Her ghost haunted him every night. It called loudly to him, and now he had the answer why. “For Saria,” he said as he lifted open the floorboard where he kept his assassin’s blade. The Soul Assassin had one more mission in him, and he was more motivated than ever.
Once Nash was armed, packed, and ready, he pulled his horse from the field and put a saddle on him. He was mounting up to ride when the sound of horse hooves could be heard galloping towards his home. He watched as they cleared the treeline at the end of the field and barreled towards him at full speed.
Nash froze them in time, and wonderful silence surrounded him. He slowly rode up to each soldier, ten in all, and plunged his dagger into them wherever he could reach. Their souls were his, and they were dead before he released the time-stream.
When he did, they fell from their horses and tumbled a few feet before lying motionless. The horses, confused by their rider’s actions, began wandering around in the field and grazing.
Nash continued on at his leisurely pace to the castle. He had all the time in the world, after all. As he rode, he tried to calm his mind and wrap it around the thought that his King had tried to kill him.
Time slipped away while he rode, he looked up, and the gate to the castle common was already looming in front of him. Nash could tell by the flurry of activity ahead that he had been recognized. Indistinct shouts could be heard at the wall. He didn’t want to deal with more underlings, his business was with King Sargus. Nash froze time and moved forward.
Soldiers were stopped in mid-motion as they climbed the stairs inside the wall. Others were lining up to push the gate closed. Nash rode by in silence without concern. When he reached the gatehouse, he dismounted and tied his horse to the posts there. He stroked the horse’s muzzle, “I won’t be long,” Nash said.
The palace guards were at their usual stations as Nash passed through on his way to the throne room. It would not be unusual for King Sargus to be hearing petitions at this time of the day, and Nash was not disappointed. Several soldiers lined the walls of the room while petitioners lined up in front of King Sargus on his throne. A petitioner was clearly not happy with the King’s decision and was frozen in mid-stride, turning to leave.
Nash closed and barred the throne room door from the inside. He moved to the front of the petitioner’s line and slipped back into the time-stream. The petitioner that was next was surprised to suddenly see someone in front of him and was about to complain. Nash declared loudly, “Everyone remain calm. You are to be witnesses.” A guard had noticed the door was closed and was moving to it. “Do not open that door. Anyone who tries will be killed,” Nash said. The guard ignored him and reached for the heavy bar. Other guards were moving to subdue Nash.
With time frozen, Nash moved about the room freely. He sliced and cut and piled bodies in the corner of the room before letting time move around him again.
Moments after, a female petitioner screamed. She spied the pile comprised of all the guards that had been in the room.
“As I said, you are witnesses. Move against me, and you are victims,” Nash said. “The choice is yours.” He waited a few moments before continuing.
King Sargus swallowed hard. He was not sure what just happened. From where he sat, it looked like Nash was going to be taken away and dealt with, and then suddenly, the room changed, and all the guards were dead. He looked to Agamen and guessed that he had seen the same thing. Agamen’s face was ashen.
“I let it go,” Nash said. “Just like you asked.” He stopped time before Sargus could answer him and moved to the throne. Nash grabbed King Sargus’s robe and dragged him out of the time-stream and down the three stairs in front of the throne.
“How dare you!” Sargus screamed as Nash moved him roughly.
Once they were at the bottom, Nash commanded, “Get on your knees!”
“I will not!” Sargus yelled back defiantly.
Nash’s knife was suddenly at the King’s throat. “On your knees, now!” he said, applying pressure.
King Sargus slowly got on his knees. Nash plucked the crown from his head and turned. He ascended the three steps to the throne and sat in it. He spun the crown around on his knife as he and the king rejoined the time-stream.
“Like I said,” Nash continued. “I let it go. Just like you asked.”
Petitioners were staring intently now, not believing their eyes. Too much was happening too fast for them. Agamen wobbled on his feet and fainted, he was unable to process what was happening around him.
“All I wanted was for you to put Princess Saria in a nice comfortable cell and treat her well. Instead, you had her tortured, killed, dismembered, and her remains destroyed,” Nash stated. “And then, to reward my loyalty to you, you sent soldiers to my farm to have me killed.”
King Sargus had never felt so helpless in his life. He couldn’t even believe what was happening here. Nash appeared relaxed as he played with his crown.
“Have I misstated anything?” Nash inquired seriously.
Sargus bowed his head but did not respond.
“Fine,” Nash said. He stood, dropped the crown, and crushed it under his boot. “I am removing you as King, the people deserve better.”
“You cannot do that,” Sargus decried.
Nash descended the stairs slowly, “I believe I can,” he said. Sargus looked up at Nash’s face, and when he did, Nash plunged his dagger into the ex-king’s face. “Your soul, what little there is, is mine,” he said. There was a collective gasp as he murdered Sargus.
Nash move to Agamen as he spoke, “You all witnessed how Sargus died. I am Nash Wolf, the Soul Assassin, and I killed him in the name of Princes Saria Rowley of the Praetha Kingdom. May her soul rest in peace.”
Nash dragged his dagger across Agamen’s unconscious throat. He did not want this monster assuming command. Nash froze time again. He unbarred the door and opened it, walked to his steed, and proceeded south.
There was a city many many days ride south that he had heard about but could not remember the name. The man he talked with at the tavern even said that there was some land for sale south of the city. Nash looked forward to finding a nice quiet spot and settling down. He hoped the king of that kingdom was smarter than Sargus had been.