Ascardia

Chapter Four: The Shadow of Ash

Enoch sat in the tallest tree above the Bandit Trail. He was waiting for his Intended. A man named Gustav Mavis. Apparently, he stole a woman's dowry and skipped the altar. Enoch hated men like that. Breaking a woman's heart was the cruelest thing a man could do. And Enoch was angry because the woman happened to be his baby sister. Emma had written him, and Dox had hired him to kill Mavis and bring the money back to Oxland where he and Emma resided so they could visit Enoch.

Bored, Enoch retrieved his book and wrote. He had a dream about the girl again. The one with midnight black hair, and amethyst gems for eyes. He wanted to know her. He wanted to know why he dreamed of her. He needed to know her name.

Horses on the rocky terrain alerted him to his target's arrival. He cloaked himself into the Shadows and dropped onto the carriage roof. He was silent, the boots he wore didn't even make a thump as he landed. He drew his dagger and entered the carriage through the glassless windows. Mavis didn't even have guards with him, did he think the Biore Niore wouldn't find him? Did he think Maddox Ashbury would just let him ride off into the sunset with forty thousand baubles? He saw the money bag, it was just under the bench.

Enoch studied the man that had been betrothed to his sister. He was handsome, in the non-traditional sense. He wasn't bad-looking but he was no Ashbury. He slept soundly, he was guiltless for breaking Emma's heart. This man had no heart. Enoch stepped closer, tracing the place on the chest where the man's heart would be. He'd give Emma the heart, and she could break it or feed it to Deidra.

Enoch plunged his dagger into Mavis' chest and began the morbid task of carving out his heart. Slowly, careful not to dislodge any arteries. He wanted this man to feel his sister's pain. It was then, that Mavis opened his oily eyes. Surprise etched on his face.

"Y-you."

Blood bubbled up from his throat, cutting off the rest of his sentence. The man looked terrified, and he should be. Nox had a sordid and morbid legend surrounding him. The killing shadow, the silent mercenary that was neither seen nor heard until it was too late.

Enoch removed the dagger, pausing his excavation of the heart muscle for a moment. He traced the man's cheekbones with the tip of the blade, his cold eyes envisioning what they would look like if he fileted them open. He flicked his wrist quickly, at first it would seem nothing had happened...but slowly, blood began to ooze down Mavis' face, it was then the victim knew that Enoch had removed his eyelids.

"Me? I'm your worst nightmare. You broke my little Emma's heart so now I'm taking yours. "

Mavis cried out in pain. Enoch was sure it was agony. He felt the pain each time his mystery girl kissed the man she loved.

Enoch extended the man's wrist and began to saw into the meaty flesh. Blood spurted up in a geyser of crimson, the warm liquid splashing across Enoch's face, his eyes gleamed with glee. He always enjoyed a good torture before the kill. He was like a toddler with food, he liked to play first.

Growing tired of the mundane dagger, he morphed it into a claymore, twice the width of his chest, and as tall as Enoch. He swung it in a circle, cutting off the upper portion of the carriage. Giving him room to work, and also beheading the carriage driver and footman in the process. He swung the greatsword up, and in one smooth downward arc, amputated both Mavis' hands and all ten of his toes.

Mavis's cry of anguish fueled Enoch's desire to continue the torture. Enoch laughed in delight.

"No one messes with the House of Ashbury besides me Mavis. No one."

Enoch morphed the claymore to its original form, and with a magical burst of strength, he removed both of the man's feet in a single blow. Blood coated Enoch from the tip of his head to the heels of his boots.

With one last gasp of pain, Enoch removed Mavis' heart, still beating even outside the body.

He dropped the bloody organ in a sack and retrieved the money beneath the bench...before Misting to his brother's estate in Oxland.

***

Onyx dropped the book she had found beneath her saddle. It was a diary of sorts and it belonged to Nox, who was still fast asleep. She instantly felt guilty about reading it...but her curious nature had bested her. From his story earlier, she sensed he'd been holding details back, and he had been.

Who was this girl he dreamed about? Onyx wasn't foolish enough to think it to be her. Sure she had violet eyes and onyx-black hair...and she'd been in love with Axel around the time this entry was written, but his dream girl couldn't possibly be her...could it?

She returned the book to where she thought it must've fallen out of and turned to face the fire. Did Nox think she'd judge him? She had killed too, and she had tortured and removed body parts. She was in no position to judge him. How could she?

When against everything she's been denying to herself, to her heart just became stronger with each passing day? It had been a week since she left her home. And in that week, she had somehow fallen in love with the Shadow of Ash.

***

Nox woke slowly. He turned and found Nyx gone. Gods! He jumped up, and ran about their small camp, until she came through the trees, dragging a deer behind her and Sid. It was large, almost the size of a Mountain Wolf, which was the size of an average-sized pony.

"Were you worried?" Nyx asked coyly as she dismounted.

"Yes." Nyx's smile widened.

"I figured you'd be hungry so I went hunting." Nyx kissed his cheek before going to clean and gut the deer. She pulled it up, using a high tree branch.

Nox stood in place, his hand frozen on his cheek. She'd kissed him. Nyx kissed him. When it happened a shock wave had gone through his body.

Onyx was Dream Girl. How hadn't he seen it before? Her midnight black hair and her amethyst orbs should've been a dead giveaway. Suddenly, this mission was more than revenge. Onyx was more than just a means to an end now, now that he knew who she was. His soul mate.

***

As they ate and waited for the rest to dry enough to be stored, Nox watched her closely. Trying to see how he had missed it. She was beautiful, her name did her justice, she was a beautiful jewel. A deadly flower. She didn't eat like a princess, not dainty and refined, she ate like a warrior, with her hands, the juice and grease smudged across her lips and cheeks, and her fingers. At times, he would see her watching him, and the look in her eyes was a look he'd only seen in his dreams when she'd look at Axel. It was love.

It wasn't possible. He wouldn't allow himself to believe that Nyx loved him. How could anyone love a murderer? Especially one that enjoyed it and got paid for the service provided. Men like Nox, in his opinion, didn't get happy endings like Malik and Maegara or Zedora and Marrick. Men like him died alone...with only their many sins as witnesses of their last breath.

"Nox?"

Nox looked up, Nyx was in front of him, their camp packed up. Even the meat and jerky were packed away. How long had he been lost in his own mind?

"Enoch, I've been talking to you for over an hour and this is the first time you've moved. Are you alright?" Nox looked up at her, genuine concern was evident in her beautiful jewel eyes.

"Just lost in thought, sorry princess."

Nyx seemed to relax after he spoke. It was short-lived, her relaxation, a twig snapped. She whirled, drawing her twin blades. She moved quicker than Nox could cloak.

"My, my what a beauty you are, sweetie." A nasal-based voice taunted, coming out of the shadows.

A rogue shifter, one that didn't belong to a community. He was flanked by rogue elves. Elves that refused to live in Omarion. Each one of the four elven men were armed. Even the shifter, who by what Nox could deduce was a Pagani, a snake-cat. A large feline beast with a tail that was a viper, and fangs that matched in its maw. They were extremely venomous and extremely stupid.

"Snake. I'm much more than a beautiful face." Onyx teased.

Twirling her blades in her hands in dangerous circles. They glinted off the setting sun as if Malik was blessing them with his presence.

"Oh? Do you think you can beat all five of us little one?"

"Do not underestimate the warrior based on stature Snake. That will be your downfall."

"I believe you overestimate yourself little one. " the shifter hisses.

Already transforming. Enoch stayed back, watching. He had never had the opportunity to watch Nyx in her element. War. Blood. Battle. Death.

The elves attacked first, if Nox hadn't been watching every move Nyx made, he would never have seen her mouth move or the Twin Blades come apart, nor would he have seen her throwing knives hovering just above her shoulders, three on each side, lined up with a target in sight. Nyx had magic. War magic, the first elf barreled towards her, and Nyx let the knives fly, one hit the oncoming elf in the chest. He went down, with not even a cry of pain, the remaining five knives struck the charging elves one grazing an elf by a pointed ear, and the rest striking them either in the chest or arms. Only two elves remained able to fight, and Nyx was out of knives. But Nox wasn't worried. He was watching the Pagani though...they might be stupid, but they were still intelligent enough to survey a would-be victim before attacking.

The two remaining elves charged at the same time. Onyx smiled deviously and twirled, her arms extended. The swords tore through each elf as if they were ribbon and not flesh and bone. Blood soaked the sandy beach, the once pristine white sand now bright red, like a rose. Onyx halted her spin, and crouched, her arms still semi-extended. She was barely sweating. This was second nature to her.

Why had Emma wanted him to protect her? It was clear this woman could protect herself. The Pagani snarled. But didn't accept defeat. Instead, it hissed and lunged, its tail poised to strike. Onyx jumped, clearing the charging beast, its tail, dropped unceremoniously next to her. Its snake eyes glazed over in death. The Pagani squealed in pain. Pivoting quickly, using its remaining momentum from its previous charge.

"Here kitty kitty. Lookie, lookie, I've got the tiger's tail." Onyx taunted, jumping on the balls of her feet in anticipation.

The Pagani lunged, its rage making it erratic and dangerous, but sloppy, Nyx dodged, and feigned an attack on the Pagani's left flank with Maegara, but went for the death shot with Malick in a wide, smooth arc.

Nyx had beheaded the Pagani, with not even a scratch to show for it, she wasn't even out of breath or sweating. The way she moved was as if Nox was observing a morbid dance instead of a death duel.

Nyx rolled her neck, clearly satisfied with herself, she rejoined the Twin Blades and sheathed the sword.

"That ended much too quickly. I was expecting a challenge." Nyx pouted. Nox uncloaked himself, his mouth agape.

"That was the most impressive thing...I've ever seen! Where did you learn to use War Magic? Why didn't you say anything? Holy f**k!" Nox exclaimed looking around at the c*****e.

"It was nothing. The Pagani back home are ten times worse. The elves were new though, never fought them before. A vampire once, but even that one didn't put much of a fight up...not like Snake here."

"You wanted it to be more dangerous?"

"I've already told you Diaor I'm the definition of danger."

Nyx mounted Obsidian and began crossing the river, never once looking back at the bodies she left behind. And he thought he was a cold son of a b***h. He mounted Matilda and followed Nyx. Vowing to never get on her bad side...or tell her what to do....or sneak up on her, ever again.