Power Play

Chapter 11: Garen

Chapter 11: Garen

    Garen Carnus waited in a parking lot a little over a block away from Vanning's place, as he'd been instructed. He was nervous, he had no idea what was going to go down tonight and it worried him. His life had been really good lately. He'd been spending a lot of time with his human girlfriend Jayna, and it was amazing just how good it felt to be able to relax with her. Aside from Vanning, no other freaks had found out about them, and Garen preferred to keep it that way, despite Lord Talen's assurances that Jayna wouldn't be in danger from other freaks. Garen didn't want to take chances.

    He'd been around other freaks when he was on his own enough to keep up to date on the city's goings on so that he could do his job and report on it to Harken. But no one had approached him in his capacity as Harken's representative, and except for the arrival of a couple new freaks to the city, not much had been going on lately, and Garen had wanted it to stay that way. He was enjoying his nice peaceful life, enjoying being able to spend time with Jayna without complications. But Harken had called him tonight, and told him to wait here for her, that she would arrive with an entourage and that together they would go to see Vanning. For what purpose, Garen still had no idea.

    When the car finally pulled up, Garen could tell right away who it was. He could sense the freaks inside it, four of them. The car parked in the spot right beside him, and Harken was the first to emerge, looking as beautiful as she had the one time he'd seen her before. She stretched in a very feline way as her aide Karen and two male freaks that Garen had never seen before climbed out of the car. Only then did Harken finally approach him with a smile on her face.

    "Garen, it's good to see you again," she said as she came to a halt a couple feet from him, the other three trailing after her.

    "It's my pleasure, Angela," Garen replied, still not quite comfortable calling her by her first name, but not wanting to disobey the order she'd given him when they'd met.

    "So, are you ready to go with us to see Vanning?" Angela asked him.

    "I am. Although I have been curious what exactly this is about," Garen told her.

    "You'll see soon enough. If you still have questions later, you can ask them then. For now, come with me," Angela stated, before turning and striding off in the direction of Vanning's building. Garen simply fell in with the others following her, unable to shake his nervousness.

    As they made their way into Vanning's building and then down the steps leading to the basement, Garen could sense the man there, in his throne room as expected. He was alone, and yet even though he must've felt the approach of five freaks, he didn't panic, he didn't so much as move an inch. Yet the moment the five of them finally stepped foot into the throne room and Vanning actually saw who they were, Garen could literally see the fear settle into the man's features. Vanning quickly glanced around, as if gauging potential exits.

    "Don't worry, I don't mean you harm," Angela immediately said, holding her hands up in a peaceful gesture.

    "Then why are you here?" Vanning demanded, worry mixing with fear on his face, his position shifting on his throne in such a way that Garen was certain the man was ready to bolt and attempt to flee at an instant's notice.