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Sieg and Marien - Part 16

"There's my sweet little kitten. Mommy loves you."

"Shani! Shani, you shouldn't be playing with the boys."

"Don't worry sweety, everything will be alright, it's just... things are hard right now. Your father and I... Well, don't you worry about it, kitten."

"What do you mean we have to return to Basikal? Why are you doing this to us? What about Lyon? I can't lose my boy!"

"Your father sent us back because he doesn't trust us, because he thinks we'll get in his way. He's a fool!"

"Why... why couldn't you be more like your brother? Your father sends us home, saddles me with... with you!"

"Look at you, short and weak, no one of any note will give you a second glance!"

"I can't believe I ever gave birth to you! You're a failure as a Basitin! No wonder your father banished us! You make me sick to even look at!"

"You're as dim witted as you are repulsive, get out of my sight! I wish you'd never been born!"

As the voice of her mother echoed in her mind, Shani was frozen. Time slowed and the world grew cold as the blade descended towards her

A hair's breadth above Shani's forehead, the razor sharp edge froze.

"Good evening, sister."

"Lyon?" Shani's gaze flicked from the sword hovering over her head to her brother. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. "What the hell are you doing?"

Lyon stood just inside the doorway to Shani's room in his full royal guard armour. Though he showed no outward anger, Shani could read cold rage in his stance, the stiffness of his muscles, the tightness of his grip upon his sword.

"You should be careful Shani, it can be dangerous out in the city at night." Lyon spoke in a voice that made the hairs on Shani's back stand up.

"Have you been drinking or have you simply lost your mind?!" Shani barked, trying her best to hide her fear. "Answer me!"

"Drinking... possibly. Lost my mind? No, no I am quite sane," Lyon replied. As he spoke he raised a sheaf of papers held in his left hand.

"Some mail came for you, from the Tribunal of Justice and Canon."

Shani's eyes widened and her tail started to twitch. "Oh shit..." Taking a deep breath, Shani raised her hands, "Alright, Lyon, I need you to listen to me. Okay, just calm down and listen!"

"You must give the royal courier service credit," Lyon said, ignoring Shani's entreaties as he shifted his blade so that the point was under Shani's chin, just touching her throat. "They failed to deliver to you while you were on the mainland, and so they followed you all the way to Basikal. That's dedication you have to admire. Though I suppose by the time they arrived, it didn't really matter, did it?"

"Lyon-"

"Shut up!"

Lyon jerked his head towards the interior of Shani's room. "In, and sit down. Keep your hands where I can see them. "

Slowly, Shani stepped inside of her room.

With the point of his sword, Lyon guided Shani towards her bed. The rest of her room was adorned with soft furniture. A trio of deep saucer chairs, perfect for curling up and sleeping, sat against one wall. Thick tapestries hung from the walls, and the ceiling was decorated with multicoloured lengths of colourful cloth. There were, of course, dozens of blades hidden everywhere, but none were within easy reach.

"Sit," Lyon ordered.

Slowly Shani sat on the edge of her bed, keeping her gaze locked with Lyon's.

"Now, I want you to tell me why. Why did you do this? Why go so far to kill Amber?"

Shani raised an eyebrow, "Amber? You think this was about Amber?"

"You were digging into her family history! Why?"

"I needed a favour done, and I needed to be sure Amber would cooperate."

Lyon's voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "So you're the reason she attacked Marien Kolvest! Why?"

"Because it needed to be someone who Kolvest wouldn't suspect, and someone who could get away with it even if they were caught," Shani scoffed. "Plus, I figured even she wouldn't manage to screw up something so simple."

With an angry snarl, Lyon leaned forwards and struck Shani with the back of his hand.

"The only reason you are still alive is because you are my sister," Lyon growled, replacing the tip of his sword at Shani's throat. "Amber was sweet and kind and she was MINE! I loved her! Her death has tortured me for months! Now I want to know, why did you do this?"

"Striking your own sister," Shani sneered, spitting out a small mouthful of blood onto the floor. "Not very honourable of you."

"Do not talk to me about honour! I want an answer, now!"

"Or what, you'll cut my throat? Come on Lyon, I know better than-" Shani paused as Lyon pressed the tip of his blade harder against her neck, the tip digging into her flesh just enough to draw a thin line of blood.

Lyon's ears flattened against his head and his eyes narrowed. "You know... right now, I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. So unless you want to take the chance, you will answer me."

"You want an answer? Fine." Shani glared up at Lyon. "Amber was never a fit consort for you."

"Are you referring to the fruits of your little research project?" Lyon demanded. "You think it matters to me that Amber's great grandfather was Western? Do you think I am so petty?"

"Her great grandfather wasn't just Western, he was a spy for the Western Alliance!" Shani snapped back. "If you had stayed married to her and the generals or the other families ever found out, when the Breakwell family fell in disgrace they would have dragged us down with them! We would lose everything, and we would never accomplish what we've started!"

"Started? What are you talking about? What have you started?"

"The plan to get you on the throne you idiot!"

The words stunned Lyon, and just for a brief moment his focus was broken.

Seizing the opportunity, Shani threw herself backwards, out of Lyon's reach. She rolled across her bed and crashed to the floor on the other side. Seizing hold of one of the large pillows on her bed, Shani threw it at Lyon.

Instinctively Leon swung his sword, cleaving the pillow in half in midair. A storm of down feathers erupted from within the pillow, blinding him.

Shani made a break for the door, seizing one of the knives hidden on the leg of one of her chairs as she passed. Running fast and low, Shani shoved Lyon aside and drove the small blade into his thigh. Lyon let out a roar of pain and swung his sword, the blade slicing a tuft of fur off the end of Shani's tail as she stumbled past him.

Tearing out of her room, Shani nearly tripped over the carpet in the hall and slammed against the opposite wall. She scrambled back to her feet, and sprinted down the hall as fast as she could. She could hear her brother's footsteps, but his armour was slowing him.

Running as fast as she could, Shani reached the staircase and vaulted over the railing. She rolled as she hit the ground, the impact with the marble floor sending a shock of pain up her legs.

Scrambling back to her feet, Shani sprinted to one of the many weapon displays that hung on the wall of the main entrance hall. Seizing hold of the first sword she came to, a simple yet elegant one-handed sabre, Shani pulled free from its sheath and spun around.

Lyon stood at the top of the stairs, his royal guard armour glinting in the candlelight. A look of terrible anger was etched upon his face, and his hate filled eyes seemed to gleam in the dark.

As he started to descend the staircase, one deliberate step at a time, he spoke. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Amber."

Shani raised her sword, aiming the point at Lyon. "I don't want to fight you brother."

"I'm not going to give you a choice."

"Lyon, I'm warning you. I don't want to hurt you!"

"You killed my Amber. You've damaged my honour, my reputation and you've insulted the family name." Lyon's grip on his sword tightened. "What more harm could you possibly do!"

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Lyon broke into a sprint and lunged at Shani, sword raised high.

Shani dodged the first blow, stepping to the side as Lyon's blade slammed into the wall, sparks flying in all directions.

"Lyon, stop!" she cried, ducking another wild swing from Lyon. "You're my brother!"

"You set her up!" Lyon bellowed, lunging forward and thrusting at Shani.

With a furious cry, Shani deflected the blade with her own. The entrance hall ran with the sound of metal grinding against metal as Shani twisted her wrist and sent her blade sliding up Lyon's.

Lyon winced as Shani's sword cut across his cheek just below his eye. He pressed his attack, using his larger blade to swat away a thrust, and swinging down at his sister with all the force he could muster.

Shani rolled out of the way, just barely evading Lyon's blow. The hallway rang with the sound of steel striking marble.

"Even if she'd survived, you would have killed her, wouldn't you?!" Lyon snarled, gripping his sword with both hands.

Shani tried to quiet the rage building inside of her, the fear. Her eyes darted across Lyon's form, picking out targets. "Royal guard plate, customized design; Weak points: eyes, throat, arm pit, wrists, knees. Target groin or liver, damage major arteries and-"

"NO!" Shani screamed internally, forcing the thoughts aside. "Lyon, you need to listen to me!"

But Lyon had little interest in hearing what Shani had to say. Instead he attacked, using his strength to overpower her. Shani was able to dodge or deflect most of his blows, but when it came to raw strength, she was no match for him.

Lyon managed to force Shani's sword against the floor, before twisting his blade and bringing it back up at Shani's midsection.

The tip of Lyon's sword raked across the left side of Shani's stomach. The cut wasn't deep, but it was painful. Shani yelped loudly and stumbled back, clutching at the wound.

With another furious yell, Lyon charged at Shani. Steel rang against steel as Shani parried strike after strike, twisting her body to avoid Lyon's punishing blows.

Their swords met, grinding against one another. With a burst of strength, Lyon pushed Shani's blade away and delivered a kick to her stomach. Shani fell to one knee, gasping in agony, bile dripping from her mouth.

"What did you mean, when you said you wanted to get me on the throne?" Lyon demanded, aiming the point of his sword at Shani.

Shani took the opportunity to try and catch her breath. "We need you... on the throne! All... of Basidian... needs you on the throne!"

"I should have known," Lyon's eyes narrowed. "Father has infected you with his insanity regarding the war with the Westerners. I spent years listening to him pontificate about the need for a large-scale invasion. Is this all his doing then?"

"The Westerners?" Shani scoffed, spitting the last of the bile from her mouth. "As if that pissing contest even matters. The war with the west is a show, a tragic comedy played by worthless men on a rotten old stage! Our conflict with them is utterly meaningless compared to the real danger!"

"What danger? What the hell are you on about?"

"The Human Empire!"

Rage swiftly overcame pain as Shani climbed back to her feet. She had tried being calm, she had tried being deliberate, but her patience was at its end. Fire boiled up from inside, a reservoir of hatred and rage that she worked so hard to keep contained.

"Do you know what the humans, what the Templar, would do to our people if they had half a chance?" she demanded. "We are vermin to them! We're of less value than even Keidran. Every chance they get they haul our people back to be experimented on, tortured, and enslaved. The ones they can't enslave, they butcher like animals."

Shani's whole body tingled as she released her mental controls and allowed her anger to race through her veins like a drug. She began to pace back and forth like a caged animal. Her fur rippled and her razor sharp teeth glinted in the darkness.

"I've seen it. I was there."

"What are you talking about?" Lyon demanded. He had never seen his sister act in such a way before. The giggling, carefree girl who playfully teased him with her indecent jokes and behaviour was gone, replaced by a creature that Lyon didn't even recognize.

"I saw what the humans are capable of, what they will do," Shani snarled, her voice low and dripping with poisonous rage. "My first deployment, my ship was sent out to find a colony supply ship, the Sindal'Whey. The Templar attacked them and forced them to run aground. When the passengers and crew tried to fight back, the Templar slaughtered them."

Red mist filled Shani's vision, her heart raced and the sound of blood rushing in her ears was deafening as her mind whirled with images she had tried so hard to forget. Her nose burned and her eyes watered at the memory of the awful smell of burned fur and flesh. Her stomach twisted and her skin crawled as her mind echoed with the sound of flies.

"They slaughtered them. Do you hear me, you stupid bastard? Slaughtered them. They burned them alive with magic, they cut them down without any hesitation and then hung them from the masts. Men, women, children, babies!" Now Shani was shouting, her voice filling the entrance hall. "Babies Lyon! They killed them all! The bodies were so... so destroyed, we couldn't even bury them properly!"

"So that's why you want me on the throne?" Lyon demanded. "To declare war on the Empire?"

"To smash the Empire! And to grind every last Templar into dust!"

Without warning, Shani lunged forward, slamming her sword against Lyon's. Lyon was forced to take a step back, his sister was stronger than he had imagined.

"Adelaide is a fool and a coward!" Shani snarled as she pushed against Lyon. "She watches while the Humans plot to destroy us. The Templar poisoned her, murdered her generals, and attacked her directly, and still she does nothing!"

Shani swung her sword, forcing Lyon back, sparks flying from their blades as they clashed.

"The Mana tower was meant to lobotomize us, to make us easy targets for conquest and enslavement! The Templar have already declared war on us! And still we refuse to act!"

With a cry of effort, Lyon shoved Shani away. Taking up a defensive stance, Lyon stared at his sister and shook his head, "Shani... you've gone insane!"

In an instant, the visible anger vanished from Shani's face. She stood perfectly still, staring down at her sword. Lyon felt a chill run up his spine, he knew the look of a predator preparing to strike.

"Not insanity brother," Shani said after a moment's pause, slowly turning to look at Lyon. "Clarity."

===

"Tell me Sieg... What do you know of General Nicholai Alaric?"

"General Alaric?" Sieg paused for a moment as he considered Kent's question. He had, of course, heard of the famous, sometimes infamous, Master General.

"He was strong, brave, and an excellent warrior, despite only having one eye," Sieg said at last. "He was also especially cunning, and is said to have been a tactical genius."

"Yes, that's the polite answer," Kent nodded. "What else?"

With a nervous breath, Sieg spoke. "I heard he was... very different. The rumour was that he was not a traditionalist, and that he tried to... circumvent the laws, especially the decency laws."

"Good so far. What else?"

"Well... the rumour that I was told was that he... he..." Sieg cleared his throat. "Well... he was like... like you, sir."

A sly smile crossed Kent's face. "Oh I see. So strong, confident, devilishly handsome?"

"No... Well, yes, but-

"He was an excellent tactician, with a brilliant record?"

"Again... yes, but no."

"Well then, come on lad, out with it."

"I meant that he... That he... he preferred...the company of other..."

"Alright lad, enough." Kent grinned, with a chuckle. "I'm only teasing you."

Kent leaned back in his chair, "Alaric was indeed a brilliant general, some believe we may never see his like again. As for his choice of companions... I can't say for certain, but I do believe you are right. He seemed to have a particular interest in a childhood friend of his, Ambassador Kaiser."

Kent's gaze drifted over to one corner of the room, to a statue hidden beneath a red cloth.

"Regardless, his choice of companions would be of little interest, if it weren't for the fact that it brings me to the point. Many believed that Alaric simply flaunted the rules because he could. It was a display of power, or even perhaps a method to draw out potential rivals, much the same way Her Highness, King Adelaide does. However, my associates and I happen to believe that it was something far greater."

Taking another sip of his drink, Kent turned to Sieg. "Tell me, have you ever heard of a man by the name of Elric Kia'Var?"

Sieg shook his head, "No, sir."

"I thought not. He was an anti-war radical who, after deserting the military, travelled west to research the tribes of the Western Alliance. When he returned after several years, he penned a rather revolutionary paper, on the advantages of Western culture and civilisation. He argued that Eastern society was so strangled by its obsession with laws and rules, that it was collapsing in on itself."

Kent leaned forward and poked at the fading fire. Huge geysers of sparks burst from the fire, carried upwards and vanishing into the chimney. "He was banished of course, and took up with the tiger tribes. Apparently he even took a Kiedran wife, and somehow managed to father a child by her."

"But that's-"

"Supposed to be impossible." Kent shrugged, "Still, rumours abound about such things. Regardless, he returned to Basidian after a decade in exile. Unfortunately his work became somewhat more... radical. He began calling for revolution, and what was truly shocking was that there were those that joined him. They called themselves the 'Children of Kia'Var' ".

Kent took another drink, "General Kaiser and General Alabaster crushed them, and Elric was slain, though I suppose more accurately, he was executed by General Alabaster. Every copy of his writing, every record of him, was destroyed."

Pushing himself to his feet, Kent straightened his robe and padded over to one of his bookshelves. From one of the shelves he withdrew a large, thick book, and returned to his chair with it.

As Kent opened the book, revealing a secret compartment inside, Sieg couldn't help but notice the title: 'The Methods and Conventions of Eastern Basitin Poetry'.

From the secret compartment, Kent withdrew a small leatherbound notebook. "Well... almost every record was destroyed."

As he looked over at Sieg, Kent noticed him staring at the large volume. "Something wrong?"

"N-no sir, it's just... they had that book at the fortress."

"Hmmm? Oh yes that's right! That's where they hid that romance novel... What was it called..." Kent snapped his fingers, "'Warmest Tide', that was it."

"H-how did you know about that?'

"Everyone knows about that. That book was there even before I trained at the fortress. Hell, even Major Dauntless knew about it."

"Oh..."

Setting the larger book aside, Kent handed the little leather bound notebook to Sieg.

"This was found among General Alaric's effects after he died. Turns out he had managed to get his hands on various bits of Kia'Var's writings and had pieced them together. He then transcribed them, edited them, and created a sort of roadmap to changing Basitin society for the better."

Sieg opened the notebook and flipped through it. The writing was small and hard to read, but just from glancing at it, Sieg could make out references to almost every single decency law, and methods to circumvent them.

"Alaric was a master of Basidian law," Kent said, watching as Sieg picked through the notebook. "He was an artist. He could spin a tapestry of resistance from the smallest holes and omissions within the laws. Had he lived longer, I suspect that Alaric would have tried to enact these changes on his own, but sadly he was lost during the mana tower incident.

Kent held up the coin. "Myself and others have decided to take up his mantle. We are the Sons of Alaric."

Sieg was genuinely taken aback. An army was, as a whole, a paranoid entity after all. The ranks were rife with rumours and fantastical tales of the upper echelons and their dirty secrets. But such rumours paled in comparison to what Kent had just revealed.

Eventually, Sieg once more found his voice. "The Sons of Alaric... H-how many of you are there?"

"Enough," Kent replied simply.

"But why?" Sieg asked, looking up at Kent. "If Alaric was such a revolutionary, why didn't he petition to change the laws?"

"Because if the ice beneath the people's feet shifts too quickly, it will create chaos, and chaos creates danger."

As he spoke, Kent looked back at the painting of the mana tower. "There are many who would dearly like to see Basidian fall, and will sacrifice much to see it happen. They can see the tides working away beneath the ice, and they would like nothing more than to exploit them. If we weaken, they will attack us. It will take time, but the change begins with people like you."

"How can I help?" Sieg asked, handing the book back to Kent.

"You are already helping. Were it not for the fact that you chose Marien, despite the difficulties it would cause you, we would not be having this conversation. You are already a revolutionary Sieg, as is Marien, in her own way."

"But... how do we end the war?"

"It will take time."

"But Marien could get hurt! She could die!"

"Do you have faith in her?"

"Well... yes of course, but-"

Kent reached out and put a hand on Sieg's soudler. "Marien is searching for acceptance, and she believes she will find it in battle. She thinks that victory will chase her demons away. But she will find that the only true acceptance comes from within. Believe me, I know."

"So what should I do?"

"Love her. Fight with her. Laugh and cry with her. Support her and care for her. The day will come when she sees the value of herself reflected in your eyes. If she loves you, truly loves you, then your faith and acceptance of her will strike a fire in her own heart. Just as Valen did for me."

"And that's all I can do?" Sieg demanded. "If that's the extent of it, then why am I even here? Seems like your answer is to just wait."

Kent held up a hand, "Peace, lad. I understand your frustration, but acting too hastily is dangerous. There will be time for more direct action, but for tonight-" As if to make his point, Kent yawned. "I think it's time I rested and you returned to duty."

"Yes, sir."

"Here." Placing the silver coin inside the cover of the leather notebook, Kent handed them both to Sieg.

"Read the book. Don't think of it as a textbook, but more as a guide, a philosophy. Mindless adherence to a doctrine, any doctrine, will end up dumping us right back to our current state."

Despite its size, the book felt very heavy in Sieg's hand. "I understand," Sieg said after a moment.

"Show the coin to any member of my personal guard and we will talk again."

Sieg nodded and stood up from his chair as Kent did the same. "Yes, sir."

"And be careful. You have entered a place of considerable danger."

Sieg nodded, "I understand, General."

"Oh, and Mr. Kolvest."

"Sir."

"Your father... If he... approaches you, I would very much like to hear about it."

Sieg's blood suddenly ran cold. "Wh-what do you mean? You want me to spy on him?"

"No, I would never ask you to spy on your own father. However, I am concerned about some of his activities of late, and his alliance with the Chariot family."

"Of course he's involved with them," Sieg growled to himself. "Just his type."

"Just be cautious, and keep your ears and eyes open."

"I will, sir."

"Good. Leave through the rear door and Bruik will show you out."

"Yes, General."

"Good luck Mr. Kolvest," Kent said, waving over his shoulder as he left the study. "I imagine we'll see each other again soon."

===

Bleeding from well over a dozen cuts, Lyon stumbled backwards, trying his best to keep his sword arm from shaking.

"I don't understand. How... How are you this strong?" Lyon gasped as Shani walked towards him, small droplets of blood dripping from her dagger onto the floor.

"I've spent the last five years killing all of your potential rivals for the throne," Shani replied, a vicious glint in her eyes. "Most of them were fairly simple to deal with, others not so much. But all of them made for excellent practice."

"You keep talking about me taking the throne! I won't do it!"

"You're not going to have much choice, brother. Once your moment arrives, you will have two choices; take the throne or watch Basidian burn."

"Adelaide is King!" Lyon roared. "Betraying her is betraying our entire nation! Our people!"

"That is narrow minded and foolish," Shani scoffed. "A king's job is to protect his people, and Adelaide has failed to carry out that charge."

As Shani drew closer, Lyon tried to catch his breath. "I need to stall her. I need time... just a little time."

"Let's pretend you are right, just for a moment," Lyon called out, lowering his sword. "So I challenge Adelaide, and then what?"

Shani shook her head, "There will be no need to challenge her directly. Once our preparations are complete, Adelaide will suddenly fall very ill. Slowly she will waste away, before she tragically succumbs to a mysterious illness."

"You plan to poison her? But that's impossible! We're-"

"Yes yes, immune to most poisons." Shani waved a hand dismissively. "But we have an immunity to poisons because of our exposure to them. What do you think will happen if we introduce Adelaide to a new poison? Or, more accurately, one so old that our resistance has faded."

Lyon's eyes widened, "Great Grandfathers collection!"

"Some powered scarlet laceroot to weaken her liver and kidneys, lunamilk seed to sap her strength, nosgoth fang to make her ill, and caster bean extract to finish the job. Tasteless, odourless, undetectable, and very, very deadly."

As Shani spoke, Lyon could hear footsteps coming up from the lower levels. He resisted the urge to smile, "Just a few more seconds."

"And how do you know it will work?" he demanded.

"We tested it on a few city guards who's silence needed to be ensured. They succumbed in about an hour, though I imagine it will take longer for it to bring down the monster Adelaide."

"Wait, 'we'?"

"Yes, sir," Jabarain's voice rang out. "We."

Lyon turned to see Jabarain and a trio of the Chariot family guards emerge from the lower levels. In his hands Jabarian was carrying a crossbow, aimed directly at Lyon.

Lyon shook his head. "Jabarian, you're in on this?"

"In on it?" Jabraian chuckled, "I'm the one who created the plan you spoiled child! I've been working towards this for twenty years! Twenty years of shuffling behind you, 'yes master chariot, no master chariot, you're oh so bloody honourable master chariot'. Twenty years of watching as you turned into the most obnoxious little twat I've ever had the misfortune of not being able to kill!"

"Traitors, both of you!" Turning to the house guard's Lyon pointed his sword at Jabarian, "Guards, seize them!"

The guards did not move.

Lyon felt his heart sink in his chest. He turned to Shani, "What have you done?"

"While you were off dueling, drinking, preening for swooning females, and making preparations to go off and play at war, I was building an army loyal to the cause, our cause," Shani replied, striding over and standing beside Jabarian. "An army loyal to me."

"How dare you! I am the heir to our family! It is my right, not yours!"

"Not any more."

Lyon looked around desperately, but not one of the guards would meet his eyes.

As she regained her breath, Shani felt a pang of regret as she noticed the small pool of blood collecting around Lyon's feet, the lines of desperation and exhaustion on his face.

Taking a cautious step forwards, she extended a hand towards Lyon. "Brother, we are not enemies here. You were never supposed to find out about any of this."

"So you would have me be nothing more than an obedient pawn!"

Shani shook her head, "Lyon, no. I know how much your honour means to you. I wanted you to keep it intact."

"You wanted me to keep my honour... but you would have stripped me of it without my knowledge! You would have made me nothing but a shell!"

"Lyon... I truly don't want to hurt you. Father abandoned me, and when he sent mother and I back to Basikal, mother took her rage out on me. You're the only family that I have left, the only one I care about."

Lyon gripped his sword with both hands and held it before him. "And yet you betrayed me."

Shani's hands slowly curled into fists. "Fine, if that's how you want it, so be it."

Turning to the guards, Shani jerked her head towards Lyon, "Relieve my brother of his weapons would you."

"As you wish, Lady Chariot."

As the guards stepped forwards, drawing their swords, Lyon raised his own blade.

"I am the heir to the Chariot family, and I command you to stand down!" Lyon barked.

The lead guard looked back at Shani, "Lady Chariot?"

"You have your orders. Do it."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Come closer and I will cut you down!" Lyon warned.

As the guards approached, Lyon lunged forward and engaged. He met the sword of the first guard, while drawing a dagger from his belt.

As the second guard moved to strike at Lyon's side, Lyon lashed out with his leg. The guard's leg buckled as Lyon's foot struck his knee with a loud snap. As the guard stumbled, Lyon rammed his dagger into the guard's neck. The guard crumpled to the floor with a strangled gurgle and was still.

The third guard stepped back, frightened by the speed with which Lyon had dispatched her comrade. The lead guard was not so cautious and pressed forward, swinging his sword hard, trying to force Lyon to retreat.

Lyon was forced backwards a few steps, but was able to deflect the guard's attacks. As he blocked a thrust at his midsection, Lyon seized hold of his cape and whirled it in front of him, blinding the guard for a moment. Lyon stepped forwards and delivered a vicious strike to the guard's jaw. As the guard tried to recover his balance, he stumbled into the small pool of Lyon's blood. The guard felt his feet slide out from under him and he crashed to the floor on his back. Before he could get back up, Lyon leapt forward and drove his sword into the guard's throat.

Lyon turned towards the third and final guard, raising his sword. Before he could take a step, he felt a powerful impact in his chest, followed by searing agony. Lyon looked down and stared in shock at the crossbow bolt sticking through his chestplate.

As Lyon looked back up, he saw that it was not Jabarian that was holding the crossbow, but Shani.

"Sh-Shani..."

Tossing the crossbow aside, Shani strode forward as her brother stumbled and dropped to his knees, his sword falling from his fingers and clattering to the floor. She knelt down in front of Lyon and put a hand on his shoulder

"I'm sorry brother," she said softly, stroking his cheek.

Lyon's breath came in short gasps, and every time he tried to breath it felt like a hot poker being shoved into his chest. The world swayed beneath him, the sound of rushing blood echoing in his ears.

"It's alright, you'll be alright," Shani said softly, reaching down and taking hold of the bolt.

"Leave it!" Jabarian ordered, striding forwards. "Remove it and he will bleed to death in moments. We'll need to get him a doctor."

As Jabarian spoke, a half a dozen more guards arrived from the lower levels.

"Pick my brother up and take him downstairs to his room," Shani ordered, turning back to the guards. "And make sure-"

Shani froze, unable to speak. Slowly she looked down in surprise at the dagger Lyon had just stuck into her side, just below her ribs.

"You... are no... sister... of mine." Lyon managed to gasp, before collapsing onto his side.

Her hand shaking slightly, Shani grabbed hold of the dagger. The blade had not pierced very far into her flesh, but the wound still sent bolts of white hot fire up her side. Gritting her teeth, Shani pulled the dagger out and tossed it aside, a small cry of agony escaping her lips.

"Are you alright, lady Shani?" one of the guards asked, rushing forwards.

"I'm fine," Shani growled, waving off the concerned guard as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. "Just take my brother downstairs, and make certain not to jostle him too much. We still need him."

"Yes, my lady."

As the guards picked Lyon up and carried him off, Jabarian stepped forwards.

Reaching down, Shani grabbed hold of one of the capes belonging to a slain guard. She cut a long strip of fabric free and wrapped it around her stomach, staunching the bleeding from her wounds.

"It would seem your brother caught you off guard not once, not twice, but three times." Jabarian observed as Shani tested her bandage and slowly walked towards him.

"Yes.... it would seem so..."

Much to Jabarian's surprise, Shani started to laugh. The pain in her side strained her laughter, but still she could not stop.

"What do you find so amusing?" Jabarian demanded.

"All of it," Shani replied after a moment. "Every part of this farce. My brother, the honourable knight, stabs his own sister while she is trying to help him. Conrad, the perfect Basitin soldier, betrays his own king."

As she stepped forwards, Shani reached out her hand and stroked Jabarian's cheek, "And you and I, we're the biggest fools of all."

Jabarian started to speak, but Shani put a finger to his lips. "Don't deny it Jabi. You are acting for one reason and one reason alone. This whole world could be set aflame and you would not care, so long as you are able to wrap your fingers around Aster Alabaster's throat before you cooked to a crisp."

"And what about you?" Jabarian demanded, pushing Shani's hand away. "Are you any different?"

"Me?" Shani chuckled. "Jabi, I am the crown fool! I'm trying to save my people, all of whom would spit on me and hate me if they knew even half of the things I'm good at. I try to hand my brother a crown, and yet he refuses to take it. I even try to win the heart of a simple soldier, and I can't do it."

"Is that what you find so amusing? Self pity?" Jabarian crossed his arms and scowled. "So are you done feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Sorry for myself?" Shani tilted her head, a manic grin crossing her face. "Jabarian... I feel amazing."

Realization crossed Jabarian's face, "You're in shock."

"No, no no no!" Shani spread her arms, gesturing around the hall. "It's all so clear to me now. My brother, the one person in this world I trusted more than you, just stuck a knife in me!"

Shani sighed long and hard, dropping her arms to her side as she stared up at the ceiling, her eyes sliding closed. "I've never felt more clear in my entire life! Compassion, surrender, honour... They are all just words. Even family, family is nothing, blood is nothing.

"I thought my brother was better, better than me, but he's just more of the same!" Shani declared, stepping back up to Jabarian, her eyes wide with wild excitement. "So why should he get the crown? I'm going to kill Adelaide myself."

Shani looked down at her hand, stained red with her own blood. "I'm going to poison her just enough to weaken her, then I'm going to cut her throat. Then, my father's throat, then the Arms General, then the Intelligence General and all their little lieutenants, one by one. And once everyone in the military who could challenge me is dead... I'm going to eradicate the human species. I'm going to burn every one of them, the same as they did to the Sindal'Whey."

"She's truly lost it," Jabarian thought to himself. "She's utterly manic. But perhaps... perhaps I can work with this."

"And... What of General Alabaster?"

"Oh Jabi..." Shani leaned in and kissed Jabarian on the nose. "I would never take him away from you. The Alabasters are all yours, each and every one of them."

"And your brother?"

"I have some thoughts on that. He might still be useful, at least in keeping father in line."

"We will need to speak with Conrad. The plan will have to change."

"True, but-"

Jabarian's eyes widened as Shani grabbed him and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.

"We can worry about that tomorrow," she whispered into Jabarian's ear, her breath hot. "For now, I want you to come to my room."

"Lady Chariot, it's late, and you are injured. I don't think-" Jabarian paused as Shani pulled him close and stroked his chest.

"What's the matter? You didn't have a problem before," Shani purred, playing with Jabarian's beard. "Plus... I think you are under the mistaken impression that this is a request."

"So this is an order to... service the Chariot Family."

"That's right."

"Well then...." The smallest hint of a smile crossed Jabarian's face, "I will do my best not to disappoint you, Lady Chariot."

===

By the time Kent crawled back into bed, the inky blackness of night was beginning to show the first hints of blue on the very edges of the eastern horizon. After punching his pillows a few times, Kent lay back and stared at the ceiling.

"I wonder if I made the right call with Kolvest," Kent wondered. "With his father... and the Chariots... I wonder if I've put him in more danger..."

Kent yawned, his eyes sliding closed, "No path but forward."

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, Kent's door opened, casting a rectangle of golden light across his ceiling.

Kent sat up, "Bruik?" He was surprised to see that it was not his bodyguard, but Sara standing in the doorway.

"Sara?" Kent tilted his head, "Are you alright?"

"Kent... may I... may I sleep with you tonight?"

"Uh... sure, I don't see why not." Kent paused. "You're not... you know?"

"In heat?" Sara shook her head, "No. I just... I don't want to be alone."

"Well then come on in."

Kent lifted his blanket and Sara crawled in beside him, resting her head on his chest.

"Thank you," she said softly.

As Kent's eyes started to drift closed again, all of a sudden he felt moisture on his chest.

"Sara...Are you crying?"

"Yes."

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, but I.... I did something truly horrible."

"Do you need to talk about it?" Kent asked.

"I... I can't."

"It's okay. It'll all be okay." Kent reached up and stroked Sara's ears. "When you're ready, I'll be here."

"Kent... I don't understand. Why... Why are you so kind to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You... you know I spy on you, I know that you know."

"True."

"So why..."

"That was a part of the arrangement we made, wasn't it"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I suppose... I trust you."

"But why?"

"I love you."

Sara sighed heavily, "Kent... I know that's impossible."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Sara looked up at Kent, "I know we've had children together... But you... you prefer males, don't you?"

"So?" Kent shifted to look down at Sara. "Sara, just because my... tail doesn't stand on end when I see you unclothed does not mean I don't love you. I love your soft heart, your sharp mind, your eyes, and how soft your ears are. I love the way you like to watch raindrops running down the windows, the way you forbid me from using traps that would kill to catch mice in our house. I love the way you scold me when you need to patch me up, and I love the way your face lights up when you see our children."

Sara sniffed loudly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "But... but I..."

"Sara Silver." Kent reached down and touched her cheek. "You are my best friend, the mother of my children, and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. If I didn't love you, I would be a fool."

Sara sniffed, gently touching Kent's hand. "You know, you should have gone through with being a doctor. You have a very good bedside manner."

"Could never get used to the bloody blindfolds."

"They are a pain," Sara chuckled.

"Besides, I leave the saving of lives to you."

Kent's words shot through Sara's heart like an arrow. Again her tears flowed, but she did not allow herself to cry.

"Thank you, Kent," she whispered.

"Sleep well, treasure of mine," Kent said softly, still stroking Sara's ears. "And whatever we face, I'll face it with you."

End of Part 16

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