HINDERANCE

While Damien was awaiting the council admissions lord Nikolai was summoned to a council meeting in Arethusa the realm of fae that was due south of Grimborne.

He rode alone in his carriage as they passed through a small worn down looking town

As the horses on the carriage moved forward it suddenly stopped and he heard the loud cries of the Coachman.

He looked out the window annoyed, and when he saw the blood that was on the ground and decided to go check out what all the fuss was about. As he leaped out of the carriage, he saw the coachman lying on his seat dead with an arrow through his head and one in his chest.

Nikolai was annoyed that his trip would be elongated now as he would have to find a new Coachman.

Then another arrow came flying at his head, he ducked it with ease and it turned around with increased speed. Amused, he caught the arrow with his hand and threw it at one of his attackers that was hiding in the trees and he fell with a hard thud.

Nikolai looked at him seeing the arrow he had thrown into the young man's forehead.

he noticed the black and white loop shape on his clothes and determined that he was from a rebel faction that wants to overthrow the council and take over from the government of the great nations.

Another person tried to ambush him with a sword while he was still staring at the boy's body and when the man got close to him and swung the sword he grabbed the sword with his hand and grabbed the mans face with his other hand and crushed his face in with a devastating crunch like a normal person would press a lemon to extract its juices. As the boy fell to the ground instantly, Nikolai decided he had enough of their hindrance. With the sword still in his hand, he raised it and threw it toward the sky and it fell back down with a hundred swords that were black and shadow-like. They fell impaling all of his ambushers killing them instantly except for one of them, he moved toward the one who sent the magic arrows who he suspected to be the leader of the assault who was still trying to stagger away with a sword lodged in his back. Nikolai closed the distance between them in a second and knocked him down.

The Lord then proceeded to place his boot on the man's head and said, " Why would you idiots attack little old me," with a sadistic smile on his face.

The man replied by saying, "We saw an opportunity and we took it," said the man.

Lord Nikolai realized that they were nothing but scouts and then crushed the man's head under his boot like watermelon and walked away into the town to find someone to make his coachman.

After a short walk, he reached the town and the people were surprised and both overjoyed and fearful over his presence there.

The mayor came out to greet him and he looked at the man with a cold expression and said 'just get me your best coachman quickly."

All the young maidens in the town came to sneak peeks of him because Lord Nikolai was an extremely handsome man some might even describe him as beautiful.

He was more or less surrounded by people who admired and feared him, they noticed from his expression alone not to come too close

As Nikolai was about to enter the home of the mayor to sit and wait for him to find a worthy coachman, he noticed a familiar energy like it was almost calling out to him. Intrigued by it, he decided to follow, and as he walked the people stared and knew to get out of his way.

He eventually approached a small house on the outskirts of the town close to the woods.

He didn't bother knocking on the door and just pushed it open and a young man who was sweeping the house looked at him wide-eyed.

Nikolai instantly recognized him to be Elissa's adoptive younger brother but he did nothing and walked past him towards a small staircase that lead to the basement room of the house. Noticing that the basement was locked, he kicked it down and saw a little girl lying there still, with white skin and a shriveled body. She waslooking extremely malnourished but she was in a deep coma. Nikolai grabbed her by the hair went downstairs and asked the boy "Whose child is this?" with a cold husky tone that made the boy shiver.

Elissa's adoptive mother wondering who her son had invited into their home this time, decided to go see who he was talking to when she saw him holding the girl.

She was speechless especially since Elissa had assured her that Nikolai would never go to a secluded little town like the one they lived in.

He asked again "Whose child?!" this time with an angry tone even though he already knew the answer to that question.

At this point, the villagers who saw him walk into the house had surrounded the place.

When none of them answered he grabbed the boy with his other hand and threw him across the room. He fell on a wooden table and hit his head with a loud thud and went limp.

His mother screamed and then said "She is yours, Elissa asked me to take her but she stopped eating and moving one day I swear on my life I did nothing to that child..," not wanting to hear anymore he said "that's enough, and walked towards the boy.

He then bit into his wrist bent down and placed the dripping blood against the boy's face forcing him to drink it while unconscious then he pulled his wrist away and squeezed the boy's neck with that hand till he stopped hearing him breathe.

The town mayor burst through the front door with two men to present to him as the coachmen but looked at the scene before him confused and he said " the coachmen are ready."

Nikolai nodded and said "prepare a cart put the boy, the woman, and this 'he gestured referring to the child 'In the cart, they will be coming with me." not wanting to overstep the mayor asked no questions and did as he said.

once they were done he hopped into his carriage and headed to Arethusa with the cart containing the three people following him closely behind