Dragon Falls (Indigo Apocalypse Book III)

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Scent Of Power

AMALA:
Kamala flicked her ear, her chocolate brown gaze boring into mine. "Snap out of it Sister." My lips curled slightly. "Enough." "You're showing your signs." Another flick of an ear, forward, to the three werewolves we followed. Then backward, to the dozens of indigo Huntor gathered, and the several hundred of indigo I had. "They're watching, waiting. You're an alpha now Sister, they see you as—"Enough." Another curl of my lip. Kamala tightened her mouth. "Fine, but this is not over." To demonstrate it was, I pulled ahead of her. Kitana, who'd noticed the whole exchange, said nothing, or indicated nothing. Her adopted daughter Holly, the daughter I'd helped her save, said nothing. Instead, her eyes searched the ranks behind us, as if looking for someone. When her gaze landed on me, I flicked an ear behind us. "Who are you looking for?" She frowned, not realizing I'd noticed. Then she flicked her own ear toward a tree, then looked up. I imitated her, then looked behind us. No, they indeed were nowhere in sight. Meaning they'd done the very thing that may possibly get them into trouble, or be a salvation.
    As we moved deeper into the foliage, the sounds of bird chirps grew, weaving through the treetops like another haze. My gaze scanned the area, on high alert. I paused, and Kamala stopped by my side. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What?" I sniffed the air, and pointed my nose toward a tree. A small thin black bird stared down at me with too much intensity in it's gaze. It's challenging brown eyes were hard on my face. Those brown eyes glowed in the near deep darkness. Glowed as if the bird could see in the dark. The bird opened it's wings, and I saw a silver patch on it's breast. Indigo passed on either side of us, yet we didn't take notice. I shook my head and moved along, hurrying to the head of the pack. I made it to the head and stepped to Kitana's left side. Kamala falling to my left. I saw the black bird, a small thing, glide through the treetops. Her, yes, it was a her, her wings not beating the air at all. She landed on a branch further along and turned to eye me again. She opened her wings, showing off the patch on her breast. A light flickered over her, illuminating her for the briefest moment, but long enough. The silver patch on her breast glittered like diamonds, and was in the shape of the indigo symbol. A bow, with a trident set on it's string. I narrowed my eyes on the patch, and turned. I had several animal shifters in my army. Several who could shift into a variety of beasts, but none into small agile black birds. And even so, none would dare to stare at me with such intensity, with such dare. To my awareness, there were only two in this entire army who could shift into any creature, animal or human, and only one, would ever dare to give me such a look. Indeed, as I looked around, she was nowhere in sight. I looked up to see the black bird as we pased under it, and it gave me an arrogant tilt of it's head. "Finally, you figured it out?"
    I couldn't decide if I wanted to sneer, bare my fangs to show dominance, or laugh. So we apparently didn't just have the two being spies. "What?" Asked Kamala, her eyes narrowing. In answer I pointed with my ears to the treetops. "The bird?" I flicked my ears to the army around us as we walked along. Kamala stared around, assessing, then realization struck those eyes akin to mine, then went blank with stone. She sniffed softly, confirmation and acknowledgement. Hours later, we reached the outposts of Hiquanna's lands. Villages with miles of lands separating them from each other. Homes with huge slabs of grass and trees, so so so many trees. As we wove through the main path toward her main village. Kitana's face was hard and cold, frozen with nothing on it but feral dominance. Our escorts occasionally looked back at us, seeing the gentle shift between the three of us. "Tough isn't it." Said the male. "To be back where you started." Kitana said nothing. "Tough isn't it? TO know your home is here, your family is here. Tough, isn't, it, knowing that you're a beast deep down?" He gave me a feral grin. "Just look to your surrogate sisters. They belong here, this is who they are." He gestured to a bunch of wolves who passed ahead, bounding in sync with each other. Kitana still said nothing. Krede just grinned again. "Where do you think your surrogate daughter came from?" He eyed Holly, who stuck close to Kitana's right side. Her gold eyes flashed in the shadows like suns. "I could tell you." Purred Krede. "I could tell you exactly who truly birthed her, how she landed in the human world. Could tell you, you killed her uncle." The two wolves snarled, their hackles rising with ire. Their heads turned to stare at Kitana. "You killed her uncle, and would've killed her father, had he been there." Krede flicked his ears and the wolves faced forward. "So, each of you have your roots here. Each of you have something to answer for." He eyed Kamala and myself. "You two for your betrayal and disobedience, for your lack of respect, for your rioting, your pillaging, your practice of piracy. For raising your own pack and growing your own authority without recognition from Hiquanna or any of her delegates. For not obeying the laws of lycanthrope rule. You both have a lot to answer for."
    His grin bared his fangs. "Yet, you have the spine to show up here. With hundreds behind you. To finally insight your uprising? To finally wage that war you threatened us all with? To finally show us just how strong you are? Or, how weak you are?" Kamala sneered, a low warning snarl vibrating from her chest. "Careful." The word was all but audible, though she didn't speak. Krede shrugged arrogantly. "Both of you will face the judgement deemed you." He turned to face Kitana. "You will have a lesser punishment, seeing as you're Hiquanna's offspring, though you still have a lot to answer for. A lot to see to. You won't get away clean." He gestured to the pathway ahead. "Your, menagerie, shall wait in the lands as you come with me, so—"Hold up now." Said Audrey, shoving her way forward. "You ain't about to try and do that shit." Krede stared at Audrey for the first time. Both the wolves snarled, baring their fangs as they spun around to face her, dirt spraying. "Please." She waved her hand dismissively. "I've faced down worse curs than you two." Both wolves snarled, their eyes registering the insult. "Anyway, you aren't separating us. Fuck no. You get Kitana, you get the rest of us." I felt the power of Krede's stare as he exuded his dominance over Audrey, but she merely shrugged it off. "I'm blind, so, nice try with that shit, but it's not gonna work." Krede's eyes widened slightly, as if he only just now realized it. "You have flawed in your army."
    An ice dagger lashed out of nowhere and stuck into the tree right by Krede's left ear, two inches away. Slowly, he turned to eye the twelve inch long ice blade. Audrey had another in her hand, flipping it again and again. "I'm not flawed, cur." She purred. He nodded with recognition of another. "Fine." He faced Kitana now as the ice dagger melted into water and returned to Audrey. "You may pick, a hand full to join us, then the rest will be sent ahead to await, for better, or worse, at the border of Hiquanna's lands." Kitana bared her fangs, her only reaction, and, without turning, said, "Kendra, Luna, Joy, Audrey Sarah Wenzi, Leia Reina." As she listed off names, they came forward, separating from the army. When she was done, Krede nodded. He gestured and we moved further down the path, I turned back, to give my final order. "Daitengu." He stepped out of a shadow, his eyes hard. "Take the army through, get them to the border, do not, I repeat, do, not, cross the Forbidden Territory until I say so. Do not, cross those canyons." My eyes stayed on his, hard and unyielding. Hee nodded, his eyes glinting with hidden fire. I turned away from him, and eyed Kamala, then Kitana, and the gods she'd gathered, the gods that Krede had no idea could destroy this whole territory and then some. "Well then," Purred Krede. "Let's move."
It was the scentt that hhit first. The scent of true power. The scent of a queen who lived for centuries. A scent similar to Kneecora's. The scent of a ruler who ruled with ferocity, with bloodlust, a ruler who ruled with conquest, with danger. Through every village, through every field, the scent was fraught throughout her kingdom. The scent of Hiquanna. It was over every tree, woven through the grasses, splashed against the houses. Her scent of power was here, and it smelled of her. As we climbed a steep hill, and came over it, we looked down on her main city. Houses were bigger here, more extravagant. A pair of wolves passed behind us and flew through the trees. As we walked down the hill, Kamala said, "At least the rumors of how much power she's gained aren't a kind of artifice. Krede said without turning, "Unlike some wolves, the actual queen of them knows how to keep her iron fist, and knows how to use her power. Unlike bitches who believe that they can grow their power through artifice and fiction. Raise their own pack with no foundation of territory. Living as nomads." "I'd sugest." Said Audrey coolie. "That you be careful how you speak to my friends." Krede regarded her shrewdly before brushing her off like a fly.
    We moved down a path between two well built homes. Krede kept his steady swift pace, his onyx eyes cold and remote and harsh as we passed werewolves on either side. As their eyes, as dark as death, stared at us. A few pups bounded down the path toward us, their jaws still coated in fresh blood. They took one look at Krede, and shifted direction immediately. "Hmm." Said audrey. Krede didn't reply, his countenance stayed remote and harsh, though it was nothing compared to the sheer dominance that was Hiquanna. The deeper we moved into the center of her stronghold, the more powerful her scent was. "I know I can't smell." Said Joy. "But seriously, the vibes here just state the obvious." "What, Hiquanna is some over powerful bitch?" Asked Luna dryly. "What was your first clue?" "You'd be wise to watch your tongue, before it's ripped out of your mouth." Joy shrugged. "I've faced down scarier curs than you buddy." "I didn't mean me. I meant, her." He waved ahead, were a huge courtyard sprawled. Dozens upon dozens of yards flowed up to an amphitheater. An amphitheater, that, from the amount we could see, was ancient greek style. And, at the entrance of that theater, stood Hiquanna. Her purple hair was switched to deep dark brown, her eyes the same harsh color. Her presence exuded from her, roiling through the territory like the waves from an active volcano. Her eyes rolled over Audrey, Wenzi, Joy Luna, Reina, Leia, Sarah, all like they were extras, superfluous. Then her eyes landed on me, her lips turned up slightly, a crude move. Then on Kamala, and she opened her mouth, glinting fangs barely seen. Then they rolled over to Kendra, and an arch of an eyebrow. Then Holly, and that same arch. But as they landed on Kitana, her mouth bared those white fangs, those dark eyes glinted with malice. She didn't move, didn't come forward, no, she remained there, her eyes glinting with malice and venom. I turned to see Kitana's face, hard, extremely hard, and her hands were clasped around the hilts of her favored fans, ready to lash out with them. TO lash out and gut her biological mother.
    "Holy shit." Said Luna. "Fucking shit right." Said Sarah and Wenzi together. Leia just stared at Hiquanna, her eyes wide. Reina stumbled slightly, and automatically, Audrey reached out to steady her. Kamala's face was blank, blank and void. Kitana moved ahead slightly, arrowing through the gathering crowd of werewolves. I stared around now, looking, searching. We neard the amphitheater, crossing what had to be a great running field, where no werewolves ran. It was void, as void as Kamala's face. Werewolves came out though, circled us as if we were already prey. Kitana's head was held high, her nose pointed ahead, hands still gripping her fans. No death clung to her though. As she gripped her fans, there were no shadows that lingered around her. No death that haunted her eyes. Her long loose hair flowed behind her as Holly's did. Krede moved onward, his eyes downcast, just as the wolves were. Though Kitana made eye contact with Hiquanna, kept her violet eyes on her the whole time. Kept them there, as we neared her. Hiquanna's mouth opened just a tad bit wider. And, I saw it. Her pointed ear, just barely visible, flicked ever so slightly. Out of the trees, four wolves bounded, flying over the hundreds of yards with expert precision and deft ease. They spread outward, slashing like a blade through flesh, toward Kitana. Kitana had to have seen the move by Hiquanna, had to have seen the same tell, a tell that Hiquanna allowed us to see. Kitana held up her hand, the only warning, though not to anyone else but her gods. She spun on her heel, whipping out both her fans. She popped both open and planted her feet. Both wolves closed in, their jaws agape, ready for the kill. Kitana's crown glinted in the near darkness, glinted as the distant lights danced like a moon. That strange eighth color danced over her face. Then, the wolves froze. Mid bound, in mid air, they all froze. Kitana didn't move, didn't give a tell. Then, the air, the very world, grew cold, cold, colder, colder, colder. Winds churned through the air, lifting her hair. Ice cracked the marble of the theater. Then, Kitana spun, swinging her fans in a striking gesture, like a bird wheeling through the air. All four wolves were tossed aside like dolls, thrown into the trees, their distant howls of pain were heard, then silenced. Hiquanna bared her teeth now, fully and luculently.