Vod(He's an asshole)

Chapter 44: The sons of the forest pt 2.

The satyrs guided us deeper into Egosea, their hooves striking the wooden bridges with a rhythm that felt more like a march than an escort. Their eyes lingered too long, sharp and suspicious. Conversations hushed as we passed. I caught the flicker of whispers exchanged between guards on patrol and noticed more than a few hands resting a little too readily on weapon hilts. It wasn’t just formality there was tension simmering here, thick as the damp air beneath the canopy. Something was wrong.

“Can we trust these horn balls?” Noor whispered; her voice sharp as the edge of a knife.

“If you keep calling them names, they’re not going to like us any better,” Aerys snapped back, clearly not in the mood for Noor’s quips.

“Hey, knock it off, both of you,” Ikaro hissed from the back. “We don’t want to raise unnecessary suspicion. The last thing we need is for them to think we’re here to start trouble.” His voice faltered when he realized one of the guards was staring straight at him, eyes narrowing. Ikaro quickly lowered his head.

“Then if it comes to it, we fight our way out,” Noor muttered, defiant as ever, her hand twitching close to her flame-marked dagger.

“Noor, Lower it. If not for Ikaro, then at least for the group,” I murmured, glancing back at her. Noor’s jaw clenched, but after a moment she exhaled, conceding with a small nod.

Entinos and Cyffor led us toward a towering structure at the heart of the city. It was no ordinary hall; it was grown into and around the trunk of a colossal, ancient tree whose vast girth made even mountains seem young. Its bark glistened faintly with a living light, roots weaving through the ground like veins feeding the city itself.

“Impressive,” Iris breathed, her awe genuine.

“So this is the famous Egosea…” Noor muttered, her eyes tracing the twisting patterns of the living wood.

“What?! I thought Egosea was the city,” Ikaro blurted, frowning at her.

“It is,” Noor said, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “But that tree, the heart of the forest, is the reason this place even exists. I thought it was just a myth.”
We stepped into the tree’s vast hollow, and the breath caught in my chest. The hall was alive with power, vast branches curling upward to form the vaulted ceiling. At its centre, a throne grew straight from the living wood, its lines sharp yet organic, as if the forest itself had crowned its master.
But what sat upon it froze Entinos in place.

The satyr on the throne radiated command. His fur was dark as soot, his skin streaked with a reddish hue that seemed to pulse like old blood beneath pale flesh. One of his horns arched long and unbroken; the other was snapped in half, jagged like the memory of a violent past. Scars mapped his body, his posture heavy with menace, his smile steeped in disdain.

“Impossible…” Entinos whispered, his voice breaking with disbelief. His fists clenched, his shoulders trembling not just with anger, but with something heavier. Betrayal. Fear for the forest he’d sworn to protect. Guilt, perhaps, for never anticipating this moment.

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” Entinos surged forward, only to be stopped short as guards crossed their spears before him. His outrage echoed in the chamber like a thunderclap.

The satyr on the throne rose. His presence filled the hall as he strode forward, scars and broken horn marking him as a warrior who had clawed his way to power. His voice was iron.

“Entinos. After all these years.” His smirk widened. “I should be the one asking the questions. What are these mortals doing in Egosea?”

Entinos’s reply was cold, sharp enough to cut. “I don’t answer to you, Vod. Where is Chiron?”

Cyffor looked at us before returning his gaze to the situation at hand, something was going on here and it looked like a mess or at least in our position.
“Should we do something?” Aerys whispered to me from behind, she didn’t like the looks some of the Satyrs were given her.

Before I could answer Cyffor whispered to us “Don’t. Trust me on this one, you don’t want the wrath of the Recniq upon you.” His tone was sombre, disdain could be felt on his words, he was not in control of this situation as we thought he was.

Vod spread his arm in mock welcome. “Chiron is no longer here. I am Taedaz now.”

The words hit Entinos like a hammer. His eyes widened; his breath caught. Rage and shock warred in his expression. “What?! How?! There was no call of the forest. You have no right to sit that throne!”

“There will be one soon enough,” Vod said, his smirk twisting. “But until Chiron returns, or his **** is confirmed... the clans have chosen me. Emergency rule, they call it.”

“You can’t **** Egosea’s choice before the time!” Entinos roared. “That breaks the balance, it tears at everything we are!” His voice cracked, and for a moment the pain beneath his fury was plain fear for the heart of the forest, for the people he had thought safe.

“The clans think otherwise,” Vod said, his tone final, carrying the weight of authority. His gaze slid past Entinos and fell upon us. His steps slowed as he took in each of our faces, his eyes narrowing when they lingered on Iris, Noor, and me.

“Hm,” he murmured darkly, as if savouring some private revelation. “So, it’s true.”

“Seeing something you like, horns?” Noor asked, her voice sharp as a blade, her smirk daring him to answer.

Vod’s low chuckle rolled through the hall like something predatory. “Not really. You mortals are filth… but you three?” His eyes swept over me, Noor, and Iris. “Different. Chosen of the gods and from two different Pantheons...”

“Well, enjoy the show while you can,” she snapped. “Because I’m not in the mood to be treated like some dusty relic in your little museum.”

Her words echoed louder than she intended. I gave her a firm look, enough to make her grit her teeth and suck in a sharp breath, but she refused to bow her head.

“Heh. You must be Noor,” Vod said, savouring the name. “The scouts didn’t exaggerate, beautiful and poisonous.” His smirk deepened. “But it’s you I’m more interested in, white hair.” His long finger pointed at me like the tip of a spear.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said flatly. “I’m just here on Entinos’s errand.”

His eyes locked onto mine, dark and endless. “I know exactly what you are. Your bloodline reeks of divinity. But here, in Egosea, even gods’ playthings kneel. Power means nothing when the forest itself rejects you.” He leaned closer, voice dipping to a near whisper only I could hear. “You’ve been running a long time, haven’t you? Pity. I could almost respect what you once were.”

My jaw clenched. Whatever he thought he knew, it was too close for comfort. I **** a mocking smirk to my face. “Charming. Really. You’d make a great court jester.”

He spat onto the roots of the great tree, muttering a word so old my ears strained to recognize it. No translation came. It wasn’t meant for us; it was meant to wound.

“I don’t care what you came for,” Vod growled, stepping back toward his throne. “You won’t find it. By dawn, you will leave Egosea or be declared enemies of the balance. And then, nothing will save you.” He sat with a theatrical ease, his chin propped on one scarred hand, eyes never leaving mine.

Entinos bristled, but Cyffor laid a warning hand on his arm. With a grunt, our satyr ally gave us the smallest nod. Time to leave.

“This won’t stand, Vod,” Entinos spat, his voice trembling with rage. “The balance is not on your side.”

Vod’s grin widened, all teeth and shadow. “It always was. You just never wanted to see it.”
____
The air outside the great tree was cooler, but not lighter. Cyffor guided us beyond the walls, keeping his head low, while Entinos marched stiffly at his side. The rest of us trailed behind, uneasy.

“Alright,” Iris snapped, her voice sharp but lacking Noor’s playful edge. “I’m done being dragged along like some child. What the hell is going on?”

Entinos stopped abruptly, drawing us into a ring of stones surrounding a broken pillar, a sacred site judging by the air of reverence. He stared at the half-buried ruin; voice weighted. “Forgive me. I led you here hoping to find answers. Instead, all I have is a warning: something is deeply wrong. And if we sit idle, Egosea will fall, and with it, the forest.”

Cyffor bowed slightly, guilt shadowing his features. “My actions earlier were orders, not choice. But you must understand the balance is at stake. You must help us.”

“Finally, he speaks Greek.” Noor exhaled, a sardonic grin breaking through her tension. “For a moment I thought Ikaro stupidity was rubbing off on me.”

“Hey!” Ikaro barked, though his sister only sighed and rubbed her forehead

“Entinos,” Aerys said softly, stepping forward. Her tone was gentle, but her eyes searched his face with worry. “Tell us the truth. All of it.”

Entinos drew in a deep breath, then let it out like a man shedding a lifetime’s weight. “Vod has seized the title of Taedaz. A king of the forest if you want to call it that.”

“Shit,” Noor muttered, her tone grim this time. “And let me guess that’s not just a crown and a fancy chair. Don’t you folks vote for who you want to be the Taedaz?”

“The call of the forest decides,” Cyffor explained quietly, “not politics. But Vod will try to **** it. If he succeeds, the Egosea’s power bends to him. He’ll command the forest’s strength itself. The Recniq will become unstoppable since he will be able to empower them.”

“So, this guy really hates us enough to gamble the whole damn world?” Iris folded her arms, anger radiating. “Does he even realize there are millions of mortals out there? What’s he gonna do, personally kill us all?”

“It isn’t numbers that matter,” Entinos said, voice low. “If the Egosea empowers him, even Greece will burn. None of you, chosen or not, could stand against him If he decides to take the full power of the Egosea and not just a little bit as most of us do.”

“Isn’t there a way to stop this? I don’t think all of the clans are on board with this.” Iris added pondering.

“Yes, If Chiron presents himself in the forest, then there will be no need for the call...but he’s been missing for a long time.” Cyffor explained.

Ikaro rubbed his chin, uncharacteristically serious. “Then we find Chiron, right? He’s still the rightful Taedaz."

“Exactly.” Cyffor’s eyes lit with a **** hope.

“Well,” Ikaro grinned, “sounds like a plan. Where do we start?”

Noor gave him a look caught between disbelief and **** admiration. “Gods, you really are too stupid to be that occasionally brilliant.”

“Brother, think for once,” Iris muttered, pinching her brow.

“…Oh. Right. If Vod’s wearing the crown, that means Chiron’s not just missing...” Ikaro frowned. “...he’s dead.”

A silence fell over the group, heavy and suffocating.
“I don’t think he’s missing,” I finally said. My voice was steadier than I felt, but every eye turned toward me.

Cyffor’s expression darkened. “What do you mean?”

I looked back toward the towering tree, its silhouette blotting out the moonlight. “I think Chiron was captured. And I think the one who’s holding him… just sat on that throne.”