The Monster Inside: The First Vampire Chapter 51

It had been quite some time since Aegin had been given a mission of this importance . Well, in saying that, it wasn't really his mission, it was his father's mission, and Aegin was being taken along to learn the ropes . So technically, it was his first mission, but Aegin liked to think he had enough experience through the minor tasks he'd been given over the last few years .

Indeed when watching Aegin in action, many would be surprised to learn he was only thirteen . But then, that was the expectation of the Ridge Men . The elite squad of agents that served Fountain Ridge and it's leading family . For a long time, that family had been the Kildare line, and today was no different . The thing that surprised Aegin about this mission, was the fact that there were a lot more agents than were usually required for a mission . One or two was usually enough, but five? The objective must be difficult indeed . When Aegin had asked, his father's reply had been quick and simple like always, "take the package and deliver it without being seen" .

The fact that such an important mission could be summed up in nine words would be concerning to some, but to Aegin's father it was simply a testament to their years of work and training . The only thing he'd been told in addition was that the 'package' was a young boy .

It'd been a week since they'd been sent off from Fountain Ridge . They moved much faster than any caravan or rider, so they'd already been to the little town of Cordon only to find their package had been moved to Toulle . Aegin's father seemed happier at that fact . Aegin couldn't decide whether it was because a city was more of a challenge to manoeuvre without being noticed, or the package would be more easily missed in a city than it would be in a small town .

It was only as they were leaving Cordon that Aegin noticed the man his father had subconsciously watched . Aegin watched more closely, thinking the man must have been a threat, but after taking in the golden hair and facial structure, Aegin realised the answer to his father's gaze was very different to what he'd originally thought .

So this was where the third son of the Duke had ended up? A backwater town in the middle of nowhere working as a farmer? How the mighty had fallen . People rarely spoke of the third son, but from what Aegin knew, the Ridge Men had respected Phillip Kildare tremendously . Especially considering he'd chosen to be trained as a knight rather than a simple merchant . He would know better the limits of the Ridge Men, and be able to use them more efficiently than any rich old duke had before . But it was not to be . The Ridge Men were honour bound to serve those of the Kildare line, and Phillip had long ago thrown off his esteemed name .

Despite his father's gaze, Aegin decided not to talk about it, no doubt he'd get scolded for bringing it up anyway .

They'd arrived in Toulle just a few hours before, and had gone to the Magician's Guild where they'd expected to find some stirring of the package they were supposed to take . Nothing, barely even a whisper, as if the Guild had no idea what one of their Magicians had brought back . It had taken another hour of waiting and watching before one of the others spotted the Magician that was supposed to have brought back the package . They followed her . All the way to outside the city were a large warehouse stood on its own just before the farming district . Turns out that it was going to be far easier than expected to take what they wanted .

Aegin and the others climbed the walls of the warehouse to glimpse in the high windows, after scouting through them, Aegin paused at seeing the boy lying on a bed with a chain wrapped around his neck . A stack of books was lying next to him, and he looked bored to say the least . He signalled his father and the others .

Aegin turned to his father as he arrived, their package was this boy? He seemed rather harmless despite the chain around his neck . But Aegin had long ago learned that there was more than what could be seen on the surface .

Aegin's father signalled to one of the others to take care of the Magician so that they would have no interruptions . They watched the boy for a while longer, but he was unnaturally still . Eventually, when the moon was high, Aegin's Father ordered them to descend inside .

They did as told, pushing the windows open and dropping to the floor . There was no response from the boy . Two of the others immediately went to the chain on the wall and those that were stored in the corner . They quickly gathered them, the lock on the chains all too easy for them . Finally, the five of them approached the boy who still did not move . Aegin's father moved forward and placed a hand on the boy's wrist for a pulse .

"Asleep," Aegin's father stated, though with a frown, like something was wrong but it wasn't his job to question it .

"Best time for it then," spoke another who took up the boy, throwing him limply over his shoulder and turning to Aegin's father to lead the way . His father indicated for the Ridge Man holding the mask chain to put it on the boy .

"If he's as dangerous as these restraints suggest, I don't want any incidents" .

No one argued . Once the chain was secured, they moved out . Weighed down by the limp body and the chains they were slower than they would have liked as they moved as silently as possible to the carriage on the southern outskirts of the city . It took them nearly two hours to do so, and when they finally arrived, the boy seemed to be rousing from his slumber . They put him in the cage as quickly as possible as his awareness made him struggle suddenly . His muffled angry shouts were contained by the metal mask, but his eyes looked enraged as he was shoved into the metal carriage and the door was locked behind him .

The boy pounded a fist on the metal wall, glaring through the small slit bars at his capturers .

Aegin stared back at those angry eyes, and couldn't help the thought that crossed his mind at that moment, the thought that all Ridge Men were trained harshly not to have .

Why?

Chapter end