A
Matter of Pride
By
Evan Drake
©
2020, Evan Drake, All Rights Reserved
Valeen
sipped her wine and sighed, a small smile spreading on her muzzle.
Drinking wine in the moonlight had always been one of her favorite
pastimes. Just sitting in her armchair and staring out the window at
the lake shimmering under the light of the full moon. In the
distance, the trees danced and she closed her eyes and imagined the
music of their rustling.
Why
imagine it when I could be experiencing it? No point in wasting such
a beautiful night.
She
stood up, a sharp hiss escaping her lips as pain shot up her side. It
was a shame magic had no effect on her anymore. Even the bitter
potions that left an oily coating on her tongue seemed a good option
now except those didn't do much besides take away her sense of
taste. She clenched her teeth as she grabbed the pair of wine glasses
and the half-full bottle and shuffled toward the door leading out to
the deck.
The
calm night breeze greeted her, making her sigh in contentment and
forget the throb spreading throughout her body. She set the glasses
and bottle on the table then sat down. She poured herself another
glass.
Much
better than watching through the window.
Just
as she raised the glass to her lips, her ears perked up at the soft
footfalls of the approaching guest behind her. “It's rude to
enter someone's place uninvited, y'know," she said without
turning around. “Especially since all you had to do was knock."
There
was no reply. She smiled and added. “Gonna ignore me, too?"
The
guest approached, their steps much louder this time, and stood
outside of reach in front of her. He was a short fox—same as
she—with dark grey fur and a small muzzle. The coat he wore didn't
hide his thin build. A hood hid most of his features, but a pair of
green unfeeling eyes stared back at her.
She
liked that look in his eyes. Most canids stared when they looked upon
her all-white coat. There was a patch of sandy brown on her belly
that few got to see, so to everyone else she looked like something
unnatural. Not that she blamed them given a white coat wasn't
possible naturally.
“Huh.
You don't look like a professional killer." She shrugged and
sipped her wine. “Not like I'm one to talk."
The
assassin said nothing.
“Not
much of a talker? It's okay, y'know. I'm not gonna call for
help or fight back, so sit down and make yourself comfortable. Want a
drink? I would offer food, but I can't move around too good
anymore. If you're hungry, you'll have to get it yourself."
The
assassin sat down. She poured him a glass and slid it across the
table. He left it untouched.
“So
what do I call you?"
Still
no reply.
“Don't
be like that. It's not as if I'm going to tell anyone. I wanna
get to know the guy I hired."
The
assassin tilted his head. “You hired me? Why?"
“Don't
get many requests like that I take it?" She smiled and gestured to
the untouched wine glass. “It's not poisoned, y'know." She
picked up the glass and drank from it.
“Not
on the job."
“Right,
right. I understand. Getting drunk before killing a target is sloppy,
and I hear you're anything but sloppy. Take your hood off. Put your
feet up. I already told you: I'm not going anywhere."
The
assassin removed his hood.
He's
pretty good looking. I wonder if he's open to a little fun?
Probably not.
“You
still haven't told me what to call you. I'm Valeen, by the way,
but you already knew that."
“Garth."
“Nice
to meet you, Garth. If you want some water, there's a jug
downstairs in the coldbox. Help yourself. Don't worry. I'm not
going anywhere."
Garth
remained where he was. She took that as a sign he wasn't thirsty
and continued. “Before, you asked me why I hired you to kill me.
Well, I'm dying but I don't want my friends to do it."
“I
don't follow."
“No
shock there. Have you ever heard of the Paladins? Doesn't matter.
The Paladins are a group of canids who protect us from the corruption
of the aether. Not many know this, but the aether is dangerous
although it's what's keeping us all alive.
“Now
I'll spare you the boring bits about how it all works, but the
short version is: too much aether causes problems. It corrupts us,
changes us into something that can't feel or think. I'm not even
sure they're really alive."
Garth's
ears rose, making her tail wag a little. It had been a long time
since she could mention the aether to anyone without seeing sadness
or anger in their eyes.
“My
job was to 'cleanse' these poor bastards we called
'Afflicted'.Think of it like washing dirty water out of a bottle
with clean water. But that begs just one question: Where does the
dirty water go?"
“You
absorb it. The...taint."
She
nodded and drained the last of her wine then refilled the glass. Odd
how I don't feel drunk yet. Must be contentment.
“You're
a smart one. Yep, some of the tainted aether gets absorbed into our
bodies. Not a lot, but enough to cause damage after a while.
Eventually, we become Afflicted ourselves. I wanna die before that
happens."
“There
is no cure?"
She
laughed until she saw he was serious. “If there was a cure, I'd
be out of a job. No, there's no cure. If I'm cleansed, it would
kill me."
“I'm
sorry."
She
tilted her head. “I think you have the wrong idea. I'm not sad
I'm dying and I don't think it's a punishment. I knew from the
beginning the road I was going down and I've had years to make
peace with it. I gladly gave my life to protect others and make the
world a better place."
She
paused for a moment to let her words sink in. Doubt was written on
his face. It was understandable. Most canids went their entire lives
without seeing a single Afflicted so very few considered them a
serious threat. But it was because of the Paladins that Afflicted
were nothing more than a scary tale. Aether did more than just drive
canids and beasts mad, it mutated them and granted them new
abilities. Worse, there were creatures that had fed on aether for
decades, perhaps longer, and could threaten an entire country. Those
Afflicted could never be allowed to see the light of day.
It
surprised her when Garth broke the silence. “But why hire me?"
“Good
question." She lifted the wine glass and swirled its contents
around. “Usually, the Paladins take care of you when the time
comes. But I don't want that to be my friend's final memory of
me. They shouldn't have to live with that guilt. And I hired you
because I don't want to be alone. Someone needs to know."
“Know
what?"
“That
the world is bigger than we think it is. You wouldn't believe the
places that exist out there, untouched by canids, full of life."
She pointed to the bedroom. “There's a journal in there of all
the places I've been and the things I've seen. Take it with you
and make sure to have it published. The world needs to know what's
out there. There're greater threats that we aren't prepared for."
“Why
me? Do it yourself."
“Paladin's
code forbids it. 'Don't wanna start a panic', they say." She
snorted and spat off the balcony. “More like they don't want
mercs and soldiers taking over their job. But we don't have the
numbers anymore. We need help. If I do it myself, they'll call me a
traitor and wipe my name from the records. Obviously, I can't let
that happen."
Garth
was silent, but she saw the wheels turning in his head. The small
twitches in his face and paws as he mulled over her words. She was
glad she hired him. Most cutthroats would have likely killed her by
now and not bothered to make conversation.
If
she believed in fate, she would call it destiny to find the one
assassin willing to listen. The Paladins were too rigid. Too set in
their ways to accept outside help. They were too few and too
widespread and it left them unable to handle all the threats. They
were too proud to ask for it, but they needed help.
“I'll
do it."
She
leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “Looks like there's
hope for the world after all."
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