Afterward, you are free to do as you will. I’ll even supply the horse if need be.”
Alocar moved from the door. “You have five minutes to convince me, and then I’m going to feed that fire your remains.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up, Old Man. Last time anybody was scared of you, I was still squalling at the teat.” This came from the blonde man directly across Alocar, somehow managing to lounge in a high-backed, cushionless chair. His eyes were hooded, and he had addressed Alocar without bothering to turn his head.
Alocar’s hand tightened on his sword. “Unless you want to get in line, young man, I suggest you stand down and allow your betters to speak.”
The blonde man stood, his head a half a foot above Alocar’s. “Is that a promise?”
“One I intend to keep.” Alocar took a step forward.
“By all means, carry on. After I have your bodies carted out, I’ll be sure to put a torch to your son and family. And you,” the mask inclined toward Slate, “will lose that which is dearest to you as well.”
Knife still in hand, the blonde man smirked at Alocar and threw himself into his seat. Alocar put his hands on the back of the claw-footed chair, but remained outside the half-circle.
The masked figure steepled his hands, elbows on the chair’s arms. “You may call me Angras, and you are here for separate yet linked reasons. There is something I need each of you to do for me, but none of you have the skills to be successful alone.”
“Before I explain, a drink.” The slight servant appeared from the recesses of the room’s unlit corner carrying six thin-stemmed, tall glasses on a rounded tray. He handed one to each of the people in the room, including Angras.
“To the future, bright shall it be.” Angras drank deeply. The giant in the corner followed suit, wine glass disappearing in the palm of his hand like a magician’s trick. A tinkling came from the fire’s depths as the blonde man tossed his empty glass into it. Alocar put his own on the floor, untouched, and so too did the man on his left, whose nose looked swollen and a tad bent. The Cao Fen priestess took dainty sips. She sat her chair stiffly, free hand dangling near her thigh.
“I have a task for you, and I tire of waiting for you to begin it.” Angras studied them through the mask. “You’re going to kill the royal family for me.”
Alocar crushed his glass with the heel of his boot. “Never.”
The man with the broken nose exhaled thinly through his mouth and leaned forward, and the Cao Fen priestess paused in her sipping, then resumed.
“Quite the task.” The blonde man snorted. “Kill a king. Sounds like something out of a storybook, with heroes and dragons and treasures. But you know, at the end of those stories, the heroes all walk away with their lives and a big ole’ chest of gold carried between them.”
“Treasures?” Alocar was still on his feet, the blood pounding in his head. “You speak of treasures? For what possible reason would any of us agree to such a demand?”
“Speak for yourself,” said the blonde man. Popped his neck left, and then right. “I like treasures.”
“And you shall have access to them,” Angras swirled the red drink in its glass, “but Alocar does have a point. The why of the matter, first.”
“You can’t possibly expect – ” Alocar began.
“Just sit down.” An edge of contained exasperation shaded the Priestess’s tone.
Alocar ignored her. “The thought is the worst kind of treason. You must be a bigger fool than I thought to think I’d sit here and entertain notions of disloyalty. Who do you think put them on the throne?”
Angras crossed his legs. “And who do you think relegated you to your position now? Don’t play games, Alocar. You have more fury inside you than even you realize. Now, do as Crymson asks and sit. Listen. It’s your only chance at saving your granddaughter.”
“I’ll take my chances standing.”
Angras nodded. “So long as you pay heed. I once learned that great men must always manipulate from behind a curtain of anonymity, and so it is unlikely that you’ve ever heard of me, let alone seen me. What you should know, however, is I work for the people; I protect them, from themselves, when necessary. And to do that, I have to keep ears to the ground, constantly vigilant, ever listening. Information is my strong right arm.”
He