Chapter Four: Please
The man grinned wickedly as his dart hit the target. His grin grew even wider when he thought about the sum of money he had just earned himself by the simple task of shooting a poisoned dart accurately. He laughed softly to himself while he put the implements of his trade away and then climbed down from the attic of a shop.
He laughed again when he thought about the expression his victim's face and how the man had immediately slapped at his neck, making the dart fall away and be lost in the dust of the streets. That was really the biggest chance of his business--that someone would find the darts and they would lead straight to him. Luckily, most assumed that the sting of his dart was a mosquito and simply slapped it away, never realizing that there was an insidious and very slow-moving poison lodged in their bodies.
Endlessly amused, and no doubt thought quite mad by passersby, he laughed all the way down the street.
**
He saw. He always saw. The only difference from most of what he saw was that this time, things were slightly blurred--though not enough for him to be confused as to the whereabouts of the people he watched. The marksman was crystal-clear, but his victim was one of the only two people that he could barely See, and this of course maddened him. There was one other person that he could see little of, as well, and it frustrated him beyond belief that he could get no clear image of her face and surroundings. All he could ever see was a glimpse of raven colored hair, a flash of emerald eyes. According to his employer, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen--and he had seen a lot of women.
She was the daughter of the slightly blurred couple. For reasons unknown to him, his employer wanted her captured and brought to him. This would be easiest if the three of them were all at the same place at the same time--hence his own hiring of the marksman to bring down the girl's father.
He would have asked for a faster-moving poison, but it would have killed the man too quickly for him to complete his job--and he dearly wished for the other half of the pay, as well as the possibility of a bonus.
A challenge was so rare in his life, he who could See anything he wished, and he relished this one as he would a delicacy from France.
**
"I'm so sorry, Mother," Arianne was saying to Amara as they left hurriedly. "I wish we could have visited for longer, but I've never seen Jack so ill--we must get back home as quickly as possible to speak with Dharketh and Y'lorani."
"It's fine, darling, just come back when he's better! And do write!" Amara called as they hurried down the street, Arianne supporting Jack from one side while Reanna supported him from the other.
Reanna was worried for her father. She had never seen him weak, and to see her idol ashen-faced and barely conscious shook her to the core of her soul. He couldn't be sick! He was her father, he had to remain in good health!
She was just happy that there weren't very many people out to crowd the streets and make things more difficult than they were. It was surprisingly awkward half-carrying a grown man while wearing a corset.
"Mama," she panted before they had even gone a full block, "Mama, I can't keep holding him up like this."
"We have to get him home, Reanna," her mother said sharply, but Reanna tried not to mind too much because she knew that it was mostly out of worry for her husband that Arianne spoke that way.
"Just stop for a minute, Mama, I have a better way," Reanna pleaded.
"Fine, as long as it will get us back home quicker."
They maneuvered him over to a wall and sat him gently down against it. Reanna proceeded to get the outer dress and the corset off, much to her mother's shock and disapproval. "Reanna!" she hissed, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Listen," she replied, perhaps more scathingly than she intended, "I am just as worried as you are about Father, and if I'm not constricted by that damned torture device I can carry him and we'll get to the Pearl that much faster."
Her mother pursed her lips at the tone Reanna used, but no longer objected. Reanna took her heeled shoes off last and then, as gently as she could, she picked her father up. He was heavier than she had thought, but not so heavy that she couldn't make it the half-mile or so to the ship.
Arianne picked up the discarded clothes and shoes and quietly followed.
"Mr. Gibbs!" Reanna called up when she reached the ship. She called twice more, her arms and back aching from her heavy load now that she had stopped, and finally someone looked down. Not Mr. Gibbs, who was supposed to be on duty, but Ana Maria.
"Bloody hell!" the woman swore before lowering the plank so that they could board.
When they reached the deck, Ana Maria swore again, this time more colorfully as she realized who it was Reanna carried. "Please--we need to get back home as quickly as possible," Reanna said to the crew as they slowly assembled. When they stood there, she shouted, "Get to work, you blasted dullards! Your captain needs you!"
They all scurried off to their various duties of getting out of the bay and into the open sea at her authoritative tone. Her mother simply looked at her in shock. "Come on, Mother, we need to put him to bed," Reanna said wearily.
Nodding curtly, she led the way to Jack's cabin and readied the bed for when Reanna finally got there. It was difficult to carry a man while the ship was turning about, so she made slower progress than she could have wished, nearly dropping him more than once.
After Jack was safely abed, Reanna couldn't stand watching him lay there and so she fled the room before her emotions of fear and anger and worry made her break down into tears in front of her mother. There was one place she could go where she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her cry, and she went there immediately. No one used the crow's nest often anymore anyway, so she had no worry about kicking someone out.
When the immediate storm of tears had ceased, she sat curled in the crow's nest staring up at the stars. "Please," she whispered, the first time she had ever asked anything of the heavens, "please don't let him die."
************************************************************************
Rin-Of course we have an accord--you don't have to ask me to put the story in your list, lol! No one else does, and that doesn't bother me a bit! On the contrary, I'm flattered that anyone pays attention to my writings and puts me on their author alerts list! And I'm happy that my story isn't like yours, that makes for less trouble for you, yay! If you write it, I'll likely read it! Thanks so much for your reviews!
The man grinned wickedly as his dart hit the target. His grin grew even wider when he thought about the sum of money he had just earned himself by the simple task of shooting a poisoned dart accurately. He laughed softly to himself while he put the implements of his trade away and then climbed down from the attic of a shop.
He laughed again when he thought about the expression his victim's face and how the man had immediately slapped at his neck, making the dart fall away and be lost in the dust of the streets. That was really the biggest chance of his business--that someone would find the darts and they would lead straight to him. Luckily, most assumed that the sting of his dart was a mosquito and simply slapped it away, never realizing that there was an insidious and very slow-moving poison lodged in their bodies.
Endlessly amused, and no doubt thought quite mad by passersby, he laughed all the way down the street.
**
He saw. He always saw. The only difference from most of what he saw was that this time, things were slightly blurred--though not enough for him to be confused as to the whereabouts of the people he watched. The marksman was crystal-clear, but his victim was one of the only two people that he could barely See, and this of course maddened him. There was one other person that he could see little of, as well, and it frustrated him beyond belief that he could get no clear image of her face and surroundings. All he could ever see was a glimpse of raven colored hair, a flash of emerald eyes. According to his employer, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen--and he had seen a lot of women.
She was the daughter of the slightly blurred couple. For reasons unknown to him, his employer wanted her captured and brought to him. This would be easiest if the three of them were all at the same place at the same time--hence his own hiring of the marksman to bring down the girl's father.
He would have asked for a faster-moving poison, but it would have killed the man too quickly for him to complete his job--and he dearly wished for the other half of the pay, as well as the possibility of a bonus.
A challenge was so rare in his life, he who could See anything he wished, and he relished this one as he would a delicacy from France.
**
"I'm so sorry, Mother," Arianne was saying to Amara as they left hurriedly. "I wish we could have visited for longer, but I've never seen Jack so ill--we must get back home as quickly as possible to speak with Dharketh and Y'lorani."
"It's fine, darling, just come back when he's better! And do write!" Amara called as they hurried down the street, Arianne supporting Jack from one side while Reanna supported him from the other.
Reanna was worried for her father. She had never seen him weak, and to see her idol ashen-faced and barely conscious shook her to the core of her soul. He couldn't be sick! He was her father, he had to remain in good health!
She was just happy that there weren't very many people out to crowd the streets and make things more difficult than they were. It was surprisingly awkward half-carrying a grown man while wearing a corset.
"Mama," she panted before they had even gone a full block, "Mama, I can't keep holding him up like this."
"We have to get him home, Reanna," her mother said sharply, but Reanna tried not to mind too much because she knew that it was mostly out of worry for her husband that Arianne spoke that way.
"Just stop for a minute, Mama, I have a better way," Reanna pleaded.
"Fine, as long as it will get us back home quicker."
They maneuvered him over to a wall and sat him gently down against it. Reanna proceeded to get the outer dress and the corset off, much to her mother's shock and disapproval. "Reanna!" she hissed, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Listen," she replied, perhaps more scathingly than she intended, "I am just as worried as you are about Father, and if I'm not constricted by that damned torture device I can carry him and we'll get to the Pearl that much faster."
Her mother pursed her lips at the tone Reanna used, but no longer objected. Reanna took her heeled shoes off last and then, as gently as she could, she picked her father up. He was heavier than she had thought, but not so heavy that she couldn't make it the half-mile or so to the ship.
Arianne picked up the discarded clothes and shoes and quietly followed.
"Mr. Gibbs!" Reanna called up when she reached the ship. She called twice more, her arms and back aching from her heavy load now that she had stopped, and finally someone looked down. Not Mr. Gibbs, who was supposed to be on duty, but Ana Maria.
"Bloody hell!" the woman swore before lowering the plank so that they could board.
When they reached the deck, Ana Maria swore again, this time more colorfully as she realized who it was Reanna carried. "Please--we need to get back home as quickly as possible," Reanna said to the crew as they slowly assembled. When they stood there, she shouted, "Get to work, you blasted dullards! Your captain needs you!"
They all scurried off to their various duties of getting out of the bay and into the open sea at her authoritative tone. Her mother simply looked at her in shock. "Come on, Mother, we need to put him to bed," Reanna said wearily.
Nodding curtly, she led the way to Jack's cabin and readied the bed for when Reanna finally got there. It was difficult to carry a man while the ship was turning about, so she made slower progress than she could have wished, nearly dropping him more than once.
After Jack was safely abed, Reanna couldn't stand watching him lay there and so she fled the room before her emotions of fear and anger and worry made her break down into tears in front of her mother. There was one place she could go where she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her cry, and she went there immediately. No one used the crow's nest often anymore anyway, so she had no worry about kicking someone out.
When the immediate storm of tears had ceased, she sat curled in the crow's nest staring up at the stars. "Please," she whispered, the first time she had ever asked anything of the heavens, "please don't let him die."
************************************************************************
Rin-Of course we have an accord--you don't have to ask me to put the story in your list, lol! No one else does, and that doesn't bother me a bit! On the contrary, I'm flattered that anyone pays attention to my writings and puts me on their author alerts list! And I'm happy that my story isn't like yours, that makes for less trouble for you, yay! If you write it, I'll likely read it! Thanks so much for your reviews!