Chapter 12

Zenith huffed and gestured a hammer "I smashed it, he's beyond recognition" He cast his hand aside.

The sentries grinned and looked at each other roaring with laughter.

[ Kill his wife and child ]

What? He touched his head at the startling noise.

The guards were still laughing and he grimaced under his mask and punched one's throat, the other tottered back in bewilderment and he nodded "We're sorry"

"Good" He flipped the bag over his shoulder and forged on pulling his hood down, the blood was beginning to dry out and cracked off.

At the main market, he glanced at a raffia bowl full of black ash and pulled it off to smear his on face. The dealer watched in awe as he pulled off the produce and he gathered the ones falling off. "I don't have any left"

"I just want a knife"

His hand shook as he passed him a rapier by the tip and swallowed hard.

Zenith gripped it and pulled out an orange and sliced off the tip and passed it on to him.

He looked uncertain and gripped the orange and rapier, flipping it open, he found the gold coin and rushed out of his table to watch him trek faster through the archway by his shop. His jaw dropped at his luck and held it up to bite the tip then lurched at the tax collectors gripping him and tossing out his products.

"I have your rent, I have it!" He pulled out the coin and the loan shark picked it up, his eyes narrowed on the coin as it glittered and the man's face then scoured his table full of coal and hay stacks and gripped it flashing the bills at him.

The dealer reached down to collect his money and stuffed it in his robe.

Zenith exhaled and inhaled, what was with the heavy breathing and silence? His mask, he had to take off his mask, he was stuffy and he didn't like the scent of grease and leather.

He pulled up another orange peel and inhaled it, ate the rind and tossed the away.

A sleeping homeless man jerked up at the half eaten snack and bit off the top.

The cave resounded when dew dropped from the ceiling to rejoin the puddle on the ground, he trekked till he didn't have the strength to drag the bag any longer and left it behind him.

The rats gathered and scavenged on the fruits.

He reached behind him to clip off his mask, Where was he even going? He heard the hawk screech and rushed out of the dark place to the see it fly ahead.

He touched his temple moving through the black sheets hung over a rope and two branches.

The environment looked dark and there were heaps of obscure objects and old black furniture, he held the stack and made a quick analyzation, stepped back running over it to clasp a window and spun with his back to the wall on the wooden shaft nailed to the stony walls and shuddered at the drop and the hard stone floor then blinked hard; Just keeping staring at it, maybe you might fall.

He spun quickly over it and windmilled when he missed a step and held a metal pole dangling for a moment overlooking the other old houses

'What would Akero be doing in a dump like this?' He muttered and gazed at the next window with a candlelight on it_Someone's home. He thought and reached out stretching his hand grapping and groaned.

His cable stretched to the room and he pulled it testing its integrity then remembered his hand.

"Zenith was a burglar, shouldn't be thinking too hard" It zipped him across and he sprawled over the window and the flame whiffed off at the breeze. He dropped on the night stand and stepped down.

The hawk flapped and crouched on the cage inside and it pivoted. He raised his arm and it landed dropping a letter on his hand.

He hurried to the cupboard when the door rattled and flew open, pulling up his mask. He turned to the olive skinned damsel with lustrous sandy hair, in a red dress and she grimaced shutting the door.

"Of course, you don't walk through the door like a normal person" She kept babbling on and put the mats in order against the walls and shooed the hawk away and fixing the cage.

"Have your bird messing up my macramé"

She knotted the strings on the waft that were pulled out from the bird's incessant perching.

"Do I know you?"

She looked stark offended and her dress wisped against the floor as she marched to the window.

His eyes narrowed and a dagger slipped down his palm and he hid it when she turned back. Taking easy steps to the view.

"Apa!" A child ran through the closet to meet him, his skin was the same as his mother's, olive and he had black eyes just like Akero, he wound his arms around him and looked up.

He was surprised by the twist in the story, if he were an infamous sharpshooter then he had no business having a family. Of course, Akero made mistakes too and had a son.The boy reached for the dagger and Akero put it out of reach.

"One day, I want to be just like you, father"

The boy said eagerly

He pulled up his mask and crouched "Listen child, I am not your pa, your father is dead"

He stepped back and screamed running away. You missed, he thought to himself.

"Lucio!" She shoved him and went after the boy.

He shrugged out the letter and unfolded it.

'Once you finish the job, come take your money'

He marched down the stony steps with candle lights hung on a chandelier, drawing his hood at the heat, the flames from the candles were better off than the high windows with faint rays from outside. A purple carpet with gold hems and tassels was spread across the floors and he traced his hand along the chair with the boy sleeping on it.

His eyes darkened and the sheen from the bullseye caught his attention and he walked over to gaze at the darts on it, he lacked accuracy but his precision was decent. He yanked one out and crossed the paint off.

"Lucio practices everyday. You've always been too hard on him"

She emerged behind him holding a tray of glasses, setting it on the table. She seemed relieved and ecstatic despite the qualms.

"Everyone thinks you are a hero" She gave a dubious laugh.

'Enough of this already' He gripped the knife and she strung her arms around him.

"We can finally leave this dump and start over"

A black figure strung around his leg and he caught its emerald eyes when they opened.

"Not yet, I still have an errand to run" He said darkly.

She stepped back "What errand? And take off that stupid mask, it's hot in here"

He caught her wrist and she looked startled and ripped it off, he covered his left eye and went behind the chair.

"One last assignment, it's a big place, we can live together me and you and Lucio"

He wasn't used to the baritone voice yet, he couldn't believe he was the one talking.

"I just need to accomplish one last thing"

She raked her hair and swallowed hard and paced about "I have lived here and served you for seven years, I even made your stupid bowstrings. You've killed Tomley, what else do you want!?"

"How do you know I killed him?"

She looked reluctant and brushed her hair back "Give it a rest, you're acting like a child" She went over to pick up the glasses.

He took one glass and gulped it down; Good riddance, just kill the frigga already.

He took his bow and she stepped to his view, he turned around pulling his hood down.

"It's not the reward is it?" She swallowed "The Viceroy sent it here"

"Viceroy?" He scoffed.

"I figured the bird came a little too late, the fortune's in the cellar"

He sneered, "Show me the money"

She took a candle and whisked it along the dark stairs of the narrow room.

He took an arrow and drew it as she walked faster "Hurry up, there are spiders in here"

"Believe me, I will"