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“You had your chance and he did not respond positively. He is too much like his father, and that is why this has to happen in the first place. I know that you are fond of him, but once we have his gift then you will have your pick of all the men in all the possible worlds. He is just one boy who cannot do as you ask. You need someone who will recognize your greatness, who will obey you. He is merely a means to an end. I promise that before we are done with this you will have your prince and he will show you more love than this cub has ever done.”
My head was groggy. The man’s voice was like a parasite crawling in the back of my mind, and Char… how could she have done this to me? The last thing I remembered was her turning on me and now… I tried to move my arms and legs, but they were restrained. I grit my teeth and opened my eyes. I stared at the low roof of a cavern. A chill crept through me. I twisted my head to see her and him standing together, discussing the fate of this.
“What do you want?” I growled. Char jumped. The man merely turned and wore that same smug smile again.
“Ah good, you’re awake. I was hoping we would be able to have one more conversation before the inevitable happens,” he said.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
“I thought the answer to that was quite obvious. I want what you possess my boy. I want the gift that should never have been yours in the first place,” he said.
“What do you mean it should never have been mine?”
He laughed and twirled his hand through the air, those slender fingers again poised with elegant malice.
“Oh, you really don’t know anything, do you? You really should have paid more attention in your teachings, although I can understand why you didn’t. Tania does tend to drone on and on. You’d think she would have learned to be a little more entertaining by now.”
“What do you know of Tania? Who are you? Where have you come from?” the questions fired from my mouth like arrows from a bow, although he seemed immune to them.
“You don’t need to know anything about him other than he just wants what’s best for the pride,” Char said.
I glared at her as she approached me. How could she speak to me like this when she had literally stabbed me in the back? And the side…
“Best for the pride? What would you know about that?” I spat, straining against my restraints, but they did not give. The cord that bound my wrists was tight. It bit into my ankles. But while it could restrain my human form there was no guarantee it could do the same for my lion form. I reached inside for all the festering anger, only to find that it would not heed the call. The shocked look on my face must have betrayed me as the man came over to me and let out a tittering breath of laughter.
“Oh yes, I should also tell you that I’ve neutralized your ability to shift for the time being. Don’t worry, it’s only temporary. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way to tear your lion away from you yet, but I have found a way to make it sleep.”
“You… you’re a madman. What have you done!” I bellowed; my voice as close to a roar as it could be without turning into a lion. The bindings rattled, but still, they did not break. I was a prisoner with no chance of escape.
“It’s amazing what things there are to learn in the world, things that are hidden from us in the tower. It takes liberating oneself to be able to fully absorb all the lessons that are out here to learn. Char here does indeed know what’s best for the pride, far more than you do. Your mind is closed. It’s been infested by all the wrong teachings that your parents have given you. It makes me sick to see how they have confused the lions and persuaded them that what is in our blood is wrong.”
His voice was raw with emotion. I tried to ignore him and turned to Char. “So, this is where it all came from, all that you said to me?”
“He speaks the truth Divad. He can see that we are less than we should be. We are strong, and we should be spreading that strength across the world before it is too late. More people need to hear this truth and through you we can. If you only accept that this is what lies in your heart then there is still a chance for us to rule together, as we always dreamed,” she wore a dreamy smile on her face, but her words were quickly cut short by a curt word from this mysterious, nameless man.
“Don’t be a fool girl. He has made his intentions known. He is as brainwashed as the rest of them, which means that he cannot be the one to lead the lions of Orestes into the future. That must fall to me.”
“Of course, it does. All you want is the position of Alpha. Well, you can go and try for it if you want. Axanar is always there ready and waiting for a challenge,” I said.
The man laughed and shook his head. “Do you really think I would be so foolish as to put myself into a contest that I cannot win? This is what I am trying to explain. The whole structure of our society is completely backwards. The only way to get power is through strength, but where does that leave intelligence? A man like me is coy and sneaky and wily, and so I have had to chart my own path, with a little help,” he glanced towards Char as he said this. I wore a sullen look and did not shake my glare from her.
“So, what is this Char? Is he your father or something?”
“Nothing so trite as that boy,” the man said. “Char is more than that. She is my chosen, my apprentice. She has been by my side since she was a child and she will carry on my legacy long after I am gone. She is the first of a new breed of lion who recognize their place in this world. I found her a long time ago, hurt and wounded. I nursed her back to health.”
“He taught me to be strong,” she said, in what amounted to a betrayal of everything I held dear. “And then he told me of his plans. I knew that you would understand too, if you just listened. But unfortunately, we’re out of time,” she added this last part reluctantly, and looked towards her mentor.
“Yes, you are out of time, heir apparent. You have always been out of time. You haven’t understood a fraction of this power you possess, have you? I’ve seen you from a distance, acting as though this is a frivolous thing to be played with. There’s no sense of responsibility.”
“From a distance… who are you? Why do you need Char to do your bidding?” I asked.
The man nodded. “I suppose it has come to the time when I must reveal myself. I have spent so long hiding that it has become second nature to me, so you must accept my apologies if I have not offered my name. I was around a long time before you were born. I was there when your mother arrived, and I witnessed the horror that she brought with her, this taint that pervaded through the pride. I was there when we went to attack the Night Fangs. That world should have been ours, but no… somehow, she persuaded Axanar and Volkan that there was another way forward. We lions are bred for war, and she took all that away, and then she gave us you, the key to a whole universe, and you travel through it as though it means nothing,” he spat. “My name is Zizan, and I have spent the past two decades in exile, learning and waiting for my time to strike. That time is now. I am going to take this pride and this world in my hands and show everyone that we are strong, that we do not have anything to fear,” spittle formed at the corners of his mouth as he spoke.
I knew one thing for certain as he directed his words towards me; he was utterly mad. I glared at him, my mind whirring in the hope that I could think of some way to escape. I had no idea how long I had been out for, but it must have been long enough for everyone in the tower to know that I was missing? I knew Naaro wouldn’t let me down. I just had to wait long enough for him to come and rescue me.
The only problem was that I had no idea how much time I was going to have.
“So, what are you going to do with me then?” I asked.
