Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Kaias pulled the reins of his steed. Torque huffed in annoyance, clapping one of six hooves on the cobblestone road. Kaias snorted and shook his head. Though he agreed with the creature, it was his duty as the Lord of the Abyss to meet with all his subjects—even the ones from off-world.
Koureshtka's temple stood in the distance, a beautiful and grand structure.
The columns, adorned with curtains of pale blue silk, were a welcoming sight.
Despite this, Kaias frowned. The strange dome-like structures adjoining the temple were an eyesore.
Metallic and reflective, they were otherworldly in comparison to the stone and mortar of Vrex.
The creatures that built the structures didn't understand the wild beauty of nature and its connection to everyday life.
“Can’t wait to see this disaster,” Auryn, Kaias’ cousin, commented.
His grin was wide and sharp, with some of his teeth filed to points. Everything about Auryn was deadly, from his serrated knuckle points to the crest of his bone crown. He was Kaias' fiercest warrior and took everything he wanted. It made him a great ally on the battlefield.
Though not so much in diplomacy.
”Can we kill them if they fuck it up?” Auryn asked.
Kaias gave him a bored glance and sighed. “We don’t need an interstellar situation.”
”We could take them down,” Auryn shrugged, “they’re made of meat, vulnerable, and probably taste good.”
Kaias snorted. Appetizing wasn’t a descriptor he would use. He thought of the two female humans and hummed softly. Both were attractive in their own right, but there was something about the woman with the golden hair that piqued his interest.
Perhaps appetizing was the appropriate word.
“We do not eat our guests,” he said assuredly.
“We did not invite them,” Auryn countered.
Kaias gritted his jaw shut. Tension pulsed up his neck and tightened his muscles. Auryn had been testing him for the last few days. Every nerve and boundary has been stretched to the limit. It threatened their relationship as much as his leadership as the Lord.
He narrowed his eyes and glared at Auryn. The other Vrex male looked placidly back at him, unfazed and challenging.
“They are Koureshtka’s guests,” Kaias said low and clear, putting in all of his intention. “We honor those she welcomes.”
Auryn scoffed.
Kaias whipped his hand to Auryn’s neck and squeezed. His more rounded knuckle spurs scratched the skin under Auryn’s jaw. His cousin let out a strangled hiss, showing his teeth.
Kaias bared his teeth in response, staring down at Auryn’s glare. “Do I make myself clear?”
Auryn sneered. “Perfectly.”
”Good.” Kaias squeezed one last time to get his point across before turning his attention back to the temple.
From his periphery, Auryn massaged his throat with a narrowed glare. Kaias held back an exasperated sigh. When he became Lord of the Abyss, Kaias knew there would be a constant power struggle. Auryn embodied that struggle.
If Kaias wanted to keep his life, something needed to change. It would have to be drastic and unyielding- something that placed him in a different light from the past lords.
Snapping Torque’s reins, Kaias guided it through the city. Heads bowed in reverence as he passed his people. He nodded back his respect, pausing when he noticed a child sliding her finger on bound parchment.
Kaias pulled the reins, causing Torque to huff in defiance. Torque stopped, allowing Kaias to lean over to the girl. She stared up at him with wide eyes, her mouth gaping open.
“What is that?” He asked, pointing to the bound parchment.
With a shaky glance down, she sighed and handed it to him.
“They call it a book, my Lord.”
Kaias looked down at the ‘book’. The parchment was smooth and white. Pictures of human children and animals decorated its surface. Underneath each image was a word. He narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher the foreign language.
”They are indoctrinating our kin,” Auryn hissed.
The girl flinched and curled into herself. She bowed her head low, getting her forehead as close to the ground as possible.
“Forgive me, Lord,” She whispered, “I only wanted to understand them better.”
“You should be punished.” Directing his anger at her, Auryn placed a guarded hand on the hilt of his sword.
Kaias placed his hand on Auryn’s. He glared at his cousin and shook his head. Auryn pursed his lips, but slowly relinquished his hold.
Kaias looked at the girl and bowed his head low. He handed the book to the girl.
“A Sister of Koureshtka is sacred,” he said.
The girl's eyes widened as her cheeks reddened.
“I'm not a Sister,” she whispered in awe.
Auryn darted a glare at Kaias. “What are you doing?”
“You are a Sister,” he announced, ignoring Auryn, “you are to spend the Heart with your family, but tomorrow, you are to join the Sisterhood. What is your name?”
“Maia,” the girl answered.
“Then, Maia,” Kaias nodded firmly, “welcome to your future. I will inform the Matron of your presence, and I will let you know if you arrive at the temple. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Lord,” Maia bowed her head low, “I will not disappoint you.”
“I expect nothing less.” Kaias snapped Torque's reins and guided him to the temple.
Auryn was right, the humans were trouble.
Kaias didn’t know if their motives were political or humanitarian, but he was going to keep a closer watch on them.
It was one thing to communicate with the Sisterhood of Koureshtka or royalty, but to involve the common folk was a step he found uncomfortable.
He was going to pay them better attention, starting with the human woman who gave Maia the book.
Statues of the lesser gods lined the marble entrance of the temple.
Each one was postured in reverence to Koureshtka and her consort, Vrex.
Kaias looked on at his mythologized ancestors and felt the pull of pride for his part in their legacy.
He was a leader loved by his people and a speaker of peace.
Although his title was associated with the God of Death, he felt more akin to the Sisters of Koureshtka.
Reaching the central opening of the temple, Kaias jumped off Torque and handed the reins to a servant.
The High Sister stood at the top of the stairs.
Her crown of bone curled softly downwards, protecting the vital areas of her neck.
She was an older woman, years of devotion to her goddess etched on her face.
She smiled down at Kaias and wrapped him in her arms.
“Welcome home, Lord of Vrex,” she said, using the welcome all people receive going into the temple. It was a place where everyone was welcomed, a mother’s hearth.
“Aema,” Kaias said warmly, pulling her into a full embrace.
It wasn’t normal to use the term 'grandmother' for the High Sister, but this woman had known him since infancy. She was the midwife who first held him and the woman to raise him when his mother’s strength waned to nothing. It was his connection to the Sisterhood and his bloodline that made him valuable in his father’s eyes.
His older siblings never had the chance to rule.
“You honor me, Lord,” the High Sister said in reverence, taking a step away.
“I speak only truth,” Kaias promised, “Bri-ahn invited me and my second to the human’s interpretation of the Heart.”
“I encouraged him to.”
Kaias nodded; he had suspected as much. The High Sister’s job was to join nations and cultures. She taught, experienced, and enjoyed, all the while encouraging those around her to do the same. For the humans to have learned of one of their most precious holidays, she had to be a part of it.
“We welcome you as well, Lord Auryn, blood kin of Kaias,” the High Sister bowed her head.
Auryn nodded stiffly. “You shouldn’t encourage them.”
The High Sister looked up and smiled serenely at him. She stepped to the side, allowing Kaias and Auryn to walk through the threshold.
“We encourage all to learn and appreciate,” the High Sister explained. She wrapped an arm around Kaias’s and guided them through the temple. “They understand the importance of Koureshtka’s Heart and the ties bound in our community to the Goddess. They wanted to share their appreciation.”
“No otherworlder should be bound to one of us,” Auryn seethed.
The High Sister stopped walking. She made a pointed look at Auryn before bringing her attention to Kaias. Calmly, she bowed her head to him and squeezed his arm imperceptively.
“They thought it was prudent not to bind any hearts,” she slowly started.
Auryn scoffed, but she ignored him. The woman looked at Kaias and smiled softly.
“Though, may I remind you that Koureshtka was enemies with Vrex before they were bound. Sometimes your greatest ally will be someone you don’t first understand.
What today teaches us is that we must be open to one another to drive out evil. No matter our differences.”
Kaias felt his heart jump. He knew she was implying something, but to ally seemed risky. Already, there were whispers among the elite that he wasn’t strong enough. A heart binding seemed akin to suicide.
“Koureshtka and Vrex were of the same blood,” Auryn said. His words echoed down the marble chambers. “What matters is to preserve our people and culture. We cannot allow lesser beings to pollute our existence.”
The High Sister’s grip on Kaias’ arm tightened.
He could feel the blunt circular edges of her nails form crescent dents on his skin.
It was a similar argument she and his father had on many occasions.
And although her position was well-respected, that respect only went so far.
In their world, power reigned supreme, and everyone knew their place.
Except Kaias. He wanted to surpass his ancestors. He wanted more for his people.
Slowly, he placed his free hand on hers and patted it. The reassurance allowed her to lessen her hold. She caught his eye and cocked her head to the side in question. Kaias shook his head.
“You will have a new initiate tomorrow,” he said, changing the subject. “She is a child named Maia.”
“Maia,” the High Sister smiled, “you chose well, Lord. She is an enthusiastic student. Ol-via is teaching her two human languages.”
“Two? How many are there?”
“Ol-via says there are thousands,” the High Sister said.
Kaias’ blood froze. Having thousands of languages meant there were just as many, if not more, humans on Earth.
This small group in his domain was maybe a drop of water’s worth of life.
Life that could travel the distance and destroy his home.
Auryn was proving himself to be right at every moment.
There was an underlying danger in having them here.
“How many humans are there?” He asked, fearing the answer.
“Ol-via says there are billions,” she answered, “they don’t even know the accurate number because there are tribes who don’t allow outsiders in. But, in the nations she knows of, there are billions.”
Billions. The number was horrifying. Billions of humans could infiltrate and destroy his world, all because one of their humans had perished.
He glanced at Auryn and saw the bloodlust in his cousin’s eyes.
Auryn wanted this war to happen. He wanted the glory, the bloodshed, and the souls for the Abyss.
But all Kaias could think of was his Aema and all the Maia’s in the country.
They would die too if something were to happen to the humans.
Kaias looked down at the High Sister and saw what she was saying to him. His people needed both peace and understanding. Humans may not know it, but a Heart Binding was scheduled to happen today.
“We are here,” the High Sister announced.
The servants opened the banquet hall’s doors.
Kaias looked at the humans, so fragile and delicate, but many were hidden in their homeworld.
His eyes locked onto a small blonde woman.
She was pale and looked nervous. Her eyes scanned the small party, searching for someone.
Slowly, her lips parted, and she exhaled in defeat. She seemed disappointed.
“Lord Kaias, Lord of Vrex, Sovereign of the Abyss,” Bri-ahn said in Kaias’ dialect.
It was broken and wavering, but the words were understandable.
Bri-ahn bowed. He was slightly shorter than Kaias with tanned pale skin.
His light brown hair was cut short and shone in the sunlight. “We thank you for your presence.”