"Asech, retiren asech" White chanted, applying brief pause after each word.
"Contorez a lien reo lumen" he finished and took a step back from the circle of familiars who had gathered in worship of the stars.
For over a thousand years they had waited. The familiars, the strong, had awaited their chance to inherit and rule the earth. Now, that time was drawing near and only one thing stood in their way.
Max.
X5-452. The one whose power is hidden. The one who will lead the weak and prevent the coming. Destroying the Familiars one chance.
The pressure on White to eliminate her escalated with each hour, each minute, each second that passed. And now, as he finished his part in the ritual and made his way back to his car a man and a woman approached him. Familiars of he highest order.
"Fenos tol" they greeted him.
"Fenos tol" he replied, bowing his head.
"So far you have failed us brother" spoke the woman
"You have allowed 452 to live longer than this conclave would prefer. What have you to say in you defence"?
"452 is unmeasurably good at pulling nearly every trick in the book to elude and escape me" he spoke bitterly
"But I assure you, her time is up. There are no tricks left. No moves for her to make. She's a cornered rat in a basement." White finished and smiled.
"Who are you trying to convince here brother"? The woman asked.
"Us? Or yourself." Her eye muscles tensed to form a piercing gaze.
If the woman's eyes or words intimidated White at all, he showed no sign of it. If anything, her doubt and suspicion appeared to anger him.
"You, will, have her" White said, pausing again for effect.
" I assure you."
"We had better" chimed the man
"Already there are some among us who believe we should stand for your failures no more"
"But" cut in the woman, her eyes returning to normal.
"We have hope that it will not come to that"
"You will remember your father and the shame he brought upon himself and this conclave," said the man.
"That, shame" White bit off.
"Belongs to my father and should rest with his name. And I will go to any lengths necessary to see to it that it does"
"Very good. See that you do" spoke the woman
"Fenos tol brother" they said, turning and heading back to the circle.
"Fenos tol" he replied.
White thrust open his car door with such strength he near ripped it from its hinges.
'So, the conclave plans to cast me out should I fail again' he thought. His rage, once again threatened to reach boiling point.
'Well we'll see about that. I will find that little bitch and then they will praise me.'
'Then…I will rule'
A sadistic smile crossed White's face, curving the corners of his mouth. He started the engine and sailed down the road. He was so caught up in his grand delusions that he didn't even notice the star filled sky, which clearly depicted the constellation of a snake like some 3 year olds join the dots book. None of that mattered now. Finding Max was all there was.