Chapter 25: His Lair
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CHAPTER 25
Standing in the slightly dim room, a man was seen close to a big table with several glass-like jars, bottles, molded pots, ceramic bowls and bottles with different herbs, concoctions and mixtures seated in every one of them.
On each side of the big work chambers were some of these bottles, glass jars, molded pots, corked smaller bottles and tubes all kept at the various dents on the wall.
A certain aura emanated from the room, giving an eerie dread but the man busy grinding a concoction inside a small-looking mortar did not seem to care.
At the left corner of the chambers, thick darkness enshrouded that area completely, sending a darker vibe into the atmosphere.
His brows furrowed intensely as he stilled for a second before his hands continued what they were doing. With that one-second pause, he got a good idea of what he needed.
Suddenly the once faint footsteps ceased in their walk and the owner's breathing went still.
Sensing what the person was up to, he released a sigh, as his thin lips slowly parted while his hands continued in a fluid motion.
"Until how long do you wish to play this silent game?"
Even at that, he got no response whatsoever from the perpetrator.
Feeling ignored was not what he admired and to make matters worse, if such happened when he was busy and did not need any form of disturbance.
His eyes narrowed further as he lifted his head up but refrained from turning around. If there was one thing he hated, it was this.
This heart-wrenching silence when he could not read minds to tell what exactly the other party was thinking.
He wished he could read minds though. That way it would be much easier to manipulate people.
"I do not have time for child's play," he stated begrudgingly.
At that exact time, he lifted his right hand away from the mortar as a small silver object flickered.
Within the blink of an eye, he pushed his hand back, sending the object right to the intruder.
All the while he kept his attention ahead, not bothering to look back at his target to make his mark.
Swoosh!
The air whirled in the direction of the intruder with that one move, sending his hair flying back the second his hands landed on the small dagger.
"You sure?" His deep voice resonated in the already eerie room, adding a different kind of vibe to it as his eyes darkened and narrowed on the knife.
Without saying much, the intruder threw the dagger to the side and walked out from the darkness, taking each step forward lightly till he came into the poorly lit room, revealing himself.
"Hmm is that a way to greet your king, Zephyr?" Jared questioned as the corners of his lips drew upwards slightly.
"Depends. You know I am not in the mood. Besides, this is my lair. It is off limits to your royal stands," Zephyr responded calmly.
Letting out a deep sigh, he lowered his gaze back to the mortar before him and the concoction he was making.
He really wanted to avoid speaking at this moment.
'You never know when not to disturb.' Zephyr noted in his mind as his lips released another deep sigh.
Keeping his lips closed he took a step back and swiftly turned on his heels effortlessly as his bewitching eyes landed on the symbol of royalty standing before him without an ounce of fear or dread.
Instead, the smiles plastered on his face spoke and gave off a different vibe entirely.
If there was one thing Zephyr hated, it was people like him acting unfazed by anything. Not that it bothered him so much when it came to him, however, it did.
This was his den. No one waltzed in there without permission but this king did at will and for a certain reason.
"Give and take," Jared's cold voice rang out as the look in his eyes darkened ever so strongly.
Watching him reel out a side of him only a selected few got to see, Zephyr folded his hands in front of his chest and awaited the completion of his speech.
"How is your experiment coming along?"
"In progress."
"I can see."
"Then you know better than to interrupt, your majesty," Zephyr interrupted sharply.
"Yes. But I could not help it. It may be your lair and off limits to my rule; however, it is still in my kingdom."
Listening to his reasoning of the matter, Zephyr let out a sharp breath.
This kind of conversation happened when he was in the mood to irk him but now, he did not have time to play games and was determined to tell him off.
Just as he parted his lips to speak, Jared beat him to it and spoke first. "Anyways," the cold gaze in his eyes softened briefly as he narrowed his eyes at Zephyr.
"When you said we were going to act, I did not expect it to be a situation where you were in your lair."
"You should expect nothing and everything," Zephyr corrected. "I am going to attack. However, not in a way, everyone may suspect me too."
He let his hands drop to his side while keeping his patience intact as he awaited his retort.
"Okay. I know that side pretty much about you. I guess I expected better. Your only pride was taken away. Left to me, that is an indication of an indirect declaration of war."
Immediately the air around Zephyr changed as he released his aura without any forbearing.
His hands balled at his side as he clenched his teeth inwardly. He hated the fact that Jared could speak freely and yet could not get hurt for each wrong word dutifully spat out of his mouth.
"True. However, I think the one who should be more on edge and angry now is not me but you," Zephyr said, taking matters into his hand to repay his stride remark.
"He awoke and in a blink of an eye, turned a part of your kingdom into a blazing fury. From the look of things, he openly declared war," Zephyr concluded.
"Ruthless with your speech. Nice. Yes. I know what his actions meant."
"And might I add, taking a citizen right from under your nose is also a point of reminder that he can take back what was his at any given time," his smile was sardonic yet his eyes held a glint of humour in them.
"I do not need to remind his majesty how he turned Drakenflare into a terror zone. In terms of strength and rage, none is compared to him."
Instead of getting enraged by the bitter words spoken, Jared's smile broadened, including a faint dimple.
"Yes. But I hoped you would be considering your daughter, the one for whom you refused marriage advances, was taken."
Seeing as their bantering was going nowhere and they would only end up speaking words that may hurt, Zephyr shook his head and turned away and went back to his grinding.
"As I said, I have my ways. I do not plan on acting like a madman."
"You do not and that is why I have brought that which you may need to speed up your experiments and actions."
Instantly Zephyr turned to his side, as his eyes squinted, trying to guess what Jared brought this time.
"Relax. They are good ones and guess what, we lured and caught one you would like. Consider it a present and more importantly a boost in your drive."
Before Zephyr could utter any words, Jared chanted some words in a whisper.
Immediately his eyes lit up, glowing with a dark blue light as they emitted similar colour on his hands and fingertips.
Sensing what was happening, Zephyr turned to face him just in time when the fight shone on the ground, revealing the present.
"I hope you like them," Jared gestured, directing his hands outwards towards the present.
Following his line of sight, Zephyr's eyes widened as his gaze centred on the present before him.
'No way.'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
BaeVida
BaeVida My apologies for the delay in uploads guys. Thanks for always being here for me.
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