.The Shadow Knight.

-16-

'Do not rest, evil stirs in the night.'

I opened my eyes, sitting up in bed for a while before getting up and with one hand undoing to lace on my nightgown and letting it fall off me.

I grabbed my clothes and put them on in the darkness filling my room, shutters shut but I could tell from the lack of light seeping through that it was night.

I pulled my katana from the pocket realm and silently left my room.

The hallways my room was on was the hall of all the wives and the empress herself.

I stared out the window with the blade resting against my shoulder, the town was deep asleep, a few dotes of light going around the streets and top of the castle walls, those being the lanterns of the night guard.

I turned away and silently stepped to the first room, Rain's, and opened the door less then an inch and just listened before locking it again, doing this with Melore's one too.

Third was Elise's and still nothing, I may be going insane slightly but that would be far from truth.

The fourth gave me what answer I wanted.

I kicked the door in and chucked the blade through the air.

The noise woke Kia up, lighting a candle as I walked passed the bed and walked to the intruder in the room.

Blade thrown like a spear through their shoulder with such force they fell over.

I grabbed the hilt and twisted it half a turn making them scream in pain and grab the blade with their gloved hands and try to push it out.

"Who sent you?" I coldly asked.

"I'll go get Elise." Kia said, not that bothered, and I nodded to her.

"I said who sent you?" I asked again, shoving on my arm and making the blade move three inches forth, touching the wall behind them.

They chose to remain silent outside of the grunts of pain.

"I am a shadow knight I'll let you know." I kneeled down in front of them, hand still gripping the hilt tightly. "The others might play fair but not me... No.... Not me, refuse to answer me and I will show you what the shadows can do to those against us and I warn you." I pulled the hilt down to cut more in them. "It will not be pretty."

"P-please stop."

"So the mouse has a voice, now tell me before I change my mind and end you now." They sounded female but I'll only be sure when I get their face mask off but it can wait.

"I-I don't know, it was a masked figure that offered a lot of money for the death of the empress' shield."

"Come on you can tell me more then that." I reached out and wrapped my hand around their clothed chin and fingers pressed into their cheeks. "You don't want to die or do you?"

"P-please." I yanked on my hand making my nose bump theirs they were so close to my face.

"If you don't speak your tongue will be of no use will it?"

"N-no!"

"Then spit out what you know!!!"

"T-they had a really ugly black scar all around their neck and wrists, they weren't alone nor did they talk but they were the mastermind, they were called the executioner by their comrades, please I know nothing more!!"

"And why did you agree to take this job?" I wasn't surprised Elise waited a while to let the potential assassin know of her presence.

"My empress." I greeted her without looking at her.

"P-please empress I am nothing but a street rat, without money I would die, they would give my weight in gold and silver if the silver shield died, please have mercy, I didn't have a choice, I didn't want to die."

"And how did you get passed all my guards?"

"Please have mercy!"

"HOW DID YOU GET PASSED ALL MY GUARDS??!!!"

"THEY LET ME!!!" 

I looked back at Elise.

"...They let you." She breathed out, even in her nightclothes and messy hair she was regal, a hand under her chin. "Would you be able to tell me how they looked like?"

"I'll do anything for mercy please, I did this to live, I was so hungry a-and--" "I heard enough!" Elise cut them off. "My dear shadow what do you think we should do about this vermin?"

"P-please ma'am." They pleaded with me.

"They'll be more useful alive then dead, lets have the castle's doctor look at them first before we make a choice. Tell of no one what happened tonight or those knights that broke their vows of protecting the crown will have heard of the assassin's failure and be long gone by the time we come for them."

"Great points shadow.... Bring them to the doctor and guard the door, no one shall know of their failure before we find those traitors."

"Yes my empress." I yanked them to their feet and pulled them out of the room while they yelled for mercy the whole way.