Free Gathering of the Chosen by Timothy L. Cerepaka Page B

Hollechians, or was while Hollech was alive,
anyway. That must be what this guy is doing.”
    “How do we stop him?” asked Braim.
    “Watch,” said Darek.
    He raised his wand, which immediately
became so bright that Braim had to raise his arm to avoid being
blinded. And the light became brighter still, until soon all of the
shadows in the room had been banished, allowing Braim to see every
corner of the room as clearly as on a bright summer afternoon.
    This also revealed the assassin, who stood
near the window, standing still like it had been stunned by the
light itself. Without the shadows to distort its appearance, Braim
saw that the assassin was burlier than Darek and he combined. It
was clearly not human or even aquarian, though what it was exactly,
Braim didn't know, because it wore dark leather clothes that seemed
to absorb the light. Its feet, however, were clawed, like the feet
of a horian falcon.
    The light also showed its eyes through its
eye holes. They were almost human, except for the lack of sclera,
making its eyes look completely black.
    “There you are, you bastard,” said Braim,
holding up his wand to cast a spell. “Stand still long enough for
me to—”
    Without warning, the assassin jumped
through the closed window of Braim's room. The sound of shattering
glass was the only sound that the assassin made as it escaped.
    Alarmed, Braim and Darek ran up to the
smashed window. Braim tore aside what remained of the curtains to
try to catch a glimpse of the assassin as it fled.
    But when he stuck his head outside the
window, Braim saw no sign of the assassin at all. He only spotted
the glass shards of the window on the ground outside, but of the
assassin itself there was no sign. All Braim saw was the empty
streets outside. It was like the assassin had never existed.
    Braim looked at Darek with uncertainty.
“Uh, you saw the big, four-armed assassin carrying those
double-bladed lances, right? I'm not losing my mind or anything,
right?”
    “I saw it,” said Darek, nodding, a
troubled look on his face. “I don't like this. I don't like this at
all. Who was that guy and why was he trying to kill you?”
    “I don't know,” said Braim. “Until today,
I didn't even know that I had enemies.”
    “Maybe he mistook you for someone else?”
said Darek.
    Braim looked at Darek with disbelief.
“There are exactly four humans on this island, five if you count
Raya. And we all look completely different from one another. I
think it's pretty obvious that the assassin was after me.”
    “But why you?” said Darek. “I'd understand
King Malock, seeing as he's the leader of one of the most powerful
nations in the entire Northern Isles, but what's so special about
you?”
    Braim was about to state the obvious when
Jenur appeared in the doorway. Unlike Darek, she looked quite
tired, with her hair messed up and her robes haphazardly pulled
over her pajamas. She waved her wand hither and thither, like she
thought that the assassin was still here.
    “What happened?” said Jenur, yawning as
she spoke. “I heard fighting. What's going on?” She then spotted
Braim's bleeding shoulder and gasped. “Braim, what happened to your
shoulder?”
    Braim glanced at his wounded shoulder,
having entirely forgotten about it in the excitement of the moment
until just now. “Uh, I should explain to you guys what happened
from the beginning.”
    So Braim briefly explained to Jenur and
Darek how the assassin appeared and tried to kill him, including
Darek's arrival that saved his life. Because the story was so
short, he was able to finish it quickly, and by the time he did,
Jenur was wide awake and looked quite worried.
    “An assassination attempt in the Throne of
the Gods?” said Jenur. She shook her head. “I thought we were safe
here.”
    “Guess we're not,” said Braim. “Or I'm
not, at least. Did either of you two hear anything unusual before
the assassin attacked me?”
    “No,” said Darek, shaking his head.