Three Fates Entwined | Dream Team

Chapter Six

Dream found Peligro right where he expected, in a field of boulders. He suspected that his base was somewhere nearby, but he never stuck around long enough to find out.

"Ah, Dream," the man said as he got closer. "Earning money, huh?"

"I couldn't resist the opportunity," Dream replied.

Peligro gestured at a nearby rock, next to the one he was comfortably reclining on. "Sit."

"If you don't mind, I prefer standing."

The man chuckled. "Of course you do. Now, Dream, you are the best assassin I have ever employed. I trust you to get a job done."

Dream stayed silent. He knew where the conversation was going, but he didn't know exactly what he'd find at the end of it.

"I have a very important task for you, Dream. One that I only entrust to the best of the best. That means you."

"I'm flattered."

"No, you're not, but that doesn't matter right now. Listen, I need you to kill the royal family."

Dream raised an eyebrow. Kill the royal family... that was nearly impossible. Nearly.

"By myself?"

"I'd give you a team, but I figured that you don't need one," Peligro said with another chuckle. "You've always been a lone wolf, haven't you?"

"This is a big task. I might need help."

"Then you can find that help yourself. I'm gathering up people as we speak, to cause a ruse and distract the king. That is all I will do."

Dream tilted his head to one side. "Payment?"

"Ten hundred gold coins."

His breath caught in his throat. Ten hundred... that was an enormous amount. Where did he even get that much money from?

"I trust that, if you need help, you will pick people that you believe to be good enough for the job," Peligro continued. "Whether you share the bounty or not is up to you."

Dream wasn't a greedy sort of person, and he knew that ten hundred gold was enough to go around. But... he wasn't too good at working with others, especially on a task where it wasn't an even split.

Then again, it was the royal family he had to take out. There was no way he could do it just by himself.

"Do you want everyone in the family dead?" Dream asked cautiously.

Peligro laughed. "Dream, there are only two in the family: the king, and the prince. Yes, I want both dead. I don't care how long it takes you, or how you do it, as long as you succeed. Do not fail me."

Dream bowed his head once in acknowledgement. He adjusted the straps on his mask to make sure that it absolutely wouldn't fall off, then headed back to the trees. Kill the royal family. It was a big task, but Dream knew that it was possible.

And he was going to accomplish it.

***

There was a lot of commotion as he headed back. The base camp run by Peligro was very large, but most of the things were built by the people that lived in it. The arena, the tents and buildings, the weapons stations, all of them run by the very same people who used the black market to make a living.

Dream passed by a man with a sack over his head, tied against a pole. A crowd of five surrounded him, tossing apples that they must've taken from him to each other and checking for any gold. It wasn't unusual to find hostages in the camp, but usually people didn't band together to raid a victim.

"Nuuuugghhhh," the man moaned. "Gah, I hate you all."

"He's coming around again," the woman standing next to him announced quite unnecessarily. In an instant, Dream recognized her: Mel. He knew about her constant looting expeditions, jumping carriages and killing off knights in the army. She was just as infamous as he himself was.

She glanced around, and her eyes fell on Dream. "Oh, it's you."

Dream scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She shrugged. "Peligro wanted us to provide you with some distractions. Thought you'd need them."

He took a step forward and prodded the captive with his toe. "And this is supposed to be my distraction? It's a person."

"A fighter," Mel corrected. "And if you play your cards right, a knight."

Dream processed her words, keeping his eyes on the man. He preferred to strike under the cover of the night, but with the amount of lamps and guards stationed everywhere around the castle, it just wouldn't be possible. That left him with the option of an inside attack.

There was no way that he'd pretend to be a knight and go in himself. He'd reveal his face, exposing himself, and that would be too costly, even for ten hundred golden coins.

Which was where the man came in. If Dream could use him to get inside the castle, then he'd have no problem lynching off his targets and getting out unnoticed.

"Did Peligro say anything about paying you?" Dream asked.

Mel huffed. "I'm going to go get my money right now. The man is yours. Take care of him, feed him three times a day, and make sure he doesn't wander off. If he dies, that's on you. We're not getting you another one."

Dream didn't bother replying. The man seemed fit enough, and his sword, which was laid by his side, seemed to be of high quality.

His eyes wandered over to his cape, with the flame design in plain sight. Something nagged at the back of his mind, something about a noble or a knight of some sort, but he couldn't remember exactly. At any rate, it didn't seem enough to mess with his plan, so didn't worry about it too much.

"Mel, wait, get back here," Dream called.

The woman turned around and frowned at him. "Alright, what?"

"Do you recognize this house symbol?"

Mel glanced down at the man's cloak and narrowed her eyes. "Sure I do. It's House de la Blaze. Lots of warriors and fighters from there in the king's army. He'll be perfect for you, eh?"

Dream allowed a smile to cross his features. "You're right," he said, kneeling down beside the man and pulling out his knife. "He'll be absolutely perfect."