Setting the Dark on Fire

Setting the Dark on Fire: Chapter 9

Short, but informational :]

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Silas P.O.V.

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She takes a deep breath and starts walking through the open plane door.

As soon as she steps out of it, I hear Caius' loud voice.

"Seiko, my dear," he yells.

"Caius!" she yells even louder and rushes down the stairs.

I reach down to take our bags but a man stops me and says, "Master Silas, I've got them."

"Master?" I ask cautiously.

He doesn't say anything and begins to collect the bags.

No one at the castle has ever called me master before. The man didn't even make eye contact with me.

I dismiss this and begin walking through the door.

As I too step through the door, I see Seiko run into his arms.

Caius looks the same as the day we left, friendly and nonchalant.

He is of average height, a bit heavy, and tan. His hair is black with a bit of gray on top. He is also wearing a deep brown smoker's jacket.

I feel some strange form of relief having him near after all these years.

"I have missed you darling," he says kindly to her.

"You liar," she jokes.

He stares her seriously for a second and starts to bellow in laughter and she does too.

I know it should make me happy to see my maker being friendly with my progeny but as I'm seeing it, it makes me a bit wary for some reason.

Unlike Seiko I take my time walking down the plane stairs. I even go as far as placing my hand on the railing as if to steady myself even though it is completely unnecessary.

When I finally get down the stairs Caius yells out at me, "boy come over here."

I smile and walk into his open arms.

"Hello Caius," I say as I wrap my arms around him.

"Hello Silas," he says kindly as we both let go.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he says solemnly.

"Yes, it has," I say quietly.

"Servant!" Caius yells at the man who is now down the stairs with all of our luggage and shopping bags.

"Take the luggage to my study," he finishes.

"Right away Master," he says and hurriedly makes his way toward the castle.

Caius directs his attention to us again and smiles.

"There is much we need to talk about Silas, delicate matters I could not discuss on the the telephone," he says to me.

I nod and he turns to Seiko.

"Seiko, follow the servant into my study won't you?"

She turns to me and nods, "Okay."

I smile reassuringly at her and she turns and follows the man with the luggage.

Caius waits until she is inside and then turns to me.

"Why did that man call me Master?" I ask almost immediately.

"Follow me Silas," he sighs.

He begins to walk and I follow.

We walk along the front and then the side of the castle.

The castle is only three stories but it is very spread out.

As we walk along a pathway beside one of the walls, I trail my fingers along the grainy texture of the old stone and cement.

We eventually walk past the castle and through the empty and dead garden that has been the same since I can remember.

The walking slows when we reach the entrance of the royal cemetery.

Immediately my stomach aches.

He leads the way toward the center of the especially dark and cold cemetery.

He stops and I look down at the tombstone.

I draw a sharp breath in.

He shakes his head and looks at the one to the left of it.

I shake my head and my throat begins to throb.

I read the first tombstone again:

King Tassos Nicodemus Zeno Stavros Andreako

Beloved Husband, Beloved father, Beloved King

It's silent for a minute.

"How did this happen?" I asked softly.

"He started to feel better about Cora dying about five years ago, but two years ago Dorian was murdered," Caius answers.

The second tombstone, the one to the left, was Dorian's.

Tassos was our King and Caius' best friend. Cora, his wife, was the late queen who died accidentally right before I was turned. And Dorian was Tassos' progeny.

Caius continued, "He started to turn crazy and six months ago he managed to finally plunge a stake through his own heart."

"Shit," I mumble.

"Shit, indeed," he says.

Suddenly I get it. I get why the man in the airplane called me "Master."

Not only was Caius Tassos' best friend but he was his second on command.

"Are you the new king, Caius?" I ask.

"Yes, I am the new King, Prince Silas," he responds with a tight smile.

I sigh quickly and look at Tassos' tombstone.

"Do you have to call me that?" I say a bit bitterly to Caius.

He laughs darkly and answers, "No, but everyone else here must."

I look up at him and ask, "Does that make Seiko a princess?"

"Yes it does," he chuckles.

Princess Seiko, I think to myself and scoff.

She will be thrilled.

My thoughts are interrupted as something I should have thought of enters my mind.

"How was Dorian murdered?"

Caius' nostrils flare and his eyes turn red.

He starts to breath heavily and finally slowly again.

After a minute he looks normal again.

He clears his throat and puts his hand on my shoulder.

Caius mutters one single word.

"Lycans."

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Castle picture and a song on the side--->

Song: New Divide by Linkin Park

This song has a similar feel to this chapter :D