At times, it seems, it may be appropriate to condone acts of violence. I've always been against all acts of violence, no matter the circumstances. Yet, here I lie, waiting to die, and still having naught a shadow of regret for that secret which I keep. So I shall reveal before God, what I have done. I, Helena Reutalina, did murder Refende Jurshope. Now it's out. Now I can die in peace.
The portal's mesh of color and patterns spun and splattered around me as I slowly crept through towards the destination. I was never one to enjoy any mission of any kind. To tell the truth, before I was sentenced eighty years in CRADEX, I wasn't even much of a fighter, let alone a killer. I hated myself for who I had become, and it pained me that nobody really knew me. I was famous of course, but it was for all the same reasons why I hated myself.
I knew that I had upended families, traumatized people of all ages, I'd even tortured a child. I had long ago determined that should my sentence end and I remain alive, then the first thing I would do with my freedom would be to exercise my right to kill myself.
The portal closed behind me silently, slowly decreasing the available light in the environment around me. I took a few steps forward and focused on gaining my bearings. I was never too sure what would meet me on this side of the portal, which was like a fun adventure, except that I always killed people on this side, so it wasn't really fun, and it certainly didn't feel like an adventure.
Each time I had an assignment, I was told to wear a new outfit. This time I donned a dark brown undershirt with silver patterns across the chest, topped with a lightweight cloak that was a deep green. The cloak was a thick material and fell to my calves. My pants were the same shade of brown, dark enough to look like black, and streaked with the same silver patterns. I thought I looked stupid, but it wasn't like I had a say in the matter.
Each mission called for a new set of weapons as well. In order to fit in or play the role required a unique ensemble at times. This time I wore a slender sword at my hip, elegant enough to be a decoration in a king's chamber, and a knife strapped to my thigh.
Around me was a rocky stretch of hard dirt and dead or dying grass. At my back was a forest with massive pines and spruce trees densely rooted together and quite foreboding in the fresh moonlight. There was a singular large stone and wooden tower amidst the stretch of dirt. It silently spoke of past wars with hostile enemies and grueling days of siege.
I was wondering what could cause such damage and why there was only one tower, but I quickly realized that if I looked closely enough farther across the stretch, I could spot sites where memories of formerly strong towers once stood.
Far ahead of me, I knew lied the city of Eda-Reben. I could not see it from where I stood, but it was my destination, so I set off walking.
Roughly two miles of walking eventually led me to the city wall. I was told that the city would be big. To say that was an understatement, would in itself, be an understatement. I gaped at the wall, willing myself to believe that it was real. In front of me stood a city that appeared to be more a mountain than a city. From a distance in broad daylight, it could have easily been mistaken for one. The gate rose chillingly high and must have required incredible numbers and strength to open.
I wasn't given any instructions on entering the city, so I decided to just scale it. There were enough small handholds and tiny rock outcroppings, and I was very confident in my abilities. To my expectations, it was not a challenge for me.
Every now and then I would pause to find my next handhold, but I was much stronger than any ordinary man, so hoisting myself up with only a couple fingers only required a small amount of added exertion.
The dark wall loomed high over me, despite a half hour of climbing. By my best guess, I figured I was a little over halfway up the wall. I hadn't even broken a sweat yet.
"Do try to be hasty my dear boy." The prison warden's voice rarely sounded in my ears, but apparently, he felt this mission required his input. It was more likely, however, that he was going to take sadistic pleasure in listening to all of my pain. "As you know, there could be a new sun at any time."
He was referring to a cultural belief commonly held by the people of this planet. The vast majority of this land would be inhabited by mountains and ranges. It was often sung, "The higher the mountain, the longer the night." This was because most people believed that a sun was reborn every morning. It rose over Sa' Tarah Mountain, but each night it set over a different mountain. Sa' Tarah Mountain was the home of the celestial gods of the land, and every day a new sun was given to the people as a gift for their works.
I thought that the belief was beautiful. None of that mattered though, there really was a science behind the cycles, so I knew that the sunrise wouldn't be for another nine hours.
After about an hour of climbing had passed, I was standing at the top, looking at a sleeping guard snoring on his cot. He was lying under a small wood frame topped with some sort of thatch.
I snuck by him carefully and located a staircase. I knew any number of stairs would lead downward, which was a pretty good start since I was trying to get to the streets of the city within the walls. I silently glided about, being sure not to stumble or disturb anything, or anyone. The inside of the wall itself was a crowded cluster of beds, barrels, and weapons. It was very well organized, but even hardened soldiers would need a couple months of training and familiarization in order to master the layout. It was obvious that if there was a siege, or the walls were under attack, then untrained men trying to climb out of bed and grab a weapon would be like several cattle being herded through a small fence door at the same time. It wouldn't work. Any guards that were awake, or patrolling, I killed. That's what I was told to do. I killed.
Twelve staircases later I was finally pressing my feet against cobblestone streets. The city layout was confusing. I'd read that the builders had wanted to be defensible in every way possible, and I was of the opinion that they had nailed it.
There weren't really any people on the street, but those that I saw kept their heads down, weary eyes bored into the ground. I was disappointed to discover that I stuck out like a sore thumb. The people I saw wore baggy pants and furry overcoats. Compared to them, I myself would be plainly and distinctly different. That could raise some very unwanted suspicions.
I quickly darted to a shadowed area beside a tall building and began plotting my next move. I knew it would still be easy to walk undetected through the city, but this ridiculous outfit could potentially give me away if I wasn't careful. I was always careful.
I walked over to another shadowed area and walked along the shadows for as long as I could before waiting and springing back into motion. This was the process I followed up the winding walkways and alleys. The darkness was my best ally as I got closer to the inner kingdom.
"So why this stupid outfit?" I hissed as I made another move.
The response was slow to come, but eventually the Warden spoke. "You're dressed as an assassin my dear boy. But not just that, you are dressed as one of the most fearsome group of assassins ever known to these people." He sounded excited, which was not something that ever made me feel comfortable. Quite the opposite, actually.
His response did make me wonder, why a feared assassin? Why something so recognizable? What did that accomplish?
I thought again of my mission and shivered. I had been close to pushing it put of mind, but my task was inescapable as it always was. I didn't know any of the people I was going to hurt, but that didn't make it any easier. Nothing could make my task easier.
Another hour of sneaking through dark winding streets and I was finally at the gate to the inner city. The further the moon rose in the sky, the less people I encountered. Eventually the streets would be empty, save for one or two stragglers or beggars.
The wall I faced now was a little different than the outer wall. It wasn't as thick or as tall as the former, due to lack of necessity. This wall wasn't designed to defend against enemy attack, rather, it most likely served the purpose of regulating traffic. That is, high class citizens lived in the inner city, whereas commoners presided in the outer. Most people weren't permitted to cross through the gates here because of that social hierarchy. The only traffic that crossed over were traders, businesspeople, merchants, and any other assortment of goods handlers. I myself wasn't going to need to cross through like anyone else would. The gates closed at sunset anyway. I was instructed to pass through the tunnels.
I hadn't approached the wall yet and wouldn't until I found the correct spot. I crept behind buildings and inside shadows, looking for the mark of the squirrel. I knew that directly below that would be the entrance to a tunnel leading directly to the palace. My destination. Though I was actively searching for it, I hoped deeply that I would not find the mark of the squirrel, whatever that was. Secretly I hoped that if I couldn't find it, then someone else would have to do the mission. Even more secretly, I hoped constantly that they would execute me.
A squirrel carved into the stone caught my eye and I groaned inwardly. It was just so obvious. Had they even tried to keep it subtle? I walked up to the wall and inspected the carving. Nothing really popped out to me. The stones were all solid, and I couldn't find any cracks that might have indicated a trap door.
My eye passed over an odd bump in the stone. I had been lucky to spot it, or perhaps incredibly unlucky. The moon had thrown shadows just enough so I could make it out. I looked away from it but knew that I had to inspect it. It wasn't a coincidence, I knew that much.
I peered up at the top of the wall. Seeing no guards, I approached the wall. It was smooth, impossible to scale, and colored white with dark specks throughout the entirety of it. I ran my hand over the spot that I'd seen. There was the slightest raise in the stone that the rest of the wall didn't have. It didn't match.
I started searching the ground beneath it, and successfully found a stone that had the same uncharacteristic bump on it. I tried the first thing that came to mind. Stepping on the ground bump, I pressed the wall as well. Nothing happened immediately.
"What now?" I whispered. I was straining against the stone, trying to force something to give. I felt exposed and cold though.
"Just stay there. It'll work. And enough with the questions. I'm just here for the show."
Just about the answer I'd expected. As I was thinking about moving on and trying something else, the stone around me depressed. I moved aside and let it do whatever it was going to do. There was a very loud creak before the ground where I had been standing opened and revealed a very tight passageway.
I looked around quickly. No one seemed to be around, and the noise hadn't produced any guards yet, so I darted into the tunnel and just hoped it would close behind me at some point. It did. The little light that I had disappeared.
The tunnel gradually became larger as I progressed through it. It was completely dark. The floor was dirt and the walls were just wooden posts supporting the earth around me.
The deeper I got, water splashed under my feet in puddles and small pools. I realized I must be under the palace now because my feet began to echo on stone. These passageways had been made with the intention of providing water drainage, but times of war repurposed them into escape routes and means of ambush. Even so, the original purpose was still effective, so as I continued walking, I noticed water splashing with each footfall. Then there was finally some light. Blessed and wonderful light. Now I knew I was under the palace.
The light came from very small slits in the palace floors that provided a draining point for cleaning water, floods, rain leakage. All water fell through small slits and grates in the floors. Now the passageway would start spiderwebbing, various other tunnels leading to various other rooms. Lucky for me, the Warden had a map, and had been so gracious as to give it to me. He even marked the room I was to attack.
The only problem in this plan was that the slits were way too small for me, or anyone else for that matter, to fit through. Success on this mission was hingent upon me successfully searching and finding a large enough grate to climb through. That specific detail was not marked on my map. Therefore, it only made sense that I would simply have to find a suitable drainage hole. This all on the Warden's whim that there would be one. I prayed he was wrong.
I eventually found a grate that was big enough. It was fit into the stone floor so snuggly that I thought I'd be discovered by a maid or servant, but it seemed as though no one was awake or interested.
Once the drain hole was open, I jumped and pulled myself up. I was officially inside the best defended kingdom on this planet. I didn't bother covering the drain hole, just in case I needed a quick way out. I took a quick look at the map and silently made my way to the room. It was nearby. It was only a few minutes before I was standing outside the room.
My mission was simple, but it was more cruel than any other I'd done. "Walk in lad. Bring me the boy." I could hear the smile on the warden's face as he spoke. Every part of me was tense and angry as I pushed the door open. No noise was made.
Inside I saw a very young boy, I guessed around seven, sitting upright on his bed. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. In the darkness I was concealed, nothing but a shadow of a man. The boy just stared. I was sure he couldn't see me.
I walked towards him slowly, dreading what was to come. Suddenly the boy shrieked and threw himself away from me. He began to weep, then scream.
I needed to get out without being seen. I so desperately wanted to escape without any bloodshed. A wish too good to be possible. Guards footsteps sounded very close. It was time to move. The quicker I acted, the better.
There was no way out of the room except for the door which I'd entered. That I was sure of. I turned away from the boy and faced a row of heavily armored men. All of them shared the same expression. Vehemence. "No speaking. You only die." The man who I assumed was the head guard spoke. His voice matched his appearance. strong. Angry. Whatever, I had a job to do. Before the guards moved, I whirled into motion. Both my weapons were drawn and bloodied before they all realized what was happening.
Three guards crumpled instantly, blood quickly spilling onto the floor. The other three left, including the leader, didn't pause for an instant. They attacked mercilessly, with more coordination than I had expected. This didn't change the fact that at the end of the fight, one guard had been stabbed through the eye, the other's throat had been severed and the lead guard was clutching his side in agony. He would soon die, but I killed him quickly. There was no need for suffering.
I turned back toward the boy, who now looked more terrified and horrified than I thought possible. I grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the room. He fought and screamed the whole way, and I hoped that I'd be ordered to knock him out, only to prevent him from seeing further bloodshed.
I rounded a corner and was stopped in my tracks by what I saw. The king himself stood before me. He was a large and imposing man, and he looked furious.
"Father!" The boy cried.
So I was stealing the king's son. Great. My exit was not going to be graceful then.
"Get your filthy hands of my son, assassin. He won't be joining you tonight."
I was surprised to detect fear ever so faintly in his voice. I wasn't sure of the culture behind who I was posing as, but I was beginning to understand just how feared I was. "You may knock the boy unconscious now." The Warden stated.
I pressed hard against the child's vagal nerve and he became limp in my grip. I dropped him to the ground and faced the king. "If you allow me to go in peace, no more lives will be lost today, and the kingdom will not lose their king."
"I would sacrifice my own freedom for that of my son. Do not take him." The king spoke with strength, but his words betrayed his fear. He was not certain that he could overcome me.
I used as calming a voice as I could. "As I said, allow me to go in peace. I only take one boy with me. You have other heirs."
There was silence for a very brief moment before the king moved. "Die demon." He was surprisingly fast for a heavily armored man. Not only that, but his sword was huge, yet he wielded it with ease.
I weaved and dodged. There was little opening in his armor or his form. He was definitely a master swordsman. My own sword was not as large as the king's, but it certainly wasn't fragile. I parried and blocked blows without my weapon ever complaining.
I snuck several attacks past his defenses. There were several other guards around, but they stood away, waiting, I could see desperation on their faces.
Suddenly, the king punched me directly in my chest, which knocked me to the ground and I slid a few feet into a wall. A nearby guard was quick to try and skewer me with his spear, but I was quicker to roll away and throw my knife into his throat.
A different guard threw his spear, trying to kill me that way, but when I caught it, I saw every guard go wide eyed and take a step back. I decided I was done being passive. I was just going to have to end this. The quicker, the better.
I hurled the spear at the king, who barely deflected it. Before he could recover I was already moving to the second phase of attack. I jumped on top of him and tried to stab him, but he was able to throw me aside. He swung his sword in a wide stroke, leaving his body open for attack. I avoided the sword and lunged forward, my sword heading for his exposed face. He must have expected this though, because he caught my sword with a gauntleted hand and drove his knee into my stomach. I let go of my weapon as I convulsed. I heard it clang and clatter on stone far away from me.
One thing the king didn't account for in that moment was my strength. I was much stronger than any average human, even very strong humans. He grabbed me by the throat and pinned me against the wall. "As I said, my son will not be joining you tonight."
My arms and hands were free, so I grabbed hold of his head with both hands and twisted. The king suddenly looked very fearful, but he couldn't escape my grip. Loud cracks sounded and the king slowly died in front of me. He fell to his knees, then his side as life was taken from him.
The guards died shortly after. When it was over, I looked to see the king's son awake, his eyes were glued to his father. I didn't know how much he'd seen, and I didn't ask, I just pulled him through the portal that opened for us. He didn't put up a fight anymore, he just stared at his dead father. Tears ran down my face as the portal closed.
