With a deep breath, and Neel in tow, Vir stepped forth into the audience chamber, fearing the details of his assassination contract.
From the moment he’d entered the city, he’d suspected this was a trap. A ruse to lure him into the enemy’s den. Little did he know that the events about to unfold would change his life forever. And not in a way he’d ever dreamed.
37LORD RETH
The moment Vir stepped foot into Lord Reth’s audience chamber, he knew he’d made a mistake.
The ruler of the Pagan Order sat on an ostentatious throne that fit the man like a glove. Vir guessed even King Rayid’s throne in Daha couldn’t compare to the dizzying array of jewels, gold, and carvings that adorned his massive seat, positioned high above a flight of steps.
The man himself sported a large, bushy mustache and greased black hair. He looked like the sort of man no one would trust. Sleazy, fake, and manipulative. He wore an opulent, form-fitting robe that did little to hide his lean and muscular body. The product of intense training, and without the benefit of prana, he must have truly toiled to achieve such a physique.
But it was the red demon woman kneeling next to him that made Vir’s blood boil. A woman whose neck had been chained. Kept like a sick sort of pet.
Vir glanced at the dozen armored knights that stood within the room. Only the tiniest traces of prana ran within them. Though they were no doubt veterans, taking them out would be child’s play for him.
Then again, he was here on Brotherhood business. If he assassinated Lord Reth and caused a scene in the Pagan Order’s capital, he might as well kiss his Brotherhood membership goodbye. Although, that didn’t bother him overly much. What stayed his hand was the bounty the Brotherhood would no doubt place on his head if he acted out. The last thing he could afford was to cross even more people. One kingdom was enough.
Vir strode up to the foot of the dozen stairs that led to Reth’s throne, but he did not kneel. Nor did he avert his gaze, staring Reth in the eye. A gaze which the monarch returned with a look of mild amusement.
“Welcome, Apramor. Or should I call you Neel, perhaps? A man of many names. And many faces,” he said with a smile. “First your assassination in Daha, then your recent beast subjugations… You truly are a man of many talents!”
Vir reconsidered his plan. It’d be an uproar if he took the first action, but if the guards attacked him? He could eliminate the head of the snake that hunted demonkind in self-defense.
Just try it, Vir thought, subtly bending his knees and charging Dance of the Shadow Demon.
“How do you know all this?” Vir asked, forcing his voice to remain even.
“Fear not. The Brotherhood has not told us anything. We’ve been monitoring you for some time, you see. But I assure you, we mean you no harm. You are here as our guest of honor, and we take our honor seriously out here. There shall be no bloodshed today. Well, except for one. The one we wish you to kill. They await in just the other room,” he said, idly fondling the chain that connected to his demon slave’s neck. The demon woman’s eyes contained not a trace of life. It was as if Reth had beaten her identity out of her, leaving a broken husk behind.
Once again, Vir forced his boiling blood under control, relying on every ounce of training he had to keep his face from betraying his anger.
“Why? Why would you fly me all the way out here to kill someone you already have in your custody?”
Lord Reth laughed. “Well, consider it a token of good will. Should you do this for us, we shall know you as a brother. You’ll have earned our trust. Further missions will be available, should you complete this contract. Not to mention a seric coin and immediate promotion to Shadow. We’ve already seen to the preparations.”
Vir’s eyes widened before he could stop himself. A seric coin? And a promotion? All for killing someone who was likely bound in chains?
What’s going on here?
“No deal is this good,” he replied. “What are you really after?”
“Your suspicion is healthy, but unwarranted, friend. Come, let us relocate to the prisoner’s chambers. We shall talk more there.”
The slender, mustached man rose, yanking on his slave’s collar. She yelped in pain, and Vir nearly activated Dance.
Not yet.
Flashes of Bakura’s hold flooded his mind. Back then, he was powerless to do anything about those slaves’ plight. He’d ground his teeth and swallowed his emotions. But now?
Vir was no longer the same person he was back then. Now, he had the power to do something about this.
Brotherhood standing be damned to ash! So what if the Order hunted him? Let them try. If he could kill Reth and free his slaves, he’ll have done some real good for this world. Maybe demons were a species of evil people. He didn’t know. But no matter what crimes they were guilty of, no one deserved such treatment.
Vir silently followed Reth and his dozen guards through the narrow castle halls. Gone was any trace of conflict or anxiousness. What remained was the stone cold mask of a killer. Even now, he mapped the path they’d taken, layering it on top of what he already knew. Calculating his escape path.
Riyan was right. The first time was the hardest.
It never became easier to live with the fact that he’d killed men before, but the act itself came more naturally. A skill that he’d honed over his prior encounters. A skill he wished he never had.
Reth stopped before a wooden door flanked by a pair of guards in full plate and armed with poleaxes, who stepped aside in tandem to admit their lord. They neither spoke nor acknowledged the group.
They’re well trained. Vir expected the others to be just as disciplined. He made a note not to underestimate them, despite their lack of prana.
Inside the low, rectangular stone room, he found only a single occupant. A scrawny gray individual who’d had his head and hands bound in a wooden pillory, and whose ankles were chained together.
A gray-skinned demon with red eyes, just like Vir. Another Ashborn.
“I think people call these things Ashborn?” Lord Reth said, keeping his distance from the ‘filthy’ demon. “Truly disgusting.”
“What was this man’s crime?” Vir asked, buying time to come up with a plan. Killing the guards wasn’t especially problematic, but killing them while keeping the demon safe as well? That was trickier.
“His crime? He’s a demon! Can’t you see that? And a filthy one, at that. Doesn’t he deserve to die?”
“You wouldn’t kill him merely for being a demon. You keep a demon slave by your side, so clearly, you’re not killing them.”
Vir couldn’t help it. Anger seeped into his voice.
Not yet! He had to keep his cool if this was to work.
“But does it matter?” Reth said, giving Vir a piercing look. “Your contract is to kill. Why worry about who or what crimes they’ve committed? The rewards are surely worth ignoring any of these minor details?”
“Those minor details are important to some of us, Reth,” Vir replied. “Some of us have morals, though I doubt you’ve heard of it.”
Vir expected the man to anger, but instead, Reth merely laughed. “I may have heard of such frivolous things, yes. But tell me, Apramor, do you apply morals to insects? To prana rats? No. You kill them without batting an eye, don’t you? So it is with demons.”
Vir stared at Reth. For the first time in his life, he felt he might actually enjoy killing someone.
“You there,” Reth said, “read out this one’s list of crimes.”
“Yes, my lord,” an armored guard said, unfurling a piece of parchment.
“The crimes are as follows. One count of thievery.”