Research

Research was not fun.

There were days, when Cassie found interesting passages, or when she found an entire website dedicated to the histories of skaldic passages. Mostly, research was dull and long. All she wanted was to be outside, climbing the walls of the fjords and jumping into the chilly waters below.

Unfortunately she was getting paid to research. Maybe paid was too strong of a word, she had room and board and a promise to not be sold into slavery if she completed her tasks. At first she thought it was a hyperbolic statement but then Meredith disappeared, not quietly, there had been screams and the sound of a struggle. Cassie had rushed to her friends aid but by the time she got there Meredith was already gone.

They had been tasked to find the ‘forgotten verses’. A seemingly impossible task considering the foreboding title. And yet, the more Cassie delved into the research, the more surprising results she found. There were thousands of verses that were never compiled into epics, and hundreds of text containing fragments. It could be a dizzying collection of exciting finds that needed to be pieced together.

Today though, was neither exciting nor fulfilling. It had been weeks since Cassie had found anything. They brought in a new girl yesterday, Persephone. She has to find a way to ameliorate her position.

There was a shuffling of feet at the door.

Cassie drew her dirk.

Island

Going into prison, they don’t tell you that you need a weapon. You assume the state is there to protect you from the other inmates. This is a lie.

I was caught smuggling FDA blacklisted data chips from the Netherlands. I should have been sent upstate for 2 years max. But here I am 10 months later, on a high security island prison, there are no guards, just the inmates, the facility and an AI security reef to keep us in.

I never needed a weapon before, when I was a cyber smuggler. All I needed was the code. I could write shelter, defense and attacks. Physical violence was anathema to me. That changed in the first ten minutes.

There were two of us arriving that day. I was in a state of shock from my sentencing. That, plus the noise of the helicopter left me in a bubble of isolation. I should have been paying more attention.

We were instantly accosted by large, heavily muscled men. They took everything we had of value, which wasn’t much considering, but I lost my shoes. Better than the man who arrived with me.

He didn’t want to give them anything. There was a flash of obsidian and he was dead.

The first thing I did was get a blade. It’s the key to survival.. I take better care of it than I ever did my rig before, better even than myself.

Ring

25 steps to the target.

In another life, they should have been sisters, if not best friends.

This was not that life.

20 steps.

Kafira was her name. Her hair was as white as a snow leopard’s coat, it turned when she was 24 after the accident.

When she became a weapon.

15 steps.

The target was Madame Clarissa McGilligan. She was hosting this charity gala. Usually she was surrounded by interns, journalists and body guards. Tonight there were dozens of hanger ons, fluttering around Clarissa as if she was a venial drug that they were attracted too.

10 steps.

This is where it turned into an intricate dance. Kafira needed to get close, but she could not interact with the target or even touch the target. That is why she came dressed for this mission. She wore a midnight blue dress that was embedded with gold beads.

5 steps.

All of her jewelry was ancient. Her necklace was from the 15th century, a piece that was passed down in her family. The earrings were “borrowed” from a museum. Her prize was a gold ring studded with diamonds. It was from the Chinese female pirate Ching Shih.

Half a step to the right and three steps forward.

By rubbing her pinky against the intricate ring she opened a tiny latch. With the flick of her wrist she dropped the poison into the champagne flute.  

With a smile she walked away.