Daniel was heading towards Marchmoor, a large estate in Green Valley. He was accompanied by a large part of his army as he was supposed to reconcile two enemy lords, Lord Zeno and Lord Stein, both owners of large mansions in Marchmoor and rich and both aspiring to become Lords of Marchmoor. Whoever he chose, the other would be his enemy too. So he had to handle the problem as tactfully as he could and maybe without making enemies out of either of them. He needed all support to protect Green Valley from invasions, from his uncle, Igor. He was well aware that Igor knew that him, Daniel, was now King and he was sure he would try to take that away from him. So he needed as much support as he could get, he didn’t need the Lords of his kingdom to quarrel each other. He needed both Stein and Zeno. Both were influential and had many people under their command, people who with the proper training could become soldiers and fight for him.
Lots of thoughts were mingling in the back of his mind as he was riding towards Marchmoor. Good thing he was also accompanied by two of his generals and a part of his army, of course. The rest stayed at the castle to protect his wife and to ensure that everything would be ok till he returned.
Daniel was supposed to meet the two lords at Zeno's home. Stein had agreed to have the meeting there, although he wasn’t particularly happy as he couldn’t stop wondering why the meeting was at Zeno's place and not at his. And of course the thought that Daniel had already chosen between the two of them crept deep into his mind and soul, eating him away from the inside. But he had plans of his own. He wouldn’t just stand back and see this opportunity slip away. He was too proud for that. He hired an assassin to kidnap Daniel so he could force him to sign the papers that would make him Lord of Marchmoor. Then he would release him hoping that Daniel wouldn’t hold a grudge.
The hired blade was a young orphan who had run away from the orphanage when he was 10 and had been brought up by a local band of cutthroats. He had spent his days among them, learning from them, studying them, becoming more than they ever were, becoming an assassin for whoever had the money to pay him. It never mattered to him who the target was as long as he got his money. And he always did his job and never left any evidence that could lead to him. He was smart and paid a lot of attention to details. A small detail could mean the difference between a life as a hired assassin or a life in prison. And he loved the first choice.
Devon was 23 now and very skilled in what he did. It wasn’t something a normal man would have taken pride in, but he was proud. His so called family, the ones that had raised him, alsostarted to fear him. As they were getting older and weaker, he was getting better at what he did and stronger. They had mistreated him many times from the moment they had taken him among them because they didn’t really care about him. All they cared was that Devon stole for them so they'd give him a scrap of food and shelter. They taught him that nothing came free in this world and that he had to work and fight for the little food he got from them. Sometimes when Devon thought about it, it wasn’t any better from living at the orphanage. But at least now he came and left their little hiding place whenever he pleased. Nobody cared. What they did care was for him to bring them something on his return if he wanted food and a place to sleep in their little den. He always brought something, no matter how small, but he never came emptyhanded.
The chief of the cutthroats, Angry Pete, was an old mercenary who did whatever he could to keep order among his men. He got his nickname because he was always angry at someone or something, always yelling or at least raising his voice. All his men feared him but now they also feared young Devon. He was as slick as a shadow and as silent as a still lake. He was covered in tattoos and one could tell he was dangerous from a distance. It was not just the tattoos, but his whole appearance and posture. That is when he wanted to be seen. When he had a job, his target didn’t even get the chance to see his killer. He would just find himself sent to the other realm without knowing what hit him.
Devon was particularly good at using hidden blades and poisons. He knew how to make his own poisons, never bought them. He always carried small vials in his pockets with all kinds of mixtures, not all deadly. But administered in the right amount, all his mixtures could kill. They were as deadly and swift in their action upon the target as himself. Swift and deadly.
Angry Pete also started to fear the little rascal. He had raised him since Devon was 10 but he knew that if Devon got a job to kill him, he would do it. Devon had no loyalties besides money. He didn’t love anyone so he wasn’t vulnerable. For the right amount, he would kill even the king. He was dangerous and uncontrollable . But in a way, Angry Pete thought that he had also had his share of guilt as neither he nor his men had ever shown him affection in all those years. And that obviously turned him into the person he was today. A merciless cold hearted killer, hired for money. In the deepest corners of his mind, Angry Pete wished Devon would get a difficult target and meet his match. He wished he was out of his hair as he wasn’t a child anymore and he was beyond control. They hadn't really controlled him as a child as he came and left whenever he wanted and he pretty much did whatever he wanted as long as he brought them something in return for his food and shelter. But now, Devon didn’t really need them anymore. Angry Pete’s gang meant nothing to him as he could provide for himself regarding food and shelter now. But he chose to stick around with them. Maybe because even though they were bad company, they were still the only stable thing in his life. So when Lord Stein approached him, offering him a job, Devon accepted in a jiffy. Stein hadn’t told him everything, hadn’t told him that his target was the king himself. Only told him to kidnap him and bring him to his hideout, Stein's secret place.
Daniel was accompanied by Nick, his personal bodyguard, and a large part of his army. They were heading for Zeno's estate, a beautiful secluded farmhouse in the middle of Marchmoor. They were marching peacefully and Daniel's thoughts were occupied with the image of his wife, Angela. He was wondering how long he would be detained by this business trip as he missed her already. The thought of his gorgeous wife kissing him passionately was racing in his mind as they were heading towards their goal, unaware that a pair of eyes was watching them, following them from the shadows.
Before reaching Zeno's estate, Daniel decided to let his men have some rest and food as they had been marching for hours on end and they were all tired and hungry. So they set up camp in a clearing, not very far from Zeno's place. Daniel could have pushed his men onwards but decided that it was better if they arrived there rested and with their bellies full rather than famished and exhausted. First impressions always tend to have a deep impact, and Daniel was going to look imposing and dignified before Zeno and Stein, he wanted their respect as well as their loyalty. He couldn’t achieve that on an empty stomach and with his nerves to the maximum because of being tired. So best thing to do was to allow his men and himself some rest and food before they got there.
They set up camp, Daniel's tent in the middle of his men's tents, for better protection, although they weren’t expecting any danger, but it was their strategy just in case. The men were already sitting by the camp fire, enjoying their meal while some of them who had already finished eating, started to sing. It was a pleasant atmosphere, they were in a general good mood, singing, eating, drinking some weak ale and just relaxing by the fire.
The sun was setting behind the distant trees, sending gloomy shadows on the ground.As it was growing dark, they decided to spend the night there and leave with the first rays of dawn. They all agreed so most of the army just went to sleep in their tents while a few stood on guard at the entrance to Daniel and Nick’s tent, as Nick slept in the same tent, on a different cot of course, as he was Daniel's bodyguard.
The moon was hidden behind a thick layer of grey clouds making it almost impossible for its silver rays to reach their camp. So they were emerged almost entirely in darkness, just a few torches were lit near Daniel's tent. But the wind was blowing pretty hard so they were flickering continuously, almost extinguished at each gust of wind. When the wind got even stronger, the torches went out one by one and the soldiers on guard had to lit them again until eventually they gave up, realizing it was impossible to keep them going on such a weather.
It was well after midnight when the three guards clearly heard something like a whistle coming from behind the bushes a few meters away. They looked at each other in the darkness, hardly making out anything in that pitch darkness and decided it must have been the wind. But when a couple of minutes later the same sound was heard once more, one of them thought he had better investigate to make sure everything was ok. He went towards the bush, putting his hands in front of his face to protect himself from the wind that was getting dust into his eyes. It was dark enough so he didn’t need dust in his eyes, too. He hated the weather and the fact that he was among the ones responsible for the first watch.
“John!?”, the other two guards called after the first one when a few minutes had passed and he hadn’t returned. As John didn’t answer, they decided to investigate.
“Pull your sword, Robin, just in case…. “ the second guard addressed the third.
“Do you think we should be worried, Henry!? I mean maybe we should wake a few more guards and all go see…. “
“Are you plain stupid, Robin? Do you want the whole garrison to mock us in the morning? John is probably taking a piss and he can’t hear us cause of the wind. We can't shout for him or we'll wake the king up. So just follow me, you coward!”, said Henry, a tall lank guy, not very muscular, but with a lot of guts.
“If you say so….”, Robin answered him, still unsure if it was the safest thing to do but too scared to question Henry's decision. So Henry went ahead, Robin on his tail, just a step or two behind him.
When they got next to the bush behind which John had disappeared, Henry called him one more time in a low whisper and then went behind it, too. There was a muffled thud then just before Robin had the chance to utter a sound, he too was silenced.
A dark slim figure emerged from behind the bushes and went straight for Daniel's tent. He was walking so carefully that he didn’t make the faintest sound. Then he entered the quiet tent. Ten minutes later the same figure could be seen exiting the tent, a slim burden on his right shoulder, with the shape of a body covered in a blanket. Then everything went quiet again as though nothing had happened.
The moon finally sent some feeble rays through the clouds as the clouds had become thinner and had scattered on the night sky. In the moonlight, the figure could be seen resting the body on the back of a horse and then climbing himself on the horse and galloping in a hurry towards wherever he was going.