Tributes

Chapter Forty Four

'Luke left the castle last night.' 

Those words repeated in Helian like a mantra as he had followed his Master as he dragged his beau through the castle on a long warpath. Airean had been the only person brave enough to tell the God what had happened. The rest of the staff had just kept their mouth shut and refused to talk even as the God had demanded what was wrong. That bravery was a reason Heilan loved the man. Too many cowards were in the court. Though arguably it was smart to know tell the God of War something that was going to infuriate him. 

The servants had known of course. The entire castle had known by morning thanks to the guards. Luke was no longer the baby and Tyreol had broken promises made to him. Every creature who resided in the castles would remember that. The fae would remember that doubly so. A god's word was binding, a promise less so but for the fae, it was equally as binding. They didn't like creatures who broke promises easily.  

They hadn't known the details like Heilan. Few did. Not that it mattered. A promise was a promise and Tyreol had promised Luke something which he had never done before. To never lie about who he was in bed with. To never put another above Luke's right to sleep next to his side when he was suffering. Tyreol should have changed his plans the moment Luke sought permission. Jack would have waited an extra day, the man was not waiting desperately or hopelessly. He had been fine. Instead, Tyreol had fucked Jack, lying to Luke in the process. It was in his rights to do so.

In his rights but it broke Luke's heart.

So Luke had left. No, not left. No one mistook what Luke had done for 'leaving'. You left in the morning. You said goodbye to Tyreol civilly, facing him head-on, giving him no means to stop you. Tyreol would never stop the former baby from leaving. The same way he would never go to them when they were crying from nightmares at night. All part of his rules he had made to try and make the process easier.

Easier? For Tyreol maybe. It was no wonder half the tributes never visited anymore. But Tyreol was a god, and no one, not even Helian, would tell him how to treat his pets. And now Luke had not left but run from him. Fled from the being who owned his life. From a wolf god. 

Helian felt like all the air left the room. "Oh Luke, what have you done," he breathed, sending a prayer to Tyreol's sister goddess as he watched everything happen around them. The goddess of the moon and of hunting to a lesser degree. She also had a habit of guiding lost souls home in the dead of the night. Luke was going to need someone looking after him now. Tyreol was beyond angry right now. So very angry and Helian had not felt his level of anger in a long time. This was the kind of anger which led to countries collapsing and cities burning.  Luke was in danger now. 

Tyreol left Airean in the tribute room, a level of control Heilan hadn't counted on. Airean wouldn't be punished if he obeyed the order to stay, Heilan was sure of it. Tyreal's anger had focused on one person. Luke. 

It didn't matter that Tyreol had broken his promise first. It should but it didn't. Luke had broken his own in return, alongside a whole collection of rules the tributes were bound too. Luke's promise was to never to leave Tyreol.  That was his intension by fleeing, and everyone knew it. Luke most likely planned to hide. As if Tyreol couldn't not find Luke with the barest of efforts. A laughable thought considering who Tyreol was... Luke had forgotten.