Chapter 56 The Dilemma of Ignorant Servants (2/2)

Rassa found himself leaning forward to cling onto the bars as he watched Aegin take the punishment. The chains holding him shifted, and the noise made everyone pause as they turned to look at Rassa.

The leader met Rassa's gaze with a glare.

Rassa did not glare back. He was not angry, nor sad, nor was he begging for the punishment to stop. Or begging for anything really. All that Rassa held in his dark eyes, was curiosity. But that seemed to scare the leader more than the other emotions combined. The leader turned away, looking down at where Aegin lay.

”Don't talk to it”.

With that said, the carriage pulled forward once more. Rassa looked at Aegin as the boy pulled himself to his feet, then got back on top of the carriage without a hint of complaint. Whoever these people were, they certainly weren't normal. Nothing about this situation was normal.

***

Following his father's orders, Aegin did not attempt to converse with Rassa again. Every few nights he would get game and help Rassa out of the metal mask so that he could feed, but they did not speak as they once had. To Aegin's surprise, Rassa did not seem bothered by this change in attitude. He understood.

Aegin had broken the rules. Defied orders. And so he'd been punished for it. It was clear that Rassa didn't like those orders, but he understood that Aegin had to face the consequences anyway. So, instead of speaking, they kept a companionable silence with one another. When Aegin wasn't being ordered around, he stuck by the carriage, whether it was sitting on top of it or beside it. Rassa appreciated the company, even if it was only a presence.

Yet again, Rassa was drawn into a lesson with Victor. Alas, another day of political intrigue. But as Rassa settled down to watch the proceedings, something was said that perked his interest. The exact words, from a little known subcoven head who ruled on the outskirts of the Star Crash Coven's territory, were as follows, ”Keltair are pushing on our borders more and more desperately. It appears the damn dogs can't keep to themselves”.

Rassa had heard the name Keltair before, and assumed it was another subcoven that was little liked. But this...who exactly were they? As soon as he had a moment alone, he asked Victor.

”Ah, good, you picked up on it,” Victor stated, ”I wish the rest of us had been as attentive”.

Rassa frowned, ”Why, are they that important? I assumed they were a subcoven but dogs...how are they a threat to us?”

Victor smiled, and for a moment Rassa couldn't figure out why, then it clicked, Rassa was beginning to consider himself one of them. A Vampire. He'd said 'us'.

”To answer your question, little one,” Victor stated affectionately, clearly in a good mood after hearing Rassa's changing attitude, ”Vampires were not the only race to emerge from the Chaos. There were other...more beastly races that existed too. Keltair was not a subcoven, Keltair was a pack. A pack of one of the only races that was on par with us in terms of bloodlust, though for entirely different reasons”.

”Dogs?” asked Rassa. It still did not sound all that threatening. Amazing that the only races Rassa had ever felt threatened by since the change, were those that took a humanoid form.

”Wolves to be more precise,” Keltair admitted, ”Their offical name, was Lycanthrope, though they were more commonly referred to as werewolves. Men who turned into beasts with the call of a full moon”.