Chapter 10

D arkness chased her like an inky hunter as Liana soared through the night sky.

The cool air rushing over her plumes provided little relief from the turbulent thoughts swirling in her mind.

As Liana ascended, the stars twinkled above, their serene beauty starkly contrasting the turmoil within her.

She rose higher, her wings beating hard, a desperate attempt to flee.

Doubt gnawed at her heart.

Was she ready? Or even fokkin capable?

Exhaustion tugged at her bones, her muscles moving on instinct alone after the long, draining day.

She glided for an hour, deep breathing until the anxiety taking hold of her soul leaked from her.

Soothed enough to face the Ilkanisa and all its presumptions of her once more, she banked her rachís toward the city.

Her kríffin vision pierced the darkness to navigate the route back.

Rest first. Then, she would tackle the problems awaiting her, one step at a time.

Without warning, an inky blur exploded from the shadows, slamming into Liana with brutal force.

Razor-sharp talons dug into her throat as a menacing figure materialized - a massive black Shadowing.

‘What in the actual -?’ Liana choked out.

She scrabbled at the cruel, iron grip crushing her windpipe.

Its glowing crimson eyes flashed at her, and with a gasp, she remembered who it was.

The dark creature who’d hunted her for weeks and later captured her. He’d also made his disdain for her clear at her when she’d first met with the Ilki Council.

Panic flooded her veins with ice.

Where the hell had he come from?

How had she missed his approach?

The attacker’s beak twisted into a vicious sneer. ‘Stupid fledgling. Too busy wallowing in self-pity to watch your tail.’

His voice was a raspy hiss, dripping with malice.

Cold dread settled in Liana’s gut as she caught the glint of a sinister-curved koya gripped in his talons.

The blade lifted to caress her neck, the razor edge biting into her skin. Ruby droplets welled, trickling through her feathers.

Was this how it would end?

Slaughtered under the stars, mere wing beats from the palace?

‘What the fokk?’ she gasped, spots dancing before her eyes as she fought for air. ‘What do you want?’

A dark chuckle rumbled through his chest, vibrating against her pinned body. ‘Ah, kríffin queen, I’ve just got a simple request. That you do as I say and serve me.’

Liana trembled, her struggles weakening as blackness encroached on her vision.

‘Who are you?’ she managed to rasp out.

If these were to be her final moments, she at least wanted to know the name of her murderer.

The Shadowing leaned in close, his fetid breath washing over her face. Glazed amber eyes met pitiless scarlet orbs.

‘K’Aran.’

Then he made a statement that shattered her world anew. ‘Kultur was my father too.’

Liana’s eyes widened in shock as the words sank in.

This monstrous Shadowing, her attacker, claimed to be her brother.

It couldn’t be true. And yet, as she stared into those cruel crimson eyes, she tagged an echo of her father’s unyielding gaze.

In desperation, she tried to release some of her kríffin íkan to escape him away.

But it was like grasping at smoke. The insidious tendrils of his kízakan sorcery, ancient, deadly, and far more substantial than her fledgling abilities, snaked through her body, seizing control of her limbs, voice, and thoughts.

‘Struggle all you like, little sister,’ K’Aran sneered, relishing her helplessness. ‘My enchantment will keep you docile. After all, we have so much to discuss.’

Hot tears pricked Liana’s eyes as she fought against the sinister grip of his power. It was like being trapped in her corporeal self, a mute passenger as he pulled her strings.

Never had she felt so vulnerable, so violated.

‘Why are you doing this?’ she choked out, each word an effort. ‘If you’re my brother, you’ll show mercy.’

‘Half-brother,’ he cut her off with a savage grin. ‘A distinction our dear father found fit to beat into me.’

Old resentments simmered in his gaze. ‘But blood is blood. And you, little Liana, will help me take what is rightfully ours.’

She shook her head weakly, revulsion churning in her gut. Help him? After he’d attacked her, threatened her, invaded her being? She’d rather die.

But that, she realized with sinking dread, might be an option.

Given how tight his kízakan wrapped around her throat.

He’d either compel her to do as he willed or slit her apart.

As if reading her thoughts, K’Aran’s beak split into a macabre grin. ‘You’re starting to understand, aren’t you? Your life, your will, belongs to me now. And I have plans for you, dearest sister. Such glorious schemes.’

Liana’s mind raced, seeking some way out, some glimmer of hope. But K’Aran’s magic was an impenetrable web, trapping her as surely as any physical bonds. She was at his mercy.

The searing pain was replaced by a dull ache that permeated her entire being. She was still in his iron grip, his red eyes boring into hers with malice.

‘The Shadowings,’ she whispered, latching onto his earlier words. ‘You’re their leader?’

It was more a statement than a question.

‘Clever girl.’ Sarcasm oozed from his voice. ‘ Naam , I have gathered the Shadow warriors of Old Ilkan under my banner. The Silkanth form is an abomination; you are one of them, but that can be changed with the right íkantations . After you’re returned to your true appearance, with your immense kríffin energy, we can undo the humaniform of all Ilkanites and return to the glory of Shadowings.’

He leaned in closer, his breath hot against her cheek. ‘Imagine it, Liana, the two of us leading our people to conquest side by side. Crushing all who stand in our way. It is our birthright, our destiny.’

Revulsion shuddered through her.

This twisted creature couldn’t share her blood. Kultur had been far from perfect, but this was a true monstrosity.

‘Is that all you want, to reverse all Ilkanites into Shadowings?’ Liana asked.

She had to know and understand the depths of her half-brother’s ambitions. ‘Don’t you want success over the invaders?’

A sinister smile played on K’Aran’s lips. ‘Victory over the Katánians? Of course, but that’s just the beginning, dear sister. I want to see Ilkan rise above all others and claim its rightful place as the dominant power in this universe. And you,’ he tightened his grip on her throat, ‘will help me achieve that goal, whether you like it or not. If you don’t do as I ask and lead the Ilkan armies to prevail, I’ll burn this kingdom down. Ilkan’s triumph is our path to greater success, so you must ensure it.’

She hated letting K’Aran use her as a pawn in his twisted game. But what could she do, trapped and powerless as she was?

‘I won’t be your puppet,’ she gagged, defiance flickering in her eyes. ‘I’ll resist you every step of the way, even if it costs me my life.’

K’Aran’s laughter filled the night sky, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Liana’s spine. ‘Oh, you’ll fight, all right. But in the end, you’ll bend to my will. They all do. And together, we’ll forge a new era for Ilkan, where our people reign supreme over all others.’

‘I’ll never help you,’ she gritted out. ‘Never. I don’t care what you do to me. I won’t betray Ilkan. I won’t betray myself.’

For a long, tense moment, K’Aran stared at her, his expression unreadable. Then, to her shock, he threw back his head and laughed—a harsh, grating sound devoid of mirth.

‘Oh, my naive little sister. You say that now, but you’ll change your tune soon enough. After all, I can be very persuasive, but you’re too novice to understand how to wield your power. How about I add some persuasion, a little nudge of agony and despair? I guarantee you’ll be chanting a different song in a little while.’

His kízakan flared, and a rope of black miasma overwhelmed her, searing her with fresh torment as his twisted, malodorous cords tightened around her, almost choking her.

She screamed, convulsing in his grasp. Blackness ate at the edges of her vision as the pain threatened to consume her.

Seething, lost in such wretchedness, tears flowed out of her amber eyes, her soul called out.

Help me, please.