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A week later, Ruby and I rode past the gates of the capital in a merchant’s cart. Before we left on this journey, we went to the Donner Guild. A mage confirmed the rings carried no curse, and that they were soul-bound between us. She deciphered most of the runes for us while telling us the additional symbols held no trouble. The woman also told us that high-level runes were beyond the capability of most mages. The Donner Mage even offered to purchase the rings from us at a nice profit. However, Ruby and I decided to pass on the offer. Keeping track of each other while working independently gave us reason enough to keep the rings. Ruby mentioned she felt a connection through the magical items on our fingers. That made sense because of the spiritual nature of our connection.

That night I told Ruby that the artifacts were now our personal wedding rings. Ruby turned pale when I announced it to her. For a moment, I thought she would reject me. Only after she broke down did I realize Ruby had never believed I would marry a commoner like her. It took a while to convince her that I would not change my thoughts about marriage in the future. Her tears made me understand love for the second time in my long life.

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Fairy Tale Assassin - Chapter 1Nightmare in a New World - Another ongoing story from the Morbid Ink collection.The PulpistGordon Brewer - Author/Creator

As Ruby’s face paled at the old hag’s statement, I chuckled while hiding my surprise. I wasn’t sure how the woman knew my name. However, I still carried a hefty dose of skepticism.

Con artists always have ways of figuring out personal things about their marks.

“Let me guess! You have something to keep me from this terrible fate.”

My sarcasm dripped with enough venom to make the fortune teller glare at me.

“No, broken tides you can’t avoid. But I can protect your old soul, and you can redeem yourself!”

My jaw dropped at the statement.

What the hell?

Before I could reply, the hag pulled an amulet on a leather cord from her cape with her other hand. She held it out to me.

“Wear this unless ye wish to lose your soul in these dark days!”

Staring at the purple stone embedded in the black metal, I felt an icy shiver down my back. I didn’t want to touch it. However, Ruby reached up for the artifact. I noticed how wide her eyes were as she stared at the object. She tapped the stone.

“How much?” she asked.

“It won’t cost you a coin, dear girl.” The old hag croaked out, as I expected of a witch.

“We’re not looking for something like this,” I tried to steer Ruby away from the woman.

For some reason, my senses screamed at me to leave. However, before I could guide Ruby away, the old woman lifted her other hand.

“Yes, you came seeking something like these,” she stated as she moved in front of us again. In her palm lay two simple-looking rings.

“These bonding rings can provide you and your lover the safety you seek. You can know the location and feelings of your lover when you wear these.”

The crone cackled when she noticed my eyes widen at the news.

Can she read my mind?

One reason Ruby and I came through the shops in search of unusual magic or artifacts focused on our security. In my mind, I wondered if such magic existed—a GPS for us. While I had never heard of these rings, they looked like the perfect solution.

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A Dagger Through Dimensions - Chapter 1An Alley and A HeadacheThe PulpistGordon Brewer - Author/Creator

The next shot from the bastard above me lands on my lower back. The pain coursing through me really makes me believe that I’ve got a broken spine as I tried to move. However, the goon picks me up with my collar and the back of my coat to send me flying over the table, face first into a couple of chairs. Of course, my survival mode kicked in while my brain sees that I’m closer to the exit out of the building. I crawl on my hands and knees to the door when I see two sets of legs walk in front of me. I don’t bother to glance up because I hear Antonio’s voice.

“Shamus, you got away with your scheme this time, but someone is going to put a bullet in your brain soon. Just remember that nobody gets over on me.”

The polished black leather shoe that struck my ribs I barely saw coming before the wind left my lungs. As I’m gasping for air like a fish out of water, the goons working for Antonio lift me and escort me out of the doors. Next thing I see is the scenery passing by as I land like a rag doll on the sidewalk.

Now, I’m not sure how long I lay there. It can seem like days when you’re struggling to breathe correctly. However, the next thing I see is a pretty face staring down at me like an angel. Her eyes are moist, and she reaches down to help me to my knees.

“You really are a fool, Mr. Dagger. And I thank you for it.”

Of course, I said nothing. Hell, between the lack of breath and my body feeling like I broke several important bones, I just struggled to get on my feet. Sally guided me to the cab. She puts me next to a passed-out Joe who smells like a week of body odor and booze. I’m checking if I still have all my teeth as the car sped away with Sally sitting in front next to the judge. They’re talking as I notice O’Conner grinning at me.

“You really know how to make Antonio mad. What agreement did you have with him?”

Shaking my head, I had to think back to my black book, which was never clear.

“I guess he saw me as another pawn for his operation,” I mumbled out while softly touching the side of my jaw.

“I’ll give you credit for a slick scheme, but you realize how lucky you are to leave that building, don’t you? When the judge asked for those IOUs, I wished I had a picture of Antonio’s face.”

Then O’Conner turned serious.

“You should leave town for a while, maybe permanently.”

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The Curse of BlackbaneChapter 1 - A Profane CurseThe PulpistGordon Brewer - Author/Creator

Elisabeth Ann kept nodding off as she covertly watched Leiras. She lay on her side, facing the campfire. The few remaining flames barely gave enough light to see the tombstones. The man in the monk’s robes leaned against the tree trunk. His enormous head nodded, and his eyes were closed. Now that the snow had stopped falling, the woman decided her guard would soon go to sleep. She glanced over at Blackbane, who slept with his back to her. He snored lightly.

While she waited for Leiras, Elisabeth kept going back over her planned escape. She might not know the territory, but the woman was confident in her horsemanship. Once she got to a horse, Elisabeth intended to find help. With only one mount between them, a band of armed men would soon capture the thieves. The bonus was the death of the two men and her return to France with the reliquaries. She smiled at the idea.

The monk’s movement caught her attention as his nodding head jerked back. Then he adjusted his position. His eyes remained closed. She glanced over at Marshall, who didn’t move.

The duchess remembered Blackbane when he appeared on the main deck as her armed escort tried to help her escape. When Blackbane stepped in front of the man, her bodyguard demanded that he give his word not to sell the women on the ship.

“The ship you captured is valuable enough. These are noblewomen coming back from a pilgrimage. Put us on a boat for the shore.”

“We’ll hang first,” Blackbane barked. “You’re not in the Caribbean. The Turks pay for slaves and wives. This ship’s cargo isn’t enough. As Captain, I’m allotted six portions to the ordinary seamen. My men and I won’t lose a fortune to save a woman’s hide.”

As the pirates around Elisabeth shouted their agreement with their captain, Blackbane turned away. Elisabeth’s bodyguard cursed him. The old man struggled to pull his pistol from his belt. In a flash, Blackbane spun around with his sword. The woman observed the pirate captain’s callous smile. Blackbane knew her escort would never get the pistol out soon enough. Still, the man killed him. He enjoyed it!

The man’s body fell at her feet, his blood splattered across her beautiful dress. Elisabeth stood in shock as Blackbane casually walked away. The cruel pirate never looked back as he continued to issue orders to his men.

After arriving in Tunis, Elisabeth remained in chains with the other nobles held captive. When she went before the Beylik, she saw how the fat man eyed her. Still, the Beylik lived up to his promise of her release once her ransom came. As she waited, the woman prayed for a most horrible death to strike Blackbane each night. Those months in Tunis changed Elisabeth. She watched those who worked for the Turk leader. The woman decided she would not be a pawn for those with more power. Elisabeth learned how to use her beauty to her advantage.

The world for those who know how to control people!

Bob Cratchit & The Old Hag

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Fairy Tale Assassin - Chapter 1Nightmare in a New World - Another ongoing story from the Morbid Ink collection.The PulpistGordon Brewer - Author/Creator

The kingdoms have no traditional banks. The guilds hold and distribute money for members, but for the rest of the world, the Grange Temples act as bankers. They hold the gold and silver coins for the guilds and act as a transfer agent to other kingdoms. In a way, they are a lot like the old Templar organization from my world’s history, which operated during the Crusades.

When I heard of the Grange Temple when I came into the capital, I paid little attention. However, the more I learned, the stranger the economic system appeared. The Grange Temple acts as both an exchange and a bank in one. Originally, the Grange members followed a religion based on nature and the use of land. Because many of its members were farmers, stonemasons, and woodcutters who sold goods in cities, the guild changed. Now, the temples managed the coinage and acted as a place of trade. Over the years, the temples transformed from religious-based places to exchange houses for goods. The various temples throughout the kingdoms provide a way to trade coins with the use of heavily armed caravans moving gold and silver. Each temple has priests who act as both spiritual guides and tellers of your money. Sure, it’s a weird religion, but who am I to judge?

On the morning after returning from our contract work, Ruby and I stopped by the Assassin’s Guild to close our first contract. We dropped off our plants with Rosemary, and she signed off on our contract scroll with a drop of her blood, and we added ours. The enchantment within the contract accepts blood as proof that you have completed your task. Stopping at the front desk, we grabbed our bag of coins before heading out to the Grange Temple, where our small fortune awaited us.

Kelpie

Fairy Tale Assassin - Chapter 1Nightmare in a New World - Another ongoing story from the Morbid Ink collection.The PulpistGordon Brewer - Author/Creator

Even after a few minutes, I still had difficulty trying to grasp the concept of a shadowed creature talking from the reeds. From my vantage point, it looked like the vague outline of a horse’s head.

A horse in the river?

The soothing voice enticed me, halting my disbelief. I walked closer while the creature spoke. Sweet tones came from the riverbank, and I found myself visualizing my past. Images of a child fishing, happily looking at me while I baited the hook on his fishing pole. Memorizing sounds filled my head. I heard nothing else as I stepped closer.

“I’ll take you across. Just ride on my back,” the creature said.

A beautiful and large black horse rose from the reeds. The powerful animal lifted its gigantic head above me with its red eyes staring down. When the creature opened a mouth filled with sharp teeth, my mind suddenly sensed the danger. Yet, my body continued to move forward. The slaps and pounding on my back felt distant but familiar. Only when a sharp pain erupted in the back of my arm did I finally hear Ruby’s voice.

“Covan, wake up! Get away from there! It’s a kelpie!”

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Fairy Tale Assassin - Chapter 1Nightmare in a New World - Another ongoing story from the Morbid Ink collection.The PulpistGordon Brewer - Author/Creator

With a small bagful of spell scrolls, we walked out of the store. During our training, we discovered spell scrolls come from multiple monster hides. The best scrolls come from the untanned skin of the hellhound. Yes, it appears the beasts of legend like Cerberus and Garmr have plenty of cousins. The black hellhounds come from the abyss to terrify and kill humans. Witches and warlocks have guilds that hunt these creatures for their skins and body parts. Because of the cost, the scrolls’ size was only about half the width of a postage card in my old world. When wound up with their seal in place, the scrolls are no thicker than a pen. Most of the time, just popping the seal activates the spell. That limitation got me thinking about a unique design. However, I’m still far from understanding how the runes used on these scrolls work.

While we sorted through the various bins, we soon discovered the prices were too expensive for us to purchase the best scrolls. The price of invisibility scrolls is higher than what we’d earn from doing a dozen alchemy material contracts. Only a few scrolls wielded power. To me, only a few people could perform such spells, and even fewer could access the hellhound parchments. Still, the experience gave me a new perspective.

If you’re planning on doing magic in this world, bring plenty of gold.

“Look at this!” Ruby showed me something that looked like a hollow metal rod.

When I got closer, she showed me how it worked. It was a type of wand where you could store the spell scrolls inside. A device inside the wand snips the seal open, so the wand looks and acts like a magician’s wand. However, it’s more of a one-shot affair since you have to unscrew one end, then insert another scroll before using it again. I didn’t bother getting one for myself since I already had an idea in my head for something different, which would be much faster to use.

We came out with several scrolls for limited invisibility, silence, diversions, and other types useful for an assassin. Also, we found spell scrolls that removed the smell on your body and clothing for a limited time. I grabbed that since we were heading out into the wilderness. Rosemary’s warning about werewolves caught my attention, and I knew they hunted by smell. The artifacts we found were far too expensive for us. So, we left while debating where we could find defensive artifacts we could afford.

“Covan, look!” Ruby’s urgent tone brought me out of my thoughts.

Following her pointing finger, I looked over to the wall on the side of a building, which flashed announcements and advertising like a billboard. However, since this world doesn’t seem to know about electricity yet, I’m confident that magic is involved. A chill ran down my back when I saw Gilbert’s ugly face on the screen with one hundred gold below his picture. Ruby glanced at me with a worried expression. However, I ignored it while waiting for the next screen. I half expected to see my picture up on the billboard. Instead, the picture depicted the king and queen greeting dignitaries.

I put on a brave face and told her not to worry.

“Let’s find Rampion and Sorrell.”

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The Curse of BlackbaneChapter 1 - A Profane CurseThe PulpistGordon Brewer - Author/Creator

When the carriage finally stopped behind a thick hedgerow, the moonshine broke from behind the clouds. Several miles before their stopping place, Leiras pulled off the main road and turned the coach onto a rough path that led around Charleville. The light of the moon showed enough of the way for Leiras to reach the area near the river. The day before, the monk spoke with a local farmer to get directions for bypassing the city.

When the angel slid to the ground, he wondered what Marshall planned on doing with the duchess. It surprised him the woman appeared unmolested as the captain pushed her out of the cab.

“Stand over there,” Marshall ordered her.

The men transferred the reliquaries to the back of the horses. Leiras retrieved a bottle of wine from the carriage, then clumsily got on his mount. He watched with amusement as Marshall led the silent woman to his horse.

“You surprise me. I thought you would kill her from the rage I saw in your face.”

The captain unhooked the reins from the carriage.

“The duchess stayed quiet enough.”

He glanced back.

“Besides, I’m not Blackbane any longer.”

“Why not leave her?” Leiras nodded. “She can’t do much from the carriage.”

Marshall paused, looking over at the woman.

“It’s a thought. However, there’s always the chance that those guards might be pretty close behind us. Let’s just get out of France first. Get on the horse, woman.”

She ignored his offer of assistance and climbed onto the saddle. The captain pulled up behind her with the reins still in his hand.

“Since you’ve not asked, I’ll tell you now. I’ll abide by my promise. Once we’re out of France, we’ll drop you off at the first village. Then you can shout to the heavens about your adventures with the terrible Blackbane.”

“You flatter yourself. I’ll make sure that I’m in the audience when they hang you.” She replied.

“The result will surprise you,” Marshall growled, then dug his heels into the horse.

~~~