The Puppy

On an uneventful night, in an unremarkable city, at an unnoteworthy alley stood a man.

If constables dared path by the edges of the slums, they wouldn't mistake the man for the odd beggar or a dust monger. He wore a long white coat that contrasted with the piss and grime of the slums.

His fine leather shoes nestled comfortably in the alley's wet, broken cobble. The only light evidencing his existence was the cigarette outlining the smile that eerily never left his face.

This man clearly didn't belong in the slums of Lethica, yet he patiently waited and before long pressed the cigarette into a nearby wall and stepped on it for good measure. His smile deepened as the echoes of a hum drew closer till they revealed a cloaked man.

The cloaked man's soot-covered face was nestled in the shadows of his cloak revealing only the unshaven stubble that outlined his chapped lips. Compared to his predecessor this man belonged in the slums.

The two men both stared at each other till the glimpses of the red moonlight graced them with its blessing marking the start of their conversation.

"Well I'll be damned...you really came. This might be the real deal after all. If it isn't Ben...no what was it again!" The cloaked man greeted loudly without any subtlety. He gave a wide yellow grin that displayed his rotten teeth. His voice was raspy and heavy with a Mercian accent.

"It's Dr. Brandt...Stephan Brandt." Stephan smiled unperturbed by the obvious jibe. His voice was even and carried a sense of pride. His eloquence didn't betray any hint of accent.

"Aahh…Stephan but of course! Forgive my tardiness…never expected to need a body in the city of freedom. I'm surprised you didn't find this vessel though. This doctor business is making you rusty." The cloaked man said these words glancing at the round glasses that reflected the red moon's light hiding Stephen's eyes from his gaze.

"Why drag this out more than it should. Just tell me what you want priest."

"There's no need to be so snappy especially when I come bearing a gift." The cloaked man kneeled, unfurled a large leather bag from his back, and placed it between the two of them.

"I brought a puppy…a pretty one too. Just how you shadows like them!" He laughed as the bag suddenly moved.

"Says the ordained priest."

Stephen arched an eyebrow and kneeled to look inside the bag. Lit by the slivers of moonlight was an unconscious child no older than thirteen. The child…He was pale and bloody, the only sign that he still lived were the whimpers he produced from whatever nightmares haunting his sleep.

"Why me and not the orphanage?" Stephen asked, closing the bag and standing up again.

"Why you indeed? Maybe your affable reputation, maybe the Triad's horrid status, or maybe for the sake of pure irony. You know us Canites…Wretched powers and dreadful humor." The cloaked priest waved his hands in dismissal.

"So, you don't know."

"Does it matter…the reward was too intriguing to pass." The priest said, emphasizing the word reward but seeing that Stephen didn't bite, he sighed and continued.

"All I know is that I received a letter detailing where I'll find the child and who to give him to. This of course came with the promise of an answer. Just imagine the possibilities." Stephen was unfazed by the declaration after all he knew that nothing was for free.

"Ughh…fine take this! What a spoilsport…I wanted to drag the suspense." The priest groaned. He threw a letter toward Stephen that held no significant markings or illustrations to clue in on the sender. Stephen didn't expect to find one, but the situation was vexing enough to warrant being thorough.

Sighing, Stephen opened the letter begrudgingly and read its content however once he was done the eerie smile turned deeper and somewhat bestial much to the priest's amusement. Mirroring Stephan's inhumane turn was a cyan flame that soon erupted from his hand and burned the letter to ash.

"I assume this means that you're going to accept the deal as well?" The priest said jovially as he dusted his body and eyed Stephen who grabbed the leather bag and threw it over his shoulder uncaring for the safety of the child inside.

"And I assume this visit is outside the jurisdiction of a priest of the unholy three?" Stephen answered with a question and watched as the priest put his fingers to his lips and dragged them across his mouth then motioned to throw the imaginary key away. The priest then turned around and hummed away only to suddenly stop in his tracks.

"Oy…shadow you better watch it with the pup…whoever sent that letter is dangerous."

"Dangerous enough to enlist a warning from the Trinity's messenger?" Stephen asked with a bemused smile. He stared at the cloaked priest in a mixture of surprise and wariness.

"Dangerous enough to kill me and make sure to deliver tens of letters to my different bodies across the cradle. I'm warning you because I want to be the one to kill you…so don't go dying before then. See you in another fifty years." The priest waved his arm and resumed his walking. The last vestiges of his presence were the rhythmic humming that echoed across the dark night.

"What did I get myself into." Stephen grumbled, his signature smile deepening at this turn of events. Sighing again, he pressed his hand towards the large shadow that covered the alley's wall. However, his hands didn't stop at the wall but instead grabbed onto the shadow and twisted it into a knob made of pure darkness.

Once he turned the knob a door leading towards an endless void revealed itself. Sighing a third time for good measure he stepped inside the door and into the darkness. The door closed behind him, and the shadow returned to normal.

With the bargain now struck, the alley returned to its unassuming self as if nothing had ever happened.