Unholy Alliances

Logan roared his triumph as he stood over the broken form of his younger brother. Finally the Stonebreaker clan was his to rule, as it should always have been, had events not conspired against him in the previous cycle. The accident that had robbed him of much of his strength had also allowed his brother to garner support against him and rise to power. But he wouldn't be trying that again.

All around him, his Minotaur brethren dropped to their knees in reverence. There was only one rule with his kind, might makes right. And now there were none who were even close to matching him.

"Lord Logan." The guttural voice of Clan Envoy Urdnark broke the silence as he entered the battle chamber. "There is someone here to see you from another clan."

Logan growled. The interruption of his victory was not acceptable. Whoever this other clan envoy was, he had best talk quickly. "Who is this interloper?"

"He says his name is Kairos, my lord."

Logan sat on the clan throne as he surveyed this Kairos Doombringer. He was fully clad in battle plate which made it impossible to say for sure exactly what he was, but his general body shape alluded to the fact that he was one of those filthy humans, albeit a physically impressive one. In fact he had never seen a human able to match the height of a Minotaur, until now.

"Speak." Logan growled.

Kairos stepped forward until he was only a few paces from Logan. Logan's guards moved forward to intercept, weapons at the ready, but Logan waved them back. He had no need for someone else to defend him. If this Kairos wanted to attack him, Logan would take his head. However it soon became apparent why Kairos had moved so close. His voice was barely a whisper, but powerful and commanding. Logan imagined it was what Death himself would sound like.

"I come to offer you an opportunity to grow more powerful." Kairos stated.

"Really? I now rule Clan Stonebreaker. What more could I want?"

"Clan Stonebreaker is still small and will be swallowed up by many of the larger Shadow forces out there." Kairos replied. "You need a powerful ally. My master is one of those."

Logan could feel the rage within him rising to the fore. Who was this Kairos to come to his clan and say such things? This affront to his honour could not stand.

"You come here, pathetic human, and claim we are WEAK!?" He roared, rising from the throne, axe in hand. His bodyguards approached Kairos again, awaiting the order. "KILL HIM!" Logan bellowed.

Kairos moved with the speed of a Wulven, drawing his sword and neatly decapitating the left guard before twisting the blade in his hand and impaling the right through the chest. Before Logan could even raise his weapon to strike his guards were dead and Kairos' bloody blade was pointed squarely at Logan's heart.

"Try that again and I will kill you where you stand." Kairos spoke again, his voice still that same deadly whisper. Somehow the fact he hadn't raised his voice made him even more menacing. He sheathed his sword without bothering to clean it. "The offer still stands, if you wish it. If not, I shall be forced to kill you, and my master will take over Clan Stonebreaker through force."

Logan sat down again. Seeing Kairos fight, he actually had some doubts as to whether he could defeat him. "All right. Tell your master I shall join him."

"Excellent." Kairos replied.

"Master, there is someone here to see you." Yog'lau stated while on bent knee. Majiya looked up at him, turning her attentions from her ritual preparation. "Who is it?" She asked sternly.

"A man named Kairos. At least, he looks like a man." Yog'lau replied.

"Very well, send him in."

Yog'lau scampered off to collect her guest. Majiya sighed. Ka'thax had been a much better servant; he wasn't as snivelly as Yog'lau. Shame he had to die at Ravendark.

Yog'lau returned with Kairos. Majiya had to crane her neck to meet his gaze, and even that wasn't really possible due to his helmet. Whoever he was, he certainly was hard to miss.

"That will be all Yog'lau." Majiya ordered, waving him away. Yog'lau hurried out of the room as quickly as he could. She returned her attentions to the monster of a man in her chamber. "Speak."

"May I have that rag?" Kairos asked, pointing to Majiya's table and the washcloth on it. Puzzled, Majiya nodded, and Kairos picked it up, unsheathed his sword and cleaned the now dried blood off of it with the cloth. Obviously the blood of the last person he negotiated with. Majiya surmised. Also a move meant to intimidate me.

"Surely you didn't come all this way to clean your sword." Majiya stated. "State your business."

"How astute of you." Kairos replied flatly, sheathing his sword. Majiya actually had a hard time determining if he was being sarcastic or if he was attempting to joke. "I come here seeking an alliance on behalf of my master."

Majiya raised an eyebrow. "Really? And who, pray tell, is your master?"

"That is unimportant." Kairos replied.

"On the contrary, that is very important." Majiya countered, moving closer to Kairos. Huge or not, she wasn't going to be dictated to by this man. "I'm not going to throw my lot in with anyone without knowing them."

"If you don't accept, my master will take control of your faction by force. You will not survive."

Majiya snorted. "Oh please, physical threats may have worked against the Minotaurs, but do you know who you're dealing with?" She paused to let the statement sink in. "I will drag your soul out of your mouth before you even have a chance to un-sheath your blade."

Kairos tilted his head slightly. "What makes you think I've made a deal with the Minotaurs?"

"Minotaur blood, even dry, has a very distinctive odour." Majiya replied. "Dealing with them means you need brute force, so your army is a bit lacking in that department." She paused before continuing. "Also, you've come to me, which tells me that your master has no knowledge of the magical arts. And he's not Wulven; they are notorious for only dealing with their own kind if possible. He could be one of the Hunters, but they like to work alone or in small groups. They certainly wouldn't amass an army. No, your master is a warrior like you. And there's only one warrior general making a lot of noise out there at the moment, enough to warrant alliances. Ter Adun."

"You truly are worthy of the credit my Master gives you." Kairos replied simply. "Well, now that you have deduced his identity, will you join us?"

Majiya crossed her arms. "I will think about it. Expect my reply by sundown."

Kairos nodded. "I shall inform my master. Good day." And with that he turned on his heel and left.

Majiya exhaled. She had not shown it, but she was glad when Kairos had left the room.

Kairos moved quickly away from the Sorceress' lair and toward his chariot. He had both Logan and Majiya exactly where they needed to be, Logan fearful of his martial prowess, and Majiya convinced of her mental superiority. As he mounted his chariot and rode back toward Ter Adun's camp, he smiled slightly under his helmet.

Everything was coming together nicely.