Book 3: Chapter 17
Zayde
The circle was activated again, but this time no ritual would be made. It was lit so we wouldn’t damage the room. The carvings here were older than all but Alteer, since I believe he carved these with Gulteer when the castle was built.
“It seems mostly Black Diamond is here.” Said Gulteer. He was clearly agitated, that his children fight, but if I wanted aid Unhindered, I would have to do this.
Again, I would have to prove I was equal, not lower.
“I stand in this ring, that he know his place. He is too bold, and speaks as though he is my equal.” Velimier sneered.
“I am here because I Am your Equal if I am to rule the House of Yellow.” I hissed.
“And I allow this because should you loose son, not only will you rebuild the castle, you will do it for *free*.” Said Gulteer.
It was then that my uncle was surprised.
He didn’t count on not being compensated. Regardless of our long lives, and nearly endless amount of resources a coven leader would have, doing something for free was an insult to their time.
“I accept.” Said Velimier. His people in the crowd clapped.
“Let’s get this over with.” I growled.
He summoned a wooden staff with a red diamond atop it. It was about the size of a fist. With a smack on the ground, he became the great bat, a mythological beast long gone, with only a few existing on the private island of the Master’s son, the Realm King.
He was probably about 15 feet tall… I was 150. His black fur held no luster, and he was painted with vibrant reds and whites. The runes gave him strength, whereas I built that into my form. One of the benefits of Being a behemoth, rather than imitating one.
[Your size does not matter.] He chittered. I could understand most beast speech. He spoke Vampiric, being a bat.
I could smell his fear as he swooped me, and I batted at him like the gnat he was. Our claws countered each other, and my power knocked him almost to the edge of the barrier each time, but he didn’t give up like he should have.
-----Tiffany-----
It was only a matter of time before the high mindedness of royal blood caused one of us to ‘prove’ ourselves… The leader of Red Diamond must have been offended during their meeting, but I wasn’t surprised at that…. I knew there would be a problem.
He looked almost exactly like Alteer, only he was thin, and a little paler if it were even possible before he shifted… and as a bat, his wingspan was probably 30 feet across…
“It’ll work out.” Said my mother. I sat in the bleachers with her.
The grand circle was activated, and Zayde was enormous, swatting at Velimier, leaving a trail of smoke behind such claws… They were probably the size of his uncle right now to be fair.
“Don’t fret my little one.” Said dad. He came up the bleachers to kiss me on the forehead. “I heard his little rant in there.” He grumbled.
“High minded nobles?” Asked mom.
“Yup.” Dad said popping the ‘p’. “He feels as though Zayde isn’t a true Yoltier after Gulteer praised our ideas. It’s all honestly asinine.”
“It really is. Go Zayde!” Shouted mom.
“Go Zayde!” I shouted with dad and Harry. His mate looked… really pale. She probably thought of this as absolutely insane. This was a real fight, not just a spar among blood… One of them could be killed, and they would be in the right.
“I will show you your place!” Snarled the coven leader.
“And I will show you yours!” Snarled my husband.
The clank of their claws hitting each other sounded like swords, and Gulteer came up here to sit with us… There was true fear in the crowd as they kneeled low to the patriarch of all the houses….
“Get me some popcorn.” He asked a random witch.
“Of course Dark One.” She shouted, summoning her broom.
“Where’s your wife?” Asked dad.
Zayde was slashed on the side, but everyone kept conversing like we were out on the beach… He bled as he snarled, breathing fire, singeing the fur Right off his belligerent opponent…
“She keeps the circle active. I don’t want the stone damaged, but if they break each other, it will be alright.” He grinned. “After all, last I checked bones can mend, stone cannot.”
The witch came back with his popcorn, and he waved his hand for her to approach. “That’s a good child.” He patted her head. It was an honor to be touched or praised by him… and here I was, having it given without much done. But I would be proud of that.
“Thank you.” She bowed. He dismissed her.
Velimier made a star pattern as he zipped, and used the speed he gained to swoop at my husband, only to be smacked so hard by such a large beast, that he hit the barrier made by my grandmother-in-law…. It made him gasp for air. Zayde waited for him to catch his breath…
He looked down on him as proud as a dragon…. I began to wonder did he lose himself, because that form is not one to just summon repeatedly….
“Pass me some.” Said John.
They were so casual about this, but I wondered would Velimier cheat. Technically, it wasn’t off the table to use spells, but, if he did, it would change this duel to a firefight.
“Lightless Dark!” Shouted Velimier, doing what I feared.
Now he flew in darkness none could see through, but Zayde’s laugh was sinister….
“You think the lack of light will stop a behemoth?” He cackled. “I Become darkness to fly, you fool!”
“Judgment’s Curse!” With a lightning fast swoop, and a flash of red light, he cut Zayde’s neck, but he caught him, slamming him to the ground with enough force that it could be felt underfoot.
“I’ve had enough!” he roared. “Slimy Cheat! Sneak-Thief! Dishonorable! Absolutely Dishonorable!” He snarled as the meat of his neck dangled freely… He’d been flayed nearly to the jugular… since that particular spell warped reality, turning the iron scales to flesh so it could be cut…
The darkness was dispelled, and Gulteer yawned…. But I was worried. Zayde was too worked up… That spell was illegal… even we dark witches weren’t allowed to use it… unless we HAD to… This wasn’t a legal situation….
Velimier screamed as he was crushed like a bug under Zayde’s feet.
“Yield.” Spat my husband. “Yield dishonorable cur.”
The way he crushed down on him harder…. There were multiple pops heard even from here.
“Good.” Said Gulteer. “I hope he breaks his fucking spine.”
Harry looked a little shocked, and the chuckle of the Witch King made his hair stand up.
“Little wolf, I sense your age, yet you do not remember. I shall remind you young ones now that I do not like petty squabbles and pompous arrogance. Velimier earns every wound, every ache. He will feel the weight of a mighty palm on his chest every time he looks my grandson in the eye now. Let him feel as an ant under the boot of a child a moment. It builds character.”
“The question is, if he will use that defeat to look forward or to double back and remain an idiot.” Said Harry.
“Hubris and pride are particularly dangerous sins.” Said Gulteer. “But I will not interfere. He needs to learn this Now, that there not be trouble later.”
As a bat I could see him try with all his might to wiggle free, but he was belly up, with one of his wings broken and twisted, while the other flapped violently. It was painful to watch, but Gulteer was right. Without being made humble, Velimier would continue to shit talk, be a nuisance, and backbite.
“I…. I Yield…. You are a Yoltier… and now I am bound to aid you, but I will not do a hair more.” He hissed, turning into a naked man.
“Good.” Said Zayde. “By all accounts ‘uncle’ I could kill you. It is my right since you Broke the Law to Force Victory you Cannot Earn…., but I would not leave a burden on my blood kin.” He shifted into a man himself, but some of his iron scales were still on his body…
They didn’t go away….
They were over the cuts given to him by the bat slashes… and as Velimier limp-walked, having a broken leg as he exited the ring, Zayde snarled a low rumble. His uncle hobbled to a jog, because he feared my mate’s fierce eyes… They were filled with vengeance and hatred.
His neck closed, covering over the wound with a thick scab of scales…
“Run away little bat. If I catch your throat, I shall rip it out.” Spat Zayde.
“I’ve seen enough.” Said Gulteer.
With a puff of black smoke, he was in the ring with Zayde.
“Let all of you learn tonight. The Night Father blesses All his children, no matter their bloodline, race, or tenants. So long as they are of him, and follow accordingly, they are blessed. Zayde here is the youngest male to Ever defeat and become the mighty creature you see, but it has a cost. Go to your study.” He waved his hand, and my husband was gone.
“He’s immune to vampire bat venom…” mumbled mother. “He should be dead or passed out right now.”
“Really?” Said dad.
“Yeah, it looked like he uses vampiric elements in his magic. If he were a little less snobby, I might have asked to borrow a book or two.” She complained.
“Do you guys mind if I go check on Zayde…. He seems… a little unhinged.”
“I imagine so.” Said mom. Mother was very adept at magic, earning rights of her own. She was the only known non-Yoltier to summon the Horns… for her to agree, she noticed too.
“My people.” Boomed Gulteer. “You may go about your business, the servants will clean the floors.”
With that, many got up and walked out. As they did, I got a hug from my parents and my brother. “We should head home.” Said dad. “It’ll work out.”
“I know…” I said getting one last hug. I sprinted to the elevator, though people made way…They seemed to fear me, or at least know that we weren’t just upstarts who were given such titles because of our lineage…. He had multiple study rooms, but he was likely in his office, floor 3-29….
I had a gut feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I was right. He paced in there like a caged animal, red eyed, and fuming.
“Please don’t worry about me my love.” He said with a glare. “Forgive my tone… I can’t help it right now.”
“I know.” I said walking closer to him, and he took steps back.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” He mumbled.
“I know that too.” I said hugging him. He didn’t hug back, keeping his arms down, while mine were under his armpits… He was still covered partly here and there with scales.
“I should have killed him.”
“Then you’d be worse. You would have allowed your nature to come out, and once out… you would have to feed such a sinister cycle.” I said burying my face in his chest.
He was warm… but scary… There was a real danger to his touch at the moment. He stood there and growled low rumbles, ashamed that he couldn’t do something so simple… Ashamed he couldn’t put hands around my waist or pull me close.
I craned up to kiss him, and he returned it. Slowly, hands were on my shoulders. “I need this… you make me calm.” He admitted. “Had I smashed a single thing, this whole office would be in ruin.”
I didn’t say anything, because I knew he spoke the truth…It took Everything he had not to kill his uncle. That’s probably why Gulteer put him here. Until those scales left, he wouldn’t be himself … not fully….
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