Slave To The Fang

3, A storm brews

Kyryaan's POV

I rubbed my temples in a circular massaging motion and heaved a heavy sigh. My hand reached out to the table in front of me and I grabbed a glass full of blood and brought to my lips, sipping slowly, judiciously enjoying the taste, savoring every bit of it. At least if I couldn't find reprieve in fruitful work results, I could at least find it in blood.

And yet, even that, I couldn't get. My mind was troubled and it affected everything else. A lot had been happening lately.

A low knock resounded at the door and I sighed and turned my head at the door.

"Come in." I commanded, immediately neutralizing my previously disturbed expression. I don't know exactly when it started, but I had not drunk blood from a living source in years. Almost everything had lost appeal to me. I was become emptier more and more so much that it had become the only constant thing.

The emptiness. When it got you, it got you. It is probably due to this that my region had gone almost to hell in the last twenty-one years. I wasn't one to abandon work but I was slipping away, I don't know why it was worse now when I had existed for millennia but for some reason, it was indeed worse now. Sometimes, while the merriment went on around me, I would wonder what the point of eternity was. What was the point of going through it? How was it that others could so effortlessly be happy? How was it that they could just let go of everything just like that and live? It was foreign to me. They had something that I was missing. That must be it. I had mulled over it endlessly. I rarely slept, I barely ate, I drank blood out of necessity.

Some people even said I was crueler and more detached than usual. My temper was easily piqued these days and when I smiled, I showed more fang than I intended. It had gotten worse I suppose when my younger brother, Lucien had found his beloved about thirteen or so years ago. They were blissfully happy and to an extent it pointed out quite glaringly just how much I was lacking. I was happy for him of course but when you've been alone for as long as I have, you tend to wonder. And apart from that, things in my region were heating up, in a bad way. Yet, I felt...away from it all.

So this was what it meant to truly lose interest in everything....

"My Lord. I have reports from the East border." Lord Mba said as soon as he came in and gave a little bow.

"Hmm. Go on." I demanded with a simply go ahead motion of my hand. This was important news. For the past month disturbing reports kept coming to my attention, news that could not be ignored. So disturbing in fact that my presence had been needed away from the mansion more and more. This meant than in consequence, Lady Karayan, my second was in control of things here while I was away.

"My Lord, another witch is dead." Lord Mba pronounced and I sighed, shaking my head. This was the second witch this week. This meant the wards on the East border would be greatly weakened. And it wasn't only being witches being killed. Other supernatural beings and humans even were being killed and I was beginning to suspect that there was a pattern to it. Most of those people were those whose families had been loyal to my rule for several generations. I had a lot of suspicions and at the top of it was that someone was trying to get me out of power. The southern regions of Lakaiyah were MINE. I was going to secure that.

"What family?" I asked, truly curious.

"It is not a noble family My Lord but she belonged to the Ragna coven." Lord Mba averted his gaze, knowing fully well what that meant. It was too suspicious. Yes, the Ragna coven had been low key mostly with their new leader but ever since the former head Lyra was pronounced by the coven to be dead, I couldn't shake the suspicion for them that formed in me. And now, another witch was dead. It didn't sit right with me. I had been putting it forward for a long time but it was time for me to pay a visit to the Ragna coven myself. I had sent many men and women over the years and none of them reported anything suspicious but the nagging suspicion in my bones remained.