Chapter 1: The Hummingbird
Lurking in the shadows I silently watched the movements of the guards as they paced the perimeters of the mansion. I counted the time between the patrols and decided the room I would take to the room of my target. It wasn’t very difficult. I knew everything about the mansion. I knew which magic barriers were used and where they were deployed. I knew every sneak route and hiding place that were build into the old house. Probably even better than the current owner. I had studied all the known blueprints of the house before I had come here and learned them by heart. I was sure the information was one hundred percent correct. My master was the most powerful man of the entire empire and had employed the best spymasters and infiltrators there were. There was not one secret that my master didn’t know about.
This was also the main reason I was out here, stalking in the shadows, looking for a way in. My master had discovered that one of the nobles that had supposedly sworn fealty to him and abide his laws, had tried to defy him by smuggling weapons into the country. The possession of weapons was forbidden by law for those who did not have the right papers and those papers were only given out to people who worked directly under the Emperor, my master, himself. So he had send me to teach the guy a lesson he would not forget for the rest of his life.
I turned my attention back towards the movement of the guards, determined to finish my job quickly and be done with it. I had to wait a couple of minute before there was a large enough gap for me to make my move. Maybe there had been a change of guard, or one of them had decided not to do their job properly. It didn’t matter to me. I sprinted across the well-kept garden, silently jumping over some trimmed bushes and flower perks. I only had a couple of minutes to climb the wall and disappear into a window and I had to do it without making any noise, so I didn’t have any time to waste.
Right before I would crash into the wall I took a giant leap and used the energy my speed gave me to launch me up in the air, making it possible for me to grab hold of a small ledge that stuck out of the mansion’s wall. I was hanging somewhere between the first and second floor and if somebody would come around the corner now I would be immediately spotted. There was nowhere to hide so I swung myself from left to right, trying to get enough momentum to catapult myself towards the window sill only a couple of inches up.
It didn’t take me very long. I was a very good climber and had a body build for it. That was probably because of the fact that I was a forest elf. They had a typical long and slender build, with powerful legs and arms., fit for climbing in trees and jumping. It was one of the only things know about them. They were a very secluded race that only kept to themselves and almost never left their forests. The only reason I lived with the humans was because I was abandoned by my parents when I was only just a baby. My master had found me and decided to take me under his roof and raise me. The other things I knew about my race was they liked nature and had green hair and a tanned skin like mine, although it were more like assumptions because I had never actually met another elf like me.
When I was little I tried to found out more about them, but there were no books in the palace and when I had asked my master he had refused to answer and got mad when I didn’t stop asking questions. The only thing he told me was that they had left me without even a blanket against the cold so I shouldn’t care about them. At first I didn’t believe him, but after a while, when nobody came to claim me and take me away from that place my belief started wavering and I had stopped caring at all.
Deep in thought I had reached the window I was going to use to enter the mansion and snapped myself out of it so I could focus before someone saw me. I couldn’t afford to make a mistake now. The consequences would be very unpleasant.
With one hand holding myself onto the wall, so I wouldn’t fall down, I took out my tools and started picking the window’s lock. It was very uncomfortable and awkward with only one hand to do the job, but I finished it relatively quickly. Every single entry into the house was well guarded with either people, locks or magic, except for these windows. They were the only weak spots, but then again nobody though it possible for a person to get this high without using magic, which would’ve triggered the alarm.
A tiny smile laced my face as I climbed through the window and left it open with only a little gap so nobody would notice the window had been opened if they didn’t look too closely. I had ended up in one of the empty storage rooms that wasn’t really used. It was pretty dark, but that didn’t really matter to me. I had enough with the light of the moon that streamed through the window.
I walked to the door, carefully avoiding the object lying on the floor so they wouldn’t fall over. It was unlocked so I easily slipped into the hall after checking for guards. The hallway was pretty silent, only the ticking of a clock and the whooshing of the wind could be heard. I continued on my way, walking cautiously and without making any noise. I didn’t have any troubles finding the way and easily navigated through the halls and up the stairs. I didn’t encounter any guards. The lord that lived here thought it was impossible to enter the house so he only posted guards outside. Probably to save some money he didn’t even need.
After turning a final corner I stood in the hall that led to the master bedroom. It was pretty obvious. The hall was adorned with big paintings and a luxurious carpet laid on the floor. The bedroom door was made of a thick and dark type of wood. A decorative picture displaying a hunt was carved in it. It looked pretty ridiculous and extravagant, but it wasn’t my job to judge.
Silently I pulled the handle down and entered the dark room. The door didn’t make a sound. According to the spies the lord hated the squeaking of doors and stairs, which made my work a lot more easy. I wasn’t complaining. Without making a sound I sneaked over to the bed. Soft snoring could be heard from underneath the blackest. I squinted my eyes and finally could distinguish the contours of a sleeping man’s head.
I reached around my waist and pulled out one of my knives that were strapped to my wide leather belt. It shimmered softly in the light and showed it’s silvery shine and sharp edges. Maybe it was coincidence or maybe it was some sort of survival instinct that made him wake up the moment before I put my knife against his neck, but it didn’t really matter. He was already dead in my eyes.
His deep brown eyes focused sleepily on mine before widening in panic. For some reason my victims always recognized me immediately when they looked into my eyes. Some were even captivated by them, like prey captivated by the eyes of a predator. It wasn’t far from the truth though. I couldn’t really understand it. Sure, green eyes weren’t really common with humans and sure, mine were much more vivid and with more complex colours, but still I didn’t think there was that much of a difference.
The man opened his mouth, only to close it again. He had to try a couple of times before he could finally utter out something. “The Hummingbird.” He croaked, with a look that almost edged on awe.
It was a nickname I had gained when I had started working for my master 11 years ago. People had given me the name because when I started my deadly dance with my dual swords, I was spinning and twisting so fast my arms looked like the wings of a hummingbird hovering in front of its meal. The name had stuck and now I was known throughout the empire by this name. I didn’t really understand it though. Hummingbirds were small and completely harmless, while I was pretty tall for humans and anything but harmless.
“That’s me.” I answered simply. I tried not to make a habit of chatting with my victims, but it seemed rude not to answer them if they asked a question. I usually made sure they didn’t get to ask another one though. It would take too much time and I really couldn’t afford it.
He seemed like he was about to say something else, so without any further ado, I cleanly slit his throat with a fluent and well-practised motion. At first he didn’t even notice what I had done and was still trying to say something. It was only when his mouth filled up with blood and started leaking out of the corners that his eyes opened even wider. Again his eyes turned to me, shocked and accusing this time.
I smiled softly at him. It wasn’t like I was enjoying his death. Quite the opposite actually, but it just seemed like the least I could do. Call it common courtesy.
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Here is the first chapter of our combined story. This chapter is done by Roown ;) I hope you all enjoyed it and keep on reading. It's going to be a great story. Thank you so much for reading!! Comments and votes are always welcome, but we're already happy with your read ^^.
