Vindicta Draconis

There weren't always dragons in the valley. No, if there was something that The Valley had always been, it was exclusive. An establishment that had been run by the same family and associates for over a decade. The characters entering and leaving The Valley all did so with a specific purpose. As to what that purpose might be? Night clubs like this were usually a cover for something. Money laundering, prostitution, drug cartels. Clichés of illegality. But The Valley was different. Entertainment was flashy, extravagant and yes at times smutty or scandalous. Powerful people entered through those doors. Politicians, dignitaries, people who pulled the strings in one way or another. But as far as anyone could prove, it was just a nightclub.

Celebrities were not often if ever invited. Proceedings were secretive and attention unwelcome. Everyone in the neighbourhood knew better though. Everyone knew that entering those doors was a risk. That you may never come back out again. Ownership was not taken lightly. It seeped and stewed in consequences often drenched in blood. Somehow any proof of this fact, any knowledge of what went on inside, continued to elude the police. Or appeared to at the very least.

For those that knew, the organisation running the place and thus by extension the city, were known as ‘The Daggers’. They were headed by Declan and Hayden Johnson. The Johnson brothers had inherited their role but very little was known about them or their lives. It made people doubt the legitimacy of their claim to the family name and if they were actually even brothers at all. But rumours like that meaned little to the followers who enforced their rule. So, what did this have to do with the Dragons?

The Dragons were also mysterious. They seemed to have appeared out of thin air a year or so before they set foot through The Valley’s doors. The man heading the Dragons, Ryu, was rumoured to be a banished offshoot of the Yakuza, who’d somehow smuggled those faithful to him over to the States from Japan. In a tugboat some claimed. There were a whole host of theories but as time went on there were whispers of something supernatural. No one knew the source of such an idea, but then nobody believed it either. There was no evidence for a single theory anyway, believable or not. Ryu and his followers were masters of secrecy, despite being a striking presence. Not one you’d miss. Ryu himself most of all.

He was lacking the pinkie and index on his left hand, had hair slicked back and streaked with grey. The planes of his face were sharp and though his expression always remained calm and cold you got the sense something fearsome was brewing underneath. It seemed at times as if the corner of his mouth twitched with some hidden emotion that threatened to break through but then disappeared. Like a pebble falling into a pond that rippled then grew still as if the surface had never been broken at all.

Ryu, as well as all members of his gang, had a prominent tattoo of that most feared of mythical reptiles winding up their right arm with the head resting on their chest. Or so it was rumoured and attested to by some of the showgirls, the only ones who might see them in any kind of state of undress. In public they always wore immaculate black suits. Only the curled tip of the dragon’s tail showed past their right sleeves.

Declan met Ryu when he was first establishing himself. He had somehow already made some powerful connections and taken over some territory with little dispute. Only in name of course, not actuality. Ryu knew he had to gain the approval of the Johnson brothers first to officially stake his claim. Hayden didn’t trust this foreign influence pushing itself in front of their faces, but Declan was intrigued. He and Hayden didn’t always see eye to eye. An occurrence that was increasing in frequency at the time when Declan extended a confidential invite to Ryu and the Dragons.

Tania was a bar maid and waitress at The Valley. She had fought for her spot servicing the high tables. Her lover was amongst the lower ranks, had just become initiated into the Daggers. She wanted to make sure he knew what he was getting into. Was it worth the risk? She herself was a recent recruit and not naïve to the fact that it was her striking face, body and the way she moved that served as her qualifications. That and her ability to be elegant and discreet. Tania acted as if nothing existed between her ears, oozed charm in the way of dumb subjugation. But she was in fact sharply vigilant and noticed every single detail. She smiled graciously, but not too much, floated towards the table in a feminine fashion but with the intention of blending and not drawing attention. She balanced a tray of drinks smoothly on one hand. The ice barely clinked in the crystal.

Ryu was smoking an intricately carved pipe that resembled a dragon’s head, resting it on the stubs of his missing fingers. The eyes of the pipe glowed red with the burning tobacco when he inhaled. As he exhaled a thick plume of heavy smoke, he opened the conversation, the words seeming to billow from his mouth with perfect fluency.

“Thank you for the invite. I would not be so arrogant as to suggest I expected it, only that I expected to pay my respect officially. It is an honour.” He bowed his head in Declan’s direction who answered with a nod of acknowledgement and acceptance of the statement, signalling for him to proceed.

“You hinted that there was some…problem I could help you with… That I might establish myself in this way.”

“We’ve had unrest and unruliness amongst the gangs, even amongst the lower levels.”

Tania moved slowly and her ears pricked up.

“There have been challenges in the ranks for positions of leadership and control. Whoever holds The Valley, holds the throne. I hold the keys to the throne room and holding that power is key. I cannot have that challenged or mocked.” Declan paused a moment.

“Absolutely understandable,” Ryu smoothly agreed.

“I need trustworthy people on my side to help with that,” Declan continued. “I’ve heard rumours that you have some…. unconventional but highly effective methods for retaining control.”

Ryu chuckled, “That would be accurate.”

“So?” Declan sat back in his seat, eyebrows raised, taking his drink from Tania and raising it to his lips with a clear air of expectation. There was another pause. Tania looked up and supressed a gasp. The black eyes of the newcomer seemed to bore into her soul. She stopped only for a split second, smiled and made no sign she had been affected at all. Luckily, whatever Ryu might have sensed or thought when their eyes met, he was too invested in the conversation not to continue.

“Well actually, we uncovered a spy in our ranks, were planning to deal with him in such a way that ensures no further betrayal,” he took a deep drag on his pipe and exhaled the words once more, “care for a demonstration?” The jacket of his suit was off and his sleeves rolled up. As he steepled his hands in contemplation of Declan’s response, the veins and muscles of his forearm rippled. It made the green and red scales of the tattooed monster on his arm appear to move as well, as if it were a living thing that sat there, entwined and listening.

Tania continued to set the drinks and clear the used glasses from before delicately, taking her time whilst trying not to appear as if she was lingering. But Declan was already waving her away with his fingers. He didn’t have to look at her for her to understand his meaning. She knew that if he felt the need to order her exit directly, it certainly wouldn't bode well for her. Tania had no choice but to hurry up and remove herself. Balancing the tray was the only acceptable thing to slow her.

“Does this have anything to do with the package you asked us to hold as assurance of your loyalty?” Declan continued.

“Yes,” Ryu answered, “and I think after this demonstration you will be far more willing to accept our request it be moved to your private vault. For…. safety.”

“It’s valuable.”

“Very.”

“Some kind of new weapon.”

“In a sense, in another sense, so much more than that.”

Tania had lingered round the corner. Something told her that whatever this package was, it would change everything. She didn’t know when an opportunity like this would come up again. The Champagne room was used rarely and she had been under strict orders to keep the members of this meeting under wraps. They probably wouldn’t send the same girl twice. The sound of the voices faded. She couldn’t hear them anymore but didn’t dare retrace her steps. Maybe they’d moved somewhere else? Then, she heard it. A scream, a man’s blood curdling cry for help. Pathetic, interspersed with weeping. It took all of Tania’s strength to keep her composure. She couldn’t afford to let the glasses slide or drop.

“Please!” The voice pleaded, “let me go, it’s not what you think! I’m no snitch!”

“The time for pleading,” Ryu’s icy voiced announced, “is over.”

“What now?” Declan asked.

“You’ll see.”

Sounds of some kind of struggle proceeded. Presumably the pleading man was being restrained. What were they going to do with him? Something was placed into the room, it made the ground shake. The package? Where from? All such questions evaporated with the smell. It was sudden and pungent, weirdly sulfurous, but also, smoky. Such a bizarre assault on her nostrils. Tania had closed her eyes a second, but the smell brought her right back to where she was. All that could be heard now was the cries of the man. And then, a growl. Low. Deep. Tania felt it rumble through her chest. What could possibly be making such a sound? Some strange machine? Once again, the thoughts were driven from her mind.

Light, blinding light and an ear-splitting screech that quickly subsided. She saw the shadows cast on the wall with that flash of illumination. The silhouette of what she presumed to be the spy strapped to a chair, and something strange, huge and serpentine in shape. An intense wave of heat hit her coinciding with the flash. It was late Autumn and the rooms were kept cool. The contrast was unsettling and sent sweat trickling down her neck.

A new smell emerged. Something foul. Something cooking. She wanted to throw up, had to force her lunch back down her throat. Tania needed to keep it together. She couldn’t make sense of what she’d seen, all she knew was that she had to get out of there quick. She’d seen enough to know that being involved with all this wasn’t worth it. She’d tell him. They’d leave tonight. But she was frozen. She took two cautious steps back. Damn this platter. If she left it, they would know she’d been spying herself. She'd be sure to suffer the same fate.

What could it be? Some immense kind of flame thrower? Surely there were cleaner ways to kill someone? The light was gone but the silence was broken by a slow ripping sound. A hideous crunching. She breathed in sharply. The sounds stopped. She had to keep edging back. Had to. Her feet no longer floating with grace but filled with lead. She struggled not to drag her feet. The heels would make a scraping sound. Then she saw it.

Something that slithered and now peeped out round the corner. Something that looked exactly like the tail she’d seen peeping out on the Dragon members’ arms. And then, far more terrible. Slowly, a long, scaly snout started to become visible. Smoke and a red light started forming in it’s immense nostrils, just like on Ryu’s pipe. A terrifying set of teeth, a jaw that began to open as another growl exuded from it. Long, sinuous whiskers hanging past the chin and dripping wetly red. No, it couldn’t be. Dragons weren't real. She was halfway down the corridor to the door. She had to risk it.

Tania ran. There was no helping it, the crystal tumblers crashed around her. They heard her. A mishmash of voices erupted, orders shouted in a language she didn’t recognise, drowned out by an almighty roar.

“Chris!” She cried out.