Chapter 97

• His powers had increased again. He felt it, in the way his blood tore through his veins, the way it bruised his flesh inside out. He knew it was about time it increased. He had spent the last several weeks hunting after people who were trying to make it hard for the royal family. Ever since the power of the blood king erupted inside him, he had been doing double the work. His father hadn’t been sure that the power would awaken him. So along with his cousins, he trained for the day he would gain the power. But apart from that, he had been carrying out several pieces of training of his own. No one knew, no one, except for his two most trusted guards. They were the same age as him and were so close like brothers. They were against his training procedures because it took place in the dark forest surrounding the castle. They were afraid for him, but as they were very close, they supported him but also forced him to accept that they would be coming along. Together, they all fought the strange animals in the forest. Animals that have strange powers and bodies, leaking with toxic waste and able to disintegrate someone with just one breathe. They fought like there wasn’t going to be a tomorrow for them. Together they grew stronger in their powers, but Calhoun felt even stronger. He loved the scent of blood, the thrill that rushed through him when he completed his kill. He loved the tactics that he employed when fighting, and he loved as he destroyed beasts three times his size and that was something because even at the age of twenty, Calhoun was a huge man. He and his friends went to that forest to train almost every day, and he had no doubt that his father would have noticed his activities, had he not been so swamped with being a king and a henpecked husband.
• One particular day, he and his friends went to the forest again to train. It was any other day for them; they planned, discussed tactics and hunted. But something about that day felt different for Calhoun. First off, he was overly aware of his environment. He could hear the sounds of little insects and small animals so distinctly as if they were right next to him. He ignored it, thinking of it as a cause of the silence. He and his friends had taken different routes, agreeing to meet in a particular spot when they were done. He began to notice the strangeness when he had his first kill. His prey was a beast that stood five times his height. Having the build of thick oak, and skin as pale as fermented milk, its eyes were black as coal, with green flecks around it. The nose was represented by just a hole on its flat face, and its jaw hung wider than normal, reaching its chest. It had teeth as long as wooden spikes, and it breathed out greenish-yellow air. From its neck to its torso was as a snake, but it had two scaly legs appearing from each side that was next to the ground. It was able to slither and walk. As the dark forest was always night, Calhoun had grown used to seeing in the dark. But for some reason, he saw clearer than normal. He also didn’t put that fact into consideration and stood his ground, preparing to attack.
• He did notice something though before he attacked; the other beasts he had seen had attacked him on sight, the beast that currently stood before him had a shrewdness in its eyes. It studied him curiously, and hungrily.