The Assassin’s Gate
Prelude
Moonlight washed over the hillside, casting heavy shadows on the forest below. Cold gripped the Sentries like an icy claw. Snow covered everything, glittering faintly under the full moon. Nothing broke the silence except for the Sentry’s shallow, rasping breath. Their shift was nearly over now, and he would like nothing better than to be back inside the town’s walls, back in the Tavern for a nice drink before heading home. Besides, he’d acted as Sentry for a couple months now, and nothing had ever happened yet. He was sure that whatever stories there were about wild animals stealing the stock animals, and even attacking some settlers, were all just that. Stories. Besides, even if the stories were true the wild animals would never come near their town. Just couldn’t happen. But, until the Town Mayor got some sense knocked into his thick skull he and Miguel were stuck until the next watch came to relieve them.
And until the next shift came there was no harm in a friendly card game or two.
“Double two’s,” Miguel placed the worn cards face-up on the table. He sighed, his breath coming out in a wispy cloud. “So… About those rumors…”
“Which ones?” Adrien glanced through his cards for a double, pulled out the pair of cards, and laid them over Miguel’s. “There are lots of rumors running around these days. Double fives.”
Miguel glanced up at Adrien, raising a brow. “You know… About Solis and Luna going head to head. Something like that hasn’t happened in nigh a Century, no, not since the last Great War!” He glanced down at his cards and pulled out another double. “Double six.”
“Ah, you’re not worried about that, are you? Rumors are just rumors, and that’s all. You’re a fool if you think we’d go to War with Luna over some Border scuffle or whatever it was,” Adrien laid down another pair of cards before looking back up at him. “So what do you suppose even started that fight anyways?” It would be interesting to see what his friend thought up this time.
“Well, my bet is that someone important from Terra no Luna was traveling somewhere, and they insulted someone important or someone important insulted them. They ended up in Duel, someone broke the Rules of Challenge, and someone ended up dead.”
Adrien stared at the grinning idiot for a moment or two, and shook his head with disbelief, his white hair brushing against his chin. “What a wild imagination you have, my friend. Did you come up with that yourself?”
“Well do you have a better idea?” Miguel threw up his hands, card game forgotten. “I’m just trying to make some sense out of all this. Anyways-“ Miguel cut himself off. A branch snapped down below. “Oi, did you hear that?” Miguel stood, looking out over the battlements.
Adrien, of course, thought nothing of the sound at all. “It’s probably just some squirrel running about, Miguel. They do exist, you know.” Adrien went about picking up the cards that Miguel had tossed up so that he could reshuffle the deck. “So are you playing, or what?”
“No, no, it’s something else, Adrien.” Adrien shook his head, chuckling under his breath. Miguel could be such an easy mark at times… Tell him Jimmy was trapped in a well and he'd go running without a thought. Besides, nothing ever happened down here. “Oi, get over here!” Oh dear. Miguel sounded impatient.
Adrien pushed himself onto his feet, unconcerned. “Well, what’s got you all jittery?” Miguel smacked the back of his head and pointed down into the forest below. “What? Leafless, white, and cold, just like any other Winter.” Adrien rolled his eyes, but did actually look. Maybe they’d get a raise if something exciting happened.
…Wait. Maybe Miguel was actually onto something.
Something was moving down in the shadowed forest. It couldn’t be a wild-cat. They lived down South, in warmer lands. No… This was… It was more of a Human shape, but what would a person be doing out this late? And such a little person… A kid? The kid seemed to stumble a little, and fell just on the fringe of the forest. It didn’t move again.
“Come on,” Adrien looked over at Miguel, shocked. Miguel rolled his dark eyes, grabbing his shoulder. “We have to go check it out.”
“What? No way. The next Watch will be out here in a minute. Let them handle this.” Of course, his complaints went unheard and Miguel dragged him down to the slope anyways. It only took a few minutes to run down the steps of the battlements and race through the gates to get down to where the kid had fallen, face down in the snow. Miguel crouched down beside the kid, turning it over… It looked like a little girl, with short, brownish-red hair and fair skin that shone blue in the moonlight. Her clothes, which must have been fancy and expensive at one point, were now ragged and torn. There were scratches and bruises all along her arms, and dried blood ran down the side of her pretty face. She was still breathing, which was a good sign, but she was in real bad shape…
“We have to get her to the Medic.” Miguel lifted the girl into his arms and hurried back up to town. There could be no argument over this. Not with Miguel. Besides, Adrien was too preoccupied with his own questions to complain.
Who was this girl?
Why was she alone?
And how did she get in this shape in the first place?
Dr. Molohov was a bit… Perplexed. He’d been woken suddenly by two men on Sentry Duty that night, one of them carrying a young girl, and begged him to examine her immediately. Now, how they came by this girl and how she'd gotten her wounds he did not know, and he wouldn’t ask. It wasn’t his job to know why things happened anyways. It was his job to fix those things, but this one… Dr. Molohov sighed and rubbed his temple. It wasn’t too uncommon for people with the flu or a broken limb to step into his office, but this problem was a bit more… Unique.
The two Sentries waited in the hall outside the examination room, muttering to each other in low voices. They glanced up expectantly, though, when Dr. Molohov stepped out into the hall. The Doctor sighed again and folded his arms, wondering how he could put this…
“Well?” The one with white hair raised a brow at him, while the dark-eyed one just looked anxious.
“Well, her body seems to be alright. Her wounds should heal up within the week, with the proper care.” Dr. Molohov’s voice was a little dry, given how late it was.
“Then what’s the problem?” The white-haired man scowled at him, seeming quite irritable. “What’s with the dark expression there?”
The Doctor ran a hand through his long dark hair. “Well… It’s like this, see. Somewhere along the way the girl suffered a blow to the back of her head, causing a small concussion. Usually, this would heal up quite well, even if there was a little brain-damage, but with the girl being so young…” Dr. Molohov shook his head, “The blow landed on the section of the brain that stores and regulates memory. There is a possibility that there wouldn’t be any side-effects, but most likely this girl will have some memory problems. Problems that we can’t help her with, like Amnesia or short-term memory loss. She may steadily gain back her memory with the Amnesia, but it's just as likely that she might never recover.”
There was a small silence, and the Sentries shifted uneasily. Finally the dark-eyed one spoke up, sounding as tired as he looked. “The girl’s alone. What will we do if she can’t remember who her folks are?”
The white man shrugged, “Wait around a while to see if they show up. Post ‘Lost Child’ Posters in the neighboring towns… And if that doesn’t work we can always send her to the Academy.”
The dark-haired man turned to the other Sentry, outraged. “We can’t do that! Do you even know what they say about that place, Adrien?!”
“Yeah. It’s a school that makes geniuses outta orphans, and gives the kids free room and board. Sounds great to me, and it’s not like any of us can actually keep her.” Adrien shrugged, unconcerned. “You and your rumors, Miguel. You’re just as bad as the women.”
Miguel scowled at him, mystified and infuriated by his stupidity. “That places makes Human Weapons, you dolt! It strips kids of their Childhood, turning them into-“
“Now, hold it right there!” Adrien cut him off, folding his arms over his chest, “Now what would Terra no Solis need with ‘Human Weapons?’ We’re a peaceful Empire, I’ll have you know, no matter what the rumors say. Or maybe you’re just jealous because you didn’t get to go?”
“Now, now, boys,” Dr. Molohov stepped in before Miguel could retort. He didn’t want a fight breaking out in his own office. Fights usually meant that something got broken, be it bones or vases. This was a place of Healing, not of violence. “Just give it a month or so and we’ll see. There’s a good chance that the girl’s parents will come for her. If not there might be someone in town who will adopt her. We’ll just have wait and see…”
Prelude
Moonlight washed over the hillside, casting heavy shadows on the forest below. Cold gripped the Sentries like an icy claw. Snow covered everything, glittering faintly under the full moon. Nothing broke the silence except for the Sentry’s shallow, rasping breath. Their shift was nearly over now, and he would like nothing better than to be back inside the town’s walls, back in the Tavern for a nice drink before heading home. Besides, he’d acted as Sentry for a couple months now, and nothing had ever happened yet. He was sure that whatever stories there were about wild animals stealing the stock animals, and even attacking some settlers, were all just that. Stories. Besides, even if the stories were true the wild animals would never come near their town. Just couldn’t happen. But, until the Town Mayor got some sense knocked into his thick skull he and Miguel were stuck until the next watch came to relieve them.
And until the next shift came there was no harm in a friendly card game or two.
“Double two’s,” Miguel placed the worn cards face-up on the table. He sighed, his breath coming out in a wispy cloud. “So… About those rumors…”
“Which ones?” Adrien glanced through his cards for a double, pulled out the pair of cards, and laid them over Miguel’s. “There are lots of rumors running around these days. Double fives.”
Miguel glanced up at Adrien, raising a brow. “You know… About Solis and Luna going head to head. Something like that hasn’t happened in nigh a Century, no, not since the last Great War!” He glanced down at his cards and pulled out another double. “Double six.”
“Ah, you’re not worried about that, are you? Rumors are just rumors, and that’s all. You’re a fool if you think we’d go to War with Luna over some Border scuffle or whatever it was,” Adrien laid down another pair of cards before looking back up at him. “So what do you suppose even started that fight anyways?” It would be interesting to see what his friend thought up this time.
“Well, my bet is that someone important from Terra no Luna was traveling somewhere, and they insulted someone important or someone important insulted them. They ended up in Duel, someone broke the Rules of Challenge, and someone ended up dead.”
Adrien stared at the grinning idiot for a moment or two, and shook his head with disbelief, his white hair brushing against his chin. “What a wild imagination you have, my friend. Did you come up with that yourself?”
“Well do you have a better idea?” Miguel threw up his hands, card game forgotten. “I’m just trying to make some sense out of all this. Anyways-“ Miguel cut himself off. A branch snapped down below. “Oi, did you hear that?” Miguel stood, looking out over the battlements.
Adrien, of course, thought nothing of the sound at all. “It’s probably just some squirrel running about, Miguel. They do exist, you know.” Adrien went about picking up the cards that Miguel had tossed up so that he could reshuffle the deck. “So are you playing, or what?”
“No, no, it’s something else, Adrien.” Adrien shook his head, chuckling under his breath. Miguel could be such an easy mark at times… Tell him Jimmy was trapped in a well and he'd go running without a thought. Besides, nothing ever happened down here. “Oi, get over here!” Oh dear. Miguel sounded impatient.
Adrien pushed himself onto his feet, unconcerned. “Well, what’s got you all jittery?” Miguel smacked the back of his head and pointed down into the forest below. “What? Leafless, white, and cold, just like any other Winter.” Adrien rolled his eyes, but did actually look. Maybe they’d get a raise if something exciting happened.
…Wait. Maybe Miguel was actually onto something.
Something was moving down in the shadowed forest. It couldn’t be a wild-cat. They lived down South, in warmer lands. No… This was… It was more of a Human shape, but what would a person be doing out this late? And such a little person… A kid? The kid seemed to stumble a little, and fell just on the fringe of the forest. It didn’t move again.
“Come on,” Adrien looked over at Miguel, shocked. Miguel rolled his dark eyes, grabbing his shoulder. “We have to go check it out.”
“What? No way. The next Watch will be out here in a minute. Let them handle this.” Of course, his complaints went unheard and Miguel dragged him down to the slope anyways. It only took a few minutes to run down the steps of the battlements and race through the gates to get down to where the kid had fallen, face down in the snow. Miguel crouched down beside the kid, turning it over… It looked like a little girl, with short, brownish-red hair and fair skin that shone blue in the moonlight. Her clothes, which must have been fancy and expensive at one point, were now ragged and torn. There were scratches and bruises all along her arms, and dried blood ran down the side of her pretty face. She was still breathing, which was a good sign, but she was in real bad shape…
“We have to get her to the Medic.” Miguel lifted the girl into his arms and hurried back up to town. There could be no argument over this. Not with Miguel. Besides, Adrien was too preoccupied with his own questions to complain.
Who was this girl?
Why was she alone?
And how did she get in this shape in the first place?
Dr. Molohov was a bit… Perplexed. He’d been woken suddenly by two men on Sentry Duty that night, one of them carrying a young girl, and begged him to examine her immediately. Now, how they came by this girl and how she'd gotten her wounds he did not know, and he wouldn’t ask. It wasn’t his job to know why things happened anyways. It was his job to fix those things, but this one… Dr. Molohov sighed and rubbed his temple. It wasn’t too uncommon for people with the flu or a broken limb to step into his office, but this problem was a bit more… Unique.
The two Sentries waited in the hall outside the examination room, muttering to each other in low voices. They glanced up expectantly, though, when Dr. Molohov stepped out into the hall. The Doctor sighed again and folded his arms, wondering how he could put this…
“Well?” The one with white hair raised a brow at him, while the dark-eyed one just looked anxious.
“Well, her body seems to be alright. Her wounds should heal up within the week, with the proper care.” Dr. Molohov’s voice was a little dry, given how late it was.
“Then what’s the problem?” The white-haired man scowled at him, seeming quite irritable. “What’s with the dark expression there?”
The Doctor ran a hand through his long dark hair. “Well… It’s like this, see. Somewhere along the way the girl suffered a blow to the back of her head, causing a small concussion. Usually, this would heal up quite well, even if there was a little brain-damage, but with the girl being so young…” Dr. Molohov shook his head, “The blow landed on the section of the brain that stores and regulates memory. There is a possibility that there wouldn’t be any side-effects, but most likely this girl will have some memory problems. Problems that we can’t help her with, like Amnesia or short-term memory loss. She may steadily gain back her memory with the Amnesia, but it's just as likely that she might never recover.”
There was a small silence, and the Sentries shifted uneasily. Finally the dark-eyed one spoke up, sounding as tired as he looked. “The girl’s alone. What will we do if she can’t remember who her folks are?”
The white man shrugged, “Wait around a while to see if they show up. Post ‘Lost Child’ Posters in the neighboring towns… And if that doesn’t work we can always send her to the Academy.”
The dark-haired man turned to the other Sentry, outraged. “We can’t do that! Do you even know what they say about that place, Adrien?!”
“Yeah. It’s a school that makes geniuses outta orphans, and gives the kids free room and board. Sounds great to me, and it’s not like any of us can actually keep her.” Adrien shrugged, unconcerned. “You and your rumors, Miguel. You’re just as bad as the women.”
Miguel scowled at him, mystified and infuriated by his stupidity. “That places makes Human Weapons, you dolt! It strips kids of their Childhood, turning them into-“
“Now, hold it right there!” Adrien cut him off, folding his arms over his chest, “Now what would Terra no Solis need with ‘Human Weapons?’ We’re a peaceful Empire, I’ll have you know, no matter what the rumors say. Or maybe you’re just jealous because you didn’t get to go?”
“Now, now, boys,” Dr. Molohov stepped in before Miguel could retort. He didn’t want a fight breaking out in his own office. Fights usually meant that something got broken, be it bones or vases. This was a place of Healing, not of violence. “Just give it a month or so and we’ll see. There’s a good chance that the girl’s parents will come for her. If not there might be someone in town who will adopt her. We’ll just have wait and see…”
