Deadly Melodies

15

I returned late that night, and everyone had already retired to their chambers. I walked into my room and feel directly onto my bed, my heart heavy with the knowledge that tonight was most likely the last night I would be able to hold the Piper in my arms. Even though I didn't shed a tear, my heart wept in longing. I'd had a taste of what tenderness and care felt like. Sure, Ranen was a wonderful and caring person in my life all those years ago, but things are different with the Piper. Ranen was just a young boy who didn't truly know what it meant to love another. The Piper is grown and mature, making his compassion feel more genuine; more sincere. If I didn't know better, I might actually go as far as to say it feels like he... loves me.
Snap out of that, Mela, I told myself. It's foolish to dream of love. He does not love you. He doesn't even know you. For once, my inner voice of reason annoyed me. I wanted so much to believe that someone out there truly loved me. That someone could love me for who I am now. It was too much to hope for. Thoughts danced through my mind until eventually I drifted into a restless sleep.

I roused to the sound of someone knocking at my door.
I sat up on my cot, still slightly disoriented from sleep. "Yes?" I called. "Come in."
Kienna tentatively walked into the room. She shut the door behind her.
"I'm nervous about meeting him today." She began.
I was just as scared as she was. Still, I was ever-persistent on never showing fear.
"Kienna, we can't dwell on what Runey said. For all we know she could have lost her concentration in the middle of a thought and we don't have the full story." I said, hoping she'd buy my explanation.
She looked down, picking at a loose thread in my blanket. "Perhaps you're right..."
"I assure you, everything will be alright." I said.
After a moment, Kienna nodded her head in an 'I can do this' sort of way. "Alright. Well, we should get ready. We're leaving to meet him in an hour." She said, and she stood to leave. "Who knows? Maybe he'll be handsome enough to make all this stress worth it!" She teased.
"Kienna please!" I scolded, but grinned in spite of myself.
Kienna giggled as she sauntered out of my room, shutting the door behind her.
I pushed down the anxious feeling that was biting at my stomach. I got out of bed and chose a black stealth suit from my wardrobe. I could have gone with my usual men's hunting outfit, but the stealth suit was much more intimidating. It was all black and slim, with a large, dark hood that just barely covered my eyes. My tall black lace up boots did nicely to amp up the dangerous vibe. I styled my hair in two plaits that began at my scalp to keep my hair away from my face, making the scar above my eye more visible. I felt like I could conquer my unease by looking as intimidating as I knew I could be. I also hoped that I could establish some dominance over whoever the addition was by making myself look so ominous. I gave myself a once-over in my mirror.
Now or never.
We all traveled to the Poison Apple, the enchanted forest's only pub. There, we followed Roulan and Diete into a room labeled XX. As we walked in, I caught Kienna's eye and gave her a little nod that said, here we go.
The five of us piled into the room, Roulan and Diete taking the two seats that sat across from the only table in the room. Kienna stood next to Diete and Runey positioned herself behind Roulan, but I opted to remain quietly in the corner. I removed my hood and squared my shoulders. As I turned to face the desk, I tried to make out the figure that sat behind it. He was masked entirely by a shadow, and I couldn't make out his face. I crossed my arms over my chest in suspicion. I found it strange that the man was acting so mysteriously.
Roulan spoke first.
"I've brought my whole team." He began. However, the man said nothing in response. Why was he acting so secretive? I asked myself. My eyes narrowed at the stranger that sat before us.
Roulan seemed unfazed by the man's quietness. "Here next to Diete is Kienna," he continued. "She is an expert escape artist. Behind me is Runey, and she is our enchantress. Lastly, we have our most skilled assassin, Mela who is standing back there in the corner." Roulan finished.
I noticed that the man flinched ever so slightly at the sound of my name. It was so subtle that an untrained eye would have missed it. I, however, caught it immediately. As Roulan continued rattling off the attributes of the team, the man lifted his head up to face me, not listening to what Roulan was saying.
Finally able to see his face, I noticed bright blue eyes and...
Wait. What?!
My breath caught in my throat and I nearly choked. The man sitting in front of me was the Pied Piper. There was a look of utter disbelief on his face that matched mine as he stared at my face.
This was the man Roulan and Diete found to act as our addition?!
I felt ill. Of all the people... I thought to myself. I glanced back at Roulan, still talking about our skill sets. Luckily, no one had seen the silent recognition between the piper and myself.
I turned my attention back to the Piper. He still stared at me, still wearing his stunned expression. Now, his face was fully visible to everyone in the room. He brought his hand up that was holding onto his flute and rested it on the table. I heard a small gasp from Kienna when she realized who he was. The Piper could be an unsettling and grim presence due to the legend that was attached to him. Naturally, Kienna was taken aback.
Roulan simply ignored Kienna's reaction, most likely expecting us to be uneasy in his presence. "...and of course we will be pairing up our teammates that will work together," Roulan continued. Now that Roulan's attention was back to the Piper, he quickly turned away from me to ensure that Roulan wouldn't notice our silent communication.
"I had the pairings in mind. I would like to put Diete and Kienna together as I usually do, so that they can work on fitting escapes into the plans. Now normally, I will pair off with Mela to ensure that she is in perfect condition for battle, but this time I would like for you two to be paired together." Roulan said to the Piper.
My already nauseated stomach flipped. Work together?! Is he mad? I thought worriedly. It was bad enough that we were simply on the same team. Now we have to be partners? I let out an involuntary breath I didn't realize I was holding, earning a look from Roulan.
The Piper seemed to feel my reluctance and almost looked like he was about to object when Roulan spoke again.
"You two will be my main assets in combat. It only makes sense that you two work together to find a harmony that will benefit during battles."
I felt my heart sink. Of course it made sense. That's what was so upsetting. I couldn't think of a valid reason why I couldn't be the Piper's partner.
The Piper just looked on with a subtlety troubled expression. Luckily, the others didn't seem to notice.
"And that leaves me to work a bit with Runey. I'm sure we'll be able to find books of spells that we can use to our advantage. So," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Does everything seem to be acceptable?" Roulan asked the Piper.
The Piper looked slightly defeated as he scrawled on a piece of paper. He slid it to Roulan across the desk.
The terms are satisfactory.
"Excellent!" Roulan exclaimed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small compass. "Here, take this. It's enchanted so you'll be able to find your way to our base. 'Place looks like a shack from the outside, but that's just a decoy. Walk in and you'll find our staircase to the actual base hidden under a small rug on the floor." Roulan explained.
The Piper gingerly removed the compass from Roulan's hand and placed it into his coat where he usually kept his flute. His eyes flickered back to mine for a split second. He simply nodded his response back to Roulan.
"Arrive at the base at dawn tomorrow. We will begin preparations immediately." Roulan said. And with that, the Piper stood, presumably to conclude this disaster if a meeting. Instead he went around to every person and shook their hands. When he got to me, I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye, even though I felt his gaze burning through me.

•••
When we arrived back to the base, Roulan instructed that everyone go to sleep so that we would be fresh and prepared to set our plans in motion the next day. Before he could retire to his own chambers, I caught his arm. He looked at me with a start at my sudden boldness. I had to at least try.
"Sir," I began, "I have concerns about the team's new arrangement."
He narrowed his eyes. "Whatever do you mean, Mela?"
I drew a shaky breath. "I don't think having the Pied Piper on the team is a good idea." I said.
Roulan furrowed his brows, appalled at my statement. "What on earth are you talking about? This is the greatest addition to the team we could ask for, and you don't think it's a good idea? Are you mad?"
I cleared my throat. "He's risky, Roulan. You've heard the stories. He's not safe." I said. Even though I knew that the story widely perceived by the public wasn't entirely true or complete, I tried to use it to make my case more believable.
Roulan stared at me, and then he narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the Piper?" He said, an annoyed edge in his voice.
"What?" I spluttered. "No! I-"
"Look, Mela. I realize the man has a less-than-stellar reputation. But I've trained you better than this. Control your fear before it controls you. We desperately need this man to carry out our mission, and I will not tolerate anyone getting in the way of it." And he walked back to his quarters, ending our conversation.
Great.
I stood alone in the middle of the main area feeling defeated. Anxiety washed over me in a cold wave. How on earth was I supposed to successfully conceal my, erm, dealings with the Piper if he was my team partner? And- oh no, I thought. He's my partner. Now our relationship is even more treasonous because he's technically a team member.
I slouched down at the table in misery. A few minutes later, Kienna walked out of her room. She raised an eyebrow when she saw me.
"Oh, hey. I thought you'd gone to bed." She said, as she poured herself a glass of water and joined me at the table.
"Ah... no..." I murmured, lost in my thoughts.
She gave me a knowing look. "Trying to figure out how you feel about the new addition, huh?" She asked.
"Something like that." I replied.
She sat back in her chair. "The Pied Piper. Who knew we could get someone so A-list?" She marveled. "I mean, yeah. The guy's creepy as hell, but still." She said.
I nodded with a small shrug.
Kienna shot me a playful smirk. "And I was right."
I looked up, confused. "What about?"
"He's quite attractive, don't you agree?"
I coughed, suddenly embarrassed. "Goodness" I whispered, feeling the heat creep up into my cheeks.
Oh, if only she knew...
She laughed and put an arm around me. "Ah, of course you agree. 'Knew you would. A woman can be as strong as stone, but even she can take the time to appreciate an attractive gentleman." She said, earning a deeper blush from me.
"Well, we should head to bed. Tomorrow's showtime." Kienna said, still smirking.
When she left I was left with deafening conflict battling in my head. Of course I was scared the Piper would be on my team now. But I couldn't smother the irresponsible excitement at the thought of being around him so much, especially when he'll be my partner for the better part of the mission.
I decided I was sick of thinking for that night. If I dwelled on my conflicting feelings any longer I might have gone entirely mad. The thought of sleep stealing my coherence was more than appealing.