Codex Mortem

Echoes

Rhys

"Bring the last one!" Our leader shouted from his seat.

The chained man approached the table, shadowing the warriors with his powerful stance. He squared his broad shoulders, holding my gaze in defiance. My mouth clenched and i growled in annoyance. I couldn't do anything, it was not my right. One of the guards kicked hard the back of his leg, bringing him down.

My blood was boiling.

"Worthless scum!" I spat on him.

He moved his eyes to Raiden and clenched his fists above the table, waiting. I reached for his tunic and tear it, exposing his back. He didn't even flinched.

I looked at the tattoo on his back and neck. He lost the right to be first in command, he lost the right to bear that ink. He is no longer First Aga, someone righteous will bear the title.

"Jayce of Dirae, I Prince Rhys of all Dirae, revoke your title! From this day forward, you will no longer be Aga! -You TRAITOR!" My eyes filled with rage.

I turned to the crowd, making sure that the Alphas will hear me from their spots :

"He poisoned the King with Moonberries to weaken him, for he is not man enough to win a fair fight!"

The crowd was stunned.

I took the whip and launched a blow.

A hand caught the thong midair.

"Stand back!" Raiden ordered. He pulled the leather string and I released the handle, obeying.

"Why don't you let him, KING?" The rat mocked. "Want to do it yourself? You might get some blisters..."

"A blade!"

"You're not fit to lead us, you LOUSY, MEEK KING!" the traitor shouted. "That day, when you signed in blood the treaty with the bloodsuckers, you showed us what a ruler you are. She was caring my sons! "

His veins grew thick around his skull, and he was having a hard time to control his rage. His green eyes darted arrows and his square jaw twitched in frustration.

Everybody made a step back. Raiden's eyes turned dark as night.

Someone threw a dagger on the table.

"My second proclaimed that you are no longer Aga. I will remove your ink, but not all. The rest of it is a reminder for every miserable day of your life of what you have become!" And he cut into the skin.

The blood slide down on his back, while all witnesses averted their eyes. Jayce sat with a statue's stillness while he was skinned. High ranked werewolves like us have an increased pain tolerance, but not extreme. I admired him for that, but I couldn't show.

Raiden threw the dagger aside and held a piece of skin up for all to see. He tossed it into the dirt, crushing it under his boot and returned to his seat.

I placed the pouch on the table. Raiden dig in and pulled out the white stone.

"If you or anyone else think I'm not fit to lead, throw the stone! Take the crown and rule as you see fit. WHO IS GOING TO CHALLENGE ME?"

Jayce averted his eyes and his head hung in shame.
No pack leader came forward, no one dared, even if they loathed him.

When the agreement with the vampires was made, some did not accepted. They ambushed me and Raiden and were killed in the fight for the throne.

I don' recall much of the fight, but, before I lost my consciousness, I remember my friend like never before. A dark reaper.
His beast side took over completely, and I saw a cold blooded killer acting on the most basic instincts.
Rumors spreaded and, since that day, he was the most feared of all. If not for him, I would've been dead by now.

"That's what I thought. A lesser man like you won't pick a fair fight. Take away the stones!" my leader barked.

I was puzzled.

"No draw for a TRAITOR! He will get my meekest side! Have his canines filed down!"

With the fangs unsharpened, we can not not kill our prey swift. We would drop venom through the open tips with no control, draining our beast's power. A vampire would lose the ability to pierce a vein to suck, crushing it instead, and their healing abillity would suffer, just like ours. One of the worst demeaning punishments. He would have to pull them out from the root to develop another set, and the second ones take around 3 years or more to grow, but not as strong as the firsts.

Two of our youngers came forward for the horrendous task, trying to prove themselves. They had leather gloves for protection, but they were inexperienced, with shaky hands. One of them was ready to faint. The muffled sound of the iron echoed in the silence. A lower released his bladder when the file slipped and slashed bluntly thru flesh.

I pushed the fainting-face aside and did the job that had to be done myself. With red palms and splattered figure, I looked at my work. He was bleeding like a pig, laying on the muddy ground with a heavy breath. The guards that held him retreated. A bucket of cold water fell over Jayce, making him shake his head.

After moments, he got up, subduing his pain as much as possible. He turned to the crowd and spoke, taunting:

"Is that all, KING?"

I could not believe my ears.

"One more thing" Raiden replied dry. He walked in front of the former Aga, once my brother, and bit his arm hard, releasing all his beast's pure venom. Jayce went limp, his eyes rounded in shock.

Then he ripped up his shirt in a frenetic dance of power. The roar of the mightiest of our kind quivered the realm. The Alphas howled in response, and I joined my cry to the echoes.

.....