A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 45: Bracken

When Darion later came to, his eyes saw nothing but darkness. He moved his head only to feel his hands tied on a chair. He tried to move but he was held in position in what felt like a chair.

And then he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. It was him again, the giant! He could tell by the size of the shadow that towered over him. Craning his neck to the side, he tried to avoid another punch on the face, but none came. Instead, the blindfold was taken off his eyes, the unfamiliar surroundings coming into view.

"Where is this place?" He asked before turning to travel the vampire’s length. But it wasn’t the giant anymore! This vampire had a particularly curious face, his hands rested on his chin. He wore magnifying glasses and had a thin moustache.

"Somewhere no one will hear when you scream," replied the stranger.

Scream!? Wasn’t he supposed to be brought before the king to answer for his crimes? "I demand justice!" He fumed, trying to get himself off the uncomfy iron chair.

"Justice?" The man asked before he scoffed. He walked past Darion and halted in front of what looked like a pot of melting gold. He expertly put on a pair of dusty gloves and grabbed the hilt of a hot red metal. Darion’s face grew in surprise. What was this man up to?

"Many demand justice when they come here. Pity none of them are fortunate enough to testify." He poured the thick fluid in another pot and inserted a scythe. He let it stay there for a minute before he brandished it in the air, awed by the red coating on it, still hot. Pushing the magnifying glasses above the bridge of his nose, he walked closer towards where Darion sat.

"I’ve been carrying this experiment for years now. All my test subjects end up dying in uglier ways. I hope you’ll survive!" He lowered the glasses again sending Darion into a frozen state.

"What are you doing?" Darion asked when the stranger bent to have a closer look on his thigh. He looked up to meet with Darion’s wide eyes.

"Looking for a perfect spot." He flashed the most sinister smile Darion had ever seen, his teeth painted green! He held the fridge of Darion’s pants and cut a hole just above his knee to reveal his flesh. His eyes grew in delight!

"There," he pointed. "See, it wasn’t hard, was it?"

Darion met with his dirty pink face and spat on him disgustingly. The stranger wiped his saliva off with the tips of the dirty gloves and held his chin hard.

"I’ve dealt with some like you before. It didn’t end well for them you know." His smile disappeared. "Maybe I should show you what I mean."

And before Darion could react, the stranger had pinned the blazing scythe on his skin. Darion let out a scream so loud tears formed on his eyes. The scent of burning flesh filled the air, Darion squirming in the seat in uncontrolled pain.

The stranger withdrew the scythe leaving a fresh burn on Darion’s thigh. He observed his face closely. It had become sweaty within seconds!

"I’ve never heard a man scream so loud!" He forced a laugh. "Almost close to a woman giving birth." He pointed at him,"You should be working as a mid wife and not some kingsguard."

Darion was in so much pain to contemplate what the stranger was saying. Veins popped up on his face, and a quick glance at his thigh was enough to make him disgusted by himself. He hated it when he felt weak, unable to do anything.

"Does it hurt?" Asked the stranger.

Darion gave him a cold stare, one enough to scare the life out of a vampire! His eyes were laced in malice, a ferocity in them that never existed before.

"If I get out of here alive, I’m going to cut you, every bit of you, into tiny chunks and feed your body to the hounds. I’ll make sure your to wipe your existence from this world."

The stranger acted surprised before he let out a sinister laugh that made Darion to crease his brows in confusion. Was this man sane in the first place?

"You... You are a funny one," he complicated in between his breaks. "Those are words from people close to death. Most of whom never achieve anything they promised. I hate men who do not keep their words."

"What do you want from me?" He asked, his fists tightening around the chains that bound him.

The stranger turned serious as if touched by his question. Standing up, he faced the other side, staring at the fire burning in the hearth.

"Sometimes we have an idea of what we want. But when we get it, we always want more!" He smirked before turning to face Darion. "He was a good man. A man of honor." He pointed at the dying embers.

"But good men do not survive in a world filled with hatred. The nobles wanted him to disappear. And what better way to make a man disappear than turn him into ashes."

Darion’s eyes fell on the flames, swallowing the lump on his throat. Exactly what kind of person was he dealing with here? He shifted his eyes back to his face, the bad breath coming from his mouth invading his senses. No remorse could be seen in those dead eyes!

The door opened from the other side, the stranger instantly bowing when someone walked in. Darion tried craning his neck but the woman wore a hood, hiding her face completely.

"My Lady," the stranger said.

The woman halted in front of Darion and lowered the hood, revealing a face Darion least expected. It was the queen!

"Hope he is treating you well Ser," she said, and when her eyes fell on the fresh wound on his thigh, a smirk danced on her face, one that was quick to disappear.

"Why are you doing this? What’s the point of all of this Your Majesty?" Darion asked, now fuming in anger.

"You mean you don’t know why you are here?" She asked, a frown settled on her face.

"No," Darion replied, his gaze darting between the queen and the stranger.

"This is Bracken, a formidable young man. I know you’ve met him before." She introduced the fucker. "Bracken here, will be honored to remind you why you are here." An evil smile curved up her face before she turned to leave.