River of Sorrows

I find Aunt Sonia sleeping in her panther form. Pearl sits by the canaries feeding them seeds, and bits of cabbage. Raksha sits on the bed sharpening her blades, her snow-white hair falls, down one shoulder in waves.

"I received a message," I send her.

She continues to polish her blades, "and?" she finally sends.

"I'm being summoned to fight in the coming war," I send.

Her movements slow to a stop she inhales before looking up at me her ruby eyes betraying nothing. She stands from the bed and I follow her out. Without knocking she opens the door two rooms down the female screams covering herself with her hands and the male grunts falling on his ass.

"Out," Raksha growls. Neither argues as they pick up their garbs and rush out. Raksha throws up a wall of shadow in case anyone's eavesdropping. The smell in the room makes me want to puke.

"I don't think I have a choice," I say.

"What were her exact words?"

"It's time," Raksha for once seems confused so I add, "before I left, she said when War came, I would be required to fight. A messenger would come and I would know."

She lets out a breath, "and all the message said was its time?"

"Yes," I can't tell her the other part for I'm not certain I can do it.

"You're not ready."

I look at her really look at her and laugh, "That's not for you to decide. Have you forgotten you served under her? have you forgotten you sent me to her? She broke every bone in my body, threw me off a cliff expecting me to land on my feet. Where I not immortal I'd be dead.

"Do you know what she said to me when I cried. In war all is fair how can you be an assassin when all you do is cry. But I didn't blame her no I blamed you. You chose this life for me, unlike Pearl who got to select being a healer. I was a child assassin; did you know she had me track down the remaining mortals from Pearl's old world an end them.

"She had me traverse realms all on my own to accomplish impossible feats. I even got to meet the Dragon King and keep him from becoming a demon. Then she had me assassinate Queen Nathalia all to prevent what the Shadow Queen calls the Witch Wars. Not once did anyone care to know if I was okay. Not once was I asked if this was the path I chose."

Raksha scuffs, "We all have to sacrifice, you were raised like any child of the Shadow Realm. Do you think you're the only child that's suffered the only one that's undergone brutal training? Well?"

"You were raised by a time lord your training came later on in life. While I was sent away the moment, we left the River of Sorrows. The first thing she did was seal me in a cavern within the Winter Realm with nothing but my skin to keep me warm, the cold doesn't bother me anymore. If I couldn't figure out a way to get out, I would eventually die. When I thought the worst was over, she threw me to the wolves literally. Either they died or I did I crawled out of that whole with eight shadow souls that day. Not once did you check up on me instead when I was allowed to go "home" you sent me away, again and again, to train with some master or another. I have no home."

"So, you suffered a little," Raksha bares her teeth, "at least your parents didn't toss you to the side. Yes, I was raised by a time lord but his wife detested me. She made my life a living nightmare. I scent you away to make you strong, how was I to know the result."

"But Raksha is all-knowing," I say remembering each time I found a sliver of happiness and she took it away, "will you have Uncle Ambrose kill him, or will you do it this time? Or better yet will you make me do it? For your bidding I'm ready, but not for war."

Raksha moves towards me but I'm faster years of training have prepared me for this. I no longer hold back I drop the damper I keep over my power letting her feel how much stronger I've become. She won't be able to strike me even if she managed to come near me it wouldn't do a thing. I flick her against the wall her shadow wall collapsing.

"I don't think you're qualified to decide if I'm ready for war or not I've never encountered a man that was," I tilt my head sideways giving her a final look before taking my shadow form and winnowing away.

"Ren," I send, but he doesn't answer. Could it be that she's already disposed of him? I search, each brothel until I come across the BlackRose. No one takes notice of me as I walk down the halls. I find Ren perfectly safe buried deep in a brunet. She screams out his name as he thrust in his movement precise.

"Bastard," I say, summoning a bow and arrow of purest dark flame. Ren stops turning in time to see the arrow bury itself in the brunet's stomach. The flames consume her, Ren holds up a hand, not in attack but defense.

"Ruby I…

"Don't worry death would be to kind for you," the arrow I shoot at him is made of shadow frost. Realizing where it's headed, he lowers his hand the arrow piercing through his palm frost spreading up his arm. I don't stay to see what happens next instead I head for the River of Sorrows where my Master awaits.

###

The Shadow Princess sits at the edge of the river running a hand through the obscure water, "What took you?" she asks tourmaline eyes locking on my own.

"I had to take care of a few things," I say, looking towards the river.

The Princess pulls her hand from the water drying it on a violet handkerchief with moon blossoms embroider on it. She tosses her purplish red hair to the side it always reminds me of the fuchsias that grew outside my window when I lived in the Dark Realm. That's right the Dark King is also my Master were it not for him I would have died long ago. The Princess smiles as if knowing what I'm thinking, "his back home," she says her smile still in place. How can someone so beautiful be so deadly?

"Come," she says extending a shadowy hand towards me. I take it feeling a calmness fall over me. In a way, I always saw the Princess and King as parents even if their manner of upbringing is questionable. Something I didn't tell Raksha was they were the only ones that helped me with the nightmare that came after each kill. "It never gets easy, you just learn to live with it," the King would say, while the Princess sang me to sleep.