Darkness Girl: Trickster God

Chapter Seven: A Notoriously Short Shelf Life

From the shadows on the roof, Seline watched Trevellian and Regan's confrontation. 

'So flashy, Trevellian,' she sighed. 'Some day you'll need to learn the value of discretion.' 

'So, this is where the puppet master hides,' said a voice behind her. 

She smiled in the darkness. 

'Hello Kessler.' 

Kessler walked towards her with one hand on resting lightly on the hilt of her sword. Her porcelain skin seemed to glow in the moonlight.  

'I don't know how you know my name, but I got your message.' 

She pulled the piece of paper with the strange symbol on it out of her pocket and let it drop. The words we're watching you fluttered as the night breeze dragged them across the dirty concrete surface of the roof. 

'You know, I don't think I've ever seen such a perfectly crafted silencer,' said Seline, still looking down at Regan. 'Most killers have a storm of conflicting emotions under the surface, but she seems perfectly calm. It's chilling really.' 

'She's a natural killer,' Kessler shrugged. 

'I noticed. You can't learn that kind of coldness. She has no hesitation. Not even for a millisecond. It's only a small edge, but at her level it's the difference between life and death.' 

Seline stood up and walked into the light. She smoothed out the creases in her charcoal grey business skirt and jacket, and checked that no hairs had escaped from her bun. 

'I didn't expect an accountant,' said Kessler. 

Seline smiled at her over the top of her glasses. 'I'm glad you came to see me, Kessler.' 

'Really? Why is that?' 

'Because I'm interested in you. You have so much potential. My organisation thinks you might be the type of person who would be an asset.' 

'I fail to see what benefit that would bring to me. Your performance today hasn't exactly showered you in glory.' 

Seline swished a well manicured hand through the air as if brushing the statement away. 

'The death of those below us is practically a currency in our business. Their lives were otherwise uninspiring, but look at all the things I was able to purchase with them! I got to meet you, and I got to see your little dog in action.' 

'Pity about Lewis,' Kessler's bloodless lips pulled back into what could have been a smile. 

'Yes, poor old Lewis. Still, I don't think he will have a great many mourners. He was, after all, a rather vile individual.' 

'You've got me curious. Why were you trying to pick him up?' 

Seline gave Kessler a look like a jewel appraiser finding a flaw in an otherwise perfect diamond. 

'I expected more imagination from you. I'd heard rumours that you were sharper than that. Why don't you thrill me with your perspicacity?' 

'I'm not a bloody performing monkey.' 

Seline clasped her hands together on her chest. 'Please, indulge me.' 

'Fine, from where I stand there weren't many reasons for anyone to want anything from Lewis. He was a sickly, scum sucking, little weasel with very little influence and even fewer friends. The only unique thing about him was his craft: an ability to spit some sort of sticky mucus that turned out to be pretty difficult to handle.' 

'Indeed.' 

'So what? You wanted to recruit Lewis as an infiltrator?' 

Seline shuddered in revulsion. 'Absolutely not. Can you imagine trying to train something like that? He was barely fit to be part of the human race, let alone an infiltrator.' 

Kessler's grey eyes narrowed. 

'I suspect you're starting to see the broad outline of the picture,' said Seline. 

'You wanted Lewis's craft, but you didn't want Lewis himself. Which is interesting, since the two should be inseparable. Crafts are something you're born with; they can't be taken away or passed to someone else.' 

Seline smiled. 'Can't they?' 

For a moment, Kessler was silent. Seline could feel her intense gaze burning into her like a spotlight as Kessler tried to work out if she was lying. 

'How?' she said finally. 

'The process is not pleasant. The original owner of the craft does not survive the removal and inserting it into a new person is particularly painful, by all accounts.' 

'I should give you credit. You people are cleverer than you look.' 

Seline gave a small bow. 'We return now to your original statement,' she said. 'I think you'll agree that my organisation can bring great benefit to you.' 

'Has your organisation got a name?' 

'Call us Unity.' 

'Cute. Even your name sounds like you should be selling superannuation. What makes you so sure that I won't just cut you down where you stand for the fun of it?' 

Seline laughed. 'I think you have an overinflated sense of your ability to intimidate me. I understand you, Kessler. You're not a pure killer, unlike that little monster you have running around for you. If she was in your place, she would have cut me down already. You're different.' 

'That's a dangerous assumption.' 

'There's only so far you can go as a simple killer, Kessler. You know as well as I do that silencers have a notoriously short shelf life. Living each day on the edge of a blade, it's only so long before you end up as another corpse in the gutter. That's not what true power is, and as much as you might like to pretend otherwise, you know it. Your desires run to something a little more complex than killing for its own sake.' 

'You seem to think you know a lot about me. To be honest, it's kind of annoying. What makes you so sickeningly certain about all this?' 

Seline looked up at Kessler with burning eyes. 'Because we're the same. True power isn't the ability to swing a sword; it's the ability to shatter worlds with a single word.' 

'Perhaps we're the same,' said Kessler, turning away. 'Perhaps we're not. Either way, your offer doesn't sound completely stupid. I think we'll be seeing each other again soon.' 

She started to walk away. 

'Oh, Kessler?' 

Kessler stopped. 

'Just so we're clear, I'm making this offer to you alone,' said Seline. 'That doesn't include your little dog.' 

'She's useful to me.' 

'But not to us. She's - how should I put this delicately - uncompromising. There are times when one needs a scalpel, and a meat cleaver simply won't suffice. If you intend to join Unity, we need you to rid yourself, and us, of such liabilities.' 

Kessler turned back to face her. Seline gave her a serene smile. 

'If I want this, you're asking me to kill Regan?' 

'I think you're smart enough to already know the answer to that question.'