FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (85 page)

     “
Quiet back there!
” warned Mrs. Narmin.

     Lance and Iron sat up straight and put on the most ‘angelic’ expression they could muster. Pleased with their submission, Mrs. Narmin resumed her lesson. Lance and Iron forced themselves to pay attention to Mrs. Narmin and her long, boring lecture.

     Spirit had no idea what the whole point of sitting half a day in this room was all about. He was waiting for Lance. It was time to play and he would like to run around in the green and well-trimmed garden of Palace Liberty and lie down under the warm sun while Lance scratched the back of his ears. He felt a little bit sad. His pack seemed to be dispersing. Ray, Clover and Serene were nowhere to be found. And now, Lance was kept prisoner in this weird room for half a day. He missed the togetherness that they used to have, back in the days when it was just Ray, Lance and him.

     It rained lightly on the
5
th
Morning of Fourth Month of Dry Season.
The early morning downpour was a welcomed event as the plants throughout Free Falls were beginning to wither and the roads were turning too dusty. Minvian Ray Iddell stood in the infirmary of Castle Greenbloom, starring at Dawn’s unconscious body, whose hands and legs were chained to the bed frame. He had in his hands a bucket of cold water. Then, to the great alarm of the healers nearby, he splashed the icy cold water on her face. The female assassin woke with a start and tried to clutch the left side of her chest, her mouth gaping wide for air and a facial expression contorted with pain.

     “Are you crazy
!?
” yelled one of the healers.

     “You could have killed her
!
” yelled another healer.

     “Get out
!
She could be having a heart attack
!
We need to stabilize her
!
” instructed the third healer.

     “Leave now
!
” commanded the first healer.

     “No,” replied Ray as he pulled out his knife and pointed its tip towards the throat of the first healer.

     The first healer gulped his saliva in fear. Meanwhile, the other two healers wiped the cold water off the female assassin’s face and body and tried to calm her down as best as they could.

     The expression on Dawn’s face began to relax. The pain in her chest had subsided. She lay her head back down and shut her eyes.

     “Minvian,
this
is an infirmary. You have
no
authority here. How
dare
you
endanger
the life of our patient and threaten our lives as well
!?
” chastised the third healer.

     “Authority _ by my blade is mine of this, and seeing that she is my prisoner; a prisoner for me to torture and kill as I see fit, I so choose to endanger her life
!
” retorted Ray.

     “You are crazy. You have lost touch with reality. Minvian, I suggest you sheath you dagger and take a week’s leave. You have lost your sense of rationality,” said the second healer.

     “Leave _ do of this now
!
” commanded Ray.

     “We are going to report you
!
” said the third healer as they left the infirmary.

     Ray sat himself down next to Dawn’s bed, but at a reasonably safe distance.    

     “Name
!?
” asked Ray.

     “Dawn Breven, Lead Assassin of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan,” answered the female assassin. 

     “Prince Patrum _ of him, why are you trying to kill
?
” asked Ray.

     Dawn was silent.

     “Lair _ where is yours of it
?
” asked Ray mechanically.

     “The Lair
?
Hah
!
You’ll never find it,” answered Dawn.

     “Targets _ who are the others of these of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan
?
” asked Ray mechanically.

     Dawn was silent again.

     “Clients _ who are of them of your clan
?
” asked Ray mechanically.

     Dawn was silent yet again.

     Dawn’s silence did not surprise Ray. He had expected her to be uncooperative. She would not be such a dangerous assassin if she was.

     Ray stared at Dawn. Dawn stared at the ceiling. The next few questions were really the important ones, as far as Ray was concerned.

     “Reason _ what was it of this for which you slaughtered the Order of Fire Elementhars 15 years ago
?
” asked Ray monotonously.

     “Money,” was Dawn’s equally monotonous answer.

     “Money _ of this, whose did you and your clan receive
?
” questioned Ray.

     “I don’t know. That mission was before my time,” replied Dawn.

     “Reason _ what was it of this that your client wanted my order slaughtered
?
” questioned Ray further.

     “I don’t know. All I know is what my uncle told me. 15 years ago, our clan was hired by someone who was rich enough to afford our services. He called himself Baron Chessmaster or something like that. He wanted your order completely destroyed. Not a single one of you was allowed to survive. There was supposed to be an item that they had to look for as well, but they hadn’t found it that night. I don’t know what that item was supposed to be. Our clan was paid only half of what was promised to us for that mission, because it wasn’t completed to the contractual criteria; but our clanmaster told the rest of us that we had been betrayed, that the mission was completed successfully but the client refused to pay us the full amount. For many years, many people including myself thought that my uncle was delusional. But now I know that he was telling the truth all this time,” answered Dawn.

     Now there was a break in Dawn’s pattern. She answered the question in regards to the Order of Fire Elementhars in detail, unlike the others. This confused Ray slightly.

     “Answer _ why are you doing of this to this question but not the others
?
” he asked curiously.

     “That mission was before my time. As I hadn’t partaken in it, I wasn’t sworn to secrecy over it. And it was that mission, or the dispute over the actual results of that mission, which caused my uncle to be sacked from the ranks of the ‘Chosen of the Clan’ by our clanmaster. My uncle has lived in shame ever since. Also, I
sympathise
with your loss. We of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan understand very well the meaning of loss. So I answered this question to give you a sense of closure,” explained Dawn.

     “Assassinate _ does your clan do of this
only
for money
?
” asked Ray.

     “Mainly, but not exclusively. We sometimes assassinate for our own survival and for our own political agendas as well. Like you, we too seek justice,” answered Dawn.

     Anger was brewing inside Ray. Justice
!?
What would an assassin know about the meaning of this word
!?
But Ray kept his composure. He was getting some answers. And some answers were better than no answers. Without saying a single word, Ray turned and walked out of the infirmary. The three healers rushed in, making sure to show him their disgruntled expressions as they brushed past him.

     Minvian Serene Genox met up with Ray as he walked away from the infirmary.

     “Welcome _ you are of this to Castle Greenbloom, Serene, or whatever that is left of it. Conditions _ how are of these of Prince Patrum and Rod
?
” said Ray.

     “Arrive _ Prince Patrum and Rod have safely done of this at Fallsgreen Citizen Healing Centre, Minvian Iddell. Conditions _ theirs of these is that Prince Patrum is recovering well but Rod is still in critical condition. Blood _ he has lost a lot of this. Shin bone _ his of it will heal, though, but it will take a long time,” reported Serene.

     “Good _ it is as of this as it can get under these circumstances. Know _ how well do you of this of Secretary Romar
?
” asked Ray.

     “Background _ hers of this is not complicated. Born _ she was of this to a middle income family, received a complete education from Royal Fallsene Educational, surprisingly enough; and then she was hired by the Council of Ministers on behalf of the king and was assigned to Prime Minister Trex five years ago. Habits _ of hers, she is quiet and homely and does not appear to have many friends. Finances _ with regards to hers of these, I have sent a few Sollenthars back to Fallsene City to investigate,” answered Serene.

     Serene had said something that Ray did not understand. It was something that only a person who had grown up in Fallsene City would understand, but unlike Serene, Ray grew up in a monune far away from there.

     “Mean _ what do you of this when you said ‘surprisingly enough’
?
” he asked.

     “Meant _ what I did of this was that normally someone like Secretary Romar, whose family was not extremely wealthy or well tied to the government, would not be able to get a place in Royal Fallsene Educational. School _ that of it only accepts selected students based on the financial or political standings of their family. Afford _ besides, she would not be able to of this of the school fees and the related expenses, for they are three times more than Fallsene Brightshield’s and five times more than the average school in Fallsene City. Sponsor _ she must have had one of him, I think, for I see no other way she could have done it,” answered Serene.

     “Sponsor
?
” asked Ray.

     “Sponsor _ certain wealthy or politically connected individual may choose to do of this to a student in exchange for a contract of employment. Sponsor _ normally one would do of this if one sees great potential in the student and wants the student to work for oneself when the student graduates. Consider _ you may of this of it as an ‘early employee booking system’ of sorts,” explained Serene.

     Ray was quiet for a while. He was trying to process what Serene had told him.

     “Sponsorship _ is the practice of this common in Fallsene City
?
” he enquired further.

     “Sponsorship _ of this, it is a common practice. Ask _ why do you do of this
?
” asked Serene in response.

     “Sponsor _ did the prime minister do of this to her, considering the fact that she is now working for him
?
” asked Ray.

     “Sponsor _ maybe he is the one of him, but it could also be anybody on the Council of Ministers, because it was the council who hired her, not the prime minister specifically,” answered Serene.

     “Sponsorship _ hers of this needs to be investigated, such as who the sponsor is, how he first met her and why he chose to sponsor her,” answered Ray.

     “Information _ what is it of this do you hope to get
?
” asked Serene.

     “Information _ of this, I hope to get her motive for helping the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan, if she is indeed guilty of it,” explained Ray.

     Serene was beginning to see Ray’s logic. If they understood Secretary Romar’s background and in particular, her attributes that earned her a sponsorship from the Council of Ministers, not only could they find out what was her motive for helping the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan, but also the clan’s motive for recruiting her. This would help build a profile of the clan’s mentality and mode of operation, which would be useful in identifying other spies whom the clan may have placed inside the government.

     The sudden realisation that the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan may have other spies in the government sent a shiver down Serene’s spine.

     “Spies _ do you think that the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan has others of them in the government
?
Do _ what do we of this now
?
” asked Serene.

     “Spies _ yes, of them, there maybe more
!
Do _ of this, we follow as what I have planned, which is to track her every movement and investigate everyone she comes in contact with. Location _ what is hers of this
?
” said Ray.

     “Location _ hers of this is currently at Bamboowall Town, about a day’s horse-ride from here. Monitor _ 1
st
and 2
nd
Stream, 5
th
River are doing of this to her now,” answered Serene.