A Shade's Task

Chapter 3

Don turned to Jerome and a scowl appeared on his face. "I wasn't expecting you to come crawling back," he said to Jerome not paying Carinia any mind.

Jerome started scratching his left arm with his right hand. "I came to collect my coins from the delivery you asked of me."

"The delivery you didn't finish," Don stated glaring at the pitiful man. "My men had to go behind you and finish the job."

"You never said anything about killing anyone. I delivered the goods, that's what I was told." Jerome stated.

Don laughed a little while shaking his head, "I told you to make sure to take care of any loose ends. You were spotted, and you didn't take care of the loose ends. My men took care of it. If they hadn't, we would have been in some trouble. I don't pay for failures," Don told him with a stern tone. "Your out of luck if you think you are getting out of here with anything, or out of here at all." He snapped his fingers at the two men next to him and then pointed at Jerome.

Jerome took several steps back towards Carinia who slipped her dagger out already and it was now placed in the middle of his back. He froze in place with his hands raised in surrender, "Please. I have somewhere else to get the money. I just need to get out of here," He whispered to her.

She smirked a little, "I am afraid this was your only chance with me. It's time to collect my bounty."

The two men stopped as though seeing her for the first time, and they were confused. Don looked at her and at Jerome and then back to her trying to figure out what she was doing there.

Jerome swallowed hard and then before Carinia could prepare for what he was about to do he flung himself forward in a panic and turned his back to the brutes to look at her. He raised his finger at her and spoke in a panic, "She's here to spy on you. Threatened me to come in here and talk to you so she could learn about this place and report back to her boss."

"Why would you let her come in here? You should have just gotten yourself killed." Don stated seething, "Now we will kill both of you." He said as he waved for the two men to continue.

Before they could think to grab Jerome, who had been a few steps away from them at this point, Carinia had already grabbed the sorry excuse of a man and had taken a few steps back. "I'm afraid this man has a debt to pay with my employer that needs to be paid. I can't let you kill him." Before they could stop her, she knocked Jerome behind his head, and he collapsed to the floor unconscious. Grabbing a white stone out of one of her pockets she tossed it on his body and whispered a spell under her breath. There was a snap of energy and in an instant his body was gone. He would be teleported to a locked room back at the shop for Diane to deal with.

All three men looked around confused trying to figure out where the body went, then they looked at her with a bit of a scowl. "Mage," they all cursed under their breath.

Carinia chuckled a little, "Sorry to bother you all. If you don't mind, I will just get going." She gave him an innocent little smile and pretended to turn away from them.

"Don't you dare. You aren't leaving here. What did you do with that bottom feeder? If you think you are saving that dead beat, you have another thing coming." Don stated looking at her with hatred and disdain.

Carinia turned back to them and tried to keep her excitement under control. "He's going to be paying what he owes with his body. There are a few that will pay a decent price for various parts of his," she said with a bit of a chuckle. "His situation is worse than death."

"If we can't kill him then you will do." Don signaled for the men to continue their advance.

She let out an exasperated sigh pretending to be overwhelmed by the two brutes walking towards her. "Whatever will I do?" Just as the words left her mouth, she unsheathed her sword and stepped between the both of them and in a blink, they were gripping their middle and crumbled to the floor, their blood made a large pool around them. She stepped away with a shrug and bit her lip, "I guess the bigger they are the more blood they lose." Carinia turned to look at Don who paled as she started to approach. There was a sudden change in the air around her and she brought her sword up to her left side and blocked an arrow from reaching her head. Before another arrow could be knocked, she pulled out a throwing dagger and threw it at her assailant and it landed square between his eyes. The body staggered a moment and then fell out of the balcony he had been in. There was a loud crash as the crates went flying from the weight of the body falling from above. Carinia made a little face, "Ouch." She looked back at Don, "I don't think he will be feeling that in the morning. You, however, have lost some goods in this process. I do apologize, as I am not very good at picking where the bodies land." She gave him a mischievous smile.