Present Day

Blood, flesh and internal organs covered the stone floor of Teal’s cold cell. They were the only remnants of the middle-aged beer-bellied man that he had torn to shreds and eaten moments before. There was no remorse, no disgust, no sorrow; just pure satisfaction. Satisfaction that tingled through Teal’s entire body from his head to his toes. Satisfaction that he had finally, after all this time, satiated his hunger.

This was how it was meant to be.

There were no questions to be asked. No apologies to be given.

This was who he was supposed to be.

It was simple. It was a longing that came from deep within. It had been ignited after the elixir had been forced down his throat. And now it continued, bubbling and manifesting underneath his skin. It was a killer instinct. The killer instinct for survival.

He was a hunter who lived off the flesh of humans, and so be it. That would be how he would survive.

Teal leaned back onto the wall behind him, moving gently to not aggravate the bruises on his ribs and sides. They were dark blue and purple; a swirl of morbid colors covering his body that had come forth immediately. The chains attached to his wrists and ankles were heavy, and they clanged whenever he moved, restricting his steps within the cell. His own blood had dried on his skin.

There was one solitary window to his left which was his only source of light and promised that an outside world existed. An ordinary man would be unable to jump or leap to reach it, and even if they could, it was too narrow for a grown man to escape through. If Teal had not been chained to the wall, he could have easily reached it, although he doubted that he would be able to squeeze through it either.

The sky was dark, murky and cold on the other side of that small opening. He rarely saw the two moons, and the stars refused to shine in this pitiful land. Time moved slowly, and only a faint shift in the dimness gave any indication of the passing of day and night. Time thwarted, coiled and repulsed against him. It was his enemy. Who wanted time when you had so much of it?

Hunger and the need for more flesh occupied most of his thoughts. He no longer needed connection. The people he had cared for now seemed like distant memories and no longer worthy of prolonged attention. He didn’t miss making love with Jale or the tender, gentle cuddles he had shared with Lana. They seemed unimportant and unnecessary. He didn’t miss the conversations and sparring sessions he’d had with Satner or the Mocho games he’d shared with the Empress. He also didn’t miss his conversations with Ralen while they drank beer in the garden of the Purple Jade Palace.

Even his responsibilities at the palace seemed trivial and unnecessary. Protecting the palace while walking along the walls with Ladet and discussing their daily duties, seemed so beneath him now. The Emperor was dead. Even that seemed so inconsequential to him.

There were much more important thoughts. There was something he had not been aware of before he had taken the elixir. When Teal allowed his thoughts to go to the people he loved, his thoughts sometimes also wandered to another place, another existence almost.

It was a place that jolted into his mind’s eye and then, vanished before he could grasp any idea of what it was. It was busy, jostling and noisy. The space was heavy with presence. The air tasted of energy, like he could taste the power left behind after a lightning bolt had struck the ground and filled the space around him, buzzing with static. Strangely, it felt as if it was connected to the tiger’s presence that had resided in him, although the presence was nowhere to be found now.

There was something else as well. One single thought started to push through all the others until it dominated. It was a desire and need that burned when it had never burned before. He wanted to know about the Lombock. Who was he really? What was he capable of? Where were they? And most importantly, why had they abandoned him when he had only been a baby?

Slowly however, the urge to eat returned. It crept into the edges of his consciousness and through his body, crawling through his entire being until he was unable to think of anything else.

Hunger. How pervasive it was.

It was growing and growing. One human, it appeared, was not going to tie him over for long. He was going to need more human flesh soon.

More time passed and when he thought the hunger would become unbearable, footsteps came on the other side of the door. Once again, the chains that bound him began to tighten. They creaked in protest as they twisted on their mounts, slowly drawing Teal back up against the wall. He fought against his binds, but it was futile. They were strong, many, and in his weakened state, sturdy enough to prevent him from breaking against their hold.

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After he was drawn against the wall just like he had been on that first day, the locks that held the door to his cell in place, began to clink and clank. First, the heavy piece of wood Teal had imagined had been dropped in place, then a bolt at the top, and then another at the bottom.

Excitement drew up in his chest. He couldn’t contain it. Opening the door could only mean food, surely. Why else would they open it? More human flesh to satisfy his cravings.

This time, when the Keglan soldiers entered the room, Prince Yernal and Prince Tolder entered his cell. Prince Yernal gingerly stepped over the threshold holding onto his long cloak to stop it from trailing in the blood. After a moment of consideration, he found a spot on the stone floor that was a safe distance from Teal. After another two steps, he gave up and lowered his cloak with a look of disdain over his features. His slippers were already soaked.

Prince Tolder ignored the blood. He folded his arms over his chest and seemed to examine Teal.

Teal glared back at the open analysis.

“Good morning, Teal,” Prince Yernal said, although there was no real sincerity in his words. They were mocking. “Comfortable?”

Teal blinked slowly and wondered how many more people he would have to eat to give him enough strength to break the chains on his wrists.

“How do you feel?” Prince Tolder asked.

It was such an unexpected question that Teal pulled back. Why would this vile man care how he felt?

“I feel hungry!” Teal responded viciously.

“Yes, I know you’re hungry, but how do you feel?” Prince Tolder asked again, daring to step closer. “I want to know whether the elixir worked.”

“Given the mess on the floor, I would say it has,” Prince Yernal chuckled, staring again at the blood around his feet.

“Has it dampened the spell that was put over you?” Prince Tolder prodded further. “Can you feel the tiger? Do you feel like a true Lombock?”

Teal glowered at Prince Tolder. “How would I know? I have never been my true Lombock self before.”

“You should be more appreciative,” Prince Tolder snapped. “Working out that elixir took many years of research. Research that was conducted hundreds of kilometers away from civilization. Getting the correct ingredients took patience and much persuasion.”

“I don’t even know who would dare to help you,” Teal hissed.

Prince Tolder shrugged. “Gold is always a good bribe to influence a person to steal and act as a spy. Spies,” he smiled sinisterly. “How do you think we knew about the Emperor sending his personal health giver to do his research for him?”

“Nala,” Teal whispered to himself. Something in the back of his brain tugged with a strange sensation. Was it sadness?

“Unfortunately, she did meet an untimely death, but she had a long life,” Prince Tolder commented with no real sympathy whatsoever.

Teal pulled on the chains once more, rage pouring from every pore. They creaked once again so much so that one of the hooks wriggled in the wall from his effort.

Prince Tolder turned to Prince Yernal. “I’ll get the Talekan Assassins to get working to ensure you have an adequate supply of Ashkin poison.” He glanced once more at Teal before turning back to Prince Yernal. “You’re going to need it.”

Prince Yernal nodded, and for one instant, Teal saw a nervous edge in Prince Yernal’s expression as he stared at the hooks above Teal’s head.

“I will leave tomorrow now that I’m satisfied that the elixir has worked,” Prince Tolder continued. “Remember, every two days he needs to drink more. That will ensure people will listen to you, no matter what.”

“Yes, yes,” Prince Yernal responded, his eyes wandering off obviously thinking about having everyone answer his every desire and whim.

Prince Tolder snapped his fingers in front of Prince Yernal’s face, and he startled back to the present. “Stay focused,” he hissed. “You’ll hear from me soon,” Prince Tolder continued once he believed he had Prince Yernal’s complete attention again. “I don’t trust leaving Prince Vox in control of the Talbecan Empire. He’ll screw up due to his incompetence and we’ll lose the advantage we have.”

“Yes,” Prince Yernal answered. “Make sure he stays in line.”

“With me as his right-hand man, he will,” Prince Tolder stated confidently. “You just make sure you sort out your two older brothers. Get them in line or…” They stared into each other’s eyes with an unspoken message or agreement.

No more was uttered between them. Prince Tolder turned and left the room, drawing his cloak around his shoulders as he stepped through the door.

“You are going to be moved,” Prince Yernal informed Teal once Prince Tolder had left. “You will be of far more value where people can see you. I have many followers, but I will have those last stragglers under my control once people see you.”

“Why are you doing this?” Teal asked.

“Power, of course!” Prince Yernal stated with surprise as if it wasn’t obvious. “No longer will the Keglan Kingdom bow down to the Talbecan Empire. We now have a neighboring leader who is happy to work with us. We are confident Prince Vox will be chosen to be the Regent Emperor after the Empire’s month of mourning. Or, I’m sure he’ll make it happen. For now, you can enjoy a sleep while we move you. Can’t have you misbehaving like you did in the caravan especially with your extra strength.”

Another figure was waved into the room. Dressed in robes, the person’s head covered with a cloak, Teal recognised the clothing of a Talekan Assassin.

The woman didn’t speak or look at him. She merely went about her task in a methodical manner. From under her robes, she pulled out a slim tube, pointed it at Teal and brought it to her mouth. The woman puffed hard, and Teal flinched at the dart that was suddenly piercing the skin on his neck. It was laced with what he was sure was more Ashkin poison.

A swirl of dizziness and darkness flooded over his line of sight, and he swayed against the chains. Indeed, the dart had been laced with a potent dose of the Ashkin poison. It was his greatest menace. His greatest foe.

“Where are you taking me?” he asked.

“To the capital,” Prince Yernal stated.

“Dalenia?” Teal asked.

Prince Yernal snorted in response. “Oh, you fool. No, the capital of the Keglar Kingdom, Reamalia.”

“I will need to eat soon,” Teal said, unconsciousness starting to encroach on the borders of his mind.

“You’ll eat when I say so,” Prince Yernal stated firmly.

Teal’s head fell back against the stone wall, and he was no longer able to keep his eyes open. His last thoughts were ones of desperation. Who would help him escape this continuous nightmare of drugged blindness? With the Ashkin poison being constantly darted into his veins, he couldn’t escape by himself.

He would need help.