assassin | a story

“I want him dead.”

The bearded man leaned over the table towards me, his fist planted between us. I could see the darkness in his eyes, though the light from the fire tried to flicker them back to life.

I examined his face closely before turning away and shrugging nonchalantly.

“I accept your commission.”

The twisted delight in his eyes made me shiver.

“How will it be done?”

I grinned.

“It will take some time.”

“But how?” he demanded. “I must know.”

“Poison.”

His lip curled at the word. “Good, good. Make it slow, that he may suffer all the more.”

I laughed, breaking off my amusement with a roll of my head. “You don’t understand.”

I leaned closer over the table, watching his eyes flicker a breath away from mine.

“This poison will not be consumed or inhaled.”

I could see the darkness in his eyes cloud over with confusion, and began to explain.

“You want me to kill a king. It’s simple; I suppose you could do it yourself if you had to.”

He frowned, not sure whether I had aimed that as an insult. I smiled, lacing my words.

“To kill a king, first find a weakness. This is where you will decide on your poison. In this case, I will find your king a queen. I will make her strong, make her smart, make her fierce, and make her beautiful. She will be a goddess among women. Your king cannot resist her, she will allure him, draw him close.”

I fixed him with a gaze, raking his face. “Let the poison simmer. Scrape away her love, raze his trust to the ground, shatter his heart. Then,” I breathed a laugh, feeling a thrill in my veins, “watch him choke.” 

The bearded man looked at me in surprise, his upper lip rising.

“Believe me, he will suffer. It will destroy him with a pain that nothing else could. It will leave him gasping and wretched, torn apart from within. It will be a slow venom, leaking into his bloodstream and turning his veins black.”

“Will it work?” he breathed.

 "Trust me.”

The bearded man thanked me and pressed a sack of gold into my palm; the cloth sagged over my fingers, the weight of the coins pressing it down. I watched him go, a silent scream distorting my features.

“I know.”