Assassin's Heart

Chapter 4

In only a few hours time Eliya found herself seated beside Shade at one of the rough hewn tables inside "The Black Tide," her face hidden under the black cloak she had retrieved from her room. Despite the drunk complaining of the men, he had closed down the entire tavern so as to keep this meeting completely private. It was quarter past 2:00, and Heath had yet to arrive.

"Just like the filthy scum to be late..." Shade mumbled, glaring at the door. "You are to stay silent unless addressed, and you are not to say anything about Daniel Hawthorn's killing, understand? I will do the talking..." Shade exclaimed, drumming his fingers on the table that was covered in dagger ruts and scratches.

"Then what the hell am I here for?" Eliya exclaimed impatiently. She had used her past few hours to gather together some of the worst, insulting names to throw at the assassin who stole her prize should he have the guts to show up, but now it seems they would deem useless if she was not even permitted to talk.

"You're here to show them what they are really up against. Heath's assassin didn't play by the code when he killed Daniel Hawthorn, and you need to show him he will pay for it. I pray this will be a short meeting, but what you need to do is sit there and look as menacing as possible. Basically, just be your usual self..." Shade remarked smugly. Eliya took that as an insult, but her rude comment was cut off by the jangling of the bell over the tavern door as it slowly creaked open.

Griffon Seahawke strode into the small tavern behind Heath, his green eyes instinctively taking in his surroundings. In his eyes, the tavern hardly lived up to the amazing reputation his fellow assassins had explained. The tables and chairs were almost falling apart and it was lit by only a few oil lanterns hung from the ceiling. Seated at a table in the middle of the room were two figures, one which was undeniably Shade, and the other hooded and cloaked, but he didn't need to guess who's face the hood concealed. It would be that girl, that woman, who had almost got away with killing his target. He had never even known that there was a female assassin in Shade's House, or in all of Erista for that matter. Against his hostility towards anyone from Shade's House, he had been impressed with her ability in the sleeping chambers of Daniel Hawthorn. Despite this, her skill had been nothing compared to the shock he had felt when she had tore down her hood to reveal a face that would catch any man's eye. He almost didn't blame her for always hiding behind a hood, as being a beautiful woman in a bar full of drunken men would earn her a lot of unwanted attention, though any man that tried to give it to her would no doubt regret it. He almost didn't blame her. Almost, but not quite. There was no doubt that she was stunning with her smoky blue eyes and golden hair, but that didn't make her any less of a stubborn ass. Griffon's jaw clenched when Heath slumped casually into the seat across from Shade, leaving him to sit directly across from her.

"Late, as per normal..."Shade growled from across the table, glaring menacingly at Heath who just offered a lazy grin in return.

"Now is that any way to treat a guest? I had higher expectations of you Shade..." Heath drawled, slicking back his shaggy black hair. "Oh, and this must be your star assassin..." he continued, his eyes moving to examine the darkly cloaked figure across the table. "A woman, so I have been informed, and a skilful one at that. Tell me; is she as talented in bed as she is on a crime scene?" Heath asked in a mocking tone. Shade snarled from across the table. Griffon was surprised that the woman managed to keep her cool, even though he thought he saw her jaw clench. She was probably use to those kind of jokes.

"Cut the crap Heath. Apparently even your courageous men are too afraid to fight her, seeing as he..." Shade lifted his chin towards Griffon, "thought it necessary to break the code and play dirty instead of test his skill against hers" Shade exclaimed angrily.

"We kill for a living, Shade. We are already breaking every law and code in existence. You forget it was my man that killed Daniel Hawthorn, and it will be my man that makes it into the Guild..." Heath sneered. "Harrison himself told me that he doesn't think a woman could ever make it into the Guild, and that he certainly won't be choosing one. I'm also sure we will have no problems convincing the other young Shadow to vote our way..." Heath had barely finished speaking when the woman assassin slammed her fist of the table.

"You have no idea what you're up against!" she snarled, ignoring the glare she was receiving from Shade. "When the testing comes, you will have to face me! If you choose to be a coward and avoid it again, you will never make it into the Guild" she snapped, reaching up and pulling her hood down to reveal her stormy blue eyes that were livid with anger. Silence fell, and Griffon glanced over at Heath whose eyes were locked lustfully on the girl. The woman's nose crinkled up in disgust before her death glare slid slowly from Heath, to Griffon. His first instinct was to meet her glare full on with a solemn expression, but then he decided to really test the patience of this wild creature trapped inside a human body. Slowly he let a lazy grin take over him face, but the girl's glare did not falter. Leaning back in his chair, he casually crossed his arms as if she was nothing but a fly buzzing in his ear, waiting, challenging. Second's past and he pushed a little further, meeting her gaze and winking. The girl exploded out of her seat, shoving Griffon's chair backwards and sending him slamming onto the ground. Next thing he knew he was laying on the floor with a knee shoved between his ribs and a dagger digging in to his throat. He actually thought she was going to slit his throat when Heath's muscular arms reached around her waist and dragged her off him. Sitting up, Griffon saw Heath still restraining her from ripping his head off as she spat unspeakable curses. Suddenly the girl became still, but he could still see the fury that raged in her eyes.

"Get your hands off my assassin!" Shade snapped at Heath whose hands still grasped the woman's waist, no longer for protection purposes. All traces of crude humour were gone from Heath's eyes, replaced by boiling anger.

"Why should I? She did break the code, after all. What will the Shadow's think of this behaviour?" Heath's voice appeared calm and controlled, but anyone who knew him could tell he was on the verge of killing someone. Griffon himself was angry, angry at her for humiliating him in front of his master. He wanted revenge, but instead told himself it didn't matter. If she couldn't handle a bit of prodding, then she would never make it into the Guild. That would be revenge enough. Everyone was on their feet now, and the seconds ticked by as Heath continued to refuse to release the girl.

"Let. Her. Go." Shade's voice was now a deep growl. This was not going to end well... A deadly smirk returned to Heath's tanned face as he hardened his grip on her waist, his hands slowly travelling down the side of the woman's leg. Griffon watched as, in a split second, the girl thrust her elbow back into Heath's gut, causing him to double over as she spun free of his grasp. Griffon readied himself to lunge at her, but Heath held out his arm, still bent over in pain.

"Don't..." he hissed through his teeth. "The bitch isn't worth it. Let the testing do the talking." Slowly, Heath straightened himself out with a groan. Glaring intently at the woman, he turned and stalked towards the exit. Griffon stayed a moment longer, his scowl so fierce that it melded with the girl's.

"I want to know your name so I can seek you out personally during the testing and kill you..." he snarled. A wicked grin filled her face, not at all frightened by his threat.

"My name..." she said smoothly, "is Eliya."