A MAZE OF GREED

Barret Addington's chariot entered the boundaries of the northern town named Kinsville. The moment he entered the land of Kinsville, he could smell a strange power in the air.

By the looks, this town was no exception to the other prominent towns in the region, but the only difference was not everyone was pleased to visit this town.

Even it was Barret's third trip to the town in all his years of life. Curiously, he glanced out of his carriage's window. The streets of Kinsville had not many people wandering. And those who wandered were not humans.

People glanced secretively at the moving carriage. Kids stopped playing, watching the man peeking out the brown carriage with blank faces.

The population of the town was lesser as compared to the other large towns, and it was not a surprising fact for Barret.

Whenever he saw a person with fear in their eyes, he recognised them as humans.

For a minute, he could not help but compare Kinsville with Vincardine. These two towns were contradictory by nature. Where Vincardine had that safe air to breath, Kinsville had that disguised fear lingered in its air.

Where Vincardine had that happening vibe and smiling faces of its residents, Kinsville was far from that. Vincardine welcomed every race with open arms but Kinsville... only the Lords of the town could decide whom to welcome and whom to kill.

The only similarity between the two towns was their serene beauty.

Leaving the habitation behind, Barret's chariot ran on a bridge that was built on the violently flowing river. Its white foamed water looked splendid against the dark rocks and green cliffs.

Barret wished if Ripon and everyone else could see that beautiful view but alas! He had to be content that at least he could see it.

After crossing the bridge, the carriage came into a wide opening. And what came in front of his eyes could only be described as a marvel.

A white castle built on the heights of a broad cliff stood proudly with its number of towers reaching to the sky. A waterfall fell on the ground that was right at the foot of the palace.

That property was so beautiful that even the Royals could not keep their attention away from it. The queen had requested her husband to buy that property for her. But that was an unachievable dream even for the King.

Barret's mind came back to see that his carriage was stopped by two men at the foot of the hill. The giant gate was closed, and these two lanky men were the guards. Unlike the guards in other towns, these two wore black shirts, black pants and black shoes, instead of a uniform.

That black attire enhanced their ghost-like pale skin and red lips.

"My Lord..." The coachman called for Barret through the small window that was at the back of his head.

Barret caught the slight tremble of the man's voice.

"Let them." He said calmly.

The two lanky men watched the brown chariot with a strange glint in their eyes. One of them stopped a little away from the chariot, while the other one walked towards the window where Barret was.

"Welcome to the Kinsville, sire! May I know your good name please." His voice was sweet so were his words. The smile on his lips was believable, but Barret knew better than that.

"My name is Barret Addington. I am-"

"Chairman of the Council. Of course, everyone knows a man with authority." The lanky man said while running his tongue on his red lips.

The coachman was watching Barret through another small window and wondered how could his master be so calm in this situation.

"May I know the purpose of your visit, sire? Do you have an appointment fixed?"

Barret's lips twitched in irritation. It was because of two reasons.

One, he was not used to getting addressed as sir. He was used to hearing Mr Chairman or My Lord. But he knew in Kinsville no outsider was addressed as My Lord. Because there were only a few people-the rulers of Kinsville who had right over that title.

Two, he did not like a mere guard questioning him. He was a chairman of the Council, for God's sake.

"No, I do not have a prior appointment. And I do not think it is appropriate to discuss the purpose of my visit with a guard." Barret could not help to hide the bitterness.

Instead of getting angry or humiliated by his words, the guard's face split into a wide smirk.

"Very well!" Turning towards his companion, he called. "Let them in."

While the coachman rode the carriage through the huge gates, Barret did not miss that strange glint shining brightly in those guards' black eyes.

As the carriage ascended the hill by the smooth road built in a zig-zag manner, not only Barret but also his coachman could not help but admire the scenic view of the place.

Calling a skilled painter to capture this beauty in his art was what Barret thought. But then, no one would dare to cross the border of the Kinsville even if he put the knife on their throat.

Giving up on those thoughts, Barret enjoyed and tried to memorise as much as he could- from the lush green trees to the colourful flowers and butterflies.

"My Lord, we are here!" The coachman announced.

He opened the door of the carriage, and after adjusting his coat, Barret stepped out of it. The air of the Kinsville was fresh but had underlying duress in it.

Another man clad in black attire with pale skin, red lips and black eyes came to greet Barret.

"Welcome, sire!" The man greeted with a smile but did not bow as a gesture of respect.

He directed the coachman where to park the carriage and told another man to carry Barret's luggage to the guest room.

"If you would follow me, sire. This way, please." He walked beside Barret in the direction of the massive doors of the castle.

"It is a pleasure to see you, sire!" He said while keeping his eyes ahead.

"And why is that?" Barret asked with a raised brow. He knew that the man did not know who he was.

Turning to face him, the man answered, "It is very unlikely that Kinsville hosts a guest."

The smirk on the man's lips and the look in his black eyes took Barret by surprise. And that surprise was not pleasant.

Averting his gaze away from the man, Barret kept walking. He knew how dangerous it was to stare into these people's eyes for longer.

Walking through the long and wide corridors with red carpet on the marble floor and various paintings hanging on the walls, the man took Barret to a spacious hall.

"Sire, would you wait here till I inform My Lord about your arrival."

"Sure. But you do not know my name." Barret pointed out.

"Mr Barret Addington, there is nothing that we do not know. We just chose not saying everything aloud. Excuse me!"

Barret watched his retreating back with narrowed eyes. Of course, they knew everything, and that was why they were dangerous.

Sighing, he roamed his eyes around the hall. That room was so beautiful yet elegant that Barret envied the owner of it.

The chandeliers adorned the designer roof while the glass finished marble reflected the natural light to lit the room. The large chairs were placed in two rows parallel to each other.

The space in between them was covered with a red carpet with a golden border. It ended at the foot of a raised platform that had stairs. On that raised platform was a giant seat, rather it was better to call it a throne.

The throne was studded with precious stones and was golden in colour. Everything in that hall was impeccable and made with perfection and elegance.

Barret scoffed at the thought that even the King's hall would fail to win against the beauty of this hall.

His attention was caught by the clicking sound of the shoes against the floor. He turned to look in that direction. He soon realised that it was not only one person but two.

One of them had their steps firm and loud while the other set had the grace to it.

For some reason, Barret's heart thudded loud against his chest, and a thin layer of cold sweat broke on his forehead. His palms became clammy. He was nervous suddenly.

He pulled the handkerchief out of his pant pocket and dabbed the sweat on his forehead. Wiping his palms with the handkerchief, he put it inside his pocket again.

He adjusted the glasses on his nose and look over his appearance for the last time. Clearing his throat, he waited patiently till the footsteps sounded nearer and eventually, two figures appeared at the door.

One was a man, and another was a woman. As soon as their black eyes fell on Barret, their faces lit up in a smile.

"Welcome, welcome to Kinsville, my friend!"