Halonar

The Long Table

Corvin grimaced, another dead guy, wonderful. Despite not only his and Oberion's objections, he was appointed for interrogation.

The next gang member walked in, his hands cuffed, of course. Not that it would matter much. If the man managed to free himself, Corvin would have no problem killing him. Unfortunately, it seemed the man was nowhere near an escape. The man had been brutally beaten, and apparently lashed as immediate punishment. His red lines wrapped his body, yet he was completely emotionless.

Corvin rolled his eyes at the man. He swung his hand close to his face to see if the man would flinch.

He did not.

Grumbling, Corvin pulled up a seat. It made an ugly screeching noise as it dragged across the floor. Corvin clasped his hands on the table. The man sat down awkwardly in front of him.

Corvin smiled at the man for a second, then immediately corrected his involuntary facial expression. The truth was, Corvin was not very happy with his life, but he had to put on a smile for anyone watching him.

His wife divorced him just a few years prior. Some bullshit about "not being the man she fell in love with," or something like that. He couldn't quite remember what she said, it had been years ago, but it still stung. He knew he was an attractive man, so it puzzled and angered him that she left. There wasn't anything big about it either, one day he came home and she wasn't there, only a note that said she left and wasn't coming back. She didn't even steal any of his money, which to the average divorced man, would be a relief, but to him, the fact she didn't take so much as a cent, a statement that she didn't need him, It angered him.

Corvin glared at the man in front of him. He wanted to strangle Oberion. He was supposed to be second in command, not that Pligk.

There had been a bad blood between him and Oberion, It started around the Lead Hill skirmish almost a decade ago, when Corvin was in the army. Corvin had destroyed Oberion in rank, power, and mana capacity, but Oberion rose through the ranks and Corvin did not. Oberion proceeded to use his new authority to boss Corvin and others around, no one else had a problem because they were stupid, but Corvin did.

Oberion would complain whenever something went slightly wrong. Like when Corvin stabbed one of the undercover operatives. Not a damn soul told him to look for the brown ribbon, Oberion eventually honed his powers enough that he qualified for AFHA but he couldn't get in because of the war.

The man calmly awaited his torment.

Corvin got up and backhanded the man across the face.

As Corvin took his gloves off, the man grunted in surprise at the fine frost that coated his face.

"It's a bit warm here, let's lower the temperature shall we?"

The snow outside intensified, the whistle of the wind became louder. The room became colder.

The man shivered, but still showed no emotion. "Tell me where the rest of you are, and I won't kill you." Corvin hoped that threatening the man's life would be as effective as torture.

"A tarnished brother, does not tarnish another." The man smiled back.

Corvin slammed his hands on the table. "Fine, have it your way."

Corvin summoned a blast of ice from his fingertips. The ice enveloped the man like a cocoon.

"Mind telling me your name?" Corvin asked.

The man said nothing, even as ice wrapped around him.

Corvin stepped forward. The man, now completely covered in ice, could only turn his eyes to look. Completely helpless.