Heir to the Empire

31. Assassin - Ethelston

There was a chuckle from the assassin "Ethelston Darke, Duke of Ravenscourt, the Black Knife Syndicate send their regards."

Moving away from the bed, Ethelston winced as his naked feet slapped the stone of the floor instantly giving away his position. The assassin, despite his injury, launched his way to the sound, slicing with his daggers at where he expected Ethelston to be. Hearing the sound of the knife piercing the air, Ethelston quickly pounced back, not before he felt the blade slice through his torso.

As he evaded the next few attacks, Ethelston reached down to the burning sensation in his abdomen, only to be greeted with the cool trickle of liquid that stuck to his fingers.

Recalling his position in the room, Ethelston moved towards where he knew a rug was on the ground. As it muffled his steps he listened intently for the sound of slippers, clothes or breathing but aware that the assailant was also doing the same.

Hearing a small shuffle, Ethelston instantly raised his knife and blindly launched it in the direction of the sound. The thud and grunt of the target were enough for Ethelston to pounce, catapulting himself at the assassin and knocking him to the ground.

Thumbling to find the assailants hands, Ethelston pinned one down with his leg, before grabbing his second and pulling it back until the sound of a crack echoed throughout the room.

A piercing scream burst from the assassin's lips but was quickly drowned out as Ethelston repeatedly punched him furiously. With every attempt to free himself, the assassin was greeted by an even harder barrage of fists, but eventually, he managed to twist his torso away from Ethelston's grip.

There was no way that Ethelston was going to miss this advantage, and as the assassin wiggled free, Ethelston placed his arm around the assassin's neck, holding it as tight as he could.

Despite feeling the pain of a blade entering his arm, the adrenaline made Ethelston's grip much tighter than before and it wasn't long before the assassin was limp and sleeping soundly on the floor.

Pushing himself up, Ethelston wiped the sweat away that had found its way onto his face. "GUARDS!" he shouted, with no response.

Walking his way to the door, he pulled it wide open expecting to see two soldiers standing guard, instead, he was greeted by a chambermaid who instantly dropped her bowl of water at the view of Ethelston's nakedness and blood-stained body.

"Find me Jarendrud and Arminell immediately, " he grunted, wiping away a strand of sweat fueled hair. Seeing that the woman was only staring at his manhood, stunned by how the Duke of Ravenscourt just stood there unimpeded, he slammed his fist on the door with anger "NOW!"

Instantly she curtsied and ran down the corridor, leaving the mess she created and the naked, angry Ethelston.

Looking back into the room, the glimmer of corridor light showed his assailant lying prostrate on the floor. Ethelston just hoped he hadn't killed him, because his role was far from finished.

***

The mood of the city guard as they stood in formation at the barracks, was sombre. Ethelston had instructed Arminell to call everyone to their post just a few hours after the assassination attempt. As each of the soldiers placed on their armour and grabbed their weapons to trudge out onto the barracks courtyard, the conversations felt heavy and unenthusiastic.

They had lost some of their own, and now their lord had suffered an attempt on life. Morale could not be much lower.

The ranks were evenly spaced, their halberds were raised high, but it meant little as Ethelston stormed into the courtyard with Arminell and Jarendrud flanking him.

Ethelston's eyes were dark, the lack of sleep had edged its way onto his face, he held his abdomen gingerly, but his walk was determined, a posture committed, his anger was obvious.

He had taken the time to dress up in his black leather armour with his two swords strapped to his back and as he stormed past the rows of soldiers, eyes started to glare in his direction.

Standing at the head of the small army, Ethelston turned and faced them, ready to address each and every one of them. The sun glowed on his face, but nothing glowed back, all that could be seen was the snarl of his rage.

"This transition from my uncle as Lord of Ravenscourt to myself has not been an easy one. As a result of the disarray and chaos that he has allowed since he forced my father from his position, we find ourselves in a somewhat difficult situation. We have lost colleagues and friends, those who swore to protect Ravenscourt were brutally murdered, and last night an attempt was made to add me to that list."

He sighed before placing his hands behind his back. He felt on edge, not helped by the pain that throbbed in his arm and abdomen, and as a result, was compelled to march in between the ranks of the soldiers.

Walking between the soldiers, he knew all eyes were on him, some were concerned, some were frustrated, but all were about to learn something about their liege lord today.

"I am not concerned by an assassination attempt, " smiled Ethelston, "this is not my first, it will undoubtedly not be my last. What concerns me was that people in this very square took it upon themselves to allow it to happen. That sworn soldiers chose to derelict their duty in order for this attempt to take place."

Ethelston returned to the front of the parade to make sure that everyone could see him. "I am not just some noble, " he yelled, "I am the Manticore Hunter, I slew the unkillable beast in the Sea of Sorrows, I survived the siege of Bleufontaine, I was there at the massacre of Drethenfort, I am one of the most feared knights in all the realms of men." He thumped his chest ferociously, ignoring the pain that reverberated around his body.

As he watched the eyes focusing on his actions, as he examined them listening to each of his words, he could see that each sentence spoken carried a tremendous weight that stuck deep in their hearts.

"If you do not respect me, " a passionate shout escaped his mouth, "then I will make sure you that fear me. Bring him out!"

As on cue, the assassin was dragged into the courtyard for all to see, however, given the nature of the torture he received since his failed attempt, it was impossible to recognise his facial features. His face was bruised and puffed up and had turned multiple shades of blue and purple. His right eye was closed shut, his left was barely visible and his lip was cracked and bleeding. Every time he attempted to stand, his knees buckled causing his captors to increase their aggression towards him, making him grunt painfully as they applied pressure on his broken wrist.

Pushed to the ground in front of Ethelston, the assassin attempted to stand once more before his knees buckled causing him to fall prostrate in front of the Duke of Ravenscourt.

Ethelston examined the eyes of the soldiers around him, and as expected, some were indeed anxious.

"Each of you swore an oath, not to me, not to my uncle, but to Ravenscourt and it's people, " he shouted "the Black Knife Syndicate do not represent the people. Some of you deem it necessary to share your loyalty or increase your coffers by performing duties set by the Syndicate. As of today, it will happen no more. Do not think I am without mercy, if you reveal your split loyalty to me, I will show leniency. If you do not, you will share this man's fate."

With one swift motion, Ethelston placed the man's head in his hand, released the knife from his boot and sliced his neck cleanly and quickly. As the pool of blood oozed to the floor, Ethelston pushed the body away watching as the man struggled to breathe or swallow. As the assassin's gentle struggle came to a close, Ethelston's darkened eyes returned their gaze on the courtyard of soldiers.

"As we speak, the two men who refused to perform their duty are providing me with names of others within your ranks who receive a coin from the Black Knife Syndicate. If your name comes up, you will have until sundown to confess to me or expect your blood to mix with this assassin." he said, pointing at the corpse lying in its own blood.

Without hesitation, Ethelston boldly walked directly through the ranks of soldiers, desperately trying to not show the intense pain coursing through his body. As he was about to exit the courtyard he turned to Jarendrud and shouted the order, "Raise the body up in the courtyard for all to see, make sure they all know what happens when they cross the Manticore Hunter."