Six days passed in rapid succession, and Jamtoe met with the assassin from, the Scott Ninja Alliance. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and Jamtoe felt a sense of camaraderie with the assassin.
"Greetings, Prince Jamtoe; my name is Cloud-Strike, and I am the leader of the Scott Ninja Alliance. The innkeeper told me you paid with a magic ice ring; although that might be valuable, it can only be considered as a down payment," the assassin's voice was smooth and confident, laced with an undercurrent of menace.
Jamtoe frowned, discontent brewing within him. "I have already given them my ice ring; that is worth over two hundred thousand gold coins, and that is still not enough. How greedy can they be?" he thought to himself.
Cloud-Strike seemed to sense Jamtoe's thoughts, narrowing his eyes and speaking in a low, menacing tone. "You better be able to pay us; otherwise, the next person I kill will be you."
Cold sweat began to bead down the side of Jamtoe's face. "I…I…I'm willing to pay you well for your services," he said, forcing a smile that felt foreign on his lips.
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement. Now then! Tell me what your father, the king, has planned tomorrow?" Cloud-Strike asked with a sneer.
"Tomorrow, my father will be meeting with the kings of the other kingdoms. I'm not sure, but I think they will be by the borderline where all the kingdoms meet," Jamtoe divulged, his frown deepening.
Cloud-Strike scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Okay! I can ambush him after he leaves that meeting. I can even make it look like a diplomatic incident," he said, a sinister smile curling on his lips.
"Oh! There is one thing I forgot to tell you. My father will have six bodyguards with him," Jamtoe added, his voice laced with trepidation.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Cloud-Strike said with a confident grin. He snapped his fingers, and seven figures emerged from the shadows, standing tall and imposing. "These are my shadow elites; two of them will be with you until your debt is cleared. You can think of them as your personal bodyguards," he stated, his sneer deepening.
Just then, Jamtoe sniffed the air, his instincts screaming that danger was near. "Someone is listening to our conversation," he declared, leaping to his feet and pushing open the door, but saw no one.
"You told me this room was safe! Why is someone able to sneak in?" Jamtoe demanded, his heart racing.
"That person was following you from the time you entered the tavern; we assume they were with you. Now I see that this person is a liability," Cloud-Strike replied with a grim expression. He turned to his shadow elites. "Take care of this!" he commanded.
"Wait! If it was a young woman who was following me, don't kill her; bring her back to me. However, kill anyone else that is with her. I want to be the one to end that b*tch's life myself," Jamtoe said, a malicious smile creeping across his face.
The two assassins nodded and melted into the shadows, their presence vanishing like ghosts.
The person who had been listening in on their conversation was none other than Rainnaly. Panic surged through her as she dashed to her parents' home, unaware of the impending doom that awaited her. Upon entering, she saw her parents engaged in a conversation with Physician Penick.
"Mother, Father! You were right; we need to leave this place!" Rainnaly exclaimed, her heart racing with fear.
Physician Penick, who had been standing quietly, stepped forward. "Could someone explain to me what is going on?" he asked, confusion etched on his features.
"I overheard Prince Jamtoe plotting to kill his father. He plans to hire assassins. We must leave the kingdom before it's too late!" Rainnaly's voice trembled with urgency.
The physician's eyes widened in shock. "Rainnaly, you must be careful. If what you say is true, then your life is in danger. The prince will stop at nothing to protect his secrets."
Before Rainnaly could respond, two men sprang from the shadows. One of them lunged forward, thrusting a dagger into Physician Penick's heart, killing him instantly. His lifeless body crumpled to the floor.
The remaining assassin turned to Rainnaly's parents, swiftly subduing them and holding daggers to their throats. "Young lady, we have been tasked with bringing you back to our employer; now come with us quietly, or these two will die," he said, a sneering smile plastered across his face.
"Don't listen to them! Dear daughter, get out of here! They are going to kill us even if you go with them, so run! Get out of here!" Beverly shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"If you promise not to hurt them, I will go with you," Rainnaly pleaded, her heart breaking.
The two men exchanged glances, their smiles widening with malicious glee. Without hesitation, they cut the throats of Drason and Beverly, their bodies collapsing lifelessly to the ground. Rainnaly screamed in horror, the world around her shattering as she watched her parents die before her eyes.
In the chaos, the two men rushed forward and knocked her out, darkness swallowing her whole.
When Rainnaly regained consciousness, she found herself in a dimly lit room, tied to a chair. Panic surged through her as she struggled against her restraints, her mind racing. The only sound was the drip of water echoing in the silence. She was alone, but she knew she had to escape.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and Prince Jamtoe walked in, a twisted grin plastered across his face, flanked by Cloud-Strike and the seven shadow elites.
"Well now! The little bird has awakened," Jamtoe taunted, his voice dripping with malice.
Rainnaly spat on his face in defiance. "If you are going to kill me, just do it," she challenged, her voice unwavering.
"Oh, don't worry, I will. But first, there is one thing I want to know. How much does my father know? The fact that he sent you to spy on me means he knows something," Jamtoe probed, his face inches from hers.
Rainnaly laughed bitterly. "Hahahahhahaha! I told him everything; he knows that you are planning to kill him. There is no way you will win," she mocked, a defiant smile breaking through her fear.
In a fit of rage, Jamtoe lunged forward, grasping her throat and squeezing tightly. "If you kill me, you will be killing your child as well," Rainnaly struggled to say, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jamtoe sneered as he pulled her face closer to his. "What makes you think I have a problem with that? You and that bastard child can both die," he hissed, his grip tightening around her throat until it broke then her vision faded to black.
As her body fell from his hands,Jamtoe turned to Cloud-Strike. "Well now! There is a slight change in plans. Take her into my father's room; I want to make it look like he killed her. That way, I could have him exiled from the Kingdom, and you could kill him once and for all." he said with a sneer as they all laughed.
To be continued.....