Hieyiakana sneered, showing fangs more than long enough to tear open the captain's neck. "You know the rules, Heridos...no leaving without my permission...it seems, however, that you have broken them...and you well know the punishment for that..." Her free hand was at his neck in a flash, sinking sharp claws into the warm flesh of his neck.

Heridos gave a shriek of pain and tried to wiggle free, but it was no use. His effort only did more damage....though Hieyiakana's present host was smaller than the Empress had been, their combined strength was more than enough to hold up the captain and rip out his jugular vein. Soon the captain hung limp, blood running from the huge gash in his neck to pool on the floor. The killing done, Hieyiakana flung him aside.

Blood still stuck to the claws and fur on her host's hands and slowly the Empress brought the claw to her mouth, rasp-like tongue licking the blood off and savoring every drop. Hieyiakana's host's soul, Kiyana, cringed and shrunk back to a corner of the space of being she was now forced to share.

What's the matter? The blood of your enemies is good for you, Hieyiakana sneered at the younger Katri.

Kiyana's mental prescence cringed away from Hieyiakana's and gave a shudder. You are a monster... Kiyana had never been much of a killer...at least not of sentients, she had no problem with running down, killing, and eating a deer. Drinking the blood of another sentient, however...that was downright sickening to her. At worst she only killed sentients in battle, but never the sort of things Hieyiakana had been forcing her to do since the dark one had taken her body captive.

You are weak, valuing other creatures such as you do. They're not worth anything to you, most reviled you as a monster before even taking a chance of finding out what you were really like, Akana taunted, giving the girl a mental sneer.

Because of what you did to their planet and the reputation you gave to all Katris, Kiyana spat right back, angrilly. You're a monster, that's all you are. One of the very banes of my existance. You're darkness, The Raven.

And you're the idiotic Child of Light....The Morning Star, The Phoenix. Don't try to hurt my feelings, brat. I'm older than you, and besides...any insult you could say is true, Hieyiakana gave an evil mental grin. And I am proud of that fact.

Kiyana said no more, just sort of sulked in her corner of her own being. She missed her home, her little girl, her mate, and her white dragon, Faith. All she could do was hope that Hieyiakana didn't turn against them to torture her.

I wouldn't waste my time, you are mine now. "Desolation! Destruction! Get rid of this worthless piece of trash--feed it to my new pets,"Akana commanded, and immediately two strange, small, deformed anthro dragon-like things came scampering up and hoisted the captain's dead body onto their shoulders to transport off into some cavern of the temple. Soon there was screeching, ripping, and other horrendous sounds of a feeding frenzy heard. The dark one smirked to herself, Tali'Tors would make excellent shock troops...if only she could control them.

You're insane...you'll never control them, they're as vicious as you are but completely feral, Kiyana declared, and Akana snarled.

Silence, you.

Akana thoughtfully tapped a fang with a claw, thinking of what her next move would be... Ah yes, to get her empire back in order since her daughter had ruined everything! Now the morale of the people was higher than ever, that would have to be fixed. She needed them to be a bloodthirsty mess...not an "I'll help you, even if you don't help me because we're the people of the same empire." sort. Bleh!

Next...