The Crimson Assassin

Chapter 11

"Nothing, really. It was just a job to be honest." She explained, then a smile crept up on her face, "But I did win a competition with my partner - at the time. That felt good."

Hollin watched her smile fade and return to her normal composure. "So what's your next question?" She asked, bored.

"Err... What was your first kill like?" He spoke softly, not entirely sure on how to phrase himself. Elentiya winced at the memory, which caught Hollin's attention. "Sorry, that was too personal?"

She shook her head. "No, I just hadn't thought about that in a while." Then she lay down on the sofa to get more comfortable. "Well... My first kill was when I was nine. It was a simple job really, but the pressure of it made things worse."

"Why was it so bad?" Hollin asked, already captured by her story.

"Patience," she laughed, "my master had expected me to kill a year earlier. I already knew how to kill a man in 56 different ways by the age of eight, but I still couldn't do it, which meant punishment." She flinched again. "He instructed that I break all the fingers in my right hand. Had it been my left hand it would've been simpler, since I'm right-handed. I spent an hour slamming my fingers separately in the door - to make sure they were all broken, before I returned to my master... There was so much blood - I didn't know any other method of breaking bones with my left hand."

Elentiya paused to take a look at Hollin. She didn't want to frighten him, but she didn't see fear in his eyes. Just some form of anger and resentment. Other than that he remained perfectly still and calm. Gesturing her to go on.

She continued, "when master had seen what I had done to myself, he immediately called for the best doctor in area to make sure my fingers healed correctly. It was the first time I had ever seen him show emotion in the three years after he took me in."

"Three years," Hollin mumbled to himself. "That meant you were five, when your master adopted you. I thought you send your parents died when you were three." He stated.

"Correct," she nodded, feeling her anger start to boil to the surface. "So what's your next question?" She hoped that the remaining questions wouldn't trigger anything bad to happen, as her anger... and hunger became insatiable.

"Why are you called the Crimson Assassin?"

Hollin saw her jaw lock. Is she angry? He thought. He stood up and walked closer to her loose body on the sofa. She still didn't move. Her eyes were open but she felt distant. He stood above her, waving his hand in her face. "Hello?"

Within a second Hollin was pinned up against the wall, with a cold blade on the revealed flesh of his chest. When he opened his eyes, he stared in shock. Elentiya. She was completely different. Her normal straight, silver hair was now shorter, red and wavy. Though the biggest change was in her eyes. They were blood red. No crimson.

"Are you happy now?" She snarled, showing actual fang. "This is what you wanted isn't it?"

Hollin yelped a little as she lightly traced the tip of her blade on his jugular. She laughed as she nicked his right cheek. Blood flowed out freely, from the cut. She laughed psychotically as she placed the knife back on the base of his neck and saw him twitch. She noticed the fear in his eyes as she moved the blade gingerly over his jugular.

"Don't be scared," she cooed. "You're the first prince to have ever seen me like this... You wanted to know why I'm called the Crimson Assassin." She suddenly jerked her hand back to the base of his neck, making Hollin flinch. She savoured the sight before her. Then she climbed onto her tiptoes and whispered in his right ear. "It's because the last thing my victims see is me in my normal form," she teased. His body went rigid as she licked some of the blood that had already reached his chin. It looked so appetising and she was so very hungry.

Elentiya was suddenly thrown and pinned to the ground. She thrashed around wondering why she couldn't get up, then looked up. "Soldier!" She spat, "get off of me this instant!"

"Who are you?" Castol demanded.

"Poor little soldier. Does it make you angry that you can't read my mind even through contact?" She didn't even wait for his reply to continue. "I will warn you only once mongrel. Release me now and I will not harm you or your friend."

Castol could tell how serious she was and felt inclined to let her go. She stood up with grace bettering a queen. "Well boy," she said staring at Hollin, "What was your last question?"

He still stood there frozen. Then he returned to his senses. "You are Elentiya, aren't you?"

"Yes," she answered, "but that wasn't your question."

"Erm... W-what were your parents like?" Hollin cowered slightly in fear she may lash out.

Instead she smiled at the thought. "My parents were amazing," she said as she took a seat. "But they were very strict. Obviously they had to be... they were the king and queen of Aksa."

Both Hollin and Castol's jaws dropped, forming perfect 'O's. Hollin noticed as she lay down with the exact same looseness as before she changed and closed her eyes.

"What?" Elentiya said as she sat back up. "Stop staring at me like that! Is there something on my face?" She questioned as she walked to the mirror. She cursed and turned back to face Hollin and Castol. "What did I do?"

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Sorry, if you wanted more, but I thought it ended well there :)