Prologue : Deep and Dark

A Chapter by robin vega

“You know why you are here.”

The voice echoed in the dank, dark air. The stone walls made the masculine voice reverberate through the small room, amplifying it. The resonance enhanced the deep tones of the sound, confident and monotonous. I stood there, on a cold stone table in the dead center of the room. Not a muscle moved in my body, save vital organs. Even my heartbeat seemed slower than normal. My breathing seemed shallower, more spaced out.

“Why are you here?” The person to whom the voice belonged to was unseen, hidden somewhere in the corners of the dark cell. All that was visible of the mysterious figure was a silhouette of a tall, thin man and two icy pale blue eyes, gleaming hungrily. Slowly, the figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a tall man with pale skin and thin, short, and straight, brown hair. The only color on his long black robes was the occasional splash of crimson accents.

I held my head high, matching my perfect posture. “I was brought here to be trained and drilled.” My voice showed no emotion, exactly how I was trained to be.

“Trained and drilled for what?” The man walked over to me, leaning over me. “Tell me, Tygre. What is your purpose?”

“You of all people should know this, Master.” I looked over at Master, showing my occasional burst of rebellion. “But, as you wish. I was brought here to be the most accomplished assassin the land of Yven has ever seen.” My brown, creamy skin was tainted silver by the fading moonlight, and the light cast accents upon my long, wavy brown hair. Defiant, fiery amber eyes shone from my youthful face.

Master stood to my left and lifted a hand. He gently traced his hand up my jawbone and rested it behind my ear, making me tremble from his touch. “Very good, Tygre. Do you think you have done that?” I could feel the vibrations in his deep voice.

“Yes.” I answered, feeling a rare warm feeling of pride. “You said so yourself.”

“Indeed I did.” Master lowered his face to my ear, spilling his cold breath on my neck and down my back. “And at such a young age, merely seventeen.” He curled his lips back, revealing his pristine white teeth. “And so pretty…perfect for your job.”

I stiffened, catching my breath. My long awaited mission was finally to be announced. He promised me that I would be important someday, and this was my chance to prove to him, and the entire land with him, that I was the best, the greatest, the undefeated Tygre. Everyone in Yven would know my name and tremble, even the royal family, as corrupt as they come. Even they would bow at the sight of me and bend their awful ways for me.

“You, Tyrge, have shown an incredible amount of determination and skill.” Master circled around me like a hungry panther. “You pass every test I give you with flying colors. You learn things more quickly than a cheetah can run. You’re skilled in every area: knives, swords, spears, stealth, poison, lying, everything. That’s,” He paused, to stare into my fiery eyes with his icy ones. “Why you are perfect for your mission.”

He paused again, looking me over, his cold eyes running over my sleek body. “Such a perfect figure,” he cooed. “How perfect for your mission.”

“Tell me master,” I said, letting a bit of desperation into my carefully monitored voice. “What is my perfect mission?”

Master smiled a deadly, mischievous smile that made fear flow through my veins. “You, my dear Tygre, are to assassinate the Royal Family of Yven. The King is old, and failing. His tyrannical rule has thrown our country into chaos. We need to restore order. The Queen is weak, and the Princess is meek and easily taken care of. The Prince is next in line, and strong. But he will not prove difficult. You must get close to the royal family and slowly pick them off. But your main concern is the Prince. He is starting to learn the cruel ways of his father, and he is beginning to shut down our network. Get close to him, and kill him.” He paused for breath. “I know you won’t disappoint.”

I smiled with every word he spoke, a grand scheme forming in my mind while my lips curled, revealing my slightly pointed teeth. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Master.”

Master backed up, into the shadows of the dank room. “Then go, Tygre. Don’t let me down.”

I melted into the shadows with him, my crooked, pointed smile fading into the darkness like the crescent moon disappearing behind a storm cloud, or like the fabled Cheshire cat, mysterious and impossible.

“Yes, Master. The Tygre shall strike.”

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