Page 165 of The Princess In A 'Prince' Disguise

As they waited for the soldiers to complete their preparations – ensuring everyone was seated and the pathways were clear – Zaiper's eyes settled on three healers seated across from them.

They were the ones responsible for concocting the poisons that had been administered to the beast earlier in the day, weakening its strength. Now, the lead healer carefully coated three ceremonial daggers with a fresh batch of venom.

Zaiper could already envision how this night would end, could almost taste the power that awaited him. It was intoxicating. Exhilarating.

And the anticipation was killing him.

"My dearest people.” He rose, addressing the crowd. “We gather here tonight to pay our final respects, and to bid farewell to our grand ruler. Tonight, he will officially join our ancestors in the realm beyond."

Zaiper's heightened senses picked up the soft sounds of weeping from the crowd and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Soldiers, bring forth the beast," he commanded.

The sound of doors creaking open, followed by the rattle of chains. Ten soldiers emerged, laboriously carrying a massive cage of reinforced steel, designed to withstand tremendous force. Inside, the colossal beast lay motionless.

Zaiper noted the numerous darts embedded in the beast's hide, the tools used to subdue and weaken it. And it had worked.

Though they lacked the power of the Eclipse Moon, Daemonikai’s legendary beast had been reduced to the state of a mere lad, stripped of its power and menace.

Gazing upon the creature, Zaiper could scarcely believe this was the same beast that had overpowered him and his own beast on countless occasions, more times than he cared to admit.

Tonight was his night.

He could almost taste the victory.

Grand Lord Vladya's fists clenched. Then, slowly, unfurled as the soldiers secured the cage in the center of the arena.

Zaiper's voice droned on like a litany that was meaningless, reciting rituals and traditions Vladya did not want to hear.

He had spent the night going over ancient texts. All the complex lines of theXaa'l Tbeh Zeekspell are running throughhis mind. Even now, he traced the sigils with his thoughts, rehearsing what was to come.

Thick with the scent of sorrow and also anguish, the night's air threatened to suffocate him. The wails of the women was loud, like a mourning chorus that made Vladya's gut clench.

Zaiper remained indifferent as he continued with the rituals.

After the readings came the moment of execution, where Daemonikai would be killed forever.

But not on Vladya's watch.

Not if he had anything to say about it.

He could feel the power ofXaa'l Tbeh Zeekthrumming beneath his skin. The forbidden spell ready to unleash.

Vladya had no idea what he had been expecting after the beast drank from the boy. But as the hours passed and the time for Daemon to be eliminated drew closer, the feeling of disappointment was almost crippling.

It irritated him. They had agreed a long time ago that miracles did not happen. Vladya had been a fool to think that one might occur from a mere bloodfeeding.

"And now," Zaiper's voice boomed through the arena. "We proceed with the termination." He gestured to the healers. "Bring forth the blades."

The healers emerged, their faces pale and drawn, bearing three ceremonial daggers on velvet cushions, their poisoned tips glinting in the firelight.

Each Grand Lord accepted their weapon.

Rising from their thrones in a synchronized move, their heavy robes swirled around them like cloaks.

One by one, they descended the steps into the arena, their foot sounding like a heavy drum in the quiet night.

Vladya gripped the hilt of the cold metal dagger. The execution was brutally simple. They would approach the cage, partiallyshift into their beast forms, and plunge the dagger deep into the feral's abdomen.

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