Prologue - Sutton
Sutton Creed
Odissya - Twenty-Six Years Ago
“What do you want?” I snapped as I hammered the demonic steel into a vague sword shape. I continued to keep my back to the man standing in the doorway.
He’d been at the weaponry forge for the better part of ten minutes, his mouth opening and closing like he was debating whether or not to speak. We had the finest steel and hundreds of people commissioned our forgers to make their fine, intricate and ultimately useless weapons. Useless because they were statement pieces only, but it’s what the customer wanted. I sighed, pausing my work to rub my temples, trying to get rid of the headache starting to form. The hammering of steel on the anvil was a soothing balm able to take me far away from my turbulent and dark thoughts.
“I’m not going to bite, you know? Just come inside and tell me what you’re after and then get out.” I stated, a bit unkindly.
I hated that people were too scared to speak to me but were more comfortable to smile and wave from afar. Being the son of a war lord was no joke, and my harsh features and often cold demeanour wasn’t winning me any favours either.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of people or large crowds, which is why I kept coming to the forge. I ignored the man as I kept hammering and shoving the steel into the furnace to heat it up before placing it back on the anvil, the nearly molten metal hissing as it met the cool black steel.
“L-Lord S-Sutton, Sir?” the man’s voice trembled as he stuttered.
I rolled my eyes and kept hammering, wondering what was wrong now. No one told me it was easy being a Lord or an Alpha of your species. My father always warned me not to be soft, instead of ruling with fairness and justice, he had opted to rule with an iron grip and fear. So it wasn’t any wonder that people were worried about me.
“Ah, S-sir?” The same voice came again, making me growl. He squeaked.
Couldn’t these people just leave me alone for five bloody minutes? I thought bitterly, hand tightening on the hammer.
“Well? What do you want?” I demanded gruffly.
I heard the sharp intake of breath from the man, and I already knew, without turning around, that he’d gone pale and was on the verge of fainting. Stupid rumours. No one liked to be talked about behind their backs and that’s exactly what happened.
Some of the men who controlled our lands along with my father ran back to their posts and started a slagging campaign about how ruthless and violent I was. How much worse I was than my father. I clenched my teeth when I thought about it.
“I, uh, y-you, uhm,” he stammered, causing a harsh bark to escape my lips.
“Spit it out, boy! I haven’t got all damn day!” I demanded, rounding on the poor man.
He looked like he was in his late teens, no more than seventeen or eighteen. His blonde hair was plastered to his face, slick with the sweat, from the heat of the forge, pouring down his face in droves, his eyes wide and round from fear. He was cowering by the doorway,
“Ah,” he shuddered, his pale face flushing under my scrutiny, “you have visitors, Sir.”
“Visitors? Where?” I demanded, throwing my hammer down on the sagging wooden bench next to me. I quenched the new sword in a barrel of water and the hissing noise it made sent the man before me flinching, making me roll my eyes.
“Are you going to tell me where my supposed visitors are or are you going to stand there, cowering?” I hissed impatiently, already wanting this to be over so I could get back to weapon making.
“T-they’re already in your house, Sir,” the man stuttered, and I heaved another sigh.
Uninvited guests were the worst, giving me no time to tidy up or to wash away the sweat from the forge. Like I said, I didn’t enjoy people’s company, especially if I didn’t know them. It took me a while to be able to talk freely with someone.
Screw them, they can take my appearance as it is, since they’re the ones who haven’t given me any warning, I thought with a scowl. A whimper reminded me that I wasn’t alone.
“Alright, let them know that I’ll be there soon,” I said, walking past the man and out into the cooling night air.
I watched as he scampered off towards my house probably to tell my unwanted guests that I was on my way. The lights of the small mansion twinkled like a beacon, while the rest stood in darkness on the top of a small hill.
In the daytime, the views were spectacular, allowing me to see most of Odissya - from the sea to the Hazy Mountains in the distance. At nighttime, the view was breathtaking, watching all the lights twinkle from streetlamps and other houses. It was like an ocean of lights. Not to mention the sea of stars sprinkled throughout the night sky.
I rubbed a hand over my face and through my white hair and started making my way through the centre of our small town, my boots echoing off of the cobblestone sidewalk. The people who were packing up their shops or stalls that lined the main street, called out their goodnights as I passed them.
I waved and called back. A few of the children rushed towards me, asking me questions a thousand kilometres a minute. I chuckled and shooed them back to their mothers, who scooped up their kids and smiled softly at me, making me smile back.
