Blood & Carrots Ep. 20

"So! Could any of you normally hold up to that kind of assault and still throw attacks forth? Eleven rounds of both divine and dark magic slamming into your defenses? Multiple lashes from thaumaturgy infused divinity striking at your shield?" He gave me a hard look. "How many lashes do you assume it took to break past his barrier?"

I blinked at the words and mulled it in my mind for a moment. "Ah... several... at least... yes at least a dozen before I landed a strike upon his body."

"Could any of you had held up to that kind of assault? Held up and had the energy to throw complicated air incantations? I certainly could not!" The cobra thrust a finger at the shackled mage. "Unless! I was fueling my willpower with life essence from sacrifices!"

The whole theater broke out in a murmur of whispered talk at his words. It dawned on me then, I had been wondering why he even participated in the lycanthropes killings. He had been using the killings to fuel his power in some twisted ritual.

"Thank you Countess Blackpaw, for your testimony. And thanks to all three of you for returning this blight to us to be dealt with properly." Kazemde spoke the words sternly and I gave a nod before returning to my seat.

"There you have it. I now go to take my seat and upon that, anywho feels this mage has been tried unjustly, any that feel he deserves more consideration than he already has been given. Stand and let your voice be heard." Kazemde spoke the words and moved to his seat.

A silence filled the amphitheater and a long poignant amount of time passed. It sounds insane but in a way, I felt for the poor cat. I could only imagine being in that position, bound and gagged, time slowly ticking away hoping someone would stand in your defense.

No one stood and finally, Kazemde slowly rose from his seat once more. I looked to Gloria and frowned. "Is it okay? I mean for him not to even get to explain himself?" I whispered the words to her.

"I agree, he should answer for his crimes, but to not have any say in his own defense seems cruel." The angel nods at me and shakes her head.

Alex looked at us both like we were insane. "This guy tried to kill us, he murdered half a dozen mundanes. His buddies threatened to rape and kill you Gloria, what justice does he deserve?"

"No. I feel he should be put to the sword, but doesn't he at least deserve to speak in his own defense in his last moments?" The angel fixed Alex with a challenging look.

The wolf frowned and put his hand to his forehead. "We're outsiders, do we have any weight in this?"

"Guess we will find out." I spoke out pointedly and stood from my seat. Alex barked out his protest, then grimaced as he saw Gloria also rise.

"Fucking..." The wolf growled and followed suit and stood as well.

The amphitheater broke out in shocked chatter and whispers right away at our display. Kazemde looked upon us in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape. He composed himself and spoke out towards us. "Erm... You three, the very ones that brought him to us. The very ones he tried to slay... why do you now rise to his defense?"

Gloria stepped forward and spoke out. "I do not seek to defend him, he has done horrible things and should pay for them. However, it wrenches my heart to think of it. Should he not have a chance to explain himself? If any of you were in his shoes right now, would you not want to desperately speak out and say something... at the very least express final concerns or sympathies for your path, before you were put to the sword?"

"Holy knight Gloria. You are gracious and kind, you do your lineage proud. However..." Kazemde hesitates before he continues. "You are not of this circle, you are honored guests and you have done us a great service. However, these are our laws and must be decided by our people."

"It became part of our problem and my laws when your circle member started preying on MY flock! He did not kill mages, he killed mundane that were under my protection!" The celestial showed her teeth and thrust a hand out towards the bound cat. The look in his eyes was one of shock and bewilderment.

"I understand your position holy kni-"

"You said we had done you a service. You said you owed us a debt. This is the request I make of you!" The angel shouted the words pointedly, loudly enough for all to hear her. The whole room erupted in loud talking at the words of debt and repayment. She looked to me and Alex as if to confirm it, we both gave her a resolute nod.

Kazemde showed his teeth and hissed. "Such a waste... we could give you so much more, but you would expend your favor on this man? This murderer?"

"I do not seek anything but justice to be done properly. Let him speak, let him say his peace, then I will strike him down myself. At the very least I can offer him last rights before he is sent for judgment to the divines. That is my request, let him speak and let me end it!" The angel drew her rapier and pointed the blade towards the bound mage.

"You celestials have an odd sense of pride..." Kazemde looked back to the five mages seated who all nodded. He stepped forth and called out. "Very well... our circle will honor its debt. Bring Alex forward and let him speak, let him have his final words!"

Two more mages grabbed the bound cat and brought him before the stand and removed his mouth gag but left him in shackles. He showed his teeth at the angel, his eyes wet with tears.

"Speak sinner. You have no excuses, you have no recourse to save yourself." The angel spoke the words in an almost unearthly tone of voice that seemed to resonate in the large chamber.

"Why..." his voice was weak and raspy from not being used. He gave a cough then focused on the dog before him. "Why waste such a boon on me! I am nothing and unworthy of it!"

"You are someone's child, you may have been a father or a brother, or just a dear friend to someone in the distant past. I owed it to them." Gloria swung her rapier wide, the blade gleaming in the light. "Your guilt is plain, you have committed terrible attoricites and you will pay the price this day."

The cat lowered his head and his tears were plainly obvious. "Yes... I am a monster. I did horrible things in my thirst for power..."

Gloria set her sword and nodded. "Eyes to me, Alex." The mage looked upon her with tears flowing. Gloria swallowed before speaking the words in a kind motherly tone. "Please... do not go down the path your two friends did. For the second time... for the last time... Repent for your sins before me."

He clenched his teeth and focused his eyes upon her. "Thank you... after everything I've done... I mean it and... I am sorry. I'm sorry for the pain I wrought."

"Close your eyes my lamb." She whispered the words gently and the mage did so. "Your words have reached my ears and the divines will remember them. I pray they give you your chance to make amends... go to them now." The silver blade struck through the air and cleanly pierced the cat's chest. There wasn't even so much as a flinch of pain, his body simply went slack.

The entire theater was still and silent as Gloria withdrew her bloody sword and his body crumpled before her. The dog clasped her rosary in her left hand and I could hear her quietly praying aloud, her eyes lifted upwards, tears flowing from them.

A few moments later she was composed. She withdrew a small cloth article from her pocket and wiped her blade clean. She looked upon Kazemde, her cheeks still wet with tears but her face looked set with resolve. "Thank you for fulfilling my request, Archmage."

He gave a polite nod. "With it, our debt is repaid. I also thank you personally for your kindness to our brother in his final moments."

Gloria turned and moved towards me and immediately shoved her face into my chest. I smiled and held her gently, feeling her body shiver. Alex stepped up to us and held her as well.

"The tribunal is now over. You may all return to your studies." Kazemde called out to the theater before turning to the other five mages and speaking with them.

"You're really something else, angel," I spoke the words into her ears while rubbing at her head. Gloria just shook her head while hugging against me and Alex.

"Are you okay, Gloria?" Alex whispered the words into her ears gently while rubbing her head with me.

She gave a ragged sigh and nodded her head. "I will be fine in time..."

After a few minutes, Kazemde returned to us. "That was a little more dramatic than I expected, I still thank you for your testimony."

Gloria showed her teeth. "I do not mean to be rude sir Kazemde, however, I must ask. Why not allow your condemned to speak for themselves outright?"

The cobra gave a sigh that almost sounded like a hiss. "The manacles he wore suppressed his magic, but all those with the natural talent for magic, possess the ability to call upon powers in great potency in the throes of death. Being able to speak or gesture before execution is a great risk."

"So your condemned have no opportunity to repent..." Gloria frowned and folded her arms, looking away.

"That's not entirely true. We do offer them such opportunities before they are gagged. We also have clergy who offer their bodies last rights. We certainly do not wish to have curses and ghosts to deal with after the fact." Kazemde gave a shrug. "Had this been an issue I wish I would have known prior. I could have explained to you he had been offered his rights and you would not have had to waste your favor."

"Did he repent at your offer?" Gloria spoke out sternly.

"He did not." Kazemde responded simply.

"Then it was not a waste..." The retriever spoke the words gently and placed a hand to her chest.

"So none of us objected to her request and that was payment. Are you kicking us out now or do I still get that tour and chat about my power?" I spoke out curiously.

The cobra gave a chuckle and shook his head. "Do not be absurd, of course, you are still our honored guests. We shall tour the tower and have a nice dinner in your honor."

My ears lifted and I smiled. "That sounds wonderful, thank you for your hospitality."

#

Kazemde took us through the tour of the tower explaining its functions to us. It stood ten stories tall, six of those were dedicated to library facilities and research. Two other floors were dedicated to workshops for alchemy and other magical crafting. The upper two floors were dedicated to classrooms with the subterranean levels dedicated to living quarters for the mages.

"So what is the point of this place? You just sit around studying between assassination contracts?" Alex spoke out as we walked.

"Well it is first and foremost a place of study and education, the assassination is just part of our duty." Kazemde nodded in response.

"I keep hearing you say duty, do you have some code you follow?" Gloria spoke out this time. She walked next to me, clinging upon my arm.

"We do. We are not just marauding thugs that kill for coin." Kazemde looked upon the angel as he spoke. "We aren't far off really. Most of our targets are rogue creatures preying upon the mundane population. We also target particularly vile mundanes at times."

"My blade arm is one of necessity, not a sellsword. You pretty it up with flowery words but you still simply cast judgment where it is not your place to do so." The dog grumbled the words and clutched tighter to my arm.

"I will not debate with you on this matter celestial. Simply know your people would have their hands full and be burying many more mundane than you would like if it were not for our kind." The cobra clipped the words sharply but politely.

"He's not wrong Gloria," Alex spoke out, the angel turning to look upon him. "Things have calmed down these days, but if you go back a century or more. This circles was one of the prominent key players in keeping the supernatural at bay and keeping mundane society functional."

"I did not expect you to come to our defense so readily, warrior Alex. Thank you for your kind words." Kazemde gave the wolf a polite bow.

The wolf rubbed the back of his head and frowned. "It's just stuff I've read... it's like the three of us. We don't work together on paper. Vampires hate lycanthropes, celestials hate both of us, we don't like them much either. Yet here the three of us are, working together and being... uh... so much more."

I gave the wolf a grin then smiled upon my angel. "Yeah... just think if you hadn't given me a chance that night, angel?" I hummed the words lovingly at her.

Gloria sighed and shook her head. "It is obvious my judgment and eyes are clouded. I do not agree with your methods but I cannot dispute the good you have done, even if it were simply for profit. I apologize for my sharp tongue, sir Kazemde."

"The profit is to keep the circle going, knight Gloria. Nothing more than that. We do not own yachts and mansions." The cobra hissed the words and nodded once more. "Thank you for your understanding."

"So when do we eat?" Alex barked out excitedly, showing his teeth in a grin.

"I confess, I also feel hunger setting in..." The smaller dog spoke the words, a blush on her cheek as I heard her stomach growl in agreement.

Kazemde showed his teeth in a smile. "I will make arrangements post haste. Let us go to the dining hall."

The circle put an impressive spread out for us. It was obvious they were catering to the dogs because there was plenty of meats to choose from. There were also vegetables and cheeses and I felt myself a little jealous watching Alex and Gloria happily eat. It may as well have been cardboard to me and I begrudgingly snatch up a carrot trying to will my taste buds to find the flavor as I nibbled on it.

Kazemde approached me and bowed politely. "Countess Blackpaw, might we speak of things while your companions eat?"

"That sounds good." I nodded and offered both of my dogs a smile. "You two enjoy your meal, I will be around."

Alex wagged his tail and nodded. "I will keep an eye on her."

Gloria grinned at him and blushed. "T-thank you, uhm... honey?"

I pursed my lips at the two of them. "Well you guys iron out pet names, but don't take mine for her."

I sauntered off with Kazemde and followed him out onto the terrace adjoining the dining hall. It was the middle of the night and the air had a chill in it. Looking out over the horizon I saw nothing but desert and cliffs all around. "Wow... you guys are in the middle of nowhere."

"Literally. You don't want a tower of mages in the middle of downtown." Kazemde hissed the words and leaned against the guardrail overlooking the scene. "It is beautiful in its own way. I would say to gaze upon it during the morning hours, but... well, that would be rude."

I gave a laugh and flicked my tail. "Nah... I do think it's pretty under moonlight too... Even as a mundane I loved the way things looked bathed in moonlight."

The cobra smiled and then gave me a frown. "I apologize that the spread was not uh... appropriate for your diet. If you are terribly hungry I'm sure we have some preserved blood in the labs I could gather."

I showed a grin and shook my head. "It's okay sir Kazemde, I'm not ravenous and I wouldn't want to go drinking your lab supplies up."

With a frown, I stared out over the desert and rocks for several moments before speaking out. "So were you still going to talk to me about chimera's or is that off the table?"

The snake bowed his head to me. "I will not lie, I-"

"Like big butts and you cannot lie?" I clenched my fists and grinned at him.

The cobra gave me a confused look as he processed the words, after a few moments he spoke. "I'm sorry... I do not understand the context?"

I felt a pout form and looked away. "It's nothing, please continue with what you were saying, Kazemde."

He cleared his throat and spoke once more. "As I was saying... I will not lie, I had intended to trade the knowledge to relieve us of the debt we owe you."

I frowned and nodded. "I understand... business is business, right?"

He gave a sharp nod. "Yes, I appreciate your understanding. That being said, your lover was very selfless and you both followed suit. Normally I would not be moved by such things, but since it brought peace and comfort to our brother's troubled soul... well, I am willing to still share some knowledge with you."

"Really? That's very sweet of you, Kazemde. Thank you." I showed him a smile and flicked my tail happily.

"I've been called many things in my time, but never sweet." He hissed out a laugh and turned from me. "Let us go to floor five, I have a book on it there."

I followed behind Kazemde eagerly, my tail flicking about in excitement. I looked at his profile from behind while we walked. He was tall and elegant in his suit and his lithe form looked well-muscled from what I could see. I found myself growing warm looking upon his form, I wanted to see what the rest of him looked like, see how much of him those scales covered and the tight muscles I assumed he had beneath.

I had lied to him, I engaged in a very demanding battle last night and was very hungry. Though the sex with my partners was invigorating, I had spent most of my focus on tending to Gloria and Alex, the retriever received the majority of the energy I would have normally gotten. I also had poured a lot of my reserves into her in comfort after the execution as well.

I tried to focus on the task at hand, removing my eyes from his lithe form and looking straight ahead while we walked. The cobra flicked his black eyes back at me in a dart and I felt a shiver go down my spine as if he had noticed or felt my intentions. I said nothing and just continued to follow him.

We made our way to the fifth floor and he took a moment to look over a few bookcases. I took a seat and awkwardly looked away from him. The floor was devoid of anyone. It stood to reason I imagined, why would the circle need to be nocturnal, most were probably asleep by now.

"Hmm... here we are!" The cobra brought down an old weathered looking book, the spine looking worn and threadbare, the pages seemingly brittle with age. "Oh, you're an old thing..."

I frowned as he moved back to me and sat right next to me. My ears lifted at his presence and I caught his scent. It was an odd odor that I had never smelled before, like grass and sand mingled with that musk all predators shared. I felt my heart pace faster and gave a controlled breath.

Kazemde opened the old book and frowned before meeting my eyes. "Alice... I know a few things about chimera. I can sense your energy as much as smell your body right now. I thought you said you weren't hungry?"

My cheeks darkened and I jerked my gaze away. "I'm fine... I don't want to impose any further upon you and your circle."

The cobra gave me a small smile. "Would you like to feed upon me to curb your hunger? I will allow it."

I blinked upon him with a deep blush. "Ah... w-wait... just like that?"

He gave me a hiss while grinning, his tongue flicking out a few times. "Please understand, Countess Blackpaw... I do not offer it out of any sort of sexual need. I simply desire the experience, I wish to gain the knowledge of being fed upon by a chimera... a legendary creature that has not been seen in centuries."

I felt my cheeks flush and gave him a fussy glare. "K-Kazemde! That's rude... I am not a 'creature'!"

The mage offered me an apologetic smile. "I did not mean any insult with the words, forgive me, Countess."

With a shake of my head, I bit my lower lip. "It is fine sir Kazemde." I met his eyes and then recalled what I was dealing with. I narrowed my focus and asked him skeptically. "What are your terms, sir mage?"

"I do not seek to lock you into debt if that is your concern, Countess. We are not allies of your family, but I have no intention of encouraging your lord's ire." Kazemde gave me another smile. "I simply wish the experience for my own knowledge. I give you enough to sate your hunger, you allow me a once in a lifetime experience."