Chapter 174

Lahn’s little animal sanctuary was positioned in the gardens on the outskirts of Dawn’s Royal Academy - located between hills and secluded from the surrounding area. Enclosed by a tiny wooden fence only big enough to keep the rescued dogs inside, it was adjacent to a pond with a couple heating stones positioned in tiny wooden doggy homes to keep the animals warm during winter months.

There were about two dozen dogs there, half of them being puppies, and as he pushed open the latched wooden fence they came barreling over to him with yips, yaps and happy tail wags as he laughed and laughed and laughed.

“Jesus that’s so cute!” Allie whispered to the others with a warm smile, latching the fence behind her as they all stepped inside - getting assaulted by the licking, panting dogs themselves soon thereafter.

Riven reached down and picked up a tiny brown mut that looked like a cross between a basset hound and a weaner dog. It was only a few months old at most, and the excited licks, barks and pawing at his arm was more than enough for him to appreciate what Lahn had done.

“You little rascal! I didn’t give you that, come back here!” Riven said with another laugh as he chased the tiny puppy around the enclosure after it snagged one of the many treats they’d brought in paper bags.

Fay watched him go, clutching at her waist where Riven had held her for the entire trip to the sanctuary in order to hold her close. Smoothing out her silver dress and laying the paper bags down, she began to pull out bones, chew sticks, and various dried meats - distributing them to the ferocious pack of yipping puppies, strays, and even a few older hobbling dogs that were more than friendly. Many of them nuzzled up against her, and she even had one of the older dogs yawn and lay down on her lap while beginning to go to sleep.

“This has GOT TO BE the CUTEST FUCKING THING I’VE EVER SEEN!” Allie exclaimed while being bombarded by the animals.

Lahn meanwhile was introducing the individual animals by name to Allie, or at least the names he wanted to give them. Only a few of them actually responded to their given names, but it was adorable nonetheless.

Though he paused to consider Fay after a while of playing with the dogs when seeing that she looked rather down. “Fay? Are you doing alright?”

Fay, who was now staring at her own reflection and kneeling along the side of the pond, jolted out of a thoughtful stupor. “Oh! Yes, I’m fine. This has been quite fun! Why do you ask?”

Lahn glanced over to where the Wraithtide siblings were having a very serious discussion about puppy adoptions and playing fetch with some of the toys Lahn had brought. “I feel bad about the interaction you had concerning my sister. I’m sorry you had to deal with her like that. Don’t feel bad, there’s nothing wrong with being a commoner and you’re far prettier than she is anyway. She’s just jealous.”

Fay’s eyebrows rose in surprise, then she grinned. “Thanks! And it’s ok, nothing that you did to warrant an apology. I came off a little aggressive too when I saw her hitting on Travis and I think she only responded so poorly because of my initial prompting. I was rude too.”

“Yeah but it was nice to see someone finally say those things to her. The evil bitch.” Lahn wheeled himself up to the pond, tossing some bread into the water and smiling as beautifully colored fish came up to the surface - nibbling at the bread before diving back down again. “It must be nice, having a sister that actually cares about you. I’m jealous of Travis by a lot.”

“It’s obvious Allie cares about you too you know. Which brings me to my question - just what DID you do to get her attention?” Fay asked, contemplating the possibilities and giving him a curious smirk.

Lahn blushed furiously, shaking his head from side to side as snowflakes began to slowly fall against his skin. “I think you have the wrong idea! We’re just friends. There’s no way she’d be interested in me like that.”

“I do believe you’re wrong.” Fay stated with a simple shrug. “But believe what you will.”

There was a very long silence after that as Lahn considered her words. He glanced up from his hand to look over the pond towards Allie, then looked back to Fay - brows furrowed. “Why do you think she’s interested in me like that? It seems almost impossible.”

Fay held her hands out to either side. “I’d thought it would be impossible for her to settle down at all. She has a lot of suitors. A LOT of suitors. And she’s…”

Fay held her tongue, wanting to say that she’d acquired thralls to use as sex slaves one after another until recently. Fay wanted to tell him that Allie had abruptly stopped visiting her man harem after she’d started talking to them about Lahn. Fay wanted to also tell him that although she didn’t know Allie very well - she’d come to view Allie as a bloodthirsty, ruthless killing machine and a cutthroat queen that was very much reversed into a blushing schoolgirl in Lahn's presence - but Fay couldn’t say any of that. Nor could she voice her more personal thoughts - such as she didn’t know why Allie would take a liking to Lahn either, but then again the more time Fay spent with Lahn the more likeable he became. Perhaps Lahn’s personality really had won Allie over.

“She’s… what?” Lahn pressed, frowning at Fay’s hesitation.

Fay sighed, then began giggling when a snoopy hound started nuzzling its nose under her arm to begin licking her hand. Petting the dog, her shoulders lost their tension. “She just seems different. I think you’re good for her. It may not be romantic, but it also may be that way, I don’t know. At the very least I do believe it’s possible - so keep your chin up. I can tell you’re very hard on yourself because of your disabilities, but you shouldn’t be. After all, it’s not your fault you have an Azagnitide Rotworm living inside you.”

Lahn’s face blanked. “What?”

Fay’s smile widened mischievously. “I said it’s not your fault you have an Azagnitide Rotworm living inside of you.”

Lahn blinked. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

Fay pointed to his left arm, then his left leg - where the flesh had withered and shriveled into black and green, almost mummified limbs. “It’s eating you away you know. You’ll likely die within three years, and I’m surprised you’ve lasted this long. You’re getting sick more often, aren’t you?”

Lahn’s face scrunched up in confusion, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly while trying to find the words to reply. “Yes, I have been getting sick more frequently. How did you know that? I never even told any of you that I had bouts of sickness. Do you know what my condition is? Have you seen it before?”

His voice picked up an octave, hope shining in his eyes. “No one has ever found out the source of my sickness! Do you have a clue about how to treat it?! And what is an Azagnitide Rotworm?”

Fay slowly and sagely nodded, standing up to brush off dog hair from her formfitting silver dress. “Oh yes I am very aware of your predicament. You see, I’m a curse specialist. I only have a few spells under my belt but I was schooled in many different theories and I know a lot of the lore. One of my lore lessons, taught to me by my mother, talked about your condition in detail.”

Fay reached out, touching his withered mummified hand. “Essentially, your life force is being slowly drained over time to fuel a void beast. It first takes parts of your body, then at the end of your life it takes your soul and eats that too. Azagnitide Rotworms are very common parasites in the void, but elsewhere… Not as much. They use high-grade curses of flesh-melding to blend in with your body - disguising themselves from healing magics to avoid purging. I’m not sure how you ever came into contact with one but it is possible to cure your condition entirely. Allie actually asked me to come along today in order to evaluate your condition after hearing that you thought it was a curse, and I’m glad to say that I think I’ll be able to get the resources together for a sufficient ritual. It may take a while, but it’s certainly worth a shot.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Lahn's breathing picked up dramatically, and he nearly jumped out of his chair due to the excitement; which ended up causing him to fall over. Fay had to catch him as he sputtered a reply, but she calmed him down - getting curious glances from the Wraithtide siblings as they started to walk around the pond to Lahn’s location.

“You can CURE me!?” He asked, heart slamming inside his chest - which was very evident to the two vampires nearby. “You’re not just saying that!?”

“Whoa now!” Fay stated with a stern glare. “I am NOT making any promises. I am merely saying it’s possible and that I’ll try. First I have to get the right ritual set up, and that’ll require some digging through old texts from my mother’s library. I’ll have to pay her a visit. Then I’ll have to collect the right ingredients and we’ll have to have a healer on standby - because by the hells, if it works, the purging of that worm is going to be a very painful process.”

***

Allie wheeled Lahn right up to his dormitory, right outside the first floor entrance where other fledgling lords and ladies of Dawn’s high society bustled in and out. Many stopped to stare at the three immensely attractive people talking to Lahn, but not a single one of them paid him any attention at all.

In fact, they treated him like he was some sort of plague-ridden ghost - even going out of their way to avoid him most of the time.

“Those puppies you saved are adorable, and I’m glad we got to meet them today.” Allie said, getting on one knee and clasping his good hand in her own. “And try not to think so much about what Fay said! I know you’re excited, but we aren’t sure if it can be done yet.”

Lahn, meanwhile, was staring back at her the same way he stared at his mother all those years growing up. He suppressed a sob, clenched her hand harder, and tried to swallow a ball that was building up in his throat. His voice was shaky, and it was all he could do not to cry and embarrass himself in front of everyone there. “No one has ever done anything like this for me before. No one but my mom.”

He promptly shook his head to cut her off when she began to protest. “No, I mean it. I’ve only known you a relatively short time and you’re already one of the best things that has happened to me since I was very little. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. Thank you for at least trying Allie, and even if it doesn’t work - the mere fact that you tried says and means more to mean than you can ever imagine. Thank you.”

Lahn then loudly coughed into his withered hand, getting disgusted looks from one of the other noble brats walking by. Sheepishly putting his bad hand back in his lap, Lahn’s eyes shifted towards Allie and the others again. “Sorry. Anyways, thank you all. Fay, I appreciate your efforts no matter how it goes. I’ll be waiting eagerly to try, but I need to be off. I have to study for tomorrow’s test… Are you going to be there to take the test tomorrow, Allie?”

Allie smiled, pressed her hands against his, and stood to shake her head. “No. Family business calls, my brother and I have some things to do.”

Lahn immediately looked disappointed. “Things?”

“It involves the war effort.” Allie stated, then winked. “Classified.”

“Against Tereen?” Lahn said, opened mouthed. “Wait, are you really caught up in the war already? That would explain why you’re so strong! Are you already an officer? What are you doing here!?”

Travis and Allie both chuckled.

“She did say ‘classified.’” Fay stated with a wink. “Do you need one of us to help you to your room?”

“NO! No, that’d be embarrassing.” Lahn replied with a reluctant exhale. “Fine! Keep your secrets! I’ll figure them out later anyway!”

With a teasing grin, Lahn turned his wheelchair back around and headed into the dormitory. Waving at Allie and his two new friends, he turned left and started wheeling himself towards his room. It was only a couple doors down from the main entrance, intentionally placed there for easy access, and he ignored the stares he got from other academy students while fumbling with his keys. Finding the correct one and inserting it into the lock, he looked down the hall the way he’d come as if to see whether or not Allie had followed.

And of course she hadn’t.

He gave a wistful sigh, turned the key, and entered the room.

His maid wasn’t there. She’d probably been called off on an errand for his brother again, as she did technically serve the entire Lucio household and not just Lahn. Locking the door behind him and strenuously pushing himself into the main dining area, Lahn approached the bed where he took out the royal ball invitation Allie had given him. Peeling open the parchment imbued with the king’s sigil and reading the golden texts, his excited smile was accompanied by a light laugh of disbelief.

“What’s that?” his sister’s familiar voice called out from the dark interior of the kitchen, and Lahn whirled around as fast as he could in his chair to give a set of three figures a startled look.

There, sitting or leaning against the countertops in the kitchen were his brother, his sister, and none other than his arch nemesis: Gleetus Nefrand. Gleetus wore a look of malicious glee, cracking his knuckles and glaring down at him while Linela hopped off the counter to coldly jut her nose upwards in Lahn’s direction.

Meanwhile, his elder brother Parius Lucio stalked forward with slow steps - his boots thunking against carpeted floor. Parius was one of the most handsome men around, and always had flocks of girls trying to catch his eye. He was blonde, a lot like Lahn’s sister Linela, and wore his hair in a ponytail. Much like Gleetus, Parius also wore a victorian-styled buttoned coat with frills coming up off the collar. His blue eyes glared down at Lahn between the other two figures, obviously the alpha in this situation, and he snatched the invitation to the royal ball out of Lahn’s hands with a sneer.

Then, as his eyes traced the lettering amidst the dead silence of the room, his eyebrows lifted. Parius flicked the page twice with his pointer finger, and turned his attention back to his crippled younger brother. “Who did you steal this from, little brother?”

Lahn paled. “I didn’t steal it from anyone! It was given to me!”

“By who?” Parius questioned again.

Lahn’s fists curled. “Lady Allie Wraithtide!”

Gleetus, who’d remained silent up until now, sputtered in exaggerated disbelief. “No, no, no. Parius, your little brother has been stalking that poor girl ever since she arrived here. Allie Wraithtide is a new, beautiful, rather rich young lady of the court and is quite popular in our classes. No doubt during one of his attempts to stalk her he snatched this invitation from her bag when she wasn’t looking.”

“I can attest to that.” Linela said with a snobbish flip her hair. “I saw him stalking the poor girl and her brother at the magic shop in town just earlier today. It was rather pathetic, if I may add. She wanted nothing to do with him and he continued to follow her like a kicked dog.”

Gleetus snickered.

“That isn’t true!” Lahn said desperately, using his eyes to plead with his older brother as he extended a hand for the parchment back. “That is an invitation for me! She personally gave it to me so I could attend with her!”

“AS HER DATE!? HERS?!” Gleetus roared with laughter, and even Linela seemed genuinely amused this time. “THAT’S OUTRAGEOUS! Now I’m CERTAIN he stole it from her! Parius, if you saw this woman for even a moment you’d understand just how absurd it would be for someone like her to ask him to the ball.”

“Agreed!” Linela spat, with her arms crossed. “If I didn’t know better-”

Parius snapped his fingers, still glaring down at Lahn, and the other two people in the room quickly shut up. Folding the invitation into his coat pocket, he pat it twice and clasped his hands behind his back. He let out a weary sigh, shook his head, and began to slowly exit the room. Coming to the door leading out, he stopped and briefly glanced back. “I’ll be heading out to return the invitation you stole, Lahn. Your very existence is already shame enough to the family, as your performance at this school has been. I will try to correct this and make amends before even more shame is brought onto the Lucio name by returning the invitation to her, and in the meantime I urge you to reconsider just what it is you’re trying to accomplish here. Gleetus, you may proceed.”

Turning the knob to leave the room, Parius quickly exited and locked the door behind him with a click.

Lahn just stared at the door shut behind his older brother, a combination of embarrassment, fury and despair sinking in as tears welled up under his eyes.

“Oh, are you going to cry now?!” Gleetus laughed alongside Linela, who began to laugh behind a hand covering her mouth. Cracking his knuckles and walking over to where a fire poker was set next to the dormant fireplace at the end of the room, he picked up the metal object and gave it a few swings. “Well don’t get too hasty now. Do you remember what I said to you in class? About how I’d break your legs if you kept that attitude of yours up so that you’d remember your place?”

Gleetus turned around, smiling menacingly at the crippled young man in the wheelchair. “Well now you’re about to find out that I’m not all just bluster after all!”

Gleetus dashed forward, and Lahn yelled out in surprise and fear as Gleetus swung the fire poker as hard as he could - slamming the metal object into Lahn’s good leg.

There was a snap of bone, a shrill scream, and Linela began to outwardly laugh.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Lahn yelled, falling out of his chair as he tried to escape and bleeding from a gash wound along the leg that didn’t want to hold his weight anymore. “HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!”

*CRACK*

The metal object slammed into the back of Lahn’s thigh, tearing out a small strip of flesh whip it as Gleetus started to angrily and repeatedly hit Lahn’s good leg as hard as he could. Over and over, Gleetus struck the downed man while Linela watched from the sidelines, and over and over - Lahn let out horrified whimpers and screams for help.