Beloved (42 page)

She tried to count the stairs as they ascended, but lost track when the double doors opened and five more guards joined them, their attire more ornate and colorful—
Royals
, she thought. Two took positions on each side of the door and one stayed directly in front of them, blocking their way.

“You must surrender your weapons here,” the Royal said.

Kira didn’t argue. She already assumed they’d ask her to give them up. In fact, she was more than surprised they’d let her pass the first gate with them.

“And the cat stays here,” he continued.

“She is my companion and does not leave my side.”

One of the guards moved toward Altaria, but stopped when she seemed to grow a little larger and bore her razor sharp teeth. He pulled his sword and poked it in her direction.

“Don’t even think about hurting her. If she doesn’t rip you to pieces, I will.” Kira forced the Royal blood that flowed through her veins to ignite the fire in her eyes. She knew when they burned cold and the man’s own eyes widened with fear that they were glowing. She moved so that she stood between Altaria and the guard. “Am I understood?”

He looked to the other guards for help, but didn’t find any. They all had the same dumbfounded expression on their faces, so he backed away and motioned for her to proceed.

“Follow me.” The Royal standing in their way spun on his heels and walked back through the doorway and into the castle. Kira and Altaria followed, as did the four other Royals, but not the guards.

The doors slammed behind them, echoing through the long corridor that lay out before them. Sunlight streamed through the many windows, bouncing off crystal chandeliers which produced no light on their own and served no purpose other than their reflective beauty casting tiny sparks on the walls. As the tiny crystals moved in the breeze caused from the door slamming, the sparks danced around like tiny fairies flitting about.

The entire length of the corridor was lined with beautiful tapestries and paintings, all depicting the king in various flattering poses. Each portrayed him as a valiant warrior with broad shoulders and long black hair. When the double door at the end of the hall swung open and Kira finally saw the glorious King Tyrius on his throne, she nearly laughed out loud.

Not only was the mighty king of Kazedon small in stature, but bald. His crown sat askew, making him look more like a child dressed for Halloween than a feared and ruthless leader. It didn’t help that the throne was way too big for him, so much so that his feet dangled an inch or two off the ground. Kira took the whole room in with a glance, finding a hideous display of the king’s greed in all the gold and silver ornaments and embedded gem stones surrounding him.

“Bring her here,” King Tyrius barked.

One of the men behind her slammed his fist into her back, making her stumble into the room. She bumped into a tall pedestal nearly toppling the statue off the top. It rocked back and forth before coming to a stop, its engraved image an exaggerated version of the king.

Do not show weakness, Kira. One mistake and we are both dead.
Altaria reached out her claws and sliced a gash in his thigh, her teeth exposed in a snarl.

I know.
Kira spun around and kicked the same man in the gut, sending him into the wall behind him. “Do not touch me again.” She straightened, pushed the other men aside and closed the distance between her and the king. She stopped when he raised his hand, but she didn’t bow or curtsy.

“You will kneel before me,” Tyrius said.

She was close enough to see spittle spew out of his mouth when he spoke. “I bow to no one.”

Three of her escorts caught up to her, one grabbed the back of her hair while the other two each took an arm and forced her to her knees. Kira’s hands were free, so she grabbed the two at her sides by the ankles and sent them stumbling away shaking and convulsing. She could have hurt them worse, but she needed to reserve her energy for the real battle she knew was yet to come.

The man still holding her hair yanked her back and put a knife to her throat. Before Kira could react, Altaria transformed to her beautiful, dangerous self, the point of her sword tickling the man’s throat.

“I suggest you drop that knife,” Altaria said.

The man slowly released Kira’s hair and dropped the knife to the floor by her side. Kira grabbed it and stood, ready to fight the next idiot who dared take them on, but the only other Royal in the room they hadn’t incapacitated in some way stood by the door lending help to the man Altaria had injured.

King Tyrius laughed, clapping his hands as if he’d orchestrated the whole event for his own entertainment. “Well done. Well done.” He snapped his fingers and the room exploded with Royals, all fully transformed and ready to fight.

Too many to count, Kira and Altaria stood back to back while the others slowly closed in, their maws snarling and drooling like a pride of rabid cats. Kira could feel her eyes burn cold and the muscles in her back and shoulders surge with adrenaline.
I think I’m ready for the next stage in our plan, Al.

I agree.
Altaria growled, alerting Kira to her transformation. She was just as ready for this fight as Kira was. It had been a long time since the battle in the canyon, all brought about by a greedy king who couldn’t fathom the thought of his son being bound to a woman whose gifts were unacceptable to him. The king’s son and only heir had died that day and the king had blamed everyone but himself. It was time to put an end to this madness.

The first spirits Kira felt enter the room belonged to Luka and Cade. Once they appeared the others came so fast Kira couldn’t distinguish one from another. Along with Blayde and Brenna came eight other Royals from Lairdor, all fully transformed. Their mere presence caused the Kazedon Royals to stop their advance. Luka and Cade stayed by the girls while the Lairdorians pushed the others back, making the empty space around the girls grow. Their slight victory, however, was short-lived.

The king stood, stretching his arms out to the side. “You fools! Do not retreat!”

Kira’s senses were so overwhelmed by the mass of Royals appearing in the room that she could barely stand. The walls seemed to sway back and forth. “Prepare yourselves, there are more coming.” She closed her eyes to gain her balance and when she opened them they’d been outnumbered by at least twenty to one.

Al!

Stand strong, Kira. We are not finished
.

Nestor’s calming spirit was a welcome addition as he appeared in front of the king, Mara at his side, her feminine, prissy attitude swapped for that of a sword-wielding warrior. Instead of a fancy dress she wore brown leather trousers with a matching corset-type vest, so tight her breasts were dangerously close to spilling over the top.

Nestor held a long staff above his head, mumbled something, and then slammed the end into the floor, shattering the stone beneath it and causing the floor to tremor. “Enough!” His deep voice rang out through the room and suddenly all eyes were on him. “Tyrius! Call off your men or I will bring a war upon your kingdom that will wipe out its very existence.”

Even at a distance, Kira could see the king’s face turn red and the veins on his forehead rise to the surface. “How dare you enter my chambers in such a manner and threaten me! You have no right and certainly do not have the means to carry through with your threat. I have seen how weak Xantara is and—”

“I do not speak for King Belesgar. I speak for my brother, the king of Morganstar.”

Mara moved closer to her husband. “And I speak for my uncle, the king of Finvarra. You have three kingdoms whose Royals stand at the ready. One word from us and they will join this fight.”

“Must I remind you how many brothers I have and the multitude of sons they have sired?” Nigel continued. “Morganstar alone could crush your tiny kingdom beneath its feet.” He pointed his staff toward King Tyrius’ men. “Call them off. Now!”

Tyrius slowly lowered himself to his throne, leaned back and folded his arms. With a smug expression he scanned the room as if contemplating his options. A sinister grin wiped the scowl from his face, making a cold chill run down the length of Kira’s spine.

Tyrius waved his hand in the air. “Seize them!”

The first Royals to arrive were Kazedonians who’d brought at least a dozen Darkords with them. Several of the Royals surrounded the king to protect him, but the rest had come to fight. Within seconds, yet more Royals appeared, their spirits a complete contrast to the Kazedon spirits who entered earlier. With each one, Kira felt honor and integrity. Kira wasn’t sure if they were from Morganstar or Finvarra, but they were definitely the good guys. Their mere presence pushed the king’s men back against the walls. Some disappeared in retreat, while others stood their ground.

Kira! Now is your chance to find Octavion. Go!
Altaria stepped between Kira and the battle, giving her a shove toward a doorway to the right side of the king.

I don’t know where to look
.

Find a staircase that goes down. He is most likely in the catacombs under the castle
.

But before Kira got to the door, a loud bang rang out from the back of the room. She spun around expecting to see more of Tyrius’ men coming through the huge double doors that had just burst open. Instead she saw one man dressed in black, his long dark hair blew back from his face, even though there was no breeze in the room. He put his arms out to his side, then brought his hands together, clapping once. The sound it made was so loud; the percussive blast from it blew those who were closest off their feet.

It took a few seconds, but eventually everyone stopped fighting and the room fell silent. The man standing in the doorway made a sweeping motion with his hand and strong gust of wind caused the Royals to part and a pathway to form all the way to the front where the weakling king still sat with his mouth agape.

“King Tyrius,” the man in black bellowed. “Ramla, the king of Panthera, requests an audience. Will you accept his arrival?”

Tyrius wiped the drool from his lower lip and tried to speak, but he stammered the first few words and the rest came out all jumbled. He cleared his throat and adjusted himself so he sat straight and tall on his throne. “As you can see, I am in the middle of something here. Perhaps another time.”

The man in black moved a few steps closer so that he was no longer standing in the doorway. Two other men dressed in the same black garments appeared, one on either side of the first. “I am afraid it cannot wait. The matter he wishes to speak to you about is pressing and involves the one you hold captive.”

Octavion?
Kira still stood near the side door, but the possibility that this man might be here because of Octavion peeked her interest and she found her feet moving her closer to the man.

Altaria placed her sword back in its sheath and positioned herself in front of Kira.
Easy. Do not interrupt their conversation. Ramla is a powerful man.

Is he talking about Octavion?

I believe so, but we need to wait and see how this plays out before we interfere.

Tyrius stood, his crown nearly slipping from his head. He repositioned it, but it still wasn’t straight. “Crimes do not go unpunished in Kazedon. I have many prisoners, some more deserving than others. Perhaps you should be more specific.”

Crimes?
That’s all it took to get Kira riled up. She’d played nice long enough. With a knife still in her hand, she rushed the king, getting dangerously close before two of his guards grabbed her and pulled her away. She sent both of them to the ground in a seizing fit, nearly depleting all her energy.

She fell to her knees, then struggled to get back to her feet. “You lying weasel. Octavion is not a criminal. You are. You sent your men to Xantara to kill me for something that wasn’t even my fault. And when you couldn’t capture me, you took Octavion. You’re a coward. If you would have had more control over your son—”

“Enough!” A deep voice rang out from the back of the room. If Kira hadn’t felt his spirit a second before he appeared, she still would have known he was there. A sudden calm fell over the room like a paralyzing mist. It was as if Jaya had walked in and used her gift to calm the beasts in all of them—Kira included.