Ultimate Assassin Saga: Tundra

"Who are you?" Breal asked in a voice devoid of all emotion. He stood there and continued to stare at her, waiting for her to answer. He watched her lift one eyebrow and smile, but other than that, she didn't react to his question. Was she simply going to ignore what he was asking of her? Granted, he was a Demon and they wouldn't want to ask his questions, but they had to realize that he wasn't a threat to them. Surely they recognized that and this woman wouldn't believe him to be the evil Demon that most Humans believed all Demons to be.

"My name is Twister. I am the High Shaman of the Amazon people, and before you can be released from this prison, you will have to pass my trust test." the silver haired woman replied, her voice silky and smooth. He found it to be quite attractive in a woman for her to have a silky voice, but he wasn't sexually attracted to women. However, he could appreciate what she looked like and he could appreciate what she was saying to. Apparently she was an important woman in the Amazon village and he had to get past her for them to trust him at least a little bit.

The Blood Demon straightened even more, rounding off his shoulders. He narrowed his blood red eyes and remained silent as he looked at the silver haired woman. He could sense all her power wrapped around her and radiating off of her like a wave of greatness. Many would have been intimidated by such strength, but not him. He had seen and defeated many Demons with that level of magic and beyond. She was not someone to worry over.

The Half Demon could break out of this prison and cut her down with ease. He could easily stain his claws with the blood of this woman, but that would be counterproductive. He had come here to make friends and it wouldn't do very well to kill someone when attempting to make friends. He had to be careful about what he did and who he killed. Harming the wrong person - hell, harming anyone really - could earn him an execution sentence and he didn't want that. He was here to serve his Clan Lord and he could not fail. He wouldn't allow himself to fail.

"Do whatever it is you need to do." Breal told the woman in monotone. Then, he took a step back from the prison door and he waited to see what she would do. The woman stared at him with an inscrutable look on her face before she nodded her head and she held up her hand, a silver key appearing in her hand. He watched her as she lowered her hand and slid the key into the lock of the door, turning the key in the lock. The sound of the lock opening filled his ears and he watched as she pulled open the prison door, stepping inside.

The Half Demon kept his hands tight behind his back and did all he could to keep from making a threatening move. He didn't know what she would take as a threat so he was doing his damnedest to stay absolutely still and not set her off. The High Shaman stared at him for a second before taking a step towards him and her hands came up. He felt her small hands close over both sides of his head, and even though she did apply some pressure, it wasn't a squeezing pressure. Before he could ask what she was doing, he felt magic enter his mind and he felt himself being drawn back into his past, from memory to memory.

He had been caught outside of the compound without an escort. He'd been caught by two male Elves and drawn into an alley. He'd managed to injure one of them, but because of the magical skill of the other, he'd found himself bound. Then, they'd taken the time cutting him up, bleeding and poking at him while laughing at his painful screams. He'd been found the next day by a passing female Blood Demon and her family who had returned him to the compound to be bandaged up.

The next memory that came wasn't any better. he was finished with his training to become a warrior. He'd been told as a child that he'd be allowed to leave if he wanted once he finished his training. However, the day he'd finished his training, he'd been attacked by members of the Clan and they'd nearly killed him. Before they could deal the killing blow, Shido and the rest of the Blood Demon Clan had come down on them, slaughtering every one of them. They had found that the Clan members who had attacked him had been a part of a sect of people who had wanted to overthrow Shido and put into place their own leader, but they had all been wiped out during the attack.

Then, came the next memory and it was a simple one. It was of when he was speaking to the Clan Lord and of him telling him of his mission. The moment that he saw himself leave the gates of the Dalkian capitol was the moment that he was drawn from his memories. He felt the magic withdraw almost immediately and he slumped to his knees, panting heavily. He could feel that his skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat and he found that he was unable to compose himself. That had been way to intense for him to compartmentalize and store it away as if it were nothing. That had been high magic and not something that was so easily brushed away like nothing.

"Forgive me, but I had to know if you were telling the truth or not." Twister said, her voice cutting through his suffering and he looked up at her. He was still panting, feeling more tired than he ever had before and he found himself staring into her golden eyes. She stared down at him with sympathy in those eyes and she did look to be sorry that she'd been forced to do what she'd done. However, he could understand why she had done it and he didn't have any hard feelings towards her for it. "It is up to me to decide whether or not an unknown individual is a threat or not and I take my duty very serious."

"What is your decision of me?" Breal asked between panting breaths and he placed one hand on the floor. Then, with a tremendous effort, he pushed to his feet. He wiped the sweat from his brow and he allowed his hands to drop to his sides. He managed to regain his composure and he appeared as if nothing had happened though they both knew better. He had just been through something very trying and fatiguing. "Am I a threat to the Amazon village or am I safe?"

The High Shaman stared at him, tilting her head to her side and he could hear that she was humming under her breath. He wondered what was going through her mind, but he thought that he knew. After all, she hadn't backed away and thrown a spell at him. From what he understood, she was the most powerful of the mages of the Amazon people and could easily cut down a Demon with a strike of magic. However, she had done nothing to him as of yet and that heartened him.

"I find that you aren't a threat to my people. You are free." Twister replied in a soft voice and she stood back. Then, she turned and smiled at him, holding out her arm by her side. It was a gesture for him to go and he was glad for that. He narrowed his eyes on her and he nodded his head before he walked past her out into the hall of the prison. She pulled the door closed behind her as she stepped out into the hallway, joining him and she smiled at him before leading him down the hallway towards the front door.

He was free.

"I don't understand, my Mate." Leanna said from his side as they walked through the streets of Dalkia. Flanking them were guards from the Blood Demon Clan and each one of them looked ready to kill. It was obvious that every single one of them expected it and he wouldn't be surprised if they were attacked. After all, it wasn't every day that a Clan Lord went out in public and especially not a Clan Lord like him. He was considered to be one of the most feared, and through that, hated of the Clan Lords. "Why are we doing this? It makes no sense."

Shido walked slowly beside his Mate, his long purple hair flowing out behind him. He turned to look at his beautiful blonde mate and he smiled. She looked so delicious dressed as she was and he would have a hard time keeping his hands off of her, but he would have to for the sake of the meeting. It simply wouldn't do for him to start pawing at his lace clad Mate in front of another Clan Lord and offend him so. This meeting was a very important one and one that he couldn't afford to mess up. If he didn't make an alliance with this Clan, it could all come out and earn his Clan his destruction.

This was of course not the only alliance he would be attempting to make, but this would be the first one. The Ice Demon Clan were strong supporters of Acheron's and would ally themselves with anyone who fought under his banner. Unlike what their name suggested, Ice Demons didn't have to live in cold environments, though they did thrive in colder climates. They were extremely strong and there were few Middle or Lesser Flight Ice Demons in existence. In fact, the majority of the Elemental type of Demons were mostly Upper Flights and were able to blend in perfectly.

Ice Demons were the most strong when it came to their magic. Ice magic was one of the most powerful of magics in existence, and with the added power of their Demon might, their magic was the strongest of all. There was only one magic stronger and that was their own magic type: blood magic. However, that wasn't what was important now. The only thing that mattered now was making the alliance with the Ice Demon Clan and making sure to keep it from the Emperor. If the Emperor found out, his decision would be to put them to death and that was it. That was the only way that he knew how to handle any crime against the crown.

"We will discuss it later, my love." Shido finally replied, drawing himself from his reverie. He spared a moment to look around, searching the alleyways and the windows of nearby buildings to make sure no one saw their little contingent as they made their way towards the southern part of the capitol city. Even if they saw them, no one would think anything of the Clan Lord making his way through the capitol, though the Blood Demons meeting with the Ice Demons could seem suspicious. "This is not the place to discuss it. Trust me."

The Blood Demon Lady scrunched up her face in a cute imitation of a little girl face and her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. She crossed her arms over her green lace chest and she stared down at her slipper covered feet. The dress that she wore was knee length with a low cut neckline that showed off her medium sized breasts and the sleeves barely covered her arms. The green slippers she wore barely contained her small and dainty feet which allowed her to walk across the marble streets without feeling the stone underneath.

His Mate looked so beautiful in her green dress and slippers. The shade of green accentuated her pale blonde hair and her pale skin, making her even more radiant than he already saw her as. He knew that she was coveted by his people, but not just as their Lord's Mate and the future mother of their future Heir. No, she was beautiful and many male Blood Demons wished to be with her. There were even those men who sought to become the partner of the Blood Demon Lord just so they could have a taste of the Blood Demon Lady, but that wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to have another partner, and if his Mate was ever killed, he would join her in death. It was that simple.

Shido turned his gaze away from his Mate and back towards the street ahead. He was just able to make out the shadows of the Ice Demon Clan compound up ahead and he could see just how well fortified it was. The gates were tall and made of iron, but the top of the spires of the gate were topped instead with razor sharp ice spikes that he knew could extend and cut through someone with ease. In front of the gates were four Ice Demon guards who were well armored in Ice armor and carrying razor sharp weaponry. Ice Demons were all trained in hand to hand combat and most were considered the elite among the elite.

The Blood Demon Lord ordered his men to fall back to his back and they did just that. The warriors fell back to where they were walking behind their Lord and Lady towards the Ice Demon compound. He had sent word ahead to the Ice Demon Lord that they were coming and that he needed to speak to the Ice Demon Lord. The Ice Lord, Glacier, had sent him back a letter that confirmed that they would meet with the Blood Demon Lord, but he would have his Mate and his own partner present. He had no problem with that and had sent a letter that that would be okay before setting forth on their current journey.

The day-to-day relationships between Ice Demons were well known to all and many wondered just how they could do it. The general family was two males and one female. The three would share a bed and were all equal partners. The male lover of the Ice Demon Lord was considered his equal and could lay his own two cents at his partner's feet to prove that he was equal. Also, the Ice Demon Lady could be impregnated by either of the males and no matter what the child would be Heir to the throne of the Ice Demons. In essence, the Ice Demon Clan was much like the Blood Demon Clan though without the shortage of females.

Shido took his Mate's hand and she looked up at him, meeting his gaze. He smiled at her and nodded before turning his attention to the Ice Demon guards that they were quickly coming upon. Their procession of people stopped before the Ice Demon guards who stared at them with eyes devoid of all emotion and their hands away from their weapons. He bowed his head cordially to the guards and he raised his eyes to each of the four men, waiting to see what they would do.

Not to his surprise, the guards bowed their own heads and one of them turned to the doors. Closing both hands around the double doors of the gates, he opened the doors and stepped aside. He bowed low at the waist and held his arm out at his side, basically signalling them to go onward. He nodded to the other guards and he lead his Mate into the Ice Demon compound. He could see the shadows that came from the outline of smaller buildings, but his eyes went immediately to the main building which was where the Ice Lord made his home as did the main military force.

The main building was dozens of feet tall, but it wasn't made of the general stone or marble constructs that most buildings were made of. No, the building was made of jagged and unbreakable ice that the Ice Demons had no doubt created and maintained. Every single angle of the building was made of sharp and jagged edges that would slice anything apart that came across it. He knew from experience that the inside would be much the same and it would be extremely cold, but they were Demons so they wouldn't be able to feel the extreme cold inside.

The Blood Demon held his Mate's hand tightly and he walked towards the palace. He stopped in front of the doors - the only thing that was made of wood of the palace - and he opened the doors, stepping back. He smiled at his Mate as he released her hand and he gestured for her to go first. That was the type of Clan the Blood Demons were: chivalrous. She smiled at him and nodded her head to him before stepping past the doors into the hallway of the Ice Clan's palace.

The Blood Lord stepped into the hallway behind his Mate and shut the door behind him. He smiled at the sight of her buttocks in front of him and he chuckled softly. The dress she wore clung to her breasts and to her buttocks perfectly. He shut the door behind him and he followed quickly after his Mate, taking her hand once more as he walked with her down the hallway down towards the main hall.

Reaching the end of the hall, Shido stopped and stared into the open room of the main hall. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of pure ice, appearing as thick walls of power that would repel the strongest of attacks. There were a half dozen ice steps that lead up onto the dais and settled atop the dais was an ice throne with a single individual sitting upon the throne. He had expected there to be three people there, but there was only two: the Ice Lord and the Ice Lady. The Ice Lady stood at the right arm of the throne with her hands behind her and she stared at them as they stood there at the entrance to the main hall.

Shido stared at the man seated atop the throne and he knew the man was Glacier, the Lord of the Ice Demon Clan. He was tall, well over six foot tall, and broad shouldered. He had long light blue hair that fell unrestrained to the back of his knees and light blue eyes set in a pale, regal face. He wore a long sleeve white tunic, black linen pants, knee high black leather boots, and a black leather belt with a scimitar sheathed at both of his hips.

He knew that the woman standing next to the throne was the Lady of the Ice Demon Clan, Flake. She was petite, around five foot tall, and slender. She had long snow white hair that fell just past her shoulders and bright dark green eyes set in a pale, girlishly beautiful face. She wore a low cut light blue shirt, light blue linen pants, ankle high black leather boots, and a light blue belt around her waist.

Both Ice Demons stared at them with no emotion in their eyes and the Blood Demon stared back at them with eyes devoid of all emotion. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his coat and narrowed his eyes on the two Demon leaders. With his hands still slipped through Leanna's own hand, he took a step forward and moved towards the center of the main hall. He stopped in the middle of the main hall and he slid his hands free of his mate's before taking his hand from his pockets.

"You said that this is important." Glacier said, his voice frosty though not unkind. Glacier placed his hands on the arms of his throne and he pushed to his feet. His light blue eyes moved like a waterfall as he got to his feet and took a step down the steps of the dais, walking towards him. Stopping on the bottom step, he crossed his wrists in front of him and stared at him, blinking a couple of time. "I would like to know why it is that you have come to speak with me and insisted on so much secrecy."

"I insisted on secrecy for one reason and one reason only." Shido replied in a warm voice and he took another step forward. He noted that the windows of the main hall were shifting and changing, but he knew that those windows could become weapons in only a moment. The windows were magicked and they became weapons of defense of their fortress when they needed it. "What we are doing is a betrayal of the Empire and it could earn all of us our deaths."

He heard his Mate gasp, but he didn't dare look at her. He didn't want to see the anger in her beautiful blue eyes that he knew so well, and so, he kept his gaze facing forward. It was the expression of the Ice Lord that mattered after all, and if he lost this alliance, he could lose anything. He could of course go to the Emperor and inform him that the Blood Demon Clan intended to betray him. That would be the common sense thing to do, but he didn't believe the Ice Demon Lord would do that. After all, the Ice Lord was just as loyal to Acheron as the Blood Demons and he knew the man owed Acheron his life and he always repaid his debts so he didn't think he really had anything to worry about.

"An interesting concept." Glacier answered in his chilly voice and he took another step forward, stepping down from the dais completely. His Mate Flake remained at the side of the throne, but her face was just as empty of emotion as her Mate's. She still had her hands down by the sides of her dress and tapping her fingers against her legs. The Blood Lord turned his attention to the other Demon Lord and he waited for what the other man would say. "But why exactly would I go along with a plot to betray the Empire of which I enjoy all of this power and position."

The Blood Demon had anticipated this of course. After all, it wasn't every day someone asked you to betray the nation that your clan had been a part of carving out. The Ice Demon Clan had fought side by side with the Blood Demon clan when carving out the Empire's borders and they all shared one thing in common other than their sexual practices: they had all served under Acheron when he was the campaigning General.