Apprentice of Darkness

3. The Contract

A hooded woman pushed open the creaky old door of the Lonely Star Inn. She shivered, as it was nearing winter here in Skarad, and was quite cold outside.

Rubbing her arms to warm them, she took a seat at one of the empty tables. Satisfied that her arms had regained some amount of warmth, she sat back in the comfortable wooden chair, removing her hood to reveal long, dark hair and a pair of amber eyes that almost seemed to glow in this light.

"Evening, ma'am. What can I get you?" The barmaid asked as she approached the woman with a warm smile. She had shoulder-length, wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes to match her kind face.

"Coffee. I'll take it with honey if you have it, sugar if not." She replied, briefly returning the smile and nodding politely as she ordered.

"Hmm... We do have some, I believe. I'll be right back with that for you." She nodded, walking off to pour a cup from the coffee pot behind the bar counter. Honey was an odd request in coffee, she thought as she mixed it in. But then again, Skarad was a big trading town, so the inn got costumers from all over the kingdom. Odd requests for spices or herbs in certain foods was not surprising, nor uncommon on a daily basis.

As she returned to the woman's table, she set the coffee down. "It's nice and fresh. If I can get anything else for you, just give me a call. The name is Morina, by the way." The barmaid smiled again, offering a hand in greeting.

"Castealia." The woman nodded, shaking Morina's hand before picking up her coffee. "My thanks, Morina."

The barmaid nodded in return before tending to the other customers. Castealia took a long sip of her drink, watching Morina over the top of the cup, before sighing in content as the warm liquid returned some of her body heat.

She took her time finishing her drink, and in the hour she spent there she had two cups of coffee. Morina had gathered her purse and put on her heavy coat as another barmaid entered five minutes before eleven o'clock.

Castealia stood, stretching her legs just as Morina left. She quickly returned the empty coffee cup to the bar, and made her exit as well. Just outside, she replaced her hood over her head, and continued silently after Morina.

The barmaid shivered from the cold, despite her coat. She felt an odd sensation, like she was being watched... Though when she glanced back, she saw no one in the dimly lit streets. "You're just being paranoid," she told herself a few times under her breath. Still... perhaps she should take a shortcut back to her home.

She turned down a side street. It was completely dark aside from the dim moonlight, very much unlike the main street she usually took home, which was lit with lanterns.

Still, the feeling she was being watched never left her. She held her arms, becoming a bit frightened, and glanced back over her shoulder more often as she quickened her pace. Instead of turning, she mistakenly walked into a wall as she checked behind her, and squeaked in surpise.

Morina sighed, cursing herself in her head for being such a foolish little girl. Brushing herself off, she took a deep breath. She was just about to continue walking when she heard footsteps behind her, seemingly beginning out of the blue.

She spun around, only to relax with a sigh when she saw the familiar outline of the woman from the inn... Castealia was her name, she remembered. "Oh, it's you." Morina breathed out, chuckling a bit at herself.

"Yes... 'tis me. Were you... expecting someone else?" The hooded woman's voice sounded different, not as kind as when she was at the inn. Something about the way she spoke, and the manner in which she slowly stepped closer was... dark. Sinister, even, and Morina began to back away.

That is, until her back hit the wall she had walked into moments before, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"W-who are you, really?" She choked out fearfully.

"Oh... no one important. You could say I am... a messenger, if you will." She was inches from the terrified barmaid now, and with those words she stopped. The shadows her hood cast covered her face, and she tilted her head up a bit so that her lips were visible. She had been grinning almost evilly, and by revealing this, caused the barmaid's eye to widened even further in fear.

Morina was frozen, too afraid to run. What was this woman going to do?

"And do you know what my bonus is?" Castealia continued, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. Her grin turned to a sinister smirk, and in an even quieter voice, she answered, "I will make you scream."

And scream she did. Her terrified shouts weren't nearly as loud as the screeches of pain, echoing in the streets. Eventually they died down, to be replaced with the pounding of the chainmail boots worn by city guards.

An entire partol made their way to the source of the screams. The guard captain, in the lead, had only spotted the pool of blood after he had stepped in it. A horrified expression crossed his face, slowly looking up to take in the scene before him.

He barely recognized the barmaid's face. "I-is that... Morina...?" One of the recruits whimpered.

Everything was covered in blood... more blood than any of the guardsmen have seen come from a single person.

The guard captain dragged his gaze away from the poor woman's body, and instead looked up to the rooftops... just as a shadow with a pair of glowing amber eyes disappeared.