Jade stood beside me, his eyes gazing at the figure of the woman disappearing in the distance. Her footsteps were quick yet rather messy, causing the frailness of her shadow to wobble from side to side like a sinking ship being consumed by the powerful currents of the ocean.
“What do you make of it?”
“She’s hiding something.” He answered, brown eyes filled with certainty.
My attention then fell to Gilbert’s cold corpse, laying on top of the mud as his soul slowly sunk into the land, forcing a messy puddle of rainwater and blood to form. With a quick movement, my feet pushed his, allowing the blade planted on his lungs to squirt out and his inhuman gaze to slowly mimic the cloudy sky.
Ivy’s actions were still rewinding in my mind as memories attempted to revive everything again. The dagger had penetrated the man’s body with no hesitation, something only killers were able to do; yet her behavior seemed far too peculiar, far too humble to possibly wear such fact as a harsh truth.
“Keep an eye on her.” I touched the corpse with the base of the boots. “Now, what should we do with you?”
Like a beautiful canvas, Gilbert’s body had become an exquisite work of art. There wasn’t a shred of his skin that hadn’t been sliced, a piece of flesh that hadn’t been greeted by the coldness of the drops falling from the skies. It was truly such a waste to keep such display to ourselves, surely the Duke would enjoy it greatly.
Should we just bury you somewhere? A sigh escaped me, knowing fully well the risks of chasing my sadistic ideals. As it stood, the part of the ignorant child needed to be played perfectly which would only cause his sharp judgment to become doubtful.
“Master, if I may be so bold... maybe we could send his head to your father.”
“If we do so he will know my motives.”
“Only if we don’t use The Nomads signal.” Jade’s lips stretched into a large grin, his mind clearly taking the thoughts within to somewhere darkened by the evil in the world.
How did I not think about this earlier? I’d been stupid, completely disregarding the ones that lurked beneath the shadows of the capital - the organizations that were exempt from the laws, or so their members claimed.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The Nomads were merely one of many ambitious people that operated in the glooms of Ashen. Most of their members were commoners who had never managed to find a home or live a plentiful life within this system, however, the power they publicly displayed was but a mere fa?ade, a forceful stance to hide their true purpose. Contrary to most mercenary organizations, they didn’t act upon gold nor silver as their services were only delivered to the victims of injustices, regardless of status. Guided by the main attributes of a hero, they took pride in their honesty, justice, and integrity.
‘A daughter kept in isolation and tormented for 15 years by her family wasn’t enough so her father attempted to end her misery,’ was the perfect headline, the undeniable justification that would pass through Alvin’s mind once he caught glimpse of our handmade gift.
The message was clear and credible, serving as a warning to his incessant greed. If The Nomads were truly supporting me from behind the curtain, Duke Criswell would have to be far more careful with his assassination attempts in the future - something that would cause him great distress no doubt.
“Do what you must. I will be cleaning myself at the lake.” With a tingling sensation traveling through my senses, I took my leave.
With each step, the squishing sound of mud echoed through the dark night, bouncing back into every tree trunk it hit. The wind had now turned into a peaceful breeze, allowing shreds of moonlight to pass through the tall leaves, sinking its essence into the land. Even the skies seemed to have no more sorrows left, pushing the angry clouds away until the bright full moon fell on the horizon, reflecting its base at the large pond extending far and wide into the distance.
Slowly, my bloody fingers unbuttoned the shirt and then found their way onto the boots and trousers. At that moment, the red clothes dropped on the dirt floor, turning its light pink color into a muddy brown. Completely exposed, my figure walked onto the calm water which only appeared to be disturbed by every single drop that fell from the nearby trees and bushes, still harboring some dampness from the earlier pour.
The warmth of the liquid embraced my body like a strangely uncomfortable pillow, knowing full well the wind outside would soon make me feel even colder than before. Like a darting sensation, the small fishes swimming around passed through my feet, tickling the base of my skin with their slimy coats, yet, such strange feeling didn’t seem to bother me in the slightest.
My head dug itself into the icy water, brain pounding like a hammer as oxygen flew from my lungs until there was nothing. In the middle of the pitch-dark fluid, all that was left were the faint sounds of wildlife swimming in the distance, having been startled by my aggressive movement, and the rather silent wave of the kelp, gradually making its way to the top of the lake. I loved water as it was a calm, peaceful thing that allowed me to feel secure from the one flicker that terrified my soul.
Gasping for air, my head darted out of it, hands pushing the remaining of my hair strands back. The wind blew into my face, sinking into my bones until a shiver ran through my nerves like an ominous warning.
“Do you think you’ve won?” A voice echoed from within the leaves, a presence hiding away in the darkness of the night. A coward.