The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Grim Reaper

The night is dark as I stand hidden behind an oak tree, examining the blueprint of the large jail we've been sent to. 

The Duke had explained the details of the mission to us in length.Arthur would take care of the guards in the front, so I could sneak in, meet the keeper of the asset, seduce him, and steal the asset. It was a simple plan, really. That is if Arthur completed his part. Which he was currently failing at.

At first, he tried distracting them, but I could fully see now that that was failing, because he looks up at me with desperate eyes, asking for answers on how to do this. I motion for him to keep talking, so he tries, but one of the guards catches a glimpse of me behind the tree and becomes aware of our scheme.

I shrug in annoyance, ducking behind the tree to set my arrow within the bow, then letting it loose, so it hits one of the guards in the head, sending everyone into a frenzy of fighting, which the guards quickly lose. I run down to the front doors.

"What was that?! I exclaim in annoyance as I burst through the doors to the jail, heading straight towards the hallway of cells directly in front of me and slowing down, taking in my surroundings.

There's jail cells on both sides of me as I walk down the hall, ignoring the potent stench of the cells and the occasional voice of a prisoner begging for me to release them. When I reach the end, there's another doorway, opening into another larger hallway that light protrudes from.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you" A strained voice says from the cell next to me as I'm about to enter.

I turn, shooting the prisoner a questioning look.

"Anyone who enters the master's room very rarely ever comes out. Just ask the group before you. They have yet to return" The prisoner says.

"There's another group here?" I question.

"Yep. Came for a meeting with the master. Why don't you ask them how that's going" the prisoner responds.

"I'll take my chances" I say, entering the hallway anyway.

Sure enough, I hear voices nearby, coming from a room to my right, where there's shouting and blood curdling cries. I approach anyways, and enter the room.

I knew I was in trouble when the remaining two in within the room fled after catching a glimpse of something in the window, fear instantly crossing their faces. I feel an icy wind suddenly circulate through the room, brushing against my warm skin and causing goosebumps to break out across the surface of my skin. I'm afraid of what I'll find if I turn around, but despite my better judgement, I do so, slowly turning around to look over my shoulder.

A figure sits crouched on the windowsill, their figure outlined by the darkness of the night behind them. In their right hand, they hold a small knife, which drips a sticky crimson substance on the floor below it.

I don't need to identify the substance to know what it is. I'd seen it all too much on my hunts with my father. A thick, sticky substance that pools on the floor, sending chills down my spine. I swallow the sudden fear that's crept up my throat as I stare at the figure, trying to decipher what they'll do next. 

The figure steps down gracefully off of the window sill, stepping into the room and beginning to approach me with brisk steps. They draw their knife as they charge towards me, swinging it at my head, which I block with my sword, launching us into a full on brawl. Their movements are quick and unpredictable, nothing like the other trainees at the Estate, and I find myself unable to understand how to counter their movements.

As we continue to fight, I feel myself slowly moving backwards, but am unaware of my surroundings until my back hits a wall behind me and I glance at it over my shoulder nervously. The figure holds their knife up to my throat, pressing their body against mine so I'm unable to move in any direction, or so they thought. I try and catch a glimpse of their face as I'm pinned against the wall, but the shadows of their hood and the darkness of the room don't make it easy for me to do so. I hold my hands up by my head, dropping my sword in submission, a plan forming in my head.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me!" I plead to them.

They pause for a moment, as if considering their options.

"I'll do anything!" I reply as they lower their knife from my throat.

"Anything at all" I continue, placing my hand on their chest and sliding it down seductively to distract them, until I reach the side of their leg and feel the sheath of their sword, which I quickly draw, holding it to their throat.

They release a sound that could be identified as annoyance in my persistence, and continue fighting me, clashing our knife blades together with a metallic clang. I make sure I move the fight more towards the middle of the room to avoid being pinned again, and I fight with a renewed sense of confidence that allows me to pin the figure. 

They swing their knife at me and I duck, positioning myself behind them instead and holding my sword up to their throat so they can't move. But I'm surprised when the figure twists my arm, throwing me over their shoulder to land back first on the ground with them positioning themselves on top of me so I'm now pinned against the ground with their knife positioned at my side.

"Who are you...? Death?" I question, taking note of their mysterious hood that reminds me of the depictions of the Grim Reaper I've seen at the Estate.

Thus, I chose to identify him as The Grim Reaper.

"Sometimes. But not today" The figure says, removing themselves from on top of me and standing up, beginning to walk away.

I'm dissatisfied with what I've uncovered and I stand up myself, running towards them and grabbing the back of their hood, pulling it down to reveal their face as they turn to look at me over their shoulder in surprise.

His eyes were a dark brown, and his hair fell in loose curly ringlets onto his forehead, soaked in sweat from the fighting. He wore a black cloth mask over his mouth, much like my own, which matched the rest of his clothing perfectly. He only looked at me momentarily, but in that moment, I felt momentarily frozen by his gaze, entirely unable to move. He didn't let the glance last long before he pulled the hood back up over his head and took off towards the door, onto his next assassination, and leaving me completely speechless.

"Wait!" I say, grabbing his arm and pulling him back into the room, forcefully pinning him between me, and the wall.

"You have something I want" I say, running my hands down his torso and stopping at his belt to try and see if he's carrying anything.

We're distracted by the sounds of thundering footsteps coming our direction.

"Lets talk about this later, shall we?" He says, grabbing my hand and running with me to the window as a group or armed warriors enters the room.

Without another moment of hesitation, he breaks the window with his sword and jumps out of it. I peer down to the ground beneath the window to make sure he made it.

"Psst! Down here!" He says from the darkness below.

I hesitate for a moment and glance at the armed group in the doorway before climbing up onto the windowsill and jumping off. The Grim Reaper catches me but the weight transfer catches him off guard and we fall to the ground together, rolling once so he's positioned on top of me.

"Did you really just jump out after me?" He asks.

"Did you really just jump?" I question back with a mischievous smile.

We're distracted by the sound of footsteps approaching us as Arthur comes into view, hovering over us with a disappointed expression.

"What the hell is going on here?" Arthur questions.

"It's the Grim Reaper's day off. Lucky me" I reply, standing up and brushing myself off.

"Come on, we've got to go" The Grim Reaper suggests, standing up and starting away from the jail.

"Wait a second, where are you going?" Arthur questions.

"Away from here. That is, unless you want to die" He says, turning to look at us over his shoulder.

I turn to Arthur and shrug at him, promptly starting off towards The Grim Reaper.

"You're serious? You're just going to trust him?" Arthur asks me.

"Do you have another idea?" I ask him.

Arthur pauses, considering this for a second before eventually giving up and following us.