Scary, I think, was the only word for it. Terrifying worked well too, but there were no words that could describe the person who sat with Adam at the little table, drinking tea from expensive looking cups.

The newcomer was big. Not fat big, but just huge and muscular. Slightly matted dark hair fell to nearly his shoulders in wild waves, and his gaunt face seemed only to serve the purpose of holding his tattooed red eyes. Black pupils surveyed me, sucking away my soul with the devilish gaze. I barely held back my scream.

"Oh, little Ethan, you're here." Adam smiled like nothing was amiss. "Come join us. Boris and I were just about to have tea."

I considered telling him that I would have rather had tea with a psychotic serial killer than this guy, but I saw the look in his eye and sat down as far as I could from the stranger.

"Boris, this is Ethan Smith. Ethan, this is my childhood friend, Boris Thannis."

I guess that it's your friends who define your character. I thought. No wonder Adam turned out to be a sadist.

Boris held out a hand for me to shake, and I tentatively touched it. Our handshake was the shortest i had ever experienced.

Boris was not the dignified villain that Adam was, nor did he have the leader of the Four Lords's charm. He was a brute, a monster, and a killing machine on two legs. He unearthed daggers from his long black coat to spear his olives, and ate them right off the blade. He told stories about things his had done in the Middle East, his murderous adventures in a cannibalistic Brazilian tribe, and how to correctly figure the extent of firepower needed to destroy a given building. I was afraid for my life.

When Boris left, grunting what I hoped were thank yous and not death threats, I collapsed into a the nearest, most comfortable looking chair, which just happened to be Adam's throne. I think I fell asleep, because, when I opened my eyes, it was nearing sunset. I sat up, and a blanket fell off me. Wondering who had put it there, I looked around, but room 222 was empty.

I shrugged to myself and folded the blanket up, but, as I did so, I couldn't help wishing that Boris Thannis never returned.