꧁༒☬ENORI☬༒꧂

Enori’s eyes shot open, the aching in her body forcing her awake. She winced as she sat up, her muscles resisting. She looked around the dark cellar till her gaze stopped at the captives huddled in the corner across from her. There were three men, two women, and three children, all of them clothed in what looked like sackcloth. She could just make out the tattoos underneath all the dirt and grime on some of them, and on others, fresh burn marks disfigured the markings. The same markings represented their heritage, their power, their culture.

Anger and bitterness rose in the assassin’s throat as she tried to flex her sore wings. They barely opened halfway, the other captives taking up what little space there was in the cage, and pain reverberated through up her spine as her right wing touched the iron bars. Hissing in pain, Enori folded her wings back in and dug around in her uniform pocket before taking out the key she’d craftily taken from the captain.

“Don’t.”

The voice was so frail and quiet Enori was sure she was just hearing things, but as she turned back to the lock, the voice rang again. 

“It won’t work.” 

Enori’s eyes locked onto the man who spoke. He was surprisingly muscular, broad shouldered, and looked like he could’ve been young, but it was hard to tell. Stress and labor had clearly taken its toll on him. Scars tattered his back, bright against his pale skin. 

“Even if you escape, he’s got trackers. They find anyone. They found us.” He swallowed, wincing as if the action caused him excruciating pain. 

“They’ll be too dead to find me. Now stay quiet.” Enori whispered harshly, ignoring the burn in her hands as the key slipped into the lock. She could sense his bright eyes lock onto her body, her wings, specifically, as she twisted the key. 

“You’re a fae.” He muttered. 

“You’re a warlock.” She snapped back.

“I didn’t mean that in a cruel way. Your uniform…it’s one of an assasin. You work for the King?” There was some accusation in his voice now.

Enori stopped her work, her head swiftly turning to face him with an expression of exasperation. “I work for no one except myself. The King does not own me.” She paused, smiling at the satisfying click of the lock. 

She looked at him once more, saw they way his eyes searched for a hint of deviance. He hesitated before reaching for her, and Enori shifted her body, dodging his attempt to touch her shoulder. “Please,” He whispered, motioning to the children sleeping beside him. “At least take my children. I can’t let them become slaves to the King.”

She stared at him for a while, shaking her head. “I don’t need to take them with me. They’ll be with you, free.” She pushed the cage door open, complettely silent as she stepped out of the iron gates. She stood up, body releived to have a stretch before looking back at the man. “What’s your name?”

“Maikah.”

Enori gave a small nod before she spoke. “Have you ever killed a man, Maikah?”

The man paused, shadows casting across his face. “Yes.”

“You do not leave this cellar till I return. If the captain, or anyone other than me walks in, you take this,” Enori reached up in her hair, feeling around before she pulled out the pin in her hair. What appeared as a normal beret now revealed to be a lethal weapon. “And you kill them. Understood?”

Maikah’s eyes widened in response, fear and uncertainty glazing over his face. “But-”

“I don’t plan on leaving the crew alive, but if one of them comes in here, I can’t get here fast enough to potect you.” She snapped. “Which means you have ten seconds to decide how hard you’re willing to fight for your freedom when I walk out this door.” 

With that, wings outstretched and fists clenched, the Dark Fae opened the door and disappeared into the hall.

Enori stalked quietly down the narrow corridor below the deck, where the regular sleeping quarters were. She carefully maneuvered her feet to make as little sound as possible while she walked. She currently had no weapons, though that wasn’t a setback for her. Still, Enori figured it would be an advantage if she could find where the luggage was kept. Her weapons were most likely to be found there.

The sound of approaching footsteps and drunken voices made Enori stop just as she was about to turn the corner. She pressed her back to the wall as the footsteps approached, stilling her breaths. From what she could hear, there were two men, both of them heavily intoxicated.

As the men rounded the corner, Enori swung, giving the first man a swift blow to the throat. Before the other crew member could scream, Enori had gripped him by his hair, slamming his head into the opposite wall. He had no time to recover as she punched him hard in the gut, whirling around and bringing the other man’s face to her left knee.

His nose gave a satisfying crunch, blood seeping from the open gash. As his legs gave in, Enori caught a glimpse of a sheathed knife. She reached, pulling it out from its sheath before driving the blade through the back of the man’s neck, and in the same swift motion, pulled out the knife and whirled around, throwing it in the direction of the other crew member.

The dagger lodged itself directly between the man’s eyes, right where Enori had aimed. His body staggered back for a second before her fell limply to the ground. With a deep breath, she walked towards the body, blood pooling from the wound as she removed the knife and kept walking.

She only got a few paces before one of the room doors opened, nearly hitting her in the face. She watched a crew member poked his head out, eyes drained from lack of sleep. “What the fuck is goin-”

Enori stepped around the door, plunging the blade into his jugular vein. He was dead before he knew what happened, and Enori was walking before he even fell. She stopped at every door, slitting the throats of every crew member she found lying in bed. Adrenaline rushed through her as she finally got the the next row of steps, the only thing separating her from the men on the deck. 

She slowly opened the door, slipping behind some barrels of beer for cover. Either way it was hard to see her in the dark, her wings and uniform provided great camouflage. Enori peeked over one of the barrels, watching the crew walking around, chatting, drinking, oblivious to the death that would follow.

She kept her eyes and ears open for any approaching sounds as she crept out from her hiding spot. One crew member was taking a smoke, leaned over the edge of the ship. Enori was behind him in seconds, dragging the knife across his neck before she pushed his limp body over. 

The splash nearly mixed in with the sounds of the surrounding water, alarming no one except the fish under the sea. But she could hear a voice nearing. There was not enough cover to use stealth as an avantage any longer.

As soon as she caught a glimpse of a face, she threw her blade, the first body crumpling to the ground. She didn’t get to the other man before he screamed out, “We’re being attacked!”

Enori tucked and rolled, ducking the man’s swing, appearing up behind him. She stood up, wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand placed over his head in a tight chokehold. More footsteps and voices were approaching. She twisted her hands, watching as the man’s head contorted and snapped before he fell.

A gunshot rang out, narrowly missing her left wing. Enori broke into a sprint, pulling out the knife from the dead crew member. Spreading her wings to their full length, she disappeared into the air, perching herself on the top of the foremast.

“Do you see them?!”

“Jon is dead!”

“Search every inch of this deck!”

From what she could count, ten crew members were on the deck now searching for her. Her eyes scanned the deck for the captain, but she didn’t see him. Instead, her eyes locked onto a crew member—a woman this time—who was walking directly toward the mast Enori was perched in.

With a smirk, Enori spread her wings again, quiet as she jumped down from her spot. She landed on the woman’s back, driving her knife once in her neck, then again directly between her eyes. Enori slowly got to her feet, taking a second to breathe before she searched the woman’s body. She felt the familiar metal of a gun, removing it from its sheath. 

The Dark Fae sensed the presence behind her as she stood up, and shifted her weight to the left just to miss the glistening blade whirl past her, lodging itself into the wood of the foremast. Enori whirled around, the man who threw the knife already swinging. It took little effort to dodge his punch, and she elbowed him hard in the back, watching him stumble forward before she raised the gun and fired.

Blood sprayed from the back of his head before he swayed ever so slightly, then collapsed. Enori had expected others to come running after the sound of the gunshot, but, from what she could hear, no one was left.

Cautiously, she stepped out onto the middle of the deck. Other than dead bodies, the deck was empty, silent. The captain’s quarters were just above the stero of the ship, but if he had been in there during the fighting, he would have come out running the second he heard shouts. She held on tight to the gun, keeping it ready and raised in front of her as she walked back to the door that led below deck. No one other than the men she’d killed were in the hallways, and she didn’t find Katrina nor Alaire in any of the rooms. Finally, she came to the steps that led to the cellar, where the stores, supplies, and guns were held.

Would Maikah be dead? 

Slowly, she descended the stairs, steadying her breathing. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cellar once more. There was just enough moonlight seeping in to see the pool of blood on the floor. For a moment, Enori’s breath hitched as she rounded the corner, eyeing the dead body on the floor. The outline of the captain’s uniform was visible, and there, still huddled in the cage, was Maikah. His strong hand shook slightly as held held the knife soaked in red, his family wide eyed and terrified.

Enori gave Maikah a nod of recognition as she sheathed the gun. “You take this ship, and head North, yes? You just follow the North Star, and when you can’t see it, you follow your compass.Please tell me you can read a sea chart?” She continued when he nodded. “ Straight North. It’ll take you to the outskirts of Imran. There’s a smuggler there, Kai, who lives by the docks. They’ll give you refuge for as long as you need.”

She was on her feet and towards the door before her sentence was even finished, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She didn’t feel like dodging his touch this time.

“But, this…Kai…how will they know to trust us? Who do I tell sent us?” He asked quietly.

Enori flashed a small grin as she looked at his shaking left hand which was still holding the thin blade. “Trust me,” She flexed her wings once more as she began to ascend the stairs, “They’ll know when they see the blade. Saints guide you, Maikah.” The door shut behind her, and Enori Theyrin was once again a mere shadow in the darkness. 

⧪⤝⬧⌥⬧⤞⧪

The heat beat down in near unbearable waves, and even though Enori had stripped down to her short sleeved uniform vest and black trouser pants, she seemed to be hotter than when she had the layers of her uniform on.

She’d been in a horrid mood since she left the slave ship. She'd searched every inch of that worthless ship and never found her weapons. More importantly, she never found Alaire nor Katrina.

The forest was getting denser, the cobble path narrowing as she passed under an archway formed from vibrant greenery. Enori couldn't help but feel relieved by the familiarness of the archway, a landmark that meant she was entering the fortress territory.

Pausing for a break, Enori positioned herself against a tree, wiping sweat from her brow. She'd get to the Night Fortress, restock her supplies, and finish her mission. No doubt Hunter would be livid when he saw Enori was empty-handed, but she was used to his reprimands now.

It was a common recurrence, his silence. The way that no matter what Enori seemed to do, he ignored her. The only time he ever seemed to speak to her now was during briefings or criticizing her constant mistakes.

Enori’s break was cut short by her sudden anger, and she slowly stood. Hunter hadn't even cared enough to give her an actual brief. What had she ever done to deserve his hate? She started walking faster, sunlight creeping through the forest canopy. But there was something else in the trees.

Enori’s ears perked at the rustling of the trees, her hand instinctively hovering over her empty sheath at her hip as she walked. The presence behind her was enough to make her op.turn on her heel. As her eyes locked onto the two figures in front of her, Enori couldn’t help but smile. 

“For an assassin, you're quite easy to track.” Katrina responded cooly, and Alaire stood beside her looking ready to pounce. “You led us right to your fortress.”

“And you’re supposed to be Commander Ozari’s little protege.” Alaire added.

Enori started at the two of them, before her smile spread. Laughter slipped from her lips as she relaxed, flexing her wings. “That’s cute,” She replied, reveling in their confused expressions, “That you think I fell into your trap.” She glanced upward at the rustling in the trees again, shadows suddenly moving along the canopy. Within seconds, they were surrounded by fae, all in uniforms, all with guns aimed, and all in the colors of the Night Fortress crest.

Enori moved next to one the fae, leaning to indicate she was partially speaking to him. “Cuff them both. If they struggle too much, shoot them. Starting with that one,” Enori pointed to the Spirit with a grin. She turned around, once again headed in the direction of her fortress, glancing back at the two women who were now captives. 

“Now, I believe it’s time you met my commander.”