Book Cover created in acrylic by the extremely talented @therealpaul
If you have not read the first book of the series, "Reborn", it is advisable you do so before reading "Renewal" or you will be lost. This link will provide you with a series summary as well as all sixty-eight chapters of Reborn
Chapter Forty-Six
Demetrius stood on the stone wall overlooking the Kingdom he had built, a cruel smile twisting his lips and distorting his chiseled, perfect features. He heard a movement and turned slightly, his long dark hair shielding his expression. “Brother.” He said softly, his voice holding a note of expectation. “I had begun to wonder if your allegiance had shifted.”
“No,” came the equally soft reply, “my allegiance is to myself as it always has been.”
Demetrius turned and faced him, looking into a near mirror reflection of his own hard beauty. His mouth lifted in amusement. “You have information for me.”
“I do.” Tyros nodded his head in the direction of the carefully warded city. “Are you nearly finished?”
“Come inside and see. It’s been too long since you’ve visited with me.”
Ty met eyes that had been passed to both of them by their father, holding them steadily. “Are you still holding out hope I’ll take my place as your…what did you call it…Second Sovereign?” he quirked his lips in a mocking smile.
His brother frowned slightly at the sarcasm then relaxed into a chuckle. “It’s your destiny brother. You have it in your mind that it’s still the way it was when our father ruled. But Ce’Julienne was no more civilized than those fools who operate gaming dungeons. He lacked vision. He lived for the entertainment of the moment and he was sloppy….of course you would know that better than anyone.” He arched one brow pointedly.
Ty lifted a shoulder indifferently, the mocking smile still playing around his lips. “Civilized? Is that how you see yourself?”
“I have been long trying to show you what I’ve done, yet you always insist on meeting me on the outskirts.” His voice leaked irritation as he swept his hand, indicating the wall. “I’ve told you that the ancient dungeons have been torn down. The humans who reside here do so of their own free will.” His expression grew dark as Ty’s smile grew.
“Free will? So they could leave if they wanted to?”
“Don’t split hairs. You know the location of this place needs to remain secret for now and once they enter they must stay. But they came to me. This generation of human needs something greater to believe in. I give them that and in exchange they serve me.” He gave a long suffering sigh. “Why does this amuse you?”
Ty was nearly grinning. “You give them purpose, is that what you tell yourself? I would call it false hope built from the blatant lies you tell them, that one day, if they’re worthy, you’ll make them “gods like us”.” His mouth twisted a bit as he spoke the last.
Demetrius narrowed his eyes. “Have you come to care for them Tyreguent?”
He snorted. “I care for nothing but my own desires.”
Dem smiled chillingly, his full upper lip thinning into a dark slash. “The world as you know it will soon be gone. The Dawn of the Age of the Vampire is fast approaching. We are gods among men, don’t you feel that, don’t you see it? You who traverse the day must look around at the pitifully weak creatures going about their meaningless lives with disdain.” He paused to gather himself. “Besides brother, caring for your own desires is the reason you should join me. Once this war is over you will be free to indulge yourself in an unimaginable ways. This pittance I give you now will pale in comparison to all that you will have.”
He considered his brother’s words, head tilted to the side. “And if you lose?”
Demetrius laughed deeply, raising his arms to the air, the sound echoing off the stone. “Who will defeat me? Who can?” He brought his arms down and pinned Ty with a look. “Surely not your small band of hunters. I have an army within these walls, of vampires and humans alike. Most of those who would have stood against me have passed on and those who are left are so few it’s laughable.”
Ty studied him shrewdly. “And yet you do worry about them.”
His brother’s face twisted into an ugly sneer and he hissed his next words. “The prophecy is nearly fulfilled. There were those who once spoke of a different prophecy, a different outcome, but as I said they are no more.” It was his turn to study Ty, his eyes narrowing. “Unless you are withholding something from me? Have you come across a legion of vampires who uphold the old ways?”
Ty glanced away as he shook his head. “Apart from those I lived with, there is no one else.”
The sneer left his brother’s face, his voice softening. “You see? What might have come to pass is no longer possible. Humans and vampires alike have become enlightened to the fact that the God they once served has abandoned them. And you should know better than most that he has abandoned them. Have you not come across demons the world hasn’t seen in centuries?”
Tyros nodded slightly.
Demetrius flapped his hand. “Merely the tip of the iceberg.”
Tyros gazed down at the blinking lights spread out before him and his brother put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched from the contact, but allowed it.
Dem spoke quietly near his ear. “The gates have been opened and those that once guarded them have left their posts. Their God no longer cares.”
Tyros turned and stared at him intently. “I would think that hordes of demons pouring forth into the world is not something you would want to see happen either.”
His brother smiled widely. “Ah, but we have an understanding. We have come to- an acceptable arrangement.”
A startled look passed over Tyros’s features at this new information. He processed it and lifted a brow. “And you believe they will honor this “arrangement”? Their very natures are to lie and manipulate and deceive. They are not bound to any vow that you might demand.”
Demetrius waved his hand in a gesture of unconcerned dismissal. “I’m well aware of their natures and am not such a fool that I would ask for a vow. Trust me brother I have everything well in hand.” He turned towards him and raised a brow. “I could show you if only you consented to join me.”
Tyros smiled wryly. “Beyond the vows we once exchanged you know I will give no others. Will you confide in me without that protection?”
He frowned darkly. “You know I cannot. I couldn’t trust that you wouldn’t betray me, I trust no one. It is the vows from those who serve me that I trust as none would willingly suffer the agony that comes with breaking them.”
Tyros nodded. “Then for now I must decline your offer.”
Demetrius stared at him his eyes narrowed. After a moment he sighed. “Then tell me what I need to know and I will give you your payment. When you find that it is not enough, and you will my brother, then perhaps we’ll talk again.”
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