Prince Gaston Falesto must have been a very handsome man when he was young. He stood with the air of distinction belonging to a man who had been raised to rule. He was not a tall man or a short man, but his character and his personality ensured anyone passing by him would always give him a second look. His strong chin and beautiful facial features set him apart from your average person. He had the yellow eyes of the Falestos, but only his daughter Casandra had inherited those yellow eyes. Both his sons had dark-blue eyes and his daughter, Corrysande, or Corry for short, had brown eyes, bordering on being red. Both his sons had light-brown hair just like their mother, but Corry and Casandra were born with the reddish-brown hair of the Royal Family.
“Father, we need an elemental Gift-Vessel. Gallo’s bird spotted one in the Nin’Vae Oasis in the Bowen Desert,” said Corry.
“Father, I’ll leave tomorrow and go fetch the Gift-Vessel for you!” said Gallo. “Callo had his chance with the Teacher-Magi, but he lost her to the Blue Judge.”
Gaston sat on his chair looking from Callo to Gallo and considered filicide. These two sons were worthless.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP, GALLO!” spat Callo, furious and ready to kill. “You and Corry planned this all along. I had that girl. I broke her Vessel! Who the hell cares if she lives? She can’t use her Vessel. My Spirit Demon destroyed her!”
“ENOUGH, YOU TWO!” shouted Gaston. “I ordered you to bring me the Gift-Vessel alive. I had wanted the Teacher-Magi alive and in full capacity, but I have nothing. If I’m to destroy Klastos, I need a powerful army. He has the King’s Legion. I must have an army of equal or greater power. You both are imbeciles.”
Gaston had heard enough excuses from his sons and his hands were too close to his sword. Years earlier, when he was young and still had his family united, the thought of killing anyone, let alone his children, would have repulsed him. Now, Gallo was nothing but useless in his plans to eliminate Klastos from the planet.
Klastos had pushed Gaston from the love of his mother; she thought him a traitor even, an evil magic caster and a human destroyer—the worst of all people. He had not been any of what Klastos accused him thus, but he became all of it over time, to not disappoint. He transformed himself, obtaining power, simply to kill Klastos. Quetza would be his. Neither Gallo nor Callo were to become his successor, but Corry or maybe even Casandra could be his heir and future Queen of Vanyan and Empress of Quetza.
“Father, I ...” Gallo couldn’t finish his sentence.
“Gallo, get out of my castle! Callo, you will leave as well. I want you both gone today—leave and stay out. I’ll call you when I need you.”
Callo and Gallo left the hall, displaying looks of pure hatred for each other.
“The Gift-Vessel from the Bowen Desert, could it be the Water-Magi?” asked Corry. “Her ability will be useful. Her Gift needs to be trained and her Vessel must be filled with the right type of quality. She needs to end up here with us. She can’t be killed; we must get her alive. Her Gift will be useful.”
“Father,” said Casandra, “if you are still interested in the second girl Seamus has, we can still try to find him. I think if we use the Gift of your man of business, Fred—”
“Casandra, I don’t have much patience left. Fred’s Gift is Discerning-Magi. His talent is useless,” said Gaston.
“Father, we have two of the men who worked for Seamus. Corry can use her persuasive ways and interrogate them. At the same time, we can have Freddy watch and listen. Freddy could confirm if they are telling us the truth.”
“It is not a bad idea, Father. If we know where Seamus may be going, we can get both the Magi in the desert and the one with Seamus,” said Corry.
“You two are brilliant, unlike your brothers. I sometimes wonder if I truly fathered them.”
“Father, I must be off to do some work for Mother. I’ll see you soon,” said Casandra.
“Cassy, darling, could you first make sure Fred knows to get ready for the interrogation?” said Corry.
Casandra gave a nod to Corry, a vow to her father, and left, making sure to avoid her brothers.
“Father, do you trust Casandra? I mean, she is the daughter of that woman Itza, who’s just … how could I put this? She is a mercenary!” Corry spoke freely with her father.
“Corry, I trust very few people. So far, Casandra and you are the only two of my children who have not given me any reason to distrust you. But know this, I trust your sister more than I trust your two moronic brothers. I gave them so much power and they have squandered it.”
“Well, dear Father, I must go and get ready if I’m going to interrogate your prisoners,” said Corry.
Corry left her father looking out the window of his study. The man was drinking liquor and it was only midday. Father hated failure and Callo and Gallo knew it. Since they had made another blunder of their assignment, it meant they were most likely to take their frustration out on her. Corry decided to stay next to her father as much as possible, but perhaps not while he was drinking.
Casandra had to tread carefully within her father’s family. Her father was creating an army out of shadows, demons, killers, misfits and dissidents. Nevertheless, Casandra left the castle hall with a grin which only meant one thing. Her mother’s plan was working. Her father wanted the throne. Technically, he should have been Emperor of Quetza and King of Vanyan, but his brother had ousted him with a loophole in the law. Gaston despised his brother.
It was getting late and Casandra needed to get going and she needed to rest. Being a half Koddy wasn’t easy. Her mother had never told her father she was a Koddy. He never noticed. He never looked at her mother when she was bathing in the sea and she always managed to keep the same skin color day and night. A Koddy’s skin changed color, which enabled them to hide in the shadows at night. The limitations were simple, they would have patches of slightly different colors of skin over their entire bodies when not focusing on blending, or while bathing in saltwater. Exhaustion would rapidly overtake them if they sought to maintain one form and one color for overly extended periods of time.
Later at night, Casandra was lounging in her private, warm spa pool where she was visited by her mother. She was the only daughter of Itza Morgensen, who was a princess of her people, the Koddy. Casandra’s mother was a very wealthy woman by means of her own business. She had an eye for horses and gems. Her mother, together with her mother’s four brothers, formed the nexus of all financial matters between the last of the Koddy tribe and the Humans within Vanyan. They managed sales, production of goods, and other services of all goods between the Kingdoms to the west and south of the Empire and mercenary groups. They did all this under the guise of them being a powerful human family from the Isles of Fratt. They were brilliant.
“Cassy… Cassy… Casandra, dear! Casandra, you need to pay attention now.”
“Ma, I need rest. Being around Father for so long drains my Vessel almost entirely. You know it, Momma.”
Casandra loved being home surrounded by her maids. Each of her maids had enough good energy for her to draw on without fear of hurting any of them. Their feelings were very caring and loving, making the task of getting rid of all the filth that her half-brothers splashed around her soul and Vessel easy. Her father always left her drained; her brothers left her stained.
“You know better not to be around him for so long. Besides, you need to hear this—you can rest after.”
“Yes, Mother. I am all ears.”
Itza gave a towel to her daughter to dry her face. Itza was a businesswoman with an elegant flair. She kept her body covered with elaborate dresses and full-body leather armor to hide her multi-colored Koddy body. That way she only had to spend energy on keeping the color on her face uniform.
“All of you out of the water, now,” said Itza.
Casandra had three maids in the pool with her. She liked to draw her maids’ energy while underwater. It was easier for her that way.
“You need to stay with Callo or Gallo!” her mother ordered. “Whichever one goes after the Gift-Vessel at the Oasis in the Bowen Desert. You need to make sure neither of your half-brothers fails to get him. Do you understand? We must have an Assembly of the Thirteen. Also, you need to make sure to capture one of the Gifted.”
Casandra looked at her mother disapprovingly. “Not capture but invite for tea and a conversation,” said Casandra.
“Fine darling, you know we need to make them understand we need a Koddy to rule,” said Itza.
“Mother, you know how much I hate Gallo. He is a weasel and the worst of the two.”
“I know, love, I know. You have a mighty Vessel and you can carry lots of energy, but I have the solution to keep him away from your Vessel. I had the Beckon Witches place a spell on this medallion. All you have to do is wear the amulet while you are around Gallo. He will not be able to harm you.”
“Mother, no, I am not going to use Beckon Witch magic. I don’t like them witches. They have made their allegiance with Klastos.”
“Casandra, listen. We must draw power from where and whom we can. We are a dying race!”
“I understand, Mother. But I’m not going to use anything you get from the Beckon Witches.” Casandra gave a big sigh. She submerged to her neck in her pool, trying to leave her stress underwater. It didn’t work.
“I’ll leave early tomorrow. Could you please send my maids back?” said Casandra.
“No. Get out of the water and go to sleep. Your skin needs to regain its natural oils. You will have a terrible time sustaining your form. You are not to draw any more energy out of your maids. Remember! We are not leeches, Casandra. There is a great distinction between a Gener and us. We don’t drink blood; we don’t kill those who help us live and we don’t make Koddy out of anyone. We are born Koddy. Geners were born, but later they became corrupted. It is told they made others into Geners against their will. We must never be compared to them. Do you understand?” Itza hated to be so harsh on her daughter, but most days she just wanted to hide her in a tower and keep her safe. Casandra took too many risks.
“Daughter, love of my heart, your human side pulls you to chaos, but you must fight it. Never take energy from the weak, even if you are about to die. Never let your guard down. You could kill the one you are drawing energy from to fill your own Vessel. That is what your brothers Callo and Gallo do; that is not what you do. Remember, light of my heart.”
“Thank you, Mother. I love you, Ma.”
“I love you too. Regain the rest of your energy by sleeping. I must go now. It is dangerous for me to be this far from home. Now get out of your pool!”
Itza left Casandra’s cleansing room. Casandra stepped out of her cleansing pool, dried off and began to put lotion on her skin. She called all her maids to her room. While Casandra took care of her skin, the servants finished cleaning the rooms and bath. Casandra’s brothers had left her with scars that might never go away. Gallo had placed many slashes with knives and belts upon her while Callo simply looked on. She had to be gentle with her back where her skin had opened as a result of Gallo’s depraved form of art. Her now sensitive skin carried the evidence, a permanent reminder, of her brother who had placed a curse in her life.
Casandra needed help braiding her hair and getting dressed as many of the wounds on her back were still open. She couldn’t bear to tell her mother that the darkness was the reason why her maids were with her every night. She kept all five of her maids sleeping in beds around her bed so she could fall asleep. The only way for her to have a restful sleep was to be surrounded by good. Thanks to her brothers, she was now scared of the dark.