The Alpha's Blind Fate
Chapter 289: The Lost Puppy

Chapter 289: The Lost Puppy

MOON

At first, Fionna didn’t seem to process what just happened. It was as if her brain was taking its sweet time to process what her eyes were witnessing, and what her body was currently feeling.

But when she finally processed it, her face darkened with rage. Lightning fast, she slipped her hand away from his and balled it into a fist that she was sure she should never have seen coming.

She was short of delivering a truly stunning blow when the man caught her fist easily, maneuvering her body closer to his.

Fionna was slightly taken aback while the man still maintained his easy smile. "Careful now," he said, "you don’t want to maim your beautiful fingers."

A closer look showed that while the man might seem like the type that easily smiled a lot, his eyes however did not reflect a single shred of his smile or easiness.

However it was something that he easily masked and would have remained a secret to her if not for the fact that she was someone who had stared many men dead in the eyes. Whether during torture, on their death bed, or on the bed generally... Fionna had learnt how to summarize the entire existence of a man just by the look in their eyes.

Fionna forcefully removed her hands from his while he grinned broadly.

"To answer your question, I believe it should require mental fortitude." The man spoke, answering the question she had asked Yaren.

So he was spying on them of course.

"And who are you?" Fionna asked, ignoring his words.

"Must I answer you?" He answered whilst still smiling and Fionna detected a hint of threat in his words.

"You better do, if not I can’t guarantee that you would catch my flying fists again with those subpar skills of yours."

He pouted like a lost puppy. "Have we met before?" He asked instead, derailing totally from what Fionna had asked him.

"Should we have met before?" Fionna snapped in response, her patience waning. They had a few minutes to the start of the tests, and as it stood, the unknown man was wasting the time she should have been using to question Yaren.

"I am hurt that you do not recognize me, Red Sister. Nonetheless I am Caspian Vampage."

Vampage...? What?

Fionna scoffed in disbelief, turning her eyes upon Yaren. "It seems to me that you know this man who poses himself as a Vampage." She accused.

"I do not know him," Yaren grunted, "I was simply put in the same group with him during the first tournament."

Fionna turned her accusatory eyes back on the man that alleged he was a Vampage.

"If you’re truly a Vampage, then I assume you must be an illegitimate son."

"A bastard, Red Sister. No need to auger coat it."

Fionna was insulted. "I never meant to sugar coat it." She spat, "however I must say that you’ve got some guts... shamelessly so at that."

"What? Because I so happen to unfortunately be the half brother of the man who rejected the current Theta." He said still maintaining his smile, "I believe his Majesty won’t be as petty as you’re."

Fionna narrowed her eyes at him. It was hard to say, but she was almost sure that the man didn’t possess some ordinary skills from the way he had easily caught her punch.

She was well aware of the Vampage Pack, and the fact that Jacen Vampage rejected Zina had become a well spread knowledge of recent. Almost as if some was intentionally trying to stir the old aged gossip. And Fionna observed that the rumors had only started when the WolfKnights had shamefully returned back to their lands few weeks ago.

"Don’t you want to know the answer to your question on the three tests? Lord Yaren here won’t be answering you anytime soon. He is far to prideful to engage in exam expo."

Yaren glared at the man, although said nothing to prove that his words were untrue. Fionna thought he was going to leave for good but then he seemed to pause in his steps as if seriously contemplating something.

"Must you become one of the five, Red Hand?" He asked abruptly, surprising her.

"Yes." Fionna answered without a stop.

"Why must that be?"

"Have you ever ran away from something before, Lord Yaren?"

"Hmm... now and then I guess."

"I happen to be running away from something. This thing is far scarier and worse than anything you might have faced. Only being here in the far cold North would ensure a semblance of escape."

Yaren seemed to face her squarely. "Why have you not asked the Theta for the answers that you seek? She’s your friend no?"

Fionna rolled her eyes. "I am not friends with Zina WolfKnight. Besides, I believe the Theta has enough on her plate as it is. I hear another attempt was made on her life just yesterday night."

"You do have ears everywhere don’t you?" Yaren said suspiciously.

"I am a Red Sister after all."

"Fine, I shall indulge you a bit."

"Can that indulgence be extended to me too?" Caspian asked eagerly, looking between the two that seemed stuck in a very serious conversation.

Yaren ignored him though, "I must repeat that I do not know what form the tests would be on. But I’ve read the Legend of the Three Great Beasts so I can offer a vague insight."

Caspian’s face fell dramatically. "Ever since the second tournament was announced, every single stall in the capital has been selling the story. Lord Yaren, everyone knows every word of the legend by now and how the Great Beast Wolf attained nirvana by conquering the mirror, the labyrinth and the room of whispers."

"And it’s all a folktale," Fionna interjected, eyeing Yaren and ignoring Caspian. "The mirror was in heaven, the labyrinth in hell, and the room of whispers on earth. His Majesty toys with us because we are not as knowledgeable as he is."

"Perhaps it’s not about knowledge," Yaren shrugged, "perhaps the answer is in the moral lessons."

Fionna stilled, while Caspian looked on Yaren with a different eye... one that said appreciation and admiration more than anything.