Deathbringer

"Here we are," Aphrodite gave him a playfully exaggerated bow as they reached two large wooden doors.

"Would his Lordship like me to accompany him?" she asked, battering her eyelashes.

Deathbringer made sure to give her an "it wont work," look, before opening the doors and walking inside.

Many people looked up as he entered the room. Try as he might he couldn't bring himself to remember any of their faces, which was both a relief, and a disappointment.

They were all men, in their late twenties to early thirties, each was dressed in lavishly embroidered tunics and cloaks.

One of them stood up, and Deathbringer recognized him as a Mudwing.

"And you must be our NightWing Lord! Jolly good, come over here brother and we shall all introduce each other."

Deathbringer took a moment to remind himself of his act, and then walked purposefully to the beckoning man.

"Here, have a seat. Are you hungry? We have more than enough food here," 

Deathbringer sat down as invited but refused the offer of food. His senses told him there was more to the delicious looking (and smelling) spread of food on the tables than what one would immediately assume.

"What's your name?" The MudWing Lord asked.

"Deathbringer."

There was a small splattering of laughter. "A true NightWing then," one of the others said, a SeaWing by the looks of him.

"And my I cast my hopeful vote that you are not planning on living up to that name?" The MudWing laughed.

"Mosquito you idiot, he's an assassin, of course he lives up to that name," Another man said. His ginger hair, light frame and sharp eyes gave him away immediately as a SkyWing.

Mosquito eyed Deathbringer with a new interest. "Is that right? So you must be the one Ginger was going on about. Well, welcome to our organization, I can tell you, you won't regret it."

Deathbringer couldn't help but frown at everyone's, lack of fear, or even wariness. They weren't even the slightest bit alarmed that an assassin was in their midst?

"Well,  my name, as you have no doubt deducted by now, is Mosquito. I shall be the MudWing Lord. I was born a single child, so I suppose my ideals and . . . style are not the typical MudWing ways, but I could care less. Ginger came to me when I was at my lowest, and offered me power, riches, endless food-"

"Women." The SkyWing added with a smirk. 

Mosquito laughed, "Yes, Women, I won't deny it, but the point is . . . he gave me a meaning to life, I have never been more happy, nor more content."

Ruling everyone like a greedy pig is your idea of a meaning to life?!   Deathbringer thought irately.

The SkyWing pushed forwards. "My name is Cerise, the SkyWing Lord. I was an avid supporter of Queen Scarlet. When she fell, her whore of a daughter banished me. Ginger contacted me, and I joined him immediately. Since then, I too have been quite content."

"My name is Prussian," The SeaWing said. "I was a guard. No one special, but I had dreams, and those dreams couldn't be realized as long as I remained a guard, so I willingly left with Ginger."

Deathbringer had several comments to make, questions to ask. Did you willingly trust everything Ginger said right away? Did nothing seem wrong about his plan? Didn't you ask any questions?

But of course, in a room full of Lordship enthusiasts, asking doubtful questions like that wouldn't do him any favors.

Still, he had been able to confirm his earlier suspicion. 

Some thing was definitely wrong.

"You've probably all ready met Sarai. No one knows his backstory, but he's been longer than any of us. Bit of advice, stay away from him, especially around Lunch time, he get's desperate if he hasn't been fed." Mosquito told him cheerfully.

Everyone laughed, but Deathbringer felt a chill run up his spine. The plot grew ever more morbid.

"Hold it, Boreal hasn't introduced himself yet," Prussian said.

He turned and waved at another young man Deathbringer hadn't noticed, sitting quietly as far  from the others as he could be.

The man's appearance screamed "IceWing" if nothing else did.

He wore an elegant white silk tunic, embroidered with silver, his blue eyes were sharp and clear like brisk winter sky's, his hair was so blond it looked white, and was sleeked back to add to his general appearance of a man raised by a well to do family.

However, just like an IceWing, he merely sneered at his companions and turned his head away.

"Ah well, what did you expect. He is an IceWing after all," Mosquito sighed and shook his head in pity.

"Poor Boreal. He's the only one of us who hasn't gotten accustomed to things here. Word has it he refused to join us until Ginger threatened to reveal his 'secret' whatever that is. Now he joins us, but only grudgingly. Honestly I don't know how Ginger has put up with him for all this time. He offers this poor lad so much generosity and is thanked by cold manners and revolt,"

Deathbringer perked up. So he wasn't alone in his hopes to defy Ginger?

The group of Lords around him dispersed and they lay about, chatting and feasting.

Deathbringer reached absentmindedly for a bunch of grapes, more for something to do than out of real hunger, but something stopped him.

Boreal was looking at him. His glare was intense and heavy. Without thinking, Deathbringer took his hand back, and the IceWing gave him a barely perceptible nod, before turning away again.

Deathbringer let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

He glanced don at the plate of food near him, practically begging for attention. He pushed it away, ever so slightly.

Well well, suspicion confirmed. Food is dangerous.

With the attention no longer focused upon himself, Deathbringer had a chance to look around.

The room was made of stone, decorated with tapestries and banners depicting unknown images of strange shadows, blurred men and odd symbols.

The furniture consisted plainly of reclining benches, tables, and food.

It was not a room that could hold many hiding places, nor a suitable place for an ambush, if it was fire you were speaking of.

However the lack of windows made Deathbringer immediately feel the danger. 

If you were cornered in this room, there would be no escape.

It was designed to seem a cheerful place of feasting and fun, but as always there was, a bigger plan was concealed underneath.

Should the Lords ever give Ginger a reason to wish to get rid of them, it would be no hard task for him to do so. They walked willingly into their trap, all that was left was for them to create a reason for it to become so.

God forbid that they did, at the sake of their lives, but God forbid that they didn't, at the sake of everyone else's.

Despite the size of the room, Deathbringer began to feel horribly claustrophobic.

"So, is this what you do all day? Feast and drink?" Deathbringer asked Mosquito.

"Oh no, that's not all we do, the sluts come in later," Cerise said.

The others snorted. 

Deathbringer did his best to valiantly hide his disgust.

"Yep, that's pretty much all we do for now. Awesome isn't it?" Mosquito said.

Deathbringer forced himself to nod. "Truly amazing. How ever, I'm afraid I didn't get much sleep last night, am I allowed to return to chambers?"

Mosquito shrugged. "Probably. Don't see why you would want to though."

Deathbringer nodded his head as a good bye, then turned and walked swiftly away.

Once inside his room, Deathbringer lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, wondering desperately how he would destroy this organization.

There was the soft sound of foot steps outside his door, then a key turning in a lock.

Deathbringer shot up and hid himself in the shadows.

The door opened, and someone came in.

Fast as lightning, Deathbringer trapped their arms and covered their mouth with his hand.

The person struggled for a moment, then stopped, giving Deathbringer time to see who he had in his grasp.

"Well well, Lord of the Ice. I didn't expect you. Are you here to kill me?"

It seemed unlikely, given the IceWings's stopping him from eating the food, hat ever was wrong with it, but you could never be too careful.

Boreal shook his head, and Deathbringer gently let him go.

"I do have a knife on me, just so you know," he lied. His weapons were presumably still in his room back in the Kingdom.

Boreal straitened his tunic.

"I'm here to talk, that's all," he said.

"Really? On what subject matter?"

"The New Age. I believe you aren't fully compliant with their organization."

Deathbringer smiled. "Oh?"

"Neither am I," The IceWing said.

Deathbringer tilted his head the side. "How do I know you aren't a spy trying to find some dirt to kick up on me?"

Boreal  sneered at him. "Fine, don't believe me then. I saved you today though. Saved your mind. The food, it's drugged."

"I thought as much," Deathbringer said. "How did you find that out?"

"It only made sense. At first, I refused to eat out of defiance, then I noticed, with the new comer, Mosquito, he was like me, didn't want anything to do with the scum bag running this corporation. Starved himself, like I did, then I guess he had enough, and began eating. Within a week, he was following Ginger around like a puppy, singing his praise, even though Ginger is keeping Mosquito's grandmother prisoner."

"Really," Deathbringer said, interested. "And he doesn't remember any of that now?"

"I wouldn't think so," Boreal said. "He used to pace back and fourth in his room, muttering about revenge, all the things he would do to Ginger, lamenting that his Grandmother could be dead at that moment. Now, he doesn't even mention her."

"So this . . . drug. It alters memories?" Deathbringer asked.

"I'm not sure. I think there might be two. At first, nothing really happens, they just get addicted. Then, after they've started eating again for a few weeks, they'll begin to forget why they didn't wish to join Ginger. The only one, from what I've been able to tell who has been on Gingers side all along, is Cerise. Apparently he . . . dallied with Ruby, she-well she found out their dalliance had left her with a bit of a problem, and tried to get him to take responsibility for it, so he ran away."

"Pathetic coward. How did you find this out?" Deathbringer asked.

"I over heard him and Ginger talking about it. But it must be true, after all, Queen Ruby's son, Cliff, no one knows who his father is."

"You're right." Deathbringer frowned.

"The others, I don't know much about them."

"What about you? What's your story?" Deathbringer asked the IceWing.

There was a flash of deep, sorrowful sadness in Boreals eyes.

"Ginger he-he knows something about me, which . . . if let out, could get me, and someone I care for very much, killed, or at the very least disgraced."

"I see," Deathbringer said. "I'm sorry,"

"What does he hold above your head?" Boreal asked. 

"Some one who means everything to me."

There was sympathy in the IceWings eyes, then he shook himself. "Well, if you agree to help me, perhaps we can end this monstrous plan, and save both ourselves and those who we hold dear."

He held out a hand.

"Partners with an IceWing," Deathbringer shook Boreals hand. 

"What is the world coming to?

WOWOZA that took a while. Anyway, please please please remember to VOTE, and COMMENT :)

But above all else, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I love you all