Back to Business

Kit left the farmhouse, still angry with herself for not listening before when Arathorn had told them his persistence to change their course was just because he didn’t want to see wasted talent. She knew the half-elf was more like the twins than perhaps he wanted to admit, and his willingness to look past their appearance and sordid past had, for the first time, made Kit consider the possibility of making a friend. Especially when she had been convinced that his insistence on seeing them choose a different path was a sign he too, felt that way about the twins.
 
His admission of eagerness to get back to his life had broken her of that, and while it hurt, she knew she couldn’t blame Arathorn. He had told them over and over again that his intentions weren’t to do with any sort of connection to them. For whatever reason, Kit had chosen not to listen and to drop her walls, and she knew this was on her. Feeling hurt just made her angrier at herself. Her being hurt wasn’t anything any of them should have to deal with. She wasn’t there to be emotional or involved in personal issues. Like everyone else, like Arathorn, she was there to do a job. And for the first time in her life, she had lost sight of that.
 
She needed to get her head on straight, get back to being there as a professional, and a professional only. They weren’t there to make friends, their focus had to be on the job.
 
Kit knew why her view had slipped from the target in the first place – a combination of Asmodeous’ taunting, Arathorn’s attempted guidance, and the weight of the ring in her pocket that she had been holding onto for the last few weeks before they had made their way to this job.
 
The day Killian was caught with Iril’s wife and Kit burned down the whole harbour, Kit was already white hot with rage. Something she hadn’t told her brother about – a secret that, as far as she knew, he hadn’t found out about. And she wasn’t quite sure if, or when, she would tell him.
 
She sat on the small dock and pulled the obsidian ring from her pocket, the single set black diamond in the centre catching in the sunlight, and stared at it. She could feel the anger and rage that had been putting her further on edge starting to boil up to the surface as, for the first time since Nondal’s betrayal, she started to face her feelings.
 
***
 
Nondal, a lithe goliath tattooed from head to toe with abyssal symbols and imagery, had been nothing more than a nuisance when he and Kit first met. He was an attractive, well-built man, with a mischievous grin, and an air of arrogance. Unlike her brother’s ego, Nondal seemed more bold, more sure of his success. Killian was all bravado – this man believed he was the best at everything. Their first encounter occurred just over a year earlier, when Kit was casing her twentieth mark’s vault. After breaking in, and closing the door carefully, she had been caught off-guard by a shadowed figure already inside. It seemed, Kit’s mark already had another thief attempting to rob him. The two had fought, Kit winning only by a slight amount, and she had dragged the thief out to the town, paying to have him loaded onto a ship.
 
“Drank too much,” she told the deckhand. “Can’t miss his ride out.”
 
She left a note in his pocket that read, better luck next time, then returned to finish the job.
 
They ran into each other numerous times over the next few months, seemingly always hitting the same marks. Nondal had become amused by Kit’s tactics, sticking around to watch her work, and a friendly rivalry emerged.
 
She had kept this from her brother, in part because she didn’t want him to attempt to take out the competition, in part because she wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. She enjoyed having a rival, it added a new thrill to the game.
 
Before long, their interest in one another had grown beyond a rivalry, into a deep attraction, and finally a romance blossomed. Still, she kept it quiet from her brother. She wasn’t sure how he would react to her having a relationship – it wasn’t something she had even expressed interest in, and with his protectiveness, she worried he would overreact or do something to Nondal to scare him away.
 
Stupidly, as Kit would later say, she had been leaving some of the take for Nondal, as part of a compromise to allow her to continue her ruses. She would hide a portion of the loot behind a fake wall, ensuring Killian and the crew wouldn’t even know it was there. Sometimes, just to remind her how good he was, Nondal broke in ahead of her and took his own share, which they would later fight about, ending entangled in one-another’s arms.
 
A week before they were to make port where the twins encountered Captain Iril, Nondal did something Kit hadn’t expected – he proposed. Kit had said yes, and made plans to tell her brother when they arrived at the next Island. It would be a few weeks, Kit had thought, before they were set to be in the same place as one another, and that would give her time to broach the topic with Killian. Still, she found herself hesitating, though she couldn’t put her finger on why. This should have been something she was thrilled to share with her brother, but something had kept her from doing so.
 
It was the night the twins were set to burgle what would be Kit’s 35th victim. Kit had slipped away as always to secure the vault and ready it for Killian and their crew. She slipped inside, and once again found herself surprised by Nondal, hiding in the shadows as he had during their encounter. He grabbed her from behind into a grapple, holding her tight so she couldn’t fight, his knee strategically holding her tail in place. He chuckled, a deep, terrifying chuckle, breathing heavily on her neck.
 
Kit tried to wriggle out, confused as he held both her arms behind her back with one of his.
 
“Nondal, what the hell?” she whispered angrily, still struggling against him.
 
“You know, it’s been fun,” he said, slowly, pulling Kit’s shard dagger from its sheath and trailing it down her arm. “Maybe the most fun I’ve had on a mark.”
 
Kit froze as it hit her. Nondal wasn’t a thief – he was a bounty hunter. She felt her voice get caught in her throat, her body unwilling to move from the shock.
 
“It was too easy, really,” Nondal drawled. “The great Kit McKenzie, the greatest con artist of rich men. I expected more of a challenge. Then again, it’s not surprising that a woman who has never known love would leap when the prospect was dangled in front of her. The mark, the one your dear brother killed, what was his name again? Sutcliffe? He was right, you really are just a charlatan and a whore.”
 
Finding some of her words, Kit spat out, “you bastard!” and attempted to resume her struggle. It was too late, however, as before she could manage to move, Nondal plunged the dagger through her ribs, withdrew it, and did it again. Kit coughed, choking up blood, and felt her body failing underneath her. Nondal dropped her to the floor, then let her dagger clatter beside her.
 
“Captain Iril says hello,” Nondal grinned before stomping on her leg, a sickening crack echoing in the chamber as Kit clenched her teeth to stop from screaming in pain. The last thing she needed was to alert the guards.
 
Nondal turned to leave, looking back down at her with disgust in his eyes. “You really thought someone could love a demon like you? Ha!” Then, he disappeared.
 
Kit was furious with herself, but knew there was no time to brood. She had to get out. She used what strength she had left and pushed herself forward, grabbing her dagger and putting it back in its sheath. She continued to pull herself along the floor, realizing she would need to get to her feet or risk her blood trail leading someone straight to her. She left the vault door open as she pushed herself to her feet, whimpering as she tried not to scream.
 
Before moving, she pulled a sending stone out of her pocket. “Killian, mark’s sour. Abort. I’ll get myself out of here and meet you back at the ship.”
 
There was a short pause, and then a response. “Heard dearest. See you there.”
 
Kit shoved the stone away, and hobbled along, clutching her side. Her vision was getting blurry, but she had to get out of there. She made it to the edge of the property, just inside the bushes, before she collapsed.
 
“I’m disappointed in you, pet.”
 
Kit lifted her head to see Asmodeous emerging from the trees.
 
“I’d expect you to know better.”
 
Kit didn’t reply.
 
“Ah yes, I suppose there’s no use scolding you is there. You’re already scolding yourself. I’m sure, if I leave you to it, you’ll punish yourself for this transgression, yes?”
 
Kit grunted angrily.
 
“Good. Don’t worry, you’re not going to die yet, dear. I haven’t finished with you yet.”
 
Asmodeous reached down and uttered something in a language Kit didn’t recognize, and she found herself enveloped in a black, sparking cloud. She felt her leg shift and her bones snap back into place, holding back a deep scream. Her wounds closed up and slowly the cloud dissipated, and her strength returned, though she could still feel the pain.
 
“There, good as new,” Asmodeous said, dusting off his hands. “Well, almost as new. I’ve left you with the scars – to remind you never to make a mistake like that again.”
 
Kit nodded, and stood up, bowing to Asmodeous. “Yes m’lord.”
 
“Good. Now get back before Killian realizes something is wrong.”
 
Kit dashed off into the woods, anger seething out from every ounce of her soul – anger towards herself, Iril, Nondal, and Asmodeous. She would never make that mistake of opening up again – not for Asmodeous, but for herself. If the world wanted to see her as a monster, then a monster she would remain.
 
***
 
Kit turned the obsidian ring over in her hand, a cold feeling settling on her heart.
 
“One day, I’m going to come for you Nondal,” she said calmly, before pitching the ring as far up the river as she could.
 
She shivered and hugged herself, glancing back towards the farmhouse where everyone was getting ready for her departure. At least, if one thing had come from this, it was that Nondal could serve as a reminder that the only people safe enough to let behind her walls were Killian, and Oak.
 
Kit closed her eyes, took a deep breath as she regained her composure, and she made her way back towards the group, her sights re-aligned to the only thing that mattered. The job, and keeping the crew alive to finish it. After that, they could all go back to being strangers, and Kit and Killian could get on with their lives.