Chapter 2: Slums
"Rowan!" a shout came from behind me as I walk down the loud crowded market streets. Turning around I saw my bloodmate rushing through the crowd. Barely avoiding collisions into people and jumping over the crates along the narrow passage, her dark cloak was dusted with sand and grit. The girl no more than 16 years of age comes rushing with her raven black hair in a mess. I had stepped out this morning to gather some supplies before our next mission.
"Evangeline, what's wrong?" She stopped in front of me and set her calloused hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. I looked Evangeline once over and I knew that it wasn't something easy. The girl had several cuts on her honey tan colored arms and there was some bruising starting to form. A slow-burning anger starts to work and stir my guts. There aren't many that could or even dare to harm my team.
"It's Levi," she gasps, still trying catch her breath, "we have to hurry!" Immediately she grabbed my arms and tugged me back towards the direction that she came from. With no hesitation, I began to run after her. Through the back-alley ways, I notice that Evangeline's movements are stiff.
"Stats. Now," my voice became detached and hard. When I didn't hear Evangeline respond, I immediately opened my link towards my bloodmates. The thread-like sensations from my heart start to spreading through my veins. I focus on the threads frantically searching for the connection to my bloodmates. There are many kinds of connections in the world but few compare to those of the blood bonds where we swear to protect each other. Raging anger begins to fuel my drive as I feel the pain and anxiousness that was spread throughout link. While we couldn't speak to each other we could feel each other's emotions when we opened it. I start to count... 1... 2... I counted 7 threads intertwining to form the bond. A strange wave of calmness enters my mind when I feel that they are all alive, some hurt but alive.
"Evangeline," my voice drops coldly, "Info. Stats. Now." While a part of me was relieved another part of was seething. Furious I slowly slip into my assassin's state. Cold. Calculating. Death incarnate. The knuckles on my fist were turning white and I could feel my nails were digging into my skin almost drawing blood. Yes, I'm hotheaded but no one messes with my bloodmates, not even death. We continue to the back streets with fewer people and horses on the road. Her voice was hesitating when she slowly began to speak.
"L-Levi was doing practice rounds in the slums rings," my expression darkens, as the pillar of the bonds I've told them that the slums were off limits. Evangeline shivers no doubt that she can start to feel that my thread in her is heating up. "He was challenged by a cocky rookie and easily beat them into next week. But Jaxon and his goons challenged him next. Levi knew he couldn't take them on and backed out. As soon he did, Liam and I took him out the back door and we were ambushed." She stopped her story as we got closer the location. The familiar smell of the slums started to skirt in the air.
There's a reason why I told them to stay away from the slums. It wasn't because I didn't want them to fight. In fact, I encourage them to test themselves, but not there. Within guilds and trades, there's an underlying balance of rules and powers. If the Emperor's power was white, and the assassins were black then the slums were grey. No one knew who was friends and who were foes. It was a lesson that I learned the hard way.
As the stench of decay and blood started to become overpowering, I stopped for a few seconds. It looked like a normal dark ally but there was a clear radius around it. A wave of cold darkness washes over me.
Evangeline senses my mood and slowly takes a step closer.
"Just a little further down this alley we take a le-"
"Left at the abandoned house and on the second fork take the middle path and it should be on the right," I finish her sentence. She looks at me in surprise.
She opens her pert lips when a pain rips through my stomach. I clench the spot and look at Evangeline seeing that she felt the same pain. Levi. Not a second later we plunge into the darkness.
Deep within the imperial castle, a young man looks out to the city from the barred window. His was back straight and head bent slightly forward, deep within thought. The arching brows graced his green drooping eyes, his determination resolute in them.
'Master, soon I'll meet with them I promise. I'll make that person come back to you. I swear it on my life and blood that I'll finish the task you've given me, even if it means coming back to this nest of serpents and devils.'
A soft knock comes from the overly ornate white door. Slowly the doorknob turns and the door creaks open.
"Young Master, it's time to go greet Their Highnesses," an old maid appears from behind the crack of the door. Behind her two burly guards waiting with dark and condescending looks.
The young man smiles warmly to the trio in front of him. A small twinkle appears up in the maid's eyes and the guards' expression soften ever so slightly. It was hard to guard against a warm smile on first impressions.
'It never fails.' The young man walks with elegance and confidence creating a lonely yet welcoming aura.
"You were my wet nurse, Anya, weren't you?" He looks at the maid. "You used to feed me my favorite chocolate dessert before dinner. And how is your daughter Melinda? Her beautiful red hair must bring her many suitors."
The maid trembles while her eyes moisten. Her drawn taunt lines on her aged face smooth into a smile of relief and familiarity.
"Yes. It's me," the maid came closer to the young man and let herself hug the person who was once her charge, "I can't believe that you're still alive."
"Neither can I..." his eyes darkened for second, but reverted quickly back to their friendly gleam.
"So many people will be glad that you're alive! Tell me, why didn't you come back sooner?" Her voice was full of warmth and relief.
Yes Anya, many people will want to welcome me 'warmly', just how they 'kindly' sent me off before.
"All within due time, Anya," he said with a smile that wasn't exactly a smile, "Now didn't you say it was time to say hello to my parents?"
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