Splintered Fate (30 page)

When they
approached the area where Ardin and Kirill were, Lana was the first
to see him. H
is blond hair was pulled back
out of his face and his clothes dirty. He sat leaning against a
tree, an arm casually wresting on one knee, while Ardin sat several
yards away from him, watching.

"What are you
doing here?"
Lana asked when she was close
enough for Kirill to hear. She dismounted her horse and took a few
strides towards him, careful to keep some distance between
them.

His silver eyes steadily watched her, full of
something other than hate or anger. Not once did he look at the
others, not once did he take his eyes off of her.

"To get away and join you I
guess." He said after a moment.

"What, killing got too mundane for
you?"

Clyte glanced at Lana, finding
such a remark odd coming from her. Lana understood why Clyte looked
at her in surprise, she only knew Lana as kind and never so
outright cold. This was different territory. Lana wasn’t trying to
impress the council or trying to be nice. She was talking to a
cruel and dangerous Madonian.

Kaiden and Clyte exchanged momentary glances
at one another but remained in the back, allowing Lana to speak to
Kirill without interruption.

"That wasn't really me. I just
didn’t know it." Kirill murmured.

“
Right... What of my
people?"

"They are fine for now. Your general is a good
leader he keeps your people as safe as possible, though Arkhip
tries to control everything.”

Lana nodded, she wanted to know
more but perhaps now was not the time. Once he was secure in
Alogrin, then she would question him on what was truly going on in
their Lands. Kirill stood up, his eyes meeting hers.

"Lana" He reached out, touching
her arm and she stepped out of his reach. "That day... I never
meant the things I said about your mother." Kirill spoke lowly, so
that only Lana and a few others who strained to hear heard. A sharp
stab of pain hit her with the memory. The day that Kirill
disrespected her mother, the day his father caused her fathers
death. "It wasn't me... It was wrong. I am ashamed for the way I
spoke to you. For everything that happened. I am here to make it up
to you in any way that I can."

Lana looked him in the eyes, it
seemed that his steel eyes had lost some of their edge.

“
How did you know where to look
for me?”

“
I’m a good tracker. And I figured
you might retreat to your lands after what happened. Plus, there
aren’t many places you could go due to your friend over there.”
Kirill’s eyes glanced to Kaiden a moment before returning to
Lana.

"Why did you save me?" It was almost a
whisper. Lana played the scenarios out in her head over and over.
Kirill and Arkhip could rule over all of the Selvirian lands if she
too died. During turmoil there would be no time for a vote for a
new Council member for her lands, they would most likely be given
over to the Dukran family. She would have been killed were it not
for Kirill. They could have had it all. But he saved
her.

"You were the only true friend I
had in my… childhood". he hesitated.

"I keep getting reminded of that, but we had
stopped being friends long ago."

Kirill had no response.

"Could you have saved him?" Lana said even
softer. Kirill knew she was talking about her father. Lana had to
struggle to keep her composure, but she looked him dead in the eye,
she wanted to see him when he responded.

"No, I didn’t know until it was too
late."

"How did you find out it was
Arkhip?"

Kirill sighed “…I just knew."

He's hiding
something
Lana shared with
Ardin.

I agree, but everything else seems
sincere. We can learn more once we get him back to
Alogrin

Clyte approached
Lana and Kirill.
"
If you come with us you must be blindfolded... and you will
not be free to roam around." This was Clyte's kind way of telling
Kirill that he would be in confinement.

“
It would be no worse than the
prison I came from." Was his only reply before he was blindfolded.
“Where are we going anyway?”

“
You agree to come blindfolded
before you even know where you are heading?” Kaiden spoke to the
now blindfolded Kirill.

“
Like I said, I am coming from a
prison. It doesn’t really matter where I am going, just curious.”
Kirill replied with a shrug.

“
Alogrin.” Clyte answered
him.

“
That explains the
company.”

“
The company?” Clyte
retorted.

“
I didn’t mean it in a bad
way.”

On the trip back to Alogrin, Lana
and the others again remained silent. She felt that there was more
that needed to be said. More that she needed to say, to find out
but couldn’t, not in front of others. This was between her and
Kirill Dukran.

A part of her hated that Kirill
had come here. The sudden heaviness she now felt in her chest due
to his mere presence was unnerving. He had placed invisible
shackles around her, and they were secured to him.

* * *

Lana’s hand shook ever so slightly
while it hesitated mid air, hovering over the doorknob. Unable to
bring herself to touch it, her eyes glared at the door as if she
could tear the thing apart with one look. Her heart pounded while
her body stood downright frozen.

Feelings all jumbled together, she
had no idea which would prevail once the door opened. She could
feel Ardin’s silent presence beside her, watching her, but this she
was going to do alone and he would not fight that. He would wait in
the hall until she was finished.

A guard in the hall soundlessly
watched Lana as she finally turned the knob and pushed open the
door. In the dimly lit room stood Kirill staring at a half filled
wooden bookshelf. That was all Lana could make of the room before
she took a step in and shut the door behind her. Her eyes met with
his steel blue when he turned from the bookshelf to face
her.

Anger sped up her already racing
heartbeat, pushing the rage through her veins. This was the emotion
that would take precedence. In a swift clean motion Lana stepped
towards Kirill, a hand blade forming in her palm. By the time she
reached him the blade was solid and she could feel the weight of it
in her hand. Lana shoved the Dukran back against the wall and
brought the knife’s edge to his neck.

Kirill stood, pressed against the
wall, making no attempt to get away from her blade. His hands
unnaturally stayed at his sides.

“
I should kill you.” Lana snarled
through clenched teeth.

“
Probably.” He responded without a
single move to defend himself.

Lana stared into his eyes hard,
she was not sure if he were ill. Kirill Dukran not fighting was
something no one would ever believe. She pressed the blade to the
flesh of his neck, a silent gesture telling him that this was not a
game. She wanted to kill him, to rid the world of at least one
brutal Dukran.

Tightening her grasp on the blade,
Lana’s knuckles were beginning to turn white from her grip on it.
Her teeth were grinding together in a frustrating rage. A dark part
of her beckoned her to do it, to end him, while another pleaded
mercy. He had shown her mercy. He could have left her to die in
that battle outside of Abder, but he didn’t.

With a short scream she shoved her hand to the
right, releasing the blade. It’s sharp edges met the hard wood of a
table in the small room as it burrowed into the wood, splintering
it before the blade vanished into nothing but silver dust. Lana
stepped away from Kirill, turning away in an attempt to focus her
feelings. The anger that she felt yearned for a release.

“
What more can you tell me of
General Flynn and the other council members?” Lana asked when she
turned back to face Kirill, attempting to focus herself.

“
The war between the Rami and
Madonians is waging. Your General Flynn is smart. He attempts to
not anger Arkhip, while still keeping your men safe. It’s difficult
for him though for Arkhip pushes everyone to take dangerous risks,
his anger and impatience only growing with time. But like I said
Flynn is smart. He does not underestimate Arkhip and so will do
whatever necessary in order to retain some form of control. You are
lucky to have a General such as he at a time like this.

As for the council, the Laderic
brothers have fully fallen behind Arkhip. They support him with
everything he may want. They are young and war hungry and Arkhip
feeds them with the glory of war and power, teasing them with
promises of power and control that he will never allow for them to
have. The Sterlings somewhat resist like Flynn however they are
very much involved in openly supporting Arkhip. I believe Elysia is
in love with one of the Laderics because she does whatever
necessary to make them happy and Cyra allows for it while wearing a
scowl on her face.

The Maddox’s are interesting. They
provided the most hesitation to helping with the war against King
Zakran. Ira and Lionel were not going to allow Arkhip use of their
ships. They began strong, against Arkhip. But then for a short time
Lionel vanished from the public eye, to return a couple weeks later
looking haggard but in complete support of Arkhip. In the end he
ended up giving Arkhip the ships that he wanted.”

Lana felt a pit in her stomach.
She knew there was a war that would break but this was much more
than she expected. For Arkhip to have so much control, for none of
the council to be against him, for him to be leading the attacks on
King Zakran’s armies and have the use of even the Maddox’s ships.
He had more control than Lana thought. She shuddered slightly at
the sudden fear that she may not be able to over power his growing
reach.

Like a weed Arkhip grew, burrowing
his poisonous roots into those around, sucking the nutrients and
strength from all nearby in order to grow himself. Raising himself
towards an ultimate control, as the ruler of all the
Land.

How did the others not see this,
not realize that Arkhip Dukrans plans never intended for them to
rise with him, that in the end he intended to be the only one on
top? To succeed against him Lana would need more help, maybe even
more than Alogrin would be able to provide her with, were they
willing to.

Green eyes stared into the
distance in thought while she turned to face a stonewall. For
Arkhip to succeed countless lives would have to be taken. The world
she knew would be plunged into dark times, everyone would fall
under the rule of an oppressive mad man. There would be no safe
place left for people to run to. Lana would not let Arkhip get away
with this, she would not let him devour all that she knew and
loved.

“
I’m going to kill him.” Lana
spoke about Arkhip in a calm clear voice.

“
No, you wont.” Kirill replied.
She spun around to face Kirill, but he continued. “You wouldn't
survive the attempt. Arkhip Dukran is more powerful than you can
imagine.”

“
Then I will die
trying.”

There was a pause as the two of
them stood there. The proximity to each other was uncomfortable and
for a moment they both stared at inanimate objects instead of each
other. Lana could clearly remember the last time they were like
this, alone in a room together. They were children. It was right
after her mother had died, before she learned of how dark her
friend had become in her absence.

If Kirill was going to be here in Alogrin, at
least she could try and get some useful information from
him.

“
What are they? Your father’s
powers?”

“
He isn't my father.” His voice
was stern.

“
Isn’t he?” Her eyes narrowed.
Kirill did every disgusting thing his father asked of him. He was
his father’s son, no matter what he said now.

“
Just because I am his son his
does not mean…” Kirill’s words broke, as he let out a sigh. “Do you
know how Arkhip became a member of the council?”

Lana shrugged “He was related to-”

“
No.” Kirill cut her off. “He told
everyone he was a distant cousin of the late family that ran the
council in the city of Morgas. He was not. He was not related to
them at all.”

“
So, how?”

Kirill eyes glazed over as he fell
into the memory. “This is one of my first clear memories of Arkhip
Dukran. I saw what he could do, I saw him take on the small family
and their little army, single handedly. The gore and the screams, I
could smell the steel, the burning, and the blood. He alone
massacred them all.” Kirill’s eyes found their way back to Lana
Casteel. “It terrified me back then. It still terrifies me. His
skills and abilities are greater than any I have ever seen.” Kirill
seemed to shudder, lost in thought.

“
That’s not possible.” Lana
replied in a whisper, unsure of what to think. She questioned if
Kirill was making this up, but something about him seemed so
honest.