Eternal Oaths: Book One

Chapter II

Moonlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor as a gentle breeze whispered through the towering trees. The soft hum of distant birdsong mingled with the rustle of leaves. A narrow path wound its way through the verdant landscape, where lovers often wandered hand in hand.

Not an awful place to die... The thought crossed her mind uninvited.

The assassin was much taller than he seemed from afar, possibly twice her weight if his broad shoulders and rippling muscles were any indication.

She only needed to hold out for a little while before Tally or Nyx would come looking for her. He couldn't take all three of them. A werewolf, a Fae Lord and a witch.

"What a naughty witch, ruining my kill. What should I do with you?" He said casually, as if he was an old friend catching up to her after attending a long lecture.

Solene didn't hesitate.

She wrenched herself free from his firm hand then dropped low and kicked out his legs from under him, her eyes blazing with vexation. He grunted as the wind was knocked out of him.

Twice as big, goes down twice as hard. 

"You were literally about to assassinate an elected official of the Triumvirate, the former Prime Minister of Dusk, no less," she snapped, her voice low and dangerous. She grabbed a dagger sheathed at his chest and held it to his throat. "Whose orders are you following? Why attempt such a public assassination?"

Though his eyes remained cold, and his other facial features were masked, he seemed to be amused.  "I could ask you the same."

"I wasn't there to kill anyone!" Though she certainly did feel like killing this male.

Without warning, he knocked the dagger out of her hand, and flipped back up to his feet.

She jumped back taking a fighting stance, her magic hummed, ready for her to use though it almost paled against the black hole of magic the assassin seemed to have. Almost.

"What were you there for?" His eyes narrowed, but a lazy curiosity saturated his words this time, as if he had nothing better to do.

"Watching the election of course. Love the fire display they usually have after." She smirked, she wouldn't let him learn anymore than that. 

"You're a mindweaver. I'm curious how you've remained alive." He says bluntly.

Solene all but gasped. How could he know this?  "Life is just too much fun."  She smiled before manifesting a sword from her magic, hoping he couldn't also sense how hard her heart pounded in her chest.

He drew a broadsword half her width. "I'm not here to fight you--"

"Your sword says otherwise..." she rolled her eyes, before lunging at him.

"Let's dance then." The assassin taunted.

Sparks flew as steel met magic, the clash reverberating through the trees.

The assassin's movements were a blur, his sword a deadly extension of his will.

Solene parried, feeling the vibrations travel up her arms with each collision.

He was relentless, his strikes aiming for her vital points with a precision that spoke of years of training.

She was driven back, her heels digging into the forest floor.

Having trained in physical combat and swordplay herself since she was a child, she could tell he was holding back.

All that power, and ...he's not trying to hurt me...