NightlordKrusnik

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Taris watched her go reluctantly, wondering at the feeling of unease that was settling around him. Aera’s words sifted through the haze of sleep. There was a tingle in the air that he felt slightly, now that he was fully awake. It made him nervous, and he’d learned that it was never a good thing when he was nervous.
He slipped out of bed, not bothering to clothe himself. He tried to scry Aera, needed to make sure she was okay. The shadow swirled between his hands but nothing appeared. His brows came together and he tried again. Once more nothing appeared in the shadows, and he became worried.
Someone had set up a barrier against him.

Taris dressed quickly and grabbed his daggers, this was a very big problem. Nobody knew he could scry through the shadows so who would put up a barrier for it? He tried opening a path to Shadow, but again the shadows pooled and swirled but he couldn’t step through without complete concentration. Now something was very, VERY wrong. He needed to contact his master, and call for another assassin. If he couldn’t travel between shadows easily, he may have been compromised.

He pulled off the cover to the mirror and called through, “Master.” Nothing happened. Not even a shimmer. Taris wasted no time, the shadows would take too long with the barrier in place, he bolted out the door towards the castle. Things were going badly very suddenly. The guards leveled their weapons at him when he approached, one nearly impaling him on a halberd if Taris hadn’t dodged. One smirked, “New orders, Dark Elf, you aren’t allowed in the castle anymore. Try it, and we get to kill you. And that’s if you’re lucky. We take you alive and we get a bonus. Prince Kentaro wants you in the dungeon.”

Taris knew he could end them easily, but now was not the time to cause undue trouble. Paytin was inside, she’d keep an eye on Aera for him. He trusted his guild-sister. Quickly he jumped back, disappearing into the night. He made his way back home, and tested his mirror once more. When that failed he tried the shadows again.

Taris sat in a chair and stared into the pooling darkness. He was cut off from his guild, and traveling the Shadow Realm had just become problematic. He was alone. He watched as the rising sun cast its rays through the windows. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day. Taris shuttered the windows, and sat on the floor, testing the barriers to his shadow walking. He needed to find a way past them.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

A tingle shot down Taris’ spine the moment her teeth touched his ear. His hands slid down her sides, lifting her legs around his waist and pinning her against the wall. He pulled back from her lips, a hungry, predatory look in his eyes. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she stared into them. His smile turned wolfish. “Please?” he kissed her neck, “Do you really think you need to ask me?” Her breathless sigh was all the answer he needed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Taris lay still, calming his breathing into a convincing copy of sleep, listening to the slowly deepening breaths of the woman against his chest. At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to remain there for the rest of the night. But he couldn’t help but feel uneasy as memories of the past floated through his head. Images of Layne, her limp and bloody body still chained to the wall were the most disturbing.
She died because he had allowed her to love him.

Aera felt the change in his body and breathing and looked up at his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked, bringing a hand to his cheek. Taris looked back down at her, and felt a cold tingle on his other cheek. He smiled softly at Aera, “Nothing, go back to sleep.” His hand stroked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and she kissed his chest before laying her head back down. Taris stared up at the ceiling until he was sure she was asleep once more, waiting for several minutes before gently slipping out from under her.

The assassin dressed and stood for a moment, watching her, wondering at the fact that she could be even more beautiful in sleep. Reluctantly he turned away and stepped into a shadow. There was something he needed to do tonight. The elf came back out in Aera’s room in the castle, finding Paytin still awake. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but he forestalled her words with a hand, “She’s fine, she’s asleep,” he said.
The assassins initiate smirked, “Tire her out, did you?”
He ignored the comment, hiding a self-satisfied smile. “I need the address to that brothel I asked about, and I need to know when the bastard is going to make his next visit.”
Paytin’s face became all business, “I have the address right here.” She pulled a small piece of paper from between her breasts, raising an amused eyebrow at Taris. He took it without reaction and looked inside as she continued, “And he’s supposed to go tonight, he should have just left. If you hurry you can catch him there and end him without a problem.”

Taris folded the paper up again and tossed it into the fire, his eyes held a dangerous glint that made Paytin step back. “Kill him? Oh no,” he growled, “I have much better plans in store for him first.” He said no more and slipped into the shadows.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kasca laughed at his friend, dismounting his horse as he did. “I told you she was a whore, Kentaro. Glad to see you finally realize how much trouble she is.”
Kentaro said nothing and walked into the plain blue building, leaving his friend to tie up the horses. He glared at the man behind the counter, who babbled a greeting at him, “Welcome, Your Highness. As always it is good to see you. Please head up to the regular room, I’ll have the girl sent up shortly.”
He grunted in response and headed upstairs, not noticing the beads of sweat that were running down the normally cheerful man’s face. Once he was well out of sight Taris stepped out of the other room. “I did what you asked, right? So you’ll let me live…” the man stammered. The Shadow Elf only smiled, and walked up to the man. He reached up and placed his hands on the sides of the man’s face. He gave a quick twist, and the new corpse fell to the floor.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kasca heard a small thud inside the building and turned his head a moment to look towards the door. He looked back and finished tying the knot on his horse’s reins and turned back around fully. He stopped dead as he regarded the elf that had beaten him in the tourney a week before. His eyes flicked to the curved daggers in the elf’s hands, at the moonlight gleaming off the edge on the inside of the curves. His own sword hissed out of the scabbard at his waist and he held it before him, “You will not live to regret this, Dark Elf.” He charged with a shout, his attacks quick and precise, but the elf dodged and parried with ease. Pain lanced through him with each missed strike as the elf’s quickness nicked small cuts from every area of his body. He was being toyed with, bled out, exhausted. Anger roared through him and he spun back away, settling into a low stance. His head snapped up, but the elf had vanished.
Kasca whirled around, scanning around and above him, before he felt a prick at his side. The edge of one of the curved blades slid within a hair’s breadth of his throat. His sword was pulled from his hand and the elf leaned in close to his ear, “I’m a Shadow Elf, not a Dark Elf. There is a difference, though you won’t need to remember that.” Searing pain shot through him, as one dagger took him in the kidney, the other his vocal cords. If he didn’t drown on his own blood, the kidney would kill him. The elf had sentenced him to a slow death.

Taris looked down at the man trying to crawl away with amusement. He reached down and grabbed the man’s ankle, dragging him inside while pulling a length of cord from within his cloak.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kentaro was getting impatient, where the hell was the bitch? He stood from the chair but only took one step before the room went pitch black. Something cold whispered by his face and he felt something liquid on his jaw. Blood, he knew, though he couldn’t see it. The stench of urine filled the room and he realized he’d pissed himself. Whoever was in the room with him laughed. When the other person spoke it sent chills down his spine.

“You are a sad, pathetic man, Kentaro. You don’t realize exactly what a treasure you have in Aera.” Another cut, this time on his arm. “You don’t deserve her.”
“You want the bitch, then take her. She isn’t worth my life.” He knew it was the wrong thing to say the moment the words left his mouth. The room was suddenly freezing cold and the voice became Death itself.
“I’m not worthy of her either, I’m not a good enough person to merit that honor. But I do respect her. I will kill you, it’s what I was hired to do. You have seven weeks, less if you piss me off further.
“Use them wisely.”

The room brightened again and he was alone. The Prince bolted out the door in terror, running down the stairs. He got to the lobby and slid to a stop. Slid, because the floor was covered in blood, and looked up at his friend Kasca, who was strung up to the roof rattling his last breaths. He screamed and ran for his horse, cutting it free and riding for the castle.

Taris walked out and watched him gallop off with a smug smile on his face. Then he turned into a shadow and hurried back to his flat, hoping Aera was still asleep.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

The crack of hand on flesh echoed from the pool of shadows. Taris’ eyes narrowed to slits and his hands clenched immediately. His concentration slipped, and the image flashed and shifted, before dissolving completely. His anger roared to the fore as he tried to bring up the image again. The shadow merely swirled and faded. He tried a few more times but the shadow wouldn’t show him anything. The elf growled in frustration and hurled a dagger at the wall, embedding it a couple inches deep in the wood.

Taris sliced into the nearest patch of shadow with a wave of his hand, stepping through into the darkness. He flashed past the openings between his flat and the castle, making a beeline for Aera’s room, dagger in hand. The assassin wanted Kentaro dead. He passed the last shadow before the castle gates and slammed to a stop.

Taris glared ahead and pressed his hand forward, feeling for what could have stopped him. The barrier rejected his hand and flared a bright blue. “Somebody made this more powerful,” he muttered darkly. He tried to slip through it once more, but his anger broke his concentration and he couldn’t even get a hand past the barrier. The elf’s eyes flashed, but he stopped himself. He fell back and closed his eyes floating on the solid nothingness of the Shadow Realm.

His breathing slowed after some time and the assassin opened his eyes once more. he needed to calm himself. Focus his mind. Taris passed a hand over his face and thought about Aera. He needed to be there, to protect her, to calm her, to be whatever she needed. Kentaro could wait. He’d just find something to make the bastard suffer for hitting her.

Taris rolled backwards, righting himself, and pressed against the barrier. His body pulsed and the magic slid around his body. The elf flashed past openings in the shadows and burst into Aera’s room, scanning for her. Paytin stood from her bed at his sudden appearance. He went to her, “Paytin, where is she?” He couldn’t quite hide the worry in his voice.

The maid put a hand to his arm. “She’s okay, Taris, she left. No, don’t ask where, just go home Taris. I promise she’ll be okay.”
Taris looked about to argue but Paytin smacked him in the shoulder. “Don’t argue with me Taris,” she said heatedly. “Just go home, I’ll send word for you tomorrow.”

He hesitated, but she just glared at him. Taris breathed out to keep himself calm. “Fine, Paytin, but if you don’t…” he broke off and glanced at his dagger. The shadows stretched from the wall, spiraling around him. The shadows flashed around him, and he stepped back out into his flat. The smell of lavender mixed into the familiar smell of his mint filled his nose and he stopped dead. His eyes snapped up to see Aera standing there, near the far wall. “Aera…”

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Taris let go of the shadow, a glimpse of Aera’s bare skin the last thing he could see. No need to torture himself watching her bathe. Besides, if she ever found out he spied on her in the bath, one of her hands would end him. Still, she has a fantastic body, he thought. He quickly shook the thought from his mind, Again with the self-inflicted torture...

The assassin made his way to the inn’s tavern, picking a small table in the corner and signaling the barkeep. He ignored the glances and glares that came his way while he waited. A slightly nervous-looking wench came over and took his order, retreating quickly back into the crowd. Taris leaned back and scryed around him, shuffling through the shadows he looked out of and listening to people’s conversations.

His ale arrived and the elf sipped at it distractedly, focused on his scry. Sifting through the voices of dozens of people was hard, but could be rewarding on occasion. He shuffled through a few more times, and stopped suddenly. Somebody mentioned a name he knew. He glanced through the shadows and his ears twitched in concentration as he shifted back to the last patch of darkness. Two men a few booth’s down were whispering to each other.

“Seems Baron Kirro thinks someone’s after him,” said one, a man with a bushy orange beard.
“What? Why? Does it have to do with those Dukes?” asked the other, a man clean-shaven except for a large, waxed mustache.
The bearded one nodded, “Looks that way. A friend that’s bangin’ one of Kirro’s maids told me. Apparently he thinks they were connected.”
“But how, the first was just a random psychopath, right? And Duke Mamron and his son were ambushed by bandits.”
The Beard leaned closer, “That’s just what everyone thinks. There’s been reports of Dark Elves entering the city, but nobody can say for certain cause nobody can find them. And then there’s that strange elf what won the Archery tournament. Nobody can remember ever seeing one with skin black like that. He must not be from around these parts.”

Taris’ food arrived and he absently tossed a silver piece on the table. He continued to listen as he ate his dinner…

“Shh,” the Mustache warned, “that elf is over in the corner, what if he hears?”
Beard scoffed, “Bah, it’s far too loud in here for that. Anyway, I guess the good Baron has locked himself in his manse, refusing to come out and turning away anybody he don’t know.”
“What a nutter. Come on, I hear there’s a new brothel in the Silk Quarter that Lord Kasca frequents. If he goes there the women must be wild.” A laugh burst from the Mustache’s throat at his own so-called wit.
The Beard chuckled, “As if you could afford them high-priced whores the lords use.”

Taris let the shadow fade and finished his meal. Either the Baron was paranoid, or he’d been tipped off about the assassin. Either way, access to Kirro just became more difficult to obtain. He should perhaps lay low for a week or two, and let the suspicions surrounding the Dukes’ deaths fade.

After the meal he retired to his flat once more. Something was nagging at him, like trouble was brewing. He checked in on Aera once more, stopping to watch as someone else entered her room. It was Kentaro.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

“We’ll see each other, later, Taris.”
Taris watched Aera leave, her words ringing in his ears. A promise? He hardly dared to hope it. At least he knew she didn’t want to kill him. The library door closed behind her, and Taris turned back into the Shadow Realm.

He exited atop a tavern in the city, rain pouring down over him. The elf smiled, he hadn’t sat in the rain for quite some time. He’d forgotten how great the rain felt, as it cooled the fire in his body. Aera’s last kissed still lingered on his lips, and he looked up at the sky. His mind went over her body against his, the way she had molded herself into him. She was incredible.

But she fought against her desire.
For her husband.
A man that didn’t even care for her anymore…

Taris grimaced at the thought. He wanted her, badly, and thought that she wanted him too. But still she honored her marriage to the man. And for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to break through her resistance, her sense of honor. No, she needed to discard them herself. Taris smiled a little, there were many ways he could accelerate the process, he knew.
A tingle ran over his cheek, like a hand lightly smacking him, and he knew Layne didn’t approve. It would hurt Aera worse by far, when she found out he had something to do with it. And he was wise enough to know that the truth would come out eventually if he did. Almost 200 years of life had taught him that lesson at least.

That settled it, the assassin would wait, and watch over her, until he could take her away from the Prince. After all, they were elf-kind, time was something they had in abundance.

Taris dozed in the rain for some time, his own latent power keeping the chill out of him, and the rain itself keeping anybody that might wonder at an elf on some roof out of the streets. But his peace was interrupted by the sound of hooves clattering on the streets. The assassin opened his eyes and peered over the edge of the roof, at the carriage and its escort careening through the roadway. A quick scrying under his hood, and Taris knew Kentaro had returned to the city.

The elf stood, and slipped into a patch of darkness nearby, returning to his flat. A quick change into dry clothes and he sat in a chair in the dark of the room. He really needed to do something about Kentaro though, something to rattle him. He gazed through the darkness into the castle searching out Aera, while he thought about what to do. He found her in her room with Paytin, drinking tea.

Seeing the initiate assassin posing as a maid, reminded him of his request to her. An idea slowly formed in Taris' mind.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Taris grimaced as he toweled off the water from his bath. At least the smell of mint calmed him down. He rubbed his temples, he probably shouldn’t have gone after Envy like that. The elf’s head felt like it was splitting though, ever since that mind-reader dug through his memories. Taris sighed, his dream still haunting him. Layne’s words kept coming back to him…

He tried to ignore the thoughts that wouldn’t stop flashing their way through his mind as he pulled on new clothes, all white today. Taris could almost feel Layne’s spirit staring at him, “Fine, I’ll go see her.” The images stopped, and he nearly laughed. Even fifty years later, she knew how to annoy him. He didn’t bother opening the Shadow this time, instead pulling it around him. When the darkness fell he was gone.

He moved swiftly through the Shadow Realm, slipping past the meager barrier around the castle. The assassin checked her room first, only to find it empty. He scryed through the shadows and found her, stepping out in the library, to find Aera seemingly waiting for him. “Taris,” she said in a cool greeting.
The assassin stopped dead, she wasn’t wearing her gloves. “Aera,” he replied, “how are you feeling?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You would have killed me, had I been pregnant,” she said, “wouldn’t you?” Aera’s voice was quiet, and he could hear the hurt in the words. 
It made him ashamed.

Taris looked away, “I’ve done worse, Aera. I’m a killer, and I happen to be very good at it. It's the reason i was given this contract, despite every human in the city hating our kind. Normally, I would have no qualms about my job, I never had any before. But… you… I couldn’t. And I knew I needed to find a way to keep them from sending somebody else.”
She stepped closer to him, uncertainty on her face. “Why? What makes me so different? Why do you care if I live or die?”
Taris felt his blood rush, he could smell the lavender on her skin, layered on top of the smell of her skin. He stepped next to her, trying to find the words. She looked at him and he knew, words weren’t what he was looking for. Aera’s eyes widened as his lips met hers and a small noise escaped her throat. She melted against him for a moment, her eyes closing. Fire burned in his veins as his tongue flicked inside her surprised mouth.

Taris broke off first, to catch his breath and leaned back in, but her hand came up to his chest. Right over his burn, and he could see she realized it too. Aera looked down, “Taris… I, I can’t… I’m so sorry.”
He stepped back, eyes shadowed as annoyance flicked over his face for just a moment, then pain. But he schooled his face quickly and sighed heavily, “No, Aera, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have, I just needed to see you again…” The assassin stepped back again, turning to leave. Why did he feel hollow suddenly? Why did every nerve in his body scream at him to turn around, pin her between him and the wall and kiss her again? He paused before opening the Shadow, unable to bring himself to leave.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Taris looked around at the walls, at a place he hadn’t been to in decades, the darkness hiding nothing from his eyes. He knew it very well, this place that had never seen light. It was where he was raised. It was where he was trained from birth to be a killer. He hated this place.

A sound echoed further down the tunnel, and he walked off to investigate. Another sound, it was moving away from him, but still closer than before. Whatever or whoever it was ahead of him was leading him up and out, towards the air and light. He started to run. Another sound, clear this time, a bare foot against stone, the rustle of fabric, he was closer now. He kept running, but now whoever was ahead of him was running too. He heard a woman’s laugh and ran harder, the air was clearer now, he was near the surface. Taris rounded one last corner and skidded to halt.

He was in the open now, gazing out at the opposite wall of the ravine that housed the true home of Zerrinomin city. The sky was dimly lit by the stars, the rock wall above him blocking the moon from view. He was home. A throaty laugh came from behind him, “It’s good to see you again, Mirn’zelnen. Or is it Taris, now?”
He turned slowly, as if afraid of what he might see. “Layne,” he muttered.

She smiled, pale ash-lavender skin glowing, violet hair cascading over her back and shoulders. Her red eyes softened as she looked at him and she stepped forward into his arms. Her lips were like fire against his and he broke off reluctantly, “Layne, this is a dream isn’t it?”

She spun away, the curve of her hip entrancing him just as they always had. Her smile was just as mischievous as he remembered, “Yes, and no. I’m a spirit now, remember?” Her smile became sad, “There’s no barriers in the After, like there are above. Simple matter to jump into your unconscious mind. At least it is normally, you’ve been keeping me out.” She held up a hand to forestall his words, “No, I know… it’s still painful for you, and I don’t blame you, Mirn’zelnen. And I know, about her.”
Layne’s form flashed and shifted, and for a moment Aera stood before him. Taris blinked, and it was Layne again. He tried to say something, but she put a finger to his lips. “No, Mir… Taris, no. I’m glad you’re moving on, I’ve wanted to tell you for so long. I love you Taris, but you need to let me go, not just block me out.”
She stepped forward and kissed him one last time, before turning back into the tunnel. Taris started to run after her, but before he could reach the tunnel, a stone slab slammed down, cutting him off.

Taris sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. He took a moment to bring his breathing back under control. The elf glanced at the window, judging the time. It must be nearly noon. Taris scowled into the mirror. He got dressed and stepped into Shadow. There was something he needed to take care of.

The assassin came out inside the tunnels of the Thieves Den. Just ahead was the chamber where he’d found Aera the day before. Envy had already spotted him and was swiftly coming towards him as well.
“What are you doing here, assassin?” Envy asked when they were within striking distance of each other.
Taris glared back, “I know you sent him, Envy. I felt him in my head. Never again.”
“I had to be sure you wouldn’t hurt her,” the Kartaian replied.
“She is the only reason I don’t kill you right now.” The assassin turned away, “And you could have just asked.” He opened the shadows again, and stepped through it, back to his flat. He needed a bath.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Taris felt himself flush just a bit, when Paytin began to help Aera undress, and looked away for a moment out of courtesy. She’d never know but Taris couldn’t bring himself to betray her trust like that. But he looked back when he heard a note of surprise in Paytin’s voice, Aera was going without gloves. Maybe he’d best not approach her for now, then, if she still thought him a threat, her choosing to go without gloves made him nervous. He watched a little more as Aera gently grabbed Paytin’s hand and examined the marks on her wrists. Damn, he thought, I shouldn’t have lost my temper.

Aera left the room after telling the maid to stay, and Taris waved away the image, instead stepping into the darkness. He emerged slowly into Aera’s room keeping his hands to his sides, “Paytin.”
She turned with a jump, and stepped back involuntarily. “Taris, “ she answered shakily, holding her wrists.
The assassin made no attempt to move, instead he cast his eyes to the side. “I’m sorry, Paytin. I hurt one of my Sister’s and you have every right to demand a… ‘Resolution’ of me.”

He paused and he could tell she was weighing his words. If a member hurt another of his guild-brothers or -sisters, through action or inaction, the wronged guild member could demand what was called a ‘Resolution’ in the guild. One shot at the person who wronged them with whatever weapon they wanted. Usually a dart or dagger with a mild poison to make their lives miserable for a few days, but in severe cases, an arrow through the heart had happened before.

Paytin looked at him a moment or two and asked, “Are you in love with Aera?”
The question was not what he was expecting and it threw him hard, “I… I’m not sure.”
The maid nodded at this, “I understand, it’s hard to keep your mind on your mission around her, like she has this aura that pulls at you.” She shook her head after a moment, “I don’t want a ‘Resolution’ Taris, I’ll live. I’ve had worse bruises than this having a tumble with a friend.”

A laugh burst from Taris’ mouth, and he stepped forward slowly, taking her wrists gently in his hands. Reaching deep inside his soul he grabbed his power, it was hard to use magic like this on this side of the barrier, and sent a burst of healing into the bruises. He let go and reached into a pocket, pulling out a note and giving it to her, “Give this to Aera, to tell her I’m sorry. She’s no longer on the list.”

Paytin nodded and took the note, “Bet that was an enjoyable talk with the Guildmaster…” she watched as Taris snorted and melted into some darkness behind an armoire.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Taris walked along the streets sometime later, the sun just barely below the horizon. He needed a kill to clear his head, Paytin’s question had rattled him badly. His next target was the Duke of Mamron, and his son, Perro. A contact told him they were at a tavern in the richer part of the city, and Taris planned on ambushing them on their ride home outside of the city.

He was enjoying the failing light when someone bumped into him going the opposite direction, muttering a quick, “Sorry.” He felt a whisper of something in his head for just a fraction of a moment, before it was gone. The assassin glared and spun around, but the other person was gone, lost to the crowd. He instinctively checked his pockets, finding a piece of wheat that he knew had not been there, but nothing was missing. The man was good, that Taris couldn’t pick him back out of the crowd. One of Envy’s then[/i, he thought, [i]it must be.

The elf sighed, and continued out of town, there was nothing he could do but go threaten the Kartaian. Something told him Aera might not appreciate that right now though, and he missed talking to her already. About a mile out of town he found a nice patch of trees and set up to wait.

A couple hours later he spotted them, they were on horseback instead of a carriage, surprising the elf. He changed his plans and pulled out a rope-dart, a length of light strong rope tipped with a barbed needle. He stood on the branch he was waiting on, until they were right beneath him. Taris threw the dart out, wrapping it around the son’s neck and hopped off the branch, hauling the young man into the air and strangling him, pinning the barb on the other end of the rope into a tree root. The Duke turned around and looked at his dying son in horror. Seeing the elf he drew his sword and charged with a scream. Taris waited patiently until the horse was upon him, deftly sidestepping the blade and swinging up behind the man in one fluid movement. “It was a good attempt,” he whispered into the man’s ear, before burying his dagger into the Duke’s kidney.

Within moments they were both dead, and Taris collected what coin they had, throwing their jewelry and other valuables into shadow, he had no need of them and wanted this to look like a bandit ambush. The assassin then stepped into shadow himself, heading back to his flat in the inn to make his report.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Taris stretched out in the chair in front of his mirror. For some reason he felt relieved that Aera wasn’t having Kentaro’s child. Too relieved for him to just be glad he no longer needed to kill her. Taris pushed that thought away. His master needed to be informed of the change of information. He pulled the cover from the mirror and called through it. Once more his master’s grim face swam into view, “Taris. You have a new report.” It was not a question.

The elf nodded, “Princess Aera isn’t pregnant. It seems the Queen coerced the Royal Physician into declaring she was. I’m removing her from the list of targets.”
His master’s face went cold, “You grow more arrogant with every contract, it seems. You don’t get to dictate the terms of the contract. You kill who you are told to kill. You are an assassin. You do your job.”
Taris’ eyes flashed a warning. He leaned back and started rolling a dagger over his knuckles, “The contract is mine, and up to me whether to accept new stipulations beyond the initial terms when I accepted the first time. I have determined that she is no threat to the current contract, and will continue to regard her as a secondary target.”

His master glared back out of the mirror. “You are infatuated with her,” he stated coolly. He continued when Taris stilled, “Your judgment is clouded, Taris. You are one of the best at what we do, but you are making mistakes that will end you. If you refuse to kill her now, fine, I will discuss this with the client. But stay away from her Taris. That is an order.”

The mirror went inert once more, a mere second before a second a thin blade of darkness sliced through the glass. Taris’ eyes faintly glowed, as the shadow dissolved in his hand. That pretentious bastard…

A ray of sun lit his shoulder, the sun was already setting, and Taris was regretting walking out on Aera so quickly in the tunnels. The kiss they shared a few days before flashed through his mind and he sighed. He suddenly wondered if she would still cover for him after today. With another sigh, scryed through a shadow, finding her just as she returned to her room. He wanted to go talk to her, but perhaps it was a better idea to judge her mood first. Else he may find himself with another scar.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Taris smiled when the door clicked open an hour after he’d sat to wait, admitting a small man of middle age. He seemed to stumble around for a moment, disoriented by the dark of the room. The physician made his way to a nearby table, and reached for a lamp held there. Taris stood silently and swiftly, moving towards the man. The physician turned around, and only managed a gasp before Taris clamped a hand over his mouth, blew out the lamp and dragged the man into the shadows with him.

Sometime later Taris stepped out of Shadow into the thieves’ tunnels, dragging the physician by the back of his jacket. The man had no obvious wounds, but the skin around his eyes was sunken and grey, and his hands were trembling uncontrollably. The Shadow Elf’s face was grim and he made his way down the tunnel towards the sound of a bow being shot and a woman’s steady but labored breathing. A couple of children turned in surprise at the sound of a man being dragged into their midst, including the young girl who’d brought Taris water at the tourney.

Ahead, in a domed chamber, Aera stood with a bow nocked and drawn. At the sight of Taris, the slight smile on her lips vanished and she loosed the arrow at him. Expecting as much, the assassin waved a hand in front of him and a patch of solid, cloudy darkness appeared before him, devouring the arrow. The tall elf, Envy moved between the two of them, a stern look on his face. “I don’t think you are welcome here, Shadow Elf, please leave,” he told Taris, but Aera put a hand on his shoulder. She stepped around and looked daggers at the assassin.

Taris held up a hand. “I’m not here to talk, he is,” he said, throwing the barely conscious man to the ground in between them. “This is the esteemed Royal Physician, and I have just finished having a discussion with him, the details of which I think you’ll want to hear.” Twin claw-shaped daggers flicked into his hands from seemingly nowhere. “Go on,” he said in a voice like death, “tell her.”

The small man whimpered and looked up at the daggers, to the red eyes nearly glowing in rage, and finally to Aera. “It… i-i-it’s all a lie. You are not with child, you haven’t quickened. T-t-t-the Queen, and Princess Risa, they ordered me to say that you were pregnant when you fell ill, to disgrace you when it came out you weren’t. Please, Your Highness, they forced me to say…” The man cut off as Taris hauled him to his feet, and began to sob.

Taris turned away, carefully avoiding meeting Aera’s eyes. “Now you’ll go admit this to Kentaro as well, and you may yet come away with your life,” he said with sweet venom. Taris almost turned to look back at Aera, but couldn’t bring himself to face what may be in her eyes. Instead he sliced a patch of shadow open and vanished with his captive, the darkness closing behind him.

In moments the physician was thrust out into the halls of the castle. He made his way to the Prince’s room, jumping at every shadow, knowing what lurked within. The man knocked on the door to the Prince’s room, and gaining permission, entered. Kentaro looked very happy and clasped the physician’s arm. “Ah doctor, welcome, it’s such a fine day. Can you believe it? Finally I’ll have an heir!”

The small man wrung his hands nervously, “Actually, Your Highness, I needed to tell you something. The Princess is not having a child. Your mother had me say that, for her own reasons, I’m sure. But I’m sorry, she is not pregnant. Forgive me Prince.” He backed out and closed the door, hearing something crash against it moments later. At least the elf had said he’d let him live. The royal physician returned to his office, still glancing fearfully at every shadow he passed. He opened the door and again felt a powerful hand clamp over his mouth, and could only stare at the rope hanging from the chandelier in the center of the room. Despite his struggles, the elf far outmatched his strength, and had the noose around his neck in seconds. “You told me you’d let me LIVE!” he cried.

The assassin tugged the other end of the rope tight, constricting his throat. “I said I may let you live,” his voice chilled the man’s blood in his veins, “But I find I’m not a forgiving elf.” Taris hauled the rope down, lifting the other man into the air. He watched coldly, with a small satisfied smile, as the man thrashed in the air, hastening his own death. Slowly his legs stopped kicking, and Taris tied the rope to a desk, knocking a stool over beneath the man. He waited for a while in Shadow, until he heard the maid scream. Smiling to himself he made his way back home.