1.
Blood had a special glow in the morning light. But the smell was the same whenever Zephirus found a fragmented body. This one had a special mark on his forehead. Three stars, one after another, glistening in coagulated blood. Melas Pyr.
It could have been worse, thought Zephirus, his gaze still fixed on the wide eyes with no glow. He felt a slight calmness while looking at the faces of victims. A strange feeling that had spread throughout his body gave Zephirus hope. Maybe after leaving this arduous life there was something better waiting, something easier.
The kingdom of Elios rested on an island that was surrounded by nail-sharp rocks. Zephirus wondered if the rocks were there to keep the beasts at bay, away from civilization and other Elf kingdoms. Assassinations like this were a common activity in the kingdom of light. Especially in the small town of Iros, where crime was the center of attention for any wealthy family.
Zephirus had been a guardian for nearly a century. It was his purpose, it gave him meaning.
For the last time he looked at the victim and the grotesque mark on his forehead. There lay his map, those stars were his navigation.
Zephirus ran his hands through his long hair and quietly said:” Pack everything up, we’re going to visit Melas Pyr.”
It was as if someone had shot the scholar, because his only response was a silent shake of his head. That was the exact response that Zephirus received over the past few years. Who in their right mind wouldn’t be afraid of the most dangerous killer in the whole of Elios?
The rain was cutting through the morning sky. Gray clouds covered the city of Iros. Its citizens hidden behind brick walls, waiting for the storm to pass. Hidden and in terror watching the young girl behind her silken hood.
The girl pulled the cloak closer to her body, protecting her leather boots from the muddy road. The only sounds that filled the silence of the place were colossal claps of thunder and the girl’s heels that were beating against the rocky pavement. Empty and impenetrable, solitude the only thing surrounding her.
The girl hurried, wanting to get away from the rain as soon as possible.
Unknown footsteps sounded behind the cloaked girl. Then a well-known sound of a blade leaving its sheath. ” A bit of a stupid idea, don’t you think? ”
The girl did not turn around; she let the hoarse voice merge with the rough gale. Back turned, her cloak fluttered in the wind. The smell of the horse’s ordure and fish ran freely through the small city. And behind Aesis of Selena was a man who smelled of alcohol and bad decisions.
A wide smile lay on Aesis’s face.
With her back still turned, she sighed, “With the one you´re about to make, it cannot even be compared. I give you three seconds to drop that stupid idea and save your head or … “She clicked her tongue, leaving the unspoken words to become empty space between the two rivals.
A lousy laughter left the man’s voice. “Who do you think you are, girl?”
Aesis could smell his arrogance and false self-esteem. The man did not stop laughing.
She had to quiet that awful sound somehow. Save every person that would meet with him in the future. If he survives the encounter, that is.
Two blades appeared under the sleeves of the cloak. Aesis, like the wind, found herself before the man whose belly was now adorned with two knives.
The man was staring at his stomach wide-eyed. The blood in front of him began to melt the muddy sidewalk. Then his angry gaze went to the girl in front of him.
“Bitch!” He threw the word at her but she just smiled, satisfied, letting her position defend her from the word like a shield.
”I gave you three seconds. ” Her honey voice turned rough.
The man rushed to the girl just so he could make two steps and then crash into the bloody ground.
Aesis stood on top of the man, looking deep into his dark eyes.
She reached for the knife the wretch was holding in his hand. Fear gloomed in his copper eyes as his bloody mouth shaped a prayer. Aesis took the man’s sturdy hand, whose body started to shake. He scrambled and fidgeted but the young girl’s knee pressed his, not allowing him to stand up.
Aesis neared the man, then moaned in his ear: ´´ I gave you as much time as it took me to disable you. I think it was more than fair.´´ without looking, she plunged the knife deep into his heart. She had her head behind his, taking in the smell of fear and death.
The man let out a low groan, then his hands stopped shaking. Aesis rose from the ground, knowing that all eyes were fixed on her, but no one knew who the girl behind the cloak was nor who had killed the grotesque man. Nobody knew who she was working for or who represented her.
She rubbed her hands together, cleaning the mud from her fingertips. As the storm hit the nearby meadow, she was gone.
2.
The creepy path led to the imposing, brightly lit palace. In the front was a gilded fence whose ends were like fangs of a mighty beast.
Fear. Zephirus had no time or space for it, but still something unfocused in his chest gave him no peace.
The scholar wiped his sweaty hands on the guard’s uniform. Translucent material lightly shaped the guard’s muscular chest.
“Sergeant, how did you find out where the biggest killer in whole Elios lives?” The young man’s voice was like silk, transparent and light but filled with fear.
Zefirus raised the nook of his mouth, looking at the front door half smiling. ”Simple. I found the richest person who would be crazy enough to live in this hilly and remote area. “He paused, allowing the student to absorb the teacher’s words. “Do you know why such a rich person would do that?”
The scholar shook his head, shame glistening in his eyes.
” The Royal Guard has little authority around here. The locals are so used to not having any rightful law that they wouldn´t even think to turn to the authorities for help. They are like these heavy and impenetrable stones – nothing can come to them, but nothing can get out either”, explained the Guardian.
The doors of the palace opened with a light movement. Zephirus and his scholar entered the gilded villa.
The tall walls were adorned with pictures, each different but showing the same motif. A woman with her back turned. In one hand she was holding a knife and in the other – a rose. Zephirus carefully observed each individual drawing, from cube-shaped to full realism.
”Beautiful.” A honey voice called Zephirus. He turned his gaze from the pictures and looked at the woman in front of him. Long legs led to impeccable breasts and a thin neck. But what was truly breathtaking were those dark cat eyes.
The girl was smiling kindly, showing the brightness of her white teeth. Her voluptuous lips lightly quivered as she purred:” Zephirus Melakota doesn´t give up on my master, it seems.” She gave the guardian and his scholar a long, hard look.
Zephirus knew the nymph in front of him. Her sensuality teased him every time they saw each other. ” There is no giving up. My ego would never allow me to fall so low “, Zephirus laughed, giving the girl a sharp look.
She turned on her heel, not looking at the men behind her. ‘Come on.’ She called waving her hand.
Zefirus set off toward the colossal stairs, his apprentice in the back, watching the surroundings with horrified eyes.
Marble walls surrounded them, each paring white columns that marked an entry into a new room. So many vases and amphora’s filled the space between the wall and the columns. At the end of the hall was a wooden door, too modest for this home. Zephirus knew who awaited behind that door, and as they were nearing it, he could feel the heat rising. His chest ached a bit. He shook off the feeling and moved even faster.
When the door opened, a man in his forties was sitting behind a table. His short hair caught a few rays of the afternoon sun. He fixed his eyes on the guard. “Zephirus, what brings you back to my “humble” abode?” His white teeth contrasted with the tan skin.
” A victim at the entrance to the city. ” Zephirus’s azure eyes looked scornfully at the killer. Melas smiled. ” I have nothing to do with it ”, the old man clicked his tongue.
The guard looked at the scholar and then back at Melas. ”I have been thinking. Imagine this scenario: You’re one of the most dangerous assassins in the whole of Elios, and the guards follow your every move. Where do you go, where do you hide? ”
Melas’s smile was all over his face, but this time it grew to his eyes. “In the mountains or a small town where crime goes well. Like this one.” The rugged voice became colder. “Now, you certainly do not doubt it was me. Yet I’ve just told you about my perfect plan and the place where I am currently living. I’m not so unintelligent to give myself away, so you can remove my name from the suspect list. “He smiled broadly.
Zephirus’s eyes were glowing with anger. But he did not plan to leave without the killer.
”Get the hell out of here. Now.”
The guard looked at the king of killers´ lowered eyebrows, his blue eyes turned into a stormy ocean. “All those people you killed had a family. These families will reunite, and trust me, I will be the first one to let them into your “humble abode”.´´
In Melas’s dark eyes, there was nothing but pleasure.
He put his fingers over his belly, his warm eyes set on the young man and his apprentice. ” I do not think you’re on a good path, young man. The real devil is hidden beneath a mask. “And with that last word, an arrow flew through the window, coming right to Melas’s heart.
3.
Aesis didn´t expect them to talk for so long. She needed to get out. Fast.
Her bow became heavy under her hands, but she had handled worse things than that. Melas Pyr was supposed to remain the most creative killer after all.
Now that her uncle was dead, she could continue with the rest of her plan. If she played her cards right, vengeance would be imprinted on her parent’s tomb. Just a little more. She could feel her Grandpa’s pride. The same person who had turned the family business over to her. Quid pro quo. That was the Iros family motto.
The death of her uncle did not affect her, she was more than prepared. She knew what would happen if she set Markos as Melas Pyr, but that way nobody had suspected her.
Something pressed her lungs, not giving her a chance to breathe. She discarded that feeling and buried it deep under her chest. She had been doing it for ten years now, ever since she became the most notorious killer.
The balcony door burst into a thousand pieces. Zephirus was breathless, standing in the middle of an open space, his eyes darting at Aesis. But it wasn´t amazement that was shining in his eyes but blank disappointment. “Aesis, why?”
“I think you’re asking the wrong questions,” taunted Aesis, “The right answer would be “because he deserved it,” or “killed too many people.” But you and I know that that is not true, don’t we? ‘’ purred the girl. She noticed that there was no escort watching Zephirus. He had come completely alone.
He clenched his jaw. “You could have helped us in a different way.” With a cold look, she looked Zephirus over, then her gaze became sweet, full of grief and sorrow.
“I was afraid,” cried the killer as she wrapped herself around Zephirus like a cat. She was standing in front of him, looking at him through her lowered lashes.
“I wanted to help and … Oh, I’m not feeling good at all.” She put her hands on her head, falling into Zefirus’s embrace. The young man gave her a confused look. Aesis stood on her toes and kissed the guard.
The kiss was short. When the assassin moved away from Zephyrus, he looked at the nymph in front of him in astonishment. Aesis raised a corner of her mouth, her green eyes going dark.
Zephirus’s entire body lost its balance. Like a dead man, he fell on the marble floor.
Aesis moved away from the guard’s still body. She started to clean the blade’s edge, examining Zephirus over.
“But how?!” He was looking at the killer wide-eyed.
“Surprised that a woman defeated you? No, you´re right, this is not the time for dramatic feminism. On the contrary, this is a story about Melas Pyr.” Her voice purred with the finest tone.
Zephirus understood why she was the only one who could be so successful at the art of killing. A masked fox in the henhouse. A dragon posing as a house pet. Oh, she was good, even more than that.
“How could you even know who I was?”, teased the killer with a smile. “Very easily. You see, every killer must point out that it was he who had done it and for that you need a mark. Melas Pyr has three stars which represent the land where he is from. Selena.” She bit the top of her lower lip, as if she was trying to squeeze the tension out from her narration.
“People who live in Selena are known for constellations which adorn their bodies. Melas has such one constellation, right between his shoulder blades.”
And while she was uttering the last word, Aesis dropped her blouse and revealed her naked back to Zephirus. The Orion constellation stretched on her body, bravely imprisoned under her skin. The difference between the color of her skin and the birthmark was only a few shades. Aesis wore the stars on her back, feeling as though she was carrying a cargo, but as years passed, she learned that the stars were her map home.
She flipped her blouse again, covering herself up. When she turned, Zephirus’s eyes were still wide.
Melas Pyr. All this time he had been fluttering and playing with the most dangerous criminal in the whole of Elios. How was it possible? Behind this shell of good was the devil himself.
Aesis clicked her tongue, her fingers running through her golden hair. “Impressed? I would be. Now it’s time to finish the job.” She squeezed the carrier of the blade, slowly moving toward Zephirus.
His numb body stopped hearing orders. He silently cursed. Damn her!
With every step she took, he could feel the fear creeping in. How could such a beautiful petit person cause him so much fear?
The sun was lost in the clouds. The light was gone, she was coming. She and the night moved in harmony. Both slowly, both deadly.
Aesis shuddered, making a few steps toward Zephirus. “What?” Confused, she looked at the arrow that was resting on her back, exactly on one of the stars of Orion.
She looked angrily at the balcony, no one was there. They were at the highest point of the Villa, no one could see them either. She pulled the arrow out, spreading a painful scream across entire Iros.
The wound was not that deep, she could move on, but the scent that had hit her senses overwhelmed her with memory. Fyx, the most dangerous sleeping poison.
Through the clouds shone someone’s wings. Their porcelain glow captured the last rays of the Sun.
Zephirus’s scholar was holding a bow and an arrow while elegantly lowering towards the balcony. He tucked his wings in and sized the situation. Already, his arrow was ready to launch.
Aesis lost her balance and kissed the marble floor under her feet. She had strength only to smile to Zephirus. “Well done.” Then her world became an abyss of blackness.
Slow rain was falling on the main town of Starkis. The semi-conscious assassin was led through the stone passage, then got lost in a labyrinth of rooms and corridors. Cunning.
“Tomorrow is your trial”, said a young lieutenant, throwing the criminal into a cold cell. The killer waited to be sure she was all alone. She rose from the ground, and shook the ashes and the dust off her hands.
What glory will the guard Zephirus receive after all of this.
It looked as if Aesis had one more debt to charge. But it seemed that she would be equally obligated to pay him off as well. He brought her exactly where she wanted to be. Just with little more time.
The queen’s head will be served on a tray. She will remember every expression the queen makes as the killer approaches her, head raised up high.
The night was impeccably glittering, spreading its prayers to the young killer. Through a small window at the top of the wall, Aesis saw the glow of stars and moonlight. Home. She could feel it calling for her, feel the burning of those stars on her back. Just as she will burn tomorrow. Flame incarnated in a girl. The one who glows proudly in midnight blue flames.
She fiercely fell asleep, letting her eternal flag glow in the night sky. Soon, Aesis from Selena will be home.
Phantasia World 