Chapter 1

Dark Intentions

It is almost time my lord," a voice said. It came from a hooded figure, sitting at a dimly lit table, along with six other figures wearing the same type of hooded robe. One would have been unable to know for certain who the figure was talking to, but the hood's angle suggested that he was looking at the person seated at the head of the table, a likely spot for the New Lord to be sitting. This person (it was impossible to tell the gender) gave no indication of having heard, but a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere said, "Patience, Gauntlet. He will come." The man codenamed 'Gauntlet' turned his head toward the empty chair directly across from him. A faint aura of concern emanated from the wizard, which was understandable; if the absent wizard didn't arrive on time, the room's enchanted door would shut him out. This inconvenience would be all the greater because he was supposed to bring some sort of "equipment"; without it, the purpose of this meeting would be moot.

The others, however, had a more dangerous problem on their minds. They were facing toward the figure sitting immediately to the right of the New Lord. Despite the lack of identity, they were quite certain that this person was new; at least, they had never met. It wasn't so much the presence of the figure, as the implications behind it, that held the members transfixed. The New Lord was insistent on the number of members in the group being no more or less than 13, including the Lord. This person was clearly an addition, as only 7 members besides the lord were invited, and the 7th person was obvious. Thus, this extra figure could only mean one thing: a current member, one attending this meeting, would be eliminated. This threat created an atmosphere of unease, made worse by the missing wizard's absence. All was still, except for the flickering of the two lit candles on the table. Time seemed to crawl by.

Then suddenly, the door flew open, and another figure darted in. This was clearly the wizard that was carrying the necessary materials for furthering the mission that this meeting concerned. A second later, the door slammed shut, sealing the world outside and the group members within. Still motionless, the Lord said, "Good evening, Cutlass," for 'Cutlass' was the wizard's codename.

"Good evening, my Lord," murmured Cutlass.

"You cut it closer every time," a figure (a wizard by the sound of his voice) grumbled. "If you hadn't made it …"

"He made it, that's what counts," snapped Gauntlet. He didn't know who Cutlass really was, but all the same, he didn't want him to die. Sensing an oncoming argument from the complaining wizard, he added, "Drop it, Lantern." Lantern fell silent, and Cutlass seized the opportunity to murmur to the New Lord, "Shall we…?" The Lord nodded slightly, then said, "The meeting is now begun." A small pause. "Lantern, you have the information?" The Lord had sought four particular items, as they were rumored to give the bearer great powers when brought together. The Lord already had one; Lantern had been asked to locate the other three.

"Yes, my Lord," he said, but hesitated. "Speak," his leader commanded, and Lantern obeyed. "Item one is in the possession of a collector with a penchant for showing off treasures. Item two is borne by a foreign athlete. And the third is held within the home of a pureblood family." Silence. Then the Lord asked, "I assume you have names?" "Yes," answered Lantern, and he gave three names. There were a few moments quiet, as everyone processed this news.

Finally, the Lord said, "the collector…Lantern, you'll be our connection to that area. Your reputation and expertise will enable them," the Lord's head tipped toward the three figures sitting immediately to the right, "to access the…property." No one questioned this choice of agents, as they knew that this operation required great skill, and these three people were very good at what they did.

"The athlete will be easy, one of them said. "We must frame someone else, a rival. The same can be done with the collector. And the pureblood home…we can penetrate that area." "Great enchantments may guard it," warned Lantern. "If it is anything we haven't faced before, it will be a welcome challenge. I daresay we've been too inactive lately. This will be an excellent opportunity to…stretch." "Well in that case," the third spoke up, "why don't we split it up? One heist for each?"All three nodded in agreement, and the Lord said, "You will require…" A nod toward Cutlass, who immediately withdrew a flask and a bag from his cloak. Shaking three vials from the bag, he poured what looked like mud into the vials, stoppered them, and handed them to the trio.

"And now", said the Lord, "on to the next order of business." The hood's opening tilted toward the table for a moment, before the Lord's voice said slowly, "It seems there is a traitor among us." There was a stir among the members, as heads turned this way and that, evidently looking at each other. "This disloyal member has been recruited by the Ministry as a spy, to glean what they could of our transactions and aims. They are suspicious of us, as always, and this has unfortunately penetrated the group. And as a cancerous growth must be excised from the flesh," the Lord continued, with an air of approaching climax, "so the defector must be not only removed, but abolished as well. I leave it up to myself to execute this highly important sentence." Suddenly, the head rose, and faced directly toward Gauntlet, whose face drained of all color. "Gauntlet, rise." Gauntlet did as he was told; slipping his fingertips into his pocket (no doubt grabbing his wand), he drew himself up to his full height. The New Lord, oddly, did not rise; simply sitting there, the hood stared at Gauntlet. Every one else in the room sat rock-still, barely even breathing. Without warning, the Lord whipped out a long, thin black wand. Pointing it at Gauntlet, two calm words were heard: "Avada Kedavra". A jet of green let erupted from the wand's tip, striking the wizard in the chest before his wand was fully raised. His lifeless body crumpled, falling to the floor to move no more.

"Venomous, take care of the body." When 'Venomous' had done so, the Lord continued, "Which brings us to our final purpose in this meeting." Gesturing to the mysterious person on the right, the Lord explained, "We have lost one member this hour, which calls for another, preferably more talented, member. This is the member-to-be that I have chosen." Turning to the figure, The Lord remarked, "I am not in the mood for ceremony, so this shall suffice." Waving the black wand: "I now declare you an official member of this group, which entitles you to all privileges and obligations that apply. I name you 'Saber'." A burst of red and silver glitter swirled around 'Saber', and the Lord said, "I believe that concludes this meeting. All are dismissed."

Everyone stood up and filed to the door, which opened of its own accord. Turning alternately down either end of the hall, they walked through the walls at the ends, coming out at random, inconspicuous locations. The new member made to leave, but the Lord's hand touched their forearm. "If anyone discovers more about what we are doing than is safe, eliminate them wisely."

"Yes, my Lord," spoke a distinctly female voice, and received a nod before being let go. Saber was soon gone, and the Lord returned to the chair at the head of the table, and sat staring into space, thinking, for the rest of the night.

***

A pair of red-tinged eyes rose from a globe, and gazed thoughtfully in to the distance. They belonged to a man-like creature, with crusty eyelids and flesh. Its nails were still rather long, while the legs were thick, and strangely shaped. Its arms were small and weak-looking, and its teeth were pointy. Overall, it looked like a human suffering from a horrible, severe disease. Its thoughts, however, weren't entirely concerned with its form; it was pondering the scene it had just witnessed within the crystal ball sitting before it. The leader had been impressive with its simplicity, intelligence, and skill, as well as its level of command, it thought. Looking around, it took in the dozens of old trinkets surrounding it. To anyone else, they would have seemed like worthless junk, but the man-thing had seen these items in their newer, stronger state, and it still saw them as sources of power, although they were now drained of magic. The magic had been used to cast a spell that had been progressing for a little less than two months. The spell was almost complete; all that was needed was one more burst of power… This, the beastly animal knew, was a problem, as the power needed was very rare. But a solution had already been found. It just needed to be brought within reach. And that, it thought, will be fairly simple. Standing up, the creature strode across the room, its gate slightly awkward due to its shape. Stopping before a cage, a clawed hand reached into it, a finger gently stroking the beautiful creature imprisoned within it. The cage was a contraption of simple genius; it was made of a solidified phoenix ash coated with dragon blood. It was the only thing that could contain the creature's prisoner. Opening the cage's door, the creature removed its captured prize, murmuring to it soundlessly. Carrying it to the openingof the man-creature's home, it pressed the back of a finger to the pet's chest. The eyes closed, then opened: they were now glowing a soft red, a sign of possession. "A beautiful night," whispered the creature, staring at the starry sky just barely visible high above. "Perfect for my "Fly forth to do my bidding, and return with my reaping," the creature commanded in a whisper, and lifted its arm. With a rush of wings, the newly released captive disappeared into night.

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Don't worry, identities will be revealed somewhere around chapter 6 or 7. chapter 2 will be mildly boring, but it has reasons to be there, so bear with me. Hope you enjoyed this one, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.