“Probably. Is the food good enough to risk getting pulled in? We don’t know how the local laws treat brawls,” Avery said, speaking in hushed tones.

“Hm,” Elijah said, glancing at the door. “She looked wealthy. We happen to be a bit low on cash. Should we beat the thugs at their own game?”

Avery cocked her head. “Our coffers could use some padding. I doubt any of them would offer us any real resistance, but it could be troublesome if the town interferes.”

“Yeah, and I’m itching to test out my new abilities,” Elijah said. “We can reassess the situation after the idiots have been dealt with.”

“Help yourself,” Avery said. “I’ll watch with Witch’s Eye to see if you need any help.If you do, I’ll come to your rescue.”

“Like I’d ever need you to rescue me,” Elijah replied, rolling his eyes.

“Sure,” Avery scoffed.

Elijah rose to his feet, giving Maura a quick nod as he confidently swept out of the building. Behind him, Avery cupped her hands and started to cast Witch’s Eye.

He closed the door behind him, scanning the darkening town streets surrounding him. The town had gone silent, and there was nobody in sight other than the young stableboy. The horse was no longer there behind him.

Elijah strode up to the boy and squatted in front of him.

“Hey, kid. You see anyone come by recently? My friend just left the tavern but she forgot something, so I’m trying to give it back to her. She’s pretty hard to miss - big fancy hat, expensive book, and a bright red coat.

The boy gave him a slight nod. “She just picked up her horse and headed for the road, sir.”

“Thanks, bud,” Elijah said, rising to his feet and striding down the alley. As he walked, he kept his eyes on the ground.

It was dark, but it didn’t take his trained eyes long to make out the recessed ground from a horse’s hooves. They were headed southeast, towards a part of town unfamiliar to him, and had been slightly obscured by several heavy bootprints, but he was still able to follow them with ease.

He first heard the signs of a scuffle as he reached the outskirts of the quaint town. They were muted, as if they were coming from underwater. A small frown crossed his face. He slipped a corner, keeping to the shadows of a short wall.

A neigh caught his attention. The horse from the stables stood a short distance away from him, right in front of a large alley made up by a farmhouse and the wall of the city. Elijah’s eyes narrowed and he swept towards it without a sound.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The horse watched him with wide eyes and shuffled from foot to foot. He ignored it, drawing his dagger and entering the alleyway while keeping in the shadows.

The muted gurgling grew louder. He turned the corner. The girl from the inn was on her knees, her head encapsulated in a sphere of water. Her eyes were wide and her hands clawed desperately at her throat as she tried to breathe.

Her belongings were scattered on the ground beside her, and the three men were digging through them, mumbling amongst themselves. The girl’s eyes widened as she spotted Elijah, but she couldn’t have alerted the men, even if she wanted to.

Elijah activated the infusion spell on his dagger. It lit up a dull, cherry red. The smile faded from the assassin’s face. His eyes went cold and his stance shifted as he activated Shadow Step.

He’d gotten a lot of practice with the spell in the forest. Elijah rose up in the shadows only an arm’s length away from the men. He stepped forward, violently kicking one of the men in the stomach.

He doubled over as all the air left his lungs in a pained grunt. Before the man could say anything, Elijah drove the dagger up through the underside of his jaw and into his mouth. The man slumped wordlessly as Elijah ripped the weapon free.

The bubble surrounding the girl’s head popped, splashing to the ground. She drew in a ragged gasp as the other two men spun reaching for their weapons.

“Who are you?” One of them asked, not looking particularly concerned about the death of his comrade.

Elijah didn’t respond. He slipped forward, knocking the first man’s sword out of the way and threw his body into the other man’s, driving his blade into his stomach as they fell. As they hit the ground, the assassin used the momentum to shift into a roll, ripping the blade free and rising to his feet.

The last thug backed away, sweat trickling down his forehead.

“S-stop! I’ll call for the town guard!” the thug warned him, stopping as his back hit the town wall.

Elijah took a step towards him. His opponent swallowed, then let out a defiant scream and charged towards Elijah, a flicker of red energy twisting out from his chest and enveloping him like glowing veins.

Elijah took a step back to observe the man, trying to gather as much information on this strange ability as he could. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time. The man was practically upon him. As the thugs' weapon came crashing down towards Elijah, the assassin activated Shadow Step, slipping away at the last second.

He reappeared from the darkness behind the last remaining thug and slammed his blade into the man’s lower back. He ripped it free as the man spun with surprising strength, his eyes burning with rage.

“You’ll pay fo-”

Elijah’s blade plunged into the man’s neck, cutting his last words off. The final thug crumpled to the ground, the veins receding back into his chest. Elijah glanced down at his dagger, but the fire infusion had left it remarkably clean by cauterizing the wounds as soon as he caused them.

He turned to the girl, the dagger still in his hand. Then he tilted his head. Voices and footsteps on the other side of the wall were growing closer to their position.

Elijah pressed his lips together for an instant before returning his dagger to his side and stepping towards the prone girl, his hands splayed out before him.

“You okay, miss?” He asked. “I saw those thugs follow you out of the tavern, and I thought they might be up to no good.”