The Hooded Figure

The Shadow Masks

James felt the covers being yanked back to expose his head; a cold hand grabbed his shoulder and shook it strongly. His eyes flew open to see Fallon’s blue eyes looking down at him; he quickly sat up and opened his mouth to ask what time it was, but changed his mind when she pressed a finger to her lips. After a few minutes, James was ready; Fallon had gotten ready before she woke him up, so he questioned whether or not she had slept in the first place. They stepped out of the room as silently as possible; Fallon decided not to leave anything behind; if they caught a Shadow Mask member that night, they can go straight to the Grande Hall and not worry about coming back for their things.  

As they stepped out onto the deserted street, Fallon was surprised at how quiet James had been, for a child; he stalked like a wild animal. Now that they were out on the street, there was room for a little bit of noise, but Fallon didn’t bother to explain, she headed towards the main road at a quick pace. James rushed behind her, at first he didn’t question their destination, but soon, his curiosity over took him and he decided to ask. Before he could open his mouth, Fallon stopped suddenly and he nearly bumped into her.

“What-” he couldn’t finish his question as she quickly shushed him, then grabbed his arm and pulled him into the nearest alley. Her face was knotted with concentration as she looked around the corner, listening carefully. James listened too, and at first he heard nothing, then, after a few minutes, he heard it: a quiet thud that came more from beneath his feet than from the air around him.

Through the fog, her eyes well accustomed to the dark, Fallon saw something move, all she could see was a large shadow. However, as it drew closer, and the thuds grew louder and more frequent, Fallon could decipher two horses drawing behind them a large trailer. She couldn’t see what was in it because of the drape that was pinned onto it, covering whatever was inside. The man holding the reigns wore a black mask, with red stripes across the cheeks. Behind him, Fallon counted six men, wearing the same masks, three sitting on either side of the trailer. She turned back to James, she had about two minutes until the cart was upon them, she had to make a plan to catch two of the men in that time.

Just as the cart got to the alley they were hiding, James jumped out and ran across the road, the man pulled the reigns, more out of surprise than concern. The horses reared up on their hind legs and James dove into the safety of the alley on the other side of the street. During the confusion, Fallon ran out, a dark blur in the heavy fog. She was up to one side of the cart, still unnoticed by the masked men. Three of them jumped down to try to calm the horses and look for the boy who disturbed them. Two of them, however, never made it. As soon as they jumped down, Fallon was upon them, her weapons already drawn. She used the hilt of her daggers to hit both of them on the back of their neck with pin-point accuracy. She caught them both before they fell to the ground and placed one on her shoulder, and carried the other at her side. She disappeared as quickly and silently as she appeared.