Chapter Eight

  Part Four

  They were standing atop of a building that overlooked a decent sized closed down shop just before The Back Flow began. Vax’dian hadn’t given Line any time to change, so she was still in her long sleeveless dress that fluttered in the wind around her. She still wasn’t used to wearing a dress, but couldn’t help thinking that Vax’dian’s good looks still managed to outshine his overly formal outfit.

  “Has there been any movement?” Line asked.

  “Not so far. But we should still be careful” Vax’dian replied.

  Line removed her matching heels “Alright then, stealth it is” Line then pointed across the way “That window is open, we can get in from there”

  “Very well” Vax’dian then wrapped an arm around her waist “Hold on”

  Line’s heartbeat fluttered, and she did indeed hold onto his shoulders tightly.

  Vax’dian jumped off the ledge of this building, and made a few hand gestures. The wind around them began to push them forwards towards the open window, they both reached out and grabbed onto the window sill.

  Line gazed into the darkened room “There’s no one inside this room”

  “How can you tell?”

  “I can just see” Line pushed the window open further and quietly entered the room.

  Vax’dian followed behind her.

  Line took Vax’dian’s hand and led him through the darkened bedroom to a closed door. Line pressed her ear against the wooden door, and listened intently. She could just make out the voices of a hushed conversation, but she couldn’t make out any of the words.

  Line whispered in Vax’dian’s ear “I can hear at least three voices” she paused, realising how close their bodies were. But she forced herself to continue “I could easily take them out”

  “We don’t know how strong they are, it’s best if we wait” Vax’dian whispered back.

  “There’s no point in waiting. Besides they don’t know we’re here, I could take them by surprise”

  Vax’dian’s hand tightened around hers, then relaxed “Fine, just before careful”

  “I will. But I need you to find the exit and block it off for me”

  “I thought you could easily take them out”

  “It’s just in case”

  Vax’dian sighed and gave a nod.

  Before they parted however, the door to the bedroom opened. Basking them both in a bright candle light. The man who opened the door was big and burly, and he looked extremely sleepy. But it wasn’t long before this man was wide awake.

  Line released Vax’dian and lunged, pulling the man inside the room before he could make a sound. Line even managed to close the door behind him. The candle the man was holding dropped to the floor, as Line got him in a choke hold. The man's calloused hands tried to pull at Line’s arms, but all that did was make her hold on him tighten. The man took a step back and slammed Line against the door, causing a loud banging sound.

  “Damn it” Line’s arms were pulled aside, and the man’s hand found it was into Line hair and pulled her over his shoulder. Line twisted in mid-air and landed on her feet.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  There was a voice from outside the door “Z, is everything alright in there?”

  “... Intruders!” ‘Z’ gasped out.

  The door immediately opened revealing a skinny man on the opposite side. His eyes widened, and he moved to take a step through the doorway. Then suddenly, the door forcefully swung by itself and crashed into the skinny man. The wood cracked and splintered, and the skinny man was now lying in the hallway unmoving. Line glanced back at Vax’dian, who was standing slowly fanning himself with his black hand fan.

  Then the third man, dressed in leathers very similar to Ali’s entered the room. But he was also holding two daggers, one in each hand. Line sighed at the sight, this assassin looked way more intimidating than Ali.

  Z lunged with a punch, that Line dodged. And she immediately retaliated by pressing into Z’s arm and broke it, making that arm limp at his side. Line then easily ducked under the wide swing of the third man’s dagger, and blocked off the second swing with his other dagger. Line weaved between the two men, dodging another swing of a dagger. But she got hold of that arm, and hit just above the elbow breaking it.

  Line had always found that breaking your attacker’s arm was a quick way to end the fight, but these two men didn’t seem at all perplexed. They didn’t even seem to be in any pain at all. Instead they both continued on with their attacks as if nothing was amiss.

  Z moved first, swinging a punch with his weaker hand. Line couldn’t bare to break another arm, so instead she kicked low smashing his kneecap with just one kick. Z fell, making way for another dagger thrust from the third man. Line dodged back, then gave this man the same treatment. Breaking his kneecap with just one heavy kick, and he too fell to the floor.

  “Please don’t get back up” Line pleaded, not at all out of breath.

  Z spat “Bitch. The hell are you doing here!”

  As soon as Z said that, the bedside table crashed into him. Z didn’t move after that.

  Line looked back at Vax’dian, who shrugged “He had a fowl mouth”

  Line smiled at that. She then looked down at the assassin who had yet to speak “Hello”

  He just glared, not saying anything.

  “It’s fine if you don’t talk. But if you don’t talk now, it’ll be very painful for you in the future”

  He continued to glare.

  Line nodded “Very well” she then made her way into the hallway, stepping over the bloody man and broken pieces of wood that lay there.

  Just then, there was a loud crashing sound ahead of Line. Line rushed into a dimly lit living room, Line's eyes widened at the figure who only just jumped out of a broken window across the room.

  Vax’dian appeared behind her “What is it?”

  Line snapped out of it and looked out the newly broken window, but couldn’t see the person who just fled anywhere.

  “My good Inspector, look here” Vax’dian had just pulled a dirty looking blanket off of a stack of three crates. And inside each crate, there were glass vials filled with a clear translucent liquid.

  “That looks like Null Poison” Line remarked.

  Vax’dian sighed “We came here too early then. It has yet to become Miracle Elixir”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask, but what does Miracle Elixir look like?”

  “Its base is similar to Null Poison, except Miracle Elixir has deep emerald green and deep blood red specks within it”

  Line thought for a moment “Do you have any vials of Miracle Elixir?”

  “I do”

  “Can I have one, just to test it”

  Vax’dian shook his head “I’ve already had it tested, but the results were unclear”

  “I have a different way to test it”

  Vax’dian frowned “It’s pointless, we’ve used many different methods to test it but nothing come of it”

  “Trust me, my method will work”

  Vax’dian paused for a moment “I’ll have Mortimer deliver you one”

  “Mortimer?”

  “My owl”

  Line remembered the black horned owl that delivered her a letter previously “The owls name is Mortimer?”

  “Yes”

  Line smiled “Mortimer’s a cute owl”

  “I’ll have some of my people to clean out the poison. But for now our sleuthing is done”

  “Thank you”

  “Thank you? Thank you for what?”

  “For helping me, for letting come along with you. I doubt I could’ve done this alone”

  “You don’t need to thank me, Line. I thought I told you, I like spending time with you”

  “And I thought I told you that you don’t need to make excuses to spend time with me”

  “You’re right, I apologise. But this wasn’t an excuse, we’re bringing down The Sect and Jonah Ridley together. Aren’t we?”

  Line smiled and gave a nod of agreement “We are”