Prisoner of Chaos (Redemption Book #4)

Chapter 4

Scenna motions a hand at me, I hesitate for a moment and think about what will happen once I enter the room. Assassin's Den is the place my mother frequented quite regularly for volunteer work. Dirk used to be a major benefactor of the place. I wonder how much word has gotten around about me. After all, I've killed my mother and helped with the arrest of Dirk's daughter. I'm sure everyone here wonders what happened after that.

"Are you coming?" Scenna asks.

"Yeah, sorry," I mumble, walking through the doors and feeling eyes on me immediately.

Logan, the owner of the place, greets me with a warm smile. "The Dark Lord returns!" he exclaims.

I stride up to the bar Logan stands behind and I sit down on one of the stools. "Logan, it's been awhile." I grin at him, in my usual way.

"What will you be having, my lord?" Logan asks. "The usual?"

"Yes, and a drink for my companion," I tell him with a nod.

Logan slaps down a deck of chaos cards on the bar. "Here you go, my lord. And I'll be right over with that Cursed Fire."

"Cursed Fire, huh?" Scenna teases me with a laugh. She pulls up a stool and sits next to me.

"I like a little bit of pain," I tell her dryly. I take the chaos deck and put it in my pocket. I don't even want to look at it. It makes me think of her. "So, should I get Loper now, or later?"

"Later," Scenna says, her laughter leaving at the mention of Loper's name. "I want to finish a drink first."

"Do you like being a captain?" I ask her.

Scenna nods. "Yes, I feel like I'm making a real difference. I only wish I could do more."

"Where do you and Kyla get that?" I ask her.

"Get what?" Scenna asks, cocking her head at me.

"This sense of doing good, of serving a higher purpose!" I growl. "I mean, you of all people have no reason to give anything more to anyone."

"You're wrong," Scenna states coldly, "I know what it is to have no choices, and I want to protect others from what that feels like. Maybe Kyla feels the same."

I sigh. Everything makes me think of the last moments I had with Kyla. Of how much Kyla hates me now because I did something horrible and unspeakable to her under the influence of the Dark Lord.

"You like that, you pretty winged, bitch. Keep crying about him. You make me so hot for you when you cry."

It's not soon enough when Logan places the Cursed Fire in front of me. The drink sizzles and smokes, but I lift it up and throw the hot liquid down so it burns through me. "I think I'll have another one," I say hoarsely to Logan, who nods with an amused smile on his face.

Scenna takes a shot of her drink and nods over to the corner of the room. I look to where she's gesturing and see Loper, a human, sitting with his good friend, Dundin, a gobli.

"He's here," Scenna says. "And he has his pal. Want to have a talk with him? Read his mind or whatever it is you do?"

"I can't read minds," I say, and Logan hands me another Cursed Fire. "I'll go over there and have a chat. Want to come with?"

"Sure," Scenna says, throwing back her shoulders. "Let's go."

We get up off our stools and walk over to the table Loper sits at. I let Scenna sit down first.

"If it isn't the blonde huntress who was in here the other day," Loper says with a huge grin. "How are you doing, lovey?"

"Quite well, I don't know if you've met his lordship, Rift?" Scenna asks, she's tactfully not calling me the Dark Lord and I appreciate it.

Loper's eyes get huge when he sees me. I pull up a chair and sit down, pinning Loper with my gaze. "How has business been?" I ask him. I'm trying to do what I've always done. Have fun as I mess with people. But after everything that's happened, it's very difficult to find anything enjoyable about this. Not after how I treated Kyla. I take the Cursed Fire and throw it back. Loper watches me as I let it burn my insides and he winces at the sight. No one drinks a Cursed Fire drink like that unless they want to get hurt.

"Word is that you were smuggling that Cursed blood to Erlund," I say, my voice is cracked, but I'm getting straight to the point.

"Yeah, what of it?" Loper says. Dundin rests his hand on his dart. "I don't know where in Erlund they sent it. That was up to a group of smugglers in Ferar."

"You will come with me without putting up a fight," I tell Loper, using my mind control on him.

"Of course," Loper says, his eyes glaze momentarily and he rises from his seat.

"Don't do it, Lope!" Dundin growls, and he draws his dart, only to fall on his ass with a yelp as I Scourge him. My throat heals from the burns as I steal his energy.

"You will stay here, and drink until you can't stand," I hiss at Dundin.

He nods vigorously. I don't even have to use mind control with him.

"Come on, Loper, follow me and my blond huntress," I say, nodding at Scenna. We walk out of Assassin's Den. I throw a couple of magic-made gold coins in Logan's payment box before leaving. "Do you have a home, Lope?" I ask him once we're out of the bar.

"A tent," Loper says. "Down by Drake's Creek, near the bridge."

"Alright, let's go," I say.

Scenna follows silently, but I can tell that ever since she's spotted Loper something has changed in her. She's bothered and unsettled. Her gaze is on everything but him.

"Do you know my blonde huntress?" I ask Loper. I have a hunch that Loper and Scenna go further back, to a terrible time in Scenna's life.

"What do you mean? I met her a couple days back at the Den," Loper says agitatedly.

Maybe not then.

"Is it my haircut?" Scenna asks flippantly, her face contorting in a snarl, "Or the fact that I'm wearing clothes?"

Okay, I was right then.

"What are you--?" Loper begins, but then suddenly his eyes widen. "You're one of Dirk's bitches, aren't you? Do you belong to the Dark Lord now, pretty pet?"

"I don't belong to anyone," Scenna snaps, suddenly she's drawn her dart and has it pointed at Loper. "Be respectful. You're in the presence of his lordship."

"I remember doing you with Dundin... didn't we do you together?" Loper sneers, he chuckles cruelly and smooches at her. "Oh, this is just rich! You think yourself, high and mighty because you're hooking up with the Dark Lord? Let me tell you something, sweetie, you're just a piece of flesh, and that's all you'll ever be to anyone."

"Shut your mouth or I'll blow you a new asshole," Scenna seethes.

Loper spits at Scenna. "Since we're on the subject. I recall using your a---"

I whirl around and throw Loper to the ground with a Scourge, a particularly violent one that makes his eyeballs bleed.

Feel it burn, scum!

We've arrived at Loper's tent. "I thought I'd just use mind control on you to get the information I needed, but now--" I say, my body flushed with rage at him, but also rage at myself, because I can see the Dark Lord in this man. "--now I think I'll use my mother's old methods, mixed with some of my own painful ones."

Loper's screams can be heard for miles, I assume. Too bad for him no one in this tent cares.