For in that moment, a great force shook the whole earth. Scales hurried to Katsi’s side, but the ground shifted beneath her. She immediately cast out her magic, connecting with the stone and air around her. Scales held his own, digging his claws into the ground, still working his way toward her. More bricks from the castle came cascading down.
The monster remained, and its eyes were set on Katsi.
Another growl crescendoed from its throat, sounding similar to deep, vibrating thunder. It stepped toward her, unhindered by the tumultuous ground that shook beneath them.
“Migo?” Katsi said. “It’s me, Katsi.” She knew she should have gone with him. She’d been a fool to let him leave. What had the shamans done to him? All her power, and what good had it done her? Wasn’t this exactly the kind of thing she was hoping to prevent? Tears stung her eyes as the monster continued to claw its way towards her, each of its talons easily the same length of a shortsword—and just as sharp.
Its mouth worked as it gave a low growl, lowering its head to eye level. Scales reached Katsi first and pumped up on his front legs, growling at the monster.
“Migo?” Katsi inquired again, casting her fear aside as she took a step forward.
The red light in its eyes went out completely, replaced by dark brown eyes that were so familiar. Eyes that she could lose herself in. Eyes that had struck her so profoundly whenever they settled on her. It was him. Without a doubt, she knew it was him.
Migo gave a sigh and dropped his head to the ground at Katsi’s feet. She fell to her knees beside him and hugged his head. “Oh, Migo, what happened to you?” There was a gash along his snout, but it had already stopped bleeding.
Even Scales went over and bumped his head into Migo’s, nudging him with his nose.
Katsi laid her head down on top of Migo’s, avoiding both the gash and the horns. “I’m so sorry, Migo. I should have come with you. This is all my fault.”
Migo let out a grumble that suggested he disagreed, but Katsi only squeezed his head tighter, heart aching at what had become of him, the one person who’d ever had her back. Tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, my kingling,” she said, pressing her cheek against his scaled hide.
Despite the upheaval of the ground around them, she was distinctly aware of Migo’s head trembling. She looked down at him, keeping her hand on his head. His brown eye looked up at her before squeezing shut. The spikes, horns, wings, and tail started to retract as his hulking form shrank back down. She gasped as the scales disappeared, returning to light brown skin. In her hands was no longer the head of a giant beast, but Migo’s face, looking up at her, his wavy black hair curling around her fingers as he trembled on his hands and knees.
She hugged his head, squeezing her eyes tight in disbelief. “Oh, Migo, I thought you would be like that forever.”
“Me too,” Migo said, his voice gritty and tired. “Katsi, I’m naked.”
Katsi’s eyes snapped open as she whipped her head back, noticing for the first time that he was, in fact, stark naked. She yelped and shot to her feet. Scales didn’t seem to care, bumping his head into Migo’s thigh as the young king folded to hide himself.
Katsi cast her eyes around the thrashed room, walls still trembling from whatever was happening. She dashed to the wardrobe on the other side of the bed and threw it open. There was so much clothing to choose from, but she grabbed a black robe and hurried back to Migo, throwing it over his shoulders.
He wrapped it around himself and unsteadily got to his feet. The gash on his face looked like an old cut that was still healing. Migo gasped, clutching a hand to his chest.
“Migo, what happened? How?” Katsi held his arm to help steady him, leading him toward the bed. He sat down on the edge, holding the bedpost for support.
Migo groaned. “Long story. Wild story. I’m a sanding idiot.” His eyes softened as he looked up at her. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Katsi shook her head in disbelief. “I’m fine—I mean—maybe some bruises, but you turned into a giant lizard, got hacked up by a sword, got pulverized by stones, and just killed the most powerful shaman on Malahem. I saw all that lightning, which, by the way, is supposed to be the best weapon against waheshi. I think you’re the one who has some explaining to do.”
Migo shook his head. “I have no idea how to begin. I don’t understand what Ashjagar is. I didn’t have enough time. He was going to turn you into one of those jewels, like your armlets, to enhance his own strength. I had to stop him. But also, what is happening? As soon as Ranaz died, the ground started shaking and hasn’t stopped.”
As if on cue, several people approached from the hall, led by none other than Adrina, as she had to use her magic to patch the gaping hole in front of the obliterated doors.
Migo grunted and tried to rise, but Katsi pushed him back down. “I’ll handle this.”
Six people in total came through the rubble. Daraden was among them, clutching a handful of potions in his left hand as he stared at Katsi and Migo with wide eyes. For the first time, Katsi became distinctly aware of the fact that all the communication orbs on the shelf opposite from the bed were glowing with changing colors.
“Katsi,” Adrina said, voice trembling as she looked between Katsi and Alyssad’s dead body. “What have you done?”
Scales stood between Katsi and the six newcomers, crouched low as if ready to pounce.
Katsi wasn’t sure how to explain. Perhaps all of them already knew. “The emperor was going to kill me and turn me into an enhancement artifact. Migo came and stopped him.”
Adrina shook her head. “The Ashjagar. We saw what he is, but you have no idea the consequences of what you’ve done. By killing him, you’ve doomed us all.”
“We’ve just eliminated the world’s greatest tyrant and murderer.” Magical energy sparked between Katsi’s fingers. “Please elaborate for me what terrible consequences that could possibly bring.”
“He was a hero. He saved the world from destruction, and he was our only defense against the bleeder armies,” Adrina shouted. Then she pointed to the ground. “And that trembling in the ground, that will bring the destruction of every last ringdweller.”
Katsi clenched her fists. “What do you mean?”
Adrina rubbed her forehead before continuing. “We didn’t know for sure, but we suspected the emperor was the one responsible for locking the entire planet.”
Now Migo rose from the bed, towering beside Katsi. “So you mean to say that by killing the emperor, nothing will prevent Malahem from spinning again?”
“Hypothetically,” Adrina said. “We worried that he was the only thing keeping the planet together as is. Who knows what will happen now that his power isn’t sustaining us.”
“It’s true,” came another voice. A woman walked in behind them. Ris. Alyssad’s mother.
“Your Grace,” Adrina said. The six people in her company parted to allow Ris entry into the room.
Ris walked firmly on the shaking ground to stand beside her son. She frowned down at him, letting out a long sigh. “Five-hundred and thirty years.” She squatted beside him and closed his lifeless eyes. “That’s how old he was.”
The tremors in the ground slowed, and a strong wind broke over the ruined walls, whistling across the open stone. Only when she looked up did Katsi realize that the Maedari had stopped. The rain and lightning were gone, replaced by an eerily clear sky.
“My son is the one who stilled the planet in the first place,” Ris said, rising back to her feet. “Locking it in place right as hundreds of thousands of bleeder warriors invaded the city of Hazjar, where the eye of the sun lingered for the last five hundred years.”
Both Katsi and Migo stared with mouths gaping.
