Apprentice

Chapter 20: I am God

Tia's POV

"Mexxy." I say stiffly, trying to remain polite. His curious green eyes flicker in between Liam and I. I try not to look like I'm about to curl up and scream for mercy when he starts torturing me. I was the apprentice of the very person he hates the guts of-that wasn't going to go down well. "Your Highness..." Deamon mumbles quickly, bowing low. Liam does the same. Mexxy looks at me expectantly, and Deamon shoots me a warning glare but I don't bow. I don't bow for fake kings. The only person I will ever bow to is Ridge, the rightful king. 

As if reading my mind, he kicks me in the stomach, trying to force me to bow. I groan at the pain, but instead of falling forward, I fall backwards, against a tree. I glare at him defiantly, holding my stomach. "So this is the ex king's apprentice, is it? The one who is supposed to cure his insanity?" he sneers, shoving me with his foot. Stumbling to my feet, my hands ball into fists. "What he sees in her I will never know. She's nothing but a spiteful little cow who doesn't know royalty when it flies in front of her..." he gestures at his hovering feet. 

"Ridgedog is the rightful King-" I begin to snap, but he slaps me hard in the face. Touching my stinging flesh, I wince. He goes right into my face so I can feel his warm breath on my face. I automatically try and recoil, but there is a tree in the way. "Listen here, you little cow. Ridgedog is not the King. I am. Voxeltopia was falling into pieces because he went crazy over some little baby deaths. He was not fit for king. I am god. So bow before me, before I take you away and have you publicly executed. And I might even invite Ridgedog, too." Listening to his little speech, I glare at the ground, not moving. 

He grabs me by the arm, and slams me into another tree. This time, the pain is enough to knock the breath out of me, and I fall to my knees panting. "That's better." he laughs. I straighten up, rubbing my sore back. "So let me get this straight. You ran away from your crazy master. He's now somehow even more insane than he already was. You ended up brutally assaulting a demigod named Elevn after he tried to take you back. And you refuse to bow in front of me. You, my dear girl, are what I call a troublemaker. And troublemakers should be disposed of immediately." I look up at him bitterly. 

"Mexxy, the fault is mine. I forced her to do things she wasn't ready to do. What she did was only after being provoked and assaulted herself, it was a natural instinct. She's only a young quart god after all." Deamon says quietly, still staring at the ground, not meeting my eyes. Mexxy turns to the demigod, his gaze blank. "And you are willing to stick up for the troublemaker and the ex king?" Mexxy hisses. Deamon looks up. "He was my best friend. I can't sit by and just let him stay like this. There's only one more thing I have to do and then he will finally be happy." He finally looks at me, his eyes betraying the fear of disobeying the king.

"What if I don't want him to be happy?" Mexxy asks, circling the demigod. "He deserves it." I snap. His head snaps to me. "Shut up, I didn't ask for your opinion." I bite my tongue, glaring heavily at him. I glance at where Liam was to see him cowering behind a bush. "She's right, though. He's been tortured with this for hundreds of years. It's time for him to have a break," he replies. Mexxy stops to throw him into a tree. I wince as I hear the tree crack. "Are you trying to give me ORDERS, general?" he spits, watching Deamon writhe under his powerful grip. "N-no!" he coughs, gasping for breath. 

He continues to goad him, still choking him. "Let him go!" I snarl. He stops, and his head slowly and menacingly turns to face mine, dropping Deamon choking on the ground, rubbing his throat. "Or what?" he says softly, walking slowly to stop in front of me, tilting his head slowly, his eyes genuinely curious. I stay silent, watching Deamon turn his gaze to mine, a grateful look in his eye. "What could you possibly do to me?" he laughs, the laugh worse than Ridgedog's when he was insane.