*Sarius Hall*

Sarius Hall was a powerful man. Walking through the halls of the Imperial Center, many who knew who he was would make way and bow, but he ignored them. He also ignored the ones that smirked at him from the side, if that was all they could do they were not worth his attention. The politics of Haj were complex, and in the heart of Tyine, the Imperial Center was the depths of that web.

Hall had thought that joining the Tower and being apprenticed to Evans would allow him to step out of that web, but he had vastly underestimated the hold it had on him. The hold his father had on him. That was why he was here at all, this section of the Center was far more used than where he was used to. Red carpets with complex designs covered the floor, decorative scones held torches with mirrored backs to light the halls and the walls were decorated with thick tapestries and paintings. Servants and nobles moved about in their various duties and plots, and the whole place felt bright and alive.

All the better to hide the rot. Though admittedly, if his father was not there it would not be nearly so bad. Sarius’s father was enough to rot wherever he stood.

Sarius stroad through the hallways, turning corners with purpose until he was in front of a double door which two servants opened for him as they announced his presence. He did not want to be here, but he could never show it. Showing weakness here would have consequences worse than death.

“Sarius,” his father was behind a desk, sitting back from the papers he had been reading with a pleasant smile on his face. “Why is it that I have to order my son to appear before me if I want to see him? You never drop by otherwise.”

“It is not my fault you have grown too old to remember,” Sarius spoke harshly. No weakness, absolutely none. “If your senility has progressed that far, I might be ruling House Hall before very long- I can only imagine the problems you will leave me with.”

“Haha!” Viscount Wilric Hall laughed aloud, “you could only wish Sarius, I am not about to pass on yet- especially when you are so incompetent.”

“Leaving a sinking ship is only seen as incompetent by the person who does not see the water pooling at their feet,” Sarius replied smoothly. “All you are doing is putting a rope around my neck to drag me down with you.”

“Enough,” Wilric scowled, signaling that the round had gone to Sarius. “At the very least I would have thought you would stop fighting my plans after that marriage took place, but some of the reports I am reading suggest otherwise. You know how important Clare is, don’t you?”

“Again, I have to question your competence.” Sarius snarled, “You know that she and I hate each other, what were you expecting?”

“I was expecting you to be smart enough to take part in merging the Amall’s into our own family!” Wilric snarled, slamming his fist down on the table. “Just because the contracts are signed does not mean we have won! If this situation between you and Clare is not worked out we run the risk of losing the Amall’s connections- something we desperately need if we want the Hall family to rise to the position of Dukes! And you are throwing all of my work away to screw some little slave girl!”

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“If it was anyone else besides you saying that, I would feel guilt and shame.” Sarius matched his father’s tone, his anger rising to the surface. “After what you have done you have no right to lecture me on anything!”

His father just snorted, “That is the way of things between the strong and the weak, son. The reason I can do what I want and then have you forced to appear before me is because I am strong, and you are weak. Did you really think hiding behind the Tower and Evans would stop me? That is not your strength, you are merely borrowing theirs, at the end of the day you have nothing- aside from your magic. Aside from the slaves, which according to my reports are being massacred as we speak, what do you have? Where is your Steward, who serves as your Hand? What connections have you built and what territory do you hold? If I decided to remind you of our little play times by bending you over this desk right now you would have no way to stop me- because you are weak and pathetic and you will always be.”

Sarius wilted under his father’s words. No matter how he tried to be strong in front of him, this man would always be a step ahead. To make matters worse- his father was not wrong. If Sarius had been stronger, had built connections and seized opportunities outside of his magical research, he might not be here.

Before he could collect himself, his father drove his victory home, like a spike through his chest.

“You cannot even control your own wife,” his father was chuckling now. “Sure, she is a strong willed woman from a powerful family- but a bitch is a bitch. I put your mother in her place soon enough, and kept her there. You cannot even stop her from attacking your favorite slave! Speaking of which…”

Viscount Hall pulled a certain paper out of one of the piles and skimmed it, “I will admit this ‘Cass’ is an interesting slave. To think you had broken her so thoroughly that she would come back after being freed and having more than enough wealth to live a life wherever and however she chose. And her power… When you figure out how her power works, and you will if you do not want her and I to become acquainted, our family will have power enough to make a bid for the Imperial Court, especially when you consider her ancestry.”

“What?” Sarius was surprised by that statement. For various reasons, Evans and Hall had never checked on Cass’s parentage- if they never checked, they could always say they did not know. Some families were interested in their children with peasants if they showed magical talent after all, and it was best not to get involved in that debate. However, when his father handed the document over to Sarius and he read it, he had an incredible shock.

“Impossible,” he shook his head, denying the words on the page. “How would you even get her blood? Even if it was her blood, this result is obviously false!”

In response, Viscount Hall merely produced a small stack of similar reports- all from different testers and said, “Clare was quite happy to provide as much of Cass’s blood as I needed- more in fact. Quite a jealous little harpy, that one- you would think she would be glad that you were screwing someone besides her, but I would guess she finds it insulting that you would prefer a slave instead.”

“No,” Sarius threw the paper back at his father as if it had burned his hands. “I will not believe this- not coming from you.”

His father merely shrugged and told him to do the test himself. If he had not been lying, then there were many people in positions of great power who were reading reports similar to what Hall had just seen. There were consequences to having ancestry like that.

Sarius growled and turned on his heel, this matter had to be addressed immediately- he would have to have a response ready.

“Sarius,” his father called out from behind him and Sarius paused at the doorway, despite his fervent wish to leave. “Given her parentage, I am actually quite curious about how things will turn out. If you want to struggle with Clare, with this slave as the focus, be my guest. No matter what happens, the only one who wins is me.”

Sarius hated his father’s smile- especially this one. As a child he had seen it often, and it had always been associated with pain, disgust, and shame. Hall left as soon as his father was done speaking, nearly fleeing from his father’s office in the Imperial Center.