He ran into the throne room and stopped. His terrifying brother was not sprawled across the giant throne of blackened dragonbone. “Rhadamanthus!” He called, his voice commanding, backed with magic to reveal his brother if he was hidden.
“Bold today, brother. Should I remind you of your place?” Rhadamanthus said as he stepped up behind Rurik. Rurik towered over the normal races of the world, the blood of dragons within his veins, but Rhadamanthus was taller yet. Built a god among warriors, none could defeat him, least of all Rurik, even with all his magic. He bowed quickly and held the child up as an offering. “I bring you a powerful new servant, my Master.”
Rhadamanthus curled his lips back in disgust, revealing his black fangs. “It smells of weak human flesh, and it is yet a babe. What use is that to me beyond feeding to my hounds?”
Rurik fought a growl. His brother was so blind with his arrogance. “His eyes, Rhad. Look at his eyes. He is an immortal.”
Rhadamanthus yanked the child away from Rurik, pulling him closer to the light where the lanterns reflected the golden irises. The toddler didn’t seem scared of either of them or the new place; he just frowned at them both and squirmed.
“I killed him. He came back within moments. He has powerful magic. He will serve you well if you can tame him,” Rurik hissed as he came up behind his brother, using his magic to influence as much as he dared.
Rhadamanthus whirled on him and tucked the baby under a massive arm. “It is merely a human babe. Of course, I will tame it. Begone. There is much to be done.”
Rurik did not stay to watch his brother march off with his new prize. The child would be controlled and out of his way, that was what mattered. He stepped into the shadows once more and traveled to the land of the fae. He did not dare simply appear in the room he had seen the child in though.
He waited for hours in the shadows of the room, watching the irritating fae float back and forth. The child they had stolen had not settled into the new surroundings like the fae had expected, and he could hear their hushed whispers. It would be difficult for him to steal this one, so he decided on a different approach. He walked out of the shadows and bowed his head to them. He recognized the family of fae as one of the ruling class. “Greetings, noble fae.”
“It is a dark one!” The King of the fae said in alarm, and his little friends all repeated in their little squeaky voices.
Rurik somehow managed not to roll his eyes at them. “I could not help but hear you are having troubles with this child you have acquired. I do not think he will settle in here with you. He fears you. I will make you a deal. I will buy him from you.”
“Buy? He will buy the child?” The King muttered in confusion then turned to confer with his council that flitted about him.
“Surely this child is nothing but trouble for you. I will give you riches beyond measure for him,” Rurik said, using his magic once more to seduce and influence as he waved a hand. From the shadows a chest overflowing with precious gems appeared. The fae loved to use gems for their spells.
The collective appreciative gasps that he earned from the fairies let him know he had won. He waited patiently as they dug through the gems and muttered amongst themselves.
“We have never sold a stolen child,” the fairy that seemed to be the Queen murmured to the King. “This is most unusual. How did he know we stole it? It was to be ours!”
“The child is nothing but trouble. It was foreseen. We will steal another. He still resists the change!” The King sputtered then hushed her and turned to Rurik and bowed graciously. “We accept the deal, great one.”
Rurik couldn’t help the smirk as he disappeared into smoke and reappeared next to the celestial child. He had planned to kill this child as well, but now that the first child was still alive, plans had to be changed. The boy tried to run, but Rurik lashed out, lightning-fast, grabbed the boy’s arm, and yanked him through the darkness to his mage-tower. Insurance. This boy was destined to destroy the other to restore the world. Rurik wanted his world to fall to apocalypse but only on his terms. It did not hurt to have this boy to destroy Rhadamanthus’s if it came to that. He would do everything he could to see that was not necessary. The boys would never know the truth of their destinies.
CHAPTER ONE
Ashiyn glowered as he stormed through the hallways. He glared at any servants that dared get in his way and they scurried out of sight. He gritted his teeth and ignored the pain in his leg, refusing to limp, even though every step sent pain racing up the barely mended bones in his body. When would he learn to control his tongue? Why did those bad thoughts always come out of his mouth so his Master could hear them? They only earned him beatings. Today had been bad. Today he had died. He hated dying. The death part alone was terrifying, but he always came back no more than a few hours later. The reviving was the annoying part. When he woke his body always hurt like a herd of wild bulls had trampled his corpse. Every part of him ached. He even thought he could even feel pain in every single hair on his head.
Ashiyn stopped at the unfamiliar voice. He knew
