“Watch your tongue, Kircheck. You may be blood, but I will not have you speak to me that way. That human girl is my mate, and your queen, so you will show the proper respect.”
“Where is your loyalty, brother?”
“My loyalty is to my people.”
“Yet you blindly follow a prophecy in which we what? Befriend the humans? Live alongside them as though they are our equals? They’re humans, Klayton! They’re beneath us, and yet, you have us calling one of them our Queen. Demanding we respect her!”
“You are the blind one, Kircheck. Humans are not lesser beings. We must stop fueling the fire with all this hate. The gods foresee a future of hope and peace. We must stay strong and fight for what is right.”
“Do you hear yourself, Klayton? You’ve been tricked! You must end the child. Stop this madness before the Gods destroy us all!”
“Silence! That is enough, I am your king, and you will pay for the way you speak of my unborn child and mate. I hereby strip you of your title. Until you’re clear of this darkness you’ve let take over your mind, you are no longer hand of the king.”
“Then, you doom us all.”
“No. I’m saving us all.”
They say the night the prince was born was the quietest night their world had seen in years. No wars, no fires, no death…simply silence. Some say it was as if the world took a breath and held it, in hopes of hearing change being born. Others say it was because the world knew of the tragedy waiting to unfold.
“Just one more push, Your Majesty, he’s almost here!”
“Klayton!”
“Yes, my light. I’m here.”
“I can’t do this…”
“Look at me, Kala. You are the strongest being I know. If anyone can do this, it is you. You will bring our son into this world. You will be the mother to change; the mother to hope.”
“What hope? There is no hope, Klayton. The world is more divided than ever. Our people are dying; the gods aren’t even answering our calls anymore. The prophecy did not speak of all this hatred…this darkness. He’s just one person, Klayton; our son. How can he fix this?”
“Maybe he’s not meant to fix this. Maybe he’s meant to rebuild it.”
The prince was born with the moon at its highest point in the sky. He was given the name, Karzan. His eyes and hair were as golden as his father’s, while his porcelain skin and full lips were that of his mother. But the black webbed marking on the palm of his tiny right hand was from something else entirely.
“It’s the mark of the Gods.”
“Such a heavy burden for someone who has yet to live.”
“He will live, my light. Because he has you, and that alone will ensure his life will be full. No matter what happens, Kala, trust the prophecy, trust yourself… trust our son. When the time is right, he will not just be king of the beasts… he will be King of the Jungle.”
Though the birth of their son was meant to be filled with an abundance of joy, it was instead met with contempt. The royal couple could feel the storm brewing. They could sense the symbolism of the silence. The final battle was approaching, and nothing could stop it.
It is said by many that jealousy is what pushed the king’s brother, Kircheck, over the edge. That stripping his title and forcing him to coexist with humans fueled his already sickened mind.
“They want us to bow down to the humans. They want us to share our wealth, our knowledge. This newborn prince is an abomination; a threat. The king has been bewitched by his queen and is not fit to rule us any longer. Stand with me, and we will conquer the humans once and for all. Peace will be given when we take it by force. Fear will propel them to bow to us. Follow me, and we will destroy this prophecy!”
“All hail, King Kircheck!”
The sound came back to the world like thunder. Screams and cries rang throughout the skies like sirens. Nothing, not even the knowledge of the future, could prepare anyone for the death that would come from that night.
“Kala, take Karzan and run. Don’t stop until you get to your village hidden deep within the jungle. It’s well hidden, and you’ll be safe there. The only reason I found it was our mated bond.”
“Come with us!”
“My light, my love, my Queen, I have to stay here. If I run, they’ll catch us all. This is the only way.”
“No! We can do this together. Come with us, please!”
“Be strong, Kala. Remember…trust the prophecy, trust yourself. Trust our son. He’s a part of us both, and from the ashes, he will rebuild what has been destroyed. I love you, my light. We will meet again, and we will have all eternity together.”
That night, the King faced his brother alone. He faced him knowing his kingdom was crumbling. He faced him knowing that his people were dying; he faced him knowing that he was not going to see his son and mate again. He faced him as a man…not as a beast.
“You lose, brother.”
“No… in the end… it is you… who will lose… brother.”
They say that when the king fell, it reverberated through the kingdom like the blowback of a bomb. People–human and beast—fell to their knees from the force of the loss. A crack the size of a country formed between the kingdom and untouched land. The Gods who had been silent, whispered through the wind the curse of legends.
“Through darkness you were born, now darkness you will live. Bound are your powers, no longer able to shift. Hidden throughout time, you will cease to exist, until the chosen one appears with our God-given gift. When the marks unite, the prince shall change, and the one true king will take his name.”
With their last word, the Gods slammed their fists into the world. The crack that was formed gave way, and the country drifted off into the ocean, never to be seen again. Lost for all eternity. It was this action that created Insula Sacra.
The Island of the Accursed.
“But what happened to the Island, Papa? What happened to the humans and beasts?”
“No one knows. It is believed that the Island is still out there somewhere guarded by the curse. Blanketed in darkness. People have searched for centuries, but no one has found any trace of the island.”
“What about the Prince? Did he survive? Did Queen Kala make it to the village?”
Laughing at his daughter’s enthusiasm, he answered honestly. “I don’t know. But I’d like to think so. I’d like to think that the prince is waiting for the chosen one to come and lift his curse.”
“Do you believe in the story, Papa?”
Grabbing the little girl's left hand, he turned it over and ran his thumb across the black webbed marking on her palm.
“It’s a legend, Janey. And legends always ring with truth.”
Sitting atop my throne, I glare down at the human girl who kneels naked between my thighs. Yanking on the chain that wraps around her throat, I bring her to my chest, the animal within me growling in satisfaction at her lifeless submission. Glancing to my advisor who stands silently at the bottom of the steps, I ask, "Have you heard from the hunters, Tantor?"
"No, my lord. The last report we received said they’ve made it all the way to the south of the island, five moons ago," he answers, his voice emotionless, and void of life. Having ruled as an advisor to my brother, my father, and my grandfather, the man's loyalty is tied only to the throne. But seeing as I am King, his indifference as like those I rule, means very little to me...so long as they fear me, they will forever follow me.