Here is my second chaptered work project that I'm working on along with the now hugely delayed Shape-Shifter. No I haven't forgotten about it, but the schoolwork and the baby sister have kind of been keeping me occupied. Still, chapter 3 is in the works as I type. But anyway, here you go.
Dennam leaned against the trunk to give his legs a rest.He’d been squatting on that branch for a couple hours now and his mark still hadn’t come by.Of course, it wasn’t like Galdros had been very clear during the briefing.Specificity was never his strong suit.
Still, not giving a time-frame at all was something that even he didn’t do often.All he said was that the guy would be coming along this road in a carriage under guard.Dennam was understandably frustrated, seeing as how he could easily fall asleep from sheer tiredness and let the mark roll right on by.He let out a heavy sigh.It was getting dark.
He managed to keep himself awake by listening to the chirping of insects and repeatedly telling himself that he’d be dinner for wild animals if he fell asleep and fell out of the tree.Eventually, he heard the clatter of hooves on dirt from the west.Not long after that, he was able to actually see the horses.As they drew nearer, he could see that they were arrayed in the typical formation.The carriage was in the middle with all of the others ringed around it.Each horse had a mass of steel riding on top.
He saw that the carriage itself was of a very sturdy design.There were no immediately apparent weaknesses.Pretty much the only flaw he could see was the large window in the side.He straightened up and knocked an arrow.This was it.
Dennam drew the cliff racer plume back to his ear and fixed his eyes on the window as the carriage passed in front of him.His eyes honed in on that bright circle, just waiting for his head to appear.At last, it did, along with part of his upper body.He could see that he was playing with a box of gold coins, completely oblivious to the ebony-tipped arrow aimed right at his skull.
Dennam ceased all movement, drew a deep breath and held it, and released the arrow.The slender shaft whistled through the air, racing past webs of twigs and leaves before sailing right in between two of the escorts, through the carriage window, and embedding itself in the mark’s right temple.There was a spray of blood followed by a hybrid shriek of surprise and terror.Those few seconds seemed like years; had it missed, they might as well have been.
It did hit however, and now Dennam knew he had to disappear before he was discovered.He picked a tree a ways back from the road, but the horses could still plod through there given the time.He immediately leapt from the branch and landed noiselessly.He bolted through the woods to the south, gliding across the underbrush with almost supernatural silence.
As he fled, he could hear the guards shouting curses and orders as they scrambled into the forest looking for him.The horses were difficult to maneuver though.He had a good chance of outrunning them in this brush.Still, he couldn’t take his sweet time.Assassins didn’t take unnecessary chances.
He sped past trees and saplings until he came to a road.It was, in fact, a different point along the same road.He couldn’t hear the pounding of hooves, so he had either beaten the one or two riders that had gone along the road, or they had beaten him and had already continued on.Of course, it didn’t matter which case it was.He still wouldn’t be truly safe until he was back in the sanctuary.
He had no intention of following the road the rest of the way.He’d simply come here to get his bearings.It was the intersection where the Silver and Red Ring roads met, so that meant that he would have to head east and then south again until he reached the sanctuary in Cheydinhal.He processed this in just a few seconds and was off like an arrow once more.
He was across the road and into the adjacent forest in two bounds.As he ran through the trees, he thought he heard the sound of galloping horses behind him.It got louder and he realized it was coming from his left.He glanced over that way and saw a figure on a horse riding in his direction.
Dennam stopped almost instantly and crouched down among some shrubs.“How the hell did he manage to get this close without making too much noise?”Dennam thought inwardly.He held his breath, not daring to even breathe with a professional guardsman on a warhorse not twenty yards away.He was motionless
He kept his eyes trained on the rider through the thin leaves of the bushes.The horse just seemed to wander around stupidly with the man on top just glancing around while muttering a semi-audible string of curses.After a bit, the guard rode off to the north.Dennam quickly looked around in all directions just in case any of his cronies were around.Not seeing anybody, he dashed off again.
As the assassin continued his eastward sprint, a fierce wind picked up and was soon followed by a deluge of rain, as if nature itself was mourning the dead man and angry at him for killing him.It made little difference to Dennam though.All he cared about was getting back to the safety of the sanctuary as soon as possible, and if that meant enduring some wind and rain, then so be it.
He kept pace, skirting over freshly-dampened leaves and moss.Suddenly though, he felt a sharp pain in his back.It then splashed into his shoulders, stomach, and buttocks.He lost focus and slipped on a patch of wet moss.He went head-over-heels and slid across the ground into a tree.
Dennam just lay there, barely able to keep his eyes open because of the pain.As it grew more intense, he heard what sounded like footsteps approaching.He looked up and saw a shadowy figure standing over him with what looked like a bow and a quiver full of arrows on his back.He was soon joined by a second shadow holding a slender, katana-like sword, and then a third, holding a mace or club of sorts.
The three silhouettes then seemed to start talking to one another, but Dennam couldn’t tell if they were or not and if they were, he couldn’t hear them.He could feel his life force leaking out of his back along with his blood.He was totally helpless.He was at the mercy of these things.
After a couple more painstaking minutes, the pain just suddenly vanished and he became light-headed and extremely fatigued.His eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.Despite his protests, they began to sink shut.At last, over halfway drained of blood and with his head swimming, he gave up.All went pitch dark.
Here is my second chaptered work project that I'm working on along with the now hugely delayed Shape-Shifter. No I haven't forgotten about it, but the schoolwork and the baby sister have kind of been keeping me occupied. Still, chapter 3 is in the works as I type. But anyway, here you go.
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Chapter 1
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Dennam leaned against the trunk to give his legs a rest. He’d been squatting on that branch for a couple hours now and his mark still hadn’t come by. Of course, it wasn’t like Galdros had been very clear during the briefing. Specificity was never his strong suit.
Still, not giving a time-frame at all was something that even he didn’t do often. All he said was that the guy would be coming along this road in a carriage under guard. Dennam was understandably frustrated, seeing as how he could easily fall asleep from sheer tiredness and let the mark roll right on by. He let out a heavy sigh. It was getting dark.
He managed to keep himself awake by listening to the chirping of insects and repeatedly telling himself that he’d be dinner for wild animals if he fell asleep and fell out of the tree. Eventually, he heard the clatter of hooves on dirt from the west. Not long after that, he was able to actually see the horses. As they drew nearer, he could see that they were arrayed in the typical formation. The carriage was in the middle with all of the others ringed around it. Each horse had a mass of steel riding on top.
He saw that the carriage itself was of a very sturdy design. There were no immediately apparent weaknesses. Pretty much the only flaw he could see was the large window in the side. He straightened up and knocked an arrow. This was it.
Dennam drew the cliff racer plume back to his ear and fixed his eyes on the window as the carriage passed in front of him. His eyes honed in on that bright circle, just waiting for his head to appear. At last, it did, along with part of his upper body. He could see that he was playing with a box of gold coins, completely oblivious to the ebony-tipped arrow aimed right at his skull.
Dennam ceased all movement, drew a deep breath and held it, and released the arrow. The slender shaft whistled through the air, racing past webs of twigs and leaves before sailing right in between two of the escorts, through the carriage window, and embedding itself in the mark’s right temple. There was a spray of blood followed by a hybrid shriek of surprise and terror. Those few seconds seemed like years; had it missed, they might as well have been.
It did hit however, and now Dennam knew he had to disappear before he was discovered. He picked a tree a ways back from the road, but the horses could still plod through there given the time. He immediately leapt from the branch and landed noiselessly. He bolted through the woods to the south, gliding across the underbrush with almost supernatural silence.
As he fled, he could hear the guards shouting curses and orders as they scrambled into the forest looking for him. The horses were difficult to maneuver though. He had a good chance of outrunning them in this brush. Still, he couldn’t take his sweet time. Assassins didn’t take unnecessary chances.
He sped past trees and saplings until he came to a road. It was, in fact, a different point along the same road. He couldn’t hear the pounding of hooves, so he had either beaten the one or two riders that had gone along the road, or they had beaten him and had already continued on. Of course, it didn’t matter which case it was. He still wouldn’t be truly safe until he was back in the sanctuary.
He had no intention of following the road the rest of the way. He’d simply come here to get his bearings. It was the intersection where the Silver and Red Ring roads met, so that meant that he would have to head east and then south again until he reached the sanctuary in Cheydinhal. He processed this in just a few seconds and was off like an arrow once more.
He was across the road and into the adjacent forest in two bounds. As he ran through the trees, he thought he heard the sound of galloping horses behind him. It got louder and he realized it was coming from his left. He glanced over that way and saw a figure on a horse riding in his direction.
Dennam stopped almost instantly and crouched down among some shrubs. “How the hell did he manage to get this close without making too much noise?” Dennam thought inwardly. He held his breath, not daring to even breathe with a professional guardsman on a warhorse not twenty yards away. He was motionless
He kept his eyes trained on the rider through the thin leaves of the bushes. The horse just seemed to wander around stupidly with the man on top just glancing around while muttering a semi-audible string of curses. After a bit, the guard rode off to the north. Dennam quickly looked around in all directions just in case any of his cronies were around. Not seeing anybody, he dashed off again.
As the assassin continued his eastward sprint, a fierce wind picked up and was soon followed by a deluge of rain, as if nature itself was mourning the dead man and angry at him for killing him. It made little difference to Dennam though. All he cared about was getting back to the safety of the sanctuary as soon as possible, and if that meant enduring some wind and rain, then so be it.
He kept pace, skirting over freshly-dampened leaves and moss. Suddenly though, he felt a sharp pain in his back. It then splashed into his shoulders, stomach, and buttocks. He lost focus and slipped on a patch of wet moss. He went head-over-heels and slid across the ground into a tree.
Dennam just lay there, barely able to keep his eyes open because of the pain. As it grew more intense, he heard what sounded like footsteps approaching. He looked up and saw a shadowy figure standing over him with what looked like a bow and a quiver full of arrows on his back. He was soon joined by a second shadow holding a slender, katana-like sword, and then a third, holding a mace or club of sorts.
The three silhouettes then seemed to start talking to one another, but Dennam couldn’t tell if they were or not and if they were, he couldn’t hear them. He could feel his life force leaking out of his back along with his blood. He was totally helpless. He was at the mercy of these things.
After a couple more painstaking minutes, the pain just suddenly vanished and he became light-headed and extremely fatigued. His eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. Despite his protests, they began to sink shut. At last, over halfway drained of blood and with his head swimming, he gave up. All went pitch dark.