Lovely Dark Things

TWENTY-SEVEN (ISELEN POV)

"What did he mean? I'm supposed to be here to improve the kingdom's infrastructure, that's all..." I whisper anxiously while following Ruby downstairs almost out of breath, the Assassin is walking too fast trying to get away from the guards that are watching the door. "Damn it, we need elevators, definitely."

"I don't know what you're talking about and don't know what he meant..."she answers harshly.

"But..."

"Enough!" The beautiful woman stops abruptly and turns around to stare at me, she looks furious but I don't know why. "You don't need to know the reasons why everything happens around you, for fuck's sake, why can't you just obey without question things like good dark elves do? The King is right: your curiosity is going to kill you and I'll die next because I'd failed to complete my mission of keeping you alive. Why do you make things more complicated to me? Why can't you just follow the rules, behave properly, bow respectfully and stop snooping around?"

"I'm sorry, Dread Lady..." I whisper before swallowing hard and Ruby growls angrily, she really looks frustrated for a second but, suddenly, she puts her arm around my torso and hugs me tight against her body.

"I don't like this situation, babe, it shouldn't be like this... The Queen was supposed to give us orders and we'd follow them, you'd work with blacksmiths, ship builders, soldiers and architects but we weren't supposed to get involved directly with power struggles between our monarchs, the High Priestess and the Head of the God of War's Brides, my father and his viper wife, with human slaves' revolts... It'll be difficult to protect your life if the members of the King's Council see you as a threat that attends meetings and visits the private chambers... And your questions, your curiosity, make things worse..."

"You want me to be more discreet... But Ruby, if I have to improve things I need to know and learn..." I complain while she sighs and shakes her head, letting me go and stepping back.

"I know, Iselen, it's just that I wasn't expecting to find so many problems and tension around us so soon, I hoped we could have a quiet winter so you could adjust to this land. Come on, let's go back to our rooms, I'm hungry..."

I follow her walking fast with my head low, lost in my thought and oblivious to my surroundings, it doesn't matter anyway because this fortress is massive and I couldn't go anywhere without getting lost. I tried to remember different rooms and corridors during the first days but I gave up soon and focused on learning how to move around the Captain of the Black Guard's tower that's my home now. I feel tired physically and mentally suddenly and I wish I could take a nap but I must start working immediately designing Seraphon's nest, I don't want the King to get impatient.

"What the...?"

"Stay there!" A fraction of a second is everything the Assassin needed to shove me violently against a wall, protecting my body between a column and a statue before taking her knives. We're in a narrow and dark corridor and she doesn't have much room of manoeuvre but her arms move fast killing our enemies mercilessly, a group of hooded men that have appeared out of the blue, while she stands between them and my body. Witch fire torches are barely able to light up this space and I can't see most of details but sparks fly from Ruby's blades sometimes when she blocks the knife of an attacker: I think they've tried to catch her off guard but the Assassin is too good at her job and two hooded men run away finally while three lie dead at her feet. Everything has happened so fast...

"Ruby..." The beautiful dark elf breathes heavily while checking that we're alone in this corridor again and the guys on the floor are definitely dead. "Ruby..." I repeat out of breath and she turns around to look at me with a furrowed brow. "This..." I whisper pointing at my thigh.