Dragon Frost (16 page)

Kenshe ignored the phelan shifter and kept his focus on Ubi. "It's a miracle you survived this long." He picked up a glass of water from a nearby table and took a few sips while she struggled to recover from his attack.

"You are being rather harsh on her," Prisca said. The Caller only momentarily pulled her attention back into the room.

"She has a lot of rage that needs to be diffused. Should I give her a wooden stick to hit with so she can learn to be a carpenter, instead?" Kenshe asked.

"Her mother was a wonderful artist," Prisca replied. "Kas knew how to incorporate that strength of Sybl's into her training and it was effective."

Kenshe hadn't thought of that. All he knew of Ubi's interests at the moment was that she wanted to kill him.

Feryl and Tank both found the topic interesting and looked at Ubi.

"What?" she asked, having found her lost wind. "Why are you staring at me?"

"What are you good at, Ubi?" Feryl asked.

Ubi blinked a few times as she thought on it. She looked at the screen-thin computer in Feryl's hand. Focusing her energy on it, she made it come on and the drive run again.

That was an attention stopper, as Feryl put the Tech carefully down on the table. It hadn't come on for the phelan shifter until now. "Holy shit. She's got a griffin shifter's electricity or something in her..."

Kenshe walked over to the table and looked at the screen. "Gwa would like you," he thought aloud.

"Is that crazy bat still alive?" Feryl asked. He gently tapped the images on the screen as to not break what had been fixed for him.

Suddenly the sound of the Call changed to include the True's howls. Everyone froze in place while Kenshe quickly deciphered it. "The Council is here. Let's go." He started out of the room and his Pack followed.

Ubi found herself alone in the throne room after everyone left. She looked around before going over to Kenshe's dark- wood chair. The feeling of superiority came over her as she sat down and crossed one leg over the other. Ubi imagined her mother sitting in the same spot. She wondered what Sybl would have done if she were here. Closing her eyes, she willed her necklace to answer her question. She reopened them, and found her father standing before her. At first she panicked, before it became clear that she was now sharing her seat in this particular memory.

Kas stepped up beside a dark-skinned phelan shifter. "You ceased being my father the day you killed my mother."

"Of course," Vanir said as he shifted in the dark wood of the intricately carved chair. His straight, black hair draped over it like a cloak. "You are here to talk about peace. That being the case, I would like to offer you your rightful title of Prince."

The guard looked at Kas, with a glance that suggested he was worried he might actually consider it.

"Why now? Why after denying that I am of your blood for so long?" Kas asked.

"One of my Callers had a Vision of the Asterian Caelestis' return. If it is accurate, as most of hers are, it will be soon. Hence why I believe that settling the dispute between the Sanctus and the Atrum would serve both our interests."

"Is that concern in your voice I hear? After all these years has your conscience finally surfaced from its withering darkness to see that my mother was right?"

"Your mother was the finest of my Callers, until she lost her way. It seems only Kira's Visions have proven to withstand Time and stay their course," Vanir said.

"If the Sanctus is nothing but a symbol for the lost to you, then perhaps you are happiest lost and in waiting. You forget that I too can foresee the future, only I never needed you or anyone else to tell me what I already knew was right. When the Caelestis returns, I will not share her for a title, or for your Empire, or with you. All the bribes you have will not bring me any closer to your corruption any more than it will her."

"One of your former Custos has seen the potential in allying with me and brings her back as we speak," Vanir replied.

"I pity the fools you sent for her then, because they will not live long."

"If the caels are returning to Aster, then the true fools are those who sit and do nothing while waiting for redemption." Vanir leaned forward and rested his hands and arms on his legs. "They will bring us only death."

"The dead can still hear prayers. I know death will not touch myself or those who seek shelter in the Sanctus. So enjoy your reign of fear while it lasts for it will not be for much longer. I am High Priest of the Sanctus, son of Kira and leader of the Custos. Your words are of the same nothing to me that they were to my mother," Kas finished bitterly.

Ubi opened her eyes to the present after her father turned to leave. For a brief moment, she wondered if her circumstances would be different if her father were alive. She heard a shuffle, and looked up through the tears that had snuck into her eyes. Kenshe was standing at the door, impatiently waiting for her.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked.

"That phelan shifter said that Fay bring only death. He must have been talking about me," Ubi replied, as she remembered Vanir's words.

Kenshe took a moment to tune into her psi to see who she was talking about. "Maybe Vanir was. Do you still want to kill everyone and everything?"

"I've narrowed it down to just you," Ubi replied in a ice-cold tone.

"Well, jeeze. Here I was being nice by coming all the way back up here to let you know that you uncle is unfortunately still alive. And he's here."

"Is Xirel with him?" Ubi asked and jumped up from the chair.

"Didn't see him, don't care. I have my own problems in the War Room downstairs. Keep it down for the next few hours lest you scare away my army."

Ubi pushed past him and ran for the stairs.

There was a long hesitation in the War Room of the Atrum as no one wanted to speak first. Nafury's unexpected intrusion had changed the topic from Sentry to him. Many of the phelan Pack leaders were old enough to remember the sheer power that the White Death had. And the devastation and death that Daath had inflicted on their lives.

Nafury turned around and watched as Kenshe came into the room. He could sense Ubi just outside the doors. She was likely intimidated from entering by how tense the air was in here.

"Is there something we can help you with, Fallen Prince?" Kenshe asked as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"I need you to come with me to the Falls," Nafury replied, getting straight to the point.

"Why?"

Nafury glanced around the room, before looking back at Kenshe. "Because I spoke with her."

Kenshe shook his head, pretending at first to not know who he was talking about. "You spoke with the Caelestis?"

"Yes."

The room became loud with whispers.

"And she told you to go to the Falls?"

"No. My sister," Nafury said with emphasis, "is struggling to keep the latest threat to Aster at bay. The Sentry are not going to stop coming, and they're after her."

"Let's say I believe you for a minute, what use are the Falls? They're nothing but ruins and griffin bones now," Kenshe replied.

"Because we share the same enemy, and I need alternatives in defeating him. Particularly as he has a means to restore Sybl to life."

The room began to talk amongst themselves again. Everyone was curious to know who they were up against.

"Sybl is the only one keeping Aragmoth alive after the extent of damage you caused to Aster," Kenshe stated flatly. "She can't return to the living, or this world will die."

"Then we are right back to square one with each other," Nafury replied. "Because if there is a way to bring her back to life, I have every intention of doing just that."

"You would see Aster perish to restore your sister to life?" Kenshe asked. "What does she have to say about that?"

Nafury looked to the side and didn't answer. 

Loki came into the room and briefly looked the Council members over. He set his eyes on Kenshe. "The Falls has been watching Earth for a while. We're looking for a way to save both Aster and Sybl."

"Why am I talking to you, traitor?" Kenshe asked. "Where's Xirel?"

"He's dead," Nafury answered for Loki. "I killed him."

The room turned into an uproar now of panic.

"While you were a berserker no doubt?" a phelan shouted at him.

"He was being controlled by our enemy. Nafury had no choice. The mind control power our enemy has over the Awls is real," Loki said in Nafury's defence.

"Then how are you here?" another phelan asked.

"That is the starry-eyed one who communes with the Caelestis," an ayame's voice spoke. "Crystal and Estar's son."

"Sybl can't counter our enemy's power anymore. We have to act now," Loki insisted. "I could very easily be next--or any other Awl for that matter."

"This is bullshit," Kenshe suddenly burst out, turning all eyes on him. "There is no way in hell that Sybl would have allowed that to happen to Xirel. You've brought your lies into the wrong room, Nafury!"

"Have I? Didn't you try to kill him yourself just recently?" Nafury rebuked.

Kenshe pushed the chair out from under him and his fists hit the table. "The chimera Awls became our enemy when they left the Order! I did what was necessary!"

There was an eerie silence that filled the room now. Much of the Council had heard the rumours of the direct assault on the Awls and chimera. Those rumours were now facts. Only the sobs from Ubi just outside the door could be heard through the silence.

"You never attacked Xirel to protect the Atrum--you need to work on your lying," Loki said. He let go of Kenshe's infuriated, exposed Threads at that. "You did it to provoke her to respond to you. Only Sybl's always listening. You can bet all your souls that she never stopped listening to the ones who obey her will."

Kenshe finally calmed down enough to hear the crying from Ubi and sat back down. "You still have yet to tell us who the leader of our enemy is?"

"We're fighting Cirrus," Nafury replied, and the voices in the room returned to chaos. 

"Quiet!" Kenshe shouted, as he was at his breaking point. "Cirrus is dead. He died after you killed Sybl!" His cold red eyes caught Nafury's with his words.

"Cirrus is the son of an Awl, and as such an Awl himself. He does not perish like we do," Loki replied. "If he is just a little as powerful as Alexia, then it is very likely that he has been pulling the strings. He also knows all of our weaknesses."

"So will you come with me to the Falls, or not?" Nafury asked, losing his patience with the Atrum Lord.

Kenshe was rubbing his forehead now as yet another impossible problem was dropped on him. He could tear the throat from any enemy, but he didn't know if he had it in him to go against Cirrus. "We'll leave in the hour. Go and get your niece away from my door before her tears stain what's left of the sanity in this room."

Nafury left to do just that, and closed the War Room's doors behind him. He found Ubi hugging her knees and rocking against the wall. "Ubi."

"You said... You said we would always be honest with each other," she said between stifled tears. "I should have told you everything--now Xirel is dead!"

He fell to his knees in front of her. He tried to touch her leg, but she slapped him away. Then she looked at him with her Fay blue eyes that were swollen and red.

"You won't stop killing everyone important to me, will you? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST STOP!?"

Nafury looked to the floor. "If you would have told me that your blood is what he's been using, I could have handled all of this differently."

"I know," Ubi sobbed. "But I didn't want to be your enemy. I didn't want either of you to go to Earth and get hurt. After what they did to Simera--I just couldn't risk losing either of you the same way!"

Nafury looked away from her and down the hall. "Xirel wanted to spend the rest of his life with you and I took him away. That's why you must accept what I have to do next." He got to his feet and started to leave.

"My mother said to leave her world alive!" Ubi screamed at him. She was boiling with rage now. "What will she have left when you resurrect her? Have you thought about that? This is her world! You would return her to a life of nothingness!"

"We are different, Ubi," Nafury replied, pausing in his steps for a moment. "We will not become spirit slaves or be lost to oblivion. Our human bodies are not bound to the Laws of Aragmoth. And both of us owe this world nothing." He continued down the hall.

"That's where you're wrong," Ubi shouted at his back. "We owe this world more than anyone!"

TWENTY-THREE

It was a long flight to the remote volcano island that once was home to most of the griffin shifters on Aster. His mission was made longer when Nafury had to wait on the outside of the volcanic crater. Kenshe had taken to the Keol to travel over, as he would not be seen dead being carried by a dragon.

Nafury pondered just flying up and over to gain entry. But he remembered that Loki had mentioned that Gwa had an unstable mind now. Entering the ruins as the White Death could prove too much for the griffin shifter to handle. He didn't want to break the mind of their one chance to fix the Gate at the Efereal Mountains.