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“Think what you will, Kara, but we know our place in the universe. That is more than I can say for you. This pride you were a part of, did they take place in great hunts? Did they have songs sung about their heroes? Was the Alpha the kind of man to take destiny into his hands and twist it to his own purpose?”
She looked blankly at me. I hung my head, feeling disappointed. “Then perhaps your ancestors have drifted too far and forgotten the lessons of our elders. It is a shame. I thought that your presence here might have meant something significant. Instead, it seems like an accident,” I said. I then rose and left her, hoping that this might shock her into being more cooperative. She became angry again, but this time it was because she wanted me to stay so that I could tell her more about my home. Perhaps it was sly of me to use these methods, but a warrior had to use whatever weapons were at hand.
*
“And how is your method working? Is she talking yet?” Axanar asked as I returned to the throne room.
“She is, although I am not sure you are going to like what she has to say. From what I can tell, her presence in our world is an accident. I don’t think she ever meant to be here. She was fleeing from a pride called the Night Fangs, apparently an enemy to her pride,” I said, and then went on to tell him about the history of her world, and the fact that our ancestors had not become the dominant species in that world. Axanar bristled at this. It was indeed hard to comprehend, a world in which we were not at the top of the food chain.
“So, what should we do with her?” I asked after I had relayed all the information that had been given to me.
“If she is just an accident, then perhaps, we should find a way to throw her back to her world. It does not seem the kind that was made for lions. But from what I have learned, the ones who can pass back through worlds are the ones who have the most power. Why is she not showing this? There must be a way… I will find a way. I will test her strength and then we will see whether she is worthy of remaining here or whether she should be culled.”
I bowed my head. It would be a shame to see her dead when she initially showed so much promise, but only the strongest could survive with us.
Chapter Seven
Kara
I had no idea how long it had been since I had arrived in this strange place. My thoughts turned to Mom and Dad. Were they waiting for me? Were they searching for me? Or… gods forbid… were they dead? A lump formed in my throat as the thought crossed my mind and I had to put it away or else I was going to go crazy. I was about ready to climb the walls. There were no windows in this room, no way to tell how much time had passed. The only break in monotony was when Volkan came to give me some food, and that was the only food I had anyway. I was wary of him, but too hungry to deny my body this sustenance. Thankfully, I hadn’t shown any sign of being poisoned, but then again, I wasn’t sure what those signs would have been anyway. Still, I didn’t think poisoning was their style.
So far, I had learned that this was some place other than Earth, which seemed incredible to me. I mean, how could there be another place? But that doorway must have been a portal, one that I stepped through and now it would not let me back. I wasn’t sure why, but all I knew was that I had to get back to that portal and try again. I couldn’t believe that it would allow passage only one way. Doors went both ways, right? It was only logical there was a way for me to return to my world, if they ever let me out of this damn room.
I was also forced to face the fact that the old stories were real. It was too much of a coincidence that these people were lions too. They had their mythology, which involved people leaving their world through portals, and we had our stories of coming from another world. Over time, the truth must have met somewhere in the middle and so, in a way, these were my people as well.
The door opened again, but this time, Axanar was standing there rather than Volkan. Every time I saw him, I was intimidated by his size. He was a towering man, with thick muscles and a stern look on his face. I was tempted to see him as a lion as well, for he must have been majestic in that form. He walked into the room. I noticed he did not have food with him like Volkan did. I guess they were going to play good cop bad cop with me, and it was clear which one was the bad cop. For a few moments, he stood there looking at me. The weight of his gaze bore down upon me, and I had to use all my willpower to stare back at him, trying to make him see that I would not be intimidated.
Eventually he spoke. “Volkan told me of the history of your people. I must say I am disappointed. When the world walkers left, it was with the intention of spreading our glory, and instead, I find that they hid in forests, allowing these monoforms to take dominion over the world,” he shook his head and seemed disgusted by the idea. “It is saddening to know they lost their way so quickly. I expected better of them. Perhaps it is a good thing that they left. We only want the strongest to be a part of our pride.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my ancestors. You have no idea what it’s like on Earth, especially not with enemies like the Night Fangs.”
“And that is another thing. You ran from battle. You, coward.”
The word was like a sharp jolt inside. I gritted my teeth and felt anger rush through me in a torrent. I leaped to my feet and my body went rigid, every muscle inside tensing.
“I am NOT a coward!” I yelled.
“Then why did you flee the enemy? Why did you not face them in battle?”
“Because my parents asked me not to. Because I thought survival was more important. I never meant to escape them completely. I was just looking for a place to lose their tracks so I could hunt them, but instead, I ended up here. If anything, you are the ones who have prevented me from fighting. If you’re that concerned, then take me back to that doorway and let me back into my world so that I can fight them. That’s all I want. You’re acting like I had some choice in coming here, but I didn’t. I don’t care about you or your people, so let me go and we can pretend like this has never happened.”
Axanar stared at me and wore a half smile. His eyes were enigmatic and as much as I hated to admit it, there was something magnetic about them. “But I cannot pretend as though this never happened. The arrival of a world walker is a momentous occasion, even if you are not as impressive as I would have expected.”
“What do you mean? What is a world walker? I don’t understand half the things you say to me. I don’t even know what this place is.”
“Then perhaps, you would like to take a look?” he asked. I was stunned into silence by the offer. He stepped aside and turned his palm towards the door, indicating that I could actually leave the room. I was wary that it was some trap, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. I walked past him and then I was standing outside in a hallway.
Axanar was right behind me.
“I should warn you that if you try and escape, you will be treated as an escaping prisoner, and by the laws of Orestes, that gives me the right to eviscerate you. But then again, I suppose I don’t have to worry about that, do I, considering that you don’t even intend to run from that which scares you?”
I narrowed my eyes and bared my teeth, showing them off like fangs. “Who said I’m scared?” I shot back.
We walked towards the elevator. I assumed that he was going to take me back down again to the portal, but instead we went up. The elevator was swift, and I felt a slight lurch in my stomach, but the ride ended before it bothered me. The elevator opened to a vast room with tapestries hanging on the walls. In the middle, there was a golden throne that seemed to shine with its own light. But that wasn’t the only thing that caught my attention. The room was blanketed by windows that stretched around this tower, and the sky was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I rushed towards it, unable to stop myself. I pressed my hands against the glass and gazed out at this different world. I hadn’t actually stopped to think about how this place might be different from Earth. Such a thought had been difficult for me to comprehend, but now that I was seeing it for myself, I could understand that I was in a different place, and yet something about it was familiar as well, something deep in my blood.
The sky was a mixture of blue and pink, with two moons hanging like baubles. There was a sheen of stars waiting to wash over the world in the distance. It was more beautiful than the most vivid watercolor painting, and it was so overwhelming in fact that it almost brought tears to my eyes. The first thought that struck me was that Mom and Dad would have loved to see this.
My gaze fell and I looked at the rest of the world. It was rugged and wild, and yet something about it seemed regulated as well. It was almost as though it had been divided into different terrains, segmented like a pie, so that one slice was a plain, one slice was a forest, one slice was a jungle, and so on. That was only possible if…
