68 Collide

They had been moving for some time, Kieren wiped his blade along the furry corpse of what appeared to be a mix between a hippo and a lion. A bizarrely shapen combination with enlarged front teeth and rotting flesh along its flank. The one currently in front of his feet, a few hundred pounds fatter than the rest, had somehow managed to get its snot all over one of his blades. He made a noise of disgust and looked around.

There were hundreds of them, Kieren dodged another two only to turn last minute and strike them down. They were not very hard to kill, large, -even for a mixture of such caliber- a nuisance, half alive, or perhaps once dead and now alive.

The stench was almost unbearable, they were wading almost knee deep through filthy water, carcasses, blood, and a weird slimy substance that sparkled if looked at from an angle. Despite Violet's assured pace Kieren couldn't help but wonder how the hell she knew were they were going.

— — —

They had been getting ready to leave, there were some people she wanted him to "meet." They had been almost to the door of the frozen tundra when Violet, much like that time in the underground city had frozen, she had looked past his figure then declared that they were going to have to make a pit spot.

This time Kieren had paid attention, an unfamiliar yet enchanting dagger appearing out of thin air, the runes she spelled out, whispers that stirred the air. She had pulled him through the silver and they had dropped ten feet onto a filthy dirt path.

She had looked around, mumbled something incoherent, then led them to a desolate warehouse attached to a hill. There was something eerie about the place, all of the trees seemed to be dying. The scenery was bleak and there was an unnatural smell about the place.

They had passed through the warehouse and down through a broken trapdoor.

It was a maze, they had turned into so many halls, made so many lefts, and many more rights, he was utterly lost. Despite being lost there had been one constant, the filthy creatures emerging from every corner. The first mixture had thrown him so astray he had stared as Violet saved him. After that, he had no hesitated.

— — —

He frowned, pulled the garter closer around his nose, and looked fifty feet ahead. He had often admired Violet as she fought and yet watching her now he had to admit that he did not know enough. Had she always been this fast? No, had she always been holding back?

She was taking the animals apart with such stupendous dexterity and fluidity that he knew even with millions of years of practice he would never achieve it.

He watched as she glided across the surface of the water barley landing as she bounced from one atrocity to the next.

She looked over her shoulder mid prance, stuck a knife deep into a carotid artery, flashed him a small smile and motioned to his left.

Without taking his eyes of hers Kieren raised a dagger covered it in flames and killed the creature approaching from his blind spot. He returned the smile, "Are you sure you've had enough?"

Violet rolled her eyes, and proceeded to kill the last two of the imminent crowd as Kieren approached. "You are truly insane."

Kieren shrugged, "what and why are these things?"

"A product of my neglect, that's why we are here. It would appear that a gate has cracked, a decent sized fissure was crafted and unchecked life forces are swirling around."

She leaned down and probed at a carcass, "we are deep beneath what was a slaughterhouse, one that clearly specialized in the illicit trade of tigers and hippopotamuses. If you look closely there's other animal parts mixed in as well… tucán? Snake?"

"It's quite Interesting because gates just appear, they can be summoned of course, but mostly they just show up. Where there are concentrations of deep power, deaths, or even extraordinary life forces."

She tilted her head as she ran a hand softly through the air, "this one isn't very powerful, over time they corrode, they stop existing, they dissolved only to appear elsewhere. The problem with gates is that they attract powerful demonic beings, and they cause fluctuations in the natural balance. Gates are important, there's natural leakage from those immense beings that provided the earth with the nutrients to grow. Human with the gifts they so love to abuse… They just have to be kept in check…"

She shook her head bitterly, "so not the right person for the job. These animals, they're suffering in despair once more because I didn't keep the gate balanced."

"It's okay, with everything you had going-"

"It's not okay, very valid excuses aside, that is the one job of the muse that I happen to agree with, and I've been picking and choosing when to answer it's call."

Kieren pulled his garter down to plant a kiss on her forehead. "I don't care, neither should you."

She leaned into his kiss, "You only care about me, anyway, we're getting close, it's only going to get weirder, so stay close, and if it looks like it's not going to stay down let me handle it. Not all things in these places go down the same way."

— — —

Alex closed her eyes pressing them against palm of her hands, they had been arguing for what felt like hours, non stop, getting more ornate with their declarations by the minute.

She let out an exasperated sigh, rubbed her eyes and looked to her sides.

They had all promptly been arrested upon Kieren's disappearance, 'treason!' someone had shouted. Hidden under their very eyes the murderer had been wreaking havoc, and more importantly bedding their future king.

They were sitting in the center of an ornately decorating chamber, at the very center, in chairs -runed chairs, for she could now (after Violet's lesson) feel their power shutting hers off- being gawked at by a few hundred Ruenen members.

The twins mirrored her in expression and pain, Zen looked enraged, and upon closer inspection hurt. Alex sighed again, Violet being the killer had really thrown them for a loop. Was that even possible? She had been with them for everything and people had died while she was lying in bed for saving Kieren's life.

Her stomach twisted in fear, as guards they had failed, Kieren was no where in sight and It had now been thirty six hours since their disappearance.

A loud sound by her ear, a palm against her face, "I'm talking to you bitch! Women should never be allowed into the guard rank, you let her in didn't you!"

"Don't you fucking touch her!" The twins squirmed in their seats as Zen yelled angrily only to be pummeled by another sentry. "No one asked your opinion, now where is the prince?"

Alex spat out blood narrowing her eyes angrily, "you witnessed what we witness, he jumped of a fucking roof and vanished."

"No!! You let him be kidnapped!" A yank of her hair, a knife at her knuckles. She couldn't help but laugh, Kieren, kidnapped? He had jumped off a roof chasing after Violet, it was clear he meant to go.

They had been here for the better part of sixteen hours, Zet had immediately taken over command and brought them to the Ruenen's main headquarters in shackles, not that they had tried to flee. They all knew what failure would mean… but what kind of failure exactly?

As the twins had shouted angrily after several hours of punishment, Kieren had been sleeping with her for months and his rune had never changed, they had not failed their main objective.

Had he though? How many times had she caught the glimmer of obsession in his eye as he glanced at her. Alex berated herself once more, she should have insisted they speak to him. Just because he hadn't attacked her like in the stories… could he hold back that long? But had she wanted to know the truth? If she was his bond, then that meant they could complete their assignment…

The sound of Ted being punched brought her back, she growled at the man. "We are loyal to the Kieren and his safety, you do not need to hit us, we have told you the truth." A scoff and another swing, Tom spat blood at the guard and they suddenly found themselves yelling in turns as they began torturing them again.

A suden shout for silence, doors being opened, people streaming in, others exiting. Their attackers always left with a scowl as the four of them fought to collect their semblance as a new round began.

Alex looked around again, there weren't always strong people with them, they came in droves, with questions and then their firsts, asking repeatedly where Kieren was and how long they were working with Violet to take him away. She had recognized faces; commanders, captains, witnesses. Everyone who had been present at the time of their failure was somewhere in the facility, all but one.

Jace was the only one who had disappeared, not that anyone was looking, Jace had never been one of them. Now sitting here, bedraggled and annoyed Alex couldn't help but wonder if Jace knew more.

After several hours, they had been left in dark silence, they had not uttered a word, they were being watched. Tom groaned, they shared a look, the same emotion, confusion.

— — —

It would appear that they had come to a decision, for the seats were filling quickly and Zet was being escorted in.

Utter silence filled the room, Alex made eye contact with Kuznet, who looked as aloof as ever. She ground her teeth in anger and exasperation, why didn't anyone believe them? Simple, because they had never once told the truth.

The council who had gone to California was there as well, and they began talking: excuses, reasons, ploys for power.

All of their theories wrong, Zen tried multiples times to speak and every time he was shunned. Frustrated and defeated they sat, after two hours of deliberation, it was decided that they would be imprisoned for life.

They had looked up speechless, but somewhat relieved, they could have called for their heads.

They shared a saddened glance between them which lasted all of twenty glorious seconds as the doors opened once more and their worst possible fear came true.

In he came, terrifying aura and all, the silence that filled the room now was seeping with unease.

He had asked that all but the council members leave, he had a few questions for them.

The room had emptied out in record time and even the council members seemed subdued.

Alex felt as her body filled with angst, he had come, then their sentence would only be one.

"Is she his bond?"

"She can't be," Zen, ever-brave, "we've seen his mark, it hadn't changed."

"You don't seem sure Zen? Alex's eyes also show doubt? I ask again, IS SHE HIS FUCKING BOND?"

Silence.

"Oh, you have failed me, and as such, you will atone with your lives."

Alex let out a whimper as her tears came crashing down, the twins followed shortly after.

He leaned down by her face, eyes dead and uncaring, "it would have been simpler if you had all been capable of killing him, instead you grew to love him, he could have died thinking you were his friends. Now he will die knowing that you were meant to help kill him all along."

He turned on his heel and left, they watched in despair as the man who ran the show from the shadows, the appointer of Kieren's guards, and the true leader of the Ruenen and its edicts, Senrio Dolomine left them behind to die.