Chapter 1.1 Opal Eyes Inn

“Ugh, you stink of burnt flesh.”

“That's because I watched a family, children, burn to death in front of me. I could feel the heat of their burning bones. Their screams...” Feorick closed his eyes. It was enough to recall. His stomach turned. His face angered. He thought of what he'd say during his ride back, but emotion got the best of him. It shouldn't have.

“Well, did you retrieve what I asked for?”

“Why did your men have to kill them, burn them!?” he said agitatedly, “They were innocent, a family.” Feorick didn't know if they were innocent or not, but after observing them for a few days, watching their movements and their affection for one another, he wouldn't have guessed otherwise.

“That man, Pelio, stole from me. He deserved to die, along with the rest of them. I see you may not be up to these tasks. When did you start caring for the one's you kill? You have never questioned your duty before. You know, I can find others to do this type of work.”

“I was only to sneak in and grab the sword. I wasn't asked to kill anyone. We would have been well gone before he knew it was missing.”

“And I'm sure you did that with amazing secrecy. But he would have looked very hard for this, once he found out it was missing.” The Holiness, Seleroc L'Ulote, Emperor of The Iss'pale, looked down the edge of the sword, and then met Feorick's burning gaze at the end. He wasn't patronizing Feorick, he knew that he was a deadly man. A trained assassin, perhaps more. Why else would he have hired this man to get back what was taken from him. Pelio, he knew, would have come looking for it. This precious sword. Perhaps with a large contingent in his wake. Seleroc didn't want to have to waste his men to protect it. It was his after all. “I give you leave. I will send for you when you are needed again.”

“Bah!” Feorick's voice sounded hard and dismissive. He spun and stormed down the hall. His boots making no sound as they met the black and gray marble floor.

Seleroc laughed. “You will find your earnings with Feladean.” Seleroc called before Feorick slipped through the main doors of the hall. His exit wasn't purposefully quite, it was in his demeanour. He was, after all, someone who was paid to kill, and to kill by stealth.