Joker Wild
The intruders were closing in.
A series of heavy footsteps were plodding down the lush carpet lining the wide hallway. The young woman slipped away from the door and sought out the decorated armoire standing in the far corner of her room. She pulled the doors open and her fingertips traced over the rich, black lacquer lining the bottom shelf until they brushed over a subtle line. She pushed and a hidden compartment sprang open, allowing the distant light to catch the polished white of the scabbards that rested within.
She lifted the dagger first and secured it at the small of her back before taking up the slender longsword and threading it through a loop on her belt. Her hands found the loose tongues of leather and pulled it taut to secure the weight of her weapons. Closing the doors, she deliberately crossed the floor and took up position at the center of the room.
A steady breeze passed through the open window and lifted the sheer gauze of the curtains, allowing the ghostly blue hue of the unhindered moon entry into the darkest corners of the room. It fell upon the square of her shoulders and the smooth satin braids of her raven hair. Her dark eyes gazed through the light and the shadow, steadily trained on the door as her hand found the hilt of the sword.
She waited, meeting the men clad in black without an inkling of hesitation as the door flew open.
"I know why you're here," she said, her low voice carried through the soft whispers of night air. "And my decision hasn't changed."
She drew her blade with a steel resolve, bearing the earnest weight of the weapon and its intentions as she raised her arm to direct its tip towards them. The figures shifted cautiously, but they were sorely underestimating her. She knew that was her only advantage, as well as her only hope of success.
"I won't have any part in your master's game."
A series of heavy footsteps were plodding down the lush carpet lining the wide hallway. The young woman slipped away from the door and sought out the decorated armoire standing in the far corner of her room. She pulled the doors open and her fingertips traced over the rich, black lacquer lining the bottom shelf until they brushed over a subtle line. She pushed and a hidden compartment sprang open, allowing the distant light to catch the polished white of the scabbards that rested within.
She lifted the dagger first and secured it at the small of her back before taking up the slender longsword and threading it through a loop on her belt. Her hands found the loose tongues of leather and pulled it taut to secure the weight of her weapons. Closing the doors, she deliberately crossed the floor and took up position at the center of the room.
A steady breeze passed through the open window and lifted the sheer gauze of the curtains, allowing the ghostly blue hue of the unhindered moon entry into the darkest corners of the room. It fell upon the square of her shoulders and the smooth satin braids of her raven hair. Her dark eyes gazed through the light and the shadow, steadily trained on the door as her hand found the hilt of the sword.
She waited, meeting the men clad in black without an inkling of hesitation as the door flew open.
"I know why you're here," she said, her low voice carried through the soft whispers of night air. "And my decision hasn't changed."
She drew her blade with a steel resolve, bearing the earnest weight of the weapon and its intentions as she raised her arm to direct its tip towards them. The figures shifted cautiously, but they were sorely underestimating her. She knew that was her only advantage, as well as her only hope of success.
"I won't have any part in your master's game."
-
Chapter One
Solstice