I reincarnated in game

42 Deadly Intentions

After breakfast was finished, the trio retired to their rooms.  Time was getting critical … they needed to be sure of their plan of attack.

“I feel that the safest time for them to move out would be before the streets get busy or after all the shops are closed,” said Hugh.  “I propose we go back just before sunset and watch for a least an hour or so to see if there is any activity.”

“OK,” said Judi.  “We can do the same as we did this morning.  If they don’t do anything tonight, I think we should be back there about dawn tomorrow morning.  That is the same timeframe that they chose to move out the carriages this morning.”

“Agreed,” Hugh replied.

In the late afternoon, Hugh and Judi approached the kitchen staff to arrange for some sandwiches to take with them to the square.  They then prepared to leave, outfitted in their winter coats and Hugh’s camouflage machine.  Just before setting out, Judi turned to Kenneth.  “We will be back here before you know it,” she said, and gave him a little smile.  Kenneth nodded and smiled in return.

At the square, they noticed that there were several of the locals hanging about who seemed to be keeping an eye on the inn.  There were no overt demonstrations protesting the taxes to be seen; that could have been because there were still some of the king’s guardsmen present.      

“If the guardsmen are still here, that must mean the king’s guests are still in the inn,” Hugh surmised.  They each went to their respective observation posts.

It was well after dark.  There was nobody in the alley … the kitchen staff had already brought out the trash for the night; the back of the inn was in darkness.  Hugh rose and stretched his legs; it was time to meet up with Judi and head back to where Kenneth would be waiting at the inn. 

Judi seemed to have the same idea because she was already standing and heading towards the pathway beside the inn leading to the alley.  “Nothing happened out front; how was it at the back?” she asked.

“It was pretty much the same.  I think we should be heading back … we will need to be up early again,” Hugh stated.

Well before dawn, the pair was up and getting ready to go back to the square.  Hugh looked at the sleeping Kenneth as he left to meet with Judi.  It was very cold this morning … their breath misted in front of them and froze to their eyelashes … it was a good thing that they were warmly clothed; it was going to be cold, sitting idly, in watch.     

Judy hunkered down under the dais; it shielded her from the wind.  She hoped Hugh would be somewhat sheltered by the buildings around him.  Today looked a lot like the morning before.  There were a few people in the square together with a couple of guardsmen, but for the most part, they just appeared to be minding their own business.

Hugh was in his usual position.  When he first arrived, there was nobody in the alley.  “Good,” he thought.  “Maybe the coldness will keep the people at home today.”  As he continued his vigil, he saw some of the inn staff approach the back door and knock to be allowed in.  Nobody had come out. 

Time ticked on.  Dawn was about to break.

Hugh perked up.  The back door of the inn had just opened.  Two men came out; both looked up and down the alley, then hurried off in the opposite direction from his position ... they were carrying some traveling cases.  His interest was tweaked.  Why would guests be leaving from the back door?  It would seem more likely that they would leave from the front door after checking out at the registration desk … that is, unless they didn’t want to be seen leaving the inn! 

He went on high alert.

Approximately two to three minutes later, two more men came to the back door.  Their exit mirrored that of the first two men.  Hugh had caught a good look at their faces when they did the alley check … one of them looked like the fellow who had participated in whisking away the bishop’s carriages yesterday morning.     

Hugh’s intuition had him thinking this may be it.  This could be the day! 

When two more groups of men came to the back door and mimicked the antics of those before, Hugh was sure of it.  These men were part of the bishop’s entourage; they were all in street clothes, and they were all leaving.  Four groups of two had already gone.  There had been ten men booked into five rooms under the bishop’s name.  That meant there were only three men left, and one of them was the bishop.     

Hugh quickly ran the two remaining possibilities through his mind.  The best scenario would be if the last two men went together leaving the bishop the only man to follow … the worst case scenario would be if the bishop chose to join with the last two men; departing as a group of three. 

His anticipation rose.  He had observed there had been a space of about three minutes between each of the four groups who had left earlier.  The last group had been gone about two minutes. 

The seconds ticked away.

Hugh flexed his muscles which had grown a bit stiff while he kept a low profile. 

He tried to recall the layout of the streets to figure out a possible place of ambush if the bishop did not leave alone.  He had no idea where the men had gone once they turned the corner.  There weren’t a whole lot of places along the street that ran perpendicular to the alley where he would be able to shield his approach for an attack.   He definitely didn’t want any witnesses; priests, with their higher level of magic would be able to see through his disguise so would be able to describe him in his part Crystal form … and Bishop Paul would know his name, if he remembered him … that sounded an awful lot like the situation he was in back in Valari.  He didn’t think the priests carried weapons so even though he would be outnumbered, he could probably hold his own with the small dagger he had at his waist.  He couldn’t risk dispatching the two priests who might be with the bishop; he didn’t know if they were righteous priests or fellow culprits.  He couldn’t take the life of an innocent man; the bishop was his only target!

The door opened.  Hugh could see two men at the door … was there a third still in the hall?  The first man repeated the fervent surveillance of the alley.  He motioned to the man behind to follow him.

Hugh held his breath.

Only one man followed.  The bishop would be leaving by himself!

The intervening time seemed to crawl.  Then he saw it!

The door was opening; the c***k slowly widened. 

Hugh could hear his heart beating in his ears. 

The bishop stepped into the alley.  He looked left, past Hugh’s hiding spot, towards the square.  There were muffled sounds of foot traffic and voices at the mouth of the alley.  Bishop Paul watched and listened a few moments; he seemed to be satisfied that no body was coming down the alley.

He moved from the doorway and let it close behind him.

Hugh’s heart was pumping fast.  “This is it!”

Before the lock on the door had clicked into place, Hugh, with his dagger in his right hand, had crossed the short distance from his hiding spot to where the bishop was standing.  His momentum carried him into his quarry with enough force that the bishop was pinned against the brick wall of the inn. 

The suddenness and surprise of the attack served Hugh well … the bishop hadn’t had a chance to scream out.  Now he couldn’t; Hugh’s dagger was pressed against his neck.  He could feel its razor sharp edge biting into his flesh; he felt a little blood trickling down his neck.

“Do you remember me?  I sure remember you!” Hugh said in a low, but forceful tone.

“You drove me from my home.  You separated me from the only mother I have ever known … from the only family I have ever had!” Hugh continued.  Recognition had not yet appeared to have come to the bishop.

“Your greed had you and your men hunt me down like a animal; you chased me, doggedly to the edge of the world in Valari … you forced me to jump off the edge and leave my home; the place of my birth!”  Hugh caught a flicker of recognition at the mention of his jump from Third Level. 

“You!”  Recognition now flooded into the bishop’s eyes.

Hugh added a little pressure to the blade.  The bishop’s breath began to labour as his windpipe compressed.  The look of fear was on his face.

“I know that I was not your only victim.  Your list of crimes and injustices leave you a lot to be accountable for … this is for everyone you have made suffer!” Hugh said.

The dagger plunged deeper.  Hugh dragged it through the bishop’s windpipe and sliced the artery at the side of his neck.  He stepped back to avoid the blood which spurted out with each beat of the man’s black heart.

The moment Hugh stepped away, the bishop’s hand went to the gaping wound on his neck; he tried to staunch the flow.  He could not speak; only a gurgling sound came from his throat, it didn’t even make it to his mouth.

The bishop turned in the direction his men had left.  He took one faltering step then fell, face down on the cobbled street; his blood stained the ground as the life force drained from him. 

Hugh walked back to the square to meet up with Judi. 

She could see that his energy was drained.  She looked at him questioningly.

“It is done!”