The King with Six Friends

Burning Rage

(Minutes earlier)

Kiera felt chills run up her spine while Erik stood behind her. Every ounce of rationale in her was telling her to run, but she didn't- she couldn't. She heard him pouring a drink into two glasses.

"I was surprised when I received Invictus' letter-" Erik paused as he sipped from a tumbler- "About his only heir gone missing after the ball." He came around the chair and sat down across from her. He offered her a glass. Kiera took it but did not drink it. "And then you come just the day after. Curious, I think."

"I wanted to make sure you knew about it," she said. "You met Zar personally, so I thought you should have the right to be told and be assured we would find him."

Erik's icy stare was expressionless. Kiera knew Edge was just outside the door, waiting and listening. Her heart still raced from fear.

"Well, it's nice to know His Majesty knows I still exist," Erik muttered darkly. He finished off his drink and set it down on a side table. "It's funny, actually. If no one was able to complete your father's 'games', I would have been next in line for the throne."

"Yes," Kiera mumbled, "Interesting." She could feel the blood pounding in her ears against the deafening silence. The untouched drink chilled her hands.

Erik abruptly stood and sat down right next to her so they were only a hairbreadth away from touching. Kiera stiffened up as his cold fingers ran along her shoulders.

"It's been years since we've seen each other, Kiera," Erik purred affectionately in her ear, "Tell me why you're here, miles away from home, with only a single escort. I don't want to waste time guessing."

Kiera's shaky hands felt the metal of the letter opener concealed in the folds of her dress. She wished she had brought a real knife instead.

"I missed you," he said, putting an arm around her. She was trapped. "Have you missed me?"

"I needed some air away from the kingdom," Kiera lied, her voice on the brink of trembling, "Everything is just so confusing all the time. I wanted to take a holiday without an entourage following me everywhere."

"Ah, yes, the burden of the blue-bloods." Erik played with a ringlet of her hair. "Why even go back? Nothing waits for your future there except a nursery, a closet, and a grave plot."

Kiera found some truth in what he said. She'd never heard Erik lie to her, but his honesty was more often toxic than not.

"Are you looking for your lover prince?" Erik asked, feigning ignorance.

Kiera grimaced inside. "He's not my lover, I can assure you of that," she said defiantly.

Wrong answer, don't antagonize him, she told herself too late.

"Then why did you come here to accuse me of his abduction?" Erik snapped, "If he's nothing to you, why brave the storms just for a 'friendly visit'? He's a nobody!" He ripped a lock of hair from her head.

Kiera cried out and pulled away. Erik grabbed her by the arm and twisted her around to face him. "I know you only came for him, so why don't you just ask what I did with him? Save us both the trouble." He held her firmly by the jaw and arm. She tried pulling away, but his grip was strong. "Ask me."

The corners of Kiera's vision blurred with tears. "What did you do with Zar, Erik?"

A sadistic smile cracked across Erik's mouth. "If you really want to know, your brother-"

Before he could finish, the massive doors banged against a scuffle on the other side. They could hear men yelling out in the corridor.

Kiera rammed the letter opener into Erik's shoulder while he was distracted and fled. He cursed and howled as she ran into the shadowy maze of bookshelves.

Kiera ducked around a corner and clamped a shaking hand over her mouth. She felt tears running down her face. She couldn't move. She shouldn't have come here. She thought she could keep Erik distracted long enough, but he was a different person entirely since she last saw him.

Erik grunted as he pulled the tool out of his arm. "This wasn't supposed to be personal, Kiera," he growled into the gloom of the library. From under the table, he grabbed a concealed flintlock pistol. "But now it is, and it's your fault," he snarled.

Kiera dared to peer around the shelf. Erik stalked toward her hiding place, fingering the hammer of the pistol. She shuffled as quietly as she could to the other side of the bookshelf. Hopefully, he wouldn't see her through the spaces of the books. She ducked down out of sight. She could hear his haggard breathing on the other side of the shelf. He had stopped right where she was. Oh, Lord, please, she prayed, Help me.

Erik's hand burst through the shelf and grabbed Kiera by the arm. He pulled her through the other side screaming and thrashing. Erik held her by the hair. She felt the pistol's barrel knock against her head. Kiera closed her eyes tight and waited for the bang.

The doors suddenly blasted open. Kiera saw Edge run in with a bloody nose.

"Kiera!" Edge called to her. A bear roared out in the hallway. Erik fired at Edge but missed, hitting a portrait on the wall behind him.

As Edge dove for cover, a red hawk swooped into the library. It dive-bombed Erik and attacked him with its talons. Erik dropped Kiera to the floor as he fought off the bird. She watched the hawk dive over and over again. It ripped at Erik's head and body until blood ran down his face. A red pendant fell from Erik's coat and rolled to a stop in front of Kiera.

Erik backhanded the hawk against a shelf. It fell to the ground, stunned by the blow. The hawk got to its feet and stood between Erik and Kiera. It stretched its battered wings out and screeched at Erik. It was protecting her.

That was when Kiera noticed the red ribbon knotted to its leg. Its feathers were the same color as the one she found in the sitting room.

"It's Zar!" Edge shouted from across the library. "The bird is Zar!" Erik turned and fired at Edge again. He missed.

As bizarre as the notion was, it made sense- somehow. Just as Erik reared up to crush the hawk with his boot, Kiera snatched up the pendant and smashed it against the stone floor.

A visceral explosion of light and color erupted in the place of the hawk. Erik was knocked to the ground by the sheer power of the magic's release. When the colorful smoke cleared, Zar, as a human, stood stoic and slightly dizzy.

~   ~   ~

Zar didn't exactly understand what happened. He remembered Erik, massive and terrifying, about to stomp down on his head. But just before he was crushed, Zar felt a hot spear burning through his heart. It was a blinding, searing feeling that spread to his wings- er, arms -and legs. He was sure he had been killed until realized he was standing upright as a human.

Zar glanced behind him at Kiera. She had a bruising cut on the side of her cheekbone and her eyes were red. She'd been hurt.

Zar turned on Erik, who was frantically trying to find his pistol in the dark. Zar hauled him to his feet and slammed him against the wall, holding him by the collar. Erik flinched, anticipating a punch to the face.

"If you dare touch her again," Zar swore, "Or even look at her, I'll make you bleed until you wish you were dead."

Erik stared at the ground with a haunted look in his eyes. He let out a shuddering breath. "Then do it," he muttered.

Disgusted, Zar growled and shoved him out of the library. He saw nothing but red as he stormed down the corridor to the outside doors. He threw Erik out into the icy courtyard. He landed hard on his side, groaning against his injured arm.

"Get out," Zar snarled. Erik scrambled to his feet and slowly backed out of the castle's gate facing Zar.

They both locked eyes and Erik's hollow expression corrupted to furious hate. The snow and wind whipped around them as Erik grasped his injured shoulder, scowling at Zar. Then, Erik turned on his heel and disappeared into the blizzard.