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A shudder runs through me as I consider all those who have lost their lives to him, and how I could have easily been one of them.
I wonder how far he would go?
“And what happens when there’s no more people from your realm for him to hunt down?”
There’s a long moment of silence before Darian finally speaks, “Then he would move onto killing humans with even less prejudice than he already has.”
The look on his face as he stares at me tells me just how bad that could be, and I shudder again.
“You know, there were times where I didn’t think Caspian was all that bad. He was almost what one might call considerate, at least, he appeared to be.”
Darian nods and takes a deep breath, “I don’t doubt that. My brother wasn’t always this way.” He says softly.
I kneel down to the edge of the water and drag my hand from one side to the other gently while he continues.
“My brother and I were close when we were young. His powers didn’t manifest until he was much older than the other kids our age and his were so much different than what we’ve ever known. He was picked on quite a bit for it, on top of being a second born son. I believe that left him vulnerable to influence and as he reached adolescence, he became more withdrawn.”
“He was constantly leaving the city to live in a cabin near the mountains. He stopped coming to magic classes and I noticed his attitude becoming less like the brother I grew up with. My parents tried to arrange a marriage for him one day and that was when all hell broke loose.”
“He ran away and was missing for over two years. The search parties we sent after him never returned until we got word that he was staying in a series of tunnels near the mountains and that he was practicing blood magic which is strickly forbidden.”
Darian’s fists squeeze together and the muscles in his neck flex with tension.
“Blood magic is strictly prohibited for good reason. Anyone practicing is put on trial to maintain balance for magic wielders and those not as strong in their powers. I set out with a few of my brothers to search for Caspian and when we found him, he was completely changed in body and mind. He was no longer a young man searching for himself and unsure. He knew what he wanted, he was grown and he was ready to die for it.”
“When we found him, he nearly killed Cade by the time the rest of us intervened. He tried to drain him of his blood for more magic and that was the first time my brother and I fought.”
Darian’s voice is low with simmering rage, “I vowed to kill him if he ever came back to the city. In the end I couldn’t kill my own brother and that led to the rest of the tragic events we know of today. He may not be entirely evil, but we don’t know the true depths of his motives and after everything, I don’t know that I care enough to find out.”
I think back to the moments where Caspian seemed to be genuine and my heart twists within my chest.
I can’t help but wonder if Darian considers this banishment to be his own form of punishment for not stopping his brother sooner.
“Perhaps we will never know,” I say quietly and Darian downs the rest of his whiskey before turning to me.
“Come, let’s get another drink.”
He takes a step to the door before sliding his hand into mine, tugging me along gently.
As we near the DJ within the tree, I become increasingly aware of the people around looking at Darian with an odd sense of fondness as we weave through the crowd that seems to have doubled since we entered.
I glance around at the patrons, all painfully human in appearance.
“How many are…?” I pause, unable to properly word my question.
Darian scans the room, “Right now? Mostly everyone is from my realm, only a handful of humans. Most of those in here are regulars minus a few.” He glances at me, “This is one of the last remaining places they can go without worrying about being hunted.”
I down the rest of my whiskey and nod.
“I suppose that’s why they look at you like you’re their lord and savior.” I tease and he chuckles softly.
We approach the bar and a man with shaved black hair smiles widely, “Well look what the cat dragged in!”
Darian grins as the man walks around the bar to embrace him, “It’s been months! Where the hell have you been, D? Dolly’s been a terror while you’ve been gone.”
I watch him grimace deeply, “Sorry Lor, duty called.”
Lor gives a dry laugh with a shrug, “If that’s the case, I suppose you had it worse than we did,” He turns to look me over, “I suppose you didn’t have it too bad if this is what you brought back.”
