FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (121 page)

     The other defenders retreat towards the opening. But by now, there are not many defenders left. Besides Dawn, Rake and Eclipse; only two other defenders remain.

     “Run
!
” commands Rake.

     Eclipse and Dawn dash away from the scene. Rake blocks an attack and slashes back at the neck level, decapitating his adversary. He turns to run, but collapses to the ground after a few limping steps as an Airblade embeds itself into the back of his right knee. Dawn turns in time to see her uncle go down. She starts to run back towards him, but Eclipse grabs her arm.

     “It’s too late
!
Let him go
!
” says Eclipse.

     “No
!
” replies Dawn as she struggles to free her arm.

     “
RUN!!!
” yells Rake to his niece as two attackers plunge the blade of their swords into his back.

     Blood sprays from Rake’s mouth and back. But as Rake dies, he affords a gentle smile on his face. ‘Tiller, Fragrance, Drizzle; I’ll finally get to see you all again
!
’ forms his last, dying thoughts.

     Warm fluid flows down Dawn’s cheek. These are not crimson in colour, but are clear and transparent instead. Dawn realises that she has just lost her only living relative left in this world and now she is truly alone.

     “Run, you silly girl
!
” yells Eclipse as she pulls Dawn along.

     Reluctantly, Dawn’s feet cooperate, but her mind is still in a daze. All she knows is that she is running, and that she needs to keep on running. Nothing else appears in her thoughts, except for the last image of her uncle being killed.

     Spirit was the first to arrive at the scene, guided by his keen sense of smell. Ray arrived a short moment later with the rest of 3
rd
River. The sun was already low on the horizon. The scene that lay before them was gruesome. There were at least thirty bodies lying mutilated on the ground. Dried blood had turned the grass red. For a moment, Ray had a flashback of the images of his dead order. He had to snap himself out of it. He looked around again. The brutality of the carnage was intense. But he did not understand what he was seeing. They were all Shadow Deathmerchant Clan assassins and it looked like they had killed each other. But why
?
Or were they killed by an unknown party
?
If so, then who
?
Were there any survivors
?
Many curious questions raced through his mind.

     Spirit, however, had a different issue on his mind. There was that smell again, the smell of the female assassin. The very one who had defeated him over and over again
!
Should he pursue her, or should he let go
?
She had spared his life. He was indebted to her. Spirit gave a soft yelp of despair. He was very conflicted. Ray heard the yelp and turned to look at Spirit. He patted Spirit on the forehead and scratched the white wolf behind the ears a little bit. Spirit’s mood changed a little. He began to wag his tail. But his dilemma still remained, should he pursue her or let go
?

     Meanwhile, in a dark and gloomy cave a long distance away, Dawn sat broken by a small campfire. She was broken not in body but in spirit. Tears streamed down her cheeks, which was something she never thought still possible. Her many years as Lead Assassin should have made her desensitised to death. It should have been meaningless and casual to her, but it was not. Her uncle’s death still shocked her. The sorrow and anger were all consuming. And that was when it hurt the most. When hope was at its greatest and all seemed infallible, and then disaster struck and the rug was pulled from under her feet. The fall from such a great height of confidence and security was downright tragic and disastrous. The hurt that followed was worse than a cold blade piercing her heart.

     Eclipse sat across the campfire from Dawn. She too was still and silent. But she was not broken like Dawn. Instead, she was in a state of concern. Her concern was not for Dawn, but for her fellow clansmen who were still trapped in the clan. All the widows and orphans and her few remaining loyal followers who would be in grave danger should that greed-driven clanmaster, Venom Collart, decide to exterminate them to ensure his stranglehold on the clan. The solution to her concerns was obvious, but unimaginable. In order for her to save them, she would have to make a deal with the government. She would have to sell the clan out to the government in exchange for immunity for herself and her followers, or at least safe passage and exile to a distant land. But why should she not
?
The clan as she knew it no longer existed. Its very essence, once pure and sincere, had been perverted and corrupted.

     Vengeance must now give way to survival, Eclipse realised. But who shall she approach
?
Who in this treacherous government can she trust
?
And what will she do if the government turns back on their promises and betrays her
?

     Clanmaster Venom Collart was back in The Lair. There was blood on his hands, literally. He had not had blood on his hands for years. Clearly, these new recruits were not up to the higher standards of the original clansmen
!
But business was business, and the next item on his business list was to hire more recruits to replenish the ones who had just been killed. As for the clansmen who were loyal to Eclipse and Rake, well, there was but one solution for that problem. He would have to make the slaughter fast and ‘clean’. Clean in the sense of minimal casualties to his ‘less capable’ recruits and complete extermination of Eclipse and Rake’s followers.

     The sun had barely risen the next morning when the shouts of alarm echoed throughout the Sollenthar’s camp. Ray rushed out of his tent with his silver staff held firmly in his left hand, ready for a fight. Most of 3rd River were up and ready at arms and were all running towards the source of the alarm. Convian Spear Prodence was running just behind Ray with his sword already drawn. But when Ray got to the source of the alarm, he was totally surprised.

     There, standing right in front of him bearing a white flag and being escorted by four of his own subordinates, was Dawn Breven. But there was something different about her. It was her eyes. When he had first met her, her eyes were cold and impersonal. They were totally calm and focussed, even during a fight. But now, they burned with fire. The fire of ...vengeance
?
Yes, it was vengeance. Ray knew this fire only too well. Then his attention turned to the kind-looking elderly lady standing next to Dawn, who looked like ‘the aunt next door’, if not for the assassin’s clothes she was wearing and the thick bloodstains that she had on them.

     They stood there, staring at each other for a while. No one was sure of what to say. It was an awkward moment for all of them.

     “Surrender _ you have not come to do of this, have you
!?
” said Ray in a matter of factly tone.

     “No, we haven’t. We wish to deal, to negotiate,” answered the elderly woman.

     “Negotiate
!?
Arrest _ what is to stop me from doing of this to you anyway
?
” retorted Ray.

     Eclipse had anticipated Ray’s reaction. And she had the perfect answer.

     “Your high sense of honour
!
You’re not a common soldier but an Elementhar, aren’t you
?
The only living Fire Elementhar left
!
You seek to destroy the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan. But more importantly, you seek vengeance upon the one who had hired the clan to massacre your order. He’s your true target, isn’t he
?
Why would you want to arrest us
?
We’re meaningless. We’re merely pawns. It’s the chess master whom you want. Yes, Baron Chessmaster
!
He was the one who had hired the clan to massacre your order. That’s who you really want
!
Elementhar, we’ve come to you under a flag of truce, to negotiate a matter of great importance to the both of us. And you know that if you arrest us now, you’d kill any possibility of developing a trust between us. The identity of Baron Chessmaster will forever be lost to you. Trust me when I say this. You’ll have the most to gain if you honour this white flag and we’ve nothing to lose if you don’t,” answered the elderly lady.

     Ray stood silent for a while. His mind was busy analysing her cryptic words and contemplating whether he should trust her or not. But she had clearly trusted him enough to approach him unarmed and in doing so, surrounded herself with a large number of enemies. And she was asking that that trust be reciprocated. But could he trust her
?
She was an assassin after all. A cold blooded killer. One who had no loyalties to anyone, or anything; except money
!

     “Truce _ we will honour of this, therefore, you are safe in our camp. Hungry _ you look of this, and tired too; so my subordinates shall bring to you food and drinks and you may rest in one of our tents. Ready _ when you are of this you may call for me and then we can negotiate,” said Ray, curiosity getting the better of him.

     “I’m glad I didn’t misplace my trust in you. By the way, I’m Eclipse Menox, one of the Ten Founders of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan,” said the elderly woman.

     “Minvian Ray Iddell,” was Ray’s only answer.

     He said nothing else to either Dawn or Eclipse, but nodded to his subordinates to escort the two assassins to receive the hospitality that he had offered them. His subordinates bowed. Ray reciprocated, turned and walked towards his tent. Convian Prodence was right behind him. Ray was very curious now, but he forced himself to remain patient. It could still be some sort of a trick.

     “Watch _ do of this carefully to our guests, they are not to be trusted nor are they to be left alone, understand
?
” he said to Convian Prodence.

     “Understand _ I do of this,” replied Convian Prodence.

     By midday, a servian came to Ray with the news that Eclipse and Dawn were ready to talk. Ray instructed for the two assassins to be brought to him. A makeshift table and three foldable stools had already been prepared outside Ray’s tent. Ray sat patiently awaiting the two deadly ladies. Dawn and Eclipse arrived a few moments later. Eclipse portrayed a cheerful expression but Dawn’s expression remained unchanged since she got to the camp. Her face was an expression of gloom and anger. Her eyes were still red and moist. Ray knew something had seriously affected Dawn.

     Dawn and Eclipse sat themselves down opposite Ray. Dawn stared at the ground. Eclipse looked at Ray and offered a gentle smile.

     “First and foremost, thank you for your hospitality, Minvian Ray Iddell. Most generous of you
!
My associate, Lead Assassin Dawn Breven, speaks highly of you,” said Eclipse as she turned to look at Dawn, hoping for some sort of affirmation to her words, but receiving none.

     Dawn was still staring at the ground.

     Ray sat quietly too. He was patient, but more importantly, he was curious. He did not want to unnecessarily interrupt Eclipse.

      “From Dawn’s brief encounter with you, I’ve decided that you’re the right person with whom I can negotiate. You’re an Elementhar. You live by the Law of Elementhars. By the law that binds you, I judge you trustworthy. So minvian, we’ll make a deal. This is what I’m offering. Firstly, the secret location of The Lair. Secondly, assistance in the extermination of the clan. Thirdly, complete cessation of all assassination activities by any surviving clansmen. Fourthly, complete confession and testimony in a court of law as to all of the assassination services that we’ve provided throughout the years and to
whom
we’ve provided to, so that you may raise criminal charges against them. However, these will be limited to the cases of which the clients I’ve had personal contact with. There are a few cases which our clanmaster handled personally and the clients’ identity are kept secret from me. These cases I’ll not be able to help you with. Lastly, we’re willing to provide training and share our knowledge, skills, techniques and tactics with the Fallsian Military; should you so wish it,” said Eclipse.

     Dawn sat silent the whole time. Ray listened intently.

     “Relay _ I shall do of this of your offer to the king and the Fallsian government; and in return, what do you ask for
?
” said Ray.

     “Not much. Firstly, pardon and immunity for Dawn and myself; and for the assassins and the families who are loyal to us; and also for the widows and orphans who are trapped in the clan. Secondly, either a spot of land large and remote enough for us to settle down on and start anew, or safe passage to the border so that we may leave and never return. Actually, that’s all we’re are asking for,” said Eclipse.