Blessed Charity and a Mistake

The night air, held an odd warmth, the faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air.. She felt it stir against her cheek, a sensation she could only remember in dreams since they had moved her from the ship.. She kept an almost undeniable urge to bolt upright in check, eyes held shut..

Something was strange, Fallashay couldn't remember much of what happened since the night She had been sommoned to dine with Galentine.. He had poisoned her... and from that point on there was nothing.. vague recolections of moving.. broken thoughts...

She was clad in something light, maybe a robe, or simple frock and judging from the flickering shadows against the lids of her eyes, there was a torch or some sort of fire light in the chamber.. Shadow felt the warmth of cushions beneathe her, as if she had lain there a long while covered by something that felt like satin.. 'A bed??'

Keen ears strained to catch the soft crackle of a fire, and only when she was certain that no other person was in the room, did she move.. Depthless blue eyes, tinged with red, fluttered open taking in the shadowed place.. It 'was' a bed,.. a silken canopey set with vales that cast a faint hue over her face within the hint of shadow. Goldworked frames sported paintings which hung on the walls, though it was too dim for anything to be made out in detail..

Some form of carpet covered the floor, swirling patterns set into its surface and ringed with a tassled fringe.. A small night stand, a water basin.. All those things paled in comparison to the welcomed sight of twin doors thrown wide, the stirring of the night's breeze setting the curtains to a soft sway.. Had Galentine become careless? It didn't make much sence, but then nothing had since she arrived..

Pushing up from the coverlet, Shadoweave slid her bare feet to the floor with a frown. White.. Why did they always seem to make nightclothes in a color that would stand out so much?.. She knew she might not have much time, and Shadoweave stood slowly letting the fabric drift past her knees..

A soft hiss escaped her lips as she caught the tell tale sound of motion beyond the room.. Her eyes wildly searched the gloom for something,.. anything that could be used as a weapon... She slid accross the room,.. gaze coming to rest upon the tools used to stoke the fire, and a cold smile came to her lips... Fallashay had her way out,.. but as long as Galentine was alive,.. he would know where to find her..

A soft scrape of metal upon metal sounded as her fingers tightened around the fire prod, it's point and hooked head heavy enough to shatter a man's skull. In the following moments she drifted into the shadows near to the door.. Fallashay would have to be quick,.. body tense as she forced a slow and even breath from her mouth.. If there were guards, she might be in trouble, but at this point death was more appealing than whatever half life she had been existing in...

No one spoke beyond the frame of the entrance,.. but she could hear the light footfalls of someone approaching.. Faint light flickered under the crack of the door, a soft click heard as the person on the other side turned a key in the lock...

Why lock the door only to leave a window open?.. the thought caused her to hesitate.. It didn't make any sense.. Everything Galentine had done, up until now, had been well thought out.. She had trouble believeing that he would overlook something so simple.. But then; maybe his pride had won out.. The clothes, the bed.. She could think of only one reason she would be in such a place. The fires of anger blistered up inside her, building untill she could barely see strait..

The door cracked,.. and quietly pushed inward. Shadoweave positioned herself on instinct as the candle light began to stretch into the chamber, its glow whispering along the floor.. Anger led her hand, the make-shift weapon rising abover her head, and when the first hint of a figure came into view, she came down with all her fury.. A sickening crack sounded.. the candle sputtering as it toppled to the floor...

She blinked sharply,.. stumbling backward from the fallen form.. a crimson pool welling up upon the hardwood floor soaking into the fiber of the carpet.. A blue long tunic lay happhazardly drapped over a crumpled frame,.. a withered hand still locked about the shattered remnants of a bowl.. and at the corpse's breast sat a golden madalion. It wasn't Galentine.. Trembling, her hand lowered as she backstepped another uneasy pace.. ,p> Kindly features remained peacefully set, the old man didn't know what had hit him,.. never even knew he was in danger... He seemed asleep to her,.. if she didn't consider the mishapen split that set the blood spilling through scraggly bits of white hair..

Beyond the door there were no guards... Ice filled her veins as she spun, fluid strides bringing her to the open window.. and the balconey beyond... Moonlight set the world below to silver.. and her mouth went dry.. Fallashay knew the streets beyond the simple stone wall that housed a plain garden.. The cough from below drew her gaze to the steps that led into the house.. Two guards dressed in gold and white shifted restlessly at their post..

"The guards of the council.." The words numbly tumbled from her lips in a sharp breath, anger stollen in a wash of guilt.. "No,.. the Guard's of the First seat.." Fallashay blinked tilting her gaze over one shoulder, eyes comming to rest on the fallen elder.. and the medallion... She had killed in the past,.. Killed on those streets below... but always she had been paid to take the life, and she had been choosey of her marks... "I've just killed the Chancellor.."

Another motion drew her attention, this one close against the garden wall concealed in the shadows.. She stepped back from the balconey.. The drop probably wouldn't kill her, but she didn't want to risk an injury slowing her down.. "Clothing.."

Hastey steps brought her to a standup black walnut wardrobe that stood below a shadowed painting.. She drew the doors wide, rifling though the deep colors of blue tunic's breeches.. Robes... Fallashay leaned the firepoker to the interior of the closet, gathering an armful of the clothing, before casting a worried glance to the open door.. Shadoweave tugged on a pair of the breeches tying them off before drawing one of the tunic's over her head swiftly belting it at the waist..

A small clank sent her spinning into a crouch. The sound had come from the balconey.. her gaze moved to the wardrobe's shadow, and the weapon in their confines... One pale hand slid over the handle as she rose, circling beyond the moonlight, to catch a better glimps of the night beyond the double doors.

A darkly clad figure looped one leg over the white stone rail,.. a gloved hand resting near to the clawed head of a grapple. The person moved purposefully, stepping just into the chamber, before freezing in place.. The intruder seemed more a sillohuette against the silver, a shadow from the night.. She the person had spotted the body,.. maybe even watched her as she watched it in kind..

Fallashay bolted up from the floor, lashing out at the being that stood between her and an easy escape.. Time was no doubt running out.. Someone would likely come to check on the poor old man soon.. The fire iron hissed through the air, as her opponant lurched back a step and turned spinning into the room barely evading her following over head strike..

A man's voice hissed into the gloom as the glint of metal betrayed a bared weapon.. "So,.. I should guess that you are not still asleep.. damn that Galentine.." She rushed forward half a step as he lifted the dagger sending it spinning toward her... The weapon, sang in as she shifted her weight letting it carry her into a tumbling roll for the balconey..

A heavy thud sounded and another as twin blades impacted with the wall and floor where she had last been..

"Get back here.."... Shadow heard the words on her heel. Rising, she flung the awkward weapon at her assailant's dark form followed by a low moan. She didn't bother to look back, sweeping both legs over the edge, before catching up a length of the rope he had used to scale the wall..

"GUARDS!,.. GUARDS!" A wicked smile played on her lips as she called out... a hissing curse sounding above before she dropped the rest of the distance to the grass of the lawn. The Alarm had been sent up, the lower levels of the house coming alive with a horrible commotion.. Shadoweave bolted for the shadow's along the wall,.. barely skipping a beat as she vaulted the barrier and scurried into the darkness of the nearest alley.. Free FREE,.. it felt good, even if she 'was' on the run... but then she had been most of her life...

The shadows were her companion once more, and Fallashay ran through the murk, into the most befouled sections of the city that she could remember.. Not a moment was spared, not even to catch her breath.. at least untill she found a quiet courtyard that used to serve as the old market square before she had been born.. A place that still knew the touch of men, but most of them were derilects.. from a bygone age... Thieves that had become beggars.. whores that had lost their beauty, and killers who had been driven over the edge...

She would have to get out tonight.. Fallashay knew she couldn't rest untill she was well at sea, but there was one last thing she would have to take care of.. The walls were his ears,.. the shadows his eyes.. The slums had become more Galentine's city than any other portion of this world.. It was quiet,.. amazingly so for this part of town.. especially at this time of night..

She moved through the crumbling buildings, remembering the distant nights when she used to watch the lights from the gambling den,.. or the rundown bars.. Had things changed so much.. Trent the Hand, used to lord over this bit of filth,.. She had heard tales of how he had gotten that name by taking the hand of an official that had ordered one of his own men to the block..., but it mattered little at the moment.. She expected to find huddling masses of the down and out.. old street hands,.. and at least a few of Trent's old crew out here, but nothing met her gaze save for an empty ruin...

Had Galentine finally finished off this last refuge?..

"Thought you might come here..." She turned sharply at the sound of his voice.. Galentine stood within the shadow of a single flat,.. the other half of the building had long fallen to rubble,.. his wheat colored hair swaying slightly in the breeze as he stood there watching her.. She didn't speak a word, lifting her head slowly, a black look in her eye.. Fallashay took a slow step toward him..

How could he have known?.. Unless he was the one who had broken into the chancellor's home..

"I don't need you any more.." He said off-handedly,.. an odd smile flickering over his lips.. "With Orlin out of the way... It will only be a matter of time..."

"Then why go through the trouble of following me here?.." He was still wearing his household's color.. the man she struggled with wore black... and If he wasn't the one in the Chancelor's manor,.. then how could he know that Orlin was dead?..

"Out of Habbit?.. The council knows of your blood,.. I can get what I want without it.. but I have invested much in finding you... and now.. I want a return on that investment.." His words confused her, still he played games... and she damned him silently. Another step brought her closer..

"What about my blood?.. and what makes you think I won't kill you.."

"You are high born.. plain and simple Fallashay,.. when I was much younger,.. I killed your family.. Following the footsteps of my brother when he slaughtered the other seven households.. The house of Trielane was set to take the blame." He cleared his throat, turning slightly, to pace half a step.. his boots ground upon the loose debris..

She felt certain she would have heard his approach.. was he just waiting here?.. how could he have known?.. Maybe more time had passed than she realized "Unlike my brother, I saw the importance of keeping at least one of the bloodlines alive.. I took you from your home.. turned you over to the care of a family friend, until it was time... Bal'Rith, found himself with his hands full,.. seems you had invented your own little world.. But I knew the truth..."

"You are a liar... I have always known that.. My family lived and died a simple life, leaving me and my sister to fend for ourselves.. Bal'Rith was good enough to show us around.." She spat,.. unconsciously taking yet another step closer..

"Believe what you want,.. it doesn't really matter at the moment anyway.. The entire council knows who you are.." His gaze was caught in the shadow,.. the slight glint of moonlight showing that he had locked onto her every motion..

"We can do this the easy way,.. or the Hard way,.. but make no mistake,.. I will get the possition with or without your help,.. and you will be in my possession untill you die.." He lifted his hand toward her, the distance not as far as she had thought, but still no where near striking.. "I offer you this chance only once,.. and then I will take what is mine.. I gave you your life.. I spared you... You always were mine.. Even your father couldn't stop that from happening.."

She stumbled, a flash of red meeting her gaze,.. liquid crimson.. a scent.. a familiar place.. Then it fell away.. replaced only by her undying hatred for this man.. It felt like a memory,.. but... It couldn't be...

"Take my hand.. and you will find that things are not as bad as they seem.. I am a reasonable man.. " He stretched his fingertips toward her... "Take it.."

She could see he was armed,.. a short light blade at his hip, with enough length to be more trouble for her than she cared for.. Only one thing held her thoughts at that moment,.. and it was to kill this man.. finish him off once and for all, even if she had to do it with her bare hands..

Fallashay closed the gap between them, her fingers tightening into the bawl of trembling fists at her side.. She could see his mild expression,.. there was no expectation in his emerald gaze.. If she could only get ahold of that sword... Hesitantly she lifted one hand.. fingers uncurling.. moving toward his own... Another step brought them nearly together,.. she could smell the perfume that scented his clothing..

The next moment was as if everything had come together perfectly.. in a flash, the hand at her side, gripped the hilt of his sword, the other knocking his extended hand away as she jumped back.. The weapon cleared the sheath with ease in that same movement.. blade gleaming with the refelctions of moonlight...

She struck out at him with a rush of wind,.. the sword cleaving into his shoulder as he twisted away... Blood marred the shimmering finish as thin trails rand hot down the edge of the steel.. Shadoweave bore in on him, sending the tip into a thrust for Galentine's heart, but the strike never landed... Searing pain wound through her as an impact sent her reeling left,.. all feeling fleeing her fingers...

The shivering shaft of an arrow portruded from her back.. lodged deep into her shoulderblade... Galentine straitened as she faultered,.. her eyes meeting his.. and he shook his head.. "You should have taken my hand..."

A howl escaped her lips,.. as she felt the stirrings of that strange drug... a haze slowly coming to the front of her mind.. "Not yet Damn you... Not Yet..!",.. Blindly, before she lost all hope of finishing him off, Shadoweave pushed forward swinging in a wild ark toward the blurring form that was Galentine..

He must have moved as she staggered past,.. the impact of a fist striking across her cheek nearly sending her to her knees.. She spun loosing her balance as the sword slashed upward. A splash of hot liquid, hit her face.. followed by a growl of pain... The world was quickly losing focus..

A hand caught her wrist tightly, almost absently she shoved the blade forward meeting resistance... The grip went slack on her arm, and a garbled cry fell to nearly a silent gurgle... Fallashay stumbled as the sword fell from her grasp.. Fallashay felt alone.. still fighting to keep her wits about her... The sounds of the dying man grew faint..

Another arrow hissed past her in the dark, and staggering, she nearly toppled once more before catching the cold moss covered stone of a nearby wall for support... The pain she had felt floated away.. and with it so did she. The dream had come again, and she knew fear once more.. Move to stay alive.. move to live... it was all she knew.. All that mattered