Anamika slunk between two buildings in the slums of Malapolis. She was looking for food, when she saw a stranger leaning against a wall, cleaning her nails with a dagger. She was pale and had moon-white hair, and behind that curtain of hair, a glint of burnt gold eyes showed. The stranger looked no older than twenty-five. Anamika tried to sneak past, but nothing got past the figure without notice. The stranger held up a hand.
“Stop.”
Heart pounding in terror, Anamika shrank back, but the stranger gave her a wild grin. Anamika heard a saying of Malapolis: A wild smile promises death; a genuine one trust. The stranger drawled, “I won’t harm you…I think.” She had an unmistakable accent of Zvieria, a place of shapeshifters and capital of Ajax. Anamika felt the statement not at all comforting.
“Who… who are you?”, Anamika whispered. The stranger said, “Athaleyah.”
Anamika’s eyes widened. She had heard of a lioness, albino and a fearless warrior. She was one of the most loyal and the highest ranking of King Ahriman and Queen Mara, corrupt rulers of the land. Not that she would voice her opinion of the rulers to one of his sentinels.
Athaleyah smiled faintly at Anamika. A snake’s smile.
“I would like you to accompany on my quest. I would like to find Anamika, a shapeshifter that assumes the form of a raven.” She paused. “Unless I have found her already. What is your name, girl?”
Anamika found it hard to speak again. What would happen if she told Athaleyah? She decided on assuming an anagram of her name. “Manaiak.” She swallowed, hoping against hope that the other would not notice her lie. She seemed not to notice.
“Meet me at Moonlight Inn, room 3B.”
Athaleyah vaulted over a crate, shifting smoothly into a white lioness in a blur of color and movement as she jumped, and padded off into the rapidly dawning gloom.
It was twilight, Anamika realized. Her stomach grumbled, but she swallowed, quelling it. As she made her way to Moonlight Inn, she wondered about what Athaleyah said. Only relatives, however distant, of the royal family had the ability to shift. She shrugged. Perhaps Athaleyah had been mistaken. But a feeling of uncertainty kept nagging her, all the way in the doors of the Inn and up to the third story, room B.
Then all was forgotten.
Athaleyah was standing in the room sharpening the same dagger now, but there was a plate full of bread on the table. She jerked her head towards the table.
“Ordered for you.”
Anamika mumbled her thanks and took the bread, along with the water beside it. She hesitated.
“I haven’t poisoned it.”
Reassured, Anamika took a bite while Athaleyah went to the lavatory and changed, then passed out on one of the beds. Anamika finished and took the other.
Anamika was woken up just after dawn by a bucket of cold water, followed by the cheerful Clang! of the pail hitting her head. She turned over, groaning, and muttered something about how early it was.
“Wake up, Manaiak.”
Anamika opened her eyes to see Athaleyah with another pail of water ready to throw. She was in a gray trench coat, beige cargo pants, and leather vambraces. Anamika guessed that, along with her dagger sheathed at the hip, a quiver of arrows, and a bow slung over one shoulder, there was also an assortment of hidden weapons. Anamika shivered, and not just because of the bucket of cold water.
Athaleyah stopped at a shop and purchased a brick of dye, then paid the owner extra to use the back room. She came out, her hair now a dirty blond.
“Why?”, asked Anamika.
“What?”
“Why di- oh. Never mind.” She assumed that, although Athaleyah assumed a pretense of apathy, she actually cared about the stares.
They boarded a ship, and set sail towards Zvieria, the capital of Ajax.
That afternoon, to Anamika’s surprise, the shapeshifter took off her dagger, quiver, and bow. Anamika raised her eyebrows. One of Athaleyah’s raised back.
“What?”
“What?”, answered Anamika.
“I asked you what; don’t ask me back. You were about to ask a question, I can tell.”
“Ah. I see. But, what was it?”
Athaleyah closed her eyes in exasperation, and left the room. Anamika decided to follow her. Suddenly, Athaleyah spun around. “Here,” she said, “The ship’s ‘diner’ is more of a tavern with less than decent food.” She slipped Anamika a dagger from her boot. Wordlessly, Anamika put it in hers. At Anamika’s questioning look, she explained. “In case anyone gets drunk, which, most assuredly, someone will.”
They walked inside the ship’s eating area, sat down, and ordered something that looked like like food. A figure suddenly appeared behind them, without Anamika noticing. The shifter, however, apparently did as she did not reach towards a weapon. The figure was male, with short auburn hair.
“Tomorrow, then?”, he asked in a low tone.
“No. At least a week, Second.”
“As you will it, Heir.” The last word was whispered. “You are the heir of this land?”, whispered Anamika. A nod. Unexpectedly, the waiter came. “Your dishes,” he said. Athleyah tilted her head in recognition, slid a tip in his direction, and motioned for his dismissal. “Hey, my drink,” slurred a mountain of a man, staggering up to the waiter. The steward stepped out of the way, and the man crashed into the table.
“Hey, you,” the mountain said, “Refill this. It’s empty again!”. He slid the mug across the table to Athaleyah.
“Do you think of me as your servant?”, she said. A dagger slid out of her vambrace. Anamika felt herself leaning toward her boot, towards the hidden weapon. Mountain drew out his own sword. Athaleyah gave him an entirely fake sweet smile. “Oh, you’re a dead man,” she purred. The whole room tensed, and some shot out of their seats and out the door. Others stared, wide-eyed. Mountain lunged, and the shifter parried, then brought the heel of her dagger and slammed it into his temple. Stunned, the man dropped his weapon, closed his eyes, and shook his head to clear it. When he opened them again, he saw a pair of golden eyes not to far from his own, gleaming with malice. His eyes opened wider as he felt a prick of a dagger under his chin. The shapeshifter poked it harder.
Anamika knew she had to do something. “Stop!”, she cried, leaping up. Athaleyah lowered her weapon and half turned. Mountain took the opportunity to sneak out the door, suddenly sober. “He’s just drunk,” Anamika said quietly. “Maybe he has a family somewhere.” She thought of her own nonexistent family with a pang. “Some fool who married him,” the shapeshifter muttered. But she calmed down, and they finished their dinner and slipped out the door, into their own room.
The next day, they arrived in Zvieria. Athaleyah quickly walked Anamika to Castle Ajax. The shifter brushed past the guards without deigning to look at them, while Anamika followed more nervously. “Why are we here?”, whispered Anamika tensely. Athaleyah ignored her question and walked in the front doors, and through a maze-like hallway to a room. Her room, as Anamika realized. The shapeshifter closed the door with a back kick, and turned towards her.
“What was your name again?”
“Manaiak.” She lifted her chin.
“Liar.”
“What?”
Athaleyah merely tilted her head and held Anamika’s stare until the latter blinked. “You are a cousin of the Prince, Anamika. Your wonderful aunt and uncle had all royals and nobles swear a blood oath to them, to ensure loyalty. Those who did not went into the ceremonial display prison in the Throne Room.” Then, she whispered a plan into Anamika’s ear, then said as the girl’s mouth gaped, “This is not treason. We are protecting the King and Queen from their own selves. They plan to conquer the neighboring kingdom, which is well defended with many allies. That is suicide.”
The next few days were spent training Anamika to morph on command, into the form of a raven.
A week after they arrived, the two were summoned into the Throne Room, along with ten others. “Those are the elites I command.”, Athaleyah whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Anamika saw the man on the ship that Athaleyah called Second, as well as nine others Anamika recognized from tales.
Finally, the King spoke. “I have been informed of treason.” Anamika stiffened, but the other eleven all looked mildly bored. He gestured towards Mountain, who was on the ship. Now Athaleyah’s eyes narrowed. The Queen laughed. “And he says that our own Athaleyah with her Ten are ones to blame!” She looked around, eyes, alight with amusement. No one else but her and the King laughed. “Why are you not laughing with us? We are severely disappointed.” Athaleyah grinned, the smile completely feral. Anamika thought she was the only person who smile so much- and falsely. Athaleyah gave a shout of laughter.
Then, she lunged at the Queen, shifting midstride. The other ten all morphed and followed. Anamika made her way to the display prisons. She moved to unlatch the first, and the Queen, who had shifted into a wolf, howled, “No one but with royal blood can open those! All others will combust!”
Anamika unlatched the cage, and moved on to the only other- holding a crow. “NO!”, the Queen said as she leapt for Anamika, only to be taken down from behind as a white lioness leapt on her back and, with a wrench, snapped the Queen’s neck. Anamika quickly unlatched the cage, and the crow fluttered out, turning into the Crown Prince.
He yelled a challenge, and drew a sword, which the King met with his own. The two fought like dancers enraptured by the music of clanging steel. Finally, the Prince severed the King’s head from his body. Anamika stepped forwards. “The King is dead. Long live the King!”
The End