First Blood

The third prince’s party campsite was large and a bit intimidating. Individual tents were set up for each person, and as the party was massive, the temporary camp looked more like a village. I wasn’t sure which tent was which, but then the maid gestured, and it was clear that the one we sought was on the furthest edge of the camp away from us. 

Without any formal training in sneaking or scheming, I looked to the maid with what I hoped was a cry for help in my eyes. She didn’t look at me, her gaze focused instead on the campsite. The tents were configured in a circle around a large firepit that lit up the entire area with a healthy blaze. A large humanoid figure was standing near the fire, most likely a lackluster lookout. For a moment, I wondered why there was just one guard, but then I realized that this party would not have any reason to be diligent in its security; they were not expecting an attack.

The single guard wasn’t the main problem, though, and I studied the bright fire glumly. No tent was completely in shadow, not even my victim’s. In order to sneak inside and prick the proxy, I’d have to navigate through the light without being noticed. The plan felt as though it was falling apart before it had even begun.

The maid turned toward me. Despite her lack of expression, it seemed that she was giving me a pointed look. She glanced from me to the proxy’s tent, then back to me. I shook my head slightly; I couldn’t go in there without getting caught.

A shadow of irritation seemed to pass over her stony face, and this time, she raised a hand. With a small gesture, she pointed at herself, then glanced at the guard. Even without training, I could figure out her intention: she was going to cause a distraction. This time, I nodded, and the maid appeared satisfied. Turning on her heel, she began to creep around the outside of the camp away from me.

Even if she makes a distraction for me to get in, getting out without raising suspicion will be hard, I thought, my traitorous brain desperately poking holes in the plan. A second distraction could work, but it would be far too conspicuous, leading our ploy to be discovered and us being tracked down as killers.

My mind continued to race, but it was too late to change what was about to happen. As I watched, the maid caused a small ripple of noise through the bushes, and the sound was noticed by the large figure near the fire. He turned quickly toward the noise, his back to where I was hiding, and I saw a long, scaly tail whip from his back and wrap around a branch from the fire to use as a makeshift torch. I gaped; it hadn’t occurred to me that he wasn’t human. If the heat hurt him through his reptilian skin, he didn’t show it as he swung the torch in front of him and began to make for the direction the sound had come from.

I couldn’t see exactly what happened once the torchlight was obscured by trees and bushes, but the moment he took a single step outside the perimeter of the camp to investigate, he collapsed.

My mind froze before spinning out again. His large stature and whatever skills he’d had amounted to nothing. She’d dispatched him like so much rubbish. I had thought we were only killing the proxy, but apparently not. I could hear the roar of my blood in my ears as my heart pounded.

“Do it now, before he wakes,” The maid’s monotone commanded from over my shoulder.

I managed to keep a yelp from escaping my throat and jumped away from her.

He was knocked out. He’s still alive.

I felt a cool wave of relief pass over me.

The respite didn’t last long, though, as I felt her finger in my back, prodding me towards the now unguarded tent. I hadn’t done my job yet. First blood was still to be spilled tonight.

My hands shook slightly as I nudged the clasp and opened the tent flap. My eyes were already adjusted to the low light so I could see the small, somewhat cozy interior. A knapsack, a shuttered lantern, a pair of boots. And a cot, with someone lying on it. The man I was meant to kill, the third prince’s proxy. I couldn’t avoid him anymore.

He was just a guy.

I reflexively took a step back, bumping into the maid who had followed behind me silently.

Damn it.

The proxy rolled over away from us and began snoring, deeply asleep and completely unaware.

The small needle weighed down my hand as I crept forward until I stood over him. I needed only to let gravity do most of the work. I positioned the tip of the needle inches above his carotid artery and closed my eyes.

Take a deep breath.

I pushed.

I watched my victim’s body for any sign of reaction, but he barely stirred. Another deep snore rumbled through him, and I withdrew the needle before he could roll over again. No matter how deep of a sleeper someone was, a needle piercing that deeply into the neck should wake them up. Not this fellow, apparently. It was strange.

I almost managed to delude myself into thinking it was all a dream as I looked down at him. My brain simply refused to process the image of the man before me, blissfully oblivious to the blow he’d just received. He was about to die. Probably slowly.

“Good, the needle deposited enough, now release the cryphen and leave.” The maid’s voice sounded far away, but I could see her shadow flickering in the firelight right behind me. Her silhouette hung like a reaper over the oddly peaceful scene.

In a daze I pocketed the needle, dropped the cryphen from its little vial onto the edge of the cot, and followed the maid out of the tent. I made sure to flick the clasp closed again as we dropped the flap, leaving no record of our presence. It took surprisingly little effort to melt into the darkness of the woods behind the tent and start making our way silently back to our own campsite.

I had felt so talkative on the walk to this place, but the silence was too heavy for me to break on our return journey. The internal monologue that usually demanded answers, the anxious voice in my head demanding information, had now receded, replaced by a pounding sensation that echoed through my skull with a numbing force.

I had just taken a life.

The maid, predictably, said nothing.

I didn’t even notice that we’d arrived back to my tent, but at some point I realized that I was lying on my cot, alone. The maid was gone.

No matter how comfortable my bedding was, I couldn’t sleep. I simply lay on my back and mindlessly stared at the stars through the bugproof window in the ceiling of my tent. Coherent thought was a distant memory.

Hours passed, probably; it was impossible to tell. But it felt like no time had passed at all when the sun finally crept above the treeline. It was time to get up.

I felt light and fuzzy, my senses muddled like I was moving through a maze of cotton. My head swayed on my neck as I stood up to leave my tent, and I paused to get my bearings. Everything felt distant, soft, useless. My vision swam slightly, and the roar in my ears had only slightly receded.

I stumbled out of the tent, finding my three party members already up and about. They called out friendly greetings, but I didn’t respond. I barely registered that they’d spoken.

I felt a hand grip my jaw, and I blinked. Even out of focus, I could tell it was Estelar.

“He’s obviously unwell,” I heard him say. “I purified…food….any potential poisons as a precaution…maybe his body couldn’t handle…deadly to other species, let alone dimensions! This…blunder, I will do all I can…please gather some things for me!” Estelar’s serious and mildly panicked tone contrasted with his normally calm demeanor, and I was able to pick out a few words here and there. I didn’t know what they meant, nor did I care, but the fear in his voice was just enough to snap me out of my stupor for a moment.