THE DARK SIRE: ACCOLADES (Special Edition Issue, March 2021) | Page 75

handled sword strapped to her back , and a dagger tied to her left thigh . He had seen this image somewhere recently but could not for the moment place it . Then , it came to him ; it was Shizuka - as she stood in the ballroom - before flushing Damascus out of hiding .
“ Shit ,” he said to himself . “ This isn ’ t going to end well , is it ?” He stood before the painting , waiting for someone to come and lead him to his doom .
parlor .
Finally , a young , mousy-haired boy came into the
“ Lord Lazarius , Master awaits you in his study .” And with that , the boy turned on his heel and walked back out , not pausing to wait .
Lazarius followed him along a dark hallway that smelled of oak and cedar . Heavy black curtains were drawn tightly against the windows to keep out any trace of daylight . His master hated to be out in the light and would not allow even a mote of sun into his domicile if it could be helped .
As Lazarius followed the boy down the hall , he thought how he might best deal with the situation at hand and save his own life in the process . His Lord would be furious for what he had done to Shizuka . And don ’ t call her Ayaka in front of him again . Remember last time ? Yes , he remembered alright . Since she wanted to be called Shizuka , then everyone was to call her such . To do otherwise was to ask for a great deal of pain . He wasn ’ t foolish enough to even wish to push his limits with his master today .
The boy stopped outside the thick oak door that led into his Lord ’ s study , waiting for Lazarius to catch up to him .
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