The Reaper's Wicked Obsession

"Logi, are you sure this will work?" Marek asked, glancing behind for any coming Serpents, his hand holding his axe, flexing.

"Yes, it will," Logi replied, observing the floor.

This was the last floor and was precisely where they needed to be for this to work.

Logi kept his gaze on the roof as he spoke. "Kraven and I made a separate plan."

This caught Marek’s attention. "A separate plan?"

"If we were discovered and he’s used as bait, I’ll level the tower. But what we didn’t expect was a weapon that could hurt him."

"He took that much risk?" Marek said questionably.

Logi huffed. "He’s that insane, Marek. He throws himself into danger like it’s nothing. He doesn’t fear death."

Marek gulped. His Lord was not called the Reaper for nothing. "What happens now, then?"

Logi shifted his gaze to him. "I’ll level the Tower. Destroy everything. This will put both him and Isadora in danger. But you see, Marek, this is where I have to believe in him. He may be locked up somewhere and incapacitated, but I know when the time is right, he’ll overcome it."

"This is a flawed plan, isn’t it?"

"It’s the only way to get to the floors and save them."

Marek nodded, and a smile curled his lips. "I admire the way you trust in your companions. The Logi I once knew found it hard to trust anyone, no less believe."

Logi reflected his smile. "It was a long journey, but I’m glad it found its destination. If given another chance in life, I won’t hesitate to follow Kraven—and Isadora."

Abruptly, his smile withered, and his eyes saddened as the pressure of what would happen next mulled over him.

"We might not survive this, Marek. Once I take down the tower, we—"

Marek chuckled. "You made that clear when you mentioned what you were going to do." He briefly looked around the space and placed his hands on the cold wall.

Logi narrowed his eyes. "How do you feel about that? As twisted as it may be, this was once your home."

"I mentioned how I never really made a name for myself. All my purpose in life was to become the Serpent’s heir."

"Yes?"

He stepped away from the wall. "I don’t want that anymore, Lo. I don’t want to be defined by someone else’s will and fantasies. I’m not doing this for anyone, not even you." He exhaled sharply. "I’m doing this because Aric needs to go down."

"I understand." Logi smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. "But I think its about time you stop saying you don’t have a purpose or matter. You saved us Marek, even before you knew about Aric’s true colors."

"I had doubts. Even so, I never really saw it, not until you came back into my life."

Logi took a step closer. "Then don’t be buried here. Come with me, if we survive this, together we will take down the Five Courts. Together just as we’ve always wanted."

"Tempting," he teased.

Logi winked and turned, eyes scrutinizing the walls.

Marek’s wide grin slowly faded into a faint smile. He tipped his head to the side. "It’d be an honor, Lo."

Logi’s heart skipped a beat, but he did not attempt to turn. "Tell me your answer when this is over. I love a good mystery."

"Indeed, you do," Marek murmured to himself. ’Wherever you go, I’ll follow.’

"I need to assemble enough aura," Logi said. "I might be an earth weaver but controlling this much earth is almost impossible, to make this work I’ve to be focused."

"Don’t worry, Lo," Marek stood guard, watching for any Serpents. "I’ll protect you."

~♧~

The First Floor

Isadora leveled her eyes to the plate of food in front of her. It was distasteful and the bread rations were suddenly a much more satisfying meal than this.

"Is this poisoned?" she asked.

Aric snickered. "Why would I poison your food?" He countered, taking a bite from his fork.

"I’m Kraven’s companion, a ravenite. A man like you wouldn’t pass the idea of poisoning to get what he want."

"Or more than that," he chimed. "I have a reason to believe you’re not just his companion."

Isadora froze at his words, unable to suppress the emotions blossoming in her eyes.

"So I’m right then?" He took another bite. "Why else would he have stolen the mannfae for himself? He must have been charmed by your beauty," he added softly. "I would have, too, if I got there first. You would have made a wonderful Serpent, and trust me, I wouldn’t have succumbed to possessing you." He leveled his eyes to her heaving bosom and then back at her face.

A shiver shot down Isadora’s spine, but she forced herself to speak. "Think whatever you may, I don’t care." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"How well do you know your lover, Isadora?" he began, using the napkin to wipe his mouth.

"I was hoping for an interrogation, not a chit-chat."

He barked a laugh. "Aren’t you curious about your lover’s origins? You can’t hide it. I mean, you know him as the Lord of the Raven Court, but what if I told you he’s so much more than that? And that his existence in the realm isn’t just as the cataclysm but something far greater?"

"What are you talking about? You speak of him as not the criminal you have hunted for winters."

"Criminal?" He mocked. "He may be that now, but he was once the High Prince of Lumindor."

Isadora’s heart momentarily stopped, her eyes slowly going wide. It felt like a cold barrel of water was dropped on her.

"Lumindor?" she murmured, her stomach twisting.

She had heard of that name before. It was the name of the great Empire that ruled the realm, but it was all vague.

"You’re lying."

"Am I? My words are true."

Isadora’s throat suddenly felt dry, so she reached for the wooden cup, sniffing and making sure it was water before chugging the entire thing.

"Of course, we all know the royal pure bloodline was erased a very long time ago."

"I don’t know anything about the royal family or Lumindor," she confessed.

Aric may be telling her a lie, though for some reason, it didn’t feel like it.

Logi did mention Kraven died a long time ago. Could it be that Kraven was once the High Prince before his untimely demise?

"Kraven’s father’s name is Val Thrond," Aric declared.

"Two hundred winters ago, the Five Court decided to put an end to his father’s bloodline. He was born with something called the mad gene, the urge to kill their loved ones, and if that didn’t sate the madness, he would unleash his hell on any life form. Some call it a curse from the gods or a bloodline defect, and it has been in the royal family for generations. It got worse when passed on to the next descendant."

"So the Five Courts took the law into their hands and erased them?" Isadora said sternly. "I know nothing of their duty, but I do know they keep the balance. Was their only option erasing the bloodline?"

"They did the world a favor, Isadora. Their righteous decision erased a bloodline that would have thrown us all into extinction."

"You said it was a curse. His father was burdened with the urge to kill, as well as his son. None of them wanted such a fate, to be consumed by things you cannot control. Erasing them was the easy way out because they couldn’t bear the responsibility of doing the right thing."

Aric huffed at her words. "I admire your devotion to your lover, but you’re missing the point here. The Court did the right thing, which was saving us from extinction."

"Then why isn’t the world a better place? The Court played judge and executioner, and in return, they ruled, sounds to me like they wanted power rather than titled as saviours."

She narrowed her eyes. "Whatever they did only made things worse. They made a mistake erasing their bloodlines."

"Why do you say that?" Aric asked intrigued by her brilliant, she may have grown up in a brothel but she knew a thing or two.

How much more would this mannfae stun him with?

"Because now, he’s back from the dead and I know where his wrath is centered," Isadora recalled the emotions that swirled in his eyes when he told her about taking the world, their glorious purpose. It all made sense now.

"Yes, yes, yes," Aric drawled. "He came back from the dead, an impossible feat given the fact that his execution was the blood price."

"Blood price?" she asked.

Aric grinned. "A fitting death sentence if you ask me. To pay for his father’s sins, he did the blood price. In front of the Court Lord’s, Kraven was ordered to take his own life."

Isadora’s heart sank at his words, and her face drained of color. "W-What?"