| |
––––––––
GUILD MASTER ONVIER waited in his den at his house for his guests to arrive. The French maid had already cleaned his mansion and had left for the night. He barely noticed her as she silently went about her work. The Night Cursed maid was beautiful, but he’d rather fornicate with a barnyard animal than with one of the mindless puppets the Immortal Triumvirate had created. Not that he needed to use his maid to relieve his stress. Nilanthy was more than adequate to satiate his needs.
Ever since Lord Dallinar had made a sly comment about his obsession with one of his guildmembers, Onvier had been careful not to be caught staring at Nilanthy. He pretended she didn’t exist while glancing at her from the corner of his eye as she sat among the other members of the Magic Guild. He couldn’t summon her to his office as often as he liked, but he made sure to call on her at least once a week.
He grew hard as he fantasized about what he was going to do to her tonight. It was dangerous to summon his allies to his house, but Azazel was adept at slinking through the shadows. There was no law against having a colleague come to visit, but Nilanthy always wore a hood to hide her face when she was forced to come to his house.
A knock sounded at his door and he hurried downstairs to answer it. Disappointment flared when he saw the demon had arrived first. He’d hoped to have a few minutes alone with Nilanthy before their meeting started.
“Are you going to invite me in, or am I going to have to stand here until someone realizes I’m a demon and screams for help?” Azazel asked sardonically. He’d also taken to wearing a hooded cloak, but it couldn’t hide the inhuman shape of his body.
Onvier stepped aside to let Azazel in, then heard a carriage coming. It stopped in front of his mansion and Nilanthy climbed out. She trudged along the path and waited for him to gesture for her to enter. When he did, she walked past him into his house without meeting his eyes. The elf closed the door and warded his house so no one would be able to listen in to their conversation.
“What’s so urgent that you called us both here?” Azazel asked as his host led them to a formal sitting room.
“I’ve decided when we’re going to challenge the Immortal Triumvirate and take over the leadership of Nox,” the Guild Master announced pompously.
Nilanthy pushed her hood back, but kept her cloak on. She kept herself covered and stared down at the floor without speaking as she took a seat on an armchair.
“When is this momentous occasion going to happen?” the demon asked.
Onvier waited for a dramatic pause before replying. “On Halloween,” he said and was gratified when both of his allies stared at him in shock. “It will be the perfect night to strike,” he told them as he paced up and down in front of the fireplace. “The Triumvirate will be busy with the Energy Tax and this ridiculous party Lord Dallinar came up with. I’ll wait until they’re preoccupied, then I’ll smash their magical shields and we can kill all three of them.”
“How are you going to break through their shields?” Nilanthy asked in a dull tone, dropping her eyes to the floor again. “They’re impenetrable,” she added.
“I know an enchantment that can weaken their protection,” the Guild Master said confidently. He’d obtained it a while ago and had been working on finding all the components he would need. He now had everything he required and he was certain it would work.
“Let’s say you can destroy their shields,” Azazel said, scarlet eyes narrowing speculatively. “How are we going to kill the Immortal Triumvirate? They’re more powerful than we are even with the magic you’ve been stealing from your own kind.”
“If you knew anything about magic, you would know that there are many spells that can be used to weaken our foes,” the elf said snidely. “You should leave the thinking to me. I’m clearly more suited to planning our coup than a low-level demon like you.”
Azazel snarled and rose to tower over his ally. “Have a care how you speak to me, elf,” he said warningly. “I am your ally, not one of your pathetic fae minions. This grand plan of yours would amount to nothing without me. It’s thanks to me and that little strumpet you’re so obsessed with that you’ll even have a chance to rule the City of Night at all!”
Onvier didn’t back down from his enraged ally. Instead, he smirked. “Well, well, you have more of a backbone than I gave you credit for, Azazel,” he said in mock admiration. “You’ll need as much courage as you can summon when we go up against Raum.”
That took the wind out of the demon’s sails and his wings wrapped around his body protectively. “When are we getting rid of him?” he asked sullenly.
“I’ve decided it would be best to wait until after we’ve become the new rulers of Nox before we kill the Demon Guild Master,” the elf told him.
“You said we would eliminate Raum before we attack the Immortal Triumvirate!” Azazel reminded him.
“We need to focus on gaining control of the city before you embark on your personal vendetta,” Onvier said. “Once we’re the new rulers, you’ll have more than enough power to crush Raum.” He’d never actually said they would take the demon lord down first. He’d merely hinted at it.
Azazel scowled at his ally, but he could see the sense in waiting a bit longer for him to get his revenge. “I can’t wait to see the look on Raum’s smug face when he realizes I’m more powerful than he is,” he said and rubbed his scaly hands together.
“Do either of you have any concerns to raise?” Onvier asked. Nilanthy shook her head and Azazel copied her. “Then, you may leave,” he said to the demon. “I need you to stay for a few moments, my dear,” he added when the beautiful fairy stood to leave.
“Try not to harm her too badly, Guild Master,” Azazel said with a smirk. “We need her alive, or our plans will fail.”
“I have no intention of killing her,” Onvier said stiffly, mortified that his ally somehow knew of the abuse he’d been inflicting on Nilanthy. Maybe he hadn’t been as subtle as he’d thought.
He escorted Azazel to the door and let him out, then returned to the sitting room. Nilanthy was still standing on the same spot. Her face was pale and her eyes were downcast. “Take your clothes off,” he ordered her. Her gaze flashed to his and he grew hard again at the look of dread in her eyes.
Nilanthy slowly stripped off her cloak, dress and undergarments, then wrapped her arms around her chest as the elf circled her. She flinched when he stopped behind her and ran a hand down her back between where her wings sprouted. “Lovely,” he said, then he pushed her towards the wall.
Quaking on the inside, Nilanthy had no idea what the elf had planned for her, but she knew it was going to be bad. His sadistic impulses had grown worse each time he’d forced himself on her. She’d learned to keep her mouth shut and not to cry out in pain. It just excited him even more when he knew how much he was hurting her.
