Chapter 51

The twisted humans formed a circle around the cage of the Al' Miraj, they shrieked and chittered around it with maniacal fervor. The man known as Isaac Harbinger pointed to Aurelia and ran his thumb across his throat. It spurned the grotesque assembly on.

"Today I will fulfill the promise I made to you people all those years ago. Today we will become as we were meant to be. No longer will you have to live with your twisted limbs and half transformations. Today we will ascend, today our reign begins."

The familiar tickle of Zinjo's breath caused Aurelia to squirm, "What?" she asked in a testy tone.

"I have a feeling this man is more sinister than we initially thought." He massaged her shoulders, "He moves like a man with many battles under his belt."

"Sometimes yes but if these people had any combat skills to speak of why haven't they overwhelmed us?" Aurelia checked the straps on her armor and allowed her tail to swish back and forth. She ran it up Zinjo's thigh and he jumped as it tickled his sensitive area.

"While I appreciate the gesture, Dark Princess I don't see how that will help us best this abomination."He said with a soft kiss on her lips, "Once you secure victory and the Al' Miraj, I'll be at your full disposal."

Aurelia gripped him with her hand, "You better keep that promise, mister, or I shall take what I want, understood?"

Zinjo chuckled and kissed her again, "I await your victory."

She met Isaac in the middle of the circle. Isaac brandished a heavy wooden club. He pointed to the parasol and laughed, "You expect to beat me with that feminine accessory? Victory is assured." He pulled the club back and swung with all his might.

The wind from the strike blasted Aurelia in the face, but she gripped the hilt of her blade and waited for the right moment to unleash her fury. The moment the Club came within six inches. Aurelia twisted away and the blade streaked from the scabbard. She felt resistance as the sharpened steel sliced the club in two.

"Perhaps you shouldn't judge a weapon by its appearance," Aurelia sheathed the blade and stood at the ready again. "I am going to give you one more chance to do the right thing and walk away."

Isaac held out his hands, and two broken humans put metal claws on his fingers, "Surrender? With my plans so close to Fruition? I think not, your majesty." He streaked forward and attempted to rake Aurelia across the chest. Aurelia dodged and found herself faced with a pair of feathery humans with flint daggers pointed at her midsection.

"Don't kill her, you fools, she's the one we made the deal with." Isaac drove the metal claws into their exposed chests. Bloodshot from the wounds, and the half birds fell to the ground lifeless. "Does anyone else care to challenge my rule?"

While the monstrous man grandstanded, Aurelia crept up behind him and ran her blade through his chest, and growled, "It's one thing to fight for your people, and another to kill them in cold blood."

Blood poured from the mouth of Isaac and he trembled in disbelief, "I will help the human race ascend to the next level. I will..."

"You don't get to talk anymore," Aurelia twisted the blade and Isaac went limp. She withdrew her blade and the madman fell to the ground next to his slain henchmen. She raised the gleaming metal into the air, "I have decided to bite one of you, I only ask you to try to make this island great again. Succeed and you will have an ally in Shadowfen. Fail and I will return with an army, and wipe you all from the face of the earth."

Zinjo's eyes and face went wide with shock, "I don't think..."

"Zinjo, I will handle this matter my way, as I am victorious over their so-called leader."

One of the twisted people who walked upright asked, "What are we to call ourselves then?"

Once another tribe is conquered one expects a little resistance, here the order of the gentle tower accepted Aurelia's superiority without question. She decided to name them after a creature she read about in a book, "Since you are all made up of different creatures, I name you the Chimera clan, and this Islands shall be called Cameron."

The mass of horror struck people whispered among themselves, One of the abominations who walked upright stepped forward, "We all agree this name suits us well. I also think we need to choose a leader..."

Aurelia put up her hand, "That is not for me to decide, it is for you to decide," she motioned the man forward with her hand, "Come forward and hold out your hand."

The man moved forward and did as he was asked, Aurelia paced for a moment, "I want you all to witness the change, not all of you will survive, not all of you will choose to receive the bite. But if you do remember I provided ample warning of the consequences."

She bit into the grotesque forearm and headed to the Al' Miraj cage, "We have to hurry," she popped the pin on the cage door, "I have a feeling the change won't work on them, and if it does I don't think we want to see the result."

Zinjo stared at the horned rabbit and took three steps back, "I assumed we were moving it in the cage."

"I think it will be fine," She held out her hands, "I know you have had a trying time as of late, but I can get you out of here and back to your homeland. Do you understand?"

The little nose sniffed the air and crept closer to the outstretched claws of Aurelia. It was clear the little beast did not fear the Leonid princess. It took three tentative steps forward and sniffed again before it curled up in Aurelia's palms.

"Should we bring a cage for him?"

"Yes, I don't want the crew messing with him. I don't think Gael will appreciate them being eaten," She looked down at the mournful rabbit, "We'll let you out a couple of times a day I promise."

Zinjo pointed to the trees and looked over his shoulder. As predicted the bite slowly killed the hybrid no offense dark princess, but perhaps we can figure out the logistics later, we should get out of here."

"You don't have to tell me twice." The pair tore through the underbrush and headed back to the ship. They had a divine being, now they just needed it to cry.