The woman in the shadows

Prolog

Silence, complete silence nothing to be heard except the slurping sounds the old man made while greedily drinking his tea .His own age was on the older side of completely indeterminate. If you picked a number at random, he was probably a little older than that, but- well, it was impossible to tell. Certainly his face was heavily lined, and the small amount of hair that escaped from under his hat, white, and had very much its own ideas about how it wished to arrange itself.

"What do you wish dear Katlyn?" he asked in a soft voice.

"You must heard of his downfall by now uncle " a silvery female voice said.Her striking feature were her eyes which were like sapphires set symmetrically into her almost colourless face, brimming, with determination . Her figure, slender and pale like a porcelain ornament and seemingly as fragile, also looked to be light as a feather. Indeed she appeared to glide as she moved swiftly across the room reaching the table where the old man sat. The hem of her grey robe sweeping the floor as she were floating an inch or so above the ground, her hand reached for the teapot and refilled her uncle's cup. Her eyes held a distant, cold look within them, yet seemed to scan her surroundings with purpose.

"I heard indeed, so very tragic .I admit he was a great businessman but I really wasn't fond of attending the meetings with him in your place my dear. He was truly a dangerous man ."

"Sorry for putting you in dangers way but I don't want people knowing the truth .You are to act as first in command on the stage and i will whisper your lines from within the shadows.Did I make myself clear?".She throwed him a menacing glare.

"Cristal clear".He said as an awkward silence fell between them.

"I am leaving" she said.

"Where to ?"

"To take what is rightfully mine .I am going to London. This organisation is to be wiped of existence until I say so. This way I will be able to relocate without creating such a big fuss."

"And how do you plan to do this ? The sudden vanishing of an entire criminal guild will raise suspicions ".

"Simple", she said " the easiest way to close a this kind of business is to kill the alleged mastermind, like our kind fiend Moriarty showed us".

The old man looked at the cup in his hand and smirked knowingly."It's the tea isn't it?"

"Yes " Ketlyn said drily.

"I always thought you are going to be more dramatic where it comes to my end. Like a bullet to the head or a knife to my neck".

"O dear God no, you know I disdain blood stains on my carpet" she lightly chuckled."The poison will kick in soon enough,you will be dead in a meter of minutes. Sorry. I need you to be out of the game. Either way I can't let my heart vulnerable and you are my only weakness. "

"I know my little angel I know ". He smiled giving his niece a loving look before closing his eyes.

"I think we both know I am anything but an angel " She said kissing his forehead gently.

" Goodbye dear uncle"

And she left leaving the old man alone ,cold ,in his armchair behind a set of closed doors.Now it all begins.