Later, when night fell, I sat in the queen's quarters, lying in the bed I had once shared with Mara. I stroked the pillow, feeling loneliness cloak over. The sour words Qia spat formed in my mind. I had changed, but I had believed my change was for the better. With a sigh, I sank down to the pillow, pulling the linen to my chest. I rested on my back, feeling peace. I was certain the incantation was going to work. Everyone would sleep, and they would have to worry about the Rabaka attacking Udan directly now. My eyes waned as a heavy dosage of sleep clouded my mind. I breathed in and out before falling into a dream. I let myself fall, convinced we were safe.

"Udan is falling."

Fire raged around me like an angry inferno. I stood in the middle of it until I was consumed, burning until I was ash.

My eyes flashed open. Screams burned through my ears. I shot up, running out of the chambers. I picked up a rogue spear that a statue was holding. Rushing down the ivory steps, the screams grew louder, bursting like thunder. I followed them, listening. They leaked out into the streets of Udan. I opened the doors. People were running after each other, their minds no longer belonging to them. A young boy was running, his bare feet pattering against the dirt paths. Our eyes met as a woman fell onto him, sinking her teeth into his neck. He let out a guttural shriek, drowning in his blood as it leaked from his throat.

She lashed her head around toward me, bearing the most horrible of claws and white eyes. Blood dripped from her elongated teeth to her chin. Running forward, she was a blur. I kept my eye on her, adjusting my stance. I steadied my spear, shifting as she pounced, screeching an inhumane cry. In the middle of the air, she was impaled. I threw the spear and the woman to the ground, meeting eyes with Rooke.

I was going head to head with a few more women that were also monsters. Instead of claws, their eyes bulged and their teeth elongated to their chins. Blood coated them. I feared how many they had killed. I slashed through the air with my spear, yanking it out of the chest of one of the women.

Rooke's eyes met with mine as the last one fell. "What have you done!" he shouted, rushing toward me. He grabbed me by the arm and twisted it around. Holding the spear to my chest, he screamed. "What words have you spoken!"

"The incantation," I said. "I showed you!"

"This was not what was in the book," he hissed. "This is dark magic."

My breath caught as I remembered what Tiroa had said. Rooke motioned for two more soldiers to come over. Once they did, they grabbed a hold of me. Qia and Tiroa, women that could have been affected by the incantation. I turned to run toward the castle, but Rooke's grip was too strong.

"Take him to the dungeons!" he cried out. "Udan is under new rule until the return of the queen."

Defeat rushed over me as I sat in the depths of the dungeons. They had not been used in so long, considering Queen Baria executed everyone who went against her. All except for the few I had saved. None of them mattered now that many innocents had turned to monsters and murdered others.

My stomach twisted, I had made many mistakes but this was one of the worst. My mind was clouded, I had said things I did not mean to say. Maybe there was something lurking inside of me; something dark like Tiora claimed.

I sighed, picking up a small pebble. I gripped it, shaking my head. I touched the dagger in my pocket with my other hand.

What have I done?

Skipping it across the small cell, Nasira's voice called from the other side of the barred wall. "Oh, poor, poor, Hona," she whimpered. "Betrayed, misguided, now imprisoned."

"I'm awake," I claimed, not giving her the decency to look at her when she spoke. "I shouldn't be hearing you."

"Yes, you are," she confirmed, pressing a gentle hand to his chin. She lifted my head and I met her delicate yet dark eyes. "I am here in Udan."

I lashed out, grabbing her wrist. Even though I had struck with stealth, her face did not waver. She kept a stoic expression as my fingers tightened.

"I will kill you!" I vowed, moving my other hand to grab her neck. She grabbed my hand before I could get close.

"No, you won't," she whispered, throwing it down. "Because you need me to save your precious kingdom."

"Save Udan?" I questioned with a guffaw. "You wanted to destroy it."

She sighed, shaking her head. "You miserable fool. That is Jonga's plan. He sought revenge. So weak and hard-headed. His mind is driven toward one thing. Whereas... I think Udan could be a benefit to the Rabaka instead."

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't noticed it yet, have you? Listen to mania outside."

I cocked my head to the side, listening to the screams of terror. I imagined those horrible creatures once more, the blood on their face; the blood of their own. I jolted, realization hit me like when I was training with Rooke.

"You've killed my people!" I shouted, gritting my teeth.

"No," she laughed, arching a brow. "I haven't. Your precious Rooke has."

I gasped. I couldn't believe the words that had been expelled from her mouth. It couldn't be him. He was always there, a guard and beacon to Udan.

"Rooke?"

"He used to train Jonga. They united together once Jonga left Udan. He has been working against you this entire time."

"It can't be," I whispered. "You are lying!"

"Lying?" she questioned, cocking her head to the side. "Nothing was out of sorts until you ran to him," she explained. "Don't you think that is odd? Rooke came into your life once more and Jonga left it. I would say it's a perfect diversion."

My breathing labored. I racked my mind, searching for the answers, but it was numbed, almost blocked. My thoughts didn't belong to me anymore.

"I don't know," I whispered. "Rooke was my friend, he was almost like a—"

"A father," she finished. "Not just to you, but to Jonga as well."

"I don't understand. Why would he do this? Jonga was always with him. We both were but at times, they spoke alone. Over the years, Jonga kept contact with Rooke and I was pushed to the side. He was always the favorite," I admitted. I thought about how close they were, how I was always left to the sidelines. I was nothing to Rooke. That was why he stayed away from me all these years. "He was quicker on his feet, better at listening to orders perhaps... they are united in a plot to take down Udan like you claim."

"I tried to warn you that Udan was destroying itself," she said. "I thought you were smart enough to understand that one of your own has turned against you."

Flashes of Rooke flooded my mind. "He was there when those monsters attacked."

"He was reciting an incantation under yours," she explained. "Didn't you see his lips move?"

I swore he didn't, but the more I thought back, the more I saw his lips more, muttering the incarnation that called those monsters unto Udan. It was like a glitch was in my memory and someone was fixing it to their design.

"What were they?"

"He has the power to infect them with chaos," she whispered. "He drank from the Guardian as well. The entire time he has been killing and waiting to turn the dead into horrible monsters."

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "That cannot be."

"You know what you need to do."

"What?"

"Kill him. Save Udan before it is completely destroyed."

I stood, furling my fist. "How am I going to escape?" I questioned. "Or kill a man the size of Rooke? He resembles a woodland bear."

"I am the definition of the Rabaka. Even though he has power, I am the Power," she whispered. "Hold out your hand."

I held out my hand to Nasira. She held it, her flesh chilled against mine. Chills rushed up my backbone as a violet glow embedded into my palm. I winced, and the violet glow that had shifted into veins, climbing up my arm.

"It's temporary," she whispered. "But you should be able to escape and save Udan in time."

I walked over to the iron grates holding me in and placed a glowing hand on the grate. I pulled and the iron shifted, granting me passage. I smiled, looking back to Nasira, but she was no longer there. I shook my head, knowing she was lurking somewhere; hidden. The power streaming through my body proved that.

I walked out, racing toward the stone steps and climbed, leading back into the torture room I had not seen in so long. I passed by the post they tied their enemies to, and out into the throne room.

With a quick look to the throne, I maneuvered to the other side of the room, opening the doors leading to the foyer. With a quick glance to the narrow hall that led to the library, I stopped and listened. I thought that Rooke would have been sitting on the throne, laughing for me being so stupid, but he was not. I knew there was one place he could be.

On the wall.

I stormed outside with the dagger in my hand. The clouds stormed, raining. I held it, striding toward the wall. I wasn't going to let Rooke cause any more harm.

Enough was enough.

I ran up the stairs, ignoring the soldiers as they talked to me. My vision tunneled as Rooke came into vision. An itch scratched through my body, begging to be released.

"How the hell did you escape!" Rooke spat out, reaching out a hand toward me. He paused, stepping back. "What the hell is wrong with your face?"

I looked down into the puddle in front of me. Under my eyes was black, almost like shadows. I looked up, trying not to let Rooke distract me.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Rooke shouted back, brandishing the knife in his direction.

Soldiers turned, trying to interfere, before they could take a step toward them, I casted a violet shield holding both Rooke and myself. I smiled as Rooke turned around.

"Nasira's power," Rooke whispered, eyes brimming with tears. "Listen, Hona," he gulped. "Listen closely."

"All I've done is listen!" I shouted, my voice coming out in waves of violet. "Now it's time to act. I must save Udan!"

"You are under the influence of Nasira," he told me. "You're not yourself, lad."

"You are the one who isn't themself," I hissed. "You've lied to me."

Rooke was taken aback by my accusation. "Lied to you?" he whispered. "I've been honest to you my entire life."

"You just told another lie."

Rooke stepped back as much as the barrier would allow him. "Hona, son, listen to me," he started. "I've never lied to you."

"You are working with Jonga," I snapped. "I should have realized it now."

"Son, Nasira is trying to turn you against me," he answered. "She is in your mind. You need to listen to me."

"No!" I screamed, brandishing the dagger once more.

"Put the dagger down," he said, walking forward with his hands held out. "Nice and easy. Clear your head, Hona."

"I'd rather destroy the one thing that leaves the brink of Udan on destruction," I hissed. "Nasira was never with Jonga on destroying Udan."

"Is that what she told you?"

I tried to think but my mind was cluttered with waves of violet. "That's what I believe."

"Hona, I haven't told you much about Nasira because I didn't want you to have a connection with the Rabaka," he answered. "I have told you she is the daughter of King Aslar who was king of a lost kingdom, but I haven't told you how I know that."

I tilted his head to the side, trying to understand what he was saying, but it distorted, changing into different words. "What do you mean?"

"Nasira is my daughter," he explained. "I am King Aslar." Silence fell between us, absorbing into the night. "Her mother was a woman from Kair," he continued, "I didn't want to sully my kingdom with my sins, but I did, and it destroyed Aslar, burying it in sand."

Hona stepped back. "You destroyed it," he whispered, holding on tighter to the dagger. "Like you plan to destroy Udan."

"No!" he shouted. "Baria gave me another chance. The Guardian cleansed me of my sins, I would never go against it."

"Another lie. Nasira was trying to save Udan from your destruction," I barked, driving forward with the dagger.

The dagger struck his chest, impaling the armor. Rooke flew upward, his feet barely touching the floor. He sputtered, blood spewing from his mouth. Gasps and screams came from the outside of the barrier.

I fell to his knees, feeling the power vanquish from my body. My head lashed forward, tears in my eyes. My mind was no longer clouded. It was clear like the skies above.

"Well done," Nasira's voice called from in front.

I lashed my head upward. Everything was clear. I looked down at the lifeless body of Rooke. I gasped, I had done this. It felt as if a dream had a hold on me, but it was reality.

"Nasira!" I screamed. "What have I done!"

"You killed the weak," she answered. "My father was never a part of the Rabaka, at least not after what it became. He resented my mother for joining. She ran away with me and raised me as a member of the Rabaka. When he took her life all those years before, I knew justice needed to prevail. With my new found powers and a helper on the inside, I have defeated the man who took my darling mother from me."

"A helper?"

"One of Mara's followers is a member of the Rabaka," she laughed. "His mission was to divert them from reaching Kaija."

"Why?"

"So Udan could fall. It's all been an illusion of your mind," she whispered. "A lie as some call it."

"He was your father," I whispered. "That was real."

"King Rooke of Aslar," she mocked. "A king sullied by sin."

"You said he was going to destroy Udan!" I said. "You were the liar."

"You were so easy to manipulate," she whispered into my ear. "So naïve."

She raised a hand, the soldiers standing around with concerned faces, fell. Their eyes were wide open, blood spewing from the sides of their mouths. They were dead. Nasira murdered them.

"I said Udan would be destroyed and it has been."

"No," I whispered. "Udan will stand tall."

"I think not, after all, the General has been massacring the innocent during the night."

Flashes invaded my mind. I leaned forward, grasping the dirt of the floor. I remembered. Each horrible gasp, the drenching of blood. I had murdered my own.

"No," I whispered. "I couldn't have."

"Look around," she whispered. "You are the destroyer of Udan."

Nasira vanished before I could get another word out. Silence fell over the kingdom of Udan.

I looked at the darkness and destruction. The dead, and the ones hanging on for life. Because of me, I led the Rabaka into their homes, and murdered my own. I was the one who destroyed Udan even though I was trying hard to protect it.

My hands shook and I raised them, expecting the violet glow to be present but it was no longer there. Even though my mind was no longer clouded, I felt drained. At this time, I wasn't sure what to do. I wasn't sure what was left to be done.

The ground rumbled under my feet. I staggered, trying to keep my ground. The lifeless bodies around me convulsed as the ground jumped. Violet flares bursted through the skies like comets. They flew over Udan before disappearing into the black sky, making the stars flee.

I didn't think anything of it, until an explosion sounded from beyond the castle. I jerked my head in that direction, watching as the infernos came alive. They snaked down the stony pathway, creating a wall of fire.

In moments, it spread to the village. People ran from their homes, screaming in anguish, and I was the cause of it. I caused Udan the pain it was suffering from and gave the Rabaka their chance to attack.

The lever moved. A burly man with orange hair winked before disappearing in mid-air. I hung over the wall. Jonga stalked toward the gate. I moved, rushing down the stairs. Jonga entered Udan. He was standing in the midst of the chaos, holding his arms out while lashing his head back in laughter. It echoed through the kingdom, bouncing off the flames of the burning buildings.

"I told you it would fall," he called out. "Udan will be no more!"

I gritted my teeth. I may have been the cause of Udan's state, but I was going to save it from the jaws of Jonga.

"Jonga!"

He swung around, facing me. "Ah, Hona," he said, clicking his tongue. "You look terrible."

"You are banished from Udan!" I reminded. "Any foot on these grounds and I am by right allowed to murder you."

Jonga kicked the ground. "Like you have to the other Uadianians? It would just be another one to add to your killing list."

"Nasira did that," I hissed back. "And you know it."

"Nasira can only do so much," he explained. "You were the one that stuck the dagger through their hearts and mangled their bodies."

"I didn't!" I screamed, looking up toward the wall. "I don't think I did."

"Udan is falling thanks to you," he said. "I have come to keep my promise."

I drew my dagger, holding it in my hand. "I can't let you," I whispered. "Even though we were brothers once, you are not the same person I knew."

"I have offered you answers and power," he continued, "you denied me. If you wish to fight, I will not hesitate to slip your own dagger through your chest."

"Is Nasira controlling your mind?"

"No," Jonga smiled, walking toward me. "I'm wide awake."