#evil plot

Others watch from the darkened corners, hungry eyes seeing clearly through the magic fog settled over the ballroom. Cruel laughter and smiles mocking the dancers as they feast and chatter to themselves. An old woman pushes her way through a group of these sycophants, her cane tapping on the marble floor out of rhythm with the music played by unseen musicians.

She hobbles her way past the others directly to the grandest feast table in the hall, laden with meats and fruits and drink. Bypassing all of this and the other occupants of the table she makes her way to the man sitting at the head on his throne.

“My Lord. My sincerest apologies but I’m afraid there is an issue that requires your immediate personal attention.” The crone bows as best she can with her crooked spine, her staff the only thing keeping her on her feet.

The man’s red orange gaze narrows on her for a moment, the only indication of his temper before he schools his expression again. He carefully sets his utensils down and she suppresses a shiver at the selection of obviously humanoid meats in front of him and on display on the banquet table. “Enyaba, I hope you realize this is neither the time nor place to discuss business? What could be so important as to interrupt my meal?” a trick question for sure, how to answer without angering him. He smirks at his little trap for the witch, a cruel smile spreading on his face.

“My Lord. I would never think to disturb you unless the matter was of the utmost urgency.”

“Very well. If you insist the matter truly cannot wait, I’ll trust your judgment. Let us retire to the study.” With a wave of his hand they are transported to the hall outside the ballroom. Dio looks winded for a moment before he straightens and leads Enyaba down the hall to his private study. Tapestries lined the hallway, depicting the former rulers of this realm in their prime. Flower motifs and depictions of nature surrounding the images of the long-gone summer court seem to move on their own when one looks away. Although this passage was kept mostly clean, it was a never-ending task picking up stray rubble and dust from the deteriorating stonework of the ceiling. Delicate carvings of branches and leaves in the stone proving too brittle to withstand time without constant maintenance.

The study Dio leads her to is more of a library, ancient tomes and relics lining shelf after shelf, most covered in a thick layer of dust and more unlucky ones buckled and toppled beneath their burdens. Only the ones immediately surrounding a grand desk and chair were cleared and kept in good condition. Dio takes his place in the ornate chair and motions Enyaba forward to share the news urgent enough to interrupt him.

“It’s about the hunting and scouting teams you dispatched my lord. We’ve lost contact with both of them.” Enyaba grips her staff as she delivers the bad news, watching Dio’s reactions carefully for signs of a violent outburst. His satisfied smirk turns into a frown as he takes in the information.

“The scouting team and my hunters? The scouts were an expected loss sending them that close to the Zeppeli territory, but what has happened to the others?” His voice remains calm on the surface but Enyaba has known her Lord long enough to pick up on the undercurrent of frustration he carries. She motions to the table where a large map of New York and the surrounding states takes up the majority of the surface. With a wave of her hand the small figure of a spyglass that was placed outside of New York City is recalled to her hand.

She turns over the figure in her clutches as she addresses Dio, “Yes, the scouts served their purpose well before they were found out. The last report indicated the Joestar pack had almost completely left New York City, only the matriarch, Suzie, stayed behind with the Zeppeli’s. The concerning loss is the hunting troop in the north west.” At her words the figurine depicting a bow and quiver slides over the map to rest in a small upstate town. “This is their last known location, the last report indicated that your gift was working well. Kavinsky was able to identify a wolf hiding among humans thanks to your gift and was preparing his men to give chase. Perhaps we put too much faith in his abilities…”

“You question my judgement, Enyaba? Need I remind you I selected him personally and bestowed my gift on him?” Dio stares at Enyaba with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“No! Of course not my Lord! I…”

“Silence.” He hisses at her as he leans forward in the chair and grips the arms hard enough that the wood creaks. Her mouth snaps shut at his order and it seems to appease him for now. Leaning back in his chair he continues, “I will give you this single opportunity to explain yourself, witch. Do not disappoint me.”

“I… just… You gave him a powerful gift my Lord. Humans are not known for their resilience of mind when presented with that kind of power. Could it have changed him, altered his motivations? Caused him to betray you?”

“Ordinarily this would be a concern, yes. But the gift I bestowed on him to better track wolves was not the only magic I cast. He was bound to me through an oath on his soul. Kavinsky’s greed for money outweighed his greed for magic. No, he would not have defied me before he had received his payment in full.” He eyes the spyglass figure still clutched in Enyaba’s hands and looks back to the map and the figures still in play. He plucks the hunter’s figurine from the table. “Tell me, do you believe in destiny?” He doesn’t give her time to respond as he continues, “The Joestars disappear from my view and suddenly my hunters are unaccounted for as well. It seems fate has finally stepped in to guide me to my destiny.”

He laughs lowly as he drops the figurine to the table. “Gather my court to me Enyaba. The final plan in my century long quest for revenge is finally ready to be put into play. Send the remaining scouts to the area,” he taps the map where the hunters had been, “and gather my generals. Fear not, you shall be rewarded for your service as promised.”

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Author’s Note:

Shorter chapter this week, but I’m happy with how much plot I was able to pile in. New writing system is working well for me so we are on track for weekly Wednesday updates!