The House Of Blood and Dust, Book One: Darkness Rising

A Company of Snakes

As my eyes slowly open and my thoughts come back to me, I hear a body being dragged across the ground, the body of course is my own. I’m being held under the armpits by two Senim soldiers. There is glass upon the ground,

          “Bring the assassin to me.” I’m taken to a large man, he’s dressed in the same uniform as the soldiers but his face isn’t covered, he’s bald and has a full beard growing down to his collar bone, “Stand him up.” I’m stood on my wounded legs, the glass has cut my shins; I can feel the warmth of my blood running down them. “Who are you?”

          “A clown with a melodic voice.” He punches me in the stomach and blood coughs out of my mouth,

    “Who are you really, assassin?” Don’t think I can be that cocky in this situation. I smile, the mask still upon my face, blood slowly dripping from my mouth.

          “Nobody… just a laughing man.” I begin to laugh only for the man to roundhouse me in the temple. He pulls my hood down and rips the mask off,

          “Are you fucking with me? Tell me who you are and I won’t break bones.”

          “I’ve had broken bones, you god awful prick.” He grabs me and throws me to the floor; he grabs me by the wrist dragging my hand over glass shards on the floor. The commander places his foot on my hand, the glass cutting through the leather; he twists his ankle and glass shards grind into my right hand.

          “Are you going to tell me?” I look up at the man and smirk, somewhat laughing at him,

          “I do believe that I am not.” His leg lifts into the air and he brings it down onto my hand, glass cuts through my skin and clean through my hand. I scream and begin to pull the shards of glass out of my hand. I try to move my hand but pain erupts throughout; I take the gloves off and try to get up but I’m kicked in the ribs.

          “So do you wish to talk?” He grabs me by the throat and lifts me up in the air “You killed men of mine, you and your friends… now speak or I’ll kill you all.” I laugh again, normally my first response to these people to laugh at them,

          “You think you can brutalize me into telling you everything about me, many men may have broken and told you about their pitiful lives, but I’m not just an ordinary man… I’m guessing you’re Martin Anderson?”

          “Yes.”

          “So I’m guessing that this tough man act is nearly done?” His confused look brings a smile to my bleeding face. He smashes me in the cheek with his free hand and throws me to the ground only to bring his foot down onto the back of my head. I just laugh,

          “What the fuck is wrong with you? What are you?” I pick myself up and dust myself off, he and his men stand there.

          “Are you scared? I mean come on men like you soon show their colours and they are normally cowardice, like yellow.” I smirk at Anderson; I can feel the blood coming from cuts on my face and from the back of my head. Anderson now comes at me, I dodge his fist grabbing his arm, twisting it and dislocating it; he screams in agony and to finish it, I boot him in the chest.

          “Avenji Arkness… such a pleasure to meet the bastard wolf.” I turn and see the brother of my best friend,

          “Malcolm?”

          “Who else, did you think that time in your old house was the last time we’d meet?” I have no weapons they’ve been taken away from me, my right hand is fucked up and at risk of infection and to top it off. I’m bleeding from too many places and I’m not feeling woozy, there is always a positive.