(Jack's POV)
Alice fell back asleep quickly, but I couldn't shake what she had seen. I was not like my father, I would not take the crown unless it was thrust upon me, and I would never force her to do anything that she didn't want to do. I looked down on Alice's face, so calm in sleep, but still so very pale. The remnants of a fear not quite escaped in sleep still resting upon her face.
I readjusted myself to look at the ceiling, and thought about what will happen when we defeat the Emperor. When, not if. We'll probably just go off to Spera and live the rest of our lives in obscurity. I'll pick up lumberjacking or something like that, maybe do something constructive with a blade once. I'd build us a little cottage, and we could live alone and in the quiet. I smiled at the thought.
As soon as I smiled, I hated myself for it. I contorted my features into a grimace, and scratched at my leg. Suddenly bodies surrounded the cottage, their faces in sharp focus. Most were just my targets back when I was an assassin, but my mother and sister were clearly visible. Amidst the corpses was a man I had never seen before, but he had the same brown hair that Alice had, I could only assume it was Alice's father.
The bodies tainted the land, and the grass surrounding our cottage turned blood red. The log cottage hardened to stone, and the insignia of the Assassins guild became evident. I forced myself to smile at the picture, this is what I deserved. I was a warrior, plain and simple. Blood and steel were my code, and I could never separate myself from them.
After the tyrant fell, I would go out and hunt every single traitor to the new crown in all of the five kingdoms. I would live out the rest of my days in endless bloodlust, until finally I would get lucky and a stray arrow or lucky thrust tore my throbbing soul from this world, and into the hellish afterlife that would await someone of my stature. It wasn't the life I wanted, but the one I knew I deserved.
I curled up beside Alice and let my mind open, allowing her dreams to take me away. Her dreams were pure, happy. They were full of life and happiness completely abandoning the terror I had seen earlier. These dreams convinced me that there was still good in her, and that the little girl she once was still exists in her somewhere, and she's begging to be free.
After a week of rest we set out for Spera. Ashryver tried without success to give us each full sets of armor, but they would only impair our movements, and weren't worth the extra weight. Grudgingly he forced us at least to accept a tunic of chainmail to protect against a stray arrow, to that we accepted. Alena looked resolved, but also near to tears as she sent us both on our way.
She gave us each a particularly tight hug, holding close as if when she let go we would be gone forever. I never got the feeling that Alena liked me all that well in the short time we had known each other, but there was nothing short of motherly love in her deep teary eyes as she sent us away. She didn't respond this way when we went up north, I suppose combat made this different.
We waited until nightfall and slipped out of the city, it all felt too natural for me, until I remembered the girl at my side. Darkness was my greatest asset as an assassin, it is only fair that it should serve me now. Placing the star of Frostrun firmly on our left, we began the journey that would either end in us emerging victorious, or our bodies amongst the thousands of nameless corpses fallen to the cause.
(The Serpent's POV)
I placed my hands upon my spruce desk and sighed contently. The prodigal son Jack Sentan has emerged from the shadows, and it would be soon that the shadows surround him once more, once again my great weapon. I looked around my office at the stone walls of our underground compound. The stone was tinted black, and was illuminated only by a faint candle burning out on my desk. Plenty of shadows, makes an old assassin like myself feel right at home. The only decoration on the walls were two banners on either side of a solitary wooden door, a black snake, mouth exposed, fangs dripping with venom. An insignia constructed in my honor of course, for who else could have created the elusive Assassin's guild?
I drummed my fingers against the parchment-covered desk, the glint of my dark iron ring caught my eye. A special ring fitted with the insignia of the guild, bestowed only upon the highest members. Only three have ever received it: myself, the bastard Tellerson who always had a knack for knowing things he shouldn't, and Jack Sentan. I had been so proud of the boy, watching him grow up into the perfect weapon I had always wanted him to be. It was probably why I didn't send out the kill order as soon as he went rogue, I didn't trust easy, but I knew the boy would sooner die than betray us. He'd killed enough traitors himself.
A knock on my door, three rapid knocks, a pause, then two more; someone is here to deliver news. I reach between my legs to secure the black dagger fitted with lifesbane that I always keep at the ready, and signaled for the messenger to enter. A boy entered and the nervousness on his face was clearly visible, he looked so innocent and pure. I couldn't help but wish to spill his bright red blood across the stones. I shoved the thought away and waved nonchalantly for him to relay his message.
"The northern, western, and southern kingdom have all fallen to the rebels. All that remains is Spera, and reports suggest that the queen is returning to free her people." He relayed obediently.
"Good, that is good news. Relay this message to The Shadow, tell him to assist the queen in any way he can, but to not get caught. Feel free to remind him of the punishment of failure." The courier fought to swallow and I enjoyed watching the little bulb in his throat fight to go down. My hand gripping the blade tensed and I ached to help it, but forced myself to relax. There would be time for blood, but not yet.
The courier bowed and hastily left, shutting the door behind him I was left to my thoughts. I originally didn't want to take part in the revolution, because no matter who is in charge, there are people who want others dead. Although my opinion changed when I received some frightening news about our dear Emperor Ternac, and I simply couldn't withhold my services any longer. I swiped away stray parchment from the desk and viewed the list of names, delicately carved into the desk. Each name represented a target I had taken, and killed. Hundreds of names covered the desk and the only space left available was a large margin in the top of the desk. In it I carved with the poisoned dagger: Ternac.
He would be the biggest contract our humble guild ever took on, but we will need the support of the entire country. So Jack Sentan, if you succeed in this you will be pardoned of any crimes you have committed against the guild, if you do not-well you won't be here to accept punishment.
(Jack's POV)
The journey to Spera was actually quite pleasant compared to the journey north. For starters wood was always available for fire, and the ground was never so damp as to prevent burning. Alice and I sparred every night, and every night we walked away with bruises while whoever sustained the less looked upon the loser smugly. It was more often her, but still I won a few.
We'd been working on her tendency to select magic or combat, but never be able to mix the two. So I ask her to light her staff on fire, whilst I strike at her. She either destroys everything within a 20 yard radius of us, or just whacks me over the head with the staff and calls it close enough.
The night before we reached Somnium, when the capital was just visible, and the western sea filled the horizon, she succeeded. I swung my staff at her exposed legs when a jet of fire blocked my blow, I swung back around aiming to catch her throat but I couldn't even get close to her. A shield of fire surrounded her from attack by all sides, and she merely needed to stand still to deflect any blow I could perform upon her. She extended her staff gently and placed an unlit tip upon my chest.
"Point." She declared, a gleeful smile cast across her face.
I threw a sweaty hand across my brow, and rested my staff on the ground. "Good job, but a shield like that isn't sustainable. You could probably hold onto it for months if you weren't under attack but I felt the drain in energy when I struck at you. Letting the magic take the full impact of the blow drains you too quickly, it is better to divide it between your staff and magic. Keeps you from tiring either front too quickly. Now again, but just light your staff this time."
Without giving her time to react I launched into a full assault striking at every weak point she presented. It took a few particularly painful blows, but soon she managed to light her staff and keep it lit. After a few more tries she could pretty consistently access her magic with little response time. As the night waned on, I finally held my hand up.
"Stop!" She caught herself mid-blow, and rested her weapon on the ground. "Tomorrow is the first day when we meet the rebels, we need to be well rested. Alice Springhaven, are you ready for battle?"
Without a trace of fear in her eyes she met my stare. "Just say the word, and watch the blood spill."
Author's Note- The Serpent is actually important, you will see more of him later. I don't know what changed but I'm actually starting to feel proud of the chapters I create. I want to show these chapters to people and say that I wrote them. It's a strange feeling, but not at all unwelcome