Thea stared at the sky burning pink and orange. It was beautiful but being able to watch the sunrise almost everyday for the past seven days kind of dulled her initial excitement and joy of first seeing it. It was also because Malcolm was a cruel task master.
"Come on, Thea" he called out to her. Thea turned around to see Malcolm and Onyx already packed up and already shouldering their bags. Thea ran down the incline of the small mountain.
"Hey how far are we from Nanda Parbat?" she asked.
"Well if we start going now then we should be there in another 12 hours" Malcolm said, "but we got to be careful since there will be most likely some guards around scouting the area for intruders" he finished.
Thea then noticed that Malcolm was holding a bow and Onyx was equipped with brass knuckles. Thea pulled out her sword and placed it on her hip.
Malcolm nodded before heading down their designated path.
The trek to nanda Parbat was quiet.
Thea had actually tried starting a conversation with Malcolm but he didn't seem like the one to do small talk which left talking to Onyx as the only source of entertainment.
"How'd you sleep last night?"
"I didn't"
"Oh yeah you were on watch last night" Thea remembered.
"Yep"
"So are you nervous about finally arriving at nanda Parbat" Thea asked as her hands kept touching the hilt of her sword every couple of seconds.
Onyx spared Thea look before sighing, "No"
"Oh yeah me neither this is...like, I'm more worried about you since it seems like Ras be ticked to see your still alive." Thea covered up.
"He won't"
"what?"
"Ras won't be angry to see me but happy" Onyx explained.
It took Thea to come to a conclusion, "Happy to kill you himself."
"Nope"
"W-wait, so why would he be happy to see you the way you and Malcolm had been talking it made, you guys made it seem like he be extremely piss to see both of you" Thea said furrowing her brows and pushed back the hood of her red jacket to scratch an itch on the left side of her head.
"he be extremely pissed at Malcolm, but like I said happy to see me" Onyx replied voice trembling and clenching her fists.
"Is that why you didn't go into that village with me and Malcolm to keep hidden?" Thea remembered, as the three of them had arrived in a small village as a pit stop before the longer journey to Nanda Parbat to pick up more rations and water bottles. Onyx had stayed out of the village promising to meet them a few miles outside the city's gates.
"That village is resting stop for all of League of Assassins to stop and rest. One of the villagers would have recognized me and sent an early warning of my arrival to Ras, and he would have sent a large force to capture us".
"Why...why do you hate Ras?" Thea asked unsure how to phrase her questions there were too many missing variables for Thea to grasp an adequate idea of Onyx and Ras relationship. Onyx hid in a secluded cabin, She was willing to face Ras for Malcolm, but Ras wouldn't kill her but be happy to see her.
"I don't hate Ras" Onyx replied but before she could answer. Malcolm hushed them. Thea and Onyx quickly knelt close to the floor and edged closer to Malcolm who was kneeling behind a bush.
"what is it" whispered Onyx. Malcolm made a small pointing gesture to the area to their far left where there were two small shadows scaling through the area. It took Thea to recognize the shadows as people.
"What do we do?" Thea asked.
"If they don't notice us we keep still and wait for them to pass, if they do we kill them" Malcolm said the last part while nocking an arrow into his already drawn bow. Thea placed her hand on the hilt.
They became statues only the wind raising goosebumps on their skin was the only sign they were alive. The shadows stalked closer to their spot and Thea felt sweat form in the corner of her head. Her eyes cast a glance at Malcolm's bow to see it hadn't moved an inch. The shadows kept moving quietly through the area pass them. Thea wanted to sigh in relief but noticed Onyx and Malcolm remained rigid. So she ignored her sense of calm and closed her eyes, allowing her ears all of her focus. It was quiet...no she heard it the slight shuffle of cloth rubbing on a rocky path they were still nearby.
The quiet game went on for another five...ten...fifteen...twenty minutes.
"We're good" Malcolm breathed as if he'd been holding it in for the past twenty minutes.
"You did good" Onyx said standing up.
"Of course, I had a good teacher" thea said as her mind wandered to an old memory
"Why aren't we down there kicking some ass" Thea growled looking down at the docks below. Gang members were milling about loading up crates into a small white semi truck.
"Because Speedy" replied Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, "This life is more than about kicking ass."
"those are drugs, Ollie..." Oliver glared at her, "uh Green Arrow, and not any type of drugs but Vertigo"
"Exactly" growled Green Arrow moving his bow to his right hand, "and only one person knows how to make Vertigo"
"The Count" Thea responded the realization dawning on her.
"But we could still go down and take those assholes down".
"Not if we want to alert the pilot" Oliver pointed at the man in a blue overcoat and a white turtle neck watching the gangsters unload their cargo, "Who was probably warned not to return to back to where Vertigo is being made if anything goes wrong."
"So we just wait and let these guy sgo sell drugs to kids and be okay with that." Thea said unstrapping her bow and jumping down to the gang below and began the fight.
"Speedy!" Green Arrow yelled after her.
Thea shook her head at the memory of her more impulsive self. She had changed a lot in the past six months.
"Come on" urged Malcolm, "the second patrol won't be too far behind. The trio made continued their journey.
Their progress was halted by avoiding other patrols. It seemed every other step they took they had to go back twelve feet to hide. It was starting to affect the morale of the group. Malcolm became a more tense task master. Onyx went deeper into her mind becoming mindless while walking only coming out when needed to hide. And Thea, Thea started to second guess the fruitfulness of her mission of being here. The closer they got the farther they had to trek back to avoid being caught.
while during one of their many hidings Thea's knees began to tremble from kneeling for so long. She attempted to adjust her position but fail to realize how tired she really was and the close proximity of the others. As she lifted her left knee she bumped up against the front of Onyx who had retreated once again into her mind. Onyx gave a small whelp. Malcolm whirled around pushing both girls into the ground.
"Swoosh" "Swoosh"
Malcolm rolled off the ladies and landed in a kneeling position and fired two arrows. four shadows leap forward, the two in the front had cut down the two arrows with their swords.
Onyx shoved Thea off and charged forward as the assassins landed. The first one was knocked down with a loud crack and Onyx whirled in the area bringing her foot down against the assasin behind the first's right temple before lunging at the one beside the second one.
This one was ready and blocked Onyx's punch and countered with his own. Thea drew her sword and blocked the slash of the fourth assasin's blade. She took an unsteady step back. Malcolm jumped over her using her shoulder as a push and landed behind the fourth assassin. The whirled his sword behind him but Malcolm dropped to the floor and plunged his arrow into the assassin's stomach.
Thea watched as Malcolm killed the last Assassin.
Malcolm got up scanning the area, "You need to be careful Thea" he growled.
Before Thea could reply a sharp sting appeared on her neck. She took a step forward not realizing she got hit. Then collapsed to the ground.
"Thea!"
Thea woke up. She blinked a couple times so her eyes could adjust to the dim lit room. Where the hell am I? Thea Thought as she looked around the room she was in. She tried to move her arms but found they were chained up into the rock ceiling above.
She shook the chains to see if there was a way to loosen it but instead the metal dug into her wrist turning it red. She hissed in pain and let herself dangle there. The last thing she remembered was that she and the others were ambushed. They had defeated them and Malcolm was lecturing her about being more careful then...then nothing. That was the last thing she remembered. Did she just get kidnapped?
"Hello" Thea spoke toward the metal bars that made up the front of the room she was in.
"She's awake" said a voice in the darkness. Thea strained her head closer to see who it was that was speaking. Two figures dressed in black stepped forward into the light of the torch that was hanged near her cell's entrance.
"Who are you guys?" she demanded.
They said nothing as they walked into the cell. The first moved in front of Thea and punched her in the mouth.
"Quiet" he growled in broken english. The second figure had moved to the side of the room in front of a handle with chains tied to it and began undoing the knot while yelling at the first figure in some language that Thea was too tired to bother trying to figure out.
The first figure yelled back in the same language before wrapping his hands around Thea's neck. she struggled as she felt the pressure increase and her arms were still tied up above her head. The first figure laughed at Thea's fear. The second figure turned around at the sound of the laughter and began yelling at the first figure in the same language. The first ignored him and continued tightening his grip.
Dots began appearing in front of her eyes, laughter being drummed out by the pounding of blood. he's relax a simple thought pushed away the fear in clear focus of Thea's mind. she looked down at the figure and the voice was right the man was too busy laughing, not focusing at the force he was using around her throat. He's open, attack the thought followed, the thought had a voice one she was familiar too.
She couldn't get him with her hands since they were tied above her head but he was close enough for her to kick him. So she launched her foot into the figure's stomach. It caught him mid laugh and he began to choke on his own spit. The chains were already loosened. Using her weight and momentum from the kick she yanked down with all 125 pounds. The chains followed her allowing her movement and she landed on top of her assailant and began wailing on him with her still tied together fists.
He screamed for his camponion to help but the second figure stopped and stared. Thea turned toward him her anger growing. He watched. With a roar Thea lunged at him. The second figure jumped back grabbed the chain from behind and yanked. Thea's body was thrown back lead by her hands as she was still tied.
She yelled and roared at the two figures. A second voice spoke, Anger's good but you need to focus it. Thea glared at both figures but began breathing in and out.
The first figure wiping blood from his mouth. He stared at with horror and rage. He leap forward and kick Thea in the stomach. The second figured yelled at his companion again and pushed him aside as he began to tie Thea up. Thea remained quiet and still trying not to show that the man who kicked her might have bruised a rib.
The two argued some more before leading Thea out of the cell and through a labyrinth of the dungeon.
Thea tried to memorize the path they took but that was like remembering the differences between two exact blank pages of paper. Pointless.
Finally after what felt like ten minutes they walk out into what could be a throne room.
"So she awakens" said a man in green robes sitting on what resembled a throne in front of a pool.
A good few yards away from the pool was Malcolm and Onyx also tied up like Thea. Thea was shoved to her knees in the middle of Malcolm, and Onyx.
"You're RA AL Ghul?" Thea asked. Then her first guard punched her in the back of her head. Malcolm tried to get up and attacked her guard but was shoved down by his own pair of guards. Onyx sat still, keeping her eyes on her knees.
Ra's waved the guard away from Thea, "Yes" he said with a smile.
"Why did you come here, Thea?" he asked.
"My Brother" she began looking up at Ra's, looking her brother's murderer in the eyes.
"Yes your brother" Ra's interrupted and waved his hands to the right where another a black garbed guard stood. The man stepped to the left unblocking the door and bean opening it.
Another set of garbed men pushed a vertical stretcher which held Oliver Queen. Thea's eyes watered at the sight of her brother ignoring the new wounds and scars that now decorated half of his body now.
"Oliver!" Thea yelled for her brother.
"He survived my sword" Ra's mused, "so I offered him a choice join me or be tortured to the brink of death before being revived by the Lazarus pit" Ra's explained.
"Please give him back" Thea begged.
"why would I do that" demanded Ra's anger breaking into his voice, "you came here to kill me correct, to avenge your brother's death?"
"N-n-no" Thea said.
"Do not lie to me"Ra's roared standing up and pulling out his sword.
"Her intentions were never to kill you Ra's" spoke up Onyx. Ra's seemed to calm down at Onyx's words and sorrow played on his face as he stared at Onyx who still looked at her knees.
"I thought you dead" he whispered walking slowly toward Onyx. Once he was in front of her he fell to one knee and cautiously reached out to touch her. She didn't move at his touch but remained stoic. He sighed before turning to Thea.
"Why would let Oliver queen go?" Ra's said with a slight hint of malice, "after all as the Green Arrow he has been nothing but a pain to me and my operation."
"He stopped my attempt to kill Damien Darhk who was in Gotham with the omega and Alpha bomb" ra's continued, "he made one of my best assassins betray me, and poisoned both of my daughter's minds with his sense of justice."
"Because Ra's i'll take Oliver's place" spoke up Malcolm. Ra's laughed now turning to Malcolm who was still being restrained to the floor.
"Last time I checked Malcolm I already got you" Ra's said pointing his sword at Malcolm stepping close to the man, "And I haven't forgotten your undertaking at Star City, nor it was you who orchestrated Sarah's death". With each word Ra's brought the sword closer to Malcolm's neck drawing a steady stream of blood.
Even with the sword cutting into him Malcolm spoke calmly, "Because of the reason you released me earlier, I found it, and its more powerful than the one you have here."
This gave Ra's pause, "And how am I to trust you?"
Ra's looked at Thea still pressing his sword into Malcolm's throat, "What do you think Thea should I listen to him or should I just kill him."
"You can't kill him."Thea said surprised at her own answer.
"Why he murdered five hundred people, he orchestrated Sarah's death and killed how many more, me killing him is justice."
"Thea" Malcolm said but was stopped as the blade began to stretch his neck skin further in silencing him.
"Its not Justice" Thea said now focusing her eyes on her brother, he had told her it took him five years in hell and Tommy's death for him to learn what Justice is and how he could really help Star City.
"You killing him won't bring back Sarah and the hundreds he killed, all it will do is just create another cycle of murder and hate" Thea stared into Ra's eyes as she gave him her reason. How many people became killers and monsters because they suffered a loss so great they wanted to make the aggressor pay for it only ending up hurting innocent people.
"Thats why my brother stopped your attack on Gotham because to kill one man you would have killed a million innocent."
Ra's looked at her before looking at Malcolm, "fine if what you say is true Malcolm, then I'll let Oliver free"
Edmaster 2: Oliver is alive! But damaged and we'll see how much in the next chapter. What is it Malcolm found that Ra's wants. What is Onyx and Ra's relationship? Can Thea get what she travelled a thousand of miles or will everything fall apart?
I'll be answering all those questions and more in the next and final chapter.
Wow I can't believe I finished the fifth chapter out of sixth. heck my original plan for this story was never to be this long. The original plot changed after chapter 2 and that's why there was a long gap of not me updating as I was doing a lot of planning, researching, and coming up with new ideas for future stories of the same universe.
Anyway what do you guys think? I hope you guys are enjoying the story and let me know by writing a review or tell me what you don't like or wish to see happen.
Thank you.
