Hellbeast

4

1024 words

•———————•

Horus briefly pondered how terrible his luck must be, to have met two legendary warlords in the short span of about a month. Both devilishly handsome, both destined to expose his secret and bring forth his demise. The boy- sorry- man jumped down from the branch he was sitting on, and grabbed Horus's hand, pulling him up. Though he looked young, the dragon was fairly tall, towering above even Horus, who wasn't exactly small either.

Horus blinked looking back and forth at their intertwined hands and Mavic's scowling face. was this boy bipolar or something? He hesitantly tugged his hand, trying to free himself, but the stubborn dragon didn't release his tight grip. Pressing his lips into a thin line, Horus peered up at the giant dragon, nervous. "Um- Prince Mav-" The ginger pressed his finger against Horus's lips, silencing him. His scowl deepened. "Call me Mavic. I hate formalities." Great. Now he was on first name basis with two warlords.

Struggling to inhale without breathing in the dragon's intoxicating smoky scent,Horus cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes sir- I mean- Mavic. What I meant to say is I can't accept your offer- though I am greatly honored you appreciate my skills!" The dragon did not like this response. His scowl furthered. "Are you denying me? What kind of life could you possibly have that's better than being a royal servant? You'd live luxuriously!"

Horus thought of the many sleepless nights, being on the run from the dark practitioners, the hunger he felt almost every week, and shook his head anyway. "I'm sorry Mavic. I can't accept your kind offer, though I'm fairly sure there's people out there with far better skills than me." The prince looked bewildered, as if no one had ever denied money or royalty before, which of course, they hadn't, and if Horus wasn't on the run from bounty hunters he would've considered that offer heavily.

Horus gently pulled his hand free from Mavic's, reaching down to pull his leather bag up, before patting the trunk of the tree. "This tree that I've grown, it won't die. None of the plants I grow ever do. This way, you can come back whenever you want. I assure you, apples will always be growing on these branches, and they will always be sweet. Goodbye Mavic." But before he could stumble away, the prince grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his chest. "I, Mavic Lress, firstborn of Edward and Irene Lress, grant you, stranger, the royal seal of the dragon kingdom."

•———————•

Weeks after his last encounter with the ginger dragon of the south, Horus was keenly aware of the group of bounty hunters chasing him. Though he'd attempted to thwart them many times, this particular group seemed to be on a never ending supply of healing capabilities. They had tracked him down to the forest in which he slept, and ambushed him. Now he was running, again, through an unfamiliar forest, hoping he'd reach a hiding place before these hunters reached him.

The mark on his chest glowed gold, and the seal on his right shoulder shown red through his clothes, both urging him to use the power he refused to acknowledge. An arrow plunged into his back and Horus crashed onto his knees, stiffing a cry of pain. The edge was barbed, he could feel it in his flesh, and it was probably poisoned as well. He knew it wouldn't kill him though. Probably just subdue him long enough for them to haul him back to wherever the dark practitioners now resided.

Crawling on the forest floor, he pulled himself against the nearest tree and leaned on the bark, reaching back painfully to rip the arrow out. Pain coursed through his muscles, from both overexertion and the poison burning through him. He heard the hunters shouting, signaling they found him. He felt a rough pair of hands pick him up, and they conversed with each other in an unfamiliar tongue, before the two seals started to burn numbly and a wave of heavy magic washed through everything in a ten mile radius, in which every creature fell dead from the toxicity released.

•———————•

When Horus woke up, he stared up at the sky, the sun was in the middle of it, signifying midday, and he sat up tiredly, his bones aching. Immediately, he smelt sulfur and ash. Looking around, he saw the remains of the bounty hunters, bones and ash. He had incinerated them, unknowingly. He touched the mark on the skin above his heart, where the magic pulsed through him continuously, healing him faster than his own dormant magic could. Oh shit. He had awakened the seals. He had established a bond. Now the owners could feel what he felt.

•———————•

When Ciril felt the pain, he dropped his cup of tea and fell to his knees. Never in his life had he felt this much anguish and physical pain. The raw sadness that coursed through him made his throat close up and his eyes water. A heartbeat, and then it was all gone, not completely, but dulled significantly. He knew what this meant. Horus Dupres had established the bond. Ciril almost wished he hadn't. Although he spent months hoping Horus would finally cave and open up, he now wondered how the hell could that quiet, redheaded boy get into a physical altercation?

•———————•

Mavic was effortlessly swinging his sword at the guards, practicing his fighting skills, when the tsunami of pain crashed onto him. He immediately dropped his sword and fell to his knees as well, gripping his ginger hair and groaning. The guards stopped fighting and rushed to their future king, yelling for a medic. He waved them off and stood up shakily, leaning against a pillar. His mind flashed to that stranger he met weeks prior, the redhead with the shimmery honey eyes. This was it, this was the bond. He had connected the seal but why the fuck was he so hurt? That shy princess that gotten into a fight? The one Mavic had barely sensed any magic from? What the hell?