44 Blazing Dragons... It's a Mafia?
------------------------(Liz) "It'll be okay."----------------------------------
The next day, Liana exited her room and went down to the dining area of the house to see both Lillian and Liz sitting there.
(Liz) "Liana, come eat with us."
Liana raised an eyebrow but took the seat next to Lillian, accepting the plate of food that was then placed in front of her.
*
After they all finished, Liana asked,
(Liana) "What's… going on?"
Liz frowned as she looked at Lillian. Liana raised an eyebrow at the anger Liz was feeling towards her sister.
(Liz) "Maybe Lillian can tell you."
Liana's eyes widened. This was the first time she had heard Liz call Lillian by her full name. It was always Lil or Sis when Liz referred to or spoke to Lillian.
Actually, this wasn't perfectly true as there were a few times Liz did refer to her sister using her actual name, but she had never said it with such malice in her tone.
Lillian avoided her gaze as she spoke.
(Lillian) "I'm going… away for a while."
Liana frowned.
(Liana) "If you're just taking a trip out of the Tribe it wouldn't be so serious. What is really going on?"
(Liz) "She's going to get herself hurt."
Liana's eyes widened for the second time that day.
(Liana) "What?"
Lillian sighed.
(Lillian) "Liz, could you leave us?"
Liz made an annoyed face but pushed her chair away from the table and left the room, slamming the door shut as she exited it. Liana's gaze followed Liz and she winced slightly when the door slammed, turning back to Lillian.
(Liana) "Now will you tell me what's going on?"
Something told Liana that if she didn't push Lillian to tell her now, she'd never find out, or when she did, it wouldn't be good.
Lillian took a deep breath before speaking,
(Lillian) "There's something else you need to know about me."
Liana raised her eyebrows.
(Liana) "Would you prefer to take this somewhere else?"
Lillian thought for a moment, then nodded.
(Lillian) "We can go up to my room."
Liana nodded, and they both stood up and headed to Lillian's bedroom.
*
Meanwhile…
(Liz) "I can't believe she's leaving again! It's barely been more than a month since she returned! She even went to deal with the thing with that Gang that time as well."
Ruby didn't say anything but instead pulled Liz in for a tight hug.
(Liz) "And at that, she's going back to them…"
Ruby simply rubbed circles comfortingly into Liz's back.
(Liz) "I just… she… every time she goes back there, she always gets hurt."
Ruby still kept silent as Liz continued,
(Liz) "I would have thought Liana being here would have prevented her from going, but I guess not…"
It was after this that Ruby decided to speak up.
(Ruby) "Don't you think that there would be a proper reason for her to go back while Liana is still in the Clan?"
Liz froze.
(Liz) "I hadn't thought of that…"
Her eyes were downcast as she continued,
(Liz) "I guess I was just too focused on the fact that she was going and not why."
She sighed.
(Liz) "I should apologize, shouldn't I?"
Ruby simply raised an eyebrow but Liz understood what it meant.
*
Back with Lillian and Liana,
Liana sits on one end of Lillian's bed and crosses her legs, facing Lillian who did the same thing on the other end, but keeping her head down. Liana kept silent, patiently waiting for Lillian to gather her thoughts. After a few moments, Lillian looked up at Liana.
(Liana) "Only when you're ready."
Lillian nodded and took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was coming. Whatever happened from here on out, she'd just have to accept it. The fearless Chief of the Loyal Eagle Clan was afraid of someone's reaction to something she was about to tell her. No, not just anyone. The one. Her Fire Queen.
In all honesty, Lillian was merely overthinking things. It wasn't as if Liana could just listen to Lillian's explanation and suddenly decide that she didn't want anything to do with her anymore. But Lillian didn't have that much experience with personal relationships, the only few being her sister, who grew up with her and who she also pretty much raised; Robyn, who was like her older sister to her, and would accept anything; Kristen, who, well, was just as weird and would also accept anything. And so, Lillian had no idea what to expect.
(Lillian) "You know of Mafias, right?"
Liana nodded slowly. Before she had met Lillian, she had not had even the slightest clue there was such a thing. Though, not long after she had arrived in the Clan, Lillian had been asked by someone who was apparently her friend to help with something regarding a Gang, which was when Lillian had given her a brief summary about the different underworld structures.
(Liana) "Just what you told me. I was meaning to ask Liz about it but it seems I forgot about it."
Lillian nodded.
(Lillian) "Well… There's a Mafia called the Blazing Dragons Mafia, the biggest and most powerful worldwide."
The name made Liana remember something.
(Liana) "Blazing Dragons… It's a Mafia?"
She recalled her father mentioning the name once, but she had simply thought it a Clan that she had never heard of. Now thinking about it again, the context in which her father was speaking didn't quite fit that description.
Lillian nodded.
(Lillian) "It's… my Mafia."
Liana raised an eyebrow.
(Liana) "What do you mean by that?"
(Lillian) "It means I'm in the Mafia, but more than that, it means that I'm the Leader of the Mafia."
She pulled up her right sleeve and revealed a mark there. It was a dragon engulfed in flames, giving it the appearance of 'blazing'. Its mouth was opened, as if it was roaring or about to attack.
(Lillian) "This is the tattoo that shows that you're a Blazing Dragon, someone who is part of the Blazing Dragon's Mafia."
She pulled her sleeve back down. It was then that Liana realised that she really had never seen Lillian in anything that showed more than her face and hands. Lillian pulled her other sleeve up and showed Liana the mark there as well. It was much more intricate than the previous one, with three letters intertwined with each other. The letters, 'B', 'D', and 'P'. There were also extra patterns on it, but nothing as prominent as these.
(Liana's thoughts) 'What's the significance… Oh.'
Lillian pulled her sleeve down and spoke.
(Lillian) "That mark is for the leader of the Mafia. Mine is slightly different, though. Since the bandits and much of the underworld recognized me as 'The Phoenix', they decided to add that into the design. Not that many people see it though."
She muttered her last sentence under her breath, but Liana still caught it.
(Liana) "How long have you been the leader?"
Lillian thought for a moment, then replied,
(Lillian) "About five years, I think."
Liana's eyes widened.
(Liana) "Wow."
Lillian was wondering why Liana was taking it so well, when she realised that Liana barely knew anything about Mafias, or the underworld for that matter. She also knew that she'd have to tell Liana, because she was certain that Liana would take it better if she told her directly, rather than making her find out from someone outside.
(Liana) "If you don't mind me asking… How did you become the Leader, anyway?"
Lillian smiled.
(Lillian) "I don't mind."
She thought for a while, then started.
(Lillian) "It was just after I had started training Elena. I took another trip out of the Tribe for extra training again, bringing Elena along with me."
*****(RECOLLECTION)*****
Five years ago…
(Elena) "Where are we going?"
Ten-year-old Lillian smiled at the small four-year-old next to her as she spoke softly,
(Lillian) "We're going out to the woods for the next stage of your training."
Even at such a young age, Lillian believed that hands-on training was the best. Only when you truly put your life on the line, could you truly learn. Of course, she wasn't really putting Elena's life on the line, because she would still jump in if she needed to, but she knew this was for the best.
(Elena) "What are we going to do?"
Elena was a naturally curious girl, and after she had opened up to Lillian, her curious nature had emerged as well. Lillian smiled as she replied,
(Lillian) "Hunting."
(Elena) "Animals?"
Lillian nodded.
(Lillian) "Yes, for now."
Elena was young, but she was a smart girl. She knew what Lillian meant by that, but she didn't say anything.
(Elena) "Lex?"
When they had first met, since Elena had come from the Vayithen Empire, Lillian had introduced herself as Alexandra, and Elena had shortened it all the way down to Lex, and in return, Lillian had started calling her Lena.
(Lex) "Yes?"
(Lena) "Why are we stopping?"
Lex had stopped walking suddenly without any explanation.
(Lex, through mind-link, to Lena) "Whatever happens, Elena, do whatever I say when I say."
Elena knew that when Lex used her full name, she was being serious. Deadly serious. She nodded, getting her body ready to move at a moments notice.
(Lex) "Come, we should find a place to camp out for the night."
Lena knew that Lex was merely acting as if she hadn't detected the people around them. Lena was now able to detect about ten men around them, but she was certain there was more, or Lex wouldn't have had reacted like that. They continued walking for about half a minute when there was rustling in the trees and bushes around them and at least twenty men popped out and surrounded them.
Lex positioned herself in front of Lena protectively.
(Lex) "What do you want?"
(Man #1) "Why don't you come with us and find out, little girl?"
(Lex) "I wonder why you need over thirty men to kidnap two little girls, then?"
(Man #2) "Why do we have to do this? They're so young and little."
The first man who spoke whacked the other on the head.
(Man #1) "We can't go against boss. You think I enjoy this?"
He turned to Lex again.
(Man #1) "Please don't put up a fight. If you do, we'll be forced to hurt you."
Lex considered her options. She knew she could take them all out, but she wasn't confident in keeping both herself and Lena unharmed. Besides, she wanted to find out more about this. Though the ideal situation would be her being alone, she knew she had to take care of Lena.
(Lex) "What if I go alone and you let her go?"
The man looked conflicted.
(Man #1) "I'm afraid that's not possible."
(Lex, through mind-link, to Lena) "Keep the teleport spell-stone ready and if I give the order, I want you to activate it."
Lex had materialised a teleport spell into a stone form, setting the fixed destination to her house in the Clan. It was for last resorts, and she had handed Lena two earlier that day. Lena nodded silently and discreetly got it ready.
(Lex) "We'll go with you."
The man looked relieved and raised a hand. All the men around lowered their weapons. As they started walking, the man spoke again.
(Man #1) "I'm sorry for all the weapons. Our boss is not exactly a reasonable man, thus us having to take you young girls to him."
Lex raised an eyebrow.
(Lex) "Is it safe for you to be speaking of him in such a manner?"
(Man #1) "Everyone except for a handful feel the same way. Everyone here now all feel the same way about our boss. He's an insane tyrant, forgive my language."
Lex simply nodded and continued walking with the man, still keeping Lena close by her side.
(Man #1) "Right. My name is Lucas, if you wanted to know."
Lex nodded. She wasn't willing to give up their names just yet, and Lucas didn't push. Lucas appeared to be in his late teens, not yet in his twenties, and he seemed to be a straightforward guy. Lex knew something more was up.
*
A while later, they arrived at what seemed to be their base. Lucas led them to a large opening, where there was a big man sitting on a large, throne-like chair on an elevated platform.
(Big man) "Well, Mark, I see you brought what I asked for."
(Lex) "Mark?"
(Lucas) "He never bothers to remember our names."
Lex nodded.
(Big man) "What do you think you're doing? Did I give you permission to talk?"
Lucas froze and lowered his head. Lex frowned. The big man grinned, an evil, slimy looking grin.
(Big man) "Why don't you come up here and introduce yourselves?"
(Lex) "I'd rather not."
There was a collective, but soft gasp that ran through the spectating crowd. She moved to stand fully in front of Lena, blocking his view of her. The big man's face twisted, and it almost turned red.
(Big man) "You dare to defy the word of Hans Ripper, Boss of the Black Serpents?!"
He stood up from his chair and grabbed the huge axe next to him.
(Lex, through mind-link, to Lena) "Now!"
Lena activated the teleport spell-stone and found herself back in Lex's home within a few seconds.
Back with Lex, she merely stood there as the guy who called himself Hans Ripper walked towards her. He hadn't noticed the disappearance of the smaller girl as Lex was blocking his view of her the whole time. He roared a loud guttural roar as he charged at her and smashed his axe into the ground at a speed that not many would have been able to even catch. However, they aren't Lex. She merely stepped to the side, and because of the force of the speed Hans Ripper was moving at, his axe was stuck in the ground.
(Hans Ripper) "How?"
Lex's eyes scanned the crowd for any young ones, indicating for their mothers to cover their eyes and ears before summoning a sword into her hand and separating the guy's head from his body with a clean slice before he could recover.
She turned to the people, half expecting them to shout at her and chase her away, but she received cheers and praises, along with them begging her to become their leader.
END OF RECOLLECTION
*
(Lillian) "Somehow, I did end up becoming their leader, after which I changed the whole Mafia, changing the name to become the Blazing Dragons."
Liana finally understood why Lillian was so worried about her reaction. She moved towards Lillian and wrapped her arms around her.
(Liana) "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, and my view of you hasn't changed. Well, if it has, it's simply gotten better,"
