꧁༒☬ ENORI ☬༒꧂

Slow, steady, calm breaths were the only thing that filled the forest. 

Enori Theyrin was nothing more than a dark figure in the evening sky as she rested carefully in the Nightshade tree, her black wings making it easy for her to blend into the Forest of Mendris. Here, on the outskirts of the town that was thousands of miles from her Fortress, crime ran free. Which meant no one would care if she made a kill.

Which meant no one would care if she was killed.

But that stirred no fear in the well-trained assassin. She was Blood. She was Shadow. She was Death.

She only had one target this morning, which was odd, seeing that her Commander, Hunter Ozari, usually had her set up for missions back to back. But that wasn't the only odd thing about today. Hunter had given her very little information on her target. No name, a very blurred image of the woman’s face, and a paltry amount of intel. She only knew that the woman was a powerful rogue soldier that the King wanted dead, and would be running through this forest any moment.

If the King wanted this woman dead, it was likely she was of some threat to his... more secretive businesses. Enori knew if it was Hunter’s decision, he'd keep the woman alive, let her expose whatever intel she had on the King that made her so wanted.

Beads of sweat trickled down the Dark Fae's forehead, but she refrained from wiping it away. Her arm ached, and she wished the Commander had allowed her to use a rifle instead, but she was used to the pain that came with patience. She kept her ears perked and her wings folded in tight, propping her body against the rough bark of the tree she was perched in. She nestled the arrow in the groove of the bow, smoothly drawing it back.

Slow, steady breaths.

Couldn't the target hurry up already? Sure, this would've been easier if she could use her magic, but it was the one illegal thing in Mendris, which was also why it was extremely dangerous for her to be so close to the outskirts of the village. But still, she waited, whispering softly under her breath as she finally saw the rustling of the thick greenery below.

“Let my aim be true,” She whispered, eyes narrowing in the slightest as she pulled back her bow tighter, following the path of the rustling bushes. The resistance of the bow felt natural to her, calming almost. Only a few more steps, and her target would be on the path, vulnerable and unaware of the death that would follow. 

Enori caught a glimpse of blonde hair before she let the arrow fly, and as quickly as the arrow was released, her target fell limply onto the barren path. Silence now echoed through the forest canopy as Enori climbed down from her position in the tree. She kept her ears perked for even the slightest sound of someone approaching as she made her way to the dead body. The woman was lying on her stomach, facing away from Enori so the Fae was unable to see the arrow, or a wound.

Draping her bow across her shoulders, the Dark Fae unsheathed her blade from the hilt on her belt. It was slightly severed, jagged at its edges. Perfect for bringing the King the head of his enemy. She pressed the iron into the target's neck, just to mark where her blow would finish before she raised her arm.

With a swift arm, she brought the blade down. But it never touched the target’s skin. 

A heavy, foreign force knocked Enori back into the tree behind her, pain reverberating through her spine. She felt the familiar weight of her sword vanish, but before she could reach for it again, before she could even regain her balance, the attacker threw a firm blow to the Dark Fae’s jaw.

The metallic taste of blood filled Enori’s taste buds as she took the next blow, catching a glimpse of  glistening iron in the sun. The Fae ducked, the abnormally silver blade lodging itself in the tree behind her. Enori swept her leg, watching as the dark-haired woman lost balance and fell on to the ground.

Unsheathing the knife from her boot, the Dark Fae climbed on top of the woman, pressing the blade to her throat. This was not a part of the mission. The target was supposed to be alone, and surely not accompanied by a bodyguard. “Who fucking sent you?” Enori spat out.

There was only one life that was meant to end today. The attacker stared back with fire in her amber eyes, raven locks sprawled across the floor, stark contrast against her white uniform. How the hell had Enori missed her?!

The woman only responded with a glare as cold as the shadows casted by the forest canopy. Enori scoffed, digging her blade further into her attacker's neck. But what the Fae saw made her pause. Instead of beads of crimson red, silver as bright as the stars began to trickle from the small cut.

The assassin faltered—a deadly mistake.

The attacker brought her knee up hard against the Dark Fae’s torso before bringing her legs up to her chest and kicking, forcing Enori backwards. 

Dagger still in hand, Enori only took the time to plant one foot on the ground, her knee keeping her upright on the ground before her arm reeled back. The woman lurched forward, giving Enori only a heartbeat to flip her knife and throw.

The dagger slammed into the strange woman’s right shoulder, just where Enori had aimed. Her attacker let out a satisfying cry, face contorting in pain for a moment as she pulled out the knife. Silver blood pooled from the wound.

There was something dark and unyielding in the woman’s amber eyes now. No. Not amber… gold ? The woman’s eyes shimmered as she extended her arm, tendrils of magic coiling to form something in her hand, the energy so gold it could’ve been taken from the sun itself.

But Enori was already running.

Even as the Dark Fae saw the magic form—caught the deadly outline of a glistening, curved sword—she anticipated the move.

When the woman lurched forward, Enori folded in her dark wings and ducked, twirling. The woman had barely a heartbeat to turn before Enori slammed the pommel of her blade into the back of her attacker's head.

Enori felt her wings and her lungs lose tension as the woman crumpled to the forest floor. Taking a moment to catch her breath, the assassin stalked over to where her sword had fallen, letting out a sharp sigh as she picked it up. For a moment, the Dark Fae basked in the silence.

But that moment was short lived as she approached the edge of where forest met road. Where—instead of staring at the lifeless body of her target—Enori’s eyes only saw dirt and forest green.

Something told her to turn around, but even then the assassin knew it was too late. She felt the blow before it came.

She was still falling as the blackness swallowed her whole.

⧪⤝⬧⌥⬧⤞⧪

Inaudible whispers.

Throbbing head.

Ice cold breeze. 

White light consumed everything around Enori for a few moments, and she couldn't make out anything except blurs. Her wrists stung like ignithus ants crawling up her skin. Was she on fire? Surely not—she was immune to flames—but that only made the assassin more confused.

Despite the numbness radiating through her body, the assassin could feel the heavy, rhythmic throbbing in her head, blood rushing to her ears. The copper tang of blood was still faintly on her tongue. 

The blurs slowly started to form into something marginally visible: two dark figures sat across from her. 

It was only when she could make out the women that Enori realized the danger. Her eyes first locked onto the woman who stood before her, the same woman who Enori had just plunged an arrow into mere  hours ago. It was impossible. She knew her arrow had struck the target’s heart, and even if she had been completely sure, it was instinct to double check the body and confirm a kill.

But…she’d never gotten to confirmation, had she? Not before the heavy blow to her head.

The Dark Fae immediately tried to stand, but failed. Her eyes darted around wildly as her chained wrists came into focus, the iron stinging her skin, and then onto the dark haired woman who was all too familiar. The one who had attacked her in the forest. Was it Enori’s blurred vision, or did the warrior have no bandages? Her blade had inflicted a wound that would surely take weeks to heal.

Out of her peripheral vision, Enori could make out a door to her left, small numbers engraved in the wood. So she was in some inn, or tavern, perhaps. If she could manage a scream, perhaps someone would come running, providing a long enough distraction.

"The paralysis is only temporary."

Enori slowly looked up at the woman who spoke. Her hair stopped just above her shoulders—which was nearly as pale as her skin—her blue eyes calm and collected, unlike her companion who seemed prepared to attack once again.

The dark haired woman gave the other a sharp glare, "Katrina-"

The blonde—Katrina, apparently—raised a hand to silence her companion. "Wait." She whispered, turning back to face the assassin. 

Enori felt a soft tingle in her fingers, some feeling coming back. What were their intentions, then? If the women had wanted her dead, surely they would've done it by now. Torture, then. Nothing she couldn't withstand, but a thought lingered in her mind: no one in the fortress knew of her whereabouts.

Katrina stepped back, adjusting her emerald green tunic before she sat down. "We aren't here to hurt you."

Enori's eyes and lips and lungs were weights, each breath and blink a struggle. Though she tried to raise a skeptical brow, her face was so numb she was unsure if it had moved at all. Her eyes darted back to the iron chains on her wrist, and the Fae realized she was bound to the headboard of a bed.

Her mind suddenly shifted. Before she'd let them force any fortress secrets out of her, she'd die with her honor.

The tingle in her fingers grew stronger, and she could finally move her hands. Her eye departed to her uniform jacket, where—hidden in a hand-crafted pocket—rested a small handful of vibrant pink pills.

One was all she needed.

As if the captors had read her mind, the dark haired warrior stepped forward and crouched in front of the chained Dark Fae. She slowly opened her palm, revealing the bright pink pills that should've been in the Fae's pocket.

"Looking for these, I presume?" The woman whispered, a dangerous grin on her face. She closed her palm, tucking the pills in the pocket of her white uniform. 

"I have others." Enori mumbled, and she had to restrain from grimacing at how slurred and staggered her words sounded.

The dark haired woman merely chuckled, glancing back at Katrina a moment before standing. "Trust me," She replied, "You're going to want to be alive to hear what we have to say."