Daye (complete)

The Lycanthrope

    THE meeting spot for the exchange was the widow's own home. Decide arrived at the doorstep, and thunked three times on the iron lion's head knocker. The door opened with a slight creak, and a servant dressed in white ushered her in.

The interior of the house was just as Decide had expected it to be- the furniture was handcrafted and expensive, the upholstery exquisitely embroidered. Thick, plush carpets covered most of the hardwood floor, and bouquets of fresh flowers sat in vases around the living room. An old harpsichord sat in one corner, freshly dusted, but with a bit of an air of disuse. The sun came in bright through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the walls were patterned with old-fashioned wallpaper featuring colourful, painted flowers.

The widow herself sat on a suede loveseat, wearing the black clothes and veil of mourning. She glanced up quickly as the huntress entered, then stood and offered her a seat on a nearby armchair.

"Good morning, huntress," she welcomed in a quiet voice.

"Good morning, ma'am." Decide replied, inclining her head.

"You- have killed the vampyre?"

Decide nodded. The widow smiled, lifting the veil obscuring her face.

It was lined with years of worry, but she had clearly been a beautiful woman in her youth. Her blue eyes twinkled happily, and silver tears began to slide down her cheeks. She began to weep with joy, then wiped the wetness away with a white handkerchief.

"Thank you. Thank you so very much." she breathed.

"It was no trouble, ma'am. No trouble at all."

"May I see its heart?"

Surprised, Decide's eyes widened, but she reached into the pouch and pulled out a heart. She didn't remember which heart had belonged to which vampyre, but it didn't really matter. She held it up for the lady to see.

The widow sighed. "The heart of the beast that murdered my husband. Well, thank you for showing it to me. I suppose- you want the reward, now?" Decide returned the heart to its place, nodding.

The lady gestured at a butler who stood at attention, and he edged forward towards Decide, holding a cream-white envelope. Decide accepted it and carefully teared it open.

Then, she gasped- the envelope contained over a thousand pieces' worth of gold coins. It was way more than what had been promised at the beginning.

"A-are you sure you want to give this all to me?" Decide breathed.

"Please, take it. I have more money than I know what to do with. Besides, you need it much more than I." the lady smiled gently.

"You are too generous. Thank you." Decide bowed her head.

She placed the envelope full of money into her too-light coin purse, and, satisfied with the new weight, stood up.

"I must be on my way," she said, as way of excusing herself.

"Be safe, and good luck, huntress," the widow waved, "and once again, thank you!" a maid opened the front door as Decide exited into the bright sunlight of the afternoon.

    Her next destination was Cyule- the capital city of the kingdom of Eston. The city held many memories for her, not all of them pleasant. Cyule was where she'd been born, where she'd grown up. Cyule was where she'd lost her mother as a child, and where she'd been brought up by the King of Assassins himself as his protegee. She'd learned in Cyule; killed in Cyule; and now was finally returning after what... four years? Three years?