Jherik suddenly heard the locks to his cell door click open and raised his head to see Grimaldi walk in, flanked by two guardsmen. The look on Grimaldi's face was that of arrogant satisfaction as Jherik stood glaring at the man responsible for his imprisonment.
"I trust you find your accomodations...." Grimaldi waved his hand around the room with a flourish,"....acceptable?"
Jherik smirked. "The wards are exquisite, Grimaldi- shows how much you really fear me."
"Fear?" Grimaldi snorted, eyes turned to stone. "No, foolish child, but contempt? Oh, yes, there is a lot of that. Speaking of children, you should know that your mother should be on her way here- I trust she will be happy to see her only child?"
Jherik's expression turned from confusion to fear. "What? Why?"
"Oh, did you forget?" Grimaldi sneered, eyes glittering with manic glee. "According to Coven Law, the family of those accused of treason or murder of an official are also brought in for questioning under suspicion of conspiracy."
"Grimaldi, I warn you...." Jherik's voice nearly shook with barely-contained rage.
"You? Warning me?" Grimaldi chuckled, shaking his head. "My wards will hold, boy, do not test them."
"The only reason I haven't ripped those rags to shreds is that I knew if I were to escape, you'd go after my family," Jherik snarled. "Now I see it doesn't matter- so again, Grimaldi, leave them out of this! Do with me what you will, but harm my mother and I will bring this whole Coven down around you!"
Yet the intensity in Jherik's tawny eyes did not dissuade Grimaldi from his mocking. He moved toward Jherik, baring his teeth, and got nose-to-nose with him. "What can you do, filthy Aroc?"
Jherik stepped back and, in a simple gesture, brought down the wards like swiping away spider silk, Grimaldi rocking back on his heels as he felt the full force of Jherik's chi. What is he? Grimaldi thought as he Called his power to bind Jherik's, but the strands of Essence were too tangled, too fluid to be contained. They began swirling around the room in an eerie dance, the guards watching the silver strands, mezmerized. Grimaldi tried once again to contain them, but to no avail- instead he tried more direct attacks on Jherik's person, but even Grimaldi's strong psi attacks were brushed aside like they were nothing.
"The Essence provides all, Grimaldi." Jherik was radiating power- his tawny eyes glowing gold, dark hair flowing, tangled with Essence as he stood in the center of the room. "The Essence protects all. Can you say the same about your gods?"
Before Grimaldi could respond, he was blinded by a flash of light and when the spots cleared, Jherik was gone. He roared like an enraged lion, pulling one of the guards out of his trance by his collar.
"I want the werdna dispatched immediately! Find that Aroc- hunt him down like the dog he is!"
"But Sir, the werdna?" one guard asked, face white.
Grimaldi got nose-to-nose with him. "Question me and you'll be their next snack!"
The guard nodded and motioned for his comrade to join him, leaving Grimaldi to spout curses to the sky.
*************************************************
The werdna pit smelled like wet fur and rotted flesh, but Kalig, the Werdna-keeper, liked it that way. He never them got out much since the ban on using werdna to hunt fugitives was put in place years back, but there were a few around who appreciated the beasts and would hire them out for "fun." Officially he was a "designated preserver of rare species," but everyone knew what he provided- easy entertainment for the wealthy and the occassional round up of dissenters.
Before he entered the pit, his favorite, Roz, came bounding out to meet him. She was an ugly beast- jaws and head of a hyena, lean, feline body mostly covered with irridescent black scales save for a raised tuft of silver down the spine, stopping at a long, rat-like tail. Her ears were abnormally large for her head and equally tuftted with silver, her feet were padded and clawed like a tigers. She rattled her scales in greeting, then proceeded to gnaw at Kalig's thick-gloved hand.
"Yes, girl, I know you're hungry." Kalig- looking not unlike a beast himself with his bulky frame, bald head, and full dark beard. The skin not covered by the thick leather gloves, tunic, and breeches was scarred and ruddy. Werdna do not know their own strength so protection is necessary even in play, as Kalig did when the rest of the pack, six in all, came running out to join him. All were the same description and color save for Roz, the only silver-hair, but Kalig knew them all by name: Roz- the silver Alpha female, Miko- the one with the stubby nose, Viral- the large Alpha male, Jazz- the little scrapper, Kane- the warrior, and Trixie, the petite little female that was always itchnig for a fight.
"Ahem?"
Kalig pried his gloved hand out of Roz's mouth, looking up to see one of Grimaldi's soldiers standing outside the pit. Brave one, this- not many have the balls to go within spitting distance of a a werdna pit little own come to this close proximity.
"Yes, Sir?" Kalig dusted himself off and motioned for the pack to go inside the pit. Viral turned and growled at the guard before going down, and Kalig thought for a moment the guard shit himself.
"The werdna are needed," the guard said shortly, wanting to spend the least time there as possible
among those beasts.
"Is Grimaldi gonna pay straight this time?" Kalig growled, himself as imposing as any werdna.
The guard sighed and handed over a sack that jingled with coin. Kalig untied it, pulled out a gold piece and bit down. "Tastes real at least. When?"
"Now."
Kalig frowned at the guard. "They haven't eaten."
"All the better to track an Aroc."
Kalig smiled in understanding: Aroc were hard to track even for werdna since they had become so part of the earth itself they even smelled like it, but if werdna were hungry, their senses were hieghtened to the point they could sense the abnormal concentrations of Essence Aroc were known for controlling when cloaking themselves.
"You witches say Essence doesn't exsist," Kalig sneered. "How do you explain, then how the werdna can smell it?"
The guard rolled his eyes. "You've been paid, now get on with it."
Kalig gave him a toothy grin before turning back to the pit. "Come now, children, we hunt Aroc tonight!"
The guard shuddered as a sound like bainsidhe wailing came from the pit, suddenly feeling sorry for the Aroc who'd dared to incur Grimaldi's wrath.
