A/N: Now they realize Isikan's not there? Interesting...
Chapter 17- The Archer In The Ranks
When dawn came, everyone was still asleep.
All except Isikan.
While Nischelis and the others were sleeping, he busied himself with crafting more arrows.
But they weren't his usual arrows—he was using a different type of wood this time.
White ash.
By the time he was done with this task, it was close to nine o'clock.
Junquian was the first of the Assassin Dolls to wake up. Yawning, he looked over at Isikan. "What are you doing up so early?"
"Working, what's it look like?" Isikan hissed.
"Just asking. Don't be so snippy," Junquian hissed back.
"Sorry, I just couldn't sleep," Isikan confessed.
"Why?"
"I don't know, really."
Junquian gave Isikan a puzzled look. "That's odd. You looked as if you were sleeping like a log."
Isikan looked up. "Well, I didn't. I kept having these spells of waking up all the time."
"Odd. Ask Nischi about that one...or even Tanil. They may know what to think of it."
"Will do."
"Ask us what?" Nischelis and Tarnechis asked, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.
"Isiki's been having some odd dreams or something. He said he couldn't completely sleep last night."
"Huh, isn't that nice?" Tarnechis snickered.
Isikan muttered something no one could hear.
"What was that, Isiki?" Nischelis asked.
"Nothing," Isikan replied.
"Anyway," Nischelis said, waving everyone off. "How is it that you are being so quiet?"
"I want to," Isikan replied.
"Ok...ay," Tarnechis said, completely puzzled. "Isikan the Great? Quiet? Never."
"For once, he wants to be," Kolachin mocked.
"Sure, sure," Isikan mumbled. "Don't believe me."
"We don't," Irinis laughed. "We don't at all."
Tarnechis cleared his throat. "Anyway, we're waking up from sleep and all we can do is argue...got it."
"Yeah, that is all we're doing," Nischelis retorted. "Arguing."
Everyone laughed.
"Arguing," Isikan hissed. "Arguing you started."
"Yeah," Kolachin said, smirking. "But you joined in the arguing."
Nischelis began grumbling, which was a sign that he was getting annoyed. "WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP?"
Suddenly, there was silence. No one moved a muscle.
"Oh boy," Nusqial whispered. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing," Irinis said. "Just people arguing about nothing."
"I see."
"Go back to bed, Nusi," Kolachin groaned.
"The youngest of us all, and he gets to go back to bed?" Irinis snickered. "Lucky for me, I get to meet Inoue tonight."
"Another lesson? I thought you would tire of that mortal already," Tarnechis muttered.
"Apparently not," Kolachin joked.
"Why would he?" Nischelis and Isikan asked. "She's pretty enough."
"Thank you!" Irinis said. "She's not just pretty, she's a goddess. And she is magical in the kitchen."
"Wow," Junquian said. "That's probably why your cooking is edible."
Irinis glared at him. "What did you say?"
"Your cooking was so inedible back in the day. Since you met this woman, you've gone from poisoning us to wowing us."
"Thanks, I think," Irinis said. "Time for me to get ready to see Inoue. See you all later."
Isikan looked at his retreating figure. "What a guy. There really wouldn't be anyone for him but Inoue—wait a damn second—I know Inoue."
Nischelis looked at him. "Are you sure it's the same Inoue?"
"Long blonde hair with red and black highlights? Tall girl?" Tarnechis asked.
"The one and the same."
"How do you know her?" Nusqial asked.
"She and I are friends. I do hope he treats her well."
"He will," Kolachin said. "When he sees a pretty face, he does all kinds of things to make her happy."
"I'm sure he does," Isikan said. "I wish he had told her he knew me."
"Maybe he will," Nusqial said.
As a matter of fact, when Irinis went to his cooking lesson, he told Inoue he knew Isikan.
"Isiki? How?" she asked.
"Long story," Irinis replied.
Back at the Niarchos' lair, Imniar noticed there was quiet.
"Too quiet," he muttered. "Where is Isikan today?"
"Who knows?" Niarchos said. "Why do you care?"
"I don't," Imniar said. "I just have no one to bother now."
"Whatever," Niarchos said. "I'm going hunting."
At the castle, however, it was a different story.
Kelkiar and Neijior were just as surprised that Isikan wasn't around.
"This isn't like him," they said. "Where is he?"
Meanwhile, Isikan was doing something he thought he would never be doing in a million years—hunting with Nischelis and Tarnechis.
Hunting, for Christ's sake. He never hunted, except for animals.
But this wasn't the case for Nischelis. Or Tarnechis. They preferred human blood over animal blood.
And they weren't afraid to show it either.
Isikan calmly reminded himself that if he was to be allied with them, he had to act like one of them.
He'd die trying—or Nischelis would do him a favor and kill him.