Alchemi ( volume 1 of the "Swirdiniad " series

My Dress is Ruined!

Faria's former assassin stirred. She sighed, put the book on top of her bedside table and got up to meet him. She held Ryet to his neck and whispered into his ear, " Move, and electricity will shoot through you."

Soren considered transferring heat to the rope to burn it, but decided that his life was more important than the oath.

"What do you want from me." he asked Faria

" You know exactly what I want."

He stared at her with a confused look. Faria sighed and said, "Who sent you to assassinate me?"

"I cannot disclose that information."

"You will or I'll really do it." Faria activated Ryet and it shot out a few weak bursts of electricity through Soren's body. He grunted from the pain and said, "Rebels"

She looked at him with a confused look on her face. "And who exactly is this rebel?"
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That was the cue! Soren burned his bonds and lunged at her. He tried to find his knives, but this damned princess stole it. Both of them were thrown to the wall and a loud thud could be heard. It would be lucky if he could get out without reinforcements.

Soren felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He took a look and found one of his knives embedded in his gut. Blood was slowly falling to the floor and onto the princess' dress.

" Surprise! " Faria greeted as she kicked Soren in the place where it hurt the most, "I'm sorry for doing this, but you are one persistent assassin."

Soren fell onto the floor and groaned, "I surrender." before falling unconscious.

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"What did you say? I couldn't hearrrr you." Faria teased.

Gods above! Her favorite house dress was ruined. She'd have to wash it herself and get her nails ruined. Sigh, it was a really good dress made of Xin-Hai silk. Oh well, she'd just order a new one by the end of the month.

She glanced at Soren and pulled the dagger out. She tried to cauterize the wound using small bursts of electricity from Ryet. Ehhh, he'll live, probably. Faria wasn't new to bloodshed. She'd been attacked multiple times during her youth, but never by a Fellashumist especially a persistent one. She thought about what he said. She knew it was a lie of course, but why try so hard to frame the rebels?

She checked for a pulse and found one. At least she knew that he was still alive. She looked at the mess on the wall and thought, 'Darn assassin, not only will I have to wash my dress, but I have to clean the walls, after this, my hands will surely look like a scullery maid's.'

She didn't even bother binding Soren's wrists together. She just walked over to her bed and grabbed the book she was reading. She'd just have to wait for him to wake up again. This day keeps getting worse. First, she saw that 'scene', now her dress was soiled and ruined from the blood of a man she barely knew! She decided to shrug off those thoughts for the time being and read her book.