Wardenheart

Mission

The night, cold and quiet, enveloped us like a blanket as we moved swiftly through the Sark District. The sounds of raucous, drug-fueled parties droned on ceaselessly in the background, creating a sordid ambience that only the Sark District, could ever capture.

The gods only knew what was happening in the tall, brightly lit houses that lined Main Street that night, filled with the children of old and new money coming together to revel in their decadence, but what was happening in those houses was not truly our concern. Ours was of much greater importance.

My heart, beating quickly, was filled with the traditional rush of danger that I always felt when making my way to a target. Even alongside Margo, the brave knight who had been my partner from the beginning, I still felt as if danger lurked around every corner.

Paranoia and strong caution were not things I was prone to, but on a job like the one that night, I sensed something in the air, something strange and unusual. It wasn't the stench of ale or vomit that wafted sickeningly through the district, even to the back alleys that we crept through, it was a sense of importance, as if this job would be the last one. Not for a reason along the lines of settling down and having a family with the woman clad in dark armor, but for reasons more sinister than I cared to mentally explore.

"Theris!" Margo whispered harshly, turning her helmeted head toward me. "There's a guard dead ahead. Take him out quietly."

"Yes, dear." I told her in a joking tone. I looked him over, preparing to put him quietly to sleep. There he was, a man of about twenty, dressed in armor of hardened leather, lazily playing with the hilt of the short sword that hung on his side.

He was posted in front of a large iron gate, one that stood somewhere around fifteen feet high, set between two high stone brick walls of the same height. There was no possible way we could get past these front defenses without going through that gate. I could only feel happiness that our target wasn't expecting company that night.

I concentrated on the young man, letting the power well up inside me. Margo had always said that she thought I always looked kind of funny casting my spells, as if I was concentrating deeply on the air. To cast, I always had to dig deep in to my mind to make sure my powers worked correctly. For example, if I were to mess up this spell, I could kill the man unintentionally, and unnecessary death was something I always tried to avoid. Sleep and death were close cousins, and very strict in how they needed to be treated. Other things, like the summoning of fire or unleashing bursts of energy were comparably simple tasks, even if they seemed impossible feats of magic to the untrained eye.

After reaching the point where I was certain I wouldn't kill him, I mentally targeted him and let the power begin to flow from me in to him. It happened quickly enough, the man simply fell to the ground with a clank and a thud, and the way was cleared.

"Good job." Margo said, beginning to advance again, her armor clattering slightly as she crept slowly toward the gate. Meanwhile, I moved slowly behind her, treading lightly. Though I was not kitted out in the finest plate armor within a hundred miles like my bride-to-be, I still tried to not make much noise.

We crossed in to the well-lit street, moving a little more quickly across it than we had moved through the alleys, and then in to the shadow of the walls. I grabbed one of the iron gate's rough bars, concentrated on melting it, and away it fell to the cobbled street below.

Thunder sounded in the sky overhead. With any luck, we would find ourselves not betrayed by the moonlight, and instead protected by a healthy layer of clouds.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Margo whispered hastily, looking behind us. "Sooner or later a patrolling officer's going to come down this way, then we'll be spotted for sure."

"Just a moment." I said, melting another bar. "I am nearly... Ah, done."

As the last necessary bar fell to the ground, I looked at my handiwork: a sizable opening that would fit both Margo and I, despite our clothing choices. I had opted for a cloak and commoner's clothing that night, and I always hated getting my cloaks caught on things. I was happy to see as I walked through that I was not caught on the rest of the colossal gate at all. Margo, too had no issue getting through, even though her bulky armor sometimes made her turn sideways when traversing the narrower passageways we had come across. She had always said as a joke that she would lock up the architect that made those offending ancient halls and crumbling corridors, just so they could feel what it was like to feel so trapped. I was happy to see that I was still not on her 'To-Imprison' list.

In front of us was a long brick road that lead up to a very old, dark house. These sorts of houses were always in high demand by more reclusive mages due to their imposing, uninviting natures. The science of the arcane arts was a rather solitary study, and the concentration required to research new spells and unlock more secrets of the hidden world of magic was the reason why. If one slipped up, anything from the metaphysical equivalent of a stubbed toe, all the way to a world-ending event could occur. Though no such world-ending event had actually ever happened, or become close to happening, it was still well within the realm of possibility to achieve. This made wizards like myself dangerous, especially if left unchecked.

This one, the one that lived in the dark house that stood before us, was one of those unchecked wizards.

Author's Note: Wow, thank you so much everyone for voting on chapter one, and thank you for reading chapter two :) I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Please vote and tell me what you think of the chapter in the comments below. Have an awesome day!