(3rd Person)
The catacombs were a stretch of tunnels that made a grid pattern underneath the city. They were cold wet and dark, but for the most part safe. Aliendra used the ladder underneath the guard tower in the eastern section of the city, allowing her old memories to guide her hands and feet. Jack was easily located, the assassins put little effort into finding a resting location for him. Aliendra sprinted over to his prone form, immediately regretting her decision to go alone. If he was dying there would be nothing she could do. She placed a hand on his brow, and a deathly cold greeted her. His blood sat still, and his skin paled in response.
The Serpent promised that she had already saved him, and he wouldn't kill him. Would he? No he wanted to strike a deal, he wouldn't kill him. Despite her reassuring thoughts, Jack's stillness was a blight upon her reasoning. A shiver shot through her spine, and a fist gripped her heart.
Suddenly Jack's limp form went completely erect. His eyes flashed open and his cheeks flooded with color. He bit at air as if he could never satisfy his desire, and after a moment slumped onto the mossy floor. Aliendra breathed a sigh of relief then pressed a cold hand to his forehead. The previously icy skin now replaced with a living warmth.
Jack focused on the curved stone ceiling, then tilted his head to look at Aliendra. As soon as her image fell into focus he jerked his head backwards to stare at back at the stone.
"GodsDammit!" He shouted, anger beginning to arrive on his face.
Aliendra recoiled, confusion polluting her relief. What's wrong? She thought to him.
"You, me, this, everything! When you were in prison I just gave up on you and left. I've always been carried by you! You have been the good one, and I have been the weak coward." Jack's face flooded red and a tear slid down his cheek.
You saved me earlier, I wouldn't have survived if you didn't heal me.
"Heard about that did you? My one shining moment, but it wasn't me that saved you. You saved yourself, I was just there."
Aliendra stopped at that, and wondered at what to say next.
"Thinking about times that I helped you? Well it won't take long because it's a really short list. You've been Alice, Aliendra the hero of the people that can survive on her own and still stick it to the emperor. I've been Jack, I've lived in luxury all of my life, and when I left the castle I ran to the first place with a working bath."
"You taught me so much about magic. And if it weren't for you I'd probably be torturing some imperial commander right now. Instead we are on the front lines leading an army against your father."
"Look I'd rather not talk about this any more. Let's just find a room to stay in where I can pretend like I wasn't just jumped by some novice assassins, and injected with a badly prepared draught of the living death."
Aliendra looked at him with sympathy in her eyes, and then extended a hand to help him up.
"I can do it myself." Jack snapped batting her hand away. "And cut the pity, I don't need it."
Jack limped over to a corner and pulled himself up a ladder, leaving Aliendra behind him to watch her twin of mind walk away.
"You are playing a deadly game Tellerson, give me a single reason why I should not have cut you down where you stand." The Emperor demanded, looking upon a scrawny man no more than thirty, with a face like a fox, and a sly smile on his face.
"Because your excellency, it is possible that I may have hidden your little secret in locations throughout the city, and were one of those to fall into the hands of the public…"
The Emperor slammed his fist onto his golden throne, leaving a dent in the delicate metal. He extended a palm to him and seemed to think about disintegrating him on the spot, but thought better of it and replaced his fist on the throne.
"How did you learn of my condition?" The Emperor asked, still pondering whether to murder the man in front of him.
Councilman Tellerson extended a hand to the Emperor and a small drop of water formed in his grasp. Ternac's eyes bugged out of his head, and icy fury gripped his features.
"You have got quite the nerve doing that in my presence child. It seems that you are begging for an executioner's tools to find your throat."
"My apologies your excellency." Tellerson said with a gleam in his eye. "I only wished to show you that I am in the same fortunate position."
"Magic is no gift fool." The Emperor snapped. "I would have it eradicated from this land before I allow a single drop of untainted blood spilled."
"Then why have you tried so hard to obtain such power? Your words contradict your actions. I would have believed you be desperate for power." Tellerson spoke, allowing the rhythms of royalty to fall into his speech.
"I achieved such power only to prevent others from abusing it. If you have lived the years I have, and seen the hatred those with magic have against those who have not, you would agree with me. How did you manage to elude my executions for so long?"
"I had no power, so I had nothing to fear. My useless father had a witchcraft of his own and used it to intimidate my mom, to prevent her from turning him in. In a fit of rage he slew my mother, and I cut his throat when he slept. I drank the blood from his neck and when I awoke I had a portion of his magic inside of me."
"You drank his blood for pleasure? You are a sick man tellerson. I only drank the blood of my enemies to assure that I would never fail to defeat a threat to the nation. Why do you come today, I assume that you have some reason for placing yourself at my mercy?"
"Ah yes, What I ask for is very simple, I only wish for a pint of your blood. And in exchange your secret dies with me."
The Emperor took in the councilman and weighed his options. The fox before him looked up at the emperor with lights in his eyes, assured that he had won. The Emperor disagreed.
He rose from his throne and with a swift motion, impossibly fast, a bolt of lightning rushed from his palm and struck the Tellerson in the chest. Tellerson was thrown across the room and slammed into the large oak doors. A painful snapping sound bounced through the chamber, and Tellerson slid to the floor, his head slumped down. The Emperor strode over to him and lifted Tellerson's head to look upon him. Tellerson's eyes were barely open as he fought to remain conscious.
"You are the epitome of everything I have sword to obliterate from this world. I would never allow a power hungry fool to walk the world, even to save myself. Goodbye Tellerson." The Emperor pressed his open hand into Tellerson's head and closed his eyes. Tellerson's silent pleas went unheard, as with one final blast of light, only the Emperor remained.
Author's Note- Thank you for reading.