Chapter 7 Kyros

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With so little time till the wedding, the whole town was in an uproar. The nicer parts of the city were filled with upper-class people, flocking as close to the palace as possible. With so many people, this was somehow the cleanest yet filthiest the market has ever been. The guards have moved most of the sick closer to the bridge, away from the rich strolling about. Along with that, the men would casually step into conflict between people, ending by taking the lesser away.

With so many rich people out, it was almost a beacon for thieves. People of all ages weaved through the crowd, taking with contact like the wind, leaving before the person knew they were there. Workers from the brothel spilled out into the streets, trying to sell to customers. Taverns threw out men they knew would cause trouble to try and attract more people.

Navigating the crowd was almost imposible. It was impossible to get through without being thrown into the person walking by, almost always creating chaos. Closer to the bridge separating the factions, quieter business lied. Vendors who had very few customers, taverns and brothels whos doors only opened when someone stumbled out, worse for wear.

That was the only place in the whole town that held a weapons dealer. Behind his cart, Damien, a middle aged ex-guard, sold weapons of all sorts to people for a little. The man was mute and never did more than nod when someone spoke with him. For this god awful task, I assumed I would need a larger selection of weapons.

Damien knocked slightly on the door of his cart to signal me to go around before he came to meet me at the back entrance of his shack. The exchange was quick and simple, I grabbed the weapons I needed, a new bow and a quiver with some new blades would suffice, and gave him the money and was on my way. Even though this wasn't my first time buying from him, I was extremely grateful that he could not tell others that I was here.

I hurried through the alleyways back toward the small apartment that I now stayed in alone. As I broke free of the crowd, I could feel hooks embed themself into my gut, tugging me back toward the crowd. I paused for a moment to analyze the sensation before continuing on, waiting for nightfall to approach.



As dusk settled on the town, I took off from my dingy apartment picking my way over the crumbling bricks of the rooftops. The limbs of my bow bounce against my back as I jumped the distance of the alleyway. Before starting the night, I needed to go meet with my newest Magister.

The crevices of the bricks slipped past my gloved hand as I scaled down the building coming to stand just around the corner from the door. The brothel had its doors shut, as always, keeping in the drunkards and feins that resided inside. The smell of stale alcohol and sex clung to everything in the main room. I could hear the slurred sluttery float throughout the room as I made my way to the darkest corner of the building. A figure sat there, waiting for me.

"No sibling this time?" The mans words were clear now.

"I have no clue who you speak of, sir. I have no siblings." I threw a smile at his comment, showing no concern.

"On the contrary, Kyros Ashworth. You have a couple siblings." A small smile played on his face as he leaned back grabbing for his drink.

"I am afraid you are mistaking, sir." I snarled at the man, emotion draining as he kept pushing. "Now, can we please get onto what I came here for."

The man leaned up on his forearms, glaring at me. "They are not dead." He snarled as his hands tightened into fists. "You have lost one sibling and you will soon lose another if you do not act quickly."

The confusion from his words did not last as the threat that dripped from his tongue registered. With as little movement as possible, I had pulled free the arrow that was hidden within my sleeve and had the jagged tip pressed into his knee slightly.

"I am sure that you are not threatening me, sir," my voice was much deeper now then it was just a moment ago.

"Of course not, kid." He relaxed back into his chair once more. "Just reminding you of your job."



Pure rage poured through my body as I ran through the dense forest. After meeting with the Magister, I was supposed to go meet with Damien to speak of a plan for tomorrow. The inhuman rage that slammed through my veins enabled me to sit still, let alone meet with another human and plot a fantasy.

Trees like towers zipped by, their branches swinging low, some scraping at my scalp and face. I could hear animals scurrying in the underbrush nearby, always staying just out of reach, as if they could sense that I lusted for blood. Scents blurred through my nose as I approached my vantage point of the monstrosity of a castle.

Long moments passed as I sat high within the trees, stalking prey below. Guards stayed close to the walls of the fortress. The rich stayed within the courtyard, cradled within the safety of the light. Everything that could breathe seemed to stay just out of reach.

Low whispers drifted through the air, stealing my attention away from the palace. Two men's footsteps approached the base of the tree I was currently perched in. The bright red and white of their uniforms pierced the tenebrous forest around me. The wind howled through the woods merciless, masking the slight click of an arrow sliding free from its spot in the quiver. Within seconds another followed. Both were nocked silently. A breath entered my body as the taught string was pulled toward my chest. A whistle escaped as I release the grip on the two fletchings, letting the arrow travel through the space between the bow and the faces that peered up through the foliage.

A sinister sound echoed through the air as the arrowhead pierced the skin of its target. Faster than the human eye could see, the wooden shaft of the arrow followed, sliding through the hole left in the skin and bones. A split second of silence lasted in the woods before both lifeless bodies curled to the ground. The area around me filled with an iron smell as crimson poured passed the wood protruding from the men's heads. A cruel wave of pleasure flowed through my body as I took in the bodies below me. I savored it for only a moment more before getting closer to the castle.

The closer to the gargantuan spires, the more menacing the dark building appeared. The outer wall towered over my head like the rest of the estate as I began to near it. I had very little time to scale the blockade with the garuds rotations.

A breath left my body as I laid my hand against the frigid stone. It was almost completely flat, little to none of the bricks out of place. Nevertheless, I started up the wall. The rough bricks stabbed through the soft, almost non existing padding of my gloves. I could just find outcropping bricks to use has handholds.

Vaulting the wall took no time, though the landing on the other side was not as graceful as I would have liked. By this side of the courtyard, trees covered most of the area in darkness. It made for a perfect place to crouch, seeing though the rich liked to conjugate in the lit stone paths. As I made my way along, I briefly wondered how strong my bloodlust would be, and for how long.

A light made my eyes snap to a part of the castle that remain dark for most of my time here. The princess was in her room for once, and the opportunity seemed too tempting to pass. Quickly and quietly I climbed the tree nearest the height of the window, ready to stalk my prey.

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