Kaija: Queen of Stone

26

I looked into the black eyes of the cruel man and gritted my teeth, my heart pounding. I was not going to let him run. He would pay for everything. He was trespassing on a land he was banished from. As queen, I was going to keep my word. Jonga would either walk away or never leave again; buried in the dirt of Udan or die in the river.

The blood on his chest proved that he had already started to slaughter the Udanians. I would make him pay for it with his own blood.

"Lenox delivered you to me like he promised," he laughed, holding out his hands. "I guess I can let his brat go."

I gasped, realizing what he had meant, Lenox wasn't proving his loyalty to me, he was following the directions to get his son back.

I wondered if staying in Kaija was a part of that. Fury coursed through my veins. There was not much I could do about Lenox now.

"How dare you come back here!" I shouted, stepping forward, the water wading over my feet.

"This was my home well before it was yours," he spat. "You've sullied Udan with your filthy Kaijan blood."

"I am not a Kaijan," I spat. "I will never be as intolerant as they are."

"You lie to yourself," he whispered. "After all, you don't know who you even are."

"It doesn't matter anymore," I whispered. "Now I am Mara, Queen of Udan."

"Not for long," he hissed. "Your rule is coming to an end, my queen , and then you'll be no more."

Jonga lashed forward toward me with clawed hands. I pulled the dagger from within my dress and held it by my side. I dashed to the side, my breathing heavy as Jonga ran past, sliding against the water. The water roared as it rose. A wall emerged, showing the rocks underneath our feet.

"Find Hona!" I called to Dari. Dari stood there in shock, but nodded, rushing toward the direction of Udan.

Jonga laughed maniacally. "What you'll find left of him is a corpse."

"He—"

"Hona is dead," he revealed, his eyes filling with the fire from Udan.

"Hona is dead," I repeated.

Dari stopped in his tracks.

"I will kill anyone who sides with you!" Jonga screeched.

Time stopped for me. Dari called my name, but I couldn't hear it. I was distant, standing in the river, waiting for Hona to hold me in his arms again. I would never feel his warming touch or hear his calming voice. I would never feel his lips against mine. He was gone.

He was dead.

Jonga murdered him.

He was his friend, his brother. Hona bore a great sadness without Jonga by his side and easily... Jonga killed him. He treated Hona like an insect to squash. Like he treated me.

The itch built, bubbling in my veins like the tonic. It wasn't fair. Hona was kind and just. He was willing and dedicated. I lashed my head back, screaming in anguish.

Hona was dead. It was because of Jonga. The itch burrowed in my veins, driving to my arms and filtering to my palm.

I screamed once more, the water shielding me in a wall. My vision tunneled, and I couldn't remember where I was or who. I knew Hona was dead and my mind no longer belonged to me. The clouds of distortion veiled my mind.

"I will kill you!" I vowed as the wall of water fell. "I will rip your vile heart from your chest!"

Jonga looked shocked. "I knew giving you the vial of the Guardian's blood was a mistake," he whispered. "You are who I thought and you have learned to control your power. Chaos roams inside of you!"