How Familiar - 10. Zeke - The Aspect Of Love

Zeke

"Orion!" Zeke whispered into his lover's ear, but Orion's gentle snores did not cease. He shook the boy gently, but Orion slept like a rock. "Come on! If you're late, I'll be the one who gets in trouble!"

"Mmmm..." Orion seemed to stir, but he rolled to his side and continued to snore.

Zeke sighed. He had already bathed and dressed in some close-fitting satin shorts and a pretty silver necklace - his uniform when the Royal Family was to have noble visitors. He rarely, if ever, wore a shirt or shoes. That wasn't the Ulisse way. Today, though, he wore silver sandals that strapped around in a criss-cross pattern all the way up to his thighs, but no shirt. He needed to look good for the visitors.

"Orion! Seriously!" Zeke gave the boy a graceless shove and shook him.

"Don't!" Orion snapped, putting his pillow over his head. "I'm not ready to get up."

"Stop being lazy! Queen Layla wants you up and about this morning," Zeke whined, folding his arms in frustration.

"Mmmkay I'll be up in a minute," Orion promised.

Zeke did not believe him, and he huffed, left the bed and walked by Rylan, who was fast asleep as well - the laziest Familiar in the world. If the Prince was not ready, the blame would fall to Zeke, as he was not only the Prince's retainer, but the two shared a bed every night. It was unlikely he would face any real punishment. No more than a scolding and perhaps miss his morning meal, but that wasn't the problem. He took great pride in his duty. Everything was clean, tidy and punctual. Just... not the Prince. Not unless he chose to be, but Orion felt that these things were not necessary. He had a thirst for life, so long as life started beyond midday and ended after midnight. Well, he's not making me look a fool today, Zeke thought, stepping outside and lowering a pail to the ocean waters that lapped at the stony shore by the Palace walls. By the time he returned, Orion was snoring again. Zeke tipped the contents of the pail over the lazy Prince, and Orion sat up with a start.

"Yo, what are you doing?" Orion spluttered, wiping his wet curls from the right side of his face. Orion liked to shave the left side of his head and leave the left long. Zeke mimicked his hairstyle, but he shaved the right side of his head instead. It marked them as one. Prince and retainer. Love and love. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I will not have you late to breakfast with the Queen!" Zeke snapped at him, and the look of contempt Orion gave him made him angry. "Don't! Just hurry up."

"Ugh, you're always so bitchy in the mornings," Orion did as he was told, though, rubbing his sleepy eyes and slipping off the bed.

"How would you know?" Zeke wasn't even worrying about proving his lover right by answering him with sass. "You're so rarely awake in the mornings."

"I should do it more often," Orion cocked an eyebrow as he looked at the boy standing over him. "You look perfect in the mornings, apparently."

"Hey!" Zeke couldn't help but smile at the compliment, but he was not about to be seduced by the Alaeyan boy. Not while he was trying to be stern! "You're not getting off the hook! You're a Prince, and it wouldn't hurt you to act like it once in a while."

"Alright, you win, you bossy little minx," Orion moaned, running his fingers through his hair. He had a lovely brown tan on most of his body, but the areas often covered by his shorts were so pale. Zeke marvelled at how white the boy's bubble butt was. He'd never seen skin so white before - although, Kaden of Zyria's skin was even paler, he'd noted. He remembered how the boy glowed white in the moonlight when he appeared by the Springs. Aside from a few from the northernareas of the main continent - Alaeyas, Iralia and Odesh, everyone native had very dark skin from brown to black.

"What will you have for your morning meal? Porridge with lemon?" Zeke asked, his eyes feasting on the naked Prince in front of him.

"Yeah that'll be nice," Orion got to his feet and advanced, putting his brown hands on Zeke's slender waist and bringing him to a kiss.

The one kiss before the day begun. Their relationship was well known and accepted among the people of Ulisse. Zeke smiled to himself. Orion was not one to be discreet about anything. Still, Orion was a member of Royalty. The heir to the Alaeyan throne - or one of, at least. While Princess Bailey had her share of paramours, and Queen Layla too, it was improper for them to behave amorously outside bedchambers or public romantic hotspots.

Croix would like to know if the Prince wants his porridge with lemon this morning, Alaoi's thoughts interrupted him.

Tell him yes, Zeke instructed. Thank you.

Alaoi, a pretty butterfly, could not speak of course, but many of those who worked in the Palace knew he communicated with the Prince's retainer, and he could answer yes and no questions for his Human when he was away. One flap of those wings for no, two for yes. A selfless thing, my Alaoi. I love him to bits. I would never trade him for a Pegasus or a Kraken.

Queen Layla did not much look like a Queen - in fact, she often looked like a circus performer. Her skin was black as midnight, and she cropped her even blacker hair short. She coloured her lips and the skin around her eyes the silver of Ulisse, and she wore a revealing, willowy silver dress with tails of blue, green, gold and purple - Alaeyas, Eodanira, Iralia and Odesh - to show Ulisse's friendliness towards the continental countries. Her former husband, King Wolt, still lived in the Palace as a father to his daughters, but they had dissolved their marriage, and he was no longer the King. Her eldest daughter, Bailey, was nineteen. Zeke knew the Princess was a sweet, intelligent girl, but he hated her. She was going to take his Prince from him. They were going to marry when Ronan arrived, and Ronan would marry the fifteen-year-old Princess Tora when she turned sixteen. There is no place for me in this Palace when Ronan gets here, Zeke thought sadly. Yet, if the lost Prince were not on his way, Orion would have already belonged to Bailey.

"He will be here soon, my Queen!" Zeke gave a small bow of his head as he entered the room. Layla smiled up at him.

"Come and sit with us, Zeke. We would have you join us for the morning meal," she pointed to a seat near opposite her on the huge, round stone table she was sitting at. "You don't need to wait on Orion. Not today. It wouldn't kill the boy to clear his own dishes for a change."

"Oh!" He nearly stumbled from surprise. An invitation from the Queen herself?

"Come along. Orion can survive without you fussing over him for an hour," Layla beckoned with her head. "In fact, I think you can start having the morning meal with us here at the table more often. Would you like that? You're as a son to me, after all. I don't know how we got along without you!"

"Ahh--" Zeke felt the blood rushing to his face. "Yes, I would be honoured, my Queen."

"Just Layla, Zeke," she tapped her long, black nails on the table. "You're family. No more of this bowing from now on. It irks me."

"Okay... Layla," Zeke was uncomfortable being so casual with her, but she was not someone who enjoyed traditions. He also wondered where the girls were. Bailey and Tora were often happy to dine with their mother. Wolt preferred to eat alone.

"I can trust that Orion's on his way, then?" Layla asked him.

"Yes," Zeke smiled. "He would not rise until I threw seawater on him."

"You didn't!" Layla laughed, reaching across and touching his hand with her own. "I bet he jumped out of his skin."

"Where are the Princesses?" Zeke asked, masking the contempt he had for Bailey in his voice.

"Our business today doesn't concern the girls. Tora is still with her cousins on the Island of Sand and Bailey's having breakfast with one of her boyfriends," she stated matter-of-factly, and Zeke's eyes bulged at her bluntness. "Yes, that is something you and I need to discuss one day. I'm not blind, Zeke. I know how much you feel for Prince Orion. Everybody does! You don't hide your emotions well. See? I can't even talk about our Orion without you smiling!"

"It's that obvious?" Zeke covered his mouth, embarrassed, and the Queen smirked at him.

"We will speak more after we've eaten," Layla promised warmly and gestured with her hands. Hollie, the Queen's own retainer, was doing Zeke's job for him by bringing the meal from the kitchens. "Thank you so much, sweet thing!"

"Thank you, Hollie," Zeke's favourite morning meal, mango slices on one piece of lightly browned toast, was placed right down in front of him. So rare was it that he did not bring meals for both himself and the Prince that it nearly felt as though he were breaking the rules. "Shouldn't I fetch Orion's meal?"

"No, not today! You're too good to that lazy boy, anyway!" Layla cut into her melon with a sharp knife. "Hollie will bring it on her next trip. Where is Alaoi?"

"Oh, he's in the kitchens. Croix is baking bread in there and Alaoi loves the smell," Zeke explained, and Orion sat between the Queen and his paramour with none of the grace expected of a Prince. He slumped down and noisily yawned, wiping his eyes with his hands.

"Mama, how you doing?" Orion greeted her cheerfully with a kiss on the cheek.

"Good to see you, my boy," Layla kissed him back with those silver-painted lips. "I'm glad to see you out before the sun sets."

"What's the occasion? The dress and all?" Orion gave a happy smile to Hollie when she delivered his lemon porridge. "Thanks, doll!"

"Now, I'm going to need you to sit still and let me speak, okay?" Layla warned him, her long, silver ear hoops flowing with every movement of her head. "We have a professional medic from Alaeyas visiting us today."

"Okay, cool?" Orion replied with a mouthful of porridge. "What's the problem?"

"His name is Kaden," Layla said after a pause, and the shift in Orion's expression and poise was immediate. "His father, Kai, is unable to make the journey, so his son comes in his stead. There is much we can learn from him, and you're going to foster a relationship with him."

"Mm-mm!" The Prince objected, shaking his head and holding up his hand while he struggled to swallow. "No! No!"

"Yes, yes!" Layla replied. "We have several children very ill with a sickness our medics do not understand. Kaden, I understand, knows methods of healing that date back to the days when the Goddess walked Ytia. I want you to meet with him. We have maintained a shaky alliance with Alaeyas ever since the fall, but I mean to see it solidified. Kaden is doing us a great justice by lending his healing talents. You will thank him for his services, as will Bailey."

"No way! I hate those bastards!" Orion flared at her, making Zeke go cold. He put a hand on Orion's bare shoulder, but the Prince angrily shrugged it off. "They left my brother to rot in that prison in the Iralian Palace with Nutty Ninon! I respect that Kaden Zyria can heal the strange fever that plagues Ulisse, but I will not talk with him. They killed my parents."

"Perhaps Kai did, but Kaden did not. He was not even yet born," Layla didn't seem to lose any of her cheerfulness. Ever. It made her scary sometimes. There was no way to know when she was angry. She remained poised and painfully chipper, even when furious. "I have raised you with my own children since you were born. Everything you have in Ulisse is by my hand. I gave you my eldest daughter. I gave you leave to share your bed with your retainer. I'm even giving you Ronan in spite of what it might do to our diplomatic standing with Iralia. What do you give in return? Nothing, it seems to me. I don't mind if you wish to spend every other day avoiding the responsibilities that come with your position, but you will do this for me today. If you do not, you may not leave your chamber until you have a change of heart. Do you understand? I have been far too lenient on you for far too long."

Zeke looked down to his food, but he was too nervous to eat. Layla made good points. Orion did whatever he liked whenever he liked. He didn't have as much interest in the duties of a Prince as much as he did the privileges that came with the position.

"I won't," Orion shook his head. "I can't."

"He's not a bad person, Orion," Zeke piped up, and Orion looked at him with ridicule and disbelief. "He was... nice to me."

"What do you mean?" Orion narrowed his blue eyes and ran his hand through his wild curls. "He's the conjured reflection of a murderer and a traitor. Born of the sorcery of the Fell God! He was here to spy on us only two weeks prior? Did you forget?"

"What if he was?" Layla replied coolly, her voice dangerously sweet. "Now he is coming as a guest and offering his unique talents to us. You will do your part to aid in forging this alliance between Ulisse and Alaeyas. That is my decision."

"I can't believe you. Either of you!" Orion looked furiously between Zeke and the Queen.

Zeke continued to look at his plate as Orion, livid, left the two of them alone, copping his punishment and departing to his quarters. Punishment indeed, Zeke thought. He lives to sleep through the days. Queen Layla did not attempt to stop him. Neither did Zeke.

The Queen is not going to let him get away with this, Alaoi so helpfully reminded him.

I'm worried, Zeke sighed out loud. What kind of ruler can Orion hope to be if he does not take an interest in everything that's difficult about it?

"Eat your breakfast," Layla's smile didn't leave her face the entire conversation in spite of the Prince's insolence. She reached over and put an ink-black hand on his, her many silver rings glittering on her long, webbed fingers. "I have a big job for you today."

"Mmm?" Zeke had taken a big bite of mango slices and toast as the Queen spoke.

"If Orion will not play his part, then he is ill, and you will treat with Kaden and Carlotta on his behalf," Layla decided. "Apparently you already have a rapport with Kaden, and I don't like to let anything go to waste." Zeke swallowed his food with a gulp.

For the next few hours, Zeke was not permitted to return to the bedchamber with Orion. He was not allowed to see Orion at all. Alaoi kept an eye on him for Zeke's peace of mind, and according to the butterfly, Orion did little but have a tantrum, throw some things around the room and then go to sleep again. He's just a big child, Zeke thought. Hardly what someone would expect of a Prince of Alaeyas, but... none of the Princes seemed to be working out. Ronan was a prisoner for a long time, and according to Orion, who could watch the poor kid through the eyes of his Pegasus, that had made him weak and frail. He was marching his way north slowly but surely, but he was a mess and Timi the Pegasus was a coward. And Soren? Well, Soren murdered the Queen of Eodanira! Goddess, what is with these three babes? They share too much of their parents, he supposed. An Iralian coward and an absent, egocentric Queen. The mango plops straight down from the tree. Zeke's father once told him so when he was very young. I miss him.

He witnessed them arrive by boat from one of the taller rooms in the Palace. He was surprised at how... common it appeared. Kaden was not a member of the Alaeyan Council, but he was a Zyrian and Zeke expected more. A simple wooden boat, no bigger than a fishing vessel, with a roof over the top to shade the fair-skinned Alaeyans from the harsh sun of the far north. Why Kaden opted to go by boat was a mystery to Zeke. He'd seen the boy vanish into thin air. He knew that Zyrian magic allowed for warping between places, even as far as from the main continent of Ytia to the Islands of Ulisse. He'd seen Kaden do so! The boat's captain looked to be a woman of middling age, her orange hair cut short and in men's clothes - a grey tunic that tried so hard to be silver. Kaden looked more regal. He wore velvety robes of silver and red, and his long, black hair was tied up. Long hair and the strong Ulissen heat never did mix well, especially for visitors who were not used to the climate.

"He looks like a girl!" Bailey immediately decided, looking suspiciously down at the pale boy dismounting from the ship.

Zeke forced himself not to glare at her. Everything about her offended him. She and Orion. Disgusting. Why couldn't she marry Ronan instead? Queen Layla greeted the boat's captain and Kaden personally without bodyguards, shaking the hand of each visitor and kissing them on the cheek. There were never any Monarchs quite like the Queen of Ulisse. She often mingled with the ordinary people and had little use for sitting on her throne all day. We are all people, she would often say. We were all born of the same Goddess. Still, while she tried her best, pirates ran rampant around the coasts of Ulisse and pillaged from the poor and defenceless. Zeke lost his parents to an invasion. He remembered nothing of that night except an enormous Kraken rising from the oceans, a vast monster that effortlessly sank the ships with its mighty tentacles and made eye contact with the tiny little boy.

"That's our cue. Come on, butterfly!" Bailey, dressed only in a willowy silver dress that glittered in the light, pulled him by the arm.

Zeke did not appreciate that. I know how to do Orion's jobs. I've been filling in for him since I arrived here every damn time he had responsibilities, you bitch. Bailey and Zeke stood side by side at the wide Greystone archway that served as the entrance to the palace as Queen Layla escorted the visitors from the dock.

"Greetings!" Bailey beamed at them both eagerly. "Welcome to the Ulisse Palace! Make yourselves as comfortable as possible."

"Hello," Zeke waved shyly, barely able to keep his eyes on them.

"Good day," the captain nodded her head and shook Zeke's hand on the way past, grateful to have been noticed.

"Unfortunately, Prince Orion has taken ill and will not be able to join us," Queen Layla didn't lose a beat with her lie. "Orion's personal retainer, Zeke, will be taking his place if it please you. His words are those of the Prince."

"Hello Zeke," Kaden had an open face with a friendly smile, just the way Zeke remembered him. Strapped to his back was a cotton bag full of what appeared to be medical supplies and clothes. "Would you like me to see the Prince? I can perhaps speed up his recovery."

"Ahh-no," Layla cut in quickly, embarrassed that she was telling such a lie to a professional healer. Zeke hadn't thought of that either. Awkward! "He will be quite fine. It serves him right for being so reckless with his health. Let him learn his lesson. Shall we eat now? It must have been a long trip for you both."

"If it's all the same to you, My Queen," Kaden was polite, and his smile never left his face. "Carlotta here might be ravenous, but I would get to work as soon as possible. I do not wish to leave people in suffering a moment longer than necessary."

Then why did you bother to sail here rather than warp? Zeke wanted so badly to ask, but kept his lips sealed. I'm not Orion. I know when to shut up.

"By all means!" Layla nodded and gestured to Zeke with her hand. "Zeke will take you to the sick bay. Carlotta, why don't we fill that belly of yours?"

"Sounds terrific, yer Majesty!" Carlotta, already shedding a layer of her grey clothes, was pleased to take up the offer. The three women walked towards the dining hall, but Zeke turned to look at Kaden.

"Um... through here," Zeke waved down the other side of the corridor. "Shall I take your things for you?"

"That's kind, but I am just fine, thank you," Kaden replied politely but curtly as they began to walk. "The Prince does not wish to see me, I fear. Your Queen does not lie easily."

"Yes... you're correct," the dark-skinned boy looked to the greystone floor they walked. Sometimes big waves crashed into the Palace and briefly flooded the lower areas of the building through the basement or they were even high enough to reach the lower windows. "Orion does not wish to treat with you. Ever. He's... not good at diplomacy. Or much of anything."

"Then he will not have an enjoyable time while I stay," Kaden wiped sweat from his forehead. "Does this mean I'll be seeing more of you instead, then?"

"I guess so," Zeke shrugged, and he looked at the poor, alabaster-skinned boy. He was marinating in his robes. "Would you like to take those off? I can find you something to wear that may be more forgiving for our climate.'

"Thank you!" Kaden laughed, wiping his brow a second time. "Last I was here it was quite hot, but that was during the night. Today, I cannot believe the heat while the sun is shining! It's snowing in the south of Alaeyas. Did you know that?"

"I thought it would snow in Alaeyas! It was all white as far as I could see when I visited the Eodaniran Palace! I can't say I care for it," Zeke helped Kaden take the sack from his shoulders and went to help him slip his robed off, but the Zyrian boy stopped him.

"My apologies, but... do you mind if I do this alone?" Kaden asked, biting his lip. He's shy, Zeke thought. Good. So am I in many ways, but it seemed strange to be so modest. Nobody in Ulisse covers up much of their bodies, not even the obese, diseased or maimed.

"I saw you without your shirt last time," Zeke reminded him. He remembered the way that mahogany-skinned teenage boy turned into Kaden in front of his very eyes. Those irises that had been near black that started burning red like coals as the illusion wavered and he revealed himself.

"It's not that. Please," Kaden drew his robes closed, the embers in his face dancing as the hot sunlight came in through the windows. "You should not be expected to undress me."

"So be it," Zeke nodded obediently and withdrew. "The sick bay is through that passage towards the end. I will return with some garments for you. Would you like me to bring a meal to you as well?"

"You're not my servant, Zeke," Kaden shook his head. "We in Alaeyas do not believe in hierarchies, and I cannot ask that of you. I will trade with you for some clothes that will not smother me in this heat. When I go to the kitchens, I will make a trade with the chef in exchange for a cooked meal. I can't abide servitude."

"Oh," Zeke did not know how to reply. He knew that Alaeyas was a collectivist country now, but he did not realise exactly what that meant. "Well, I'll be back soon."

Kaden gave a respectful nod as he turned towards the sick bay. Zeke had spent some days in the sick bay himself. Once, when he and Orion stole a massive jug of ale to share and made themselves sick. The other time, he'd been afflicted with pox. Orion visited him at least twice a day until he was better. He might have died had he been forced to rely on the poorly trained medics of the Island of Salt. The Pox took nine days to recover from, but if rumours were true, Kaden of Zyria could heal sicknesses such as that in mere minutes. Whether he channelled his Zyrian magic from the Fell God or the Goddess or from the very air itself didn't matter to Zeke. He saved people. Orion was too blind to see that, and that was disheartening. He took a moment to check in on the Prince through the eyes of his Familiar, and both Orion and Rylan were sleeping in the room. Typical.

Zeke went to the laundry chamber and fetched some of his freshly washed and dried clothes for Kaden to wear while he was visiting. He and Kaden were of a similar size and build. The Zyrian was already fast at work when the Ulissen boy arrived. He watched from the doorway in awe as Kaden's fingers caressed the sick, young girl's cheek, covered in boils from this new, terrifying sickness that was beginning to pop up around the northern Islands. He whispered some words and his eyes seemed to glow, and red energy flowed through Kaden's fingers into the young girl's face. She screamed. Loud. Zeke panicked and approached, ready to stop Kaden from hurting her, but Layla surprised him and pulled him back. He had not seen her. She must have wanted to see the magical healing talent of ancient Zyria for herself.

"It's part of the process," Layla whispered in his ear, holding his shoulders firmly. "The transference causes brief agony, but it kills the infection."

The girl continued to scream, but Kaden then took his fingers away and took several deep breaths. The girl cried, but Zeke could barely believe what he was seeing. The boils on the girl's face, neck, arms and chest began to change. They shrunk, receded and turned into scabs, slowly flaking off her and underneath, scar tissue remained. A small price to pay, Zeke thought, his mind near blown by the healing power Kaden possessed. The girl would otherwise have died in pain - roasting in her own skin by a fever as the boils opened and blistered. Now, as her screams ceased, she seemed otherwise fine to him. Healed. Cured. How by the Goddess could this be?

"Kaden?" Zeke asked gingerly, and the older boy looked to him, his kind, red eyes weary and exhausted. "I brought you the clothes you wanted."

"Oh, thank you so much! Come by later and I'll repay you," Kaden was panting as he approached, both from the heat and the exertion of his activity. "She will be okay, Your Majesty. There is little I can do for the scars, I'm afraid, but she is healthy and will remain so. Let her rest."

"Thank the Goddess," Layla beamed at him. "If there's anything we can do to make your stay or your work more comfortable, Kaden, then you let me know. I've never seen anything like this before. I would be very much grateful if you would stay a while longer and coach our lead medics in what you know."

"I apologise, Your Majesty, but that is not an option as of right now," Kaden told her quietly. "My Father is under the weather, and I am the only healer we have for the current moment. This strange disease continues to spread, and it has hit Alaeyas hard."

"I understand," Layla nodded. She was keen to keep him as a friend, it seemed. I can see why, Zeke thought. Anyone who can do this is a prized ally! "I will leave you boys to it. Zeke, you stay and help Kaden with anything he needs. Orion is no longer your problem until Kaden leaves us. For now, you are Kaden's retainer."

With that proclamation, she left, the colourful tails of her dress dragging on the greystone behind her bare feet.

"I enjoy her," Kaden remarked, disrobing from his red and silver velvets and exposing skin whiter than milk. Wow. "She is a remarkable woman, but you are not my slave. I will not accept it."

"My Queen? She is indeed," Zeke smiled genuinely. Layla was almost a mother to him. And Orion, if only he were grateful for her. "But I am nobody's slave, Kaden. Do not mistake duty and loyalty for entrapment. So... how do you do this? This... magic stuff?"

"My Father taught me," Kaden looked miserable as he mentioned that, slipping into the silver silks Zeke brought him. His dad must be really unwell for him to be so upset, Zeke thought. "I use my knowledge of the ancient arts for the greater good where I can. That's why I'm here. These poor people need help."

"Not to spy on Orion, right?" Zeke challenged him, whispering those words quietly so that the dozen people in the chamber did not hear him. Kaden shot him a reproachful look.

"Orion is legally old enough to grant Princess Bailey a claim to the " the older boy replied, full of shame. "We needed to be cautious. My siblings and I have a talent for... blending in. My brother sent me to find out what may be happening with the Alaeyan triplets. I was not here to cause harm or mischief. You don't understand, Zeke. Alaeyas is stronger than it has ever been, but it is in danger. We are an overripe fruit, being devoured by worms from the inside, and surrounded by enemies eager to pluck us from the tree. Armyn may be cruel and hateful in many ways, but he is clever and vigilant as well. Aside from Father, he is our best hope for survival. It was my job to know whether Ulisse was coming for us or not."

"I don't speak for the Queen," Zeke replied, reaching out and putting a webbed hand on Kaden's bared shoulder. "But I don't believe she would ever want to bring harm to anyone. Rest assured, Prince Orion's marriage to Bailey is to crown a King of Ulisse, not a Queen of Alaeyas." Shit. I should not have said that. That's private.

"Heh. Perhaps I will seek asylum here when everything turns to ashes," Kaden wiped a tear from his eye and turned back towards the sick people, most of whom were unconscious. "That is if Orion does not execute me for my father's actions."

Zeke did not know how to reply to that, so he remained silent, his black eyes watching as Kaden walked towards the next victim of this new sickness.

The waters are receding, Alaoi told him suddenly, and Zeke gasped. A wave is coming.

Zeke's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he saw from Alaoi's perch on the window of the bedchamber he shared with Orion that the ocean was indeed retreating north - sure signs that a monstrous wave would crash on the shores. He brought himself back and rushed out to the corridor, looking through his own eyes at the waters. In the distance, there was a wave heading in the direction of the Palace. It was massive! This was bad. Monster waves did travel to Ulisse and crash against its shores, wreaking havoc among those unfortunate enough to be on the coast. But this was different. The Krakens sensed waves coming and always warned their Humans in advance. The members of the Lisse family on the four main Islands would evacuate the shores. People rarely got hurt because there was time. So what happened? Layla was only just here and she mentioned nothing of an incoming wave! When Zeke looked out to the beachfront, there were several dozen people on the shore. Some of them did not notice what was happening. Some were scattering.

"What troubles you?" Kaden asked, wandering out to investigate. "I apologise if I offended you."

"The wave!" Zeke whispered before he roared from the window. "Get inside!" He was too far away and the winds snatched his words away. "Leave! Now! Get to higher ground!" Whether the people on the beach heard him or not, they eventually did spot the wave speeding towards them on the salt waters, and they scattered. They'll never make it, Zeke thought, his heart pounding in his chest with panic as the wave rushed towards the Palace with speed he had never seen before.

"Oh, Goddess," Kaden's white face seemed to drain colour, and he almost looked grey. "What is that?? Those people!"

"They're doomed," Zeke covered his mouth with black hands. Oh, no. Why was this one under the Kraken radar? What good are those horrible beasts if they couldn't keep the people on the Islands safe?

"Daeri calla mona aeshtikii alah..." he heard Kaden muttering, and those red eyes glowed bright. "Vazera el Latayafi gafa, vazera el Diorae gafa, mani karalisti kiitala vai!" The boy shouted the final four words at the top of his lungs. His voice seemed to echo through the halls and the sky, through light and air, ringing in Zeke's head, and red light erupted from his eyes and hands. People from inside and outside the Palace walls shrieked in terror.

Something changed in the distance. The light seemed to catch something as it glared from the blue sky above. What was that? It appeared both red and... invisible at the same time. Something on the beach! A barrier? Light gleamed from it, yet passed it right through. Kaden? Zeke's question was answered as the wave began to crest in the shallower waters and crashed into nothing. The water hit and flooded around a huge invisible barrier that spanned most of the beachfront and the Palace. The water rushed around it, and those who may have been swallowed up by the dangerous waters were spared, screaming as they ran. Confused. Wondering what in all of Ytia was happening! Zeke looked at Kaden, whose entire body shook with the effort of holding up such a mighty creation, blood trickling from both nostrils. As the boy blinked, teardrops of blood as red as his eyes began to ooze from his long, black eyelashes and leak down his white face.

What is going on? Alaoi asked, sounding confused and terrified. What is that?

Kaden. He is... ah... he... Zeke never finished his thought. He was in awe of what he was seeing. How is this possible? What is the power of these Zyrians?

"Haa... haa..." Kaden breathed, sounding completely drained before he passed out on the spot, collapsing on the greystone floor with his face covered in blood.

"Help!" Zeke shouted.

Thank you to everyone who reads my stuff.
Next chapter is Cita in Alaeyas.