The Assassin's Heart

Revenge

Finally able to get a clear view of her face, it takes my breath away and I'm glad I did not look sooner. This assassin had the face of an angel, with dark curly black tendrils of hair peaking out of her hood and thick dark lashes framing her dark eyes. Her skin was pale with cheeks flushed from the fighting and skin that looked so soft I wanted to touch it.

What was wrong with me! This girl killed my parents.... five years ago. She couldn't be older than fifteen. Five years ago she would have been ten. No. I can't afford to have doubts. I've prepared for this day for so long; nothing will change my mind now.

I realize she might have weapons hidden on her person so without thinking I approach her slight form. Her eyes snap open and I see a glint of silver as she hurls what must be all of her throwing stars at my face. Easily ducking, I yank her by the hair up so that she's facing away from me and catch her arm as she reaches for a third knife in her soft boot. Faster than she can react, I reach into her boot and stab the knife into her shoulder wound twisting it. This time she can't hold back and a tortured scream rips from her throat. I pull the knife out and again stab it into her shoulder, dragging the knife towards her heart. Her face turns a sickly shade of bluish white and her scream dies in her throat as, this time, she goes completely unconscious.

I look at her bloody body on the street and the slightest pang pulls at my heart. I settle down to watch her until she wakes and we can start again.

~

As she comes to, her face contorts in true fear. Not fear for her life but fear for more of the pain she's already faced. She struggles to sit up against the wall and looks at me with as much wary curiosity as her pain will allow.

"Why?" Her voice surprises me again, "Why d' ya hate me so much?" She must see the seething loathing I feel on my face.

"You killed my parents!" I hadn't planned on responding but it just burst out. "You threatened them and me and then killed them on their way home!"

"Really." Why was she playing dumb? Well I guess it was five years ago.

"Five years ago you wrote a note to my parents telling them to leave me and travel home or you would destroy them. Then you attacked their carriage on their way home and slit both of their throats in cold blood. Don't you act like you don't know what I'm talking about!"

"Five yeas?" Arg, maybe I would just end up killing her. "I cou'n't write."

"Don't you try to fool me, you probably got someone to write it for you." I realize I got up when I yelled at her and am now shouting at her as she's propped again the wall. I sit back down away from her. It's not like she can go anywhere.

"Why woulda kill ya parents?" She acts all innocent. "Who were they?"

"My parents were Duke and Duchess Wellings. They were good people and still young and you killed them!"

"No I di'n't." How could she just sit there and lie to my face? I was going to wipe that haughty defiance off her murdering face. "They probly got th'mselves killed by some stikin' jealous noble." The nerve-!

"How​ dare you- you murdered my parents! They did nothing wrong! They loved me and you- you killed them and I will kil- no! First tell me why?! What did a duke and duchess ever do to the empress of the underworld​? Why-"

"'Xactly.". Her piercing cold voice cuts mine off. "What could a duke an' a duchess ever do ta the empress of th'undaworld?" There's a moment of silence as I struggle to respond. Then she laughs. Laughs! "'Sides I was only 'leven. An' I don' kill nobles."

"What?" The word just slipped out. Stupid, stupid! I just let her know she's getting to me! She looks at me strangly; head cocked to the side as if to say duh.

"Undaworlders don' get involved in politics. Five years? Those rebels are just too much trouble." Rebels?

"Rebels?" Arg! My stinking big mouth!

"Oh. Nevamind I uh- theya nothin' but trouble." I can see her closing off but I feel like something important is just beyond my grasp. She's hurt and trapped! What does she think she can hide from me?

"Tell me!" I shout, standing up and putting my blade to her chest in one fluid motion. "What are the rebels and what could they have to do with my parents?!" I'm nearly screaming in her face and her blood is blossoming from the tip of my sword.

She tries scuting back to get away from the blade and looks at me with a look that says she clearly didn't expect my reaction. "Woah, woah, woah! I- I'll tell ya! I jus' di'n't think a noble workin' for th'emperor woulda wanna know 'bout the rebels tha's'all."

As I lower my blade, her bewildered expression turns to one defiance. Guess she's getting cocky. Or maybe she's been cocky... Anyway, I still had the upper hand but I could tell she knew she finally had something I wanted. I could easily torture the information out of her, but I don't know of she could handle any more blood loss.

"Y'know I'ma die 'less this cut's stitched up," she says, echoing my thoughts, "so 'less you d'wanna hear 'bout them rebels, I'd say ya probly don' wan' me ter die."

She's​ right. There was a pool of blood all around her. That's right! Her shoulder wound still hasn't stopped bleeding. At this rate she could die from blood loss!

I realize now my train of thought is quite hilarious as just minutes ago I was so set on killing her; now I was worried she would die. But of course, that's just because she has information about my dad...Maybe.
Anyway it's worth a try and I can always kill her later if she turns out guilty.

"Fine," I say. "I'll get that wound cleaned but you'll have to come to the palace first."

"What are you, the prince?"

"No, but I'm the captain of the terminators," I say as I reach to pick her up. She glares at hands and makes a sound somewhere between a whimper and a snarl.

"I can stand on my-ow!" She's cut off as she twists her shoulder, reopening it, but continues to stand up. Once she's on her feet she looks at me with a sickly pale face. 3...2...1. And she falls.

I catch her unconscious body and head back to the palace. No matter what this should be interesting.