Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ By the Hand of Destiny: Book One; The Journey to Destiny ❯ Chapter Two; Artemis ( Chapter 2 )

Artemis is an elite assassin in the Palas guild, but when she is confronted by Allen Schezar to help him in his mission, a mission that brings up the past, will she accept or will old wounds make her turn away from her past for good.

Chapter Two; Artemis

Written by Tayles

Creeping silently down the narrow alleyway I rested my hands cautiously on the hilts of my daggers. I peered first one way and then the other at the entrance to the alley and raised the black hood of my cape to hide my distinguishing curly red hair. Tonight I had a simple task to accomplish: another merchant had got himself into a situation of debt and my current employer wished me to make up for his lack of payment. Hopefully I could get the job done quickly and then retire early tonight.

A noise behind me caused me to whirl around, ready to draw my concealed weapons. The rat gave a sharp squeak at the movement and scrabbled away along the alley wall. I cursed myself mentally - things weren't always as easy as they seemed. My job had recently been made all the more difficult thanks to the new patrols by the Knights of Astoria. I seemed plagued by the blue uniform of the Knights of Calei. Though it was gratifying to know that my fellow assassins of the Pallas guild and I finally had them worried, they now took our presence in the underworld of Astoria seriously.

Checking the way for guards I crossed the street quickly and moved to another alley alongside the apartments for one of Asturia's most prestigious merchants. There were no guards in the area - perhaps my luck would hold tonight. I crouched, ready to leap up to the merchant's bedroom window…

Gloved hands pushed me not so roughly against the wall and threw my daggers to the stones. My hood was tweaked back revealing my ivory face and marble-grey eyes to my familiar attacker. I hadn't even heard him approaching; I was getting careless.

"Artemis, how many times do we have to go through this nightly routine? You know I'll always be one step ahead of you." The blond Knight Calei folded his arms and tutted at me in a bemused manner. His blue eyes were dancing - he always enjoyed seeing me irritated. Always, always that look of triumph when he made my life a living hell. And as always, I wanted to strike that stupidly handsome grin from his face.

I heard the low growl rumbling before I realised that it came from my own throat. I raised an arm to punch Allen's smiling face but he grabbed my wrist. Infuriated I attempted to slap him with the other hand, which he also stopped.

"Get off me," I snarled as I tried to wrench myself free.

"So another prominent member of society can lose their life to the game of that society? I think not Artemis."

"You'd rather I lost my life, is that it?" He never realised the seriousness of the situation - of course to him failure was an alien thing, he was so unused to it and it's inevitable consequences.

"I rather hope it won't come to that tonight." Oh he was too smug - I hated that. Still attempting to break his invasive hold of me I sought to put him straight.

"I do not fear you Sir Allen but my employer won't be best pleased if I fail to do my job." He actually managed to look like he cared for a moment and his eyes softened.

"What if I were to offer you a better job?"

I stopped struggling to blink up at the Knight. He raised his eyebrows at me and released my wrists as I studied him with curious grey eyes.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean that I wish to offer you a job Artemis, working with myself on a mission for his Lordship Dryden. Interested?" He was smiling knowingly at me now as I stood with my eyes narrowed and my hands on my hips.

"Why? What use am I to you or Lord Dryden?" His blue eyes glinted in the dark night.

"I need someone to help me track a rogue assassin that left Pallas earlier this week. She just left suddenly without a word to the guild or anyone. You are the only person I believe that can track her with me. As much as I hate to say it Artemis, Astoria needs your help."

"The help of an assassin? Well, well, that's a turnabout isn't it Allen? But what is in this mission for me? I don't come cheaply you know." I was enjoying this. He clearly did not enjoy asking for my help and I was going to milk the moment before crushing him with my answer. Unfortunately his smile was too disarming.

"Lord Dryden is willing to give you one thousand gold pieces for the task. But I like to think maybe you'd just like to help me out this once." This wasn't working - I was supposed to be teasing him, not the other way around. And one thousand was not enough for the long job this appeared to be.

"Sorry Allen, even for a thousand gold and a week or so in your delightful company I cannot accept. I would be laughed out of the Guild for such a job."

"Even if the rogue assassin we are tracking is Hell Seraph Latermia?" I heard myself gasp involuntarily. He had shocked me and knew it. I stared at him in confusion.

"What do you mean? What about Hell?" How could he know my connection with Hell? Surely no one outside the guild knew anything about my past, or Hell's for that matter. He seemed to be tracking my thoughts and he caught me off guard by trailing a finger down my cheek.

"People talk Artemis, especially for gold. It's a sad fact of humanity. Hell is your mentor, if you will. Or was. She took you in when you had nowhere to go and no one to turn to and she gave you your training as an assassin. She was your saviour and your friend. But you never shared her love for the fight and the kill, never shared her bloodlust. You argued... this is where the details get hazy; maybe you could fill me in... You duelled, very viscously I believe. It was a duel that you lost and you have never spoken to or seen Hell since." I fixed my eyes on his cravat, forcing myself not to remember the past. His fingers on my cheek continued down to cup my chin and turn my eyes to his. You could fall into eyes like those forever…

"You seem to know my history Allen but obviously do not know my personality. Yes I fought and lost with Hell - so why would I want to find her? Good riddance to her." He still held my face up to his and shook my head in time with his.

"It must have been a very serious disagreement for you to cut yourself off from her so. What could possibly come between two friends like you and Hell? Actually, let me guess… it was a man wasn't it?" I tried to turn away from him but he wouldn't let me, his eyes were not mocking me as I would have expected but were oddly comforting.

"Yes, a man. Petty and foolish but still it hurts to think about it. We always competed when it came to suitors but this competition became more heated as we felt more for such men. Our tactics became more underhanded and the rules of the competition changed until we ended up fighting physically for a certain would-be-suitor. She beat me. I was no match for her love of the fight even if I outmatched her in love for the man. She drew first blood and won the duel, the man and the unspoken battle for the superiority of skills. Do you understand why I wish never to see her again?"

"And you are telling me you have no care what may happen to her? I don't believe that of you Artemis." Allen seemed genuinely concerned. "Just help me find what is going on and then you can leave without even seeing Hell if that is truly what you wish."

"Why do you even care where she is? She could just be dead for all you know! No mystery, just a failed job."

"You don't believe that and neither do I." I gritted my teeth, curse Allen Schezar: he was clever.

"No. Hell has never lost a fight nor ever walked away from one. If she left it must be something big."

"I'm sorry to drag the past up Artemis but I need your help. Neither the guild nor our spies have any idea where, let alone why, Hell has gone. She left without a trace, in the middle of a job. It was like she disappeared off of the face of the earth. I have my own suspicions but now that you know our target will you change your mind? Please Artemis. If not for me then for your old friend." His blue eyes searched mine for a moment before I pulled backwards. I heard him sigh sadly as I turned my back on him and stooped to take up my daggers, one in each hand. This was not how I had expected my evening to go.

"You have my help Sir Allen. I will help you track Hell. There was one thing she always aspired to be - a slayer of dragons. I can guess where she might be heading." I heard him start to step towards me but I turned to halt him with a gesture. "I am ready to leave as soon as you are. You will need a weapon and your brains and me - all of which you already have." His eyebrows drew together in a frown.

"I am not sure how long we shall be travelling Artemis. We shall need food, water, horses, and equipment…" I cut him off by waving a finger in front of his face.

"All that will merely slow us down. If we use horses we are likely to miss clues, Hell always travels by foot. And I am capable of feeding us in the wild - I have had more than just an assassins' training, Allen. There is much I could teach you, if you are willing to learn, and if we have time." The smile was returning to his face as he nodded and began to walk alongside of me out of the alley.

"So where to then? You seem to know much more than you let on." I grinned at him.

"I do. For now we shall head east, to the Empire of Zaibach."