Tributes

Chapter Three

Warning: Past child abuse implied in this chapter.

The third tribute was rather unexpected and had an unfortunate downside. The boy had been abused, He had been warned before going to see the boy. The idea made Tyreol's stomach tense with anger and a distinct desire to hunt came over him. The wolf side demanded he go find who had harmed a child in such a way.  His more human-ish side was more selfish with his thoughts. He could only hope that fate had not sent him a violent one. He didn't want to have to deal with those sorts of problems especially when he was hosting already very young tributes. Abel and Silas were too vulnerable to let near people who had suffered and were damaged by it. 

Amused filled Tyreol as he walked into the common room.  he found Julia and the twins practically pressed against the newly locked door, trying to listen to any clues to who the new person was. Abel knocked against Silus slightly making his brother hiss at him. Julia hushed them and each had a strange frown of concentration on their faces.

"I will warn you now, do that while I am talking to the boy and you won't be sitting for a long time," Tyreol rumbled, grinning inwardly as all three humans jumped away from the door like it was on fire. 

Abel and Silus' faces went white in horror of being caught and the smell of fear was strong from them much to Tyreol dismay. It had been a few days since they had first arrived, and unfortunately, he had been too busy with other business to spend any time with them. It was annoying but necessary. There were more than a few people he kept at court he would rather not have any interaction with his human tributes. He had let things slip without people to care for.

"I'm sorry, my Lord. We were only curious," Julia quickly recovered, bowing slightly. The boys followed suit. Julia was considerably less afraid of him than the boys. She was a clever one too. Heilan had given him reports on the three of them, showing how she had taken the boys well and truly under her wing. Making sure they when to bed early and brushed their teeth. Making sure they studied and ate their vegetables. Apparently, she had a big sister streak coming from her. Tyreol was very pleased with this.

"I have no problem with you being curious, sweetheart. But I will not stand for spies. Understood?" Tyreol warned, meeting each of his tributes eyes solidly.

"Yes, sir," all three said dutifully, Abel was noticeably quieter than the other two. His scent was different from his brother's. It was fear but it was different somehow. His stance was shy too, his feet pointing inwards and his head bowed to try to avoid Tyreol's glaze. 

Tyreol frowned deeply. What exactly was Abel so afraid of? It was almost like Abel had done something which might get him in trouble but the boy hadn't been here long enough to do anything too serious. Abel shifted as he realized the God's gaze on focused on him, looking up through his fringe warily. Blue eyes clearly hiding a secret. 

"Do you have something to tell me, Abel?" Tyreol asked gently, crouching down to his level and gesturing for him to come closer. Abel bit his lip and shook his head. Julia and Silus both looked at him oddly, wondering what was going on. Julia went as far as to nudge Abel so he took a few steps forward. "You sure? You don't smell sure," Tyreol pushed for an answer, taking the boy's hands and pulling him a touch closer. He could be wrong after all. Abel had kept his magic a secret for a long time and Tyreol was likely the first person to know about it.