The Black Kiss

Chapter 2

A man descended down the wooden steps.

The light showed his face. Igor stepped in. The tears dried that instance.

On instinct, I went to stand, but Tatiana's other arm shot out stopping me.

Igor was a vile man, the lowest form of human there was. I did not think there could possibly be one lower than him.

"Well". He took the long drag from his cigar that I so desperately wanted to stub out in his eye. Everything about him reeked. From his pot bellied, black teeth and stringy haired self.

"We have arrived ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of myself and my crew, we would like to thankyou for staying alive. You have made us all very rich men."

On queue, the rest of the men followed down the steps, filling the room.

We were a broken people, we had been through far too much. Some started sobbing in the background but could not. Atleast not in front of him.

His eyes flitted around the place, until his eyes met mine. He grinned widely.

"Ah my feisty beauty. It makes me sad to see you leaving us so soon." He said gaining chuckles from his men.

Tat squeezed my hand, warning me.

"It is awfully sad about your friend who we lost along the way. Awfully sad. Is it not boys?" They murmured in mock agreement.

The mention of Marcel did its trick. I would have done anything to take that grin off his face and so I did. And a big glunk of it met him in his face.

But he just smiled and wiped my spit off with his hand.

"Oh my beauty." He sighed. "You will be doing that a whole lot where you will be going."

***

Certainly they surely were not this stupid.

"Imported goods, Your Highness," Viktor repeated.

"Yes I heard you the first time uncle, but why does something so minor require my seal? There are people employed in the empire who handle all this, no?"

"I am just the messenger my boy. The goods arriving here are not of importance. Yet," Viktor stepped closer to me and placed a delivery document in front of me. "I will need to your seal here."

I did not read the contents before baring my seal on the documents.

"Many thanks my boy. I'll see to it that these papers get delivered."

If it was of no importance why did it require my seal?

The question died on my lips. Uncle Viktor Ivanov was almost like my right hand man. Brother to my father, the King, he was one of the two people who I trusted and who did not always have to be formal in my presence. 

The second of which was my closest friend, Sasha. Likewise, Sasha cared not of  my title or position but only cared for our friendship, something which was very rarely found these days.

As if my thought summoned him, Sasha burst into the room, unannounced and unexpectedly with a sheepish looking servant behind him who bowed as he closed the door.

"Nikkie!" He screeched, moving closer to where I was sat in my desk.

The flare of irritation from hearing the ridiculous name he had given me, was harder to work away this time. He knew I hated it, and he knew it from the smugness plastered all on his face. Especially in front of my uncle.

"How nice of you to drop by so unannounced Sasha."

He collapsed down in the chair facing me, as the frown I had deepened.