Chapter Five

  King’s Venom? What does that mean? Who are these people? Where am I? Questions bounced in my head, none of which had an answer at the moment. Unanswered questions always got me worked up.

  “You’re dismissed, Rune. When you leave this room, you’ll follow the hall to the commons area. You’ll meet the rest of my men there.” V poured himself a small amount of brandy from a glass decanter on his desk. “Finnegan will be your warden as you find your bearings here. He’ll give you the tour, fill you in on the schedule, and answer any of your inquiries. Once you’re settled, you will await further instructions.”

  I was too stunned to speak. I didn’t even know where ‘here’ was, but I was somehow supposed to be on a team now? What about the state of my appearance? I thought to myself, considering whether I should be adorning my human Persona. V glanced up, raising his eyebrows at me. “Oh, and I wouldn’t bother with your fae talent here. It’ll be a waste of energy. You’d also have to shift again every time you use our stones. No one can harm you here, they’re all contractually bound to you, as you are to them. You don’t have to hide if you don’t wish to.”

  Contractually bound to me. The phrase stuck out to me. What did that mean? The tattoo on my neck started to pulse slightly, causing discomfort. I rubbed my neck and saw that V was staring at me with his glowing golden eyes. “I said you’re dismissed, Rune.”

  “Understood.” The word left my mouth before I could even process what was going on. I turned towards the door and stalked up to it. I let my hand rest on the gold handle for a minute before I twisted and pushed through. The tall man I had met before was waiting to greet me on the other side. He blinked twice at me, probably confused by my change in appearance. Still, he stuck his hand out to me, and I took it passively.

  “Welcome to the crew, Mr. Huntsman. Call me Finn. The boss says I’ll be your partner for the time being.”

  I gave him a quick, hefty handshake and released. “Rune, please. Huntsman is my working name in Sailor’s Rest. What in the hells is going on here, Finn? What is this place?” Finn started walking down the hall, and I had no choice but to follow. The walls were built of cold, grey stone, and there was very little lighting coming from the small windows that were set about eight-foot high. It was starting to feel similar to the caves of Haven. That thought made me shudder. I hope the rest of this place isn’t so dreary.

  Finn finally spoke up, breaking up our echoing footsteps. “Well, this outpost belongs to King Gorralt and Queen Renee of the Eastern Kingdom. We are King’s Venom, a private force hand-picked and commanded by V. It’s a very privileged position to be in, truly. Eventually, I’ll show you the surrounding city and most of the Headquarters. But for now, let’s get you settled into your flat, yeah?”

  I agreed wholeheartedly. There were way too many things that I needed time to process. We passed through the common room that V had mentioned, where a few men were playing dice and drinking at one of the tables in the center of the room. Their shifts must be over for the night. I assumed, judging by their casual attires. They stopped and stared at me for a moment. Finn made brief introductions, but I was too lost in my thoughts to remember any of them. After that room, there was a wide open courtyard. It looked like a training yard, as there was no grass growing and patches of dirt were all kicked up in specific patterns on the ground.

  After making our way through a few more hallways and large rooms, we finally came to a staircase. We ascended two floors and came to a long hallway lined with six doors, three on either side. Finn pressed a key into my hand. “Here we are, mate. You’re in the last door on the left, and I’m the one across from you. We’ve already brought your things in, but if there’s anything you find yourself lacking, come and find me. I’ll let you be now, and come back to check on you in a bit. Alright?”

  I nodded, mumbling a thank you to him. I started down the hall, taking in everything I’d been oblivious to on the trek up to this floor. Tapestries and lanterns lined these walls in between the doors, and the carpeted floor was a dark moss green. When I came to my door, I pushed the key in and held my breath. Here goes nothing. I stepped through and closed the door behind me.

  I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when V said I would get my own flat, but this was much nicer than anything I could’ve pictured. I started slowly making my way around the room, partly out of security, and partly out of sheer awe. There was a large glass door that opened to a terrace on the wall directly in front of me. On the far left side of the room, a bed that was probably big enough for three people. It had a dark oak frame, and green silken sheets. A door beside the bed revealed a small room. It was like a wardrobe, but an entire room dedicated to attire. Who even has this many clothes? I recoiled at the thought, and shut the door.

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  Continuing my tour, I walked around the bed to find my desk from Shane’s, neatly tucked into the corner of the room as if it had been here all along. They really did take everything. I made my way to the other side of the room, finding two chairs similar to the ones in V’s study in front of an empty hearth. The walls on either side were lined with bookshelves, filled with not only my books from Shane’s, but also so many more. I pulled one off the shelf that caught my eye. It was a newer book, bound in blue leather with yellow accents. The Fall of the Tyrant King. Most intriguing. I placed the book under my arm and moved on, coming to the washroom.

  A large wooden tub sat in the center. It looked as if it were carved straight out of a tree itself, it still had untouched edges, and knots in the wood. It was no hot spring, but it would definitely suffice. On the table next to it were a handful of various bottles, assumingly elixirs for the bath. That was the only thing interesting in the room, the rest of the room was filled with pretty average washroom commodities.

  Satisfied with my tour of this room, I returned to the main room of my suite. I crouched down and picked up a few of the logs that were in a neat pile beside the fireplace, then stacked them up in the hearth. Once I was content with the setup, I spoke a cantrip to light the fire. It took longer than normal, as if my magic was sluggish. Well, that’s disconcerting. I frowned, looking at my hands. If anything, my magic should’ve come easier since I wasn’t channeling a Persona. V’s words came to the front of my mind. ‘It’ll be a waste of energy.’ he’d said. I wondered if that had been what he’d meant. Mmm… don’t like that. My thoughts immediately raced, thinking about books I’d read on magic suppression. No explanation came to mind, though. I’ll have to revisit those. Hopefully the library here is extensive.

  With that thought, I dropped into the chair behind me and set the book I’d been carrying onto the table in front of me. I finally pulled the folded paper out from my pocket. The elegant handwriting stared back at me, urging me to open it. There is always a possibility that the V addressed in this letter is not the same as the snake-man. My inner voice pressed, but it sounded different. Quieter. Okay, sure, but how many other strange men named V have we interacted with in the last full moon? My thoughts fell silent. I let out a puff of air in amusement, and lifted the bright red seal of the letter.

  My Dearest V,

  Things have not been moving along as planned. My husband is still entirely paranoid that his brother is housing those creatures. The Seers have confirmed this to be untrue, but it does not ease his mind. It has been ten years since the massacres, yet he still does not rest. Mayhaps it will be better to let him fall into disarray. I do not think anyone would question it. However, it does prove to be more of a challenge for my well-being when he is in this state. He starts to believe that everyone, including myself, conspires to overthrow him. I have been in contact with Mark, he tells me he’s had no luck in finding the survivors. I pray that the lead that you’ve been following turns something up soon. We need them, V. It is of the utmost importance that we convince them to follow our cause, and fulfill the prophecy. Time is of the essence. He is starting to suspect something about me, as I’ve yet to bring him a child. I will never do so. I refuse to stay beside this pig’s excuse of a man until I die of old age. I would rather drink Midnight’s Tears and fall from my balcony before that happens. I know you’ll do as you promised me. We will be together soon. You must find them, and convince them to take up our plight. Soon. We may only have a few years before he finishes his plans. Even less if he throws me out or executes me for failing to produce an heir. I may have to resort to drastic measures to keep him sated. Please pay me a visit soon so I may converse my thoughts with you in person. It has been far too long that you’ve been away. I am waiting, love.

  Yours Alone,

  R.

  I sat back and read the letter once more with a long exhale I didn’t realize I’d been holding. What in the Hells did I just read? I internally panicked. An affair between your newfound boss and a very important lady, by the looks of it. My internal voice chirped back, though it sounded different than usual. Faded, or far away perhaps. “Not helping.” I growled out loud. Why are you even making yourself known to me right now? Do you have ANY useful input to provide?

  It didn’t have a comeback for that, so I rolled my eyes while I folded the paper back up and tossed it into the fire. Better in the ashes than in my pocket. I concluded. You said I needed to know the truth when I took that letter. What truth am I looking for? What prophecy are they speaking of? Silence met all my questions in return. A roar of frustration bubbled up in my chest, threatening to erupt. I leapt up from my chair and began pacing the length of my accommodations. I was getting restless, and I needed to fight something. Or drink something. Whichever presented itself first. Either way, I needed to do something productive with myself. I was going to drive myself mad sitting and talking to myself, especially when I didn't get any real answers back from the finicky thing bouncing around in my brain.

  I decided I was going to venture out into the commons to see what I could get into, to try and get my mind to stop spiraling. It was well into the night at this point, and I was counting on it for most people to be asleep. So I pocketed my key, poked my head out of the door to inspect the surroundings, then stepped out into the dark hallway.