Page 28 of Becoming One

CHAPTER 10

Something was very wrong with this battle. Right from the moment he had stepped foot in the ring, Orion could feel a sense of doom, almost like a living thing. He had been watching Napal’s matches all day and from the first fight he knew the vampire had no honor.

Even though the Ceremonies had no rules, there was still an unspoken rule of respect for the competitions and for the contenders. Each man or woman was fighting for a coveted place within the vampire ranks that would lift their station in the eyes of their kind, either from the bottom of the Crimson Corps to the top position which he was competing for, the Regal to the Re. All positions held great honor in their world and everyone who competed since the first Summoning Ceremony fought with respect, integrity, and principal.

But what he had witnessed throughout the day when he watched Napal, was nothing short of disrespect for everything. The man was a menace, not a warrior. Sure he fought hard and defeated his opponents, but it was always with some kind of underhandedness, never a true battle. Instead of two warriors meeting on the battlefield, it reminded Orion of two thugs who faced off with street fighting and showed little respect for the warrior they challenged.

Even when enemy armies faced one another in battle and would most likely fight to the death, there were rules of war, lines that shouldn’t be crossed. There was still respect for the opponent, and above all else, honor.

From watching Napal, Orion knew it was something the man was incapable of. So what would that mean for his Re, his mate, his coven, and his people if the vampire won the position of Regal? Orion shuddered to think of the answer. He needed to defeat the man to ensure their safety.

At first everything was going as expected, a few punches thrown, some kicks, and a few jabs, but then just as Orion was about to advance with a move he knew would at least stun the bastard momentarily, he felt his body stop. Everything just stopped. He had no control over his own movements.

Everything inside him screamed the vampire was using some kind of magic and his inner vampire hissed his fury, wanting to come out and defend, but Orion wouldn’t fight that way here. He was a warrior—a soldier—and he respected his Re and his kind. To lower himself to the sewer where this… man stood, would be spitting in not only Ezra’s face, but all the other Res who came before him.

When he was suddenly able to move again, Orion quickly counterattacked, stunning his opponent momentarily. He could see the confusion and shock in Napal’s gaze and in that instant, Orion knew Napal wasn’t doing this on his own. Orion could feel no power coming directly from Napal, so that meant there was someone within the arena somewhere who was helping him. But Orion couldn’t spare even a second to look around. The distraction might have been all Napal needed to defeat him. So Orion focused on his opponent.

Just as he was about to attack, Orion felt tingling in his back which quickly spread. Napal grabbed him and flipped Orion onto the ground and he was again frozen but now Napal stood above him looking down at him with a triumphant smirk on his lips and victory in his eyes.

Napal raised his booted foot and hovered it above his face and the thought,“This is gonna hurt,”was all Orion could think. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Napal stood naked before him and it was now Orion who was confused. If Napal had some kind of magic helping him, then why would this person use that magic on Napal? Unless maybe Ezra, Nelson, or Jewel figured out what was going on and were trying to help him? Maybe it was the butterfly dragons?

Orion didn’t have time to contemplate things further, as Napal’s gaze filled with fury. Orion scrambled to his feet and braced himself for attack. Napal charged again, slamming into Orion. He tried to dig his feet into the dirt, but Napal used the momentum and pressed Orion backwards toward the wall.

He waited for his moment and when they were within feet from the wall, Orion wrapped his arm around Napal’s throat and lifted his feet up, using Napal’s body for leverage as he quickly moved his feet, using the wall to his advantage and walked up the wall as if running up its surface, then flipped his large body over Napal’s head, twisting him and taking him down, slamming him into the unforgiving earth.

Orion quickly released him as he heard a whoosh of air escape Napal’s lips. As Napal tried to catch his breath, Orion didn’t give him a moment of reprieve. He leaned down, bringing his right arm up, then thrust his elbow down and up connecting with Napal’s nose. Immediately he heard the crunch of a break, then blood began to flow down Napal’s face.

From the look in Napal’s eyes right before he attacked, to the way he moved, Orion knew this fight was not for position. This was to the death. He was fighting for his life. Nelson’s handsome face flashed before his eyes and Orion’s chest constricted thinking about his wonderful mate being left alone here in the world without him. He would not allow that to happen.

Fire built inside him and Orion clenched his jaw. This was no longer just a fight?this was war.

He pulled on all his training as a soldier and steeled his spine as he clenched his jaw and his fists. Orion let the anger consume him. He would use it against his foe, for his mate.

* * * *

As they made their way back around the fight ring, they spotted Enoch and a few of his men standing against the wall around the ring, as they watched the match.

“Enoch, any luck?” Ezra asked as they approached.

Enoch turned in their direction and bowed his head slightly to his king. “We were unable to find the traitor, Nicu. I had some of my men stay on the trail, so we could come back and bring you up to speed on the search. We were able to track him to an old mill about thirty miles north of here in a small industrial town. After searching the place, we found this,” Enoch replied as he reached into a pocket and pulled something from within and held it out to Ezra.

Taking the item, Ezra asked, “What is this?”

“I’m not sure, your Majesty, but it appears to be some kind of stone. There was a scattering of a few different ones around a pentagram. There were also candles placed around the pentagram. It was very large and painted on the floor with what looked like blood.”

Jewel held out his hand and touched the crystal, then quickly pulled his hand back. “That’s a Carnelian, Ezra. I’ve seen it before. It’s supposed to be used to promote courage, passion, determination, and victory. It’s a great stone to wear to increase chances of success in all areas of life, as it stokes the inner fire.”

“So I’m confused, what would this mean to us and finding Nicu?”

Enoch nodded to one of his men, who then stretched out his arm toward Ezra, handing him a black hoodie. “Recognize this?” Enoch asked.

“Yes,” Ezra said. “It’s Nicu’s”

“Then that proves he was in the mill,” Enoch said.

“Ezra, if the mage is involved he could have cast a spell on one of those crystals to help Nicu in anything he went up against. If he is a strong mage, and I know he is from the time he held me captive, then he could spell that crystal into making Nicu successful if he came back here to kill Orion or Nelson. With that stone cursed just right, neither Nelson or Orion would stand a chance.”

“Son of a bitch. We need more guards on Nelson now. As soon as this match is over, I want some on Orion as well,” Ezra ordered.