Darris watched the girl storm off with the bird in tow. He looked down at the pieces of Urzuran’s power in his hand.

If only he had managed to destroy the link between the girl and the power. He had tried so very hard. Yet, no matter what he did, the bond would not break. He had even tried to destroy the pieces themselves. If it meant that the girl would be free of them and her fate, then so be it. Yet he knew before he tried that it would not be so. He tried anyway.

He had already let the ginkrat eat the pieces back in Sohaud, where time was accelerated. They had remained in its stomach for hours. But nothing. Not scratch. It was true that he didn’t know how long it would take for the pieces to be dissolved. That was only because he doubted the pieces could be dissolved at all. He had a dark feeling that this power was bonded to the girl until her death.

He was at a loss for what to do. If he could not destroy the power, he wanted to keep it to let others use it against him. But it would be useless to him if it remained bonded to the girl. He could take the pieces and let her live her life, to wait for her to die naturally. However, just like he knew the pieces couldn’t be destroyed, Darris knew he could not leave this girl alone even if he had succeeded in destroying the pieces. There was something about her that deeply intrigued him.

That girl had a soul he had not seen in a long time. A true warrior’s soul. They were a rarity, even in his era. His father possessed one, as did Oriander and a few other Ahngreel, including his Hidaar predecessor. He had never thought he’d see another one on Earth, let alone another within a female. That had only happened once before… with her.

The pain in Darris’s chest ached, but he refused to acknowledge it. He had chosen this path, and there would be no regrets. If the girl was to live, he needed to do all that was necessary to ensure she did so. That soul of hers needed to be preserved and honed. He could already see the spark of the warrior within her.

The way she battled was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The resolve it must have taken to let the ginkrat mangle her arm to preserve its life garnered his deepest respect.

The ginkrat had been to test how far the girl was willing to push herself. She had done most admirable, except when it came to killing. He had hoped she would end the ginkrat and remove that obstacle, but no. The girl had many blockages obstructing her from awakening to her true potential. Darris’s ear twitched as he heard the distinct sound of the girl screaming and the tearing of metal. That temper of hers, for one.

Darris wondered what burdens the girl carried to hold that much anger in her heart. It was far beyond the hatred she felt for Darris. It ran deeper than any one person.  

He did not doubt that he would learn more as he watched her fight. He had learned so much about her already. He continued to watch his hand; at the pieces sitting in his palm.

The power within the pieces ebbed and flowed gently, reacting slightly to the girl’s anger. Darris watched the patterns of the two meld together and dance in perfect harmony. He studied the pattern, memorizing every weave until there was a flash of light as the pieces returned to their dormant state.

I knew it! He thought gleefully. Indeed, the pieces had a set distance that they were active. As the girl moved out of range, they had no choice but to revert. He didn’t know how this information was relevant. But he was excited to learn more about this wonderful, cursed power!

“Oriander!” He could barely contain his excitement, “Can you sense it?”

“I can, my Hidaar,” said Oriander, still holding the squirming lizard.

“Can you feel the others as well? How many of them are there?”

Oriander paused for a moment. Then he said, “I count six, my Hidaar.”

“Excellent! I’ve got a spot of business to take care of. Would you go and fetch them for me? Meet me back here when you’ve finished.”

Oriander bowed as best he could with the struggling ginkrat, “Of course. But what do you want me to do with this?” He proffered the creature.

Darris pocketed the pieces and only spared a glance at the Ahngreel, “Do whatever you wish. I’ve no need for it any longer.”

As Darris began to walk away, he heard the distinct snap of the ginkrat’s neck and a soft sizzling sound as Oriander was no doubt using his burning blood on the dead creature to cook it.

It had been a while since he’d eaten, after all. And ginkrats were said to be rather delicious once you got past the saliva.

He really didn’t have the stomach for it, but even he was tempted to eat a ginkrat or two right now. He was famished.

But that could wait. Darris had gone without food for this long.

His mind returned to the girl. How blessed she was to have met him when she did. Like Avir had given to him, she needed proper guidance—to become the warrior she was meant to be. If that meant she had to see him as an enemy, then so be it. It would all be worth it in the end.

He knew she would thank him one day.