A MAZE OF GREED

The rancid and pungent smell in the darkroom was the same. The sticky floor, stained with blood and what not was the same. The thick walls that had blocked thousands of cries were the same.

The dangerous air in the surrounding was the same. The shadows and the monster hidden in them was the same.

The only difference was instead of one prey like the last time, the monster had a feast of four.

Edwin, now in his full masculine and animalistic glory, got bored sitting in a chair. His ears were bored too of hearing the same noises. The scene unfolding in front of him did not entertain him the way he had expected before coming to the darkroom in the old building.

He remembered the last time he was in that room. The night that turned his life upside down.. But it felt like a distant memory to him but was still crystal clear in his mind.

"Master!" Rees gave Edwin his glass of drink, and this time it was not wolfsbane potion but alcohol.

He did not want to weaken his power. He needed it not to deal with the people in front of him but to demonstrate it for his satisfaction.

Edwin drank the bitter liquid that tasted good to his tastebuds. He had missed it.

"Details."

Rees pointed at the first man who was in his late fifties, a good choice for a spy in a territory like Vincardine where although the rulers were smart, they were not evil to suspect a senior citizen.

"That man is a spy of goblins."

"Goblins?"

Goblins were monstrous creatures known for betrayal and greediness. Those malicious creatures had magical abilities like fairies or demons that made them influential.

The green, short creatures had no hairs on their densely wrinkled body. Their pointed and long nose and ears were the prominent features of their heads. Their sharp and distantly arranged dirty teeth and bad odour mouth were the disgusting part of them.

Their town was situated far away from Vincardine but close to Kinsville. The Goblins were known for changing sides, and their loyalty stayed with only themselves.

One could not tell the words they said were either truth or a blatant lie. That was what they did during the great war, centuries ago.

"Have they forgotten who they are messing with?"

Edwin's blood boiled hearing their name. He had always despised those green creatures. He felt disgusted with their unhygienic and dirty lifestyle. And the most repulsive thing he found in them was their lack of morals.

"Abolustely not! They are well aware of whom they are messing with and thus they have not called back their spy." Lester, who was dozed off till now, unbothered by the screams and noises of various tortures, spoke.

Edwin grumbled something incoherently. He hated his friend's blatant words.

"The second one to the left of him is a spy from Cantonova. Master, they are taking this trade rivalry with Vincardine to another level." Rees informed.

Cantonova was a port town like Vincardine but younger. In fact, Cantonova was the reason for Vincardine's decreasing importance as a stoppage in overseas trade.

It was a town of only humans and was ruled by humans too. As per natural human nature, they considered themselves better than the Vincardine and thus the O'Dells.

"Cantonova was coloured in the colour of joy when the news of your disappearance reached there. See, it is not only a few people but you can make a whole town happy, Edwin. You should give yourself some credits for that."

Edwin ignored Lester's comment, and also when he snatched his alcohol from him and drank it down in one go.

"The third one is sent by the... Centaurs."

This time it was not only Edwin but also Lester who turned silent. Lester did not felt right to crack another joke, because the creatures and their history, especially with the O'Dells was far away from a joke.

"They are still resentful against the O'Dells."

"They are resentful against the werewolves Edwin." Lester corrected his friend.

"But why would they send a spy and not call him back?" Rees was confused.

"Rees what were you doing in the history lessons in the Academy?" Lester chided him.

"Apologies, My Lord. But I asked that because the Centaurs were silent all this time. They even avoided facing the werewolves on multiple occassions. Then what changed now?" Rees explained.

Lester had not thought about that. But Rees's argument had got him thinking.

Centaurs were horses down from their waist with human torso on the upper half of their body. They were tall, bulky and they were proud warriors. And what made them stand out amongst the other supernatural creatures was their stringent belief in morals, laws and fairness.

And what made them dangerous? Their high intolerance to work under someone else's command.

"I think, I know the reason."

"What?" Lester and Rees both looked at Edwin in surprise.

"It is not something they had come up with overnight. Their contempt for werewolves brewed in their hearts over the centuries. Their previous leadership was peace-loving and did not want the whole world to go through another destruction.

But now that they have a new leader, the things have taken a different turn."

"But... how do you know that? As far as I know, their leader is yet to step down." Lester wondered.

Edwin shook his head slightly. "Yes. But that does not mean they do not have a new leader ready to take the reigns. Their leader's daughter- Alita."

The two men fell into a deafening silence in between the surrounding chaos.

"But, when Alita becomes their leader and if she decides to challenge the werwolves, then..." Rees could not complete his concern.

He did not need to.

Centaurs were decorated and brave warriors who had changed the course of history with their fighting skills and spirit. Having them on one's side made them stronger... almost undefeated.

But having them in your opposition meant either you had to embrace an honourable death and achieve the tag of a martyr or surrender at their feet like a coward.

"We will think about all this later. Now tell me about the last one."

Edwin changed the topic for a while.

"That spy... he is sent by the Council."

Edwin's eyes darkened when Rees pointed at the same man who he had caught in Cantonova.

Rees's information did not come as a surprise for Edwin, for he had anticipated that move from the Council. They always had to poke their nose in others' business.

But the circumstances in which that spy was caught, and the mysteries that unfolded had put Edwin in a very critical position. He had to manoeuvre his way through it carefully, or else he would not only put himself; but also his town in danger.

*

*

*

"My Lord! You have recieved a letter." Marcus showed a white envelope to Ambrose.

"Letter? From whom?"

"It is from Alita."

Ambrose shared a look with Aurora.

He took the envelope from Marcus and opened it. A neatly folded white paper was tuck inside it. Ambrose opened the letter, and his dark eyes scanned the content written in it.

"Father, mother, what is this?" Darius arrived after spending his day in a library where he had a great collection of books.

"Alita has sent the letter." Aurora said.

"And what is she saying?" Darius plopped down in a chair, putting his stretched legs crossed on the glass table in front of him.

After reading the letter, Ambrose folded it and put it back in the envelope.

"What is written in it?' Aurora asked.

The vanished smile from Ambrose's face indicated that there was something wrong.

"She has lost her contact with her spy."

Those words from Ambrose troubled the other three. Aurora took another letter from the table and looked at it with a frown.

"This one is from Cantonova. They also can not reach their spy."

"How is this possible, mother? And what does it mean?" Darius, now curious and, outraged asked, pulling his legs back to sit upright.

"It means..."

"They have found our spies." Ambrose said, his eyes flashing in red.

"Addington, Alita, Goblins- we all can not contact our spies. It is as if they have vanished into a thin air on the land of Vincardine. What Augustus O'Dell might have done?" Aurora's voice turned hard.

Darius scoffed. "Mother, you think it is Lord Augustus?"

"Then who?" Aurora furrowed her brows questioningly at her son.

"Even if Lord Augustus has found out about the spies, he would have first contacted us all before taking any action." Darius said.

Agreeing to him-which was a rare sight- Marcus nodded. "Or he would have straight go to the Council or even to the Royals. He would not have waited this long when his town is filled with the spies."

"Then what are you suggesting Darius? Who it must be?" Aurora asked.

Darius's fists clenched tightly, his eyes dark and angry.

"It is Edwin O'Dell!"