The Curse of Thir
Chapter 25

Six and a half leagues away, in a north easterly direction, Aaraos sat beneath a large clump of trees and mulled over the events that had forced his escape.

He knew Boni wouldn’t trust having him around, so he would have probably ended up dead if he had stayed at the compound. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to retrieve what was rightfully his, because somehow Boni would know and he’d end up dead. All his hard work in raising that brat, just to have her snatched away like that. Aaraos fumed. She was his; Boni had no right to her, all her magic would have created the perfect children. Perhaps Boni knew and that was the reason why Xylee was taken from him.

“Boni carrying on about what happened last time, I know what happened last time. I was there....” He mumbled angrily to himself and watched as two foul looking birds landed above him. He screamed loudly but the birds did not flee, they simply gazed at him with mocking eyes and squawked in reply.

“Stupid birds, stupid Boni, stupid Hierarchy. A bunch of old shadows who do nothing from nowhere and mess up my life. Commanding and ordering things like they own me. They don’t, they don’t own me! I am greater than Boni; my blood is strong, so strong they fear me. I am great!” Standing up to his full height he shouted to the empty landscape before him. “I AM GREAT! DO YOU HEAR ME! I AM GREAT!” The birds emulated him by screaming even louder and flapping their wings.

He slumped down, his anger and self importance evaporated at the hopelessness of his position.

’You were only kept in your position because of your father you know.’ his inner voice lulled whatever confidence he had left away.

’The greatest Dreag to perform magic in a thousand years, and you are all that is left of that legacy.’

“Shut up.”

’You and your big head!’

“Shut up!”

’Probably had some vain hope of you turning out like him... Ha poor fools, little did they know.’

“SHUT UP!”

’At least you got the craze part down, talking to yourself and what not.’

’Didn’t they say something about Admiral Ard loosing it in his final days?’

’Heard they put him down, he was embarrassing. A loony Dreag.’

“I said shut up!”

’Don’t be rude Aaraos, haven’t we been kind enough to keep you company all these years?’

’These long lonely years.’

“I SAID SHUT UP!”

The birds screeched in agreement with his outburst. They seemed entertained with his mumblings. He grasped at his ears and whimpered.

“.... I am great.... I am great.... I am great... I am great...”

His mad ramblings followed him into a fitful nightmare of ghosts, his father and an unattainable Xylee being guided by blue beast with Bonis face.

All the while the birds remained as dark silhouettes watching this lump of greenish meat quiver.