Phantom's Grasp: The One Armed Assassin Series

by Hans Bezdek

  Grayson coughed loudly and pointedly.

  “Oh, right,” said Calina. “As I mentioned through my letter, these two and I will act as your bodyguards for this evening. This is Anselm and Gra-”

  “Grayson!” said the elf, thrusting his hand into Grand Duke Jaspar’s forcefully and shaking it. “Grayson Atersby!”

  “I… I see,” said Jaspar, letting go of the elf’s hand as quickly as he could. He looked Grayson over with concern. “That’s quite the garb you’ve got on.”

  “T-Thank you, sir!” beamed Grayson.

  Grand Duke Jaspar cleared his throat and shifted his attention back to Calina. “I appreciate you and these friends of yours wanting to act as my bodyguards, and out of respect to the late Alchemist and the future one, I accept your offer.”

  “Great!” smiled Calina. “You won’t regret it.”

  “I’m sure I won’t,” he chuckled. “Although to be honest, I don’t really see the point.”

  “Actually, about that…” began Calina.

  “After all, I’ve already got bodyguards.”

  “You do?” asked Anselm, surprised. Those on the Council knew they didn’t actually need bodyguards most of the time, and only kept some in public to keep up appearances. Having some on call for a party in their house was abnormal.

  “Of course,” said Jaspar, snapping his fingers.

  Two figures came down the stairs, adjusting their armor as they went. Anselm’s polite smile faltered and disappeared as he recognized the two bodyguards.

  “Hello!” smiled the man, showing several missing teeth. “The name’s Sten and this here is Chloe.”

  “Hiya!” beamed Chloe.

  “We’re excited to be workin with ya!” said Sten. “Should be an easy night, eh?”

  Chapter 12

  “Nice to meet the two of you as well,” smiled Calina, shaking both of their hands and introducing herself.

  “I’m Grayson, and this is Anselm,” added the elf, gesturing to Anselm.

  Sten reached his arm out to Anselm with a big smile. The assassin tried to reach out and shake it with his right hand, but the thing wasn’t moving. Not wanting to cause a scene, he bowed slightly to the two guards.

  “Oh! You’re kinda formal, huh?” laughed Sten, bowing back in return. “I’ll do my best to match ya.”

  “Yer not one for formalities, Sten!” said Chloe, slapping his arm.

  “Just tryin to make friends,” he shrugged.

  “Grand Duke Jaspar,” said Calina, turning back to the man. “I really must warn you about what’s coming.”

  “Go on then,” sighed Jaspar, smiling at Calina like she was a child about to tell him some nonsense.

  Sten and Chloe listened intently as Calina explained that a masked assassin was coming to kill Jaspar. Anselm grabbed Grayson’s arm and pulled him back a few feet while the group listened intently to the Alchemist’s apprentice.

  “What’s the big deal?” asked Grayson, pulling his arm free.

  “I know those two,” hissed Anselm, careful to keep his voice down.

  “You do?” asked the elf, glancing back at the two bodyguards. “Huh. I guess assassins can really look like anything nowadays…”

  “They aren’t assassins,” whispered Anselm as he shook his head. “They were the two idiot guards outside of the Alchemist’s Mansion.”

  “Oh…” said Grayson slowly. “Not exactly the best option.”

  “My concern as well,” agreed Anselm.

  The elf looked the two guards over then leaned back in toward Anselm. “But does it really matter? I mean, we thought it was just going to be the three of us anyway. We can act like they aren’t even here.”

  “Being rude to them might raise suspicions,” said Anselm. “We’ve got to be friendly.”

  The natural enemy to an assassin was a guard, so he had learned quite a bit about them over his hundred kills. While some would jokingly insult others, it was always in good fun. There was something about the high risk, low reward aspect of the job that kept them all close. These two might grow concerned if they didn’t act right.

  “What if Phantom shows up, though?” asked Grayson. “Surely they won’t be much help in a fight.”

  “We could use them as a distraction,” offered Anselm.

  “Seems a bit dark…”

  “Yeah, that’d probably make Calina mad,” nodded the assassin. “I guess we could keep sending them off to different parts of the building where we believe it will be safe.”

  “A-Are you serious?!” cried out Sten.

  Anselm and Grayson turned to see Sten and Chloe wearing horrified looks. Calina had apparently finished her warning. Still, Grand Duke Jaspar looked apathetic and bored.

  “I am,” nodded Calina. “The one who killed the Alchemist will be coming here, and I think he’ll be coming here tonight.”

  “A-And he can use magic?!” asked Chloe.

  Calina nodded.

  The guard passed out.

  “Chloe!” cried Sten, hopping down and quickly checking on his friend.

  “I think this is all highly unlikely,” said Jaspar, ignoring the two guards on the ground. “Why would an assassin come for me after taking out such a high ranking target? Surely whoever was paying him gave him enough money to live out the rest of his life without taking another risky job.”

  “Your name was on his list!” insisted Calina.

  “It’s true,” said Anselm, rejoining the conversation alongside Grayson. “He had plenty of other high profile names on his list that were already marked off. I worry he’s not motivated by money, but something else.”

  The Grand Duke rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “I’ll have you know that I’ve had plenty more contact with assassins than the three of you combined.” Grayson gave a pointed look at Anselm, but neither Jaspar nor Calina noticed. “As a member of the Council, we take hunting down the scum of this city very seriously, and I’ve learned what kind of people these assassins are. They’re all only motivated by money. It’s as simple as that.”

  Before Anselm could open his mouth, a young woman wearing an apron ran up to the Grand Duke and whispered in his ear.

  “I really must be off,” sighed Grand Duke Jaspar. He made a show of sounding inconvenienced, but Anselm got the sense he was glad to leave this conversation. “The servants can’t seem to do anything without me standing over them the entire time.”

  “But we need to-” tried Calina.

  “Sten and Chloe already know the layout of this building,” said Jaspar, following after the servant. “I’m sure they can show you around.”

  With that, the Grand Duke disappeared into a side room.

  “That went about as well as I expected,” shrugged Grayson, turning around and examining the house. “Might as well enjoy our time here before it comes to a violent end.”

  “Why wouldn’t he believe us?” asked Calina, shaking her head in disbelief.

  Anselm wanted to explain that being part of the Council granted him a kind of immunity, at least traditionally, but the only way he could know that was because he was an assassin. Instead, he simply shrugged.

  “I… I had the strangest dream,” said Chloe, finally coming to. “It was somethin about having to protect someone from an assassin…”

  “It wasn’t a dream,” said Sten, helping her up. “That’s what’s happening.”

  “I-It is?!” she asked, eyes wide. She looked like she was about to pass out again so Sten held on tight.

  “What kind of guards are afraid of assassins?” asked Calina, clearly getting upset. The Grand Duke had dismissed her and now she was stuck with fainting guards. Anselm felt a little sorry for her.

  “Lots of guards don’t think they’re ever going to have to fight people,” said Anselm. “When they finally have to, it’s not exactly like they have a winning record.”

  “They?” asked Calina.

  “Er, I meant, we.”

  “At least there’s more tha
n just the two of us,” Sten said to Chloe. “And we know he’s comin for the Grand Duke!”

  Chloe nodded slightly, staying conscious and on her feet. “Yer right… Surely the five of us can take him.”

  “That’s the spirit,” smiled Anselm.

  Sten and Chloe led the three of them through the mansion, showing them around. They explained the guests were going to be kept to the main ballroom they had been in, although some of the surrounding rooms would also be available for people to have private conversations.

  Anselm made mental notes of all of the rooms they brought him to. There were a total of five rooms off of the main one that he was shown. Phantom was likely to use one of these side rooms to kill the Grand Duke since doing so in the ballroom would grab too much attention. Even for an assassin as powerful as the masked man was, it was never a good idea to kill in front of a crowd.

  The first side room was a library, which had thousands of books lining the walls and a few reading desks in the middle. The second and third rooms were parallels of one another. One was painted a light blue while the other a soft yellow. Each of these rooms had lounge couches in the color of the room, along with some conversation pieces on nearby tables and some paintings on the walls.

  The fourth room had a long table set up in the middle of it, along with a large number of chairs. Food was already being placed on the table, with servants entering and disappearing through a side door constantly. Chloe explained that led to the kitchen, but no one would be allowed in there since so much cooking had to get done.

  The final room was located in the back of the ballroom. Sten and Chloe approached a section of the wall and gestured at it.

  “This is his safe room?” guessed Anselm.

  Sten and Chloe shared a disappointed look and nodded.

  “How’d you know?” asked Sten, pulling out a key and inserting it into a small hole next to a painting of Grand Duke Jaspar.

  “Most people don’t have a guest bedroom behind a secret door,” pointed out Grayson.

  Anselm had been in plenty of safe rooms over the years. Rarely were they a big pain to get into, and for some reason, no one ever kept weapons in them to protect themselves with. While this one didn’t have any weapons, it was unlike any of the safe rooms the assassin had seen before.

  For one, it was very large. Instead of having a small hiding place, the Grand Duke must have used this to conduct meetings. A well crafted wooden table sat in the middle of the room with six chairs around it. Several bottles of expensive liquor were next to the table, each far from full. A small bar was in the back of the room with plenty more for refills.

  The other key distinguishing thing Anselm noticed were the multiple entry points.

  “Why is there a door to the back and the side as well?” he growled.

  “Dunno,” shrugged Chloe. “Not like we built this place.”

  Calina opened the back door, revealing that it led to a garden behind the mansion. Grayson tried to the door the left but it was locked.

  “Must want multiple escape routes,” suggested Sten as Calina closed the door. “Wouldn’t be much help if the assassin was blocking your only way out, eh?”

  “Except now there are more ways for someone to get in,” said Anselm. “Grayson, help me move this table to block the back door.”

  “Aw, why can’t someone else do it?” complained Grayson, but he came and helped.

  Anselm tried to lift, but his right arm wouldn’t move with him.

  “Um, I can help with that,” offered Calina, noticing that Anselm was struggling.

  He wanted to argue with her but realized there was no point. Having the fake arm there stopped people from noticing, but it caused him to forget, too. Every time he was reminded he lost his arm he grew a little angrier at Phantom and a little more desperate to get his revenge. Hopefully, tonight would be his night.

  After they were satisfied that the table would keep anyone from opening the back door, the five of them regrouped in the empty middle of the room.

  “Should we come up with a plan for the assassin?” asked Chloe.

  “I vote to socialize and blend in,” said Grayson, raising his hand.

  “How thoughtful of you,” said Anselm dryly.

  “I-I’ve never k-killed someone before…” mumbled Sten. “I’m a bit nervous to be fightin an assassin.”

  “None of us have,” said Calina, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  Anselm nodded in fake agreement.

  “Anselm has killed people,” shrugged Grayson, apparently momentarily forgetting who he was talking to.

  The room fell silent and everyone turned to the elf.

  “He has?!” said Sten, Chloe, and Calina in unison.

  The assassin shot his friend a look, but the elf was too excited to have a captive audience to notice or care.

  “Yeah, he’s killed loads,” nodded Grayson. “It’s been, what, close to a hundred?”

  Anselm didn’t like playing this game. Grayson must have been annoyed that he wasn’t an invited guest and instead was just a guard, so he was finding a new way to amuse himself.

  “Is that true, Anselm?” asked Calina.

  The assassin felt like he didn’t have a choice. “He’s right. I’ve got nearly a hundred kills.”

  Sten let out an impressed whistle.

  “Surprised I’ve never heard of ya!” said Chloe. “I dunno any guards that have even killed one assassin!”

  “I nominate Anselm as our leader,” added Grayson, not bothering to hide his smile. “I think it’s only fair.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  Anselm couldn’t remember the last time he wanted to punch Grayson so badly.

  Chapter 13

  Anselm spent the next few hours coming up with two different sets of plans. The first set was what he would have the others doing, the second was what he would actually do. Sten and Chloe were going to be liabilities if it came time to fight, so he needed them as far away as possible. While he wouldn’t have minded having Calina or Grayson provide some support, he wasn’t sure he wanted them getting caught in the crossfire. He was also very confident Grayson would prefer to not be in the same room as Phantom if at all possible.

  By the time the guests were beginning to arrive, he had ironed out all that he could and shared his thoughts.

  “Chloe and Sten will keep an eye on the front door,” said Anselm. “They will be our first line of defense for if Phantom shows up. Can I count on the two of you?”

  “W-We’ll do our best!” said Sten, awkwardly saluting.

  “Don’t worry,” said Anselm. “You’ll only be there to close off his escape. Grayson and Calina will be the ones to initiate contact with him.”

  “Can do,” smiled Calina.

  “Are you able to fight without the lightning staff?” asked Grayson.

  “I’ve got a few tricks at my disposal,” she winked.

  “If Phantom tries to make a run for it or go for the Grand Duke, I’ll jump in and stop him,” finished Anselm. “I think that should cover all of our bases.”

  “Seems like a foolproof plan to me!” said Chloe.

  Anselm knew it wasn’t, but smiled back at her. “You and Sten go ahead and get into position. Come notify us if anything suspicious happens.”

  The two guards hurried to the front door, bumping into a few guests and muttering their apologies.

  “What should we do for now?” asked Calina.

  “Why don’t you go secure a couple of the side rooms?” offered Grayson. “There’s a couple of personal things I need to talk to Anselm about and then I’ll join you.”

  “Works for me,” smiled Calina. “I’ll see you soon!”

  The Alchemist’s apprentice walked off to check out the blue room. Anselm and Grayson backed up to a wall and surveyed the room, making sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation.

  “Brilliant plan,” snickered Grayson. “There’s no way Phantom will ju
st walk through the front door.”

  “I was worried I’d get more pushback,” nodded Anselm.

  “They must trust you since I mentioned all those kills you had under your belt!”

  Anselm punched Grayson’s shoulder with his left arm.

  “What was that for?!” asked Grayson, rubbing his shoulder.

  “You deserve it for trying to blow our cover!”

  “I wasn’t trying to do that!” said the elf, shaking his head. “I said kills on purpose. They had no idea I specifically meant assassinations.”

  “But guards rarely kill assassins!” argued Anselm. “Sten and Chloe would be more suspicious of us if they had even half a clue!”

  “But they don’t,” smiled Grayson. “And now you’re the one calling the shots and everyone is blindly following you. You’re welcome.”

  “You’ve got to stop claiming credit for accidentally getting good results from bad choices,” sighed Anselm.

  “That’s all that matters, isn’t it?” winked the elf. “So, what do you think will really happen?”

  “I’m not completely sure,” said Anselm, looking across the room to Grand Duke Jaspar. The man was laughing with a few other social elites while they snacked on appetizers. The Grand Duke and everyone else in the place were in high spirits. “There are a couple of options.”

  “Lay them on me.”

  “Phantom tries to use the back way into the safe room, but isn’t able to get past our barricade,” suggested Anselm. “The kitchen must have a way to the back, so he’ll opt to go in through there. Moving through the kitchen and into the dining room, he’ll find the Grand Duke and stalk him until the man goes off to the bathroom or a more secluded part of the building.”

  “You’re not going to have me wait in the bathroom all night, are you?” groaned Grayson.

  “No, that’s just one option,” said Anselm, shaking his head. “Another is Phantom will cause some sort of ruckus out here, maybe detonate some explosives or use his glove from a distance to blast a hole in the front. This will make the Grand Duke run for his safe room, which Phantom will eventually find and blast his way into once the majority of the party runs away.”