I watched through my scrying window as the abomination was dragged out of the rubble by his thrall woman. My window wavered slightly as my hand, filled with coils of death magic hovered over the view.

A part of me wanted to end this man because he could potentially pose a threat to me and to the Architects plans. But some other twisted part of myself, wanted to see how he would flourish. The man was of us, that was certain. Yet he lacked anything that made us whole.

Almost as if he had been taken from his seed and forcibly kept away from it. I shuddered at the thought and looked to my hand. Could I have taught him? Maybe I could persuade him to see things our way.

My doppelganger’s encounter with the man, had come to me after his death. Unfortunately, the abomination had spoken the betrayers name. There was no bringing him to our way of things. Not anymore at least.

I let the coils of death magic seep back into my skin. The abomination looked awful, like a burnt husk. Why hadn’t he healed already? Why hadn’t his thrall simply sacrificed her life for him. He had enough awareness in him to speak, so why not sink his teeth in her.

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Drain the magic of her being and take of what was her into himself.

My fingers rubbed together, should I let Grav’nion destroy them? Their sovereignty vessel was down and wounded. It would be some time before they could manage a repair.

The real question was, did I want to destroy him? “No, I don’t believe I do,” I answered myself quietly. Keeping him around would at least make the game enjoyable for a while.

I did have a federation to conquer and enslave. That is a Draugur’s purpose, root out the weak and insufferable, and suffocate them to death.

Changing the view to display Shra’anan sat in her vessel’s command chair I decided to sink my teeth into something other than questions and possibilities.

Grav’nion braced the destroyer vessel in its tendrils and space spilt before us. We left the planet and its pitiful survivors behind.

“See you soon, cousin.” I muttered and closed the scrying window completely.

This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]