Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,170

to her wounds. After ensuring she was asleep, he took her last two Helmep from her secret stash as payment and went out into the darkness. He left with murder on his mind, stalking his father from the shadows cast by the torches of the city as his father was returning from another night of heavy drinking.

Double D followed, keeping to the shadows as if they were his new friend. The situation was perfect for his first killing. The torches leading away from the city gates of West Utopia were becoming few and far between, and as luck would have it, he and his father were the only ones around.

The child assassin crept up on the much bigger man, matching his father’s footsteps to ensure he did not cause alarm within the drunkard’s mind.

Double D lunged forward and buried serpentine daggers into each of his father’s kidneys. Double D stood over his victim. With his father looking up at him and bleeding out, the boy smiled as the brute took his last breath.

To the child’s surprise, he enjoyed the kill. He savored the idea that his father knew it was his own son who had ended his life. That night was the beginning of Double D’s merciless career.

As a man, the assassin was a hard person to find, and the only way to get in touch with him was through a man called Assistant Kane. Double D did not accept any job for less than 25 Yaloom, the highest denomination on the worlds.

Mieonus suspected that Double D would not be agreeable to the task she intended to propose. She decided not to approach as a goddess, but rather, she would walk in as Assistant Kane. She needed a way to deal with the irritation of the assassin if he became angry. Mieonus moved her arms in front of her face and emerged as a tall, thin, handsome man with long, black hair, wearing brown, leather pants and a black shirt.

The goddess walked into the tavern and headed for a spot at the bar next to Double D. As she took a seat, she spoke in a whisper. “We need to talk. I see you’re still associating with barbarians. How do you avoid being killed?”

The assassin was a shorter man with an athletic build. His hair was long, and he always dressed in black from head to toe. He was not ugly, but he was not considered handsome. His eyes were brown, and his wavy-brown hair fell across his brow as he looked down at his ale.

Double D sneered, “I thought I told you to never meet with me in person, Kane.”

“I know, but there are extenuating circumstances,” the impersonator replied.

“I don’t care about the circumstances. You know how I work, and this isn’t the Peak that I’ll make an exception.”

Kane stood from the bar. “Too bad. The job would have paid 100 Yaloom. You could’ve retired. I’ll see if Tiara wants it.”

The goddess left the bar and started to walk down the trail that led into town. The next thing she knew, she was lying flat on her back with a dagger at her throat.

Double D hissed. “Move and I’ll cut you through, Kane. What could be so important that it would pay 100 Yaloom?”

“Someone wants the Prince of Brandor and the General Absolute slaughtered. Let me up. It’s uncomfortable to talk with a blade at my neck. This is not how I intended to do business, so perhaps we could discuss this professionally.”

The assassin yanked Kane to his feet. “That kind of job is suicide!”

Kane dusted off his backside and shrugged. “Fine. I’ll tell them you said it can’t be done. I’m sure they’ll find someone to take the risk for that kind of coin.”

“I never said it couldn’t be done. I said it was suicide ... suicide for any man but me. But I won’t do it for that price. It’ll take twice that.”

The goddess laughed and turned to walk away. “I’ll tell them you said that, too, but don’t expect me to return with an answer.”

“Kane!” Double D shouted, “One hundred and fifty!” The assassin watched as the assistant kept walking. “One hundred and twenty five! That’s my final offer! Don’t push me, Kane!”

“Deal! You know where to pick up your coin when the job is done.”

“I need supplies, and I’ll need an advance.”

Kane turned and threw a bag filled with coins and watched the assassin catch it.

“I see you came prepared,” Double D smirked. “Pretty sure