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CHAPTER 16:
Those damn fairies wouldn’t stop wailing.
“Make them shut up!” I barked out to a soldier, who rushed to try to soothe the hall full of dismayed fairies.
“Calm down Kric. You’re upsetting them more.” Cyan sighed. “They’re here because they’re worried about Incendio. We all are.”
“They’re getting in my way.” I told him. “All they do is cry and cry and then look into Incendio’s future and then cry more!”
“They’re doing their best. They’re his coven so they share a very strong, spiritual connection. They could find him even if he were on the other side of the world, but it’s going to take some time. Incendio is trying to dim the connection and what they do pick up on is really awful.”
“I know cyan! For fucks sake- ugh,” I rubbed my aching temples, “I know.”
“Maybe you should take a break.”
“A break? While my soul mate is missing and probably being tortured.” I leaned into his ear. “You saw what he did to Kieran, a child, and he could be doing much worse to Incendio.”
“Kric, this is not a suggestion. I’m ordering you to take a step back from this.” Cyan pushed against my chest, making me stumble back. “You can start by apologizing to Kieran.”
“Why?” I groaned.
“Because he’s been a ball of depression since you scared him!” Cyan yelled at me. “He had just gotten home and he was already traumatized, but you had to start screaming at him about letting Incendio go! It wasn’t his fault, kric! He’s a child. He couldn’t have stopped them.”
“I know! I didn’t mean to yell… ” I trailed off, remembering the moment I realized something was wrong.
I remembered the guard that had come to find me to express his concern. He had recalled that Incendio had acted strangely before leaving the gate, seeming a bit distressed but had escaped far too quickly for him to press him on it.
I remembered leaving another soldier in charge of the malfunctioning alarms and had gone to chase after Incendio. I had almost reached the gate when I heard a patrolman yelling that Kieran had been found. I had been overjoyed for a second… until I saw the green growths that supported him. I looked around, knowing that the fairy had been there but was gone now.
In my panic, I had scared Kieran. “Apologize to him. He needs to know you don’t blame him. He blames himself enough already.” Cyan sighed.
—————
Kieran was easy enough to find. He was sitting in the playroom with the other kids who sat a few feet away, glancing at him every few moments in concern. Cyan had told me had withdrawn in on himself, refusing to go along with Ciel or Iris’s prodding. He was mute and miserable and somehow I was supposed to change that.
“Hello Kieran.” I said once I had sat down on the floor beside him. He was focused on a spot on his shorts, not even looking up when he heard me speak. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine.” He responded robotically, but I knew that couldn’t be true. He had a black eye that was still oozing, a blood vessel having popped during his beating. His leg was in a cast and stuck out at an uncomfortable angle in front of him. His head was bandaged, the cuts on the back of his head just barely beginning to heal.
“I…I wanted to come tell you how sorry i am for how I acted when we found you.” I finally admitted. “I was scared, you see. Incendio means so much to me and when I didn’t know what happened, I freaked out. But it was wrong of me to yell at you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Okay.” he replied, still staring at the spot on his shorts.
“I’m sure that Cyan has told you that already though.” I added.
“Yeah.” He agreed.
I could hear Ciel and Iris leave the room, obviously sensing that kieran wanted to be left alone. I would have left too… if his pain hadn’t felt so familiar. “I’m sure Cyan has also told you how proud he was of you, how you’re a hero. You were very brave Kieran. That day, when you bit the witch, you saved Iris and Iris helped save Ciel and now you’ll help us save Incendio with all the information you have on where the witch kept you.”
“Yeah.” He repeated, sticking to one word answers.
“I’m sure it doesn’t feel like you’re a hero.” I said hesitantly, waiting for his response. He said nothing. “I know that I never felt like a hero.”
Finally, Kieran looked up at me. “But you are a hero.” He said hesitantly, his voice so small it was almost below a whisper.
“Maybe to some people, but it doesn’t always feel that way. Like when you kids were missing, i felt useless. I felt like if I were such a hero, I should’ve been able to protect you, but instead you got taken a few feet away from me.” i confessed.
“It wasn’t your fault.” Kieran insisted, looking back down at his shorts. “It’s my fault that Incendio is gone. The bad man said Incendio had to go with him if he wanted me to come home. That makes it my fault.”
“When I was a little older than you, the dragon people were at war and one subgroup attacked my home.” I recalled, the words feeling foreign leaving my mouth. I had never spoken about this instance before, but Kieran’s pain seemed to echo my own from all those years ago. “I thought I was a big shot and I charged into battle and saved quite a few people. I almost got myself killed. Luckily, the dragon leader didn’t care about killing a small fry like me. He was after someone bigger… my mother. I hadn’t seen my mom in years and I was so convinced that she wouldn’t come. I mean, her life was worth ten of mine. I had accepted that. Only, she did come. She showed up, unarmed, and said she would trade her life for mine. I begged her to leave, to run away, but she wouldn’t. She told me that she loved me more than anything, any stupid war, and she meant it.”
“Incendio did that too.” Kieran realized aloud. “He told me he loved me and to live a good life.”
“And he meant it.” I told him. “And when we find him, he’ll tell you himself, how you’re his biggest hero.”
“I didn’t mind the hits, honest.” Kieran sniffled. “I didn’t want Incendio to take my place.”
“Hey, hey, shh.” I put my arm around his small shoulders and pulled him into my side. “What Incendio did, he did because he wanted to, not because you made him. And, you know… i’m glad he did. I’m glad you’re safe Kieran. You’re just a little kid. You have your whole life to live and all this potential that Incendio wanted you to have. So don’t cry. Don’t blame yourself. Incendio will be fine.”
“Was your mom fine?” He asked me, his eyes full of tears.
“Yeah.” I told him, hugging him a little tighter. I didn’t explain to him how she stood strong in the face of a cruel enemy. I didn’t tell him how she smiled at me, till the very last moment, and told me to be the best dragon i could be. I would never tell him how I watched them behead her and drop her body at my feet, a warning to stay out of the fight.
Maybe one day I would tell him about how I grew up to be the best dragon i could be, for her memory, and how one day i was able to bring down the very men that had killed her. However, he was far too young now to know about those kinds of things. He was just a child, so alike myself and yet so different. Perhaps his innocence could be spared. I hoped so.
——————–
“Why don’t you hurry up and change the stupid humans already!” Marco groaned loudly as I entered Obsidian’s room.
“Such an insolent little juice box.” Obsidian teased Marco from behind his desk. Marco stood behind the Lord of vampires, quietly fuming. “My particular breed of Vampirism is very peculiar. Unlike you modern mongrels, ancient vampirism is more than just a bite. It’s an infection that takes over the entire body, changes the pigment of the skin, the alignment of the bones, pretty much everything that makes up a body is taken over. If the change is not carefully carried out, complications can occur. Bruftus would be the perfect example.”
“Do explain. I love this story.” I chuckled.
“With pleasure.” obsidian beamed at me. “Bruftus was the first of our kind. He was cursed by the goddess who purposefully administered the infection with a reckless abandon. See, once the infection takes root and begins to change you, it’s imperative that you kill the infection before it begins to make your facial bones drift toward bat and the massive sprouting of hair. Kric carried his infection to completion because the goddess willed it so. Thankfully, when Kric changed me, he had the instinct to stop my infection as soon as it began to reach my bones.”
“Why not stop the infection before it changes your skin and teeth?” Marco grumbled.
“Because,” Obsidian spoke, taking the question seriously, “our darker pigmentation protects our venom from burning us up in the sun and the fangs need the length to allow for proper administering of our venom. Ancient venom is different from modern venom. It is much stronger and easier manipulated. A modern vampire can feel like anything considering the small amount of venom released from a bite and how it reacts to the persons chemistry. Ancient venom is unique because it reacts with the first taste of blood and thus administers an appropriate amount.”
“And what is an appropriate amount?” I asked, although I already knew the answer.
“I’m glad you asked, kricky.” Obsidian turned to smile at marco as he answered my question. “An appropriate amount will elicit a chemical reaction that produces utter bliss.”
“Meaning…” I prodded.
“The worlds best orgasm.” Obsidian chuckled, pressing the tip of his tongue to one of his fangs.
“You’re kidding.” Marco frowned.
“I wish.” i chuckled. “I had him bite me once, just to see if he was fucking around. I came so hard in my pants I thought I might die.”
“From just a bite?” Marco frowned in disbelief. “He bit me and nothing like that happened.”
“He didn’t release his venom. He’s the lord of Vampires, Marco. He can control his venom by will.” I told him. “Why do you think his harem is so big? You think that big guy in the g-string is letting Obsidian gag him with his cock just for shits and giggles?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it.” Marco admitted.
“Care to see what makes a man like that fall to his knees?” Obsidian asked marco, flashing his fangs once again.
“Like I said, the next time I kneel before you will be to rip your dick off with my teeth.” Marco answered instantly.
“The little taste of your blood that I got… it told me quite a bit about you, you know.” Obsidian said matter-of-factly, but a warning was clear in his voice. “You’d be surprised what kinds of secrets hide within a person’s blood.”
“If I didn’t know any better, i’d say that was a threat.” I spoke up. “Thankfully, we both know you would never threaten marco, one of my dearest friends.”
“Of course not.” Obsidian agreed. “It’s just so fun to tease him. He’s got much more backbone than i’m used to.”
“You realize i’m standing right here?” Marco snapped.
“I’m a bit jealous of you, kricky.” Obsidian sighed, ignoring him. “You guys left me all alone in my big castle and told me it was so I could have my fun, but it seems like you’re having more fun here. First, you got to get a good taste of the yummy vampire, and now you’re tainting that delectable little male fairy.”
“You told him?” Marco whined.
“He did.” Obsidian chuckled at marco. “That’s the only thing stopping me from filling you with my venom and making you one of my most prized sex slaves.”
“If you even think of making Marco a blood whore, i’ll pull your fangs out with a rusty set of pliers.” I threatened.
“Blood whore?” Marco jumped in, confused.
“It’s a derogatory term amongst ancient vampires.” i explained. “It’s what you call someone who becomes a slave to the bite. They become mindless blood bags who will do anything for it. It’s the worse thing one can become.”
“Awe, thats mean. You’ll hurt my harems feelings.” Obsidian pouted. “It’s not so bad to be a slave to pleasure. We’re all slaves to something, so why not to our own desires?”
Before I could respond, guards were rushing into the room. Obsidian instantly prickled, ready to attack them for invading his personal wing. “What’s going on? Who permitted you to enter here?” I questioned, trying to control the situation before Obsidian could lash out.
“King Cyan demanded it, Sir.” one guard spoke, making Obsidians eyes narrow. “He told us to inform you that the fairies have triangulated Incendio’s position.”
“What? How? I thought he was blocking it?” I asked, already rushing from the room.
“Yes he was, sir, but he suddenly opened it again.” A guard told me. “The fairies believe it is very suspicious. They suggest waiting a moment before-“
“I’m going to get him.” I cut the guard off. “Send a battalion to follow me once one is ready. We end this now.”
——————-
Incendio’s P.O.V.
“Now be a good fairy, and explain it to me one more time.” Allister told me, running his hand through my hair. His hand trailed down to the heavy collar encompassing my throat and then down my arms to the bags that he had used to cover my hands and feet to keep me from interacting with the earth.
“Why?” I asked. “I have told you twice already.”
“Liars tell inconsistent stories. So tell me again, what did you do with the dragon?”
“I connected his soul to mine using a seed.” I told him honestly. “It allows him to heal from almost any wound as long as the seed remains intact.”
“And why can’t you do it for me?” he asked me again, for the tenth time.
“Kric still has his seed. I cannot link more than one life to myself at a time.” I recited. “It is impossible.”
“While he still has his seed?” Allister asked. “It was smart of your kings, wasn’t it? You make the leader of your army immortal, you make the army immortal.After all, whoever cannot die, cannot lose, right?”
“Yes.” I answered, scared to say anything else.
“So the seed would have to be destroyed… or removed from his body, right?” Allister asked me. I didn’t answer. He tightened the chain around my throat, choking me. “Answer me honestly!”
“Yes!” i cried once he loosened the chain. I coughed, my throat unbearably sore. “Yes, please stop!”
“So how would we go about destroying this kind of seed?” Allister asked me, his tone friendly once again. I bit my lip, unwilling to speak. My thoughts were a mess, but i knew at least one thing. I would sooner die than help this monster live forever. “Fine, be difficult. It’s your own neck.”
Allister tightened the chain again, nearly crushing my windpipe. I gasped for air, trying to claw at the chain with the bags still on my hands. I was blacking out, my vision getting blurry. I realized one more thing before I passed out. Allister was more than willing to torture and kill anyone who stood in his way. Death became a much more real possibility for me in that moment. It was then that i truly began to know fear.
——————–
“Wake up, my gorgeous darling.” Allister chuckled, nearly drowning me as he dumped a bucket of water on my head. “I have a surprise for you.” I coughed and sputtered, sitting up from my spot on the ground. “Today is the day. Aren’t you excited to see your friend again? The Dragon will come charging in to save you. We’ll be ready, won’t we?”
“No.” I said softly, already expecting the painful yank of the collar around my throat. “Yes!” I corrected myself, visibly shaking from the pain and cold.
“Good, good little fairy. The better you listen, the better your life will be, remember? Once you make me immortal, it’s going to be a long one.” Allister offered me his hand. “It’s your choice little fairy. Are you ready to obey?”
My throat was throbbing and burning, the chain having created deep scrapes and purple bruises along my neck. My body was severely sleep deprived and My mind felt half insane. “Yes.” I said automatically, putting my bagged hand into his.
“Such an obedient fairy.” Allister chuckled darkly. “Now be a dear and open the connection between you and your coven, won’t you? For me?”
I nodded, my head pounding from the severe lack of oxygen that Allister had inflicted upon me. I opened the connection as easily as flipping on a switch, illuminating my location for all my fellow fairies to see. “It is done.” I told him, allowing him to help me stand.
“What a good fairy.” Allister continued to praise me. “What a good decision i made, trading the child in for you. Come, let’s get you ready. Can I trust you if I unbag your limbs.”
I nodded, knowing it would be futile to try to fight him. “Thank you.” I mumbled once the bags were removed. The earth immediately reacted, extending stems from the dirt floor to come up and wrap around my hands, it’s worry for me clear. “Shh, it is okay. I am okay.” i coaxed the earth back into the ground.
“What a good fairy.” Allister repeated, petting my head. “You’ll do as I say, won’t you?”
“Yes.” I answered instantly, far too beaten down to attempt to argue.
“Wonderful, let us get ready.”
——————–
I sat in a room made of stone. I guess, despite going along with all of Allisters requests, he still didn’t trust me to be around the earth. I pressed my hand against the lifeless floor, knowing that if I wanted to, I could use the earth below to break out. However, it seemed like a bad idea to share all my abilities in the presence of Allister. How would he use that ability, I wondered to myself.
Time ticked on, and I contemplated how things were going for my wonderful friends. I hoped Kieran was doing well and adjusting back to normal life. I hoped that Cyan and Elijah would finally make up and stop letting pointless matters get in the way of their happiness. I hoped that the ancient dragon Obsidian would go home.
I hope that Kric will be okay without me, I finally thought as I brought my knees to my chest to hug. I imagined he was fuming when he found out I had gone. I could picture him now, brutally abusing the guards in an effort to find me faster.
If I had known that this would happen, I would have denied being mates. I buried my face against my knees and tried to feel remorseful, but I couldn’t help but smile when Kric had finally realized. I had never seen him so happy… and it was because of me.
I knew I could confirm all my wonderings if I just looked into the future, but I found a comfort in not knowing. There was a certain comfort in being blind to the workings of the universe.
I heard the distant sound of footsteps. I stood, worried that Allister had come to check on me. It wasn’t like I was doing anything wrong, but Allister had a thing for punishing someone anyway. As the footsteps got closer to the door, I felt my wings still, so nervous they couldn’t move. “Incendio?”
I knew that voice. I had missed that voice terribly. “Kric?” I half sobbed.
The rusted metal door was kicked down in the next second, making me jump as it clattered loudly to the ground. “Incendio!” Kric rushed toward me, enveloping me in a hug. “He hurt you… I’ll fucking kill him.”
“I am okay.” I assured him, pulling away. “You should not have come.”
“I had to. I had to find you.” Kric told me. “How could you expect me to live without you?”
“I am sorry.” I sniffled, my eyes filling with tears.
“For what?” Kric chuckled, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I am sorry I left you.” I sobbed. Kric only smiled, his face saying everything I would ever need to know. He had no need to forgive me. He hadn’t blamed me in the first place. His eyes radiated love, a love for me, and I hoped my own did the same in return. “And for this.”
My hand shot forward before he could fully register my words, digging into his chest and coming out with a single, bloody seed.
Kric’s eyes were wide as he seemed to realize what had happened. He grasped his chest, the blood gushing out at an alarming rate. “Such a good boy you are, Incendio.” I heard Allister chuckle as he entered the room and came to stand beside me. “I suppose this is goodbye, Commander.”
Kric’s eyes were trained on my face, but I was unable to provide him with any explanation in my expression. “Incen…” He trailed off, falling to his knees. It was just like the future had foretold. this situation was unavoidable. No matter what i did, i was always destined to kill kric.
“Now be a good boy, Incendio, and make me immortal. Won’t you?” Allister chuckled.
“Yes sir.” I answered automatically, my eyes still stuck on Kric’s dying body at my feet. Finally, his heart stopped beating. I held in a scream and simply turned around, taking the seed I had removed from Kric and pressing it into Allisters bare chest.
“I knew you would come to see things my way.” Allister chuckled once I was done. I took his gloating as the chance to fall to my knees beside Kric, my entire body shaking. What had I done? What had I done? What had I done? “What a cocky bastard he was. He charged in here, alone, to rescue his little life preserver. I bet the betrayal cut like a knife. Don’t you think, Incendio?”
“Yes.” i mumbled, patting Kric’s motionless body.
“Now, thanks to you, my entire plan has changed. Forget about endearing myself to the moon King. i could become him!” Allister raved, not paying me any attention. “I could take out that pathetic little sun king and then the moon king right after! I would be a legend! First, we’ll have to get the child back. You could help me with that, won’t you Incendio?” I didn’t answer. “Incendio, I won’t ask you again. Answer me.”
“You know, it is a funny thing about the seed connection that i forgot to mention.” I said, turning around to face him.
“A knife? Really? You’re going to try to stab me?” He laughed. “Go ahead little bug, see what happens.”
‘No.” I told him. “I am not going to stab you. You see, if I will it, the seed can work both ways. My injuries could be yours as well… if I wish it so.”
“Incendio-“
“And I do.” I finished, plunging Kric’s blade into my stomach. I cried out, bracing myself against the wall.
Allister fell to his knees. “You bitch! I’ll kill you!”
“Not if I kill us both first.” I twisted the blade, screaming as the knife did some real damage. Allister attempted to crawl toward me, but I pushed the knife in deeper, crying out in absolute agony. “You. will. Not. hurt. My. Kings! We will die here together before I ever helped you harm another person!”
“You’re a stupid little fairy. You’re bluffing. I know it.” Allister laughed, the laugh sounding half mad.
I shook my head, gripping the handle of the knife and giving one last painful tug to rip it from my body. The blood began to pour out of Allister and I, soaking the stone floor in it. “You are a stupid witch.” I told him. “A stupid witch who is going to die.”
There are about two more chapters left in INFERNO!
Remember, you’re guaranteed an update that same week if you comment on every paragraph of the most recent chapter! I’ll follow and dedicate the next chapter to you as well!
Anyway, feel free to leave me the feedback I so desperately crave:
-Do you guys think Incendio will really kill himself to make sure Allister dies?
-What are your opinions of Obsidian?
-Are you guys interested in having Obsidian’s story conclude within this book, or would you like to have a short story on the mischievous vampire?
-How do you think everyone will react to kris’s death when the battalion arrives? Did you guys see that coming (Incendio killing Kric)?
-How are you guys feeling about the story direction so far?
-What are you guys still waiting on? Any questions?
-Is there anything you don’t understand or need clarified?
Thanks so much for reading my darlings <3
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