7 The Imperial Assassins

I stared at the Serpentfolk woman, my mouth moving silently as my mind struggled to catch up with everything that had just happened.

The woman took a step forward, and I more clearly was able to make out her features. She was tall and slender, with black hair tied back in a ponytail, and green-tinted skin dotted with smooth scales. Her eyes were golden, and her pupils were black slits. Her body was clad in black leathers. She looked strangely familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

"I'm sorry, Corvus," the Serpentfolk woman said, loading another bolt into her crossbow. "I wish there could be another way."

That voice.

"Wait, Sarissa!?" I asked.

She shook her head. "A false name, a false identity," she said. "My name is Seriin. I was sent here to find you, observe you, and kill you."

"What?"

"Our seers determined that you were marked by Destiny, that you posed a danger to our nation's ambitions," Sarissa or Seriin or whatever her name was said. "So we were sent to end you before the threat you posed could manifest." She raised the crossbow. "I didn't expect to fall in love with you."

"What!?"

"But I must do this, no matter how much it pains me, for the glory of the Serpent Empire. Goodbye, my love."

"WHAT!?"

As her finger tightened against the trigger of the crossbow, the grey tomcat suddenly leaped onto her, screeching in primal fury as he clawed and bit at her. The bolt flew wide, slamming into the wall a few feet above my head.

"Don't wake up my sisters or parents!" I hissed, since that was apparently the most pressing concern in my mind at that moment.

"Run, Peacemaker!" the tomcat shouted. He was still clawing at Seriin's face, and she was was trying her damnedest to get him off her.

"Um, alright."

I ran. There didn't really seem to be many other options.

At the mouth of the alley, I paused just long enough to look back and see Seriin throw the cat off her. She had dropped her crossbow at some point during the altercation, and now she was diving for it again. I decided to get away before she started shooting at me again.

I turned to continue my flight, and nearly tripped over another cat running past my feet. I blinked and looked around. There were actually quite a few cats running into the alley.

"What the…?"

"Run!" one of the cats shouted as it passed me. "We will hold off the assassin."

Honestly, at this point, I was beyond questioning any of this nonsense.

I was halfway down the block when it suddenly occurred to me that the crazy Serpentfolk lady might go after my family. No sooner had the thought entered my mind than I skidded to halt, intent on turning around and heading back–

–just barely stopping short of the path of another crossbow bolt.

I stared at it as it quivered in the wall next to my head, and then I turned to look at the other side of the street. A figure stood in the shadows, golden eyes glowing softly in the darkness, staring at me with an expression of utter contempt and hatred.

"Salazar?" I hazarded.

"My name is Sissarha, human," the Serpentfolk said with Salazar's voice, "and if that spoiled princess couldn't kill you, I will finish the job myself."

"Or you could, um, not do that?" I offered.

The assassin cocked his head to the side and I saw him blink. "I will enjoy watching the life fade from your eyes," he said.

He began loading another bolt into his crossbow, and then he suddenly shouted in pain and kicked his leg out.

He followed up this strange action by practically dancing about, hooting and hollering in pain, kicking this way and that and shaking like a madman.

"Huh," I said. This was new.

"Keep it down out there, we're trying to sleep!" someone shouted from a nearby house.

"Sorry," I sort of half-shouted without really meaning it. Sissarha kicked something small and furry across the street, and I saw a rat sail past me and slam into the wall. "Oh shit!"

"Do not fear, Peacemaker," a small voice said. I glanced down at the ground and saw a little white rat looking up at me. "This wicked cur shall not harm you. Now come with me."

"Um," I said, and then nodded wordlessly. The rat turned around began scurrying down the street. With no other real options available to me, I shrugged my shoulders and followed.