Fallen Ambitions

by Vann, Eric J.

  Emily traced two more scars along her olive brown skin, one along her stomach and the other just under her collarbone, but the largest of them all was across her right eye. She took a deep breath before reaching for the most recent addition to her admittedly tiny wardrobe: an eyepatch. It did nothing to hinder her vision—the eye was already gone. But maybe it would make that part of her appearance less hideous to others.

  She heard a whistle, and twisted in place, snatching her dagger from the desk and tossing it at the source of the sound in one quick movement.

  The dagger flew straight—but was caught in mid-air, just a few inches from its target. Ness’s smile grew wider as he flipped the knife a few times by its handle, before leaning lazily against the wall. “Jumpy tonight?” he asked.

  Emily sighed as she covered her bare chest with one arm.

  “Nothing I haven’t seen before, love,” Ness commented.

  “You should stop sneaking up on me,” Emily shot back, reaching for her shirt. “One day you won’t be quick enough.” She noticed now that the window was slightly ajar; it was amazing how Ness could move about so quietly. “So?” she asked, pulling on her shirt, her hands going to her neck to pull her hair free from under it. “You’ve been gone for three days. I can only imagine you being here means you’re done scouting the place.”

  “Straight to business,” Ness complained. “Maybe I just missed you? We could have had a bit of fun first, you know. I mean, you were already halfway there…”

  “Not going to happen,” Emily replied without looking at him, her attention now on pulling out a small chest from under the bed.

  Ness laughed as he flopped on the bed. “There are a few soft targets we could hit. None that won’t harm the common folk, though. We identified a few collaborators too—won’t be hard to take them out.”

  Emily knelt, wincing at the twinge of pain, and opened the chest revealing her alchemic supplies. Firma, like many other cities in the Easter Provinces, was under occupation by the Gold Serpents. There must have been a few thousand soldiers in the city itself, with even more camped outside the walls. Their presence here was as disruptive as one would expect from an army who knew they wouldn’t be held accountable for their actions. Theft, beatings, murders, and rapes were now an everyday occurrence.

  But collaborators were just as bad, in Emily’s mind. Actual citizens of Firma using the chaos to settle old scores. Reporting their neighbors or their business competitors to the Serpents, so that they might be gotten rid of.

  Ness whistled again as he saw Emily place two halves of a wooden sphere to one side and begin mixing several powders together. “Never took you for an explosives maker, Emi,” he said as he sat up to take a closer look.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not much of one, but people change,” she replied as she carefully measured a white powder into a small bowl.

  Ness snorted. “People like to think that they can change. In the end we’re all just pretending.”

  “If you pretend to be something long enough, you may just become it,” Emily replied shortly. “What about the palace?”

  “Exactly as you would expect.” Ness shrugged. “It’s a fortress: multiple four-man patrols, manned walls, rooftop sharpshooters, enchanted doors—the works.”

  Placing the mixed powders in one half of the sphere, Emily applied a glue to the rim and covered it carefully with the other half, before pushing a piece of long, thin cloth through a hole at the top. She turned the sphere in her hands a few times before nodding to herself, happy with her work. Then she placed it to one side to start on another. “Did you check the path I told you about?” she asked. It was the very route she had used to run away from home herself, long ago.

  “I did.” Ness stood and walked to the edge of the room, where a small fire crystal enchanted for heat had been placed. “It’s just as you described. Did spot two patrols nearby, but it’s still the easiest way in and out.” As he spoke, he propped a cooking plate over the crystal, and used an old pot they had scavenged to begin heating some water.

  Emily glanced over her shoulder at the window Ness had come through. It was dark out, too dark to see anything, but she knew the palace was in that direction. Her family, too. Was she really going to go through with this? Her father might have known about the purge, but he might have not had a choice in the matter. Was killing her family to send a message really the right choice here?

  “Why did you run away?” Ness asked, as he dropped some dried tea leaves into the pot.

  Emily shifted her gaze back to him. His back was facing her, clad in that enchanted green cloak that allowed him to disappear. She was about to answer, but hesitated, a lump forming in her throat at the memories: the day her own father had called her into his office; the way he had touched her… She could still feel her skin shiver when she remembered, and disgust filled her.

  The first time it had occurred, Emily had forced herself to forget it, treating it as if it was bad dream. But then it kept happening—over and over again.

  Finally, she had told her mother about it. But to her shock, her mother had only advised her to endure it.

  Then there had been the ball celebrating her brother’s birthday. Her father had pulled her into a side room, and in a drunken stupor tried to force himself upon her. She had been able to escape him, but she couldn’t stay in that house anymore. She ran that night, in her ballgown, through streets and down open roads until she reached Arna. Where Jaz had found her.

  Emily closed her eye, trying to clear the memories from her mind. “An old story. It doesn’t matter anymore,” she said quietly, returning to work on the second explosive.

  She could feel Ness’s gaze on her now, and she wondered what he saw. Ness had always been able to read her; it was one of the things she both loved and hated about him. Mostly hated, if she was honest. She couldn’t blame him, though—it was his job to know and act on these things. It just hadn’t helped their relationship very much.

  But when he spoke, it was only to offer her a cup of tea. “Here,” he said, gently.

  Emily stretched painfully, then stood, accepting it. “What’s the plan? When do we move?” she asked as she took a sip. The bitter flavor filled her mouth, along with a much-needed warmth.

  “Tonight. I’ve coordinated with the others. We’ll have five specialists, including myself. I don’t think I’ve even heard of a mission before with five specialists—though I had hoped the Low Streets Gang would bow out. Julian is denser than the walls we’re planning to jump over.”

  Emily giggled. “Play nice,” she said, slapping his shoulder.

  Ness smiled, but then his expression turned serious. “Are you sure you want to do this, Emi?”

  Emily sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor. “Yes. They must pay for their part in this… just as the Gold Serpents and the Ejani Imperial Family will, in time.”

  Even she could hear the doubt in her voice. Ness placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. “Doing this will certainly solidify your reputation in the eyes of the others. I don’t think you’ll have any issues claiming leadership of this little revolution, afterwards.”

  “Little revolution?” Emily asked, taking another sip of her tea.

  “Revolt? Insurgency? Whatever you wish to call it,” Ness said lightly, as he moved to peer out the window.

  Silence descended between them as Emily nursed her cup, taking small sips. “Ness, do you…? No, never mind.”

  Ness turned and leaned against the windowsill. “Do I think you have a chance?”

  Emily pursed her lips at his ability to read her. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  “You’re a really bad liar, love. You need to work on that.”

  Emily glared at him, which made him smile before shaking his head.

  “No, I don’t think you do. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it anyway. I’m a bit of a romantic, so I’ll stay with you until the end. Maybe we’ll be forced to make a last stand together�
�� our fingers touching, as they line us up to be executed,” he said, one hand stretched outward to an imaginary Emily, the other clenched dramatically over his heart. “The tragedy of it all!”

  “You’re hopeless,” Emily said with a grin before letting out a small yawn. Her body felt terribly heavy all of a sudden.

  “Ness…” she said, puzzled as the empty cup fell from her hand and rolled across the floor. His hand moved to her head and caught her just as she was about to fall forward.

  “You’re okay, love,” he said, as he laid her gently on the bed.

  “You… you,” she tried to say, but she couldn’t push the words out.

  “You’re just going to take a small nap, that’s all,” he said as he tucked her in. “I’ll be back when the job is done.”

  “I’m goin…” she slurred, before she finally succumbed and lost consciousness.

  * * *

  Emily stretched her stiff limbs, a moan escaping her lips at the slight pleasure before she remembered what had happened. “Ness!” she growled, snapping awake, but her attempt to jump out of bed was hampered by the handcuffs restraining her.

  They were attached, she saw, to the headboard. She pulled on them, testing their strength, but while the bed creaked slightly, she wasn’t going to be breaking free any time soon. Emily cursed aloud. She was going to kill that man. She pushed back against the headboard, seeing if there was any way she could twist or unlock the cuffs, but she couldn’t reach them. A small note scribbled on a piece of paper atop the nearby desk caught her eye.

  Be back in a bit love, it read, and it even had a drawing of a heart.

  She was definitely going to kill him.

  Glancing out the window, she noticed it was still dark, meaning she couldn’t have been out for too long. But tied up like this, there wasn’t much she could do except wait.

  So wait she did, her remaining eye intently focused on the candle as she counted each drop of wax as it slid down its length. Hours must have passed in this way, until she felt herself growing hungry. Why drug her, then run off? What was this about?

  Then suddenly, she snapped back into high alert as bells began chiming in the distance, followed by people yelling orders from the streets. A few minutes later, the window slid open and Ness dived into the room headfirst.

  “You’re awake,” he said cheerily, as he pulled back his hood and dropped a bag to the ground.

  “That’s what you have to say?” Emily growled, again pulling on the chains restraining her arms.

  Ness smiled and fished a key from a small pouch before tossing it to her. It landed on the bed between her legs. Emily looked at it, then back up at Ness, furiously jiggling the chain around her right hand.

  “Ah, you can’t reach it,” Ness said, still grinning, before moving closer to pick up the key. The moment he leaned in, Emily pushed herself up and wrapped her legs around his neck, pulling him down to the bed as she squeezed—hard.

  Ness didn’t struggle much, only tapped on her thighs in surrender. “What did you do?” Emily growled, squeezing harder. His face started to redden… but then a sharp pain exploded in her thigh and Emily yelped, her death grip loosening enough for Ness to free himself.

  “You pinched me!” Emily hissed. She twisted around to see a small bruise and a dot of blood on the back of her right thigh.

  Ness coughed, rubbing his neck with a wince. “It worked, didn’t it?” He turned his head to one side then the other, checking for any damage. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m not against having you wrapped around me like that—but are you going to behave long enough so I can open the cuffs? We can go back to the naughty stuff later.”

  Emily glared him, but finally nodded.

  “Are you sure?” he asked slowly, as if speaking to a child. The smile on his face left little doubt as to how much he was enjoying this. “I mean, I could imagine you being into this kind of thing.”

  Heat rushed into Emily’s cheeks. “Shut up and get these off me,” she ordered, as she again shook the chains, making them rattle.

  Ness bent obediently and unlocked the first handcuff, before placing the key into her palm so that she could undo the other herself.

  Finally free, Emily sat upright and rubbed her wrists, watching Ness as he paced the length of room. The bells had stopped now, but there was still a commotion coming from outside. “Well?” she demanded, impatiently. She had a suspicion as to where Ness had been, but it didn’t explain why he had drugged her.

  “It’s done,” he said finally, his usual mirth absent.

  An unexpected sting pierced Emily’s heart at his words. It’s done… Ness turned to face her, his face devoid of emotion. It was the face of the merciless killer she knew him to be.

  “All of them?” she asked, her voice just a whisper.

  “Milesa and Alen Fermont were killed in their sleep by the others. I got to Grendale Fermont in his office,” Ness said, his cold eyes studying her.

  Emily knew what he was doing. Calling them by their names was more detached than telling her I murdered your father while the others murdered your mother and brother in their sleep. She blinked hard, looking away as she tried to control the sudden and unexpected flood of emotion.

  “I should have been there. I should have done it,” she said, her voice cracking. Why did she even care? She had run away. She hadn’t seen her family in years.

  Ness took a seat on the edge of the bed, placing a gentle hand on her knee. “Even if I believed you were capable of killing your own blood, doing something like that would break you. Maybe not on the same day, or even in the same year… but in time, the deed would catch up to you. I didn’t want you to go through that,” he added, giving her knee a squeeze.

  Ness trying to comfort her was the last thing Emily needed. She was mad at him. She wanted to hurt him—kill him, even—for what he had done. A weight pulled on her heart as tears began to fall. “It hurts…” she said, and to her utter embarrassment, found herself curling into a ball, sobbing, her hands clasped against her chest. Ness moved closer, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her close.

  “This is the first step on a difficult road you chose to walk, love. One full hardships and death. This is only the beginning. For now, let out your sorrows. Tomorrow, we can talk about what I found,” he said, then kissed the top of her head.

  Emily wrapped her hands around him, her nails digging into his back as the dam she had built around herself crumbled to dust, and she wept in his arms.

  * * *

  Emily squinted as the first signs of light pierced their room. They had lain together in darkness for some time now, Ness deciding against lighting a new candle so as to not attract the attention of the soldiers running around outside.

  They lay in silence as Emily gathered herself, as she tried to process the fact that her entire family was dead by her order. Since females could not inherit any titles in Ejan, her noble house had effectively come to an end. But it wasn’t as if that had mattered to her in the first place.

  “Did we lose anyone?” she asked thickly, as she rubbed her wet cheeks.

  Ness was silent for a few moments. “Julian, from the Low Streets Gang. He died as we were leaving.”

  Emily glanced at him, suspicious. “How?”

  The edges of Ness’s lips curved upwards, a sadistic glint in his eye. “He mishandled a defective explosive.”

  Emily’s eye opened wide as she leaned forward over the edge of the bed to check on the explosive she had made. It was gone. “Ness!” she yelled. “You didn’t.”

  “No one is going to miss him,” Ness replied dismissively.

  Emily stared at him in disbelief, her jaw hanging open. “The Low Street Gang might,” she pointed out.

  Ness shrugged. “There’s no way for them to connect it to us, and we’re better off in the long run without such a burden of a man. You know he tried to kill a sharpshooter on the roof, and missed? Twice! What a dimwit.” Ness shook his head before pointing at her. “Als
o. For everyone’s sakes, you shouldn’t make any more explosives. That thing was less stable than an orc berserker dunked in a tub of blood. It did go boom well enough, but I don’t think the time or place was exactly as intended. I’m not against suicide bombings, but I feel it’s too early in our efforts for that sort of desperate act.”

  Emily frowned at him. It wasn’t as if she even liked making explosives; she was more a potion type of girl. But that thought brought back memories of Jaz teaching her basic Alchemy. Damn. She bit her lower lip, remembering with another stab of pain that he was gone too. Both her real and surrogate father were dead. It seemed like she was losing everyone, and fast. Even though she was responsible for one of those deaths, it didn’t change her feeling of impending doom.

  “You said you found something?” she pressed.

  “A whole lot of somethings,” Ness replied as he grabbed the bag he had tossed to one side earlier, and began pulling out bundles of papers and letters. “Starting with the unsurprising. Seems to be a group of vampires running all around the Empire, introducing the Blood Curse to any and all settlements they come across.” He handed over a stack of what appeared to be mission scout reports.

  Emily scanned them quickly, taking note of the locations and numbers. There were quite a few of them, and it didn’t take an expert to see the coordinated nature of the attacks. The most interesting report, however, detailed one vampire they had been able to capture—on its way to Gent, the capital of the Eastern Provinces. It wore what the Gold Serpents bluntly described as “Caelian uniform.”

  Emily frowned at that. Why would vampires play at being Caelian soldiers? “We will have to keep our eyes open,” she said, replacing the last report atop the pile, “but while these vampires may have spread the Blood Curse, it was the Ejani who purged the cities.”