Bloodbound to the Beastly King

The room smelled of stale blood and vomit. The man's face was scrunched in disgust, his arm over his nose. He stepped out, the stench gagging him.

Behind him, the woman stepped out, removing the nose cover she had on. She spat on the ground, and the two shut their eyes, faces upwards to the sky as they took in the fresh air.

"You're here again. Tell me you have good news," she said.

The man glanced at her. "Good news? I hoped you'd give me some," he grunted out, turning to look at her.

The woman's eyes narrowed at this, frustration creeping up her spine. "You mean to tell me you do not bring good news? Do you intend to waste my time?" she sneered irritably.

The man's eyes narrowed. "We took over a hundred this week. Do not provoke me," he gritted out through clenched teeth.

The woman's lip curled, but she said nothing, simply brushing invisible dust from her cloak. "And do you know how many of them survived the transition?" she asked, her eyes burning into his. "Just sixty! Sixty of them!" she huffed.

The man's eyes widened. "Sixty?" he snapped, his voice raised. "And the rest of them?"

"They were… fed," she replied, looking away. "The Dark Lord grows stronger with each passing day."

"We need more people. If we are doing this… we must do this right. The Dark Lord needs an army, and we will build him that. That's our job as his followers. A strong army that can withstand anything. That's what he deserves."

"You think I don't know that? That darn king is growing suspicious day by day. I can't just take out people when I feel like," the man snapped angrily.

"You need to work harder. Any day from now, Khaos will awaken and ascend. We need to have everything prepared for his ascension," she turned to face him, her finger pointed to his chest. "Either you bring me more miserable, desperate bodies, or you bring me the sage!"

The man's jaw flexed, anger radiating through his veins. "Don't you think I know that?" he snarled angrily, digging into his coat, his fingers wrapping around the cold metal given to him. "Perhaps the damned crest you gave me doesn't even work—"

Before he could finish, she lunged, snatching the small emblem from his hand. The faint glow pulsed against her palm. Her eyes went wide, all irritation replaced by something else.

"What?" he asked, his brows furrowed as he watched the woman inspect the crest.

She stayed silent, her eyes working through every inch of the crest, then suddenly she looked at him. "Where were you today?" she demanded.

The man blinked, confused. "What are you speaking of?"

"WHERE WERE YOU TODAY?!" she asked, her voice laced with desperation. "The crest glowed. It only does that when the Sage is near. Think." She stepped closer, her eyes burning into his. "Who did you meet? Where did you go? Retrace every single step."

The man's breathing quickened. He yanked the crest back, staring at its faint light as if it burned his hand. His mind spun, sifting through every encounter of the day…

"LORD CARTER!" the woman snarled, her voice shaking with urgency. "If the Sage was near and you didn't notice… then I fail to see how you are in a position of power."

Carter's eyes narrowed to slits. "Watch your tongue, witch. I'm not one of your lackeys you can bark at."

The woman stepped back, taking a deep breath. "If you were in the vicinity of the sage, you must remember where you were today and those you spoke to," she looked him straight in the eye. "Finding the sage will crown all of our efforts, and you know this, Lord Carter."

Carter took a deep breath and stepped back. If he was in the vicinity of the sage, that only meant the sage is in the palace… considering that's the only place he was.

He held the crest tighter, his jaw clenched hard as he stared at it, his eyes filled with conviction. "I'll find the sage and bring her to you. All you should concern yourself with is bringing the Dark Lord to life and fulfilling our pledge."

_______

Carter stepped out of the gates where his carriage was already waiting alongside his beta. The beta stepped forward, seeing his forlorn expression.

"My lord, is everything good?" the beta asked.

Carter exhaled, turning to look at the place again. "The sage is alive."

The beta's eyes widened. "What? But that's impossible— Sages are—"

"Extinct? That's what we all thought, but—" he took out the crest the witch had given to him, showing it to the beta. "It glowed today… and I wasn't aware until now."

The beta stared at the crest as though it were some abominable thing. "My lord… how can you be so sure?"

Carter's jaw clenched. "The witch has no reason to lie… not about this. The sage is alive and not just alive… The sage is in the palace. Right under Thorne's nose."

The beta blinked hard, his throat bobbing. "The palace? Then the king—"

"Knows nothing yet. If he did, the realm would too," Carter's jaw tightened. "Whoever it is, is clearly hiding…" he shook his head, huffing. "Who would've thought the only living sage of the realm would be right in the palace."

The beta swallowed again, unsure whether to nod or run. "What's our next move, my lord?"

Carter didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into the inner pocket of his coat and drew out a slim glass vial filled with a viscous, blackish-red liquid. He pressed it into the beta's palm.

"First, make sure Radek doesn't miss a single dose," his mind ran back to that sham of a meeting Thorne had with him and Radek.

"Thorne is suspicious, I just don't know what exactly he is suspicious of… and thus… I can't have Radek moving out of place. Regulate his dosage and make sure he's under control."

The beta looked at the vial as though it might bite him. "And after that?"

Carter stepped up into the carriage, the door swinging shut behind him with a thud. "After that," he said, his voice low, "I'll find the sage. Khaos needs a divine being as a vessel for his powers when he finally ascends, and I will make sure to bring him the sage. Whoever it may be."

The carriage lurched forward, wheels crunching over gravel, the beta got on his horse, his gaze on the carriage which had now begun to move. He glanced at the vial Carter had given him, his heart pounding hard. Dark times were coming, and he wasn't sure it would end well for him, Carter, or… the sage.