“The Council,” I repeated. “That’s…interesting.”
He tilted his head slightly, and it was obvious my nervous reaction did not go undetected. “It can be, at times. Really it’s mostly paperwork.”
A commotion sounded from outside the room, and judging by the direction it came from, I guessed something was going down at the tavern.
Chapter Four
We both rose from our chairs.
“Stay here,” Dave said, and I couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“Aren’t you the little hero?”
He let out a frustrated groan. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
I motioned him on. “By all means.”
Of course, as soon as he left, I followed him out, staying far enough behind that he couldn’t see me.
Dave burst inside the tavern, I guessed to distract what appeared to be robbers. But no one else lifted a finger to try to take them down.
“Get him!” the smaller thug said to the bigger one. And before I could blink, Dave had a knife to his throat.
The smart thing would have been to just walk away. I knew that. I had no ties to this man. But as the blade pressed harder into his skin, I found myself entering the tavern.
“Finally, a real man!” I draped myself around the arm of the big thug. “What muscles, you know I just couldn’t resist…when I saw you from outside, I just had to feel this hulking arm.” I ran my fingers up and down his gargantuan arm, squeezing it.
The thug wore a dopey kind of grin. His grip on Dave loosened. “Oh yeah?”
“I bet it’s not the only thing on you that’s extra-large,” I whispered closer to face. I could smell his putrid breath, and when his lips opened to smile there wasn’t a trace of white to be seen.
He lowered his knife, releasing Dave in the process. Then he scooped me up in his arms.
“What the hell… What are you doing?” the smaller thug yelled.
“You can handle this.” He walked out the door with me still in his arms. I winked at Dave to let him know I’d be okay. Dave nodded and punched the very confused smaller thug.
I touched his face and kept my hands there—concentrated touch sped up the process. I discovered that with my very first boyfriend, when we didn’t even get to first base. The thug tried to kiss me, and I squealed a fake, joyful cry. “Ooh, there’s an alley next to the tavern.”
In three of his giant steps we were there. He ripped off my shirt and was working on my pants when he stopped, shaking his head.
“You feeling okay, big man?”
He smiled. “Sure…”
Dave rounded the corner and landed a punch square on the big guy’s jaw. He went down, a feat that would’ve been utterly impossible had his body hadn’t already started the process of decomposition.
“Did he hurt you?” Dave asked, as he removed his shirt and gave it to me. His muscles were more defined than I’d imagined, though granted, I hadn’t really pictured him naked. As I slipped on his oversized shirt, I wondered what it would feel like to run my fingers down his rippled chest, moving lower and lower until…
“Mara, are you okay?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m fine,” I said, broken out of the stupor. My brain kicked into gear. I had to leave before the evidence of my power surfaced, and Dave figured out who I really was.
“I’m… I’m going to go back to the room to get dressed. You got everything here?”
“I’ll wait with the other one, the authorities should be here any minute. This guy looks like he’s out cold.”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure. Good punch.” I slipped away and ran to the room. In record time I dressed, packed, and grabbed Artemus. I was about to leave when the door opened.
Damn, not fast enough.
“They couldn’t find a pulse on the big guy,” Dave said. “He’s dead.”
Stupid, stupid stupid. Why did I get involved? I should’ve just let him die.
“By the Wise One, could it be you?” He stared at me in horror, like I was some vile creature instead of the friend he just toasted with moments earlier. “His skin, it was turning…”
I didn’t have to wait to know the next word that would come out of his mouth.
“…black.”
I pushed past him with my shoulder, careful not to touch him. But the idiot grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. Artemus flew over to the table, squawking in an annoyed tone.
“I can throw a punch as well as the next guy, but I’ve never killed someone with one. What’s going on?”
His lips were mere inches from mine, and for some reason that didn’t make sense, all I wanted to do was kiss him. Make him forget everything he saw and just be with me instead.
“I don’t believe it,” he muttered, and then did something I truly didn’t expect.
He kissed me. It was passionate and wonderful, and for a moment I lost myself. I forgot that I was a cursed monster and allowed myself to feel the simple pleasure of his mouth on mine, our tongues intertwined.
But like all good things, the kiss ended. Tears clouded my eyes. “Why did you do that?”
I couldn’t bear to see him deteriorate. The bird must’ve sensed trouble, because he immediately flew back on my shoulder. I fled the room and the tavern, mounting my horse in one fell swoop and galloping off before the authorities could ask any questions.
The tears stung worse than I thought they would. I’d never cried over a victim before—with my work hardening your emotions was key to survival. But Dave wasn’t just any victim. I replayed the scene over and over in mind, wondering if there was a way I could’ve done something different, to avoid killing him. Once I was out of the city limits, I slowed down the horse and stopped.
I slid off the mare and crumpled to the ground. I couldn’t believe he was gone. At my hands. What was I thinking letting him hang around me? How did I not see this coming? I treated him like I didn’t care, but I realized that I wanted his companionship as much as he wanted mine. Maybe even more than that, if I was being honest. But now I’ll never know.
I never hated myself more than I did in that moment. I was selfish and reckless. Instead of following my plan, I let myself get seduced by the possibility of a normal, human relationship. But I wasn’t built for that. I had to believe there was a reason I was given my ability. And while I wasn’t quite sure what that reason was, it couldn’t possibly be to just get a boyfriend and live a normal life. My plan to live out my days as a contract killer may not have been perfect, but it was the best I could come up with.
And I had a job to do.
***
All my worries about the security of Princess Erika’s castle were totally unfounded. Her room was on the ground level, on a side of the castle that was left unguarded. It looked too easy, and I had to wonder if I were walking into a trap. Part of me didn’t care. The gallows might be the best place for a monster like me anyway.
I waited until it was pitch black outside, and then I crept to the window. It was cracked open to let in some air, so all I had to do was nudge it open wider to slip inside. The lighting in the room was so dim, I could scarcely see the princess. I made out her silhouette on the bed—the curve of her waist contouring upwards into her hips. She let out a soft moan, and for a moment I thought she wasn’t alone. But then as I tiptoed closer, I realized she was naked. Her body rocked gently, the movement steady and rhythmic. Her right hand cupped one of her small breasts. The other hand was between her legs, grasping what appeared to be an enormous cucumber, which she thrusted inside again and again. She moaned louder, and I stopped my approach. I figured the least I could do was let her finish.
I waited in the shadows, trying desperately to look everywhere but the bed. Her moans would intensify, and I thought she was close a few times, but then she would slow down. She seemed to have it down to a science, and although I’d never seen anything remotely like this before, it excited me. I could hear Artemus growing restless outside. And the longer I waited, the more likely I was
to get caught. Still I was mesmerized, watching her work.
The sound of my hawk’s cry so close to the window startled her. A sigh escaped my lips. “Are you even close?” I asked, as I motioned Artemus away.
“Who’s there?” the princess called out, gathering the sheets to cover herself.
“No one important, just a com,” I answered. My reply didn’t appear to put her at ease, and I knew I only had seconds before she’d call for her guard.
I rushed to her bedside and clamped my gloved hand over her mouth. “No screaming, okay?”
She nodded, and I released her. The light at her bedside table revealed beautiful golden highlights in her short, auburn hair. And the look on her face was sheer terror.
I felt a pang of guilt with this job. She seemed so innocent in that light, so fragile. But then the cucumber-looking dildo rolled out of the sheets, and I realized fragile might not be the best word to describe her…
“What do you want with me?” she said, in a quivering voice.
“Look, I’m sorry, I was trying to let you finish, but you just kept going, and it was getting awkward and creepy…By the Wise One, so creepy.” I flashed a nervous smile, as I rubbed the back of my neck. When I looked up, she seemed more relaxed.
“There is an art to it, self-pleasure.” The smile on her face was small at first, but then turned more into a sly grin as she dropped the sheet covering her naked body. “Would you like me to show you?”
I didn’t know how to answer. Part of me wanted to finish the job, part of me wanted to let her go, but then another part of me was attracted to her. And maybe this self-pleasure, as she called it, could be the answer to my endless frustration problems. “Um, not with that thing,” I said, motioning to her toy. “Not quite at that level yet.”
“We can work up to that.” She giggled. “The trick is to take your time,” she said, as she slid my shirt off. “Touch is the most powerful of all the senses.” I wanted to laugh at the irony of that true statement. She tried to take off my gloves, and I shook my head no.
“Show me on you,” I said.
She touched one of her breasts, massaging it with such exquisite subtlety. I’d never been more turned on, as I mimicked her movements.
She moved lower, exploring herself with her fingers. I did the same, stroking myself in the same manner she did, reveling in the sensation of it. A soft laugh escaped her lips as I moaned. “Sounds like you’re enjoying this.”
“This is what I like,” she whispered in my ear, and then nibbled on my lobe. My eyes rolled back in my head. It didn’t even register, that her fingers were now inside me, coaxing me to come. I was so close.
But then she slowed down, much to my chagrin. “Not yet, don’t give in. We have time.”
She couldn’t be more wrong. It finally made it to my brain—she touched me. It was maybe a matter of minutes before death consumed her.
“You must think I’m a slut,” she said, with that gentle, gorgeous laugh of hers. “Truth is I’ve never been with someone like this. There’s something about you, I don’t know what it is, but I knew I had to have you.”
My whole body ached as she kissed me. I was on the brink of orgasm, as close as I’d ever been.
But then she pulled back. “I don’t feel well.” The look of confusion on her face only lasted a second. “Oh no, it’s you, isn’t it? The one they call black death.”
I wanted to scream at the sound of that stupid name, at the general unfairness of life, at this unexpected but amazing connection that was fast becoming a fleeting memory. It felt like waking up from a cruel wet dream, right before climaxing. Being with someone, experiencing them, only to realize you’re really just alone and frustrated.
“My name is Mara.” I knew it didn’t matter to her, she was dying. But it mattered to me.
The princess let out a resigned laugh. “Of course, they assumed it’s a man…”
“I know, right?” I let out a long exhale, as if trying to expel all the regret I was feeling at her death. This strong woman who didn’t wait for a prince to come galloping in on a white horse to experience intense, natural pleasure. If there was a way to reverse my power, I would’ve done it, damn that stupid warlock and his delusions of grandeur.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. This girl was just an innocent soul—it felt like clipping the wings off a butterfly.
Her eyes closed, her body slumped. She was gone. Another life lost at the hands of a monster.
I heard a sound at the window and thought it was just Artemus trying to get in. But then I heard a voice.
“Mara, stop! You don’t have to do this.”
How can that be? He’s alive?
Dave joined me at bed and all the hope in his expression faded fast.
“I don’t understand. You kissed me… I—”
“There’s no time to explain, we have to go.” He grabbed my hand and helped me out of the window. I found myself smiling, at the feel of his hand clutching mine. It was a simple sensation—holding hands, but one I’d never had the chance to experience. His hand was warm and comforting and welcome.
Once we were safe, I wrapped my arms around him in a crushing embrace. The tears resurged, both in sadness for the princess and joy that Dave was alive. “I wasn’t going to go through with it,” I said through sobs. “She touched me.”
“I knew it! You are good.” He stroked my hair, and then planted gentle kisses on my head.
I pulled back from him, confused. “Good?”
“Mara, you saved my life. I know that you have good in you, that this…this curse is—”
“Wait a second.” I touched his face, his lips. “How are you alive?”
He kissed me sweetly, softly. I stared into his blue eyes afterwards, my hands resting on the stubble of a few day’s facial growth. Maybe it didn’t matter why. I mean, who was I to question a miracle anyway?
“It’s a long story.”
The more I thought about everything that had transpired, the more I realized it didn’t add up. He hadn’t followed me to the castle, how did he know I would be there?
“Tell me the truth.” I withdrew from him. “Starting with your real name.”
“It’s Gabriel. And I really do work for the Council,” he said, but then his tone grew somber. “You were my assignment.”
“Your assignment?” I backed away from him. “What do you mean? To…to take me in?”
“To find you, confirm you are what we thought.” He looked down, avoiding my eyes.
His use of the word “what” as opposed to “who” in reference to me did not escape my attention. I continued to retreat and was about to make a run for it, when he grabbed my arm.
“The Wise One cast a protection spell on me. That’s why I’m still alive.” He finally made eye contact with me. In his eyes, I saw sadness, regret. “But you’re different from what they thought. So much more…”
I yanked my arm free of his grasp. “You must know what they’ll do if I’m caught.”
“No, Mara, it’s not like that, I—”
I didn’t wait around to hear the rest. If he really were tracking me down for the Council, my only chance at staying alive was to run. Artemus flew overhead, keeping pace with me. When Gabriel took chase, I saw the bird swoop down behind me. At least someone had my back.
There wasn’t time to lament the betrayal of the only person I could actually touch. My lungs burned as I pressed on, running back to the wooded glen where I’d left the horse. Thanks to Artemus, Gabriel was trailing behind, and I was able to get away.
The Council knows about me. Hell, the Wise One is involved, how can I hide from him? If I traveled to the other side of Excelsia, maybe I could stay under their radar. But how would I live?
The last hit, the princess. If I collected the money from the warlock, I could get by for a while. In another part of the world, there was at least a chance I could live out my days in peace.
Chapter Five
The journey back was short and uneventful. I knew returning to the warlock’s place was risky, but I had to try. I scoped it out beforehand, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I returned the horse to her stable and approached the warlock’s lair cautiously. Artemus found a nearby tree to perch in and wait.
The warlock wore a knowing grin. “You really are the best of the best. I have to say I’m impressed.”
The last thing I needed was small talk. “Thanks. The 200 crowns?”
Dreams of Darkness: An Anthology of Dark Fairytales Page 13