Side Forty-Nine – The Raven Knight


    The Raven Knight sat with his legs crossed in one alcove of the strange room, several brilliant orbs of light set in ornate braziers casting a fierce glow over the centre of the space, only to leave deeper, inky shadows around the edges and in the corners. <em>I prefer the shadows, it suits me better.</em>


    He was not alone in this. Finally he had persuaded the jorogumo out of her spiderwebbedir she had thrown up on the edges of his hidden Territory, and then only because he had promised her revenge on those that had hurt her. <em>Other than me, of course. Still, that was to save our lives… from that by-blow bitch and her mortal sympathiser…</em>


    Behind his ck-beaked mask the sounds of teeth grinding together could be faintly heard. <em>I cannot believe how misfortune upon misfortune has befallen me. I am supposed to be the bearer of ill-fortune yet it dogs my steps incessantly. </em>With his dark Rhyming Tree stolen all his ns were on hold, and though he had sought out these <em>allies, </em>such as they were, to aid him, the situation had taken a turn for the worse.


    <em>Just why are there so many Seelie crawling about that Territory now? Before all they had were a few weaselkin and those brutish fools under Grulgor. Now there are weaselkin everywhere, and more… even Ulfuric, the armymander under that lustful, wretched bastard Shaetanao was there. A sh head-on will be much more than I can handle…</em>


    His gaze strayed to the jorogumo. She had corrupted the spiders that lurked in his forests and had rebuilt her army, but even so, her strength was far from enough. On feeling his regard, she turned, hissing disconstely at him from her web in the shadows.


    “I don’t think she’s very fond of you, Master Raven.” His attention was drawn to the speaker, a young-looking girl with blonde hair pulled into drilled pigtails and bound with ribbons, sitting at the table that was out-of-ce in the brightly-lit centre of the room. She was wearing a purple and ckce dress, with a parasol over one shoulder, while she was sucking on some sort of treat on a stick. She was making noisy slurping sounds, which set his teeth on edge, further worsening his mood, so he met her azure gaze with his dirty yellow one.


    “That is none of your concern.” He grated, further incensed that he had to listen to such a young girl condescend to him. <em>If I did not need support to triumph here, I would see all of these mortals dead. ying with power they do not understand, gifted by those that had little concern for anything but their own goals and amusements…</em>


    As the young girl chuckled, the Raven Knight turned away. When he did so he regretted it, as his line-of-sight fell on another of his allies, one he detested even more. It was a man, middle-aged by how mortal humans reckoned years, and he was tall and well-muscled, his steel-grey hair matching with the bright white suit and shirt he was wearing, a thin red tie the only ssh of colour on him. <em>This one… his gift… it reeks of <strong>them…</strong> </em>


    There was another individual at the table, a small, rodent-like man, whose gaze was darting all around the room constantly, lingering on the exit, which was an archway with no door, simply leading out into an inky void. Despite himself, the Raven Knight was impressed at the artifice that went into the design. <em>The ability to traverse the Boundary easily… and create such sealed spaces… that is an art few possess… if I had such, then reiming the Rhyming Tree, or even stealing another from the Unseelie… it would not be impossible.</em>


    Just as he thought this, the doorway into darkness shivered, and a tall, beautiful woman stepped through. She had dark eyes and long ck hair, and was wearing a crimson dress exposing ample cleavage. Even the Raven Knight, who had long since eschewed sensual pleasures, unlike many of the Fae, was impressed. <em>Still, I am hardly foolish enough to fall for that trap. </em>Her eyes, they were the giveaway, inside burned the same sort of hatred he himself felt. A kindred spirit no doubt, and one he could work with, but one he would <em>never </em>trust.


    Ignoring everyone in the room she strode to the table in the middle and pulled out one of the chairs, before sitting down, across from the nervous man, whose eyes were roaming over her body, but she paid it no heed.


    “Well, so everyone is here. Simply splendid.” The final visitor, the one they were waiting for, strode through the dark portal on the heels of the woman in red. This one was d head-to-toe in an obscuring white robe, draped down voluminously like a cylinder, hands the only things protruding out, and they too were covered in white, gloved and holding a silver walking stick. Their head was covered in a hooded mask, rising to a strange point, and it was entirely featureless, hiding even the eyes, the only colour that was not white a series of ck triangles, pointing up and down and interlocking, a stylised smiling mouth full of jagged teeth.


    “Well of course we are. You are the boss, right?” the blonde girl smirked. “Besides, who wouldn’t enjoy such scintitingpany as these fine people?”


    “Be a good girl and don’t rile up the others, Suzu. ” The white figure chided her gently, and she merely stuck out her tongue and sucked on her treat in answer. “We all have to work together. After all, alone we are vulnerable. Together… we can rule the world. No, all worlds!”


    “Yay! I’m in!” Suzu pped theatrically.


    “I’m a busy man.” The white-suited man rumbled. “I don’t have time for ying with kids.”


    “Hey, I’m not a kid.” Suzu protested, “I’m a proper Japanese idol.”


    “Enough already. We are here for a reason.” The man shut her down. “I have many demands on my time right now. So what is our n?”


    The nervous man expressed agreement too. “Yeah, I… I don’t like being away too long. Makes me nervous…”


    “I understand. I do.” The figure in white sighed. “But I thought it best to call this meeting, as the situation has changed. The Territory to our south has copsed, eaten up by a rival I believe our silent friend over there has history with.” The figure pointed with the walking stick, and the Raven Knight swallowed a sigh of his own.


    “Indeed. The Fae whore Shae Tu Shae Dannan and her human partner have begun gathering significant forces. It pains me to admit, but due to my own arrogance…” <em>and s, that the Boundary has not the aether to support my true might… </em>“… I lost my own Territory here to them, and was forced to flee.”


    The jorogumo echoed his anger, hissing about vengeance and using them as seed-beds for her spider-children when she captured them, which caused the girl and the nervous man to pale, imagining that gruesome fate.


    “I see. So not to be trifled with. I suspected so, when the news of the fall of Kondou Kazuo was revealed. I had nned to scout him to our cause, although…” she regarded Suzu and the woman in the crimson dress. “… perhaps it is for the best. He would not have gelled with some of our members, I fear. Though he did have quite the ally, simr to yourself, Sir Raven Knight. A pity. I wanted <em>her </em>most of all, but s, it was not to be.”


    “Splitting the wealth amongst too many is foolish anyway.” The white-suited manined. “I still feel we have too many shares to give. Not everyone is pulling their weight.” The nervous man quailed under his stern gaze.


    “You are scaring poor little Bunta, don’t be such a bully, Daizen. You know he’s useful…” Suzu chided.


    “I can do it.” the one she called Bunta squeaked, his voice high. “When my power is unleashed, none can survive!”


    <em>Well, he is a coward, but that is why his ability is so… suitable… for him. </em>“The issue is that this Kondou had a powerful Territory and strong backing. And now he is defeated as well.” The raven Knight brought the conversation back on track. “Now our enemy seems to have made some sort of agreement with the Seelie Court, or at least <em>her</em> own father. Their Territory is full of Fae, some of them quite powerful. The longer we dy, the more danger there is of them encroaching on our interests…” <em>My true Territory is far from their grasp, but they still have my Rhyming Tree…</em>


    “The Seelie Court. Wow, so cool, Master Raven. Though it isn’t right, shouldn’t it be something like the Night Parade, really? This is Japan,nd of myth and legend! The Seelie sounds so boring inparison…”


    <em>I do not understand her. Are all young humans so endlessly foolish? If she was ever to meet the true Night Parade, she would piss herself in terror, shortly before being tortured to death, no doubt. Still, she also has a useful ability. The leader of this group is skilled indeed at finding suitable allies. Though I suspect in the end, all will turn on each other, as is the way when great reward is dangled between a group bound only by self-interest… I myself only care about my Tree and vengeance. Still, as long as I receive those, I shall aid them.</em>


    “We need to continue to increase our areas of control, and single out others who might stand against us.” Their leader said, walking around, the walking stick in their hands tapping a rhythm out on the strangely polished stone floor of the created room. “Tokyo is a big feast, but there are a lot of others out there who want to take what is ours. Ideally we stop them before they get too strong, or if we can’t, like Kondou Kazuo, then we bring them in if we can arrange it. If neither apply, like our friend the Raven’s nemesis… well, we need to take bold action.”


    “Are you going to get Bunta to do his thing? That would work, I bet.” Suzu piped up, finishing her sweet treat and licking her fingers. “Otherwise it woulde down to war. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have my forces ready, but I’d hate to lose them after I’ve spent a month building them up.”


    “First, we need to gather information. A war isn’t won without knowledge. Was it not Sun Tzu who said that <em>victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win</em>? It seems to be that Kondou Kazuo, despite his strength, neglected such wisdom. I have no intentions of ending up the same as he. Now, as for our n…”


    ********


    “I will return first.” Daizen dered, walking towards the inky darkness that filled the doorway to their hideout. With not even a backward nce he vanished, sinking into the shadows. He was followed by the little man Bunta, who at least gave the remaining people nods of farewell.


    “Your n is super cool, leader.” Suzu was sucking on another of her sweets, idly twirling one of her excessively-curled braids with one finger. “I can’t wait to see how it all ys out. You can count on me. I’ll be counting on you too, spiderdy.” She smiled at the jorogumo, who merely started back, her face expressionless.


    “Aww, why is nobody other than the boss sociable? It totally blows. Oh well, I want to go to a concert, so I’ll be off.” She theatrically blew kisses at everyone before barrelling out of the room, vanishing like the rest.


    “I too shall take my leave. I have no objection to your ns. Come.” He gestured to the rebellious spider that was hispanion.


    “Wait a moment, if you would.” The white-cloaked figure asked. “I would ask one question, before you depart.”


    Pausing, the Raven Knight swung his masked face towards her. “Well?”


    “No need to be so wary. Are we not allrades, all trying to build something special, something unique?” the leader shrugged. “I merely wanted your thoughts on something. These Fae… do you think they’ll be <em>tasty</em>?”


    Beside her, the beautiful woman in red looked down, a sneer on her face, while the jorogumo cackled, pleased by the humour. Still, the Raven Knight knew one thing. <em>I know a monster when I see one, and this one… there is a hunger within, one that exceeds even my thirst for revenge. I need to tread carefully around such rapacious beings, very, VERY carefully…</em>