Neeku peered around the corner, trying her best to not wheeze in pain, taking small shallow breaths to keep silent as much as possible. She was fairly sure at least one rib was cracked, judging by the way every breath was agony, but she couldn’t stop to check. It felt like she’d been running for her life at least half the night, but more than likely it’d only been an hour or so since she killed the governor and successfully fled his trap...though ‘successfully’ might be an exaggeration, since she had numerous broken bones and a dislocated right arm earned in leaping off the rooftop garden after she’d given that smirking bastard a second smile.
Her outfit, black and grey wyvern leather, would’ve made her stand out even if it wasn’t torn and covered in blood, but thankfully all citizens were either asleep in the beds or hiding from the unexpected lights in the sky, so no one was around to see her. She was not the only one who did their best work in the dark, but even the most jaded thief and bullyboy had made themselves scarce tonight. This was out of most of their leagues, and while the potential for profit was probably there, something in the air kept them out of her way. A fact of self-preservation Neeku was grateful for, as she didn’t want to kill any innocent onlookers, even if that word could barely describe most of the underworld denizens she normally dealt with.
She knew she should put Bloodmoon back in its dragonhide sheath on her right hip, but since the city had launched a Sunbomb right above the city just before she killed the governor, it was the only weapon she had. The orichalcum dagger was starting to dim; the power it derived from moonlight was dwindling under the constant barrage of daylight all around her. Neeku longed to pull her hood over her pixie cut black hair, as it always made her feel more safe and secure, but she was currently short-handed, literally.
Her right hand –along with the Nightblade she could summon with it- had vanished under the never-ending light in the sky. Whatever alchemy the city’s engineers had used in its creation were very effective, as the Sunbomb showed no signs of dimming. And they’d launched more around the city’s walls since, basically turning the entire city into a brightly lit cage. Using the drawn dagger as a shield for her onyx-colored eyes, Neeku squinted as she desperately looked for a way out of this shitstorm of a mess.
It seemed like there was still a little bit of luck on her side, for just down the street an overturned street cart was pressed up against the corner of some store, and it provided a small bit of shade. If the governor’s forces decided to launch more Sunbombs, that shade would vanish, along with any chance at escape. Neeku needed to make her move, and fast. If only she could keep her bloodshot eyes fully open, and make her legs work enough to run. If only she hadn’t broken so many bones. If only this, if only that. “Wish in one hand and shit in the other,” she could hear her dearly departed dad saying, “and see which one gets filled first.”
We need to hurry, my child, a faint voice echoed in her mind. I can barely sense you as it is. Too much longer in this accursed daylight and I will lose my tether to you, and without my help you’ll surely succumb to your wounds. It’s a miracle you’re still standing as it is.
“I know, mistress,” Neeku thought back. “I should have listened to you and done more recon before striking tonight. It was an obvious trap, and you warned me repeatedly not to fall for it. I just got so caught up in my vengeance, I didn’t heed your advice.”
None of us can change the past, my dear, and I won’t waste time with recriminations, the voice assured her. Although I do hope that next time I counsel you for patience, you listen to me. I am slightly older than you, it thought with a chuckle.
“I suppose since the dawn of time is ‘slightly older’ than my 24 mortal years,” Neeku chuckled back. “The only good thing to come out of all this is that bastard is dead, and my list is nearly complete. Four down, one to go.”
That is true, and since you sliced his throat with Bloodmoon, its natural powers of magic repression will ensure that no healing can save his life, the voice congratulated her. But, those same powers are also making it difficult for me to talk to you, bond or not.
“Once I get to that shadow over there, I’ll sheathe it mistress. After all, I can’t shadowstep with it drawn anyway,” Neeku replied, but if Sheeba the Goddess of Night heard it, there was no indication. For now, at least, she was truly on her own, in a way she hadn’t been before she bonded with the Goddess around her ninth nameday. That left her shaken more than facing down twelve armed guards did after she killed Governor Sola and she was bereft of her darkness-based assassin abilities, but she knew that it was up to her to save herself. The funny part was, she knew for a fact that Sola was a horrible Governor, and that most of the city council in fact despised him and wouldn’t even be able to fake a tear at his funeral. But it looked bad when someone in that high a position of power was taken out so casually, so to save face if nothing else they wouldn’t stop looking for her until she was found, if only to show to the rest of the citizens what happened to those that stepped out of line and forget their place in the world: at the bottom, under the boots of those with power and money.
Gritting her teeth, Neeku took a deep breath and held it before slamming her right shoulder into the brick wall besides her. The pain as her arm went back into its socket nearly made her pass out, and she tasted blood from biting down on her tongue so hard. But, after a dizzy spell that had her seeing double, the pain subsided and at least she could use that arm again. Granted, there was still no hand there, but the arm didn’t dangle uselessly anymore.
Dogs bayed down the road, and Neeku knew she was running out of time. Even though she was more of a cat person, the dogs were innocent in all this, just doing what they’d been trained to do, and she had no desire to kill animals tonight. It was now or never. Her heart started pounding, and her muscles began to twitch. “Fear will kill you faster than any blade or poison,” she could almost sense her former trainer behind her saying those words, “and if you don’t learn to master it, you’ll always be a slave to its slimy touch. Set it aside, and get shit done.”
One deep breath in, hold for five seconds, then release. Neeku could only assume that the patrolling guards was wearing special goggles built for them that would keep them from going blind under the glare of the Sunbombs, and any second they’d come around the bend of the street and see her crouching by the alleyway. It was only her constant training –and remnants of Sheeba’s touch keeping her eyes safe- that was allowing her to see right now. No, don’t think about that. One deep breath in, hold for five seconds, then release.
The shade under the street cart was fairly small, but she’d spent lots of time learning to contort her body to fit in small spaces. Besides, Neeku was positive that it was bigger than the smuggler’s locker her stepfather had locked her in, all those years ago. The only good thing to come out of that asshole’s torture was it introduced her to Sheeba. The dogs bayed again, louder this time, and Neeku could only assume they’d finally caught her scent and were only seconds away. It hadn’t been that difficult, honestly; she’d been bleeding quite a bit tonight.
Standing up straight as much as she could, Neeku sheathed Bloodmoon and started trotting towards the street cart. Loud barking echoed behind her, amidst shouts from the guards to stand still and put her hands behind her head. Ignoring them all, the small assassin continued her trek towards safety. A shot echoed out, and she felt the bullet whiz past her ear, angry as a hornet. It was only a matter of time before a shot or two found her, and Neeku had no desire to bleed out on these streets. Reaching the shade, she tucked herself in as tight as she could, taking the time to give a rude gesture to the patrol before the cool darkness embraced her, and she shadowstepped away to safety; hoping that wherever she landed, it was better than here.
When she emerged from the shadows, the darkness still prevented her from seeing where she’d ended up, but after a few seconds her connection to Sheeba allowed Neeku’s eyes to adjust and she could see clearly, just in black and white. Color only showed up in heat -the hotter the object, the more orange or red it was- and although she was still mortal her years bonded with the Goddess of Night kept her temperature very low. Her body barely glowed, even to her advanced eyes. And, it seemed unusually cool in this location.
Looking around, Neeku chuckled softly. No wonder there was no light coming from anywhere, even with multiple Sunbombs all around the city; this was a wine cellar. The owners had paid well to make sure no light could come down here and potentially ruin any rare vintages. Not that she was a wine connoisseur -ale and mead was more her speed- but part of her training involved learning little tidbits about lots of subjects. A good assassin always had to know more than their targets, she repeated another of her former trainer’s pithy sayings.
Shuffling around as best she could, left hand pressed against her right side where her ribs were broken, Neeku walked up and down the mahogany racks of wine bottles, not bothering to try and read the labels -as words were just squiggles in the dark- until she’d mapped out the cellar. It was only twenty feet by thirty feet, with a set of stairs in the northeast corner. The massive redwood door at the top was bolted from the other side, so she couldn’t pick the lock even if she wanted to. The floor and walls were stone, which meant it had been carved out of the bedrock of the city, and not added to like newer buildings. Unless she’d shadowstepped quite a long distance, more than likely this was a nice restaurant in the 2nd Circle of Onimod: not enough wine for 1st Circle, but definitely not 3rd Circle, where she had been. Hells, down there they probably had never tasted wine in their life, nor could they afford it.
Normally she would never have blind shadowstepped, as not knowing your destination was gambling with your life, but seeing as how her only other option was capture if not just executed she felt grateful the dice of her life had turned up 3s and not 2s. Also, it wasn’t like she could ask anyone else about the powers her bond with her Goddess had granted her; from the little Sheeba had let slip, these kinds of bonds tended to happen only once in a generation or two. The last person to bond with Her was dead by a century or more. And every time she’d asked Sheeba why this power or that power worked the way that it did, Sheeba told her it was liking trying to describe how to breathe to someone who had no lungs. It just worked the way it did.
“Aha,” she softly exclaimed as her traversal of the wine cellar led her to the southwest corner. There, tucked away behind a couple of oak wine barrels, was a pile of dirty rags. At least the smell indicated that they were just rags used to clean up wine spills, and not blood or anything from the kitchen. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’m grateful that someone was too lazy to do laundry,” Neeku said as she burrowed into the pile, making sure they completely covered her, “and it probably won’t be the last.”
The laundry woman is probably as overworked and underpaid as most people seem to be in cities, Sheeba said in Neeku’s head. I don’t understand why you mortals insist on paying and treating people so poorly. You all need each other to survive; you’re a pack species, after all.
“I wish I had a good answer for you,” Neeku thought back. “But I’m just a young woman trying to make right a wrong that was done to me over fifteen years ago. I leave higher thinking and philosophy to the bards, poets and philosophers.” Yawning, she closed her eyes. “I’m just glad I found a safe spot so I can rest and heal…and that you’re still with me.”
Always, my child, until the end. Now, as you said, you’re safe and you need rest and to heal your wounds. My touch, along with the cool and darkness, will accelerate your body’s natural healing ability. I will alert you if someone enters the cellar, but you probably have a good ten or more hours until someone does, which is plenty of time for you to mostly recover from your injuries. Sleep well, Neeku.
“Thank you Goddess,” the young assassin yawned, reaching up to pull a rag further over her head. Without thinking, she’d done it with her right hand, which she was delighted to see had reformed away from the burning light of the Sunbomb. And if it was back, that meant her Nightblade was also back. It took all her self-control not to summon the blade just to show it was still there, but she wasn’t some novice, and needed to act like such. She was the Terror of Tawnytown, after all; at least, that’s what her enemies had taken to calling her. Smiling to herself, hoping that this assignment wouldn’t end as tits up as it started, she allowed herself to finally drift off into sleep.
