The Court - Finished!

Daniel
Joy was thrilling through him, he was anxious to feel his sharp blade hit another. It was quite a long dream going to the city and attacking the Birds, but at least it was happening.

They were very cautious,they didn't want to make one sound that would make a Bird suspicious. There was one ahead of them, still not realizing what was going to happen.

He saw Krissy let out that gleeful smile that if someone didn't know her well, would think is the smile of cruel assassin. It was like seeing a new Krissy when it came to fighting.

He made a slight signal to both Krissy and Maria and headed slowly towards the Bird. With a silent glide, he slowly reached the man and with swift movements he grabbed him by the back, covering his mouth and making his head tilt before getting out his jackknife and slashing his throat. The Bird's blood was gushing of his throat so Daniel easily threw him to the side of the wall that faced the forest.

Maria

The thrill of finally doing something surged through me as we crept along. I snuck up behind a Bird, one of my daggers in my hand. I was soon just a couple feet behind him. Suddenly my hand flew forwards and I stabbed him in the back. He was killed instantly. My dagger was coated in red blood. He fell to the ground with a muffled thump. I smiled grimly.

Krissy:

I took in a deep breath before gliding like a shadow behind the last Bird. I guided my dagger over his throat in a familiar motion and watched him fall into a heap. The deep cruelty of our actions shook me to the core, but the thrill of it raced through me as well. I was going into shock, I had to get away from the blood quickly. We had murdered thirteen Night Birds in an hour. Daniel wrapped his arms around me,

"Hurry, write the message and let's get out of here."

His whispers were shaky too, and Maria's head was down the hood shadowing her face completely. I turned to the wall in front of me. I dipped my hand in the spilled blood of the man at me feet. I wrote in the biggest letters I could, 'The beginning of your end'

"We can leave," I said softly. "We're done here."

I turned around quickly and ran to the gate and into the woods, not checking to see if Daniel or Maria were following. I reached the door of the cabin first, I slumped against the door weakly, the weight of my actions catching up with me.

Maria

I came up to Krissy and patted her shoulder gently. "Let's go inside love," I whispered. I opened the door and hurried back upstairs; I had to change out of these clothes. As soon as I had changed I went back downstairs. Krissy was sitting on the bench, head in hands. I sat down next to her and put my arms around her. "It's alright love. Soon the Rogue will be dead and the killing will be over. You'll see."

Krissy:

I kept my head in my hands, my knees feeling weak. I was a thief, and now a cruel assassin. When this was over, I want to get away from all murder, robberies and unhappiness. Live happily in a home and run a little cafe or bakery. Away from it all, but for now all we had to do was wait until the morning. We had to plan further ahead, or we would be in trouble.

Sighing, I stood up and thumped up the stairs swiftly. Collapsing onto a bed, I let out a shaky breath.

Daniel
It had been fast, nothing too difficult for them to handle. They were back to the cottage fast, but what worried Daniel the most was Krissy. She looked troubled, she hadn't said a word on the way back and all she did was go to bed.

Killing for Daniel was something he had learned to do the hard way, killing to stay alive himself. He head learned that from the best, his mother and his sister. It was almost unbelievable for him that his mother and even sister were dragged by the Rogue.

But he shook those thoughts away as soon as they started aching in his heart. So he went to Krissy who was in the bed ans sat beside, analyzing everything. Maybe murder wasn't that much a deal for him, but what if murder meant something completely different for the girl he loved the most? He considered that as he stared at her silently.

Maria

I sat on the bench and watched Krissy hurry upstairs, and Daniel follow. I looked down at my hands. They were stained with dry blood. I didn't want this. I thought grimly. I got up and went back outside. The sky was like a black veil above me. I sat down on the grass and looked up at the stars.

Jas

I sank to the floor just outside the Rogue's room, angrily wiping tears from my eyes. "He didn't even listen," I said bitterly. "He doesn't care."

Lorraine sighed. "I know." She turned and started to walk away, shoulders slumped. "You coming?"

"No," I said. "I'll stay here."

"But he said - "

"I know what he said," I interrupted. "And I don't care. The Rogue might not be taking this threat seriously, but I'm not going to leave him unprotected."

Lorraine hesitated, then came back and sat beside me. "I don't understand why he reacted like that," she said softly, staring at her knees. "He told us to stop interfering. But these people are trying to kill him. Shouldn't he want us to interfere? To protect him?"

"Yes," I answered, thinking hard. "Unless... unless... unless he's in on it too, and doesn't want us to know."

"What?" Lorraine looked surprised for a moment, and then she laughed. "Maybe you should go take a nap. I don't think you're getting enough sleep, Jas. Why would the Rogue be involved with the same people who are trying to kill him? It doesn't make any - "

She broke off as one of the Rogue's thieves sprinted down the corridor. "Out of the way!" he panted. "I have to tell the Rogue! There's been an attack!"

GRAYSON

"There's been an attack!" Someone yelled. Grayson was startled out of his daydream. He jumped up off the ground where he had been dozing, lazily, against a tree.

He ran outside. He thought about asking the guard what the commotion was all about but he knew he might as well go to the attacked place. He would find more infrmation there.

Then he saw it. There were foot high letter written in blood.

"The beginning of your end," he whispered. It setteled over Grayson, making him naseous. This was Maria and Krissy's doings.

This was it. Either Maria or Grayson would die. Would she even go as far as actually killing him? He hoped not. He actually cared for the girl. A lot. It even surprised him. Yet this would be how everything unfolded. One would have to die.

Grayson ran for the woods. He had to talk to her. To Maria.

He found her sitting alone under the stars. It hadn't taken him long to find her.

"Hey," he muttered, startling her. She looked over at him shocked.

"Grayson," she breathed. He smiled sadly.

"Yeah. I suppose you thought over everything?" He asked, a bitter tone starting to cme from his voice. "Was this your way of telling me that you don't care about me?"

Grayson shook his head and hid his eyes from Maria. Emotions were always shown more clearly through the eyes and he certainly didn't want Maria reading his emotions now.

"I can't let you do this. These are my friends you'll end up killing, Maria! Don't you even care? Kayla, Jas, Lorraine, yes they may be a little different, but they're my friends. And they are good people. And I might even be killed in the process. Like you care. But you know what, as much as I try to ignore it, I can't stand to have you killed," Grayson spat.

He closed his eyes tightly and turned from her ready to leave after she said her peice.

**This'll add more drama for everything to come! ^_^**

KAYLA

Kayla walked in lowering her head at the sight of the Rogue. He looked so powerful and calm. She wished he could return her feelings fr him more than ever.

"Sir," Kayla spoke, breathing the words and lowering her head into a bow.

"What is it Kayla?" He asked.

"Please, sir," she spoke quickly. "Please let me stay here with you. I wish nothing but your safety. Please just allow me to stand guard just until times start to feel...safer."

She stopped, her throat constricting. "It would tear me apart sir if anything were to happen to you...I l-"

"We've been attacked!" Jas shouted walking in and interrupting Kayla. She swallowed hard. She had almost told the Rogue how she felt about him. Almost. She didn't know whether to thank or hit Jas right now.

Maria

I got to my feet. "Grayson, I do care, but we both have our own loyalties. I'm still going to work against the Rogue; nothing could stop me from doing that. But I've decided that I'm not going to hurt or kill your friends unless it's absolutely neccesary. I know how much it would hurt me if you went and killed Krissy. I wouldn't make anybody go through something like that."

Then I slowly, hesitantly, reached out and touched his shoulder.

"I've found that I do care about you. More than I, or anyone else would have guessed. You don't have to worry about me killing your friends. I got into this to kill the Rogue, and nobody else. Understand that."

The Rogue:

"An attack? What is this nonsense!" exclaimed the Rogue, sitting up in his chair.

"It's outside sir." Jas murmured, turning to the door.

He was curious now, what could have possibly happened overnight, his Night Birds would have informed him of anything. Standing up, he threw on his cloak and followed Jas outside. In dried blood were the words,

'The beginning of your end'

The Rogue boiled in anger, this escaped his Birds! How? They were the best Birds, and he had paid fortunes for their loyalty. He realized that at the base of the words lay the cold body of his best Bird. He shouted out in anger, throwing a bucket of water at the menacing words.

"Problem solved." he muttered, storming back into the Court.

Jas

I stared after the Rogue, shocked, as water and blood trickled down the wall and pooled at my feet. "Did he seriously just walk away?" I muttered to Kayla. She nodded slowly.

Lorraine hurried after him. "Sir - "

The Rogue whirled around, a knife glittering in his hand. "What, Lorraine?" he hissed, eyes narrowed. He was trying hard to hide it, but I could tell that he was absolutely furious.

She froze. "I was just - just wondering if you had any orders. For us."

"Yes," he said. "I want you three to hunt down whatever scum did this, and I want you to kill them. And if you don't find them, don't bother coming back. Any of you."

KAYLA

"We will," she said, standing holding herself to her highest height. "We'll kill whoever did this. Right away."

Jas looked at Kayla glaring. Kayla ignored her and walked up to the Rogue without fear. If he wanted to kill her, she would accept her death without question. He looked down at her, his eyes glittering with rage.

"We'll find them, I swear to you," she whispered, passionatly. "If it is the last thing I do, I will kill the traitors who did this. Trust in me, sir. I will."

Kayla bowed her head to him and turned back to the others.

"Ready?" She asked them.

GRAYSON

"Don't you understand?" Grayson asked. He pulled at his hair, and held his hand in his hands. "You got into this to kill the Rogue. I got into it to kill Krissy. I thought befriending you was a good idea but look where it's landing us."

Maria stood up, looking at him. "What are you-"

Grayson cut her off. He made his decision....he had to go through with it.

"I just can't...we can't do this. I like you Maria. Too much. You don't know how much it means to me that you like me too but this-us will never happen. I was wrong."

Grayson turned away from her.

"So you befriended me and then you just leave?" Maria asked, outraged.

"I just can't do this!" Grayson yelled. "I can't. I can't take all the killing, and everything else that's going wrong. I. Just. Cant. Just-just do what you have to do Maria and I'll do what I have to do."

Grayson did the only thing he could do. He fled. His chest hurt almost as much as it had the day he lost Miguel. His best friend. But what choice did he have? He wouldn't kill Maria but he couldn't possibly stomach it but....would he let someone else do it?

Grayson shook all thoughts from his head. He didn't want to think about anything. He just wanted to sleep it all off. He couldn't take it.

Maria

I turned and walked back to the cottage, a lump rising in my throat. But once again, he was right.

This is too much. I can't take this any more.

I got home and wrenched open the door, shutting it behind me. I tried to drown out my grief with anger. I hurried upstairs and shut my bedroom door. Then I began collecting my things together. I didn't know where I would go; I just had to get away from here.

Then there was a noise from behind me. "Maria?" I turned. Krissy was standing in the doorway. "Where are you going?" She asked. I swallowed and forced myself to calm down. You're just going to abandon them?

I sighed and dropped my bag onto my bed. "Nowhere love."

It was the truth.

Lorraine
"Ready?" Kayla asked us. An attack. Things were rushing, going on too fast around us. Some or actually manyguards of the Rogue had been killed. We were sent to kill them, but at this moment it was rather confusing. The were people planning an atatck to the Rogue but there was Krissy and my wicked brother and their friend.

"Krissy" i muttered, rage burning in my eyes.

"What if it wasn't Krissy? what if it was the counterfeiters?" Jas, said. I didn't know what to think.

"We'll have to look for the murderers real good" I said. Going out of the court.

"What does it matter!" Kayla exploded, weird in her since she was always so put together. "It doesn't matter, all that matters right now is finding them and finishing them. We have to protect the Rogue that's what it really matters!"

And she walked in front of us with a quick pace.But after all she was right.