"We need to talk, and it's important." Ascian stopped his brother, and his words confused Vulir. However, he did not say anything waiting for the Lord to continue. "A lot of things transpired in the last few days, and unfortunately for us, we were banned from Arran." Ascian sighed, observing Vulir's face closely. However, there was no change in his expression. His blood-red eyes did not even quiver when he brought up the topic.
'Am I doing this right?' Ascian wondered. 'Is Vulir really guilty, or am I just suspecting an innocent?' He stared hard at his brother, whose features resembled his greatly. Just like Ascian, Vulir too had blond hair, and the two brothers had an imposing height. Although Ascian was younger than his brother, he was taller than him, and that made him look all the more intimidating.
His brotherly affection begged him to stop while his rational mind ordered him to proceed with his task. 'I cannot stop now. I need to know the truth, and I cannot allow anybody to escape this, even if he is my brother.' Ascian closed his eyes, contemplating his next actions while Vulir waited for him, not speaking a word.
"I believe this was a plan to make me leave Arran," Ascian stated, clasping his hands behind his back. He then turned towards the deer that was still feeding on the grass, his eyes narrowing slightly when the animal moved a step away from them.
"Do you suspect anyone, Milord?" Vulir queried, speaking to Ascian for the first time after they were banished from Arran.
Ascian's head snapped towards his brother, his face filled with grief and yearning. "Milord?" He sighed, shaking his head at the way he was addressed. "I am your brother, Vulir? You can call me by my name."
"No, Milord. You are our Lord, and I cannot disrespect the position you hold." Vulir bowed before him, showing him his respect.
'Where did things go wrong, Vulir?' Ascian stared at him dispirited. Since the time, he had taken over the throne, things had changed. His brother had distanced himself from him, and he had become a stranger. Other than the times when they spoke about the well-being of the vampires, there was barely any interaction between them.
'Did I lose my brother too?' He wondered, remembering the times when he would play with Vulir the entire day. The laughter, the innocence, their childhood everything came rushing back to him, and Ascian smiled, sadness filling him.
"Is something bothering you, Milord?" Vulir did not miss the way Ascian had gone silent all of a sudden, his gaze distant and unapproachable.
"Liard thinks there is someone in the army plotting behind my back. He feels it is impossible to frame us if there was no involvement from people of our kind." Ascian returned to his usual self, masking his sadness magnificently. "What is your opinion? Do you feel so too?"
"If he feels that way, I am sure there must be someone in the army. Liard is never wrong, Milord." Vulir's words eradicated Ascian's suspicion to some extent, and he smiled in relief. "And, it is impossible to frame the Lord without help from an insider."
Ascian nodded at him, watching the deer move away from them, further into the jungle. "I believe him too. We have a traitor in the army." His eyes flashed with fury, turning a deeper shade of red before it returned to normal.
"But the Lord will find him eventually."
"Oh, I will. No doubt in that. Let him live his life in peace. Once I find out who he is, he will be in hell. I will make sure he will want to kill himself for going against me." Ascian pursed his lips, allowing his anger to control him. It was rare of him to be irked to this extent, and Vulir knew nothing good happened when the Lord lost his cool. His brother would exact revenge, and the betrayer would taste death so miserable that he would even curse himself for being alive.
"I trust you will find the man soon, Milord."
"I believe it's time for our hunt. We do not want our prey escaping from our clutches." Ascian smiled, his usual mischievous expression taking over him.
Ascian and Vulir started to walk slowly, not moving their eyes away from their prey. The deer continued to feed on the grass, oblivious to the danger lurking nearby. They closed in on the animal stealthily when Ascian stopped suddenly, his action surprising Vulir.
Before Vulir could question him about it, Ascian tilted his head, fixing his gaze on his brother's. "Was there your involvement in framing me?"
Vulir's eyes dilated, and he stood still, his gaze transfixed on Ascian. "No, Milord. I did not have any hand in this." He replied, his response exhilarating Ascian. His heart was now calm, and he smiled in joy.
"I knew it. My brother could not be involved in this. My brother will never betray me." He snapped his fingers in front of Vulir, and the man came out of his daze, forgetting the question Ascian had asked. He stared blankly at the Lord, blinking at him innocently, and Ascian had to stifle a laugh seeing his elder brother's cute expression.
"Vulir, where were you lost?" He questioned him, putting up a puzzled face. 'I apologize for using my power over you, my brother. But I had to find out the truth."
"Please forgive me, Milord. I don't know what happened to me." Vulir tried to remember why he had stopped in his place. However, it was futile. He could not recall anything.
Ascian gave a knowing smile. But he did not clear his brother's confusion, for nobody knew the special power he was bestowed with. "Let's go." His voice brought Vulir out of his reverie.
"Yes, Milord." The two brothers prepared for the attack, closing in on their prey from two sides. By the time the animal sensed the danger, it was too late. Vulir lunged forward, his fangs elongating. Though his prey attempted to escape from him, he was quicker, and his teeth pierced the animal's neck, sucking the blood from its body slowly.
The deer wriggled, trying to break free from its captor's hold, snorting all the while. But Vulir was not the one to let the prey go. Slowly, he sucked all the blood from the animal while Ascian watched his brother drink to his heart's content.
Nobody noticed a thin silver bracelet with a small ruby stone snapping into two before it vanished into air.