As soon as the tea filled the porcelain cup the butler set the pot down on the silver tray. Picking up the saucer and walking the cup to the back of an oversized chair. “Your afternoon tea, sir” the butler spoke as he approached the chair.
“James, I told you not to stay.” The chair spun around to reveal a burly middle aged man. “You know he is expected to come today.”
“One man cannot get past all the guards I have setup here. This mansion is a virtual fortress.”
“Damnit! I sent everyone home!” The chair went crashing into the wall as the man leapt from it slamming his hands into the desk. James had remained calm not spilling a drop of tea while his employer continued ranting and pacing back and forth from behind his desk. “They’re all dead. We’re dead. Why didn’t anyone listen to me?”
“Please”, James pleaded, then clearing his throat. “Sir, if he were to even approach this place there would be some warning; at least from the gunfire, even if he could get through the 40 guards there would be no way he could reach you before you had time to leave. You must relax”. Extending his hand to offer the tea, once again.
“James, you don’t understand. Keeping everyone here will just get them killed. I wish you would have followed my orders.”
Feeling rejected James withdrew the tea and walked back over to the tray to set the cup down. “Sir, if he was coming he should have been here by now. No alarms have sounded, there has been no gunfire. No one is dead.”
As James was finishing his sentence, a figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. “Well, no one in this room is dead. I cannot say the same for everyone else. I foretold of my coming and I am never late.” Turning to James the stranger added, “James, you should have listened to Basil Vidales, that is still the name you are going by now isn’t it?”
Basil nodded the affirmative, “Look, James shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t have to die.” Suddenly, Basil’s face paled and mouth hung upon he began to shake as he looked toward James. James was pointing a very long bent, and somewhat twisted looking finger into the side of the stranger’s neck.
“Oh, Basil you managed to hire a Sewon. I’m quite surprised. The look on your face is equally surprising. I suspect you didn’t know what you had in your butler and still don’t fully grasp it.”
“The name is Nerírtr, not James.” Agitated, Nerírtr’s tone grows stern as he asks, “If you know I am Sewon, then you should also know that by putting my grýkn in your neck it is pumping poison into your blood stream. Why are you so calm?”
The stranger grinned and looked toward Basil who was still frozen behind his desk. “I am a Nyght.” Before the stranger could say another word Nerírtr quickly removed the grýkn. The grýkn was severed in half before Nerírtr could pull it back to his side. Basil fell forward, his head slamming into the desk and the weight of his dead body rolling him off to the floor.
Nerírtr went sailing against the far wall where he lay slumped against the corner. The stranger walked over to Nerírtr. “Yes, a Nyght. I am immune to your poison.” Looking down at Nerírtr he almost looked pathetic. Shivering, tears streaming down his cheeks, half his grýkn ripped off. Scared. Humiliated. Yes, humiliated indeed. “You Sewonians have far too much pride in your grýkn. I think I just might let you live.” Sneered the Nyght. “If you remain here too long, the local authorities will catch you and assume you did all this because you are alien. Earth people tend to fear what they don’t know and jump to conclusions to justify the ill they deliver to what it is they fear. However if you do get out and make it home, you’ll be a disgrace and laughed at the rest of your life. Maybe you can set an example for the rest of your kind to not mess in affairs they don’t understand.”
As sirens filled the air the Nyght rendered Nerírtr unconscious. "Good luck" the Nyght proffered, "you're gonna need it."
“James, I told you not to stay.” The chair spun around to reveal a burly middle aged man. “You know he is expected to come today.”
“One man cannot get past all the guards I have setup here. This mansion is a virtual fortress.”
“Damnit! I sent everyone home!” The chair went crashing into the wall as the man leapt from it slamming his hands into the desk. James had remained calm not spilling a drop of tea while his employer continued ranting and pacing back and forth from behind his desk. “They’re all dead. We’re dead. Why didn’t anyone listen to me?”
“Please”, James pleaded, then clearing his throat. “Sir, if he were to even approach this place there would be some warning; at least from the gunfire, even if he could get through the 40 guards there would be no way he could reach you before you had time to leave. You must relax”. Extending his hand to offer the tea, once again.
“James, you don’t understand. Keeping everyone here will just get them killed. I wish you would have followed my orders.”
Feeling rejected James withdrew the tea and walked back over to the tray to set the cup down. “Sir, if he was coming he should have been here by now. No alarms have sounded, there has been no gunfire. No one is dead.”
As James was finishing his sentence, a figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. “Well, no one in this room is dead. I cannot say the same for everyone else. I foretold of my coming and I am never late.” Turning to James the stranger added, “James, you should have listened to Basil Vidales, that is still the name you are going by now isn’t it?”
Basil nodded the affirmative, “Look, James shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t have to die.” Suddenly, Basil’s face paled and mouth hung upon he began to shake as he looked toward James. James was pointing a very long bent, and somewhat twisted looking finger into the side of the stranger’s neck.
“Oh, Basil you managed to hire a Sewon. I’m quite surprised. The look on your face is equally surprising. I suspect you didn’t know what you had in your butler and still don’t fully grasp it.”
“The name is Nerírtr, not James.” Agitated, Nerírtr’s tone grows stern as he asks, “If you know I am Sewon, then you should also know that by putting my grýkn in your neck it is pumping poison into your blood stream. Why are you so calm?”
The stranger grinned and looked toward Basil who was still frozen behind his desk. “I am a Nyght.” Before the stranger could say another word Nerírtr quickly removed the grýkn. The grýkn was severed in half before Nerírtr could pull it back to his side. Basil fell forward, his head slamming into the desk and the weight of his dead body rolling him off to the floor.
Nerírtr went sailing against the far wall where he lay slumped against the corner. The stranger walked over to Nerírtr. “Yes, a Nyght. I am immune to your poison.” Looking down at Nerírtr he almost looked pathetic. Shivering, tears streaming down his cheeks, half his grýkn ripped off. Scared. Humiliated. Yes, humiliated indeed. “You Sewonians have far too much pride in your grýkn. I think I just might let you live.” Sneered the Nyght. “If you remain here too long, the local authorities will catch you and assume you did all this because you are alien. Earth people tend to fear what they don’t know and jump to conclusions to justify the ill they deliver to what it is they fear. However if you do get out and make it home, you’ll be a disgrace and laughed at the rest of your life. Maybe you can set an example for the rest of your kind to not mess in affairs they don’t understand.”
As sirens filled the air the Nyght rendered Nerírtr unconscious. "Good luck" the Nyght proffered, "you're gonna need it."