Hell Bent

by Marie Bilodeau

  “We don’t have many details, except that it was fast, and cruel.” He paused, seemed to ponder his next move, then nodded to a Guild operative standing near the computer at the front.

  I could see the warning form on Ian’s lips, as though he wanted to tell us to brace ourselves. Instead, he just stepped out of the viewing field of the screen as it lit up, first blue as it connected to the computer.

  Ian stepped to the other side than Sonsil. The leader gave him a slight nod, as though backing his play.

  The screen changed from blue and gasps erupted from around the room as images filled the screen.

  A body sliced in two, blood red as a human’s puddled between the two halves, orange eyes staring up without seeing, green skin sickly yellowed.

  The next picture popped up before we could analyze it too much. I glanced at Rachel. She was pale. Well, paler than usual, her lips thin in concentration as she tried to grasp useful details.

  I turned back to the pictures. The Rosetta Guild had a lot of books and computers and the bodies, sliced through in one form or another, were all presumably Traded.

  All of them wore simple linen robes, which I guess were that guild’s look. I was glad for black, personally. The bodies offered few clues, except that the assailants had been quick. A few victims had obviously tried to run, cut down from behind. But quite a few had been in groups, as though they’d been chatting or working on various books and documents.

  The background revealed a lot more. Opened doors that were unbreached, like running hadn’t been an option. Books still on bookshelves, even mugs left on desks, furniture unflipped. No bodies beneath tables, desperately trying to hide only to be murdered there.

  It had been damn quick.

  The pictures stopped on two Traded cut apparently at the same time, toppled together in a jumble of limbs, green blood mixing with red.

  Shit, this was pretty gross stuff. I tore my eyes away and tried to focus on the students, as Ian asked if anyone had any questions.

  “What the hell was that?” was the only immediate question on my mind, so I held my peace and gathered my thoughts.

  “What’s the Rosetta Guild?” an initiate asked. Grag, I think was his name. He looked unremarkably human, which was a blessing for most Traded.

  Ian nodded. “They’re an information and research guild, feeding the rest of us important information on political divides, worrisome developments in media, dangerous situations that need to be dealt with. The kind of stuff that makes sure we target the right things and people.”

  “Is there more than one guild like that?” A full-fledge operative asked. I had no clue who they were, though I loved their makeup: purple around the entire eye, matching purple lips. It might not be makeup. Hard to tell with the Traded.

  “There are,” Ian said, though he provided no further information. Even operatives weren’t privy to all the info, it seemed.

  We waited in silence, neither Ian nor Sonsil offering to break it, both apparently comfortable with limitless quantities of it.

  “How long ago did this happen?” someone broke the silence finally.

  “About two hours ago,” Ian answered. I sat straighter and leaned forward. The move didn’t escape Ian.

  “Question, Ms. Misu?” he raised an eyebrow.

  “More of an observation,” I shrugged. He didn’t stop me, so I went ahead. I hated the attention I’d inadvertently drawn to myself. All those eyes on me...I fought the urge to fold the shadows around me and vanish.

  “They were all killed quickly,” I said as a matter of fact, though that seemed to take a lot of the other students by surprise. I didn’t feel the need to elaborate. “So we can assume it was more than one assailant, although all bearing the same sharp blades.” I paused, another possibility springing to life. “Or, one really fast assailant.”

  Ian didn’t stop me, waiting for me to continue. Everyone’s eyes were on me, and I could feel my purple deepen with embarrassment. I pushed through.

  “So, if this happened just two hours ago, and I assume there’s no trail to follow,” Ian gave a slight nod. I figured we’d be hunting them down otherwise, “that means they’re fast, silent, and deadly,” I paused, looked at Ian. “Who would do that so effectively?”

  He held my gaze. I waited, not looking away. Two could play at the staring game.

  “Who do you think?” he asked softly, though his voice held the edge that confirmed my suspicions.

  “I don’t think humans could pull this off,” I said simply, avoiding responding more directly.

  Traded.

  Traded had hunted down other Traded and massacred them. The room grew hushed with the realization that humans were not the only ones we had to fear.

  “We don’t think humans did this either,” Ian said. “Which is why we need to be extra careful. The Rosetta Guild wasn’t without its defenses.”

  “Why would Traded hunt down other Traded?” Rachel asked, and I glanced at Sonsil and Ian. They gave absolutely no outward sign of flinching, even though I knew the Guild of Shadows would do it as needed, and had done it in the past. To maintain the balance between Traded and humans.

  An assassins’ league, but we wouldn’t call it that. Too negative, I guess. Poor marketing material.

  “We intend to find out,” Ian said. I noticed that Sonsil was looking at me. I guess I was one of the few here who’d gotten a full debrief on the Guild of Shadows. I held his gaze, hoping I made it clear that I had no intention of sharing that knowledge with anyone else here. I hadn’t yet. I didn’t feel any motivation to do so now.

  And it was pretty clear that not everyone had been privy to the same recruitment pitch. I could ponder for hours what that meant about the Guild of Shadows, but it was pretty clear to me that it said a lot more about me and my inclinations.

  It wasn’t worth worrying about those. I hadn’t yet. Wasn’t time to start.

  I nodded to Sonsil, and he returned the slight gesture.

  “No outings,” Ian glanced my way. Sheesh, sneak out once, and everyone thought you were the worst culprit. It’s not like I’d been the only one to ever sneak out, right? Surely not!

  “No risks. Stay inside, be alert. If we do fall under attack, let the senior operatives support you. Hide. Don’t play heroes so early on in your training.”

  A few boastful mumbles around me made it clear that many here believed they were ready to take on any assailant. But we were all trainees, so it didn’t matter how good we thought we were.

  Unless the higher-ups believed us ready, we were effectively benched.

  “Have other guilds been warned?” I asked, and Ian’s eyes softened. He knew my best friend, Clay, was a member of the Wolf Pack League, not too far from here. The only time I’d snuck out was to cheer Clay on in one of his arena battles.

  “They have,” Ian said, his voice quieter than I anticipated it would be. “We’re all going to help each other stay safe.”

  And just like that, we had been told that we were targets to some really successful murderers.

  And then, we were dismissed.

  Chapter Three

  Rachel fell in beside me as I walked out of the room. She didn’t say anything but seemed as eager as me to get away from the boasting students.

  Sure you could take them on, buddy.

  I’d seen these people in battle. Not all training had been equal. Rachel was pretty good, though, if at times a little out of control. It just made her more interesting, to my mind.

  I glanced her way but didn’t speak. The silence suited us both. Our rooms were near each other, and she wasn’t bad company.

  I didn’t really want to chat, anyway. My mind kept reeling back to those pictures: the precision of the cuts, the still-full coffee mug on the desk, the books spattered with blood, pages unread and still wet…it had been fast, almost merciful. No one had suffered. Barely anyone had had the chance to notice what was happening. The fe
w that did only had the chance to turn around and run a few steps.

  I wondered if they’d been caught so unaware because they weren’t a fighter’s league. Because they’d been trained differently. What had their defenses been like? Ian said they’d been defended but hadn’t exactly elaborated.

  I imagined the Guild of Shadows was well defended. From the little I’d seen breaking in (unsuccessfully) back when I didn’t realize this was even the Guild of Shadows, getting in here would be difficult. I hoped impossible, but I doubted that.

  What kind of defenses did Clay’s league have?

  “Sorry about the explosion,” Rachel interrupted my thoughts. I stared at her in confusion. I’d forgotten she was even there.

  “Oh, no worries,” I shrugged. “I mean, I did throw a dagger at you.”

  “Ya,” she said. Her shoulder seemed fine now. On top of her freaky good ability to heal, they had several Traded here who could heal others, which proved useful when our training involved real weapons.

  Most of us were trained already, thanks to our “schooling.” The Margrave Academy had been my own little hell for several years. Clay had been the only good thing to come out of there.

  I missed him. I hadn’t seen him in over a month. I hoped he was safe. I hoped he wasn’t doing anything stupid, like signing up for death battles. The glory was bigger, sure, but I wasn’t a fan of the death part.

  I knew they streamed the combats, but we weren’t given access to any outside media. Not back when we were in school, and not now. I’d seen people go around with their smartphones and glasses, watches and rings, but I’d never been privy to one. Most were calibrated to biometrics, so it’s not like stealing one would make it work for me.

  Plus, a lot of them didn’t even work for Traded. Touchscreens didn’t respond, or they were awkward to hold with claws. This world wasn’t built for us, and they’d focused their energies on making us adapt, instead of adapting it to us.

  “I wonder why they went after the Rosetta Guild?” Rachel asked. I frowned.

  “I assumed because they were Traded?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. But my captain always said that assuming was dangerous business. The seas can change pretty quickly.”

  “Your captain?” I didn’t know a lot of people’s stories, but I’d certainly never heard one involving a captain. “Like, your lover?”

  She laughed a clear laugh. “No, like my ship captain.”

  “You come from a ship?” I stopped in front of my room.

  “I do,” she said softly. “I was abandoned at a pier, left to die on the water. A trading vessel found me—one of those giant behemoths—and the captain took me in. Raised me,” she paused, as though gathering her thoughts. “I miss the sea. I hate being stuck here. I hate not being on the ship with my crew.”

  “I get that,” I said. “I miss my best friend. Couldn’t you have stayed on your ship?”

  “No. All Traded had to join a guild or league,” her inflection indicated that she hadn’t been given much of a choice as to which one she’d join, either. “Even those of us who had loving families.” She blushed, and added, “the few of us.”

  “That sucks,” I offered. I didn’t really know what else to say. I mean, the Guild so far hadn’t been any worse than the Academy. In lots of ways, it was better. Except for missing Clay, of course.

  Everything else was pretty much a giant life upgrade. Not sleeping in a cell was fantastic. I had more clothes. All black, sure, but I looked good in black. And no one beat me up. Like, outside of practice.

  Plus, the control tattoo on the side of my neck, used to incite pain by the Margrave Academy, hadn’t been used once at the Guild, even though I was fairly certain that they had the control mechanism to use it.

  Why wouldn’t they have it, after all? Once a Traded, always a Traded.

  “Tira!” Ian’s voice stopped us short. Rachel hesitated but stayed, maybe out of curiosity. Couldn’t blame her for that.

  Ian joined us, nodding to Rachel. He didn’t dismiss her, which I’d half expected. He didn’t even seem to mind that she stayed. Rachel’s blue-tinged skin glowed a little brighter. Her eyes certainly did. Like she didn’t intend to miss a word of this conversation.

  “I want to make sure you’re clear that you’re not to leave unless ordered to do so,” Ian said, his voice soft yet granular.

  “I heard,” I said, though I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice.

  “You can contact Clay,” Ian said, looking amused. I grinned. We were rarely allowed to use outside communications, though full operatives seemed to be given smartphones.

  I was looking forward to that stage.

  “And then,” he added, “come back to your room, and stay there. Don’t leave until you’re told to.” He looked over to Rachel, targeting her with the same dark look. “The same goes for all initiates.”

  “Understood,” Rachel said, and I thought she might salute for a second.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” Ian practically growled. Which made sense, since he could change into a dog or other animals at will. Well, mostly at will. He didn’t seem able to fully control it, sometimes getting trapped in animal shape, or not able to turn back.

  Still, better than Rachel’s lack of control.

  “I won’t,” I said, and meant it. Mostly because I knew I couldn’t get away with it. Like, if there was even a ten per cent chance of success, I might try it. But there wasn’t, and Ian had probably come here to let me know that.

  “Thanks for letting me call Clay,” I said, making it clear that I understood a bribe when I heard one.

  He nodded to me, then to Rachel, before turning around without another word and heading down the corridor.

  “He’s interesting,” Rachel said once he was gone.

  “He’s nice,” I replied. Ian had helped make sure I survived long enough to make it to the Guild. He’d helped me break free from Clay, when we both would have gotten killed if we’d hung on to each other.

  My heart skipped a beat. That parting still hurt.

  Before we’d both left to join our guilds, we’d shared a quick kiss, Clay and me. I flushed just thinking about it, my purple growing deeper.

  If Rachel noticed, she was kind enough not to mention it. I made note of that. Kindness seemed to be in short supply for most people.

  “He’s the second-in-command of the Guild of Shadows,” Rachel said softly. “How nice can he be?”

  I cocked my head a bit and looked at her. “As nice as he can be, under the circumstances?”

  “Fair enough,” Rachel said. She seemed to want to say something else, but held back. “Well, I guess I’d best head into my room.”

  “I’ll go call Clay,” I said.

  We parted and I headed to the communal social room. The room, even though currently empty, always smelled like hot dogs. Multiple couches lined the walls, and shelves held books, a TV and some movies and games. Enough to keep us entertained and yet disconnected.

  A single phone sat on the small desk, the line undoubtedly monitored. It was old-school rotary, to boot. A pen lay beside it, for the initiates and operatives whose non-human fingers couldn’t fit into the smaller holes to turn it. Good luck if the headset didn’t fit your head, though.

  I dialed. The phone rang twice, and Jolene picked up. I both liked and hated her. She was really nice, which was annoying. But I couldn’t tell if she saw Clay as a friend or a potential lover. That part annoyed me a lot more than I cared to admit.

  “Hey Jolene,” I said cheerfully. She was Clay’s friend, after all, and she’d always been nice to me, too. Infuriatingly so.

  “Oh, hey Tira,” she said, her usually cheerful tones muted.

  “You heard?” I asked.

  “Ya. Scary stuff.”

  “You guys put up more security?” The last time I’d broken into their league, well, breaking in wasn’t necessary. They were a fighter’s leagu
e, I’d been informed. Why would they need security? They could just beat people up! That thought still made me want to roll my eyes.

  “We did,” she gave a low chuckle. “Though I think the Boss is repulsed at the idea.”

  I didn’t like the Boss one bit. She didn’t care about the Traded the way Sonsil did, or at least the way I thought he did. She was cold-blooded, and had almost killed Clay and I.

  Her, I’d like to hurt.

  “Good,” I said, relieved to hear that. “Is Clay around?”

  “He is,” she bid me farewell and put me on hold.

  I waited, glancing around. The room was empty, but I knew an operative probably wasn’t far. Or they might be watching me on some kind of security camera. They were certainly listening on the line.

  I couldn’t trust that anything I said here would remain private.

  “Tira,” Clay said, sounding out of breath.

  “You okay?” I asked, sitting partly out of my chair, as though I could leap to protect him from whatever threatened him.

  “Oh ya,” he said. I could hear the grin in his voice. “Was just practicing. You should see some of the new moves I’m learning!”

  “I wish I could,” I said. I missed him so bad and hearing his voice without being able to see him made it even worse. I imagined him, could picture every detail of his face. His unkempt hair, his dark eyes, his slightly sharpened teeth and claw-like hands. Clay had been my best friend since we’d met. Hell, he’d been my only friend for a long time.

  I wasn’t about to forget him.

  “Did you hear about the Rosetta Guild?”

  “I did,” he said, his voice immediately more serious. “You keeping safe?”

  I shrugged, then sighed. Phone conversations were so stifling and dependent on language alone. I wish we could at least video call. Once I became an operative, I’d get a smartphone. I hoped Clay would some day, as well. “As much as anyone can.”

  “That’s the scary part,” he said, “but remember, they were scholars. We’re fighters. We can defend ourselves.” I didn’t like the certainty I heard in his voice.