Chapter 5

The Plan

The grey skies plunged the town into darkness as drops of rain fell harshly upon the old antique shop. Fully dressed in the uniform the Dark Lord had given him, Damen grinned at his good luck. Finally, another mission! He though. Days of lurking in the shadows of the shop was getting too tiresome. He ran his fingers through his sleek dark brown hair and sighed. How hard can one girl be to kill?

The Dark Lord didn't talk to him much but just scribbled out a plan for him sent by the same wimpy messenger as before. Hmm… He must be his personal assistant then… Damen thought. His lips curved and he smiled slyly, amused at the thought of the Dark Lord's punishments to his messenger if he dared to fail. Carefully, Damen lifted the pieces of parchment that held his lord's plan like it was glass and set it on a nearby study table. The ink was almost faded but the message was quite clear:

Damen, the Dark Lord scribbled, I know particularly well that maidens simply fall at your feet for your other assassinations. (Damen smiled at that remark) But this one is different. I order you to try lowering her defenses as you can. Do not fail me or there will be consequences…

After that last sentence, the ink faded into nothing. The note was shorter than it usually was but Damen didn't seem to mind. He read the letter over and over, however, trying to piece the message all together. Damen's usual grins turned to a grim line. What did the Dark Lord mean by "this one is different"? Was she some kind of demon? Or was she a witch, masking beauty with lies?

Rain was the daily weather now, it seems. Every time you went out, you were greeted by drops of dirty-looking rain, trying its hardest to annoy you. And it worked; Damen was always so frustrated every time he went out for food, he had to dry his clothes when he came back. It took an unusually long time for them to dry and it seems like they were always on the rain's side, stubborn and wet.

As the days grow nearer and nearer, Damen got more nervous. He kept on imagining a giant troll in the place of the princess or some curse that he'll automatically get while trying to woo her in order to weaken her. He shuddered as a horrible image of a slobbering giant with hairy legs and straw-like hair came into his mind. How horrible! He thought.

But the Plan will be as followed all the same, even if he has to kiss the ugly creature that still stirs in his mind. The Dark Lord cared not if she looked like cow dung; the only that mattered was that Damen killed her off after weakening her defenses. Sometimes, he questioned himself why he was still serving his lord. But the thought was quickly chased back as he slapped himself in the face, repeating the words: "I must not think ill of my lord…" For if it wasn't for the Dark Lord, he would've been killed by the king himself after he murdered his parents! The empty thought came back at Damen like a fast ball. As he lay down on his battened bed, he imagined once again what it will be like if he still had his parents with him. The rain's lullaby rocked him to sleep as he clutched onto his blanket for warmth. The cool night air slipped in as he stirred in mid-dream of a giant ogress, coming for his kiss… In his sleep, he shuddered unconsciously and rolled over, laughing slightly when he had defeated the monster. This should be easy as cake.

In his dark room, the Dark Lord looked down at the reflection of his servant sleeping and frowned. He simply did not know whether or not he can trust his assassin. Then a mysterious laugh rang through the chamber and he took his hand down, into the waters of the fountain water.

A hand shook the shop slightly as it entered the room through the ceiling like it came from a portal but Damen just rolled over on his back, snoring slightly. The giant hand had brought something in its grasps, a black ball. If you look straight into it, you could spot a vast storm in its heart, cold and lifeless. Crimson red eyes shone through inside as the hand slowly pushed it into Damen's heart.

Damen felt a piercing pain in his chest and he looked about, awake and wide-eyed. He was sweating and panting like he just had the wind knocked out of him. What had just happened? His heart was racing, crying out in pain. A hot burning arose in him and he lost control, smashing everything in his sight. Blood red eyes replaced his and he let out a boisterous laugh. Then, as quickly as it came, he let himself fall onto the floor, weakened and weary.

In his chamber, the Dark Lord brought back out his hand. He laughed hysterically and it rang out into the outer parts of his domain. Even though the walls helped muddle the terrible sound, servants and messengers jumped up. Fear or something else, munched away at their heart. Whatever it was, it was too overwhelming that they fled with sweaty hands, shocked.