To Rule In Shadow

"Oh? What kind of deal are we talking about?" Isabel asked, amused.

"Simple really. Give me your organization, and in exchange, I won't destroy everything you hold dear." The youth said with another dark smile.

Isabel laughed. "You have some balls, kid. I'll give you that." Any hint of amus.e.m.e.nt drained from her face, as she addressed her followers. "Take him out back and find out what he knows about the key."

"It seems negotiations have failed." Adrian replied with a shrug, as the men surrounding him hesitantly moved forward to grab him.

The lights started to flicker, and a gust of sepulchral wind blew threw the house, bringing with it, a bone-numbing chill. The men froze, each overcome by deep, despairing sense of fear they could neither describe nor fully comprehend.

The lights fell completely, as the room was somehow bathed in an impenetrable darkness. Isabel fumbled for her cigarette lighter while yelling at Paul. "Get out of here! Now!"

Silence fell, as a door creaked open in the darkness. With trembling hands, Isabel finally hit the switch on her lighter, nearly dropping it when it illuminated the pale, unearthly face of Adrian, who was now standing much closer.

She couldn't see any sign of her men, and judging from the pained breathing from the direction of the kitchen, Paul was injured somehow.

Summoning what little remained of her courage, she face the terrifying man, "What do you want?"

Adrian leaned slightly closer, "You are so quick to forget. I believe I already told you my demands."

Gritting her teeth, she slid a hand back into the folds of the couch, where she kept one of her backup weapons. If this....child thought he was going to strong arm Isabel Ortega, then he had another thing-

A primal terror coursed through her very being, her heart skipping a beat. She looked up into those two cold orbs, and saw...amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Please....." Was all she could squeeze out.

"Mommy, who is that man? Where's Daddy?" Mariella said as she finished climbing down the stairs and walked over to them, heedless of the danger. She felt paralyzed, utterly unable to act.

The lights flickered back on, illuminating the room. In much the same manner, Adrian's demeanor changed dramatically. With a sincere seeming smile, he turned to the little girl, kneeling down to her level. "Hello there, I'm Adrian. I was just concluding some business with your mother."

"Hi Adrian, I'm Mariella." She replied with a smile of her own, but looked over at Isabel with a frown of concern. "What's wrong, Mommy?"

The young man turned towards Isabel as well, making sure she had full view of the hand that was resting on his right knee. She could only watch in horror, as the shadows along his arm seemed to crawl and twist. And her daughter was within his reach.

"Nothing, sweetie. I'm just not feeling very well at the moment. Why don't you head back upstairs, and I'll be up to tuck you in soon." She said in as calm of a voice as she could manage.

Her daughter gave her a suspicious look. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong? You're a funny color."

Adrian chuckled at that, a sharp tendril of darkness swaying behind the child's head. "She's right, Ms. Ortega you look a little pale. Maybe I should help Mariella here back to bed. Why don't you just rest."

Her daughter looked a little startled by her outburst. She scrunched her face in confusion, but evident couldn't stand by the challenge to her maturity. "Yup, I'm already six and I don't need you to tuck me in, Mommy."

The little diva spun on her heels and marched back in the direction of the stairs, pausing for a moment once she reached landing. "But you can tuck me in if you want to."

"Alright, sweetie, I'll do that. Why don't you go get ready?"

"Okay!" Mariella yelled before running back upstairs.

"Cute kid you got there." A cold voice echoed in her ear. "It would be a shame....well, you know."

Isabel clenched her fists to keep them from trembling. Looking down, she squeezed out a whisper, "You win. Take what you want."

Adrian chuckled again. "Well then, I think I'll take everything."

He paused to walk over to the front door, which she saw was open. "From now on, I am in charge. I don't care about your day to day operations, but every now and then, I will have commands that I want to you follow. They should be simple enough for a woman of your resources and ability."

"That's it?" She asked, slightly incredulous. When he said he wanted her organization, she'd imagined something much more violent.

She swallowed, "Crystal."

"Good." Adrian replied, turning towards the door once more. "As for your first order. I want you to begin finding people who want something."

Isabel stared at him for a moment. "Uhh..."

He elaborated. "People who want something that no one else can provide. People who would be willing to do anything to have their wishes fulfilled. When you've located some, let me know. I think you are aware of my address, right?"

She nodded.

"Then, I'll be in touch." Adrian waved as he walked through the front door. It was only after it started to close behind him, that she noticed something strange. It was the wrong color.

With a click, it closed and simply faded away.

Isabel found herself staring at the white painted wood of her front door, which hadn't been open in the first place. Shuddering almost uncontrollably, she walked over to the kitchen to find her husband. Thankfully, Paul had merely been knocked unconscious, but appeared to be fine otherwise. He would probably wake up in a while with a nasty headache.

Thinking over Adrian's words, Isabel walked up to Mariella's room. She suddenly felt the need to hold her daughter tightly. To make sure that everything was still alright.

Pavuk delivered another courtly bow. "My lord, the Hall is pleased with your offerings."

Adrian shot the strange man a look. "Good. Although, I'm sure the value is still quite low."

"Indeed, but in some cases, quantity supersedes quality. By the way, my lord, what would you have me do with this one?"

The ruler glanced over at the large terrified man who was curled into the fetal position and paralyzed by fear.

"Vance."

The man on the floor started shaking when his name was called. The faint smell of urine could be detected from his inc.u.mbent form.

"Ugh. Stand, or I will show you something to fear." Adrian spoke with disdain.

With a jerk, the man shot upright, still trembling.

Adrian walked over to the foot of the stairs leading up to the throne. He seemed to be basking in the faint light provided by the stained glass window. Glancing back over his shoulder, he spoke quietly. "Tell me. What would you be willing to give up, to continue living?"

Adrian turned towards him fully. "Oh? Would you be willing to give up your wealth?"

"Yes." No hesitation.

"How about your friends and family? Would you trade them for yourselves?"

Vance paused, as a wave of revulsion passed through him, however, bravery had never been his greatest quality. "Yes."

Adrian nodded, as if that were expected. "Then what if I offered to spare your life in exchange for your soul?"

The large man nearly laughed at the idea, but considering what he'd seen and heard, it no longer seemed as ridiculous to him as it might once have.

[Could he really do that?] Vance found himself believing it to be within the youth's power. He knew that he needed to answer the question, or risk facing Adrian's disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, but he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth and speak.

Adrian laughed. "Ah, it seems like you aren't quite ready to sacrifice your tainted soul just yet. Have no fear. I'm not upset. I wanted to see how far you'd be willing to go to save your own skin. It seems like even lowlifes like you have boundaries."

Despite the strange feeling of degradation and humiliation he felt at the youth's words, a hint of hope started developing in his heart. He remained silent, waiting for the question he sensed was coming.

Vance felt his vision narrow slightly at the thought of such a place. His sadistic imagination was already picturing what the 'processing' might entail.

"So, I would like to offer you a deal. I will spare you from a horrible death. In exchange, I only ask for your service." Adrian said as he began to ascend the steps leading to the throne.

"Service?" Vance asked slightly confused.

"Indeed. Serve me loyally and without question for the rest of your life, and you will get to live. Perform well, and I might even reward you."

Vance felt his mouth go dry and legs go weak. He wanted to protest, to decry the fate that had apparently been laid out for him, but no sound could escape his lips. His body understood. To deny that man would mean the end, in more ways than one. There was only one answer he could give. This time he did speak.

With a flourish, Adrian sat upon the throne, calmly crossing his legs and resting his chin on one fist. He regarded the criminal with a disdainful air. "A life for a life. Am I not a just ruler?"