The Enchanted Ocean Of Fantasy's

Death is Death

Unblinking, Redshift stared out from behind her mask, her breathing much too gentle for how much rage was inside her heart. The voice inside her head of her partner and longest friend, Lightless Smear, replaced most thoughts she might’ve had, keeping her calmer than she had any right being. They were a lethal pair, the two of them, deadlier than some armies, and certainly capable of accomplishing the mission they had set out on today.

    There was death to be had here in Gruttum, the capital of the Kingdom Shadowwish, and they were the ones to deal with it.

    Redshift strolled confidently and without emotion behind a seemingly never-ending flow of pedestrians. The city was a rather large one, and the spirits of its people hadn’t been this high in eight ages. The War of Water had ended an age prior, and a truce between the kingdoms saw some cities falling lax on their securities. Redshift, an outsider, had easily sauntered into the dusty city without anything other than a polite nod from the guards outside. Hot, breathy gusts lifted the sand from the ground, and it swirled around her long legs like children dancing around trees.

    Her impressive height would, on occasion, draw some gazes, but her inconspicuous attire wouldn’t—most people here dressed to avoid the sun and sand. So, masks and long robes weren’t uncommon to see daily. She wasn’t in a hurry, nor was she in the slightest nervous of what she was about to do, even if the quick thudding of her heart would say differently. The first of her targets was a few people ahead of her in a busy line of patrons, and they knew not they were being followed. A chaotic, pleasant air this market had, and everywhere Redshift looked there were luxurious linens hung up, mouth-watering food being prepared, and exotic Leviathans and other animals for sale in cages ranging from tiny to enormous. The greatest of her own markets back home wasn’t much different, besides being on an island instead of a desert.

    “I can smell his sweat, sweet and near,” Lightless Smear chuffed inside Redshift’s head. “Let us get closer. Let us taste it.”back shoved into the building behind him. The guard punched and kicked at her, but she was undaunted. He might as well have been assailing a tree trunk. He stared into the slits of her mask where her dark eyes sat behind it, her even breathing turning to harsh rasps. Redshift squeezed his face like a persistent pimple she’d had enough of, her fingers crushing the bones in his cheeks and jaw. The man let out a muffled groan of detest, slugging his assailant a couple of more times in the side of her big head, before he fell limp.Redshift shuffled the dead man to the side, hiding him from the bustling marketplace behind them with her broad back. She spotted the nook of a doorway and slumped the guard inside it, crouching down to him. Stuffing her hands in his pockets, she pilfered a long, heavy key from them, tucked it away inside her robes, and then turned back to the market. The busy flow of pedestrians hadn’t broken, and no one had seen what she’d done.

    With a heavy sigh, she stood, her tense shoulders drooping. A few drops of blood fell from her right hand, landing on the stoop beside the dead guard.

    “How superb,” quipped Smear. “Oh, how it invigorates and stirs us so!”

    Redshift’s eyes flicked into the back of her skull and then to the front again. She licked the salty sweat from her lips, filing back into the market’s needy procession of consumers. There was one piece of the puzzle solved: how she was going to gain access to Xoah Kilswish’s palace. Her heart thumped quicker and quicker. She glanced down at her right fist, realizing it was still a little bloody, so she tucked it under her mask, licking it clean. The action merited not a single glance from the throngs of shoppers and sellers.

    Her march slowed, and she turned to her left, reaching the end of the market. A beautiful, enormous archway sat in front of an even more beautiful palace, with lush, green shrubs and diligent guards placed every few feet alongside it. Redshift stood in the middle of the street before the majestic sight, making passersby have to divert around her, their angry mumbles falling deaf on her ears. More rasps from behind her mask. Peering through the archway, a long bridge led up to the palace gate, which was itself guarded with a host of attentive men and women. She was catching the gazes of the guards before her, but their eyes diverted after a second. Lucky Tall were uncommon, but they were usually no different than anyone else, and usually enjoyed being treated as such. So, most people had learned not to let their eyes linger for too long.