Steel Assassin

Speechless...wordless...

(Take note: The italic word means that the character or being is speaking in Avian, the language of Aviara.)

Atlas' POV:

'I am...her target? Wait...that means she's trying to kill..me.'

Elowen's hands were scrunched up in his sheets, clearly trying to hold back herself from doing something. 

Atlas managed to say, "Why haven't you..." he trailed off.

Elowen looked at him apprehensively, as though she expected him to make a run for it. Atlas clearly wanted to but he had to know why she was hesitating.

When Elowen did not reply, his hands flew up in incoherent gestures, "Why haven't you...you know...unalived me?"

Elowen's frown curled even more down and they parted. Her cheeks seemed to be less pale than the last time he'd seen her. They seemed rosier than usual. Elowen murmured, "Because...I found you...ethereal..."

Atlas' eyebrows knitted together at the unusual usage of words. "Ethereal? I'm no where near ethereal..."

Elowen bit her lip again and something inside Atlas flipped. He thought, 'No you are not falling for your-could-be-assassin. Just no.'

She said, "You cried. And I found that I couldn't just kill you. That wouldn't be fair to you. And I didn't decide to kill you. Someone hired me to. A she."

Atlas laughed, a mirthless sound, "That must be Liera. No wonder she wanted to be my maid that desperately. She wanted to keep an eye on me to make sure I didn't become king."

Elowen tilted her head, "But you don't..."

Atlas sighed, "I know I don't but it's my duty...I have to, if not my mother would punish me."

Elowen's frown curled upwards, close to becoming a small smile. She said, "I guess I could just finish you off and flee. Then you won't have to fulfil your duty and I will complete my mission. It's a win-win."

Atlas frowned, "You don't really seem like someone to cooperate with others, and you don't smile very often. I don't think I have seen that beautiful lips of yours in a smile." He winked and inwardly cringed. Flirting had never been his strong suit. 

But nevertheless, he noticed her blush reddening and thought, 'Wow, can't believe she fell for my terrible charms. But she didn't seem like this at the start. So it's probably not my looks.'

Elowen's slight frown curled into a full-fledged smile which flipped something in Atlas yet again. Her rare smile was so contagious he couldn't help but grin as well. Elowen seemed amused by his reaction and laughed softly, lifting a hand to cover her mouth as her eyes squinted shut. Her head tilted back, revealing her bare, perfect neck. 

Once she recovered from her laughter, she drew something from a pocket in her leggings. It was shorter than a sword but seemed more intricate than a sword. It had inscriptions carved upon it. And Elowen seemed to glow as soon as she drew it. She whispered, "No need to hide, let my disguise slide. Change me back to what I donned, let my true self be born."

Before he knew what was happening, she brought the knife down to her wrist and cut it. Atlas yelled in shock and flew over to Elowen. Elowen snapped, "Stay away!"

As if triggered, the blood from her wound amplified and covered her entire being. The blood cocooned her delicate being and Elowen disappeared from plain sight. A moment after, the blood gathered together and somehow, went inside the inscriptions of the knife. 

Gone was the maid outfit, replaced with a tunic, pants, boots and her white gloves had changed to a pair of black ones. Atlas was confused, "How?"

Elowen smiled again, "I don't call upon your Aviara Goddess. I call upon the Soul-Reaper. He is the one that gives me my missions after getting a mission from a random client."

Atlas didn't understand half of what she had just said but he just decided to nod and go with the flow. He found that she was even more beautiful in her assassin clothes compared to the standard maid clothing. This style of clothing fitted her way better than the maid dress.

Atlas could only admire her beauty, speechless. He couldn't possibly put what he saw to pen and paper. Her beauty was unexplainable. 

Elowen took the knife and whispered, "Wound seal." Right before his eyes, the wound on Elowen's wrist closed up, leaving only blood as evidence that there had been a wound. She swiped her thumb over the blood and sucked it. She winced as her flesh touched the healed part, as though the skin was still tender. 

The knife was bloody now and Elowen said, "Cleanse."

The knife flashed and the blood dried up. Elowen carefully took the dried blood from the knife and crushed it in her palm. She raised her closed fist over her hair and red powder rained down onto her scalp, the powder running down her ginger locks.

The powder seemed to blend in with her hair and after a few seconds, he couldn't discern what was powder and what was hair. He asked, "What now?"

Elowen fidgeted with her knife. She replied, "I...don't know. If I don't complete this mission, I will receive consequences...unless..."

Atlas asked, "What?"

"I kill the client."

[852 words]