{"id":1006,"date":"2022-03-10T11:41:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T16:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/?page_id=1006"},"modified":"2024-03-20T06:12:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T10:12:58","slug":"queen-of-air-king-of-darkness","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/read-online\/queen-of-air-king-of-darkness\/","title":{"rendered":"Queen of Air, King of Darkness"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) {\r\n  .su-tabs-nav {\r\n    display: flex;\r\n  }\r\n  .su-tabs-nav span {\r\n    flex-basis: 100%;\r\n    text-align: center;\r\n  }\r\n  .su-tabs-nav span:last-child {\r\n    margin-right: 0;\r\n  }\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\r\n<div align=\"center\" class=\"button\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">\r\n<a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/fan-fiction\/queen-of-air-king-of-darkness\/\">Return to the Title Page<\/a>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<input type='hidden' bg_collapse_expand='6aa8a897cfa597021954485' value='6aa8a897cfa597021954485'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-more-text-6aa8a897cfa597021954485' value='WARNING: Stories rated \u201cM\u201d are not intended for younger teens or those who are easily offended. In the case of this particular story, there are content warnings for Adult Situations and Harsh Language. If such content is objectionable for you or inappropriate to you, please hit your browser\u2019s Back button now, or close this window or tab. By clicking on this link to access the story, you are declaring that you are 16 years of age or older, and that this content is not illegal in your place of residence.'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-less-text-6aa8a897cfa597021954485' value=''><button id='bg-showmore-action-6aa8a897cfa597021954485' class='bg-showmore-plg-button bg-green-button  '   style=\" color:#D9ECFB;\">WARNING: Stories rated \u201cM\u201d are not intended for younger teens or those who are easily offended. In the case of this particular story, there are content warnings for Adult Situations and Harsh Language. If such content is objectionable for you or inappropriate to you, please hit your browser\u2019s Back button now, or close this window or tab. By clicking on this link to access the story, you are declaring that you are 16 years of age or older, and that this content is not illegal in your place of residence.<\/button><div id='bg-showmore-hidden-6aa8a897cfa597021954485' >\r\n\r\n<div class=\"su-tabs su-tabs-style-default su-tabs-mobile-scroll\" data-active=\"1\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"yes\"><div class=\"su-tabs-nav\"><span class=\" tabmoji-cover\" data-anchor=\"cover\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Cover<\/span><span class=\" tabmoji-pubdata\" data-anchor=\"pubdata\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Publication Data<\/span><span class=\" tabmoji-story\" data-anchor=\"the-story\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;The Story<\/span><\/div><div class=\"su-tabs-panes\"><div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-cover\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;Cover\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4059\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4059 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">Publication Data \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Queen-of-Air-King-of-Darkness.png\" alt=\"Cover art for \u201cQueen of Air, King of Darkness\u201d by Ardath Rekha\" align=\"center\" style=\"width:100%\" \/>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4059\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4059 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">Publication Data \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-pubdata\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;Publication Data\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3995\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3995 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#cover\">\u00ab Cover&nbsp;<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4062\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4062 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#the-story\">The Story \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span data-post-id=\"1257\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-1257 \">  <h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><u>Queen of Air, King of Darkness<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <h4 style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 30px;\">By Ardath Rekha<\/h4>\r\n\r\n<span data-post-id=\"4501\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4501 \"><p><b>Synopsis:<\/b> Mere moments after Kyra and the Lord Marshal\u2019s deaths, a slip of Aereon\u2019s tongue reveals to Riddick just who Kyra really was, and who Jack really is.<\/p><\/span>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Category:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-genre\/#fiction\">Fan Fiction<\/a>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Fandom:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-fandom\/#cor\"><i>The Chronicles of Riddick<\/i> (2004)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-fandom\/#df\"><i>The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury<\/i> (2004)<\/a>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Series:<\/b> None<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>Challenges:<\/b> None<\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Rating:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-rating\/#rated-m\">M<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>Orientation:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-orientation\/#het-plot\">Het (Plot)<\/a><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Pairing:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-pairing\/#riddick-jack\">Riddick\/Jack<\/a>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Warnings:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/the-content-warning-system\/#adult-situations\">Adult Situations<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/the-content-warning-system\/#harsh-language\">Harsh Language<\/a>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Number of Chapters:<\/b> 1 \r\n\r\n<p><b>Net Word Count:<\/b><span id=\"su_tooltip_6aa8a89803649_button\" class=\"su-tooltip-button su-tooltip-button-outline-yes\" aria-describedby=\"su_tooltip_6aa8a89803649\" data-settings='{\"position\":\"top\",\"behavior\":\"hover\",\"hideDelay\":0}' tabindex=\"0\"><sup><i class=\"fas fa-question-circle\" style=\"color:#243a68;\"><\/i><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"display:none;z-index:100\" id=\"su_tooltip_6aa8a89803649\" class=\"su-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-inner su-tooltip-shadow-yes\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%);color:#D9ECFB;font-size:16px;border-radius:5px;text-align:left;max-width:300px;line-height:1.25\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-title\"><\/span><span class=\"su-tooltip-content su-u-trim\">In the Read Online section, net word counts exclude cover pages, publication data pages, tables of contents, chapter titles, page links, original post date medatata, and \u2014 in the case of Lyric Wheel stories \u2014 song information and lyrics. In the case of articles, contextual notations are also omitted. Afterwords and chapter notes are treated as part of a text\u2019s overall body.<\/span><\/span><span id=\"su_tooltip_6aa8a89803649_arrow\" class=\"su-tooltip-arrow\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%)\" data-popper-arrow><\/span><\/span> 3,299\r\n\r\n<p><b>Total Word Count:<\/b><span id=\"su_tooltip_6aa8a89803b5c_button\" class=\"su-tooltip-button su-tooltip-button-outline-yes\" aria-describedby=\"su_tooltip_6aa8a89803b5c\" data-settings='{\"position\":\"top\",\"behavior\":\"hover\",\"hideDelay\":0}' tabindex=\"0\"><sup><i class=\"fas fa-question-circle\" style=\"color:#243a68;\"><\/i><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"display:none;z-index:100\" id=\"su_tooltip_6aa8a89803b5c\" class=\"su-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-inner su-tooltip-shadow-yes\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%);color:#D9ECFB;font-size:16px;border-radius:5px;text-align:left;max-width:300px;line-height:1.25\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-title\"><\/span><span class=\"su-tooltip-content su-u-trim\">In the Read Online section, total word counts include all text present in the story tabs, excluding forward\/back page links and tooltips. This count tends to be slightly different from the eBook Total Word Count reported on the title page.<\/span><\/span><span id=\"su_tooltip_6aa8a89803b5c_arrow\" class=\"su-tooltip-arrow\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%)\" data-popper-arrow><\/span><\/span> 3,658\r\n\r\n<p><b>Story Length:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-story-length\/#short-story\">Short Story<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>First Posted:<\/b> November 27, 2004\r\n\r\n<p><b>Last Updated:<\/b> November 27, 2004\r\n\r\n<p><b>Status:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-status\/#complete\">Complete<\/a><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<span data-post-id=\"4454\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4454 \"><p><small>The characters and events of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0296572\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>The Chronicles of Riddick<\/i><\/a> are &copy; 2004 Universal Pictures, Radar Pictures, and One Race Films; Written and Directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0878638\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">David Twohy<\/a>; Based on characters by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0003117\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ken and<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0923646\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Wheat<\/a>; Produced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0472256\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scott Kroopf<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0004874\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vin Diesel<\/a>. The characters and events of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0407658\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury<\/i><\/a> are &copy; 2004 Universal Cartoon Studios; Directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0161285\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peter Chung<\/a>; Written by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1269404\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brett Matthews<\/a>; Story by David Twohy; Produced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1074691\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Kafka<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1479531\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jae Y. Moh<\/a>. The characters and events of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0134847\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Pitch Black<\/i><\/a> are &copy; 2000 USA Films, Gramercy Pictures, and Interscope Communications; Directed by David Twohy; Screenplay by Ken and Jim Wheat and David Twohy; Story by Ken and Jim Wheat; Produced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0257259\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom Engelman<\/a>. This work of fan fiction is a transformative work for entertainment purposes only, with no claims on, nor intent to infringe upon, the rights of the parties listed above. All additional characters and situations are the creation of, and remain the property of, Ardath Rekha. eBook design and cover art by <a href=\"https:\/\/laraklaber.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LaraRebooted<\/a>, utilizing a detail from an illustration by <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/nightmaredrug-5599903\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NightMareDrug<\/a>, licensed via <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pixabay<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/fontmeme.com\/fonts\/argor-flahm-scaqh-font\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Argor Flahm Scaqh<\/a> font from <a href=\"https:\/\/fontmeme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Font Meme<\/a>, and background graphics &copy; 1998 Noel Mollon, adapted and licensed via Teri Williams Carnright from the now-retired Fantasyland Graphics site (c. 2003). This eBook may not be sold or advertised for sale. If you are a copyright holder of any of the referenced works, and believe that part or all of this eBook exceeds fair use practices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/contact-me\/\">please contact Ardath Rekha<\/a>.<\/small><\/p><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><small><i>Rev. 2022.10.09<\/i><\/small><\/p><\/span><\/span>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3995\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3995 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#cover\">\u00ab Cover&nbsp;<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4062\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4062 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#the-story\">The Story \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-story\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;The Story\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3996\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3996 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">\u00ab Publication Data<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span data-post-id=\"1462\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-1462 \">  <h2 style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><u><b>Queen of Air, King of Darkness<\/b><\/u><\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Loss consumed him.  Loss as he\u2019d never felt before.  Richard B. Riddick sank into the throne, dizzied by it, and knew that this was why he\u2019d always refused to let anyone get close to him.  Why he\u2019d spent five years hiding from <i>her.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">She\u2019d changed so much, into something only barely recognizable, and yet still her death left him reeling.  Why was that?<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Why was everyone kneeling before him?<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He listened, still dazed, as they told him that he was their Lord Marshal now, for that was the Necromonger Way  \u2013 he who killed the Lord Marshal <i>became<\/i> him.  Thus did they go on; thus did they flourish.  For only a truly gifted killer could hope to take the throne.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Like me.  If there\u2019s anyone who ever deserved the title of Necromonger  \u2013 death dealer  \u2013 it\u2019s me.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Death had come out of his hands for countless years, and in time he destroyed everything he touched.  Fry was dead.  Imam was dead.  And now the little bit of Jack that hadn\u2019t been destroyed before, by his contact with her, was dead as well.  His eyes moved to Kyra\u2019s limp form and he felt that paralyzing loss keen through him again.  He\u2019d hoped that, once he got her free from Slam, and somewhere safe, the sweet girl he remembered would come forward again and overwhelm the bitter harridan who had taken her place.  But now his hopes were crushed as they\u2019d always been.  Jack had been perverted and destroyed, and his hands dealt only more destruction.  He hadn\u2019t been able to save her.  He should have known it from the start.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Suddenly, with crystalline clarity, he understood the Necromonger Way in its fullness.  The death they visited, on those who would not follow them, was the kindest mercy they could mete out.  It was the only real mercy in the universe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">When the Witch spoke beside him, he was startled.  He hated the way she moved, as though immaterial.  He hated the way her footsteps made no sound unless she wished them to, something that at least the chains had put a stop to.  He hated the way she\u2019d pulled him out of his isolation just so he could watch, firsthand, as the only people he cared about were annihilated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He hated her.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cNow,\u201d she said, with something akin to satisfaction in her voice, \u201cthe darkness can finally lift.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">If he\u2019d thought he could actually get his hands around her neck, he would have strangled her for that.  His hatred bloomed and deepened.  Didn\u2019t she know that there was nothing <i>but<\/i> darkness?<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cIt never lifts,\u201d he growled.  \u201cIt never ends.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">She stared at him, her eyes widening as she realized what he meant.  \u201cYou cannot be serious!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He stood, slowly, fixing his glare on her.  \u201cYou\u2019re the psychic.  You tell me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The look of horror on her face intensified.  \u201cBut <i>why?<\/i>  Why become the very thing that destroyed all you care about?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI always <i>was.<\/i>  Got nothing left to lose now.  Nothing left to care about.\u201d  He wondered how the chains holding her to this reality worked, and whether they\u2019d also let him kill her slowly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Deep wells of poison were opening within him and he spat them at her.  \u201cYou know, it occurs to me that you could have saved her any time you wanted.  You knew where she was, and you knew how important she was to me.  You let her rot there.  A fraction of the money you spent on those bounty hunters to find me would\u2019ve gotten her out, but you didn\u2019t.  So you\u2019re to blame, too.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cMr. Riddick, I don\u2019t know what <nobr>to\u2014\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cThat\u2019s <i>Lord Marshal<\/i> to you, bitch!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">A ripple of approval and excitement went up through the crowd.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Desperation and slyness warred over Aereon\u2019s normally serene features.  Calculation was in her eyes.  \u201cSurely there\u2019s still peace to be had.  As you said, all you want is to be left alone.  Now that you can end the Necromonger threat forever, you <i>can<\/i> be.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cAll I wanted,\u201d Riddick grated out, \u201cwas to be left alone in my quiet place, secure in the knowledge that the Holy Man and the girl were better off with me gone, and that they were having happy lives.  You fucked that up good.  So unless you can hand Jack back to <nobr>me\u2014\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cNo, you can\u2019t have her!\u201d  It flew out of Aereon\u2019s mouth so quickly that he could tell that <i>she<\/i> was as startled by it as he was.  And he could tell that she wished it had never come out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Can\u2019t?<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Interesting that she hadn\u2019t said it was too late.  Interesting that she hadn\u2019t said there was nothing anyone could do.  Instead, she\u2019d <i>refused<\/i> him, as though it was within her power to grant what he wanted and she was choosing not to.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cAnd why not?\u201d he asked, his voice dropping to the quiet of a hurricane\u2019s eye.  \u201cThink hard, <i>Aereon.<\/i>  \u2019Cause it\u2019s the reason they\u2019re gonna go on killing.\u201d  He gestured at his kneeling army, feeling a rush of power at the way they bent to him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He could also feel a rush of hope.  Could it be possible to get Jack back?  To repair the damage years of neglect had done to her psyche, and turn her back into the beautiful person she\u2019d once been?<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Aereon turned and gazed at Kyra\u2019s fallen body.  \u201cShe told me it wouldn\u2019t work.  She said I was a fool to try to fight evil with evil, and that my lies would cost me.  She said that, although I couldn\u2019t see it, you were a man of truth and that deception would only make things worse with <nobr>you\u2026<\/nobr> it is very distressing to discover that your grand-daughter is wiser than you are.  All I wanted to do was keep her <nobr>safe\u2026\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYour grand-daughter?\u201d  He followed her gaze, seeing no resemblance between her and the still form on the floor.  \u201cKyra\u2019s your grand-daughter?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cNo.  Jacana is my grand-daughter.  Kyra <nobr>was\u2026<\/nobr> a decoy.  I hoped you would accept her in Jacana\u2019s place and forget the girl you once knew.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Excitement and fear warred within Riddick, making his belly light.  Did she mean what he thought she meant?  \u201cYou\u2019d better explain yourself.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Aereon sighed.  \u201cFirst, I must tell you that these events <nobr>are\u2026<\/nobr> older than you.  My people, the Elementals, live far longer than ordinary humans, although we are their cousins as much as the Furyans are.  I <nobr>am\u2026<\/nobr> a few hundred years old.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI really don\u2019t care <i>how<\/i> old you are.  Get to the point.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Aereon looked like the picture of tested patience.  \u201cThe prophecy that you would defeat the Necromongers was centuries old, but that is not all it said.  It spoke of the final peace, as the fiercest warrior of the Furyans subjugated the Necromongers and took the queen of the Elementals as his <nobr>mate\u2014\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cNo fucking way.  We are <i>not<\/i> mating.  I wouldn\u2019t do you on a bet even if you <i>weren\u2019t<\/i> dried up and untouchable.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The witch\u2019s eyebrow arched at him.  \u201cI am not the queen, Riddick.  I am an ambassador, nothing more.  I am part of her family, but I am not She.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cWell, <i>She<\/i> had better be a lot better <nobr>looking\u2014\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYou <i>can\u2019t have her!\u201d<\/i>  Again that sudden rage.  \u201cNot after what your people did!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He stared at her, waiting for an explanation.  Slowly her face calmed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cGo on,\u201d he prodded, when the silence began to annoy him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cThirty years ago, there was a fragile peace between our people, the Furyans and the Elementals.  We agreed that the threat of <nobr>this\u2026<\/nobr> <nobr>horde\u2026<\/nobr> was more pressing than our differences.  There was a <nobr>truce\u2026<\/nobr> and talk of an alliance.\u201d  She glared at him, suddenly, rage filling her face and voice.  \u201cBut you Furyans are deceivers to your core.  Your ambassadors were not what they claimed to be, and one night they infiltrated the Palace and began murdering the royal family, one by one.  My daughter, her husband the <nobr>King\u2026<\/nobr> and their <nobr>children\u2026<\/nobr> only one of them escaped the slaughter and fled.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Riddick frowned, trying to work it out in his head.  Thirty years <nobr>ago\u2026<\/nobr> no <nobr>way\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Aereon must have seen his doubt.  \u201cI told you, we are a long-lived race.  Jacana was ten at the time, but to the reckoning of my people she was still a small child.  It takes forty of your years for us to reach adulthood, and then we live for centuries.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cAssuming nobody ghosts your half-there asses.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The impotent rage in her eyes gave him enormous satisfaction.  \u201cYour people took advantage of our kindness and left our world in shambles, and our brightest star in hiding.  But we repaid you in kind.  If peace could not be had with you, I knew who could strike back at you with the strength you\u2019d taken from us.  I told the Lord Marshal about the prophecy, and in his fear he ordered the deaths of every male Furyan!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">And this bitch actually thought she had the moral high ground here?  He wanted to laugh in her face, but she was still holding out on him.  After he got his answers, though, he was going to teach her a few object lessons.  \u201cSo you scragged my people as revenge for someone taking out a few useless Royals, and now the only strength left in the galaxy is this army?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Aereon\u2019s mouth pressed into a bitter line.  \u201cNo.  The prophecy says that there will be a union and <nobr>peace\u2026<\/nobr> when the Furyan Warrior conquers the Necromongers and brings them to <nobr>heel\u2026\u201d<\/nobr> Now her mouth twisted as though tasting something revolting.  <nobr>\u201c\u2026and<\/nobr> takes the Queen of the Elementals as his wife.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Now he was starting to get it.  \u201cThat\u2019d be this Jacana?  Your granddaughter?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Aereon nodded.  \u201cShe was missing for a very long time.  She stayed in hiding, living as a human child and moving around often enough to keep people from remarking on how slowly she grew.  She was clever, and left false trails that fooled even me.  And when she reached adolescence, she disguised herself as a <nobr>boy\u2014\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cAnd called herself Jack,\u201d Riddick realized aloud.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The look on Aereon\u2019s face could have spoiled milk on sight.  \u201cAnd thus your paths crossed.  I think she knew who and what you were from the moment she laid eyes upon you, but somehow she doesn\u2019t see or understand.  She thinks you\u2019re <i>worthy<\/i> of her.  She believes there\u2019s <i>good<\/i> in you.  She fought me when I came to Helion Prime, saying that if I just let her talk to you, you could be persuaded to help Al-Walid\u2019s people defend themselves.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">But Jack hadn\u2019t been there, had she?  \u201cI\u2019m guessing you didn\u2019t listen to her.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Aereon looked affronted.  \u201cThat place was far too dangerous.  I had her taken back to our world immediately.  But on the off-chance that she was right about the bond between the two of you, I imbued the girl, Kyra, with Jacana\u2019s memories of you  \u2013 and her scent since your kind has the noses of dogs  \u2013 and sent her to Crematoria to wait for you.  It was easy to alter the Imam\u2019s memories so that he believed she\u2019d been there for a while, and that Jacana had never been with him.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Riddick swallowed and walked over to Kyra\u2019s still body, kneeling down beside it.  He frowned, conjuring his memory of Jack\u2019s face.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">No, this was not the Jack he remembered, he realized.  The forehead was too low, the nose too short, the chin too small.  The sightless blue eyes staring up at the ceiling ought to have been green.  And Jack\u2019s hair, before she\u2019d shaved it off, had been lighter and straighter.  A few choice phrases and a familiar scent, and she\u2019d fooled him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cSo you just tossed some poor kid into one of the roughest prisons in the galaxy.  Was she at least in on it?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cShe believed she really <i>had<\/i> been Jack, although you were late enough in arriving that her natural personality had begun to reassert itself.  But she still believed the past we wove for her, and made you believe it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cWhat\u2026 the <nobr><i>fuck<\/i>\u2026<\/nobr> gives you the right to do that to someone?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cThe girl was a multiple-murderer.  Just another of your kind\u2019s psychotic brats.  She\u2019d been condemned to death; we gave her a reprieve.  She knew, before the memory implantations, what was going to happen, and consented to it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cWait, you\u2019re saying this kid was a Furyan?\u201d  He stared down at her, understanding at last how it was that she\u2019d managed to keep up with him as well as she had.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cShe\u2019d have been a perfect match for you, too,\u201d Aereon grumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Riddick rested his hand on Kyra\u2019s cheek, feeling another wave of regret move through him.  Now he understood why he\u2019d been <nobr>so\u2026<\/nobr> disappointed by her.  He wondered if, in the first days of the memory implantation, her personality had more closely mirrored Jack\u2019s, but if it had, that had eroded away.  Her native rage, the rage he wrestled with every day, had reasserted itself and she\u2019d gone feral once more, knowing that he was somehow to blame for her misery but not truly understanding why.  She\u2019d never had a chance, he realized, and wondered if the only good memories she\u2019d ever known were the ones that had come from another girl\u2019s mind.  Kyra had been used, and used up, and tossed aside, the way people had always sought to use him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Two can play that game.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYou want peace with the Necromongers, Aereon?  You want them to stop rampaging?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cOf course.\u201d  Now she was talking to him like he was a small child or something, the bitch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cThen you\u2019d better get Jack here.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cWhat?  No!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Riddick rose, standing over Kyra\u2019s body.  \u201cYou will get her here.  Or my new friends, here, are gonna come for her and for your whole fucking planet.  And on the way, we\u2019re gonna wipe out every single inhabited world we run into.  Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The fear in Aereon\u2019s eyes made it clear that yes, she did understand.  The impotent hatred told him that she would obey him at last.  \u201cMaybe now she\u2019ll finally see what you <i>really<\/i> <nobr>are\u2014\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI already know,\u201d a soft voice cut in.  Aereon whirled, staring in shock at the entry to the great hall.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The young woman standing in the archway, flanked by uneasy Necromonger guards, was clad in robes similar to Aereon\u2019s.  But where those were pure white, hers were a mixture of colors, blending into each other.  Airy white melted into the blue and green of water, crackled into the reds and oranges of fire, and shaded into the soft brown of earth.  Her straight, light brown hair fell loosely around her shoulders, framing a gamine face that made Riddick\u2019s heart lurch.  As she began to walk forward, the kneeling throng parted for her, a low susurration of excited comments rising with her passage.  Riddick was vaguely aware that Aereon had dropped to her knees.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Queen Jacana.  <i>Jack.<\/i>  Riddick could only stare as she came closer and closer to him.  <nobr>This\u2026<\/nobr> <nobr><i>vision\u2026<\/i><\/nobr> was the feisty kid he\u2019d once known?<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He watched, speechless, as Jack knelt down beside Kyra and gently closed her sightless eyes.  His amazement grew as she bent even closer to the still body.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Jack whispered, and left a gentle kiss on Kyra\u2019s forehead.  Then she looked up, her eyes sparking a little as they fixed on Aereon.  \u201cI told you it was a stupid idea.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">For the first time since he\u2019d met the bitch, Aereon responded meekly, lowering her head in a nod of acknowledgement. \u201cIt is as you say, Your Majesty.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI hate it when you do that,\u201d Jack snapped.  Then she turned her head and rose, locking eyes with Riddick.  \u201cLooks like you got into quite a mess here.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">There was nothing aloof or imperious about this <nobr>Queen\u2026<\/nobr> not now, anyway.  The girl looking at him was the Jack he remembered.  The look in her eyes was the look he\u2019d vainly searched for in Kyra\u2019s, and not found.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Unfamiliar emotions threatened to stop his throat.  He concentrated on managing nonchalance.  \u201cGuess you got here just in time.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI said I\u2019d find you, didn\u2019t I?\u201d She grinned and reached out, taking his hand and drawing him back towards the throne.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>No,<\/i> he irrationally thought.  <i>Everything I touch, I <nobr>destroy\u2014<\/nobr><\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">But there she was, he suddenly realized.  Jack, the girl he remembered, looking radiant and beautiful, as much a force of life as she had been when he first met her.  <nobr>Unperverted\u2026<\/nobr> and suddenly for a second he found himself <i>agreeing<\/i> with Aereon.  He had no right to touch her, to bring her down to his <nobr>level\u2014<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">She quirked her lips at him, as though sensing his thoughts.  The sparkle of humor in her eyes seemed to ask if he really thought she was that weak.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Unbidden, this time summoned by no one and nothing, his memories of the Jack he\u2019d first met rose in his mind.  Jack calling to him amidst the bones, trying to get him to return  \u2013 not for her, he abruptly realized, but for the three others behind her who were struggling to catch up.  Jack belting herself in beside him, in the skiff, and uttering those prophetic  \u2013 <i>psychic<\/i>  \u2013 words about merc ships.  Jack in the arena, pulling the shryll back before it could sting him, and tossing him his knife.  Jack staring in shock and horror at Chillingsworth\u2019s remains, a moment after shooting her to save him.  Jack, who was always somehow right where she was needed most.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Jack, he realized, who had been hiding from her grandmother\u2019s vindictive statecraft for thirty years until she would be strong enough to depose her.  Jack, who had deliberately boarded the <i>Hunter-Gratzner<\/i> five years earlier so she could meet her future mate and help him find his humanity again.  Jack, the only person who had ever looked at him like this, with no doubt or denigration in her eyes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cSo,\u201d she asked him, those eyes sparkling with warmth and affection, \u201cwhere the hell can I get eyes like that?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Son of a bitch,<\/i> he thought, realizing how much Kyra\u2019s memories must have eroded, <i>How\u2019d I ever fall for that whole act?<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">He leaned forward and put his mouth to her ear, reflecting that maybe there really <i>was<\/i> a place for him in the light, and Jack had been keeping it warm for him this whole time.  \u201cYou already own them,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Dimly, he was aware of activity around him, people backing out of the room, bowing as they went.  Some of the troops were carrying Kyra\u2019s body from the room  \u2013 <i>Gotta make sure to give her a good send-off<\/i>  \u2013 and Vaako was leading his reluctant wife out.  Even Aereon, after a long moment of hesitation, was departing.  He ignored them all.  He was busy, basking in the restoration of something he\u2019d thought, only a short while ago, had been lost <nobr>forever\u2026<\/nobr> his soul.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cGot a question for you,\u201d he managed a while later.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cOh?\u201d  Jack\u2019s hair was now disheveled and her lips were a little puffy from the way he\u2019d been mauling them, but she looked even more wonderful than ever.  And unlike her grandmother, she was still fully substantial; he\u2019d have to ask about that sometime.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cDoes <nobr>it\u2026<\/nobr> bother you that I really did come to care about Kyra?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Her smile was radiant.  \u201cNo, Riddick.  I\u2019m glad you did.  It proves what I said all along, you know.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cAnd what\u2019s that?\u201d he asked, drawing her closer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">She put her arms around his neck, and murmured her next words against his lips.  \u201cYou\u2019re a good man.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>And I thought it was weird when Chillingsworth called me an artist,<\/i> Riddick thought, before surrendering to the light of Jack\u2019s kiss.<\/p><\/span>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3996\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3996 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">\u00ab Publication Data<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div align=\"center\" class=\"button\">\r\n<a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/fan-fiction\/queen-of-air-king-of-darkness\/#comments\">Leave a review<\/a>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Return to the Title Page","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":308,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"bgseo_title":"Read Online: \u201cQueen of Air, King of Darkness\u201d by Ardath Rekha","bgseo_description":"Mere moments after Kyra and the Lord Marshal\u2019s deaths, a slip of Aereon\u2019s tongue reveals to Riddick just who Kyra really was, and who Jack really is.","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1006","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-wpautop"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1006"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4906,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1006\/revisions\/4906"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}