A chill settled down the nape of the man in red. Something was wrong. For the first time, his scheming was coming undone... For the sake of this soft-spoken weakling. His smile faltered, just for an instant. The tension between the men grew as he looked from one to another, waiting to see if any of them would react. Every one of them avoided his eyes. His feeling of unease grew, and something new as well, a sense of danger.

It was the elder man who spoke, his voice strangely hollow. “What’s been done, can’t be changed. Let’s leave it at that.” And with this surprising judgement given, he stood, and reached for his cloak. More startling still, two of the other men followed suit. No one said a word about the normally silent man’s statement. Without a glance back at the baron, without a goodbye, they left him there. Only one other remained behind.

The silent man seemed not to notice their sudden aloneness. Morever, he seemed not to realize that he himself might be the reason. The man in red velvet stared at him with a sudden sense of fear, unsure what had gone wrong, but suddenly realizing that the man he’d chosen to challenge wielded more power here than him.

Deciding it was best if he left as well, the baron stood, and approached the door as calmly as he was able. His hand was upon the doorknob, when the silent man spoke again.

“The marks of your teeth, were the ones found upon the human woman’s throat.” It was a musing, still as if it made no difference, but also as if he had no reason to hold doubt. “Her subsequent suffering at your brother’s hand then, upon your head as well.”

Opening his mouth to refute it, such claims, however true , far too dangerous to be spoken... He found himself without speech as the man rose from his chair, shimmering black cloak already present around his shoulders.

It suddenly struck the baron that he’d never seen the man leave his chair before. For that matter, he’d never seen the other outside this room. Sweat broke out across his forehead, why had these questions never occurred to him before?

Who was this man? He didn’t even know his name!