He flung the carcass into the smoldering bed of his forge, then pumped the bellows to stoke the flames to a roaring blaze. As he somberly watched the bright orange fire consume the corpse, he watched as t the burning body turned back to human.
Lucian couldn't help,but think how innocent lives were turned into uncontrolable monsters.
Then the stench of charred flesh, as well as his own unwanted doubts, drove him to seek the fresher air of the courtyard outside his smithy. Glancing around, he saw that, despite the excitement earlier, the castle had fallen back into its usual nightly routines.
Lycan slaves labored to rebuild a watchtower that had fallen into grievous disrepair. Their dirty bodies drenched in sweat, the men dragged and pushed massive slabs of granite up steep wooden ramps and ladders. Other slaves mixed enormous quantities of mortar, which were hauled up onto the scaffolding. Cranes and pulleys lifted the larger blocks, which dangled ominously over the courtyard below. Grunting workers manned the ropes and tread wheels. Studded leather harnesses were strapped to the slaves' hairy chests, while fraying wool trousers satisfied the demands of decency. Moon shackles pricked their necks, keeping their inner wolves safely caged. The brands upon their arms bore the initials of one of the three vampire Elders; Marcus and Amelia hand't embraced with enthusiasm Viktor's idea of turning the lycans into slaves,while they kept using vampier guards than Lycans.
Marcus was against it,since it reminded him of his brother and now nephew Lucian.
Every slaves once thought their Immortality for such as these was not a blessing but a curse.
But now their eyes bore some hope in them after they found Lucian started helping them,some of them were into the fact Lycans were getting rescued from here.
A shaggy blue-eyed laborer, who had been christened Xristo by his masters, looked near the limits of his endurance. Gasping in exhaustion, he chipped away at a crumbling wall with a pickax in order to clear a space for the replacement stones. Perspiration dripped from his light brown bangs and he lowered his pick long enough to wipe the sweat from his eyes. He leaned his muscular frame up against a wooden ramp as he paused to catch his breath. This did not sit well with Kosta, the sadistic overseer in charge of the project.
Unforgiving gray eyes glared at Xristo from beneath heavy black brows. A long white scar, left over from his mortal days, ran down one side of his grizzled face, which gave him the look of a mortal in his late fifties. His stiff gray hair was cropped close to his skull. Jet-black plate armor added to his intimidating aspect. Frown lines were etched deeply into his saturnine countenance. The sneer on his lips made it clear that he despised his lycan charges nearly as much as they hated and feared him. His fist tightened on the grip of a thick leather whip. Silver glinted at the tip of the whip as he cracked it loudly against Xristo's face. The lash opened a deep cut in the lycan's cheek. The pickax crashed against the rubble as Xristo cried out in pain and clutched his face. Blood seeped through his dirty fingers.
Lucian winced in sympathy. He knew Xristo casually, as he knew most of the lycans in the castle. He didn't deserve that, he thought angrily.
The other lycans backed away from their bleeding comrade, averting their eyes from the ugly spectacle. Kosta was infamous for his harsh ways and short temper; rumor had it his only son had been killed by a werewolf centuries ago and he had been taking out his grief and bitterness on the lycans ever since. None wanted to share Xristo's punishment.
Kosta snarled"Lazy mongrel! You'll rest when I tell you to… and not before!" He raised the lash to administer another vicious blow. Before he could crack the whip again, however, a strong arm seized hold of his wrist.
"That's enough," Lucian said.
Kosta erupted in fury. Spittle sprayed from his lips as he yanked his hand free from Lucian's grip. "You dare raise your hand to me?" He drew his sword. Lucian refused to back down. He realized he was taking his life in his hands, but he wasn't about to let this brute flay Xristo to the bone for no reason. His dark eyes burned as hot as his forge. "I said, that's enough."
Kosta swung his sword at Lucian's neck, but Hadrian from the side raised a hand Kosta, who was lifted from the ground like Peter Pan, levitating until he was at eye level with Hadrian and said"Kosta,I remember reminding you to never touch my student."
Kosta gulped and yelled"I am sorry,my Lord."
Hadrian exhaled, relaxed, and released Kosta from his psychic grip—allowing the man to drop roughly to the hard stone floor, in a human pile.
Kosta quickly got up and ran away ,while gritting his teeth and thinking"I will get back at you,Lucian."
Kosta was smart enough to know,he will never will be able to get any revenge against Hadrian.Since even Victor was afraid of him and both other Elders Amelia and Marcus supported Hadrian,whenever Victor tried to make up an issue.
Hadrian looked at Lucian,who nodded and went to help up Xristo.Who was thankful for the help.