Bond Breakers

The Son of the King

It made less sense than flying Forician's.

"What do you mean son... power?" He couldn't quite gather his thoughts, but the message was clear enough.

"I saw you sprawled on that branch; your bones were all bent in the wrong direction. You couldn't move, and now... you're running again. Nobody just recovers like that."

"Just because something strange happens doesn't mean I'M THE KING'S SON." His voice rose in desperation to convince her... himself... the trees, he didn't know which.

"You never knew who your father was correct? You were made leader of one of the most powerful cities without any experience, yes? Your eyes have a rare shade of gold that only exist in one blood line?"

Serensia rattled off questions like they were answers. "How do you know all of that?"

Suspicion sounded an alarm in his mind. "Have you been spying me?"

She couldn't meet his eyes, and he knew right there and then that she had. His stomach felt empty, the nothingness was a different type of pain to the broken mess he'd been, but it was the same in a way; a numbness to everything. Ironic. She had brought him back from that and then cast him right back into it.

"Who are you working for?" His voice sounded distant, as if someone were talking through him.

This time she did look up. "No one!"

It sounded sincere, but... "You didn't come to compete. You came to prove some theory about me, you..." it hurt to even think it, but to say it aloud, "you didn't want to get to know me for any other reason than your own..." he saw the book clutched tightly in her hands, "story," he cottoned on, "that's not a diary, is it? You're writing a story about me."

She made to say something, but he no longer cared. "Whatever you think you've proved no one will believe it."

But he did. He'd known it was true as soon as she'd said it. The king had always been close to him, guiding him, helping him, giving him an entire city for no other reasons than he'd deemed it time. He'd never had a father, apart from Erya, who'd been around as long as he could remember, not to mention the king had been especially close with his mother, a mother who refused to say anything about his father. A father who had golden eyes, a colour associated with the power of Aradia. A connection he'd never made. But your average Sulphite didn't just heal themselves from near death.

Everything connected, everything except her. She'd lied, manipulated, and used him, but for what?

"What do you want Serensia?"

"Nothing," she stammered, and then reading his expression continued, "that I was right, that's all. I heard something along time ago and then it changed, and nobody questioned it or even seemed to notice. I wanted to know why, to understand. Things like this don't just change without someone pulling the strings. And if they are someone needs to find out the reason. It's who I am. I'm sorry, but there's more, and the only reason I'm telling you is because I want to help you."

He thought about that, it wouldn't make sense to tell him what she'd uncovered if she planned on using it against him or letting someone else use it against him. If it did get out his slim hold on Kava would snap... and there was more.

"What else is there?" He asked, trepidation coating the question.

"You have —

She cut off with a strangled cry, a smaller Forician shifted into a green cat had come out of nowhere, grabbing her in its mouth before leaping from the branch.

Kaijan stumbled backwards in shock before instinct rightened him. He ran after the monster, which had landed on a platform before and deposited Serensia's unmoving form onto the dead wood and settling down next to her. Its body morphed as he watched, the cat-like creature blurring into its true form, monster.

He had seconds to make up his mind. He could go after her now, it would be quicker but once he was there, he'd have no weapon, no way to fight, or he could go back, get the Stone, it would take longer and he would have to risk going towards the biggest Forician he'd seen, but if he made it, he would have a weapon. He wished Bo was still around, but the attack was too fast and unpredictable, it had left them spread out across the city, facing an enemy who could attack them from anywhere. He couldn't fight that without something, his mind was made up seconds after he'd changed direction and turned towards where they'd come from. He got one last glance at the beast sniffing Serensia before she was lost from view.

He'd abandoned her, and the thing would probably feed on her while — he stopped that train of thought, he had to focus, he had to believe that the Forician was as predictable as the stories, that it waited for its prey to wake before it finished them, it was said it savoured feeling the fear of its prey as it realised the fight had been lost. A mixture of some crazed intelligence, but it was the only thing that would save her now...