The outfit wasn’t like the hunting one I had worn earlier, although it was made of the same fabric. It was a long gown, which flowed down the curves of my body. It was fastened at the sides by lace, and was surprisingly comfortable. The wide end flared out and billowed around me as I moved. He had also provided me with some flat shoes. I would have loved a dagger as well. I opened the door, announcing that I was ready. When I emerged from the room, I noticed that his eyes widened with appreciation. He looked away almost immediately, as though he was ashamed of feeling these things. I blushed. Perhaps it was wrong of me to enjoy the attention, but I had been through so much in such a short space of time that I wanted to cling onto anything that was remotely good. Besides, at the beginning of all this, I had been a woman on the cusp of passion, ready to embrace lust and love and everything else I had been waiting for, and that part of me had not changed.
He nodded towards me, and we headed towards the throne room. Before we entered, I stopped and turned to him. “I want to say thank you, for what you said to me earlier,” I flashed him a small smile. He returned the gesture and then stepped away. I found myself wishing that he was accompanying me to this meeting with Axanar. Volkan had a tender side to him, one that I would have been happy to see more of, while Axanar was as sharp as a blade. I composed myself before I entered the throne room.
I found him standing at the window, gazing out at the vast horizon of this strange world. My breath had been taken away earlier when I had seen this for the first time, and it was taken away again when I laid my eyes on the night sky. It was filled with purple and blue hues. Somehow even the darkness looked vibrant in Orestes, and the stars were brighter. On the hunt, I had noticed it before with the grass; everything was more vivid, as though the world I came from was just a poor copy of this one.
He turned to greet me, his face set in its usual stoic expression. There was a long table running along the side of the room with platters of meat placed upon it. He gestured to it and then took a slice of meat himself. I did as well, unable to resist the hunger that gnawed in my stomach.
“What do you want with me, Axanar?” I asked, preferring to get directly to the point. He smirked.
“Many things Kara, many things, but first of all, I wanted to talk to you about the hunt today. You surpassed my expectations. Frankly I thought you might not return at all.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“Oh, it’s not a disappointment. I’m glad, actually. It shows me that although the lions may have been away from this place for generations, they have not lost their way. The blood is still strong. Your instincts proved to be your ally. I am impressed. How exactly did you defeat all those beasts?”
I shrugged. “I just hunted them and used their own weapons against themselves. I knew they were going to charge, so I got them to the point where they were unable to stop from stabbing each other. It wasn’t easy, and I got a few more scratches than I hoped, but most of all I just wanted to prove to you that I’m not useless and I’m not weak, and that I am no coward,” I hissed the last part, the words biting through my teeth. He nodded slowly.
“I am beginning to see that. But what happened today… that was a mistake,” he said. I knew he was referring to my efforts to escape through the door.
“Can you blame me? I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
“No, I don’t blame you at all. But I wish you hadn’t have taken advantage of Tania’s curious nature. She has lived her life in stories, and you are one of these stories come to life. She was blinded by this, and you took advantage of that.”
“I only asked her a small favor. I think it’s a good change for her to think for herself.”
“I disagree, and so does she. It did not lead you anywhere anyway. It was a waste of energy.”
“But it could have been different.”
“No, it couldn’t have. That door is your enemy, and you have not spent the proper time preparing to fight it. You were fortunate first to fall into our world. Perhaps there was some kind of survival instinct that allowed you to travel through the barrier, but now you are trying to force your way through without the proper care. It makes me wonder whether you are indeed worthy.”
“Worthy of what?”
He let out a small laugh, and I couldn’t help but feel as though it was ominous. “Kara, if you are indeed a world walker then you have great power inside you. It is not something I am fully convinced of yet, despite there being many signs pointing towards it. After all, it is one thing to possess a sword, but another to know how to use it. At the moment, your power counts for nothing. But if you should learn to use it… well… that is a power that could be suited to us.”
“For what?”
“To offer us new challenges, to take us to new worlds and new hunts. This world is fine, but it has been tamed. There are only a few beasts that emerge that can fully test our abilities. Without strong competition, then we are weak, and we should never be weak. If we could walk between worlds, then we could visit with the descendants from the ones who left before. We could share in their knowledge, and even test ourselves against their enemies.”
“And you think that if I learn how to use my power, then I’m just going to take you to all these places? Is that the life that awaits me here? I’m not going to be your chaperone, Axanar. I don’t know what you expect of me, but even if I learn how to wield this power, I’m not just going to do your bidding.”
He bared his teeth at me and narrowed his eyes. After what had happened at the shrine, I could see that he was not used to people disagreeing with him. Tania had bowed to him immediately, and it had been hard enough to even get her to consider going against his wishes.
“I am the Alpha,” he said, as though that explained everything.
“You’re not my Alpha,” I replied, and that really did sting him. He flinched and clenched his jaw. I saw him process the words and he bristled with anger.
“You are here, in this pride, and in Orestes I am the lion in charge. You will do as I say.”
“I will not. I came here by an accident. I have not pledged myself to your pride. I belong to another pride, and actually, given that I may well be the only survivor of that pride, then by default, I am the Alpha too, so in a way we are equals.”
He barked a laugh and tossed his hair back. “You are never going to be equal to me. You have a gift, a gift that has been passed down through the generations, a gift that led you here. If that gift should present itself again, then you will help us make use of it. You will show us these new worlds and walk with us.”
“I’m not just going to do your bidding. I’m not just going to travel with you to all these worlds when I have one that is waiting for me.”
“Then you will share it with others, pass it down and teach those who also have the ability.”
I rolled my eyes, unable to keep myself from smiling. “Haven’t you been listening to me? I don’t know how to control it. I don’t know what’s happening to me, and I have no idea what you mean by passing it on to others.”