Chapter fifty three
Jeremy whispered a curse and wiped his face tiredly as tears stung his eyes.
While Razia was finally feeling some cold emotion build up in her. Automatically, she glanced at the King to study his reaction to the possibility they were already too late. But there was nothing readable on his face, something that always meant he was about to do something stupid.
Suddenly, the King had teleported from his seat and grabbed the bartender by the neck with a hand. And with just the same fluency, he shoved him backwards until he was against the wooden wall.
Then, he flashed a pained smile that barely showed his fangs. Something like fire lit his eyes…and he completed the menacing effect with the drawl he added to his shaky voice. "Do you know…that if anything happens to Martin, I'll rip you apart? You mortals are ready to kill an innocent man for five hundred bloody pieces of silver?!"
Tears blinded him slowly, but he didn't care. "What did this wealthy, fine lad look like?"
"Brown ruffled hair…" his captive rushed his unplanned answer with a tinge of incompetence, "…emerald eyes. I think he was about as tall as you are, Your Majesty."
Shutting his eyes, Abraham Tonnel turned his head to his side as the recognition his him instantly. On purpose, he dug his claws half inch deep into the man's neck; a threat! "What else do you know?"
Deep down, he fought to control Azazel as much as he really wanted to smoulder everything around him. And the captive wasn't helping either by keeping shut. When the urge to kill him was just on the surface, he violently let go and turned around. "I need answers, Zora!"
The demon instantly sought for them. She gazed straight at the bartender until she met his gaze. Holding the eye contact, the man slipped into a half hypnotic state.
"He truly knows nothing more," she announced in disappoinment and bowed her head.
The King was nodding with blaring eyes. At this point, tension filled the air; tight, heating tension. All brought by wondering what exactly he was going to do next.
But to the surprise of literally everyone, he marched towards the door with obvious anger, bumping against Jeremy and the Priest as he did.
His brother gave the last of his pained glares before reluctantly returning his sword to his sheath and stumping out as well. The rest followed quietly and quite uncertainly.
And Razia, she wiped the liquid at the corner of her eye and took short stalks backwards through the doorway.
Abraham was a good distance ahead still in his marching frenzy. Just as he almost blended with the thick darkness following the hills beyond, his control snapped and he turned back to face them suddenly. "Bury the entire tavern, Ramon!"
A gasp arose from those with him. "But, Your Majesty…"
"I said, bury it!" He barked with the fiery glow in his eyes. "I see no essence in letting them live if all they do is strip people of their lives for a handful of coins!" He panted to catch his breath from all the hyperactivity. But after having left an order that had to be adhered to, hed swung his robe with him and was lurking into the darkness again.
Instantly, all eyes fell on Jeremy who was expected to be some sort of advocate in the matter. He'd saved a couple of lives from the wrath of his brother before. But tonight…
Tonight he had a brother whose life was on the line, if not gone already. At the thought, he shook his head and followed after his younger brother. They could die for all he cared.
***
By God or whatever else they believed in, they were certain this was the first time in the several centuries they'd lived that they'd seen Ozii cry.
Out of concern, they surrounded him with their eyes a worried depth of glare. For more hours than they could remember, the thunder djinn had been barking at himself with tears pooling down his cheeks.
"They think I'm a monster," he sulked some more just as Martha's hands rested upon his shoulders. "I'm the villain here?! Do you know what that old good-for-nothing said to me? He called me a monster who goes about tearing down homes of innocent people. Innocent, my foot!"
Somehow, the emotion that was rumored not to be in them showed on every single face today. The thunder djinn bent over the balcony and released another few trails of tears."
Afterwards, he sniffed as though to gather control. "I was only a child when those damned _innocent_ mortals stripped me of everything and everyone I held so dear. They never accepted us…they still don't! But people like Abraham will never understand."
His hand came up to wipe his face dry. Another round of sniffing and sulking and his authoritative, emotionless form returned.
Ozii joined his hands behind him with shoulders proud and squared. "He never had to watch his mother get tied to a milestone and tossed into a river just for giving birth to a supernatural being. They called us witches! He never had to watch his sister get ravished by a couple of men, stripped naked in public and burned alive."
The tears he fought to hide stung his eyes once more as the memories came flooding in. And when his self-control washed down the drain, he turned around and barked at the eight with him. "Neither did Abraham Tonnel get to watch his father get chopped alive to a million pieces by those same innocent humans! He was born in Royalty and had people succumbing to his every bidding! He'll never understand!"
His voice took q sadistic edge to it. And anger took over. "But I'll make him understand anyone would do what I am doing if they'd been treated like I was. And I see us getting there. His brothers are just the perfect targets.
***
His stomach grumbled from days of starvation. With weak and pained joints, his tongue longed for a drop of water.
Looking at him, who'd guess he was a Prince.
All Martin knew was the newly familiar smell of the cabin he'd been locked in and the bumpy and rough ride that had been going on for several days now.
He frowned and peeled his eyes open, face damp with sweat and dirt.
Gasping, he forced himself to sit. An excruciating pain came with it so great that he released a groan from the base of his throat. But when the bumpy and buckling movements suddenly stopped, caution set in and he paused to listen.
Although muffled, he made out the words. "We'll camp here tonight. Take turns to watch the Prince."
It was nighttime!
Sounds of people loading off the coach followed afterwards. And all the while, he was silent…hoping this could be the best point to save his life.