Sasha The Assassin Part 4

Sasha went to her hovel, a tiny rundown shack far away from decent society. She was not welcome at Lord Brown’s estate unless she was summoned and there was little in the way of housing for one who practiced the dark arts Sasha enjoyed. Her cloak and throwing knives were first on the list of tools to gather and then it came time to poison her daggers. Sasha stared at the two blades as they glistened in the moonlight, silver and steel merged to make the blades and the handles were made of ivory. The blade she carried in her left hand was serrated and named Malice, while the blade in her right hand was smooth and named Mercy.

Upon the two blades she slathered on a poison that would relax muscles once it got into the blood stream, she didn’t care if her victims died tonight, only that they be unable to stop her from obtaining the ring.

She called for her horse that she had let run free in the vast fields around her tiny shelter. He returned to her and they got about the business of the long ride towards the caravan that was carrying the ring Lord Brown so desperately wanted.

                The hours bled into each other as did the forests and fields, the road wasn’t travelled by common people at night for fear of bandits, but none seemed to be around to mess with Sasha, or maybe they just knew better than to try their luck with her. Her journey finally brought her to the northern road and now she just had to find the caravan.

                Dropping off her horse at a farm she got to the work of stalking her quarry.  Then off in the distance she heard the sounds of battle. She jumped through shadows until she could see what was happening, a party of bandits was attacking the caravan.

                She couldn’t believe the size of the bandit party there was at least six dead already yet dozens more men were attacking the king’s men. The horses of the lead carriage had been slaughtered with massive pools of blood around their bodies, the carriage itself tossed on its side. The other three carriages were under assault with knights keeping the mob of attackers at bay while crossbow men on the tops of the carriages shot into the crowds.

                Sasha found some nice shadows to blend into and took a handful of her throwing knives. The crossbowmen had to be taken down to allow the mob a better chance at success. Her first knife hit one of them in the shoulder blade and the second one hit his comrade in the throat. The second man toppled off the carriage and landed behind a knight while the other man kept his feet. Sasha glared at the man who didn’t fall from the first knife that hit him and struck him with two more knives, one in the arm and the other in the small of his back and finally he slumped to his side.

                She went to work on the other crossbowmen and soon enough they were all dead or dying. The Knights were killing more than their fair share of the mob but the numbers were catching up to them, Sasha decided it was time to start thinning the numbers of the other side. Her knives started finding their way into the flesh of the bandits. Those who strayed too far from the fray of the battle found themselves being picked off by her blades.

                The last knight was overwhelmed and the last ten or so of the bandits began ripping through the carriages and one of them came out holding a ring aloft in his hands. The rest of the men seemed underwhelmed by the prize and she could hear the group’s conversation turn from elation over the victory over the king’s forces into disappointment over the lack of riches they had obtained in the battle.

                The men walked roughly two miles to an inn where they began drinking in celebration of their victory. Whatever coins they had looted from the dead were not used to pay for the drinks that were spilling down their throats. Sasha entered the inn and stayed in a corner and let the men drink and celebrate.  She nursed a glass of water as she waited for the time to strike.

                Most of the men had drunk themselves into a stupor by the time one of them jumped on a table. “We done fuckin’ showed them pussy ass soldiers who the boss is around here!” He shouted. A roar of approval came from the others. “This fucking ring had better have been important if all these idiots had to die for it!” He gave a loud drunken laugh as he held the ring up.

                “Mitch, what we gonna do for money mate? What’s that ring really going to get us?”  Another one of them asked. “I mean it’s pretty and all but it’s just a ring.”

                Sasha pulled out her coin purse. “I’ll pay all the coin I have for it.” She said as she walked from her corner to stand in the doorway of the inn. “You boys don’t have any idea what you are holding on to. Once the king knows what’s happened to his convoy and his ring this place will be swarming with soldiers. If you hang on to that ring you won’t live the week.”

                One of the drunks staggered over to her. “We ain’t selling for no small sack of coins. Maybe we’d sell it for what’s between your legs.” He said as he reached for her crotch. She ran Malice under his rib cage and through his heart in a motion she’d practiced thousands of times and used to kill people than she cared to remember. As she withdrew the blade his limp body dropped to the ground.

                “I was lying before so now I’ll tell the truth.” Sasha said. “You will not have to wait for the king’s men to come to kill you within the week as I will kill all of you tonight if you don’t hand over the ring. I offer the coin I have as a token of gratitude. You can accept it and keep living or you can resist me. If you resist me we’re fighting to the death and I do mean that. Once I’ve left you all laid out I will walk up to each and every one of your bodies and slit your throats.  So it’s up to you to make the decision. Personally I hope you let me kill you all cause it’ll save me my money.”

                The room was silent for a few moments and then the men started muttering, their words were slurred and incoherent but the tone was depressed and defeated. A man stood up from his bench and waved a knife in the air. “No fucking cunt is gonna tell me.” He started to say. Sasha saw the shadow cast by the pillar behind him and shadow stepped directly behind him. Mercy glided quickly across his throat and before he had hit the ground she was already standing in the doorway again.

                “Does he speak for the rest of you?” she asked. Mitch looked at the ring and then at Sasha and threw the ring to her. She bowed to him and left the inn.