Book 3: Chapter 71
A/N: Sorry I was pretty much gone during the holidays…. Try as I might I really did have the holidays kick my ass. And like, now that it’s kinda over, so’s the writing block. More will be made tonight and posted tomorrow! We're about to get into where everything hits the Fucking Fan EEEE.Oh! and if you read the Horned King, or The Fallen Prince, this is before the Lord of Contradiction.
Jerold
I sat next to Heidi, who cried on my shoulder now. I was honored to sit with the Yoltier, but that didn’t surprise me…
It was the turnout that did.
Even my grandcalf, Mini’s daughter, called her mate, and she sat at my left, while Heidi was at my right. Harmony had a foam finger, given to her by Xaxas, because I assume he means to mess with his father a bit.
“Not looking forward to the ….*sacrifice* part, but Go Tiffany!” Harmony shouted. Tiffany gingerly waved. We aren’t in her life Much, but we’re in her corner…. After… After Grendel’s Fuck Up, the Charred House polices their pups a lot harder.
“Oh look!” Said Heidi.
“Grandpa you look so serious.”
“He’s here for business.” Said Bryson. He and Izzy were here too. He was also here for support, being the Least likely to use magic.
“Not anymore. Every permit was in order, and I’m glad I came *instead* of the Church.” I shook my horns. Rodrick is Noble, but there are still many who Hate supernaturals…
This religion was illegal not even a decade ago… Before Harmony, the Church was in their rights to deem Horned Worshipers cultists, and burn the lot of them on the ring.
Every leader of every Diamond color was Here… along with their top 10 ranking members as guests….
Ballsy.
But I could see why they did that too. With the Princes here in lawn chairs, at the base of their ritual circle, at Least Asanguis would deal with invasion of the others. A Giant, intricately carved black table completely filled with a FEAST was laid out just for their king, while plates were being passed around for we in attendance.
It was a nice spread… I wish they wouldn’t have given my mate man’s meat, but that was because all the plates were being made with magic. There weren’t assigned plates or anything, but to ‘tradesy,’ I gave him my beef.
There’s a joke in there somewhere, but this place and all the details on the walls distracted me…
‘Weaheh weh vek vivik mak natif nag gagic? Gagac? Those are two entirely different things? What the Fuck is that supposed to mean?
That’s a word puzzle in a language I haven’t had to write in at least 200 years…
“You looked confused. Do you not want something else?” Asked my oblivious mate… oh my gods what do I do! What Do I Tell Him?! He can’t know he was a breath away from finding out he was almost a cannibal! I KNOW HE WILL NOT BE OK WITH THAT!
“Thank you.” I chuckled outwardly…. “Thanks to you, I understand the carvings. It says, ‘Hail to the Horned, His Wife, His Children, and Theirs for Three Thousand Generations?’ something like that. The rest is mostly veneration or barrier reinforcement.”
“Awe, I see why she is his favorite.” Said Asanguis. “Such tears of joy make me jealous.”
…Did he want kids?!
“I think you’d make a good father.” I said honestly.
Asanguis of the three would probably be just as good as Bryson. He was never as Much of a problem as the eldest…. But more importantly, his wife was once human, and holds an actual, Genuine good nature. He is cold blooded, and a serpent to boot. I doubt he’d be anything less than the monster he used to be without her.
“I’m so happy…. Hellinia is this how you feel?” Heidi smiled. The wiped were tears of absolute joy.
“Aye. I cried too.” She smiled, starting to cry herself, but hers… I could tell that that was because her mother was down there… not a niece.
“It’s alright Heidi.” I said petting her hair.
“Wipe your eyes before you miss your baby shine.” Beamed my mate. She hugged him too.
“I’m so proud!” She said excitedly. “Look at her in her lil’ robes and outfit, and-and-and!”
“Shh. It’s ok. Let’s watch them.” I said seeing her literally bounce in her seat for this.
But it also seemed everyone else was just as excited.
“I remember the first time I saw the Horned One I was terrified.” Heidi giggled. “Oh my gods he made me trade him a smile.”
“Sounds about right.” Said Xaxas. “Father’s partial to women, the meeker the better. Grand bravado is all fine and good, but you hold mother’s voice Heidi… he’ll *always* hear you.”
“Me too.” Admitted Bryson. “You’re Kaiden’s pup. That’s my niece down there as much as you’re my blood.”
“Same.” Said Asanguis. “She’s important to me because she’s important to Bryson and Xaxas, but she’s a good kid. I don’t see the harm in getting some free food, and seeing father impress his mortals.”
“Oh My Gods! You See It Too! That BUM!” laughed Xaxas “OOOO look at me, the big scare-wee god who came for snakie-doos and treat-ies.”
I snorted. He’s going to get me in trouble.
“You can get smote by your-fucking-self.” Said Asanguis and Bryson at the same time… Xaxas looked a little deflated.
“It’s starting.” I said casually.
Tiffany stood there, holding a black knife. She would be the one to slay them, and as the leader, Zayde should address the masses. At least a thousand people were here, and as if some silent, unseen signal was given… They chanted.
‘We summon our master. We little few cast our lots in the Darkness, being made of it’s essence.’ Something like that? Sargent Tellspell would be ashamed. His lessons half go to waste.
The room pulsed with every word. My witch is bad at best, but I think it was something along the lines of ‘The King of Hell who holds his Queen, come to us, and enjoy our feast.’
There was no need to write down, nor recant their ritual either.
This is their religion.
Here in this world, our gods quite literally hold physical forms…. They come… they curse and bless as they please…
Ironic that I even Sit here. I am the bastard son of his Greatest General… yet he is missing….absent, and I am abandoned by Both the Night *And* Light Court. Both were so mad they wouldn’t even make me… I am Cursed by Humblon, he made me in ager, yet I am Blessed by Lulliba and Lia… Lia gave me a mind, so I wasn’t a snorting, bleating bull in a field somewhere… Lulliba gave me my mate.
So for them, as much as their children were a Pain in the Ass, I’m grateful. It’s why I protect this world. It’s been reset, the timeline’s fucked, and Nothing makes sense for those of us who have lived long enough to know that secret, but I’ve died at least a thousand times, and I’ll do it a thousand more if it means this place still spins…
“My coven, guests, and masters, we bid you welcome!” Shoutd Zayde. His beast growl is impressive. That he’s Tiffany’s mate relaxes me. I may not have visited as much, but that didn’t mean I didn’t care.
Everyone looked excitedly, while the humans looked terrified down there. I felt for them, but from what I learned, they weren’t good people, and they were kind of getting what they deserved.
That’s the difference between the war and now… Beforehand they didn’t care. All not marked by their masters were tools…. But now, at Least they only target problem makers.
So their still ‘evil’ but they actually serve their purpose. Hunting those as evil as them takes the yoke off My sore ass back, that’s for sure.
Of course... the Church *still* has a problem…They always will. But Seeing this room glow like this… I was taken aback... But seeing Tiffany in the center of the room while her mate spoke made me proud. I don’t necessarily… agree with Horned worship, but they’re entitled to religious freedom…a concept so foreign the Realm Queen had to make it law.
That’s something *my* grandcalf did. Harmony makes me so fucking proud.
Zayde is the Yoltier. His words were to be said first.
“I must admit, when we were tasked with Running Another coven, I was shocked… I know many of you were as well. There was even a fight over it.”
“Hey, I my head’s on right now!” Shouted Gulteer’s son in red, and there were chuckles.
I didn’t know what that was about, but I held my mate’s hand… When did I do that? I should thank Xaxas proper… I did want him here, but I don’t trust magic, and I trust the Church even Less… not when it comes to their enemies… both sides go too far from time to time.
“Aye.” Said Zayde with a smile. “And this time, you even brought housewarming gifts. Those will be burned now.”
He snapped his fingers, and a bonfire with fresh kindling roared, appearing from nowhere, likely summoned from Hell, since I recognized that black wood…
“The offering of Tarteron Lumber… and… Black paper.”
“May your first prayer be heard.” Said Velimier. “A proper apology for rightly being a horse’s ass… Red Diamond formally apologies for the actions of its members… and its leader.”
“Yellow Diamond honors the honest apology Velimier. We are too lean a number for any coven to remain estranged.” Said Zayde. “Now… The table is set, and the masters are hungry.” Another light joke for the crowd. “I, Zayde Yoltier summon my master, the Horned One. May he, and his wife partake of our diligence, and bless this home. May it be welcoming to the welcome, and oppress the unwanted.”
That was Tiffany’s cue. She killed the humans swiftly, and without hesitation. But she was compassionate. She beheaded them, so they were pretty much instantly dead…. Knowing *Gulteer* or Gods Forbid this Fucking New One, they’d have played with the meat.
I Really don’t trust this one… He’s done no crime… but something tells me that he should already be wanted.
I snorted.
If the Church saw what happened next, they’d lose their gods damned mind.
The bonfire changed to purple, with the torches… and there he was.
We bowed our heads. He may not be my patron, but I wouldn’t be rude in someone else’s house.
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