Fairy Tale Assassin - Chapter 12

Promise and Plans

Chapter 12

It took a while for Ruby and me to leave the training area. The waves of emotion left me mentally shot. My murder of Gilbert and the psychological torture that Eva put us through made me want to find a corner and shut my eyes. On top of that, my face hurt, and my bruised body wanted to collapse.

I glanced over at Ruby and assumed she must carry the same exhaustion. After all, she dealt with more than I handled after her kidnapping. The weight of the dagger in my hand finally caught my attention. It carried the emblem of 6 bent legs making up a circle on the pommel. Automatically, I stuffed the sheathed weapon into my belt as we pushed through the doors into an open area.

“Go over there!” Hansel called out as he pointed at a counter on the other side of the room.

Like zombies, Ruby and I looked over and made our way to the old man sitting behind the counter. His dark eyes looked up when we arrived. I barely paid attention to his scarred face, partially hidden by his thin, white beard, as the man pulled out two pieces of parchment. He laid them on the counter in front of us.

“Take your guild daggers to prick your thumb and make your mark on the page,” he ordered.

We did as he told us, and the drops of blood immediately flowed across the parchment, turning them into binding agreements with the guild. I barely remember the words of the contract. Only a warmth filling the dagger caught my attention.

“Your dagger is the marker for entering and leaving the guild. The wards control the entrances, which will know of your status. It’s also a way for us to find you. More likely, it’ll be the way we find your killer and return the favor.”

His chuckle at the last part didn’t amuse me as I stared at him. Apparently, I looked terrible shape enough for him out the cots across the room.

“Sleep there and you can start training tomorrow. No one will bother you or the girl.”

The rest of the time was a blur.

~~~

Ruby watched Covan fall face first on the first cot they came to. When she asked him if he was alright, she grew concerned at his nonresponse. She kneeled by the side of the cot and realized Covan was asleep. A patient smile came to her face as she got comfortable next to him. She stared at his dirty, bruised face, then a frown came to her lips.

“I thanketh thee for coming for me,” the lady whispered. “You’re a foolish sir who deserves so much more than mine own life but I’ll doth whatever it takes to repay thee. I promise this upon mine own dying breath.”

Ruby laid her head next to the sleeping man. The weariness fell over her and her tattered, stolen clothing barely kept her warm, but she couldn’t find sleep. The questions in her mind kept rolling around. She wanted to wake him for answers. However, Ruby knew she couldn’t even ask about several things on her mind. She remembered the rage in his eyes when he attacked Gilbert. Her heart skipped a beat now that she could reflect on the scene. Her feelings of gratitude mixed with a heartfelt reassessment flooding inside.

The guild master was correct. She carried a weak body with no fighting experience. Ruby followed where people like her grandmother ordered, even at the expense of her self-worth. Only when she tried to escape the huntsman did her world suddenly change. Still, she knew only too well if Covan hadn’t intervened twice, she would have no chance to change. He risked his life for her, and she needed to give him more than her body. The woman took a deep breath and glanced at the man again.

“I’ll work hard and becometh thy tool for a better future,” Ruby promised as she closed her eyes.

~~~