One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

The rhythms of the sword were calming, in a way. People called these beats by different names, but perhaps the most dramatic of them all was the name The Rhythm of Death. It was accurate, of course, but no less frightening.

You could sometimes hear people humming them on the street, or in the sound of marching boots. If you heard it, there was proof of a warrior, a man or woman with battle in their blood.

To those who knew that these beats existed, they claimed to actually be able to hear and sense it. They used it to measure time in battle, or to know when best to strike

Some people would call it madness to hear these tones. Others would simply call it their lifeblood.

One woman in particular could boast of being to hear it, one person who none dared to argue with. She never really did say she could hear the beats, as that would cause a bit more danger to herself, but that was the rumor.

They called her the Phoenix, and she was known for being unkillable.

That was ridiculous, of course. Nobody was truly unkillable. She was only human just like everyone else, and therefore able to die.

There were many legends about her, and she never made any effort to deny them. They said that she’d once stood in front of an army and stopped them all with her bare hands. They said kings bowed before her, that anyone who dared to challenge her was silenced for their efforts. In the dark corner of bars, shady characters boasted of their encounters with her, or showed off scars that they said marked narrow escapes from the wrath of her blade. 

She was a shadow, a flutter of wind in the night. You never saw her coming, and by the time you realized she was hunting you, you had nowhere left to go.

The Phoenix was a hunter, and if you had the unlucky fortune to be important enough to catch her attention, there was no way to avoid her wrath.

From her perspective, each mission, each hit was the same. Find the target and take their life. By now, it was almost easy.

This hit was supposed to be the same. The tides weren’t supposed to turn like this. 

The Phoenix was supposed to be the hunter, not the hunted.

It wasn’t so this time. No, this time, she was trying to escape.

In a silent city blanketed by a layer of mist and fog, she made her escape, using the cover of darkness to break her bonds and get away from a life she had never chosen nor wanted.

Unfortunately, her escape was anticipated, and her recapture planned carefully. 

In this quiet city, The Phoenix ran for her life and her freedom, ducking through a doorway and up a flight of stairs.

The Phoenix bolted around a corner, pursued by four men in dark clothing. She turned on her heel quickly, kicking one of them into the wall. Without even a thought, she ducked, tripping the person who had come up the stairs right behind. An arrow seemed to come almost out of nowhere, smacking into the wood of the wall right by an open window.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Dodging another blade, she tackled the third man, grappling for a hold as best as she could.

She was so close. In all her attempts to escape before, she had never gotten quite as close as this. 

She had tried to escape before. This time would be different. This time, she would slip the net that tightened around her ever so slowly with each day that passed.

In one swift movement, she cut the man’s throat, spinning her sword around quickly, looking for the last assailant.

Eight.

She reversed her grip on her sword, swinging it quickly to catch her opponents’ and prevent him from stabbing her.

Nine.

He snagged another knife from his belt, forcing her to skip out of the way of the sharp blade.

Ten.

Allowing her muscle memory to take over, she turned and elbowed him in the face, grabbing the knife from his left hand and stabbing him, snatching her sword from the gridlock. She kicked him to the side, dropping the knife on the ground.

She was so close. Merely a few steps away from freedom, from no longer having to kill.

Just a couple steps.

Before she could take any step towards the open window, an all-too-familiar force slammed into her from behind, hard enough to knock her to the ground and prevent her from rising to her feet and escaping.

NO!

She struggled against it, trying to get up, fighting to get to her feet. 

The force was too strong.

For the hundredth time, she silently cursed magic, her ribcage starting to hurt from the pressure.

There was the soft sound of footsteps behind her, and even though she tried to turn her head to look at where it was coming from, she could barely move. 

“After all this time, you finally tried again. What a pity that you couldn’t make it.” 

“Let me go, Corvin!” She growled, balling her hands into fists. He had no right to hold her like this!

“Oh no, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

She finally managed to shift enough to look out of the corner of her eye, the effort painful and causing her neck and back to start hurting. A tall man was standing behind her, his brown hair carefully pressed and styled. Guards surrounded him, even though he had no need of them. He was wearing the uniform of a king’s soldier, with gold and purple fabric and a breastplate that sparkled a deep blue, even in the dim light. The very sight of it was sickening. 

He wore a uniform and armor he had never earned. The very thought of that made her want to run him through.

“I can’t lose the famous Phoenix yet again.” He frowned at her, and without even any kind of gesture, the force was lifted enough so she could sit up and look at him.

She hoped he could see the fury in her eyes.

Once I get my hands on you… you’ll regret you were ever born. I swear it.

“Now, there’s no need to get testy with me.” He reprimanded, clasping his hands behind his back. Two of the guards on either side of him stepped forward and kicked her sword out of her hands, hauling her up and forcing her to face him. “You shouldn’t have tried to run.”

“I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t threatened to murder my family.” She spat, so angry that she could barely think straight. “You have no right to do that!”

“Once again, you’ve forgotten, you don’t have a family. It was all a lie to keep you quiet until you were old enough to begin your training.” His gaze was harsh, without even an ounce of pity in it. “You have a job to do, Phoenix.”

She hated this, hated having to obey this man. She was a murderer because of him, and there was no way out.

To think she had once admired him.

She didn’t have a choice but to obey, bowing her head silently. What other choice did she have? He would kill her if she didn’t obey, and it wouldn’t be quick and merciful. “Yes sir.” 

You will regret this. You will regret every life you have forced me to take.

“Perfect. That’s exactly what I thought you’d say.” He gestured at his guards briefly and they let go of her arms, handing her sword back to her.

She kept her grip on it light, keeping her gaze on the hard floor. She had to bide her time. When the right moment came… then she’d make her move. When it eventually did come, then she would fight harder than she ever had in her whole life.

“What do you need me to do?” She asked, keeping her voice soft and compliant. Best to let him think he had won.

“There is a very young prince who poses a threat to my carefully laid plans.” Corvin raised an eyebrow at her, seeming pleased that she wasn’t arguing any longer. “You must either eliminate him or bring him back to me. Am I understood?”

“Yes.” She raised her head, feeling sick. She hated every part of this life she was forced to live. “It will be done.”

“Good. Remember, dear Phoenix, if you fail…” 

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. 

If she failed, there would be pain. She’d learned that lesson long ago.

She couldn’t fail. For her own sake. For the sake of the escape she was still planning. For the sake of the lives she didn’t want to have to take any longer.

“I won’t fail you.” She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, her knuckles white underneath her orange and red gloves. “He will no longer be an obstacle.”

Corvin nodded once, looking a bit less perturbed than he had before. That was good. He was properly convinced she wasn’t going to try anything again. “That was just what I wanted to hear. Now go. I have a meeting to attend to.”

She bowed and turned to leave, the weight still seeming to press down on her even though she was able to stand straight.

“Oh, and Phoenix?”

She stopped walking when he spoke, sheathing the sword into the scabbard on her back and turning to face him. “Yes sir?”

Corvin’s smile was cruel, almost predatory. “When you do end up killing him, be sure he knows what he’s dying for.”

She didn’t even know what this man had done to earn the wrath of the most powerful man in the land, much less why she was being ordered to eliminate him. Chances were that she would never know.

Still, she nodded once, not wanting to aggravate the situation to a point that could end with her death. Arguing would end with nothing but pain and the collapse of her carefully laid plans. That would not do. “Of course. It will be done.” 

Without giving him a chance to say anything more, she leapt out the window, landing easily on the tiled roof just below.

Her instructions were to kill a kid… the thought of that made her sick.

Tracking him down wasn’t going to be easy, but at least she’d be sure to make it quick. If she wanted to have any hope of getting away, her master had to think she was still loyal. A few more deaths were a small price to pay to gain her independence.

She had enough demons already… The death of a prince wasn’t anything to sneeze at. 

If he had to die for the Phoenix to gain her freedom, then that was a very small price to pay indeed.