Tales of Aradia The Last Witch Volume Read Online Free Page A

the cart stumbled over a tree branch.
    "Jaxon?! What's going on? Where are we?"
    Jaxon sighed heavily as he stopped the cart. He then
threw the blanket back as he stared at the long haired red headed,
freckle faced, young man lying on the hard wooden surface.
    "It's nothing Henry," Jaxon said reassuringly, "go
back to sleep."
    Henry's blue eyes caught Jaxon's for a very solid
minute before Jaxon sighed again. "We are just stopping at another
encampment."
    "You mean for the night?"
    Jaxon shrugged. "I suspect it will be longer."
    Henry snorted. "I guess you were right it was
nothing."
    Jaxon chuckled. "Told you."
     
    It took only twenty minutes for Rome's tent to be set
up. Such is the benefit of vampire speed, Keon laughed to
himself. He was lying against one of the trees, carving an apple
with a knife. He kept his eyes on Rome's soldiers as they hauled
their coffins out of the carts. Keon was stunned that none of the
soldiers spoke to each other as they laid out their own coffins to
sleep. They all moved mechanically and without any hesitation.
    "It's my training methods," Rome said, "they install
a certain discipline amongst my soldiers." Keon shot to his feet
and sheathed his knife. Rome didn't seem to notice, he just gazed
around at the members of his army. He stared at them like a parent
would stare at a child. "While most people just jump into the
'tuning their vampire abilities' shtick I prefer other ways of
doing things."
    Keon raised an eyebrow.
    "At first we start with the starvation for every day
they starve the vampire ages more and more. Usually it's just a
method of disguising themselves amongst the local. However, their
looks are not the only things aging. Their bodies age as well and
their reactions slow as well."
    "This," Rome added with a smile before leaning
against the tree, "is when we go into the flaming hot coal
methods.'
    "The what?" Keon asked.
    "I force all my recruits in their aged forms to walk
across a bed of hot coals." Rome was grinning like a crazed jackal.
"It does wonders for their reflexes in spite of their aging. It
also helps eliminate the weak links faster."
    Keon caught himself staring at Rome as he rambled on
about his sadistic tendencies. Good God! The man is insane. How
and why on Earth would the Sovereign bother keeping such a
crockpot?
    He knew that Rome was one of the chief "inquisitors"
that help eradicate the Witches but other than that Keon wasn't
aware of any outstanding service he had done for the Sovereign. Maybe he just keeps him on out of pity.
     
    "Henry, you must eat something." Jaxon tried to
feebly push the spoon into his mouth.
    Henry just turned his head away.
    "Yes Henry, you must eat." They both turned around to
see the grinning demonic face of Rome. "I mean how else can I keep
feeding off of you unless you build your strength up?"
    Henry muttered as he laid his head down. "I believe
you just answered your own question."
    Rome's grin didn't break, he merely just pushed Jaxon
out of the tent and yanked the chain forwards. Henry's flesh burned
against the ruins carved into the neck brace right before Rome sunk
his teeth in.
    Jaxon wanted to rush right in and save his friend but
the last time he did that Henry had been whipped within an inch of
his life. Still it was struggle to hold himself back. Jaxon kicked
up a whole slew of dirt as he walked away from the tent.
     
    "Well nice to see you're still alive."
    Tavis opened one eye warily as he recognized the
voice. "What do you want Keon?"
    Keon chuckled. He grabbed a box that lay nearby. He
made a makeshift chair out of it by tipping out the contents and
flipping it over. He sat on the chair and scooted closer. "Can't a
guy stop by to say hi to his favorite recruit?"
    Although his coffin lid was closed, Tavis couldn't
stop himself from turning his head away. "You are going to have to
be more specific seeing as you recruit a lot," he grumbled.
    Keon's smile vanished as he clenched his fists.
"Don't remind me,"
    Tavis