In the deep Underground corridor, Sarcos was still not sure what to do with Mathyas. He could see Ramse wanted to kill him and Xander as well. He imagined how Ramse would torture-kill Mathyas boringly slowly for another week and he felt disgusted. Sarcos just wanted to go see Sienna and spend his nights in her embrace...
"That would be so much better use of my time." he thought as he walked through the gloomy fortress.
"I do not feel as ruling Black Lizards at all! Sienna does not like it here and I will have to face Marath often. I will have to show him respect as to my elder...No way! To imagine Sienna was kissing him because of me! Letting her get entangled with that cursed Golden Scorpion! It is better to let Mathyas live. I can always come around to finish him off if he misbehaves. Then I can throw the Black Lizard's crown to Ziran or Sid...The word to Marath will not bind me any longer this way...." Sarcos grinned cheekily as he was thinking."If I will force Ziran to take Black Lizard's Crown, Sienna will never accept him for sure." he chuckled darkly.
"How do I convince Ramse and Xander to let Mathyas live then? It has to be something selfless for them to let him live," he thought on his way up the dark corridors.
Sarcos went to the drawing room. He watched the blinding light and long arched windows. The room was airy but seemed longing. Sienna's paintings and drawings were displayed around the room as a gallery of her brief stay. The bushes of small yellow roses were slithering down from the windows. Their huge red thorns were visible because Mathyas had lost his magic. His power was not working on them any more!
Most of the deeds Mathyas did by using his magic were gone as he lost his magic! All the Mathyas's enemies, whose body was not burned, eaten or destroyed were able to come back to life because the kiddy sorcerer became mortal again! Mathyas defeated many with his magic, but not many with his real strength!
Even the garden was missing a few flower trees long time already! The rainy season was coming and trees were not blooming anyway, so it was easy to miss it especially after the kings made a training ground in it! The cloudy sky shone coldly over the old volcano and only Mathyas knew that his protective shield was gone...
The three strong kings were so immersed in their revenge training time that it did not even cross their minds to watch the subtle changes around them!
Sarcos, Ramse and Xander often went into the drawing room to look at Sienna's paintings. It reminded them so much of her...Sarcos looked at them every day. He could see her gentleness and kindness in her soft brush strokes. Her happy soul in the colours she chose. Sarcos felt his mind dazing when he watched them. Sienna did not write to him for a long time and he felt deep longing...He wanted to be out of the Underworld and hold her in his embrace. He felt deep sadness within him and emptiness only she could fill, with her smile, hot gaze of blue eyes, soft kisses and soft body...Sarcos was dreaming within himself....he felt as if he was going crazy...without her, he felt like changing into a ruthless monster...
Meanwhile, Ramse and Xander were walking to the garden going to check on Miriam and Mathyas...
"What is wrong with Sarcos?" Xander asked Ramse.
"Not sure.."Ramse shook his head."He seems quite angry inside and longing for Sienna."
"I long for her too."Xander sighed..."But when I get out of here, I need to check on my people first...I was away for far too long." he noted.
"Me too!"Ramse nodded."I have to check out that female for Magnus and get her as fast as possible to Sienna." he smiled. "So I can see her soon as I manage that." he grinned.
"What would you ask for it?"Xander disturbed Ramse in his daydream...
"For what?"Ramse turned to him a bit surprised...
"For bringing that female to her, it is not exactly for Sienna herself, so she should not be entirely free, no?"Xander asked.
"Well, I will not ask Sienna for money..."Ramse shook his head thinking."Sienna is my future mate." he grinned."I will give her anything she wants." he said seriously.
"Well, you can ask her for some time instead..."Xander chuckled."A day with a queen..." he smiled.
"That sounds so good."Ramse noted."You're so sneaky panther. "he nodded at Xander appreciatively."Yes, I would have all day with her for myself!" Ramse smiled satisfied.
"Then mention me as well, don't forget we are in this together."Xander punched his shoulder lightly.
"Hey, take your paws off! "Ramse chuckled at Xander."Sure I will." he nodded.
When they came into the garden they saw Miriam tending to Mathyas's wound under the leafy pergolla. The badly beaten Black Lizard's ex-king was splatted onto the soft cushion moaning and hissing as Miriam was removing his torn silken shirt from his deep cuts...
"It is so lucky I always carry the healing balms with me, my king," Miriam chatted to Mathyas softly. She did like her training king because he started to be sweet to her for real, and she was proud to teach him that too.
"You are so caring, sweet Miriam..."Mathyas sighted..." I will be surely long dead without you..." he added. She was not going on his nerves any more. He has already realised that she is nice and trying to help him. Even he still dreaded when he had to carry her around the garden...
"Aww..look at this! Sarcos cut you so badly..."Ramse checked on the deep cuts appreciatively...pulling the ragged strip of silken fabric out of it roughly, making Mathyas bite his lips hard not to scream in pain. It will be a big mistake and he knew it...
"Why did you enrage him so much?"Xander shook his head in quiet amusement.
"You have to learn how to talk politely to your enemies if they are stronger than you. "Xander noted.
"Sarcos is not my enemy, he is my little brother..."Mathyas grinned in pain.
"Well, said. "Ramse chuckled..."You can discuss it at the end of this week with him." he licked his lips revengefully.
"So, Miriam, how far you are in salvaging your king?" asked Xander gently.
"Almost done King Xander..."Miriam smiled sweetly.
"You are such a good queen." Xander shook his head..." Mathyas should carry you nonstop in his embrace, just to repay your care..." he grinned.
"I don't think he is strong enough yet, I did put a few kilos on," Miriam sighed..."The food here is way too good..."
"Well, don't restrain yourself..."Ramse grinned..."It is our last week together and you should enjoy it fully, hm?"
"Yes," Xander nodded."Mathyas should throw you a feast, fit even to sate your crocodile." the panther smiled cheekily.." Is it not right Mathyas?" he asked provocatively.
"Sure," Mathyas nodded and sat down. He put on the new shirt over his bandaged body with Miriam's help.
"Well, now you look better," Xander noted."Miriam is a miracle worker... So as a thanks to her, come, pick her up and let's go for a walk around the garden." Xander grinned...
"Sure."Mathyas took a deep breath and picked his big training queen. Miriam circled her chubby strong hands around his neck to help him bear her weight, but Mathyas felt as if she was pushing him deeper into the ground." She is so heavy that I even stopped feeling the pain from my wounds..." he thought, "Or it is her balm so good?"Mathyas shook his head from his daze and started to walk the garden path slowly.
"I think Miriam should rest her hands in her lap," Xander noted to Mathyas," She was working hard already, or does she like you so much? "The Black Panther chuckled.
"Sure, I like my king."Miriam tried to help Mathyas sweetly.
"It is ok Miriam, I think it is better if you rest your hands as well," Mathyas said hardly. He preferred she would not push his neck so hard, because he could not breathe much.
"Smile a little, you are carrying your little treasure..."Xander patted Mathyas's shoulder with the back of his sword. He eagerly watched Mathyas's suffering face and it kind of made him feel happy.
The Black Lizard took a deep breath and smiled...He imagined holding someone else in his embrace and the way around the garden did not feel so bad after all. He was doing this for three weeks already every bloody day.
Xander saw that Mathyas was in a deep thinking daze...
"Hey wake up, I want you to chat sweetly to your queen as you walk."The Black Panther growled.
Ramse watched as Xander drilled Mathyas with a wicked grin when his memory flashed and the tube with Sienna was in front of his eyes suddenly! It was his worst nightmare coming back to him in his sleep almost every night..." It was there just next to my tree..." He thought and started to walk down the garden...He was not inspecting it closely after they made a training ground in it. He tried to point out the trees he planted for Sienna, but all of them were gone! The cold rage started to rise in him suddenly!
"Hey Xander, why did you tell Mathyas to remove my trees?"Ramse called at the Black Panther grumpily.
"I did not."Xander shook his head in surprise.
"So where are they?"Ramse asked bitterly...
"Back in the forest."Mathyas chuckled...He noticed straight away but kept it in his heart as a little revenge...
"What? How is that possible?" Ramse furrowed his brows.
"Ask Sarcos..."Mathyas grinned.
"I'm asking you!"Xander slashed over his back with his covered sword."Don't be cocky and spill it out!"
"Well, my magic is gone, thanks to you, so all the things I made are gone, thanks to you..."Mathyas giggled a bit manically holding Miriam tightly at his chest.
"Three more times around the garden!"Ramse said between his teeth and went to check the forest.
Ramse ran inside an angry cloud to the place where he had taken his trees out before. Soon the strong Ape King found his trees as he pulled them out! They were half dry already because they had laid there for a full three weeks... Ramse pushed them down into their old places on the wet ground. "I hope you can survive this." he looked at them biting his lips. He took his dagger out and carved his and Sienna's initials into them."Now, you have to come back to life..." he smiled. The thought of Sienna was sweet. He was walking in the forest, thinking of her. "Stupid kiddy sorcerer, he could not do anything properly at all!"He shook his head." Anyway, what amazing stuff did he do? "He made that golden butterfly from Sienna's hair with his magic, and he killed that Crodius guy. Well, he is burned for sure...Sarcos ordered it to Gaius as we left!" he thought and walked back to the Black Lizard's fortress.
But in moist Moss City exactly three weeks ago, deep within the Crocodile Temple the old enemy suddenly came to life...Crodius felt the blood entering his veins and his mummified body became full again. The fair King Gaius ignored Sarcos's order and gave him a proper state funeral after Sienna left to appease his people and make his bloody cult end!
Crodius get out of the heavy sarcophagus with ease. He felt as newly born and his heart was beating so loudly. He passed the dark corridors through the temple throne rooms and found what he was looking for! It shone as a bright torch to his eyes, even though it was hardly visible to some. He picked up the golden hair lying on the floor and smiled as he hid it in the little silken fabric scrap extremely carefully. He scrambled out of his temple tomb in his disguise and got lost in the forest."My new life is starting now." he chuckled as he picked a bag of gold from his secret treasure cave under the wild waterfall...He put the heavy bag on his strong shoulders and strolled down to the Southern Lands." I will start my new life right now exactly as I planned!" he grinned to himself...