Peter Mercier and the Hunters of Artemis

Chapter 2

"Wake up," said Amber, shaking Peter's shoulder. His pale face was smothered in sweat, his unkempt blonde hair sticking to his forehead. His turquoise eyes were open and darting around frantically, but he wasn't awake, still mumbling loudly under his shaking breaths. "Peter!"

He blinked, leaning forward slightly. The deathly silence startled him. "Hm?" he mumbled, focusing on her. She studied him worriedly. "What is it? What happened?"

"You were screaming," she answered, clearly distraught. Peter frowned, looking around. "Oh," he said blankly. He looked around the room, lingering towards a dark corner. His eyes started slowly adjusting to the pitch black. "Why? Did something happen?"

"I wasn't the one screaming," she said, starting to get back up. It was clear she hadn't gotten much sleep, the bags under her eyes visible. She made her way to the bed, redoing the sheets she'd pushed aside while avoiding the unusually sharp corners of the wooden frame. "You tell me."

He shrugged and opened his mouth to speak, but something caught his eye and he got to his feet. His eyes widened, focusing on the dark corner near the desk.

He backed up, spotting the pointed tip of a sword glinting in the moonlight next to Amber. "There's someone behind you," he mouthed slowly, hoping she'd be able to discern his words in the darkness. Thankfully she did, raising her fists and whipping around as they lunged forwards.

They cried out as Amber's fist met their face. The black hood they wore fell to their broad shoulders as they stumbled back, revealing a brown-haired girl, a single red mark now plastered on her otherwise pale left cheek. Peter ran up beside Amber, slowing down his approach as their assailant regained her focus.

She swung, gritting her teeth as the blade cut through the air. Peter narrowly avoided gaining another scar to his hefty collection under the linen shirt. He caught her wrist, pulling her down to Amber's feet and prying the sword from her grip. The dark wood strained loudly as she hit the floor face-first, remaining motionless. After a second, there was a dull wooden crack.

"Who are you?" Peter demanded, waiting for an answer that didn't arrive. A beat of silence went by, Amber and him sharing a worried look. "Who sent you here?"

Amber didn't look as confused, cursing under her breath as she knelt. "Are there more?" she asked the assassin, walking forward. Not getting an answer, she knelt and tenderly lifted the girl's chin with her hand.

The girl's eyes were closed, her head and body limp. A white, frothy substance emanated from her slightly open mouth. Her skin seemed more drained of color than it had previously been. "Did we kill her?" Peter asked, lowering the sword. "No," she replied, her voice shaky. She hurriedly retreated away, wiping her hands on her trousers. "It's their oath."

"What the hell does that mean?" Peter asked, furrowing his brow. "What didn't you tell me, Amber?"

"I have a bounty on me," she answered, studying the body. The girl wasn't much older than them. "I didn't think they'd follow us in. It's not something they normally do."

"What?" Peter shouted. "You didn't think it would be, I don't know," he scoffed, waving the sword around in frustration. "Important to warn me?"

"I try to be optimistic, Peter," she defended, raising her voice. Her fists clenched as she took a step forward. "This hasn't happened in the years I've been on the run. It's not like I-"

The door burst open, another person barging in with a dagger in their hand. They charged towards Amber, who couldn't turn around in time. Luckily, she didn't need to.

The person tripped over Peter's boots, sending them tumbling into the wall with a loud 'bang!'. They shrieked, starting to cry and shout hysterically, reaching for their leg. "My ankle!"