Bound By Blood (25 page)

             
Daŕ
ēus
scowled. He said nothing. He held
Samanthŕa’s
body in his arms a
nd
his eyes
glowed a deep red.
Then, h
e smiled mischievously.

             
"No--" Dĩas's words were nearly a hush. His hand reached forth and a stark fear washed his face clean.

             
But Daŕ
ēus kept grinning. And when the smile faded, he
bi
t into his own wrist. Dĩas’s expression turned to that of
horror. He knew what was coming
--any fool did--
but he hadn’t the speed or strength to stop it.
Not that Daŕ
ēus worried.

             
And then the Giant spoke the words,
“By my blood, the blood which runs through all of you,
I claim her
.
"

             
"NO!" Dĩas cried.

             
"
You
shall no longer be entrusted with her safety.
" Daŕ
ēus ignored his pleas
as the skies above rumbled
. "
By the laws of the old ways,
she
is Priestess,
she is mine
.”
He marked her forehead with his blood and
an
unseen glyph began to glow from her skin.
             
Then, just a drop, he smeared his essence on her full welcoming lips. By instinct,
even though she lacked consciousness,
she consumed what little bit it took to invoke
his claim.
As lightening rippled over top of them, her eyes flew open, her fangs emerged and her body spazzed into a stiff arch. She hissed towards the stormy skies and a red mist left her throat entwining some sort of mystical dance around each of them. Then, as the wind rushed by to take the powerful fog away, her eyes drifted closed, and she went silent again.
In his arms, s
he la
y
peacefully,
oblivious to what was happening.

             
The electrical storm above vomited up its
gag
of silence as he spoke th
e
words
and whatever happened to her stirred the fierce pot of it even more so
. Lightning began to crack
and splinter
while dark crimson clouds began to swirl
above
.
The fires in the pits nearly burned the stars and the air made such a howl.

             
A
nd all
who stood there suddenly knew who
se
hand
was
behind the electrical storm that firs
t breeched the skies this night
. . .
h
i
s
. . . the Father of the Blood.

             
Thunder roared as if announcing the power which had been sealed to the
realm
s
’
mysterious depth
s
.
The Priestess had been claimed. An ancient rite that Daŕ
ēus knew most did not understand, but
he
did and his foe would.

             
"Undo this!"
Dĩas
’
s
face
hardened
with hate. Before he could react, another voice made itself known.

             
“Let her go
,
beast!” A blade was drawn a
nd
the edge of it
pressed the
artery in
Daŕ
ēus’
neck
, tight
against his flesh, daring him to move
.

             
Dǒntáe Theŕ
éan
was protecting his
own. Swords drew up around him, against him, but his eyes never once left
Daŕ
ēus
.
The threat of death and its collision suffocated
like
humid
ity
rising
in the
air
,
but he didn’t care. His mind was
clearly
on
Samanthŕa
and the
Monster
wh
o
held her.

             
“
Dǒntáe
,
put the sword down!”
Chymeŕah
ordered him.
“He has every right to lay claim over her, especially if it is to ensure her saf
e
ty. He is the Father of the Blood and whether any of you realize it or not, she is
his
High Priestess.”

             
“Back awa
y,
”
D
aŕ
ēus
growled in a low voice
,
but Dǒntáe
didn’t budge.
Daŕ
ēus
searched the warrior
’
s mind
,
not liking what he saw there. He saw lust for her, starving want. His chest r
ose
as his muscles tightened. Without fear, he whipped around as the edge of the sword scratched his neck. It could do no more than that
,
for he was so quick in his actions. One powerful hand gripped the edge of
the
sword. It cut into his hand but it didn’t faze him in the least as his power began to melt the steel.
Dǒntáe’s
eyes grew wide as the same force that attacked
Dĩas
struck him as well. Only when
Daŕ
ēus
thrust
Dǒntáe
into the ground, Darius made sure he did not get back up. He wasn’t dead
,
but unconscious
.
His chest would burn
with
the mark of
Daŕ
ēus
for many moons as a reminder to think twice before challenging the
F
ather of the
B
lood.

             
Trynaté
ran to her brother’s side, tears falling down her face. She was confused,
cold,
and weary. She couldn’t understand any of this.
Daŕ
ēus could feel her thoughts.

             
“He meant no harm! His heart is pure! He feels deeply for her.
Surely,
you must understand that?
Surely you must feel proud that your bloodline would protect the Priestess with their life?
”
Trynaté
wept
over his body.

             
"
This
is why he still lives." His tone was still frightfully low as he
ignored her.

             
You could feel nervous tension
and
fear in everyone who watched as
Daŕ
ēus
returned his hand back to
Samanthŕa
. He never once lost the ability to hold her. His hand
,
which gripped the sword
,
was
healed as if it
had
never happened.

             
Before all Hades could unleash itself
any
more than it already had
,
Kaléé
stepped in. “
Daŕ
ēu
s, l
et her go with
Chymeŕah
before anyone else gets hurt. Those here who challenge you
,
Daŕ
ēus
,
suffer the same delusions that she does.
We have all been under a curse . . . which began when we lost you. Your bloodlines . . . t
hey only seek to protect their Priestess
,
and I promise you that most here would protect her before they would
Dĩas
.” She added that cold hard fact. Still, there was no reason for anyone to get hurt when their intentions were good
and honorable.

             
“Let her go with
Chymeŕah
,”
Kaléé repeated and
winked at
Daŕ
ēus
.
She showed him that she to
o
could be clever and shifty. She turned back towards
Dĩas
.
“Dĩas
,
you have no choice but to agree. He has invoked the laws of the old ways and as
F
ather of the
Blood,
he has a right to see to the safety of our Priestess.
She
took an oath to serve and protect the source of the
B
lood and
he is that source
.”

             
“Why should I compromise?”
Dĩas
cursed. “I sit on the throne. I rule the bloodlines. It is what
I
say
,
not what he so crudely wants. This has nothing to do with her safety. She took an oath to me and the Elders.
Not
to him.”

             
Daŕ
ēus
growled
,
taking a step towards
him, causing
Dĩas
to take another step back. Before everyone drew their swords
,
once more
Kaléé
tried again.

             
“
The Priestess serves the blood,
not
you
,
and
not the Elders.
There
are more things here to consider than
just
Samanthŕa
,
Dĩas
. You may sit on the throne
,
but you are
not
the throne
,
if you can understand what I am saying.” She glared at him
,
hiding the meaning of her words from those who watched and listened. There was a secret
there, which
could not be spoken of
,
but one she,
Chymeŕah,
Dĩas,
and Daŕ
ēus
knew very well. “He is the
Father of the Blood
. Throne or not, you have no rule over him.
E
ither allow
Chymeŕah
to take
Samanthŕa
or he will take her himself
,
wherever he chooses.”

             
Dĩas
did not reply.
             

             
Chymeŕah
turned towards
Daŕ
ēus
. In his mind
,
she said,
“I have proven my loyalty to you all this time. I have never failed you. It is because of my cleverness that you stand here now. Let me take
Samanthŕa
, please. You have sensed her
confusion
,
her
fear. Let us not frighten or damage her mind more than it has been already.
”
             

             
Daŕ
ēus
looked down at
Samanthŕa
. Her body melted
into his arms so easily. Her face was reflecting such peace. He knew
Chymeŕah
was right. When he touched the Priestess
's
mind,
he knew all of the things she had felt
and
feared. He also knew her body contained some sort of poison which
Dĩas
had been polluting her with. Why, he didn’t understand yet
,
but he would with time.
             

             
“I will allow her to go to
Chymeŕah’s
realm
,
”
h
e said. “But I will personally see that she gets there. As for you
,
Dĩas
, I have not forgotten
,
nor will I forget. In
time,
you will answer for your crimes against me. All those who aided you will answer.” He said
this
as he and the other
s
who accompanied him this night backed away and disappeared into the mists.