Broken But Unburnt

Chapter 4 - Gisella

Chapter 4: Gisella

Palace of the Centauri Throne: Kingdom of Karil

He had choked on his wine, eyes widening, hands going to his chest as he fell from his chair, forward onto his knees, blood spraying from his mouth, his ears, his eyes.

There was a moment of hesitation in which everyone at the banquet stared up at the dais, horrified. Then all hell broke loose. The Knights of the King's Guard drew their swords but, without any clear weapon having been used against their King, they hadn't the slightest idea who to go after. A few of them scattered, seeking to find someone in the rafters or hidden in a window, clearly certain that the assassin could not possibly be in this very room.

Gisella kept her eyes on the woman in the faded green dress. She turned to leave with the crowd but Gisella reached out her hand in the same gesture she had just seen the assassin do, a gesture she herself had practiced thousands of times before. The assassin's pace slowed until it stopped and she stood, rooted to the spot. Realizing what was happening, she began to glance around. Her eyes found Gisella. Her gaze went from her hand at her side to her cool stare and she glared at her.

Gisella grabbed a knight running past and pointed to her, telling him she saw her do something. Without question, he moved forward to arrest her, another of his compatriots meeting him beside her. They took her by her arms and dragged her away. Gisella heard the General then, shouting above all of the other screaming voices in the room. He was shouting for a healer. He was shouting for his men, warning of other possible assassins. Other assassins.

Gisella's eyes found the prince on the opposite side of the room, still standing at the bar, glass poised halfway to his open lips as he stared at his father on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood. She rushed forward, pushing her way through the crowd, hand on the hilt of her sword at all times.

"Come with me," she growled, grabbing him roughly by the arm and pulling him away from the bar, toward the nearest door, one leading out to a servant's hallway. He resisted at first, still in shock, still staring up at the dead King. But then sputtered to life when he realized that Gisella was pulling him harder now, nails digging into his bicep.

His feet began to move and they pushed their way to the small wooden door nearby. She shoved him through, walking briskly ahead in the hall toward the hidden panel that she knew lay just ahead. He said nothing, just followed in a daze, watching her remove the panel from the wall with some curiosity. When she finally slid the heavy wood aside, revealing a darkened hall beyond, he glanced at her as if thinking for the first time that perhaps she should not be trusted. Gisella just sighed.

"If I wanted to kill you, I've had several years of opportunity," she reminded him. He considered that for a moment before stepping through the opening into the dark hallway beyond. She followed him a moment later, replacing the panel behind them so that no one could follow.

Then she took a torch from the wall and a match from her pocket. Striking it against the stone, she lit the torch and led on through the hall, making her way to a larger opening, a room that she knew lay not far ahead. She heard his footsteps behind her, following her, as they made their way forward.

The abandoned internal room must have been someone's chambers some time very long ago. This palace was ancient and its secrets more so. Whoever occupied this space so long ago left behind some of their more basic furnishings. The Prince took a seat on a molding settee. Gisella remained standing, pacing the chambers, trying to listen for any sounds of the chaos outside the walls but she could no longer hear the screams or the running. They would have to remain until she was certain it was safe but how long that might be, she wasn't sure.