It's the baby again, she likes to come to him in his darkest moments. And in this dark hour his heart was failing him, his body disserting him. He is poisoned, that much he has come to comprehend.
The baby had her tinny hands squeezing at his heart to get it pumping again. He could feel her tiny fingers playing with it, massaging it while he watched amidst his pain.
His feebly heart begun to stutter weakly. Paralyzed, jaded and trapped at the mercy of the little one, the Alpha jerks violently, as though having a seizure.
What? Is he going to die at the mercy of a newly born? Is the bady going to pull his heart out, as he did been doing to his enemies?
It took him sometime to apprehend the child was helping to revive him. She didn't want him to die, she could feel his pain and shared it with him.
Her smoothening empathy felt so strong it ease out the pain. This fascinates the Alpha even more.
Blood was coming out from her nose, he reached out to wipe it, but his hands were shackled to something. He tried moving his legs but his legs too were restrained. He didn't know where he was, or what brought him there.
The child started to cry when his heart begins to fail again.
"You poor little thing, stop trying and go to bed. I will be fine…" he probed in his own mind, amusing himself, he knew the child couldn't understand but he tried anyway.
Someone was there coming to the baby's cradle, and his heart jump into his throat. His first instinct was to protect the baby from whomever that was in the room, perhaps the source of her power, but maybe a malignant force none the less.
His protective instinct for the child was fierce he fought way out of his delirium to save her.
When his eyes opened however, there was no baby or a craddle. In his apparition was massive iron shackles lying on a hard cold floor.
'She was here, Shilla had been here' he thought. he could smell her blood... he gnaw his jaws in anger. they hurt her, and he shall tripple their pain when he is inflicting his.
Straightening up his head in the lantern lighted dingy space, were two pair of eyes staring back at him more in awe than curiosity.
Awareness descended upon his mind, and he managed a wicked smile.
"Where is Shilla?" he asked.
"Miles away from here" Tiana replied boldly, although her inner world thundered squeamishly. She added, "Agna escaped with her…".
"Agna is dead, I ate his heart."
"Yes, you did, but that's the father and not the son," Kong managed to say and started to cough beside his daughter.
"Father, you should be in bed and let me handle this man."
"No, I want to have a word with this man" Kong replied, wiping away the bloody after cough resdue on his lips with a scarf snarled around his neck.
"Where is he taking her?"
"why will I tell you anything, you are my prisoner at my mercy. I can kill you right now and it will all be over."
The Alpha laughed uproariously.
"Is that what you think, princess? Wait till my maidens stormed your kingdom, they are coming. You want to kill me because I killed your brother? A brother who was going to kill his father, and claim the throne, and put you to slavery?"
Tiana shivered on her seat and looked at her father in bewilderment. Kong was nodding silently.
Tiana draw her dagger from the sheath, and was about to strike at the chained panther before her father grabbed her by the wrist.
"He is telling the truth, Tiana. This man saves me from the evil of my own son." Tiana started pacing the room like a raging chimp, glancing at both men speechlessly.
"Agna and your brother were planning to make sure I was no more. They both worked for the dark one, Nka. I will not allow anyone to rule this island through me, I want equal partners, and this man want part of the land to settle, and to bring ways of the new world, not to conquer it… this much I know."
"And how will you know he is genuine, father?"
"it's not the question about being genuine. It's the question of honor, and that I know so well."
Tiana was finding it had to believe her father, what had the panther did to him? she mused.
"I don't have any time to spare. Free me now, and tell me where they are taking Shilla and perhaps, I shall spare your life," the Alpha snarled.
"Release the man Tiana, I order you as your father and king."
"I can't do that father; you are probably not in your right mind. You are not helping by taking his side, now he is helpless. If we kill this man, his maidens wouldn't know where he was and shall never find him…."
Tiana slashed the alpha across the chest and he roared, as fresh thick red mass seep from the cut. She slashed again, and the cut went deeper this time, and the Alpha froze in agony, with eyes opened unblinkingly like a shackled cow with a knife to it's throat.
"Stop it! stop it! Tiana…" Kong chocked and clutched at his throat… trying to speak.
"why are you doing this Tiana, I am your king and must be obeyed."
"Not if you chose to support this man, who killed your son and made you believe he did you a big favor. I will kill you slowly, hybrid! And let Agna have you mate as a play thing!"
Tiana raised her blade to strike again, but her hand froze in midair as the Alpha's eyes turned yellow and his fangs sprang alive holding her under a hypnotizing snare.
Tiana tried to break free, but her mind wouldn't comply.
She felt him snake his way into her mind, the compulsion was so strong her brain became instantly heavy as though instead of a brain, she has a powerful magnet in her head. She instantly felt dizzy.
She resisted him with every ounce of self-preservation but futility was her only friend. She moans in her throat as her head prickled like a thousand needles finding its way into her mind.
She surrendered in humiliation, kneeling before the Alpha in exaspirated gasps.
She found her hands moving, sending the knife to her throat to gut herself. she didn't have any room to manuaver her way out than to comply. more tears sprang to her eyes.
Kong observed in awe, his body erect on the chair. But there was nothing he could do for his daughter, except wait to avoid aggravating this beast any further as he stars to shape shift into Panther to free himself from the shackles.
His motion was so swift, he barely seem to shape shift.
"Where is Shilla? where is this Agna person taking her?" The Alpha rasped.
The dagger she pressed to her own throat was now drawing blood and she cried pettifully.
"Ballkass! The island of Ballkass my lord," Tiana said tearfully, and the Alpha released her.
She palpates and draws air insatiably, moaning in shame.
"Next-time listen to your father and pay him homage, princess. Now you are coming with me to this great island Ballkass…" the Alpha said steadily.
"No! no! I can't go there with you, please don't ask me to," Tiana was on her knees pleading.
"I will go with you; I know there very well. It will however take us days or weeks depending on the waves…" Kong offered.
"No, not you. This brave princess must learn some manners if she is going to rule a kingdom I want to create an alliance with. You are done, king Kong. Let me go with your heiress. She must learn the ways of the evils of this world. she must learn about the world's beyond this island."
Tiana stared at her father in horror, but Kong knew there was nothing more he could do for his daughter.