After Namid had changed into her new clothes, she caught Salem kissing a woman and smelt the heavy perfume again. Vexed, she quietly walked over to Salem and pulled—wrenched him away. In a heated whisper, she demanded to know was going on. "What in Ylva's sake were you doing?" she asked.
Salem, realizing what Namid must've thought, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It is how the serpiente act, they aren't reserved as avians, and willingly will kiss each other in public, as a friendly way of expressing gratitude or greeting each other."
Namid grudgingly accepted the answer, he knew more about the serpiente then her, despite her thirty-two years of living at the Court, and knew the serpiente were more open with showing gratitude or appreciation so who was she to judge?
That night, after the Namir-da, Rose retired to her rooms. Nyesh had promised to meet her tomorrow and Namid and Salem had also planned to get some sleep that night.
Changing quickly into a white nightgown, and climbing into bed, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow…
Late into that night, Ralon shifted back to human form, grinning as he stalked through the room intent on finding his prey. Ralon had carefully planned this out, with the other thieves and knew that, if he or any of them failed, it was a death sentence.
Stormy-blue eyes flickered with a vengeance in the pitch-black room, illuminated by soft moonlight as he quickly flicked out a knife, thick with a poison that was able to kill both serpiente and wolf. Somehow, he had mixed the falcon's poison with a concoction of his own and the poison had become twice as deadly. In a small vial, tucked in his boot, was the antidote, lest he accidentally stabbed himself.
The man's eyes came upon a bedroom. Ralon froze as someone was awoken and he quickly shifted into boa constrictor form, hiding in the shadows, waiting.
He watched as a woman got up from a bed, presumably unable to sleep, and softly sang to herself as she lit a few candles and went to her balcony, gazing at the stars. "Are you out there somewhere, Nyesh?" "Waiting for the dawn?" Smiling, she turned around and gasped, as Ralon lunged from the shadow. Rose froze in terror. "Ralon!" she whispered, half-shifting her body to her form of a wolf-cobra.
Ralon smirked, "So we meet again, little Rosie."
The woman growled deep in her throat and Ralon stepped back as Rose stepped forward, snake fangs bared. Ralon sneered and lunged at Rose, who lay in her human form, on the ground. Covering her mouth and pressing the knife to her throat, his chest tight with anger, "Don't you scream, or it's your life you'll be payin' with." He practically growled.
The young woman struggled in the man's grip, her heart pounding as Ralon uncovered her mouth and took her by the neck, cutting off her air. As she writhed in panic, clawing at her throat, desperate for air, Ralon held her over the balcony's edge. "You see your kingdom in peace, girl…" "That peace won't be for long, you can be sure that they will not accept your mother as queen or you as her heir. Go back to your land, savage."
Rose glared; her eyes gaining a pinkish shade in the candlelight as she gasped, eyes wide and face pale. Ralon threw her to the floor, laughing as he raised the knife to stab her in the chest.
Gasping, Rose tried to crawl away, "No, please!" she begged, "I'm innocent, I have done nothing!"
Ralon scoffed, "You are a pathetic excuse for a princess. Deformed just like your wyvern queen!"
Rose scowled and spat at his feet, "No one calls Oliza deformed!"
"Enough." The man ordered, gagging and tying her up with strips of cloth. He bent down and ran a finger up and down her exposed neck as she whimpered in fright, remembering the night when he had raped her. "Beautiful and fierce—just how I like my women."
As he stood, he was shoved aside by a black blur. A rough cry rang in the air, it had sounded like the scream of a panther. Rose saw, in the candlelight, the figure of a man and her heart skipped a beat.
Nyesh.
The panther had a tight hold on the thief's shirt, holding held a knife to Ralon's throat. "Don't you dare touch her, traitor," he growled. "Leave now, or I'll slit your throat!"
Ralon's eyes danced in mockery, "Really, boy?" "Do you really have the guts to kill a man, much less your father's partner?"
"You have no part in Sheeva Intre!" Nyesh replied, "You betrayed them."
The boa constrictor looked at his Mana's son with mock-hurt. "Did I now?" The thief then gripped Nyesh's shoulders, pinning them to his sides, and both fought to escape the other. Suddenly, as Ralon held Nyesh over the edge of the balcony, Nyesh somehow shifted into his panther form and, as Ralon dropped Nyesh over the edge, the boy dragged his enemy with him.
There was a scream and a sickening crunch as both fell, unable to shift, to the ground below. Rose struggled with her bonds and, as the weak cloth loosened, she reached up and ripped off the gag, scrambling to the balcony. But all she saw was a mess of limbs and slowly forming pool of red. Tears burned in her eyes as she thought of Nyesh…
Hurrying down the stairs, almost two at a time, down to the main floor of the Court, she felt her fury grow and her tears blind her as she dodged anyone in her way. Shaking, she ran to Nyesh's side, nightdress ripped in some places from tripping past people in the halls and now caked in a thin layer of blood as she collapsed in the grass, trying to dislodge Nyesh from the mass of twisted limbs Ralon had become.
Nyesh had shifted back into his human form as he fell, she could tell but it had done no good: His left arm was broken, and his left leg was twisted in an odd way that sent bile rising in Rose's throat. Blood pulsed from long cut on his temple and smeared now on her nightdress and black and blue bruises mottled his back. Rose, beyond tears now, held the unconscious Nyesh to her chest, mindful of his injuries.
The princess jumped when Ralon stirred, grunting in pain. Her face paled when she realized the 'mass of twisted limbs' had not been Ralon, but Nyesh all along. As Ralon opened his eyes and grinned, Rose tried to drag Nyesh away but, with the state he was in, she could only move an inch or two without hurting him further. She watched in horror as the man stood and, with shaking hands, raised the poisoned knife to kill her.
Suddenly, a black wolf crept from the shadows, and its form rippled to that of a man, dagger sheaths at his sides. "Step back, Ralon!" He ordered.
Salem and Namid hurried over to them, faces clearly worried. When Namid saw Rose, unharmed and Nyesh's state she gasped and kneeled to her daughter's side.
"Rakab stop," Namid whispered, turning to her friend. Her face was fixed with concern, tears at the corners of her eyes. "Please. Just don't do this…"
"Don't worry," he glared at Ralon, "I know what I'm doing."
Rakab drew a dagger and snarled a challenge as the boa constrictor narrowed his eyes and raised the knife to stab the wolf. Rakab dodged as Ralon cut through air, stumbling around to face Rak, screaming his rage as he fought. Battle cries cut through the air and the heavy breathing of the men could be heard as Rakab focused on avoiding the poisoned blade.
Namid felt defenseless as Salem held her, watching Rakab and Ralon circle each other, eyes locked upon the foe. Ralon stabbed but missed as Rak dodged and attacked. Ralon hissed and quickly swerved to swipe at Rakab's side, but he moved just in time to miss the second swipe and stabbed at Ralon's shoulder, making a deep wound in the flesh of the boa's arm. It was like some sort of dance, a dance of death.
Ralon hooked a leg around Rak's and Rakab stumbled backwards as Ralon slammed his fist upon Rakab's mouth, the force of the impact sending the wolf falling on his back, staring up at the knife that the betrayer held in his hand, thick with a poison that would give him a slow, painful death.
Namid struggled from Salem's grip and threw herself upon Rakab. Green-silver met violet and—knowing what she was about to do— Rakab's eyes darkened. They seem to say to her: "Stop this. Don't do this for me…" Namid gazed deeply into his eyes, realizing fully now, how they seemed to reveal his feelings…
Namid placed a hand on his cheek, "I'm sorry." She whispered, voice barely audible.
She heard Ralon laugh harshly, and Rose's cry of shock and sorrow. The knife glinted in the light of a single candle and Rose buried her head in her father's tunic, as he bent to comfort her, wincing as Namid cried out, the knife tearing into the thin cloth of her robe and nightdress, lodging its blade into the flesh between her shoulder blade and back, sending a stinging pain though her veins and she knew instantly the poison had been injected. It didn't matter now: She had saved his life in exchange for her own.
Out of anger, Salem then stood and lunged forward, and Ralon was caught by surprise as the cobra grabbed his wrists and pinned him against the wall, shape shifting into his Demi-form. Wide-eyed, Ralon swallowed hard as a dagger flew through the air with a hiss and caught his sleeve, leaving a shallow cut along his arm. His face grew pale as the members of Sheeva Intre ran to them, "We came as quickly as we could…" Elita explained, trailing off when she saw her leader on the ground, holding Namid and blood staining the ground.
The members took over and Salem left them to deal with the betrayer. Senka, in jaguar form, pinned Ralon to the ground and the others surrounded him, weapons unsheathed, determined to protect their Mana and the prince of Wyvern's Court. Sheila went to Rakab's side and Alida, Elita and Ginger went to gather guards to properly deal with Ralon.
Sheila swallowed tears as she smoothed the hair from Namid's face, "Nasa'teh'ra"
"Don't move, child."
Namid gasped as her vision swam distorting sounds and colors. Rakab sat up, holding his lover, and letting tears fall down his cheeks as Salem kneeled with him, on the other side of Namid, turning first to the avian guards that had gathered with the sparrow twins and the red rat snake, "Treason." Was all he said, before the guards carried Ralon off to face his fate: Execution.
Namid opened her eyes and smiled at the familiar sights, as Rak held her. "I'm sorry." She said again gasping and fighting back cries of pain.
"Don't be." Was Salem's reply.
"It wasn't your fault." Rakab shook his head.
"La'pt'le'miss'la'lalintoth." Alida spoke in Ha'shmla yet Namid knew what she meant, and that she spoke for the whole group. "We will miss you, my friend."
Namid, with tears in her own eyes, lifted her hand to brush Rakab's cheek, "Heasha'la 'las-cincanon… la'le-huer'for gen'as 'la-divi…La'toth'gen"
"Remember me every night… I will shine for you, as your star…I love you."
She took Salem's hand, "Have'keyi'for''la-nese"
"Have hope for your life."
She turned to Rose and smiled, "La'toth'gen'Habre…"
"I love you, Rose."
For a few moments, Namid struggled to hang onto life, but the poison soon took effect. Namid smiled ruefully, "I shall dance among the stars…" she murmured as her vision darkened. The group watched, helpless, as the life bled from her eyes, her arm dropped to her side and her grip on Salem's hand slackened. Her labored breathing halted, and she soon lay limp in Rakab's arms, eyes glazed over and skin as pale and cold as moonshine but a smile remaining on her lips.
"Namid…" Rak looked away, fresh tears on his cheeks, and choked back sobs, as he looked back, his hands stroking her silky hair and tracing the oh-so familiar features of her face.
The members of Sheeva Intre gathered near their Mana and whispered their own prayers of peace and rest and Salem noticed how much the group had loved Namid. How much trust, love and friendship they gave to their leader who was even of a different type of shape shifter then the majority of them. They were loyal friends that much was clear.
Salem sighed as Sheeva Intre went to tend to Nyesh. "She was a dear friend to you?" he asked, adressing Rakab.
"More then a friend…" Rakab whispered, remembering the frequent kisses they had shared, years ago before Namid was wed to Salem.
"Are you staying here at Wyvern's Court?" Rose asked, wiping away stray tears with a hand and touching Rak's arm, glancing at Sheila who winced as she inspected Nyesh's bruises.
"Thank you but no, I've business elsewhere." Rak answered, "Sheila will you take Nyesh inside?" he turned to the emerald boa and she nodded, quietly instructing the others.
"You and your people are welcome here, anytime, as long as Oliza knows." Salem nodded. "What will you do now?"
"Go home to the Lupine and reclaim a place there." Rakab replied, "But first..." He paused and took a deep breath. "take Namid back home."
"Rose and I will come with you then," Salem replied, "To bid her off to the gods."