Morthisal soon had a team that was happy to work on the spreadsheet problem for him. No peculiar looks, scoffing, or snide remarks.

Damn, it felt good to be a dark lord.

While it was a drain on his new power, it would be worth it as it would get him closer to adding a permanent minion in the form of an intern. It wasn't even that hard to control them. With just a little suggestion here and there, they were now seeing things his way.

"Which file is it?" called a voice from three cubicles over.

Voices chattered back and forth as they worked together. They named files, opened them, compared notes, hopped up from their seats, and looked over each other's shoulders. Keyboards clicked, and mice scrolled as the temps searched their computers. Moments passed while Ronny also dug around. Hundreds, if not thousands, of files were listed in many locations with what seemed to be little organization.

"A lot of files were simply renamed and retitled. It's been a bitch to find stuff." Ronny groaned. "Don't even get me started on the files that have damage.”

Morthisal nodded.

"Yeah. Look at this shit. All these files don't even belong in accounts receivable. It's like someone dumped a dozen folders in one place. I mean, it's kind of a genius bit of resistance, you know? Not enough to get your severance yanked. This place ain't got the best security, and I bet there ain't a single mofo in IT who could track down the culprit. If there are any still left after the merger talk, job massacre. Most of them probably got their walking papers as well.”

Morthisal pretended like he understood what in the world this man was rambling on about.

"Got it!" Willow's voice rang out from her desk. "I found the file and fixed it. This one isn't so bad. Should I just email it to you?"

"That would be most excellent," Morthisal replied, rising to his feet. “Your diligence is appreciated."

"Wait. This isn't it. Someone changed the header. They should get someone in here to audit and find out who made the changes. Not those of us who have been here for all of two days. It's kinda bullshit."

Morthisal went to Willow's cubicle and looked over her shoulder. The thread he held pulsed gently around her. With a thought, he would be able to send her to the break room to retrieve another cup of creamer and coffee, but he let her work.

She pointed at the screen and said, "See here? The files are the same, but the names and titles have been changed. It was definitely a planned revenge."

"I approve," Morthisal said, nodding.

"Yeah. I do, too, but it makes a mess of things for us."

"I see." Morthisal tapped his chin with one finger again. "You still believe you can reverse the script?"

"I'm working on it. Should I focus on that first, or on finding the missing file?"

"Continue your search for the missing file. We must appease Jack Sweet."

She nodded and went back to moving her mouse pointer around the screen. Willow opened file after file, her eyes scanning the contents rapidly as she scrolled through them.

Suddenly, Ronny's voice called out from his cubicle. "Hey, I might have found something."

Morthisal and Willow exchanged a glance before rising from their seats and making their way to Ronny's desk. The temp was hunched over his computer, his brow furrowed, mouse pointer darting around the screen.

As they approached, Ronny pointed to his screen. "Check this out. I found a hidden folder on my computer, but I can't access it because of my security level."

Morthisal leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied the screen. Sure enough, there was a folder with a cryptic name. Ronny fiddled with the folder before opening something called a 'command window,' which displayed the file names within the hidden folder. "There, I can see the file names, but I can't actually open any of them," he explained.

Willow snapped her fingers. "I know someone in IT who might be able to help us out," she said. She pulled out her phone, took a picture of Ronny's screen, and quickly returned to her desk.

"She's smart, huh?" Ronny's eyes lingered on Willow as she dashed away.

"She appears to be," Morthisal said, waving his hands dismissively.

Ronny turned to him and lowered his voice to a whisper. "We're not supposed to, but do you think I should ask her out?"

"Ask her out?" Morthisal whispered back.

"A date, dude. Like me and her going out for a drink, or even coffee. I'd settle for lunch at a deli."

Morthisal considered Ronny's question for a moment. He placed a hand on Ronny's shoulder and spoke with a sage-like air. "In my experience, Ronny, it is best to seize what you desire without hesitation. If your heart yearns for Willow, then you must act upon it. A true conqueror does not second-guess his desires."

“Okay, but how?”

"Words carry power, Ronny. Compliments carry great importance. For instance, instead of merely telling her she looks nice, speak of her inner qualities with reverence. For example, 'Willow, your intellect shines as brilliantly as arcane lights,' or 'Your presence alone can command a room with the grace of a queen.'”

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Under his breath, Ronny said, “Damn. That’s a good line.” He nodded slowly. "You know what? You're right, man.”

“If she has no interest in you, so be it. Move on. There are many such women, are there not?“

“Well…” Ronny looked away and whispered. “Yeah. There are, but I want to get to know Willow. She’s, like, the hottest girl I’ve ever met.”

“Was she on fire?”

Ronny shook his head. He touched one finger on his tongue and touched his arm, emitting an sssss noise.

“Ah,” Morthisal said.

“I’m gonna shoot my shot.”

"I look forward to it."

“Not right this minute, dude. Maybe later today, or tomorrow.”

“Why delay your desire?“

Ronny crossed his arms and looked down. "Yeah. Why wait…?"

Willow hung up the phone and stood up, then back down. She turned and looked at Morthisal and Ronny. She stood again, her head shake barely perceptible. She visibly took a breath and approached them, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. "Good news, guys," she announced. My friend in IT granted us access to the hidden folder. Ronny, log out and log back in, and you should be able to open the files now."

Ronny grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "I'm on it," he said. They looked at each other, then looked away. Morthisal observed their body language with interest because it was a good learning experience. Although he would normally dissuade his closest minions from fraternization, this seemed quite harmless.

“I am going to retrieve more coffee.“

“Can you get me one?” Willow smiled brightly.

“No.” Morthisal walked away.

"Rude." Willow tsked.

When Morthisal returned, coffee in hand, he carried an extra and handed it to Willow.

"Oh, thanks! I thought you were being serious when you said no."

Morthisal's lips curled into a smile. Over the many years of his existence, he had discovered that a sporadic act of kindness could linger in the beneficiary's memory.

Willow took the cup, looked inside, sniffed, and her lips curled up.

"What is wrong with the concoction?"

"I drink my coffee black."

"It is black under the creamy, sweet layers. Yes. The wretched flavor is still there but covered."

Willow took a sip, blanched, and politely set it on the desk.

You try to be a kind dark lord…

"Well? How goes the restoration progress?"

Willow and Ronny both beamed excitedly. "We located copies of all the old files in the folder Ronny just got access to," Willow reported. We can restore them, but we must first ensure they're the right ones."

Morthisal raised an eyebrow. "How will you ensure they are the correct files?"

Willow explained, "Well. The files are definitely the ones we need. The question is, were they all backed up here? Which should we replace?"

Morthisal tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I see. And what do you believe is the best course of action moving forward?"

"We could start comparing them and look for similar things like column headers and the like. If we work together, we can quickly determine if these are the same. The good news is that we have the one report Jack wanted. I've already emailed it to you."

"Excellent," Morthisal said and sent a reassuring pulse along the connecting threads. They both uttered gentle sighs.

Willow said, "I have a better idea. Make a copy of the corrupted files and drop them on our PCs. Replace the corrupted files with these. If they aren't the right files, we can put the old ones back."

"Shit." Ronny grinned at Willow. "That's better than my idea."

Morthisal put his fist under his chin and nodded. "Yes. This is what you will do. I shall report our findings to Jack."

"Cool, boss. We'll get this taken care of." Willow assured him.

"I'm sure you will," Morthisal said.

Morthisal went back to his desk and opened his email. The file from Willow and Ronny was in his inbox. He clicked it open and scanned the columns of numbers and text. While the contents meant little to him, the format matched what Jack had shown him earlier.

He forwarded the email to Jack Sweet with a brief message: "Here is the missing Q3 report."

Standing from his desk, Morthisal looked around the office floor while he tested his threads. Although he had reduced them to two, they were still comfortably in place.

He walked toward the door but stopped at a cubicle and asked, "Where might I find Jack Sweet's office?"

"Other end of the floor, by the window," the temp said, pointing without looking up from her screen.

Morthisal walked through the maze of cubicles, acknowledging the occasional nod or greeting from passing workers. He noted that not everyone was new—some clearly recognized Vince, suggesting that the mass replacement hadn't affected the entire floor. He would have to get to know Vince's old acquaintances carefully.

Jack's office was in the corner of the building. Through the glass walls, Morthisal could see the busy street below, cars crawling along a large road that narrowed to just a few lanes.

Inside, papers covered every surface of Jack's desk, some threatening to spill onto the floor. Three monitors formed a wall behind which Jack hunched and rapidly typed.

"I sent you the Q3 report." Morthisal interrupted Jack. He also prepared a fresh thread, which he intended to use to press Jack, even though his power was already beginning to wane. If he could keep his power expenditure to just two or three threads, he should be able to maintain this level of control for the rest of the day, possibly into tomorrow.

Jack stopped typing, moved his chair to the right, and clicked his mouse several times. He squinted and then looked up. "Thank you, Vince! You saved my ass."

Morthisal said, "We have determined a solution, and the other files are being restored now."

Jack's mouth dropped open and then quickly closed. "What? We? Who is 'we'?"

"I gathered some of the temporary workers and bent them to my will. Under my command, they proved quite capable of solving the problem," Morthisal replied.

"You organized the temps to make that happen. You."

"Yes." Morthisal nodded. Was this man daft?

Jack chewed his gum, eyes fixed on his screen. His finger tapped rhythmically against his chin while Morthisal waited, considering whether to expend more power to ensure the intern assignment.

Jack chuckled quietly. "Bend them to your will, huh? I haven't been able to bend them to show up on time. I'm impressed," Jack said. "Looks like your memory issues are clearing up."

"This was an easy task for me. Perhaps fragments of my memory are returning," Morthisal said carefully. "Though great swaths are still missing."

"Damn. I mean, damn. Look, Vince. I've never known you to show this kind of initiative. Can you keep this up?"

"This?" Morthisal scoffed. "It is but a trifle."

"You have a weird way of talking since the incident. All that aside, you've got a good handle on the temps. Which of them helped?"

Morthisal briefly explained how he convinced Willow and Ronny to help, but he embellished a few things because he couldn't very well tell Jack that he could bend anyone to his will—well, almost anyone. There was still the mystery of Yvette Sterling. Throughout the explanation, Jack nodded along, his mind clearly churning over the details.

"Look, Vince. I need your help. How about if I make you a lead over a small team? Would that be appealing?"

"That is a promotion?"

"That is a promotion. Yes." Jack nodded.

"Very well. I accept."

"Great. Grab a seat, and we'll go over your responsibilities."

Morthisal's lips pulled back in a brief smile. It had taken him just one day to advance.

"I assume this comes with an increase of some sort?"

Jack looked away but quickly said, "Uh. We can talk about that later. Consider this an opportunity to shine. You want to shine here, right, Vince?"

Morthisal nodded.

"Great. Great! Let's get down to brass tacks, buddy."