by JD Franx
Without breaking her concentration, Merethyl quickly bounced the small ball of fire off of Voranna's palm, taking it for herself. She amplified the magic with a fierce intent, transforming it into thin strings of molten flame that raced to the house and ignited all the fire web inside. In mere seconds the house was a blazing inferno creating waves of throbbing heat so intense, both Merethyl and Voranna had to retreat further back. Very little but ash would remain of the house by dawn when Yrlissa returned.
Voranna smiled. “You are most welcome, my dear, miserable humidity and all. It is such an inconvenience for mere sorcerers, after all.”
Merethyl faced her, ignoring the remark about elemental sorcerers as she realized the other Dead Sisters approaching from the far side of the farmyard were all dressed in black leather similar to what most of her assassins wore.
Ignoring their choice of apparel as well, she replied, “You're early. Our part is done, witch. Her husband and child are both dead. The rest is up to you, but you had better leave her alive. I'm warning you, I have no sanction to kill Yrlissa Blackmist and I will need her in the years to come, so be damned sure you don't kill her by mistake.” Merethyl watched closely to see if her deception had been detected by the witches early arrival. Sythrnax had ordered the child's death as well as Cassel's. But Merethyl rarely destroyed something she could bargain with in the future. It was a dangerous risk, but well worth it. The witches showed no sign of knowing what she'd done.
The sadistic chuckle that escaped Voranna's lips turned Merethyl's stomach. “We can't kill her, foolish assassin. We need her alive, but don't presume to hold power over us. Until He returns, we only take orders from one person. I believe you've met him...?” she mocked.
“You know I have, Voranna, but I had to say it. She's the guild's only ShadowWalker. Her death would ruin Sythrnax's plans and throw my guild into chaos.”
The Dead Sisters gave Merethyl no more than a nod before she left; she was suddenly very sympathetic to Savis' hatred of their ilk. Savage and cunning, they always seemed to be scheming, even more than she herself did. She mounted her horse and headed for Ynasu to see if Yrlissa would complete the contract she had been given over two years ago, or if birthing a child had weakened her normally trustworthy skills and nerve.
Chapter Five
The ride back into Ynasu was relatively quiet for Yrlissa. The chamberlain told her Lord Ghaul had requested both her and her new assistant for the evening. She knew well what it meant and had been waiting for over two years to see it through. Now she could finish the job, go home to Cassel and Cassie, tell him everything, and hope he would leave with her. She knew she could stay ahead of the guild forever—even they had no idea what she truly was—but she wasn't sure if Cassel was ready for that life. Hopefully he loved her enough to try.
The carriage pulled into the city and rambled through the market and housing districts, eventually pulling up to one of the castle's side entrances. Yrlissa's assistant, Maryanne, was already there waiting. The chamberlain led them both through the back stairway to Lord Ghaul's private chambers. Yrlissa knew the Lord and Lady both kept separate rooms for just this reason. They were shown into the spacious bedchamber and left alone.
Maryanne was incredibly confused as she looked around. “Yrlissa? There is nothing to clean in here and no laundry to do. Why were we called so late?”
Yrlissa could only shake her head at the young girl's naïveté. “We're not here to clean, Maryanne. We are here because the Lord has an eye for both of us.” Yrlissa could see Maryanne start to tremble as she began to understand.
“But... but, he doesn't own us. He can't expect...”
“You need this job, girl?”
“Yes, of course, Yrlissa. There is no work here. Without this job my father will go hungry. He was crippled during the Third Wildlands War nine years ago. My husband doesn't make enough money to feed all three of us.”
“Makes sense, then. Look at it this way, Maryanne. If you say no, the Lord will fire you and likely ruin your name in the process. You would have to leave the city, if not the country to find work. Do you understand now?”
Shaking uncontrollably, Maryanne answered, “Yes, I do. Forgive me. I didn't know these things happened.”
“They shouldn't happen, but they do. All the time.”
Yrlissa sat the young woman down on the soft velvet covering of the big four-poster bed. “Here, sit down and take a deep breath. Lady Lykke is with you tonight. I won't let anything happen to you, Maryanne, I promise.”
The young girl nodded; her normally bright facial features had lost all color as fear set in. Her whole body shook uncontrollably with the terror Yrlissa knew she must be feeling. “I can't do this Yrlissa, I can't. I've never been with anyone but my husband, and we were only married a few months ago. I can't let him do this to me, please. I have to go, please Yrlissa...I ... I”
She jumped up, tears falling from her face. She looked around, trying to find a place to run or hide, but Yrlissa moved in front of her, speaking softly. “Calm down, Maryanne, and look at me. Stay here. I promise you he won't touch you and you can still keep your job, but you have to trust me, all right?” Yrlissa asked, as she held Maryanne's hands tightly, sitting her back down on the bed gently.
She looked at Yrlissa, her eyes full of hope. “You promise?”
“I promise. Now just concentrate on breathing steady and staying calm. Breathe.”
Yrlissa had just gotten Maryanne calmed down when the heavy oak door opened and Lord Ghaul entered the bedchamber. The room filled with the stench of alcohol and sweat. Extremely intoxicated, Lord Ghaul closed the door behind him, but struggled to lock it. Finally getting the key to turn in the lock, he made an exaggerated show of tucking the key away inside his fur trimmed vest.
“Ahh, I see dey brought two tonight, jus like I asded. Well, den, ladies, shall we ges started?” He slurred, as he stumbled to the side of the bed the two young woman were on, already starting to remove his clothes. Yrlissa knew she'd have to act fast, or things would get out of hand, quickly. She stepped in front of him.
“Easy, my Lord,” she said affectionately, as she placed her hands on his chest and guided him to the small padded bench across from the bed. “Why don't you just enjoy the show for a bit, all right?” Plopping down onto the bench, Lord Ghaul nodded dumbly as he stared back and forth from Yrlissa to Maryanne.
Slowly removing her shawl and laying it across his shoulders, Yrlissa turned and walked the few feet back to Maryanne, swaying her hips from side to side. Taking a small container from inside her waistband, she used her thumb to remove a small amount of KiyoNo venom and spread it on her lips like a balm. She knelt in front of Maryanne and lifted her trembling chin. “Trust me, all right? I promise I won't let him hurt you,” she breathed softly.
“I do, mistress. I'm scared—please, just tell me what to do,” Maryanne whispered back.
“Kiss me, Maryanne. I promise you, it will be the worst thing you have to do tonight.”
Even though her cheeks flushed bright red, Maryanne stared into Yrlissa's bright amber eyes and slowly leaned forward. Knowing she couldn't pull away, Yrlissa tenderly cupped Maryanne's chin with her right hand and released a small amount of magic into her, scattering the last of her resistance. Yrlissa pressed her lips hard to Maryanne's, using her tongue to push some of the long extinct KiyoNo venom from her lips into the young woman's mouth while the remaining balm rapidly transferred to her lips. Both sources of venom quickly entered the maid's bloodstream. The very real venom from the believed-mythical creature quickly rendered Maryanne unaware, but not completely unconscious—the KiyoNo preferred their prey alive. Yrlissa felt nothing, her abnormal resistance to poisons kept her head clear as she gradually laid Maryanne back on the bed. Letting the kiss go, Yrlissa looked over her shoulder and beckoned Lord Ghaul to the bed with a smile. The excited Lord of Ynasu ripped at his clothes in a frenzy, again stumbling towards the two women, his shirt torn from his efforts.
Yrl
issa slowed him by placing her hands on his chest once more. “Slowly, my Lord, slowly, we have all night to enjoy each other.” She took his hand and led him to the bed. Maryanne moaned softly, smiling from the pleasurable effects of the powerful venom coursing through her blood. Lord Ghaul knelt at the bedside, pushing Maryanne's legs apart. Yrlissa quietly unsheathed one of her wooden daggers hidden along the back of her waist, moving behind the intoxicated lord of Ynasu as he eased the young woman's skirt up to her waist. As he leaned in to kiss Maryanne's upper thigh, Yrlissa grabbed his hair and plunged her blade into his neck at the base of the skull, but stopped short of killing him. The excruciating pain forced him straight up. Yrlissa stood on the back of both his knees, ensuring he couldn't stand.
Holding the dagger an inch deep in his neck, she whispered in his ear. “Lord Ghaul, your perverse habits have been called to judgment by your people and by the Broken Blades guild of assassins. The punishment is death. Jarvis Ghaul, say hello to the overlords of Perdition when you get to hell.” She slowly pushed the blade deeper until she felt his entire body jolt from the blade severing his spinal cord. Another thrust and the blade poked out of his throat under his chin, spraying blood across Maryanne. With a savage twist born of experience and incredible strength, Yrlissa snapped the wooden blades off inside Lord Ghaul's neck and slid the hilt upside down into her sheath to allow the twisted blades to grow back.
She heaved Ghaul's body back onto the bed beside Maryanne. Knowing she needed to shift any suspicion away from the poor laundry maid, Yrlissa untied her bodice, exposing her breasts, and rolled the still-bleeding Lord Ghaul partially on top of her. The scene was a mess. Yrlissa frowned, but it was what the contract demanded. Kneeling down beside the nightstand, she wrote a quick letter to Maryanne explaining everything so she would know Yrlissa had never allowed Ghaul to touch her, not really. Pulling her skirt back down in order to retain some of the woman's dignity, she tucked the note into the pocket of the maid's long skirt.
Looking around to make sure everything was in order, Yrlissa whispered an ancient Dyrannai phrase. A heavy black mist formed at her feet and spread out around her. When she opened the bedchamber door with Ghaul's key, the dark mist spread through the room, down the hall, and into the back stairwell. Startled by the appearance of the sinister-looking dark miasma, servants fled down the steps in hysterical panic or huddled in corners, too terrified to flee. Yrlissa walked through the harmless mist undetected as the dark fog hid her movements from servants mere feet from her. A spell originally used at night in dark forests as an asset in a war long forgotten, Yrlissa took advantage of the fear it often caused as well. It allowed her to escape the castle and disappear into the city completely unseen. She was on the road for home just before dawn, after sneaking through the city using the cover of the shadows to avoid being seen.
Merethyl Bellas watched Yrlissa leave the castle and emerge from the dark mist high up on the castle wall. Ghaul was dead and Yrlissa would eventually return to her real home, the guild. The council member smiled; another twisted plan had worked perfectly, and Sythrnax believed his had as well. It had been a good night for many people.
It was a night Yrlissa Blackmist would never forget.
* * * * *
Yrlissa walked towards home for a half hour before noticing the lingering flames and smoke coming from the direction of the home she shared with her husband and daughter. Fifteen minutes out from the farmhouse, she could make out the smoke rising in the early dawn sky. The unmistakeable stench of burnt flesh caused fear to well up inside her. Bolting like a scared rabbit, she raced for the farm at a dead run. By the time she laid eyes on the remains of her scorched home, she struggled to breathe, panic gripped her throat tight like a hangman's noose and her stomach threatened to eject what little food from lunch still remained.
She approached the farm slowly, afraid of what she might find, and stood at the gate to the property for several minutes staring at the burnt farmhouse and trying to strengthen herself for what she might discover. With her mind and nerves calmed, her instincts swiftly took over and she noticed the extra traffic into and out of the farmyard, most of which were made by horse. Several horses, in fact. Considering Cassel didn't have the money to purchase a horse, it was clear that several people arrived after the carriage had taken her to the city. The horse's hoof prints on top of the carriage tracks had been partially obscured by wind-blown dust, showing clearly that their arrival occurred hours ago, after her departure.
Unable to discern anything more from the jumbled mess of tracks, she slowly approached the remains of the house. The sharp tang of elemental fire magic hung in the air, the scent of hot iron was strong. It was a scent she knew well—Elvehn sorcery. It explained why the fire had done its job so well; only the two-foot-high stone foundation still existed, and even it was crumbling as the riverbed mortar and field stones broke down, crumbling from the intense heat of the blaze. The only other sign a house once stood there were the ash lines where the interior walls had burnt, the ash settling in piled lines.
Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to overflow. She could see only one charred skeleton: the full grown remains could only be her husband. The twin axes he told her he had purchased from a traveling merchant lay nearby. Only the forged metal heads had survived the fire. She fell to her knees beside her husband's blackened bones as grief flooded her heart and soul. Desperate, she stumbled forward, searching for the remains of her daughter, but saw nothing. Knowing she likely would have been asleep in her room when the attack began, Yrlissa stood up and walked to the pile of ashes that had been her daughter's hand-carved and engraved wooden bed.
Taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes, she knelt down beside the ash pile and moved her hands through the remains of the burnt bed and blankets, causing them to fall away from the bones of her dead daughter with a whisper of dark ash.
Yrlissa screamed. “No!” Looking to the heavens, she screamed a second time. “Oh gods, why...”
Staring back down at what was left of her little girl; tears fell from her nose and chin.
“Why would anyone do this?” she sobbed. But deep down, she knew why.
The guild must have found out what she had done and made a point to let her know that the guild was all that mattered, regardless of how high her rank was. It was a betrayal they wouldn't get away with. If the guild had done this, she would tear it all down. It had long ago become so corrupt, straying far from its original days in the Dyrranai Forest many thousands of years ago.
A her senses and a quick look around told her she was alone, so she gathered the remains of her daughter and carried them to where Cassel's lay, placing them together. Yrlissa knew there was only one way to possibly get the answers she needed.
Closing her eyes to concentrate, she called upon her deep knowledge of magic. “Savanomin ivey hanor.” Power not seen in Talohna since well before the Cataclysm flowed from Yrlissa's fingertips, drifting down around the charred remains of her family and then back up and into her mind, linking them together through the adapted power of ancient Fae magic.
The spell came to life slowly. Images, colors, and emotions sped through Yrlissa's mind. She felt the fear and excitement from both of the combatants in the room earlier and the bright flashes of violent movement as they fought. Cassel's emotions, some she'd never experienced before, crashed into her as an image of weapons sparking flitted through her mind. The spell rarely gave clear images of past events, but Yrlissa could feel her magic being hampered by something, or by someone: it should have been clearer. As her mind pulled itself from the grip of the spell, a final flash of wooden blades identical to her own burned into her vision and she was overwhelmed by the intense emotional feelings that carried Cassel's last breath from his body—the love he had for her and Cassie.
She blinked the moisture from her eyes as the magic dissipated. Her own guild was responsible for the ruthless murder of her husband and baby girl. She gagged from the nausea and pain
of what she had foolishly caused. Her family, her future, and her happiness were gone in the blink of a single moment, all of it her fault, but she needed proof of what the guild had done before she would act against them. Slowly turning Cassel's remains to the side, she inspected the spot where the spine and skull met. The separation of the spine from the skull was obvious. It was what happened when the forked wooden blades entered the neck. A broken blade dagger had killed her husband and only the dagger's namesake could wield such a weapon—powerful magic imbued in the weapons ensured only a trained Broken Blade assassin could wield the magical daggers. Yrlissa knew beyond a doubt that the guild betrayed her and eliminated her family. Primal anger and crushing grief fought for dominance over her wounded heart and soul.
Footsteps crunched on the ash by the stone foundation behind her. Yrlissa whirled to her right, barking a spell as she turned. The ancient magical words activated the spell instantly. Roots exploded from the earth around and under the ashes of the farmhouse, twisting and full of life. Long wooden spikes tore from the roots, punching through a woman dressed in black. The sharp roots ripped through both shoulders and her right thigh, the last three wrapping around her legs and waist before burrowing into her abdomen and up through her chest. Finally erupting out of her back, the force jerked the woman from the earth. Her scream of agony echoed down the valley as she hung suspended from the writhing root system.
Yrlissa stood, the fury-powered words of more devastating magic already on her tongue, when her head exploded with pain. Turning as she fell, she saw three more figures dressed in black leather standing behind her. As she lost consciousness, Yrlissa realized her anger and grief had clouded her judgment and dulled her senses. She held on long enough to hear a woman chuckle.
“Well now, that was easier than we thought. Only one of us died.” Yrlissa cursed herself, she should have been ready for the attack. She slipped into the darkness knowing beyond all doubt that she had been betrayed by her own guild.