Blood Betrayal

Chapter Twenty-Six

The sun crept along the sky at a snail's pace. Thankfully Daxus had not been entirely unpleasant throughout the morning, in fact, he had been helpful. He spoke about Byron's rule giving insight into the working of the court.

Although Alistair would never admit it, the most unpleasant part of spending time in that room was spending it with both corpses. The dead woman, because her decaying body spoke of a horrible death. The old King's body, disturbing because he had died by Alistair's own hand.

Daxus's calm was the only thing keeping him sane among all the horror.

That changed after a few hours of listening to him speak. Alistair noticed that he had been looking at the woman's corpse off and on since they sat. It was becoming just as disturbing as the corpse itself.

He must be fascinated by it. Or perhaps he was as mad as Byron and was simply admiring the work.

"Of course he changed his name, Behemontep to Byron. Shortly after that, he started a death cult but that was the ninetieth century. I'm sure you remember how much easier things were to cover up then and he hadn't killed-"

Daxus's eyes were slipping back to the corpse for the seventh time since Alistair had been counting. He could take it no longer.

"Enjoying the sights?" Alistair spat cutting him off mid-sentence.

Sighing Daxus leaned back tenting his fingers over his stomach.

"Not particularly."

Alistair returned his calm expression with a black one. The hypocritical bastard had no right to be that arrogant. Marthus had spoken of the High King's palace and of the tame humans who toiled there. Those who gave their blood willingly.

"Why not fulfil Byron's plan? Have the entirety of humanity bow down to us, worship us so that we may run amok and pick them like ripe fruit just as in your own kingdom?"

"You think that we cackle and rip humans apart for our amusement?"

He chuckled lightly as though the idea was absurd despite the fact that he had just been admiring a human in that very state.

"The laws I set are to be followed everywhere, especially in my own court. Those who live here get away with much more than they ever could under my rule, certainly not this." He swept a hand over the table knocking the charcoal drawing to the floor.

"Why? Why would you care if the people in your land kill them? They already know that we exist, what's the point of enforcing that law?"

"They are exquisitely fragile things aren't they. So pliable in the face of time. They have a mere blink of it to shape and be shaped by this world they took. So little time to have and meet their aspirations."

"You can't possibly be trying to convince me that you admire them."

"No, they've done horrible things. They're broken hollow beasts with a lust for destruction but who are we to play as the gods? Who are we to think ourselves better? We aren't gods on earth, there are no gods. Here or anywhere for that matter," Daxus answered. It had come quickly, the way a rehearsed answer would.

"That's rich coming from you, you live the way he wanted. You've set yourself up to be worshipped by your tame humans. You exact righteous and just punishments. You must think yourself quite the god."

"There is nothing godlike about me Assyrian, you flatter me to think so." He beamed. As usual, he was completely infuriating.

Alistair shook his head and glowered.