Vengeance Taken (PG-17)

Writers: Aaron, Miriah
Date Posted: 14th November 2020
Series: The Assassin's Husband

Characters: Lusilk, Rorigraff
Description: Lusilk gets revenge, for herself, her son and for Varlin
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 7, day 16 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Lorican (not by name), Varlin
PG-17 for violence
Rating: PG-17

Lusilk

She had waited a sevenday, relearning his schedule, who he bedded,
where and when he went, and who was around him. The man obviously felt
secure, only maintaining a light guard around his person. Fool. But as
she, dressed in a shabby drudge's garb, watched him, the sick feeling
in her stomach never ceased. He'd hurt her, multiple times, he'd
tortured her, he'd tried to break her. And now, he sought her son.

She hid the snarl that wanted to twist her lips. What he'd done
destroyed almost everything precious to her and he was trying to steal
away the only good thing that had ever been given to her. Given by
force, but something she deeply cherished. If not for him, she'd still
have Varlin. She'd still have her sister and her mother. She'd hurt a
man she'd grow to care for...because of him.

Serving dinner to the staff of the Hold, she watched him behind
shifting lashes, the old fingers grasping his eating knife, the joints
swollen with coming age. She watched him as he backhanded another
drudge, sending her scurrying away in fright and pain and she seethed.
She watched his guards. She didn't recognize any of them. They looked
bored. His newest mistress simpered at him, her clothes clinging and
barely decent in an effort to appear seductive. The woman actually was
rubbing Rorigraff's leg under the table. Idiot. She waited.

When night fell, she left the main hold and walked quietly around the
building, half-hunched as though old. The watch was careless and
didn't challenge her. Who, after all, would seek to challenge or harm
a Lord Holder? If only they knew. The stone walls of the Hold were
high and heavily manned as always, but she was already inside. Then
didn't look within, only outward. Lusilk smirked and slipped into the
shadows underneath Rorrigraf's window. It wasn't closed, but left open
for the breeze. It was an easy matter to scale the wall and slip into
the darkened room.

There were two figures in the bed. One young and slim who slept
silently, but the old man snored with a deafening rattle. Her eyes
narrowed as she slipped close to the bed. She looked down at the young
mistress, a young girl barely into womanhood and felt a moment's pity.
But anyone who willingly went to this monster's bed would garner no
more than a
moment. Lusilk wasted no time in slitting her throat, quick and deep.
The woman tried to gasp in shock and bucked up in the bed, eyes wide
in sudden pain and panic, but didn't move enough to wake the sleeping
Lord. Lusilk watched the light dim in her eyes and the blood fall onto
the sheets then patter onto the floor with little emotion.

Then she faced Rorrigraf, still snoring. She'd not give him the same
mercy. He'd know who was taking his life and why. Before the bed could
soak completely, she placed the knife against his neck and then
punched him solidly in the nose with a hiss. "Wake up, you fecking
small shafted piece of wher filth."

The old man shrieked in a most undignified manner as he woke to the
sudden pain. Who dared – who would dare!?

"You can't escape from this," he gurgled as he realized what was
happening. He could not see her clearly in the dark, but he knew who
it had to be.

He doubted she would leave him alive. His biggest regret was wasting
so many marks and having nothing to show for it. At least he knew that
she could surely never hope to get away now. His guards must have
heard him scream. Her fate was as sealed as his.

She clapped a hand over his mouth, pinching his nose shut and thrust
the tip of her knife under his jaw to silence him. Blood pooled around
the tip as she came into his view and looked down at him. She knew how
to hurt him the most and what to say to do it. "Do you think I care?
Your son's child is dead and by the hand of the man _you_ sent for
him. He was trying to get away and dropped my son. His head hit a rock
and it killed him. You killed your heir, Rorrigraf." She bent to
whisper in his ear. "Your line is dead. No one will follow you now."
She drew away from him, "but before I kill you, I want you to feel the
pain you gave me..." She kept her hand over his mouth firmly, holding
his head down with all of her strength. Quickly, she moved her dagger
from his throat and stabbed it viciously down between his legs twice,
one at the precious main artery at his thigh and the other to
emasculate him.

Hearing pounding footsteps, she leaped away and darted to the window,
leaping out of it and landing in a roll before she began to run.

Rorrigraf howled with the sudden pain. He may have wished with all his
heart to hold it in, but it was no use. At least he knew the pain
would not last. He would be dead in moments with that wound. And he
could take solace in the fact that if he could not have his heir, then
neither could she.

Close your eyes, Rorrigraf. Sleep. And the pain will be over, he
thought to himself. Sleep, and dream perhaps of...

Nothing.

Lusilk heard the scream, then the slamming open of a door and
horrified shouts. Very quickly, the alarm bell began to ring and
guards began to poor into and out of the Main Hall as chaos began to
reign over the Hold. She ran as fast as she could, making her way to
the wall. The chaos would be her ally and if she could just take
advantage of it as much as possible... She reached the wall and lifted
a hand to grasp a stone but felt a heavy blow to her back and tumbled
to the ground with a groan.

"Thought you'd made it, eh?" asked a gruff voice. This miscreant was
the end of his pay, and he would take it out of her hide. Of course,
he could not kill her. Not truly harm her. But he could hurt her a
bit. After all, she was resisting arrest. "Here she is!" he called to
the rest of the patrol as he kicked her knife aside and hit her again.
She would almost certainly have a backup. No need for him to join the
old man in death, after all.

Lusilk grunted in pain and instinctively covered her head to ward off
any blows to the face. The blow to the ribs, only recently healed made
her cry out in pain and she kicked out, aiming for the guard's knees.
If she couldn't get away before the other guards arrived, she was lost.
She struggled to rise and to attempt to flee was halted by another
blow to the back of the knee.

Pounding feet and warm bodies surrounded her. She heard another gruff,
almost out of breath voice. "You caught him! Good man! He..." There
was a pause and a vicious curse. "It's a woman! She killed the Lord
Holder! He's dead! Rorrigraf is dead!" Blows began to rain down upon
her sides, hips and back, thudding painfully into her again and again
until she lost consciousness.

Last updated on the November 22nd 2020

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Vengeance Taken (PG-17)