A Guild of Moonlit Shadows (A KOTLC FanFic)

~13~ Allesandro's Secret

"That's the man that hurt my friend," Ruy whispered to no one in particular. Allesandro looked at Ruy then back to the Governor, pulling out his sword and readying his feet.

"Pater?" Amalia whimpered.

Allesandro looked over his shoulder before smiling a bit, "Go on, Candessa, listen to Nyoka. It'll all work out."

She clearly didn't want to go, but Nyoka dragged them all along the coast. They ran right where the tide was seeping back into the ocean, hiding their footprints. The water wasn't chill and crisp like he always imagined it would be; it was brutal and freezing as it soaked his socks.

Amalia gasped as the sound of fighting erupted from behind them, the ocean almost knocking her over.

"Nyoka, we have to help him-"

"Your father is capable of holding a fight. Come on, move, move, move." They all scrambled up the coast for another few minutes before Nyoka pushed them all up the sand and into the awaiting jungle, leading them along an extremely beaten path. The animals cackled and crowed as they ran, tripping over rocks and pushing leaves out of their way.

"There!" Nyoka gasped. It was a small shack made out of fibers, small torched alight outside it. They all ran for it, the door opening to reveal a hooded figure.

"My lady! Did our Mentore-"

"Close the door, extinguish the flames!" Nyoka hissed as she barreled through the door, the children right behind her. More hooded people were inside, and all rushed to fulfill Nyoka's command. The flames were extinguished with the smoke fanned away, the shutters closed, and the doors slammed shut.

"Get down." She hissed to all of them.

For a few dreadful moments, it was as silent as the jungle could be. The cicadas stopped their humming, the animals went still in the trees, even the wind sat in wait. Then the sound of stampeding feet.

"STOP HIM!"

Amalia scrambled, against everyone's better judgment, and opened a shutter just a sliver. Ruy accompanied her, even as everyone scolded them.

It was Allesandro. Followed by a horde of angry but tired Neverseen soldiers.

He was sprinting through the jungle as if he were a leopard, jumping over rocks and sliding under logs. It was as if the fury of the gods were in the man's bones. But he was running away from them, further from his daughter. He was leading the Neverseen away.

He only spared the safe house a glance but no doubt saw them.

"We have discovered Assassin activity in Hyda, I repeat, Assassin activity in Hyda!" One of the Neverseen soldiers barked into a receiver. But they couldn't keep up with Allesandro; it was as if he were a monster himself. Uncatchable and unkillable.

Allesandro sprinted up a long and hopped over a massive tangle of leaves before grabbing a natural overhang, pulling himself over.

The Neverseen were slow to follow but shakily hopped onto the overhang to pursue. It was silent again. The Assassins grabbed Amalia and Ruy, pulling them away from the shutter and into the darkness.

Ruy swallowed the bile growing in his throat, but it did little as the darkness seemed to grow. It was dark; it was quiet.

Dark and quiet. Too much of the dark. Too much of the quiet.

His mother loved the empty dark and quiet. It felt like the only Ruy knew of her.

Ruy put his head in his hands, his breath now coming out in shuddering hiccups. He clamped his eyes shut, tears tickling his long black eyelashes.