Chapter 106: 106
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Those words become a trigger, catalysing something deep inside of me. My fingers tighten further, crushing the white haired vampires throat under the sheer influence of my anger. Azrael chokes a splutter.
"Yes, I would like to know, brother. So why don't you tell me and we can get this grand little fiasco over with, hmm?"
Something strains in Azrael's face, as though he is trying to do something yet can't quite grant himself the energy or the motivation to do it. Another wet splutter arises from his throat, and with a grimace of disgust, I loosen my hand.
"You revolt me," I hiss, recoiling away from him a bit to glare him down, a mixture of anger and utter repulsion pulsing through my body. As counter productive as it would be, strangling him seems like an awfully delightful option right now.
Prince Soren
A little voice calls me to beside my ankles, the low chimes swept up amongst the bickering vampires and the steady ongoing thrum of an orchestra in the adjacent rooms in such a flurry that I almost fail to catch it. My eyes still train on the vampire in front of me, gripped tightly around his neck like a bolted clamp, as though fearing that if I look away he suddenly might disappear. Knowing him, the event seems likely. I barely even register the voice at all.
Prince Soren
Calls the voice again, only harsher this time, jolting me back to my senses. All at once my anger melts away, draining down into a sinkhole of emptiness only to be replaced with an unnatural clarity that is rare to inhabit my being. It is a peculiar feeling, but not an unwelcome one I find as my hand loosens further around my brothers throat, suddenly reminded of why I am here. Peering down at the little fox, I give him a half dipped nod of understanding. Of course, there is no time for fraudulent accusations, not while my Queen is dying.
"It would appear luck would be on your side, Azrael," I growl at last, composing myself as I stand up taller, my frame at least a head above Azrael's, and all the more broader. Between the two of us, Azrael had always been the runt of the litter- a young sly snake who enjoyed the plentiful amount of hedonism my kingdom has to offer, and the prospect of glamouring the folk of Faey to his obedient submission. I suppose by those means I could never fully suspect anything of him, or at least never hoped to- it is not an entirely uncommon trait for a vampire. Besides, it is hard to rightly accuse someone with a charge of kidnapping and murder when they are knee deep in women, sex and blood.
I was a such fool.
"Much to your fortune, my concerns lie with keeping my Queen alive, so I shall be dealing with whatever foul scheming you have been up to once all this has been sorted. Perhaps if time had permissed it I might have hung you today for letting those bastard vampires even so much as touch her, but hanging you would render you useless. So before I entomb you and the rest of my subjects within these walls so no more… funny business can go awry. Instead, I would like you to tell me exactly what those vampires did to Serena."
With one last shove, I let go of Azrael's throat.
Azrael leans back casually, picking at his nails in a manner that would imply I didn't just threaten him with a death sentence, lips twisted into a downwards pout, ticking away each precious second as he ponders over his answer. My fingers tap tempestuously at my side. The irritation has equally seeped into the little white fox, who paces by my side with a faint aggravation. Leave it to Azrael to take his time on matters of life and death. The bastard.
A dangerous thrum of fury begins to tickle into my veins, followed by a familiar flare of red across my eyes, flames of crimson licking across my vision, my fingers itching with the temptation to once more take his neck in my hands and crush it under the sheer force of my will. I never did appreciated being messed about. Especially not by my brother.
Then an unnatural wash of calm crashes over me, dampening the edges of my anger into little more than a frustrated glimmer, and although my body and soul strains against it, I quickly find myself sinking into that artificial tranquillity. My eyes flicker down to the fox whose white hair is tinged with a baleful blue. A small smile strains on my lips.
A curious creature indeed.
Something flickers in Azrael's face too, a slackening of his jaw, a relaxation in the tenseness in his back, and overall aura of repose that seems entirely unnatural for someone of his calibre- that is to say, a lustful vampire neck deep in lies and debauchery.
"Mostly, they threatened her," he says at last, then upon seeing the hardened frown on my face quickly follows up: "But one of them- I believe her name is Elowyn, excellent in bed might I add- got rather distressed after I snapped her friend's neck. So she threw herself on Serena and started tearing open her back. None of them bit her, and none of them gave her their blood, so I suppose that's one less thing for you to worry about,"
But by the time he has finished, my mind is barely processing his words, instead focused on one singular fact that cuts like a knife into my conscience. My lips raise into a cruel snarl.
"And you fucking let her do it."
Not a question, but a statement. I know he did it- but that doesn't make me like it any more. In fact, I would find it rather fanciful to let him have a taste of his own medicine- that is I would do if I had more time on my hands.
"I suppose I did,"
I bite my cheek bitterly, threatening to draw blood. The anger within me is hard to restrain, even with the falsified cap of calmness the little white fox has granted. Dark tendrils of light curl outwards from the long shadow of my form, creeping over the throne room and snuffing out candle lights with a singular cold breath, stifling the room into an inky blackness. Azrael has the nerve to stay grounded- the action of which likely would have made me livid had I not been grounded by that tether of unnatural tranquillity that pins the last sane segments of my mind into reality.
Getting mad won't help Serena, it will only waste time- at least that is what I tell myself as I forcibly drag the shadowy coils back into my body, shuddering with the effort to keep my emotional chaos contained. The room flickers back into life. An audible sigh of relief can be heard resonating around the palace, as if at last everyone can stop holding their breaths. The eating and drinking continues at a leisurely pace, but there is an new air of caution that spikes the air, as though anticipating a sudden outburst.
I turn attention back to the white haired vampire gruellingly. Azrael watches me with a keen interest, head tilted, eyes narrowed to fine slivers so that at a distance, one might presume him dead, or perhaps asleep.
Though at this rate, I would much rather pronounce him dead.
"Why did you do it?" I growl, trying very, very hard to stay level headed, and equally failing miserably.
"I was annoyed, a little with her, but mostly with you. But I did not intend for them to practically kill her. Believe it or not, I would like her alive just as much as you do."
Irately, I spit at his feet.
"What, so you can glamour her then put her on a leash and make her your bitch like you do all the other women in my palace? I don't think so."
Azrael has the nerve to cock a grin, eyes gleaming like twin rubies in their sockets. It doesn't take a genius to realise what thoughts are spinning through his head. Fortunately for him, he has the initiative to keep his mouth shut. At last I wave my hand with an irritable dismissal.
"I am done with you. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts Azrael. As soon as I have revitalised Serena, you and I will be having long, long talks about the little schemes you have been up to. Oh, and I've put up wards all around the palace perimeters, so have fun trying to get out if you get bored with stealing away vampires and seducing women- try not to lay all the women by the end of the day, please. I can assure you that you won't be able to get out either, but it will be fun to see you fail miserably anyway."
As I turn to leave, something nags at the back of my hand, the faint brushing of a claw, or perhaps a hand, caressing the linger darkness that awaits it there, but finding nothing but an empty void. In a split second I turn and with a singular flick of my fingers, a sleek black shadow streaks through the air, cutting through the mumbling banter with a clean 'shing' only to lodge itself deep into Azrael's shoulder, sending him stumbling backwards in a fit of agonised groans.
All heads turn towards us.
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Those words become a trigger, catalysing something deep inside of me. My fingers tighten further, crushing the white haired vampires throat under the sheer influence of my anger. Azrael chokes a splutter.
"Yes, I would like to know, brother. So why don't you tell me and we can get this grand little fiasco over with, hmm?"
Something strains in Azrael's face, as though he is trying to do something yet can't quite grant himself the energy or the motivation to do it. Another wet splutter arises from his throat, and with a grimace of disgust, I loosen my hand.
"You revolt me," I hiss, recoiling away from him a bit to glare him down, a mixture of anger and utter repulsion pulsing through my body. As counter productive as it would be, strangling him seems like an awfully delightful option right now.
Prince Soren
A little voice calls me to beside my ankles, the low chimes swept up amongst the bickering vampires and the steady ongoing thrum of an orchestra in the adjacent rooms in such a flurry that I almost fail to catch it. My eyes still train on the vampire in front of me, gripped tightly around his neck like a bolted clamp, as though fearing that if I look away he suddenly might disappear. Knowing him, the event seems likely. I barely even register the voice at all.
Prince Soren
Calls the voice again, only harsher this time, jolting me back to my senses. All at once my anger melts away, draining down into a sinkhole of emptiness only to be replaced with an unnatural clarity that is rare to inhabit my being. It is a peculiar feeling, but not an unwelcome one I find as my hand loosens further around my brothers throat, suddenly reminded of why I am here. Peering down at the little fox, I give him a half dipped nod of understanding. Of course, there is no time for fraudulent accusations, not while my Queen is dying.
"It would appear luck would be on your side, Azrael," I growl at last, composing myself as I stand up taller, my frame at least a head above Azrael's, and all the more broader. Between the two of us, Azrael had always been the runt of the litter- a young sly snake who enjoyed the plentiful amount of hedonism my kingdom has to offer, and the prospect of glamouring the folk of Faey to his obedient submission. I suppose by those means I could never fully suspect anything of him, or at least never hoped to- it is not an entirely uncommon trait for a vampire. Besides, it is hard to rightly accuse someone with a charge of kidnapping and murder when they are knee deep in women, sex and blood.
I was a such fool.
"Much to your fortune, my concerns lie with keeping my Queen alive, so I shall be dealing with whatever foul scheming you have been up to once all this has been sorted. Perhaps if time had permissed it I might have hung you today for letting those bastard vampires even so much as touch her, but hanging you would render you useless. So before I entomb you and the rest of my subjects within these walls so no more… funny business can go awry. Instead, I would like you to tell me exactly what those vampires did to Serena."
With one last shove, I let go of Azrael's throat.
Azrael leans back casually, picking at his nails in a manner that would imply I didn't just threaten him with a death sentence, lips twisted into a downwards pout, ticking away each precious second as he ponders over his answer. My fingers tap tempestuously at my side. The irritation has equally seeped into the little white fox, who paces by my side with a faint aggravation. Leave it to Azrael to take his time on matters of life and death. The bastard.
A dangerous thrum of fury begins to tickle into my veins, followed by a familiar flare of red across my eyes, flames of crimson licking across my vision, my fingers itching with the temptation to once more take his neck in my hands and crush it under the sheer force of my will. I never did appreciated being messed about. Especially not by my brother.
Then an unnatural wash of calm crashes over me, dampening the edges of my anger into little more than a frustrated glimmer, and although my body and soul strains against it, I quickly find myself sinking into that artificial tranquillity. My eyes flicker down to the fox whose white hair is tinged with a baleful blue. A small smile strains on my lips.
A curious creature indeed.
Something flickers in Azrael's face too, a slackening of his jaw, a relaxation in the tenseness in his back, and overall aura of repose that seems entirely unnatural for someone of his calibre- that is to say, a lustful vampire neck deep in lies and debauchery.
"Mostly, they threatened her," he says at last, then upon seeing the hardened frown on my face quickly follows up: "But one of them- I believe her name is Elowyn, excellent in bed might I add- got rather distressed after I snapped her friend's neck. So she threw herself on Serena and started tearing open her back. None of them bit her, and none of them gave her their blood, so I suppose that's one less thing for you to worry about,"
But by the time he has finished, my mind is barely processing his words, instead focused on one singular fact that cuts like a knife into my conscience. My lips raise into a cruel snarl.
"And you fucking let her do it."
Not a question, but a statement. I know he did it- but that doesn't make me like it any more. In fact, I would find it rather fanciful to let him have a taste of his own medicine- that is I would do if I had more time on my hands.
"I suppose I did,"
I bite my cheek bitterly, threatening to draw blood. The anger within me is hard to restrain, even with the falsified cap of calmness the little white fox has granted. Dark tendrils of light curl outwards from the long shadow of my form, creeping over the throne room and snuffing out candle lights with a singular cold breath, stifling the room into an inky blackness. Azrael has the nerve to stay grounded- the action of which likely would have made me livid had I not been grounded by that tether of unnatural tranquillity that pins the last sane segments of my mind into reality.
Getting mad won't help Serena, it will only waste time- at least that is what I tell myself as I forcibly drag the shadowy coils back into my body, shuddering with the effort to keep my emotional chaos contained. The room flickers back into life. An audible sigh of relief can be heard resonating around the palace, as if at last everyone can stop holding their breaths. The eating and drinking continues at a leisurely pace, but there is an new air of caution that spikes the air, as though anticipating a sudden outburst.
I turn attention back to the white haired vampire gruellingly. Azrael watches me with a keen interest, head tilted, eyes narrowed to fine slivers so that at a distance, one might presume him dead, or perhaps asleep.
Though at this rate, I would much rather pronounce him dead.
"Why did you do it?" I growl, trying very, very hard to stay level headed, and equally failing miserably.
"I was annoyed, a little with her, but mostly with you. But I did not intend for them to practically kill her. Believe it or not, I would like her alive just as much as you do."
Irately, I spit at his feet.
"What, so you can glamour her then put her on a leash and make her your bitch like you do all the other women in my palace? I don't think so."
Azrael has the nerve to cock a grin, eyes gleaming like twin rubies in their sockets. It doesn't take a genius to realise what thoughts are spinning through his head. Fortunately for him, he has the initiative to keep his mouth shut. At last I wave my hand with an irritable dismissal.
"I am done with you. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts Azrael. As soon as I have revitalised Serena, you and I will be having long, long talks about the little schemes you have been up to. Oh, and I've put up wards all around the palace perimeters, so have fun trying to get out if you get bored with stealing away vampires and seducing women- try not to lay all the women by the end of the day, please. I can assure you that you won't be able to get out either, but it will be fun to see you fail miserably anyway."
As I turn to leave, something nags at the back of my hand, the faint brushing of a claw, or perhaps a hand, caressing the linger darkness that awaits it there, but finding nothing but an empty void. In a split second I turn and with a singular flick of my fingers, a sleek black shadow streaks through the air, cutting through the mumbling banter with a clean 'shing' only to lodge itself deep into Azrael's shoulder, sending him stumbling backwards in a fit of agonised groans.
All heads turn towards us.
Those words become a trigger, catalysing something deep inside of me. My fingers tighten further, crushing the white haired vampires throat under the sheer influence of my anger. Azrael chokes a splutter."Yes, I would like to know, brother. So why don't you tell me and we can get this grand little fiasco over with, hmm?"Something strains in Azrael's face, as though he is trying to do something yet can't quite grant himself the energy or the motivation to do it. Another wet splutter arises from his throat, and with a grimace of disgust, I loosen my hand. "You revolt me," I hiss, recoiling away from him a bit to glare him down, a mixture of anger and utter repulsion pulsing through my body. As counter productive as it would be, strangling him seems like an awfully delightful option right now. Prince SorenA little voice calls me to beside my ankles, the low chimes swept up amongst the bickering vampires and the steady ongoing thrum of an orchestra in the adjacent rooms in such a flurry that I almost fail to catch it. My eyes still train on the vampire in front of me, gripped tightly around his neck like a bolted clamp, as though fearing that if I look away he suddenly might disappear. Knowing him, the event seems likely. I barely even register the voice at all.Prince SorenCalls the voice again, only harsher this time, jolting me back to my senses. All at once my anger melts away, draining down into a sinkhole of emptiness only to be replaced with an unnatural clarity that is rare to inhabit my being. It is a peculiar feeling, but not an unwelcome one I find as my hand loosens further around my brothers throat, suddenly reminded of why I am here. Peering down at the little fox, I give him a half dipped nod of understanding. Of course, there is no time for fraudulent accusations, not while my Queen is dying. "It would appear luck would be on your side, Azrael," I growl at last, composing myself as I stand up taller, my frame at least a head above Azrael's, and all the more broader. Between the two of us, Azrael had always been the runt of the litter- a young sly snake who enjoyed the plentiful amount of hedonism my kingdom has to offer, and the prospect of glamouring the folk of Faey to his obedient submission. I suppose by those means I could never fully suspect anything of him, or at least never hoped to- it is not an entirely uncommon trait for a vampire. Besides, it is hard to rightly accuse someone with a charge of kidnapping and murder when they are knee deep in women, sex and blood.I was a such fool."Much to your fortune, my concerns lie with keeping my Queen alive, so I shall be dealing with whatever foul scheming you have been up to once all this has been sorted. Perhaps if time had permissed it I might have hung you today for letting those bastard vampires even so much as touch her, but hanging you would render you useless. So before I entomb you and the rest of my subjects within these walls so no more funny business can go awry. Instead, I would like you to tell me exactly what those vampires did to Serena."With one last shove, I let go of Azrael's throat. Azrael leans back casually, picking at his nails in a manner that would imply I didn't just threaten him with a death sentence, lips twisted into a downwards pout, ticking away each precious second as he ponders over his answer. My fingers tap tempestuously at my side. The irritation has equally seeped into the little white fox, who paces by my side with a faint aggravation. Leave it to Azrael to take his time on matters of life and death. The bastard.A dangerous thrum of fury begins to tickle into my veins, followed by a familiar flare of red across my eyes, flames of crimson licking across my vision, my fingers itching with the temptation to once more take his neck in my hands and crush it under the sheer force of my will. I never did appreciated being messed about. Especially not by my brother.Then an unnatural wash of calm crashes over me, dampening the edges of my anger into little more than a frustrated glimmer, and although my body and soul strains against it, I quickly find myself sinking into that artificial tranquillity. My eyes flicker down to the fox whose white hair is tinged with a baleful blue. A small smile strains on my lips.A curious creature indeed. Something flickers in Azrael's face too, a slackening of his jaw, a relaxation in the tenseness in his back, and overall aura of repose that seems entirely unnatural for someone of his calibre- that is to say, a lustful vampire neck deep in lies and debauchery. "Mostly, they threatened her," he says at last, then upon seeing the hardened frown on my face quickly follows up: "But one of them- I believe her name is Elowyn, excellent in bed might I add- got rather distressed after I snapped her friend's neck. So she threw herself on Serena and started tearing open her back. None of them bit her, and none of them gave her their blood, so I suppose that's one less thing for you to worry about,"But by the time he has finished, my mind is barely processing his words, instead focused on one singular fact that cuts like a knife into my conscience. My lips raise into a cruel snarl."And you fucking let her do it."Not a question, but a statement. I know he did it- but that doesn't make me like it any more. In fact, I would find it rather fanciful to let him have a taste of his own medicine- that is I would do if I had more time on my hands."I suppose I did," I bite my cheek bitterly, threatening to draw blood. The anger within me is hard to restrain, even with the falsified cap of calmness the little white fox has granted. Dark tendrils of light curl outwards from the long shadow of my form, creeping over the throne room and snuffing out candle lights with a singular cold breath, stifling the room into an inky blackness. Azrael has the nerve to stay grounded- the action of which likely would have made me livid had I not been grounded by that tether of unnatural tranquillity that pins the last sane segments of my mind into reality. Getting mad won't help Serena, it will only waste time- at least that is what I tell myself as I forcibly drag the shadowy coils back into my body, shuddering with the effort to keep my emotional chaos contained. The room flickers back into life. An audible sigh of relief can be heard resonating around the palace, as if at last everyone can stop holding their breaths. The eating and drinking continues at a leisurely pace, but there is an new air of caution that spikes the air, as though anticipating a sudden outburst. I turn attention back to the white haired vampire gruellingly. Azrael watches me with a keen interest, head tilted, eyes narrowed to fine slivers so that at a distance, one might presume him dead, or perhaps asleep.Though at this rate, I would much rather pronounce him dead."Why did you do it?" I growl, trying very, very hard to stay level headed, and equally failing miserably. "I was annoyed, a little with her, but mostly with you. But I did not intend for them to practically kill her. Believe it or not, I would like her alive just as much as you do."Irately, I spit at his feet."What, so you can glamour her then put her on a leash and make her your bitch like you do all the other women in my palace? I don't think so."Azrael has the nerve to cock a grin, eyes gleaming like twin rubies in their sockets. It doesn't take a genius to realise what thoughts are spinning through his head. Fortunately for him, he has the initiative to keep his mouth shut. At last I wave my hand with an irritable dismissal."I am done with you. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts Azrael. As soon as I have revitalised Serena, you and I will be having long, long talks about the little schemes you have been up to. Oh, and I've put up wards all around the palace perimeters, so have fun trying to get out if you get bored with stealing away vampires and seducing women- try not to lay all the women by the end of the day, please. I can assure you that you won't be able to get out either, but it will be fun to see you fail miserably anyway."As I turn to leave, something nags at the back of my hand, the faint brushing of a claw, or perhaps a hand, caressing the linger darkness that awaits it there, but finding nothing but an empty void. In a split second I turn and with a singular flick of my fingers, a sleek black shadow streaks through the air, cutting through the mumbling banter with a clean 'shing' only to lodge itself deep into Azrael's shoulder, sending him stumbling backwards in a fit of agonised groans. All heads turn towards us.
