Chapter 28 Kidan
KIDAN
Kidan and her friends had been in the crypt when the news came through their phones.
The crypt was their new spot to remember GK.
And either Kidan was going crazy or she could feel him here the most. Her tongue felt dry and she was thirsty, and angry beyond belief.
Maybe it was his ghost, haunting this place, but none of them complained.
Whatever punishment GK dealt, they’d accept it.
Slen smoked, huddled in her large jacket to protect from the chill and Yusef had a pack of roasted pumpkin seeds. They each occupied a different corner, passing around snacks and coffee, and only once their bellies were warm could they begin to pick at the wound GK had left.
Kidan flicked through GK’s journal, tracing the Sage artifacts he’d drawn in the margins.
Yusef started, always talking about the things he’d do to make it up to him.
“He really liked the baklava treats we had in town. I’ll get those.”
Slen countered, voice dead, “He is a vampire. He won’t be interested in sweets but blood.”
They both winced. Kidan usually didn’t say anything, thinking of the betrayal in GK’s eyes and how she could make him understand and accept his new fate.
She hadn’t told Slen and Yusef her plan. About how she wanted to make GK human in Adane House.
Nor about Aseracti.
Both felt like fragile dreams until she could make them a reality.
“I want to draw him the Semain Mountains,” Yusef said. “He always says he wants to go there.”
Yusef had begun to draw again, with his left hand.
There was a frustrated line to his face each time a line went too wide or wouldn’t curve the way he wanted it to, but Omar was training him.
And although he returned from the prison visits with a smile, his face transformed each time he picked up a charcoal pencil.
Slen’s jar for him about Debilitating Creative Rants was on its second refill.
Unfortunately, Kidan now had her own jar in the group, labeled:
Talking About June
She hadn’t been amused when Slen and Yusef presented it to her. She didn’t talk about June that much. But over the course of the day, the traitorous jar would keep filling up until Kidan stopped talking altogether and stared at the damning glass.
Was she a little obsessed? Maybe. But she had the right to be.
Slen had nearly smiled as if she heard her inner monologue. “Think of how much work you could get done if you stopped focusing on her.”
Kidan’s phone pinged and she winced at the thought of reading another announcement from the Mot Zebeya Courts. But… Thursday was tomorrow. And it was Slen’s house that would be voting. Which meant this was a different alert.
It was Uxlay’s news site: a headline announcing a murder. Kidan stared for so long, it was Yusef who read the text aloud over her shoulder.
“Wait, Tezu Ajtaf is dead?” He nearly choked on a mouthful of roasted seeds.
That was Ramyn’s father’s real name. Nicknamed Tesasus, after the 17th century king because of how many wives he had. And now… he was dead.
Slen quickly took the phone, reading the rest. “It says Samson is suspected of his death. He’s arrested, waiting for charges.”
Susenyos had really done it. Kidan barely felt the ground beneath her. Samson was gone and the 13th’s leader was too. She was beginning to smile when Slen’s serious expression made her ask, “What?”
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Ajtaf is the leader of the 13th.”
“How do you know that?”
The challenge took Kidan by surprise. She wasn’t sure what Slen was upset about—not being included in the plan or that the 13th had been harmed.
Kidan’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? Tamol is in a coma so his father took over.”
Slen shook her head. “Never mind. We’ll be late for class.”
Kidan frowned but got to her feet regardless.
Yusef moved between them on the path to the mourning Arat Towers, defusing the weird tension.
“How’s inheriting going?” he asked Slen.
“There’s still something I don’t share with my father. I don’t know what, though.”
Cruelty, Kidan thought but didn’t say. She was still hoping Slen would sever.
“We have the same language and faith but values are difficult to pinpoint.” An edge of frustration lined Slen’s words. “I prefer Dranacti to this class.”
Yusef raised a brow. “Really? I think this is a nice change of pace. Let’s hope we don’t have to kill any more people.”
As they drew closer to the heart of campus, a chill settled in the air. A chanting sound was coming from Resar’s Square. Kidan heard clinking, GK’s voice calling her name before fading into the crowd. She shook her head and turned a corner.
Hundreds of protesters, all packed like sardines on the green court, shouted two phrases in fury.
“We want change! Death to the Founding Houses!”
Kidan had barely registered the size or spotted people in the crowd before Yusef grabbed her hand and they quickly crossed to the Philosophy Tower.
He had to shove and move a few students who glimpsed Kidan’s face and screeched like she was a murderer.
Her heart thumped in her ears as she followed Yusef, hearing GK’s voice.
You’re not safe.
With each step, the clouds darkened and swelled overhead, promising a downpour. She sheltered in the building, shaking slightly.
“Are you okay?” Slen asked, eyeing the crowd through the glass.
“There’s so… many.”
Kidan had underestimated the reach of the 13th. It seemed like the whole of Uxlay was part of the faction.
“The dean will handle it.” Slen’s voice was firm. “She always does.”
Professor Andreyas was waiting in the cool umber room when they arrived.
His eyes roved over them as they settled in. “Well, did any of you master your houses?”
Kidan was still too busy thinking about the protests downstairs to have heard him clearly. When she realized what he’d said, a muscle ticked in her jaw. He was mocking them.
“We just started classes,” she said. “How do we even know when we do?”
“The sign is unmissable if you did. Up until now, you’ve all been able to read the house law on a wall or furniture. Once the house deems you worthy, the house law will be written onto your palms. It is called Absorption. Only then can you command the law to change, once it’s part of you.”
Kidan stared at her hands, apprehension tightening in her lungs.
Part of you.
“Now, mastering power is a separate study in itself. What did you discover from your readings?”
Kidan tried to block out the noise from stories below. “There are three types of powers. Interpersonal power, physical power, and magical power.”
“Yes, as house masters you must understand which power to wield and at what point. Let’s look at the Last Sage and Demasus, who would you say is more powerful?”
“The Last Sage,” Kidan said. “He created the Three Binds.”
“No, I think it’s Demasus,” Yusef said, leaning back on his chair dangerously. “I read somewhere he leveled an entire city into dust. If we’re talking physical power, it’s him.”
Something like a smile danced across the professor’s face but he said nothing, turning to Slen.
“I think it’s the Last Sage,” she said, tucking a short braid away from her eyes. “But not because he created the Three Binds.”
They all turned to listen to her explanation. “There were many reasons for Demasus to refuse surrender. He could have continued to wage war for decades to come. But the Last Sage understood something in him, and was able to influence him into a peaceful agreement.”
Slen’s words reminded Kidan of Aseracti.
You cannot command a house if you cannot command others.
“Well deduced, Qaros,” the professor said.
An odd thought flitted across her mind. What if it was Slen who left her that book?
No, it couldn’t be her. She must have stared at Slen for a long time because she turned, tilting her head in question.
Kidan wanted to trust her wholly but she kept being reminded of how unbalanced their knowledge of things was.
Kidan had a sinking feeling Slen would always be one step ahead, and if she couldn’t catch up, she’d leave her behind.
“Test your influence,” Professor Andreyas said, pulling her attention back.
“See the limitations and strengths of it. How do you sway people? By your knowledge? Charm? Social position? If you’re not aware of your power relations, the power of houses will be wasted on you.
In turn, see who influences you the most. Whose words do you pay attention to?
Or rather, whose approval do you want to attract the most?
How have you changed or abandoned yourself to accommodate them? Write their name down.”
Silence fell. In the quiet, the building shook with the fury of the powerless from below.
Slen was the first to reach for a piece of paper, hiding it slightly. Kidan inched her notebook open slowly and, taking a deep breath, wrote the four letters in a very small font. Yusef had turned to the left, doing the same.
The professor’s stony gaze roved over them after a few minutes, brimming with centuries of knowledge. “You hide that name because it weakens you. But you cannot hide it from your houses. We have already said the house embodies you, so if that name masters you, it also masters your house.”
Kidan ripped out the page with June’s name on it.
No one in this world manipulated Kidan’s actions more than her own sister. When she thought of how many hours she’d spent just worrying about her, unspeakable anger flooded her veins.
How do I stop? she asked herself. How do I stop letting her control me?
The protesters downstairs began chanting louder and louder. The tinted glass seemed to shake. A frown met the professor’s eyes.
“Since Uxlay is providing a great example of power struggles, let’s discuss why there is friction between Founding Houses and Border Houses.”
Kidan felt herself shrink as their gazes flicked toward her.
“Most believe the Founding Houses can cast any laws. That would make them gods, wouldn’t it?”
Kidan blinked furiously. “But we can cast any law. The dean does.”
Professor Andreyas placed his hands in his coat pockets. “Think about it, actis. Houses were created to discipline and protect humans. Would they really grant such unchecked power?”
Dread coiled inside Kidan.
“A house law must always follow three criteria. Prepare to write this down. It will be our first lesson in Mastering Laws.” They got ready. “Criteria one, actis. A house law can only magnify, duplicate, or destroy what already exists within its given boundaries.”
Finally, some solid information about the extents and limits of a house.
Slen was alert as well, writing it down.
Kidan thought about how this would relate to GK. Would the law she set “destroy” his vampirism or “magnify” his humanity? Destroying his immortality made more sense. But she had to be very careful with her language.
“Of course,” Slen said. “It would be the equivalent of having godly powers otherwise. That’s why there haven’t been outlandish laws.”
“Exactly, Qaros. What would be the consequences if you could set any law?”
“Catastrophic.”
“Beyond imagination. But first let’s discuss houses and their boundaries.
A single house in the middle of nowhere has a very limited boundary to exercise its single law.
This may include its porch, its garden, or perhaps a shed.
” His eyes shifted to Kidan, and she felt quite cold, before it drifted to others.
“However, what happens when there’s a house nearby? What becomes of that boundary?”
Unsurprisingly, Slen answered. “The masters of the two houses can agree to extend their boundaries, if they set the same exact law.”
“Source?”
“‘The Last Sage’s House Borders’ and Uxlay’s universal law.”
Kidan reminded herself to read up on that tonight.
“Correct.” He looked out the stained-glass window.
“It is a very conscious decision the master of each house must make. Ten Border Houses encircle Uxlay. With each house addition, the boundary expands. It is with their duty and commitment that the universal law continues to protect us. Collective thinking, united thinking. Those are values the Last Sage upheld most.” A darkness possessed his tone.
“Yet greed has fractured the acti houses. And only twelve out of the seventy-nine remaining houses make up Uxlay.”
Kidan mulled over the information. The more she thought of it, the more she was beginning to understand the 13th. Protecting Uxlay was quite unnatural, and riddled the houses with sacrifice.
She wondered why the Sages gave actis the ability to rule their own house, when it was clear they wanted them to abide by one law and exist as a community.
“Therefore, it can be said the Border Houses are stronger than the Founding Houses, by the sheer size of the amount of land they can cast a law over. So why do we have rogue houses? Why are we not seventy-nine acti houses strong? Powerful beyond belief ? And why do the protests below grow louder each day?”
Kidan stared at the crumpled paper, speaking in a low voice. Clarity was sour, trickling in like acidic rain. “Because each acti’s pillar of need is different. One house wants to protect, the other destroy. Some want to be loved, others want to rule.”
The ancient vampire’s cool gaze remained fixed on her. “Source?”
She didn’t want to say Aseracti. For some reason, she didn’t think the professor would agree with that philosophy.
So she cleared her throat and said, “The Psyche Command Theory.”
The professor’s gaze lingered long enough to make her shift slightly on the spot.
“Fractured pillars,” he said instead. “The downfall of a civilized society.”
Kidan wondered what her mother’s pillar of need was.
But most of all, she was starting to realize her own, and it could never be just one thing.
Kidan wanted to protect and be loved and rule.
She wanted everything, which meant she’d be like Susenyos, cursed to remain stagnant, unless she chose one pillar and focused all her attention on it.
Maybe she should follow her sister’s footsteps and abandon family for true, unbridled power. Maybe then Kidan too would feel “safe.”