“Your invitation please, sir,” the graying servant said. He wore a smart black suit, and his aging body seemed to carry the strength only a life of labor would leave.

They stood in front of a large white-gold gate. L-shaped handles rested in its center, and past the gaudy thing, Ryu could see the manor and the party that brewed there. He hid the shake in his hand.

Ryu suspected servant was too simple a description but dismissed his suspicions with a grunt. “Ishida Ryu and my plus one,” he said, pulling the invitation from his storage ring. Fell pulled out a similar one beside him.

“Fell the Chosen and his plus one.” The blonde man winked at Den. Ryu supposed he had yet to notice the way the woman looked at his sister. Foolish, really.

“Right this way, young sirs,” the servant said, the gates opening behind him. “A stableboy will see to your horses, if you please. Someone will lead you to the Lady Loress.”

Ryu nodded. A servant took the reins of their horses, and another page bowed before them. They were led to a colorful garden. Roses of red and white rose neatly in front, and pairs of party-goers strolled past the tall hedges, whispering and giggling amongst themselves. Before leaving, the page bowed once more and slipped a paper into Ryu’s palm before leaving.

Keira is here.

- L

Ryu sighed and crumpled the note. Games within games. Like his poor mood, however, the threat of death carried a certain comfort. Politics seemed tame in comparison to its insidious clutch.

“You okay?” Emiko said beside him, searching his face with a curious gaze. “If you’re offended, House Ishida will repay any slight by ten.”

“It’s that type of attitude that causes the offenses.” His mind was far away from his words, however. Keira, a woman who wanted him dead over the death of her best friend, was here at this party, and she was the enemy he had been working against this whole time. Still, he almost felt as if he deserved her wrath. He’d earned it long ago with the blood of her best friend.

Kill her, Ender said, his growl tearing through his thoughts like it was wet paper. The threat is here. Eliminate her.

Murder was ever a hard habit to break. Keira was the High Priestess of the Lord’s Flock. She would have guards with her, perhaps even Scripture of the Big Seven. How many innocents would die if he attacked? How many would die if he didn’t? Personal grudge aside, Keira was using her position to cripple humanity in an attempt to “cleanse” their sins. She was a monster of Ryu’s creation, and if he had one talent in this world, it was killing monsters, both human and otherwise. Aye, maybe he deserved her wrath, but humanity did not.

“Ishida Ryu, is it? I am pleased to meet you. Your performances at the Contest have been quite thrilling,” a woman said, her tan, heart-shaped face framed by wavy black hair. She wore a red dress that split along the thigh to reveal a toned leg.

His mind went blank, doing its best to catch up with the moments he had missed in his thoughts. Lady Loress, right. “The pleasure is mine,” he said, scanning their surroundings. “Your garden is quite beautiful, my lady.”

She smiled and stroked his wrist. He did his best not to flinch and summon a knife from his ring. “I must admit, being called a lady makes me feel quite old,” she said.

“My apologies,” he said, doing his best not to look at his Den, his sister, or Fell. His companions’ had made their introductions already, and he knew they were eager to escape to the party.

“None taken,” she said with a laugh. “Would you mind sitting with me for a moment? My legs might give up if I’m to greet another guest standing.”

He thought for a moment. Good impressions, right? “I would not mind at all,” he said, turning to his sister. “I will find you all after.”

Lady Loress led him to a stone bench amongst her hedge garden, the music and chatter of the party fading as they edged away from it. Paper lanterns swung from strings tied above the hedges, and Ryu spotted a few of the more… enthusiastic partygoers celebrating amongst the tall hedges. The hairs on his neck were tingling by the time they sat down, his eyes searching the night sky above for threats.

“A man so strong must have many enemies,” Loress said, following his gaze to the sky. “But you needn’t worry. My father has assigned me many guards.”

Ryu worked his jaw. “The thought of being surrounded by armed guards doesn’t quite ease my worries.”

“You sound like my brother,” she said, her laugh pleasant and light in the tension. “He’s a proper fighting man, you see. Always grumbling about the war, searching for Bugs in the shadows.”

“It can be hard to separate that world from this one.” Ryu had once believed Ender was the embodiment of his poisonous thoughts, but he found the visions still haunted him as much as they ever had. And here he’d thought Shards protected the mind.

“I’ve made a fool of myself, haven’t I? I must apologize. My brother is… not the most active warrior. I only laugh because I suspect his visions are more of a product of his vices.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

She looked at him with her dazzling smile. He realized she was probably close to his own age. “Your fights at the Contest really have intrigued me. In fact, I’ve bet a considerable amount of money on your victory. What are a few notes about my brother in comparison?”

He shook his head. “And that’s what you wanted to talk to me about?” he asked.

“No,” she said, chewing on her lip. “I wanted to ask-”

“Lady Loress!” a woman’s voice said, her body coming into full view a moment later. Her soft features were pulled into a smile, and her gold dress complimented her dark skin. He recognized her.

“Keira,” Loress said, standing with a smile.

Ryu stood. He prepared himself for a fight. Two guards stood on the other side of the hedge. Another lurked in the shadows a few steps away. Loress had at least one knife hidden under her dress, and a quick glance showed him Keira had another three. It would take seven seconds to bring his axe from his ring, a delay he could not afford to have. His blood was roaring in his ears, pounding at his self-control like a battering ram. He inhaled and-

“Lord Ryu,” the familiar voice said, a pleasant smile hiding the hate that lurked beneath. “Loress, are you trying to put your claws in the man?”

Loress laughed. “Better me than another, right? But no, Lord Ryu and I were merely having a chat.”

“A pleasure,” Ryu said. His fists clenched at his sides, and the tension strained his voice.

Keira looked at her friend. “You don’t intend to keep him to yourself the whole night, do you?”

“Of course not,” Loress said, giving her a knowing smile. “In fact, I probably have guests that need greeting. It’s been a pleasure, Lord Ryu. I hope you come find me before you leave tonight.”

The woman walked away, and Ryu started summoning his axe.

“Oh, Lord Ryu, how long it’s been,” Keira said, the smile leaving her eyes if not her lips.

One.

“I suppose.”

Two.

“I have spent such a long time looking for you, and then I hear you’re attending my good friend’s party and fighting duels. How odd.”

Three.

His rage threatened to boil over. “So we’re lying then?”

Four.

“Clever man. So I suppose you know what’s coming next?”

Five.

“Keira, you don’t want to do this.”

Six.

“I have Bonny.” Her words were soft, delivered with the soothing tones of a close friend.

His count never reached seven. “I will kill you,” he said. Better man? A foolish dream. Bonny was strong, and if they had captured her, he would have to be stronger. Strong was better in this case. The world would be whatever he wished when it was at his knees.

“Think she needs saving, do you? If I recall, she left you.”

Ryu tensed, but after a moment, the tension fled. He laughed. And laughed. “Suppose she did, but I owe her one for saving my own life,” he said. The steel returned to his voice. “Let’s dispense with the games.”

Soul Eater ignited, and black smoke curled around his wrists. He grabbed Keira, but she only laughed. “I find I’m quite fond of games. I’ll be at the finals of the Contest. Should you make it that far, we’ll talk then. I had hoped to guide you to His Flock, but I suppose a murderer never truly changes.”

A dozen figures appeared around them, a man wrapped in cloth chief among them. Ryu grunted. “I can kill you before they move.”

“But you won’t. You’ll never see her again otherwise.”

His grip tightened and then loosened. Bonny would not pay for his sins. “Okay.”

She laughed, backing away to her guards. “No threats? Just okay? You-”

The man in cloth touched her shoulder. “High Priestess Tenet, I’m afraid this man will attempt to kill you if you say another word.”

Her expression flattened. “Considerate as always, Scripture. Fine, take me away from here. My business is settled.”