Chapter 1: A Plea for Help
"Agent Bohen? There's a…situation."
Agent Adrian Bohen glanced up from his desk, scrutinizing the pretty young assistant at his door.
"Situation? What kind of situation?"
"Assassination, sir. The assassination of Lord Skipwyth of Camelot."
Adrian sat bolt upright in his chair, eyes wide.
"Assassination?"
"He was stabbed in the back, sir."
"By who? What's his name?"
"Her name, sir."
"What?"
"It's a woman. She left a calling card on the body. A black and red rose, and her name carved into the dirt next to the body."
"Fine. What's her name, then?"
"She calls herself Lady A."
Three years on from that day, and that pseudonym would soon become one of the most feared names in the Endless Woods. Lady A, the assassin of cold heart and iron will, never caught, rarely seen; even those who saw her fleetingly never escaped unscathed. The woman in the shadows, killing and kidnapping nobles from the Wood's various kingdoms. There didn't seem to be a pattern- the Endless Woods waited on tenterhooks, awaiting with terror the death of the Lady's next victim.
Soon, it became clear to Adrian Bohen and his small, scared, detective agency that the mysterious Lady A wasn't operating alone. More calling cards and carved names began to appear, each with a distinct method of killing- and with them, more shadowy eyewitness reports, more blurred photographs and interference-ridden footage, and more and more names sweeping the Woods. Hundreds of international-standard detective agencies had tried and failed to catch them, being wiped out agent by agent. Police and world-class fighters had been defeated, and there was no hint of where any of them might be hiding. Slowly, the feared names began to slide into terrifying legends, where any whisper of a sighting was an eruption of panic, and children grew up with a fear of Lady A and her Assassins. Nursery rhymes of macabre taste were written;
With Lady A, no one's secure,
Killing farmers, nobles, priests and more,
You can't run, you can't hide,
You better take it in your stride,
Don't trust the blonde all dressed in black,
Avoid the man with the tattooed back,
How about the Lady's mate,
No one's seen him- is it fate?
Lock your doors, seal the floors and hide the kitchen knife,
Night-time ventures in the alleys can cost you your life.
Rarely sung to children, and instead offered as a cautionary tale to reckless young teenagers, the poem was the first to mention some of the main players that had, for a long time, been only spoken of in frightened whispers.
The blonde dressed all in black was a reference to a killer known as Dean Nevermore, who killed by luring young men away from their houses, then shooting them.
The man with the tattooed back whispered of Lupus, a beast-like man with an inked back, who shattered his victim's limbs and spine, then left them lying there with no help or relief.
The lady's mate. Now there was an interesting one, thought Adrian. No one had actually seen him, as the song outlined, and there was arguments over who he was, and even if he existed. Some claimed he was her husband, others argued that he was her father, or brother, or perhaps simply just her partner- but Adrian thought it was most likely he was in some kind of relationship with her. There was no whisper of his existence for a long time, until, out of the blue, a man was found dead in a river, his bloodstream polluted and clogged with some kind of ink, poisoning his body. Confused, the people assumed it was a onetime murder, and turned back to Lady A-
Until it happened again, a month or so after the first, this time two bodies- one stabbed, one poisoned. Lady A's calling card on the body of the one who had been stabbed, and a wax seal on the back of the other-
A black seal imprinted with a claw.
After that, they called him Inkclaw.
There were many more, but Adrian's agency had them all documented, in order of appearance, method of assassination, calling card, apparent appearance, and recorded sightings. The last to appear had been Inkclaw, they knew. Once he was named, the new members stopped coming in. There was a lull in activity, and the entire population held their breath, knowing it couldn't be long until the next attack…
It just so happened that attack was the most significant yet, the one which would send a cry for help from a large Kingdom in the North, the hive of activity for Lady A and her associates, a suspected spot for a base.
No one safe, a once great kingdom crippled, now much like its ruler.
This was the Kingdom Adrian was sent to.
"Inspector?"
His new assistant stood in the doorway, fiddling nervously with a lock of raven hair. What was her name, again?
"You're wanted in the meeting room, sir."
Agatha. That was it. Agatha Woods. Adrian could remember criminal's alter-egos and codenames in a second, and identify them by their victim's wounds, but normal, mundane people's names? No chance.
"Thank you, Agatha. Did they say what they wanted?"
"No, sir. It seems serious, though."
"Alright, I'm going."
Adrian stood, stretched, and left his office, walking the short distance into the meeting room across the hall, as Agatha returned to her desk.
As soon as he entered, he could tell there was something seriously wrong. There was a murmur of anxious conversation, and other investigators ran in and out. Several people were on the phone, and there was video feed flashing across the screen on the wall.
When the door closed behind him, and was immediately accosted by several fellow workers, who dragged him over to their boss, who was perched on the main table, eyebrows furrowed as he ruffled through several sheets of paper.
Stefan Woods was Agatha's father, and the boss of their detective agency. He had solved numerous cases in his youth, before retiring to merely manage the others. He was greatly respected and strongly admired by the younger agents, but at the same time, a daunting figure of authority.
"W-what's happened, sir?" spluttered Adrian, trying to look professional and pretty sure he was failing.
Stefan sighed, setting down his papers and turning his gaze on the young man, who tried not to look away.
"Adrian, this is a serious situation. This is the mission for you. Do you think you can do it?"
Adrian forced down a sense of foreboding, and smiled what he hoped was confidently.
"Of course, sir. What's the situation?"
"Lady A, again. But she's gone for the big targets, this time. Very bold, yet somehow she hasn't been caught, and got away without a trace."
Stefan sighed again, eyes sad.
"Poor, poor boy. Adrian, she attacked young King Tedros of Camelot."