Disclaimer: See previous chapter

Author Note: Many apologies for the long intervals in this story, but I currently have Bell's Palsy and the left side of my face is paralyzed. Using the computer can be painful because I can't completely close my left eye or blink and looking at the computer screen for too long makes my eye water badly. I need to pen these last couple of chapters carefully because they will set the scene for the sequel.

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you."

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, Beyond Good and Evil

Chapter 66 – From the Ashes – An Interlude

"He will see you now."

The grey-suited businessman seated on the plush black couch in the minimalistic styled reception area jumped up to his feet abruptly. His briefcase slid to the floor shedding paper like leaves in Autumn. A fountain pen rolled slowly and majestically along the shining black floor tiles and landed gently with a bump against the equally shining black shoes of the assistant who stared down at the object, but made no attempt to retrieve it and hand it back to its owner. Instead he waited with barely concealed contempt and impatience as the visitor scrabbled frantically around the floor picking up the papers.

When the businessman finally reached the immaculately shining shoes, he looked up and immediately froze. The gaze that met his was almost reptilian in its expression, if expression was a word that could be used. For the first time the businessman noticed what an odd looking chap he was, with slightly coarsened features, sallow almost greenish skin with broad cheekbones and a thin wide mouth. His hair was black and slicked back from his face in a thin ponytail. His build was tall and powerful, yet with arms that were slightly longer than usual in a human. But it was the eyes that drew him; black, emotionless and staring down at him with a most disturbing intentness.

The businessman reached out to pick up the pen and in doing so offered a wide expanse of exposed neck to the assistant whose eyes showed expression for the first time and if the businessman would have been looking upwards still, he would have seen the pointed tip of a red tongue brush lightly across that thin virtually lipless mouth as though in anticipation of a meal.

The businessman got to his feet, but as he did so, he caught the almost lasciviously expectant expression on the assistant's face. He shivered with a sudden chill and drew back slightly as the assistant smiled widely at him showing yellowish slightly pointed teeth. However, apart from the fact that he could have done with a teeth whitening programme and perhaps a floss or two, the smile did not reach his eyes by a long chalk and the businessman was not reassured by it at all. Not for the first time did he question the wisdom of doing business with these people. Yet they offered much in return for the designs for new weaponry and the board of his company had decided that the price offered was well worth slipping into bed with them.

"Sorry." He stuttered while loosely shuffling the scattered papers into some order. He slipped the pen into an inside pocket and patted it. "Gift from the little woman. Wouldn't like to upset her by losing it."

He knew he was babbling and so did the assistant. That wide thin mouth pushed back into that disturbing crescent of sharp yellow teeth again and when he finally spoke it took all of the businessman's strength not to reel back under the onslaught of halitosis the like of which he had rarely experienced in this modern day of orthodontists, dentists, mouth hygiene and mouthwash.

"This way."

He walked to the two rather large doors made of some black opague material, in the centre of which were two very sizable bronze oval door handles. As he and the businessman approached the doors they slid open soundlessly as if at some silent command or remote mechanism and a room was revealed beyond. The minimalistic theme of the reception area was carried on into the room which was decorated in dark colours and had large plate glass tinted windows all around affording a viewer an almost 360 degree view of the city stretched far below. For this was the top floor and penthouse of the towering building which dominated part of the Manhattan skyline.

The middle of the room was sunken lower than the periphery. It held one chair only made from some kind of dark leather which was placed on one side of an open fireplace designed to look like an old style brazier. The glowing red of the coals in the brazier showed the only colour. The rest of the room was unfurnished and its only occupant was a tall dark figure with long pale hair who stood with his back to the door.

The businessman hesitated at the top of the steps leading down to the chair.

"Enter and be welcome." The figure did not turn, but remained with his hands clasped lightly behind his back staring out at the plethora of modern office blocks and apartment blocks jostling along with old Brownstones. "Please be seated if you will."

It struck the businessman that the figure's manner of speech sounded quite archaic and stilted and his voice seemed dry and rusty, almost as if he had not used speech for a very long time.

The businessman decided to bring a note of cheerfulness into the stark room. "Many thanks, I don't mind if I do. It's been a busy day so far, good to get off my feet."

His hearty tones disappeared into the deep silence of the room as if they were mere pebbles dropped into a bottomless well and he sat down abruptly simply because his legs felt as though they would no longer hold him up.

"Indeed." The rusty tones held a tinge of amused boredom in them. "Perhaps I can offer you some... refreshment to raise your energy levels? Some wine perhaps?"

The assistant appeared in the room as if summoned by magic. The figure turned slightly. "Some wine for our guest."

The assistant bowed, the door opened and he slipped out. The businessman was so busy craning his neck around to see by what mechanism the doors opened and closed so quietly that he did not see that the dark figure had now turned fully to face him. Perhaps if he had he might have made some excuse and ran out through the doors which were now sliding shut.

Instead he gave up straining his neck, turned and drew his breath in with a hiss. For now facing him was the most disturbing looking man he had ever seen.

The erstwhile CEO of Angband Enterprises stood well over six foot tall, in fact the businessman would have put him at nearer seven foot possibly even taller, but that was not the most disturbing aspect of him. He was quite thin, to the point of being cadaverous, with pale, thin and paper like skin covering his facial bones. His hair was not white as at first thought, but more of a silvery colour and hung lankly in curtains on either side of his face. His eyes were so deeply socketed as to at first appear like black holes, but the businessman could see a glittering, but fell, light deep inside which spoke of some kind of expression of life in that corpse like face. The mouth was thin and rather cruel and his hands, which like the face were the only parts of his flesh on show, were long and also very white with long skeletal fingers.

The businessman felt his inner child whimper with a primal fear, but of what he could not be sure. After all, this was a business meeting with the CEO of a very prestigious and wealthy Fortune 500 company smack bang in a state of the art modern office building. Outside people walked, laughed, ate, shopped and went bustling about their business. Somewhere down there law enforcement officers patrolled on foot, horseback and in cars and were only a speed dial away.

What on earth did he have to be so afraid of? He tried to bolster up his flagging courage with a hearty smile.

"Wine would be wonderful." He felt his lips form the words and heard them echo hollowly around the room. "Yes indeedy."

He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a large handkerchief and mopped his brow with it.

The CEO's face turned out a rictus of a smile and the businessman's last thimbleful of courage fled him. He sank further down into the leather chair which seemed to grasp onto him as if it was going to actually devour him. From somewhere far away he heard the flat footfalls of the CEO's assistant, yet still he nearly jumped out of his skin when the creature, for that was what it seemed like to him, bent over him and with a further blast of that hideous foetid breath, offered him what looked like a goblet filled with blood, or so it seemed to the terrified man. He took it with trembling hands and some of the wine slopped onto the immaculate tiling.

"Oh...oh." Panic stricken, he tried to get out of the chair, but only seemed to sink further down. "I am so sorry, I..."

But he got no further, at a gesture from the CEO, the assistant was at his side. He bent down and wiped up the droplets with a cloth produced from his jacket pocket.

"Think nothing of it Mr Sawyer." The rusty tones seemed smoother than they had before. "My assistant will clean it up."

And indeed he did, but as he straightened from wiping the floor his gaze met Sawyer's and the man quailed at the malevolence in it.

That rictus smile appeared once again and Sawyer felt distinctly unwell. "Now, shall we get down to business?"

ooOoo