*Chapter 14*
~Assassins Guild~
Remy leaned up against a crumbling brick wall watching the sun paint the sky with fire as it slid below the horizon. Today had been a rather interesting day for him. First the two English demanded to follow him as he went to ask about their 'Destiny Scrolls'. He honestly didn't think they'd be able to keep up with him, which is why he had agreed to their request, but somehow they had. Henri hadn't been particularly pleased with their presence as he made the request for information. It had taken all his powers of persuasion to convince Henri to help him and now all he to do was wait for the answer from the Guild.
His piercing red-black eyes studied the two Englishmen as he struggled to figure them out. The older gruff man named Logan seemed like the perfect hunter tough, wise, and patient. Remy couldn't quite picture him as a relic hunter but he seemed quite capable of the job. The younger man however was a different story. He was a polar opposite of his older companion weak, naive, and very impatient. All he'd done was whine and complain the whole time and did not look like he belonged in the other man's company at all. So why were they together? And what of the other people He had seen them traveling with? And what were these 'Destiny Scrolls' that they were looking for exactly? Before he could ponder any questions on these strange English people further Logan left his whining companion's side and approached him.
"You have very interesting eyes thief, have they always been that color?" Logan growled.
"Oui, Remy born with them." Gambit confirmed. He hoped this wouldn't get him into any trouble.
"Anything else special about you that we ought to know?" Logan asked.
"Like what mon ami? Remy's favorite wine?" Gambit playfully teased. The wild looking Englishman growled sounding more like an animal than a man.
"I think you know what I mean. It would be in your best interest to tell me now rather than later." The man snarled. Remy swallowed nervously deciding never to try and tease this man again.
"Remy be Cursed." He quickly replied.
"That's what I thought." Logan mumbled half to himself and wandered back towards his annoying traveling companion. He never made it.
The alley in which they had been waiting abruptly exploded in violence as a group of men wearing dark cloaks spilled in and drew their weapons. Remy wasn't entirely sure of the chain of events which followed as the haze of battle and the will to survive overtook him. All he was aware of was the blur of glittering steel and the snarling shouts of brawling men. The chaotic battle seemed to last forever but it ended as swiftly began. Remy struggled to calm his ragged breathing as he surveyed the damage. Most of the attackers were dead or wounded, their short swords and long daggers sliced to pieces. But more cloaked men now arrived to fill the gaps or drag away their casualties. Logan looked like a cornered wild beast with three metal blades protruding from each hand, his wild eyes fixed on one man. This one man held a limp unconscious Bobby Drake by his shirt collar with a serrated dagger pressed to his throat.
"Move and he dies." The man snarled in a thick French accent. "Put down weapons and don't fight." He commanded. Logan snarled but obeyed, retracting his metallic claws back into himself. Remy was a bit more hesitant but gave in as well throwing his small concealable daggers onto the hard-packed earth. That boy was annoying but he didn't deserve to die yet. The dark cloaked strangers moved forward, bound their hands behind their backs and blindfolded them. Remy felt himself being led down street after street, turned round and round till he was completely lost. Then they stopped for an indeterminate period of time as their captors conversed among themselves. Remy strained to hear what was being said but it was impossible. Then without warning something, or fist or a club, struck the back of his head and he knew no more.
***
Bobby felt like Hell. It was like having Piotr in his metal form stomping on his head, the worst hangover ever. But he hadn't been to any taverns recently, so why did he feel this way? He remembered being mad at losing his chance to spend time with Kitty and test out Jean's advice. He'd been following Logan and looking for some French thief trying to get some information on those stupid scrolls. They'd found him and chased him all over Paris to make sure he wasn't cheating them. Then there'd been a fight. Before he could fully react to what was happening something hard had smacked him on the side of the head and everything had gone black.
Bobby started to sigh but it swiftly transformed into a groan under the influence of his pounding head. He tried to open his eyes but the flickering torchlight stung his eyes and made his poor head hurt worse. When he finally did get his eyes open the sight that greeted him was a grim one. Bobby found himself chained to the wall of a small damp cell God only knew where. The chilly air bit through his clothes leaving him numb and shivering. The torchlight that had blinded him earlier threw flickering shadows dancing across the walls. Somewhere he could hear rats squeaking and scurrying through the darkness as they did whatever it was that rats do.
"Hello, anybody out there?" Bobby called out, his voice hoarse and scratchy. An echoing silence was his only reply. Wonderful, looks like I'll just have to get myself out on my own then. He tested the chains the bound him to the wall. They seemed sturdy enough to hold a bull captive but that was no problem for him. He reached down into himself and summoned the ice cold chill to freeze the shackles to make them brittle and much more breakable. But nothing happened. He tried again with more focus but again nothing. His powers were useless. He couldn't see the shackles themselves but he was sure they were covered in spelled runes or a blocking spell of some kind which rendered his freezing skills useless. Now he was in trouble.
Before he could come up with another escape plan footsteps echoed down to his cell and he paused to listen. He heard several people pass his cell and enter another a bit further down. He listened as a heated conversation took place; it was in French of course so he was completely in the dark. It quickly grew into a shouting match which ended with what sounded like a slap and the slamming of a cell door. This time he caught a glimpse of the people as they stormed past. One in particular caught his eye. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with golden blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Her beautiful face was contorted into a mask of fury and hurt as she rushed past his cell door. What was that all about? Bobby wondered as silence once again descended on his lonely prison cell.
***
"Mind explaining yourself thief?" Logan growled from his cell across the hall from Remy's.
"Where do you want Remy to start?" The demoralized French thief asked.
"Who are these people?" Logan demanded.
"They be the Assassins Guild, sworn enemies of the Thieves Guild." Gambit replied.
"Why are you enemies?" Bobby's small voice asked from two cells down.
"You awake?" Remy asked.
"Yes he is, now answer the question." Logan commanded.
"We been enemies since forever. We compete over territory and information, thieves need it for stealing they need it for killing. There been times when there been peace between us but it never last." Gambit explained.
"What about that woman? She didn't look very happy with you." Logan asked.
"Yeah who was she?" Bobby wondered.
"She be Belladonna, daughter of a master assassin of the Guild. She the girl Remy supposed to marry." Gambit reluctantly admitted.
"You going to marry her? Lucky guy." Bobby exclaimed.
"Not any more Remy isn't. That's why Belladonna be so mad." Gambit sighed.
"What happened?" Logan asked quietly.
"Remy was supposed to marry Belladonna to make lasting peace between the Guilds. But then Remy met little nobody Assassin girl. She different than Belladonna, Marie be special. But Belladonna find out about Marie, sent her on a job that she don't come back from. Now Remy don't know if she alive or dead and he miss her." Gambit sadly explained.
"I see." Logan mumbled.
"That's so sad." Bobby said.
"That be life mon ami, that be life." Remy sighed. The talented, Cursed French thief slumped back against the cold stone walls of his cell. His mind lost in the past, lost in the green eyes of a young assassin that he would never see again.