Epilogue: The Shadow of Death

Asaamode watched the fight between Rish'ut and Zira with cool interest. He watched as Zira struck at Rish'ut, again and again, fuelled by some terrible hatred. Then, screaming a mad cry of pain and bitterness she stabbed upwards with both claws, carving into Rish'ut's belly, one of them slashed into the injury sustained earlier. Rish'ut howled in pain as huge, fistfuls of flesh were ripped from his belly and chest. Blood sprayed and began to flow profusely from them. He shouted, screamed, raged. He flinched away, falling from Zira's body in shock, landing on his back.

Asamode leaned forwards. What was this? Was it possible that Zira… had defeated Rish'ut? Lord of Golgorath? Zira was atop him. She said nothing, merely laughing, as her claws dug deeper, opening deep wounds in his chest and stomach. Rish'ut screamed and tried desperately to slash at his attacker, to force her from him. His claws were soon stained with blood, but it had no effect and Zira smiled, ignorant of pain.

Any thought of capturing the Oracle was gone. His only concern was killing her before his injuries became fatal.

Asamode still held his breath, waiting, willing, seeing what Rish'ut would do. Then he sighed, in irritation. His dogs watched, unwilling to enter the fray. Rish'ut thrashed desperately, as more and more blood pooled around him. Zira gave a loud laughter.

"Die, Rish'ut! I may well be damned by the Kings for the things I have done, but I can promise you this: I shall be dragging you with me!" Zira shouted. And Asamode saw that it was true… Rish'ut was losing. He was fading. He was… dying! Asamode said nothing. He wasn't saddened by the revelation, but perturbed. So perturbed that he still did nothing, remaining in place.

"You… Bitch!" Rish'ut screamed, howling in agony as her claws raked bone. Then roaring, forced his way forwards. The motion moved her attack deeper in, but he was able to bite upwards, latching onto her neck with his teeth. They crushed down and blood sprayed. Zira now thrashed and withdrew her claws, only to slice at his neck, forcing him to release her.

Then, Zira's eyes widened. Asamode turned, and gave a soft, small smile.

She was ripped from Rish'ut by an unseen for force, lifted high into the air.

Her eyes widened, as blood dripped from her.

She was only able to register a sudden, desperate cold shock of surprise.

"YOU!" She shouted.

"Me…" Said an eerily familiar voice. Rish'ut gasped in amazement as a blast of flame was sent spinning through the air. It burrowed into Zira, who screamed and howled as the flames seared through her. A few moments later, she stopped, and hung there, he flesh burning, the stink of cooked meat filling the glade… Along with a familiar scent.

A scent of Sulfur.

Asamode laughed. Rish'ut remained where he was, but his face was aghast in horror.

And Marsade stepped out of the trees. He hovered in the air, and two staffs were also suspended in the air around him. His eyes burned with a familiar scarlet light, and it steamed off him like water.

Zira's carcass dropped to the ground. The Firepriest looked at Asamode, and shrugged. The Shai'tan gave a crow of laughter. He had to appreciate the theatre of his appearance.

"So… You took your time…" Asamode said. Marsade smirked.

"I was watching to see what would happen… I must say, Rish'ut, I am very disappointed in you… I thought I could depend on you, but I have to go about rescuing you from a single murderous lioness? Tsk tsk tsk. A poor show dear fellow." He said. Rish'ut said nothing. He just sat where he was, completely stunned. He stared at the Shaman.

The Orangutan was, for the most part, whole and alive. A shifting of his lungs betrayed the fact that his longevity was not something the result of a Wraith. The orange furred Orangutan looked scarred, a dozen injuries picked at his skin, and several nasty looking burns seared his legs, but if he noticed or cared, they showed no sign. Disturbingly however, was his right arm. It was… gone. Detached. Missing. Halfway above the elbow, it ended abruptly in a charred stump, where twisted and melted flesh sealed the injury closed. The Shamanicly accelerated healing had done a fine job, but clearly its powers did not extend to regrowing limbs. His own staff was, the familiar spear like thorn tipped scepter, was also conspicuously missing, yet the other two staffs, Hailaen's and Margane's, the Rods of Water and Wind, were present, held in the air by some magical, mystical force. He smiled, showing off yellowed, pointed teeth.

In short, he looked the same, yet also different. His eyes were wilder, his manner more aggressive, and his whole form, poised for murder. He gave Rish'ut a grin.

"You seem surprised to see me alive?" He asked. Rish'ut managed to find his voice.

"How can you be here? I don't understand… You were killed… Asamode…" he struggled. Marsade grinned.

"Oh, I know. Dreadful of me wasn't it? But I must say, I am very surprised you were taken in by the deception… The clues were all there if you were looking for them… The illusion which concealed the entrance to the Mountain?You even remarked upon its detail once… Then there was Asamode's survival… You really think he could have survived a collapsing mountain? Meaning no disrespect to you, Asamode. Then there is the fact that the Gateways all remained open… You would have thought that you would have experienced some kind of break down in communications if your single Shaman had indeed been killed…" he grinned.

"I don't…"

"Let me make it easy for you to understand… The Marsade Yessen and Rafiki saw? That was an illusion. The Liger's and Asamode they saw? Also false – bar one Liger, who I was unable to retrieve in time. Something you would have been able to work out if you had paid close attention to the gifts I have already used. The collapse of the Mountain was something I engineered, Rish'ut. Something I engineered for the sole purpose of burying all evidence of what had been going on there…"

"But… That collapse set us back months?!" Rish'ut protested.

"The revelation of the Ligers was something I had intended to avoid until we had the chance to use them against Ben-Kai-Ra, but it also prevented the Shaman from asking the obvious questions… Like… What was all of that Dark Magic for? The creation of Liger's Provides a perfect explanation… They would never stop to ask what is was being used for before the Liger's were brought into existence three months ago… especially as that alterstone has been in use for over a century… " The Orangutan said. He moved his single remaining hand, and a cloud of fog descended. The sounds around them became muffled and indistinct. Asamode looked around, before he realized what he was doing. He was obscuring their discussion from any onlookers.

"But WHY? Why the deception?" He asked. Marsade chuckled.

"There is far more at stake here than your petty conquest of the Pridelands… More important things… things on a cosmic scale. The Shaman, their Rods, the world of Spirits all play a role… I am not prepared for my plans to be disrupted. I shall have my revenge against Rafiki, and that will come easier whilst he believes me dead…" He said. Asamode grinned.

"The Emperor of course, knows that Marsade is alive, and recognizes the uses of such. But it also means that Marasde's supposed *death* gives him the ability to act without being spied upon… and allows us to make our preparations. It's really quite a brilliant plan…" He said. Rish'ut gasped for breath, and shook his head.

"Well… never mind that! Marsade – use your magic… Heal me before I bleed out. Quickly you fool." He said. Asamode looked around at the fog, obscuring them from onlookers, from the jackals and wildogs who nervously waited for orders.

"See… I really don't think that we can do that…" He said… And his voice was suddenly cold, like ice. Marsade gave a cruel smile, and a shiver of ice was sent ratteling down Rish'ut's spine. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach. His mouth turned try, and he turned to Asamode, his eyes wide.

"What are you talking about? I… I have been with you since the beginning! Our plan…" He said.

"Consider the ramifications, Rish'ut." Asamode said. "Amun remains loyal to the Emperor, as does Mortread… Who knows who Sekmet would have sided with? She is dead, and it matters not… But Raeveal and Leviath… well… their position is fluid. I have no doubt about their ambition nature, but since between the two of them, they control all of the Imperial territory in the Americas… Northern and Southern… Granted, it's not much yet – but with time and resources, it could grow into a new Empire… I don't want them to take advantage of the power vacuum to set up a rival establishment…" He said. Asamode looked shocked.

"Consider… how did the Emperor react when Sekmet went missing, and you started to lose control?"

"He worked to brutally suppress it by moving both Mortread and Amun from the western and eastern fronts…" He said. Asamode nodded.

"And my own little run in with Rafiki and the collapse of the Mountain gives me a convenient excuse to come to the Pridelands myself, didn't it? Now if you were to have died heroically, facing down the remnants of the surviving Lion Prides… well… then he would be forgiven for deciding that further reinforcements were necessary… I should not be surprised to hear that Raeveal and Leviath will be ordered to come to Golgorath swiftly… And when they are here, they shall be unable to remain neutral. They shall have to pick a side. And either die, along with Amun and Mortread… or else submit to the new Emperor. Of course, none would have been possible without your untimely death… a tragic fact, old friend. Yet unavoidable. The only thing that unites a group more than a mutual enemy is the death of mutual ally." He said. Rish'ut groaned in pain, and tried to stand up but his injuries were so severe he collapsed.

"You manipulative little snake! You've intended this from the start! That's why you approached me with this plan… And you vouched for Mortread to lead the forces of the Shai'tan in Golgorath when Sekmet was killed! Just so you could keep an eye on him?!"

"Oh, the young Tiger is a very capable leader… But unfortunately, he is very unlikely to side with me, due to his connection with the Emperor's Jewel… You can see how it complicates issues? I know… Now please forgive me, Rish'ut. Zira appears to have done her work remarkably well… but I think we should really move things forward." He said. Rish'ut roared.

"DAMN YOU!" He shouted, and tried to swipe at Asamode, who stepped back lightly.

"I know. Marsade?" Asamode said. Marsade laughed, and held out a hand. The same blast of superheated flame struck Rish'ut. Rish'ut screamed as his blood boiled and his skin melted away into charred blackened bone. He howled as the flesh was stripped from his body. He shouting in agony and despair as the flames licked through him, burning him alive. And then… It was over… Asamode turned to Marsade.

"Well then. That was entertaining. Good of you to join us at long last. I trust everything is going as planned?"

"Completely… News of this should rattle Ben-Kai-Ra enough to send for both Raeveal and Leviath… Soon enough, all the Shai'tan shall be gathered… Then, we wait for The Emperor's attention to be diverted, and strike. Couldn't be simpler…" Marsade said. He nodded to the bubbling pile of grease which occupied the position Rish'ut had stood earlier. "A superb idea by the way."

"Well, having just witnessed his failure here, he had become a liability more than anything else…" He pointed out. Marsade nodded.

"Oh, I agree…"

"Not that it's really my business, but why were you delayed?" Asamode asked. Marsade grinned.

"I was speaking to someone. At length."

"Who?"

"He was speaking to me…" Said a voice. Marsade froze.

"You have your master, Asamode… I have mine."

Asamode turned in surprise. Enveloped in fog as he was, he had not expected to be disturbed by anyone. No one could see through the mist unless Marsade willed it. He looked at Marsade, who was surprisingly no longer smiling. Asamode turned, looking for the source of the voice and his voice died in his throat. Around him, shadows began to twist and lengthen, coming together like flecks of blackness… They looked like flies or insects, tiny particles of shadows, streaming from the ground, the ash, the dimming of the light, and from their own shadows. They came together, coalescing, shifting together and formed… something. It looked like an Ape. It certainly had the physiology of one… But it was as tall as a gorilla… and yet, its shape was like that of a chimp, or a baboon. It stood only on its rear legs, its hands clasped behind it. As more shadows filled its form, it seemed to lose its translucency, but not wholly. It maintained a ghostly feel to it. Intuition told Asamode that despite appearances, this was no specter or ghost. Nor was it illusion. Its arms were like that of an orangutan, but it was muscled, built and strong, like some other ape… A mandrill perhaps. Most terrifying of all was its face… a strange unearthly mixture of ape like features. Its eyes seemed slightly too big, its mouth without real lips, letting teeth show, and they were filed and pointed like a cats. Though it carried no staff, the creature seemed to possess an aura of power that filled the air with darkness, and in the depths of his shadow, the grass withered and faded where it fell upon the ground. Asamode struggled to keep his voice from wavering. He was not accustomed to being frightened, but he could not deny the sliver of ice fear that now nestled in his heart.

"Who… Who are you?" Asamode said, though his voice came like a whisper. Marsade cleared his throat.

"This is an ally. He is my master and teacher… The source of my newfound abilities and arcane wisdom… You would do well to show him respect…" Marsade said, calmly. Asamode instantly knelt, and bowed his head, towards the dark Shaman.

"Greetings, friend." He said. The shape nodded in acknowledgement.

"Greetings, Shai'tan… You may call me… Kufa." He said. The Shaman called Kufa seemed to shimmer with a hazy dark aura. He turned to Marsade.

"I see you no longer carry your staff…" He observed. Marsade gritted his teeth.

"It was lost to me along with me arm when I had to make a hasty alternation to our plan… But I think it may soon turn this to our advantage… I sensed its use not long ago, and came here… It would seem one of the Shaman used it to craft a gateway, though they were wary of its use." He said. Kufa nodded.

"You are beyond the need for limited power now… But keep the remaining two staffs. We will need them for… our plans, but I do not think you are required to retrieve your staff yet… it will only alert them to your survival. Be patient… In the mean time…" He held up a hand. And more shadows seemed to lengthen. Darkness deepened around his hand as if light was being absorbed into it. Slowly the shadows seemed to form matter, and his grip tightened as something else began to form in his hand.

Then, the process concluded, and he held in his hand a dagger. It was a short device, made of some kind of black material which glistened in light. The blade was curved like a crescent moon. Of similar shape and style to the flint blade Asamode had seen used countless times in the Marsade's lair in the mountain. He shuddered to look at it. It was an evil weapon. Marsade accepted the weapon gingerly, holding it in his left hand. He span it a few times, getting a feel for the weapon.

"You should find that it shall enhance your bloodmagic… It is very apt at squeezing ever last droplet of energy from a creature's death… A more elegant weapon for use with bloodmagic than that flint stalagmite you used before… It is poetic. You are a Shaman of creation no longer… but one of my Bloodmagi. Rafiki shall tremble before your knew strength." He said. He turned to Asamode.

"You shall of course keep this meeting a secret… The time may come for Marsade and I to reveal ourselves, but the time is not now… Until such a time… you are our agent. Marsade will continue to assist you in your endeavors where is able… I myself… shall return to the Shadows." He looked at Marsade. "Each time you speak with me, the cost in lives and souls grows… so be confident in your own power…" he inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.

"He comes… The one who will bring about the End of the Pridelands… The Time approaches." Then laughing, Kufa disappeared into the thin air, transforming into packets of shadows and darkness, and dissipating again. For a moment, Asamode held his breath, as if frightened he would somehow inhale the creature. Then, after a few minutes, he exhaled deeply. Marsade looked shaken but smiled grimly. His dagger disappeared into the Aether, along with his staffs, reading to be summoned at a moment's notice. Then he smiled at Asamode.

"Well… That was Kufa…"

"That was you Master? Who…"

"He is older and more powerful than any of the Five; that is all you need know for now…And when they are burning… I shall unleash the last ounce of my fury… With this power, we shall sweep away the Pridelands! And nothing and no one will be left to stop it… Not Rafiki, not Kiava… No one!"

Two Weeks Later

Mortread stalked the Tower of Golgorath. An unfamiliar feeling through him. It was one of… excitement. There was a spring in his step and a sense of anticipation that was not entirely appropriate for the severity of what was occurring, and he hoped that nobody would detect it.

Golgorath itself was practically empty now. A huge amount of Wilddogs and Jackals had left with Asamode and Rish'ut, and though most of that force had returned weeks later, they had not occupied the tunnels and passages below Golgorath… Instead, Ben-Kai-Ra had taken personal control of the tower. He still remembered how in the wake of the Cub's escape from Golgorath, and the subsequent harrowing of the Black Tower, Mortread and Rish'ut had been summoned before the Emperor… He had held audience in the Pits themselves, where blood and corpses still filled the killing fields, and asked to explain their failures. Rish'ut and Mortread had told him all, leaving nothing out. The Emperor had listened patiently for several minutes before bellowing in rage and at their incompetence. He could still feel a flush of humiliation, as Ben-Kai-Ra had screamed at the top of his lungs for all Golgorath to hear… Then he had ordered the few prisoners who had not escaped, been captured in the riot immediately preceding the escape, and those few new prisoners that had been captured since then. He had them taken to the middle of the fighting pits. He had also taken from the guards which kept the prisoners under guard, one in every ten Wilddog whom had been responsible the night of the escape.

And he had had all of them killed. Cubs, adolescents, adults, males, females, predators, prey, slave and Wilddogs. All of them had been executed mercilessly. Then Rish'ut and Mortread had been told to stare at the corpses, and been told to contemplate who had been at greater fault? The Wilddogs, or their Commanders? Harrin, the Wilddog in command had escaped execution, only by merit of not being one of the ten selected. He had paid no attention to rank, age, experience or fitness when selecting the Wilddogs either… Harrin had watched the slaughter silently. Then under the emperor's orders, taken the remaining Wilddogs out of the pits.

The Emperor had then issued a proclamation. The previous rulings concerning the fighting pits had been revoked. From now on, there was no bargaining. If any animal refused a direct order from a Shai'tan, they were to be executed on the spot. If an animal wished to earn meat, then they would work under their superiors in the Emperor's legions. There was no compromise. No quarter, and no mercy.

Any animal found helping the rebel slaves would be captured and brought alive to Golgorath, if possible. Then, with all four limbs broken, and their tongue ripped out, they would be sealed in the cells below Golgorath, and sentenced to death by starvation.

It was a brutal ruling, and one that was carried out swiftly and in earnest. The Emperor may have forgiven their latest transgression, but from this point on, any failure was regarded as a deliberate attempt to subvert the Emperor's power. He had slashed at both Rish'ut and Mortread, opening a shallow gash on each of their foreheads. The informed them that he himself was taking up personal command of the Pridelands. He had seated himself in Golgorath, and demanded that anyone other than the Shai'tan find alternative accommodation swiftly. Then, whilst giving Rish'ut the task of taking a Legion of animals to hunt for the slaves, Mortread was to manage the business of rebuilding and the re-garrisoning of their outposts in the Outlands, and in the North of the Pridelands.

Then, out of the blue, Asamode had appeared from the gateway in the western tower, stumbling through covered in blood, rambling about Shaman and sorcery. Then he had left with Rish'ut under the Emperor's orders…

Then, just as suddenly, a few days later, he had returned, and Mortread had listened at the Emperor's right hand as Asamode told of how Rish'ut had been defeated and killed by Zira – though the lioness had also been killed. He also listened in horror at how the majority of the slaves had fled through a gateway of their own. Despite the Emperor's previous statements about failure, he had seemed surprisingly calm about the whole affair, though he seemed extremely disturbed by reports of the Rebels having access to Shaman of their own.

"The failure is Rish'ut's, not yours…" He had stated and then withdrawn to private meditation on the matter.

Then, yesterday, he had announced that the American Kingdoms, the Asiatic colonies, and the Oceanican territories, and even The Heart of the Imperium were to be left in the paws of trusted regents and overseers. For the first time since the destruction of the Pridelands… All Seven Ruler's of the Imperium would be gathered in one place – even if Rish'ut and Sekmet did so in death. Leviath, Raeveal, Asamode, and Himself would gather with the Emperor in Golgorath – whilst Amun would continue his campaign against the Hyenas of Carrocscirr.

He arrived at his destination. The fighting Pits. The Emperor was standing there, and at his right, Asamode stood, patiently waiting. The Emperor nodded his head in acknowledgement of Mortread's bow, and Mortread joined his fellow Tiger's, the three of them, surrounding a point. Then, in front of them, the air began to shimmer. It pulsed with familiar distortion and then burst apart.

Each time a gateway was formed, it took Mortread's breath away. He sometimes wondered if Amun or Asamode appreciated the beauty of such a thing, beyond its military implications. It was simply marvelous to be able to cross such distances in a single moment. To take a single step, and move from Asiatica to Africa. The world had suddenly become a smaller place. Empire's could stretch across worlds. The single flaw in the domination of others had been the invariable truth that once an empire grew too large, it snapped, broke down, decayed and collapsed. With such wonders as the Gateways, the subkingdoms and regions could maintain a semi-automaty, and yet remain connected. He was left with little doubt, that the Imperium would one day – likely in his lifetime – encompass the entire world… And with the world ordered, organized and optimized in such a way, so would begin a new golden age… Imperfection and incompetence and idiocy… all could be stamped out. Like a flame burning away the impurities and imperfections leaving only a fine stone, or crystal. Such a flame would only be effective when applied universally… It would not be the blood or the war, or tactics or power or brutal regimes, or executions or any of the traits his companions so prized which would allow this dream to flourish… It would be the Gateways. And who knew what other shamanics could be discovered in such a world? What new magic's and powers could be discovered? Was it possible – though he had not shared this thought with Rish'ut, or even the Emperor, for fear of being ridiculed – that these same gateways could one day be used to travel even further? What new worlds could be discovered? Great caverns beneath the earth? Under the ocean? High in the sky above them? Or further still… across the stars that filled the heavens? Such imagining was futile and pointless at the present, but even so… the possibilities thrilled him…

Ben-Kai-Ra, of course, had seen the potential of the Gateways immediately. That was why Mortread followed him. Well… One of the reasons…

Lost in his ponderings, he was brought back to earth by a jarring quake as the Gateway stabilized, and severed itself from Marsade's source of power. Now as it rippled, the Gateway became self sustaining, no longer needing to constantly draw power from its creator. And with this achieved, it rippled, and finally shifted. The air within the gateway ceased crystalising, and then… It became fluid. The window across the world flickered slightly, as a body, a person, came through…

The shape was a male, of a slender build, but powerful. Its face was unscarred and unblemished, its eyes a deep burnt orange, and its stripes were thin, elegant and refined. They rippled along with his muscles, as a very handsome tiger stepped through. His claws were cured slightly, and sharpened to a fine point. They clicked across the floor as he paced, unrestricted. He bowed low before the Emperor.

"My Emperor… Your servant hears and answers you." He said. Ben-Kai-Ra nodded.

"Raeveal. Your service is as ever, appreciated. I trust the America's are left in good paws?"

"The Northern continent is under the control of a trinity of Jaguar's whom I trust more than I did Sekmet…" He turned in surprise. "I was not expecting such a large welcome however…" He said. The emperor declined to speak as the portal shifted and second form stepped through - evidently from a different place. The tigress which emerged was as elegant as the one whom had stepped through earlier. Mortread knew that Amun had always enjoyed her presence, though he himself found her eating habits distasteful… Leviath liked to play with her food… and frequently tore apart and devoured animals before dealing the mortal blow… She was fond of smaller mammals and rodents which she could swallow whole, which she regarded as delicacies. She moved with a grace Sekmet had lacked in totality, and her flame orange eyes surveyed her allies as she entered through.

"Emperor Ben-Kai-Ra! I am honored to have been summoned into your presence…" She said. The Emperor smirked, and nodded.

"And the Southrons? Are they in suitable care?" He asked. She cocked her head and gave a curt smile.

"Ah… The finest! The great Anaconda, Gaz'ul, reigns as regent in the territories we have captured… He makes Sekmet's favorite look like a gut worm! What was his name? Abyss?" She asked. Mortread smirked, but held his tongue upon catching his master's glare.

"Aye… He is with Amun at the moment." Asamode told them.

"Good… Very good. I am pleased with the competence and diligence with which you have been maintaining control of our lands… It is a trait for which we appear to be starved of, even in the lands of our ancestral home… Rish'ut has joined our sister Sekmet in the afterlife, as the direct result of the actions of a group of… insurgents… active in the Pridelands." He said. The other's displayed momentarily bursts of surprise, then covered quickly, their minds already running over the implications of such a thing.

"These insurgents…"

"Are clearly stronger than we first imagined…" Asamode said, smiling slightly… Likely in anticipation of the oncoming battle…

"Remnants… Slaves… Displaced and without common support – but they represent an idea, and idea which will spread if we do not act quickly to control it. They claim to be either the descendants of the Lion Pride, or else, survivors of our first attack… The claim is suspect, but it provides motive for their near suicidal actions of rebellion…" Mortread said, calmly. Raeveal and Leviath nodded, carefully.

"You must take their threat very seriously, to summon all five of the remaining Shai'tan to one place…"

"I take incompetence seriously… It is a situation which requires an immediate solution! I will not suffer insubordination or weakness! I shall not allow such action to go unpunished. Since Sekmet's and Rish'ut's cataclysmic failure, it falls upon Mortread and Amun to clean up their mistakes… Amun is cleaning up Rish'uts as we speak, dealing with the consequences of sidelining the Hyena's instead of crushing them completely, and Mortread has already been forced to take action to fix the catastrophe left by Sekmet! Now Rish'ut has perished. That makes you The Lord of Golgorath, Mortread, and I desperately hope that you are more useful than your predecessor!" Something flared up in Mortread.

"I have served faithfully since the day we started this! As have everyone here!"

"Indeed! Well, ensure that it continues, or I will not be satisfied with the executions of dogs!" He roared.

The air of the Gateway began to shift again… a Third Tiger emerged. A Tigress. She was shorted than either Sekmet or Leviath, and Ben-Kai-Ra towered above her. Even so, he turned as she entered, and stared at her for a moment. Then he grunted.

"On the other paw, I will reward your eventual success…" He looked around. "We shall continue our deliberations later, in a more suitable environment. I require discussion to further our plans, not confrontation, and I can only take so much idiocy at once. You two." He motioned at Leviath and Mortread. "You must make preparations… There are hundreds of passages and caverns in this tower. Claim one as Den, and make your plans. Tomorrow, we shall continue." He said, and with that, he turned around and left. Leviath and Raeveal looked at one another, then also left. And Mortread was left standing there, with the third tigress who had only just entered. She stood there for a moment.

"Hmm… He did not wish to speak with me…"

"He was angry, and in the middle of chastising me quite badly… Likely, your arrival reminded him to control himself… I suspect you may be having a very long chat tomorrow, when he is no longer seething in rage…"

"I suppose that is for the best…" She said. She smiled at him.

"Hello Mortread…" She said. Her eyes were dark green… almost black.

"Castella…" He responded. He coughed uncomfortably. "Umm… That was…"

"I am guessing, from that, that there has been some tension of late?" She asked. He gave a dry laugh.

"I am not the Emperor's favored for now… The destruction of most of Golgorath has left us weakened here, and humiliated. Rish'ut may have been in command, but I should have been able to-"

"Do not worry about the past… I am sure you shall be able to win yourself back into his graces soon enough… You are not the youngest Shai'tan for nothing… you impressed him once…" She said. He shook his head.

"I know… I just… It is difficult, Castella…" She moved forward and rubbed herself along his side. He gave a sigh of relief and contentment as she did, rubbing his chin along her head and neck as she moved by him. Her fur sent tingles down his spine, and the scent was… intoxicating.

"Does this help?" She asked him, smiling softly. He nodded, smiling. Then lowered himself to the ground, and sat down.

"Where have you been?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"Here and there… Oceanica mainly… the territories there have been quiet, but they require regulation and he trusts me completely, though he seems less sure of my abilities or competence." She said. Mortread chuckled.

"Welcome to my life…" He said. She also sat down and stared into his eyes for a moment.

"And you, Mortread? How is life treating the finest of the Imperium's warriors?" She asked him. He smiled, and tail swooshed.

"Nothing special... The Lands here seem divided into three sublands… The Smallest of which is the Outlands, where we are now… Golgorath is a giant termite mound – purged of insects by flame and sorcery… The Lands are dry, red, and acrid… The water is scarcest, as are the herds… To the south is the largest land, the Pridelands… They are fertile and green, but very open and indefensible… there was a structure in the middle, the locals refer to as Pride Rock, but Marsade razed it to the ground to humiliate and taunt his enemy Rafiki…"

"And the third?"

"Another Wasteland… Again, the locals refer to them as the Shadowlands… They are grey and dusty, and seismically unstable… The Emperor is obsessed with all three… They were apparently the sites of three major battles at the Height of Shein-Su's Insurrection against the Lion Tyrants… The Emperor thinks something about them is important, because apparently Shein-Su was obsessed with them as well…" he said.

"The Outlands, The Shadowlands and The Pridelands. Huh. Who governs them?"

"Amun is busy stamping out the last of the Hyenas, and I imagine he shall rule over them for the time being afterwards… In the Pridelands, The Emperor rules them personally, but does so from here… And as for the Outlands, that would be yours truly…" He said. Castella smiled.

"Hmm… A Bit of a demotion from ruling the whole of Oceianica…" She said. Mortread shrugged.

"I do as my Emperor wills of me…" He said softly. Then, lowering his voice, purred as he rubbed himself against Castella again. She purred with delight and licked his face.

"In most cases, at any rate…"

"My brave and noble warlord… You are brave indeed…" She said. Then smiling, turned onto her back, and stared up at him, as he smiled.

"There is… A second peak, about half a day's walk to the west of here… A smaller tower… But its quiet and has a stunning view of the Great River… and completely secluded… Now that you are here… Would you permit me to take you there? You won't ever have experienced anything like it… We would not be… interrupted. I mean… Disturbed." He said. She smiled up at him.

"You know I would love to! But… Let's be… discrete. If the Emperor were to get wind of this… he'd kill us both!"

"Nonsense. He'd probably kill me – though perhaps he might settle for exile on account of my service or… No. You're right. He'd kill me. But he might make it quick. Actually no." He said. She purred.

"It's really stupid isn't it? It's horrendously risky… I am just as faithful to him as you are, but I will not live as if I was another of his lands he owns. I shall love whom I chose to love, and damn his Pride…"

"I wouldn't say he thought of you as a possession, Castella… Just something pure to be protected against…"

"I think I can make my own choices regarding my purity…"She said hotly. He smiled. See, this was why it was so hard…

"Damn right it's really stupid – but it's only dangerous to me… he would never harm a hair on your head… Not for all the Kingdoms in the world. I have seen him, and I know you are the one thing he cares about more than the Imperium… You are his light, Castella-Ra… His Jewel." He said. Castella smiled.

"My father is not a reasonable Tiger, for all his fine qualities. He would view this as a betrayal… A deception, and disrespectful to him. He would murder you if he knew you had fallen in love with his daughter…" She said. He shrugged.

"Well then… We'll just have to make sure he doesn't discover it won't we? Until he changes his mind and decides to let you make your own choice… He can't live forever, and when he realizes this, he will recognize the importance of having an heir… And when that time comes, he can approach him about our affections…" He said. She shook his head.

"Until such a day, my love… I shall have to settle with what love I can steal in abandoned pits and secluded Towers…" She said.

"It would be my pleasure, Castella-Ra."

End of Book Three

AN:

And that is all folks!

Some of you suspected that Marsade was the one to murder Zira! Well done! I am glad I fooled some of you though. The clues were all there, if you were looking, to figure out that he was still alive.

And speaking of which… What does everyone think of Kufa? A new Shaman Perhaps?

Also, we discover in this chapter what – or rather who – the Emperor's Jewel which he prizes so greatly! Its Castella-Ra. His daughter. She isn't a Shai'tan, remember, because Shai'tan means accursed, i.e. the rebels who destroyed the old Imperium. She is however, devoted to her father's cause and kingdom. She is younger than Mortread, slightly older than Sundar.

And she has fallen in love with Mortread. This was the "Dirt" Asamode referenced having on Mortread, and the reason he can be manipulated. He is in love with her too and desperately trying to keep it a secret from the other Shai'tan, who would certainly use it against him to gain more power themselves... Why is it do dangerous? Why would the Emperor be so opposed?

Well, there isn't a single reason which doesn't sound two dimensional and cliché, but there are lots of little reasons, which, when combined, don't look good for Mortread.

Firstly, it has been mentioned that the Tiger's live in a very warped version of reality. Their instant impulse is to Take what they Want. By force usually. Shan-Yi, and his tiger's practiced a form of self control, similar to some aspects of Hinduism and Buddhism, to control their primal urges to rape and kill, and so interact with the rest of society. It was a torturous existence, but one they were proud of achieving. Ben-Kai-Ra, advocates a return to the primal – take what you want, way of life.

As such, he would view anyone wooing his daughter, as someone simply wanting to rape her. And this enrages him. He also is rather possessive, like some parents, and reacts badly to boyfriends (And given that Simba exiled the first male his daughter brought home, things could go badly for Mortread.) Through that in with the Emperor's obsession with purity and also with the fact that Mortread isn't currently very popular, things look pretty unpleasant. Feel bad for him? Hey – he's still a genocidal Warlord occupying a foreign land to which he has no right to! So what if he can't get the girl!

However, you have been introduced to the newest Viewpoint Character. With Sara, Inti, Koron, Vitani, Lukaan, Sundar and Danyal all occupying the same space, there is now more space. And in keeping with people's wishes to see more of the main villains, I have decided that some chapters shall be from the perspective of Castella-Ra!

Now… That's Kufa and Castella covered… What else?

Ah yes.

Now that you've finished reviewing the Epilogue itself I was hoping that you could leave in your review, the answers to a few short questions pertaining to the story as a whole, from start to finish. If you could include your thoughts on that, that would be perfect.

In fact, if you are a regular reader, or regular guest reader that doesn't usually review, due to time constraints, now is a good time to start, and so express your thoughts on the whole story.

To assist you in this Endeavour, I have prepared some questions to help organize your thoughts, if you so chose.

1) How do you feel Danyal has grown as a character from the beginning of the series? What did you like about his role in this story, and the romance subplot? Did it work, or was it jarring from the overall story?

2) What about Sara and Inti? They began their tale trapped in Golgorath… What did you think of their character growth throughout the story? It accumulated in their participation in the Battle of the Glade, and their murder of Seba, the wildcat. How did this affect the story for you?

3) Lukaan and Vitani, as well as the other adult lionesses? While not main characters, they are still vital to the story. Do you feel they are growing? Are you attached to them, if one were to suddenly die at the moment? Or do they need more focus?

3.5) The Grey Characters. What do you think of Sarafina and Zira? How about how their arcs played out?

4) The Villains. This book introduced us to Asamode, and had huge emphasis on Marsade and Rish'ut, whilst still remaining linked to the other Shai'tan… Did you like the villains in this book, or was it a borefest?

5) Kiava and Zuri. Their arc was one of the major parts of this book. This is a really important Question. Do you feel their presence was overshadowed by the vital events taking place elsewhere? Or did the relative calm among the Asiatics compensate for that? Do you like Kiava as a character now, or does he still feel a little less than the others yet? Kiava is the main character… but does he feel like it yet? How are you liking Ookai, Bruce and Buzz so far?

6) Rafiki and Yessen. The Mystical Shaman. How did you like the flashback plot of them in the Heart of the Imperium? Did you like their chapters? The Darkness of the Mountain, the cruelty of the Ligers. Blood Sacrifice. Did it all get a little too dark, or did you find yourself enjoying it? What were your thoughts on them here?

7) Which were your favorite characters/character arcs/Viewpoints, and why? Where there any you particularly disliked, and why?

Now with the characters and Stories completed, here are a few questions about the literary devices I used.

1) Were the plot twists awesome or distracting? Are there any you really liked or disliked?

2) Do you like the hopping around of the viewpoint characters, or did you find yourself wishing I'd speed up with some to get back to others? What did you think of the chapter pacing?

3) The Magical and Mystical elements? This is a very fine line here… Am I overdoing the shamanic side of the story at this stage? Am I doing a good job of making sure the Shaman don't just use magic solve everything, or are in a position where they should be using magic to solve everything? Is the magic realistic, structured, and proportional, or is it complicated, unintelligible, and basically just flashy lights without added anything to the story?

4) Songs. Unlike the others, this Book did not contain Songs. I always keep it o just one or to, but a part of me likes it because it keeps the original flavor. Do you prefer it like this, or would you like to see a few songs here and there?

5) Are there any other thoughts or questions you have, or comments you would like to say? Now is the time to say them!

List of Arcs (For your convenience):

- Escape from Golgorath

- Danyal's healing and love story.

- The Shaman's Tale

- Zira's Return

- Sundar's Powers

- Kiava's Training

- Kiava's Vision's and Sarafina's story.

- Battle of the Glade

Anyway – hopefully with that sorted… You should be done and ready. Oh, one more thing… If you check out my Profile, you can see a link to my Deviant Art Account, as well as a link to some phenomenal art by Chu10, who has done some work on the characters in the story.

New however, is my own addition… which is… a Map. A Map of the Pridelands and surrounding areas for your enjoyment. Check it out.

Coming Soon: The Lion King Legacies – Book Four: The Inferno

The battle for the Pridelands rages on. The Shai'tan's Supremacy has been challenged and Ben-Kai-Ra is mustering his forces to wage new war against the fledging Rebellion.

Grieving and embittered, Vitani's alliance of slaves might crumble unless she is willing to bend her own rules… By allowing them to live – and die – upon a deception. But do the ends justify the means? Sara, Inti and Koron must attempt to juggle their allegiance to their companions from Golgorath, and the family they love. At the heart of this conspiracy, Sundar and Danyal struggle to balance their love for each other with their duty to their Prides…

In the Shadowlands, Kiava must convince the Hyena's that their future and hope, lies with an alliance with the Pridelands… But the memory and Pain of Scar Traitor's King still lingers, and there is deep resentment and hatred… Amun's attack on Carocscirr will come without mercy and without pause, and unless Kiava succeeds, the Pridelands may yet see another genocide.

The Origins of the Imperium – and the First Continental Wars – are discovered. The actions of the Shaman which lead to the Exile and the near extinction of a race… Of Shan-Al-Kir's insurrection, and the day the world burned in light.

The darkest secrets of the Pridelands, the Imperium, and the Shaman are uncovered.

And another secret… the hidden past of Danyal's Father, will change everything.

The seeds of distrust and suspicion are sown amongst allies and friends. Although the Pridelanders are beginning to succeed in the face of tyranny… But they may well destroy themselves. The Pridelanders are scattered and broken. They must unite again, against all of the Shai'tan's power, and of the power which guides them. And Kiava, must take his crown. The Flame of Priderock.

The One who will bring about the End of the Pridelands.

Coming soon, Fire will rise…