Disclaimer: I do not own the Fable universe. Characters you do not recognize were created by me for the purposes of this story. This chapter contains content of a VERY mature nature (acts of a non-consensual nature and violence). This story has been M from the beginning and warnings are always posted at the beginning of every new chapter.

Just as a note: the female balverine in this chapter (Scarlet) made her first appearance in chapter six (blood & fire). I intend to give her a more important role in the chapters to come (hint, hint!). You will also be introduced to the full extent of Malakai's madness. Ezra may just regret freeing the killer once he realizes he does not control him and that he truly never did.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and for the reviews that have been left! Kind, constructive feedback is always appreciated :) - Fallon.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Malakai hurried down the hallway, a dozen balverines trailing obediently behind him. Ezra had made it clear to him that they had to be prepared, and so far, they had made little progress.

It was his intent to...urge them forward.

He pushed open the double doors and they entered the courtyard. The balverines stood in a line before him, all with their heads down. Most were males, but four females had shown promise and had been added to his team.

Malakai stood before them, "Ezra is not pleased with your lack of readiness. He does not believe any of you understand the importance of victory. It is my job to make you understand, and I take my job very seriously."

The balverines looked up, all ready and eager to hear what the newcomer had to say. Typically, it was strange for a newly minted balverine to be taken into confidence by the Alpha, but all understood that special circumstances were involved.

Whispers of his cruelty had already spread across the Family. Malakai knew this, as it was partially his doing. He wanted them to fear him, to never know what to expect from him. It was how he got his power – and his kicks.

"Scarlet, would you please come forward." He commanded in a hiss.

A young girl stepped forward. She appeared to be nineteen or so, but Malakai couldn't be sure. She was slim and the leather armour she wore hugged her body nicely. She had long auburn curls that touched her hips and bright emerald eyes.

A beauty to say the least.

Malakai was...interested in what she had to offer.

He glared at her, "Do you know why we are here?"

"To ready ourselves for the battle to come," she said with a nod, "when we finally meet the King's armies on the field of honor."

"Good, but know that the King does not fight with honor." Malakai addressed the others, "He will use every weapon in his arsenal to inflict pain upon you! You must be prepared for whatever he throws at you!"

"Have you faced his men before, teacher?" One of the younger males asked.

Malakai grinned, "Yes. They are weak, pathetic little men who fight like barbarians during the day and run home to their whores at night."

The group chuckled.

"And yet Logan calls them "elite"," he shook his head in disgust, "apparently that is a term often thrown around in his court. But not here, you will all become truly elite, or you will be tossed aside with the rest of the trash...do I make myself clear?"

His students nodded, voicing their understanding with muffled growls.

Malakai turned his heated gaze back to Scarlet, "Have you ever seen battle, Scarlet?"

"No sire," she admitted shyly, "I have not."

He pointed to another, "Have you?"

The youngling quickly shook his head, "N-No, sire."

"Perhaps you?" He demanded of another.

Again, he was met with more panicked looks.

"I have not been one of you for long," he said with no degree of sincere modesty, "but even I can easily see the similarities between warfare and hunting. Do you not gauge your enemies? Look for their flaws and exploit them? You must do exactly that," he shook his fist, "trust your primal instincts, if we are to succeed."

He saw his students stand taller, and his smile grew. In truth, he knew nothing of battle, but he knew much of the power of talk. A street urchin for most of his life, the upper class soldiers had looked down on him until he was skilled enough in the art of killing to spill their guts. Truly, killing was killing, be it in a back ally or on a battle field. And that was his business, so he was eager to expand his learning and put his new power to the test.

"They will have pistols and rifles, mortars and canons, dozens and dozens more men than we...but in the end, we will be the ones standing upon the field of victory. Ezra commands this of you, the Family commands this of you," Malakai walked up and down the line, "now...who wants to volunteer for a demonstration?"

Everyone took a step forward, forming a new line near Scarlet.

Malakai grinned as he walked behind them, "Excellent...truly excellent. Now, I have years of experience in the field of pain. Some might say that I am an expert. I will teach you how to endure it, how to thrive on it, and most importantly...how to inflict it."

He pushed one of the males forward and stalked after him as he stumbled.

"Attack me," he demanded, "charge me and try to rip my throat open!"

The young male eyed his fellow students fearfully, then reluctantly obeyed his teacher.

He sprung forward, arms extended and claws bared, with the clear intent on following orders.

Malakai grabbed his arms, deflecting them down so the man's palms touched his shoulders. He quickly slipped a hand forward, and violently dug his thumb into a pressure point just below the youth's bicep.

He gasped, then fell to his knees before Malakai, the sudden flash of pain too much for him.

Malakai jerked his knee up and forward, crashing it into the defeated man's nose.

Blood spurted freely from between his fingers as the poor boy tried without success to stem it's flow.

"You do not need to draw blood in order to hurt someone," Malakai slowly turned around to face the others, "but it certainly adds to the fun of it all."

Nervous chuckles filled the awkward silence and none stepped forward to volunteer as his next victim. No other balverine enjoyed the art of death quite like Malakai.

Satisfied with his first 'lesson', Malakai walked past the whimpering male to head back to the mansion. Just as the boy struggled to his feet, Malakai inflicted a swift kick to the side of his knee that snapped the frail joint with an audible crack.

The boy fell to the ground in a heap, screaming and grasping his leg as the blood continued to ooze from his broken nose. Through teary eyes he looked at his fellow students, but all averted his gaze.

Malakai kept walking, the screams echoing in his mind and filling his black heart.

"You weren't supposed to cripple them, Malakai!" Ezra shouted as he slammed his wine glass down on the table, shattering the delicate glass, "Are you completely mad!"

News of the 'lesson' had spread quickly, and the Alpha was not pleased to learn that they would be down one male in the final battle.

"I did only as you asked, Master." Malakai insisted through clenched teeth. He did not like to have his methods, his talents, questioned. While he desired his Master's pleasure, he also was out for his own.

Ezra growled, his sharp incisors peaking through his lips, "You did nothing of the sort! You're actions could very well have jeopardized our mission!"

"Our mission?" Malakai spat, "Clearly you are out to fulfil your own, Master."

Ezra lurched forward and grabbed his disobedient lackey by the throat, lifting him up so his feet dangled off the ground, "Do not forget who is the Master here, Malakai! If not for I, you'd be standing before the executioner! You'd be dead, you're talents would be dead!"

He stared down at Ezra, not the least bit terrified by the display...or his dwindling supply of air, "Your...pack...is...weak!"

Ezra snarled and violently threw Malakai across the room. His disobedience disgusted him, but what terrified him was the knowledge that he was indeed right. Too many balverines had be turned and not born into the pack, and it was beginning to show. Lack of respect, of discipline, of pride...it was all evident to the Alpha.

But what could he possibly do?

The pack's females were not as fertile as they once were and children within the Family were scarce. Shiloh was the only one currently, and she would soon enter into her adult years within the pack.

Their only hope for survival was himself, and Ezra was determined they'd have longevity. But in order for that to happen, he needed to tear Maya away from his brother, turn her into one of them and claim her as his mate.

Beyond her obvious beauty, Ezra hoped her heroic blood would prove useful and that she'd bare many healthy children. Vienna had proved useless, and he was determined that this time he'd get the son he always wanted.

In a son, Ezra would cement the Family's future.

Ezra glared down at Malakai as the young man slowly got to his feet, "You'll watch your tongue, Malakai, or by Skorm I will rip it out!"

Malakai wiped the blood from his lip. He'd gotten a rise out of his Master, touched on a nerve, and he hadn't missed it. Deeper than his anger, Malakai saw a panic in the Alpha that he saw in many of his victims.

He was grateful for what Ezra had given him, but was finding it hard to conform to his ways. He wanted blood and misery...and Scarlet.

"You spared me..." Malakai hissed, "but haven't allowed me to do anything! Give me what I desire or I'll leave and take half of your men with me!"

Ezra spit on him, "What you desire matters little to me..."

"Then you'll never get the Princess," Malakai threatened, feeling empowered despite the fact he was being beaten, "and the Family will die...along with their Master."

The line between Master and lackey blurring, Ezra realized he had never truly had control over the man. He was his enemy, just like Logan was, and Ezra needed to keep him close.

As great an asset as he was to the Family, he was also a tremendous threat.

Ezra's stare was sharp enough to pierce the toughest armour, "What do you want, Malakai?"

She was rushing down the hallway towards the libraries when Malakai made his move.

He stepped out from the shadows and pushed her up against the wall, grinning as her eyes opened wide in panic and her claws dug into his shoulders.

"What's the matter, love?" He teased as he licked her neck, "Frightened?"

It took Scarlet a moment to register what had happened, then her expression turned to one of fury and terror. It made Malakai grin happily.

"Back off or you'll not live to regret it!" She snarled, her sharp incisors peeking out from between her lips.

Malakai slipped a claw under the laces of her leather armour and playfully sliced them free, "Don't you want to have fun, dear Scarlet?"

"I am a balverine!" She spat as she tried to fight him off, "Not some tavern whore, murderous scum!"

He sliced down the laces and ripped open her shirt.

Scarlet wailed in fury and shame, striking him as hard as she could muster.

Sighing in contentment, he rested his head on her bare breasts and listened to her pounding heartbeat, "When I'm done with you you will be..."

Her claws tore down his back, ripping through his shirt and shredding his flesh, but still he did not relent.

A wicked smile on his thin lips, Malakai groped her breasts, tormenting her with quick flicks of his forked tongue over her nipples.

Scarlet closed her eyes as warm tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to distance herself from he pinches and find a comfortable, safe space deep inside her mind for her to hide.

Standing in the shadows, Ezra watched as Malakai took what he desired.