Kailor: Chap 10! I'm on a roll!
Naruto: For now.
Kailor: Hey, look. No more ramen.
Naruto: NOOOOOO!
Kailor: I DO NOT OWN THE SONG. It's Cry Little Sister. I meant to write my own song for this, but Cry Little Sister was too perfectly sinister to pass up. It's the Seasons After cover. Very good to listen to while reading.
Eishun settled into the head seat of the table. The room, which had gone silent at his entry, quickly returned to the noisy jubilance of a feast. A Manian noble leaned forward and attempted to engage the king in conversation.
He waved the man away, and instead Eishun looked at Konoka.
"How have you been, dear?"
"Missing you, Daddy." Konoka's voice sounded full of boredom and her eyes were flicking from person to person at the table. "Must you have invited the Puhvalians? They eat like pigs, but with worse manners."
"Now, now. Be nice." The king's smile seemed indulgent but the cruelty never disappeared from his gaze. "They are our neighbors."
"Pity. Let's move."
"Your sense of humor is still intact I see." Eishun's voice was dry and indifferent. He turned back to the dignitary who had tried for his attention before.
Konoka looked at Setsuna and raised an eyebrow just slightly. Setsuna took this to mean Konoka was telling her sorry for her having to hear that. Setsuna cocked her head to the left subtly. She did not miss the corner of Konoka's mouth quirking up.
Konoka turned back to a young lady on her right and struck up a senseless conversation about their outfits. Setsuna resumed her survey of the room. Kaede had been right about the outrageously expensive clothes she would see here. One woman even wore a gown in a sickeningly bright shade of pink and the man at her elbow did not look happy that his robes matched.
Reed was absently picking at a thread sticking out of his dull, green tunic. He was staring straight at the king. The beefy chef next to him cuffed him lightly about the ear and whispered something through clenched teeth. Reed nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking at his feet. A few other people in green tunics were moving about the tables, replacing empty food trays, taking orders from the guests, and offering mugs of mead.
The first course passed uneventfully. When the second course was brought out Reed took the place of one of the older servers and they moved about, setting out the next course. Setsuna could not see how they ate so much.
The doors opened again and a wave of dancers entered. They flipped and twirled and spun around the room. As they passed they pulled the curtains around the room closed throwing it into semi-darkness. Setsuna and Brace stepped closer to the table. The doors were suddenly illuminated as dancers lit torches.
Each dancer had donned a skull mask and their eyes burned menacingly. Out of the dark hallway a figure loomed. A dancer in each corner produced a drum from the darkness and began to beat a deep, resonating rhythm. The figure slithered across the floor, slowly coming into focus.
A dragon raised its head and roared to the ceiling.
Many of the guests screamed and pushed toward the head of the room. Konoka's hand was grasping the table hard but she did not move from her seat. Instead her face was still, impassive as ever.
Eishun's eyes were locked hungrily on the beast.
Setsuna instinctively inched her hand toward her left hip. Then she noticed the legs under the dragon. Human legs. It was a giant puppet.
The dragon puppet scuttled across the floor to the beat. It leapt about and curled between the tables. Then the dragon rose above them all and began to sing.
"A last fire will rise, behind those eyes. Black house will rock, blind boys don't lie. Immortal fear, that voice so clear. Through broken walls, that scream I hear. Cry, little sister. Come, come to your brother. Unchain me, sister. Love is with your brother."
With a start, Setsuna recognized Felix's voice.The head of the dragon, Felix, leapt onto the center table, the rest of the body following. A chill slivered down her spine as the dragon moved in an eerily animal way down the table, slowly. Felix continued to sing, other singers in the dragon and around the room joining in.
"Blue masquerade, strangers look on. When will they learn this loneliness?"
The dragon had reached the king's chair. Konoka's eyes were wide as the dragon's head rose above Eishun.
"Temptation heat, beats like a drum. Deep in your veins, I will not lie. Cry, little sister. Come, come to your brother. Unchain me, sister. Love is with your brother."
The dragon then screamed. The unearthly quality in Felix's voice scared the hell out of Setsuna. That was not a scream to finish the song. It was a deeper, exhilarated scream that reverberated all around the room and left everyone's ears ringing. The dragon turned and left. The dancers followed, the drum beats faded. The curtains were opened. The guests clapped and hollered about the performance.
Eishun did not move. He looked as if he had just received a message from the devil, and he liked it. Konoka imitated his stillness, but her face was impassive. Her hands, under the table, clutched her napkin.
Setsuna was terrified. That was the most horrendous display she'd ever seen. There was nothing beautiful about it. It seemed the whole performance had been meant to horrify rather than entertain. Something was wrong about it. She looked at Brace. The sweat beading around his graying temples indicated he too was scared.
Suddenly, Eishun leaned towards Konoka. Setsuna turned her head so her ear was facing him.
"Did you hear? Did you?" Konoka nodded quickly, smiling and nodding to someone down the table. Eishun grabbed her arm and Konoka winced. "Did you!"
"Yes, I heard! Now, let go. You're hurting me." Konoka snapped at him.
"He's calling. It was him."
"I know. Please. Appearances." Eishun glanced around. A couple of the nobles around them were whispering together and watching them. He sat back in his seat. With a smile he nodded to them and turned back to his food.
Konoka flashed a glance at Setsuna and Brace. Terror briefly crossed her gaze and was gone as quickly as it had come.
The third course began. This time, as the desserts and such were laid out, Setsuna noticed Reed had slowly switched places with each server until he was nearly at the head of the tables. He kept glancing at the king. He reached across the table to offer mead to a fat noble.
Something flashed at his waistband.
Setsuna squinted at it. Nothing seemed amiss. As the nobles bent to their food, Reed slyly side-stepped one of his fellow servers. He was now a mere three feet from the king. And that was anger in his eyes.
Setsuna thought maybe it was time to turn Brace's attention to him. Something was going on.
Then Reed slid the shank out of his waistband and launched himself at the king.
Setsuna acted immediately, Brace an inch behind her. She spun her back dagger out and deflected Reed's attack. With her left hand she jabbed hard at the soft spot she had been taught to aim for. Reed growled and the right side of his body temporarily went limp. Brace caught him around the neck and pressed his forearm hard against Reed's windpipe. Reed's height was now a disadvantage. Brace outweighed him, and since he was shorter, he had Reed bent backwards, gasping for air.
Eishun calmly sneered at the kitchen boy.
"Who are you, boy?" Brace loosened his grip just enough that Reed could answer.
"You killed my family, you sick son of a bitch. You destroyed my village." Reed spat out, tears pouring down his cheeks. Setsuna stepped away. Konoka was quickly out of her seat and next to her. She slid one hand under Setsuna's vest and gripped her shirt, so that nobody could see. Eishun stood. Then he began to laugh. Reed's eyes widened and he fought with a new vigor to get away from Brace. No luck.
"Take him to my room, Brace. I shall join you momentarily." Brace dragged the young slave from the room. Eishun motioned for Konoka and Setsuna to follow him and he left the feast. Just before the staircase he stopped and looked at Setsuna. "You are new." She nodded. "Good reflexes. But how does a slave like you know how to use a weapon?"
Konoka answered for her. "She was trained before she was sold into slavery. In more ways than one." With that she pressed herself against Setsuna and playfully bit her ear.
Setsuna, completely confused, simply looked down and tried her hardest not to react. Her skin burned hot and her stomach flipped.
Eishun simply rolled his eyes and turned away to mount the stairs. Konoka followed. Over her shoulder she gave Setsuna a small smile, her eyes apologizing and promising an explanation later. Setsuna nodded.
They reached the fourth floor and turned right. Eishun led them to his door where Brace waited, still restraining Reed. With a wave of his hand, Eishun unlocked the door and they all filed into the room. As Setsuna made to shut the door, Kaede swiftly slid in. Her expression did not look happy. She quickly pulled Setsuna to her.
"Do not react. Do not speak. Do not look away or close your eyes. For everyone's safety." Now confused beyond belief, Setsuna nodded and followed Kaede.
Eishun's room was dark, windowless. A few torches lined the walls. There was no decoration like in Konoka's room. There was no color like in Setsuna's. It looked more like Eva's torture room than anything else. Eishun opened a door. Setsuna felt her mouth go dry.
This was a torture room. A large table crouched like a beast in the center with chains strewn across it. Chains adorned the ceiling and shelves lined the walls, full of smaller and larger torture devices. Some she recognized from hearing about, some she could guess at their use, and some she had no idea what to make of. Her knees began to tremble.
Eishun commanded Brace to chain the boy to the table. Brace obeyed. Eishun took a wicked-looking, hooked dagger from the wall and ushered Brace back. Brace and Kaede positioned themselves on either side of Setsuna. Konoka stood on Kaede's other side, impassive.
"I always did enjoy drawing you know." Eishun whispered into Reed's ear. Reed spat at him. "Oh, how bad an idea that was." The king's voice was soft, quiet. And it was absolutely frightening. "Almost as bad as your plan to sneak into my palace and try to off me. But you will learn. Many years ago I found canvases were fun to draw on. But there is one thing better to draw on…" Setsuna couldn't help but jump as Eishun ripped open Reed's shirt. He slowly dragged the blade across Reed's stomach.
Reed shivered and began to sob. His breath came in short gasps and the skin of his stomach sucked inwards, as if the very skin was attempting to get away from the knife.
"Please, don't-"
"Don't what, boy? Speak." Eishun murmured huskily, his voice becoming sickly seductive.
"Don't kill me." Reed gasped. His whole body shook and he repeated his plea a few more times.
Setsuna gripped her hands hard behind her back. Kaede and Brace stared straight ahead, motionless. Konoka was staring hard at her nails, as if they were suddenly the most interesting thing there.
"My boy…I will not kill you. A dead canvas makes for a very sad artist." Eishun's eyes lifted to Konoka. "Want to make the first cut, dear? That was always your favorite."
For a sickening moment, Setsuna thought she would do it.
"No, thank you," Konoka answered matter-of-factly. "I just got my nails done and I refuse to risk messing them up by doing anything. You go ahead." Eishun's smile slipped a little. For a moment they just peered at each other. Then Eishun nodded.
"Alright…that's fine. You can just watch then."
He dragged the dagger across Reed's stomach.
Reed's screams echoed through the room, through the palace, and through her heart.