Numero quatro. Chapter four is here, bringing with it some nasty plans indeed...Watch.
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"I'm telling you, she's a Half-Elf. I heard her speak the freaks' language! And her hair - no human has white hair, mate. She's a Half-Elf, alright, ain't no doubt about it." A man with messy brown hair drew himself up importantly.
"Deryn," said a second man, looking at the woman sitting on the table in front of he and his two companions, and ignoring the first's attitude. "We've got to do something. We swore to Karla that we'd get rid of any half-breed that ventures into Flanoir."
Deryn sat with her back to them, her blonde hair pulled neatly back in a half ponytail. "I know," she said, her voice icy. "I do not need you to remind me of the promise I made to my sister, David."
"I-I'm sorry."
"Shut up." She jumped off and turned to them, leaning forward with her palms flat on the table. "I agree, something must be done about the filthy mixedbreed. She's in our territory now. However," she stared hard at them all. "I do not think we should kill her."
There were murmers of surprise, and protest. "That's how we've always done it!" shouted the first.
"Keep your voice down, idiot!" she hissed. "Do you want to reveal us all? No, I didn't think so. Then close your mouth, Eric, or I'll close it for you." Deryn straightened, and clasped her hands behind her back. "While you imbeciles were watching the woman, I got a good look at whom she was with."
"That man?"
"He's not just any human, fool. That was Duke Bryant!" She pursed her lips, annoyed as there were several more whispers. "She's obviously in some place of influence."
"So what do we do? Kidnap her for ransom?" asked the third, who had not spoken yet.
"Of course not, Matthew," she said, her voice turning silky as she smirked. "We kidnap her to use her in the plans that require getting past certain...barriers. But first we must take her out of society, so that no one would come looking for her."
"What do you mean?" It was Eric this time.
"We stage her death, boy! We make it look like she was murdered. Mind you, we can't let them know who did the 'crime,' or they'll have us in jail before you can say 'Half-Elf.' But once the public believes she is gone...We will be free to take her anywhere." The smirk widened.
"I see," nodded David, watching the wall in thought. "But with all due respect, Deryn. That is not what you told Karla we would do." He flinched as she turned a glare on him.
"I told Karla we would work to rid this world of contaminated blood. We can use her to do that. And, once her usefulness has ended, we drop her into the ocean without another thought."
"A clean finish." David raised an eyebrow in admiration. "Very well. But, as you mentioned," he dipped his head at her in respect, "she was with the Duke. We cannot exactly go in and capture her."
"She's alone right now," said Eric. "She left about fifteen minutes ago, to take a walk. I saw her heading off toward the rocks around this island."
"Perfect...We make a few marks in the snow to make it look like she was pushed, we bring back her cloak, tattered and torn, and perhaps with a bit of 'blood' to make it convicing, and show it to Master Regal." Deryn was practically grinning now. It was all so easy, so easy.
"David, Matthew. You two must be the ones to do it.. Decide amongst yourselves who goes to the Half-Elf, and who informs Bryant of her death. Eric and I may have already been seen, and we can't risk suspicion."
The two men nodded and stood, bowing out of the room. In the hallway, the decision was made quite easily. Matthew did not fancy the cold, and did not particularly relish the idea of going out into the deep snow to fake shoving some woman off a cliff. David, likewise, despised the thought of coming face-to-face with Regal Bryant. They had met once before, under rather bleak circumstances. He wasn't doing that again.
"Wait for me at the edge of Flanoir," David ordered the other in a low tone as they walked through the city under cover of heavy snowfall. "This shouldn't take long."
With a mutual nod, he set off toward the rocks. In a matter of moments, he could make out a feminine figure standing on one of them, quite balanced in the deep white snow. She didn't notice when he came up behind her, until her wrapped a hand around her mouth and the other arm around her middle, at which time she made a highly startled noise and struggled.
She was stronger than he'd thought. After a minor fight - which really did make it look like someone had been shoved off the side - he stood over her, panting. She'd forced him to render her unconcious, and she now had a small bleeding cut across her cheek.
Taking her cloak, he tore at it, and used her own wound to color it in places. "Rest in peace," he said sarcastically. He lifted her over his shoulder, and set off with the cloak in his other hand.
With this new weight it took nearly half an hour to return to where Eric was sitting, waiting. When they met up, David handed him the mangled cloak, and walked back toward their base, still carrying the Half-Elf woman. It was too easy.
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How dare they! Kidnap poor Raine to use in their diabolical plots, making it look as though she was murdered. How will Regal react to this news? We'll just have to find out.
