Verrimo Satamo stood in the temple, wondering if this was going to work, if his message had even gotten through. The person he was trying to contact was... elusive.
Suddenly he started. The temple he stood in was fairly well lit around the center, for those who might wish to come in and pray at all hours of the night, but the corners were full of shadows, and-
He started. Right in front of him stood a shadow, the shadow.
Right in the middle of the brightly lit pews. There was no way... and yet he'd come in, slipped right past him.
"What do you want? Why did you ask after me?"
The voice was... quiet, shadowy, almost ethereal. Very much like it's owner.
"They call you The Shadow - they say you're the best. That you've never been defeated, that you can practically sense an enemy before he attacks. Almost like magic, even though... that's long gone."
"If you just called me here to toss on empty compliments, you're wasting my time. I have better places to be."
Satamo winced. This wasn't going the way he'd planned.
"You know I have enemies-"
"Everyone has enemies."
Suddenly the shadow help up his hand. Satamo wondered -
"Why do you come here now?"
A figure dropped out of the shadows, moved forward - knifes poised in both hands. Then hissed:
"Sso. You're also here. I've been tracking this one for a while, but you... my master will be quite pleased when I bring him your body."
The shadow seemed... unmoved.
"You would break the peace of the temple?"
And suddenly the knives flashed, blurring through the air-
And the shadow caught both.
"I'll take that as a yes."
And the assassin was dead. Satamo hadn't even seen him move - he felt a cold chill of fear. But he could use this.
"You see? We're allies in this."
"Having common enemies does not make us allies."
"Perhaps, but... you see that I could use the protection"
"So hire some of your own."
"But if you help me," Satamo continued, ignoring the previous statement, "then everyone will believe my innocence. It's well known that you only help those who are truly innocent."
"And you believe yourself among them?"
"I-"
"No. You've murdered more than your fair share of innocents. You've raped your serving girls, you've gone far past the bounds of innocence. No, I will not help you. I only came to inform you - I will never help the guilty, no matter how loudly they protest their innocence. You're lucky I'm not killing you on the spot - I will the next time you cross my path - if you're foolish enough to do so. Now leave, while you still can."
Satamo winced. He'd hoped his ploy would work, but failing that-
"So, you'll refuse me? Foolish decision."
And in entered another man, this one a well muscled, grizzeled man.
"This is Rennard, my chief of security. He is the best - he's served as the general of more than one army, commanded more mercenaries than you could dream of-"
"I could dream of a lot."
The shadow's voice was snide, again unafraid.
"So, you too would break the peace of the temple?"
And Rennard spoke for the first time.
"Fool. This temple is surrounded. You can't escape, even if you get past me, and you're not going to do that. So surrender - or die."
The shadow sighed.
"Another yes, then."
The next morning, the priests entered the temple and found three dead bodies - those of Verrimo Satamo and his best man, Rennard, and that of an unknown assassin. With them was a note which said the following:
Only a fool would break the peace of the temple, and only a worse fool would ask my protection despite his past as a murderer and rapist. Fools, all of them.
No name was left, but none was needed. It was well know who had left it.
And in the city of Riall, children dreamed of being the shadow when they grew up, played at being him in their games. The people worshipped him as a hero, and despite his deadly nature he was something of one.
And in the town of Riall, there was peace, excepting the dealing of the shadows.
But the shadow watched, for he was wise, and he knew - such a peace could never last.
-hyperbole out
