The Monroe Estate

Chapter One

* Luc Blackthorne
The marketplace of Liburn was the heart of the city. Not because it was extravagant, but because it was one of the few territories not owned by a guild throughout the whole city. Mostly because it was too hard to keep. Liburn had limited military, but they guarded little else than the market. But that didn't stop the guilds from getting as close as they could
The variety of merchandise was lacking through, no vibrant colors, no shining of jewels, no careless banter. Only hundreds of people bargaining and cheating, not even the thieves with quick hands, pulling them from their arguments.
A tanned man maneuvered his way through the market, avoiding the sellers advertising their products and the women that lurk and draw men like sirens. He reached the entrance of an alley and stopped at the corner. He quickly surveyed the bazaar before ducking into the alleyway. There were no stalls here, only the lowest of the low that sat slumped against the rotting wood of trashed homes. As he passed them they shrunk back, fearing the blows of careless drunkards and the upper class. Filth and mud sloshed under his boots, staining his cloak. By no means did he look like someone of high position, and he certainly wasn't. Well. Only in the right circle.
When he exited the alleyway, he paused again. Giving the scout on the roof above him time to see him and scamper off to tell her guild master. The man chuckled as he imagined the guild master's face when the scout arrived.

*=-=*
"He Is Where?!" Colin Arnest bellowed from his office. Which wasn't really an office as many members of his guild knew, but more of a den of iniquity. Colin Arnest was not a bad looking man, he often claimed he was the best looking out of all of the guild leaders. Which wasn't saying much, but not many disagreed. He was a robust man with thick hair and an even thicker beard. He always looked as though he had just walked of a ship, perfectly tan and looking for feminine company.
Colin pressed his fists into his desk, a low growl rising in his chest. He shot a frosty glare toward the scout.
"Get out." He roared quietly, the girl seemed all to eggar to leave. So eggar in fact she almost tripped over herself going out the door. Before the door was even closed, Colin pivoted on his heel to face his lieutenant, Cedric Endor. In hushed conversations it was whispered that Cedric had murdered his predecessor. No one could confirm these rumors, but no one could deny them either. Cedric was quite the opposite of Colin. Where Colin was was hot tempered and as bronze as a bull. Cedric was level headed and pale as anyone from Bealcrest.
Colin paced back and forth, passing Cedric while murmuring to himself. Again Colin stopped in front of his lieutenant.
"Send a party out to stall him, I don't care who you take." And with little more than a nod, Cedric was gone.

*=-=*

It wasn't long before the cloaked man saw exactly who he wanted o speak to. Cedric Endor of the Hellfire guild waltzed down the street, making it very clear her was there to confront the interloper. Cedric's men were shadows on the rooftops and eyes that watched from behind darkened windows. Cedric came to a halt in front of the man. The lieutenant was almost on par with the man's extensive height, vaguely allowing him to see under the hood of his cloak. But even so, he didn't need to.
"What are you doing here?" Cedric demanded.
"Oh Cedric, there is no need for formalities, you know exactly why I'm here:m. And if you don't, then I have greatly overestimated your intelligence." The man said with a wicked sneer. Cedric pushed his pale hair out of his faces I he could more clearly see his men who were poised to attack at the first sign of hostility, and refocused on the man.
"Unfortunately, I am aware of why you are here." Cedric said plainly, he teased the hilt of the saber at his side. "And that's why I cannot let you pass me."
"Dear me. This seems a title overdramatic don't you think? All I want is the rest of my payment."

*=-=*

Colin sat in the lobby of his guild, which was nothing more than an aging bar. The windows were cloudy but mostly intact. It was more crowded in the evening when his men convened for drinks, so was mostly empty for now. Colin swished his scotch in his glass. He was seated at the bar, his back facing the door. He had the upmost confidence in Cedric, but was still nervous. Nervous enough to board the door and keep a blade in the waistband of his pants. Maybe not so confident after all. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the back do open. The door only he and Cedric knew about.
"You know I hold the upmost confidence in you, but you had me worried for a minute." Colin said, pulling another glass  from behind the counter for his lieutenant. With a chuckle, Cedric moved around the bar and sat.
"I'm so glad you have so much confidence in me." Mocked a familiar voice from the stool next to Colin. It wasn't Cedric.
"You know, when you have someone watching your stronghold, you shouldn't use a secret entrance. Especially when dealing with a particularly suspicious type of woman." Colin slowly put his glass down, and turned to the man, trying to hide his anger. Colin clearly remembered the slender blonde from a few nights ago. Colin had been drunk, he'd gotten sloppy. He had used the back door. The man had probably bought the information.
"Luc.... A welcome surprise." Colin said, turning his grimace to a toothy grin. "Might I ask what you have done with my lieutenant?" Luc smiled wickedly and reclined on the bar counter.
"I left him bleeding in the street, he should be dead in a few minutes. Unless you give me the rest of my payment like I asked." Luc turned to Colin, his cloudy eye in full view. The first time Colin had met Luc, he had worn an eyepatch. An attempt to seem more personable. But now. Now it seemed like an intimidation tactic. Over the course of their meetings, Colon had often wondered how Luc had received the scar that traced the right side of his face and cut through his blind eye. Well, almost blind as Colin had found quickly.
"How do I know you aren't bluffing?" Colin whispered, fearing his answer. Luc pulled a small pouch from his belt and placed it next to Colin's liquor. Some parts of the cloth were stained dark and a sinking feeling grew in his stomach.
"That should be evidence enough." Luc said calmly. Carefully Colin pulled the bag open. Inside the canvas bag were two of Cedric's fingers. The pinky and ring finger from the looks of it, although from which had he couldn't tell. The black ink that twisted like thorns around them clearly identified them as Cedric's. The bone was splintered at the knuckle, like it had taken more than one blow to remove them. More likely Cedric had tried to move. Colin felt the heat leave his face and his mouth go dry.
"Perhaps you will now reconsider." Luc said, spreading his arms out on the counter, making the sabers on his back clearly visible. And who knew how many more weapons he had that Colin couldn't see.
"Perhaps I might." Colin said, trying to maintain some kind of integrity, or maybe give himself some form of false control. Luc laughed, his head rolling back onto the counter.
"Colin, you and I both know that you are going to give me what I want so you can go save your lieutenant." Colin clenched his teeth and pushed the bag away from himself.
"Fine."

*=-=*

Luc Blackthorne triumphantly strode through the market. Thinking that he very much liked these drab streets and ignorant people. No one would be able to draw the connections between him and Colin. Or even why Luc went to the hellfire guild. Well, at least not until the death of Lord Gaheli was made public.
They would say it was an accident. Maybe. But the minute found out that Lord Gaheli, was one of the heads of an anti-guild task force. The facade that the people held of peace and safety would crumble. No one was safe.
Luc had tucked the bag of coins into his belt to keep it safe from the thieves he knew wandered these streets. Colin had tried to cheat Luc out of his payment for killing Gaheli. Although Luc expected nothing less from the leader of a guild.
Luc wove his way through the thinning crowd, ensuring that if someone had been following him, they would have lost him. He altered his gait, and slouched to alter his height before ducking into a semi-intact building on his left. Luc added a fake limp to seem less intimidating and made his way to the counter. The lobby of the inn wasn't much, it was mostly empty except for the counter and a bench that ran along the opposite wall.
A petit woman greeted him. "Welcome, sir, would you like a room?" Luc plastered on his best smile.
"I would, yes." Luc said, shifting as though his leg bothered him, but used it as an opportunity to hide the blades on his back. The woman smiled back. Equally as wide. Equally as fake.
"Great!" She chimed. "May I have your name and payment?" Luc pulled the pouch from his belt and put it on the counter.
"Colin Arnest."