The Dragon Prince The City of Smoke and Night

Chapter Ten A Distressing Secret

"No, no, no, no, no,no. Aaravos cannot be our grandfather," Karim said in shock as he paced around the royal tent while his friends watched him with worried eyes. "Janai and I can't be descended from a Sunfire Elf and a Startouch Elf. It doesn't make sense!" "Karim, I know it's a shock," Janai told him calmly. "There has to be some explanation! Maybe Aaravos is trying to mess with our heads," he decided. "This could be his idea for a sick joke!" "It's no joke, Karim." Callum held up Aditi's diary and showed him the page that described her argument with Aaravos. "Historia Viventem," he said as he touched the page. A shimmering blue illusion appeared before the two royal Sunfire Elf siblings. It featured a realistic illusion of an anxious Aditi pacing her rooms, pondering over Aaravos's absurd peace proposal with humanity and teaching them primal magic. He scoffed at her, asking her what gave dragons the right to rule Xadia and look down on humanity and even on elves as they did and she told the Dragon King of Aaravos's plans. The scene changed from the queen's private balcony at the top of her tower. "And what is so funny, my love?" Karim heard Aditi ask Aaravos. He couldn't believe what he was seeing when he saw the Startouch Elf kiss his grandmother's forehead and place his lips onto her own. "No, this can't be true," he breathed. He was aghast over not just witnessing the display of affection but his grandmother had called Aaravos, the Fallen Star, the most dangerous being in all of Xadia her love! Aditi and Aaravos argued over his decision of challenging the dragons' rule in Xadia and Aditi's warning that his decision would start a war. A pang of guilt washed over Karim. Miyana had warned him that they might be making a mistake about turning against Janai. "I wish it didn't have to be like this," Aaravos murmured, his hand cupping his lover's face. "I do love you, Aditi, and you know I never lie." "Neither do I. And I love you as well..." Aditi trailed off. "But I will not let you do this, Aaravos. You're becoming a monster." Those words cut like a knife in Karim's heart. Would his own desires slowly turn him into a monster like Aaravos? Was his destiny as Aaravos's successor was to let his and Miyana's opinions of Lux Aurea's future drive them apart and turn against each other? He placed his hand over his mouth with a soft, horrified gasp as Aaravos allowed his grandmother to fall off the edge of the balcony after using the fire disintegration spell on her. The same spell he used on Khessa! Suddenly, the memory of her death flooded into his head, her body crumbling into ash. "Stop!" Karim screamed. "Please, Callum, make it stop!" "I hate that it has come to this, Aditi." Karim trembled in anger, grief, and fear as Aaravos continued. "But I don't need you to make my visions of a peaceful future for humanity and Xadia come to pass. After all, the sun is simply another star and the stars will not lie to me." This was too much for Karim. Heartbroken, he stormed out of the tent in tears. Callum was about to follow him but Janai put her hand on his shoulder. "Let him go," she advised. "Karim will be all right. He just needs some time to himself." "Karim, you can't leave the camp!" Miyana reasoned with him when she entered his tent to check on him. "We can find a way to work this out." "You don't understand, Miyana. Ever since Janai became queen, I was afraid our people were losing sight of who we are, but the truth is, I was losing sight of who I am," he explained to her. His voice cracked with remorse. "I wanted to uphold our people's traditions so badly that I became embroiled in a madman's plot to destroy an innocent girl's family and the downfall of our people. I have to go in order to stop Ephai by myself." "You can't stop him alone," Miyana protested, putting her hand on his shoulder. "We're stronger together and you know that." He shrugged her hand off. "That's easy for you to say! You're not a mage like I am! All you have is the average abilities any Sunfire Elf has like entering into your heat mode and using your sword! You're just as ordinary a Sunfire Elf as any other Sunfire Elf in the camp!" Miyana stared at him. Her startled expression changed and she began to cry. Karim saw the hurt in her eyes and he realized he went too far. She walked out of his tent as she wiped her teary eyes. "Miyana, come back!" Karim followed her out of his tent. He tried to catch up with her but she kept walking away from him. "Oh, Karim," Miyana said as she made it out of the camp. "Why do you have to be so headstrong?" "I'm afraid that's just how lovers are," came an oily voice. She spun around and took out her sword and she looked for the person who spoke to her. The gentlemanly, suave voice continued. "One minute they are head over heels for you, then next thing you know, they change. Besides Janai's brother wasn't good enough for you." A broad shouldered silhouette stepped out from a puff of smoke. "So you're the one who killed Naima's parents," Miyana glared at Ephai. He seemed to be pleased to be recognized. "In the flesh. Well, burnt and mummified flesh, actually. And you, my ravishing fire lily, must be one of the illustrious Six Horns." Ephai bowed to her elegantly and took her hand and kissed it. His lips felt like sandpaper on her hand. "Miyana. That's your name, is it not?" She pulled her hand away and nodded. "What brings you here?" She wanted to know what he had meant about Karim not being a good match for her. "When I arrived at Castle Gentlekind, I tried to capture Naima and make her my latest servant in my tower but she stood up to me," he explained, reliving her speech. "So I've decided to go for a more valuable target. Someone who is a skilled warrior with a pure heart and the countenance of a Sunfire queen." He walked up to her and cupped her chin. "My queen. And you are just the one I'm searching for." "Get away from her!" Ephai turned to see Karim blasting fire at him from his staff but he dodged the flames. Rayla ambushed him from behind but he grabbed her wrist and tossed her to Callum, knocking both of them down on the ground. "I have no interest in engaging in combat with Team Zym," Ephai said with an eye roll. "I already have what I came for. All I need to do is take care of one distraction of mine." He pulled Naima by her hair and forced her to her knees. A yellow bandage was wrapped over her mouth and her hands were tied behind her back. "If you don't accept my offer, Karim, I'll suck the life out of Naima myself and you can all watch her die. Normally I despised Adir but there's one spell from the Ocean Primal I particularly liked to cast. Faucem Sicco." Naima felt dryness sweep over her body from her throat to her skin. She never felt so much pain. "I ask you again, Karim," Ephai told him as he offered him an orb of dark Sun magic. "Will you join me on my quest to end the House of Gentlekind and fulfill your heart's desire?" He looked at Naima pityingly. She couldn't breathe. "I thought if I challenged Janai to that stupid Blood Duel I would uphold my people's customs and make life in the camp just the way it was before Lux Aurea fell. All I did was bring you here." He slapped the orb out of his hand, causing it to shatter into bits. "I will never help you. And you will never win." But Ephai didn't seem fazed by his refusal. Instead he just smiled. "You already had." With a snap of his fingers, the dryness spell he cast on Naima stopped and her skin was restored to its normal state. Ephai was right. Karim had let his anger over Khessa's death cloud his judgment and that was what Ephai had wanted. Naima rose to her feet, removed her restraints, and struck Ephai square in the face with her father's staff. Ephai cried out in pain and shoved her aside. "Karim, don't!" Naima warned as he lunged at him with a rageful yell. He disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared. Then he took Naima's staff in his hands. "I won't let you corrupt my father's staff," she exclaimed as she tried to get it back from him. He turned to her with an atrocious smile on his bleeding face. He laughed a theatrically sinister laugh. "Oh no, Naima. I'm not going to corrupt your father's staff. His voice grew chilling. "I'm going to destroy it." He took her staff and broke it in half. Naima let out an agonizing scream and fell down with a thud. Ocean blue light exploded from the staff. "NOO!" Karim screamed when he saw Naima in pain. "Naima!" "Tell me, Karim?" Ephai asked him derisively. "How does it feel to be responsible for the demise of the Sunfire Elves and the Human Kingdoms?" Swirls of black smoke surrounded Ephai and Miyana but Karim ran up to Miyana. "I'm not letting you go, Miyana," Karim told her. "Don't worry about me, Karim," she assured him. "Go help Naima. I'll find ways to slow Ephai down." "Don't let go, Miyana," he begged. She placed her lips onto Karim's lips. "I love you," she said, pulling her lips away. "Say goodbye to your precious general, Karim," Ephai told him as he pulled him away from Miyana. "No matter what happens Miyana, I will find you!" he said. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Ephai grinned at Karim. The puff of smoke engulfed Ephai and he, along with Miyana, vanished out of sight. As Callum and Rayla helped a weakened Naima up to her feet, Karim stared at the place where Ephai and Miyana had disappeared, shattered beyond belief. "By the Great Orb of Lux Aurea, what have I done?" he said to himself. He dropped to his knees and buried his face in his hands, crying in remorse.