The Golden Bond

Chapter 14

"You're an idiot," Adam growled for what was possibly the hundredth time that day.

Ferdinand was sitting, tied to a chair in front of him and Adam was carving small but rather deep cuts in his hands, chest and face with a pocket knife. Ferdinand was covered in blood, groaning from exhaustion and begged his Master to let him go.

"Let you go? You mangy dog! Let you go so that you can have your whole head ransacked again? You idiot, you useless idiot!" Adam grumbled and kicked Ferdinand's chair. Ferdinand and the chair thudded to the floor.

Again Ferdinand screamed in pain, Adam didn't care and stood with his big, heavy shoe on his head. He pressed so hard that tears began to flow from the scapegoat's eyes. The daylong torture no longer fulfilled any purpose it only served Adam's sadistic pleasure. His intention was also to frighten him so much that he would carry out any future orders out of fear for his wretched life.

"So?! A young Asian girl, hey? And you, you imbecile, didn't think that it could be an agent? Do you really believe that the Lux Club will have the same old agents for ever and ever?"

The Umbra Master was filled with rage. From his underling Adam had found out that Ferdinand was snogging some chick at a local bar, and evidently when he was totally drunk, this chick got inside his head and learnt everything Franz knew about Victor's kidnapping. She must have been a new agent from the Lux Club, freshly signed up, one that they didn't know yet and that's exactly what their Master used to his advantage. Adam was in a rage because the Lux agents had got the better of them once again.

Adam had recently found out about a big international project which was about to be launched in Rome soon and his Club had a considerable share in it, they warned the Italians about a Lux spy and thus prevented any important information leaking out. The Italians captured the spy and he would have soon ended up buried somewhere if it wasn't for that stupid Ferdinand and his night time pleasures.

Now the Lux Club has probably launched a rescue operation and if several Lux operatives start to roam about Rome and God forbid threaten the project, the other Umbra Master's will show no mercy and have Adam shot down.

The Umbra Club was essentially somewhat like a network of secret services. In fact it was first founded a long, long time ago. As is usual for human behaviour since time immemorial, a few individuals got a taste for power and when they became wealthy as well, they would start to accumulate it and use it to strengthen their influence. At first, they operated by themselves, later through evermore corrupted minions. A bad character was something of a direct ticket to the secret society.

The objectives were clear – to accumulate money and assets into the hands of a few chosen ones, fraud, bribery, influencing public opinion, suppressing any sort of resistance and above all an effort to create such a structure in society where only a small circle of people rule and the others must blindly obey. The motto, of course, is "the ends justify the means".

The Lux Club was established a few decades after the first Umbra Club as a form of resistance with obvious order and strict rules. The Lux Club was founded by scholars and rich patrons who believed in the greater good. The first Lux Club also founded the first school where young perceptive children were trained to become defenders of the good, able to use the secrets of charismagic, a long forgotten half science half magic which enhanced natural human gifts to supernatural perfection.

That's how the never-ending struggle began in which the Umbra Club sought power and the Lux Club continually endeavoured to thwart their plans, more or less successfully and almost all over the world. The Earth will only know peace when the power of love overcomes the love of power.

Which won't be too soon, Adam thought and kicked Ferdinand hoping to improve his mood. He was thinking deeply. He knew he had to ensure the data centre in Rome would remain undetected until its launch, especially since the highest boss in Italy herself had called him concerning that matter only a few weeks before...

"Let me go, Adam, please," Ferdinand whimpered on the floor. Adam got bored with his whining and he cut through the ropes tying Ferdinand's hands. Ferdinand immediately leapt away from his Master and leaned against the wall with fear, in the corner of the little dark room.

"Now you're gonna find that little whore," Adam ordered, "and when you find her, you're gonna beat the shit out of her and find out who they've sent to rescue Victor."

Ferdinand nodded silently and disappeared from the room as quick as lightning.

Adam was also on his way out when his phone suddenly rang. He looked at the display and hesitated for a moment. His intake of breath was accompanied by an almost imperceptible, hint of fear. What should he tell her? He picked up the call and greeted the caller on the other end with a cheerful "Sí, signora."