by Frank Gori
Bellany released her bowstring a couple of seconds before
the seemingly innocent carpenter expertly turned into a throwing motion. The
arrow struck just above his collarbone just as his arm started forward.
Bellany already had another arrow knocked as she scanned the
street for the other three Tradesmen. From the peripheral she saw Dab’s massive
form charging the assassin carpenter down, just as she noticed the gardener’s
hedge trimmers were actually double edged. She fired another arrow in his
direction just before she felt a sting then telltale cold numbness on her right
shoulder blade.
Without hesitation Bellany leapt off her third story perch
and twisted around midair for a look at her assassin. She almost missed placing
her feet correctly at the first intervals as she repelled rapidly down to the
street.
A scream from the street confirmed the Tradesmen struck
while she was distracted but the poison in her shoulder wasn’t the only thing
making Ballany feel numb at the moment. Jax sent Galladee after her!
Galladee was a Krishtog female with an unfortunate singing
voice. She could dance in a manner that would take your breath away and she was
one of the most skilled infiltrators in the guild. Galladee took her natural
talents and developed her skills as sharp as any blacksmith. She was one of the
guild’s top earners and invested that income right back into her craft.
Bellany and Galladee trained under the same guild masters.
They learned the art of dance and the
precision of inches together. Theirs was
a friendship forged by sharing the same kind of scars and succeeding in the
same demanding difficult trade. They cried together as girls, shared drinks and
contracts together as adults. Bellany felt stung by the betrayal, she’d never
have taken a contract on Galladee.
Bellany locked her rope harness about a floor short of the
ground and dropped her bow. It landed in the net Gallade had enchanted
invisible. Galladee was one of the few people Bellany confided in, she knew Bellany’s
tricks and Bellany knew hers. Unfortunately they were somewhat evenly matched
under normal circumstances, but hanging from a rope with her right arm rapidly
going numb Bellany had the unsettling feeling she was out matched. It left her
with one play.
“Really Galladee, you’re going to side with my ex,” Bellany
kept her voice casual, despite the rising heat she felt from her womb. Her son
to be had a temper.
“I’m going to take you in Bell, you can make it easy on both
of us and just give up,” Galladee replied in her croaking tones. Three limbs
casually braced the roof top ledge and she had one of her javelins in her free
hand.
Bellany did her best to tune out the commotion on the
street. Without her spotting, those Workman Guild hack assassins called the Tradesmen
were going to take a toll. Unfortunately, Bellany had her own problems at the
moment.
“You shadowed them, Bellany nodded toward the street.
Followed that quad knowing I’d set up to cover,” Bellany didn’t have to try
hard to sound impressed. “Why’d you take the job, I thought we were friends?”
“Couldn’t resist, Bell. You were always the favorite, and I
wanted to know who was better. Besides
it’s a non-lethal, boss wants you alive.
Now give up, I got you lined up for a good throw, dart poison has you down an
arm, you’re dangling on a line I can cut, and that net there below you is made
of enchanted spidersilk. Face it you’re caught.” Galladee was confident, even
pleased with herself. Bellany wondered if they had ever truly been friends or
if she was just too isolated in her old life.
“Yeah, seems like you got me, but you forgot about
something,” Bellany smiled a tight malice laced smile at her old friend.
“What’s that,” she replied.
“I made new friends,” Bellany replied.
Galladee turned just in time to look her death in the face.
Bellany felt some of the warm splatter of her old friend’s blood as Zool’s
blade struck true. Her head fell into her own net trap, and Zool caught the
body and dragged it onto the roof. The fire of emotions swept over Bellany for a
long moment. She felt angry at the betrayal, worried about the poison and if
it’d effect the child in her womb, but mostly she felt the shock of loss.
Bellany wept as Zool pulled her back up the building, her
tears mixing with the blood splattered across her face.
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