Chapter 43
The Monster King
The Monster King exhaled sharply as he finally pulled himself out of the nightmare that haunted his mind during daylight hours. He reached across his desk and grabbed his veilroot smoke, lighting it with a match. He inhaled the weed and exhaled slowly, letting the drug soothe his nerves.
It had been weeks since his last episode. He almost thought maybe, just maybe, these nightmares were finally over.
A knock on his door made him look over.
“Come in,” he said, rubbing his sweat-slicked forehead.
Jason walked in and stared at him, unaffected by the thick smoke in the air.
“The Jotnar wish to meet,” Jason said. The Monster King took another drag of his smoke and blew it out, creating small circles in the air.
“Those imbeciles always want to meet, and yet they haven’t fulfilled their side of the bargain.
I continue to provide them with fresh meat and have nearly met their quota.
Yet, the dome still stands,” he replied, taking another drag.
The effects of the veilroot only slightly calmed his growing agitation. “I’m losing my patience with them.”
Jason stood tall in front of the mahogany desk, awaiting the response to provide to the Jotnar, and the Monster King grumbled.
“Fine! We’ll meet here at the camp in two weeks. I want to make that blubbering idiot of her son feel some pain to remind her who’s really in charge around here,” he said to Jason.
The Monster King stood up from his desk and strode across the plush carpet toward the door. He pushed it open so forcefully that it slammed against the wall. He then flicked his veilroot smoke onto the ground outside and stepped into the courtyard to take in the view.
A man had been tied to a post, and the Rozzers were whipping him across his back. Fresh blood was dripping onto the sandy ground, and the Dragors kept licking his back whenever they had the chance.
The Monster King smiled brightly. He enjoyed watching new torment, loved ruling with an iron fist, and above all, relished being the man everyone here feared.
Jason stepped up beside him and observed the tortured man with a look of boredom. The man’s screams each time the whip hit his back caused the Dragors to hiss in excitement.
“Have you heard if your source has retrieved the stone yet?” Jason asked him.
“Not yet, but they should have it soon,” he replied. The stone was part of a set of keys he needed to collect, and once he had all of them, nothing could stop him.
“Have you decided what to do with Lord Mordred?” Jason asked him curiously, raising his eyebrows and leaning in toward the Monster King.
“That fucking puppet,” the Monster King seethed.
“He tried to get in my way. He was the reason why Seda and that fucking Lionne were able to escape to begin with.” The Monster King spat on the floor and kicked a plume of sand into the air.
His anger was flaming, and Lord Mordred was at the center of it all.
“I gave that man so much to live for. I let him lead and be prayed to, just as he always wanted, and this is how he repaid me. For now, he is going about his days like nothing happened. Like I don’t know he was behind it. ”
Jason’s face returned to its usual bored expression as he listened to the Monster King.
“I think…” The Monster King looked toward Jason and smiled.
“I think we will introduce a new lord to Joro. Joro needs a lord who has respect. We will plan a celebration, imprison Mordred, and put you in his place. Everyone will believe he is dead, and I can punish him as I see fit.” He chuckled, admiring his creativity.
Jason bowed deeply. “I’m here to serve, my king.”
A bound and gagged woman was dragged across the sandy ground toward the Monster King by a Rozzer and roughly thrown onto the dirt.
As he circled her, the Monster King gazed down, taking in her appearance. She tried to kick at him, but he quickly moved out of the way and nodded toward the Rozzer. “She’ll do. Bring her inside.”
The Rozzer dragged the woman into the Monster King’s office, her muffled screams following her as she went through the door.
The Monster King smiled and looked at Jason as he adjusted his pants.
“Schedule that time with the Jotnar. We will meet again and come up with a plan for Mordred. His ‘death’ needs to be exciting.”
He left Jason in the courtyard and went back into his office, shutting and locking the door.