Chapter 10

Lazerin arrived in the throne room with Kira, her hand in his. For some reason, he liked her hand being held in his much larger one. He didn't understand it but he'd seen his Queen and Prince do it often enough to not question it too much. Looking around at all the wounded as he looked for his Queen, he noted the unpleasantness of the scene. “I'm sorry, the battle wasn’t easily won. Many were badly injured.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It could’ve been so much worse, they could all be dead,” Kira said softly.

“Indeed,” he murmured in reply. Spotting his Queen healing another soldier, he led Kira to her. “My Queen, I have Kira.”

Thea looked up at them tiredly and smiled sadly. “Hey girl.”

“Thea! Are you ok? That red blood, is it yours???” Kira gasped as she ran to her friend.

“Don't hug me. Really, you don't want to. I'm so many levels of gross right now. Damian just plucked an eye from my hair a bit ago,” Thea explained as she held off her friend.

“An eye? As in a Titan eyeball?” Kira blanched.

“Unfortunately. It was covered in that green slimy blood of theirs that you see all over me and everywhere. But, I'm fine. Any wounds I had have already healed. Lazerin, all the Titans have fled, even those outside of Tiamat's gates. They weren't successful thanks to your quick thinking that led you to send some of Ikisat's Legions to Tiamat's gates. Thank you for being so quick to act. The Princes and I have been healing the soldiers too weak to heal themselves. I'm pleased to tell you that many we feared dead were not. Still, we lost way too many today.”

“Agreed, my Queen. I should return...”

Thea held up her hand to stop him as she said, “Damian has Ikisat under control. I’ve a more important task for you. Kira, I need you to use your camera and skill to see the deeper picture of the Titan's actions. I need to know anything and everything that could possibly help us next time. We know so little about them and I won't have us caught unaware next time.

“Lazerin, I need you to keep Kira safe while she works. Your task is her, whatever she needs, please provide it to her. She's here on my authority and as such, carries my mark. If anyone gives you any sort of trouble, I want to know. All remaining Titans should be dead, but if you come across any with their heads still attached, please remove it. That’s the only way to stop their healing process. Kira, please stay with Lazerin at all times. If by chance you need to return to me without Lazerin, simply think of me and say, '*Naqunr*'. That’ll activate your mark and bring you back to me immediately.”

“Of course. I'm sure things are tense. Do you want me to check out the various gates as well?” Kira asked.

“Please. I would actually start there while we finish taking care of the wounded,” Theanna replied tiredly.

“My Queen, you’re exhausted and must rest as well.”

“I will, Lazerin, Damian insists on it but I refuse to rest until all of my Daemoni are healed. They were injured on my order and I’ll not have them suffer any longer than necessary. After my Daemoni are taken care of I plan to take a long hot shower. When you're finished, Kira, please join us for some food. We want to hear your analysis as soon as possible,” Thea stated.

Kira nodded as she looked around the throne room. The smell of blood, the sounds of agony and pain and the crackle of energy released by those healing the injured filled the air. How different everything was from the last time she was here, for Theanna's coronation.

Taking a step to look around and fully take in the sight of the injured, Kira's foot slipped and she nearly lost her balance before Lazerin caught her and helped steady her. Looking down she saw black Daemoni blood mixed with the green blood of the Titans. War of any kind was horrifying, and the aftermath even more so. She was glad that Lazerin was going to be with her because this was going to be a very long night.

~~*~~

“Since Tiamat is the final gate, when you’re finished here we’ll head to the main battle site,” Lazerin stated as he watched Kira work. She was so beautiful, for a human. When he was around her, he felt things he'd never felt before. He wondered if this was how his Prince felt around his mate. He knew he shouldn't feel anything. She was like family to his Queen and under her protection. He had duties that required all of his attention in Ikisat and to his Prince.

He thought that being Kira's protector while she worked would be extremely boring but instead he found himself fascinated by how she worked. She was quiet, occasionally mumbling to herself. She would take digital pictures and once she looked through them, would take even more as she noticed what was nearly hidden. If something didn't make sense she took even more pictures until what she was seeing became even more clear. The way her talent and her ability to take incredible photos worked hand in hand left him amazed.

He really shouldn't be even letting his mind wander and think so much about the human woman. He’d too many responsibilities. He was Daemoni and she was human. She was as close as a sister to his Queen. The list went on and on, back and forth, in his head. He knew he just had to get through tonight and then he would simply return Kira to her home and walk away.

With a sigh he knew he was lying to himself. There was no way he could simply forget Kira Brown. He'd found her enticing from the first moment he'd met her. He'd kept his thoughts firmly hidden at that time because she hadn't been available for his attention then. She'd been in a relationship with another human.

He helped her from afar, though. He watched over her quietly, making sure to calm her dreams when she slept. When her human partner, Marcus, had met his end by the Ahriman who'd possessed him, her pain and guilt were painful for him to watch. Even then his only desire was to hold her and ease her pain. So many times, while she slept, he'd been unable to resist and he'd done just that. He never, in all the millennia he'd been alive, had ever felt this way towards another being.

His life and his honor had always been dedicated to his Prince and to his Queen, but he felt that if Kira asked him to abandon his duty he would agree without hesitation for her. Her power was so complete over him and she wasn't even aware of it. To abandon a blood oath meant death for a Daemoni and he would never entertain the thought of abandoning that oath. He would never willingly do anything to put his honor at risk but for her he would do it without a second thought. Fortunately, he’d no cause to fear his feelings because he knew Kira would never do anything that would go against his Queen.

“Alright, I think I have everything from this gate. The Titans were definitely hoping to breach through Tiamat's gate. It appears as if they were looking for something in Tiamat. Not all of the Titans here were soldiers. Many held back, many seemed less fit than the soldiers. Once they realized they wouldn't be able to breach Tiamat before the end of the main battle, they fled. In fact...” Kira paused as she looked around. “Did something big happen at the main gate that changed the tide of the battle?”

Lazerin thought for a moment before saying, “My Queen called upon the male Daemoni Dragon, Ryuu, and was able to defeat the Titan wizard so that they were unable to regenerate after losing their heads.”

“Wow, ok that makes sense then. Once they realized their wizard had been defeated, they abandoned Tiamat and fled back to Talos.”

“So they were communicating.”

“Yes, it would seem so. Please take me to the main gate. I'm sure it’ll hold more information and possibly even some answers to my questions,” Kira smiled at him.

“Indeed.”