The Dark Messenger

by Milo Spires

  Just as Rex was about to open his mouth and say something like, ‘Guards seize him! Strap the insubordinate bastard to the whipping posts!’ he would pull his robes down like a stripper, and reveal his brutally disfigured body from the waist up.

  The crowds would be absolutely shocked by him doing this, but no way more shocked than the gruesome sight of his savagely whipped back.

  Hoidrious would then turn around on the spot and say, ‘I know I risk another brutal lashing for this, but I feel as your number two in command you should all know what I have to tell you before you agree to attack Angus.’

  He predicted Rex would be caught off-guard by seeing Hoidrious’ ruined birthday suit, and as they all nodded their consent for him to speak, the fucker would be forced by their sheer numbers to hold his tongue and listen.

  Bare-chested in order to keep their attention, Hoidrious would look up into their caves and tell them they shouldn’t attack until there is undeniable proof that the Scots were guilty. Then just as the cantankerous old bastard would be about to open his mouth and order his death, he would quickly add, ‘Satan will be furious with you if Angus isn’t guilty.’

  Then to save himself from the ignominious tortures that he felt sure Rex would have just been planning in his evil brain, he would end his dramatic speech by suggesting, ‘However, Rex knows best, and he has done an exceptional job running the coven for the past two thousand years.’

  He would ask the audience to give a standing ovation for their leader, saying that he was of particularly high acclaim. Of course at that moment he would be looking at Rex as he pulled his robes back up and thinking, ‘I hope you die soon, you fucking cantankerous old bastard.’

  Their noise would be thunderous. The applause factor, Hoidrious predicted, would instantly placate Rex, and eradicate his heinous ideas of gruesome tortures towards himself. He also doubted that the old bastard at that point would dare to show that he was a true fucker, by still ordering the whipping on him. No way—not when they were all clapping loudly, beating their chests, and screaming out his name.

  He had also predicted that Rex would be suspicious of both the intrusion into his speech and its content, but as it had clearly resulted in nothing, the idiot would probably just start rambling on again. At no time would he become suspicious that Hoidrious’ half-nude performance was part of a cunning plan to turn their allegiance against him.

  Without much more jabbering as he wouldn’t want to confuse his ignorant audience or himself with words the way he often did, Rex would then say something along the lines of, ‘Okay then, we will attack Angus soon.’

  The crowds would cheer him vehemently and then beat their chests as the meeting finally drew to a close.

  ----------

  Then on the day when the Elite warriors were due to arrive in Scotland, the last part of Hoidrious’ plan would begin to unfurl itself, and Rex would hopefully either die or be sent to rot in jail for a coon’s age.

  One of Angus’ messengers who wasn’t known by anyone in the White Coven, would turn up at Rex’s coven pretending that he had just left the fictitious Irish Cluckunic coven and was fearing for his life. He would have to arrive minutes before the full moon, just when Rex was rejoicing in the belief that his infected prisoners in Scotland, as werewolves, were about to unleash hell on Angus and his coven. The messenger would say that his coven leader Aodhagan, had ordered the age-old rule to be broken in retaliation for the death of Brius in Paris.

  He would then add that his leader was not prepared to risk a large amount of his own warrior’s deaths by mounting a full-on attack against Rex, but preferred to watch as another coven waged war against him instead. He also knew that Rex and Angus had deeply bitter feelings of hatred towards one another, and with ancient rumors suggesting that the previous war between them was brought on merely because Rex wanted to steal Angus’ riches, there was none better to use than the Scot himself.

  The messenger would be instructed to tell Rex, that Aodhagan had sent a group of vampires into Edinburgh dressed in kilts. Then when they had arrived there orders were to brazenly kill humans in the city center. In doing so they would be sure to be caught by the plethora of CCTV cameras, and Hoidrious’ evil seed would then be planted.

  Rex would hear of the attack and with his being guided by greed for Angus’ riches, he would simply rule out the need to look for evidence first. He would hold Angus undeniably responsible for it.

  Then to make it sound even more convincing the messenger would start mumbling on that his leader would kill him for coming to them with this information. Rex would probably slap him around a bit to stop the mumbling before demanding the messenger tell him more.

  The messenger would agree and then say that his leader had planned to wait until Rex had lost a large amount of his warriors, before he would swoop in like a knight in shining armor and offer his battle services to Angus for a handsome fee. Angus would naturally by that stage be requiring help and would agree to the sum. Aodhagan’s warriors would then travel down to London and burst into the coven, killing everyone whilst Rex’s armies were in Scotland.

  Hoidrious expected that by now it would be firmly registering in Rex’s brain that, by attacking Angus he had made a grave mistake. Then the old boy’s reactions would prove his inner concerns for undoubtedly he would start laughing in a half-suppressed, mocking, scornful way towards the messenger.

  After this, according to Hoidrious’ expectations, Rex would suggest that the messenger was in fact lying. It would be his reaction to the thoughts going through his mind of how furious the coven would be if any of this proved to be true. Rex would know they would vote him out from the leadership, and then he would be punished accordingly. Also he would be thinking they would assume for the second time in a thousand years, that he had only ordered the attack to acquire Angus’ treasures for himself.

  Rex would also remember that Hoidrious had publicly tried to warn him against attacking without evidence. He would know that his coven wouldn’t have forgotten it either, because when his number two in command had addressed them, Hoidrious had been parading around in his birthday suit. This was not a sight easily forgotten, no matter the effort.

  At this point Hoidrious expected the feeling in the room to become quite palpable, and that Rex would be suffering from paranoia. Rivers of it would undoubtedly be flowing through his mind, accompanied by the vision of ships full of angry coven members. He would be aware when they found out the news of his error that it would be as if a thick impenetrable mist had been lifted from their eyes. They would see clearly and realize that he had ordered the attack not for retribution of the rule being broken, but purely for the treasures that lay in Angus’ castle.

  Then if Hoidrious’ presumptions were right, Rex would be looking for a way out of this, which would mean the messenger had to die. It would be clear to him that if the messenger was not around to tell the story, then the threat to topple him from power would be gone too.

  Hoidrious’ own henchmen Loicheonk and Marchilla would naturally be ready for such action and thwart his attempts. As an added measure they would snap his wrist for trying to both kill the innocent and slime his way out of the mess he’d put himself in. Rex would try to scream out for his guards, but Hoidrious would have already made sure they were well out of earshot.

  Then with his wrist in agony, Rex would demand that Loicheonk and Marchilla let go of him immediately. At that moment Hoidrious would announce that he was taking over as leader. He would tell the tyrant that the coven from there on would judge his crimes and pass sentence.

  Hoidrious had felt sure he could explain the whole thing and after the coven members had heard from the messenger, he felt sure they would rule Rex to be either incarcerated for eternity into their most heinous stench-filled cells, or simply killed--brutally.

  Of course none of it would work on these vicious vampires without entangling it with hell will come for yous throughout the story. Then telling them in layman’s terms,
he would deeply impress upon them that should the tyrannical Rex still be in power when Satan rose up, their punishment would undeniably be extinction.

  He knew he would have to explain how Rex tricked them when he had said Satan would punish them for not attacking, and then let them know that most, if not all of the shit that drizzled out of the old bastards mouth had in fact been rubbish. Hoidrious expected he would have to then impress upon them that Rex was seriously ill, with his fatal disease being acute verbal diarrhea.

  He expected that the speech needed work but was sure they would fool for it, and then Rex would finally be gone forever.

  Only not before the murderous old bastard had gotten his own vicious whipping session.

  Hoidrious couldn’t stop fantasizing about holding the heavy leather whip, flicking it out underarm to almost full length and then as if on a trial run, simply recoiling it back in. He saw himself doing this a couple of times to ease the arm muscles and get used to the smooth action before fully committed to the cobra-like overarm strike. Yanking back just as the heavy braided end viciously bore down upon Rex’s back, and hearing that unmistakable sound. The sound of the whip as it snatched deep trenches of flesh; ripping them away from the evil fucker’s back and leaving him screaming in agony.

  Hoidrious felt sure that he would also be experiencing red mist coming down before his own eyes. His rage would flourish and his anger would be in its prime.

  ‘Stop!’ Rex would probably shout after the first hundred, but Hoidrious would be conveniently deaf at that point.

  Just as Rex’s stifled cries would be fading into low guttural groans, Hoidrious would whisper into the tyrant’s ear, ‘Can’t do that. Just getting started.’

  Regarding the exact quantity of lashes Hoidrious knew he couldn’t be sure, but he envisaged it would be a tidy number. Smiling to himself, he considered that maybe he would offer Rex some kind of deal. Something like, ‘get one lash as part of the revenge, and get the second lash for free’.

  ----------

  However there was a major flaw neither he nor Angus had seen, something that affected his plans in a massive way.

  Hoidrious had taken a long time to devise this plan of his. He had plenty of it whilst he was lying in the stinking cells after Rex had whipped him. Being cautious and attentive, he had meticulously gone over and over his scheme, making sure that he hadn’t left anything out.

  Only he had missed something and it had turned out to be extremely important too.

  On the day when he had been released from the cells, Rex had ordered he resume his duties as number two in command. This seemed strange and Hoidrious suspected that Rex had only really done so merely to confuse his mind. However seizing the opportunity and the freedom, he had immediately told his goons to contact Angus. In the conversation with the Scot, he had told him briefly about the week’s holiday screaming in agony from being whipped whilst locked in the cells. He had then told him about the plan he had devised, and together both of them had deliberated over it.

  The conclusion had been a green light for go. Angus had loved it and had said in his deep Scottish accent, ’Regardless that the Elite warriors are coming up to kill us, I truly think this plan has worth.’

  Hoidrious also said that as soon as his fake messenger had been to visit, he would have Rex removed from power and the war between them would be over.

  The Scot had said he also welcomed the idea that the Elite warriors were coming up to try to kill him, because he had a room waiting for their arrival—one they called the ‘Ambush Room’.

  Then as things happened over the next fortnight or so, Rex had contacted Angus and lied, saying that he was only sending his warriors up there to hunt out the true perpetrators of the crime. He had said on the phone that he would send fresh humans with them as a gift for the Scots. Together his and Angus’ warriors could party for five hours until they would have to leave.

  Hoidrious had told Angus the truth about it though. He had phoned him afterwards and told him that the prisoners they were bringing with them were infected with the lycan/werewolf curse. Angus had laughed, and then had commented on Rex’s deeply perturbed and sadly twisted mind.

  ---------

  With the plan underway and after Angus had sent vampires dressed in kilts to Edinburgh, Rex had fallen for it hook line and sinker. Everything had seemed to be going well, and Hoidrious had been getting deeply excited at the thought of finally ruling the coven as their number one.

  Then suddenly Rex was summoned off on some wild meeting. He had gone to visit a priest out in a reservoir in Kent, and even though he had taken an army of warriors with him, the report had come back that he had foolishly stepped out onto a raft alone. Hoidrious was told that the raft had seemed to be under some sort of spell, and that it had sailed out into the center of the reservoir where Rex had been alone and mumbling to himself. Then he had a fit of some kind before he fell into the waters and was never seen again.

  That day passed and then when his warriors had returned, all hell had broken loose in the coven with the news of his disappearance. Other covens, allies to the White Coven, had joined in a massive search, and although the banks of the reservoir had been meticulously searched, no one had found any signs of the tyrant.

  Then when the warriors had returned, Mietioc had immediately prepared himself for the Scotland mission. The following day they had taken a train for the Highlands.

  At that moment the flaw to Hoidrious’ plan had suddenly become apparent. If Rex was not going to be around on the eve of the attack in Scotland, then there would be no point in having the fake messenger arrive with the news that Angus wasn’t guilty of breaking the age-old rule. Then in turn later he also wouldn’t be able to have Rex laying there, bound, gagged and screaming before the whole coven.

  Hoidrious being deeply nervous that the plan might be failing, and to save himself from being embarrassed by telling Angus about Rex’s untimely disappearance, had decided to wait before contacting the Scot. He reasoned with himself that Rex must be doing something secretive and hadn’t really vanished. He also told himself that at any moment in his usual repulsive way, the old fucker would come walking back into the coven grinning.

  That reasoning was Hoidrious’ big mistake and it blew any chance of stopping the war.

  As number two in command he should have sent urgent word to Mietioc via the fastest-flying vampire they had. He should have sent him up to Scotland at full speed with a message to hold off on the attack. The problem he feared was that if he did do that, and then Rex had turned up grinning, he himself would be in deep shit with him for doing so.

  Then as it does, the time had ticked past and still quite undecided in his mind, suddenly it had dawned on him that it was too late to stop the attack anyway, by then Mietioc’s train would have already arrived in Scotland.

  Then later that day Angus had phoned and told him that the Elite warriors had been successfully eradicated off the face of the Earth by heavy machine-gun fire.

  Angus had said that he had been surprised because ten of Mietioc’s warriors had secretly remained hiding in the tunnels, and then when his vampires had leapt down to gloat over the dead, the screaming female gifts of blood had lured many of them in to be killed. Then as they had run out of bullets, finally his coven had managed to kill the last of the ten warriors.

  Angus had told Hoidrious considering he had told his coven he expected none of his warriors to die that day, he had been seriously pissed off when so many of them had met a brutal end. He then said that the whole thing had been a seriously embarrassing affair.

  He also added that the sentry who had met Mietioc’s men outside in Holyrood Park had confirmed seeing the male infected prisoners when Mietioc had first arrived. Angus had noted from his high up position that he had only ever seen female prisoners, the ones whom his own vampires had torn apart.

  He said he had been deeply concerned as to the whereabouts of the infected prisoners, and gave immediate instructions to
search the tunnel thoroughly, and also the park outside. At that point in the night when Hoidrious was still speaking to the Scot, and still with a few hours before the full moon appeared, they had yet to be found.