The Adonis Estate was removed from the heart of Garlemald proper. Its numerous holdings housed acres of vineyards. Before the family's proud military tradition had begun with the rise of the Garlean Empire, the family had a legacy of producing wine. The manor itself, resting along side a small cliff, had stood for generations, surrounded on three side by rolling hills covered in grapevines, and the forth, by a river.
Currently, the house was brilliantly illuminated, blue light from artificial, magitek sources spilled from the windows.Â
In one window stood a silhouetted shape, a female one. In the figure's right hand, a wine glass was tightly clenched. Her black hair was tied up in a bun. She wore black, leather clothing with a high collar and no heels on her boots. Her grey eyes were hard and crow's feet had long since formed around the woman's eye.
Frenhia Adonis had seen fifty-three years winters, thirty-three of them married to Adin Adonis, a man she both admired and feared, but had never really loved.
Frenhia was staring out the window, her sharp, grey eyes looking out at the fields of vines, the moon glowing overhead as he rested her cheek against the wine glass. She sighed softly.
Behind her sat two young men, both around thirty, and both the splitting image of their father.
"So neither of you plan to continue your father's legacy?" Frenhia said, coldly, not looking at either son. Both of her children stared at her back, but it was her eldest, Grenz, whom spoke first.
"What profit would that gain us, mother? I'm now a captain, and Hersh is to promoted as well."
"Your father was only a Captain when he began building his organization, he was only a captain when he was commissioned by the military to carry out clandestine operations against the Empire's enemies. So, combined, you two aren't even half the man your father was."Â
The disappointment was thick in Frenhia's voice and she had to take a deep breath. She didn't want to take over her late husband's organization. She knew she couldn't wield power like her husband had. She had neither the connections nor the respect. She had spent her life being Adin's trophy, not his partner in crime. The woman took a bitter drink from her glass.
"Why not Ashwynn or Von?"Â Hersh, Frenhia's second son, asked slowly, his voice uncannily like his father's.
"Silence!" Frenhia's hissed as her hand shook. The woman turned around and fixed her sons with a steely glare. "Neither Von or Ashwynn are aware of that part of our legacy, and it will stay that way. Neither knows-"
"Cause neither is fully an Adonis." Grenz interrupted. Frenhia looked at her son indignantly. He had spoken truly. While Frenhia's two oldest were both products of unions between her and Adin, the youngest were not. Von was the result of Frenhia's carelessness with one of her lovers. She had killed that lover when she had discovered she was with his child, but was unable to abort the bastard son. He had been born and Adin, whom never said anything but surely knew, raised the son as his own.
Adin's subtle revenge had been adopting a young, miqo'te girl whom had been orphaned when his army unit had slaughtered a band of rebels. Adin had always wanted a daughter and seemed to find pleasure in the fact that Frenhia found the entire race disgusting.
"They are not true members of this family, and cannot wield the power that is not their birthright, power that you two spineless fools should be jumping at."Â Frenhia said coldly, her thee eyes blinking.
Grenz rose to his feet and fixed his mother with a glare.
"We are done with this mother. We have enough enemies from father's clutching at power. If we permit his organization to collapse, perhaps we might be able to finally sleep easy once more."
"To think I raised such a naive fool." Frenhia replied harshly ass he threw the contents of her glass at her son and stormed towards the door.Â
A crack like lighting and the sound of glass shattering filled the air. Frenhia spun and looked at her eldest boy, his hands clutched to his chest, crimson liquid gushing out from between his fingers. Frenhia stared is horror as Grenz started to fall forward before his body was lacerated by a sudden storm of gunblade projectiles tearing through the windows.Â
"Mother!" Hersh cried, tackling his mother out of the room. Hersh took two bullets to his side and he gasped in pain as he rose to his feet and started shouting.Â
"My blade! Servants, fetch me my blade, we are under attack!" There were sounds of screaming victims down the hall and Hersh saw a figure in a black uniform step out from a doorway aiming a gunblade at him. Hersh gasped as he tasted blood as he put himself between the assassin and his mother.
There was a gunshot and the assassin grunted as he toppled forward, his weapon rolling from his dead fingers. Hersh stared and looked back as his mother rose to her feet, a small gunblade clutched in her hand, her face a blank mask.Â
"Hersh, rouse the house guard and then see to it that you sister and brother escape via the tunnels to the river."Â Frenhia ordered as she walked over and picked up the gunblade the assassin had dropped.
"Who are these people?"Â Hersh grunted through clenched teeth as he held his right hand to his side.
"Your father's enemies." Frenhia replied flatly. "The one's you and your brother so stupidly thought would leave us alone."
"How can you be sure?"Â Hersh asked as he watched his mother walking down the hall, sounds of breaking windows and fighting filling the air of the manor.
"Cause you were weak and they saw their chance." Frenhia answered. "Now then, I have guests to entertain."
Currently, the house was brilliantly illuminated, blue light from artificial, magitek sources spilled from the windows.Â
In one window stood a silhouetted shape, a female one. In the figure's right hand, a wine glass was tightly clenched. Her black hair was tied up in a bun. She wore black, leather clothing with a high collar and no heels on her boots. Her grey eyes were hard and crow's feet had long since formed around the woman's eye.
Frenhia Adonis had seen fifty-three years winters, thirty-three of them married to Adin Adonis, a man she both admired and feared, but had never really loved.
Frenhia was staring out the window, her sharp, grey eyes looking out at the fields of vines, the moon glowing overhead as he rested her cheek against the wine glass. She sighed softly.
Behind her sat two young men, both around thirty, and both the splitting image of their father.
"So neither of you plan to continue your father's legacy?" Frenhia said, coldly, not looking at either son. Both of her children stared at her back, but it was her eldest, Grenz, whom spoke first.
"What profit would that gain us, mother? I'm now a captain, and Hersh is to promoted as well."
"Your father was only a Captain when he began building his organization, he was only a captain when he was commissioned by the military to carry out clandestine operations against the Empire's enemies. So, combined, you two aren't even half the man your father was."Â
The disappointment was thick in Frenhia's voice and she had to take a deep breath. She didn't want to take over her late husband's organization. She knew she couldn't wield power like her husband had. She had neither the connections nor the respect. She had spent her life being Adin's trophy, not his partner in crime. The woman took a bitter drink from her glass.
"Why not Ashwynn or Von?"Â Hersh, Frenhia's second son, asked slowly, his voice uncannily like his father's.
"Silence!" Frenhia's hissed as her hand shook. The woman turned around and fixed her sons with a steely glare. "Neither Von or Ashwynn are aware of that part of our legacy, and it will stay that way. Neither knows-"
"Cause neither is fully an Adonis." Grenz interrupted. Frenhia looked at her son indignantly. He had spoken truly. While Frenhia's two oldest were both products of unions between her and Adin, the youngest were not. Von was the result of Frenhia's carelessness with one of her lovers. She had killed that lover when she had discovered she was with his child, but was unable to abort the bastard son. He had been born and Adin, whom never said anything but surely knew, raised the son as his own.
Adin's subtle revenge had been adopting a young, miqo'te girl whom had been orphaned when his army unit had slaughtered a band of rebels. Adin had always wanted a daughter and seemed to find pleasure in the fact that Frenhia found the entire race disgusting.
"They are not true members of this family, and cannot wield the power that is not their birthright, power that you two spineless fools should be jumping at."Â Frenhia said coldly, her thee eyes blinking.
Grenz rose to his feet and fixed his mother with a glare.
"We are done with this mother. We have enough enemies from father's clutching at power. If we permit his organization to collapse, perhaps we might be able to finally sleep easy once more."
"To think I raised such a naive fool." Frenhia replied harshly ass he threw the contents of her glass at her son and stormed towards the door.Â
A crack like lighting and the sound of glass shattering filled the air. Frenhia spun and looked at her eldest boy, his hands clutched to his chest, crimson liquid gushing out from between his fingers. Frenhia stared is horror as Grenz started to fall forward before his body was lacerated by a sudden storm of gunblade projectiles tearing through the windows.Â
"Mother!" Hersh cried, tackling his mother out of the room. Hersh took two bullets to his side and he gasped in pain as he rose to his feet and started shouting.Â
"My blade! Servants, fetch me my blade, we are under attack!" There were sounds of screaming victims down the hall and Hersh saw a figure in a black uniform step out from a doorway aiming a gunblade at him. Hersh gasped as he tasted blood as he put himself between the assassin and his mother.
There was a gunshot and the assassin grunted as he toppled forward, his weapon rolling from his dead fingers. Hersh stared and looked back as his mother rose to her feet, a small gunblade clutched in her hand, her face a blank mask.Â
"Hersh, rouse the house guard and then see to it that you sister and brother escape via the tunnels to the river."Â Frenhia ordered as she walked over and picked up the gunblade the assassin had dropped.
"Who are these people?"Â Hersh grunted through clenched teeth as he held his right hand to his side.
"Your father's enemies." Frenhia replied flatly. "The one's you and your brother so stupidly thought would leave us alone."
"How can you be sure?"Â Hersh asked as he watched his mother walking down the hall, sounds of breaking windows and fighting filling the air of the manor.
"Cause you were weak and they saw their chance." Frenhia answered. "Now then, I have guests to entertain."
