The Kidnapping [Vincious & Speechless]

[Vincious Macabre]

Aven was not really sure how to feel about this day.


His finicky witch of a mother was running about their typical witch house–a two storey mansion that was older than the Pharaohs… To Aven’s mind, at least. In fact, he knew better, because his ability to gauge the age of items told him it was about five hundred years old–her wavy jet strands bouncing off her black-corset-dress-clad-shoulders as she stuffed more clothes into his suitcase. Initially, he had wanted to just go there with his rucksack filled with magic supplies and a book and his witch’s journal, but his mother made an unnecessary comment about how he needed to shower and wear clean clothes and changing his trousers after wearing them for three damn days. He had telekinetically pushed her favourite mug off the table and earned himself an annoying lecture on how he was turning twenty and such a silly behaviour and misuse of his magical abilities was no way for a young male witch to act. Sometimes he just wanted to slap her.


Honestly, if he were a simple human, he would now be on his own, working some job and getting a decent pay, but witches had a very different way of life altogether. Their kids only left the coven they were born into to become individuals after they were properly trained and had basic knowledge of the art of hiding in plain sight. A coven was not necessarily what one might conjure up in their mind had they been thinking of witches; it was simply what they called a wholly complete family of wizards.


That alone in itself was rare, and it was a major reason why the Nillans were nearly always sent to the brilliant witch known as Amelia Auburnbrez. She was amazingly skilled at handling stronger, young magicians, receiving a quadruple of two pairs of males and females each summer to help them break through the both literal and imaginary power barrier witches had and to go through what they called Ascension; transforming from a basic witch into something much more like a half human, half demon, being completely in harmonic sync with your basic essences of power, guiding your magic the way you do your muscles. Her goal was to shape new fighters, scholars, alchemists and scientists. She wanted to make these individuals capable of meeting one of the higher demons, perhaps even the council, and coming out alive were one to find themselves stuck in an unfortunate battle. She enhanced their wits and strategic thinking, turned them into truly respectable enchantment workers.


And Aven knew all that. In fact, he understood it very damn well. But he was one of those powerful yet lazy people who were barely even enthused about going somewhere. The potential, Harry Potter-like fights intrigued him, the knowledge pushed him forward, but that was it. He was yet to find something to be passionate about; something that forced his lack of will to move into a slumber, even if a temporary one.


“Mother, that is enough. I must go now,” Aven said, zipping his suit case shut with his mind and catching the rucksack he levitated towards his hand as he went to the door.


“Aven, dear, do you even know how you will be getting there?” Asked Retika Nillan, slightly infuriated with her son.


“Yes. A demon who works for the schooling of witches is coming to teleport me to the school,” he recited in a flat, dull tone, repeating what she had told him a week ago.


“You’ve never done it outside of your dreams before. It can be… Weird,” she informed.


“That’s fine.”


“I’ll tell your dad you said goodbye!”


“Sure, whatever, mum.” With that, the white wooden door fell shut behind him. He gazed about, ready to call out to this demon that was basically his means of transport–ha, a demonic car–and jumped when he returned his gaze in front of him and found a pale, silver, lightly curly-haired and wide eyed male with a small frame, his glowing purple irises fixed on the similarly pale countenance of Aven.


He did not know what to say, so he waited for the demon to speak.


“My name is Erisetheph. I am the one demon responsible for taking students to the House of Amelia. Come, I still yet have to take one last witch to the sealed off forest after you. That level of illusion is too much even for you four to counter, and I must return before sundown.”


The voice that came out of the hauntingly beautiful man was soft and hollow, something like a flatlining heart in a pool of tar. It was pretty in the most distorted of senses.


Without a word and a mere nod, Aven found himself… Flying through the fabrics of spacetime, the strings of reality turned all kinds of a kaleidoscopic colours that both intrigued and blinded him, filling him with surges of purely magical energy that felt like electrical pulses beating through him like his own heart, sending his skin on edge and coating it in stinging chills and goosebumps. He felt like he was somehow on fire, the blurry images passing by him so quickly he couldn’t make sense of them–and then, it was all… Still. Perfectly still. His vision struggled to clear up as he was sure he had blacked out, and when light returned to him, his other senses began to function correctly once more. He smelt the brilliant perfumes of nature and heard the twittering of avian life, their thoughts permeating into his mind as he caught on the most pressing notion they ever had–food, food, food. Of course, it was merely a translated image of the electrochemical firings that flowed through the bird’s brain, but it was still perfectly accurate.


The mansion before him appeared cozy and marvellous, seeming to heave and sigh on its own weight in a softly relaxed manner, but it also rung to him of the stereotypes people often associated with his kind. How could he blame them, though? They were beautiful structures, those mansions.


Stepping onto the front porch, he readied his hand for a knock on the scratched and chipped door when it flung open inwards and a smirk brightened his melancholy eyes. Looking around the living room, he saw a woman fully clad in shades of violet, a flower of the same name in her soft curls of pale blonde. On the couch sat a lad who was definitely around Aven’s own age, and at the dining table, where the woman–Amelia–stood, hovering her hands delicately over a set of modified Tarot cards, sat a female witch. His tutor for the summer looked up at him with a warm smile and he simply nodded towards her.


“Come in, my lad. Welcome to The House of Ascension.”

*****

​

Erisetheph was genuinely excited to go fetch the lassie named Aelin Veris, as she was something of true ingenuity in the unique way in which she was formed. Very few witches were created the way she was, with the genetical line that gave her the other aspect that brought the demon enthusiasm. It was an animal, a familiar, a leopard named Kanta that she kept closer to herself than her very heart. He wished to see that bond, to revel in it and drink it in, especially since he was one of those demons of higher empathic intelligence. He fed on the positive energies such a connection resulted in. Basically, if the human emotion; the shared feelings that some felt with others were a pond, they would be a stone thrown in that results in ceaseless ripples. That was the energy that made him perk up and forget any reasons he might have had to being miserable one time in the past.


Reaching her accommodation; her home, he sat outside her window, only sticking to the wooden exterior with his daemonic abilities–however he looked like a damn gecko–peeking in through the glass with half shut, relaxed, purple hues as he set his hands on the softly textured, transluscent panels to her room, scanning the much more neat–in comparison to that Nillan boy’s chamber–indoors area for the female wizard.


“Aeeeeeeeliiiiiiin?” He called out, his voice slightly muffled through the square-shaped, fragile barrier, but completely loud and clear in the mind of the intended recipient.

 

[Speechless]

The grass was smooth and warm as he lay on his side, propped on his elbow with his head resting on his hand, his other roaming through the green strands. The ears of his leopard heritage twitched at the slight breeze that blew over the field every now and that, visible between the soft locks of brown, black and speckled blonde hair. His tail draped over his hip lazily, waving every now and then while his golden eyed gaze looked upon the trees and drifted towards the woman he shadowed.


Aelin stood beneath the tall tree, staring up at its branches and biting down on her soft red lip as she did in her usual deep thought. Her long brown hair waved along her spine as she tilted her head, her delicate fingers clutching at the satchel containing most of her favourite ingredients for various projects she intended to study. Her excitement for the future was only contained while she was busy searching for her useful aids.


A small indigo flower bloomed upon the branches of the ancestral oak and when her view found them she smiled to herself before looking at the bark of the tree and noticing that there were no footholds. A soft sigh slipped through her teeth and she looked across the grass at the lazy leopard.


“Kanta.” She called softly to her familiar. “Can you help me? I want the flower from those branches.”Aelin said, her hand leaving the satchels strap on her shoulder to stretch up and point toward the plant. The Leopard looked up, firstly towards her before up at the tree.


“Please Kanta. I don’t want to start off at this school unprepared. I’m sure it’ll come in handy for all kinds of things.” She said, dropping her hand and frowning at the lazy creature. As she turned, the breeze blew again, catching her scent and carrying it over to the man who sat up slowly. First the smell of her flowery perfume that she had made herself and then the strong scent of her magic came to harass his sharp nose and demand his respect. Without a word, he unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it down from his shoulders to which Aelin respectfully turned away. He shifted his disposition and in Leopard form he stood, his cut-off jeans sliding over his fine fur and off of his new shape with ease.


With a few concentrated leaps and little effort from his strong limbs, he clawed and pounced his way up into the tree and along the branches. Snatching at the plants with his sharpened teeth he dropped them and they rained down from the tree above Aelin who simply laughed at her friend and caught a few of the tiny flowers as they fell.


“Kanta quit it,” She grinned. “I’ve got flowers in my hair now.” She said as she picked them out. The leopard let out a purring growl before snatching more of the flowers in his teeth and bounding down the tree with a reckless and carefree attitude. Aelin kneeled as he approached and she took the flowers as he dropped them into her hands. The Leopard changed before her as she placed them into her satchel and he began pruning the flowers from her hair.


“Kanta! Your clothes!” She whined, turning away from him quickly while he blinked in surprise at her.


“Why does it bother you so much?” He mumbled, rolling his eyes before he stood to move across the grass and pull on the jeans and the shirt that Aelin had bought for him to look reasonably well dressed for this important day. He knew she was nervous, he didn’t really understand why though.


“It’s a human thing.” She replied, calming her flushed cheeks before standing up straight and holding tightly to her satchel as she began walking across the grass and back to the path that would lead them home.


“Now quit lazing around, we’re going to be late. You know someone’s going to come and get us soon.” She said, glancing back at Kanta who as usual simply nodded and followed her, indeed like a shadow.


Her suitcase had been packed days before and she had even forced Kanta into packing early too. However to his dismay she had done most of the packing for him. She had been amazed at how little he actually owned. Kanta didn’t keep personal items, Leopards didn’t make a habit of becoming materialistic apparently and so his case was essentially just clothes that Aelin brought him.


“Kanta, what are you doing?” She hissed as she stepped into the bedroom to find the animal lying down once more upon her bed. “You’re not allowed on my bed. And if we have to share a room at this school then you’re sleeping on the floor, got it?” The Leopard stared up at her, his expression unreadable. Aelin was so nervous she was acting like an innocent child.


“You weren’t using it, so I thought I’d take a nap.” Kanta said quietly, rolling his eyes, a human gesture that he had learnt from the woman. “Fine, I’ll sleep on the floor when you want the bed. I’m just an animal after all.” He muttered a line that always made her look back at him with guilt in her eyes.


“Don’t say that.” She mumbled. “I’m sorry. I’m just worrying about nothing.” She added to which Kanta sat up and nodded, pleased by her apology. At the same time, they both winced and Aelin jumped at the sound of another’s voice. A stranger who had appeared in the strangest of places outside of her window. She gasped before quickly running and opening it for him to enter while Kanta get to his feet, as always a little displeased by the new presence.


“I’m sorry, please come in.” She said, stepping aside for the other and closing the window once more when he entered.

 

[Vincious Macabre]

Erisetheph was thoroughly amused by the sight he had caught upon his arrival, but also completely intrigued by the image of the lazy relic of ancient power. This simple leopard, this familiar, was much more than the apparently clueless Aelin Veris thought he was. He smelt the forest on her person as she opened the window for him and a silent confirmation flooded his mind that, yes, this young woman was probably fully unaware of just how... Special this Kanta–or she–was. Her competence, however, she wore nearly like a second skin, and whether she knew he was examining her aura with his demonic eyes, seeing invisible layers to the world she thought she knew but saw so little of, did not matter to him. The mixture of pale blues and greens gave as much about her away as her body would had he seen her fully undressed. A pale pink flushed across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose as his mostly disinterested expression changed slightly, turning into one of mildly bewildered fascination. He could have had an erection with such a distortion of his features.


"You're... You're fine. Don't worry about it," he finally said, clearing his throat and looking away, his gaze landing instead on the magical animal. Again his half shut eyes shifted into something completely different, a look of pure amusement flooding through every aspect of his countenance. It could have easily disturbed the poor familiar, but what he said next was sure to annoy him.


"Hello there, Mr. Panther." Stifled chuckle.


Finally done messing around, with one full visual sweep of the bedroom, he bowed slightly and offered his hand to the female.


"My name is Erisetheph. I'm here to take you to the House of Amelia. Shall we, miss Veris?" He asked, his slim arm, barely filling up a pale purple sleeve, extended towards her. The rest of his torso was covered in a dark violet vest, with a hood hanging below the nape of his neck that was edged with a surprising amount of white fluff. The black shorts and white leather boots he wore also gave much away about the kind of person he was. Clearly, he was extremely playful.

*****

​

Aven accepted the invitation without hesitation and stepped inside, gazing about the room and gauging the kinds of people he would have to associate with for the next three months. A mental groan echoed against the interiors of his cranium as his shoulders slumped, be it either from disappointment or exhaustion brought on by the realisation he would have to interact with other witches every single day. For a moment, he settled on studying the other male in the room. A dizzying, bright mixture of jade and emerald met his sparkling onyxes; a dark lake of shimmering reflections of the suburban night sky. The former shone of powers and drew Aven in, however a slight hint of mischief–perhaps a prelude to pure evil?–swam deep within the greens, a sort of warning sign that this stranger held up to keep others at bay. If only he knew that only sparked the black eyed male's interest.


"Hi. I'm Jerex. Jerex Alastair," said the one with dark, electric blue hair to compliment his pale features and bright emeralds, sitting more upright on the couch he had been slumped against.


As if taking that as her cue, Miss Amelia crossed the room to the apparently confused Aven and took his hand into her soft, warm one, her handshake gentle but filled with so much power, the male thought he would suffer a migraine if he did not tear his hand away from her grip.


"Welcome, Mr. Nillan. My name is Amelia Auburnbrez, and that young man over there, Jerex, will be your roommate for the summer. Please try to get along. This, over here, is Genie Barle. The fourth and last student should arrive shortly. You three might have heard of her, so I'm keeping her as a sort of... Surprise.


"Your suitcase and rucksack can go into your shared room. It's right upstairs. Do make yourself at home."


With a simple nod, Aven rushed up the old, creaky stairs and dropped his belongings on the floor, right by the foot of the bed against the wall opposite to and far away from the door, as Jerex had already claimed the other one for himself. He honestly did not care which one he got, so he simply sat down on it and released a deep, long sigh from his lungs. The act reminded him of smoking those special ‘demon cigarettes’, and after glancing about himself for a second, he opened the window above the desk facing Alastair's bed and slipped out, employing his Parkour skills to lower himself to the ground. As if he had heard his telepathic call, his demon guardian, Mekeliah, materialised about a foot before him and held up a strange, black, silver-rimmed cigarette to Aven's lips, lighting it with a mere snap of his fingers.

 

[Speechless]

The leopard watched as the other climbed in through the window. His own yellow eyes glancing over him and his strange taste in clothes. The newcomer seemed fascinated with the room itself and the way he looked at Aelin was curious but not enough for Kanta to move or appear so. Aelin only smiled brightly at the other and stepped back towards the Leopard who now finally rose from the bed. He wasn’t overly tall, but Leopards were not as big as Lions or Tigers, but they were just as strong. His position froze for a moment as the man named him after another animal and Kanta glanced at his own arms, the shirt sleeves cutting off at the shoulder and leaving the skin bare except for the leopard print markings, a clear sign of his heritage.


“Er…he’s a Leopard, sir.” Aelin jumped in quickly with an added nervous laugh. “And his name is Kanta. I’m Aelin. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you Mr. Erisetheph.” The woman said as she stepped between Kanta and the visitor. The Leopard watched as she so desperately tried to keep him from tearing a limb from the stranger and he almost sighed. Was he still as ill-tempered as he was when they met three years ago? Probably.


“Kanta, would you please get our bags.” She said, turning to the Leopard and smiling gracefully. Almost obediently he did so, stepping out in the hall to pull them back into the room. She had attempted to pack light but it was difficult for her. He looked about the quiet house for a moment first, he had lived here for a while with Aelin and it still made him wonder why she was left in such a large house all alone.


“Okay. We’re ready when you are.” She said when the leopard returned, his ears twitching at her slightly higher pitch now that she was entirely excited and happily reached to link her arm with his. She looked back, still smiling and held her hand out for Kanta who took it cautiously.


**********


Genie looked up as her name was mentioned, her head bowed into her book while they she awaited the rest of the students to arrive. She didn’t hold much hope when she looked at the second male to enter the house and she avoided rolling her eyes at him for the moment. Though politely, she took one hand away from the leather cover and gave him a short wave. The moment he disappeared to his room, she replaced her nose in the book. She had already taken care of unpacking, not caring what the other witch might want, she took the room as first-come-first-serve.

 

[Vincious Macabre]

"I'm aware of what species he belongs to, lassie," he responded, his attention darting towards the leopard as he fetched their belongings. He acknowledged Aelin's presence with an absence of concrete, full thoughts in his mind, only his magical instincts fully active as his bright purple–or were they pink?–eyes glazed over with a distracted glassiness.


"Mm, yes, I also know your name. We know more about you witches than you might like to believe." He had commented before she took his arm, and, readjusting their interlocking limbs so he had her soft, small hand in his instead, the world warped around them as if some careless maid had toppled over a bucket of dirty soap-water, which had mercilessly melted the brushstrokes of hues around them, adding a nauseating sensation that overtook their entire beings as the pale tones of her bedchamber turned into something much more lively, a collection of blurry greens clashed against burnt browns, with a sort of natural spotlight shining down on them and their surroundings; the early evening sun boldly reminding them that even if they were hidden from mortals, it would still shine down on them and rouse them from sleep at dawn, dipping behind the hills to set them free in their domains of witchcraft, done late at night merely for preference and not at all as a rule.


In fact, the best time for witches–real witches, not those in creepy, bonfire folktales–to practise their multi-pigmented outbursts of magic was sometime around very early morning, when their reality-bending energies easily mixed with the cool, white light and the background of botanical life about them.


When once again their environment came back into focus, like a lens turned on a spyglass, they were standing before the old mansion that buzzed and hummed with the concentration of wizardry and their life-forces. Had there not been an invisible shield to keep such a noise safely in, they would most likely be under a barrage of attacks from all kinds of preternatural beings, nonstop.


The demon known as Erisetheph landed softly on the relatively clean floorboards of the porch, slipping his hand gracefully away from the female witch's after he led her up the small stairs and knocking on the least chipped area–the centre point–of the door. It slowly slid open and a smile upon a wised, however young-looking face, was the first thing to greet them. Platinum blonde curls complimented her fair skin, a twinkle dancing in her–unsurprisingly–violet irises. She nodded towards Erisetheph, who smiled a fraction and stepped into the living room, standing on the tips of his toes–she was taller than him–and planting a soft kiss on her cheek. She ran a hand through his silver strands and he wore a look of relaxation before he vanished from sight in the time it took them all to blink.


"Jerex, Genie, Aven–Aven!" She shouted, hoping to catch his attention. He sighed audibly and walked around the house upon hearing his summoning, coming up behind Aelin and slumping against the doorframe, his arms crossed and his lips releasing thick clouds of black smoke that smelt of electricity and pure mana. If anyone in the world could win at looking completely disinterested, bored and lazy all at once, it would be the midnight-clad-haired-eyed lad, who stood in eerie silence and took in the mildly amusing spectacle of the last witch to arrive for the summer like an observant tombstone.


Amelia felt a chill run up her slim arms, but not because the sun was kissing the sky farewell for the day and the open entrance was generously welcoming in some gusts of chilling wind. Something about him, the way he carried himself... She would have to be careful with this one, she noted in the back of her mind.


Subtly shaking her head to dismiss her possibly paranoid thoughts, she turned to face Aelin and Kanta.


"Everyone, this is Aelin Veris. If you've been around other witches, you might have heard of her."


Jerex merely nodded and waved, a sly yet unabashedly flirtatious smirk on his pale, oddly serpentine countenance, as if the two had met at a pub and he was ready to buy her drinks. One of his weaknesses was pretty birds–especially if they had a sort of reputation, good or bad. He liked to bed the popular ones. He had thought Genie pretty, but she seemed too standoffish for his liking and he kept his distance from her, choosing instead to stick to the sidelines until the other two showed up. Feeling drawn to the trio at the door–including the feline familiar–he finally stood up and walked closer, however he kept a fair distance from them all.


"Name's Jerex." He ran a hand through his fine blue tresses, finding nothing better to do with it as he had a rule never to shake hands with witches. The reason behind that was not at all from a sense of superiority or some other silly reason. In fact, it was because once he touched someone with relatively equal power, or higher in potency, his mind rushed to connect to them, seek out their deepest memories and thoughts, aiming to bond to their very life-force. He was only willing to do that with someone who meant much to him.


"Pleasure to make your acquaintance."


"Genie, come say hello." Amelia's command hid only behind a thin, barely crafted veil, knowing she was in position to tell them what to do. She refused to be a dictator, but her patience with these 'young adult [witches]' was running low.


Aven retreated into his own mind. How unfortunate it must be to be the centre of attention like that. He disliked her simply from the scent she gave off, full of sickeningly sweet, highly potent leopard pheromones and some earth-elemental magic, as it almost smarted his nose, but he had to admit to himself that he nearly felt a sort of sympathy for the being who was under the spotlight. He hated being in such a position and could only surmise she might feel a flurry of panic from being subjected to those witches all at once.


So he said nothing and silently killed his cigarette with his black combat boot. His cold hands found their home in his pockets, and within the melancholy depths of his superficially dead eyes, swam a certain shadow that only Mekeliah could detect and comprehend. A shadow that could have been the source for his tutor's chills.

*****

​

The strings were coming undone. Pride had equated neglect, and such a crime bred imbalance. Slowly, they released their desperate holds on each other, one by one, like a rope barely capable of sustaining a much too weighty load. In the air they might have released the same noise of cracking and unbecoming, but there was no one to pay hear to it.


And soon enough, it would be the undoing of all of them.

 

[Speechless]

The swirling of colours as they shifted from one space to the next gave Kanta a headache, the pain was sharp and he closed his eyes to it while holding Aelin’s small hand with his own calloused one. She wasn’t paying attention to him, but to the magic that swarmed around them throughout their brief travel, a magic that was as of yet, unknown to her and intrigued her greatly.


The moment the world stopped moving, Kanta took a swift step back as the scents so suddenly changed from one environment to another. The scent of magic much greater in this area, enough to make him want to sneeze but he refrained as he let go of Aelin’s hand and picked up their bags from the ground. He lifted them up the stairs while Aelin was so graciously guided by Erisetheph. The young brunette was gazing around as if it were a dream, somewhat embarrassing for Kanta to witness but it wasn’t the first time. She had spent much of her time away from this world even though her blood line was well know, Kanta on the other hand had spent much of his time within the boundaries of magic for he would not exist without it. His ears twitched in evidence of the thought while he listened to the birds that were twittering with excitement at the sight of fresh beings on the doorstep of the old house.


“It’s so beautiful.” Aelin breathed in awe before her attention turned to the opening door.


The demon so easily disappeared within moments and Aelin stepped across the threshold followed by the Leopard and their belongings. The leopard easily flinched at the sound of the sudden shouting of names, the blonde commanding their presence. Though he was not impressed by her shrill tone, the aura she wore like a cloak was a soothing and strong presence to him, the feeling interrupted when a much less soothing and more irritating soul appeared behind him to which his tail withdrew to his side. However, Aelin didn’t seem to notice and only smiled politely. Her introductions from the woman made her cheeks flush lightly.


She smiled at each new person individually and gave a polite nod. Genie finally sat down her book and stood up from the couch to approach the new comer curiously. A fellow female, though Aelin was much more feminine than herself, she was certain of that.


“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Genie said softly and followed with a short bow. She had her manners and knew to show them to the correct people. She was more so relieved that another female was now here to help her in putting these lazy boys in their place. The black haired young woman then turned to the Leopard and looked intently for a moment, a stare that he returned without a care for being polite. She finally smiled and nodded to him then to receive a nod in return. She had a feeling they would get along, the Leopard seemed as distant as herself.


“I’m pleased to meet all of you. I’m Aelin and this is Kanta, he’s a Leopard. Thank you for waiting for me.” Aelin said softly, ensuring that she explained Kanta quickly so that nobody could anger him with any misconceptions again. Containing her excitement as she then bowed to the room. Kanta remained in his position without a word.


“I’ll try to keep him from getting in the way, thank you for accepting us both.” Aelin then said with a smile to the older woman.

 

[Vincious Macabre]

"'Ello, motherfuckers!" The standoffish demon known as Mekeliah only by Aven suddenly made an appearance at the door, disrupting the relative peace of the party of witches. He gave Amelia a wink and Genie a wave, before slowly slithering closer to this... Aelin. A cigarette suddenly found its place in the corner of his mouth, however it remained unlit as he circled her the way a shark did its prey. Although he behaved like a predator, his body language; his expression and the way he simply gazed at her made him seem more friendly than anyone thought a demon could seem, especially one created out of darkness, lived in the darkness and manipulated it like a true element. His eyes, unlike his lad's, were a fiery orange, with a ring of copper lining them. His pale features accentuated the entire complexity of his appearance; he was a beautiful being. He seemed to not care at all about what the leopard might think. Aven raised a brow at his behaviour, thinking he was probably intoxicated, and silently slipped past the crowd as if he were never there.


Headed for the stairs, he was stopped in his tracks by Jerex.


"You're not leaving me alone to boredom, are you?" He asked the other male with an almost pleading look in his eyes, and it took everything Aven had not to want to slap him for what he had clearly done on purpose.


"Boredom? Oh, no, Jerex." The voice that had replied did not belong to the dark haired male at all. In fact, it was Amelia who answered him.


"There will be no such thing here. We are to hold the welcoming ceremony in an hour. I expect you all to be ready and dressed in your robes in that time. If you have any special pendants or jewellery or the like, wear it, too. Call your demon guardians to grant you your first demon tattoo during the ceremony. If you don't know what that is, you will find out. Now go, cleanse yourself with your elements, shower, prepare. I want you to be dressed in your finest. Do not come downstairs; I will be preparing things here."


Aven cocked his brows at Jerex, and with a smirk, went upstairs, removing his shirt as he went–a perfect view of his toned back to all the goddamned occupants of the little school... As well as of all the beautiful artwork spreading along his back, mostly in darker and crimson tones. The tattoos he had drawn himself. He did not seem to notice, casually making his way to the toilet as he removed his trousers. With the door shut, he kicked off his boots and dropped his pants to the floor. He felt he needed a shower. He did as instructed, turning the water into ice to cleanse himself with his element, and with the sun setting outside, he felt a breath return to him; a breath of power, of energy, of life, simply from the harmonious darkness spreading like a warm blanket over their world.


With him in the boy's toilet, Jerex prepared his own outfit and robes for the ceremony; laying them out on the bed and whatnot. He even polished his shoes. Luckily, he did not have to wait long for the other lad to come to the room, a towel wrapped around his waist. Aven might have appeared thin and sickly pale, but he was attractive nonetheless. In fact, there clearly was some muscle under his fair skin. Jerex was out of the room in seconds and the other male put on his finest suit, followed by a simple black robe. A necklace of silver, with a silver chain and a dragon coiled around a pearl-shaped onyx with an opal embedded into it, clasped around his neck. ( Like: Necklace but with a more well-crafted dragon, and the gem description I provided). Mekeliah had left Aelin alone when she had to go about her business, and now he was helping Aven look more than just presentable.


The pair exited the bedroom to allow Jerex to get dressed, however with Amelia's warning, they could only wait outside in the hall.


"Maybe we should go bother the birds?" Mekeliah asked and simply headed towards their bedroom, not even waiting for Aven to follow.

*****



​

"You felt it, too, didn't you?"


"Of course I did. It's all over the goddamned realms."


"Do you really think we can actually begin a thorough and fruitful search for... him?"


"Yes. Yes, I do. In fact, I think we should not waste a moment. We must move as soon as we are able to assemble enough men."


"Get on it, then."


"Aye, sir."