Masked Man

In the middle of nowhere, far away from the palace, Dargan leaned against the railing of the balcony. He had agreed to meet in this secluded building, because it was far away from people's sight, hidden deep inside the dark forest.

A man wearing a long black cloak appeared from behind Dargan, crunchy sound echoing as he walked on the dried leaves.

"Took you long enough to get here," Dargan heard him say, his voice deep and dark exuding power and danger. Dargan turned around coming to face the man he had formed an ally with. The man wore a mask every time they visited, yet it didn't stop him from knowing who he was. His dangerous and intimidating aura, revealed his true identity.

"I have been busy—"

"With what exactly?" The man asked, interrupting him mid sentence. "I hope you have come with relevant information," he stated, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

"I can not promise you that the information I have for you is relevant, but I have been in the king's palace for the past three days, "Dargan replied, both their eyes locking with each other's.

"And the girl?" The mysterious man asked, taking a few steps towards Dargan. "I sure hope you have her with you," he inquired, leaning over him, his aura choking. Even though the man in front of Dargan was a dragon just like himself, the man was far stronger than him, his intense aura made that well known.

Releasing a sigh, Dargan cautiously stepped away from the masked man, keeping a safe distance between them. A golden gleam flashed across the masked man's eyes, his face turning sore.

"I do not have the girl again," Dargan replied. He was given just one job, and he didn't know how he screwed that up. He just had to capture Elysia and bring her to this man, unfortunately she was taken to the last person he wanted her to be with.

In a blink of an eye, Dargan was slammed hard against the wall, a dent forming on it, while debris crumbled from above. He coughed out blood from his mouth, while the man held him tightly around the collar of his shirt. He gritted his teeth in anger, this mindless dragon would not even let him explain.

"You mean to tell me you do not have the girl," the man asked, his teeth gnashed in anger. He looked like a ticking bomb that was about to explode. Closing his eyes to calm down, he asked. "What happened to her?"

"The stupid traders could not keep her locked so she escaped and managed to convince Azreal to take her, so somehow Azrael bought her," he replied trying to explain, as he ran his fingers through already messy hair. Dargan knew it didn't make any sense, the last time he was in contact with the masked man, he had informed the masked man that he already bought the girl, but now she was somehow taken by the dragon king. Nothing ever made sense when Azrael was involved.

"Azrael?" The masked man asked, his nostrils flaring in anger. His eyes had changed to golden, blueish scales appearing faintly across his forehead.

Dargan realized he was still held by the masked man and had just pissed off a powerful dragon , he was quick to clarify things. "I understand how it looks and I can explain, but what is important is that the king is not aware of what the girl truly is!" His voice faltered and he gritted his teeth, trying to compose himself as his voice was waving due to fear.

"Do you think Azrael is stupid and would not find out anytime soon?" The masked man asked, his voice roaring like thunder. The old building shook due to the coldness of his voice, debris crumbling down.

"I have things under control, I just need sometime—"

"I do not need your pathetic excuses. Time is what we lack, Dargan!" He barked out, the building shaking at the intensity of his voice. "What has Azreal taken her as? A servant?"

Dargan dusted off the dust particles which had fallen on his shirt, he raised his gaze, eyes locking with the masked man's golden eyes. "I am not too sure, but she is definitely not a servant. She is more than that, she seems to be special to the king, perhaps a mistress," he said, lightly shrugging his shoulders. It was still a mystery to Dargan why Azrael kept the girl close to him, and with the way she was being treated, she was indeed special to the king. Or perhaps could it be that Azrael already found out what Elysia truly was? But even at that, Azreal would not hesitate to end her life on a whim if he found out the truth, as he strongly despised her kind.

"Mistress?" The man asked, his lip curving up to form a mocking smile. "It seems that fool has forgotten Marina so soon, but it is good for us that she holds a special place to him." His smile broadened. He let go of Dargan's shirt, turning his back towards him.

"It has been over a century, do you not think it is time the king gets over her?" Dargan asked, only to receive a sharp glare, shutting him up instantly.

A moment of silence passed between them. "We have spoken enough. Return to the palace, we would not want Azrael to be suspicious of you," the man said, starting to walk away.

"And about the rogues?" Dargan asked. "Will there be a halt on the experiments?" He wondered, if they couldn't get Elysia at the moment, he saw no need to carry on with the experiments.

The masked man turned around, his voice low and dangerous, "We would not stop the experiments. Let the rogues run free, we will make sure Azreal has no moment of peace and he should bare the consequences of his past actions." His words filled with venom as the masked man walked away, leaving Dargan to watch his retreating figure.