The Sun's Shadow

Chapter Thirty-Three

She fetched an ivory bust displayed on a side table and did a few practice throws to ensure it'd land where she wanted- Directly in the center of the window she stood in front of.

Wasting not a second more, she extended her arm back then propelled the bust forward and released it mid-throw. Instead of shattering the glass, the damn thing itself broke and the pieces came soaring back at her after bouncing off the fortified window.

It looked like...

Ele went up to the window, walking through the broken pieces of ivory without care of it puncturing her flats. She poked the window and absorbed the light shock of the magic that cloaked it. There would be no escaping this way. She had no choice but to get to the front door and pray that they didn't have ballistas that could shoot her down.

Now that she had her wings back, she treasured them more than ever. She vowed to die before they were ever taken from her again.

The sounds of footsteps running past made her press into the wall. Once they got far enough, she turned back into the hall and her pleas to her ancestors heightened.

.

.

"Kaanan, take a look at this." Sandros ushered both his brother and the King to look at what he discovered. The door had been slightly ajar, so he peered in to find the entire place, from the carpet to the walls, singed.

A deformed carcass of a satyroid remained.

When Kaanan walked in to get a better look, he recognized the burned face immediately. How could he forget the face of someone who hurt his beloved?

"This is the satyroid I released." He left out the part about doing so after maiming him. "As for the room... I don't know what could have happened but Ele isn't here so we keep searching."

The brothers nodded, and they continued on, checking rooms sporadically and listening for her. Kaanan had a keen nose for her scent, which helped. Everywhere he went it smelled faint but that new mark overpowered it. Damn his cousin.

"Their grand hall is coming up. Are we sure we want to attack now? We have no army." Sandros, the voice of reason, annoyed Kaanan who didn't want to hear it.

"If it starts a war, so be it."

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The noise alerted the three boys that they were no longer alone.

Taurean approached them from behind and appeared to be alone. He nonchalantly clapped at their bold display of heroism.

"Kaanan, you've returned to me at last. I knew you would." Taurean had made the faenix girl sing and her other half came to save her.

When Kaanan heard his name, his eye twitched and he suppressed his powers- He didn't need them to take down this scum. Taurean's sentence begged to be questioned.

"Returned?" Is all Kaanan mustered through the anger.

"Mm," Taurean nodded, gleeful that the boy bit onto the bait. "Did your false mother or father ever tell you about your origin? Or is the story telling all up to me?"

The confused look on Kaanan's face spoke volumes.

Taurean loved the turmoil festering. "I see. Would it be news if I told you that your mother had a miscarriage, prior to you?"

Of that, Kaanan knew. He shook his head to confirm such.

"And you know of your mother's willingness to do anything for her family? Even if it means blood has to be shed and heads have to roll... I always admired Wylda for that. That same tenacity became her downfall when she took part in a blood sacrifice in order to carry you."

Pieces of the puzzle began to lock into place. This smug satyroid exposed his father and mother for who they truly were- Desperate bloodsuckers. Something he already knew, but it went beyond that. His father, desperate for power. His mother, desperate for a family. They had gone behind each other's backs and sealed their fate.

"Little did they know, I orchestrated the entire thing." Taurean had a smirk on his face that just asked to be punched. Kaanan held back because he needed to know more. The distraction worked splendidly. "I provided my blood to the mage I hired. All he needed was Jyosith's and Wylda's to seal the deal. The demons that vowed to serve me and ensure my succession on the throne have come to fulfill their promise. They live in you."

"Those voices..." Kaanan gripped his head as he heard them roar from within.

"Yes!" Tauren laughed at his misery that had only begun. "Come fulfill your duty, make me King! Together we will obliterate the Sepulchre you know and love. Soon it will be mine to control. The councils will be no more."

When Sandros and Leon went to pull their friend out of the darkness, they were confronted by two formidable adversaries. Oxin and Davient came from the shadows to keep them away from interfering.

Nothing could stop the demons within Kaanan from surfacing now.