To Ashes And Blood

Ashen Champion

Damien stood frozen. His eyes never left Vesna.

For a long moment, nobody in that room spoke.

Then, one after another, the memories came crashing back to him like a wave.

"You have to wait until the Devil decides when he wants to see you."

"If you want to keep your head on your neck... it would interest you to address the Devil with respect."

"The only reason you're still standing where you are now…..is because I know Cole."

Even the Crown Ember. “She hadn't taken payment to lead me to the Devil. She….”

His lips parted slightly.

".....You're the Devil."

Vesna rested her chin against one hand.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd figure it out."

Damien shook his head in disbelief.

"You walked me through the Ninth..."

"I was bored and had to leave here."

"You warned me not to disrespect the Devil…."

"I hate men….I put up with them because of their pillar and stones and their firm touch. Asides that, I'd kill any man who dares look down on me."

"You charged me for bringing me here."

"Well all money is money regardless."

He stared at her.

"You could've just told me."

Vesna smiled.

"Now where is the fun in that, pretty boy?"

Silence settled between them.

Damien let out a slow breath through his nose before giving a short laugh.

"I've been played."

"I think the word you're looking for is..."

She tilted her head slightly.

"...guided."

Damien couldn't help but smile to himself.

"I should've known."

"You should have."

Her smile widened just a little, showing her perfect white teeth.

"But then we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Damien's expression gradually became serious again.

"Then let's stop wasting time."

He took a step toward the desk.

"I came here for one reason. Iron Fist”

Vesna nodded once.

"I know."

"Can you take me to him?"

She leaned back comfortably in her chair.

"Seeing Iron Fist is very simple."

Hope flickered across Damien's face.

"You just have to defeat him first."

His face became stale.

"What?"

"We have a tournament at midnight tonight."

She folded one leg over the other.

"Iron Fist fights there every week."

She looked directly into Damien's eyes.

"If you beat him..."

She smiled.

"...I'll happily leave the two of you alone."

Damien blinked twice before letting out a dry laugh.

"You're joking."

"Do you want to find out if I am?"

"You mean to tell me..."

He pointed toward her.

"...I paid you to bring me here."

He walked angrily towards her.

"...and now you're telling me I have to fight the strongest man in Corridor Nine just to talk to him?"

"I am."

Damien threw both hands into the air.

"That's ridiculous!"

His voice echoed through the room.

"I paid you!"

Before another word left his mouth, Elara stepped forward.

Her warm smile had disappeared.

"The Devil has already….."

Vesna quietly raised one finger.

Elara stopped immediately.

The room became silent once again.

Vesna slowly lowered her hand.

"No, sweetheart."

She looked at Damien.

"Let him speak."

Damien frowned.

"You took my Crown Ember. You said you would take me to the Iron Fist"

She corrected him without raising her voice.

"I said I'd take you to the Devil."

She leaned forward slightly.

"And I did."

Damien opened his mouth.

Then closed it again. His mind had betrayed him at that moment as he had nothing else to say.

Vesna smiled to herself.

"I never once promised I'd take you to Iron Fist."

Damien hated the fact that she was right.

Vesna slowly leaned back into her chair.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Awwww, Pretty boy. You seem disappointed."

Damien folded his arms.

"I came here to find one man…..one man."

"And you'll find him."

"When?"

"When you've defeated him."

Damien let out an exasperated laugh.

"You keep saying that as if it's the simplest thing in the world."

"It is. The same way it's easy for you not to tell me what you want with him is the same way it is easy….."

She folded her hands together atop the desk.

".......For someone like you."

Damien stared at her.

“Like me?"

"Did I stutter?"

Silence settled between them.

Finally, Vesna rose from her chair and slowly circled the desk.

She stopped beside the enormous window overlooking the gardens below.

"The Midnight Tournament."

She looked out over Corridor Nine.

"Every night, the people of the Ninth gather there."

She folded her hands behind her back.

"Some come to gamble and others come to cheer their reigning champion or the contender. Others simply come because they have nothing better to do."

She turned to face Damien.

"But subconsciously, every single one of them comes to support one man."

"Iron Fist."

Her smile widened.

"He hasn't lost in years."

She slowly walked toward Damien.

"Now imagine this."

She stopped only a few steps away.

"A boy from the Capital."

She looked him up and down.

"An Ashen trained by a Cinder."

She traced her finger around his shoulders.

"Walking into the Ninth....and challenging our undefeated champion."

She chuckled softly.

"Tell me, Damien..."

She poked his chest with her fingernail.

"Wouldn't you pay to watch that?"

Damien didn't answer.

"The arena would overflow. Every bookmaker would make a fortune."

She gestured toward a bottle on the table.

"The merchants would empty their warehouses. And the bars would sell until sunrise."

She rested her hands on his shoulders.

"The Ninth would talk about nothing else for weeks."

She tilted her head.

"And if by some miracle......you actually won."

She smiled.

"You'd earn your conversation with Iron Fist."

Damien shook his head.

"I won't do it."

The word came without hesitation.

"I didn't come here to entertain your people."

He pointed toward her.

"I paid you to take me to Iron Fist."

"I already brought you where you asked to go."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Is it not?"

“Stop pretending!"

Elara stepped forward.

Her gentle expression remained unchanged.

"The Devil has already explained….."

Vesna quietly raised a hand.

Elara immediately fell silent again.

She simply lowered her head and stepped back.

Vesna never took her eyes off Damien.

"No one enters the arena by force. No one speaks to Iron Fist without earning it from him or me."

She stared directly into his eyes.

"Those are the rules. Even I don't break them."

Damien scoffed.

"Oh how convenient."

"It is."

"You really won't help me?"

Vesna said nothing and only returned to her chair.

Damien stood there for a few seconds before letting out a slow breath.

"Pathetic."

He turned toward the door.

He had almost reached it when Vesna's calm voice followed him.

"I wonder..."

Damien stopped.

"....what Oma would think."

His hand tightened around the door handle.

Vesna continued.

"You came all this way. You walked into Hell."

Damien's grip grew tighter.

"You searched for someone ordinary people couldn’t find, and now..."

She smiled to herself.

"...you're leaving because one fight scares you. Tell me, who's pathetic?"

Damien slowly turned around.

"I'm not scared."

"Who said anything about being scared?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you walking away?"

He didn't answer.

"You know..."

Vesna said quietly.

"I thought Oma had brought someone interesting to the ninth, seeing as she's always alone."

She shrugged lightly.

"Perhaps I was mistaken."

Silence stretched in the room once more.

Finally, he let go of the door and turned fully toward her.

"If I defeat Iron Fist..."

His voice was steady.

"....I get a private meeting with him….no conditions attached"

Vesna studied him for a long moment.

Then she smiled. Without saying a word, she stepped forward and stretched out her hand.

Damien looked down at it for a while.

Elara watched silently from the side of the room.

Nearly a minute passed before Damien finally shook her hand.

Vesna's grip was surprisingly firm.

She glanced down at their joined hands before slowly lifting her eyes to meet his.

Her seductive smile spread across her face.

"You know this better than anyone..."

She fixed her eyes on his.

"The Devil doesn't bargain…..twice."