Throne of Blood

Part I Chapter 11

Ilor was worn out and could not imagine doing anything more after the arduous fighting he had engaged in all day. However, as the sun began to set, he knew it was time to join Zavera on her duties for the evening.  'Better not be as taxing on my body as Greylor's beatings,' he thought as he rubbed his side, still sore from receiving multiple jabs.

As Ilor entered the Night Thorns safe house, he spied Zavera sitting at a round table in the midst of the larger dining area. Seeing her, Ilor headed in her direction and joined her at the table. Zavera was a beautiful woman with dark hair and deep brown eyes, the color of rich bourbon. He immediately moved his gaze away from her intoxicating view and proceeded to ask about the night's events.

"So what's on the agenda for your mission tonight," he smirked.

"Oh you'll see," she said with a mischievous hint. "But first you'll need to get used to the night."

"What are you talking about?" Ilor said, perplexed. He had seen the night before, heck, everyone had!

"Come on," Zavera said, and with that, she stood from the table, leading the pair outside.

Zavera opened the gate protecting the entry to the building, and soon they were both on the streets of Seavern. Ilor marveled at the beautiful city with its unique wooden homes with no two alike. All of different colors, shapes, and sizes giving the area a feeling of unique brilliance. As he walked with Zavera closer towards the evening crowd of people he was suddenly hit by a wave of talking. It sounded like the people were right there in his ear speaking to him. Yet no one was talking to him as the people moved about in the dimly lit streets. A woman shuffled by with her cart as she said "the fool, always getting in my way...what a lowlife."

"Excuse me ma'am what?" asked Ilor, assuming the lowlife in question was in fact himself.

"Didn't say nuthin," she snarled at the boy as she continued her frowning look and shuffled by.

'Boy's a lune,' the woman said as though she had whispered it right in his ear. And yet when he looked at her she was a good distance away.

Ilor looked to Zavera, confused as to why he could hear so much yet the people seemed so far and their lips were as still as the stone beneath his feet.

"I see you are hearing the sound of the night for the first time," she smiled, her dark eyes gleaming in the torchlight. "As a servant of the night, you will be able to hear the thoughts of others as though they were your own. It is a gift from the lord of the night to his servants."

"But why can't I hear your thoughts or any of the other Night Thorns," Ilor asked puzzled by his newfound ability.

"Our gift only works by the darkness of night. During the day you will not be able to hear the thoughts of others, and you will only be able to hear people who are not members of the Night Thorns," Zavera said matter of factly as though his question were quite absurd. "Come now it is time to be on our way. I have much to attend to." And with that, she was off into the night, walking down the dimly lit street focused on her mysterious task at hand.

As Ilor followed Zavera they came upon a small wooden home, not unlike that in which the Night Thorns were holed up in. The windows were dark, with no sign of activity on the inside. Zavera motioned for Ilor to remain silent and to follow at a close distance. The two crouched low as they maneuvered around to the backside of the house. Ilor could feel his heart pounding against his chest as the moment of the mission was reaching its climax. He knew that whatever happened next would alter the course of the rest of his life. No more rich, dashing merchant riding the high sea with his loot and women. He would be a lurker in the shadows, obeying the members of this cult that he had now been forced to join.

Zavera drew her dagger as they reached the back door. She pushed against it slightly feeling the weight of the door remain motionless, signaling that it was locked. The woman did not let it phase her as she removed what appeared to be a long wire and began fidgeting with the lock until it made a sudden click. Ilor could see the tension on her face as she slowly creaked open the door and peeked inside.

Still crouching, she motioned for Ilor to follow her as they crept into the home, invading the home of these unaware residents. Zavera made no sound as she glided across the wooden floor while Ilor did his best, but to no avail was still a bit heavy-footed and made slight creaks in the boards that seemed to pierce the silence of the night.

The leader of this mission did not care, however, as she pushed on towards the objective. The home was lightly furnished with a table, a few chairs, and even some cabinetry in the quant little kitchen. As the two moved on in the darkness, they came to what appeared to be a room inside the house. Zavera pulled two small throwing knives out of her belt and gave them a quick twirl before, in one fluid motion, she kicked down the door of the room and released her knives which found their target as quickly as the door had opened. The knives, which had just left Zavera's hands, were now lodged in the throats of a man and a woman. At the sound of the door being burst open, they had shot up in bed only to lie back down again as they gasped for air, choking on their own blood and the sharp object that had suddenly come to appear in their neck. Zavera moved quickly to the gasping, bleeding, people to withdraw her knives as the couple breathed their last.

Ilor could hear their inner screams. What words could not escape their mouths were forever etched into his mind by this new 'gift' he had been given. He could hear their confusion, their cursing, and finally, their pleading. Each person wondered why and how they could have been caught.

"May they find rest in the darkness," Zavera said, putting the tips of her fingers to her forehead.

"Who--who were these people? Why did they have to die?" Ilor asked, reeling from the events that had just transpired.

"They were smugglers who were disobedient to the kingdom they owed a duty to. That is all we need to know." She answered, staring blankly out the window and into the night.

"it is time for us to move. Our duty has been completed for this evening," Zavera said, leaving the room, heading back into the shadows of the night. Leaving Ilor stunned at the events that had just happened and knowing very well that he would soon be required to do the same.