“Let in Lady,” says Dante.
Diana stares at the back of his head.
“...The one named Lady.”
“Yes, Father.”
“And let my stepmother know I’ll-”
“We’ll,” says Mindy.
“We’ll,” says Mindy.
“-be late.”
Diana nods and leaves. A few short minutes later they hear the click-clack of someone walking in on heels. They stand up and turn around.
Lady was a tall, proud, intimidating woman, even more so in heels. Her features and light skin tone were from somewhere in old world Asia, which - while well represented in the population of each tribe individually - still stood out when compared to most of her counterparts of equal political power. Her dress was very nonsense-free; a medium-length gray skirt attached to a gray formal jacket covering a white blouse. She peered at the two lesser ranked nobles in front of her through thick, black spectacles. The one curiosity in her normal dress was a pair of black and white stockings.
She was Dante’s age, and possessed of a similar popularity among the young movers and goers of the combined with a similar sense of exotic danger. But whereas Dante was a generally kindly if snooty and sexually open man who happened to be a mafia prince, the sense of danger surrounding Lady came entirely from the considerable power she wielded over the isolated Tiger tribe.
And the newspaper.
Tonight, she must have been feeling moderately festive. Dante knew this because, in addition to the black and white stockings, she was wearing white heels with black tiger stripes on her feet and a tiny pair of equally tiger striped white cat ears on top of her long, flowing hair.
“Lady Lady Tiger, good to see you,” says Dante, cheerfully, offering a hand. “What brings you here?” Mindy giggles at the repetition of Lady, and Dante casually and gently steps on the side of her foot. “You normally just stay downstairs during our parties. And write unflattering reviews in your newspaper. ...And threaten to revoke access to the library.”
Lady Lady Tiger didn’t shake his hand. She pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, regarding him coldly. “Where is my sister?” she says, her voice the consistency of stone. Despite her reputation, Lady could joke around as much as any other young person in the city. There was no trace of a sense of humor here, however.
“...Excuse me?” says Dante, surprised. “Your sister? You have a sister?”
“I have two, and presently one is accounted for. Tell me, Ilucis Junior, where did you take her?”
Dante’s mouth opens and closes. He looks at Mindy, who shrugs. “Who are you talking about? No one’s been up here aside from my bodyguard, my robots, and the helmeted police officer over there.” Dante points. Lady’s eyes follow.
Officer Kiplin waves. “I’m just sittin’ here, takin’ up space. Don’t mind me.”
“You are a liar, Ilucis,” says Lady, accusingly, jabbing a finger in his face. “I’ve asked around. There were many witnesses. They last saw her coming up here with your wife. I found Princess Anilin wandering around downstairs, drunk. My girlfriend can verify that she drove her here in her own car. Where did my sister go?”
Dante and Mindy both mull this over in their heads.
They look at one another, eyes wide.
“...Wait, was she...”
“...I don’t think...she couldn’t...”
“Did you know?”
“I didn’t know!”
“How could you not know?”
“Neither she nor the princess said anything, I just figured...Wouldn’t that be public knowledge?”
“Would it?”
“I don’t know! I don’t pay attention to politics as much as I should!”
“I don’t either!”
Lady grabbed Dante by his collar, pulling him close. Her breath was minty fresh and terrifying. “Where. Is. Kitten Tiger.”
There was a dead silence in the room.
“Pfffffffffffff.”
“Mindy, don’t.”
“Pfffffahahaha.”
“Mindy, please.”
“I’m-pfffahahahaha-I’m sorry, I just-ahahahaha! I just can’t...Fffawhawhaw!” Mindy snorted. “That’s really her name? The Librarian’s name is really Kitten Tiger. The members of the noble family of the Tiger tribe really have the names ‘Lady Lady Tiger’ and ‘Lady Kitten Tiger’. How is no one else laughing at this? Come on!”
Lady sneers, and Dante feels that his lifespan is rapidly becoming shorter. “She was here! She was looking for a book she thought I checked out, but I haven’t been to the Library in...forever. I have my own collection of books!”
“Where did she go, Ilucis? Speak quickly.”
“I sent her up to my room!”
Lady slams Dante’s back against the bulletproof glass of the VIP room. “No, not like that! She wasn’t interested in me, Lady! I’m not some womanizing serpent-tongued twit! She was here for the book, she wasn’t attracted to me, that’s it. I sent her up alone to let her look for it. You’re free to go up after her.”
Lady stares him in the eyes for a moment. She feels a sudden rise in temperature at the back of her neck, as if her hair was about to be singed.
“Lady, put him down, or whatever gods you believe in won’t be able to help you.” Mindy’s voice is sudden, and from behind Lady Tiger. She drops Dante, and the heat dissipates. She turns and marches back out of the side room as Mindy pulls Dante onto his feet.
“Are you all right?” she says, brushing and checking his neck.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine, Mindy. Thank you.”
“Hey, you belong to me. If anyone breaks you, I’m going to break them.” She winks.
They watch Lady walk back out. Pamela was leaning against a wall near the stairs, jotting down notes.
“Where is she? Find out anything?” asks Pamela.
“Yes. We’re going up to Dante’s room.”
“Oh, of course. I’ll come with you.” Pamela follows Lady to the elevator. “Hey, toots?”
Lady doesn’t respond. She presses a button on the elevator and waits, arms folded.
“...Toots? We’re...all right, aren’t we? I mean, I just figured...I didn’t think it was going to be such a big deal. I just wanted to help your sister.”
Lady’s silence continues. She watches the floor number above the elevator door go down.
“I mean, I know you haven’t had much time for either Kitty or Yu in a while, because you’re so busy, and I knew you were worried about the fact that Kitty spends all of her time inside and never ventures into the outside world...I just thought...You know. Helping her return a library book herself might...”
The elevator stops. Ding.
“...I’m sorry,” says Pamela. The door slides open.
“We will talk about it later, darling,” says Lady. Pamela exhales, with mild relief.
“Oh, good,” says a voice from the elevator. “Because you’re just the woman we needed to chat with right now.”
It belongs to a burly man in a bowler hat, with a small dark patch of facial hair on his chin. He’s flanked by two men and two women on either side of him, all wearing dark suits
The four cronies all pull pistols. The door starts to close on them, but the big guy stops it with both his hands.
“Get out of the elevator, ya morons.”
His cronies finally leave the elevator and surround Lady and Pamela, pointing at them.
“Please don’t hurt them,” pleads Dante, hurrying over.
“Hello, boy,” says the man. “Despina says hi.”
“Oh, um, I see. How is she?”
“My daughter wants to know why you haven’t been over for tea in a while.”
“Oh, that, that. I’m sorry, I’ve just been so busy. I’ll come over soon. Where’s she parking the caravan nowadays?”
“Dante,” says Mindy.
“Right. Don’t hurt them, please!”
“If they don’t do anything dumb,” says the man. “Then I won’t shoot them.”
There was a solitary burp. The focus in the room turned towards Kiplin.
“Heyo,” says Kiplin. The man squints, pulling out his own sidearm.
“...You ain’t Isabella, copper,” he says, flatly.
“Yer right. I’m way too personable an’ charmingly likable t’ be Captain Isabella.”
“She’s a...Uh...Guest.”
“Hey, copper,” says the big thug. “Get over here.” He waves the gun. Kiplin stands up and walks over beside him, hands on her hips.
“So these are th’ troublemakers, eh?”
Pamela glares. So does the big thug.
“Don’t be a wise guy. Get in line with the others.”
Kiplin shrugs and steps in next to Pamela and Lady, turning around.
“Dante, Mindy, ma’am. You too.”
Dante and Mindy awkwardly shuffle in with the others.
“Our first time getting murdered together,” says Mindy. “It’s very romantic.”
“Don’t worry, we can all make a break for it shortly.”
“You think?”
“Yes, I mean. When they start trying to fit everyone in, we can probably push them down and make a run for it.”
“That seems a bit pointless, though it does sound really exciting. What makes you say that?”
“Simple. They can’t possibly fit us all in the elevator. It’s physically impossible with the elevator’s dimensions.”
***
“I can’t believe he fit all of us in the elevator,” says Dante, as they file out of it.
“You tried. That’s what’s important.”
“I’m sure our lives aren’t in danger. Though I’m going to be horribly guilt ridden about Lady, Pam, and Aoife’s deaths if things go bad.. No offense, you three. You are all fantastic people and I fully plan to spend my entire life in a deep, dark depression if I am responsible for your deaths.”
“None taken,” quips Kiplin. “Besides, I’m too fantastic to die.”
“I take offense,” says Pamela. “I take a great deal of offense. I am very offended. I have never been more offended.”
The upper floor - namely the side of it that belongs to Lord Ilucis, his wife, and Dante’s younger siblings - is tall and opulent. The walls are red. Significantly red. Gaudily red, as gaudy as the wide variety of expensive paintings that have been hung up on every wall.
They are led into a study, filled with bookshelves. Dante, Mindy, and Kiplin are sat down on a couch facing another, while Lady and Pamela are forced into chairs at either end of it, presumably to keep them separated.
The thugs remain posted at the doors, with the burly fellow standing behind Dante. A sixth thug walks in from a side room. He takes off his fedora and pulls a small sheet of paper from the lining. He clears his throat.
“Now presentin’,” he reads, in a bored tone. “The Queen’s Foremost Advisor, Head Of The Royal Maid Society, Royal Archivist, Head Of Royal Security, The Official Royal Party Planner, The Queen’s Maid Of Honor, Former And Eternal Head Cheerleader Of Dragon-Ianthe Royal Academy-”
“Go Leviathans,” says Pamela, Dante, and Mindy, in varying levels of enthusiasm: Pamela, a mild amount. Dante, none whatsoever. Mindy screams it.
“-Former Royal Nursemaid, Serpent-Bearer, Mother Of Six And Stepmother Of Three, and the Head Mistress Of The Ilucis And Paige Families, I present to you, Lord Ilucis’ beloved wife, Lady Zita Ilucis-Paige.”
There is polite applause as a woman in a strapless black evening gown glides into the room. Her hair is jet black, possibly dyed that way. A see-through shawl lays over her upper arms and shoulder. Her hands and lower arms are covered in long, black silk gloves, a cigarette holder delicately pinched between her fingers. Her skin is pale, her eye shadow and lipstick a thick black.
There is a serpent hanging around her shoulders and neck like a fur, its scales a strange and vivid violet. It regards the room with disdain and boredom.
Whether through luck, effort, impeccably used make-up, or some unknown blood pact with some ancient, gurgling horror beyond mortal imaginings, she certainly didn’t look like a woman who had given birth six times.
“Thank you, dear,” she says, not bothering to look at the thug who introduced her. “You are dismissed. Five brutes are far, far more than enough.”
The thug quickly ducks out of the room. Lady Zita Paige glances around the room, walking over and sitting down on the couch, crossing her legs. “Good evening, dear. Have you been enjoying the party?”
Dante looks back and forth for the target of that statement, finding none.
“Of course she means you,” Mindy hisses to him under her breath.
“Oh. Er. It’s been fine, Zita-”
“Mom.”
“Yes, er, fine Mom. Fine. Good.”
“I see you brought your wife, for once,” says Paige. “That’s good of you. I so do miss seeing her around.”
“I missed you too, ma’am,” says Mindy, with her usual smile. Paige cracks a smirk.
“See, Dante? I knew she would be a good match for you.”
Dante rolls his eyes. Lady and Pamela continue to look pissed off and confused.
“And who is this?” says Paige, glancing over at Kiplin. “Developed a taste in men, now? Or is he one of Mindy’s...?”
“...I’m not a lad,” says Kiplin.
“Her name is Aoife-” begins Dante.
“Officer Kiplin,” says Kiplin.
“Another one, dear?”
“Errr, Zita-”
“Mom.”
“-Mom, can we just...Wait until later to talk about this? I mean, five very large people - no offense,” says Dante quickly, to the burly gentleman.
“No taken.”
“Just dragged us up here? And there’s some...Very confusing things going on, and we’d just like to clear it all up and-”
“Where is my sister?” says Lady, glowering at Paige.
“Hmmm? Oh, yes, Lady Tiger. Hello.”
“Sister.”
“Right. So you probably already know then.” She takes a puff from her cigarette holder and blows away from the group. “I was going to tell my son that we found his room all...nasty and wrecked, and an intruder lying in your bedroom.”
“You sent people in my room without my permission?” says Dante, gritting his teeth. He pauses. “...Intruder-Oh god.”
“My sister. Give her to me, now.” Lady’s rage practically seems to fill the room. Dante cringes in reflex.
“What I believe my esteemed lesbian lover means to say is, if you harm even the tiniest molecule on the fingernail of the second Tiger sibling’s smallest finger,” Pamela says, “she fully intends to bring the wrath of the Tiger tribe down upon us all in a bloody and costly and, frankly, incredibly inhumane war of attrition, possibly starting with revoking library cards and torching the harbor. She will then proceed to have one bridge onto the island destroyed, and the other roadblocked, forcing any counterattacks to funnel down an extremely thin path, which a team of trained snipers and a team of rather worryingly less trained machine gunners will be watching at all times. This will continue until such time as the Tiger tribe can rebuild it’s ancient naval power, sail over to your island, and bombard you with a combination of violent explosions and vicious newspaper smear campaigns. Is that right, Lady Tiger?”
“I believe that’s right, yes. Thank you Pamela.”
“You are so very welcome.”
Lady Paige took another puff of smoke in silence.
“...Will one of you be a dear and find my husband? Tell him we have a diplomatic situation.”
***
“Leave us be. I would like to talk to our guest alone,” says a voice in the darkness. It’s a quiet, raspy voice. Two thugs nod and exit through the only door.
The room from what little Kitty can make out of it, isn’t very big. It’s a square room, with a flat, tiled floor. There is a drain below the creaky wooden chair Kitty is sitting in. She appears to be tied up, judging by the lack of arm and leg movement and the tight feeling of ropes around her wrists and ankles.
There’s a small desk against the wall. A lamp on top of it is the only source of light in the room.
You can see him, now; a tall man with white skin and long, graying hair. Red tinted shades with gold rims hide his eyes just enough, and in the dark, it’s quite effective. Kitty feels as those eyes might burn her alive at any moment...
“The Librarian this time, hm? My, Miss Levesque certainly is getting craftier by the day.” He rubs his chin in quiet thought. “Perhaps it should be expected, I suppose. It is a public library, after all. The Tigress’ sisters would be the easiest children to access.” He sighs. “All that knowledge, just laying around where anyone could get it. Even the terminally stupid. Always knew it’d be trouble.” He places a long and thin wooden case on the desk, idly flipping through number combinations on the metal latches in an attempt to open it.
He coughs and clears his throat. “Terrible allergies this season, yes. Hmm.” He takes a handkerchief from his coat pocket, clears his throat, takes a deep breath, and blows into it.
The handkerchief suddenly bursts into flames for a brief moment and turns to ashes in his hand. He sniffles. “Ugh.” He clears his throat again, dumping the ashes on the floor. “Though, I suspect most young people these days don’t know that the Librarian has anything to do with the, ahhhhh...” He throws the lid open, temporarily losing his train of thought. “Ah, yes, the Tiger nobility. Young people today. What is happening to this city? Besides the usual, I mean. Ah yes, my old friend...”
He removes a wicked, gleaming, curved blade from the case. It’s as white as bone, which, Kitty’s fear stricken mind quickly reasons, is probably because it is carved from bone. The man runs his fingers over the back of the blade, caressing it like a long lost lover. “There we are, there we are.” He lays the blade on one palm, gripping the ruby-encrusted silver hilt with the other. He lifts it in the air, and gives it a few experimental swishes, passing mere feet from Kitty.
“Good, good. Mmm. I do have to wonder why miss Levesque’s latest convert cum assassin would pass out in my son’s room after attempting to leave him a message, especially one not left in her own blood. Hmmm.” He swishes the sword again, grunts, then rubs his arm. “Mmm. I’m sure it’s the drugs. I bet it’s the drugs. Kids these days, with the drugs. Not like the drugs we had back in the old days. Now those, those.” He shakes a finger at Kitty with a wry smile. “Those were some good drugs in-deed young lady, mmm, yes. You should have seen them. I’d spend some evenings just kicking back, lighting one up, and...ahhhh. Yes. Good times indeed.” He sighs, wistfully. “Better music in those days too.”
Kitty’s mood goes back to rapidly occilating between pure unbridled fright and violently aggrivated confusion. When the man suddenly snaps his head towards her and places the leg against her neck, in spite of the quickly increased heart rate she doesn’t feel any more certain which feeling is more appropriate.
“But I suppose I’ll never know what happened, yes. I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal, I just need to remove you quickly and cremate the body. Miss Levesque was clever in that way, yes, she’s so very clever. About that part. The part where killing you would enrage your sister which would spark a war. Unfortunately, she forgot I could burn things, I suspect. So not that clever. Really misses the obvious, you know. I’m just going to make you vanish.” He brings the sword away from Kitty’s neck a little, then swish. It’s back at her neck again. “Mmmm. Yes, good, good. Nice warm up. Do not worry, little cat, this will hardly hurt at all.” He brings it back again..
Swish.
Once again it lays at Kitty’s neck. She gulps.
“Mmm. Yes, okay. Good. One last time.” He pulls the sword back, raising it above the opposite shoulder...
Swish. The wicked bone arcs through the air...
Kitty shuts her eyes.
“Lord Ilucis?” says a voice behind the door, knocking.
The man jumps.
The sword is flung across the room.
It embeds itself in the wall.
The man stands there, his arm outstretched, his face curled up in a frown.
“What is it? I am quite busy.”
“Lady Paige sent me. Er...Lady Tiger is here.”
Lord Ilcuis didn’t move at all, still hovering over Kitty with his arm outstretched. His eyebrows raise after a moment.
“Which Lady Tiger?”
“...Er, the Lady Tiger, sir?”
“But which?”
“...Lady Lady Tiger?”
“Oh.” He sighs, taking a step back and straightening up. “Very well. I will be out in a moment.”
“Shall I fetch Lord Faust?”
Ilucis’ eyebrow twitched.
“That shall hardly be necessary, yes. I believe we can handle it quietly without my dear friend knowing. As his Consigliere I believe I am quite able to handle this.”
“What does that mean, anyway?”
“Never you mind, never you mind. Please go, I will be along shortly.” Ilucis turns his attention back to Kitty. “It’s your lucky day, little cat.” He pats the top of her head. She growls, in spite of herself. “You get to live, for now.”
He leans over.
“But speak one word to anyone about what you saw here, and your life and all that you love is void. Do you understand?”
Kitty stares at him, starting to sweat a little. Nod, you fool, a voice says in the back of her head. Nod!
Yet.
She doesn’t want to.
Ilucis smiles. He unties one of Kitty’s hands, then presses his thumb to the back of Kitty’s hand. It burns, as if someone had brought the wrath of Sol down from the sky onto Kitty. She screams into the gag.
“Perhaps that shall help you keep it in mind, yes? Mmm.” He lets go, patting Kitty’s back in a jovial, friendly manner.
She looks down at her burned hand. As the pain quickly dissipates, so down the black scorch mark on the back of her hand.
***
Kitty is gently pushed into the room, all eyes on her.
“Kitten!” exclaims Lady, standing up.
“L-Lady?” replies Kitty. She stares at her for a moment, then Lady opens her arms. And smiles.
Kitty watches her for a moment, mouth trembling.
“Please,” says Lady.
Kitty blushes, blinks, looks away a moment, and then walks into Lady’s arms, embracing her taller sister. The two woman hugs tightly, Kitty trying to hide her sniffling.
“Safe and sound, you’ll find,” says Lord Ilucis the elder behind them, leaning on the doorframe. Dante’s eyes immediately lower towards the ground, avoiding eye contact. “You can check, there’s not a mark on her. We merely kept her safe.”
“We shall see,” says Lady, but Kitty winces. Pamela stands up, walking over near then. She pats Kitty’s shoulder softly.
“Oh, thank you love,” says Lady Paige, standing up and walking to her husband, leaning on him. “You always know just want to do.” She kisses his cheek.
Then his nose.
Then the room is horrified to discover that they’ve locked lips and it’s turned into something of a full frontal snog. Lady Paige's serpent has moved out of the way, heading over to Lord Ilucis' shoulders.
They relent. Dante’s stomach churns still.
“And please,” says Lord Ilucis. “If we can ever do anything for you and, ah, your family, all you have to is ask. Yes, indeed. Yes.”
