Scriptures of Assassination

Zylphia was given a mission from her retainer to kill the monarchs of a kingdom. Before she could attack them she is stopped and attacked by the man she trusted most.

As the sun finally disappeared down the top of the distant mountains, so did the tri-colour clouds. Darkness swept across the sky eliminating any traces of light, except for the single bright moon that allowed the world to see. The area was quite clear for miles on end, mountains sprouted up in the distance, forming a semi-circle. Parallel to the mountains were rivers and streams that flowed gracefully down to the large lake sitting in the middle. Trees left the land pure and visible, only appearing at the edges of the valley to block the view from those who were far from it. The rest of the land was covered in such pure green grass it could put any farmer to shame. Light from the moon reflected off the boulders and bodies of water making the area glow, sparkle almost. This truly was a land sent from the heavens.

Hearing the distant sounds of hooves I turned my head towards the forest. In just a mere minute a group of horses, with soldiers seated upon them, entered the valley, looking exhausted. In the lead with a beautiful lady was a man who looked to be in his forties wearing a gem encrusted gold crown signifying that he was the king. The lady seemed younger but it was no secret that she was the same age as the man. She was downright gorgeous, with or without the many pieces of jewellery and crown she wore. They were the monarchs of the East Kingdom. 

I watched from my position at the peak of a hill, as the group traveled towards the lake with soft chatter floating between them. There was a smile present on most of them, but some were growling for reasons unknown. Once they reached the lake they dismounted and set up for the night. The horses stood together eating the soft grass under them while their masters seated themselves near the lake enjoying the view. They spoke no louder than mice, though they were the only ones there. The royal couple was seated in each other's arms right next to the lake speaking of adoration for each other in soft whispers. A group of the soldiers, which were the royal guard, had brought tiny rocks, twigs and branches from the forest and built a small fire to keep warm. The royal guard sat around the fire speaking incoherently of tales of phenomenal adventures as pieces of meat were brought out from their sacks and were cooked. The royal couple joined the laughter and all was soft and peaceful.

Once an hour or two had passed and most of them had fed and were floating to the world of dreams, I decided to begin the end of my mission. Pushing myself to my feet I pulled up my hood while my hand traveled to my twin swords strapped to my side hidden under my cloak. With a glance at the moon I began my descent down the hill knowing that in a matter of minutes all human life in this valley, excluding myself, would be dead.

"Zylphia!” a voice called from behind me, causing me to freeze mid-step. Fear crawled up my skin as I turned my head around to face the man who called my name. Standing on the peak of the hill I was sitting at just moments ago was a hooded man whose blood red eyes shined through the darkness. His sword was out and held over his shoulder as he watched me.

"Seth, what has brought you here?” I questioned, keeping my voice steady. He shifted his weight before looking down at the group off people I was watching just moments ago.

"I hear you had taken this mission. Quite simple, is it not?” he announced his methods as sly as a snake before it's kill.

"This mission is my own and I will not allow you to take it,” I stated, knowing what he was planning. He turned back to me and I suddenly saw a smile form, causing me to worry.

"Do not worry, young one. I will not take your mission,” he stated, coming towards me. "I have been given another mission, which I find far more enjoyable."

"Which one is that?” I questioned, growing fearful. In a flash he disappeared from before me, giving me just enough time to pull out my sword, as his came down upon me. He face was inches before my own, his hood had fallen back from his quick attack.

"Your death,” he answered before he snapped his body back to appear behind me. Using my quick reflexes I spun around and blocked yet another of his attacks. I did not have enough time to question why he was trying to kill me as he had pulled out his daggers. In a flash, which was the speed all assassins were required, they were thrown, aimed at my chest. With a snap of my sword I deflected the daggers but didn't watch as they flew away.

"Stop this Seth! I don't want to hurt you,” I begged but it fell on deaf ears. He did not respond, he just continued to attack while I continued to dodge. How could Seth betray me like this? After all the time we spent together? He was like my brother and yet here he was, trying to kill me.

It was until he dug his sword into my shoulder, just barely missing my heart, did I realize how serious he was. Ripping his blade out of my shoulder I jumped back, panting for air. Our eyes locked as I gritted my teeth in sheer vexation. Switching my sword to my left hand I pulled out my second as I closed my eyes. Taking a few deep breaths I cleared my mind of any thoughts to avoid hesitation before I rip his head off, leaving not so much as a sliver of skin attached. I sensed him, I heard him approaching in a run and blocked with a single blade. With the other I surprised him and cut a deep gash in his torso before jumping back. He cried out in pain before composing himself and running towards me with another attack.

After almost a half hour of non-stop back and forth volleys did we finally reach our limits. Seth stood, slightly staggering, with open wounds running along his body as I was in a similar state. We had a single attack at the most left before our bodies would finally give out.

"Seth,” I called trying to gain his attention. "Why is my death so important that you must risk your life to do so?"

He stared blankly before responding, “I was ordered to kill you and you know how an order is absolute. Orders given must be followed by the brotherhood by the laws of the Scriptures of Assassination. You of all people know that there must be no emotion reason to do or not to do any missions given. There is no other reason nor does there need to be. Stand your own Zylphia, as this will be where you die."

With those words he sped towards me, sword raised, and then I knew. This was the end for one of us, the one who wasn’t prepared to kill. I raised my blade as well, watching it shine in the moonlight, before our attacks finally collided and our eyes connected. Pain erupted from my chest which I hid so as not to bellow out. Tears of pain flowed to my eyes as I dropped my head to see the attack. It was not Seth, I held him inches away with both his hands on his sword. It was an arrow that pierced me from the back and through my chest. My knees gave out and my swords fell to the ground. I landed face first with the pain quickly numbing my body. I turned to where the arrow had come from and saw who shot it. My, no, our retainer stood at the top of the hill, bow still raised. I turned back to Seth who watched me with a dead expression.

The pain soon took over as did the darkness. With a final cry of pain my vision blurred before disappearing as my body finally gave out. It was over.