Agents of Night

Prologue

My name is Night. I used to be known as something else, but that name no longer fits who I am. That was a different person, a different lifetime. Now I struggle with one question: why? Why was I the one sent on this particular mission?

As a higher ranking officer of the Agency, most of the really important missions fall to me. We can't have Newbies come in and botch the whole thing, because then the Agency would be out in the open. We would be killed in days. Using this logic, it does somehow all make sense.

My current objective: kill Ben Smith, the infamous leader of the Opposition. For someone with my kind of training, it sounds easy enough. But one cannot be blind to hidden facts, skills, or defenses. The first thing to do after receiving a mission: get the facts. Find out about where you're going and what you're doing. I found that Ben was about my age, a little bit older, and a young man of an unusually cheerful disposition. He lived far out from the nearest village, and I thought of him as one who didn't want to be found. He had no known relatives, and the Church wanted him eliminated. Another typical mission. Or so I thought.

I start out to his home, weapons in tow. I am dressed in the normal dark clothing that is worn by the Agents of Night. As the leader, I wear a dark, dark forest green cloak over my olive green tunic and breeches. But the thing that truly sets me apart from the rest of the Agents is the clasp on my cloak, which I always wear. The clasp is a dark green in color, and is shaped into a small leaf. No one ever asks why that shape, because I have been know to be sullen and withdrawn, at least since my first partner disappeared a year ago.

I arrive near the house, which seems silent and deserted until I notice him walking in the moonlight. I dart behind a tree, just in time, as he stops and stares at the sky. This gives me a chance to simply observe him, and I take the chance. He is a skinny kid of about average height, and he doesn't look like much to the average observer. But I'm not your average observer. He has a small twitch in his left hand, indicating that he enjoys writing, and is predominantly left handed. He has a scribe's callous on both of his hands, implying that he is ambidextrous, and his arms are well toned, indicating days working with the sword or with a staff. From his more lean body, my guess would be staff.

Then the other thing that most people can't see. His aura is a familiar green, like I have known him in the past. Something about how he holds himself is extremely familiar, like I am watching myself go through familiar motions. Focus, Night. Don't let yourself get distracted. I breathe in, then out. Finish this now and be done with it. I step out and bring up my sword. I start the killing blow, but in the few seconds that it takes, his eyes find mine.

"I see you." In that moment, my heart stops. That voice! I know immediately who it is, and my mind works at lightning speed. This boy was once my best, and probably only, friend. My partner for only a few short months, but he is the only person that I ever trusted. How had he gotten here? I thought that he was dead, because he simply vanished. But now that he's here, how can I kill him and betray his trust? My heart stops for a while, and the world goes black. Then, colors appear, and my life flashes across my field of view.

As a newer writer, I ask that you comment and vote on what you like. Also because when I don't have support and urging from other people, I have writer's block. Thanks!

-MW