Free Web NovelChapter 21: House Ophidian
The first day had taught them an important lesson. Death did not wait for orientation.
~ Rebel Beast
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Caelis Cobryn watched the last of the humans being herded back into the bus before finally turning away from his hiding place. Nothing more to see. The show was over.
The goody-two-shoes Maverick and his people were trying so hard to restore some semblance of order.
Except chaos, pain, and fear were exactly what they should have expected when preys wandered into a predator’s territory.
Caelis would have extended a hand to him out of pity if he hadn’t been the one responsible for the whole commotion in the first place. He was certain Maverick had already figured that out too and probably wouldn’t be in the mood to accept his hand either.
The professor had always been strange with his attachment to humans. Pretty much every wolf shifter Caelis had met since arriving in this region was.
Perhaps because he was a snake and cold-blooded, Caelis simply couldn’t understand it. What was the appeal of protecting creatures so fragile and easy to kill?
Sure, they were good at certain things, building cities, advancing technology, and creating civilizations. But in the end, strength ruled, and humans sat firmly at the bottom of the hierarchy. Beasts should be masters over them.
Unfortunately, creatures like Maverick Nightshade and his annoying pack made that dream far more difficult to achieve.
But for the first time since the attack, Caelis Cobryn found himself thinking about a brown-haired human.
Aria Aspen.
Something was off about her.
Sure, it sounded ridiculous, but he had seen her stop that bull. The creature had been furious and should have trampled her without hesitation. Instead, it stopped. Only for a split second, but it had happened.
Caelis knew what he saw.
Perhaps the humans had brought a hidden weapon this time. Perhaps the second Concordia Selection wasn’t a complete waste of time after all. Had they underestimated the threat simply because she looked human?
Speaking of "they," did Rhydian know? Was that why he wanted the girl last?
That fucking bastard.
His hands balled into fists. He should have known better than to trust him.
"That was a brilliant one, My Prince. That move is going down in the records." Venus’ voice cut through his thoughts.
The python shifter practically vibrated with excitement as he walked beside him.
Venus was more than an assistant. He was Caelis Cobryn’s First Fang, a position granted only to the most trusted members of the Serpent Court.
Without waiting for Caelis to speak, he continued. "I honestly thought the herd would scatter before reaching the academy. It went exactly as planned in the end." He smirked.
The plan itself had not been particularly difficult. All it had taken was a little patience and timing.
Caelis had known for months that a herd grazed along the hillside behind the academy every afternoon.
All he had done was time the humans’ arrival, locate the largest bull, and make it angry. By making it angry, Caelis had shifted into his serpent form and injected the creature with just enough venom to agitate its nervous system but not enough to kill it.
The effect had been immediate. The animal became irritable and aggressive. Every movement from the surrounding herd became a challenge. By the time the creature attacked one of its own, the rest of the herd had already begun responding to its agitation.
As confusion swept through the herd, the other members of House Ophidian chosen for the task emerged from the trees and guided the animals as planned. And like flowing water, the terrified herd rushed toward the path of least resistance. Straight toward Bestiaris Academy.
The rest was history.
Venus continued talking and only realized at that moment that the prince had not replied to any of his comments.
"My Prince?"
There was no answer.
Venus glanced sideways. Caelis was walking beside him, but his thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
"My Prince?"
This time Caelis blinked and looked at him.
"What?"
Venus immediately knew something was wrong. The basilisk prince was many things, cold and quiet, but distracted was not one of them.
"Is there a problem, my prince?" Venus asked cautiously.
Caelis was silent for a moment. Then he said, "I want you to look into someone."
Venus immediately perked up.
"Who?"
"Aria Aspen."
For a moment, Venus simply stared at him.
"The human?"
Caelis nodded.
Venus’ eyes suddenly widened as if a revelation had struck him.
"Oh."
Caelis already disliked that look.
"Oh?" he repeated.
Venus leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Do you want the human for a special dinner?" ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Caelis stopped walking. Unfortunately, Venus mistook his silence for encouragement.
"We could lure her out tonight. Although it might be difficult today after what happened. Maverick will definitely be cautious after the stunt we pulled, and we don’t want to accidentally run into the wolf prince. Still, if you have any special requests, we could prepare the girl exactly how you like—"
Venus never got the chance to finish. One second he was speaking and the next, his feet left the ground. Caelis had grabbed him by the collar and dragged him forward until their faces were inches apart.
Venus froze. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead when he saw the prince’s eyes glow faintly.
Oh no. Not the eyes. Anything but the eyes.
Venus had seen what happened when a basilisk became annoyed. Most victims ended up as a very expensive lawn decorations.
"My Prince..." he squeaked.
The glow dimmed. Instead, a threatening hiss escaped Caelis’ lips. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"You will not touch Aria Aspen."
Venus swallowed. Hard.
"All I asked," Caelis said through clenched teeth, "was for information."
Realization immediately dawned on the python’s face.
"Oh. So that was what you meant. I thought...."
He didn’t get to finish thanks to the glare from the prince.
Caelis finally released him.
The python shifter immediately stumbled backward and began straightening his clothes.
"That makes much more sense." Venus cleared his throat. "There is one small problem, though."
Caelis immediately felt a headache forming.
"What?"
Venus rubbed the back of his neck. "I’m not really good with the whole computer thing."
Caelis stared at him speechless. Three years and he still did not know how to use a computer.
Venus smiled nervously. "The others usually handle that."
Caelis stared harder.
"Then find someone who can. I need all you can find out about her." The words came out as a bark.
"Yes, My Prince."
Honestly, how had he ended up with this idiot?
Then again, loyalty was difficult to find these days. Most of the other members of his court spent their time spying on him and reporting every little detail back to his father. Venus, for all his shortcomings, had never done that. Which was precisely why he remained his First Fang.
"Don’t fail me this time," He warned.
"I won’t, My Prince." Venus immediately saluted with a nervous smile.
Caelis ignored him. Then he turned and made his way toward House Ophidian, alone.
As the apex predators of the beast world, dragons had laid claim to vast portions of territory over the years, including the land upon which Bestiaris Academy was built.
There was no universe in which dragons and serpents could have coexisted within the same dormitory. In the end, House Ophidian had purchased its portion of land from the dragons at an outrageous price.
If further proof of their mutual hatred was needed, one only had to look at House Therion. The dragons had charged the serpents a fortune. Then turned around and gifted an equally large section of land to House Therion for free.
Petty bastards.
Nonetheless, the serpents had built their home there.
House Ophidian rose four stories into the air, its dark stone exterior gleaming beneath the afternoon sun. Unlike the grand towers of House Aetheris or the fortress-like appearance of House Therion, there was something unsettlingly elegant about the structure. Curved balconies wrapped around portions of the building while green-tinted windows reflected the surrounding landscape like the eyes of a serpent waiting patiently in the grass.
The entrance path leading toward the dormitory was lined with statues. Dozens of them. Wolves. Boars. Bears. Even a dragon.
Each sculpture had been carved with such remarkable detail. Their expressions captured terror, rage, or defiance so perfectly that they almost appeared alive.
Fortunately, they weren’t. The statues had been deliberately crafted to resemble the stone victims left behind by basilisk petrification.
That particular idea had belonged to his father. The serpent king never missed an opportunity to remind others of the Serpent Court’s power.
While it was a decoration for the serpents, it was a message to the dragons. They had Caelis now. Their messiah. The one destined to lead the Serpent Court into a future where serpents stood above every other beast.
Unfortunately, the burden of that belief followed the poor prince everywhere. Which was why Caelis couldn’t always be himself.
He couldn’t joke too much or laugh too freely. Worse, show emotions. Emotions was a bullet to the head and weakness was luxury princes were rarely afforded.
By the time Caelis reached the entrance, the familiar cold mask had already settled over his features.
With that, he stepped into House Ophidian.
