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.
108
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.