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GUILD MASTER ONVIER stood at the window in his office that overlooked the City Square. Snow was falling thick and fast enough to hide the stone fountain from his view. The lights that shone from the windows of the nearby buildings were just a faint, almost imperceptible glow through the rising blizzard.
A timid knock sounded at his door and he turned to face it. His gaze passed over the opulent furniture and décor of the office that had once belong to an insane warlock. He’d changed everything and had made the space his own. The floor was covered in deep, dark red carpet. Maroon wallpaper covered the walls. It matched his leather couch and armchairs that were arrayed in front of the fireplace to his left. His desk faced the door. It was large, made of mahogany and was intricately carved with elven designs. His chair was covered in maroon fabric and was comfortably padded. The two guest chairs were hard, wooden and deliberately uncomfortable. “Enter,” he said, raising his voice slightly.
The door opened and one of the highest ranking guildmembers entered. “You wished to see me, Guild Master?” the fairy said. Like all of her kind, Nilanthy was small and beautiful. Her wings beat a little too fast. They shed small amounts of gold dust that never reached the carpet. The fact that she still had her wings meant she had personal stores of magic that hadn’t been tapped yet.
“Come in, my dear,” Onvier said and swept his hand at the guest chairs. He gestured at the door with his wand and it swung shut. A wave of his wand locked it and created a ward around the room to block anyone from attempting to spy with magic.
Nilanthy nervously took her seat and smoothed her yellow gown down with her hands. “Have I done something wrong, Guild Master?” she asked.
“Of course not,” he replied with a smile that did nothing to soothe her nerves. He glanced at the mirror he’d hung on the wall and his smile widened. Even he had to admit that he was more handsome than most elves. His hair was a lustrous shade of auburn that complimented his slightly tilted orange eyes. He wore a maroon hooded robe, but rarely wore the hood up like the old Guild Master used to. Why hide such magnificence from the citizens of Nox?
Fidgeting anxiously, the fairy’s feet swung in the air as she waited for him to take a seat behind his desk. The chair was too large for her. She looked like a child waiting to be reprimanded for a deed she didn’t remember committing. “May I ask why you wished to see me, Guild Master?” she queried.
Onvier took his time to settle onto his chair, then rested his elbows on his desk. He pressed his palms together and gave the fairy a stern look. Her already pale face went a few shades whiter from fear of angering him. “Are you loyal to the Magic Guild, Nilanthy?” he asked.
“Of course, Guild Master!” she exclaimed, clearly confused by the strange question.
“Are you loyal to your Guild Master?” he asked slyly. Fae beings couldn’t lie. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she struggled to come up with a reply that would appease him. “I thought not,” he said sadly and sat back in his chair, affecting a disappointed expression. “I’m afraid I might have to exile you from the guild if I can’t trust you,” he said, dredging up a sorrowful smile.
“Loyalty is something that grows over time, Guild Master,” Nilanthy said in desperation. Being exiled would lower her status in the fae hierarchy to almost nothing. Her house would be stripped from her and she would end up living in a hovel like the lowly human witches and wizards. “You’ve only been our new Guild Master for a few months,” she pointed out. “The guildmembers will become loyal once you’ve proven yourself to be an effective leader.”
Onvier pressed his hands together and rested his chin on his fingertips. “I’m not convinced that any of my guildmembers will ever be truly loyal to me,” he told her. They feared him and obeyed his orders, but he needed more than that from them. He needed their unswerving loyalty in order to become as powerful as he intended. “I require you to swear your loyalty to me right here and now, or you will be cast out of the Magic Guild forever.”
The fairy’s wings fluttered in panic and she clutched the armrest as she almost swooned in fear. She’d heard whispers that their new leader was far crueler and harsher than Guild Master Hahn had been. It seemed the rumors were true. He was forcing his guildmembers to swear fealty to him or risk losing their status entirely. Hierarchy was everything to the fae. Their pride and status were tied together. Losing her standing was unthinkable, which meant he had her over a barrel. “I swear my loyalty to you, Guild Master Onvier,” Nilanthy said hoarsely and felt herself being bound to the elf. Only now did she sense the insidious spell that had been lying in wait. It was designed to link them together in a way she’d never seen used before. “What did you just do to me?” she asked in a horrified whisper. She felt slightly diminished, as if some of her innate power had just been siphoned from her.
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Onvier said in satisfaction that yet another guildmember had fallen prey to his trap. “The spell will allow me to draw on a small amount of your magic,” he explained, examining his perfectly manicured fingernails.
Instead of being reassured by his explanation, she was even more aghast. “You’re stealing our magic from us when we must already sacrifice it to the annual Energy Tax?”
“I am your Guild Master,” he reminded her with a smirk. “The Immortal Triumvirate have tasked my colleagues and me with maintaining control over our Districts. That requires magic and I can hardly use my reserves for such an onerous task.”
The fairy gaped at him, knowing it would be dangerous to voice her protest at his subterfuge. The Fae District was in far better shape than the Vampire and Shifter Districts, where unrest and rebellion were rife. He didn’t need to expend any magic to rule the only District that was already functioning as well as could be expected. “What would you have of me, Guild Master?” she asked in dull resignation.
“Continue to perform your duties and tell no one of what happened in this office,” he ordered. He’d gotten what he wanted from her and there was no need for her to linger any longer.
Nilanthy trudged towards the door and he unlocked it with a flick of his wand. He released the ward and she stepped outside, then shut the door behind her. Onvier swiveled his chair around to stare out through the window again. Bit by bit, he was growing in power. Over time, he would eventually become strong enough to rival Lord Dallinar.
His smirk grew into a hard grin as he contemplated toppling the impotent fae lord from his position. The fairy lord was nothing more than a useless drunk now. He could barely cast spells and always needed a wand to assist him. Decades of alcoholism had weakened his mind and had left him vulnerable. Onvier had been hatching a plan to rid Nox of his rival so he could step in and take his place. He just needed to figure out how to break through the magical shield that protected his foes. Once he’d figured out that small detail, he would finally gain the power and prestige that he’d been lusting for during the past few centuries.
