As the rain falls outside, the sounds are varied and constant. The gentle patter of the raindrops against the window is punctuated by the occasional rumble of thunder.
The air is thick with the smell of wet earth, and the wind blows through the trees, making the leaves rustle softly. In the distance, the occasional car horn or siren can be heard, but mostly the night is quiet and still. The rain creates a sense of peace and calm, and the darkness makes the world feel small and cozy.Jack had made his way into the club. The loud music blasted through the speakers, making everyone sway their hips to its rhythm.Jack wasn't here to party, he had serious business at hand and there was only one place he could discuss his business; at the inner room.Before he would be allowed access into the inner room, he had to be checked thoroughly by the security at the doors and the moment he gained access, Jack would be welcomed into a smokeVincent had other plans in mind, instead of going back home immediately. If Jack was willing to go the extra miles to see that he would be killed, he was willing to revisit his inner demon once again.After minutes of driving, he arrived at a shopping complex which was desecrated. He made his way down to the back of the shopping complex and stepped inside. There was a lot of music going on, but the moment he stepped in the music stopped and all eyes were on him. Everyone in the room, seemed to be stoic with their gaze, as they stared him down."Look who is back? The prodigal son himself!" He looked up to see Evans coming down the stares with a glass of wine in his hands."Nice to see you too Evans. You have gotten fat." Vincent's comment would leave Snicker of laughter across the room from everyone."Don't you dare call me fat. This is success." Evans replied, turning around so Vincent could have a better view. "I cannot same t
After a year of slavery in the Salt tunnel of New York, Jessica was accustomed to being escorted everywhere in shackles and at sword-point. Most of the thousands of slaves in New York received similar treatment—though an extra half-dozen guards always walked Jessica to and from the tunnel. That was expected by Skull gang’s most notorious assassin. What she did not usually expect, however, was a hooded man in black at her side—as there was now.He gripped her arm as he led her through the shining building in which most of New York’s officials and overseers were housed. They strode down corridors, up flights of stairs, and around and around until she hadn’t the slightest chance of finding her way out again.At least, that was her escort’s intention, because she hadn’t failed to notice when they went up and down the same staircase within a matter of minutes. Nor had she missed when they zigzagged between levels, even though the building was a standard grid
But she had other things to think about as they continued their walk. Was she finally to be hanged? Sickness coiled in her stomach. She was important enough to warrant an execution from the Captain of the Guard himself. But why bring her inside this building first?At last, they stopped before a set of red-and-gold glass doors so thick that she couldn’t see through them. Captain Westfall jerked his chin at the two guards standing on either side of the doors, and they stomped their spears in greeting.The captain’s grip tightened until it hurt. He yanked Jessica closer, but her feet seemed made of lead and she pulled against him. “You’d rather stay in the tunnel?” he asked, sounding faintly amused.“Perhaps if I were told what this was all about, I wouldn’t feel so inclined to resist.”“You’ll find out soon enough.” Her palms became sweaty. Yes, she was going to die. It had come at last.The doors groaned open to reveal a throne room. A g
At a passing glance, one might think her eyes blue or gray, perhaps even green, depending on the color of her clothing. Up close, though, these warring hues were offset by the brilliant ring of gold around her pupils. But it was her golden hair that caught the attention of most, hair that still maintained a glimmer of its glory. In short, Jessica was blessed with a handful of attractive features that compensated for the majority of average ones; and, by early adolescence, she’d discovered that with the help of cosmetics, these average features could easily match the extraordinary assets.But now, standing before Evans Stoicas little more than a gutter rat! Her face warmed as Captain Westfall spoke. “I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”The Leader shook his head when Chaol reached for her. “Don’t bother with the bath just yet. I can see her potential.” The prince straightened, keeping his attention on Celaena. “I don’t believe that we’ve ever had the pleasure of an i
The prince’s eyes shone with amusement at her brashness but lingered a bit too long on her body. Jessica could have raked her nails down his face for staring at her like that, yet the fact that he’d even bother to look when she was in such a filthy state . . . A slow smile spread across her face.The prince crossed his long legs. “Leave us,” he ordered the guards. “Chaol, stay where you are.”Jessica stepped closer as the guards shuffled out, shutting the door. Foolish, foolish move. But Chaol’s face remained unreadable. He couldn’t honestly believe he’d contain her if she tried to escape! She straightened her spine. What were they planning that would make them so irresponsible?The prince chuckled. “Don’t you think it’s risky to be so bold with me when your freedom is on the line?”Of all the things he could have said, that was what she had least expected. “My freedom?” At the sound of the word, she saw a land of pine and snow, of sun-bleached cliffs
“That remains to be seen,” Evans said. “You’ll be told the details of the competition when we arrive in the city.”“Despite the amount of fun you nobles will have betting on us, this competition seems unnecessary. Why not just hire me already?”“As I just said, you must prove yourself worthy.”She put a hand on her hip, and her chains rattled loudly through the room. “Well, I think being Skull gang’s Assassin exceeds any sort of proof you might need.”“Yes,” Chaol said, his bronze eyes flashing. “It proves that you’re a criminal, and that we shouldn’t immediately trust you with the king’s private business.”“I give my solemn oa—”“I doubt that the Bosswould take the word of Skull gang’s Assassin as bond.” “Yes, but I don’t see why I have to go through the training and thecompetition. I mean, I’m bound to be a bit . . . out of shape, but . . . what else do you expect when I have to make do with rocks and pickaxes in this place?” She ga
When Jane finally collapsed onto a bed after her meeting in the throne room, she couldn’t fall asleep, despite the exhaustion in every inch of her body. After being roughly bathed by brutish servants, the wounds on her back throbbed and her face felt like it had been scrubbed to the bone. Shifting to lie on her side to ease the pain in her dressed and bound back, she ran her hand down the mattress, and blinked at the freeness of movement. Before she’d gotten into the bath, Benjamin had removed her shackles. She’d felt everything—the reverberations of the key turning in the lock of her irons, then again as they loosened and fell to the floor. She could still feel the ghost chains hovering just above her skin. Looking up at the ceiling, she rotated her raw, burning joints and gave a sigh of contentment.But it was too strange to lie on a mattress, to have silk caress her skin and a pillow cradle her cheek. She had forgotten what food other than soggy oats and hard bread tasted like, wha
She scowled as she stood. Her frown deepened when she discovered the head of the Guard smirking as they walked into the fray of the readying company. However, the unbearable urge to splatter someone across a wall lessened when they brought her a piebald mare to ride.She mounted. The sky came closer, and it stretched forever above her, away and away to distant lands she’d never heard of. Jane gripped the saddle horn. She was truly leaving Endovier. All those hopeless months, those freezing nights. . gone now. She breathed in deeply. She knew—she just knew—that if she tried hard enough, she could fly from her saddle. That is, until she felt iron clamp around her arms.It was Benjamin, fastening her bandaged wrists into shackles. A long chain led to his horse, where it disappeared beneath the saddlebags. He mounted his black stallion, and she considered leaping from her horse and using the chain to hang him from the nearest tree.It was a rather large company, twenty all together. Behi