There was something wrong with this demoness.

She had accomplished much without guidance, as if it were second nature. It wasn’t. Something or someone guided her. Its presence lurked beneath the surface, subtly controlling her. Its aura bled into the ambiance, tainting it.

Ramiro sought out Revon’s mind, and the search didn’t last long. The difficult part was getting inside. He held the key, but the entrance had been moved. The man didn’t make the task any easier, purposely avoiding contact and placing obstacles in his way.

You’re a real piece of work. Ramiro deadpanned upon gaining access.

A smooth and monotonous voice responded. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Isadore’s back in Mointin, and she’s not alone.

Oh, yeah? That’s interesting.

She’s being controlled, and I don’t know by what or who.

I figured something along those lines. Keep watching.

Why wasn’t that surprising? He knew about the threat and chose to ignore it. This being was subtle for the moment, but what if it stopped? What if it completely controlled her? What if it caused her to act against and endanger Revon? If Ramiro didn’t look out for him, no one would.

Mentalists were the worst, and this one was powerful.

His focus returned to the scene in front of him—Miss. Isadore Montague, brunching with Cremia and Katar Ludove. They were nestled inside a room where four men were present with glistening weapons. All located in an underground tunnel, swarming with her minions. She raised the fine glass to her lips and motioned her head toward their cups.

“Aren’t you going to take a sip?”

Cremia clenched her brother’s hand and inched closer to him, imitating his blank face.

Isadore hummed and placed her cup on the table. “I went through all the trouble making this for you, and you won’t even drink.” She pushed Katar's cup toward him. “Go on. It's delicious.”

She flinched when Katar swiped the murky substance away. Glass shattered onto the floor, staining it with the mud mixture. His glare was strong, rivaling the strongest metal in Valine. A blade was pressed against his throat.

“You won't. Not unless she tells you to. Drop the act and put it down.”

Cremia's grip tightened.

“I knew this would happen one day.”

Isadore motioned to the man and he sheathed his weapon. “What do you know about your father's business?”

“As much as you do. That's why you're here.”

“That's hard to believe. You are his son.”

“I only know the bare details. That's it.”

“I don't want to keep you here,” Katar scoffed. “Let's hope your father is willing to be more helpful than you.”

“If anything happens to my sister, I’ll find everyone involved.”

Knock. Knock.

“If you’ll excuse me, I must attend to my other guest. The boys will take care of you in my absence.”

Cremia embraced Katar and he massaged her head. “What did daddy do now? What business is she talking about?”

"Don't know, but I know he better do something about this.” Katar melted the wall with his intense stare.

The door clicked behind her, and she turned to her escort. The man went the extra mile and carried her in his arms. “The floor’s dirty, and we don’t want you ruining your dress or shoes,” he explained with a sheepish grin.

Isadore chuckled, a hand covering her mouth. “That’s sweet of you, Oz, but I’m more than capable of walking.”

“I insist."

Ramiro shook his head at the display. What was this? A drama? Romance? Ugh.

They arrived at what appeared to be a central point within the tunnel system. In the middle of this point stood Sine Ludove, a robust man fidgeting with his tie. He unrhythmically tapped his foot on the ground and ceased when Isadore approached.

Tendrils of darkness manifested and stretched across the walls, whispering to Ramiro fervently about a presence. His eyes settled on a corner of the room. The shadows swirled with intensity and alertness.

A cloaked man stood there, his face looking between a relay book and the gathering in front of him. He was separated from the rest in his own existence. He wrote with maniacal precision, reminding him of Revon. The man was a spy, and he wasn’t with the Inferno.

“Mr. Sine Ludove. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I understand this is most unorthodox and sudden, but with your cooperation, everything will proceed smoothly.” Her teeth were on display for the room to see. “Do you understand?”

“Give my children back!”

“Tell me about the Inferno, Mr. Ludove. How do you operate? How many people are in the Inferno? If you give me this information and more, I can assure you that your children will be returned safely.”

Ludove's confident stance faltered. “I can’t tell you that."

“Why is that?” Isadore’s gaze sharpened.

Mr. Ludove furrowed his eyebrows. “I just can’t... I don’t know a thing about any of it.”

“I don’t believe that.” Isadore’s volume increased. “I do not want to threaten you, but you’re making this hard on yourself and your children. You will tell me everything you know.”

“They’ll kill me,” Mr. Ludove exclaimed. Fear etched on his face as he stumbled backward into a looming lackey.

“They? Who's—you work for the Inferno, don’t you? You’re not the leader.” Isadore pursed her lips when Ludove furiously nodded. “What’s your position? You must be highly ranked to have all this power.” Her pace was steady as she walked toward him. “I understand the Inferno is powerful,” her gaze and tone soft, “and they have a firm grip on you. Don’t you want to be free? We can help you. We’re not afraid.”

“You will be. They’ll kill us both.”

“Here are your options. Would you rather your children perish today or you later?”

A thoughtful look transitioned to submission on Mr. Ludove’s face. A figure darted away and returned with a recording device, ready to capture the moment in its fullness.

“What is your role within the Inferno Syndicate, Mr. Sine Ludove of Mointin?” Isadore’s voice rang out with conviction.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“I work for the Inferno Syndicate as their representative. I don’t have any power other than what they’ve given me.” The words came out as if they were heavy on his tongue.

“What do you do as their representative?”

“I’m their watchman. I enforce the laws they’ve created for the depths and report any strange occurrences.”

“A figurehead. Are you the only one?”

“No. There’s…” The interview concluded with a plethora of questions answered, leaving more in the air. The cloaked man tucked his worn book into his satchel, every movement meticulous and relaxed. The recording device was momentarily left unattended and provided the man with an opportunity. The shadows watched in admiration, reaching out to the kindred spirit.

The cloaked figure opened the closed compartment and snatched the crystal from its grasp. The next step was his great escape, which was equally impressive. He maneuvered around people as if he were swimming in water.

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Ludove. Go fetch his children and give me the crystal.”

“Uh, Miss Montague? There’s a problem.” A nervous woman voiced. “It’s not here.”

Isadore’s head snapped violently in her direction. “What? This had better be a joke.” She marched over to the device and peered inside. “Where is it? Find it now!” Everyone bumped into each other to carry out the order.

Ramiro tasked the shadows with observing the events taking place and sought after the thief. A passage opened to him, and he peered through the hidden realm. The man’s legs were in constant motion and his eyes were looking beyond the immediate.

A quick stop behind a building, and he was transformed into a posh gentleman. He walked into a mid-sized building with the name “Mingling Merchants” on the front. People on the inside were dressed similarly, tipping their hats at each other and haggling over items. A clash of personality and style.

What an interesting group of people.

On the second floor of the building, the man knocked on a door. “It’s me, Cosmo.”

“Yeah, come in and close the door.” A man invited with a heavy accent. The voice didn’t match his youthful face. “You got it?”

“Yessuh.” He chucked the crystal at him. “They didn’t know what hit em.”

“That’s my boy! You have no idea how much this girl’s gonna do for us.” The man’s eyes were alight with joy. “Be prepared for tomorrow.”

Ramiro reached his hand out through the darkness and grabbed the crystal. Cosmo was none the wiser, having been temporarily blinded to his interaction.

Wisps of black inched out of the gemstone, forming together and sealing the transformation. The newly formed illusion was complete when he closed his hands around it. The murky color was replaced with a shining exterior.

The fake was placed in Cosmo's greedy hands.

A subtle change made him pause and the crystal shot out of his hand. He knew the entity behind this. It's image flickering in and out, taunting him. Each time he neared, a foreign barrier sprung up. Ametaur.

With a swift motion of his hand, the abyss cleared in different directions. The presence of Alvoth no longer concealed.

Who did this wretched creature think he was? He was better suited as a coat, serving someone else’s existence.

Revon's voice cut his annoyance in half. Want to fill me in on the crystal?

Ramiro explained the events that had taken place and kept a close eye on Alvoth.

Aren't you curious about Cosmo's plan?

He's obviously going to extort the Inferno.

True, buuut there's no reason we can't use that to our advantage. Watch him. I want to learn more.

Why don't you get your ugly sidekick to do it?

I didn’t know your self-esteem was that low. Wanna talk about it?

With you? Yeah, right.

What are you implying?

You’re shady.

Hah! If you think I’m bad, you should meet the family.

That’s where you get it from. Anyway, I’ll keep you updated.

The creature who replaced him was lurking within the small room. They both shared one assignment: surveillance. Nothing more than a cheap ploy to amuse Revon. He wasn’t in the mood to humor him as he usually did.

An Inferno agent sat across from Cosmo with a journal in hand. The whirring noise from a cryptic box played steadily in the apartment.

“Why don't we start with the reason you called us? You didn't specify in your request.” The man's voice was unnervingly cheerful.

Cosmo’s expression darkened. “I believe Ludove and his family are in trouble. During an outing, one of my members saw an unfamiliar group walking through the Depraved’s territory. It didn't make sense, since they're territorial.”

“Unfamiliar? How do you know they weren’t new recruits?”

“I make it my business to keep an eye on everyone in this city,” Cosmo responded cryptically. “They weren’t new. Anyway, this group met up with Favela's men, and they walked to this tunnel. That's when my guy saw Ludove and his family surrounded by members of the Favela’s and their partners.”

The agent jotted everything down with practiced efficiency, seemingly unfazed by the explanation.

“Why didn't you try to help? You could have rounded up your people.”

“Because the Inferno is a better fit for this. You'd be able to take them out better than I can, and I don't need the psychopaths after me.”

“Can you describe them to me in as much detail as possible?”

Where did Alvoth go? To think that Revon depended on a beast with a short attention span. Then again, the creature took on its master's traits.

He found out why he had left when he managed to locate him.

“First, you all lose my crystal, and you’re telling me you’ve misplaced three whole people?” Isadore massaged her head and let out a frustrated groan. “I need better help.”

“Don’t blame your shortsightedness on them. You need to be prepared for anything. Besides, the last part was my doing.” Revon interrupted, startling Isadore, who nearly slapped him. An expansive barrier stretched across the tunnel, causing Ramiro to move closer.

“Wha- what are you doing here, and what do you mean ‘your’ doing?”

“Due to surveillance and whispers on the street, I’ve found out many interesting things that we can use to our advantage.”

“How?” she asked flatly.

“Cosmo Couture is going to use that crystal you lost,” a teasing smirk played on his face. “To extort the Inferno in order to expand or gain resources. Before that can happen, he has to get the other reps out of the way. It’s fortunate he’s made it easy for us to wreak havoc on Mointin.”

“Oh, no! You aren't coming here and throwing around orders.”

“Do you want Inferno gone or not? This is how we’re going to do it, and we’ll have fun. I’ll take care of everything.”

“I did not agree to this.”

“I’d leave this tunnel as soon as possible.” Revon began to walk away. “The Inferno will do a thorough search. Wait for me on the outside of the city.”

“Do not walk away from me!” Isadore called out and placed a hand on her hip.

Ramiro assigned a shadow to track Isadore and trailed behind Revon. What was he planning?