Broker

Three masks lay on the table in the suite; next to them were three cards - invitations. Sonya crossed her arms and squinted at the pile. Her lips curled up into an amused smile as she glanced towards Marta, who stood with her hands at her waist, her own smile barely containing mirth. Charon was leaning on his cane, his stitched face twisted into a rictus smile. He and Sonya exchanged a look, and Sonya snorted out a laugh. Soon, all three of them were laughing.

Charon was the first to speak. “It doesn’t cover the lower part of the face!” he chortled, gesturing to the stitches along his jaw and his skin, gray with undeath. “What good does it do me?”

“I wear a veil,” Marta scoffed, shaking her head.

Sonya just threw her head back and laughed. “At least one of us should wear one. Come on, Charon. It would be hilarious!” She plucked two of the masks up and held one in front of her face. “Will you be a Wolf?” she asked before swapping to the other. “Or a Bear?”

He laughed and snatched the wolf mask from her grip, holding it in front of his face. “How do I look?” he asked, getting another snicker from Sonya.

“I thought the bird one was rather nice,” Marta hummed, eyeing the forgotten third mask.

Charon glanced her way and raised an eyebrow. “I hate birds.”

Sonya crossed her arms and nodded. ”He does hate birds.”

Marta tilted her head. “Forgive me for being blunt, but since when?”

He scratched his head with the handle of his black lacquer cane. “Since adulthood. I was a taxi-driver in New York.”

Sonya clarified. “Pigeons.”

Charon scowled. “Pigeons.”

Marta made a face before letting out a sigh, shaking her head. “I see.”

Sonya turned on the spot and put her hands on her hips, glancing towards the couch on the far side of the room. Erina was lounging there, Levi on her shoulders; she didn’t look up. Sonya pursed her lips. “You comin’ with?” she asked.

Erina frowned at her book and then glanced up at her. “...I suppose. This whole exercise is frivolous, I will have you know,” she said irritably and rose to her feet. Levi hopped off her shoulder and landed on the coffee table, his rainbow-colored eyes glancing first at Erina and then at Sonya in accusation. I was sleeping.

Sonya gave the familiar an indulgent grin. “You can nap all you want later,” she laughed as Erina’s legionnaire body dissolved. Sonya felt her sister’s will return to the back of her mind and suffuse into her consciousness. She let out a breath, savoring the quiet but ambient presence. After a few heartbeats, Erina’s voice came through. Let’s get this over with.

That’s the spirit! Sonya chortled inwardly.

Hmph, was Erina’s only response.

Levi’s own thoughts cut into Sonya’s mind. I return to hiding. The little white reptile darted forward and disappeared beneath Marta’s skirt. Marta glanced down at herself with a flicker of both amusement and aggravation. She crossed her eyes and gave Sonya an accusing look. Sonya chuckled and held up her hands. “Hey now, you make it seem like he gets it from me.”

Marta raised an eyebrow.

She has you there, Erina said.

She didn’t even say anything! Sonya shot back.

Your point? Erina countered.

Sonya clicked her tongue and chuckled, winking at Marta before floating up into the air. Her lounge-wear dissolved into blue fractals and was replaced with the Jumpsuit that Amos had made for her. She flexed her arms and twirled, getting a good look at herself. Perfect fit. She reached up and took a breath, grabbing at the air over her head and pulling down. It’s time to put my mask on, the words coming unbidden to her mind as her Regalia took shape. Armored plates, gauntlets, her helmet - everything fell into place as she let Erina’s mind draw close to her own. She let out a shuddering breath and nodded to herself. I am Ishtar.

She lowered herself back down to just a few inches off the ground and flipped her hair, crossing her arms behind her back. She tilted her head up and met her friends’ gazes. Charon was slipping the wolf mask over his face while Marta bowed slightly and straightened. Her lip twitched just once. “I will… go change.” Follow current novels on NoveI~Fire.net

—

Gilded King Erebus was a happy man. And why wouldn’t he be? He was a man of means, of success, and of personal accomplishment. His power granted him limitless wealth, and another power granted him unchecked strength. He had acquired numerous nations that paid tribute to him. He had pushed the Pandora Committee back on every front, forcing them to remain at a distance while they schemed against him. Not to mention that his family was large, happy, and healthy. Then there were his friends. Close friends like Ishtar and more casual friendships like the many villains he had gathered from across the globe for this very special party.

Yes, he had the power to draw so many to his side and protect them from the laws of this world. He was happy! So he felt that it was only right that his family share in his joy. First among them was his youngest son, his heir. Yet the boy continued to be precocious and rebellious. Not a surprise - he was young, but he had thought that the boy would have better control over his feelings. After all, he was Erebus’ son.

Erebus cast his gaze over the ballroom where the Villains had already gathered. Many of them were minor in the grand scheme of things, but there were quite a few notable figures. The ever-sullen Drastic stood off to the side with his arms crossed, his gaze flicking between the other villains present in barely contained hostility; he’d refused to wear a mask. Then there was the hunched and mumbling form of Archon, a wiry man in a rat mask that twitched when another living thing crossed his path. Tenebra had come in a raven mask, sitting at the same table as Archon and eyeing him with amusement. Even the new Masque had come, a woman who stood rigidly near the refreshments table in a porcelain-white mask, her body language hard and cold.

“Thirty so far,” Erebus chortled. “So many.”

“Yes, father,” Saleh said.

“Ishtar will be joining us soon,” Erebus commented.

“Yes, father,” Saleh said.

“You invited a few guests as well, didn’t you boy?” Erebus pressed.

“Yes, father.”

Erebus grinned. “Things are going well with Broadside, I take it?”

“Yes-” Saleh paused and glanced his way, narrowing his eyes. “Our professional relationship is adequate, Father.”

Erebus barked out a laugh, drawing a few eyes as the music began to play around them. “I was just testing you, boy,” Erebus chuckled, clapping a hand on his son’s shoulder. He leaned in and squinted at him. “You seem lost in thought? Does the girl distract you that much?” He nodded over to the woman in question, who leaned against a wall with her legs crossed, her ember-colored eyes glowing beneath a tiger mask as she watched a few members of the staff walk by. Her wild hair and savage smile made her look almost feral. “If you desire-”

“Father, I can handle such things on my own, if they ever come up,” Saleh grunted and shot him another hard look. “Which they have not, yet.”

Erebus laughed again and squeezed Saleh’s shoulder. “Of course! You are my boy after all!” He leaned in and grinned at his son. “Come! Let’s mingle.”

Saleh shot a look towards one of the masked villains. Erebus followed his gaze to a young man in a black, high-collar tunic and long black slacks. He was wearing an owl mask and slowly panning his eyes over the crowd as if observing something that couldn’t be seen. Erebus raised his eyebrows and looked down at Saleh. “Boy, are you-”

Saleh grunted and crossed his arms. “No, father.”

Erebus chuckled. “Introduce me anyway!” he laughed and pushed his son along, marching towards the youth in the high collar. Saleh stammered and tried to pull himself away, but Erebus was not about to let his son slip out of an introduction. It was only proper for the host to know all of his guests!

The thin young man flicked his gaze towards Erebus, and his lips curled up into a smile. He dipped into a theatrical bow as Erebus approached. “The Gilded King himself! I’m honored.”

Erebus tilted his chin up. “You are a guest of my son’s, yes?” Erebus asked. “I am afraid I am at a disadvantage.”

The young man laughed and extended a hand. “Saleh didn’t inform you?” he asked. “Please, call me Upheaval, sir,” the young man, Upheaval, said. “I’m an independent villain. Saleh and I met while I was passing through your territory.”

Erebus clasped the young man’s hand and shook it briskly before letting it go. “Upheaval? I haven’t heard of you. Well, if my son has taken an interest, you must be quite the up-and-comer!”

Upheaval grinned beneath his mask. “I’ll be making a name for myself in the near future, I’m sure,” he said casually and winked at Saleh. “I have Saleh to thank for leading me to a few opportunities I’d never anticipated.”

Saleh’s expression thinned briefly before blossoming into a forced smile. “I merely saw talent when it was presented to me, Father.”

Erebus threw his head back in a hearty laugh and clapped a hand on his chest. “HAH! GOOD!” he barked and turned to give his son a glowing smile of approval. “Already taking care of your people!” His voice quickly dropped to a still quite-audible conspiratorial ‘whisper’. “Just make sure those opportunities go through the family first.”

Saleh inclined his head. “I will do better, Father.”

Erebus snorted. “Good enough!” he chortled before he felt something strong pushing through the senses of his domain. He turned his head and looked as a rectangular portal opened at the far end of the room, away from the main entrance. He braced himself. Even if he knew she was coming, there was still that brief feeling that ran through his veins every time he saw her: Awe.

Ishtar floated out into the main hall with her hair whipping around her like tendrils of moonlight. Her armor gleamed with the reflection of the lights above. Behind her, Companion and Charon strode out at either side. Companion once more wore her dark gown and opaque veil while Charon stood in black steampunk-victorian suit with very appropriate golden accents.

Erebus’ eyebrows rose as a thought occurred to him and he turned back. “Upheaval, I’d like to personally-” He paused. The young man was gone. He hadn’t even felt the young man move. He was just… gone. He blinked a few times and turned his eyes towards Saleh, who glanced up at him. “Where did your friend go, boy?”

Saleh nodded over to the refreshments. “The refreshments, father.”

Erebus turned. Indeed, the boy was somehow standing with Masque, speaking in low tones with a smile curling on his lips. Masque looked to be listening intently. She smiled and huffed out a laugh, nodding once. Not a long distance, but I should have felt him move, at least. How strange. Do they know one another?

“Erebus.”

Ishtar’s voice cut through the silence that had fallen since her arrival. All eyes were on her. All eyes except for the boy in the owl mask. Erebus cleared his throat and turned to her, throwing his arms out in greeting as if she hadn’t arrived yesterday. “HAH! THERE SHE IS!” he barked, recovering his performance. “ISHTAR! WELCOME TO MY PARTY!” he declared and scooped the Queen of Villains into a brief hug. He pulled back and gestured around himself. “Please! Enjoy yourself! My home is yours!”

Ishtar inclined her head even as the digital eyes on her helmet moved slowly to the left, an infinitesimal movement that was the only evidence of her examining every face in the room. She rested a hand on his arm. “A marvelous welcome, and such a crowd! You should have told me there would be so many big names. I would have brought the rest of my Inner Circle. They deserve some refreshments.”

There were still low-ranking villains staring, but the more notable figures had already started to return to what they had been doing. Ishtar let out a small gasp. “Is that Archon?” she laughed. “Oh, I have to go say hello!”

—

Riot sipped at his drink and watched Ishtar and her two companions move with Erebus toward one of the other tables. A thin older-looking guy shot up in his seat turning to face Ishtar as she floated around him. He was so obviously out of his depth it was amusing. Why had he bothered coming? Riot shrugged and glanced at Erebus. His fingers worked slowly, gently restoring the thread that had he had partially unravelled between the two of them to reduce the old fool’s sense of awareness of him.

Simple enough to slip away. Inspired by His Majesty. He sipped his drink again.

“Upheaval,” a woman’s voice cut into his thoughts. He shot his eyes towards Masque. Apparently, she was the second to take on the title after the first had been obliterated by Kerauna some time before. “Where did you say we’d met? I feel like I should remember, but I can’t seem to place it,” she inquired thoughtfully.

He schooled his expression into an easy smile. “It’s not the meeting, Masque, it’s the friendship built along the way,” he said as he twisted his finger again. One touch had created a karmic connection between him and Masque. A gentle push had thickened it into a temporary ‘friendship’ to provide him with someone to talk to. He thinned the threads just a little now that he wasn’t trying to create a smokescreen.

Masque’s eyes glittered once before she huffed out another laugh. “Fair point,” she turned her eyes towards Ishtar again. “She’s actually here. My predecessor would be rolling over in his grave, that idiot.”

Riot suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure he would be,” Riot replied blandly and sipped his drink. He felt a tremor run up his arm as he looked at Ishtar. Her karma looked so strange - going off in directions that didn’t make sense and shooting up into the sky with that golden ribbon. Then there was, of course, the connection between the Queen of Villains and himself. Resentment, disappointment, visceral hostility, he thought as his eyes settled on her. Something else too. An impact. A change of course.

His lip twitched. Unimportant. His eyes turned to Erebus and the connection between the two of them. The phantom touch of Erebus’ hand on his had laid his own karma bare. There. With them close enough to one another it was as visible as the dawn. Their connection.

Now, what happens if I pluck it?