by S. K. Ng
“Report _ do of this to Minvian Iddell that Dawn Breven has been sighted here moving southbound and inform Convian Snap Arfix to get 1st River to Timberstock fast, understand? Tail _ I shall be doing of this to her, and I shall send runners to provide updates,” whispered Serene.
“Understand _ I do of this,” said the other Sollenthar, who was kneeling beside her. He then gave Serene a slight bow in the kneeling position and crouch-ran quietly into Tower Forest to get his horse.
Serene crossed the road and crouch-ran along the grassy roadside just like Dawn did. She proceeded carefully and slowly. It was not her intention to catch up with Dawn. As a matter of fact, it was not her intention to even catch Dawn at all, but merely to follow her. The Lead Assassin of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan was going to be too difficult for her to catch by herself. For this, she needed backup.
Dawn heard a faint noise. Looking back at the road, she could see a horse-drawn cart loaded with cut-up timbers and firewood rolling lazily along. An idea came to her mind. It was risky, but it would save her much time if it succeeded. She had hardly debated it in her mind when she slapped herself in the mouth and partially tore and ripped her own clothes. Droplets of blood began to ooze from her cut lip. Then she rolled herself on the ground to get dirt and pieces of grass all over her body and the canvas bag that she was carrying. Breaking a branch from a thorny shrub, she lacerated her arms and legs with it. Blood began to trickle out of the fine wounds. Looking at her self-inflicted wounds, she took a deep breath and secretly hoped that it would be convincing enough to work. And after that, all she had to do was to wait.
Serene saw Dawn’s unusual behaviour. She was very puzzled by it. But she kept her distance.
The horse-drawn cart rolled lazily by. The driver was an old man in his late sixties and beside him was an elderly woman of about the same age, presumably his wife. Their clothes looked worn-out but clean. They showed signs of being poor but not to the point of extreme poverty.
Suddenly, and to Serene’s utter surprise, Dawn ran out of the maze of trees, crying and trembling. The horse-drawn cart came to a sudden halt. The elderly pair looked at each other in confusion.
“Help! Help! Oh! Help me please!” cried a distraught looking Dawn.
“What’s going on, miss? Are you all right?” asked the old man, but his wife had already gotten down from the carriage and wrapped her hands around Dawn in order to comfort her.
“Men…these men….they were…. their hands….touched me… tore my clothes…. Oh! Dear Creator! They touched me!” cried Dawn as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Serene finally understood Dawn’s plan. Dawn was trying to create the impression that she was raped in order to get the sympathy of the elderly couple. This way she could hitch a ride with them to wherever they were going and more importantly, she could do so in a less suspicious manner. Fallsian soldiers were ordered to set up roadblocks everywhere to hunt for Dawn, but they were told that she was a lone escaped fugitive, not a ‘frightened’ girl travelling with an elderly couple.
Meanwhile, Dawn put all her acting skills to good use.
“How could they… do… this to me? I didn’t know… Thought they were going to offer me a job, but they…. brought me out here. They touched me… took turns …. I feel so dirty!” she sobbed in a brilliant portrayal of being victimised.
“Don’t worry, miss. My husband and I are here to take care of you. Here, put this blanket on you. It’ll make you feel better,” said the elderly woman in a motherly voice as she took a blanket and placed it over Dawn’s trembling shoulder.
“Are you from Timberstock Town? If you are we can send you home, because we’re headed there anyway,” offered the elderly man.
Dawn nodded her head and sobbed even harder. But in her heart she was smiling. Her plan was coming along brilliantly.
Serene agreed, looking at Dawn’s magnificent acting skills. She would have stood up and clapped her hands if she was not tracking a highly trained assassin. But as Dawn boarded the cart and sat herself between the elderly couple, Serene realised that there was nothing she could do but to let Dawn escape once again. So Serene crawled down to the stream and headed back into the forest to recover her horse that she had tethered somewhere safe. She then galloped down secretly to Timberstock, hoping to beat Dawn to the city.
The cart moved lazily along. The elderly women comforted her ‘guest’ as best she could.
“Oh! You poor thing! How could those evil men do such a thing to you!? Don’t worry, miss, we’ll report this when we get to Timberstock. The soldiers there will arrest those monsters who did this to you,” she said.
Dawn shivered and sobbed even harder. She allowed the elderly lady to hug her and she returned the hug as earnestly as she knew how. She must ‘play’ the character, ‘be’ the character until they arrive in Timberstock, or she would not stand a chance of getting though the roadblocks. Dawn held on tightly to her canvas bag. Although she had soiled it with dirt, it was the only thing that could give her ‘disguise’ away. But she had to keep the bag. The items in it were extremely useful to her.
The gusty winds blew dust and dried leaves at their faces. The two aged horses trotted slowly along the road, bearing the heavy load of the cart. Then a sudden gust blew at the blanket and Dawn’s ripped pants and exposed just for a moment, her white, fair thighs. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a slight change in the elderly man’s expression. There was a look in his eyes that she had seen in men before. She was hoping that it was just her imagination. But she would have to wait to find out for sure.
Meanwhile, Serene was galloping down the forest path at full speed towards Timberstock. Her mind was racing as fast as her body was riding. There seemed to be an opportunity, an opportunity that was never thought of or discussed before. What was the point of arresting Dawn? Would it not be better to tail her and let her show the way to The Lair? But what if she gave them the slip? Then Dawn would be free to try to assassinate Prince Patrum again. The risk of losing their one and only prince; versus the hope of knowing the location of The Lair and eradicating this monstrous organisation for good, was it going to be worth it? Serene was unsure. So in the meantime, what was she to do? The answer became obvious. Maintain status quo. Keep their options open!
It was slightly past noon when the elderly couple and Dawn stopped for lunch. They parked their carriage by a patch of clear land to the side of the road and tethered their horses to a nearby tree. The elderly man took a bucket from the back of the cart and went down to the stream and returned with it filled with water for the horses. The elderly woman took out a small clay stove from the cart, placed some firewood in it and started a fire. She then took out a pot and some food items which she had wrapped in big banana leaves and started cooking lunch. Dawn just sat silently, trying to look as confused as she could. Half an hour later, they ate their lunch. The elderly man seemed to be eating at a hurried pace. Even his wife looked surprised! Neither she nor Dawn could see why he was in such a hurry. The elderly man gave a loud belch when he finished his meal He then took a mat from a compartment under the driver’s seat of the cart, went to a nearby tree and lay down.
The elderly lady shook her head, obviously embarrassed by her husband’s behaviour.
“Don’t mind my husband, he behaves strangely when he’s in the company of strangers. I’m sorry, where are my manners? I’m Grace and my husband’s Cliff,” she said.
“My name’s Breeze,” said Dawn in an impromptu manner, not being able to come up with a decent name in her mind until a gentle breeze blew at her cheeks.
“Breeze, that’s a nice name for a girl,” said Grace.
“I don’t know about that. I got teased a lot because of that name when I was young,” added Dawn, hoping to give a sense of reality to her lie.
Grace took a long, proper look at Dawn. Then she smiled.
“You know, you’re actually very lucky!” she said.
“I know! Like I said, if I hadn’t run
into you and Cliff, I would’ve been recaptured by those mean, evil men!” said Dawn.
“No! Please don’t take this the wrong way. What those men did to you, it was horrible! Just horrible! No woman should go through that! But what I meant to say was that you were very lucky not to have been caught by the Serpentians!” explained Grace.
“The Serpentians?” questioned Dawn, looking totally surprised.
Dawn had forgotten that Timberstock was raided by the Serpentians earlier in the year.
“Yes, the Serpentians. I’ve seen the damage they’ve done to Timberstock. Buildings destroyed. Men killed. Women and children kidnapped. Almost the entire town population was gone. I mean, you’re a pretty girl, Breeze. It’s nothing short of a miracle that the Serpentians hadn’t kidnapped you and made you their slave!” answered Grace.
“I was out of town when the raid happened. I was in Fallsene visiting my cousin,” replied Dawn quickly, masking any signs of being caught unaware; but she was, indeed, caught unaware.
“It’s like I’ve said. You’re lucky!” said Grace.
Dawn sat quietly, not knowing what to say. She had never thought of it before, how it felt like to be a victim! She had always been the victimiser, the hunter! She was never a prey, never the victim! So what if she was actually caught by the Serpentians, what would she have gone through? What would she have to endure? How would she have taken it?
Grace took out two mats from the compartment under the cart’s driver seat and spread them out under the shade of a huge tree. She beckoned Dawn to lie down on the mat and take a nap. Dawn was not sleepy, but decided to oblige anyway so as not to raise suspicion.
Dawn’s mind drifted back to Ray and who he was. His existence was a shock to her. All this while she had believed that the Order of Fire Elementhars was destroyed and all Fire Elementhars were dead. But Clanmaster Collart had lied. Her uncle was right all along. She knew she could no longer return to the fold of the clan. There were two very strong reasons for this. The first reason was that she had failed to accomplish her mission, which entitled the death penalty as far as clan law went. The second reason was that she had become a living witness to a failure that the clanmaster had claimed did not exist, and she had become a direct threat to his credibility and therefore, his leadership.
Suddenly, Dawn feels something rubbing at her thighs. She sits up to see Cliff in a kneeling posture with one of his hands sliding up and down her inner thigh. Instinctively, she slaps his hand away.
“What are you doing?” Dawn demands.
“Come on, miss. I know you want it. I’m not like those men. I’ll be gentle,” says Cliff, with a dirty grin on his face.
“Cliff! What are you doing? Are you crazy!? She’s young enough to be your daughter!” yells Grace.
“Keep out of this, Grace! I want her! I want some fresh meat! I’ve suffered all my life, but no more! I want something young and fresh before I die! I don’t have much time left, you know that!” barks Cliff.
“Stay away from me, old man!” warns Dawn.
“Don’t worry! I’ll be gentle. I’m well experienced, you know!” says Cliff with the dirty look still on his face.
“Cliff, no!” protests Grace as she catches Cliff’s hand.
“Leave me be!” yells Cliff as he slaps Grace across the face.
Grace collapses back to the ground, trembling and crying. But as Cliff turns around, Dawn punches him straight in the face and breaks his nose. Cliff falls to the ground while Dawn gets on her feet.
“Argh! You broke my nose! I’m not going to be gentle with you. No, miss. Not going to be gentle at all,” says Cliff as he gets back on his feet.
Cliff runs at Dawn with his hands aimed at her shoulders. Dawn steps forward and swings her elbow vertically upwards at Cliff’s jaw. Cliff slips and falls at the impact. Dawn wastes no time in stomping her heel onto Cliff’s nose and chest. She stomps and stomps and stomps.
“Stop it! Please stop! Please, Breeze, please!” pleads Grace.
Dawn stops. Grace runs to her husband’s unconscious body and kneels beside him. She shakes him hard and then feels for his breaths and pulse.
“He’s dead… He’s dead! You… you’ve killed him! You’ve killed my Cliff!” cries Grace.
Dawn gave Grace a fierce look. Grace shrinks away from Dawn.
“That’s enough! Shut up!” said Dawn suddenly.
The acting was over. Dawn regretted her decision to fake being raped. It did not go as planned. But who would have thought a gentle elderly man would turn out to be such a hideous monster! As a highly skilled assassin, she should have known better than to make judgements based on appearances!
“But you’ve killed my Cliff!” cried the elderly woman.
“Shut up! Shut up or I’ll kill you just like I killed Cliff!” threatened Dawn as she pulled out the hunter’s knife that she had in her canvas bag and pointed it at Grace.
Grace’s expression changed from sorrow to shock. Her voice left her. She just sat on the ground with her mouth opened wide.
“Do you have a shovel?” asked Dawn.
“Yes, at the back of the cart,” answered Grace.
“Stay here! If you run, I’ll chase you and kill you! Do you understand?” instructed Dawn.
Grace nodded. Dawn left to get the shovel.
Dawn took two hours to dig a grave big and deep enough to bury Cliff in. Grace just sat silently beside Cliff’s body, looking at the young woman whom she had thought to be an innocent victim. But as Grace watched Dawn dig, she realised that Dawn was not who she made herself out to be. When the grave was ready, Dawn dragged Cliff’s body over and threw him unceremoniously into it and then filled it with soil.
Half an hour later, Dawn was driving the cart with Grace seated next to her. Grace was silent, and so was Dawn. Dawn had discarded her torn clothes and had dressed herself in Grace’s clothes, looking like a farmer’s daughter in an oversized, second-hand dress. The disguise looked good, thought Dawn to herself. She might still salvage the situation.
It was mid-afternoon when Serene arrived at Garrison Timberstock. She ordered the garrison commander there to loosen the roadblocks and security checks so as to let Dawn slip through.
“Minvian, you must be joking!?” said the garrison commander, a soldier who also held the rank of minvian.
“Joking _ I am not of this, minvian; as a matter of fact I am quite serious!” said Serene firmly.
“But I need authorisation for this! I cannot just simply let her slip through! The order is to capture the assassin, not give her free passage!” protested the garrison commander.
“Aware _ I am of this about the order, but I need for her to be left untouched until such time I am ready to apprehend her; so I am countermanding the current order and I assume the full responsibility for doing so. Report _ you may do of this to your superiors that you are now complying with the requirements of the Royal Guards,” insisted Serene.
“Very well, minvian,” relented the garrison commander.
“Gratitude _ you have mine of this,” said Serene courteously as she bowed and left his office.
Just a few hours later, Dawn and Grace arrived at the northern roadblock leading into Timberstock.
“Good evening madam, miss!” said one of the soldiers manning the roadblock.
“Good evening, soldier! What is going on?” asked Grace.
“Nothing, madam. Just routine checks. I need your names, place of origin and reason for entering Timberstock,” said the soldier.
“My name’s Grace and this is my daughter Breeze. We come from the outskirts of Eastcap Grand Town and are here to trade timber and firewood for money and provisions,” said Grace.
“Standby while we check your cart!” said the soldier as he and his comrades checked every inch of the horse-drawn vehicle.
“All right madam, miss; you may go,” said the soldier as he waved them pass.
The horse-drawn cart rolled along lazily. After a long while, Grace
turned around and looked at Dawn.
“They’re looking for you, aren’t they?” she asked.
“That’s none of your business, Grace,” retorted Dawn.
“You’ve killed my husband! I don’t blame you for doing so, but the speed and efficiency with which you did it tells me that you’re no ordinary woman. So who are you exactly?” asked Grace.
“Keep quiet or I’ll kill you, too! Now smile and pretend that we’re excited to be here!” said Dawn in a low yet firm voice.
“You’re going to kill me anyway, right?” objected Grace.
“I hope not to do so, unless you cause trouble for me. Now stop asking these questions and answer mine! Where do you trade your items?” commanded Dawn.
“Three blocks down, turn left. There’s a factory there that offers a good price!” answered Grace.
Dawn brought the cart to the factory that Grace had mentioned. She let Grace do the bargaining and stood by silently. She saw the factory owner hand Grace a small bag of coins. Then the factory workers began to empty the cart’s contents.
“How much did you get?” asked Dawn as she pulled Grace away from the cart so as not to be overheard.
“40 gold coins,” answered Grace.
“Give me 25. You take the rest and go back to Eastpeak Grand. Tell no one about me! I’ll hunt you down and kill you if you do. Do you understand!?” threatened Dawn.
“I understand,” complied Grace as she gave Dawn the money that was demanded of her.
“Goodbye, Grace! I hope never to see you again!” said Dawn as she walked off and disappeared into the crowd.
Dawn walked briskly amongst the citizens of Timberstock. She looked casually over her shoulders a few times just to make sure that she was not followed. But she was! Soldiers from the local garrison were scattered all over the place, dressed in civilian clothes. They acted naturally and blended well with the crowd, so well that Dawn was not even suspicious. She walked down to another main street and then turned into one of the smaller streets. The soldiers were smart! They did not follow her into this street, but had comrades waiting for her when she emerged from the other side. And true enough, she emerged from the smaller street to join another main street without her suspicions aroused. She finally stepped into a carriage depot where she bought passage with some of the coins that she had taken from Grace.