B r E n N a N
Wild Little Witch.
The ear piercing screams of some poor despairing sap filled the halls of the antiquated castle, Brennan smiled, grimly. It had been two hundred years since he had walked these chambers, and now he had returned on the behest of his Lord. Beside him, Callum Namir sniggered to himself. "It's good to be home."
Brennan was in silent agreement, two hundred years spent carrying out assassinations, kidnappings and thefts had left him pining for the comforts Insignia could offer.
"I don't know?" Tivon objected, "Why would Lord Insignit order our return for the Initiations, he's never done it before."
"Since when does he need a reason Sabrina?" Callum said, shrugging his shoulders in answer. Brennan shook his head as the witch gave Callum the finger. Before Callum could taunt Tivon further they arrived outside their Lords quarters, the bedraggled human servant, who had led them around the castle, scurried off without even being told.
Another tortured scream pierced the air, it was quite obvious the pitiful shrieks were emanating from inside the closed doors. Being a vampire, Brennan could smell the pungent scent of blood that soaked the air, it too, was coming from inside the room.
Callum lounged against the grey stone walls whilst Tivon stood admiring the many ancient weapons their liege had collected over time. Brennan watched the door intently, he concentrated, using his super sensitive hearing to pick up on the conversation ongoing behind the solid Oak doors.
"So what's all the screaming about?" Tivon asked, a moment later. He had wandered back toward the doors and away from the display cases.
"Some servants been stealing." Callum supplied, with a casual shrug. "Insignit's just exacting the usual punishments." Tivon opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off abruptly as the doors swung open with a heavy thud.
All three of them watched with cold indifference as the carcass of a flayed human was dragged by the feet down the hall.
"And this time do take care not to trail blood on the rugs." A voice full of ice commanded from the doorway. The owner of the voice, a slender female spared them a glance before stalking back into the room. Without needing an invitation Brennans' party entered behind her.
The room was an array of antique furnitures, ancient art and efficient weaponry. There were an number of adjoining chambers that served as bedrooms, bathrooms and the like. In which all the furnitures, art and weapons were from one time period or another. Ancient Egypt, Medieval France etc. Brennan had seen it all before and had spent enough time marvelling over the eccentricities.
It was rather surprising that he spared the room any notice at all, since it was the rooms inhabitant whom seemed to strike guests immediate attention. The tall muscular man in his early thirties sat comfortably at the banquet table to the left drinking from a golden goblet. The woman had taken the seat beside him and was smiling fixedly at Brennans team.
"I trust we haven't caught you at a bad time." Brennan said, smiling wryly. The man in the black, jeans and crisp black shirt gave a hearty chuckle.
It was the imposing mans female companion who commented though. "Your Raven has returned my Lord." She purred, running a delicate hand down his chest.
"And how it pleases me to see him." Insignit replied, turning his steel grey eyes onto his guests. "My Raven, Tivon, Callum. This is Roselai Arna, the new teacher in deception and acting." He informed them motioning to his dinner partner. "Rose, this is Brennan Silverlake, Callum Namir and Tivon Cloud. Three of the best I have ever trained."
"Forgive me when I say my Lord, but I will be the judge of that." She murmured, stroking back her ash blonde curls. Lord Insignit chuckled once more, the woman Rose laughed also, not realising that it was she who was being laughed at. Not knowing that she was talking about three of the most ruthless monsters the Order of Insignia had created in it's twenty-five hundred years of existence
Brennan paid that comment no heed, she was a made vampire, about five hundred years old and over confident to say the least. "It's good to be home My Lord."
Insignit inclined his head but a fraction, smiled, and motioned to the seats in the room. "Sit, speak with me. It has been long since I have had company who know me so well."
Tivon and Callum slumped onto two of the Italian style sofas at opposite ends of the table, Brennan sat in the chair directly opposite his mentor. "How fair this years Initiations?"
Their Lord nodded, understanding their curiosity. "Ten out of the twelve have returned successful, we still await the other two."
"It's been a successful year," remarked Callum. Brushing a hand through his hair of myriad blonde, brown and black, a bored gesture.
"Successful, indeed." Insignit reiterated, taking a hearty drink from his cup. The bright crimson liquid staining his lips.
Brennan opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when the tarnished Oak doors that had been closed behind them as the entered was thrust open again.
In marched Saben Wing, the falcon shifter taught sword and spear combat to the uninitiates. Behind him two of Insignias guard dressed in the traditional white and blue uniforms accompanied a bloody figure. "My Lord," Saben began, bowing respectfully. "Please forgive this intrusion, but this event is of the most importance." Saben nodded to the crumpled body. "Here stands Dimitri Rolon, of the Wolf Clan, student under your guidance for ten years." Sabens voice filled the room. "Here he stands, My Lord. A failure."
At the last word, Lord Insignit who had barely glanced at the bedraggled form the guards held, turned his full unwavering glare on the wolf. "Failure!" He said slowly. "Failure!" He repeated, his voice rising ever so slightly. He made a quick impulsive gesture toward the guards, whom backed away instantly. Next Insignit nodded to Rose who disappeared into one of the many ante rooms and re-appeared a moment later with a bast cat and ninetails. Dimitri's eyes widened for a moment at the punishment device and then his face took on that expressionless stare that all the children of Insignia learned, the stare that buried all emotions in a tight limitless grave deep inside their minds
"What do you have to say for yourself pitiful whelp." Saben demanded, as he turned to accost the wolf.
"It was a witch." Dimitri mumbled. At this Rose lashed him with the whip, he flinched but did not move, for that he got a sliver of respect from Brennan, who knew only too well how much damage a bast whip could do.
Brennan, disinterested by the whole scene, watched as the werewolf endured another five lashes of Roselais' murderous whip, "It was a witch... a witch... a lost witch attacked me as I was about to kill my target." The wolf cried, the gashes on his back and legs were now bleeding onto the floor. His dirty clothes lay in tatters, soaked with his blood.
"Speak up boy. Tell us of this witch you speak of and I may spare your life." Insignit commanded, holding Roses whipping arm so she couldn't lash at him again.
"The target, a girl... Erika Simmons. I had her... then that other girl, she just appeared from no where. She fought me she was tough... she knew martial arts. Then I shifted... she was too strong... so I shifted. I had her ready for the kill... then she blasted me with witch fire." The werewolf said, gasping, his voice tight from the pain. Brennan noticed he had a serious chest wound that wasn't healing as well as it should.
"Long live Wonder Witch," quipped Callum. Turning to gauge everyone's response. Brennan felt his mouth turn up into a half smile.
"Pah, witch fire. That's what caused your other wounds," spat Rose. Circling Dimitri, like a vulture would circle the remains of prey. "A puny, little witch and her feeble witch fire did this." She raked her talon like fingers into the wolfs chest wound, he flinched.
"It was white witch light." He gasped out, as she dug her ruby red nails deeper. At this Roselai stopped dead.
Lord Insignit waved for Rose to step back. "A lost witch that knows nothing of her true heritage, physically beat a trained Night World assassin, and was able to call on the strongest witch fire there is without any teaching." He summarised, a look to Tivon.
"It's a possibility," said the witch, sitting to attention. "Not very likely, but still a possibility."
Lord Insignit stepped close to the wolf. "You are going to tell me and my elite everything about this girl, then, they are going to track her down. So if you are lying to me I will know of it, and whatever Roselai can do to you it cannot compare to what I will do to you if you have lied to me." He told the wolf, his voice holding promises of pain, torture, blood and despair.
Dimitri Rolon shivered. "I wouldn't lie to you my Lord."
"Very well, tell us about this witch." Insignit insisted, sitting back down to drink his blood, Roselai joined him as the wolf began to recount the confrontation.
Brennan listened intently to everything that was said. He knew of course that this new discovery would mean he and his team would be dispatched to either kidnap or kill this wild little witch. Not that it mattered, in truth he himself was curious about this girl. Such potential could not be wasted, or allowed to be recruited by the opposing side.
As Dimitri was taken to have his wounds bound, Lord Insignit looked to Brennan's team. "You know what you are to do."
All three nodded in unison.