King of the Seditious

Peak Mountain, Black Mountains, Battling Border

CHAVIAS

“Chavias…” Radix, the Demon Master’s crooning voice called through the cavernous lair like a dark wind.

The former Forever Knight rose from his sparse cot and walked to the barred door of his prison cell. “What?”

“You should know…” Radix teetered side to side, his arms outspread like a child mimicking flight. “I’ve found your boy.”

“Savage?”

“But of course…” Radix’s arms dropped to his side, and he gave a toothy, triumphant grin. Revealing his pointed teeth overlapping each other to close the jaws of a wolf trap.

“And?” Chavias asked. Feigning boredom as he turned and wandered back to sit on the side of his cot. Eyeing the dank stone floor between his feet.

“Libby is already there. I’d hazard a guess she’ll get a chunk out of him before he makes her.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that.” Chavias lifted his dark head. Black hair and beard catching bits of meager light as did his gray eyes to make them glint maliciously. “He’s the instincts of a predator.”

“So do my demonlings.”

“Not like hm.” Chavias calmly argued. “And you know it. Bet he guts her before she can draw a blade on him.”

“She’s not supposed to draw blade.”

“Just a few drops in his drink.” Radix mimicked tipping a vial and flicking it into a goblet.

Chavias scoffed. “She’ll need time for that… She won’t have much once he takes one look at her. If he doesn’t sniff her out first.”

“Good thing I didn’t have him as her primary target.”

Chavias’ brows went up and Radix savored the sweet moment of catching the man off-guard. It wasn’t a frequent occurrence. “Who?”

“His pretty little Sweetheart.”

“He has a mate?”

“I don’t know what they are, but rumor has it he guards her like some great treasure.”

Chavias gave Radix an assessing look. Wondering how much a woman could mean to the boy. Chavias recalled Savage telling him that he’d found someone generating light. And Chavias had told him to protect her.

Obviously, he had. Thus far.

“If you harm something he protects he’ll come for you.”

Radix’s thin lips peeled back entirely too far as he exposed those chomping teeth again in blatant glee. “I’m counting on that. I have so many grand plans in mind for him. Okine too.”

The demon referred to his ogerish commander.

“Okine is far too afraid of the boy to try.” Chavias said dismissively. “He’s not the balls.”

Radix’s smile evaporated like dew on a summer morning. “We’ll see about that.”

“Good luck.” Chavias sing songed. “You’ll need it.”

“Why do you believe in that boy so much, Warlord? You know well he’s at least as dark as I.” Radix snapped. Losing patience as he appeared to be unable to stir fear in the slave.

“If that’s true,” Chavias rose and walked to grip the bars. Leaning his face between them to show Radix how unafraid he was. “Then why were you unable to keep him?”

“Because you helped free him!” Radix hissed. His eyes flaring as orange as lava from one of the Netherland volcanoes. “He was ours, had you not chased him off.”

“You don’t give him nearly the credit for the intelligence he possesses. On this point, Demon, you’ve no idea what you’re dealing with.”

They both knew that was true. Neither one of them knew how Savage had come to be. Or what explained his strange, flat nature.

“He was remarkable. His ability to kill without flinching…” Radix said wistfully. The hint of worship in his voice. “I’d like him back.”

Chavias snorted. “And I’d like hell to freeze over. He’s not yours, Demon. Never was. He wanted to destroy all of you.”

“And why would that be? We saved him, groomed him, raised him…I gave him everything!”

“No.” Chavias shook his head. “You wanted to give him hate but unfortunately, he had his own and nothing you tried to teach him could surpass it. And he was too smart to be swayed by your deceptions. It was nothing I did that turned him against you. It was simply that you had no power over him.”

“Well, I certainly will when I’ve killed what he cares for.”

“Does he care for her?” Chavias lifted a brow. “I’d be surprised if he was capable.”

Doubt crossed the demon’s face.

As Chavias had hoped.

“Either way, he’ll play straight into my hands. It’s only a matter of time.” Radix spat scathingly. But there was a hollowness to his eyes that Chavias had never seen.

Fear. Very. Real. Fear.

Outside the Blue Lark, Dread Hideout Country

SAVAGE JAXSON

Neither Radix nor Chavias had any idea that even as they spoke, cogs were already in motion for Savage to get his hands on the little Firoque woman.

He tossed his head one direction then the other. Where’d the damn barmaid go?

“Where is she?” He levelled his fury on the other assassin. Knowing he had to have let her leave when Savage clearly wanted to kill her.

ColdKill looked around. Seeming nearly as shocked as Savage, that she’d escaped his clutches.

He hesitantly shrugged.

“I was-” He gestured to Dimurah still pinned under the cloak. Still as a statue.

Savage’s arms wrapped around her, holding her still.

He was watching the entertainment of me overpowering Murah rather than the woman on his lap.

Ridiculous.

ColdKill still sat with a hand hovering where the woman’s breast had been. Still frozen.

I’d have noticed when that went missing. Savage gave the idiot an irritated glance, which had the man easing further away.

Growling in his throat, Savage rolled his eyes Heavenward.

“Sorry, My King.” ColdKill muttered.

Dimurah was grunting in frustration under the flailing cloak.

Savage unwrapped his arms and rounded. Marching out of Winter Haven to prowl the courtyard. He swung his head like the furious beast he was.

Annoyed his prey had just escaped his snapping jaws.

He sniffed but couldn’t smell the woman outside.

He rotated on his heel to go back in but heard the backdoor slam and caught the whiff of cimmerii.

No.