Chapter 2

He who angers you conquers you

-Elizabeth Kenny

When Jaffar reached the Water Temple, it had taken around two hours as he estimated. It had taken him longer than he wanted, and he felt that he needed a good night's rest for all the trouble that he had gone through.

First, Angel of Death decided to buck him again, and this time, Jaffar fell off the horse onto the asphalt ground. He unfortunately had landed on his weak arm, and he had cursed more than he ever had in his entire life, although it was said inside his mind. The horse wouldn't listen to him afterwards, so Jaffar had to stop at the small town of Soldiago to let the horse drink his supply of water.

Second, in the city of Soldiago, a bounty hunter had spotted him, and Jaffar had ridden a horse like he had never had in his entire life. Although he had been regretting that he got the stubborn horse from the barn in Kulios, Jaffar was grateful that he had chosen a fast horse. And he swore that he rode Angel of Death with a skill that matched those of a nomad's.

He had lost the bounty hunter about ten minutes into the chase, and took extra caution to not be spotted once again. Ever since he had earned the title, "Angel of Death", bounty hunters were interested on the hefty bounty on his head, and popped up in town once in a while.

Jaffar had to admit, he was being careless with his disguise. He had not taken the caution of wearing the hood that was attached to his cape, since it was blazing outside. With only his gray mask to hide his face, he became an easy target to the bounty hunters. Ursula, a fellow member of the Black Fangs, would chastise him for being so careless.

Why he had been so careless, Jaffar didn't quite understand himself. He usually took the most precaution out of everyone in the Black Fangs, even more than Sonia herself. He was like a shadow: lone, dark, and quiet. He was supposed to be always prepared, always ready to strike, and always successful.

Emotionless as he supposed to be was, recently, Jaffar noticed that he was becoming careless with everything he did. He longed to be like Linus and Lloyd, the Reed Brothers. They were loud, brash, and although skilled swordsmen, they both could easily fall to an unexpected happening. They seemed happy, even if they were part of the organization. Jaffar guessed that it was alcohol that fueled their happiness. The Reed Brothers could both be found in the local tavern drowned in alcohol.

Pulling Angel of Death to a halt, Jaffar leapt gracefully off of the horse and grabbed firmly onto the reins with his left hand. As he led the horse to the stables near the Temple, he was stopped by a messenger of Sonia. Jaffar immediately recognized the messenger, for she bore the symbol of Sonia on the sleeve of her cloak.

"Madame Sonia requires your presence immediately, sir," the messenger told him quietly. "It would be best if you go up there quickly, for the Madame is not in a good mood, sir."

He nodded, letting go of the reins. The service in the organization was so meticulous. All messengers were required to go through a strenuous training before they are allowed to be used by the members of the organization. The messenger standing before him must be of the highest rank, being Sonia's favorite.

"...Take care of the horse..." he said, lifting his head slightly to acknowledge the large ebon horse. The messenger nodded obediently, whispering "I will, sir," before taking the reins and leading the horse towards the stables. Angel of Death gave him a last glance before being led to the stables.

Jaffar climbed up the twisting stairs that led up to Brendan and Sonia's chamber. It was an exhausting walk from the bottom to the top, leaving him to breathe heavily as soon as he finished climbing up the stairs. No doubt Sonia would taunt him about being so careless and out of breath, so Jaffar waited a few seconds before opening the large door which was the entrance to the dark chamber inside.

"Mother, are you alright? You've been pacing all day!" a small girl asked, her voice strained with concern. "Shouldn't you rest?"

"Be quiet Nino," Sonia ordered, biting her tongue. She had been expecting Jaffar to arrive earlier, since that was what Ursula had told her. Yet it had been at least an hour since Ursula visited her chamber. And still no Jaffar.

"But Mother..." Nino began, looking at Sonia with her big, blue eyes.

"SHUT UP!" Sonia screamed, throwing a cushion that she had been carrying by her chest. It missed Nino, for Sonia's aim had faltered due to her anxiousness and anger.

"Ah...I'm sorry, Mother," Nino apologized, sulking in a chair embedded with jewels.

Sonia continued to pace around the room, occasionally taking sips from her goblet. At usual days, she would get one of her servants to pour the wine for her, yet today, she poured her own wine. It kept her mind off of Jaffar and the book he was supposed to have.

"The book...I must have the book..." The thought of the book kept on lingering in her mind, and she was getting annoyed by the minute. She had hired Jaffar because he was flawless at his job, yet today, he was close to failing it.

Sonia took a swig from her goblet, gulping down the fine wine as if it was water. She usually savored wine, while her husband preferred such things as ale. However, she was in no mood to savor the expensive wine.

Taking a glance at what her mother was doing, Nino gasped, covering her mouth with a small hand. "Mother! You shouldn't be drinking like that!"

Sonia was about to yell at her and throw the goblet at her daughter, when the wooden doors suddenly made a loud creaking noise, and the tall assassin, wearing his usual attire that fitted him best, walked into the chamber, scarlet eyes focused directly onto Sonia. Her lips, stained slightly from the wine, broke into a winning smile as she beckoned him to come closer.

"Ah, Jaffar! I've waited so long for your arrival, my dear assassin!" Sonia exclaimed, her voice more high-pitched than usual. Her foul mood was instantly uplifted at the sight of the assassin coming into the room. "What has taken you so long?"

Jaffar hesitated a second before replying to Sonia. He would of explained all the factors that had made him almost a week late (part of which was Sonia's fault), yet he didn't want to experience the full fury of the feared "leader" of the Black Fang.

"...The rain..." he answered quietly, bending down on one knee. Jaffar found this trivial, for he felt no need to think of Sonia as his master; his leader. He was being used, and materials did not have to worship their owners.

"Ah, the rain...I didn't have Master Nergal train you to become an assassin that didn't like rain, Jaffar," she said disapprovingly. Sonia made a "tsk tsk" sound with her tongue, taking a drink from her goblet. "So tell me...who did you kill?"

Jaffar paused for a second, thinking over the question. He had killed Myzerh Bain and his ten soldiers. If Sonia had sent him to kill Myzerh, why would she be asking that question? Unless, Sonia knew about the ten soldiers that had accompanied Myzerh Bain, she wouldn't be asking the question, would she?

"I killed...Myzerh Bain and his guardians..."

"So you were able to deal with ten of his high-class soldiers?" she asked, smirking. "I had known about his guardians, Jaffar. I didn't tell you, since I felt that you needed a little training...nothing personal, mind you. It's just that," she paused, twirling a lock of her wiry black hair. "We can't have any failures in the Black Fang. We must succeed."

Jaffar remained silent, looking down at the marble floor. There was a crack in the smooth floor, and it was stained with a red liquid, most likely wine. He found a goblet lying nearby, and could only guess that Sonia had another temper tantrum and threw the goblet of wine onto the floor. It was nothing new.

"Jaffar?" she asked, making his burgundy eyes focus on Sonia once more. However, his eyes left Sonia to gaze at a young girl who sat in the back of the room. She sported medium length emerald hair, which was kept in place with a blue headband. The girl, who seemed no younger than thirteen, was dressed in a simple blue shirt, which she wore over a white dress. Her purple cloak was neatly folded on her lap, and sky blue eyes were focused on his own eyes. Jaffar mused how innocent and pure her eyes looked.

"Jaffar? Are you listening?" Sonia asked again, annoyance mixed in with her words. Unlike the girl in the back, Sonia dressed very extravagantly, and wore very revealing dresses. Jaffar noticed that instead of her tight, black dresses, Sonia wore a simple black nightgown, although revealing much. Sonia was much older than he was, but her style was much younger than his.

He nodded, focusing his eyes again. He mumbled a quick apology before letting Sonia continue with her interrogation.

"So...you have beaten Myzerh Bain and his ten knights, haven't you?" Sonia asked, resting herself on a scarlet couch. She moved her left leg above her right, almost revealing her undergarments. Jaffar looked away, not interested in her tactics that worked for Brendan Reed.

"Jaffar...tell me that you have the book with you..." she said coyly, taking a sip from her goblet. Golden eyes were now focused on Jaffar, who continued to bow down and stare at the marble floor. "That was one of the jobs I assigned you..."

Jaffar once again hesitated before replying to Sonia. Her golden eyes had already somewhat widened with fury at his silence, and he predicted that he would be in great trouble for not finding the book. Gulping, he shook his head, answering in his scratchy voice,

"No."

Just as he had suspected, Sonia's golden eyes widened with fury, giving him a glare that could kill. For a second, even Sonia lost words. She was confused, for the Angel of Death had never failed her before. Yet this time...

"What did you say?" she hissed, tightening her grip around the goblet. Her entire body shook, and the wine inside the goblet made small ripples. Sonia heard her daughter saying something in the back, and Jaffar staring back at her with no emotion whatsoever, still bending down.

"I said no," he replied, scarlet eyes meeting golden ones. One couldn't tell whose eyes were more fearful: Jaffar's, without a trace of emotion, or Sonia's, full of fury. Even Nino, who sat in the back, could tell that the war raging between the assassin and the leader was going to get ugly.

"You failed me, Jaffar?" Sonia whispered, glaring at him. She stood up, raising her goblet to her lips to try and get another sip to calm her down, yet all nerves in her body seemed to resist her. All she could do was stare at the failing assassin who bowed before her. Anger had seized her.

Golden eyes were wide, anger written all over Sonia's snarling face. Black hair fell limply down her shoulder as her gaze continued to pierce the assassin. How could he fail? This was his most important mission...to retrieve the book...

Sonia took a sip of wine, this time savoring the bitter taste of the wine from Bern. She must have left it out in the air for too long, for the sweetness had diminished. Ignoring the looks given to her by her daughter, Sonia continued to drink the wine until there was nothing left in the goblet. Walking over to the coffee table, she poured herself another cup of wine, making sure that the blood red wine filled the goblet.

"How could you fail me, Jaffar?" She asked, bringing the goblet to her lips, where she took a small sip. It was much bitter than the last sip. "I told you to bring back the book...Master Nergal raised a failure...I cannot believe it..." she muttered, laughing slightly. "Master Nergal raised a failure..."

"My Angel of Death is a failure, Master Nergal...My Angel of Death, who I made with so much hard work, is a failure...how could it be?" Sonia continued to mumble incoherent things, clutching her goblet.

"Mother, are you okay? Mother?" Nino asked from the back, running over to her mother, who stared at Jaffar with disbelief in her eyes. "Mother, calm down, please!" Nino cried, covering her mother's shoulders with her purple cape.

"FOOL!" Sonia shouted, throwing the full goblet at Jaffar. The goblet, which seemed dancing in the air, spilt some of its contents onto the marble floor, the bloody wine splashing onto the cold floor. The goblet headed for Jaffar's right, which he attempted to catch with his right arm. However, as soon as his fingers grabbed the stem of the goblet, pain rushed through his arm, sending a signal to his brain that his arm wasn't going to be able to stand the weight of the goblet.

The goblet, still containing some wine, made a loud sound as it fell onto the hard floor, breaking into pieces. The wine made a sound like rain as it dropped onto the marble like blood. Wine that stained Jaffar's cape also fell onto the ground with a tapping sound, and Nino's gasps were heard in the background.

Jaffar, although supposedly emotionless, stared at his right arm with disbelief. Scarlet eyes were wider than usual as he stared at his arm, which was now soaked with both wine and blood. Was the wound on his right arm so deep that he wasn't able to catch a single goblet?

"Pathetic fool! You can't even catch a goblet, idiot!" Sonia spat out, walking over to him. Jaffar held his right arm with his left one, ignoring the blood that had began to seep out of his wound. Although Jaffar had assumed it was healed, it had not completely healed. Slumping against a marble pillar behind him, Jaffar applied pressure to his arm to make it stop bleeding.

Sonia bent down, taking a look at his wound. With her long nails, painted black, she ripped off his sleeve, exposing his wound to the atmosphere. Jaffar's arm, which had been caked with blood just a few hours ago, was now bleeding once again. The gash itself was quite long, and deep. It was a sight that would have had men cringe in disgust, let alone a woman. However, Sonia looked at it with pure amazement.

"You failed to defend yourselves against the knights, I see..." she laughed slightly, pointing at Jaffar's arm. "You are a failure, Jaffar. I see now."

Before Jaffar could pull his arm away from Sonia, she stepped on it with her very strength, making the blood flow with a greater power. If Sonia hadn't stared at Jaffar's face for the entire ordeal, she would have missed the second he winced at the pain. Nino had missed it, and was continuing to gasp at the sight of blood.

"Oh Mother! H-he's bleeding!" she gasped, taking a step back.

"He's bleeding for the crime he committed, Nino...for not getting my book back..." Sonia whispered, releasing her leg off of Jaffar's arm. Lifting his bloody arm with her hand, she showed it to Nino, who cringed at the sight. "Look at his hand, daughter. Look at his filthy hands, tainted with the blood of the innocent...he deserves this..." she laughed, throwing his arm back to the ground.

Nino stared at Jaffar for a second, looking at his arm that her mother called "tainted". On the contrary though, Jaffar had very elegant hands, like an aristocrat. Each finger was long and slender, and his hand, although thin, seemed very strong. His hands were nothing like Linus', who had hands full of cuts and nicks, or Lloyd's, whose hands were fat and stubby.

Sonia threw her blood stained slipper near her couch, sighing as she sat back onto her couch.

Sonia poured herself another glass of wine, this time in a new goblet. "He's in pain for failure, Nino..." she said in a singsong voice, smiling at Jaffar. "It's a suitable punishment for a failure, don't you agree?"

Jaffar realized that this question was pointed towards him, and he nodded weakly. He was feeling lightheaded again, due to the loss of the blood. Emotionless as he was, he was angry at how Sonia treated him. He was angry at himself for not being able to catch the goblet. He was angry at this entire mission; at Myzerh Bain, the ten knights, Angel of Death, Sonia, and himself.

Sonia suddenly threw the goblet at him once again, and if not for his long years of training, Jaffar would have had the goblet hit his face. Using his somewhat numb right arm, he swiftly caught the goblet a few centimeters before it hit his face. He heard Sonia applauding him, lying lazily on the couch.

"Well done, Angel of Death...you do not fail me two times..."

Jaffar felt nauseous as he put the goblet down onto the floor. Standing up, he bowed lowly once to Sonia, and to Nino, who stared at him with a mixture of horror and admiration. Blue eyes were focused entirely on him, and Jaffar took a glance at her. Immediately, the blue eyes shifted towards the ground, and he mused how she was still a child. Or was she?

Nino was still a child, but a child that was a mask for an adult to hide inside. Jaffar could see it, inside her eyes. Training had taught him to use his eyes to describe people, to find if they were traitors and liars. This training allowed Jaffar to see describe Nino is a way, although he hardly proved the skill useful.

With his sharp eyes, Jaffar caught Nino staring at him, once again. This time, he didn't look back at her, and while he left the chamber, he could see her gentle eyes looking back at his lonely back.

"She has...pretty eyes..."

A/N: What a miracle! I wrote two chapters in one day! –claps- It's really rare for me to be updating a story so fast, so I'm quite surprised myself. It's 1:47 A.M. in the morning now, and I need to get up at seven in the morning, so I'd better go to bed. I'll be updating soon, though!

This chapter was about mostly Jaffar and Sonia. I think I may have portrayed Sonia a bit too erratic, but I had a feeling that she was a person who yelled a lot. The next chapter will be focusing more on Nino. Stay tuned!