De'Vas Chronicles Book 4: Chapter 14

Victor stood outside a building in District 1, looking at the neon sign in disgust. What was referred to as the ‘nightlife’ part of District 1 was a place he did his best to avoid at all costs. The noise and bright lights of this area grated his nerves. He opened his phone again and checked the app that tracked GPS signals. One signal that shouldn’t have been active was coming from within the club.

“Of all the places you could have been, it had to be here,” Victor growled.

Why such an annoying activity by humans had caught on among the paranormals, given that many possess heightened senses of hearing. He would consider such places as this ‘club’ a form of torture.

He truly wished he could flatten the speakers with his Force Magic before entering, but that would cause a scene. So with gritted teeth, he entered the establishment.

The music was ten times worse when he pushed the door open, as were the flashing lights of the club and dancers on the floor, bodies moving like animals trying to escape the jaws of a predator. His eyes started to scan the dark room for the reason he was here when someone spoke to him.

“Welcome to the Siren’s Lounge. How might we entertain you today?” a sultry voice asked. The voice was clear despite the noise of the room..

Victor turned to face the brunette siren who was approaching him. She wore a red cocktail dress with a slit. She took a pose that teased her leg and thigh along the slit as she bit her lip, her eyes ran up and down him.

“This is my little spot in District 1, and it’s not often we get a dragon visitor,” she said, smiling at him.

He could feel the magic that laced her voice, which he easily rebuffed.

“Do not try to charm me,” he warned with a sneer.

The seductive look fell from the siren to one of panic.

“Forgive me, Councilman Victor. I only meant to calm you. You seemed… agitated, and I wished to…” She trailed off, trying to find the words.

Victor already knew what she was trying to say. He did have a reputation.

“If you don’t want me to start killing people, then using magic on me is a bad way to go about it,” he said, pushing down his agitation. “Take me to Kaito, I know he’s here.”

Her eyes were wide, as if expecting him to take a bite out of her. Then his request set in, and she quickly began to move through the club. Victor followed behind her as they passed by the dance floor and bar, moving toward the private booths. She stopped at one of the private booths, gestured to it, and quickly left.

Kaito sat there with two sirens leaning against him. He was sipping a cocktail as a plate of stuffed mushrooms sat before him. The oni choked on his drink as Victor took a seat at the booth.

“Leave,” Victor commanded the two girls, who were currently smacking the choking Kaito on the back.

He was thankful they didn’t need to be told twice and quickly left the booth. Victor glared at Kaito, who was now composing himself. Before the oni could say anything, Victor reached into his jacket and pulled out a stone with a rune etched in it. He placed it on the table and pushed a little of his magic into it, causing the rune to glow white. Instantly, all the noise vanished within the room, save Kaito’s breathing and pounding heart. The oni was afraid and for good reason. The rhythmic sound was almost like music to Victor, only instead of dancing, it made him want to kill.

“Why are you back?” Victor asked, pushing back against his instincts.

He wouldn’t get angry yet. He’d give Kaito a chance to explain himself. Perhaps he had a good reason to no longer be on Vas.

When the oni’s eyes hardened, Victor almost smiled. He wondered if the berserker could give him a decent fight. He doubted the club would survive the brawl, though, and very few of its patrons would.

“I’m here because you fucked with my mission,” Kaito said before double checking that the silence rune was active.

“Oh? And how have I done that?” Victor challenged.

Kaito stared at the stone for a moment and then looked to the crowd of partygoers dancing before answering.

“The human was in Riverbend,” Kaito growled once he was sure the rune was keeping their conversation private. “You know damn well I’m working that region.”

Victor wore a savage smile as he saw Kaito’s muscles expand with magic, tearing the seams of his bowling shirt. He knew it was bluster. Victor might be tempted to fight, but the truth was that Hitomi would kill both of them if they fought in District 1. It would draw too much attention to her plans.

“I dropped him in the Markal Forest under Hitomi’s orders,” Victor said calmly.

The magic left Kaito as his body deflated to its normal, but still massive size. He sat there with a confused look on his face, his jaw hanging open.

“Why?” he asked as he lifted his cocktail and looked at the dregs that remained in the glass.

Victor shrugged.

“I was just following orders,” he said.

Kaito narrowed his eyes, most likely picking up that it was a lie.

“Well, he’s causing quite the stir. The human killed the warchief of the orc clan that took over the Markal Castle, declared himself the new warchief, and then claimed the castle for the Nightmare Queen. Rumors are spreading around the area that Blackthorn is returning and making my job a little more difficult than I would like,” Kaito growled.

Victor couldn’t help but smirk. He had wondered how the human would fare. Part of him thought his bones would litter the forest floor after a day or two. In contrast, the other part remembered the fury when Victor had provoked him by threatening his women.

“I’m making progress on the valuable reagent there. If he gets in my way, I’ll crush him,” Kaito said grimly.

Victor nodded.

“That’s fine. Just don’t pursue him. Hitomi sent him there to see if he could survive. If he chooses to fight you, then that’s his own stupidity,” Victor said, then glared. “Don’t think for a second that Hitomi won’t shove a truth-sayer potion down your throat and cook you from the insides out if she doesn’t like what she hears.”

Kaito grimaced, but nodded.

“Why is the fox so interested in him anyway?” Kaito asked, downing the dregs of his cocktail.

Victor shook his head.

“It’s Hitomi. We don’t ask questions. We do as we’re told,” he answered.

He doubted Kaito could understand the potential Victor and Hitomi saw in Ash. If he did, the oni might try to crush the human’s head now while he still could. The kitsune was playing a dangerous game.

Kaito grabbed one of the stuffed mushrooms and threw it in his mouth. He then offered Victor one, which Victor turned down. While some dragons had diversified their palates since coming to this world, he was purely a carnivore.

“How’s Piper?” Kaito asked, his tone shifting to a calmer one.

Victor sighed.

“A mess. Even Scarlet has let up on harassing her,” Victor admitted. “Hitomi was already unhappy with her, and now Piper’s former vassal has gone rogue.”

Kaito raised an eyebrow.

“That’s pretty bad if even the pixie isn’t riding her spider ass. Was the vassal the twins that she was trying to hunt down? The ones she used to jump the human with?” Kaito asked.

Victor nodded.

“Just one now, Bella. We found her brother’s corpse hacked up and shoved into the trash can of a shop in District 1. Since we’ve found the body, Piper has had two of her District bosses murdered,” Victor answered, his eyes resting on the stuffed mushrooms.

He reached out, one of his fingers shifting into a claw, and cut the mushroom in half before scooping the meat out. He dropped the small morsel in his mouth.

“You sure it was her that killed Piper’s vassals? Districts aren’t known for their stability,” he asked with a small chuckle.

“Oh, Bella has made it clear that it was her. She put their bodies on display and left messages written in their blood on the walls of where she killed them. Messages that revealed things Piper would want to keep secret,” Victor said, frowning. “It seems she used the twins to do her dirty work several times.”

The oni shook his head.

“Shit, Hitomi can’t be happy,” Kaito stated.

“She’s not,” Victor admitted. “Piper and Scarlet are working together to try and track Bella down, but are having little luck.”

Silence settled over the table.

“How thin is the ice she’s on with the Fox?” Kaito finally asked.

Victor didn’t answer. Instead, he stood from the table, straightening his jacket.

“Rest, resupply, and head back tomorrow,” Victor ordered.

The oni grunted in response as Victor grabbed the stone with the silence rune and deactivated it. The deafening noises of the club flooded back around them, much to Victor’s agitation. He turned and quickly moved through the crowd to escape the racket.