Youth

#67 - A Battle of Wit

As I was two weeks late, I decided to advance this update a few days~ hope you enjoy!

    "Help us.  Tell us how to kill the king.  Tell us and we'll free you... I don't care what the consequences of that are for us.  And I know we can't beat him in a challenge, so I know you'll become king afterwards, but please..."

"You want to know how to kill King Olli so you can have [Y/n] back," Nyais muttered, "but in making me king, you'll lose her anyway."  He narrowed his eyes.  Draka was risking everything, including his life.  Part of him admired that.  Part of him despised it.  He sighed, beckoning with his free hand for Draka to pass him the other cup of rosewater.  Draka finished the rest of his, pouring another and passing it to Nyais. 

Taking a long sip of the pointless beverage and downing it in one, Nyais shut his eyes.

"Pour me another," he muttered, "we'll be here for some time.  And listen carefully.  I don't like to repeat myself."

    Draka nodded his head promptly, pouring Nyais yet another cup of rosewater, passing it to him. Nyais took it and stared into the colourless liquid for a moment - the light from the dim, hanging bulb above his head reflected on the water and shone in his eyes. He paused.

    "Why should I trust you?" he asked coldly. Draka looked down.

    "Because pride is at stake," Draka shrugged. "I may seem like a mindless, lovestruck psychopath but I am the son of General Erda. If I sully his pride, he'll kill me. If I sully my own pride, he'll shun me." He looked down.  "I need to climb higher in the ranks when I can.  If I fuck that up now, I'm done for."  Nyais gave him a surprised look.

    "Good luck," Nyais shrugged, clearly not believing the boy could ever live up to his expectations.  He took another sip of his rosewater.  "Do you know of Helena?"  Draka shook his head.  "She was once Olli's lover."  Draka seemed surprised, but stayed silent to allow Nyais to continue.  "She wasn't a vampire.  She was a sorceress.  The pair of them devised ideas of grandeur to form an alliance between sorcerers and vampires, and - as they loved one another - they married.  For their wedding presents, Olli bestowed an ancient relic upon her that would give her the option to transform in and out of a vampiric state at will, and Helena in turn proffered Olli a 'boost' of sorts.  He would become infinitely more powerful than he already was, however if he were to fight, the power would wear off until 24 hours had passed."

    "And what happened to her?" Draka questioned.

"She betrayed Olli," Nyais said simply.  "She used him for his power, convincing him to overthrow his father and become king, and sent ten men from her kingdom to assassinate him shortly afterwards.  Helena had underestimated how strong he'd been before she'd granted him his new power, however, and Olli killed these men, before having Helena hung, drawn and quartered."  Draka grimaced.

"So much for being in love," he muttered, before furrowing his brow.  "So... he can only use his power once a day, right?"  Nyais nodded.  "But we still wouldn't stand a chance against him..."

Nyais shrugged, placing his cup of rosewater on the concrete floor so softly that it made no noise.  "Not necessarily."

* * *

The colosseum was crowded. Almost every vampire in the kingdom was crammed into the single space, those who couldn't get in waited outside eagerly to hear the news of who came out victorious. The place was ridden with beggars, merchants, thieves and other misfits of society; Kori kept his hand on his shuriken at all times. Who knew if or when he'd have to use it?