Flower of Bulann

Chapter 39

Hirro Hyenta sat outside the window of his father's meeting hall, he was welcome inside... but knew that certain topics would be avoided with his presence.

Instead, he sat outside, where the sun cast no shadow large enough for a man to hide in, for light was their only weakness... whether it be by sun, moon or candle.

"My lord, your plan proceeds as you willed it," came the familiar raspy voice of a shadow.

His father grunted in response, clearly he was dissatisfied that his plot had succeeded.

Over the next two hours several shadows visited, giving reports upon the members of Vior's court... though from personal experience, Hirro knew half the information false.

Hirro shuffled aside a short time later, his leg aches and his eye itched. He moved as silently as possible, only being spotted long after his presence would be expected.

During Kinna's stay his father had softened, at least to anyone watching. Hirro however, knew him better.

As the next clan head, his father had taught him all he knew about politics and the manipulation of people.

It was because of this knowledge that he was sure his father had plotted against Vior, and because of his recent foul mood... it had been at Kinna's expense.

Having circled around the house, Hirro entered his father's residence, greeted by the guards dutifully as was due the next head of the family.

"My son!" Called his father in fake surprise, though it didn't matter as long as he had remained undiscovered.

"Father," Hirro replied with a bow, his eyes searching for a chink in his father's armour.

"What brings you here?" His father questioned, beckoning him to follow.

As the clan heir he walked beside his father, the gaggle of aides following at a respectful distance.

"I wished to discuss Kinna with you, father. She seemed... not herself at times," Hirro answered, a little more bluntly than he'd meant to.

"She seemed... fine, when we spoke, my son... perhaps you were mistaken?" His father replied, though they both knew he was hiding something.

Hirro halted the aides and took several steps further with his father before speaking again.

"You place too much trust in these 'shadows'" he said in a angry whisper. "Who is to say they are truly working in our best interest?"

His father waved him off and took a step forwards, turning to look at Hirro with a deadly stare.

"It is not your place to question my decisions, my son... if you cannot understand this, then I guess it is as well I sired other sons... do I make myself clear?" His father said in a cold voice, the threat perfectly clear.

"As crystal, father," he replied... but Hirro was sure he would not live to see himself clan head.

Later that evening, Hirro put his son to bed, asking his wife to stay in the annex along with him.

The house felt eerily quiet without his house staff and he knelt in preparedness with his swords beside him.

Hirro had enough experience to know his life would be targeted tonight, and enough sense to know he was wounded and likely to die... all he could hope for was that they would be satisfied with only his life.

The doors to the bedroom where he waited remained closed, though the full moon radiated a faint light inside the room, enough that his remaining eye could focus in the gloom.

There was a faint rustle upon his blind side and within a second, Hirro's blade was in his hand and slicing through the attacker, though he became like mist and reformed as the blade passed him by.

Hirro staggered as the blade swung at air, his momentum carrying him onto the shadow's closed fist.

The wind was driven out of his lungs, Hirro rolled towards the closed doors, but the shadow emerged from the floor before him, driving a boot into his stomach.

Hirro blocked with his arm, the force of the blow almost snapping the bone in half as he scrambled to his feet.

He turned quickly, his remaining arm clutched the sword searching the room for his hidden opponent.

"Who sent you, shadow!?" He called out into the darkness.

"Your father," came back the deep voice of the shadows.

Hirro knew it wars a lie... his father would have given strict instructions to mislead the target on the slim chance they survived...

He made a break for the interior doors, waiting until the shadow appeared before him before turning on his heel and barrelling towards the outside doors instead.

The shadow began to emerge before him and Hirro leapt over it, drawing his blade through it's skull, the misting caused the creature of darkness to halt where it was... and that gave Hirro all the time he needed to throw open the doors, letting the bright moonlight flood the room as he threw himself to the ground... the shadow had nowhere to hide.

As he turned around he watched the shadow burn away to nothingness, a soundless scream on it's lips.

Hirro lay in the moonlight breathless, his fatigue and injuries catching up with him now that the adrenaline had left his system.

But who had sent the shadow? Vior was always a possibility, though a slim one. Kinna's husband had too much honour to deal with shadows this way...

Hirro rolled onto his back and wracked his brain... there was unlikely to be any other master of the shadows, yet it remained that there must be.

He looked out of the open doors, catching a glimpse of a deathly stare before it melted away... they now knew for certain he could kill them, perhaps the shadows would stay well away from him now?

He checked up upon his wife and child, finding them both still asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hirro opened several windows to bathe them in moonlight before taking his place beside them... the shadows would not have their wish... no matter who controlled them.