The Bastard Son Chapter 5
By Foeciusfoe
Nightfall.
The slums of Gregminister illuminated by the moon, emit a haunting blue glow. The silence of the streets is broken by the frantic footsteps of a lone figure barreling down through the cobblestone alleys. His shroud falling around his feet, causing him to stumble every so often, the clumsy figure finally stops at the end of a dark alley.
In the distance, the chapel bells strike the tone of two o clock. The panting man, doubles over attempting to catch his breath. He knows he's late, but surely his employer would understand. He leans back casually, placing his hand behind his head to wipe the sweat from the nape of his neck.
Before the man could breathe a single breath, he was grasped by a mysterious figure. The man struggled as his arm was pinned behind his back, and a hand was placed over his mouth. The stranger lifted the man ever so much and drug him further down the alley.
The figure forcefully threw the man to the ground and stepped back.
"You are late, Kraze." A voice emitted.
Attempting to stand, and brush the soot from his cloak, Kraze lifted his head ever so much. "I'm sorry sir, but security in the city has become so…."
"No excuses, Kraze." The voice uttered.
Kraze began to panic. He stood to explain himself, yet was met with a boot to the back of the knee from his previous assailant. The attack sent Kraze crashing to the ground.
"Thank you, Kayamusa." The voice again muttered. The source of the voice, immersed in shadow, stepped forward making himself known. His dark cloak billowing from his shoulders, as his long blonde hair fell past them, he brushed a strand of his hair from his uncharacteristically handsome face.
"Lord Valyn," Kraze panicked, "My most humble apologies, sir, but I…"
"Enough, Kraze." Valyn spoke. "Do you have the information?"
"Y-Yes, sir." Kraze stammered. "My sources from within the Toran security council inform me that the boy will be making appearance, sometime during the conference. He is expected to usurp president Lepant and finally seize control of the country."
"And what of the others."
"The Son of Genkaku, will be arriving in three days, but the Blight boy is a different story." Kraze paused.
"Speak up, Kraze." Valyn spoke. "Or shall I have Kayamusa extract the information from your lifeless corpse?"
Kraze turned to face the assassin lurking in the nearby shadows. The figure still cloaked in darkness, only intuition could allow Kayamusa to be detected. "The boy is here." He said. "A few of the men were attempting a routine job, when a stranger cloaked in black appeared. He dismantled them one by one, and let them go."
"How does your men's incompetence signify the arrival of the boy? It could have been Pesmerga. Or even Yuber, he could have an interest in the upcoming summit as well."
"With all due respect, Lord Valyn," Kraze spoke up, "Neither of those men are the type to save a young woman and a child."
Suddenly, his vision became dark, and unimaginable pain coursed through Kraze's body. In an instant Kayamusa had grasped the most delicate of pressure points at the base of Kraze's neck. The man couldn't move, couldn't scream. The only motion permitted by Kayamusa's expert hands was of the vocal chords and the jaw.
"Do not mock me." Valyn warned. "It is by my grace alone that you are still breathing…well, my grace and the delicate hands of Kayamusa, of course." Valyn smiled. "That's right you were never properly introduced to Ms. Kayamusa, were you?"
Kraze gurgled in pain as he attempted to shake his head and avoid the horrific pain running through him. "The lovely Kayamusa was born in the hidden city of Rokkaku, and trained by their greatest teachers. She was trained in every facet of shinobi, and exceptional in the fields of subterfuge and torture, as you have no doubt have realized. Yet she was a pupil without equal, and soon had surpassed her own masters."
Kraze's struggling breath was all the noise that accompanied Valyn's speech. "She was banished for attempting to kill the village chief, Hanzo. Ever since then she has traveled the globe as an assassin for hire."
Valyn smiled, and signaled for Kayamusa to let Kraze go. Kraze fell again to his hands and knee's, as Kayamusa released her hold. HACK! COUGH! The sound filled the alley as Kraze coughed up a bit of blood onto the filthy alley floor.
"Now I suggest that you don't anger her OR I, and tell us what you know." Valyn asserted.
"The Boy who attacked my men was wearing the ring." Kraze panted.
Valyn's face became serious. "Where is he now."
"In a shack near the home of Sonya Shulan." Kraze spoke. "The girl he saved, she's a maid in the Shulan manor."
"It appears you aren't totally useless, Kraze." Valyn said. "I want you to keep an eye on who enters and leaves the city. Once our VIPs arrive, I want to be fully notified."
"And what of the Atreides boy?" Kraze spoke up.
"Leave him to me." Valyn said as he retreated into the shadows.
Kraze lifted his tired head and peered around the alleyway. Valyn and Kayamusa were gone, and he was left alone. Kraze sighed heavily as he rose to one knee, before forcing himself to stand.
"He's no lady windy."
.