Chapter 95: Come!

Rymora was careful! Careful enough to wait until the carriages that would take them to the venue of the tournaments were gone as she gazed out through the window before stepping out.

She was Aria’s maid and her face was known which meant that she could go to more places than normal maids would. Still there were still some places that even her wouldn’t dare to go.

Somewhere like Zyren’s study and room. Somewhere she was slowly heading.

She was desperate. If they called to see her again and she did my have something tangible to give them, she was worried that she would be removed and someone else would replace her.

How else would she be able to join the pack once her mission was done?

Moving quickly past the hall even as her heart thumped heavily in her chest preparing to head up the stairs that would take her to the topmost floor, with the slight hope that even if there were guards there, they would belive that she was there for a good reason.

But before she could take a step up, she froze catching someone from the corner of her eyes. Someone she knew well enough for her eyes to harden the moment she caught the silhouette of them.

It didn’t my help that their huge stature made it almost impossible for him not to be recognized.

With her head bowed as low as she could, Rymora turned back around hoping to leave much faster before he can catch sight of her.

But she had barely skipped a breath when she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind her with a thundering quality to it.

"Wait!" In a tone that sounded very much like an order rather than a plea even as Rymora wondered what he could possibly be doing in the King’s room especially when it was clear that the King was not there.

The sounds of the footsteps increased and Rymora could no longer pretend to be blind as she lowered herself to the floor and knelt in greeting her mouth clammed shut.

She could still recall the conditions under which they had parted, something she never wanted to relieve again for the rest of her life.

Yet, fate uninterested in what she wanted suddenly decided to put him in her part again.

"Just because you can’t speak doesn’t mean you can’t make sounds!" He said in a tone that had her jerking up to look at him with a confused expression on her face as she watched him move closer to stand right in front of her.

Rymora still didn’t dare to make a sound even as she lowered herself gaze back as she heard him speak again in a clearer and more disapproving tone.

"I sent for you! My guards swore they delivered my orders!" She heard him say even as Rymora instantly shook her head prepared to deny seeing the letters she had read since the last thing she wanted to seem to be was disobedient.

Only to hear him continue saying words that might as well have been a threat to her own well-being.

"If my guards have suddenly become liars then I might as well cut out their tongues. Of what use are they to me!" He said even as Rymora who had been prepared to shift the blame to the guards slowly shook her head.

There was no paper to scribble on so she simply shook her head much harder than before even as she raised her head to meet her gaze with that of Lord Drekh.

"...maybe it’s you that’s lying to me!" He spoke again to which Rymora shook her head even harder than before with tears in her eyes even as she remained kneeling on the ground.

Her hands balled into fists but she didn’t dare to do anything else even when he moved closer to where she knelt and squatted right in front of her. His voice low and deep.

"When I order you to come! You come!" He said even as he fixed his gaze staunchly on her in a way that made it hard for her to look away as she lightly nodded her head.

Without speaking again he got on his feet and slowly made his way past her even as the guards moved to follow him without so much as sparing her a single glance.

Rymora looked shaken and indeed she was. He hadn’t held a knife to her throat but his tone and the look in his eyes had been more than enough for her to realize that he was dead serious.

Worse was the fact that he knew something about her that could get her sent out of the castle which would make her truly useless.

Rymora had no intention of getting on her feet until he was gone only to hear him speak after he had walked a couple of steps away.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked in a slightly snappish tone that made her instantly scramble to her feet with a slightly confused expression on her face.

"Your mistress isn’t here!" He announced even as he gestured for her to come closer while he continued to walk off.

"You’ll come with me!" He said even as he continued walking away and Rymora moved to follow not daring to defy him.

Moreover part of her indeeed wanted to go to the tournament to see what was going on. Aria had simply not been sure if she would be allowed.

Rymora bowed her head to show that she would indeed obey which was enough as she realized that Lord Drekh no longer paid any attention to her.

’What the hell does he want? Like threatening me isn’t enough,’ she internally wondered aware that she had done badly the last time she tried to please him so that couldn’t possibly be what he wanted.

Rymora was pissed but her face was filled with nothing but reverent fear as she bowed her head and followed him to the carriage like she was supposed to.

**********

The place where the tournament was to take place was magnificent.

The field had been cleared and even as Aria stood on a tall podium right beside Zyren she couldn’t help but be awed by the sight of the people that came.

What was even more surprising was that not all humans were slaves and some were treated just as well as other high ranking vampires with jewels on their bodies and clothes.

The more Aria looked the more she wanted to take it all in as he head kept on moving from side to side even as her heart began to do flip flops. Aware that regardless of how festive everything looked, it was still a fighting tournament and people were going to die.