Lyssia

by David Hoffman

places in town, why go to the fort?

  The meager forces that stood against her weren’t enough to keep her from finding the answer.

  One of the night guards guard leaned against the main door of the fort, while another sat lazily in the ramparts above. Neither seemed to be too concerned about keeping an attentive watch.

  Pathetic, Lyssia thought as she studied the task before her. She had once scaled massive castle walls while whole platoons of elite guards had searched for her, in the middle of the day no less. This little fort in a small desert town would be nothing for her.

  Once one of them looked away, she sprinted to the wall, and with a quick jump, she made it to the ramparts without making a sound. She went to a door on the far side of the fortifications and found it unlocked.

  She sensed the interior of the fort before she went in. Half of the guard force was sleeping for the night. Aside from the two outside, the rest were downstairs, but active. Lyssia couldn’t sense exactly what they were doing, but she recognized the effects of alcohol on human auras. As much as she tried to focus, she couldn’t tell which aura was the woman’s, or even if the woman was still there. But Lyssia knew how to find out.

  She slipped inside and found a spot in the bend of a hallway where she could hide and mediate. Minutes passed as she waited, listening to all the voices that came to her. Finally, the distinct cackle of a woman’s laugh rose above all other sounds.

  Alright, I think I found her, but why is she here?

  I decided not to answer.

  The laughing had come from the dining hall on the bottom floor. Using the echoing voices as a guide, Lyssia navigated the corridors until she found a set of stairs that led to the mess hall below. There was shouting, glasses clacking together, fists pounding on tables.

  At first, she stayed back, out of sight, but slowly crept lower down the stairs once she was confident that she wouldn’t be noticed.

  There, sitting at the head of the largest table, with an arm of the guard captain around her shoulder, was Johan's wife. Her hands were caressing his chest as she looked up at him, face longing with lust and flushed red with drink.

  Lyssia’s muscles constricted, binding her body in a pain. Her legs almost buckled and fists clenched with fury. She got up from the stairs and sprinted through the halls until she found a darkened spot to hide. She dropped to her knees and reared back, body trembling as she released a quiet scream.

  Then, she only stared at the ceiling, stuck in a daze.

  I searched for words, and failed. After living hundreds of years through my eyes and through the countless acolytes that served me, nothing had brought me to my knees the way this had done to Lyssia. And here, I thought empathy had left my heart long ago.

  “Lyssia,” I said through our link, “is there something I can do?”

  Don’t. Say. Anything… She collapsed to the ground and held herself. I'll kill her. She rubbed her face with her twitching hands. I would. I’d cut her chest, rip open her ribs. I’d tear her heart out with my hands while she was still breathing and then shove it right in her face and make her choke on her own blood. I’d do it… She shook her head. Why’d it have to be a woman like her? Of all people, why her? Johan, why?

  “What are you going to do? Will you actually kill her?”

  I can’t… As much as I want to, I can’t do it to them. I won’t let my family lose another mother. If it weren’t for that, I’d… kill her. The bones in her hands creaked as she clenched her fists. I’d do it, over and over, until there was nothing left, and you know I would, without a second thought.

  “What will you do?”

  I don’t know. She let out a quiet sigh. I can’t just let her do that to Johan. Would you just leave your loved ones to be taken advantage of?

  “You’re asking the wrong person,” I replied.

  It’s just not fair. I was a good wife and mother. I always put their needs before mine. I’d give my life for them, no matter what, even if I was mad at them, even if they hurt me. So why did I have to die and why did that woman have to get my family and why did she have to do that to them?

  I wanted to tell her that she should know that the world is not fair, but I knew I shouldn’t.

  I don’t know what I’ll do,” she thought, but I’ll do something, dammit. I’ll make sure she knows damn well not to betray Johan again. I’ll kill her lover, right in front of her face.

  “Are you sure you wish to do that? You’ve never used vengeance as a reason to kill before.”

  Oh, so now you’re interested in the living world? Of all times, master, why’d it have to be when I make things right for myself? This is not your choice.

  “I know, but does an assassin ever kill an innocent? Could it be that he is just as beguiled as your Johan?”

  He has to know.

  “You’re assuming.”

  Fine, she thought, I won’t go after him. I’ll give her a just punishment and make sure she doesn’t do it again.

  “If that suits you.”

  For her sake, it damn well better. Lyssia stood, regaining the poise of an assassin.

  She stalked the hallways and hid in nooks, behind boxes and crates, occasionally slipping into rooms as she went through the halls in search of the right door. When she found the room of the guard’s commander, she went to the one adjacent to wait, though this waiting was different. The patience that came with unlife had vanished from her. In those moments, she was like the living, restless and unnerved.

  Her chest burned with anticipation when she finally heard stumbling footsteps drawing near, but still, she kept her composure.

  She watched as the guard commander fiddled with keys while trying to keep the woman in his other arm steady. They were too preoccupied with each other, the door, and the drink clouding their minds that they didn’t notice Lyssia slip in behind them.

  Even the guard commander jumped when Lyssia slammed the door. The commander was quick though, despite the achohol. He went for his sword and tried to draw it from its sheath, but Lyssia kicked the handle back into the scabbard. She ducked low and sent a punch up into the man’s groin. As he collapsed to the ground, Lyssia grabbed his head and sent it crashing into her knee. In only a matter of seconds, he lay on the floor, unconscious.

  Lyssia stood above his body for a moment and just watched the woman back away from her. “Whore,” Lyssia said.

  The woman stared at her for a moment, a look of shock consuming her face. Then, without warning, her expression changed from fear to anger as she pulled a dagger from behind her back and lunged toward Lyssia. Her movements were slow and clumsy, but looking through Lyssia’s eyes I could see purpose in the woman’s form.

  However Lyssia was faster and far more experienced. She went for the handle and twisted the dagger out of the woman’s hands.

  The woman then stepped back, stunned at the ease of her disarmament. She looked up to Lyssia as tears fell from her eyes. “I’m sorry, please don’t kill me,” she said. “I’ll do anything you want.”

  Lyssia stepped forward. “I don’t understand how you could do that to him.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

  “Don’t play games with someone like me.” Lyssia jumped forward and snatched the woman’s hand. She started stabbing from the woman’s wrist to her forearm, then further up her bicep until the blade sank into her shoulder. Each stab twisted into the muscle and avoided major arteries. Lyssia didn’t want to kill her. She just wanted every strike hurt.

  The woman tried to scream, but Lyssia’s hand was already across the woman’s face.

  “Tell me why you were unfaithful to Johan,” Lyssia whispered into her ear, then released her hand for an answer.

  “Help-”

  Lyssia drew the dagger’s blade across the woman’s chest, cutting through clothes and skin. Blood began to drip from the wound. It was not serious enough to kill her, but painful enough to make her understand.

  “Don’t scream. Do
it again and I’ll kill you. Just tell me why you did it,” Lyssia said.

  The woman glared into Lyssia’s eyes. “Fine, if you want to know, it was because he was too easy.”

  Lyssia went for her throat with the dagger. She tried to keep herself from slicing the woman’s life away. With all her focus and concentration, she stopped herself, and merely dragged the blade across the skin. She watched as the woman’s eyes went wide.

  Lyssia had never enjoyed seeing that kind of terror before. Her previous victims had found solace and sleep as their life drifted away in minimal pain, but now Lyssia wanted nothing more than to gaze into the woman’s dread and feel rapture in every moment of her agony.

  “Lyssia,” I said.

  I could feel the impact going through her arm as she smashed the handle of the dagger down onto the woman’s head.

  “Don’t kill her. Lyssia, stop it, now!”

  Lyssia drove the dagger deep into the woman’s chest. In that instant, she knew she had made a mistake. The woman lay unconscious on the floor with the dagger sticking out of her.

  She stepped back from the body, whispering, “oh God.” We both could see the woman’s aura slipping away. “What do I do?” she said.

  She wouldn’t make it without healing. Fortunately, Lyssia had left the blade in her body, giving the woman time, some, but not much.

  “You have to summon me to heal her,” I said.

  Lyssia shook her head. Where, how?

  “Take her out of town and draw my rune. I’ll do the rest.”

  Lyssia carefully lifted the body,