Sour Candy | T. Drake ✔

[23] Blood And Power

The sinister corridors spread out over vast expanses in the primary base of the League of Assassins in Nanda Parbat. The intimidating figure of Talia Al Ghul walked the corridors alone, her features set in a thoughtful but menacing look.

After Deathstroke's attempt to take over the League five or six years ago, Talia had gotten extremely infatuated with keeping the title of the Demon Head.

She and Nyssa had fought multiple times over the position such that two factions had been created within the League, one supporting Talia and the other supporting Nyssa. The division into factions was dangerous for the League since their enemies saw it as an opportunity to tear them up internally due to the conflict already brewing up in between them.

And Talia knew that if she didn't put a stop to it, she would lose her position as the leader of the League of Assassins.

She hadn't kept fighting off Deathstroke for years to hand over the position to Nyssa hence she had to take a stand. Unfortunately in matters of the throne and power, there was only one way to quell the brimming conflict.

And that one way was a lethal battle to death with the only survivor being worthy of leading the League.

Of course, she hadn't wanted things to come to the extreme but it was the only way left. And just a few hours ago, she had reclaimed her position as the worthy Demon Head, her hands tainted with the blood of her half-sister who she had subjected to a painful end in punishment for her daring to go up against her.

She reached the throne room of the base, stepping up to the highchair as usual. The Assassins present in the room bowed their heads low in respect and parted for her to walk through.

The blade of her sword was still tainted red as she hung it up for everyone to see as a sign of victory, not bothering to clean it just yet.

Talia sat down on her chair, thin hands gripping the jeweled armrests as her sharp emerald eyes swept through the entire room, picking out each and every face she had seen side up with Nyssa.

She could see the fear upon their features, the look that showed her that they expected to be punished much worse for their betrayal.

They expect to meet a similar fate as Nyssa, she thought as a slow smirk took over her face, relishing in the power that came to see them almost trembling at the sight of her.

"You all are pardoned," she spoke up at last, "but this is your last warning. If I ever catch you plotting behind my back, I will kill each and every one of you with my own sword. You have seen very well what happens to traitors."

Their heads bowed lower and no word escaped the masses lined up in front of her. She took their silence as affirmation.

"From now onwards, if anyone dares to create a faction within my League or even think of standing up against me, I will not let him or her live to see another day," her sharp voice cut through the silence akin to a shard of glass, "understand!"

They all answered collectively, "yes, Mistress."

Silence engulfed the room again until Talia remembered there was still one last thing to do.

"Where's the girl?" Her authoritative voice thundered through the throne room, "bring her in here. Right now."

One of the men lined up bowed his head and stepped out returning shortly after with a woman behind him. That woman was holding onto a small girl that they led up to the throne in front of Talia.

The child was terrified, her tiny hands gripping the white dress of the woman who made her kneel in front of Talia. Her eyes swept over the dainty child kneeling in front of her and she glared at the woman behind her, in a clear order for her to step back.

"Mona... Come here, darling." 

Her smile widened, making her look even more terrifying as she beckoned the child to come up to her. The girl was trembling, her wide eyes resembling a rainy sky.

"I said, step up!"

The child flinched and did as she was told, taken aback by the sudden change in tone. 

"Yes Mistress," she mumbled, stepping close to Talia but kept her head bowed low in respect.

"You know who I am right?"

She nodded, head sinking even lower, "you are the Demon Head, the rightful leader of the League of Assassins."

"Yes, that I am. And who are you?" Her slender fingers cupped the tiny face in her palm, sharp emerald eyes piercing through.

"I am loyal to you, Mistress," tears of fear were welling up in her eyes, it was clear she wanted to pull away from the unnecessarily frightening grip of the elder woman but couldn't, "have mercy."

She had turned her face up so that her emerald eyes were piercing down into the child's sky-shaded irises, the pointed nail of her index finger tracing a delicate line at the child's throat, "as long as you stay loyal, you will have nothing to fear. The second you even think of betraying me, I will rip off this pretty head of yours just like I did to..."

Her voice trailed off as she left the sentence deliberately incomplete. Emerald eyes flickered towards the bloodied sword on her right and the girl trembled knowing full well whose blood it was tainted by.

"Have mercy," she whispered, a tear streaking down her cheek.

Talia let go of her at last and gestured to the woman to take her away. She felt satisfied to see the girl tremble in fear as she gripped onto the woman again, burying her head in the white fabric to hide away her tears.

She could see very well that the child was too scared to think of betrayal just yet but she could not forget whose flesh and blood she was, a fact that constantly reminded her to stay on her own guard.

For Talia, blood was nothing compared to power and she had shed a lot of it already to keep the throne in her hands. For no price could she let that power slip her hands and even if she had to shed some more blood to ensure that, she would do so.

***