20 Mayor

"Sigh…" a croupier breathed exhausted. His shift has finally come to an end and now he was resting in the break room. Loosening the red tie, delicately with one finger, the man was able to relax -something he had not been able to do for the entire night.

With a creak, the door opened slowly, and an uninvited person came in. The silhouette was that of a woman, her black hair securely tight behind her back. Her frame was small, maybe just a few centimetres smaller than him.

"What are you doing here. Get out." Said the man annoyed that his peace has been disturbed.

With a swift cat-like reflex, the young woman with the black mask threw a small dagger at him.

He was unable to react in time, and as the knife came closer to him, the man's face paled his eyes out of the orbit. He closed his eyes but the knife didn't hit him, only scraped his upper left cheek.

"Ha-ha. You can't even do it right." Chuckling the man approaching her. The games where over, he wanted to get home and this girl was deranging him. He stretched his arm to catch her but the woman's image distorted. Waves of pain and discomfort engulfed his mind and he was attacked constantly by the vivid images before him.

Through gritted teeth, he tried stretching his arm again to catch the girl, but now the distance between them seemed to stretch even more. His peripheral vision slowly blackened and he felt extremely tired.

'Just this once. I will close my eyes. I…am tired.' The man's mind seemed to calm before everything turned black and he landed on the tile floor.

Anna tilted her head, a sweet smile on her face perfectly described her mood. She came here more to find about the mysterious casino but never thought that the mayor would so kindly wait for her here. This made Anna's work more so easy.

The casino was owned by a man and not just a simple one. He was surrounded by rumours, mist and liked to conduct his business in the dark. While reading some reports from the library, Anna heard about their business and became intrigued.

They were not noble, in fact, none of the people who surrounded him were. How did a man like him manage to survive in a world like this, Anna had no idea. In an Empire where information was gold but also a double-edged sword, people that had no magical powers did not go too far with their business.

Bribe does not always work. People with powers already had money, so offering them more was like adding a drop in a bucket filled with water. The nobility feared the peasants. They knew that normal people were just as powerful as them if they had powers and dared not make friends with them.

It was a fight between a lion and a tiger, few of them made deals with nobility and vice versa. For this man, had his own special ways. Anna liked him the moment she lay eyes on the report. He was wanted by the Empire and yet they also needed him.

He was like a gift that kept on giving. Be it deals with other countries, ruling the underground world in this city or trade of forbidden items, this man could proudly say he had done. Something about him made people fear but also revere him at the same time.

Anna, however, did not have any business with the owner yet. In fact, she did not know how to even meet him, so this visit has been out of curiosity. But seeing the mayor here made Anna's trip well worth it.

The mayor, man in his sixties, was notorious for being implicated with loan sharks and money laundering.

The reason why the port was doing so bad, regardless of how many ships were visiting the port was because of the mayor. The port had a lot of potential, not as a tourist attraction but as an economic powerhouse. Her father, the Emperor as well as the others before him did not place much attention on the port as it was too far away from the capital and did not like having another powerhouse that they could not control.

Thus the city, although successful when built, became an oasis for robbers, gangs and sailours selling illegal merchandise and the list could go on. The army station in the city was ruled mainly the mayor and the casino owner, although there were some small gangs that had people infiltrated in.

Anna giggled and approached the man. She looked left and right before closing the door and dragging the body behind a small wardrobe. She undressed him of the suit he was wearing and threw a small a coat on him.

"We would not want you getting sick when you wake up." Anna dressed herself in the suit and unpinned the name batch.

"Please tell me you are not getting near those dangerous people." Said the snake with a shaky voice.

"Not for long. Just dropping by to salute him." Anna dusted the overcoat and looked at herself in a mirror. She had to admit, the suit complemented her well despite her young age. The baggy trousers made her seem taller and the immaculate white shirt underneath her waistcoat accentuated her small upper frame. She left the mask on, as she did not want her identity to be found.

She exited the room and went straight for the bar. Men turned their head, women eyed her suspiciously. Even if she was not vulgar, Anna's feline movements still attracted some attention.

Outside the break room, a shadow watched Anna's departing figure. After she left, the man entered and locked the room behind him. There were no signs of a battle in the room, everything seemed in order. The man forehead creased, but continued to look around the room. He took a corner to walk in the direction of the bathroom, and there behind a wardrobe lay a man.

The man checked his pulse and heard a faint but periodic heartbeat. He sighed relieved that the man was only unconscious, not what he initially presumed. His head turned and looked at the door contemplating. Next to the door a wide mirror, that reflected his image. A tall robust man with bulging muscles that almost seem to rip apart his white shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his upper-arms and the top two buttons were undone, revealing a beautiful dragon tattoo.

The man kept staring into space for a good while his expression clouded.

~

"Who are you?" asked a woman working at the bar. She was gorgeous, silk blond hair, styled in waves not to talk about her curves. She was irked to see someone new.

"I'm new around here." Said Anna as she sat around the bar.

"Are you sure?" asked the woman inquisitively. Anna's heart pounded in her heart while millions of questions surfaced her head.

'How would she know?' Anna decided to continue and act normal. Her smile became unreadable but only nodded in response. The woman hummed and diverted her gaze at the clients that called her name flirtatiously.

'Becca'

Anna grabbed a tray, with an order number and left the bar. Rebecca turned her head around and looked again at Anna. She tossed her towel underneath the bar and glared at one of the people serving. The guy nodded courtly and carried out his duty.

"Whiskey please." said a man behind her. His deep guttural voice, one she recognised. She turned her head around and tilted her head in confusion, slowly approaching the man.

"I thought you were watching over the princess." Her voice was grating.

"I am." Said the man, resting one of his arms on the table. Casually he picked a glass containing a brown murky liquid.

The woman furrowed her eyebrows, only to then lift them in surprise. Her eyes darted in the direction of Anna, who was serving a group of people in the VIP area.

"You might want to keep an eye on her. They are here." She said pointing her head towards the enigmatic group form upstairs.

"She's up to something." The man whispered sipping another gulp from the glass.

"I can tell. I did not expect her to be like this." Said Rebecca, her face lit up with amazement.

"Neither did I. I don't like what she's doing. She's playing with fire." The man half turned his body, and with eagle eyes, watched Anna's every move.

"What do you mean?" asked the woman perplexed. She picked another towel and tossed it on her shoulder.

"You will find out soon enough. Prepare for a battle. Today might just be our lucky day." Said the tattooed man smirking. Rebecca backed one step, dubiously staring at him. What made an old man as himself so happy?

On the other side of the casino, Anna picked up some empty glasses from a table near the mayor's gang. She perked her ears and listened to their conversation.

"Flinn, you must have struck gold." An enthusiastic young man beside him said, lightly fisting his tights. The other men around him nodded their heads, smiling or not. Some seemed really happy for him and Anna became really curious.

"He-he. Even the Gods are on my side." He said man eyeing the men surrounding him. A man coughed lightly and avoided his gaze, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. The smile on the mayor's face deepened, but he said nothing.

"So how is your wife doing?" said the mayor changing the subject. A man from the group answered something inaudible and the crowd laughed at his response. Anna's interest piqued before, but now her mood dropped. What were they talking before?

Not wanting to stay around here for long, she decided to carry out with her plan and leave this place. By now the soldiers should have noticed her disappearance and were probably searching for her in a friendly. She did not want to cause too much trouble for them, she already asked them enough.

She approached the table, smiling sweetly but was soon stopped by two men.

"What do you want?" asked a man, two times taller than Anna. She raised her head, tilted her head and signalled the man to lower his head. Unsure about what she wanted the man closed the distance between them.

"I have something to deliver to the mayor. His request." Anna pulled one of the books from her waistcoat, showing it to the man, before quickly putting it back. The man eyed the other guard but let her trough.

When Anna reached the table and stopped in front of the table. The men who were talking in hushed voices noticed her presence and turned their attention towards her.

"What do you want?"

"Did I not tell you not to disturb us?" indignated, the mayor puffed his chest out. The other men glared at Anna, ready to kill her.

Anna did not give them the chance and she placed her hand in her waistcoat interior pockets. The men shifted in their seats, some placed their hands on their lap. All eyes were on Anna, on her every move to make sure she did not bring out a weapon. Anna grinned and slowly took the first book out. Two men almost jumped on her but seeing that she revealed a mere book they calmed themselves.

"I brought what you asked for, master." Said Anna sadistically as she took out the other three books from inside her waistcoat. She placed them gently on the table letting everyone view their title.

"What?" out of the seven men at the table, three of them jumped out in fright.

"What is the meaning of this?" a man, in his fifties with a similar face as the mayor, yelled.

Some people from the tables in proximity saw the commotion and naturally diverted their attention towards the mayor's table.

"All of them are here." Said Anna as she bowed her head and turned around to leave.

"Flinn? What is this?" asked his brother. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his face distorted.

"I...Catch her." Commanded the mayor. He jumped from his seat and pushed his brother from the seat they were sitting at.

"Ho-ho…mayor, I did not know you played like this." Said the man, who earlier found it uncomfortable to sit here. He rubbed his chin and looked amused towards the mayor, who currently lost his composure.

"Don't you dare. You- I will deal with you." Said the mayor. His face was red with rage, while he pointed a finger at the man.

"Ha-ha." The man found it even more amusing. His eyes ridiculed his actions, annoying the mayor even more.

"Enough of this. She is about to leave." Said his brother while pointing towards Anna. She was next to the rails when she turned, an evil face plastered on her face.

The mayor's voice burst out with commands attracting even more attention from the onlookers. Confused by the commotion, men and women, disapproved of Flinn's actions shaking their heads. Their eyes were full of mockery.

"What is that?" asked Flinn's brother, pointing at a bottle that Anna was holding. The men at the table stood out, some even started their spells. Too late. The moment Anna threw the bottle towards them, their spells were of no use.

When the bottle touched the books, it exploded loudly. People around them screamed, and total chaos settled in. The books caught on fire, under the gaze of the audience. The mayor's face instantly paled. He was done for. He knew this much.

"Catch her." Yelled a man fanatically from within the smoke.

The guards, who just woke up from their admiration, threw themselves at Anna. She, however, leaned forwards, falling from the second floor.

"Oh no!" people seeing this, cried out in alarm. Underneath sat a pool table that was currently empty, so Anna landed on it, rolling to ease the shock.

The guards from upstairs took the long way by running down the stairs. By then, Anna was already running towards the back exit. She rushed past men, women and workers pushing them away.

"Stop her." Yelled a guard from behind. They were getting closer and closer. Anna's heart raced, pumping adrenalin, making her even more alert. She could finally see the door of the break room.

"Fuck. It's locked" Anna pushed her whole body weight on the door, in an effort to open it. Futile.

It was locked from inside. Her head began to feel dizzy, and her blood ran cold.

Suddenly from behind her, two strong arms embraced her. One was placed on her mouth, while the other dragged her from the waist. Anna's eyes widened, terror written all over them. She struggled to free herself by kicking the man with her legs, but it was all useless. He overpowered her.

Her breath became ragged, while her eyes became blurry with tears.

He dragged her into a room opposite from the break room and thought the hazy vision, Anna saw a blonde woman close the door after them.