THE ANCIENT HUNT

A TOY FOR POWER

Lebby was pounding leaves of different kinds in a small mortar as instructed in the servants’ quarters while others were carrying out their chores as assigned to them, no one was seen idle.

“You are always in charge of this, is there some kind of special thing going on?” one of the maids asked and Lebby raised her brows before looking up to see whoever was talking

“Do you want to do it then? So you can see whatever is special there” she spit at her and the maid rolled her eyes

“Never mind” the maid uttered and swayed her hips as she walked to meet the other maids laughing at the side of the yard

“she behaves as if she’s the Lord’s favorite while she’s just a tool for nursing a sick woman” one of them jested and others laughed so hard but Lebby didn’t spare them a glance

“What an arrogant b***h, she’s always acting high and mighty” another remarked as they snarled at her before leaving for their own work

She didn’t answer any of the jests and just transferred the mashed herbs into the pot for boiling while fanning the woods to give it light 

“Do you purposely ignore them or you are afraid to go against them? They are always picking on you” her friend asked as she came to her side with a tray of berries she was picking

“What use is there in exchanging words with them? You just let your actions speak” she replied with a small smile and her small lips curved into a beautiful crescent moon

With the fact that she’s bare faced and lived all her life with no proper care since she was a maid, she was still an epitome of beauty, always radiating in any weather or season and that made the other slaves become jealous of her because all the slave men and even officials visiting the Chief Priest would always seek her attention whenever they come around

“You sure are patient! I would have broken some teeth” the friend murmured but she just smiled

“You are always smiling, I don’t even know if you are annoyed or just trying to keep it in” the friend muttered as she walked away

She finished the boiling and poured some into a cup with measurement before finally transferring to a bowl, placed it on a tray and carried it to the lady’s room. She got to the room and met Argan tending to the lady who could barely open her eyes

“The tonic is here” she announced and he signaled for her to bring it closer which she did

She stood at the corner of the room watching him feed her the tonic with the spoon but half of each spoon was pouring out of her mouth, she could not open up properly thanks to the sickness tying every organs and cells in her body down.

Argan signaled for her to carry out the tray which she did with immediate effect, as she stepped out, her oppressors were lurking around to throw around a sneer

“She’s only a slave, I hope she knows that” one of them eyed her as she passed by with the tray but she didn’t react

The next morning, everyone woke up to take their baths and get to their duties but the cries and yells of some people made everyone stop and run to the bathroom to check what was happening.

The oppressors were in tears as they danced to the tune of the peppered spiked water they used in washing their faces

“You! You did it right?” one of them asked grabbing Lebby but she just yanked her hand away

“Did what? Did you see me doing anything?” she replied with a sharp hiss

“I see you want to pretend, this is not the end, this is the beginning” the maid threatened trying to rid her face of the pepper water

“Try to prevent your eyes from going blind first and then you can think of attacking me” she said firmly and left the scene

They all knew she was the one behind it but no one would believe them since she never once argued or fight with them, she would always ignore their jests which made others feel for her but she must have paid them in their own coins silently

Their murmurs were interrupted by the head maid who announced that they will be preparing large portions of snacks today since the chief priest will be having people around

They got to work as they molded flours into different shapes and also different recipes to create different snacks, everybody was putting trying to carry out their own tasks.

The sun finally stood proud in the sky and the officials trooped in with their robes and furs to match the weather. They were ushered into the first room of the temple’s hall which had several seats surrounding a big oak table, it was designed for meeting purpose so it’s not new that they were using the room.

The maids brought in the snacks on different trays and served them according to their demands before they all backed out of the room but most of them voiced their desire of seeing Lebby serve them their teas which Argan approved without hesitation

She moved to the last seat and served the tea into their tea cups elegantly and neatly like she had been taught and the men couldn’t stop complimenting her beauty even though she never reacted. She finally got to Argan and stood beside him facing the table, she was pouring the tea into his cup when he felt his hand on her behind but he was keeping a straight face and laughing with others while fondling her.

Her hand shook a bit at the suddenness but she soon balanced herself and poured it like nothing happened

“She’s so good at her job isn’t it?” he asked them and they all chorused a yes before roaring laughter filled the room

“She’s so quiet, beautiful and reserved” one of them complimented and Argan chuckled

“I can see that, she’s a beautiful asset” he remarked before motioning for her to go out after removing his hand under her skirt

She bowed in obedience and went out with a stoic expression as if nothing happened between her and Argan

“The reason I called you all here is because of the tyrant on the throne, he seems to be forgetting we placed him there these days” Argan coughed and began to address them

“I also noticed that too, he makes decisions that are questionable and the way he addresses the officials as if he’s trying to instill fear in the court” one of them complained and they grunted in agreement

“he chose to recruit soldiers for the hunt of the ancient scroll but we all know that the moment it comes back to the palace, in his hands, he will have our heads first” another stated and they nodded in agreement

“So what do you suggest we do? We can’t allow that to happen, he will be a terror to all if it happens” the official by the far left asked placing both hands on the table

“We have to take care of him before the scroll comes back to the palace” Argan calmly responded before reaching for his teacup and took a sip

“Let us know how to help and we won’t hesitate” the first official sitting by his right side assured him and they all laughed out loud in an evil manner before talking about other things

The meeting finished and Argan requested for his dinner which was brought to him by Lebby as always. He watched her set the bowls on the table in front of him and as soon as she was about to stand up, he dragged her closer to him making her sit on his laps.

She didn’t gasp or react but instead just stared into his eyes with his wife sleeping at the corner of the room

“You are quiet but have some guts” he stated looking at her eyes with a smirk

“How do I go against my Lord? I am for you so you are free to use me like you want” she finally replied and Argan laughed before stroking his long beard

“You are wise and pretty, how sweet will it be to have you by my side?” he said working his hand up into her thighs but she just sat there looking into his eyes 

“I already told you I’m yours My Lord” she confirmed again and he brushed her bud lightly making her mouth part but no sound escaped 

“You are not afraid of my wife?” he asked gently picking on it and it was definitely having some effect on her

“what good can come out of a decayed wood? It’s all rotten and infested with termites” she gently replied as she held the Chief priest for her dear life, he was getting rough with her underneath

“You are so charming” he groaned in her ears and she closed her eyes to suppress her urge to scream

“thank you My Lord, I’m always at your service” she managed to reply as she grounded her behind on his hand

“How about we stop here for today?” he asked suddenly removing his hands and he could see the pain etched on her face

“My Lord” she whined and he smirked before gently pushing her off his laps

“My food will get cold and you know how much I hate cold foods” he replied and motioned for her to leave the room

He purposely left her hanging while she was enjoying his touch, the idea of being crazed for was interesting to her and she wanted to explore it to the best of her abilities, she has been focusing her mind on getting to the top of the ladder where no one would be able to touch her which is being the queen but if that ladder is too high then she wouldn’t mind settling in the Chief Priest’s nest, at least she will no longer be a slave

“What are you thinking about?” her friend asked popping out of nowhere to cut through her thought

“Nothing much, just this and that” she replied heading to her room

“You did that in the morning, didn’t you?” her friend questioned as she followed her to the room

“Did what?” she asked feigning ignorance

“The pepper water” the friend stated looking at her

“I did nothing of such, do I look like I have time for those?” she fired and the friend tilted her head

“That’s surprising then, who could it be?” she asked further but was only met with a door slam

“Go to your room and sleep, we have a long day tomorrow” Lebby advised from the other side of the door

“That mean and scary witch” the friend whispered to herself as she heads to her room 

Lebby settled on her mat bed and slowly thought about what happened just in the span of a day, she was groped by Argan in front of the officials and also almost brought to o****m by him when she went to serve him dinner, only one thing explains what he’s trying to do and that is, he wants to make her his toy.

Since his wife has been sick for months and he haven’t slept with any woman, he must have been feeling the pent up hormones down there and complimenting a beautiful lady in front of him must have pushed him to make a move, she’s bent on taking the opportunity and use him as her stepping stool, she only has to endure it for a while and that’s what she will do, no doubt.

*** 

The soldiers were lined up in the yard after their daily training waiting for the next instruction when Liam came around to address them

“You have been undergoing training for some days, I’m happy to announce to you that the first evaluation will be coming up in the next two days. You will not have any supervised training for tomorrow so rest up and prepare yourself, remember it is survival of the fittest” he informed them and they all started to talk among themselves as soon as Liam left the podium

“This is crazy, won’t we lose at this rate?” Aditsan asked facing Ahiga who was not fazed by what was announced

“You love saying the word lose at this point, I won’t lose” Ahiga barked at him before heading for their room while Aditsan followed closely

“Let’s just lose and get back to the orphanage, we will get Morgan out with other means” Aditsan pleaded but his throat was seized by Ahiga who slammed his back against the wall

“You keep annoying me with your whining, please lose by yourself and leave me alone, stop trying to make me leave this place” Ahiga bellowed and Aditsan just sighed helplessly

“You are madly in love indeed” he managed to spit out amidst his choked throat