"Oh this is so exciting!" Daren said, leaning across the table and toying with his blade. "The answer to your questions is...well, the head bird's British so...ya know, some British are in the Sons of Winter as well. If ya live long enough, ye may figure out my exact purpose, and why they call me the general."

Standing up again, Daren leaned over the table, looking Kim up and down as he replied to her question. "Ransom? Oh, like I said before, we have plenty of money, Kimmy. No need for that."

Once again, he turned to Arin. "Oh, and the crazy bloody face and open robe...is to distract ye from the two guards that just walked in behind ye with syringes."

It was human nature to at the very least glance out the corner of one's eye, even if they didn't completely turn around. As soon as Arin's eyes shifted from Daren, he drove the knife deep into his shoulder, and twisted, and then yanked it out and bounced back to the other side of the table.

Daren laughed maniacally, licking the blood from the blade. There was nobody behind them.