26 August 2012
It wasn't a sound that awoke him, nor a presence. It was precisely a lack of the afore mentioned that put him on guard. He was aristocratic with a strong jaw, a set of clear eyes and a firm body. Dressed currently in a silken white shirt and a pair of black loose pants acting as night-clothes, he opened slate-grey eyes to stare at the meticulously decorated canopy overhead. His good left ear strained to pick out where the sound- or lack there of- was originating from. He held perfectly still for endless seconds before the smallest breath of air broke the buzzing silence. A breath of air that shouldn't have existed with his glass veranda-door sealed and the heavy drapes drawn. As silently as possible the tanned form slipped from under the expensive bed-sheets and feet slipped into readily-prepared slippers. He had taken no more than a step from his bedside when a glint flashed past his face, igniting his cheek in pain. He gasped and raised a hand to directly under his eye and stumbled back. His hand, illuminated by the shaft of moonlight- that shouldn't have been there- was painted a deep red that matched his long loose hair shade for shade. He searched the room with his eyes fervently but there wasn't anything to see. A dark chuckle bit through the scarcely-illuminated bed chamber's darkness, "Lord Miindyr..." The voice trailed into shadow and the red-haired lord turned quickly but found no source, "I admit I am... Disappointed." Again Miindyr was forced to turn to follow the voice and, in a deep, threatening tone he snarled, "Who are you to dare attempt this!? You claim to know who I am, Llyon Miindyr son of Kazir king of Azmodel, and yet you give me no deserved respect." An ironic chuckle drew Llyon's head to his left but once more the corner he glared at remained empty and dark. "Deserved respect..." The words were said with a venomous drawl and Llyon's hands clenched slightly at his side, his left releasing quickly as it pulled at his old scar. The chuckle quickly turned into a maniacal giggle that clearly set Llyon on edge. "Deserved respect you say?" The words had lost their drawl and were admittedly slightly breathless from the giggles but retained the same disdainful venom as the previous words. "Answer me! I will not stand for this-" "Then by all means, sit." The voice replied flatly and before Llyon could react another gleaming flash caught his eye and his knees buckled, sending him onto his backside onto the lavishly furnished bed. "You do not want to anger me son of Kazir, not with your life hanging on meager threads presently. You know perfectly well why I am here, though my identity is unimportant." The voice was suddenly cold and imposing and Llyon was finally able to make out an outline of a man a few inches shorter than him across the room. The figure had yet to shift even the slightest bit so it was no surprise his eyes had missed him previously. "Sin'hir will come in three days to collect his side of your agreement. Do not attempt to cheat him High Prince, for Sin'hir always knows." Then the figure did shift and Llyon was able to see broad shoulders, a traveling cloak wrapped tightly around them and a pair of the most piercing yellow eyes he had ever seen. "It is not 'His' life I am sparing, so you would do well to follow my advice." Then, as though the figure had never been his presence was gone once more. Llyon swallowed, his eyes stilled glued to where the man had been. Three days.
(tentative title)
King Killer (Prologue) • Opuss № I