Cries could be heard in the Thanatos mansion. A woman was crying loudly.
"Aunt Secilia, what's wrong? What happened?" asked Daniel seeing the woman sprawled on the floor with a letter next to her.
"The Duke... That bastard... Annette... Please, I know we have no right, but you need to help, I beg you!" said the woman sobbing.
"Calm down and explain what happened," said Daniel calmly.
"My Lord, allow me," Shein's voice came from the side,
"As you know, your uncle owed a considerable gambling debt to the Duke. He signed some documents, putting Lady Annette as collateral."
At this point, Daniel was gritting his teeth. That bastard put his daughter as collateral for his gambling debt—a worm.
'Even less than a worm, an amoeba', added Jon.
"But the contract was invalid as long as Lady Annette was underage," followed up Shein.
"And she turned 15 this year," added Daniel clenching his fists.
Shein nodded and continued,
"It seems that the Duke contacted Lady Annette through a lawyer and said they should meet privately to discuss payment of the debt. That he would be willing to arrange for partial payment or installments."
"Don't tell me she went alone," asked Daniel, clearly irritated.
"Unfortunately, yes. Lady Secilia received a letter from the Duke saying he would return Lady Annette for 1000 common magical crystals. We have one week to comply, and he asked that you, my Lord, should be the one to make the exchange," said Shein, clearly shaken.
Obviously, the Duke didn't want the exchange to take place. Even for the Royal family, one thousand magical crystals in a week would be hard to gather.
"Please, Daniel. She's all I have left in this world," cried Aunt Secilia.
"Aunt Secilia, don't worry, I'll get Annette back," said Daniel, walking away.
He had the 1000 common crystals in storage. He even had ten times that amount in storage. However, he didn't believe the Duke was after the crystals but the territory.
'Captain, you know it's a trap, right?' Jon said.
Daniel nodded and added,
"If we go, we walk into a trap. If we don't go, he'll take his frustration on Annette. I became complacent. I was caught off guard."
The letter said to deliver the crystals to a specific location near the border between the duchy and the barony. He had to go alone, and the enemy would certainly monitor the area for any other reinforcements.
"Robert, gather 50 men that can be trusted and be prepared to move out in two days," said the Lord. Robert bowed and quickly left the mansion.
"Agent 0," Daniel said, and a teenage boy walked out from the shadows.
"Send 20 more men to my sister in the capital. They are not to leave her side, and she must return home as soon as possible. Take five people good with stealth missions and scout the proposed meeting area. I need to know how close we can get undetected, escape routes, distance to travel routes, etc. What happened to the two agents that were guarding Annette?" asked the Lord.
"Dead," answered Agent 0, with a similar expression to Daniel's. The Lord nodded, and Agent 0 disappeared.
"They killed our people. We can't avoid war..." mumbled Daniel. There was a mixture of regret but also excitement on his face.
= * =
"Is everything ready?" asked Daniel.
"Yes, my Lord. But you need to reconsider. I know you are strong, but..." trailed off Robert.
Daniel didn't reply. He got on the horse, followed by an agent driving a carriage with the crystals, and set off to the meeting location. Today was the set day, at noon. Robert with the 50 men were waiting 30 minutes back. Ten stealthy agents had sneaked closer, ten minutes out. But until reinforcements could reach the site, Daniel would be alone with one of his men only. Jon had prepared some tricks, just in case Daniel's powers were insufficient.
"So, you are the boy?" asked the slender middle-aged man with the suit. He was the Duke's, right-hand man.
"I am Lord Thanatos. Where is Annette?" replied Daniel coldly.
The Duke's man replied, "Directly to business, I see. Do you have the crystals? Because if you don't, we'll need to-"
"I have them," cut Daniel and nodded to the man on the carriage to bring the boxes.
The man raised his brow in disbelief and shock. Indeed, in front of him were a thousand genuine magical crystals. It was an incredible feat. 'How did the boy get a hold of this amount of crystals so quickly?' he thought.
"I see. The girl is tied in the back of the carriage," said the man with a grin.
'Cap, this is probably the moment they attack!' warned Jon.
Daniel moved carefully to the back and saw Annette tied with a special device. He looked around and couldn't see anyone else except the old man driving the carriage. Everyone was tense. The Duke's man smiled and said,
"What, you changed your mind? Hehe. She will make a good concubine if you don't want her."
Daniel approached Annette, touched her arm, and asked,
"Annette, are you OK? Can you move? Did they hurt you?"
But Annette was frozen in place. Only her eyes could move, and they were erratic.
A voice came from behind,
"So, you are the one who survived? You know, lad, you gave me a bad name. 40 years in the business, and you are my only failure."
It was the carriage driver who now dropped his cape and revealed luxurious priest robes. He was probably high-ranking in the Church.
'Cap, a priest!' yelled Jon to the Captain that had turned his back to Annette facing the priest.
A flash of light came from Annette, penetrating Daniel's back. A terrifying look was in both Annette's and Daniel's eyes. A soul-crashing spell. The priest had used Annette as a medium to deliver the attack. There was an artifact hidden in her.
Daniel stumbled and keeled over.
Immediately, Daniel's guard fired a flare in the air, notifying the hidden Barony soldiers to move in. Then, he attacked the Duke's men. He needed to keep them pinned for 10 minutes.
"Kill him quickly before others come! Is the boy dead this time, priest?" asked the Duke's man.
"Yes, 100%," the man answered, walking towards the body. Annette was crying, still frozen in place. The priest released the spell he had put on her and said,
"I'll take him along with the girl. I need to know how he survived the first time. The Church will be interested."
"Please, no, Daniel. Don't die. Please...", the cries of the girl could be heard. The priest ignored her and turned his back, standing beside the Duke's man away from Annette and Daniel.
"Are you still trying to kill one guard?" snickered the priest, looking at Daniel's man fighting the Duke's guards.
The boy's eyes flattered. He slowly opened them and nodded to Annette to stay quiet. He looked around, at the battle taking place at the front, and at his own hands. Everything seemed OK, except the boy's eyes were now... purple.
"Fuck," the boy muttered.
YOU ARE READING
Death's Favorite Child
FantasyHe was a highly trained killer, serving a 1000-year-old secret organization on Earth. He was betrayed by the people he served all his life and left for dead. His entire team gone. He took his revenge, reducing them to ashes, and died in the process...
