Assassin [#ProjectWomanUp]

Chapter One: A Normal Day

Eliza Mendel stalked silently throught the forest. Her current target was a man in the village that owed a hefty debt to her employer.

The deal? If she got him to pay the debt, she'd get half the share. If not, kill him and she'd get the same amount of money. Only as a last resort, though.

Eliza smirked. Chances are, she'd end up killing him anyway.

The inn stood before her. She approached the back, as the front door faced the village street. A side door near the would be her entrypoint. Her resources stated that this was an unguarded and virtually invisible door. Perfect.

Less than five minutes later, she stood just inside the door.

Your target is a tall man, fairly dark, with brown hair by the name of Darren Cogsworth. Chances are he'll be in the inn, likely drunk and gambling. He has a weakness for attractive young women, so you'll want to try and charm the money out of him first.

It was for this reason that she had left her weapons and distinctive black clothing- features that would have marked her as an Assassin- in a stall in the stable. Similarly, the right sleeve of her elegant purple gown hung off her shoulder, concealing the tell-tale brand there.

Her bright red hair had been styled in elegant twists and twirls atop her head. A translucent lavender shawl was draped over her hair. Gold bangles adorned her ears and wrists, and bands of silver entwined her fingers. The look of a gypsy.

As of yet, the shadows concealed her from view as she identified her target.

... a tall man, fairly dark ...

Found him. He had the appearance of having worked in a farm.

... brown hair ...

Brown hair, barely visible beneath the hat he wore, though why anyone would wear a hat indoors, she couldn't fathom.

... likely drunk ...

He certianly looked drunk, laughing rambunctiously at everything his companions said.

... and gambling ...

A small pile of gold was in the middle of the table, and each man there had a hand of cards.

Target identified.

Graciously, she made her way in an arc around the room, choosing a table near Cogsworth's. A waiter made his way to her table, but she waved him away.

After a few minutes, the occupants at Cogsworth's table became of a new nearby presence. One of the men turned and held her gaze. Eliza smiled slightly and waved her fingers at him. She was, after all, an attractive woman.

"Come join us," the man offered.

Eliza appeared to ponder for a moment before deciding. "What's the harm?"

"Can I buy you a drink?" the man asked as she sat down.

"No thank you. It clouds my Inner Eye."

"Fortune teller are you? What's your name?"

"Liz."

"Well, Liz, perhaps you could tell us a fortune."

"The Inner Eye does not See on command," Eliza told them. She swept her eyes around the table, landing on Cogsworth. "Although, I do believe the Eye has something to say about someone at this table." She closed her eyes, pretending to ponder. "A cog... no, that's the name. Cog... Cogsworth? D. Cogsworth? Is there a D. Cogsworth here?" His companions pointed him out. He smiled and waved at her. She returned the smile, but kept her hands on the table.

She gathered the cards that had been thrown in at the end of the last hand. "Choose one," she told them. "Don't look."

He chose one and handed it to her. She glanced at it. A five of spades. She almost laughed at the irony; he owed a debt of 5,000 gold.

"The spirits say you owe a debt," she said in a low voice. "To a rather wealthy noblewoman."

Cogsworth paled slightly, but she wasn't finished yet.

"They suggest you pay it soon, lest a terrible fate befall you."

"I will do with my money what I please."

"Oh, but it's not your money, is it?"

"It's mine now."

Eliza's piercing green eyes caught his dull brown ones, appearing to see all his secrets and horrors. She leaned forward and whispered, "Your soul is black, darkened by greed. My warning will be the last you ever recieve." She stood to leave. "I See it clearly. A dark figure shall come and escort you to the Underworld. You will dwell there, in pain, with no escape." With that, she swept dramatically out of the room.

~~~

Eliza had often been told she had a flare for the dramatic. But sometimes it came in handy. She seemed to have terrified Cogsworth out of his wits.

It didn't work the way she had hoped, however. It had been three days, and he still hadn't laid the debt.

Time to resort to drastic measures. Her favorite method- terror.

Darren had a habit of staying late- very late- at the inn. It was near midnight, and he still hadn't left. Perfect. Midnight was the best time.

Silently, she entered, this time fully marked as an Assassin.

He was at the same table as last time. This time, there were only two other people in the whole room. The innkeeper was in the back.

Silently, she slipped through the shadows toward him.

He laughed as he won a hand, sweeping in the gold he had won. Mid-laugh, he stopped, a knife appearing at his throat.

Eliza's face was hidden in the hood she wore. The only thing to connect her to the fortune teller from the other day was a stray lock of red hair.

His fear was reflected on his two companions' faces. "She was right..." one of them whispered. Beneath the hood, Eliza smirked. They remembered her warning.

"I belive you have a debt to pay," Eliza whispered, just loud enough to carry to his companions.

She got no further, as the door of the inn burst open, bringing in a bit of the autumn chill. "Darren Cogsworth you worthless scum!"

Eliza looked up at the door. In her shock, she dropped her knife.

I get to be me when I write!
I need to do something with my life...
But I like doing things to other people's lives.
That's going on Tumblr.
Have a nice day, hope you enjoy the new story (I certianly am).
Peace little people!
Patchesmimi