LURE (Preview)

Chapter 1

Nathaniel slipped into the bar under the cover of the night. He had a long tail that dragged behind him, two large horns protruding from his skull, and wore a well-tailored suit. At his waist, he bore a rapier with a fancy handle and a carving on the handle. A large man with breath that smelled like a skunk came up to him. "Where are you coming from?" he asked in a rough, accented voice. "I'm coming from nowhere." Nathaniel said, walking past the man. He stepped to the bar and requested the man working the counter, "Hey, have you seen any men in a black cloak? Possibly said he was waiting for someone?" The tender pointed at a table. "Not another step, pretty boy." The man said. Nathaniel kept walking. The man lunged at Nathaniel, stumbling drunkenly and swinging a punch for his head. Nathaniel caught the man, lifting him over his shoulder, slamming him into the counter. A grunt came with an audible crunch as he made an impact.
Nathaniel walked past and sat at the table where the tender had pointed. "Hello Nathaniel," came from the hood, "it's so nice to see you." The voice made chills run down Nathaniel's spine. "Hello there, Trynacous." Trynacous pulled a claw from under the cloak, pulling the hood back so slightly that only Nathaniel could see his face. Trynacous had the features of a dragon with large pink eyes. He grinned at Nathaniel. He called out to the man running the counter. "Anything to drink?" Trynacous said, turning his gaze to Nathaniel as the tender ran up to them. "Wine." Nathaniel said, calmly. Trynacous laughed. "Consider this part of your payment." He said. He ordered one whiskey and one wine. "Who do you need dead?" Nathaniel asked as the tender rushed off. Trynacous's grin faltered. "Have you ever heard of Berthan The Great?" Trynacous asked. "No, I don't believe I have." Nathaniel said. "He is a danger to my plan." "What exactly is this plan?" Nathaniel asked. "Nothing you need to know."
Someone slammed into Nathaniel as he and Trynacous talked. "I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" roared in his rough, accented voice. The man from earlier crushed Nathaniel. The man punched Nathaniel again, this time leaving a mark. He tried to reach for his sword, but the man pinned him down. Nathaniel rammed his horns into the man, and when he pulled back, blood stained the tips. The man screamed, scrambling back, hitting his head on a table. He jumped back up, clutching his side where Nathaniel's horns had hit him. Nathaniel stood, dusting off his suit.
"That was dramatic." Trynacous said calmly. Nathaniel sat down across from Trynacous, who had fully pulled back his hood. "How much?" Nathaniel asked. "300 Gold." Trynacous said. The tender ran up, placing a wine glass and a mug on their table. Trynacous sipped his whiskey, then slammed the mug on the table.
"Berthan The Great can be found in the upper class sectors. He leaves in 2 days. " He said. Nathaniel stood, grabbing his wine glass. "Then I should go home and plan for tomorrow night." Trynacous nodded, then shifted his gaze to his mug. As he walked out the door, Nathaniel drank his wine, then dropped the glass on the floor. It shattered, sending shards into the drunken man's face.
Nathaniel opened the door to his cabin as quietly as he could. He snuck into his living room, trying not to wake up his mother. She was old enough that he had to be taking care of her. She was the reason he was an assassin. He had been looking for a job so that he could take care of her because nobody would accept him. "We can't trust you being all, demon-like, ya know?" "NO! I DON'T KNOW!" Nathaniel screamed as he walked along the street that night. He had screamed about their prejudices when a man approached. The man had offered him a job as an assassin. Nathaniel resisted at first. He didn't want to kill people for a living, but eventually he gave in. He needed the money and someone had to take care of his mother. "Nathaniel!" yelled an elderly voice. He cursed and walked into his mother's room. "Yes, Mom?" He asked. "Where have you been?" His mother asked. He sighed, rubbing his forehead, "I was taking a walk." "A walk at midnight?" His mother asked. "I was with my friend." Nathaniel was lying, of course. He couldn't tell his mother that he was an assassin. She would go out there and tell the watchmen somehow. "Ok then. Stay out of the downtown areas" Nathaniel smiled. "Love you too, mom." He left his mother's room and headed into his own.
Nathaniel awoke to the sound of glass shattering in another room. He jumped up, running into the living room. A man stood in front of a broken window. He wore a hooded robe and held dual wield swords. Nathaniel drew a knife from his pocket. "WHO ARE YOU?!" Nathaniel yelled. "Someone you'll never see again." The man swung his blades at Nathaniel. Nathaniel crouched and kicked out the man's legs. The man jumped, turning a somersault and landing gracefully on the window seal. Nathaniel leaped for the wall, kicking off and throwing his knife at the man's chest. The man dodged the knife, then his blades lit on fire. "You're a genasi!" Nathaniel realized. "Yes, and you're in a suit, tailored perfectly for combat." 
The man swung his blades at Nathaniel. They struck his shoulder, lighting his suit. Nathaniel reached up and patted the flames out. "This suit is immune to fire. Your blades do nothing." The man dashed past Nathaniel. Nathaniel drew his rapier and slashed at the man's leg. The man leaped through the doorway to Nathaniel's mother's room, dodging the hit. "NO!" Nathaniel cried. His mother's scream was the only reply. Nathaniel charged into the room, but the man had already gone. Disappeared into thin air. "No, no, no no no!" Nathaniel said, seeing his mother on the floor. "Nathaniel," His mother gasped. She coughed, spitting out blood. "I love you, Nathaniel. Remember that." Her eyes rolled back into her head and her mouth opened wide, exhaling her final breath. His mom was now dead.