The Darkest Dawn

Chapitre 3

Lucien gazed vacantly at the ceiling. He could not sleep, for the second night in a row. If he kept this up, dark circles will haunt his eyes and his master might rethink the pageant.

Suddenly, tape seals his mouth shut. A burlap bag covers his head, and he is wrestled from his sheets. Rope traps his wrists and ankles as Lucien is hauled across the ground. Lucien thrashes around, struggling against his assailants. A cold breeze brings goosebumps on the poor man's skin and judging by the rocks and soft grass, Lucien was indeed outside. Lucien fought all the harder, managing to knee one of his attackers. The attacker grunts, and Lucien freezes at the familiar voice of Audie.

"MMPH?!" Lucien cried, muffled by the tape.

"SHH!" Audie hisses in english. "Darius said you wouldn't come willingly!" Audie and Darius carry Lucien much easier now that Lucien was shocked into stillness.

"MMMMMPH MMMPH?!" Lucien seethes, outraged. The rope burned where he had struggled against them.

"Your head was all up in the clouds with this 'pageant' nonsense. You wouldn't have listened anyway." Darius whispered, his voice strained.

They finally dropped Lucien who tore off the burlap sack, tape, and poorly tied rope. They were in the middle of the woods. Lucien spun every which way. There was nothing but grass and trees, as far as he could see. Out here, the moonlight was cut off by the leaves and branches leaving perpetual darkness. Lucien strained his eyes trying to see through the dark blue hued veil of the night. He had only been outside once before, the day he left Kebiel's service to serve a new master. He could see Darius, his pale blonde hair taking on a grey hue in the inky night. His blue eyes seemed navy, yet still colorful enough to pierce through the veil of darkness. Audie stood next to him, black hair blended into the background and green eyes vibrant. Black and white standing next to each other, like chess pieces.

Lucien gripped his hair. "How could you guys do this to me?" He fumed. "Now they will kill us all!" Darius rushed at him. Lucien flinched and stepped back but Darius already grabbed the back of his head. He yanked Lucien back. Lucien's knees buckled, so he kneeled with his back bended backward. His head was still under Darius' control, forced to see Darius towering above him.

"Do you know what could've happened? On the final night of your pageant, they would've thrown you out into a stadium with a bunch of other slaves, all of you armed to the teeth. Can you guess what would happen?" Darius leaned over Lucien, long blonde locks still tied back brushing against Lucien's face. Lucien did not move. His internal prey-like instincts told him if he kept still, perhaps he'd be unharmed. "You would've been slaughtered like a lamb in a pit of wolves." Darius released Lucien who fell forward with a gasp. "You're weak. You're a coward. No wonder your wife left you."

It is one thing to insult a man. It is another to involve his wife. So Lucien scrambled to his feet and approached Darius. He raised his fist and drove as much power as he could behind it. Darius did not stumble when the fist impacted his jaw. His head snapped to the side. When he brought it back, he held his hand over the spot. His dark blue eyes turned stormy as he glared down at Lucien. To Lucien's surprise, Darius barked out a laugh.

"That's much better. Careful though Lucien, you just hit a priceless slave's pretty face." Darius jokes.

"How can you joke about something like that at a time like this? I just punched you, I half expect you to kill me!" Lucien cries out. Darius shrugs.

"We should get a move on." Audie says nervously. He fidgets with a sack strung over his shoulder. Darius nods, turns and confidently leads the way through the foliage and tall trees. Audie hesitates, but ends up following. Lucien huffs in distress as he tries to keep up.

Darius sported a large flashlight, keeping the way in front of the trio clear. This did not seem to help Audie at all, who skittishly looked anywhere but where he was stepping. Audie was raised in Rhaelra's home since birth, and as far as Lucien was concerned, had never stepped outside once let alone in the middle of a forest at night. At some point, Lucien walked straight into a low hanging branch and leaving a gash somewhere around his left eyebrow. Great, another scar. As if he needed anymore. Darius stops suddenly.

"Darius?" Audie queried in a soft squeak.

"Be quiet." Darius replied mysteriously. Bushes nearby Lucien rustle and the trio turn in alarm. A huge dog jumps out and barks at Lucien, who only gasped and stepped back. When it was clear the trio were not prey, the dog assumes a social stance, tongue hanging out as it panted while wagging it's tail. Audie shrieked and ducked behind Darius. Lucien felt a pang of betrayal as he and Audie had been friends for ten years whereas Darius had only appeared a week ago, but he shook it off knowing Darius was much more likely to be able to defend Audie.

"It's a dog." Lucien heard himself announce lamely. The dog had long grey and wiry unkempt fur. It's muzzle appeared to have a white short beard, and it's ears were the floppy sort.

"An irish wolfhound." Darius muttered.

"A what?" Lucien tilted his head.

"The dog breed. It's an irish wolfhound. I know because I had one once." Darius explained. Lucien glanced at the immense, muscular hound. It was probably four and a half feet up to the shoulder, and looked to weigh about 170 pounds. It was cute in an ugly sort of way.

"I'd hardly call that a dog. It's as big as a dire wolf!" Lucien scoffed. The dog barked, as if proud of it's staggering size in relation to the extinct species.

"Audie, pass me the sack." Darius instructed. Audie slid the sack off his shoulder and handed it to Darius, who didn't take his eyes off the hound. He reached into the bag, and brought out a raw chicken breast. The dog lifted it's head, sniffing. Darius whistled short and monotone notes. He offered the meat to the dog, who approached cautiously. The hound took the meat gently and set it upon the ground. Lucien watched in fascination as the animal tore into the meal.