House of The Dragon-A God Amongst Men-Chapter 240: Cultists III

(Third Person POV)

"Your Grace!" a guard shouted as he ran inside the throne room, "The prisoners! They're gone!"

Jaehaerys stood up from the throne, "What?!"

Barth scowled, "How could this had happened?!" He exclaimed, "First, the eggs, now the cultists?! This is some plot, Your Grace!!"

Jaehaerys clenched his fists, "Find them at once!!" He shouted, "Now!"

Alyssa had walked in when this happened, "What has happened?" She asked, "Father..."

"The prisoners have somehow escaped, Alyssa." Jaehaerys said, "Call your brothers, have them scour the city. If they've escaped King's Landing, I want all three of you to take to the skies at once! We cannot allow them to leave Westeros!!"

Alyssa was about to turn around but Baelon walked in, "Father." He said, "I had just received a letter. Apparently, it is an agent of The Trinity that was behind both stealing the eggs and releasing the prisoners."

Alyssa froze and gulped slightly, looking at her husband walk past her as he approached the king, handing him a letter.

"How could....." Barth said as Jaehaerys read the letter, "The Trinity????"

Jaehaerys scowled, "Just what I need...." He said as he crumpled the letter, "A bribe....the eggs are in their possession. How?! Who could have snuck past the keepers and stolen eggs from a slumbering dragon?!"

"Only Dragonriders can slip in and out without alerting said dragons." Barth said as he looked at Alyssa, "Princess, do you not know anything about this?"

She shook her head, "No. Why would I?"

"Where were you the night the eggs were stolen?" Barth asked, "The guards claim you were not in your chambers."

Alyssa frowned, "With Viserra."

"Why were you with her?" Barth asked as Jaehaerys and Baelon both looked at her

"I cannot spend time with my sister?" Alyssa asked, "She has been worried about the war, I have been assuring her. "

Baelon narrowed his eyes slightly as Jaehaerys stepped forward.

"Your Grace....." Barth said, "Don't you find it odd that the Princess was nowhere to be seen when the eggs were stolen? And it must have taken someone quick and knowledgeable about the pit to go in and out without being spotted."

Baelon looked at him, "Are you accusing my wife of being a traitor, Lord Hand?"

"I am merely pointing out the coincidence." Barth said, "That is all."

"Mind your tongue, then." Baelon said seriously, "That is still a Princess and my wife, Barth."

"Enough." Jaehaerys said, "The letter claims that they will hand over the Priestess to Drakken. She was the one responsible for the incident. That will satisfy him, I hope. But it won't return the eggs to us....we'll have to come to an agreement with whoever took them...."

Alyssa nodded, "What do you want us to do?"

"Try to find out who stole the eggs." Jaehaerys said, "Go now."

"Waste no time."

*********************

[Outside the City Walls, Later That Night]

Ezra dismounted his horse as several men pushed the Red Cultists down to their knees while they held daggers to their throats.

The Red Priestess looked at him, "So...." She said, "You are a priest of the Trinity...."

Ezra walked up to him as the light of a torch a man held reflected off the scars of his face, "Hm." He said, "And you are the one responsible for killing Lady Daranne."

"I had no hand in that." the Priestess said, "Nobody told her to get in the way. The target was the Tree, to destroy the power that fuels your order. Foul and vile sorcery, that is all it is. Your god is no true god...."

Ezra raised his arm and looked at her, "Lord Drakken is a god." He said, "He is more real than your Red God, who allegedly speaks to you through flames. Our Lord uses his voice, his violence, and his destruction to speak to us. He is far more real than any other god that this world has..."

"That is a lie and you know it." The Priestess said, "The Lord of Light is more than real. His power was real. If it was not, why did Daranne Drakkengard sacrifice her body to protect the tree."

"It matters not." Ezra told her with a serious tone, "Her death became the catalyst for the raging war that the Vale was hit with. Her death was the spark of the end of your home, Asshai. Nothing is left and if by some miracle some survived, they will teach the fear that they felt for generations to come. The God of Devastation descended upon you scum and laid everything in ruin."

"Hm." The Red Priestess said, "Do what you will with me...it won't change a thing. There are still plenty of us in Essos, our influence is large and strong."

"Like I give a shit." A voice said

The Priestess and the other cultists jumped up with surprise, looking to the side to see that Drakken was standing in the darkness, his red eyes glowing.

All of the men, including Ezra, knelt down as Drakken took a single step forward.

"O' Great One." Ezra said, "I have brought these infidels as an offering.....to prove that we are still loyal."

Drakken stood in front of the Red Priestess, looking right at her, "Is she the one who made a deal with Jaehaerys?" He asked Ezra, "This woman here?"

"Yes, Great One." Ezra looked up at him

Drakken flicked his wrists and all of the other ones were shredded completely, blood and bone exploding in the air as some of it splashed on the red priestess.

"W-What..." She said softly

"Good luck using your magic to bring them back." Drakken said as he crouched down in front of her, "Are you devout to your god?"

She nodded, "Yes." She said, "He is greater than you ever will be."

"I hope your faith in him is capable of overriding the pain that I will inflict upon you." Drakken said seriously, "Because I will not kill you and get it over with. You will be tormented like there is no tomorrow...."

"Do your worse." She said

"I will." Drakken said, "I'll make sure to break you."

He straightened up, and Ezra stood up, "Great One." The Priest said, "I have something to report. May we step to the side?" ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Drakken nodded and stepped to the side, "What is it?"

Ezra looked at him, "I was informed that...." He whispered, "Prince Aemon and Princess Daella....have been....rather close...if you understand my meaning."

"Hm...." Drakken said, "Interesting...."

"I was told by Mya that you would be interested to learn of this information." Ezra said

"How close?" Drakken asked him

"Very." Ezra said, "Apparently, sounds of pleasure would be typically heard from the Princess's chambers at night. It appears they truly are husband and wife now, not just in appearances."

Drakken could not help but smirk, "So it begins....." He said,

"Aemon's torment...."