Dan Jones wrote in Summer of Blood:
“Between the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the end of the fourteenth century, large numbers of the common people of England paid their rent for the small plots of land that fed them in the form of compulsory, hereditary labor service for a lord.” Jones further noted that “lordship existed everywhere…there was little freedom to swap lords and in many areas serfdom (the total ownership of a servant by his or her master) still ran strong.”
These “common people of England,” were subjects to their lord. They had limited rights, limited chances of advancement, and limited freedom. Private ownership of land was beyond the reach for most of them. They belonged to a lower class than their lords. Their access to travel was restricted. Deprived of opportunities their lives were subject to the whims of their masters. The lords would live by one set of rules and the subjects were restricted by another set of rules.
Today there are people who ...
Paris Grimm stepped out of his Rolls Royce Black Badge Cullinan and pulled his sunglasses over his eyes. His personally customized $1,350,000 SUV, his sunglasses, and his suit matched in a perfect shade of jet black. As he stepped toward the nondescript building ahead of him his entourage of four body guards flanked him on both sides.
As they approached the building they were greeted by a single man also dressed in a black suit.
“State your business.”
“I am here to see the Master.”
“State the oath. All of you in unison.”
“Is that necessary?”
“Do you wish to see his eminence? Are you prepared to walk down the dark corridor? If so you must state the oath now or I will ask you to leave.”
Paris Grimm stared at the weasel of a man blocking his admittance and imagined him strapped to a board while his flesh was peeled from his skin. A door man for the Master had no right to issue orders to the most powerful lieutenant in the organization. Especially not today. Today Paris Grimm was going to become the Master.
Several seconds passed in silence before the weasel spoke again. “I will inform ...
