Assassins
817 Words
Kontessa lay in her bed, almost afraid to fall asleep. She stared out the window at the stars and the waning moon, thinking that it would be winter soon. Perhaps she would make the girl a maidservant. Alexander told her to give her a job, but what good would an ex-princess do as a maidservant?
Then the door opened, and there stood the young woman wrapped in a bedsheet. She entered the room and placed the lamp she carried on the bedstand next to the bed. "My name is Ariana," she stated. "I was told you prefer women. I am Arianna Tolbrith, but my house is unimportant now. I am yours. Body and soul. Will you win my heart?" with that, she dropped the bedsheet and stood proud and naked.
*****
The following day, Kontessa saddled her mare before dawn herself and took off from the north gate. She rode hard along the coast for a day and a half before reaching Toyama's camp, where she sat surveying it on the hills overlooking it as the sun rose to noon. She sat there remembering Ariana's plea to return when she left two mornings ago. So Kontessa sat there and thought hard about the black-haired young woman of twenty, and she knew she had fallen for the girl. She knew she had fallen for her as a princess, as a young woman, and a freed captive eager to please.
She rode up as the crew of the Saki were going about their day's duties and found their leader, the Ronin Toyama sleeping by the cold fire clutching an empty jug of Saki to his chest.
"Get up; it's noon," she yelled, kicking his legs. "We have a quest to be about."
"What, what," he answered, bolting into a sitting position still clutching at the empty jug. "What do you want, demon. Go away."
“How fast can you get your ship ready to sail?”
"Tomorrow, tomorrow," he rolled over and went back to sleep, snoring loudly.
Kontessa gave up on the Ronin and walked up the sandy, grassy hill to see SunRue practicing her thrusts, strikes, and parries with her Bo staff. As the demon watched, she began to admire the warrior Geisha's fluidity, style, and grace. She admired the skill with which the Geisha moved and struck at the imaginary enemy.
“SunRue,” Kontessa called to the young Geisha when she took a break. “You’re getting quite good.”
“Thank you, yes the captain is really teaching me a great deal.” SunRue walked over and placed her staff on the pegged rack. “What brings you here?”
“A strange man came to me and told me that his master wanted me to go to Comea across the sea. He told me this, and I believe his master is a great person, but there was something about him, I don't… I don't know. I feel I must go."
“Comea,” a look of anxiety and fear came over her face. “Ronin are hunted there and a geisha that has picked up a weapon… Our lives will be in great danger.”
“Really,” answered Kontessa. “I really have no other way to get there. “My mission is secret, and I think I’m going to need both of you. Surely Toyama can handle some hunter.”
“Is my brother getting the ship ready?”
“No, he’s passed out drunk clutching an empty jug.”
“Well, we'll fix that."
*****
Toyama awoke sputtering, coughing, and yelling after the Geisha threw the bucket of water on his face. The crewmen bent over, laughing, and yelled at the Ronin as he jumped to his feet and drew his sword.
“Seeato ast kinochi," he yelled in his own language.
"My mother is not a pig," stated SunRue. "Sober up! We have work to do!" She then walked off and said something in her language as well.
“Why did you do that, demon? I was dreaming of a large woman I once knew.” He stood there soaked to the bone. He sheathed his sword and placed it on the log where he rested his head moments before. He stripped.
“Whoa, what are you doing?” She exclaimed, turning around to face the sea.
“Swimming,” He yelled as he ran past her, naked as the day he was born and singing some haughty song in his language.
The crew laughed and joined in.
Kontessa laughed and turned to start the fire.
Something caught her eye.
A flicker of movement.
She looked up.
Two men. Two crossbows.
Something pierced her armor and breast.
Again, something else pierced her opposite shoulder.
She felt blackness starting to fill her vision.
She fell to her knees and then her side.
She heard SunRue scream from so far away.
- Writer
