The House Of Blood and Dust, Book One: Darkness Rising

I am Happy With My Place In Society

I take a drag of the cigarette, I’ve had it in my hand for a while looking at it knowing that I wanted it but yet my mind told me that I need to be on that plane within the hour, but I as I feed my addiction I feel calm. Whiskey’s another bad habit I sip it from a crystal glass, it sits on the rocks with a tiny umbrella. I finish the cigarette and the whiskey, I check my M9 in my hip holster, then my sub-machine gun which is concealed on its strap inside my jacket; the security didn’t even pick it up, they mustn’t think mages help assassins do their job.

          The private plane lands for its first stop at Dacasan international airport because they believe that their precious cargo will be low-key if they transport him to and from different airports to stop people like me and hated enemies of the Dounas people from gaining access to their president; my daughter comes back from the bathroom and sits down with a coffee she blows on it and smiles at me, her eyes are as her mothers were brown as well as mine, her skin is a lighter shade than mine and her hair is wavy as her mothers were; she looks at the paper on the circle table we’re sat on,

          “Father have you seen this?”

          “What?” I ask with sudden certainty of an odd conversation,

          “The Arcane University was blown up last night… according to this, the Senims broke the borders on three sides and pushed through the streets only to meet a force they couldn’t beat and in the mist of it all the University got blown up, also there was a werewolf sighting.” Her face is in shock, I remember them of course that dwarf insulted me and that hound had a mouth as well,

          “How unfortunate what will the mages ever do?” she laughs a queer laugh one as her mother may have done,

          “How is Harquin?”

          “She is fine, my love she is helping new recruits become who they need to be.” Sam takes her blazer off and her tie, she’s just come from an interview,

          “Sam, I have to go now… be sure to feed the dogs.” She stands and kisses me on the forehead,

          “Be sure that you don’t mess up this time.” She sniggers and swaggers away, I stand and button up my suit jacket and do the top button of the shirt, rub down the creases of the slacks and run towards the plane, climbing over the chain link fence to the air field, as it begins to return to the air; I climb onto it and sit in one of the seats, blending into his person guard sitting in their beautifully comfortable blue silk covered leather chairs, I sink in and then a lady hostess comes to me, she’s ridiculously attractive with her tights on and skirt just above the knee, her shirt outlines her breasts and the black blazer helps that along, her fingernails are painted red and her lips are a lighter shade of the red on her fingernails, I look her in her pale blue eyes and smile,

          “What would you like, sir?”

          “I would like a scotch on the rocks, darling… and maybe a side order.” She giggles as if she’s heard it all before,

          “Coming right up, sir.” She smiles and walks swaying from side to side away, it’s hard not to look at her arse,

          “I see you eyeing up my woman.” A tall lanky, skinny man in a blue suit comes to me his teeth gritted,

          “Happiness is well believed in the eyes of the woman who wants better than what she already has.” He looks slightly angrier than he did before,

          “Do you think you can talk to me like that?”

          “Yes and if you don’t leave you’ll soon realise how much I can talk to you like that.” His frown turns upside-down and his fist wants to be greeted to my face, which in turn it is and he pulls me from the chair and onto the floor where he and his friend stomp onto my spine and head, but I soon overpower them and push from the floor, throwing them from me,