Author's Note: Throughout the story there will be a few interim chapters to tell a bit of a side-story of events happening during the course of the main story. This is the first of them and they'll help to fill in a little more of what's going on outside of Salem's walls during the story. Enjoy.
Interim 1: Joker
August 18th, 2010
Her steps were lithe and silent as she moved across the time-worn stone in the hall. All along the ancient stone walls the torches burned with strange blue fire, bathing her in eerie shadows as she made her way down to her destination. With a flowing black robe cloaking every part of her body save her horrid white mask she looked more akin to a wraith than anything even remotely resembling a human. This was not a woman, no; this was something else entirely.
Casting a sideways glance out of one of the old portholes that dotted the hallway she was in she could not help but feel rather cold as she caught sight of the tiniest sliver of a crescent moon trying vainly to light the smallest section of the courtyard. On dark nights such as these the cathedral seemed to take on a life of its own, the whole estate feeling like a hungry predator that waited patiently for them to relax for even a moment before it would strike. That was something though that she had in common with the cathedral; the wraith in the white mask had long since abandoned the calm and kind nature she had once held for something more suiting to her purpose. Making her way down one final hall she reached a large wooden door, a hidden door leading down into the true sanctuary room of this worn seat of catholic power that her associates and she called their home. Casting one more furtive glance from beneath her mask to the crescent moon, she just breathed deep and then pushed open the door.
"Good to see you have returned safely, Joker." Even in such placid, calm tones the voice was almost haunting in its seeming unnaturalness as it spoke to her, drawing her attention to the center of the room. Directly in the center of what was once the sanctuary sat four stone thrones, each one turned toward the others and about ten feet away from its opposite. Three of them were occupied, each one with a likewise masked and cloaked wizard or witch who had been patiently waiting for her. It was in the throne with its back to her that their leader sat. Not saying a word, she quickly crossed the room and took her seat at the throne to his right. She never spoke to him on nights like tonight; never spoke to any of them on nights like tonight. In time she would tell them of the night's activities and what she might have learned but for now she was quite content to remain silent in the same way she always had since she began doing his bidding. "Let us begin. Queen?"
"Regarding the castle, everything has been prepared as requested. As was anticipated we were not originally able to access it. However, after we broke the wards where needed, Jack was able to infiltrate." Spoke the one seated directly across from him, the other woman of the four of them. Joker did not like this woman, did not trust her for she had not truly seen the horrors and evils that Joker and the other two had. In her mind, the one known as Queen was nothing more than a liability but he had chosen to involve her in this so she was here. "The wards have since been resealed but can be broken easily once the time comes to strike."
With a curt nod he showed his approval before turning to the man on his left and directly across from Joker to allow him to tell his business. As the man stared at Joker from across the circle with his intense yellow eyes she could nearly feel the desire radiating from him. He was the only one who let his eyes be seen from beneath his mask, a sign of either his calloused lack of fear or a sign of his constant hubris, she was never quite sure which. However, after the events of this night were said and done she was sure they would have their time together. But for now… there was work to be done and that was the only thing that mattered. "We found the weapon. Our good friend in Edea's Landing had it and he was already expecting me. His knowledge and foresight of our actions is still rather impressive though I suppose we shouldn't be so surprised after what we have seen from him, old friend."
"Good; Jack. That is very good to hear." Hereplied, rising from the throne as hedrew the wand from the folds of his black robe and holding it out directly into the middle of the circle. She and the others followed suit, each of them instantly pulling their wands and putting holding them in front of themselves until the wood formed a perfect cross between the four of them. Finally she broke her gaze with Jack as the two of them and Queen all turned their attention to him, the man they followed without hesitation, the one they called King. "We shall each take our places soon but know that patience must be our only virtue. Too long have we waited to ruin the coming days by haste. When the time is right, we will destroy the enemy with the same hatred and fury that they have shown us over the years. Yes, when the time is right, we will strike and we will kill the enemy to the last. No mercy shall be given, no prisoner shall be taken." They nodded in unison, their hearts and minds sharing the same thought ashe spoke. "Utter destruction lies before those who would stand against us."
"Our kingdom come!" The four of them shouted in unison, their battlecry tearing through the cold night.
With those three words King once more took his seat, still holding onto his wand as the three of them likewise returned to their thrones. Once they had all returned to the thrones he finally looked to her, giving her a curt nod before twisting the wooden instrument as though he were conducting a symphony in the air above them. At the end of the sanctuary the massive wooden doors that led to the rest of the cathedral opened, revealing Joker's little addition to the night's meeting. Even in the pale flickering light from the blue flames one could see the man that stood in the doorway, his hands and feet bound in old blackened iron chains and his wand snapped and lying in two clear pieces at his feet. They could all see the way he shook and twitched, the way he held his arms in front of him to keep the weight off of the broken bones in each one, the thin trails of blood that led from his nose and jaw and disheveled shaggy hair. This was less than a man, nothing more than a badly beaten beast quivering in fear.
Not saying a word, King simply gave his wand another quick twist and the man began to stumble toward them, the look of horror on his face a clear sign that his shambling steps were not of his own accord.
Once the man stood directly in their circle of thrones, King lowered his wand and the man lowered to his knees still shaking violently from the savagery of his beating. For the longest moment the sanctuary was silent save for the man's quivering inhalations as King simply stared down at him before finally speaking. "Your name is Matthias Wilde, is it not?" The man remained silent but gave a nervous nod, utterly terrified to speak in the presence of the four masked ones. From between his red and gray mask, King's eyes flashed coldly as he stared down at the man. "Tell me, Mr. Wilde. Tell me why it is that you were brought here tonight?"
From the center of their circle the man shakily lifted his right hand, pointing with a shuddering finger at Joker. "That one… that m-m-monster brought me here after d-d-doing what you s-see to m-muh me…" His voice was broken and scared. Joker simply smiled beneath the white porcelain and black veil that covered her face, pleased with her work tonight.
"Do you know why?" King's question demanded the man's attention be turned back to him.
"N-no." He had barely spoken the word before King's wand was up again. With a simple whisper of the word 'Crucio', King brought Matthias down hard against the worn stone. She watched mesmerized as he writhed in agony at her feet for what seemed like an eternity before King finally withdrew his wand from the man's direction. Across from him, Queen simply shifted in her seat. Joker knew the untrustworthy one didn't have the stomach for this kind of thing but she kept her seat regardless, not so willing to interrupt King's judgment of the man by her departure. Joker had to commend her on that at least.
"Do not profane these halls with your lies again, Mr. Wilde. My patience is for the honest and my mercies for the just alone." King whispered as he brought the man back to his knees with another rise of his wand. "Now, why did Joker bring you before me? You do not want to remain silent this time."
"T-that f-f freak is a m-muh-mudblood sympathizer!" His words were impassioned and bold as he raged at King's feet, nothing more than an impotent fiend within the bonds.
"Is that so? I thought it was because Joker caught you in the house of two muggle-borns that you had just finished killing. I was under the impression she broke your legs for trying to run. That she broke your arms for laying a hand on the young woman's body after you killed her and her husband. That she snapped your wand for being so foolish so as to try and to defend yourself after being caught in your sin instead of offering yourself willingly to such judgment. I must be mistaken in my assumptions then." The man grew even more nervous as King spoke his truth, withering under the gaze of his four captors for the night. "Let me ask you, Mr. Wilde; do you detest the so-called mudbloods?"
"Y-y-yes sir. M-magic is f-f-f f-for the p-pure born only."
For the longest time King remained silent as he watched the man's eyes carefully from beneath his mask, carefully weighing whether or not this man was worth attempting to change or if he should end this little game of court that he was playing. Finally coming to a decision, he sat back in his seat and slipped his hands into the folds of his black robes. "Do you know what I detest, Mr. Wilde? I detest, I loathe you and your kind. Do you think that no one knows about the group that sent you to that family's house tonight, that I do not know about your little purist group 'Sanctius' and the men and women that dwell under its banner of murderous blood purity, the so-called Purifiers? I have always known! I have seen your actions and the actions of your comrades as you kill and destroy all in the name of magical purity. And I have already decided my judgment."
The man grew so very still at those words, King's fierce tongue seemingly giving him the gift of foresight in these last few seconds of his miserable life. With all of his remaining strength he rose back to his feet and stared down King with his one good remaining eye before opening his mouth one last time. "Your judgment?" A wicked fire burned behind his eyes now, a look of hatred blazing completely. "Four wizards and witches in Halloween masks taking on the army that will soon overrun this country? You are all deluded, arrogant fools. The Order Sanctius, we Purifiers, will wipe you from the face of the earth. Lord Tharus w-"
His body froze as little golden lines lit up his face. His face was a transfixed in horror as he seized and dropped to the ground dead. "How interesting. An Unbreakable Oath tied to the name." Jack muttered, looking to King for what he wanted to do regarding the dead Purifier. Even with the mask covering his face there was no mistaking or denying the pure rage that was pouring out of King's rigid frame at that moment. The blood purist, Matthias Wilde, lay in a heap at the foot of King's throne. The flicker was gone from his eyes, the soul from its fleshly prison. However; without so much as a second glance to the body, King rose up from his throne and stepped away. Looking across the circle he simply motioned for Queen to join him, the woman obeying the unspoken request immediately. As she took his outstretched hand, she glanced down for a split second at the body, a visible shudder running through her slender frame. King however just kept his gaze on her.
As they crossed the sanctuary King spoke six last words for Joker and Jack as they remained in their thrones, their eyes locked. "Do as you wish with him." From beneath her mask, Joker began to laugh.
Author's Note: There you go, the first of the few interim chapters.