Peter Mercier and the Hunters of Artemis

Chapter 6

It wasn't quite dark yet when Lillian woke up, curled up silently in a corner behind a dusty wooden barrel that smelled like spoiled milk. Below deck was full of spiders, but being able to hear every word her targets spoke for the last half-day was enough entertainment for her to ignore them.

They'd been tailing the girl for a while, which was her and her two mentors' primary target. Once she was dead they could finish the trials and focus on training Lillian. But the boy sweetened the deal for them, so they decided to take the risk.

And they were dead, now.

After braving the setting sun and quickly heading to the budding forest after hearing a rustle on the ship next to her, she had watched them meander around the village for a few hours, eventually settling to sleep in a lone house off by a hill. And so now, a small dagger in her hand, she quietly made her way out of the bushes near the docks where she'd been hiding.

She was shivering as she tiptoed, half from her thin black clothes that allowed more movement and half from the adrenaline. It wasn't an urge to kill though, but rather an urge to leave. If she made it back safely, maybe she wouldn't have to go out on these missions anymore.

'Doubtful,' she decided, pulling the hood over her head with her free hand. The stone streets muffled her footsteps well enough, but she made a beeline for the grass nevertheless. She brushed her curly brown hair out of her eyes before cutting behind a forge. She noticed the stage only after she passed it, seeing it on her right as she ascended the hill to the house. 'A fallback,' she designated. 'I could hide in the rafters should things go south.'

She neared the door, praying it was unlocked. There was a faint flickering orange light from a small gap underneath. She pressed her ear against the wood and heard nothing of note, though. It gave a little, making her heart drop into her stomach as it let out the smallest creak. She froze and whimpered like a scared rabbit, waiting for footsteps or the sound of a sword unsheathing. What if they'd seen her?

'Stop it,' she thought to herself. 'You can do this. You can take them,' she sighed, biting her lip out of nervousness.

The door did creak a bit as it opened, but nobody stirred inside. It was very dim, and she was only able to make out the bed in front of her and the light of a fire in the other room. There was a human-like figure lying in the bed cloaked in sheets, softly snoring. She shut the door, what light illuminating the floor fading as she did. Assuming the girl was in the room where the hearth was, she took a deep breath and trudged forward.

'How thoughtful,' she winced, eyeing the exposed flesh of his neck. A small vein bulged from it, beckoning as it pulsed ever so slightly. She raised the dagger. "Here goes," she whispered aloud.

Then, she was grabbed.

The dagger was pried from her hand and her mouth was firmly covered by a soft hand. "Peter!" the girl screamed desperately, pulling her backward. "Get off your ass!"

'Oh,' Lillian thought, biting the hand. Her teeth broke the skin and the girl shrieked, letting her go. The dagger clattered to the floor, and she picked it up and retreated backward, nearly tripping on a coat littering the ground. The bed creaked as the boy got up, looking more confused than threatening. 'I was wondering where you were.'

She held up the dagger, pointing it at the girl while staring down at the boy. "I am Lillian Odindithe," she announced, watching them. The girl was holding her hand in pain but looked ready to fight even still. "Kneel and die bravely or be slaughtered like dogs."

"I choose neither," the boy replied, rubbing his eyes. "Now get the hell out of here."

"I'm afraid that's not an option," she said, her voice shaking. The boy sighed, watching the girl turn and run into the other room. 'Maybe she's looking for a weapon," Lillian thought. For a mere second, she lowered the dagger and craned her neck, and Peter took his chance.