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“Follow my lead.”
Under his guidance, we avoid the remaining guards. We hold up outside a property up ahead.
“That’s Zathex’s place. I’ll get us through the door.”
I stay a few meters behind Kazrith as he uses his shadow powers once more, morphing into a black void as he blasts through the front entrance. His abilities seem to mask the sound of the impact, keeping any patrols off our tail.
I enter the house, casting an eye around for any sign of my father’s whereabouts. I can’t call out to him, it’d give me away.
“Hanna,” Kazrith whispers. “We’ll split up. I’ll go take out Zathex for good, you go search for your father. Stay with him until I return.”
“I’d say good luck but I don’t think you need it.”
He turns to go but I pull him back for a kiss of luck. He smiles and then ascends to the top floor.
I begin my search, keeping my steps light as I check each and every room. I mindfully steady myself walking past vases and ornaments.
I check every corner, not giving up as my heart beats heavily. Every failed look is another knife in the dark, a voice whispering my father is gone.
But I know he’s here, I just have to look harder.
I throw a hand to my mouth, silencing a cry of terror at the thought of never finding him. My other hand grazes a bookshelf, landing on a heavy volume.
“I can’t give up, not when I’m so close.”
I step away, my hand inadvertently pulling on the book. Then comes a mechanical whirring from behind the bookshelf, revealing a doorway.
I blink and rub my eyes in disbelief, but it’s really there. My father has to be on the other side. I only hope he’s still alive.
26
KAZRITH
Iascend the wide staircase, each step taking me closer to my long-awaited vengeance. All I can think about are the many things Zathex has done to warrant him this fate.
Images flash in my mind, of me without a nodal to my name, of Hanna chained up like a slave, of her father rotting wherever Zathex has imprisoned him.
So many things this xaphan has taken from others… His life is the only tradeoff I’ll accept.
You should have killed me that day you took everything…
My hands curl into fists, every vein, each artery protruding from my skin. My mind plays tricks on me, conjuring Hanna’s muffled screams under Zathex’s cruel mastery.
This is the night I’ve been waiting for. I still remember the promise I made to myself when Zathex robbed me of all I had.
Even when I was starving and frail, not once did I forget that promise – that if the opportunity presented itself, I had to exact my revenge on the xaphan who did this to me.
“You truly have no idea what’s coming,” I growl, with a sick, hungry sneer forming across my face. “Not just for what you’ve done to me, but to Hanna.”
The topmost step brings me to the second floor, three hallways breaking off left, right, and straight ahead.
Each of them is lined with paintings, bookshelves, and vases, accompanied by sconces though they are unlit. The moonlight just barely illuminates the path right ahead, leaving the left and right halls in complete darkness.
But it won’t be a problem, not with my shadow powers displaying the world ahead of me in crystal clear vision.
I can be silent, prowling through the cloak of darkness as I draw closer to my prey, striking from the shadows like the demon I am.
I check the hall to the left, nothing of note except for an armory and training room. The weapons here could put up a fight against me, the blades sharp to the tip and long-reaching.
