioning everything about my existence. I cannot rightfully take a life when they are not attacking me back. Everything about this situation isn¡¯t right. Everything about this situation is wrong.


    But the snake won¡¯t let me. It¡¯s not tiring in the way I wanted. If anything, it might have more energy. Exerting a control at a level I¡¯ve never felt before, it freezes me in place, slowly spinning me back around. My head ticks to the side as it takes control over my legs and walks me forward. I twitch as it draws my arm back, hand curled into a fist. I scream yet again in my mind as I punch Grey in the throat.


    He gasps, stumbling backward until he trips over his legs and crashes to the ground on his back. He lays still for a few moments until he begins to convulse.


    I try to step away, turn around, do anything so I don¡¯t have to watch, but I also cannot leave. The snake spits at me to deal another blow, embed the image of the Dove dying into my memory so I can remember forever serving Bryant, my King of Ragdon, in this way. But I already know I will never be able to forget, because I want this all to stop.


    Grey¡¯s body seizes, glowing with a flashing and flickering silver light as blood slowly seeps from a myriad of wounds, far too many to count. Bruises form beneath his skin. His body shudders and spasms, until he finally lays still after what feels like far too long. Small twitches rattle his body, eyes distant and glazed, unfocused, as if he does not quite know where he is.


    Maybe he doesn¡¯t.


    Grey¡¯s shirt is more red than it is the dirtied off-white it used to be, smeared with mud and dirt to match.


    I kneel down beside Grey, shaking like he is, but not from blood loss and shock. I¡¯m shaking from what I¡¯ve done. Every injury on his body that the malachite medallion is working so hard to try to heal ¡ªhis entire body glows the brightest silver I have ever seen¡ª has come from my hands, and I know there are more injuries on the inside that I cannot see. I know that Grey will not heal from this, and from the look on his face and in his eyes, he knows it too.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I trail off, words catching in my throat.


    What have I done?


    I push Grey to his side. He flinches away from my touch, but he¡¯s too weak to move. Maybe it will help. Maybe he¡¯ll survive. It¡¯s something, but I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to do.


    There¡¯s nothing, the snake says. It¡¯s done.


    Grey¡¯s side rises and falls in rapid, shallow breaths. I watch as the wounds across his body try in vain to knit themselves back together. I see one begin to heal over, the edges crawling together, trying to find the other side to meet once more. I can feel the blistering heat of the malachite medallion as it hits a fever pitch of desperation. The worst of the wounds continue to pump out blood, and I push Grey onto his back again without thinking and press down on two of them on his chest and shoulder.


    He looks at me, pain in his eyes and shakes his head before his body goes limp and he slumps to the side, falling into unconsciousness, though his eyes remain half open.


    I hold pressure on his wounds while begging him to wake up.


    Stop it, the snake chastises. Let him go. He¡¯s dead. He is going to die. You have killed the Dove. Your job is complete. Let him go. Let Lucius do their job.


    I can¡¯t. He didn¡¯t fight back. Not really. What did he do to me?


    He was going to kill you.


    Was he? I ask. I don¡¯t think so, or at least I don¡¯t find that likely.


    I feel a wash of cold, dry air blow past me as Grey¡¯s eyes turn a pale silver. He has gone still beneath me. Too still.


    ¡°Grey?¡± I ask.


    I tap his arm.


    No response.


    ¡°Grey.¡± I push on him.


    ¡°Grey?¡± I try once more, shoving him.


    He doesn¡¯t respond, because he has met Lucius.


    Grey¡¯s blood coats my body. It covers my hands, blankets my armor, soaks through my shoes until I swear I can feel my toes squishing the soles.


    He lays beneath me, unmoving, in a sleep he will never wake from. His chest doesn¡¯t rise with breaths. The blood begins to dry on his skin, and his fingers remain slightly curled, as if he was about to lift his hands. I distantly wonder what he¡¯s looking at through his half-opened silvery eyes.


    One more hit, the snake insists. One more hit, just for good measure. Make sure the Dove is real gone.


    I cannot. He is already gone.


    The malachite medallion still shines. Hit him until the malachite medallion goes out.


    Silver light glows and dances on Grey¡¯s body, but I know it won¡¯t be enough to save him. Grey has already met Lucius. Still, his malachite medallion tries so desperately to heal the wounds to his flesh. Wounds that I dealt.


    Some the snake dealt, but most came from my hand.


    I wheeze a ragged breath, covering my mouth with my hand as nausea roils in my gut and builds in my throat.


    Stop it, Dust Devil. You killed him. You followed the requests of the King of Ragdon. You did your job.


    How can this be my job? Grey did nothing to me. He was not attacking me. It was not self-defense.


    Bryant requested that you do this. It is not your place to question the King of Ragdon.


    Tears drip down my cheeks as my vision blurs. I feel like I can¡¯t breathe, and I can¡¯t get enough air, and my body goes numb and fuzzy, and my legs go weak, and I feel like my entirety is buzzing, and everything begins to turn to dust, and everything begins to go white.


    I¡¯m just about to let myself fall into the blank nothingness, to escape the snake for just a little while because I don¡¯t know how to deal with what I just did and I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that I just took a life ¡ªI just committed a murder¡ª and it wasn¡¯t in self-defense, when I hear footsteps behind me. They¡¯re slow, staggered, falling in uneven footfalls, but they come closer.


    I don¡¯t turn around, in part because I cannot get my legs to cooperate and move.


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    My body kicks into gear, I whirl around, and I''m greeted by Alex''s demanding stare fixing me in place.

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 8 - Scorn

    TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of a dead body, familial heartbreak over major character death, guilt over committing the murder


    Chapter 8


    Scorn


    Alex''s eyes are wider than they were at the foot of the Amethyst Throne as I held her back when a Guard shot arrows through her brother. Her gaze looks between my blood-stained hands and Grey, his body. I can see her mind spinning, putting the pieces together.


    Alex stops hesitating and rushes over to Grey''s body and dives to her knees, touching his shoulder, pausing for only a moment before making the first contact. Her hair swishes around her shoulders, lifting enough to reveal a diamond earring dangling from her ear.


    She gasps at what I can only assume is Grey''s cooling skin. Maybe it doesn''t feel like she thought it would¡ª like his skin had felt in life. Maybe it''s the blood that covers far more of his body than it does not. Maybe it''s the wounds that stopped bleeding when he stopped breathing. Maybe it''s the bruises that sprouted beneath his skin like disturbing flowers.


    I look away. I tell myself it''s because I want to give Alex a moment of privacy with Grey, but my subconscious tells me it''s because I cannot make myself look at Grey''s body any longer.


    Why don''t you just leave if you''re so guilty? the snake taunts. Oh, that''s right. You don''t have any reason to be guilty. Kill the Wolf, and they''ll both be dead and Bryant will have his reign secured.


    Alex is grieving. It''s not right.


    That''s right. It would be right at a certain time. When were you thinking?


    What? No, it''s not right. She hasn''t done anything. Has Alex even really tried to stop the King of Ragdon?


    What she has done doesn''t matter. It''s what she will do that''s the most important. The threat she poses is too high.


    "What are you still doing here?" Alex croaks, turning to meet my eyes. "Are you just going to stand there? Are you going to gloat? Are you going to attack me?"


    "N-no," I whisper in reply, dropping my gaze. I cannot bear the anger in Alex''s eyes. She doesn''t blink, only fixes me with so much heartbreak and fury in her eyes that makes my stomach twist.


    "What did you do?" Alex repeats, orange gaze burning bright, just as the malachite medallion had done as it struggled in vain to heal Grey from his fatal wounds.


    "I-I..." I choke on my words, unable to speak, unable to admit to what I have actually done.


    "What did you do? Tell me," Alex says, face contorting into something firm and determined.


    She furrows her eyebrows, taking a step forward as I take one back. Twigs snap beneath my feet. I take in the trees around me out of the corners of my eyes, the very trees that Grey had flown through before he crash-landed here and I took his life.


    "He... the King... Bryant said to-." I choke up on the words.


    Alex''s hair swirls around her shoulders, as if responding to her anger. "Bryant told you to do-do that?"


    I scrunch my eyes shut and swallow, saliva sticking like gravel in my throat.


    I want to say yes. It''s the truth. I don''t want to lie. But I can feel even without speaking how wrong that one little word sounds. I can feel the searing heat of Alex''s bright orange gaze fixing me in place with simmering anger. I''m surprised she hasn''t exploded in rage.


    Maybe I deserve it. I did something I shouldn''t have, right? I should have spoken to Bryant. I should have explained that Grey wasn''t fighting back. I shouldn''t have taken his life. Not when I still had questions.


    You did the right thing, the snake shoots back, venom dripping from its jaws and burning my mindscape. Grey was the Dove. He deserved it.


    He didn''t even get a quick death, but he shouldn''t have died when I still had questions.


    He was the Dove. There was no quick death for him, not with his healing powers. The malachite medallion guaranteed him a slow death.


    You don''t see anything wrong with this situation?


    No, because there is nothing wrong with it. Bryant, the King of Ragdon, asked you to kill the Dove, and you did so. There is nothing wrong there. Aren''t you supposed to trust me?


    "Did Bryant tell you to do that?" Alex repeats, bringing me back from my thoughts.


    I cannot speak, cannot get my mouth to form the shapes of yes, and my silence is answer enough.


    But Alex only snarls.


    "You can''t even speak? Tell me what happened!"


    I run a hand through my hair. Alex''s voice is rising, and the snake is spitting at me in my head, and my own thoughts are hurtling through my mind, and it''s too much, and I am confused and overwhelmed, and I cannot think. The trees around me blur and twist, warping as I lose myself to


    "How could you do that?" Alex demands. "How could you hurt my brother? How could you take his life and send him to Lucius?"


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    "I was-I was... I was just doing my job. It was my order."


    But the words feel flat even to my ears. I can hear how weak they sound. How unconvincing, even as the snake whispers yes and tells me that I''m finally understanding.


    "Your job?" Alex roars the words, unblinking orange eyes flaring with a rage that has me taking a step back.


    My bad ankle gives, and I drop into a low crouch, hands coming up as I drop my sword. It clatters on the ground, but I barely hear it. I hold my palms toward Alex, and she scoffs, shaking her head as the tears in her eyes swim and brim and well up. Hurt blooms in her expression like Grey''s blood had on his clothing before he collapsed and died.


    "You think... Did Grey do that? Did Grey cower like you''re doing and plead for his life? How can you hold up your hands when my brother is dead behind you at your hands, the very hands you are holding up in surrender?


    "How can you, Scorn? You seemed like the Soldier who maybe had a bit of a heart."


    That digs in deep, jabbing in straight between my ribs, because Grey had said something similar and I still took his life.


    Behind my eyelids, I can see the flickering images of him falling, of the blood seeping through his shirt, him seizing, the myriad of injuries he sustained as the malachite medallion tried so hard to save him and I wouldn''t let let it do its job.


    I lower myself to my knees, but the snake begins to fight for control.


    No.


    I push back against it. I already took Grey''s life and murdered him. I don''t want to attack Alex. It retaliates for a few more moments before slinking back  a body length or two, as if testing my defenses.


    Alex stands up, her back to Grey''s body.


    I watch as fear curls in my gut as the constellations across Alex''s skin begin to glow. All thirteen come to life with orange light as her eyes start to dance with stars and planets in their depths. I take another step back.


    "Stay away from Grey," she snarls, something low and echoing in her voice, like several voices speak all at once from her lungs.


    "I''m sorry," I stutter, holding up my hands.


    "Tell me what you did."


    "I-I-I..." I trail off as fear seizes me.


    Look-y here-y, you are feeling what you made Grey feel. At least Bryant will know that you are capable of following orders, though, the snake mutters, slinking up into a tight coil in my mind.


    I didn''t want to. Grey has to know that.


    He doesn''t. You never told him. You were too busy attacking him. You know, trying to kill him?


    My lip quivers. My hands tremble as I begin to call upon my powers. Dust swirls around my ankles, but I take a step back, ignoring the pain in my ankle that has now become a steady throb. It''s a familiar sensation, one that reminds me of my own shadow¡ª always following, always there, something to be counted upon.


    Kill her, the snake insists. Kill the Wolf. Two in one blow. You''d secure the reign of the King of Ragdon. You''d make it so neither the Wolf nor the Dove can attack


    "Is that what you did to Grey?" Alex snarls, something deep and echoing sounding in her voice. "Did you attack him with your magic?"


    She looks between me and her brother.


    I took his life. Isn''t that answer enough?


    You''ll soon understand that sometimes they''ll have more questions than they should. We''ll just have to teach them not to ask too many questions.


    The snake encourages me to use the power of the Dust Devil. It eggs me on, eyes glowing with eagerness and the heat of desire. Blood, it wants, and it makes no secret of that fact.


    "You''re going to use your magic?" Alex asks. She looks so angry, yet she also doesn''t look surprised beneath the layer of hurt, and somehow that hurts, too.


    What have I done?


    What Bryant asked of you. You are doing the right thing. Now get over the hurt, because you shouldn''t be feeling that.


    Alex looks back over her shoulder at Grey''s body, still positioned between me and him. The sun beats down overhead, hot and searing, and I sweat beneath my armor.


    "How much did you hurt Grey for him to look like that? What did you do to him? What did you do to my brother? Why did you hurt him? What ever did he do to you, Scorn?"


    I''m not Scorn, I want to say. I''m Luke.


    But I hold my tongue, because I don''t know what to say to the rest.


    A lot. I hurt him a lot. I hurt him a lot. He did nothing to me, but he was the Dove, and the King of Ragdon couldn''t have that. I''m his Soldier. I''m his Dust Devil. I''m his righthand man, and I''m supposed to carry out his wishes, a part of me knows I should be saying, but I cannot. Don''t you know I was just doing my job?


    But I can''t get it out of my head how weak that sounds. It doesn''t convince even me. Every time I blink, behind my closed eyelids I can only see Grey in the minutes before he died, as I took the last pieces of him until the malachite medallion could no longer keep him in the hold of Erebus and Lucius came to take him to their realm.


    "Answer me," Alex spits, venom in her voice that reminds me of the snake.


    We are not the same, the snake hisses, sharp and deadly.


    How dare I make such a comparison.


    "I... I-." I try to answer, but the words get stuck in my throat.


    I cannot force them out. The words are lodged in my throat like thorns, stuck in deep.


    In a flash, constellations burn to life across Alex''s body, fiery and bright, as she snarls with anger. They shine on her arms, her legs, with such an intensity I can see them beneath her clothing. She doesn''t blink, despite the brightness, only staring at me with rage.


    A vaguely triangular constellation shines brighter than the rest.


    It crosses my mind that I have not seen Alex blink once in the entire time she''s been here.


    But before I can contemplate that, twin fish spiral from the back of Alex''s neck, coiling around each other as they swim into the air in shimmering lights. One has black scales that seem to soak up all light around it, shimmering with the stars of a thousand nights. The other has white scales that glow with a myriad of rainbows, reflecting the light in dazzling arrays of colors.


    I take a step back, wincing when my bad ankle twists on a rock, and eye the fish with open distrust.


    Are you another version of the snake?


    How dare you compare me to such creatures. That''s Pisces, the snake hisses.


    Alex shakes and trembles, panting as her hair billows around her. The constellations on her body flicker and glimmer. Her hands spasm and curl into partial fists before relaxing, then repeating the same action. The diamond hanging from her ear glints in the light from the constellations and the starry magic emanating from Alex.


    Over Alex''s shoulder, a sparkling woman clouded over by billowing swaths of stardust swirling amongst the cosmos lingers, blindfolded. She inclines her head to one side, then to the other as she lifts one arm, then the other, slowly weighing each of the golden scales in her hands. The weight in the scales seems to change every moment, but the woman doesn''t seem to notice.


    Pisces wind around each other, each fish curling in smooth movements and swimming through the air, wide eyes taking everything in, yet remaining locked in on me.


    Pain pulses through me in a steady rhythm like my heartbeat. A part of me wants to run, yet the other part wants to stay in talk. The snake wants me to fight and kill Alex, but I don''t want to do that. Grey''s body lays right behind her, and it''s nearly all I can see.


    His blood dries on his skin the longer we wait, and I know the array of injuries that lay beneath that thick coating of scarlet.


    The fins of the Pisces fish sway as they swim, arching toward me in graceful movements that I wish I could have. Soldier training taught me to be harsh, brutal, anything but graceful as I went after what the King of Ragdon told me to with a single-minded focus.


    But what if I was wrong? the thought comes slowly, and my gaze finds the ground as I begin to ponder.


    Yet before I can, a searing heat scorches through my body, emanating from the back of my neck. Pisces touch their noses to my skin and soak into my body like a scar.

 Reform - Luke - Chapter 9 - Justify His Death

    Chapter 9


    Justify His Death


    With a burning sensation, the power of Pisces seeps through my skin, my being, all the way down to my very soul. The snake immediately rankles and spits. The power of the Amethyst Throne flares within me, and I feel the snake¡¯s venom dripping down the walls of my mindscape and seeping into every nook and cranny, oozing through the gaps until it enters my bloodstream.


    Yet at the same time, I can feel the power of Pisces washing through me. It¡¯s a different sensation entirely. While the power of the Amethyst Throne is a sharp kind of pain, like the honed blade of my sword, the power of Pisces is a rolling tidal wave, curved, with no hard edges yet still unavoidable.


    I drop to my knees beneath the combined weight of the magic of the snake and Pisces.


    When I look up at Alex, she¡¯s staring me down, the same intensity in her gaze that makes me look away.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she demands.


    The same being wreathed in stardust and clothed in a long, flowing dress hovers over Alex¡¯s shoulder. While the blindfold covers their eyes, reminding me distantly of Spyro, they continue to weigh their scales, and I feel a pulling sensation.


    A third magic begins to tug on my self, and I shudder, mind threatening to retreat into the depths of my head.


    ¡°What happened, Scorn?¡± Alex repeats. Her hair flows around her shoulders as her orange eyes flare with fire, still not blinking despite the brightness of the stars and planets and galaxies burning around her. Within the stars, I see little figures¡ª a crab, a ram, a pair of twins. They materialize, then disappear just as quickly as they came.


    Libra, I realize, as Pisces pulses on my neck. The blindfolded figure behind Alex with the scales is Libra.


    Pisces urges my mouth to move, to formulate words, to speak. The snake bristles, hissing at the invasion.


    But you invaded me, too, I want to say, but I don¡¯t. I cannot.


    The power of Pisces has taken over my mind, and I cannot resist. I try. I dig in my heels, because I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. I cannot understand. I just want to pause, but maybe that is not in the cards for me. Not after I murdered Grey.


    There are two voices, both screaming and pounding in my head, so looming and powerful, boom such different, conflicting statements. I can feel the third presence, but it¡¯s far weaker, just there without trying to modify my actions.


    Pisces says to obey the Wolf, Alex, who stands across from me, right in front of Grey¡¯s body, the mangled pieces of bone and nerves and organs and flesh that once made up an entire being. Do they still? I do not know.


    Answer the questions of the Wolf, Pisces tells me as the two fish send a wave of their shared magic through my body. It¡¯s calming, like waves on a warm afternoon, lapping at the shores of the Freedom Coast.


    But Arcane killed Freedom. How can I escape their power? The King has so much power, but so does the Midnight Wolf. They all do.


    The snake, in turn, says to obey the Amethyst Throne. I have that tie, as a Soldier and my appointment as the Dust Devil. The Amethyst Throne gave me that gift. It told me who I am.


    A mangled cry slips from my throat, because I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know. I do not know.


    I do not know, and I am so confused. I cannot make sense of anything. I cannot tell up from down. I feel that my entire way of thinking has been swapped, replaced like a new version, like when the King of Ragdon told us he had a new model for the armor for his Guard and Soldiers. More intricate designs lined the metal of the Soldiers¡¯ armor, and tiny imprints of the Dragon¡¯s head had been pressed deep into the stitched-together patchwork of the armor of the Guard. Throw out the old. Bring in the new.


    The snake told me to trust it, but I do not know and now Pisces has taken over my mind and I do not know who to trust. I do not think I can trust my mind. I cannot get time to think, but I do not know if I should have time to think, not after I just took a life. Yet something needs to happen, because Grey is dead, and he is dead at my hands. But I do not know what to do, and I do not know who to listen to. Who to trust. Who to give my allegiance to.


    Obey, Pisces tells me. Answer the Midnight Wolf. Trust the Midnight Wolf.


    I jerk back.


    No wonder Alex has all that power. No wonder she has the power of Pisces, of Libra, of how many other constellations. No wonder she could make the snake heel when I couldn¡¯t.


    If only she could make the snake stop more, but without Pisces.


    I grip the sides of my head as I feel Pisces¡¯s power spread through my jaw, and my mouth starts to move. I stare at the ground, but all I can see is Grey¡¯s body, and maybe I deserve this, because I took his life. I can hear the thump as Grey fell to the ground, the wheeze as he struggled to breathe, the crushing silence after he exhaled for the last time. I cannot take that back. I cannot bring someone back from Lucius. I see the blood bloom on Grey¡¯s shirt after I punctured his lung, the scuffs in the dirt as he stumbled and tried to remain standing, the pleading in his silver eyes. When Alex moves, I catch a glimpse of his eyes, and they¡¯re glazed, blank. Grey almost doesn¡¯t look real.


    No one comes back from Lucius, right? But maybe Grey can come back. Maybe Lucius will bring Grey back from their realm.


    Libra reaches through Alex¡¯s body with translucent arms and grips her wrists tight in their hands. Together, they hold Libra¡¯s scales. Behind Libra¡¯s blindfold, I can feel the heavy weight of their gaze.


    The power of Pisces spreads further, and I speak.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I begin to say, and after the first word, they tumble from my mouth, one after the other, faster and faster, and Pisces urges me on. ¡°I met with the King of Ragdon, Bryant. He turned me into the Dust Devil after giving me the gift of the Amethyst Throne. Now I have the snake in my head, and it controls so much. Bryant made me kill Guard and Soldiers before he gave me the order to kill the Dove, Grey, your brother. I¡­ then I sought him out, found him, and¡­ I did that. I killed him. Lucius took him.¡±


    I don¡¯t lift my gaze from the ground when I gesture at Grey¡¯s body. I don¡¯t need to see him to know what I did.


    That¡¯s the truth, I hear Libra say in an echoing, melodic voice, lifting their scales with Alex¡¯s hands toward Alex¡¯s chest. Each word is measured, as if thought over for millennia before they uttered each syllable. Luke speaks the truth.


    How do they know my name?


    I want to ask the question, but Pisces prevents me from doing so.


    I want to scream, but Pisces prevents me from doing that, too.


    What did you do to me, Alex?


    But maybe I deserve this after killing her brother. I sent him to Lucius when I wasn¡¯t convinced he deserved it. The trial he and Alex received when I held her back as a Guard shot arrows through Grey didn¡¯t convince me of their guilt, and I wasn¡¯t certain now of Grey¡¯s guilt.


    So why did I even do it? I cannot take that back.


    ¡°Did you say no?¡±


    I hesitate, begin to say yes under the snake¡¯s heavy pressure. Yet Pisces combats the snake, giving a gentle urging that¡¯s also steady, as unrelenting as ocean waves lapping at the shore.


    Can¡¯t you get out of my head?


    I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯m asking Pisces or the snake. Maybe it¡¯s both. I don¡¯t know.


    Why did you have me kill him, Bryant? Grey wasn¡¯t going after you. Not like you made it seem. He didn¡¯t want to hurt me. I wasn¡¯t convinced of his guilt. He never got a fair trial. You¡¯re the King. You should¡¯ve known that, Bryant.


    But he does know that, the snake says. Bryant knows all. He is the King of Ragdon. His word is true. He determined Grey to be guilty. How can you turn your back on someone who has given you so much? Who else would accept you like your King of Ragdon has?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, snake,¡± I whisper, ¡°but he never got a fair trial.¡±


    Alex¡¯s body blocks most of my view of Grey¡¯s body from where I kneel on the ground, trembling under the combined power of the snake and Pisces, but I can see in stomach-twisting clarity the pallor of his skin, which makes the scarlet of his blood stand out all the more.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t look at him,¡± Alex snaps.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say without thinking.


    ¡°You apologize for that?¡± Alex laughs, but her breath catches like she¡¯s about to burst into sobs, and maybe she is.


    I don¡¯t make eye contact.


    ¡°Look at me, Scorn!¡± Alex takes a step forward, something desperate in her voice. Her magic responds in kind, sparking with new frazzled galaxies spurting through the stardust hovering around her and Libra. ¡°What happened? What did Grey do that could¡¯ve possibly justified you doing¡­ you doing-doing¡­ all of that to him? Did he make you angry? Did he attack you? Did he say he was going to kill your King?¡±


    I shake my head when Pisces pulses on the back of my neck, a soft squeeze.


    ¡°No,¡± I whisper. ¡°Grey did none of that. He didn¡¯t attack me until the¡­ until the end.¡± I rub at my arm as I try to think over my words, but Pisces encourages me to speak freely, to not think over words, to simply speak my mind as thoughts arise. ¡°He did nothing against me. I was there when you and Grey had your¡­ trial for being the Wolf and the Dove. The King of Ragdon did not give what I felt to be a just trial. Grey shouldn¡¯t have been sentenced to death then, not with a trial like that. That wasn¡¯t fair, nor was it to you.¡±


    Alex shudders, the movement rippling through her whole body as Libra reaches an arm over her shoulder, holding their scale in the new Midnight Wolf¡¯s view and twisting their hand until the rope of the golden scale tilts it at an angle.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t fair,¡± I continue. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Bryant¡¯s thinking. He¡¯s changing. He¡¯s changed. He¡¯s different. The Dragon is gone, but he has the snake. It¡¯s in my head, and I¡¯m the Dust Devil but he¡¯s asking me to do things that aren¡¯t justified. Grey hadn¡¯t done anything. It wasn¡¯t right. Grey¡¯s guilt hadn¡¯t been proved to me yet.¡±


    Alex is silent, save for the ragged breaths she drags in. When she speaks, her voice is flat, nearly inflectionless but in the false kind of way, held together by a network of fraying threads stitched together to cover up a yawning void of raw emotion.


    ¡°So Grey¡¯s death could¡¯ve been justified?¡± she asks.


    I flinch, and I realize the corner I¡¯d walked myself straight into. If I deny it, I¡¯d be lying. Pisces won¡¯t let me, not with the hold the fish have over me. And Libra would surely find out. But if I say yes¡­ I don¡¯t finish the thought.


    Maybe I would end up looking how Grey does. I don¡¯t know that Alex would really be all that wrong for doing so. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t even defend myself.


    Yet I cannot even get myself to reply, to argue for my actions. The snake tells me that I was justified. The King of Ragdon asked of me to commit Grey¡¯s killing. That was all the justification I needed. But my conscience says otherwise, that part of me that nearly got me in trouble countless times when it raised questions of what the King had done.


    If you cannot ask questions, what do you have? Pisces asks. Shouldn¡¯t you be able to ask questions of your King?


    ¡°Could Grey¡¯s death have been justified?¡± Alex repeats.


    There¡¯s something bitter, something raw, in her voice. It makes a shudder race up my spine.


    I hunch over further, curling in on myself, because I can¡¯t look up. I can¡¯t meet her gaze. I can¡¯t face what I¡¯ve done. I can¡¯t look at Grey. I want to erase what I¡¯ve done from my mind, but at the same time I don¡¯t want to forget. Someone has to know what happened to Grey since he can no longer speak.


    But you¡¯re the reason why he cannot speak. You took that away from him. You erased everything he was going to do. You¡¯re the reason why he will never get to choose again. You get to choose, and he doesn¡¯t have a choice again.


    ¡°The King tells us what to do,¡± I start slowly. I stare at my hand, looking through it as my vision blurs and my body begins to turn numb. ¡°But his order to kill the Dove didn¡¯t make sense. Not fully, but we¡¯re supposed to listen. We¡¯re supposed to obey. We¡¯re not supposed to think, but I could never fully do that. I¡­ I just wanted to do what I was supposed to.¡±


    Alex lunges forward, hands curling into fists. ¡°And what you were supposed to do was murder?¡± she shouts. ¡°You were supposed to kill my fucking brother?¡±


    Libra watches from behind, head at an angle. I can feel the weight of their gaze behind their blue blindfold, the same shade as the diamond earring hanging from Alex¡¯s ear. Their pink dress swishes around their ankles, blown by the stardust and galaxies hurtling away from Alex. They continue to weigh their scales, and I feel like they¡¯re weighing my soul, weighing my fate.


    I flinch, but don¡¯t disagree. I slide off my knees.


    ¡°I was supposed to kill the Dove,¡± I whisper.


    Luke speaks the truth, Libra says.


    ¡°And you did.¡± Alex¡¯s voice cracks, shattering over the words like the glass she had jumped through as she fled from Bryant¡¯s castle. ¡°You fucking killed him. You murdered him, and now he¡¯s with Lucius.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what to say.


    I¡¯d done my job, but I don¡¯t feel good. I don¡¯t feel proud. The snake tells me I did a good job, but I don¡¯t think that I agree. But I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening within me. It¡¯s a churning mess that I cannot straighten out. It¡¯s a yawning void of stretching, twisting feelings, emotions, thoughts that I cannot set in a line.


    xxxx


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± I ask, eyes still focused on the ground.


    A beetle scuttles up a blade of grass, antennae waving around.


    I feel Alex¡¯s gaze on me, taking in my entirety, and I force myself to remain still. A part of me wants to drop into a bow, the same one I give to Bryant, but another part of me feels that wouldn¡¯t be right. That bow belongs to the King of Ragdon. But perhaps Alex wants that acknowledgment that I will listen.


    I¡¯m still debating what I should do when she speaks.


    ¡°You stay here. Do not leave. I will bury Grey, and then we will go. I¡­ I can¡¯t even think, but I¡¯m not leaving you. Grey wouldn¡¯t-. He doesn¡¯t-. He wouldn¡¯t want me to hurt you, but you need to pay. You murdered him, Scorn.¡±


    I can¡¯t help the flinch. I know what I did to Grey, but hearing it out loud ¡ªhearing it from another person¡ª somehow makes it all that much more real.


    I took a life. We took a life. We¡¯ve done that before, but how does this life ¡ªGrey¡¯s life¡ª somehow hit so much harder?


    Yet I already know the answer; because I did not believe that Grey needed to die. Thinking back, I do not know if I truly believed that those I killed before needed to die either, but Grey¡¯s death I was not convinced should have happened.


    Therefore¡­ therefore he should still be here. He should be greeting his sister. He should see that she is the new Midnight Wolf. How many firsts will he never get to see? How many choices will he never get to make?


    What freedom he has lost, now that he can no longer choose.


    Alex paces in jagged, uneven steps, raking a hand over her mouth as she draws in ragged breaths.


    When the beetle draws close enough, I scoop them up. I cannot tell if they¡¯re a male or female, but they crawl across my hands and weave between my fingers. Their feet tickle my skin, and their antennae brush against the pads of my fingers. I run a gentle nail across their thorax and elytron. Both are hard and smooth, shiny in the sunlight that I know will give way to moonlight soon.


    Exhaustion weighs over me, but something restless stirs within me, keeping me too antsy to truly relax. Coupled with how every time I close my eyes I see Grey falling, seizing, bearing a myriad of wounds, dying, I know Dreamland won¡¯t come for me until I cannot stay awake a moment longer.


    I don¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t break the tense silence that hangs between us, fragile enough to shatter with a wrong exhale. Alex scratches her fingernails down the back of her opposite hand with the beginnings of a snarl.


    ¡°Why did you do that, Scorn? How could you do that?¡±


    I close my eyes, facing the ground. I know Grey¡¯s blood lays splattered across the dirt and rock. I know his body lays just past where Alex stands, body likely gone cold.


    The beetle crawls off my hand, down my thigh, and onto the soil, where they wander away.


    How could I have done what I did? The snake played a role. The King did, too. But I was the one who took Grey¡¯s life and sent him to Lucius. Why did I do that?


    Pisces pulses on the back of my neck, urging me to obey the new Midnight Wolf and answer her.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I start, trailing off.


    I don¡¯t know, is the honest answer. Yet at the same time, I do know.


    ¡°I wanted to obey the King of Ragdon.¡± I feel the power of Pisces wash through me, pressuring me to continue answering and I¡¯m too tired to resist. ¡°I thought I just had to keep listening, and then I wouldn¡¯t question Bryant so much. I¡­¡± I exhale, shoulders slumping as I let my chin fall to my chest. ¡°I¡ª.¡±


    ¡°You murdered my brother because you couldn¡¯t say no?¡± Alex interrupts.


    xxxx


    I hit the ground before I feel the impact of the punch. I didn¡¯t see Alex move, but I can feel the pain in my cheek and the ache in my jaw.


    The iron tang of blood spills in my mouth and I lick my lips as I lay on my side, vision swimming.


    Fight back, the snake urges me, struggling against the unmovable grip of Pisces.


    The twin fish wriggle on the back of my neck and send another wave of magic through me.


    Obey, they say.


    What else can I do? The power of the two of them runs through me. If I couldn¡¯t successfully fight the snake, how could I fight two fish, two beings who make up one of the constellations of a Midnight Wolf, the only being with power I know of that even approaches that of the King of Ragdon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have just one reason,¡± I say as I push myself up to a sitting place. Alex rubs at her knuckles.


    I know I should be looking Alex in the eye. She deserves that much. Grey deserves that much, too. But I cannot. I¡¯m too weak.


    You never should¡¯ve gotten the power of the Dust Devil.


    Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have, I begin to agree, but I did. I just don¡¯t know what to do with that power now.


    ¡°There were¡­ I don¡¯t know how many. The King told me what to do for my life, even before I was a Soldier,¡± I continue, and I gesture to my armor, where an imprint of the Dragon¡¯s face lays embedded across the chest plate and on both spaulders on my shoulders. ¡°I was taught to be a Soldier, and I was always told that no wasn¡¯t something the King of Ragdon ever heard. When I became a Soldier, I did everything that was asked and more. Maybe if I did just a little more, it would feel right and I would stop feeling like a fraud because I could never understand how everyone else seemed to have it so easy. They didn¡¯t seem to have the same voice telling them that something just didn¡¯t seem right, but I¡¯d been told that you don¡¯t say no to the King so I must be wrong, right? The King turned me into his righthand man, the Dust Devil, and I got magic powers, but I also got a snake in my head and it tells me such horrible things and pressures me to do everything and more and more and more. I¡¯ve seen what happens when you say no. So I couldn¡¯t do that. I couldn¡¯t say no. I was afraid. But I also couldn¡¯t hurt Grey. Yet I did. I murdered Grey. I murdered your brother.¡± My voice trails off into a whisper, and I curl up, hands against my temples as tears burn in my eyes.


    Luke speaks the truth, Libra says, their voice level and calm. Luke tells no lies.


    Alex shakes her head. ¡°You should¡¯ve said no,¡± she whispers, voice cracking into a thousand pieces. ¡°You just had to say no.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to do now. You-you took everything away from Grey. You realize that, right? You took everything!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± is all I can say.


    My mind keeps returning to that fact¡ª how Grey will no longer get to do anything. How he will no longer get to experience any part of life, the good or the bad. How he will no longer get to choose.


    I close my eyes, but open them when memories of Grey''s last moments flicker through my mind''s eye, one after the other after the other. I curl up, knees as close as they''ll get to my chest with my armor on. The weight of the metal used to feel comforting, but now it just feels suffocating. I tremble.


    At some point, Alex leaves with Grey¡¯s body. When she returns, her face is red and her eyes are puffy.


    She stands over me and looks down through her unblinking orange eyes, and I feel Pisces stir on the back of my neck, ready to obey her.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving, and we¡¯re going to find the rest of the group. What your fate is, I don¡¯t know. But you will accept your fate, ok?¡±


    I nod. ¡°I do.¡±