Savvy and Akira ended up falling asleep at dawn, holding each other where they lay. Sarika just watched them, a strange feeling that she couldn't name creeping into her heart. Taki was dozing off on the floor as well while Tak stood vigilantly as though he was one of the guards.
"You can all return to your rooms." Thaggar bellowed when he finally returned.
Only after he sat down did he notice that Savvy and Akira were fast asleep. Taki had sat up when she heard him and was yawning and rubbing her eyes.
"Don't you think we should all stay on the same level for the next few days?" Sarika asked with a tired sigh.
"Yes brother, I'm feeling afraid now." Taki added and she shivered as if to add weight to her words.
"No. We'll tighten security. You should all go and rest." He paused and looked at the sleeping women and sighed,"Wake them up. I have to meet the council."
Thaggar got up without another word and headed to the designated meeting place which was the throne room. He was glad they had all arrive on time so there were no delays.
"Shut up and settle!" He growled making the room fall into a hush.
Silently he walked to his seat, a frown on his face even though he tried to appear calm. There was silence as he settled, resorting to first gulping down some wine.
"Have you changed your mind about the que...."
"Did I say you could speak, Fanak?!"
Thaggar threw the chalice to the floor and the thin gold nearly flattened upon impact. Fanak fell silent, those close to him seeing how he shivered.
"There was an intruder last night." Thaggar finally said and almost everyone shuffled in their seats, hoping the new queen had been attacked.
Fanak smiled, thinking the assassin's he had sent had done justice.
"Savvy was almost killed." Thaggar added making Fanak jump out of his seat, alarmed and afraid for his daughter.
Did those fools lose their minds to attack her?! He wanted to go to her and see how she was doing and this sentiment was shared by the other council members as she was the one they desired to be queen.
"Settle down Fanak. Your pathetic assassin's have already been caught. They weren't skilled enough to cause even the slightest commotion." Thaggar said, his eyes turning dark as Fanak froze,"You will be dismissed soon enough."
The room fell into a pregnant silence. The moment they feared was finally here, Thaggar would be restructuring the council.
"That isn't our agenda as for today." He resumed, sweeping his eyes over the people gathered,"The intruder practiced black magic."
There were audible gasps left and right, Fanak nearly paralyzed imagining what damage had been done to her.
"He murdered fifteen guards and entered her room, his plan to strangle her until I intervened."
"How did he get in?"
"That's what I want to ask you, Temu, you are much older than me and lived hearing such stories. How do you suppose he got in and ended up on the fourth floor without alerting anyone before that?"
Temu frowned inwardly wondering why this was happening to him when everyone present was old enough to know about black magic. He cleared his throat but before he could speak, the oldest among them, Dhaii, spoke.
"It could be an insider."
"Meaning?"
"Someone within the castle who can move without raising suspicion must practice black magic."
"The person I saw and fought is no one in the castle...."
"My king, allow me to elaborate." Dhaii spoke bowing slightly.
Thaggar looked at him. He rarely spoke in any meetings and usually took a neutral stance in any arguments. The only issue he took a side in was Savvy's right to be queen. Thaggar slowly nodded and leaned back in his chair to listened, his gut telling him one way or another blame would fall on Akira's arrival.
"Black magic is of many variations and combinations allowing the bearer to have a wide range of tricks but also making it impossible to do certain things as most advanced spells depend on a person's lineage. To. Carry out certain spells you sometimes need to consume blood or an entire human. One such spell is one to change your appearance, to become who you consume, taking their memories with you and personality. You can only turn back into yourself when the constellations are right, sometimes even a life time."
Dhaii stopped to cough while Thaggar's mind was running wild trying to figure out who it could be. The fact that looking for odd behavior wasn't feasible made it even harder. For all he knew it could be his own family or.....
"But, there's a way to find them quickly. I was taught that once they turn back to their true form, they stay that way for at least a whole day or if they manage to change themselves back to the borrowed body, their appearance will frequently waver and make them tired. If an injury was sustained then it may show as well when these fluctuations happen."
Thaggar nodded. Fluctuations....he had to watch everyone closely. He was certain it wasn't Akira or Savvy. The others who had arrived after the intruder had left were his mother, Tak and Taki.
"One more thing sire," it was Temu who spoke, a thoughtful expression on his face,"They absorb souls, usually of those who....kill themselves."
Rai! Thaggar knew something was odd about her suicide. All his suspects were there as well.
"It can only be that Southern girl! She trying to kill my daug...."
Thaggar slammed his fist on the concrete table, forming an indentation and crack that travelled down to the other end. Fanak sat back down, shaking with fear. Thaggar lifted his hand off the table, cuts on his hands and blood dripping.
"If it settles your unworthy arse, Akira and I were making love and she protected your daughter while I fought."
"Then her brother coul...."
"I know. I have no bias and will watch him. Damnit! I will be watching my own mother and sister, they were all there when Rai took her life."
The room fell silent once more, the only sound being Thaggar's deep breaths as he tried to calm down.
"Can I see her?" Fanak asked timidly.
"She's asleep." Thaggar said getting up.
Everyone stood as well, fearing the table might collapse on them.
"You're all dismissed." Thaggar announced.
"But Savvy...."
"Fanak, Savvy is resting, asleep with Akira. Don't disrespect them both because you're impatient."
Fanak bowed even though he wanted to complain about his daughter been left with the sister of a suspect. Thaggar left and maids came in with water to clean his blood shortly after. He didn't want to see a new him next.