And in the stars, moons, suns
and shadows shall we finally find it…
Home
The sun let go of a few last
scatterings of light.
Felnera walked faster down
the street.
Gotta get
home.
As she neared her
neighborhood, she breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing her house up ahead, she
began to do a little jog when she felt something brush by.
Stopping, she spun around to
look and saw no one there. Feeling her heart begin to beat faster, she started
for her house again when the three closest streetlights went
out.
"W-who's
there?"
Hearing no response, she
stifled a scream and walked cautiously towards the safety of her
home.
She only managed to get a
few steps when she felt a hot breath on her neck. Shaking, she turned to find
herself face to face with a creature of black shadows and three sets of red
glowing eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she
opened her mouth to scream.
Reacting quickly, the
creature grabbed her neck and crushed it. Then, with a quick jab to her stomach,
began to suck the energy from her. Absorbing her
completely.
On a nearby rooftop, Poison,
sometimes known as The Poison Arrow, looked down upon the scene before
him.
You’re good, beast. But not
as good as me.
Sighting along his crossbow,
he aimed for a spot between the top set of eyes and pulled the
trigger.
The arrow flew true to its
mark, but was stopped by the creature beginning to throw the now dead corpse
away. As the arrow bit deep into the back of the dead girl, Poison cursed his
bad luck.
The creature lowered the
body and looked up at Poison.
Damn.
Sabin fought against the
Anju.
No! No more killing! I’ve
had enough for tonight!
Silence human. There is one
more to kill.
The Anju raised its arm to
the man on the rooftop.
Him.
Sabin thought of his beloved
Samantha and wished she were here now to help calm the beast he was becoming
this night. But, in another part of his mind, he was glad she was so far away at
this point.
She will not stop me this
night, Sabin Duvert. I have the control, and you are my
puppet.
I will destroy you some
day…
That night, shall be far in
coming. SILENCE!
The Anju watched as the man
began to pull another arrow and load it into his crossbow. Growling, he leapt
onto the nearest streetlight and jumped towards the man in an attempt to stop
him.
Shit!
Poison dropped his crossbow,
still half loaded and scrambled backwards as the creature landed before him.
Pulling out one of his knives, he studied the creature as it studied him in
return.
I would be tempted to call
it intelligent; if it were not for the mad killing I just saw it
do.
Poison began to hear a voice
he had hoped not to hear in a long time.
Ignoring the voice within
his mind, he focused solely on the creature before him.
“Tonight, shall be the last
night you will live, beast.”
The creature began laughing,
showing a mouth full of long fangs.
“You. You think you shall
win against me? Pathetic human, you are no match for an
Anju.”
Poison kept his face calm as
his mind raced in shock.
No. It cannot be. It’s
impossible!
Am I
impossible...?
Poison once again ignored
the voice within.
I must remain in
control.
Anju stopped and looked at
the man before him.
T’is odd… Sabin, tell me,
does something about him seem normal to you?
No. He seems like me. Torn
between the truth and a nitemare.
Be careful what you say
about me. I can end your life here and now.
“Hey,
ugly!”
Anju turned his attention
back to the man as he slammed his fist into Anju’s face, then pulled
back.
Reforming the face, the Anju
shook his head.
“Pathetic. THIS is how you
hit someone.”
As he emphasized the word,
he struck out with a backhanded blow, tossing the man to the cobblestones
below.
STOP!
I told you to be
silent…
Leaping to the ground after
him, the Anju stopped and looked around.
“Where…”
Just then, something flew
into his back and pushed his to the ground.
Poison held the creature
below him, his hands were completely black and his arms were following. He could
feel the huge wings sprouting from his back and bit his lip to keep from crying
out.
During a lull in the
transformation, he spoke to the creature.
“What is your
name?”
Laughing, the creature
turned its head to look up at him.
“You ask my name? I have
none. I am the Anju. And you are more than you seem.”
“I meant the name of your
host. You seemed very occupied on that rooftop. I’m guessing you were talking to
the one within.”
“Ah… Sabin. Yes. He’s a
bothersome one.”
“Must not be bothersome
enough if you’re still in control.”
The Anju turned it’s head
back to the ground and began chuckling.
“What are you-
How!”
Poison saw his hands were on
the ground and frantically looked around before something slammed into him from
behind.
“Unhh..,”
“Sleep well, Man behind the
mask.”
Poison tried to look up at
the Anju as everything went black. But, he could swear he had seen an image of
long white hair.
“Sabin! Where were you last
night?”
“I… I don’t know, my
love.”
Sabin sat upon the bed,
looking down at his torn clothes and sighed. He remembered the events of the
night, but did not wish to frighten Samantha with what he knew would be yet
another nightmare in his mind.
Feeling soft arms encircle
him, he fell back into their embrace and held back the tears that threatened to
fall from his eyes.
“My love, my Sabin. I know
of what you are, and I ask you to share with me that which plagues you. How am I
to be your support if you give me no ground to sit upon?”
“I cannot tell you, Sam. To
do so…”
He sighed and tried to sit
up, only to be held down by her tightening grip.
“If you will not tell me,
then at least let me give what comfort I may.”
She placed her head against
his and merely stayed that way.
Sabin felt like thanking
whatever gods or goddess’ allowed the Anju within to be silent, but in the same
breath, felt like damning them for giving him this in the first
place.
Poison awoke to the smell of
beef stew upon the air. Sitting up quickly, he grabbed his head and fell
back.
“Ugh. Never have I felt so
bad. Never.”
“You’ll be feeling worse,
sonny, if you try that again. You took a pretty hit to that noggin of yours, and
no short amount of time will help that pain go away.”
Looking to where the voice
came from, he was shocked to see an old woman there. Sighing, he moved his hand
down to scratch an itch on his nose and found his mask was
missing.
“What have you done to me,
old woman!”
“Helped ya, sonny. Lying in
the middle of the street… You’d have caught a cold or worse, been tramped by the
morn’ traffic.”
Poison bit back the comment
he was going to give her and merely rolled his head the other
way.
“Now, now, sonny. Don’t be
that way. Supper will be –“
“My name is not ‘sonny’. You
may call me Arrow.”
“Very well. Arrow. But
supper is about ready.”
“Supper? How long have I
been out?”
“Nearly the day, son-
Arrow.”
Throwing an arm over his
eyes, Poison cursed under his breath.
I lost
him.
Sabin looked in the mirror
and smiled. It had been two days since the attack, and he had managed to keep
the Anju under full control.
Looking to the bedroom,
where he knew Samantha was getting ready for their night out, he gave a sigh of
content.
This is how it ought to be
more often.
Hold your tongue, Sabin. I
am merely full.
You’re merely weak. Don’t
lie to me.
I can still overtake you…
Don’t tempt me.
Seeing the door open to the
room, he ignored any further comments from the Anju and offered his arm to
her.
“I have never been to a
fair, milord. What can I expect?”
“Many things, dearest Sam.
There are rides, stalls selling candies, and games with which to win many
things. I will win you something.”
“Oh, Sabin. You need not do
that!”
“I wish to. Will you deny me
the right to make you happy?”
“Never.”
“Then, it’s settled. Let us
be off, milady.”
He opened the door and they
stepped outside. Waiting at the bottom of the stairs to their humble home was a
carriage with two horses pulling it. Helping her up the stairs to the carriage,
Sabin waited for her to get settled before climbing up and in
himself.
“To the fair, my good
man.”
The reins master nodded and
shook the reins, snapping them and urging the horses to move
forward.
“Hilda. I must be off
tonight. I thank you for your hospitality these last few days, but, I do have a
job to do.”
Poison threw on his cloak,
tied on his mask and then put his hat on as he started for the
door.
“Will you ever return,
Arrow?”
He looked back at the old
woman, whom despite his best efforts, he could not find the heart to hate and
shook his head.
“I cannot answer that, for I
do not know.”
“Then, I say you will. If
anything, it gives an old woman some comfort to know someone may be coming
back.”
Thinking upon this, he
nodded.
“That is true. Take care of
yourself, Hilda.”
“And you… Poison
Arrow.”
Poison stepped out into the
night’s chill before her words sunk in. Turning back to the cabin, he found only
the run down ruins of what once may have been a cabin and scowled.
Spinning around, he took off
down the path. He could only think of one place the Anju may strike this night,
and was determined to make it there.
One of us shall not survive
tonight’s meeting. That one shall be you… Anju.
“Oh Sabin! Look at
that!”
Sabin chuckled under his
breath as Samantha stared in awe at the huge Ferris Wheel.
“And what’s
that?”
He felt himself pulled to
the side and grabbed his hat quickly to keep it on. Taking Samantha’s shoulders,
he gently turned her to him.
“My dear, if you keep this
up, I’m afraid I may end up pulled behind you instead of walking at your
side.”
Blushing, Samantha glanced
downward towards the ground.
“I’m sorry, Sabin. There’s
just so much here to see and I have never been to a –“
“Shhh… You shall see it all.
What do you wish to – “
Sabin felt a chill run up
his back and glanced around.
“Love? What do I wish to
what?”
Seeing nothing, he turned
back to her.
“Pardon? Oh! What would you
like to do first?”
“Sabin… Are you sure you’re
alright? We can head home if you’d like.”
“No! No. I shall be fine,
Sam. This night is for you. I’ll not take that from you.”
Samantha looked at him with
her head tilted slightly.
“As long as you’re sure. We
can come again tomorrow.”
Sabin shook his head and
kissed her gently. Feeling her begin to relax, he allowed his mind to think
about why he’d felt so cold a moment ago.
It was almost like… Nah.
Couldn’t be. He wouldn’t know I’m here.
“Oh! Let’s go on the Ferris
Wheel, Sabin!”
Grabbing his arm, Samantha
began pulling him off again.
Laughing, he allowed his
beautiful lady to carry him away. As he bumped into someone with a black hat and
cloak, he muttered a slight apology before he was dragged
off.
Odd… That man looked
familiar.
Poison moved his hat back
slightly to get a better look at the couple.
Heh… So young and carefree.
I remember a time like that. But that is all it is. A memory. Now, if I were a
Shadow Creature, where would I hide?
You ARE
one…
No. You are, I am not. Do
not taint me with that lie.
Why, are you afraid because
you know I speak the truth?
Tuning him out further,
Poison continued to search the area. Finally, his eyes fell back on the couple
as they prepared to get on the wheel. He saw the man lift his hair and tie it
back before getting on and a thought struck him.
White hair… Is it him? But…
He seems so different from that monster!
What of yourself? You act
nice, yet you are a blood-driven –
Shush! Let me think. The
woman is obviously innocent. I would not harm her.
Soft – tttt…
Scowling, Poison walked over
to near one of the various games.
“Ah, sirrah, would you care
to take a try?”
“No, I have no need for –
“
Poison looked back and saw
the various animals and such on display for the win and a thought came to
him.
Maybe I do not need to harm
the woman. But merely try to use her to get to him. Then, I could get him away
so I may finish my job.
He looked to the man who’d
begun speaking to him and nodded.
“Sure. I’ll try the
game.”
“Ah! Good, good, sir. Merely
hit the target with the gun.”
Poison picked up the gun and
aimed at the target. Squeezing on the trigger, he grinned to
himself.
“Eek! It’s so high!”
Samantha wrapped her arms
around Sabin, whom gave a small smile of delight.
“Oh… you may be loving this
mister, but it’s frightening!”
“You chose to come on this,
my dear. Didn’t you see the height from the ground?”
“Well… it looked smaller
there.”
She pouted cutely and turned
to kiss him when the ride stopped.
“Eek!”
“Samantha, calm down. He’s
just letting people on at the bottom, we’re fine.”
She shivered all over and
grasped his shirt, snuggling close to him as possible.
Sighing and shaking his head
in amusement, he gently placed an arm around her to comfort her. As the ride
began again, his thoughts went back to the man they’d bumped
into.
Why can’t I think of where I
have seen him before?
Maybe the white in your hair
is actually a sign of old age…
Wishing he could glare at
the Anju within him, Sabin stifled a deep sigh.
Maybe.
What? No fight about how
wrong I am?
No… This night is
Samantha’s, I’m not going to ruin it by getting upset with you and taking it out
on her.
Heh, humans and their
emotions. So pathetic.
Tuning him out, Sabin looked
down and saw the man standing at the bottom of the Ferris Wheel holding what
seemed to be a white bear.
Ah. I see the gentleman is
waiting for someone of his own. Perhaps I shall get something for
Samantha?
“Sabin? Something on your
mind?”
He blinked and looked up at
her standing before him and realized the ride had stopped. Blushing, he stood
and walked down the ramp with Samantha. As they reached the bottom, the man in
the hat moved forward and tried to keep from reacting as the memory finally came
to him.
Poison watched the two as he
walked up to them and nearly smirked in glee as he saw recognition in the mans
eyes.
So… I was
right.
Getting to one knee before
the lady, he offered the bear to her.
“My dear, you are the
loveliest woman here. I wish to give this to you as a token of my appreciation
for your presense among us.”
He saw her raise a hand to
her mouth and she shook her head as she stepped back into
Sabin.
“I thank you sir, but I am
not that beautiful. Please, keep it so that you may give it to another lady here
more fair than I.”
“But there is no other. I
have searched the entire grounds. Please. Do take it.”
He glanced at the man and
saw a slight tinge of what he believed was jealousy showing through
them.
It’s
working.
Being a bit bolder than
normal, Poison reached out and took the lady’s hand. Putting the bear within it,
he then turned and began walking off. Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him,
he sped up slightly.
“Sabin! Wait. You don’t have
to…”
“I’ll be only a moment,
Sam.”
Poison heard the footsteps
speed up to follow him and grinned within his mask.
You’re mine
monster.
Sabin watched as the man
walked around the corner of a building and out of sight of the fair. Glancing
back towards the fair, he didn’t see anyone that had been following and
carefully stepped around the corner.
Only the slight flash of
light on metal saved him as a knife slashed out at him from the shadows. Leaping
back some, he looked up and saw the strange man standing before
him.
“So… Sabin is your name? How
quaint.”
“What do you
want?”
“Why, Sabin… Or, should I
say, Anju? You wound me!”
The man reached up and
pulled down his mask to show a bright grin.
“Anju? What’s
that?”
Sabin gave a low laugh and
hung his head.
“Sir, I’m afraid you’re
mistaken…”
Hopefully I can throw him
off. I don’t want to keep Samantha waiting. She’ll come looking for
me!
“…I know not what or who
this Anju is. Now, if you’d be so kind to answer, why would you deny my lady’s
wish to keep the bear?”
“Oh? Going to pretend you
don’t know me? There is very few humans with ears like yours my friend. Very
few.”
Sabin reached for his ears
before he thought about what he was doing and felt that his hair had moved when
he’d dodged the attack, revealing his slightly pointed tips. His hands then fell
as he realized he had given himself away.
The man threw back his head
in a sharp laugh.
“Well then, shall we quit
with the games?”
Shaking his arms out, the
man then charged with a dagger in each hand.
Poison slashed across the
area’s of Sabin’s neck and stomach, hoping he’d attempt to dodge one or the
other and was surprised to see him leap backwards onto the wall
behind.
“Ah. So, we are stopping
with the games. Good. Makes it much easier to kill you.”
“I don’t wish to fight
you!”
“You have no
choice!”
Poison flipped one of the
two daggers into a throwing position and chucked it at
him.
Sabin leapt forward off the
wall and threw his arm to the side.
Poison grinned and put his
mask back up over his face.
As Sabin fell towards him,
he saw the claws that grew from his fingertips and began to fall back. Slashing
across with his dagger, he caught the front of his shirt and was knocked down by
the force of Sabin’s body slamming into his.
“Oof!”
Hearing a growl, Poison
looked up to see a clawed hand coming at his head. Moving it quickly, he heard
more than felt the near miss of the hand as it slammed into the pavement beside
his head.
Kicking up, he flipped Sabin
over his head and rolled forward. Spinning around to confront him again, he saw
he was gone.
“Damn. Where’d you
go?”
Looking around, Poison gave
a low growl and went charging off down the alley.
How’d I loose him…
again?
You’re losing your edge.
That’s how.
Stopping at the other end of
the alley, he searched for signs of a man or beast and found none. Kicking
himself, he began running back to the fair.
Sabin walked back onto the
fairgrounds, fixing his hair to make sure it covered his ears once more and
looked for Samantha. He saw her sitting upon a bench and
smiled.
Thank the lords she’s safe.
But, we must get out of here if I want that to last.
Walking quickly to her,
Sabin saw her look up and see him. The bear was in the arms of a child sitting
next to her and she smiled back at him.
Standing, Samantha gave him
a hug and murmured into his collar.
“Are you alright, my
love?”
“Of course. But, we must
leave. I’ll explain when we get home.”
Samantha was about to
protest when she saw the cut in his shirt under his cloak and nodded. Turning
back to the child, she gave a kind smile.
“The bear is yours dear.
Take good care of it!”
“I will, ma’am. Thank
you!”
She then turned back to
Sabin and took his arm. Together, they moved off to find a carriage for rent to
head back home in.
Poison scowled as he walked
around the area the carriages were parked. He found tracks heading to here, but
then they stopped.
Damn it
all.
Maybe –
YOU shut up!
Turning, he scowled as he
saw his reflection in the metal on the side of one of the
carriages.
Have I become that bad? I
couldn’t… the woman.
He punched a fist into the
palm of his hand and growled, scaring one of the baggage
boys.
She must have done this to
me. But…
You do not know where to
look for her, do you?
Ignoring the voice, he
walked away, deep in thoughts.
Sabin carefully got out of
the bed, making sure not to wake Samantha as he moved out to the front
room.
He went to the fireplace and
put another log on. Then, leaning upon his arm against the mantle, he closed his
eyes and sighed.
I was lucky this time. But
who is that man that he is able to find me so easily? And why… why do I feel
drawn to him? Is that how he finds me?
Opening his eyes, he looked
deep into the flames of the fire. He let his mind drift as the soothing motions
of the fire’s dance played within his eyes.
“Sabin?”
Turning, he blinked to get
the fire’s light out of his eyes and finally saw the shape of Samantha in the
doorway.
“Is everything alright, my
love?”
“Yes… just watching the
flames, my dear.”
“Anju tried to take hold
again. Didn’t he? That’s why you returned to me with the
cut?”
Sighing, Sabin walked over
to her and began to pull her to him when she put a hand on his chest to hold him
away.
“You’ll not tempt me back to
bed. Tell me the truth.”
“I met another… like me, yet
not.”
“Another person merged with
a shadow creature?”
“I believe so. But I am
uncertain. I’ve not seen him change…”
“Then what makes you believe
it is so?”
Sabin looked into her eyes,
wondering whether or not to tell her of the strange pull he’d felt as he’d
fallen atop the man. His mind raced back to those few frightful
seconds…
“I don’t wish to fight you!”
“You have no choice!”
Sabin saw the man move his hand and throw
something.
Reacting quickly, he threw himself forward and looked
inward.
Anju… I may not
always agree with you, But get us through this alive.
He could then feel
the slight pain that came as the claws and eyes grew from his
flesh.
Looking down into the
man’s eyes as he pulled his mask back over his face, Sabin then felt an odd
feeling go through him. He saw the man’s eyes widen and he felt the slice of his
other dagger drag across his chest.
Landing atop the man, Sabin’s first urge was to hug
the man tight.
The Anju took over, growling, and threw his clawed
hand out to strike the man’s face, but missed and hit the
ground.
Sabin came back to his senses as he felt himself
lifted and thrown. As he fell, he allowed himself to take full shadow form and
merged with the shadows of the alley.
Watching the man through slotted eyes, he heard him
curse.
“Damn. Where’d you go?”
He then saw the man run down the alleyway and took
his opportunity to leave. Only one thought ran through his mind as he ran back
to the fair.
“Sabin!”
Snapping back to the
present, he saw Samantha’s demanding glare and cringed
inwardly.
“Sorry,
Sam.”
He closed his eyes and took
a deep breath, as he was about to speak again, she placed her hand on his
cheek.
“You just knew… is that
it?”
Sabin thought about it for a
second.
“Yes. Yes, I guess that was
it, Sam.”
Samantha smiled and kissed
him gently.
“Now, was that so hard? Come
back to bed, Sabin. It’s cold without you.”
Sabin allowed himself to be
pulled back into the room, but he couldn’t get past the nagging feeling that it
was something else.
Rubbing his nose, Poison
scowled.
Damn thing’s been itchy for
too long.
Glancing around, he saw no
one near and moved the mask down some to scratch at it. Finally getting the itch
to go away, he pulled his mask back up and continued his
search.
Stopping before a building
he glanced around and sighed. Taking out a small grappling hook, he shot it up
and began climbing. Reaching the floor he wanted, he was happy to see the window
open.
Gently slipping through, he
found a dagger at his throat and a light in his eyes.
“Damn it, Poison! I’ll kill
you one of these times if you continue to do that.”
The woman’s voice sounded
exasperated, but gentle.
Reaching up, Poison pushed
away both arms and grabbed her shoulders.
“Why not keep your window
closed then?”
He could finally begin to
see details again, and saw her put down the lamp and dagger before reaching up
to pull down his mask.
“Because, if people wish to
be stupid enough to try and come in my window, love, I’ll teach them it’s not
proper.”
She then kissed him and his
arms moved around her to hold her close. As they parted, he reached up to take
off his hat and tossed it to the side of the room.
“Turn off the lamp, Kat.
Then you can teach me my lesson.”
Laughing merrily, Kathryn
turned to put out the light.
“I’ve got a couple of
lessons for you. One to teach you manners, and the other to teach you to not
keep me waiting so long between visits.”
Sighing dramatically as the
light faded out, Poison reached out and smiled warmly as he heard a giggle from
his touch.
“How’d I know that there’d
be something like that?”
Sabin could feel the hot
breath on the back of his neck as he ran down the corridor.
“I’m coming to get
you.”
“Leave me
alone!”
“Now why would I want to do
that, Sabin?”
Stopping in his tracks, he
turned to face the creature to find nothing there. Taking a step back, he bumped
into something that wrapped around him and crushed.
“Ah!”
“Don’t fight it, Sabin. You
know I’ll get you.”
“No. Let me go. Let me
go!”
The being began laughing,
the rich sound echoing in Sabin’s ears.
“Let me
go!”
“Sabin!”
Opening his eyes wide, Sabin
looked up into a pair of concerned eyes. Groaning slightly, he turned on his
side away from her.
“Are you alright? You were
trashing around.”
“I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t
mean to disturb you.”
“It was the other one.
Wasn’t it? The man you met? He disturbed your dreams.”
Turning to her, Sabin saw
that she was only trying to help him by showing she would listen if he would
tell her.
“I don’t know. I didn’t see
a face. Just blackness.”
Pushing his hair back behind
his ears, Samantha smiled.
“And it wouldn’t be Anju as
you know him so well. My love, I wish you would tell me more of that encounter.
But I know not to push you.”
Sighing, Sabin took her
hands and kissed one.
“I know you do, but this is
someone I fear may come after you.”
Samantha tightened her grip
on his hands and looked into his eyes.
“You want to find
him.”
“Yes.”
“So. You failed to get your
target?”
“I didn’t
fail!”
Poison stood and walked over
to a place where he could look out the window at the street below. No one walked
the streets at this time, and he allowed the moonlight to fall on
him.
Kathryn, watching from the
bed, saw how the light reflected off his pale skin. The slight green glow coming
from his eyes, and the memory of the scars were all that reminded her that he
was more than he seemed in the faint light.
“Arrow, I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean to upset you. Just… Why did you come to me? You never come here unless
you’re between assignments.”
“I need your
help.”
Kathryn sat up straight and
stared at him.
“You
need…”
“Remember the old woman I
told you of? I need to find her. She did something to me. I have never… NEVER
thought that a target got away like that. I should have felt… known… that he was
still there.”
Getting up, Kathryn moved
over to him and slid her arms around him. Gently kissing his shoulder, she began
pulling him back to the bed.
“I’ll do it. I’ll find her
for you. Now, come back to bed. I haven’t seen you for over a
month.”
“Damn it woman, you’ll break
me!”
They both laughed as he
turned in her embrace and tackled her back into the bed. Only the sounds of two
lovers came from the room for the rest of the night.
Sabin looked at Samantha and
sighed as she packed the last of her things.
Looking over at him, she
smiled and moved to hug him.
“Are you sure you want me to
leave for now?”
“Yes… I don’t know what I
would do if I knew you were harmed.”
“I’ll be fine, Sabin. You
focus on yourself. And hopefully, you can come to an agreement with this
hunter.”
“I hope so,
too.”
Kissing her, he then walked
her to the door and watched as she got into the coach to take her off to see her
cousin for a few weeks.
“Take care,
love.”
The coach then took off,
leaving Sabin standing at the door watching it head off down the
street.
Now, the final trial. I must
find…
Will we destroy
him?
Feeling somewhat indifferent
now that he knew Samantha was out of the way, Sabin turned to go back into the
house, a smile upon his lips.
If he refuses to leave me
be. Yes. We destroy him.
Good. I’ll have fun tearing
him limb from limb.
Ignoring the fact that the
anju had skipped over his thought of leaving the hunter be if he would leave him
alone, Sabin thought it wiser to allow the anju its
thoughts.
In a walled off section of
his mind, where even the anju could not penetrate, he began his
plan.
“I found her. Or, at least,
think I have.”
Kathryn sat down in Poison’s
lap as he tried to get up to go over to her, being woken by her loud entrance
into the room.
“Kat. Remind me again of why
I put up with your wake up calls?”
“Because of how I put you to
sleep, now look at this, is this the woman?”
She held forth a portrait
drawn by someone who had a remarkable skill to draw out people from
descriptions.
His eyes widening, he
snatched the paper, knowing that Kathryn would understand she had found the
right one.
“Where?”
Hilda opened the door of her
house and moved in. Turning to close the door, she felt a presence behind her
and smiled.
“Hello again,
Arrow.”
“Hilda… You will die. Slowly
or quickly is up to how you answer me. What did you do to
me?”
“I stopped you from doing
the wrong thing. That night was not the night for you two to fight. That is
all.”
“I had a contract to
fulfill! Time is money, old woman!”
“Would it have been worth
your life?”
She turned around to face
him and Poison was taken back by the look in her eyes and the tone of her
voice.
“Sabin and the Anju would
have killed you, sonny. I like you, sonny. That’s why I got you away from him by
letting my presence be felt by you at the other end of the alley. Hiding
his.”
“Your presence? But
why?”
Poison lowered his arm and
put the crossbow away, knowing he could draw it as quickly as
needed.
“Let it be said I have gifts
to see that which is not meant to be seen. Both you and Sabin are needed soon,
for something much bigger than a petty contract.”
“Bigger? Out with it,
woman!”
“I will tell… later. Want
some stew?”
Poison scowled, but her
stance and firm jaw told him that she would remain immobile. Plopping down on a
nearby chair, he continued to glare at her as she muddled around, putting things
together and waited for when she would tell him.
If she doesn’t by nightfall,
I’ll kill her.
Sabin heard a knock upon the
door. Going to it, he opened it to see a messenger boy there. Smiling, the boy
held out the letter that he had been given to deliver. Giving the boy a tip,
Sabin took the letter and smiled at him, careful to not show his teeth too
well.
The boy tipped his hat and
ran off.
Closing the door, Sabin went
back into the room, opening the letter. Looking inside, he saw only an address
written on it. Sighing heavily, Sabin shook his head.
Looks like he wants me to
come to him.
Then, we shall. There will
be blood tonight.
Grabbing his hat and cloak,
Sabin put them on and left the house to head to the address listed on the
paper.
Poison felt something coming
closer to the house. A dark presence. He began to take out a dagger when the
woman looked over at him.
“You’ll leave my guest be,
Arrow.”
Glancing out the window, he
saw that there was still an hour before nightfall.
Damn.
A soft knock sounded on the
door.
“Come in
dear!”
Sabin heard the old woman’s
voice and furrowed his brow.
That didn’t sound
right.
Turning the knob, he opened
the door. Sitting in a chair facing the door was the hunter, but to his right,
buzzing around an open fire, was a calm old woman.
“Sabin! Wonderful you could
come. Please, come in and take a seat. Don’t mind the scowling one here. He’s
just a bit ticked at me for inviting you.”
Taken back completely by her
jovial tone, Sabin fell into a seat near the door. He watched as the woman went
back to work on her stew before a shiver up his back directed his attention to
the other in the room.
Looking to the hunter, Sabin
sighed as he saw the hatred bared naked in his eyes.
“Why do you hate me
so?”
Poison heard the question
and raised an eyebrow at it.
“I don’t hate you. I have a
contract to fulfill.”
“A Bounty Hunter. I knew you
were nothing more than a worthless hunter!”
Standing, Poison moved over
before him before the old woman could react. Placing his hands on the arms of
Sabin’s chair, he leaned forward to look him in the eyes.
“I’m an Assassin. Don’t take
me for one of those second rate nobodies!”
Grinning under the mask as
Sabin shifted uncomfortably in his chair, Poison
continued.
“If it were not for what
Hilda had to tell me, I would kill you here and now. But if I do, I don’t find
out what I wish to know.”
“Enough, Arrow! Sit
down.”
Poison began to turn to
rebuke her when he felt a hand grab his arm. Looking down, he saw Sabin looking
up at him.
“What is your
name?”
Sighing, Poison realized
that he might have been underestimating this man all along. Most others would
have asked who he was, but this one just flat out asked for a
name.
“The Poison
Arrow.”
“Thank you. I am Sabin
Duvert.”
Poison scowled and pulled
his arm away, then turned to go back to his seat. Flopping down in it, he turned
his eyes to Hilda and glared at her.
Sabin grinned inwardly to
himself.
So, he does have a
conscience. Very few men can kill knowing the victims full
name.
You are cruel, Sabin. Are
you sure you’re not an Anju?
Laughing inwardly, Sabin was
surprised to hear the Anju speaking with a sense of humor.
“Stew?”
He looked up to
see…
“Hilda, was
it?”
“Yes. My name is Hilda.
Would you like some stew?”
“Uh, yes please. Thank
you.”
Hilda smiled and gave him a
bowl and some bread before walking over to Poison.
“Damn it woman, I’d have to
remove my mask!”
“Not like I haven’t seen ya
without it, and if you’re still going to attempt to kill Sabin over there, will
it matter if he sees?”
Growling, he accepted the
bowl and placed it to the side before reaching up to remove his mask. Glancing
at Sabin, he glared slightly.
“Not a word from you about
me.”
Sabin watched as the mask
was removed and had to take a quick bite of bread to keep himself from gasping.
He looks like a prince or a
noble man. How could anyone like that become a killer?
What of
yourself?
You’re the killer, I’m the
impossible host.
Seeing Poison begin to glare
at him for staring, he turned his attention back to his
meal.
Poison took the bowl and
began eating the stew as quickly as possible.
Why the hell was he staring
at me? Lords, it unnerves me.
“Well then, now that we’re
all beginning to act civilized…”
Poison snorted, but Hilda
continued.
“I’ll tell you the reason I
wanted you both here. Things are happening within this world, and it will need
strong people to protect it.”
“Protect? Like I would want
to protect these rotten people. They pay me to kill each other. What’s that say
about the world?”
“That they’re petty beings,
bent and determined to destroy another’s life for no
reason.”
Poison looked over at Sabin
and raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, I suppose they have
their reasons, but I don’t need to hear them.”
Sabin turned a glare at
him.
“Then, you’re as bad as they
are, for you destroy those lives.”
“If I could
continue…”
Poison sat back in his chair
and put the bowl down. Moving his mask back up, he waved at her to
continue.
“For you, Arrow, would it
not be best to keep them alive for your business? And you, Sabin, you have those
you care about.”
Stroking his chin, Poison
grinned.
“I suppose you have a point
there. Fine, what is it that I must protect them from?”
Sabin remained quiet in his
chair, but his eyes showed the worry in them that her words had brought
forth.
“I don’t know what it is
precisely, but it comes from the north. I would suggest you travel there. Sabin,
I can send a message to your lady, as I can for you,
Arrow…”
Sabin saw Poison’s eyes
widen in surprise.
He has a lady? How could
someone… No, best not to think on it.
“But I feel it is urgent you
both travel together on this.”
Sighing, Sabin sat forward
and looked into Hilda’s eyes.
“I will go. It may not be
the most pleasant of journeys, but if it is necessary to save my
Sam…”
He shook his
head.
“I would die for her. But, I
shall write the message, and if you could get it to her, that would be
best.”
“Of course, and you,
Arrow?”
“I already said I’d
go!”
“I meant about the message
to your lady.”
Poison
scowled.
“Only write one if I die.
She knows I go off for long times.”
“Very well. Best you both
get some rest, then start in the morning.”
“One question,
Hilda.”
“Yes,
Sabin.”
“Why us? Could there not
have been two others?”
Hilda chuckled, and Sabin
thought he should feel angry at it, but could only feel
wonder.
“Because, you two have a lot
in common! You’re both men who have seen things that most others your age would
not. You both have the love and support of a good woman. And above all, you both
have your inner forms. And it is that last that I feel will help the
most.”
“Then, it would almost seem
you’d wish us to be friends.”
Sabin looked over to Poison
to see him sitting with his chin on his fist.
“That was my intent from the
very beginning.”
Poison stiffened as he heard
the tone of voice she used.
But
that’s…
“Yes, it was I who bought
your contract, Poison. And now I tell you to rip it up as you’ve served it the
way I wished you to.”
“But you hired me to kill
him!”
“No. Read the contract. I
hired you to find him.”
Sabin laughed from across
the room, and Poison found he was so shocked at misreading a contract he joined
in.
“Every other contract was to
kill. Never have I thought to read them as I have found the buyer to always tell
me the details if there was anything fancy to be done with
it.”
When the giddiness subsided,
Poison sighed and turned to Hilda.
“If I see you tomorrow
morning, I shall kill you for this. If you can disappear like you did last time,
then do it.”
He then turned away and
pulled his cloak about him, preparing for sleep.
Sabin sighed and shook his
head.
Definitely an unpleasant journey. But, for once, I feel as if I’ve found my place. I’m home.
Disclaimers:
Sabin Duvert is Copyright of J.Biggs & The Poison
Arrow is Copyright of G.Touhill
Story and Plot is Copyright of
C.Horn
Mousira Squealin, Feb 2005