Chapter 7 Wrath
WRATH
Kennt stood before the flames of the campsite, muscular arms crossed over his chest, his golden mask hiding his features from view.
Others were seated on logs or in their tents, recovering from the battle that had claimed a quarter of their fleet.
His eyes were visible in the circles of his mask, and they immediately flicked up to look at me across from him the moment I appeared.
“Your Majesty…” With a voice soaked in sarcasm and resentment, he regarded me as a servant rather than the monster I truly was.
“I come to honor your request.” If I didn’t comply with his request, there could be unforeseen consequences that I couldn’t afford.
I’d already intervened in Riviana Star, and if the Covenant was aware of that, I wasn’t sure what the punishment would be.
Bodily harm or even the loss of my soul didn’t worry me.
But if they revoked my position, I would never see her again.
So I had to appease Kennt to keep him quiet, even though he was the enemy of the woman I loved.
His arms dropped from his chest, and he straightened, waiting for me to bestow the gift upon him.
“If a home is what you seek, there are many vacant places in this world I could show you. There’s no need to provoke empires greater than your own.” I could choose a place far from here, keeping their golden ships away from Lily’s kingdom of dragons.
“Building a kingdom from nothing would take longer than my lifetime. No, I want what was taken from us, the warmth of paradise, riches and servants, dragons to guard our kingdom from the skies. I want the Southern Isles—and the woman with the perfect ass who sits upon the throne.”
It took all my strength to show nothing on my face, to pretend I didn’t want to rip out his neck for the comment. “This is a suicide mission. Surely you must see that.”
His smile wasn’t visible behind his mask, but it was obvious it was there. “I’ve survived worse.”
“Even if you defeat the Southern Isles, the dragons won’t serve you just because you’re the victors. They’re sentient beings—”
“But they serve her. And if she’s my wife, there will be no issue.”
“Lily Rothschild would never submit to an invader.”
“Trust me, I don’t expect her to. And that’s where all the fun lies.” He cocked his head playfully, arrogantly.
I hadn’t felt bumps across my skin since I was a mortal man, but I felt them now, ominous and heavy.
Lily tried to explore ways to free me from the underworld so we could be together, but even if there were a way, it wouldn’t matter—because I didn’t deserve her.
Because I actively aided the enemies who sought to destroy her.
It didn’t matter that I gave her far more powerful gifts than I bestowed upon him.
My treachery and betrayal were unforgivable.
The moment I told her the truth, her bright eyes would grow dull for me, and she would know what I really was…
a monster. She would reject the gifts I’d given her and possibly lose the war—and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
Regardless of the consequences I would face from the Covenant, I needed to make sure she prevailed.
“Turn me, Wrath.”
My mind came back to the conversation I’d floated far away from.
“Grant my request.”
“Why a vampire?” I asked.
“Because an army of vampires will defeat their human soldiers with no contest. And I’ll live forever. So as long as I don’t get killed in battle or in a political coop, you’ll never be able to collect your payment.”
“And you think it’s wise to openly admit this?”
“You already agreed to the terms.”
“I said I would consider it.”
“Alright, then I’ll consider telling the Covenant that you want Lily Rothschild as much as I do.” He cocked his head slightly.
I was being blackmailed by a mortal. I’d never felt so worthless.
“You won’t enjoy the taste of food. You’ll have to subsist off the blood of mortals.
You’ll live in a warm climate with long days of sunshine, but your skin won’t be able to tolerate the sun exposure after so long, and you’ll die from the toxicity. ”
“The more you try to dissuade me, the more I want it.”
“Then you’re a child.”
“I’m a mortal who can’t be manipulated by a god—and that drives you mad.”
What drove me mad was my part in this tragic tale. How I’d led these assholes right to the woman I would gladly serve as my queen if I were worthy enough to be her pawn. “You can attain immortality by fusing with the dragons of the Southern Isles. That’s why King Talon Rothschild doesn’t age.”
This was clearly something he didn’t know because he turned quiet.
I believed in Lily’s ability to win, but the quicker her defeat, the greater the likelihood she would survive. An army of vampires that marched upon the kingdom from the south while the golden ships took the sea from the north could be catastrophic.
“How do you fuse with a dragon?”
“I’m not sure.” It had to be consensual unless forced with dark magic, but I lied straight to his face.
He considered that for a long time before he nodded.
“Then you will make my general a vampire. Half of our forces will be nightwalkers, and the other half will gain immortality by forcing these dragons into servitude. And if they refuse, we’ll make them into vampires too. Dragon vampires…can you imagine?”
Fuck.
“Grant my wish and begone, Wrath, God of the Underworld. I need to prepare to conquer not only the Southern Isles, but the Northern Kingdoms and everything around it…as I take this world for my own.”