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A Matter of Pride

By Evan Drake

© 2020, Evan Drake, All Rights Reserved

Valeen sipped her wine and sighed, a small smile spreading on her muzzle. Drinking wine in the moonlight had always been one of her favorite pastimes. Just sitting in her armchair and staring out the window at the lake shimmering under the light of the full moon. In the distance, the trees danced and she closed her eyes and imagined the music of their rustling.

Why imagine it when I could be experiencing it? No point in wasting such a beautiful night.

She stood up, a sharp hiss escaping her lips as pain shot up her side. It was a shame magic had no effect on her anymore. Even the bitter potions that left an oily coating on her tongue seemed a good option now except those didn't do much besides take away her sense of taste. She clenched her teeth as she grabbed the pair of wine glasses and the half-full bottle and shuffled toward the door leading out to the deck.

The calm night breeze greeted her, making her sigh in contentment and forget the throb spreading throughout her body. She set the glasses and bottle on the table then sat down. She poured herself another glass.

Much better than watching through the window.

Just as she raised the glass to her lips, her ears perked up at the soft footfalls of the approaching guest behind her. "It's rude to enter someone's place uninvited, y'know," she said without turning around. "Especially since all you had to do was knock."

There was no reply. She smiled and added. "Gonna ignore me, too?"

The guest approached, their steps much louder this time, and stood outside of reach in front of her. He was a short fox--same as she--with dark grey fur and a small muzzle. The coat he wore didn't hide his thin build. A hood hid most of his features, but a pair of green unfeeling eyes stared back at her.

She liked that look in his eyes. Most canids stared when they looked upon her all-white coat. There was a patch of sandy brown on her belly that few got to see, so to everyone else she looked like something unnatural. Not that she blamed them given a white coat wasn't possible naturally.

"Huh. You don't look like a professional killer." She shrugged and sipped her wine. "Not like I'm one to talk."

The assassin said nothing.

"Not much of a talker? It's okay, y'know. I'm not gonna call for help or fight back, so sit down and make yourself comfortable. Want a drink? I would offer food, but I can't move around too good anymore. If you're hungry, you'll have to get it yourself."

The assassin sat down. She poured him a glass and slid it across the table. He left it untouched.

"So what do I call you?"

Still no reply.

"Don't be like that. It's not as if I'm going to tell anyone. I wanna get to know the guy I hired."

The assassin tilted his head. "You hired me? Why?"

"Don't get many requests like that I take it?" She smiled and gestured to the untouched wine glass. "It's not poisoned, y'know." She picked up the glass and drank from it.

"Not on the job."

"Right, right. I understand. Getting drunk before killing a target is sloppy, and I hear you're anything but sloppy. Take your hood off. Put your feet up. I already told you: I'm not going anywhere."

The assassin removed his hood.

_He's pretty good looking. I wonder if he's open to a little fun? Probably not. _

"You still haven't told me what to call you. I'm Valeen, by the way, but you already knew that."

"Garth."

"Nice to meet you, Garth. If you want some water, there's a jug downstairs in the coldbox. Help yourself. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Garth remained where he was. She took that as a sign he wasn't thirsty and continued. "Before, you asked me why I hired you to kill me. Well, I'm dying but I don't want my friends to do it."

"I don't follow."

"No shock there. Have you ever heard of the Paladins? Doesn't matter. The Paladins are a group of canids who protect us from the corruption of the aether. Not many know this, but the aether is dangerous although it's what's keeping us all alive.

"Now I'll spare you the boring bits about how it all works, but the short version is: too much aether causes problems. It corrupts us, changes us into something that can't feel or think. I'm not even sure they're really alive."

Garth's ears rose, making her tail wag a little. It had been a long time since she could mention the aether to anyone without seeing sadness or anger in their eyes.

"My job was to 'cleanse' these poor bastards we called 'Afflicted'.Think of it like washing dirty water out of a bottle with clean water. But that begs just one question: Where does the dirty water go?"

"You absorb it. The...taint."

She nodded and drained the last of her wine then refilled the glass. Odd how I don't feel drunk yet. Must be contentment."You're a smart one. Yep, some of the tainted aether gets absorbed into our bodies. Not a lot, but enough to cause damage after a while. Eventually, we become Afflicted ourselves. I wanna die before that happens."

"There is no cure?"

She laughed until she saw he was serious. "If there was a cure, I'd be out of a job. No, there's no cure. If I'm cleansed, it would kill me."

"I'm sorry."

She tilted her head. "I think you have the wrong idea. I'm not sad I'm dying and I don't think it's a punishment. I knew from the beginning the road I was going down and I've had years to make peace with it. I gladly gave my life to protect others and make the world a better place."

She paused for a moment to let her words sink in. Doubt was written on his face. It was understandable. Most canids went their entire lives without seeing a single Afflicted so very few considered them a serious threat. But it was because of the Paladins that Afflicted were nothing more than a scary tale. Aether did more than just drive canids and beasts mad, it mutated them and granted them new abilities. Worse, there were creatures that had fed on aether for decades, perhaps longer, and could threaten an entire country. Those Afflicted could never be allowed to see the light of day.

It surprised her when Garth broke the silence. "But why hire me?"

"Good question." She lifted the wine glass and swirled its contents around. "Usually, the Paladins take care of you when the time comes. But I don't want that to be my friend's final memory of me. They shouldn't have to live with that guilt. And I hired you because I don't want to be alone. Someone needs to know."

"Know what?"

"That the world is bigger than we think it is. You wouldn't believe the places that exist out there, untouched by canids, full of life." She pointed to the bedroom. "There's a journal in there of all the places I've been and the things I've seen. Take it with you and make sure to have it published. The world needs to know what's out there. There're greater threats that we aren't prepared for."

"Why me? Do it yourself."

"Paladin's code forbids it. 'Don't wanna start a panic', they say." She snorted and spat off the balcony. "More like they don't want mercs and soldiers taking over their job. But we don't have the numbers anymore. We need help. If I do it myself, they'll call me a traitor and wipe my name from the records. Obviously, I can't let that happen."

Garth was silent, but she saw the wheels turning in his head. The small twitches in his face and paws as he mulled over her words. She was glad she hired him. Most cutthroats would have likely killed her by now and not bothered to make conversation.

If she believed in fate, she would call it destiny to find the one assassin willing to listen. The Paladins were too rigid. Too set in their ways to accept outside help. They were too few and too widespread and it left them unable to handle all the threats. They were too proud to ask for it, but they needed help.

"I'll do it."

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "Looks like there's hope for the world after all."

---

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