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THUNDER CRASHED AND LIGHTNING FLASHED in the sky, waking Jasira and Aedyn from their slumber. As they got up and prepared themselves, the rain grew heavier and heavier, and tree branches snapped under the force of the wind. The petrichor smell emanating from the ground was almost too strong to handle.
As they ran towards the citadel, the treacherous terrain and relentless downpour caused Jasira to slip and fall again and again, but she wouldn't be deterred as she knew Adam was within reach. Meanwhile, Aedyn was agile and manoeuvred easily through the forest, striding over fallen trees with his long legs and pushing through overgrown branches with his broad shoulders. Jasira was surprised by Aedyn’s strength and power. She had never seen anyone, any woman, move that fast before
Jasira eventually caught up to Aedyn, who was waiting for her near one of the high walls of the citadel. Like most of the citadel, the wall was built of blackstone bricks. Aedyn cupped his hands and bent his knees slightly.
“Jump up and tell me how many guards there are,” he whispered.
Jasira jumped up and tried to grab the top of the wall. She slipped, but Aedyn caught her. She tried again. This time, Aedyn boosted her by pushing her legs up. Once at the top, she lay flat, blending in with the wall.
There were no lights outside the citadel. The only part of the citadel that had electricity was the dungeons. The courtyard was illuminated by fire-lit torches that were arranged in rows on each wall. Jasira saw only one Cerberi walking around the courtyard.
“There’s one,” she said.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Jasira looked again, surveying the courtyard more carefully.
“Positive,” she replied.
“All right. Pull me up now,” he said, jumping to reach her hand.
Aedyn used his legs to climb up the side of the wall as Jasira pulled him up. They lay flat on the top of the wall, facing each other.
“Okay, what’s the plan?” he asked.
“Why do I need to come up with the plan?”
“Because you’ve been in the citadel before. I have no idea where anything is or where Adam and Prianaj are being kept.”
“They’re in the dungeons,” she said.
“All right then. To the dungeons.”
“It’s not going to be that easy. The only male the Cerberi have ever seen is Adam. They’ll try to kill you. I’ll go get Adam and Prianaj, and I’ll bring them here to you.”
“You can’t let anybody see you,” Aedyn said.
“I’ll need to be invisible.”
“How are you going to be invisible?” he asked.
They both turned their heads to the Cerberi patrolling the courtyard.
“No. No way,” he said.
“I have to. I can’t let them stay any longer in there. What if they’re torturing him to get the necklace?”
“That’s understandable,” he said as he nodded.
Jasira threw one of her daggers on the ground beneath them, and its clang drew the attention of the Cerberi.
“Who’s there?” the Cerberi called out as she walked towards the wall, clutching her baton.
She noticed the dagger and picked it up. Jasira winked at Aedyn and rolled over to the side, landing on top of the Cerberi and knocking her out.
She struggled to fit into the Cerberi’s uniform but eventually squeezed into it. She tossed her clothes up to Aedyn, who dropped them over the other side. Aedyn dropped a few more daggers to Jasira in case she needed them. She dragged the Cerberi’s body to the corner of the courtyard where there was a door to a tiny storage room. She left the body inside and used a heavy flowerpot to block the door from opening.
“Good luck,” Aedyn whispered aloud.
Jasira put on the Cerberi’s mask and entered the citadel. She regained her bearings and moved through the hallways. She passed by a Cerberi who nodded to her, and she nodded back.
There were more different-sized doors on her right than her left. Soon, she realised she must have gone around the same hallway multiple times. A set of stairs appeared on her left, and as she moved closer, she heard Samaari talking to someone at the top but couldn’t make out the words. Jasira recalled the path she had taken the last time to get to the throne room, and she backtracked. She moved through the hallways until she got to a door that looked very familiar to her.
“Beastie,” she said as she gently placed her palm on the surface of the door.
She looked ahead and saw the spiral stairs that led to the dungeons. She quickly noticed the two Cerberi guarding the entrance.
“What are you doing down here, Orbina?” they asked.
Jasira looked down at the blue letter ‘O’ embroidered on her uniform. That’s what the letters are for, she realised.
“Right. Um. Just checking on the prisoners. Samaari’s orders. You know how she is,” Jasira said, coughing.
“Is everything okay with you? You don’t sound right,” they asked.
Jasira cleared her throat and replied, “Just a cold.”
“Okay then. Who’s watching out front?”
“Uh,” Jasira hesitated, trying to remember a Cerberi’s name she’d heard before.
She looked at the letters on the uniforms of the two Cerberi in front of her, one with a green letter ‘B’ and the other with an orange letter ‘U’.
“Orbina?” the Cerberi said.
“Um. Frayda took over,” she said, coughing.
The Cerberi opened the doors and let Jasira into the dungeons. She immediately closed the door and flicked the switches on the giant machine, turning off the power to the cages. To her surprise, the cages were all empty. Not a single prisoner remained. The two Cerberi entered the dungeon with their batons out. They twisted the tip of the batons to reveal metal spikes.
“Orbina would have known the prisoners were all fed to the beast, except the old lady and the boy. Levon wouldn’t eat those two. Who are you really?” they asked.
“I didn’t know our batons did that,” she said, running between the cages.
Jasira was felt too tired to be running, especially because of the ordeal she had gone through earlier in the day and her injured ankle. She huffed and held the sides of her waist. The mask didn’t let in enough air. She couldn’t breathe. The Cerberi cornered her between the gaps of two cages, one behind her and the other in front of her. They closed in on her and raised their spiky batons. Then Jasira heard the Cerberi behind her shout in pain as she fell to the ground.
“Idira?” the Cerberi in front of her said.
Jasira kicked the Cerberi’s stomach and pushed her away. The Cerberi fell and knocked her head on the side of the cage.
“Who are you and why are you here?” Idira asked.
Jasira took off her mask. Idira’s eyes widened, and she lowered her baton.
“I thought you were dead,” she said.
“Dead women tell no tales. Why did you do that? Why did you help me?”
“The enemy of my enemy is my ally,” Idira said.
Jasira put the mask back on, and they walked back through the hallways.
“I know where your son is. He’s with Prianaj in a separate holding bay. Samaari ordered us not to feed them, but I couldn’t watch an innocent child suffer. Samaari’s crazy, but that’s a bit too far.”
“Thank you. That means a lot. Samaari will pay for all this.”
“I can agree with that,” Idira said, opening the door next to the lion’s room.
This room was much like the lion’s, cold and empty, except for the two people inside. Jasira dropped her mask and ran to her son. She hugged him tight and didn’t want to let go. Adam held Jasira and cried. He’d never been away from his mother for such a long period.
“You’re alive,” Prianaj said. “But Idira you told me—”
“I thought so too. Until I found her in the dungeons, looking for both of you,” Idira interjected.
“But how?”
“Your child saved me,” Jasira said confidently. “On the beach.”
“My child?”
“Your son. Why didn’t you tell me? All those years and you kept that secret from me. I can understand why, but still, you could have trusted me. We agreed to tell each other the truth.”
“Jasira, you more than anyone know how difficult it is for me to trust people,” Prianaj said.
“You made me believe I was the special one, that my son was somehow important. The prophecy was never about my son. It was about you. You birthed a male child during a blood moon, and you are royalty. You knew this and still kept it from me. Why?” she asked, perplexed.
“I didn’t want to believe it, I couldn’t. That my son was the one the prophecy spoke about. You have every right to be angry, Jasira,” Prianaj said reassuringly.
“I’m not angry, just disappointed. Was there even a blood moon when Adam was born?”
“No. I told everyone in The Border that a blood moon had passed. But I did that to protect you and Adam. I was protecting you from my past. I couldn’t burden you with my own secrets. I cared for you both, loved you both, leaving my own son behind.”
“Loved us? In this world and the next right. It’s what you wrote to him, that letter. Yeah, I found it in the cave seven years ago. You didn’t even look for him. Sirena had to take care of him for you. And when she died, he took care of himself. Don’t sit there and tell me you loved us, because love isn’t leaving your child scared and alone,” Jasira said, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “He came with me to finally meet you. He never knew you but yet has the courage to risk his life to have a second chance with you.”
“He is here?” Prianaj asked, smiling.
“Yes. But if you want to meet him, we need to get out of here before anyone sees us.”
Jasira opened the door to the lion’s room and left it wide open. The lion’s roar echoed through the entire citadel.
As they walked through the rest of the hallway, Jasira didn’t speak to Prianaj. She just held Adam’s hand close to her. They rounded a corner, and a Cerberi stopped them. Jasira held Adam tight with both hands.
“What are the prisoners doing out?” she asked Idira.
“Samaari called for them,” Idira answered.
“Impossible. I was just with her.”
“She called for them earlier. We got caught up,” Idira hesitated.
“I’ll come with you two. Orbina, I thought you were guarding out front,” the Cerberi said to Jasira.
“I asked for her assistance,” Idira stepped in.
Jasira looked at Idira, who shrugged her shoulders.
As usual, Samaari sat on her throne, high and mighty. For the first time in a long time, she wore the crown. It was a simple gold ring around her forehead.
“Why are the prisoners out?” Samaari asked.
“You called for them, your majesty,” the Cerberi answered.
“I did no such thing. Idira, what’s the meaning of this? You’ve gone crazy, just like my sister. Stupid girl.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my ally,” she mumbled.
“Come again?”
“The enemy of my enemy is my ally,” she repeated, charging at Samaari with her spiky baton.
The lion immediately jumped in front of Idira and swiped its claws at her. Idira fell to the side and remained unconscious on the floor, bleeding from the exposed flesh in her arm.
“Good boy, Levon,” Samaari said, fixing her dress. “That girl had no brains. Trying to attack me, who does she think she is?” Samaari said, laughing.
The lion walked to Jasira and bowed. Jasira placed her hand on the lion’s head and bowed back.
“Orbina is not royalty, what’s this?” Samaari said.
“You don’t deserve that crown, Samaari!” Prianaj yelled.
“Quiet!”
“Let her speak,” Samaari snarled.
Prianaj backed away.
“See, she has nothing useful to say. Take them back to the holding bay. Separate them this time,” Samaari commanded.
As one of the Cerberi reached to grab Adam, Jasira sliced her face with a dagger, leaving a deep cut. She fell to the ground, holding her face as she screamed in pain. Jasira threw the dagger at Samaari, but she ducked out of the way and hid behind her throne.
“Orbina, what are you doing?” Samaari screamed.
“Run!” Jasira said.
Prianaj grabbed Adam’s hand, and they ran to the front courtyard. Thankfully, there were no Cerberi outside, but a wailing siren sounded through the entire citadel. Adam covered his ears and cringed.
“You made it!” Aedyn shouted, jumping down from the top of the wall.
“Quick, we have to go now,” Jasira said, almost slipping on the wet floor.
“Wait,” Prianaj said, placing her hand on his cheek. “Is it really you? My son.”
“Aedyn, this is Prianaj, your mother,” Jasira said.
They hugged, finally reuniting after decades of separation. Cerberi quickly flooded the courtyard, holding up their spiky batons.
“Stop!” Samaari yelled. “You know I only want the necklace. Oh my, what do we have here? Another male. Prianaj, your son? Years back, nobody believed the rumours that your child was a boy, yet here we all are. Now all I want are the necklaces. Prianaj, I know you have yours, and I need the boy’s one as well. That’s all I want, and I’ll let you go.”
Aedyn took his necklace off and shoved it in his pocket. Unknown to him, the necklace’s black twine hung out.
“You’re lying!” Jasira shouted.
“Orbina, whose side are you on? We the necklace holders don’t lie to each other,” Samaari said, turning to face her Cerberi. “Get them!” she commanded.
“What is wrong with all you Cerberi? Never in my years of training you all would you follow this tyranny!” Prianaj yelled, furiously.
All the Cerberi slowly marched towards Jasira and Prianaj. Aedyn carried Adam away from the group to protect him. Levon jumped in front of Jasira and Prianaj and roared, saliva spattering out of his mouth. Jasira smiled in relief. The Cerberi all ran back into the citadel, fearing the lion’s sharp fangs. Samaari walked towards Levon, waved her hand and then pointed behind her. Bound to Samaari’s authority, Levon obeyed her. As the lion ran towards the edge of the citadel, it looked back at Jasira and nodded.
“No... no,” Jasira cried. “No!” she screamed louder.
With a poker face, Samaari threw her dagger at the lion without even looking back at it. The dagger lodged itself in the lion’s underbelly, and as it tripped over its feet, it fell over the cliff.
Adam took off his necklace and held it out.
“No, Adam, what are you doing?” Jasira yelled.
Adam released himself from Aedyn’s arms and ran to Samaari.
“No more fighting,” he said, handing it to her.
Samaari laughed. “Your boy has chosen his own fate,” she said, pulling out another dagger.
Aedyn rushed to Adam’s aid and grabbed him in his arms. Samaari took a swing and missed.
“Come on!” she screamed in frustration.
Aedyn ran with Adam towards the citadel’s outer wall. Samaari squinted one eye, stretched out her arm and let the dagger loose. Aedyn’s necklace fell out of his pocket and bounced onto the floor. As the dagger screeched and whistled through the air, it exploded into three separate daggers moving in the same direction. Adam fell out of Aedyn’s arms and slid across the slippery pavement. Aedyn also fell to the ground with a loud thud. Samaari ran to Aedyn’s necklace and ripped it out of the crevice it had lodged itself into. She held it in front of her face and laughed. She then pulled out the two daggers that had lodged in Aedyn’s spine. The third dagger had bounced off his sword and landed on the ground.
Prianaj limped as fast as she could towards her son while cursing at Samaari, who ran back inside the citadel. Jasira followed Prianaj to Aedyn. Adam rubbed his grazed knee and then moved towards Aedyn’s lifeless body. He shook Aedyn’s shoulders, but he just rolled over onto his back. The blood from his wounds seeped onto the floor, mixing with the rainwater and staining the blackstone bricks.
“Aedyn, Aedyn, wake up,” Jasira said, shaking his body as well.
The tears that fell from Jasira’s eyes merged with the raindrops that were pouring down on her. She sobbed as she held his hand; Prianaj held the other and wailed.
“I just got you back, my son,” Prianaj cried. “Please don’t leave me now.”
“Aedyn, please wake up,” Jasira cried louder.
“Jasira,” Prianaj said, shaking her head. “You know what to do.”
Jasira nodded and kissed Aedyn’s forehead. She rose with a throwing knife in one hand, Aedyn’s sword in the other and a fire in her heart that burned with a desire for a vengeance the likes of which she had never felt before.