Broker

Sonya - no, Ishtar floated through the portal. The moment she passed the threshold, she immersed herself into the role. It wasn’t like the shaky, self-defensive, borderline personality shifts that she had used early in her career, nor was it simply flipping over to Erina. She put the name on like a mantle. Despite all the progress she’d made and all the growth she’d achieved, taking on the name and owning it was still a complex feeling. She’d answered to the name when playing the role, but here? In the den of one of her most powerful allies and arguably one of the most powerful villains in the world besides herself? She needed to be Ishtar.

I am Duality, both Sonya and Ishtar, she thought. Now that Erina has separated herself from the name as well… It feels easier. I am Ishtar.

She smiled behind her helmet as she scanned her surroundings with a pulse of her senses. Erebus’ tastes hadn’t changed. The man had a love of indoor gardens, and the entry hall of his new ‘palace’ was no different. Greens and blues dominated the environment; a carefully curated garden filled nearly the entire chamber with a single path connecting the door on one end to a heavy set of doors clearly leading outside into the dry, Middle Eastern air. Where there wasn’t plants, irrigation paths made of blue tile and framed by white concrete added a touch of elegance to the environment

A chime rang in her helmet, and she gestured again, a fresh portal forming as the coordinates flickered through her mind. The gateway opened, and a single figure stepped out. White and black hair adorned a thin head covered in stitches different from his original body’s patterns. The suit remained the same, but he was a bit taller than he had been back before his battle with Felwinter. Charon spun his cane once as the portal closed behind him, and he planted it on the ground between his carefully shined shoes. “Mistress Ishtar,” he said with a toothy grin, inclining his head. “Good to see you.” He glanced at Marta. “Companion, charmed as always.”

She grinned back at him from behind her helmet. “Charon,” her voice came out in an etheric ripple of sound. “Welcome to the Party.”

Companion inclined her head in a silent greeting as the set of doors leading further into the structure opened. Instead of a procession, three young men hurried out. Two of them looked to be in their mid-twenties, while the third in the middle was much younger. Saleh, Erebus’ favored son and the youngest of his brothers, came to a stop and bowed at the waist. His movements were rigid despite the intentional deference. “Ishtar, my father is expecting you. Welcome to the Aureal Palace.”

Ishtar tilted her chin up and regarded the boy. “Thank you for the pleasant greeting, dear,” she hummed and drifted forward, swooping around him once. “It looks like you are filling out a bit. Are your powers growing as well?”

He kept his waist bent. “If you are referring to my mastery of Earthwarden, it continues to grow well, Ishtar.”

She tilted her head to the right and squinted at him. His tone was formal, respectful, but her immediate instinct told her that it was a clinical distance. She drifted around him one more time, but he seemed to be keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. What are you hiding, boy? she wondered as she drifted away from him. “Lead the way, young master Saleh,” she said with a small chuckle.

Saleh rose to his feet and turned on his heel, his expression schooled into a relaxed calm that struck more like a youthful attempt at replicating his father’s authoritative gaze. Ishtar raised a hand over her helmet where her mouth would be and floated around him again. “My, my, you look so much like your father like that, dear,” she chuckled. His eyes twitched, and his lips pressed together just a bit harder. A bare movement, but one she didn’t miss. I knew it.

“Mistress,” Charon called, his voice laced with amusement. “Spare the poor boy.”

Ishtar drifted away from him and hovered at Charon’s side, arms behind her back. “I suppose I can be merciful, for now~”

–

Saleh’s mind was an inferno - a raw nerve that was being prodded over and over. Her very presence was grating on his patience. Ever since that woman had met with Erebus, Saleh had watched his father change. He held no contempt for the rapid conquests across the Middle East. Far from it. It was only to be expected that a man who possessed his powers would have the right to take what he desired.

And yet.

Erebus had grown increasingly erratic. Every time Ishtar’s flunkies requested money, Erebus just handed it over to them, no questions asked. Certainly, there had been a deal struck. He had felt firsthand the power of Ishtar’s deals. Even so, not only did the King indulge their requests, he overinvested. Always more than they asked. If it were Saleh, he would have demanded expense reports, detailed budgets, anything to justify using an ability that could flood the economy with unnecessary amounts of gold.

A power like that should be managed, not flaunted, he thought grimly as they passed through the doors. Case in point…

The throne room was the most grotesquely self-indulgent thing that Saleh had the unfortunate experience of setting eyes upon. The columns of the room had been turned to gold - the floor, the walls, the ceiling - every surface was another impossibly bald-faced attempt at needless luxury. At least Erebus had the presence of mind to decorate it with greenery, even if the pots the plants were in had been turned to gold as well.

Saleh stepped to the side as they entered, not even looking at the throne at the other end of the room. “My father is ahead. Ishtar. Charon,” he said and gestured towards the spot before straightening and crossing his arms behind his back. She floated in front of him like a wraith or some manner of fairy creature. Her head turned toward him only once more, those hot-pink lights burning within her helmet narrowing just slightly. Anger? Amusement? He couldn’t tell.

He watched her drift past, and his eyes fixed on the dead man, Charon. He was just as exorbitantly dressed as Erebus. In his case, ridiculous Gothic-Victorian cosplay. Why is he here, anyway? he thought while his eyes slowly followed the man’s path. Saleh schooled his expression again, forcing his curiosity and rising temper down. Just in time, too., as Charon glanced his way and cracked a razor-sharp grin. “See somethin’ ya like, brat?” He asked with a chuckle.

Bastard.

“Forgive me, Charon, sir. I was merely curious about the reason for your visit,” Saleh said with a breath. “From what I understand, the invitation was only for Ishtar,” he said, glancing towards The Companion as well. Another dangerous unknown. There’s very little information available about that one’s ability.

Ishtar didn’t stop floating towards the throne. “We’re a package deal, dear,” she said without looking back at him. “My Companion goes where I go. As for Charon, he’s my plus-one.” She snickered and swept across the remaining distance to a spot at the foot of the throne.

Saleh’s eyes narrowed before glancing up at his father, who sat serenely atop his golden throne. And you, maybe now I will get some explanation for your obsession. Is it infatuation? His father’s craving for women was unquenchable. For any woman to stand before him and be out of reach was anathema to who he was. It was a reasonable explanation for his vigorous support of the so-called ‘Queen of Villains’.

If it is, then I need the others to witness the evidence with me… He glanced towards his elder brother, who stood at attention at Saleh’s side. Then we can-

“HA HA HA! ISHTAR!” Erebus bellowed. The booming, gregarious voice sounded more like grating inside Saleh’s eardrum rather than making him feel inspired as it once had when he was a boy. He watched Erebus rise to his feet and descend the steps in just two ground-eating strides. The big man spread his arms, his bare chest and golden toga shimmering in the already glaring light of the room.

Ishtar returned his laugh with a chuckle of her own, and the two embraced.

I knew-

“HOW ARE YOU, MY FRIEND?” Erebus laughed as he pulled back, squeezing her arms. “I’M THRILLED YOU CAME TO VISIT!”

…Friend?

Ishtar tittered out a laugh. “I have been wanting to check in with you for some time, dear Erebus,” she said as she drifted at his eye level. She raised a hand to her heart. “I am better than I have been in a long time, actually. Even more so to see a friendly face.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelꜰire.net

…Friendly face?

“GOOD! I HAVE A PARTY PLANNED TO CELEBRATE!” Erebus chortled, slapping his hand over his heart.

Yet another wasteful display of opulence.

“Oh, Erebus! You don’t have to do that for little ol’ me,” Ishtar chortled.

Precise-

“NONSENSE!” Erebus bellowed, slapping his chest again and planting his fists on his hips. “The insurance for the future you gave me has given me a peace of mind I can’t begin to repay you for!” He declared. “A party is the least I can do!”

Insurance.

“I see!” Ishtar replied with a hand raised to her helmet. “To think our little exchange had such an impact. Now I feel a little bad for almost turning you down, dear.”

Friends. Insurance for the future. What the hell? That’s it? Some kind of exchange and now they’re fast friends? That’s his justification for indulging this woman? For recklessly- He scoffed and turned away, storming toward the door leading out of the throne room.

“SALEH!” Erebus called.

Saleh ignored him. The man was worse than he expected. Friendship? That was the sole grounding reason that he had tossed aside his dignity as a ruler and capitulated to giving in to her demands? That was the reason? It was galling, but it was also something that could be accepted by his brothers. Who would reasonably argue with him anyway? Erebus was a one-man army. Nations had fallen overnight under the weight of his signature wrath.

And yet you serve.

Saleh pushed through the doors to the outside, stopping to catch his breath before spinning and slamming a fist into the outer wall of the palace. “That’s it?” he demanded. “Some vague insurance?” He spat on the ground and ran his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth. He shot a look towards the pair of security guards standing at the other end of the courtyard. Sycophants. He ground his teeth, walking away to find a copse of trees in the courtyard for some modicum of privacy.

His chest heaved, his nostrils flared. He wanted to scream, he wanted to-

KRSSHH

The sound of shattering glass drew him out of his fury, and he turned to see a shard of luminous pink matter falling from one of the trees surrounding him. He stepped back from it, narrowing his eyes. What the-?

“One of Ishtar’s eyes,” a merry voice said behind him. He spun and took a step back, the ground beneath his feet rumbling. A man stepped out of the trees with a flicker of red lightning dancing at his foot. He was young, about Saleh’s age. His hair was a messy brown, and his eyes were covered in thick-lensed glasses that made his pupils seem large. A single tear streaked down his cheek as he cracked a grin. “Sorry about your brother, young master,” Riot said and shoved a shaky hand into his pocket. The other hand was gripping what looked like a wand or scepter of some sort, a faint blue-white glow pulsed on it once before fading away. “Better him than me, though.”

Saleh’s eyes widened, and he whipped his head back towards the palace, obscured by the trees. “Riot,” he snarled. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Riot shrugged. “No clue. I’m supposed to meet someone nearby tomorrow, no idea who. I was in the neighborhood and saw you storm out of the palace.” His eyes glittered. “Figured I’d seize the opportunity to talk.”

Saleh narrowed his eyes. ”Your timing is terrible.”

Riot’s eyebrows rose. “Do tell.”

–

Ishtar pursed her lips behind her helmet; her eye had been shattered. A new bodyguard Saleh had hired, perhaps? Well, him finding out she was watching him would not endear her further. She was going to have to find some way to figure the boy out, though, especially given the inheritance deal she’d set up with Erebus. One day he would take the big man’s place, even if that was far in the future.

She returned her attention to the present moment as Erebus spoke. “I hear you brought something special for me to see. A surprise?”

“Something like that,” she said with a tittering laugh and turned to Companion. “Levi, dear, come.”

I take exception to that method of summons, the thought flickered through her head even as the little familiar rolled his way out of his hiding spot within Companion’s gown. Ishtar narrowed her eyes a little. “Interesting hiding spot.”

Levi didn’t respond, trotting forward on his reptilian legs until he hopped into the air and landed on her armored shoulder. The familiar tilted his head and side-eyed Erebus. Obnoxious man.

Erebus, on the other hand, stood transfixed, his eyes wide as he admired the white-scaled monster. He took a step forward and reached out, almost reverently. “Ah… is this…?”

She nodded. “Yes, this is the outcome of that egg you gave me,” she said and reached up to scratch beneath Levi’s chin. This may continue. Proceed, partner. “He’s a lazy boy who likes being spoiled.” I take exception to being called lazy. I conserve energy.

Ishtar snorted. “He’s also quite opinionated.”

Erebus examined Levi with naked envy before schooling his expression and letting out a harsh laugh. “If only I’d known such a magnificent beast would come out of that egg, I may have chosen a different gift for you!”

Not loud, smart. Levi’s thoughts sank into her head.

Ishtar shook her head and scratched Levi’s chin one more time before turning to gesture to Charon. “I’m sure you’ve both already met, but allow me to introduce Charon,” she said. “I brought him as a plus-one to your party. I hope you don’t mind.”

Erebus turned and extended a hand. “Good to see you again, Charon. Your face is different.”

Charon took his hand. “Last body died,” Charon said lazily. “Occupational hazard. I have plenty of spares,” the ruler of the Styx said. “Looking forward to the party.”

“GOOD!” Erebus chortled before turning to Companion. “And the mysterious Companion.”

Companion merely nodded wordlessly in response.

Erebus clapped his hands together. “Well! Now that greetings are done, why don’t we retire to my vault?” he asked with a grin. “I have some very amusing new acquisitions I wanted to show you.”

Ishtar inclined her head. “Lead the way, friend.”

She glanced once over her shoulder as she drifted after Erebus, her eyes fixed on the door that Saleh had gone through. She felt a tug in her chest, and her lips thinned. Why is DeM reacting? she mused before turning away and frowned before firing off a quick text to Companion mentally. <Stay Alert. I have a bad feeling all of a sudden.>