VEAR

I collapse into the chair and claw at the scar on my face. The Map Room is covered in my shadows, silent and stinks of mildew. My anger won't subside. How could I let this old wound best me in a fight? And against a dreamwalker, no less. Pathetic. My father would have starved me for days for such a disgrace. My upbringing is proof of this. 

As a child, I was skin and bones, lacking any muscle that my father so willingly pointed out on a daily basis. His tortuous methods were always invisible to the eye, so no one could question him. No one could see the cruel truth.

Those hidden scars run deeper than any physical wound, and yet...

Kato appears from the shadows, his fox tail wagging furiously behind him. He's just as angry as me, if not more, because he let a dreamwalk best him and failed at his mission. I don't hold it against him. That woman was more prepared than I anticipated. Most of the time, dreamwalkers conjure their contraptions on the spot, but this one planned ahead. This one has been to Akane more than once. She's good at escaping, even by a thread.

I should have killed her the second I spotted her, but I couldn't, or rather chose not to in that moment. My mind was in a frenzy. What if I harmed the butterfly? What if I accidently cut it in two? Maybe this time it would die or dissolve back into the planet. Had the dreamwalker already devoured it? Or maybe she was hired to retrieve it. My hesitation got the better of me. It broke its way out of Urlish, killed her even. What could a blade possibly do to it? Nothing.

Regardless, the paper butterfly is gone and that woman stole it.

Kato quietly approaches and kneels before me. His head hangs low, blonde hair shaggy and ears down with remorse. I hesitate to touch him. My anger is so palpable that I've afraid of hurting him. Another trait I can thank my father for.

"I failed you," Kato says.

I clench the chair arms. "You didn't fail, Kato. You did exactly as I ordered."

He is my protector; he watches my back and fights when need be. That raven attacked first, knowing full well that Kato is a shifter. Our journey into the Treschine Forest was merely a mission to retrieve the butterfly. He did his duty. I'm the one who failed at fulfilling mine.

When he lifts his head, his eyes are blazing with determination. "Regardless, my duty as your Overseer of the Faceless is to kill all dreamwalkers on sight. Next time, I won't hesitate to sink my claws into her."

Laughter slips past my anger. The idea that we could possibly find her on a vast unknown planet is absurd. She's gone, forever living among the stars of this universe. If only I knew what planet she lives on, then at least it would give me some idea, but even I know that's a fool's dream. "We will never find her," I admit.

Slowly and broad, Kato grins, his sharp canines gleam from what little light I let seep inside. So haunting and dangerous, though he can't control the shadows, he was truly born from them. "That's where you're wrong. I have a present for you." He holds out his fist, revealing delicate threads before my very eyes. "Hair of the dreamwalker."

Hope blooms in the form of brown strands. I gently take the hair from my dependable friend and inhale the scent. Flowers and dirt and a hint of spicy sweetness. Magic beyond reason and that impossible imagination of dust the paper butterfly carries along its wings. Yes, it's the dreamwalker's scent, and with these pieces of hair I'll be able to locate her. The toys she left behind are useless, all trinkets created by Akane's magic are, but a piece of hair—that's personal.

All is not lost. I will get that butterfly back.

Kato snaps his head up and swiftly turns towards the doors. His hand steadies on the crystal knife at his hip. Heavy boots approach the door and with it come an awful stench of week-old musk and sweat. I sigh. Another annoyance to deal with, wasting such precious time. Without a second thought, I stuff the hair into my pocket for safe keeping.

Ansel bursts through the doors of the Map Room, two officers follow right behind, and with it I disperse my shadows letting the light back in. Curled to sharp points, Ansel's enormous horns scrap the delicate artwork of the frame and further run along the face of the door. I show little emotion, though I want to strangle the bastard for ruining an exquisite design.

Two Faceless appear from the shadows and hold crystal swords to Ansel's throat. The officers step back and kneel before me out of protocol, but their dark look tell me they're out for blood. Ansel chuckles. "Don't trust me, Cousin?"

"How do you expect my guards to react when you enter unannounced?" I deftly flick my hand, a silent dismissal, and quietly the Faceless depart back into the walls of the castle, except for Kato. He never leaves my side.

"I thought I sent your troops out to the frontline?" Where I hoped you would die.

Ansel slams a heavy fist onto the map, butterfly wings flutter by the millions over the entire landscape of Akane. His rage is clear as day. "We are being slaughter at every turn. End this futile battle before it becomes an all-out war."

I pin another butterfly to the map, near the Black Sands. "My informants tell me we are slowly overtaking the border. We should be breaking into Augelli territory shortly." I eye Ansel's clean and recently brushed black armor. "You don't look bruised nor on death's door. Were you fighting or were you hiding in the back, giving out commands?"

He grabs me by the collar, pulls me close to his breath of fine nectar and a hint of bloody raven. We're the same height, but Ansel's bulky body always makes him appear taller and overpowering. My father adored Ansel's physique: a body meant to rule, a body that isn't a twig or a hollow tree like mine. No, Ansel is the spitting image of my father, and yet, where is he now? Buried in the rocks, being eaten by the maggots.

Kato grabs Ansel's wrist, squeezing just tight enough his pale skin turns blue. Kato's eyes are so cold and dead, it only takes two ticks for Ansel to release me. Unfortunately, the conversation doesn't flounder. "I am only fulfilling the job you should be doing."

"You mean taking the new raven queen to bed?" I feign sniffing the air; a crooked smile curls up my face. "I can smell Rune all over you."

It's a wild guess and Ansel falls for the trick. "Sometimes a good tumble between the sheets gets the job done. It's more than what you're doing," he plucks a butterfly from the map, "hiding away in this room. Some say you've lost your mind."

I stare at the bare spot on the map, memorizing it, burning it into my mind so I can place a new butterfly back on that vacant spot later. "What does Rune want in exchange for ending this battle? Part of our lands?"

Ansel chuckles. "She only wants to destroy that bug to avenge her mother. Let her. It will end this obsession of yours for good. And while she's distracted," he crushes the butterfly in his fist, "we'll seize Gens Augelli's territory and finally claim the mountains as our own."

If only it were that simple. I know better than to trust a bloody raven. Urlish was far from comradery, but at least she wasn't deceitful. She never hid her disgust for me—for my kind—it's the only quality I admired about Urlish. A pity that Rune doesn't possess such a trait.

I pick up a new dead butterfly and twirl it between my fingers. "Have you forgotten our history, Cousin? The last time we made negotiations with Augelli?" I pin the butterfly to the spot Ansel tainted. "They are the reason we live in the shadows. Why we live underground in hiding. For you to so easily trust a raven makes me question your position."

"I would never betray Gens Nisha. I only want the best for our people. But can the same be said about you?"

Kato snaps forward, growling, "Watch your tongue."

I hold up my left hand. Kato steps back, eases against the wall, but the tension never leaves his shoulders. Ansel steps out of line on occasion and I let it pass, but if I ignore this accusation, it will make me look weak. He can't go unpunished.

Shadows snap from the floor and a in blink I'm gone. I stand behind one of the officers and unsheathe my hidden dagger. The crystal gleams in the glow of the light and stains red as I stab the man swiftly through the neck. His gutter cries are anguish and slow passing. It takes a minute for his comrade to notice, another for Ansel to react.

With a quick yank of my blade, I let the body drop to the dirty tile floor and wipe the dagger on Ansel's sleeves. The room falls still and silent. My cousin's fear explodes from his pores, the bitter taste delights me and the scent is euphoric, diminishing my annoyance somewhat. Maybe I have lost my mind, but I'll never lose the quick precision of a dagger.

I face the map once more as if nothing has changed—a man isn't lying dead on my floor—and scan over the entire landscape of Akane. "There are four Gens in total that rule over this planet. Each one entered in a trade agreement that keeps our people fed and alive. If we enter into negotiations with Augelli and break them, who will trust us then?

"We will lose our food crops with Norwood, our vegetation and nectar from Augelli, and the delicious ice and fish you so love to eat with your dinner from Isa. We only have to offer gems and silk for clothes. Nisha has little to trade compared to the rest. The only way to protect our people's livelihood and maintain our dignity is by obtaining an unstoppable power."

I hold another dead butterfly between my fingers. "An unhealthy obsession? No. A way for Nisha to become an unstoppable force? Yes. You see this creature as a useless insect, but even insects can be poisonous when used at the precise moment. A game of war is not won by submitting. It's won by patience and careful planning.

"Go back to the frontline and break past the border of Augelli. Follow these commands or it will be your head next, Ansel." I stab the butterfly into the map where I lost that dreamwalker; Ansel goes very still. I always keep my word and hope my cousin won't disappoint. Afterall, it's difficult to kill family without good reason.

Ansel adjusts the front of his leather armor, and then as if he gained a brain since he entered the room, he kneels. "As you wish, Vearishk."

I shouldn't be surprised. Ansel knows how to save his own skin, but I never thought he would lower himself. For a moment, I pity him. This man who was the favorite, a man who my father deemed worthy to take the throne, could so easily give up. But then Ansel rises. A harsh gleam in his eyes tells another story.

Good. I slowly smile. This game isn't over yet.

My cousin leaves the room in a storm, taking the remaining officer with him. Exhausted, I lean over the map and breath in fresh air. Each time I face off with Ansel is like going to war and coming back half beaten. It's never easy with Ansel, always a struggle to prove that I'm worthy to be the ruler of Gens Nisha. He's the last remnants of my father, unforgiven memories and cruel words. I know Ansel isn't my father, but it doesn't help that his superiority complex puts me on edge.

Kato leans his hip against the table beside me; his tail brushes my side in comfort. "What will you do now?"

I should send Kato and the Faceless to retrieve the butterfly, but there's no telling what will happen. Kato will kill the dreamwalker the second he sees her, but if she has already consumed the butterfly, it may escape back into that planet. No, we need her alive, back on Akane, where I can finally trap the butterfly once and for all. "I will go and retrieve it."

"Then when do we leave?" Kato asks.

"You're not going with me."

Kato's tail begins swishing again. "Don't be stupid. You know I will never leave your side. I am the only one you fully trust. You need me there, Vearishk."

"Your trust is why I need you here on Akane." Kato smiles, liking what I have to say now, but his tails won't stop swishing. If I don't appease my friend, he will somehow sneak through that door and stalk my every move. Though I love Kato's undying loyalty, I don't need him interfering.

I close the distance. The fox eyes me but doesn't run or unleash his claws. A good sign, if any, that Kato is calming down. My fingers gently run through Kato's shaggy blonde hair and bring our forehead together, an intimate act that only family will give to their own. "Kato, you will stay here and watch over Nisha for me. Be my eyes and ears while I'm away. Will you do this for me?"

He lets out a defeated sigh. "And Ansel?"

"Track his movements. If he falls out of line—if he hints at the slightest betrayal, you know what must be done."

"And if he doesn't? If he successfully takes your throne?" Kato asks, always the one second guessing. The very reason I never formed a Syndicate to help me make decisions. Kato's relentless questioning is enough to make me think.

With that I let him go. "Then let Ansel find out what it means to sit on that throne. Let him try and fail. And try and fail again. So, when I return, he will have defeated himself. Gens Nisha will never want a coward as a king."

"You're too confident for your own good." Kato kneels once more, a crooked smile on his face and dark gleam in his sapphire eyes. "Very well, Vearishk. I will obey."

"Sisal. Zundel." I snap my fingers once and two Faceless appear from the shadows. Both with the same height, both kneeling before their ruler. Both hunters in their own right. "You will come with me."

Without a moment's notice, I leave the map room and stride down the hall, Sisal and Zundel trailing my shadow, quiet in their steps. The floating light follows just ahead. Servants stand out of the way, lowering their heads, catching glimpses of my two companions, but only what the Faceless allow them to see, until we reach a room off the edge of my home. It sits in the dark, secluded from the fresh air and carved deep into the cavern. A gap within stone. I push open the iron bars; they screech to a halt.

A black door sits at the center of the room, standing on its own, hovering between space and time and everything in-between. One backward triangle burns at the top just below the threshold, with two eclipsing moons representing Gens Nisha's symbol.

Through this door, I used to explore the eternal universe with my father, visiting many planets, drowning in their riches and technology. When I grew older, I eventually learned that exploring really meant stealing, and Akane wouldn't be here today without those underhanded methods. It's been many years since I set foot through this door, yet nothing has changed.

I take out three silver bands from an armoire and toss one each to the Faceless. We'll be need these for translating and blending in. When I clasp it to my wrist, it self-tightens to a comfortable fit. One tap—magic engulfs my body. My horns disappear, hair is brushed, hanging just past my shoulders in dark locks, jewels dangle from my ears, replacements for my crown, until even my garments become tight and loose and nothing that feels like home.

I dig out the key resting over my chest. Carved from bone, my father claims this key is made from Mother God's corpse. I only know this key works and gets me to and from the places I wish to go. Tonight, it will grant me the greatest wish of all. I retrieve the dreamwalker's hair from my pocket and grip the strands close between the key and my palm and close my eyes.

A white house.

A noisy green forest.

A place where many people drink and dwell.

Images surface in my mind until I have a clear picture and know exactly where and what planet she lives on. The bone key fits like a glove in the lock, and as I turn it, the door opens to Earth. Laughter and dancing fill the air, and drinks are being served at a bar. It reeks of rain and vomit and everything chaotic—just like her. With a vicious smile, I step through the door.

I'm coming for you, Dreamwalker.