Four - Facing The Unexpected

'I'm glad that we went to see Samuel,' Emily smiled as she walked to her chamber.

'Me too,' Corvo agreed, but his eyes seemed to be lost. He wasn't really paying attention to her, his mind was going on and on about the Whalers' attack.

'Its already nine, Corvo,' Emily said to him. 'I'll go sleep now. Anna Maria made me a new fluffy pillow, with cute animals all over.'

'Thats nice of her,' Corvo said.

'I asked her for one,' Emily said, and smiled at Anna Maria who was walking towards them.

'I hope you had a good day, My Lady,' She smiled at her. 'I have arranged your dinner in your chamber.'

'No thanks,' Emily said. 'I'm not really hungry. I would just like to sleep. I'm tired.'

'As you wish, My Lady,' Anna Maria smiled again, and watched her as she went into her chamber.

Her grey hair barely reached beyond her ears, and her clothes were perfect and proper, with not a single thread poking out of the garments. She always held her hands in the front, fingers intertwined, and always stood straight.

She looked at Corvo, and her smile faded.

'High Overseer Sturgess is not happy with Lady Emily's trip, sir,' she said. Corvo nodded, because he had already guessed it by the way the overseers in the courtyard had glanced at him.

'They don't really have anything better to do now, do they?' He grumbled. 'Seven aristocrats dead, and this is what they worry about.'

Anna Maria's eyebrows lowered, and she said, 'You knew?'

Corvo cleared his throat. 'A friend of mine told me,' he explained. 'How did you know?'

'It's spread around like fire, sir,' she said, looking at the wall. 'The maids, the servants, cooks, guards. Everyone is scared. We never imagined the -' she paused for a second and lowered her voice, like she was scared that someone would listen. ' That the Whalers were so strong.'

'Well . .' He uttered, lost in his own thoughts, thinking of Daud, the way he had promised vengeance in his dreams. 'You should retire to your room too, Madame,' he said, and nodded at her. 'Things will be just fine.'

'I'm not worried about Her Highness, sir,' she added, looking at the floor. 'You will protect her. But there are no men like you that can protect us,' she looked up at him, and Corvo saw that her eyes were wet. 'Have a good night's sleep,' she mumbled, bowed low, and left.

Corvo sighed as he turned around to patrol the floor. He didn't like talking to people, especially people in the tower - with the exception of Emily. He hated most of them, although they seemed harmless. There weren't a lot of people that he trusted. The only people that he felt comfortable speaking to were Emily, Samuel, and before her unfortunate death, Jessamine. The list had not been extended beyond the three names.

He looked up, and walked through the corridor, making sure that the guards were present. After his cross checks, he went to his room, changed to his night clothes and sat at the edge of the bed. He looked at the bedside table, at the wooden edge to which he had pressed Willow's neck.

He sighed heavily. An urgency filled him. If Willow had breathed a single word to anybody, The Overseers would hound him. The guards would chain him. The most important of all, he'd be thrown in Coldridge prison again, or worse, hanged.

He would no longer be able to protect Emily.

He ran his fingers through his hair, and thought - He'd have to kill her.

He remembered the secrets about her That the Heart had said to him, and lay back on his bed. The feeling returned to him, the feeling of being dirty, like he was covered all over by blood.

Suddenly he realised - he had always been dirty. He had always had blood on his hands, and the worst part was, it was his job. He had killed people in the past, and his conscience was already burdened.

Do not jump to conclusions , he thought to himself. Maybe I can speak with her, in person. She can be convinced.

He closed his eyes, and turned in his bed.

Then he got up. The mark on his hand burned again, but he was used it. He got out of his bed and put on a black robe. He strapped on his waist belt, the one with the scabbard. He turned to the Study, and saw his sword. He walked up to it slowly, looking at his reflection in the gleaming silver.

His hair was dis shelved, and dark circles clung under his eyes. He hesitated for a few seconds, and put his sword in the scabbard. He slipped on his gloves, and walked out of his room.

He knocked on Anna Maria's door twice.

She opened the door in a few seconds, surprised to find him awake still.

'Excuse me,' he uttered. 'I just need your help. Do you know Miss Ride's room?'

'Why, yes, but . .' She looked him over suspiciously. 'Sir, the time . .'

'Can you tell me where it is?' He asked, ignoring her words. 'It's important.'

'It's on the roof, sir,' she answered, and the suspicion slowly vanished from her face. 'The room that was previously The Safe Room.'

He nodded and left without saying anything else. Inside, his mind was at war, torn between the need to kill her, and the need to trust her blindly. But he knew better than anyone else, that killing someone did not just end with their life. It took away a little part of him too.

He was already empty, and he was used to ignoring the emotions and pain that welled up when he had to take a life. He could just purse his lips and do it, just like that, the way someone felt while squashing an ant, or plucking a flower from its life source. But when it came to killing someone as uninvolved and innocent as Willow Ride, his hands froze, as if he had suddenly grown a heart. He laughed grimly at the thought.

He climbed the stairs hastily, barefoot. As he entered the roof, he looked at the moon, and found a thin, faint crescent in the navy blue sky.

There were two guards that bowed their heads as he walked past, and went back to their positions. Corvo walked to the door, and knocked on it twice.

'Sir,' One of the guards mumbled behind him. Corvo looked around, and found the lower watch guard handing out a key. 'W -We keep the spare,' he explained as he saw Corvo's glare.

When he was inside, he saw that the room was completely dark, and only faint shadows of the rows of bookshelves were visible. He closed the door and bolted it from the inside, because he hated it when the guards peeked in. He looked up at the stairs, and found a golden light inside the planning room. The wall of light was off, so he could see past clearly. He saw a familiar figure stand up from the table.

Willow walked down the stairs slowly and stopped at the foot. For a second, her mouth was held open, and her chest bloated like she had forgotten how to breathe. Her eyes widened, just the way they had when his fingers pressed around her neck. She looked at the floor, and bowed hesitantly.

'I don't need the formalities,' Corvo said, in a low voice.

He couldn't completely see her in the dark, but saw a faint golden outline of her at the foot of the stairs. Her hair was left open, falling loosely on her shoulders. She wore what seemed to be a man's version of night clothing, with a cream coloured full sleeved shirt that was too big for her, and almost covered her fingers. Below that, she wore formal black tights, the kind aristocrats wore at home.

'I know what you saw last night,' he started, and stepped towards her. She stepped back immediately, without looking up at him. He stopped, and took a deep breath. He could sense her fear, could see her fingers trembling.

She noticed, and held her hands behind her, tightly.

For a few seconds, he felt sorry for her, and wanted to tell her that she misunderstood him, and that he wouldn't harm her. But he would be lying. He had seen and met harmless people many times, and they seemed harmless and nice, until they had power in their hands. He had witnessed it personally, the way power moulded man, changed his attitude towards his allies, twisted his morals.

And currently, Willow Ride had power, even if she didn't see it that way. She could use him, threaten him or have him hanged, and all she needed to do was tell them what she had seen.

For a few seconds, he said nothing, and simply observed her. She seemed too scared to do anything, to even run. In the faint golden border that the light cast on her body, he could see the nape of her neck, the sleek line of her collarbone, which moved constantly. The few buttons of her shirt at the top were undone, and he could see her golden skin, and the border of a black undergarment.

He cursed himself silently for getting distracted, and looked at her face.

'Does Sokolov know yet?' He asked, walking towards her.

She shook her head. She looked up at him and said, in a small voice, 'I didn't tell anyone.'

'Tell me something, anything,' He said, in a deep voice, trying to be as intimidating as possible. She was already broken down, defenceless, but he didn't want to take a risk. 'That will convince me to trust you, and stop me from slicing your throat.'

She brought her hands to the front, stepping back cautiously. He could see an idea building up in her head, by the way her expression changed, and the way her eyes glanced at the door for a second.

He drew his sword and pointed it at her throat. She froze, looking at him, her hands on her sides. Corvo moved forward slowly, turning the sword to a side and drawing it closer to her neck. Her breathing increased, and she stepped back, but hit the wall.

'Do not try to run,' he said, feeling a sudden rise in him, a new colour. 'I'm warning you.'

He felt guilty, but deep inside, strangely, he was pleased. Somehow he liked watching her terrified, trembling at his sight, like she was at his mercy. He liked the way her brown eyes looked at him, flickered in confusion, and the feel of her hot breath on his neck gave him a twisted pleasure. Before he realised, his lips curled into a smile. His eyes glowed as he looked at her face - he liked being feared by her.

'I swear, I - I promise, I won't tell -'

'Shh,' he hissed, and lifted his other hand. He ran his finger on her cheek, softly at first, and then his fingers dug into her black hair, pulled her head back to press it against the wall. His face was close to hers, there were very few inches separating his lips from hers. He drew his sword, gently, towards the other side of her face, slowly running the tip from her cheek bones to the corner of her lips.

She looked like she had forgotten how to breathe, her hands were at her sides, stuck to the wall behind her. Her legs wobbled, but she didn't move.

He ran the tip of his sword along the border of her lower lip, as she struggled to draw in air through her mouth.

'Convince me,' he spoke, and his voice was low, husky. He had an urge to touch her more, to feel her warmth, a boiling lust he had not felt in a long time.

'I . . . Uhh . .' She stammered, tears filling up her eyes. She gulped, and he watched the bump in her neck , and the small depression at the base of her neck, between her collar bones. It was deeper, hinting that she was breathing harder.

She closed her eyes, and he looked back at her face. He cleared his throat and pressed the sword against her neck again, and she let out a low squeal.

'I will n - not tell anybody, Corvo, I - I promise,' she uttered blindly, her eyes still closed. 'Please, Whatever I want, only Sokolov can give me, and I want nothing else, I swear,' her voice was pleading. 'My thesis, about minds, thats all I want!' She took a deep shaky breath. 'I don't want money or anything else, so your secret is of no use to me, please . . '

'More,' he ordered.

'Umm . . M-my word isn't believed by a lot of . .uhh . .people, so nobody will believe me, and I will have no use of it, and - ' she blabbered mindlessly, and opened her eyes. His face was closer, but so was the sword. She could feel the sharp edge pressing against her skin. He held her hair tighter, watching her eyes as she spoke. The twisted smile still lingered on his face.

'Please don't kill me, please, don't kill me!' She pleaded as her fingers clawed the wooden wall behind her, feeling all of her heart beat concentrated in her neck, at the part where the knife pressed against her skin.

'This is my second time trying to kill you,' he said to her. He tried to make himself sound more serious, more deadly, but his mind was clouded, fogged with an intense wanting. ' the third time, I won't miss.'

His face lingered there, inches away from hers, and it took him a few seconds to fight the urge. He let his fingers slide down her hair, down the nape of her neck, and pulled back the sword.

'Oh God!' Willow gasped absentmindedly as she slid to to floor, her fingers on her neck.

'Remember well, Miss Ride,' Corvo said as he stepped back, and turned around to walk to the door. He sheathed his sword, opened the door and closed it behind him. The cold air of the night suddenly made him sane, brought down the warm sensation in him, and he stood at the door, soaking it in. He took a deep breath, the twisted smile still lingering on his face as he walked across the roof.

'What d'you think happened in there?' The lower watch guard asked the other. The second guard looked at Corvo, who was now going down the stairs, and saw his smile.

'Doesn't take a genius,' he said to the first. 'Now get back to your watch, idiot.'

Willow Ride couldn't sleep that night. She couldn't even get up from the place she had been lying, at the foot of the stairs. She stretched herself on the wooden flooring, lying flat on her stomach, two fingers touching the nape of her neck. Her eyes were open, staring at the darkness.

She was terrified, shaken. She wouldn't tell anyone about the mark, and she had expected Corvo to think the same.

A fear still lingered in her, and with it, so did the warmth of his touch. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel his fingers in her hair, their soft touch as they slid down the nape of her neck. She could feel the proximity of his face again, the closeness of his lips to hers.

He's a killer, she thought. A cold, merciless killer.

She lay on the floor for a while, and when she noticed that the light from the window was getting a little brighter, she stood up weakly and walked to the bathroom.

She showered, dressed into her suit and braided her hair tight, and then folded it up into a bun,the way she had for the past two years. She closed her books and put them back in the shelves, put on her shoes and walked down to the store room below the Planning room. A warm feeling still lingered in her, but she restrained herself from getting distracted by the previous night's events.

She opened the door to the storage room, and pulled out the drawer of the table.

She moved the contents around in a state of panic, and then searched the other shelves in the room, and failed. She looked under the tables, on the walls, in every nook and corner of the room, but the keys to the lab were missing.

So was the weeper cells key.

Willow rushed out of the safe room and looked down at the two guards.

'Good morning, Miss Ride,' One of them wished her as she walked across the roof.

'Did you see anybody sneaking around last night?'She asked them, looking at their faces.

'Nobody,' The second one answered.

'Well, actually, The Lord Protector -' the first one uttered, but the other guard nudged him hard.

'Are you sure there was nobody else?' She asked, her mind tangling up in confusion.

'Yes Ma'am,' the guard answered.

Suddenly, an alarm blared throughout the tower, and then a second one.

The guards looked at her doubtfully.

'Go now!' She ordered them, and they rushed down the stairs. Willow took a few seconds to absorb the facts, and then followed the guards, the loud noise of the alarms ringing in her ears.

Corvo was already on his feet, running to Emily's chamber with a sword in his hand. Maids and servants were running towards the stairs, mumbling and shouting at each other in confusion,

Corvo barged into Emily's room - and found her on the bed.

He let out a sigh of relief, watching her sitting upright on her bed, hugging the covers.

'Whats going on, Corvo?' She asked, her voice faultering.

'I do not know either,' he said, as he walked towards her. He stroked her hair once, and walked to the window. It was wide open, and down in the courtyard, he could see a few guards rushing into the tower door. He moved back and closed the window. He gripped his sword tightly as he walked back to the door and looked outside. The corridor was almost empty, and he could see the guards rushing up the staircase at the end.

'Guard!' He called aloud, and a watch officer looked at him. He rushed into the corridor, and sheathed his sword.

'The laboratory, sir,' he started as he bowed in front of him. ' Someone let all the weepers out. They're roaming around in the tower right now.'

'How many?' Corvo asked, looking back at the stairs.

'Twenty five, sir,' The watch officer answered.

'You stay in this corridor,' Corvo ordered him. 'Call two more officers onto this floor. I will be here too.'

'Absolutely, sir,' he bowed again and went back to the the staircase, shouting at two more officers to stay back on the floor.

'No, stop!' A familiar voice rang through the corridor, followed by a blood chilling scream.

'That's Anna Maria!' Emily cried in panic and rushed out of her bed. She ran into the corridor.

'Emily, don't! ' Corvo exclaimed, because he had seen what had happened inside through The Dark vision. He rushed forward to stop her, but it was too late.

Emily had opened the door, and stood at the entrance, her eyes wide. For a few seconds, her face showed no expression, and her eyes remained shapeless in shock.

Her legs wobbled, and Corvo turned her around and embraced her, forcing her away from the direction of the entrance.

She held the same shock for a few minutes, her cheek pressed against his robe, her fingers gripping onto his black garment.

Corvo held the back of her head protectively, preventing her from looking back at the horrible sight.

He pursed his lips tight. He felt like a deadly poison was rising up his throat, and he looked down at Anna Maria's mutilated body.

Nobody could even tell if it was a woman or a man on the floor. The skin was fried to a deep black. Her limbs twisted at an odd angle on the floor. A terrible stench filled the air.

The watch officers looked at the body, at the black soot that tainted the marble floor around the burnt form.

'Dear God,' One of them gasped.

Corvo carried Emily back to her room, and gently lay her down on the bed. He was about to pull away, but she grabbed his robe again.

'Please stay, Corvo,' she pleaded, without looking at him. He sat down at the edge of her bed solemnly, and she wrapped her arms around him again, burying her face in his chest.

'There's one!' He could hear The Watch Officer shouting, and the faint groaning of a weeper. A gunshot echoed in the corridor.

Corvo held Emily tighter, and he could feel her shaking.

His mind rammed forward accounting all the possibilities. He knew that the keys to the lab were always with Willow, and he had been with her the previous night. He had not sensed anybody else in the safe house, and he was sure that she had not stepped out either.

And Anna Maria - who could have killed her?

His mind saw one possibility.

Letting the weepers out was a deliberate action, and there was no other reason for someone to do that except to cause a distraction, to let the defence concentrate on something else.

But the next part made no sense. Why would they - whoever they were - take such a risk for a target like Anna Maria?

He looked back at the window again, and used his Dark vision. His eyes turned into two dark orbs, like that of The Outsider's. He could see a figure, stationed beside the window on the wall.

A Whaler.

He pulled back from Emily immediately and stood up. He walked to the window silently, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter, and just as he was about to strike, The Whaler disappeared.

Corvo looked back at Emily, and scanned the room.

He had gone.

Willow Ride ran down the stairs, her heart banging against her chest. The Guards were looking around everywhere, and a Higher Watch Officer looked at her.

'Its not advisable to stay in the corridors, Ma'am,' he said to her as she reached the foot of the stairs. 'Please stay back in a room.'

'Have Piero and Sokolov been informed of this?' She asked him as she walked forward.

'Yes Ma'am. They have been asked to stay back on The Empress' floor for now. Anton Sokolov would want to speak with you.'

'Thank you,' she mumbled to him and went down the stairs again, from the Lab floor to the Empress' floor. She found more number of guards, and one of them told her that Sokolov and Piero were waiting in the corridor beside the Lord Protector's chambers.

She stepped into the corridor, and found them both at the end. Sokolov looked at her and walked forward, his gait showing the full extent of his anger. Willow lowered her head and walked forward.

'Will you please explain to me how the keys simply vanished?!' He yelled at her. Piero followed him, and he didn't look as bothered as Sokolov.

'I had them with me in the store room, sir,' she explained, looking up at him. 'I don't know when and how but someone took them.'

'Oh did they?!' He shouted, raising his eyebrows. 'I asked you to be extra careful, Ride!' He yelled.

'I'm sorry,' she mumbled. 'Forgive me, I should have been more careful.'

'Damn right you should have!' He screamed at her, his eyes wide with fury. He looked at her for a few seconds, and then closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and stroked his beard, the end of his mouth twitching.

'This is not like you, Ride.' He said, in a calmer tone. 'You were always so careful with everything. I am utterly disappointed.'

Willow felt a sudden pang in her chest. As much as she hated Sokolov, she also admired his intellect. She had never let him down for three years, and now she felt useless.

'I think a lot of people will agree that this simply was not Willow's fault,' Piero said, looking at Sokolov. 'Corvo thinks there's a powerful people responsible for this chaos. In such situations even you and I could have done nothing.'

'Well . .' Sokolov mumbled. 'We will have to get more weepers now. Start the testing all over again.'

'That will take approximately a week and a half,' Piero said. 'There really was no need for you to get so vexed up, Anton.'

'I suppose you're right,' Sokolov said, and looked at Willow. 'No mistakes this time,' he said firmly.

'Yes sir,' Willow nodded. 'This will not be repeated.'

'Better not,' Sokolov grumbled. 'Now we'll just have to wait here until they get all the weepers.'

'From what I hear they have already shot down seven of them,' Piero said.

'Hm. Of course they would,' Sokolov mumbled. 'I have told the guards to capture as many as possible, especially the ones that have improved.'

Willow could smell something burning, and she looked around to see what it was.

'Thats not a burnt dish you're smelling, Ride,' Sokolov said, observing her expression. 'Someone shot The Empress' servant with an incendiary arrow. Unfortunate woman.'

Willow's heart sank as she remembered Anna Maria. She looked at the open door of her room, and found a faint blackish hue on the marble floor.

'Although, I have to say,' Sokolov mumbled, almost to himself. 'That was a remarkable arrow. Only someone very experienced in weaponry could have made one like that.'

So I know I said in the previous chapter that there would be no Corvo x Willow, but lol. I hope you guys liked it. For a person like me, it takes courage to publish lime stuff on the internet. So now you know why its M rated.

please give me reviews, even a word is fine.

Thank you for reading!

xoxoxoxo