Defect

Chapter 1. Lillith

A shadow flitted over the rooftops in the back streets of Shagorn, the captol city of Ceryn.
The only sounds were of a few fat rain drops splatting on the roofs like kamikaze soldiers. There was the smell of rain on the soft North Easterly wind, promising the storm that the king had predicted.
The moon shone softly through small patches in the clouds, its velvety light barely illuminating the houses brick work.
Then there was the sound of feet scuffling. A softly muttered curse. A light flared up from next to a chimney.
"What have I said time and time again, Nameless?" A voice said seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
"An assassin that makes noise can be heard. An assassin that can be heard is dead. An assassin that is dead isn't an assassin, they're a failure. An assassin that is a failure cannot make money for the Order. If the Order has no gold all assassins may as well be dead for all the difference we can make." A young feminine voice replied dutifully.
"Very well done Lillith. Please, continue to the targets residence. Silently."
"Yessir," and with that she was off.

~~~

Lillith remembered her first time out of the fort on an assignment. How old had she been? Six, seven? Who knew anymore? Well, old man Daracon but he was her assessor. He had helped her which was against the rules. Then again, she was the youngest member of the Order so he hadn't been the only one breaking a few rules. She quietly chuckled at the memories of past tricks and pranks he neglected to tell anyone about.
No, Lillith, keep your mind on the job at hand.
She ran across the rooftops, angling towards the east. She felt the same freedom she normally did. She was the only one out this late at night. Running across the roofs and feeling the wind on her face was the only joy in her life.
She heard a change on tiles and stopped. She crouched and pulled out a slim knife in one fluid movement. She was at her targets house. Lillith found a window a meter away from where she had stopped and wedged the knife where the latch was. She twisted it a couple times and heard a soft click.
Putting the knife away and sliding a pair of black gloves on she reached for the window and opened it.
Once the window was slightly opened she listened to the sounds coming from the inside. A single female. Deep asleep and maybe around twenty, Lillith's age.
Satisfied that the woman wouldn't wake up, Lillith opened the window and squeezed through. She walked to the bed and stopped.
The woman was gorgeous. Not gorgeous like a painting or a tree but... she was simply stunning.
Lillith couldn't kill her. There was no way she could bring herself to do that.
But she had to. Without this kill the Order would suffer. At the same time, however, this was the first time Lillith had felt anything like this. What was the feeling? How could it even be put into words?
A small murmur came from the bed and the woman encased in bed sheets opened her eyes and sat up, staring straight at Lillith. Her eyes were the same sky-blue as celestine, which was rare for someone in Ceryn.
Lillith stared into those brilliant, captivating eyes and her deader stared right back at her, seeming to be just as surprised.
"You... you're here to kill me, aren't you?" Her voice was as pure sounding as any bell and rang in Lillith's head for much longer than it should have.
"No... no, I'm not going to kill you. Just pretend I did."