CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 72 KEGI

At the same time at Zeenare’s island....

Zeenare marched into the mansion not paying attention to the maids or Othimise’s reverence. He headed straight to his chamber, his feet moving twice their usual steps.

Zeenare stood over a glowing orb transmitting visuals from the other side. —Auxe.

"Hey." Dreycen greeted immediately the call connected with a delight voice, "How come the almighty Zeenare of Ockonayia called me? Has he—"

"Dreycen, what is happening in Auxe?" Zeenare demanded, cutting him off, " Why are your creatures, in Lithuania?"

"What do you mean?" Dreycen asked cautiously, his voice tinny through the call.

"Are there any kind of anomalies to the seal on Kegis in Auxe?" Zeenare asked, his weight fell on his hands as he gripped the edge of the table leaning forward over the it.

"No, there are no casualties here. The seal is intact," Dreycen responded, clear confusion his tone.

A wave of dread washed over Zeenare. He leaned in closer to the orb. "Then why is there a Kegi around Rhea?" he voiced.

Dreycen fell silent for a moment. "A man-eater? Outside the domain? That is impossible."

Zeenare’s hands tightened on the table edge until his knuckles turned white. "How is it impossible when a Kegi— not just any Kegi but an elder— is in my class and its presence is endangering my woman’s safety." he growled, a flicker of panic in his eyes.

"Why don’t you calm down first Alpha Zeenare?" He calmly asked, Then continued, "An elder?" Dreycen’s voice became tight and serious, the usual caution gone. "All the elders have been wiped out. Ever since the forest was sealed off, we’ve been taking out every man-eater that falls higher than a hatchling to maintain them, since killing them all would cause a disturbance to Auxe’s balance."

"That explanation of yours won’t stop the inevitable destruction that will follow, If It has made roots. Because that would mean, it will start feasting soon," Zeenare added, his mind racing. "And I hope it doesn’t start now. Those things are difficult to kill."

A heavy silence followed from Dreycen’s end. When he finally spoke again, his voice had changed.

"There have been some incidents up North. We’ve been investigating the sudden massacre of an entire village but have come up with nothing so far. Except... whatever we are up against has intelligence."

Zeenare’s heart pounded against his ribs. "Intelligence? What do you mean by that?"

"From our calculations, it appears it can think and make plans—strategies I mean. And it doesn’t act on its own, because we found human footprints alongside whatever could have wiped that village out."

A knot of ice formed in Zeenare’s gut. "What are you implying? I don’t see how what you are saying are relevant to the man-eater," he asked, a sharp edge of irritation in his voice.

"What I’m saying," Dreycen began, his voice low and grave, "is if the seal here is intact, then that man-eater is not from Auxe. And it could possibly be the same as the one that attacked that village."

The room went silent. The heavy quiet echoed as Zeenare’s heart beats back to him, a cool dread build from his feet and spread through his entire body.

Dreycen continued. "And that man-eater appears to be created, not birthed. I would also want to believe that that Kegi is responsible for the massacre of that village as a testing experience. Because the corpses show they weren’t killed for food; they were hunted down as a sport. For fun."

For fun?

Another silence stretches as the word watched over him like an uncontrolled roaring flood, it was thick and suffocating, bone cracking cold sinked into his bones, echoing in his mind, a

"Created," Zeenare repeat, the word tasting bitter on his tongue. "What created it, Dreycen?" He asked, "Is it a man? Is it helping a man?" His eyes narrow to slits as his gaze fell on the orb, a chilling certainty forming in his mind.

"Since we are now certain it’s a man eater we have to find answers to this question." Dreycen replied.

"I don’t have that time. This is a hunt," Zeenare whispered, his voice raw. He placed his hand to the side of his face, his gaze fixed on nothing. "It’s after her." He leaned back against the wall, a sudden wave of helplessness washing over him. "I need to get to her. I need to get to her now."

"You would need a complete tactical briefing, and everything on the creature. Every piece of information on that village massacre too—you would need it." Dreycen said.

But Zeenare replied saying, "I don’t need a briefing. I know where it is. And I know what it’s after. What I need to know is, why has it not killed her. What is it waiting for?"

First it came as a casual rival, then it waeved it’s way into her circle and now it’s truly to isolate her. Zeenare pondered piecing his thoughts together.

He pulled back from the orb, his hands falling from the table. The sweat on his forehead clammy and cold. His jaw lock, and his eyes, which had held a flicker of panic, was now sharp and dangerous, like a predator who has just found a much larger, uglier prey.

Zeenare’s expression turned cold, as he stared at the orb. "What is the most fatal way to kill it?" he asked, his voice completely devoid of emotion.

Dreycen voice was as clinical, though a flicker of unease crossed his face on the glowing screen when he began. "Fire, decapitation, and a silver blade to the heart. Don’t tell me you are thinking of taking that thing by yourself!"

Zeenare’s eyes narrowed, his gaze no longer focused on the orb but on some far-off point. "I’m moving Rhea to a secure location," he said, the words a low-level growl. "You better find your way here if you don’t want hell to rain on Auxe."

Though Zeenare was his friend, he was unaccustomed to such insolence. Dreycen’s face hardened, when he asked, "Are you threatening me?" His voice tight.

A hateful smirk touched the corner of Zeenare’s lips. His eyes, usually calm, darkened with a terrifying coldness. He leaned in close to the orb, his voice dropping to a sneering whisper that carried more weight than a shout.

"If something should happen to her," he began, "you will then come to know if it’s a threat or a warning."

Far away, even as Zeenare’s threats burned through the orb, Rhea’s own world was collapsing in silence.

Rhea’s face was a mask of terror. Her eyes, wide with shock, staring at the ceiling, her mouth locked in a silent, gasp, as the searing pain spread like fire across her back.

Fear creeped it’s way up into Rhea’s heart crumbling her more that the impact against the table.

Her skin crawled as cold pricked her entire body with spiky dreads of goosebumps. Her eyes shifted uncontrollable on the creature who was once Athaliah now hovering over her.

The creature or rather Athaliah, picked her up by the throat, her body lump against its hold. Tear willed down her face as the grip grew tighter.

I don’t want to die. Was the only single thing she could think of.

Rhea groaned, clawing at Athaliah’s grip, her face furrowed wiggling with pain fighting to breathe.

"You are so easy to kill." Athaliah stated with a screeching voice. "That I wonder why I had to go through the trouble of Isolating you first. You don’t have anything to fight back if I had come to kill you directly before."

An agonizing scream slipped Rhea’s lips as Athaliah trailed a claw across her face, hot blood swim down her skin soaking her clothes, as the pain of being cut open sipped into her.

Rhea’s lips queaved as she managed,"Why are you doing this to me?"

Athaliah laughed as she change to her human skin, a dry, brittle sound with no humor in it. "You really have to ask?" She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. "Because your heart beats for a man it shouldn’t. Because your very existence is an inconvenient threat. You’re a catalyst, a key that’s meant to be snapped in two before it can unlock something it shouldn’t."

What is she saying? Rhea thought, but before she could finish thinking Athaliah threw her across the room again, slamming her against the wall. Sending another wave of bone breaking pain through her. Halfly conscious, Rhea slid down the wall, her breath almost gone.

Athaliah lifted her up from the ground, Rhea’s head ruptured, her breathing incredibly shallow her body bathed in her own blood.

Athaliah sank to her level on the ground, Oh, it’s not personal," Athaliah purred, a predatory smile on her face. Her icy blue eyes looking right through Rhea. "I’m simply doing what needs to be done. You see, your little connection to him... it’s a crack in the foundation. And if I don’t closebthat crack now, if I don’t break you completely, my master’s hard work will come crashing down."

So she’s here for me and not Tia or Luke. Then that’s good. Rhea thought.

She tilted Rhea’s head up with her fingers under her chin, then continued. "Why do you keep trying to break the curse in each life? Are you not tired? Of this... circle? Well it doesn’t matter, because now it all get to be over." She said as she drove her teeth into Rhea.