Chapter 20
T he battlefield was grim, littered with the remnants of a fierce and unforgiving battle. Smoke curled into the sky, mingling with the scent of blood and ash.
Kaxim winged in over the combat zone, heart racing.
Amid the chaos, his laser-focused gyrfalcon vision spotted a burst of unique coquelicot color on the ground.
He growled as he drew closer, resolving details—the flame-tipped feathers, the proud arch of her neck.
It was her; it had to be.
His pinions sliced through the fume-choked air as he dove down.
She lay among her fallen soldiers.
He jolted at the sight of her, so strong and self-assured, now lying shattered on the battlefield.
Her once vibrant crimson plumage was dulled and coated by dust and blood, stirring emotion deep within him that cut in an agonizing slash.
He landed with a force that sent shockwaves through the ground, scattering the few remaining enemies who dared to linger.
His focus was solely on her, his eyes narrowing as he took in her injuries.
‘Oy! A K?str?l assassin!’
One of the Ilki warriors rushed him, mistaking Kaxim for the enemy.
Two ghostly, inky creatures he perceived as Shadowings followed suit.
The Katánian Commander drew on his íkan k?tu power to repel them.
A burst of arcane energy blew them away, sending them tumbling through the air, landing on the ground in heavy thuds.
‘I’m no killer, and I don’t mean her any harm,’ he growled.
He half transmuted to reveal his face.
His taloned feet powered to Liana even as a fresh wave of Ilki-plumed soldiers rushed at him, attempting to shield their Queen.
He raised a hand and was about to swat them aside when a voice called out.
‘Wait.’
He turned to tag Ja’Kan, Liana’s advisor, sprinting towards him. ‘Let him be. He’s her master trainer, her kísími .’
Her Ilki warriors, crowding him to protect her, fell back, allowing him to push to her side and drop on one knee beside her.
A severe gash on her rib cage wept crimson, her breathing shallow and uneven as her consciousness slipped away.
Without a word, he leaned closer, his hands moving with practiced precision as he assessed the wound.
It was deep, perilously close to her vital organs, but she was still alive.
Holding on to her kemí with every harsh inhale.
Without warning, Liana shook.
He growled in warning, his heart lurching as she blazed in a brilliant flare of light and color.
Shards of golden rays shot out from her, engulfing her as she detonated into hundreds of iridescent feathers and tiny scarlet plumes that scattered and drifted away over the battlefield.
Blood roared in his ears, so loud it was a tempest of roars.
Like before, she’d disappeared, an evanescence of a dream.
Her warriors and her attendant milled around him in distress. He barely acknowledged their anguish.
He stood and roared into the ether, the black smoke of the battlefield engulfing his lungs.
Just then, a crackle of lightning arced through the sky, splitting through the firmament close by him.
More electrified strikes hit the spot where Liana had lain.
Then another and another.
Strands of íkan formed in the erupting atmosphere in a string of tiny ignitions.
Kaxim’s chest heaved, hoping against all hope, as the elemental k?tu formed into a scarlet-tinged feather.
In seconds, it was joined by another plume and more until they formed into a cluster of wild-colored scarlet, copper, and gold quills, glowing with a charged crackle of spellbinding shafts of energy.
The form of the kríffin began to come together, its coquelicot wings growing in size and radiance as if infused with new life.
More rachís formed, each with a flash of vibrant crimson glory.
Kaxim sucked his teeth as relief swept over him.
He witnessed Liana’s rebirth for the second time, re-emerging in all her glorious kríffin resplendence.
She sat up and gave him a long look. ‘Commander.’
‘Fokk, woman, you can’t keep doing this to me!’ he growled just as she slumped into unconsciousness.
He had just enough warning to catch her, cradling her lithe form to his chest.
She still bled, but as he examined her wound once more, he knew it was severe, and her phoenix power mightn’t be enough to keep her alive.
He was ready to sacrifice all for her, though he would never admit it aloud.
His jaw clenched as he lifted her into his clasp with a gentleness that belied his fearsome reputation.
With a rumbled growl, he turned to the few surviving Ilki soldiers, staring at their queen in shock. ‘Even if the K?str?ls have fled, they might rally with an ambush, so hold the line until reinforcements arrive.’
With Liana secure in his arms, he launched himself into the air.
His rachís sliced the ether as he winged to the nearest shelter—a makeshift medic tent on the edge of the war-torn border city with Ja’Kan in tow.
When they touched down just outside the city’s perimeter, the earth appeared to tremble beneath the force of his landing.
Dust swirled, mingling with the deep shadows cast by his pinions.
Kaxim’s talons hit the ground with a solid thud, and as he straightened, his rachís folded behind him with the grace of a predator.
His arms tightened around the Kwen? as he strode to the medic tent.
Ja’Kan hurried in his wake, shouting orders to the incredulous Ilki staff milling about.
Once inside, Kaxim laid her down on a cot, his movements swift but tender.
The laceration on her side needed immediate attention, so he took over, using his field experience to his advantage.
With deft hands, he cleaned the gash, applying pressure to stop the bleeding before stitching it closed.
He worked in silence, his expression hard, betraying none of the turmoil within him.
The Ilki medics and Ja’Kan attempted to intervene, offering to take over her care or send for someone more suited to the task.
But the grim commander dismissed them all with a glare that brooked no argument.
‘She stays with me,’ he said, his voice a timbred growl. ‘No one touches her but me.’
Liana’s attendants and guards lurched at the fire in his eyes and the unyielding protectiveness that radiated from him and wisely backed off.
Only the two shadowing sentinels remained.
After Kaxim’s raking, unimpressed study of their ghostly countenance, he gave them a curt nod and allowed them to stand guard of their Kwen?’s k?lajan entrance.
When the worst of the wound was treated, he covered Liana with furs, sitting beside her with a grim savagery.
He refused to leave her side, even as the hours dragged on.
Ever vigilant, he nursed her with care that seemed almost out of character for a man famed for his ruthlessness in battle.
He bathed her fevered brow, changed her bandages, and coaxed water between her lips when she stirred in her unconscious state.
He allowed himself no rest, his focus on her recovery.
At one point, he had a thought and twisted to Ja’Kan, who was hovering close by. ‘I won’t stand by and let the Ilki get pummeled again. I’d like you to please send a messenger to my squadron’s war camp on the far banks of the River Korcha. Order them to relocate to my side in KySyene.’
He took off one of his signet rings and handed it to Ja’Kan.
‘Ask for Kione, the Katánian King’s Second Armorer or Kaadin, my kízínduna in training. Give him either of them my ring. They’ll come, without question.’
He needed the presence of his Sāb?r Hawks here, their strength to protect her and the city while Liana healed.
The arrival of Kaxim’s mighty horde over the skies of KySyene was breathtaking—a sight that sent shivers through even the most battle-hardened souls.
Led by Kaxim’s kízínduna , Kaadin, the famed Katánian warriors thundered through the atmosphere, their immense wings flashed like dark cumulus clouds catching the last rays of a dying sun.
The air was filled with forceful pinions beating in unison, a rhythmic hum growing louder over the stricken city.
Sensing their approach, Kaxim strode from Liana’s side for the first time in days, leaving her in Ja’Kan’s charge for this short and necessary flight.
Once outside, the Queen’s k?lajan , he unfurled his wings, leaped into the sky, and joined his Hawks, leading them into KySyene.
He soared at the forefront of the horde with his ailerons spread open, his blade glinting ominously at his side. His keen eyes scanned the landscape below, taking in every detail of the land they were about to secure.
He didn’t need to see the faces of KySene’s citizens to know the effect they had; the Ka??m??ric shape-shifting war hawks were living legends, their reputation cemented in the bloody clashes of a thousand battles.
Above, the sky was streaked with glints from gleaming cuirasses, each piece polished to a blinding sheen. Sāb?r swords, axes, and halberds glittered in their hands, sharp and lethal.
The phalanx were formidable, tall, muscular thighs and chests clad in black leather and steel. The sable of their armor and wings seemed to drink in the light, casting them as shadowy specters against the canopy.
They were born for battle, and their presence crackled with a sense of contained violence and strength.
The Sāb?r Hawk warriors landed with silent accuracy, their dark eyes sweeping the surroundings, ever alert for threats.
With a few sharp gestures from Kaxim, they fanned out, forming a perfect perimeter around KySene’s outskirts. They moved as one—military precision honed by years of combat.
The ring of security they created bristled with power, each warrior a fortress unto themselves.
War tents sprang up, the camouflaged fabric blending seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. With the force of their hands, stakes were driven into the ground, and defensive lines were established in minutes.
As the warriors set up their camp, their movements were swift and efficient, like cogs in a well-oiled machine.
Within hours, their kájáns flapped in the breeze, forming a fortifying barrier that seemed to pulse with the presence of their lethal essence.
There was no need for shouted commands; each soldier knew their duty and performed it with precision, the discipline of a thousand battles reflected in their synchronized actions.
They radiated control, dominance, and readiness for war like a fortress of flesh and steel.
Every citizen who dared peek from behind the city walls sensed it. KySyene was safe tonight—not just secure but shielded by a mighty force that most foes would hesitate to challenge.
Medics accompanied the Sāb?r soldiers, whom Kaxim dispatched to tend to the Queen’s wounded soldiers, relieving the exhausted Ilki healers.
Hovering over the terrace of Liana’s tent, he observed his warriors’ progress as she slept in recovery.
His obsidian gray gaze flicked to the horizon where his squads worked without ceasing, from treating the injured to reinforcing the city’s defenses.
Only when he was satisfied they had followed his orders did the gruff Commander float back down to Liana’s bedside, looming over her like a silent sentinel.
After an age, she moved, her eyes opening.
He sensed her stir and strode to her side. His expression was unreadable, but the relief in his eyes was unmistakable.
‘You’re awake,’ he murmured, his voice rough to dampen the emotion flooding him.
She tried to speak, but he shook his head.
‘Rest,’ he commanded, touching her shoulder to keep her from rising. ‘You’re safe. I’ll take care of everything.’
Her eyes fluttered shut in surrender.