Blade And Shadow Prompted Contest
Prompt: “When I’m finished, you’ll envy the dead.” Created by Lydia Jane.
“No.” Her eyes pinned his. “Try it again.”
He ground his teeth and walked out of the room before striding back in with a rehearsed smile. He took her hand and kissed it for the thirtieth time while offering his scripted introduction.
“You have to keep your other hand away from your sword hip,” she corrected. “It will draw attention. Again.”
The anger he’d worked to suppress all morning bubbled over. “Enough! I’m an assassin, not a puppet!”
“If you don’t do this perfectly, you’re going to compromise the whole operation. Haas hired me to get you ready for the banquet, and I intend to finish the job well. Now,” she crooned sweetly, “do it again. Or if you need a break, we can work on that haircut.”
“You’re not touching my hair.” Of all the women in this town, his boss had to choose the one whose heart he’d broken last year. She was enjoying this humiliation far too much.
“Shall we ask Haas his opinion?” She quirked an eyebrow.
“Fine,” he growled. “Do your worst. By this time Friday, this purgatory will be over, and the ambassadors will be dead.”
“Sweetheart, when I’m finished, you’ll envy the dead.”
Prompt 2
Prompt: “High chance of certain death? Sounds like my kind of romantic evening.” Created by Lydia Jane.
The handwritten poster on the boss’s door catches my eye and I almost spit out my coffee.
SPEED DATING FOR ASSASSINS
I’m a first-class killer, hired by the world’s worst people. I didn’t think anything could surprise me anymore.
Since when does management condone workplace relationships?
The door opens and Veronica emerges, tucking a file under her arm. “Ah, Josh, you’re just the assassin I wanted to see. I’ve got a new target for you.” She beckons me inside.
“First you’d better explain that.” I gesture at the poster, stepping into her office.
She flashes a grin and closes the door. “Glad you noticed. It’s a… team building event for our agency.”
I raise an eyebrow. “HR allows assassins to date now? Seems like a recipe for disaster.”
She shrugs, moving behind her desk. “They understand it’s for a case.”
A case? She’s piqued my interest. I look closer at the file. It’s marked red—meaning “gain trust and kill slowly.” My area of expertise.
“I need you to woo one of the attendees. We have a mole in our midst.”
I finish my coffee and smile. “High chance of certain death? Sounds like my kind of romantic evening.”
Prompt 3
Prompt: “You must be mistaken. There isn’t a single law-abiding bone in my body.” Created by Lydia Jane.
“So what do you say, Allek?” The woman assesses me with a narrowed gaze. I try not to squirm, lifting my chin and offering a careless shrug. “Do we believe him?”
Allek—a broad, bearded man with sly eyes—tilts his head, frowning. “I’m more inclined to think he’s one of the king’s guard, sent to draw us into a trap.”
My fingers clench into fists. “You must be mistaken. There isn’t a single law-abiding bone in my body.”
“Oh really?” The woman glances at Allek, then hands me a dagger. She pats the coin purse hanging from her belt. “Attack him, then, boy. And if you kill him, I’ll pay you well.”
I freeze, my fingers clutched around the dagger’s hilt.
*Draw them into my trap by any means necessary.* The king’s words flicker through my mind. But he never warned me about any kind of test! He never said I’d have to *kill* anyone!
I’m a spy, not an assassin!
I hesitate a second too long.
The woman sighs. “Just as I thought. You’re not one of us. Stupid boy.” Then, before I can scream, she plucks the dagger from my cold fingers and slashes at my throat.
