The next night, Rico and I approached the tower. It wasn't raining, but the air was hot and muggy. Likely, there would be a big storm soon. Rico and I had come early so that I could get a better look at the tower and the guard that was watching it. Apparently the guard didn't do anything unless you got within a certain distance of it. It was target practice for a barrage of arrows, which Rico had brought with him. In truth arrows aren't my specialty. Never liked using a bow after that time the string slapped against my arm and I had a giant red welt. Almond and Cara laughed at me for hours. I learned to hate the bow.

Almost wouldn't laugh now. He would take that opportunity to slice out my heart.

The guard was a mess. It was easily two feet higher than myself, not an easy feat, and had shiny new armor covering his rotting carcass.

“Watch this.” Rico whispered. He took out his bow, aimed carefully, and let his arrow fly, striking the guard in the head, right between the eyes. The guard didn't move.

“Nice shot.” I said. “Target practice?”

“Yes. Did this once with some arrows until his body was covered in them.”

“Kos took the arrows out?”

“I don't think so. They- Oh, just look.”

I turned back to the guard, and saw the arrow slowly dissolve into dust.

“I think it's a spell. And watch something more interesting.” He took another arrow and quickly aimed for the guard. In mid-flight the arrow caught fire and raced, a glowing streak though the air, at the guard.

The arrow seemed to get stuck in the air, then fell to the ground to burn out.

“I've tried flaming arrows, and plain flames. Fire won't touch him. I think Kos protected him.”

“Which would mean that he's afraid it'll catch fire.”

“Smaller amounts can get through. Candle-flames, but anything bigger then that doesn't.”

“How do you know?”

Rico shrugged. “I watched him for a long time. Tried different things. Trial and error.”

“Of course.” I muttered. I had a bag slung over my shoulder. I took it off and started rummaging though it. “I might have an idea.” I dug through the bag, letting various glass bottles clink around. I had brought a small part of my large collection of strange and unusual posions and powders. It's a hobby of mine, along with strange weapons. I keep them all tied up and packed away in my wagon. I had a great wealth of weapons and poisons, many of which I never used. A collection mostly.

“Stiri?”

“What?”

“You told me the other night that the story that I had heard... About the men in the mountains... You told me it wasn't true.”

“Likely it wasn't.” I said, “I've never heard the real story come from anyone's mouth but my own.” I was looking carefully at several black bottles. There was a handful of them that I needed, the other were poisons, likely ones that caused Narcosis. I didn't use them often. Actually, I never used them. I had been looking for a few bottles of black powder that I often used, but they had gotten mixed up with my other potions. I was in a rush, so I took all the black ones.

“So what was the real story?”

I realized that Rico likely wouldn't let me focus until I told him. It didn't matter, it was a good story. And it didn't look like Rotty, the undead guard, was going to move anywhere.

“Stiri,” I said softly, “Was a name that was given to me by another great assassin. One you may have heard of? Almond?” I looked at Rico who looked entirely confused. “Ah well. He was. Once, a long long time ago, before I had a name, I traveled with him. He gave me the name after I killed a large group of nobles in the mountains.

“I was young and stupid then. I accepted the job from another noble in Frigidis. That's in the mountains. The nobles I was hired to slay were rivals of his. They were going on a hunting trip into the mountains.”

“Near Frigidis?”

“...The nobles were from Frigidis. They went West through the mountains, and I followed them.” Despite the still warm night, a shiver ran through my spine as I remembered Frigidis. I hated going there. I've been there a total of twice. Once for that job, and again later because I was fleeing.

I thought it was simple enough, but it would be a massive slaughter, so hopefully it would be something that would make me famous. I thought I would simply follow them until they set up their camp. Then I would sneak up to them as they slept, and stab them in their sleep.”

“Isn't that a little... Dishonorable?” Rico asked. I smirked.

I repressed a laugh. “Perhaps. But I don't much care about being honorable. I care about finishing my job, and surviving.”

“No honor among thieves.” Rico said. I sighed. How many times have I heard that comment? Besides, I wasn't a thief. Not that I didn't dabble in thievery when I needed to.

“I made the mistake, however. of following too closely. They caught me on the first day of their travels. They tied my hands together, and dragged me all the way to their camp, while they travelled as far as they could on horseback.

“By the time they got to their camp, I was exhausted. They threw me into an ice-lined cave, and decided to keep me as their prisoner.I lay in the cave, and they threw me food once a day as they hunted. They didn't give me water though. They decided that if I was thirsty, I could suck from the ice on the walls. I was freezing down there. I lay against the wall, unmoving for hours at a time. I lost all feeling in my toes, and never regained them.”

“You can't feel your toes?”

“No. Can't feel them.” I said. “However, one day, I realized something. I breathed on the icy wall of the cave, and the ice melted, and refroze right away and made a little icicle. So, I lay there for two days in that frozen hell, breathing on my little icicle. It got bigger, and bigger, and stronger.

“As luck would have it, they had good luck with their hunt, and celebrated. The guard that brought food to me that night had had too much to drink, and when he came to bring me food, he slipped, and fell down the cave. I tore the icicle from the wall, and rammed it into the stomach of the guard as he fell into me.”

“After that, it was simple. I took the sword from the guard, and cut myself free. I clambered up out of the cave, and snuck into the camp. I found my dagger, and waited until the lords all fell asleep. After that, I stabbed each one of them. When I returned to Almond, and told him of my victory, he called me 'Stiri'. It stuck, and I've used it since... I think it's Gretian, though I was never sure.”

I pulled out another little bottle of black powder, and figured that I had enough to do the job. “I think I can....” I stopped. Somewhere in the muggy night, I heard something that did not belong. I stopped moving, slowed my breathing and listened carefully, closing my eyes so that I could focus on the sounds. I heard Rico kneeling near me, breathing heavily, I heard the guard, his bones creaking. I heard the wind blowing high above our heads, not gracing the land at all, nightbirds, rats, cats and..

“Stiri, what-”

“Quiet.” I snapped. I listened, and I heard the sound I was missing, the crying of a bow-string as it was pulled tight, the groan of the bow.

Then the twang an the arrow, like a scream in the night.

I turned and looked, now knowing exactly where the arrow came from, but before I could react, it seemed as though Rico had heard it as well. A bright, blinding wall of flames flashed before me, and the charred remains of an arrow fell to the ground.

“That for you or me?” I snapped. I jumped to my feet, letting the bottle fall to the ground. Rico cursed.

“I don't know.” he said.

That wasn't the end, of course. A figure dropped down from a tree and ran across the field that Kos had placed his tower in. Dagger drawn, he lunged at Rico.

I came between the two, dagger in my hand. As the other man lunged, I grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground.

"Do you mind? We're busy." I snapped. I took a quick look at the figure in the moonlight: he was dressed in all black clothes, his brown hair obscuring his face.

The figure quickly jumped up. I was ready, but not ready enough. He knocked Rico to the ground, then quickly ran at me. He seemed to try to lunge at me with his dagger, and so I moved to slice open his arm. However, he feinted at the last moment, and charged at my midsection instead, knocking me to the ground.

The breath was knocked out of me, and my vision swam. Before I could collect myself, I felt a great weight on my chest. After a moment, I could focus, and looked up.

The figure had his knee on my chest, and his dagger before my neck. The wind picked up, and moved his hair out of his face, letting it bask in moonlight long enough for me to see him clearly.

"Ah. Greetings, Almond." I said.

"Goodbye, Stiri." He replied, and moved to push the dagger in my throat. Quickly, I kneed him in the stomach. He gasped, and his grip loosened. I threw him off me and leapt to my feet. As soon as he hit the ground, he too leapt up.

"You've learned a lot" Almond said. "Shame you never learned how to grow eyes out of the back of your head!"

I was confused for a moment, but only a moment, as someone grabbed me from behind, locking my arms behind my back, lifting me off my feet.

"Kill him! Kill him NOW!" The voice behind me snarled. It was a familiar voice, masked by fury. I could not place it. I tried to stab the man behind me with my dagger, but he saw, and knocked the dagger out of my hands and kicked it away from me. Almond picked it up.

"I'll kill him with this!" Almond snapped."It's only suiting."

I struggled fruitlessly against the one behind me. I kicked, but he seemed invulnerable.

Almond lunged at me, and I shut my eyes, waiting for the cold steel to pierce my chest. I didn't feel it though, not then. Instead, a scream of pain pierced my ears, a wave of heat hit my skin. I opened my eyes, and saw a wall of flame between me and Almond. Behind me, I heard a sudden roar of flame, joined by a cry of pain. The man let me go, and I fell to the ground. I turned and saw the man slapping at his face and hair, which had been caught on fire. In the moonlight, I saw the small bottle I had dropped glittering on the ground. I grabbed it, took the cork out, and threw it at the man, there was a sudden explosion and the man cried out in pain. Flames rained down around me. I turned, and saw Rico, clutching at his arm, one hand outstretched. He seemed breathless. I got up, ran towards him and grabbed him by his good arm, pulling him off into the streets, losing Almond, and his snarling accomplice to deal with the flames that surrounded them.