Allegro for Crisis

Chapter II

Deadman's Waltz

The surface of the mirror rippled as Thalia the necromancer dropped to one knee before it. The image in the mirror settled into that of a tall man, lean but powerful in build with an angular face that would bring to mind cobras. The man's metallic red eyes looked down at Thalia, "What is your progress Necromancer?"

"Slow my Lord Voldemort," Thalia said reverently, "Seto Kiaba has proven stronger then I originally expected, but he is still only a muggle."

"Don't try my patience playing your games Necromancer," Voldemort snapped harshly.

Thalia's shoulders sagged like a whipped cur, "As you wish my Lord."

The image of Voldemort faded and Thalia began altering her plans to set her timetable ahead of schedule….

The chipper chime that sounded as elevator doors opened grated on Kiaba's already tense nerves. His eyes narrowed as he stepped out of the elevator car. The necromancer had made the sublevel out to look like the grand entrance hall of a Russian Tsar's palace. A major domo approached the young billionaire from the side, he bowed, "My Mistress is waiting for you in the grand ball room."

Kiaba snorted but followed the butler any way, the necromancer could play games if she wanted to. The major domo lead Kiaba down the entrance hall to a set of elaborate French doors, he opened the doors and stepped aside to allow Kiaba entrance. Kiaba stepped forward. A dozen dancers waltzed across the floor in pairs, or sometimes alone with arms wrapped around thin air and an illusion. Most of the dancers were dressed in lab coats or work clothes. Frowning Kiaba took off his gas mask and wrapped the straps around his belt. The air down here was stale and spicy but not noxious like the atmosphere on the main floor had been. The billionaire stepped farther into the ballroom and had to side step to avoid being run over by a single dancer. His cold blue eyes narrowed further as he saw the pot marked, red scars of puncture wounds on the arms and necks of those closest to him.

"Muggles are so easy to manipulate," The necromancer's voice stated. Kiaba turned to see the dark haired woman standing in front of the French doors as the major domo slammed them shut and locked them from the other side. Confidante she had his attention the Necromancer continued, "A little opium, a deeply burrowed suggestion in the mind, and none will give me any trouble until I need them."

            Kiaba's lips pulled in a sneer and his fists clenched. The necromancer took no notice as she walked past him. She stopped a young man dancing by himself and took the role of his imaginary partner she lead the dance as she continued to speak, "This little group won't stop dancing until I let them, and they've already been dancing for five. Then I'll leave them to their suffering while another group dances."

Kiaba pulled the necromancer away from her drugged dance partner when she came with in arm's reach. He twisted her left arm behind her back viciously. The poorly healed bullet wound pulled open and began to bleed again. The necromancer gasped in agony. Kiaba pushed her left arm to the threshold of breaking, "Let them go."

"There will be a catch," The necromancer said in a breathy voice.

"No there won't," Kiaba pushed harder to illustrate his point.

"I've had three days to meddle in these pathetic fools minds as I please fool!" The necromancer shouted incensed, "I am their conscious thought. They do as I please without me most would drown in their own spittle now!"

"You're bluffing." Kiaba stated flatly.

The necromancer growled in frustrated rage, "Life for Life! Theirs' for yours, and I will leave them their own minds."

Kiaba made no reply but to put more pressure on the limb in his grasp. The Necromancer screamed wordless rage and pain… her screams mingled with another. The young man she had danced with earlier writhed on floor in agony. The screams crescendoed and then ended when Kiaba shoved the Necromancer to the floor with a broken arm.

"Do you enjoy their torment?" She raged as a small serving girl walked up to Kiaba's side carrying a tray with a wine goblet on it, "Life for Life Seto Kiaba, take responsibility for those you use! Drink the draught and I forfeit my control over their pain!"

Kiaba glanced side long at the goblet with no decision showing on his face….