#REN3 / Rule Of Three - Chapter 2

The Messenger - Chapter 2

Rule-of-Three prompts chosen:
- Someone is killed or almost killed.
- A relationship becomes complicated.
- A character lies to another on an important matter.

word-count: 593

The prologue (not part of the challenge) can be read here.
Chapter 1 can be read here.
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

I knew this forest was called Assart by most folk who travelled through it or lived nearby. It offered lots of places for me to linger and listen, if I chose to do so. Usually, names of places and people were of no interest to me - they didn't matter in my search for the Chosen Ones. Occasionally, however, it shortened the time to locate them by picking up rumours. And because of my agents, time was not entirely irrelevant to me. They were mortal and felt its passing, got weakened by it and I soon had to make another creature mine.
A cry pierced the night and suddenly I was aware of the words I had overheard. Time and sounds became significant all of a sudden. Ariki was in danger. A moment later I was with her, the shadows of the treetops gathering around me. Three men were closing in on her, unsheathed blades in their hands. They did not see me. To them I was just the darkness of the night, perhaps the shadow of a cloud as it passed the pale moon. They never saw the light again.

I watched her as she slept in the little hut. The men had not really hurt her, but the attack had shaken her and it usually did take its toll on my agents when I conveyed them with me from one place to another. But I did not want her to stay in that forest without a shelter during the approaching storm, not when a settlement was so near.
Why did I not want that? Did I just take three lives to protect one? I didn't care for those men, they were not Chosen Ones. Ariki was my agent, but didn't I make her mine simply because she was the nearest suitable creature when the one before her died? She is no Chosen One either - but I just chose to protect her, did I not?
To distract me from these irritating thoughts, I called upon the trace of my next target and manifested into a solid body to get a hold of the talisman that was created by this summoning. I could tell Ariki was not happy to find herself suddenly in a new place and with a new 'gift' from me at her feet, but she took up the bundle and accepted the task. She had no choice.
I discarded the solid form as soon as I left the hut, casting myself over the little town known as Renaissance. The Chosen One was near, I could sense him. And yet, I could not pull my attention away from Ariki completely. Part of me watched her as she recovered from the journey and my presence. I could even feel her discomfort - which was fascinating and alarming. Surely, none of my kind had ever connected like this with one of its agents. If I knew how, I would make it stop.

**What are you waiting for?**
Ariki began to wander towards a narrow alley. **You are aware that this marketplace is full of people? Or did you plan to kill them all, too?**
I savoured the touch of her strong mind more than I should. **I can take care of that.**
She stopped and actually turned her head a bit, although she knew there was nothing to look at. The long shadows in the alley allowed me to be all around her. **Why did you kill the men in the forest?**
My answer was a lie. **I chose to do so.**

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I hope the second part/chapter for the "Rule Of Three Blogfest" does not disappoint. Well, at least I enjoyed writing it.
There are lots of great and very different stories taking part in this challenge. They and the respective rules can be found here for example.
So far, my vague plans for this project were not too disturbed by the new prompts, although I certainly had not thought it would continue like that. I did again manage to use 3 instead of only the required 1. Hey, this is the Rule Of Three Blogfest, after all, isn't it? :)

As always, reviews are very welcome!
If you want to get an eMail whenever I post something or about something specific on my blog, just contact me, please.

(this was original posted first in my Livejournal, including comments)