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Chapter Sixty-Nine: Bahira

I can’t find Kai.

Or Jahlee. The first rebel I had encountered in the palace lies dead about a hundred feet behind me. The next two are about twenty feet each after that. I run across the first floor, blood dripping from my spear and sweat beading on my brow, and still, I can’t find either of them in the chaos.

It’s pure madness, shifters wearing fancy party clothing splattered in blood and animals of all varieties darting in both directions—all of them crashing into each other. If a rebel isn’t in their mortal form and wearing a mask, I have no idea how to identify them as the threat. So I leave the animals to attack each other and focus on fighting the shifters that I can, all the while scanning the throng of people for the king and his sister.

A scream changes the direction of my quickly moving feet. Readjusting my hold on the spear, I round a corner and find myself staring down the hallway I first met Kane in. The portraits that had hung on the wall before are now crooked, some lying shredded on the floor. Slowing my steps, I force my breaths in my nose and out of my mouth to steady my heartbeat as I cautiously step over them.

Flame gems are scattered on the floor, the glass sconces that had held them broken into tiny pieces that crunch beneath my feet. The hallway comes to an end, the only option to go left or right. Kane had led me to the right the night of the party, but the shouting comes from the opposite direction. So I turn that way.

The new corridor is dim, light from the fallen gems behind me leaking into it. Rumblings farther down—animal and not—make me shiver, but I keep my steps precise and my spear out in front of me. Passing the open doors lining both sides of the hall, I listen and wait to see if anyone pops out from them. Blood paints the walls, the sight churning my stomach. Please let Jahlee be alright . She can’t shift. If a hoard of rebels in their animal forms surrounded her—

Growling, low and menacing, sounds from behind me. A spike of fear jolts through me, my shoulders rising towards my ears as I spin and come face to face with a prowling tan mountain lion. A deep noise rumbles from it again, the beast toying with me as it shows me its sharp teeth that are perfectly formed for the shredding of flesh.

A bark rends the air, not from the animal in front of me but from behind again. Chancing a look over my shoulder, I fight back the urge to shout at the incoming massive fox . Powerful muscles move beneath its reddish-brown fur as it snarls and bares its canines at me. Fuck, why could it not be something small? Like a turtle. I pivot, my back now to the wall with the blunt end of my spear pointing towards the mountain lion and the leaf-shaped tip angled towards the fox.

They keep their pace unhurried as they stalk closer. “I’m warning you assholes to stop. I won’t hesitate to kill either of you.” Neither one so much as pauses at my words, so I keep my attention split between them both, grinding my molars as I brace myself.

The mountain lion launches into a sprint, the distance between us gone in a flash. I have only enough time to rear my spear back a foot before bashing the black metal cap into its face, my muscles straining from the impact. The large cat screeches, stumbling away and pawing at its now bleeding nose. I turn to see the fox already mid-leap, its jaw wide and eyes hungry. Ducking, I jab the sharp metal tip up, catching the underbelly of the fox near its right hind leg. It lets out a howl as it lands in a crouched position, blood already leaking down its leg. I take a step back, both animals now in front of me. The mountain lion springs at me again, swinging a massive paw tipped with sharp claws that I narrowly avoid. I arc my spear down towards it, watching from the corner of my eye as the fox crouches and leaps. But I don’t have time to do anything other than duck while I spin and yank my spear towards me, scraping the jagged edge of the metal leaf against the mountain lion’s side, making it roar in pain. Agony sears across my upper back, the fox’s claws shredding the skin there.

“Shit,” I seethe, the scent of blood rich as it leaks down my back.

Poised to continue their assault, both animals’ muscles flex before they pounce at the same time, the big cat hitting me first. It barrels into me, knocking me onto the ground as it snaps its massive jaws at my face. I’m able to get my spear up horizontally over my chest, bracing the lion’s weight as it leans forward. Warm saliva drips from its maw and onto my neck, my arms trembling as I scream.

White flares in my vision when the fox attacks my leg, claws and teeth tearing into skin and muscle. Through heaving breaths, I kick blindly with my free leg at the animal, my boot connecting harshly enough to make it whine out in pain as it releases my leg.

The cat on top of me presses harder, its hot breath blasting onto my face as I stare at its elongated canines. My strength wanes and tears leak down my cheeks. I wasn’t trained for this—to fight against two massive animals. And I’m going to die because of it.

A harrowing scream rends the air, drawing both my attention and that of the mountain lion. The fox, its eyes wide and mouth hanging open, collapses to the ground at my side with a long sword sticking out from where its head meets its neck. Holding the sword, his long brown hair tangled around his shoulders, is Kane. The mountain lion leaps towards Kane with a vicious growl, swiping its paw at his legs. In two movements, I come up to my knees and drive the sharp tip directly in the cat’s back. The mountain lion howls, but Kane is there, plunging his sword into the beast’s side until it collapses dead next to the fox.

My chest heaves as I lean back on my hands, my vision going blurry for a moment before clearing. Kane squats by my side, assessing my body for injuries and grimacing at what he finds. “You’re bleeding.”

“You’re naked,” I counter.

The corner of his mouth kicks up as he runs a hand through his hair to pull it away from his face. He looks fairly uninjured, only a few angry-looking scratches marring his bare chest. I reach for the end of my shirt, ripping off a strip of it to tie around my bleeding leg, while Kane checks out my back and assures me that, while deep, the wounds there have slowed their bleeding. He helps me up to stand, his arm automatically going around my waist as he squeezes me to him. Shrugging out of his grip—much to his annoyance—I start walking down the corridor in the direction I was heading before I got attacked.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask through labored breaths, the pain in my leg mingling with the adrenaline now draining from my body and leaving me limping heavily.

“Rebels attacked the palace during the masquerade party. Just came in and started slaughtering and demanding to know where Kai was.”

My body stiffens as I swing my head towards him. “Have you seen him? Kai, I mean?”

Kane shakes his head, his gaze moving from me to the hallway ahead of us. “I haven’t.” I try to suck in a full breath, but it won’t come. “I’m sure he’s fine,” he grits out, noticing my clear discomfort.

Fuck , I need to get myself under control. “And Jahlee?” I ask.

He tilts his head, that infuriating smirk returning. “Last I saw her, she was attempting to fight off two full-sized gorillas.”

I narrow my eyes at the amusement in his voice as he leads us to the left and down another dim hallway. “And you didn’t think to help her?”

He shrugs, moving to put his hand into his pocket, only to remember he doesn’t have any. “I found you instead. Besides, she seemed to be doing just fine. The female knows how to fight.”

My hand braces the wall next to me as I observe him. “How did you find me?”

Kane looks at me, a thin ring of gold forming around his irises. “We should keep moving. We need to get you to a healer before you bleed out.”

I swallow down my unease but grip my spear more tightly. We walk in silence for another few minutes, my focus entirely on him and the sword he is holding. I slow my steps as the walls begin to change from elegantly painted wood to cold and rough stone.

“It’s a good thing you weren’t in your room. I was up on the second floor, and the rebels trashed it,” he says as we reach a set of double doors. My steps halt again, fear licking up my spine as Kane slows his steps.

“How did you know I wasn’t there?” I ask, watching as he slowly turns, his gaze flicking away from me for a blink before returning to my own.

“Kai was gone,” he drawls, his fingers flexing on the hilt of his sword. “It wasn’t hard to guess that you’d be with him.”

Fair point. Still, the mention of my room… I had only told one person that I’d be there tonight. Something sharp pricks at my neck, making me gasp. Reaching up to the stinging area, my dread grows when I feel not smooth skin but a small vial. I yank it out and bring the dart with the tiny glass bottle attached to it out in front of me.

Swaying on my feet, I look to Kane. “What the hell is this?” Yet he looks just as stunned, his fingers trailing over his neck. I try to stumble away from him, every instinct screaming that something is horribly wrong. An acidic fire rips through my veins, shooting down my neck and over my entire body. I can’t suck enough air in, and a dark haze begins to creep around the edges of my vision. Shit . Shit.

I go to move another step and fall instead, my hands and knees unable to brace my weight from hitting the ground. Boots step in front of me, and then everything goes black.

Drip. Drip. Drip

The incessant sound drags me from the black hole of sleep and into consciousness. The smell of damp earth and mildew mixes with something lighter, citrus maybe.

My body feels heavy, and my veins are on fire. There’s a pulsing pain in my back and leg, a soreness on my chin and palms. I have the vague awareness that I’m sitting with my head lolled to the side. My eyes are slow to open, the clarity of my vision even slower to come in. When it does…

Fucking gods .

Bodies. There are bodies hanging from shackles and dripping blood on the wall in front of me. Nausea burns up my esophagus, but I force it down, lifting my hand to cover my mouth only for it to come to a stop halfway up. The rattle of chains startles me, and I turn my gaze down to see that I’m shackled at both wrists.

“What the fuck,” I rasp, my throat raw as I wince in pain.

“Ah, she is finally awake.”

I turn my head in the direction the voice came from, only to see the blurry outline of a body leaning against the adjacent wall, his legs extended out in front of him. “Kane?”

“The one and only.” His speech is slurred, the sound of his own voice harsh as it echoes out into the chamber? Dungeon? It looks like a combination of both. The walls, ground, and ceiling are made entirely of thick dark stone bricks, only illuminated by a small flame gem hanging from a glass orb centered overhead. The light is just enough to make out the gruesome details of the three bodies chained by their wrists across from me. Blood stains their exposed skin, dripping incessantly onto the floor.

“What did you do to them?” I ask, my head swimming as my stomach clenches with unease.

“Afraid I can’t take credit for that whole mess. They were already like that when I woke.”

Chains rattle, and I look down at my own to make sure it isn’t me. “Are you a prisoner?”

Kane scoffs as his chains shake again. “We got attacked at the same time, Bahira. Of course I’m a prisoner.”

“You weren’t leading me into a trap?”

“What? No , I told you. I was taking you to the fucking healer.”

My head rolls to the side as I stare in his direction. “I thought you were working with the rebels. That you were one of them.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“You can’t blame me for being suspicious,” I chide, attempting to stretch out my legs before I hiss in pain. “It’s no secret that you hate Kai and Jahlee. And then there’s that scar on your arm.”

Only the dripping of blood sounds in the chamber for a long while, my eyelids battling to stay open in the murky light.

“I am not overly fond of those two, you are correct. And I don’t know what my scar has to do with anything.”

“When Kai and I were attacked by the rebels on the way back from visiting Leeta, I threw my dagger into one of their forearms.”

He lets out an abrupt laugh that turns into a cough. When he’s calmed down, his voice is more hoarse as he replies, “That’s surprisingly attractive. Kai probably loved it. But no, I’m afraid my wound is less of an adventurous story.”

Kane doesn’t elaborate as heavy footsteps alert us to someone coming. I am able to gather my wits enough to sit up a little bit taller, but it’s all I can muster before a male enters the room. He stands beneath the flame gem, the golden light illuminating his amber eyes and casting shadows beneath his cheekbones.

“Do you remember me?”

I don’t get a chance to answer before he draws his leg back and kicks me in the ribs, sending blinding pain throughout my body. I gasp for breath, my chest heaving with the effort as stars burst behind my eyes. I think Kane says something to the male, but I can’t decipher it over the ringing in my ears. Nox’s voice filters into my mind with his motto for me when I would get overwhelmed while training when we were kids: attention goes where your breath flows . It was a twist on our instructor Dilan’s saying: magic goes where intention flows. I didn’t have magic, but I could control my breathing. I could draw my attention there. Keeping my eyes closed, I force my mouth to close and my next inhale to slow. In and out . When I open my eyes again, the pain pushed back into a corner of my mind, the male is squatting in front of me, a feral smile splitting his lips.

“Whatever you did, it wasn’t memorable enough. I don’t know who the fuck you are.” Gods my voice sounds so weak. Even more terrifying, I feel weak. The male’s smile drops into a sneer.

“Let’s see if you remember this.” He stands, unsheathing a shortsword from behind him and twirling it in his hand. He begins to pace, looking down at me as his boots leave dried flecks of mud all over the stone floor. I watch his annoyance with me grow the longer I stare at him with ignorance. He growls low in his throat as his grip tightens on the hilt.

Nothing on my lower body is shackled, so maybe if I can get him close enough again, I can try to get his weapon. My hands curl into fists when I realize that I don’t see my spear anywhere. “If you think your small sword is supposed to mean anything to me, you’re—”

The male moves quickly, leaning in to backhand me across the face. I take advantage of his focus, moving slower than I’d like but still managing a kick between his legs right as he slaps me. My head snaps to the side, my breath once more yanked from my chest.

Attention goes where your breath flows. In and out, Bahira.

He falls onto his side, the sword skidding to my left. I kick out again, the bottom of my boot connecting with the asshole’s nose. He screams out in pain, and I stretch out with my other leg to slide the sword towards me. My boot slips, and I heave against the manacles to try and move closer. The tip of my shoe touches the silver blade, and I pull it towards me for only an inch before I slip again. I continue trying, inching the sword closer as the male writhes near my feet.

I finally bring it to my hip, still out of reach from my hands, but if I turn—

“I told you not to get close to her, Niko.”

I don’t stop my efforts, not even as two more bodies fill the chamber. One walks directly towards me and grabs the weapon before I can. I glare at them and the elongated oryx skull they wear as a mask, the twisted horns of it casting an ominous shadow on the stone floor.

The rebel I kicked, Niko, finally gets to his feet. “I am going to kill you.”

My responding laugh is more of a wheeze, but his words are a familiar tug in my mind. The night we had gotten attacked by the rebels, one of them had said the same thing to me. I study the shifter—his large build and dark hair. My gaze tracks to his boots and the mud on them. It had been raining that night weeks ago, and he had been wearing the skull mask then, but based on his size alone, I think it might be the largest rebel who had attacked me.

I look at one of the shifters that just entered, their build similar to my own. The female rebel.

“I think she’s starting to understand,” the third voice says, his identity covered by the shadows outside of the single flame gem’s reach. I focus on my breathing, my mind calculating how to get out of here while shackled to a wall and without a weapon. “I must say, I’m disappointed you haven’t already figured it out. You are, apparently, known for your intelligence.”

The rebel’s voice halts my thoughts, everything stilling as I wait for him to show himself. Steps sound as Tua finally comes into view. Though he drew my suspicions, I didn’t want to be right. Not about this. Anger, fierce and burning, floods through me as I stare at him under the light. “You fucking asshole. Kai trusts you.”

Tua chuckles, folding his arms over his chest while the female rebel and Niko flank him on either side, the former taking her mask off and revealing herself to be the female noble who had accosted Jahlee on our way to dinner with the advisors. “And it will be his downfall.”

Kane’s voice is shaky when he whispers, “Father?”