Book 3: First Meeting Remembered Part 2

The eight Masters Sisters get together for dinner at their favorite restaurant. During dinner, Honor's younger sisters get her to tell them about how she and Alexander met.

I was running down an alley, chasing a water demon who worked for the late Glengry, a powerful fire demon. I originally planned to pump Glengry for info, but he had already been dead when I got into his lair, decapitated by a sword, I think. Luck was with me and Glengry's favorite little water demon had escaped the attack

I'd finally cornered the little bugger at a dead end. He turned to face me, face sweating, eyes darting everywhere looking for an escape route. His gills were flat against his neck and his fins were at the ready. That was, of course, totally useless. I don't fight at that close range. I stepped into the moonlight shining in a pale strip down the center of the alley.

“What do you want, hunter?” the demon asked, his voice shaking from fear.

“You know what I want,” I said softly, using my voice the way Melody did when she was trying to convince someone to do something for her. “I want information, water demon, and I want it now.”

“I will tell you nothing!” He roared. The threat of his roar was undone by his shacking.

“I was afraid you would say that,” I said, trying to not laugh at him. Water demons were like small dogs. They were all bark, no bite, and rather pathetic when they tried to be menacing. I used the opal my scythe to to make green earth chains to bind him to the ally wall. For a few minutes he tried to break free, but soon realized it was useless and broke into a sweat.

“Alright,” he said after he gave up trying to escape. “What do you plan to do now? Torture me?”

“If I must.” I said as I stepped within arm's reach of m captive. “I have already sound-proofed this ally. No one would here you scream in pain.”

His blue skin paled. The threat of torture always has this affect on water demons. They are real cowards when it comes to pain. And since his powerful master was dead, he was completely helpless.

“I would rather not torture you, though,” I continued, using my free hand to lovingly pet my robes. “I don't want to get blood on my robes. Black is hard enough to clean without having to deal with blood stains.”

“You are crazy,” the demon accused. “You got me chained to a wall and you're worried about blood stains! My master will-”

“Do nothing,” I interrupted. “Your master is dead. He will do nothing to help you.”

The demon paled further. “You-you killed my master?”

“No.” I said with a frown of disappointment. “I was going to, but someone beat me to the punch.”

“Alright, alright. I'll tell you anything you need to know,” the demon said frantically. “Please, just don't hurt me. I'll tell you anything, just don't hurt me.”

I knew this was my best chance to entrance him. I use my free hand to pull down my hood and shook out my thick, curly hair. I caught his gaze with mine and focused my power at him, dazing him. He fell easily into my spell.

“Tell me of Rinzer,” I said softly, careful not to shock him out of the trance.

“He is the Lord of all demons,” the captive answered. He was so dazed and distracted that he didn't speak any louder than I had. “All demons, elemental or other wise, call him master. Only an elite group of demon kind is trusted enough by him to help him handle his affairs.”

“What elite group?”

“We call them the Zerdin. All kinds of demons make up the Zerdin. Fire, earth, air, even lightening and bounty demons call themselves Zerdin. They are like the police and bodyguards of Rinzer.”

“How do you spot a Zerdin?”

“They all wear Rinzer's mark. Somewhere, somehow, they wear it. It could be a tattoo or an earring or a patch on their shirt.”

“The Zerdin are the closest ones to Rinzer?”

The demon nodded. “Yes. No one else has even seen him in person and lived. They are all vicious and kill before asking questions.”

“So no one except the Zerdin have seen Rinzer?”

“A vampire did, but he is the only one besides the Zerdin.”

“A vampire?” I asked, surprised. “Are the vampires in league with Rinzer?”

“Oh, no.” The demon shook his head vigorously. “The vampires hate Rinzer. He-”

My captive was cut off by a knife that was embedded to the hilt in his throat.

prev chapter