It took the girl another several hours to fall asleep. She had nodded off twice, head bobbing over her book, before she finally put her things away and laid down.

Dagger had watched as she'd looked around several times, almost certainly looking for him. He kept himself hidden, waiting until she had given up and gone to sleep to enter the clearing. By the time the princess had finally laid down, it was well into the day, the sun beginning to bear down on them.

He set down his pack, pulling out the maps and putting them in the inner pocket of his cloak. He also removed a knife in a worn leather sheath and tucked it in with the maps. Next, he forced himself to eat a few bites of dried meat and swallow some water, his mind on the task ahead. Wait another hour or so, till the sun was nearly at its peak. Then shadow step to Harlouve, find the inn. Find Bernerdo Queltian, kill him.

It normally wouldn't matter if he killed someone in front of others. His notoriety was already well known in the Capital, and Queen Morella had never found an adequate way to get rid of him, so he was given a wide berth by everyone. Farther out in Raizakar, however, Dagger needed to be more careful.

Not because he would get caught; because he didn't want to inflict unnecessary death.

But today it was even more important to remain stealthy and discreet. After all, the queen insisted they would be followed by the mysterious faction from Lysima. And while Dagger had yet to sense anyone following them, he couldn't help but feel...unsettled. He had even extended the reach of his magic, at risk of the ire of the Beast, to no avail.

He would just have to be quick, Dagger told himself. Bernardo was a man of luxury and one of his known habits was to take an extended and lavish lunch. Dagger had been to the inn before and remembered the layout well enough. During his meal, he would kill the man. Unfortunately, any witnesses would also need to be taken care of. While Dagger hoped that there would be no one dining with Mr. Queltian today, the Beast relished a chance to take another life, the bloodlust rising.

Afterwards, he would return to As'rya, immediately scouting the area. And hopefully, that would be it.

He shoved away the uncomfortable nagging sensation in the back of his mind.

Rising to his feet, Dagger closed up his pack and put it to the side, leaving it in the grass. With one last look at the sleeping princess, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and set out towards Harlouve, the Beast beginning to roar in anticipation.

The distance to Harlouve was a bit too far for him to shadow step with accuracy, so he began to close the distance on foot. Using the shadows, he stretched his senses around both the area in front and behind him, guarding the clearing and scouting ahead. Using his curse so much made the Beast louder, the roar rising in his ears. He knew the monster would be quelled soon enough, though, and instead let the rage lend him its strength. His steps grew faster, less careful; despite the daylight, shadows swirled with each step.

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Kill them, kill them all, miniscule useless creatures, the Beast seemed to hiss, bloodlust and fury battling for dominance.

Despite all this, Dagger kept ahold of himself. He wouldn't let the Beast take over, keeping it at bay, even as it seemed to scream in his mind. His body felt hot, blood coursing like a raging river; his vision was both hazy yet crystal clear. He wasn't seeing, so much as feeling his environment through the shadows around him.

Approaching the point where he could shadow step to his prey, Dagger pulled out the knife and sheath, gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white. Shadows distorted the ground beneath the cloaked man and a moment later, he seemed to fall through the shadows below and out of the forest.

Dagger knew he was on a clock, but his timeline of the princess fell second to his current need to kill. Reappearing in the shadows within the inn, he weaved the shadows tightly around himself, invisible within the inky black. He stood in the corner of his prey's office, not so much as breathing as he watched the man.

Bernardo was currently tucking into a whole roast duck, several other trays of steaming delicacies loaded on his large desk. Using the darkness to sense any other people, Dagger confirmed that the man was alone. He could sense one servant outside the door and one servant in the study next door.

Dagger was struggling to hold the Beast back at this point. It bared its fangs, insisting to rush forth and kill everyone within the residence. His body felt both boiling hot and icy cold at the same time. Fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt of the knife, he could sense the shadows coalescing and writhing around him. Ration and reason were shoved to the furthermost corner of his mind.

This man was evil. This man deserved to die. Needed to die. He let the rage take over as he moved towards the man in the chair.

Bernardo had just taken a huge bite when Dagger appeared behind him, knife in hand. With practiced hands, he removed the sheath of his weapon and in one swift motion, plunged it sideways into the man’s throat.

The man gave a coughing gag, his mouth too full to scream. Blood began dribbling out around the silver blade, splatters staining the food on the table crimson. Yanking the weapon free, Dagger stepped back as the man collapsed forward, grabbing at his neck desperately. With the blade gone, blood began to pool in the man’s windpipe and he gurgled out a strange animalistic sound. Bernardo knocked several hot plates to the floor, their contents steaming as it hit the ground. Dagger didn't wait around, disappearing just as the plates shattered.

*****

Reappearing in the dappled forest, Dagger collapsed to his knees, coming back to his senses and reconciling with what he had done. He stared blankly at the foliage, watching the moment replay out again and again in his mind. He felt the resistance of the knife, how much force he'd needed to use. He smelled the hot copper of the blood spurting from the man's throat. The knife dropped from his hand, landing heavily on the forest floor.

After a moment, Dagger clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. What was done was done. Bernardo had been an evil person. He told himself this several times, even as the shame and guilt washed over him in waves.

It was him that was evil. It was him that couldn't stop himself from killing.

It was him that deserved to be dead.

Even so, he stood up, grabbing the knife and cleaning it with several leaves. Sheathing it once again, it was only then that he really remembered the princess.

The Beast was satiated, not silent but like a sleeping animal. Dagger would be free to use his power for several days, as long as he didn't overexert himself, before feeling the call to kill once more.

Stretching out his shadow sense as he began to hike back to the camp, the man immediately realized something was wrong. The wildlife in the area was hiding. A moment later, when he reached out to the shadows at the camp, his blood ran cold.

Five cloaked figures were scattered around the clearing, approaching the princess.