Chapter 62: I’ll watch you
Dancers and singers sing praises to the house of Hydraeus, they told stories with their voices and paint scenes with their dance. They told of the founder, the stormgod with his seven heads and they told of the tale of the current Bloodscion.
There was not a lot of battle tale to be told of Thaedric’s mother, only at the beginning of her reign has she truly done battle, for the rest she preferred to deal with diplomacy and one or two assassinations.
It worked well for her and she was able to take the Great Clan to a great height. Before it was torn away.
"Thaedric..." Malak murmured, bringing him back.
"And we will now see a fight between promising young warriors of our Dominion! These are fighters with little resources who still want to fight for the glory of the Dominion! The winner will be given a great reward and if they wish, a position in the blue shield!"
The slave fighters, those brought along cast envied eyes on the two who would be fighting. Thaedric chuckled. It was funny how they twist a game of entertainment slave fighting into something the Hydraeus can claim.
"Are you sure you are okay? You look distracted." Malak said.
"If I don’t know you I’ll be convinced you care." Thaedric took his mace from Urlk. "Don’t worry. I’ll win."
He didn’t wait for the two of them to speak as he joined Gorvo and followed the guard leading them to the arena. The two fighters didn’t speak to each other.
And then their names were called.
☆☆▪︎☆☆
Elder Cormac stopped a yawned. He was bored and wished they could hurry things along but this fight meant that the Iridessa was in the palace and started his work.
Soon, he promised himself. Soon he would stop with the disguise. He glanced around, at all the people gathered in the audience. He tried if he does say so himself.
All the people gathered here are the most important in the Capital. And they more or less rule the Dominion together with the Bloodscion.
His mouth curled at the thought of the Bloodscion. Today. He promised himself again.
The people gathered here would witness his rise to glory, they would not leave here until they named him the Bloodscion. His plan was perfect and he would have executed it a long time ago if not for a tiny problem.
The Iridessa was taking care of the problem now. He received a message immediately and since the palace was currently unscrupulous and under his protection, no one would get in his way.
"Ah. They sure make me feel young," Elder Eriolyn Hydraeus said with a chuckle. She was the oldest Elder and the one in charge of diplomacy, both internal and external. "Look at the fire in their eyes!"
Cormac managed a smile as he looked at the Elder. She would have to go because although she has no military power, her influence was second only to the Bloodscion herself and she was as loyal as anything.
He followed her gaze and saw the two fighters walk into the fighting stage. A boy with a blue eye and white hair, and a boy with long black hair and black eyes. "I can see what you mean. They are so spirited...."
Cormac bolted upright. His eyes fasten tight on the boy. He looks familiar, horribly so. Then it came to him. The slender build, and the way he smirked. There was no doubt about it. It was Thaedric Hydraeus, Scion of the Great Clan of Hydraeus.
He felt a chill as those eyes settled on him even so far away. Suddenly, Cormac could see his dreams dashed. Everything he has been working on trampled upon.
He thought he was dead. He gritted his teeth. He made a rookie mistake by not following through. By not being confident the death.
He looked around, no other seemed to be aware that their thought Scion was standing before them. He needed him dead. This time for real. He should have taken care of the little cowardly rat himself.
But no matter, he would deal with mother and son himself.
☆☆▪︎☆☆
Thaedric watched the shock on Cormac’s face before he made his face smooth again. Their eyes clashed and held before he looked away, he swept his gaze at the rest of the Elders but none reacted like Cormac.
"You can begin! Lord Kagerou Reginald will be the judge!" The commenter shouted.
Thaedric whipped his head up, heart thundering. Kagerou? His friend?
And then he saw him. Kagerou was even more slender than Thaedric as if any stray wind would carry him. His eyes and hair were green so deep like new greenery. He carried a sword by his side.
Kagerou Reginald, sworn protector of Thaedric and his only true friend. Thaedric felt jealous because he had no such friend on earth.
The Reginald family always protects the Hydraeus. It was such during the time of the founder. And it was such now. Thaedric wanted to run to him and smack him on the head as a greeting.
As usual, he looked as if he would rather be sleeping than being here but above all, Thaedric noticed a shadow that clung to him. It made the underside of his eyes dark and his eyes lacked the usual light that usually sparked.
It hit Thaedric then. Kagerou must be mourning Thaedric’s death. As with his mother. They must have thought him dead inside the Reckoning Sanctum.
Thaedric wanted to hit him even harder. ’Can’t he see me here even with my hair and eyes dyed?’ He deserves a smacking for that.
"Well. Fight, I’ll watch you. Everything goes I guess. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing here." Kagerou spoke softly and slowly as if he was gathering his thoughts.
Thaedric knew otherwise. Kagerou is one of the laziest people Thaedric knows. The only thing that gets him going is training, any other thing makes him sleepy.
