Of Wars and Weddings

by Heinreich T. Sioson

  ***

  The Adder waited for both men to leave before ejecting the tape and shutting off the security system. The commander had to know what was on it. He placed it inside the inner pocket of his suit jacket as the last of the electricity left the system, plunging the room into darkness. He made for the door and exited the room. Closing the door behind him he turned to walk to the closest set of stairs but stopped dead in his tracks as a person dressed all in black stood in his way. He made a mental wince as he stared at the featureless black mask with thin slits for eyes.

  The Black Ward. The Prince’s unseen third hand.

  None of this ilk had been present during the incident at the ceremony hall but now here was one of them. He heard a scraping noise behind him and he turned to see a second blocking the rear. Just by looking at them he knew they had no intention of letting him leave alive. The Adder closed his eyes - there was only one thing to do. In a blur he pulled out his pistol and shot the man behind him. The loud crash of gunfire resounded through the empty hall and even in the relative darkness he could see the puff of red smoke exit from back of the man’s head. His body crumpled to the ground and a red pool began forming beneath him. The second man wasted no time and pulled out his pistol and shot at The Adder. Ducking out of the way he returned fire but missed his mark as his assailant ducked into a recess in the wall. He took advantage of the lull and ran towards the staircase at the far end of the corridor.

  Halfway down the hall he heard gunshots from behind him and the whizzing of bullets as they passed. When he reached the staircase he was met by two more members of the Black Ward. One of them pulled a short dagger and slashed at him. He dodged in time but only just as it nicked his cheek. The Adder felt blood trickle down his face. The second Wardsman moved to tackle him but was unsuccessful as The Adder grabbed the man as he came forward and used his momentum to fling him into the wall. He then turned his attention to the man wielding the knife. His attacker came forward to slash at his neck but The Adder dodged. Failing in his assault the man slashed at him again but this time The Adder struck the forearm of the arm holding the knife, forcing the man in black to drop his weapon. Then he jabbed the man’s throat, forcing him to his knees as he grabbed his throat. Taking no chances he took firm hold of the man’s chin with one hand and the back of his head with another and snapped the man’s neck. He heard an audible crack and the Wardsman dropped lifeless to the floor. With the threat neutralized he hurried down the stairs.

  The Adder touched down on the first floor landing, but he wasn’t on his feet very long as a hard impact flung him into the staircase below. He hit the wall and bounced to the ground. He groaned but before he could recover a large hand lifted him clear off the floor and slammed him against the wall a second time. The wall caved in and even in the haze that clouded his mind he thanked God for had it been solid the force would’ve broken his back. His vision recovered and he stared at the brute holding him. He was big. Almost seven feet tall if he was an inch The Adder could tell that this was a man built of solid muscle. With a single hand the masked man tossed him over the railing to the basement below. The Adder cradled his head as he tumbled through the door. His body rolled into something soft and he was grateful for the small mercy. The Adder looked around him and saw a few bulbs emitting light. He heard the sound of heavy footfalls coming down the stairs.

  The Adder sat up against the wall and waited. The Wardsman ducked under the door as he approached. The Adder waited for the man to take a step towards him before he took out his pistol and pulled the trigger until the magazine was empty. The big man shuddered as eleven shots rang out in a deafening cannonade. A long silence filled the dark corridor until the huge man grunted and took a knee. The man was still alive. Wasting no time The Adder hit the man’s cheek with the butt of his pistol and then kneed him in the face, at which point he felt as much as heard the man’s nose break. The man grunted one last time before falling to the floor. The Adder got up and stood over this mountain of a man and saw he was still breathing. He considered finishing him off but a jolt of intense pain coursed through his left side. Taking a painful breath he leaned against the wall. The Adder touched his side and winced. A few ribs had been broken.

  The Adder felt a hard metal object dig into his temple. The pressure increased until his head hit the wall. He glanced and saw it was the Wardsman he first encountered outside of the security room. The man’s hand was steady as he pressed the gun against his head. The Adder had no time to waste. In one deft move he deflected the hand holding the gun and loosed a quick straight right hand at his attacker’s face causing his head to snap back. The gun fell as he staggered from the blow but he recovered fast. The Adder put up his arms just in time to block a punch from the Wardsman. Seeing his attack had failed he unleashed a short kick which The Adder also blocked. The Adder then countered with an uppercut but his assailant dodged and countered with his own series of punches. He was able to block the first few but the last two hit home. He fell back from the blows, and seeing he had the upper hand the Wardsman pressed forward. The man feinted with a punch but then loosed a kick to The Adder’s injured ribs. He grunted and fell to the floor as a bolt of lightning coursed through him. The man tried to stomp his head but he rolled away just in time to see the man’s boot barely missing his face. Catching his breath The Adder took a knee and looked at the Wardsman. The man tried to knee him in the face but using both forearms he blocked it and stood sharply, ramming the top of his head into the other man’s chin. The Wardsman’s head jerked up and he staggered. The Adder tackled him against the wall and the man’s head bounced off it causing him to go limp. Taking advantage of the situation he dug his shoulder into the man’s hip, lifted him, and then rolled him over his back. The man groaned as he hit the floor but he didn’t get up. The Adder looked up at the ceiling as he heard footsteps above him. More were coming. He took one final look at the two unconscious men before venturing deeper into the labyrinth.

  The Adder had been down there for some time but he felt he was going in the right direction. He placed a hand against a nearby wall to prop himself up as the pain in his side increased. But it didn’t matter; the commander had to know what was on that tape... His head shot up at the sound of a single set of footsteps coming from the direction he meant to go. There’s always one more obstacle, he thought. He waited until he saw who he was facing, and when he did, he felt a chill run up his spine.

  It was the same black uniform as all the others, but this one wore a white mask. A white mask with a lone red tear etched under the recess of where the left eye was. There were rumors that Black Ward had a commanding officer, but these were just rumors. He was a myth. But The Adder tensed as he realized that very real myth was coming straight for him. And he was taking his time, not considering The Adder a threat. Or maybe he approached already knowing what the outcome was going to be. For his part The Adder was also confident despite his injuries. He tried to walk with the same confidence as the man opposite him despite his own weak disposition. The Adder met the leader of the Black Ward in the center of the hall and greeted him with the same poise and dignity he possessed when facing other men who had tried to kill him. The Adder looked at the man in the white mask and found he was shorter than he was. But The Adder was no fool. How things appeared was meaningless, like a delicate hand hiding a sharp blade. He said, “I don’t suppose you’ll let me go.” He wasn’t expecting a response, which is why he was surprised when the masked man shook his head. Nodding once, he smiled. “So be it.”

  At that moment The Adder put everything on the line.

  In a blur of movement the man in the white mask pulled out a pistol and fired it at close range. Despite the insane speed at which the gun was drawn The Adder ducked under the bullet’s path. Instead of a loud blast the sound was muffled by the silencer built onto the gun’s muzzle. His attacker hopped back and manually pulled back the slide to release the empty shell, allowing another bullet to ready in the chamber. Adjusting to
The Adder’s quick movement he aimed the gun at his face. The Adder lunged forward and smacked the gun out of the way. The gun discharged and he felt the white hot sting of the bullet grazing his ear. The Adder swung at his opponent, but the masked man anticipated it and ducked under the punch. The masked man then flicked a wrist to reveal a small T-handled dagger which he thrust into The Adder’s right shoulder. He cursed as the blade sunk deep into him. He tried to counter with a punch from his other hand but the masked man dodged it while at the same time removing the knife.

  The Adder took a few steps back to size up the situation. This was bad. He remembered the gun he kept on his waistband but it was empty. It didn’t matter, he thought. It could still be useful. With his left hand he pulled the gun from behind him, but instead of pointing it at the masked man he threw it at him. When the masked man saw The Adder reach behind him he expected a gun to be drawn, just not like that. It took a moment for the man to recognize the gun itself – not a bullet – was flying towards him. The gun struck the man’s forehead causing him to stagger and drop his weapons. The Adder tackled him to the ground and the impact knocked the mask off his face. The Adder sat up and straddled the man ready to cave in his face, but what he saw made him stay his hand.

  Even in the dim light of that dark basement The Adder could make out the fair features the woman beneath him possessed. Her face was lovely despite the diagonal scar that ran from the left side of her forehead to the right side of her chin. Instead of punching her he removed the black tactical mask from her head and threw it against the wall allowing long blonde, almost silver hair to spill onto the floor around her. He stared at her, and she stared back with ice blue eyes.

  “What...” But before The Adder could ask his question a sharp blade found its way between his ribs. He gasped for air as blood began to fill his lung. He coughed blood onto her face but she didn’t react. She didn’t even blink. The woman stabbed him five more times in quick succession. Even as his mind began to cloud over and his body weaken, he just looked into her eyes. With strength he didn’t know he had he lifted one hand and punched her hard enough to stun her. Her arm fell to her side and she let go of the knife.

  The Adder took labored breaths as he tried to stand but he ended up taking a knee. Using the wall as a brace he made it halfway down the hall before coughing up more blood, forcing him to stop. He kept walking but his legs grew heavy with each step and his mind turned into a jumbled mess of thoughts and sensations as he tried to concentrate on surviving just a bit longer. He was so focused on the mission that he didn’t notice the door until he fell through it into the room within. When he hit the floor he gasped in pain. Coming to he realized he was in one of the old furnace rooms.

  The Adder was dying. But that didn’t matter. He didn’t matter. The mission was what mattered. Using his arms he crawled to the closest furnace and opened the grates. With a bloodied hand he pulled the tape from his pocket and placed it inside. He had to pray that The Groom would find it in time. Closing the gate and using a sleeve to clean off the evidence of his machinations he crawled towards the back of the room and waited...