When Zevedo left his home to go to his rendezvous with the assassin, he stepped into a thick fog, which had appeared as if by magic and was now covering the city. This fog was received warmly by the city's robbers, pick-pockets and thugs, all of whom now lurked in it, lying in wait for unsuspecting victims. None of them bothered Zevedo though, perhaps they sensed in him a kindred spirit of sorts, or else, someone it was best to avoid.
As he made his way towards his destination, Zevedo amused himself by going over what he would do once his affairs had been settled. Once he had discovered that the body he now inhabited was not only that of any female dragon, but a Princess, Zevedo had begun to dream up a plan.
Although Zevedo was well-traveled, he had never had the occasion to visit Vinoli. Thanks to the time he had spent peering into Merees' mind, however, he knew that its King had been murdered, as well as the identity of the culprit behind this regicide.
Next, Zevedo regularly sent out his servant to the harbor to see if any ships from the Western Continent had arrived. If any of them were from Vinoli, the servant would greet them, posing as a guide to the city. Armed with his master's money, he would then lead the Vinolians around the city's taverns, buying them drinks and asking them about the situation back home. Once he had found out what he wanted, he would report back to Zevedo.
It is no exaggeration to claim that at this point, Zevedo knew more about the conditions in Vinoli, then the person whose body he had stolen. Not to mention Risha and Leorin, who had not set foot within its borders for many years. He knew that not everyone was happy with the direction the country had taken under the rule of its new monarch, but of course, no one dared speak openly about it, at least not while on Vinolian soil. Although there were rumors that secret meetings took place, where the discontent would vent their frustration over how things currently were.
Suppose that the Queen's long-lost younger sister would return to Vinoli in secret and make contact with to one of these groups; revealing the truth concerning her father's death, as well as providing them with money and weapons? Zevedo had no doubt that, with these tools, he would be able to fan the flames of rebellion in Vinoli and once Argath had been overthrown and had received her just desserts, who would come forward to accept the Vinolian crown but Princess Merees the Liberator?
At first, Zevedo planned to present himself as a benevolent ruler, promising his subjects to gradually loosening the reins and restore their old rights. Of course, he had no intention of keeping these promises and once his rule was secure, he would continue on the same path as Argath, until he was the head of an Empire, that spanned the World.
Not that Zevedo's ambitions ended there: In another two-three hundred years, when this body had begun to grow frail, he would take possession of one of his descendants and then, posing as them, he would continue to rule. For all eternity.
This was still only a dream though and it would take a lot of hard work and sacrifice to turn that dream into reality. The Sacrifice of others, that is.
By now, Zevedo had reached his destination.Having made sure that he wasn't being watched, he entered the park. Once in it, he began to look around, trying to locate the cherry-trees in the fog. Soon, he caught sight of a small figure in the distance, standing next to a larger shape, which could only be the trunk of a tree.
Satisfied that he had located the assassin so quickly, Zevedo headed towards their meeting place. Upon coming closer, Zevedo noticed that the assassin, who was wearing her cloak with the hood pulled up, was standing with her back turned to him.
"I'm here!" He called out and, reaching into the fold of his cloak, he took out a purse.
"I've brought the money!" He said, throwing the purse, so that it landed close to the hooded figure.
Zevedo waited for the assassin to turn around and pick it up, but she did not move an inch. Nor did she make any other sign that she had noticed his presence.
Her behavior was starting to get on Zevedo's nerves; how dare she ignore him? Him, the greatest of dream-walkers and soon to be the most powerful being in existence? Outraged, he walked up to the assassin, grabbed hold of her shoulders and turned her around.
The Next moment, Zevedo uttered an exclamation of surprise, followed by an expletive that would cause the roughest harbor-thug to gasp in shock. One can not blame Zevedo for this strong reaction, for the face he found himself staring at, was not that of the assassin, or any living creature, but the blank visage of a wooden dummy.
When Zevedo had entered the park, he had not had any thought that he was walking into a trap. Not because he had some come down with a bad case of naivete, but because he knew how things worked: An assassin who betrayed their clients would soon find themselves without any clients at all, as word of their treachery began to spread. Neither had Zevedo come here with the intention of not fulfilling his end of the bargain. If there was one thing one could say for him, is that he was a man of his word.
This, however, did not change the fact that Zevedo had been tricked and quite shamefully so. He tried to pull back his hands, only to find that it was impossible: The Cloak the dummy wore,had been coated with some sort of sticky, glue-like substance and now Zevedo was helplessly stuck in it.
A thought came to the dream-walker: Perhaps he could heat up the substance and free himself that way? He was just about to summon a flame from within his new body, when he heard the sound of footsteps, coming closer. Zevedo looked up from his predicament and gazed in the direction the sound was coming from. It did not take long before a figure stepped out of the fog, giving Zevedo his second unpleasant surprise that night.
Standing in front of him, was none other than the accursed lynx, looking very much alive!
For a brief moment, Zevedo toyed with the possibility that this was actually the lynx's ghost, having come back from the beyond to haunt him. However, he dismissed this thought almost immediately:
Ghosts, he thought. Not likely, such things do not exist. If they did, I would have already met a few. No, there's no coming back from death and everyone dies sooner or later. Except for me, I am going to live forever. Forever.
Zevedo repeated this word in his mind, as he kept a close eye on the lynx, who stood there, watching him, before taking a step forward. Zevedo's mind began to race; there had to be a way for him to get out of this predicament, but how? He had barely asked himself this question, before he got an idea:
"Risha!" He exclaimed. "It's me, Merees! I'm so glad to see that you are alive and well, my love. I've been possessed by a wicked spirit, but I managed to overcome it. Now, why don't you help me get loose and then we can go to wherever you are staying and we can make up for all the years we have been apart."
As these words flowed from 'his' tongue, Zevedo assumed what he thought was a seductive look. It seemed to work; the harsh look in the lynx's eyes seemed to vanish and her expression softened.
That's it, you dumb bitch, Zevedo thought. Just free me from this stupid trap, then I can reach my flare-bombs and get far away from you and trust me, the next assassin I hire will not botch the job.
"Hurry, Risha!" He pleaded, almost panting with excitement. "I can't wait to feel your body against mine, to run my fingers through your soft fu...."
That, something happened which Zevedo had not expected. An object came flying out of the fog and, with a whistling sound, struck Risha in the side. The Lynx groaned, her face twisting into a mask of pain.
"Damn it" she muttered, "I guess she got me after all..."
She pressed her paw against her side and staggered up to Zevedo, who could feel someone stirring within him.
Nonononothiscan'tbehappening!!!
By now, Zevedo was frozen in terror and could offer no resistance as Risha, a rivulet of blood streaming from the corner of her mouth, put her paws on the shoulders of his new body and uttered two words:
"Get. Out."
Then, she said nothing more.
*****
Merees blinked a few times, like someone who has just woken from a deep sleep. She then stood up. Her legs were wobbling, but she managed to keep them steady. She did not recognize the mist-covered place she found herself in, nor could she remember how she had ended up here. Then, she became aware that something lying at her feet. She looked down and saw that it wasn't a 'something', but actually a someone. More importantly, it was someone Merees knew well.
"Risha."
Merees could hardly believe her eyes. The Last time she had seen Risha, the two of them had been living together, with Leorin. How had they ended up here, wherever here was? More importantly, why was Risha on the ground like that? Was she...? No, she couldn't be. That would be to cruel.
Fearing the worst, the Princess crouched down beside the female lynx, to take a closer look. She did not like what she saw: Risha's eyes were closed and there was a red stain on her chin. Fearing the worst, Merees put her ears to Risha's chest and listened to her heart.
Good, she thought, breathing a sigh of relief. It's still beating.
Sending a grateful thought to whatever benevolent deity who had held their protective hand over Risha, Merees set out to dress the wound and take Risha to a hospital, supposing that there was one nearby. With a determined look on her face, she rolled up Risha's shirt, exposing her taut stomach.
"Strange" she muttered, as she leaned in closer, parting the fur. "I can't find the wound."
"That's because there isn't one."
Hearing that voice, Merees let out a gasp of surpise. She raised her head and stared at the voice's owner. Risha was now sitting up and gazed back at Merees, with a radiant smile on her face.
Then, the lynx pounced, landing on top of the surprised dragon and covering her face in kisses.
"Its you..." she gasped. "You're back. You're really back."
As she uttered these words, tears of joy streamed down Risha's cheeks, making Merees' face wet as well.
While normally, Merees would be enjoying herself, she couldn't help but feel hopelessly confused.
"Risha?" She asked, gently pushing the lynx off of her.
"Yes, Mer?"
"Would you mind telling me what's going on? Where are we?"
Risha looked at Merees with surprise.
"You mean you don't remember anything?" She asked.
"Last time I saw you we were...." Merees paused and a frown passed over her face, like a storm-cloud over a blue sky. "...Hold on, last time we saw each other was at that slave-auction, wasn't it?"
Risha said nothing, but only nodded solemnly.
"I was bought by that lemur with six fingers. He gave me some kind of drug and then, my life was...good."
"Good? What do you mean that?"
"I mean that I was living a happy, peaceful life, together with you and Leorin. All that horrible stuff, with the Captain and the slave-market, none of it happened. Except it obviously did, which means that my happy life was a lie, conjured up by the lemur, but why?"
"He...he wanted your body", Risha muttered.
"You mean he...?"
"No, not like that" Risha added hurriedly, seeing the look of pale terror on the dragon's face. "I mean that he literary wanted to take your body for his own."
"You mean like a possession? Is that even possible?"
"Yes, and he managed to do it too. Up until a few moments ago, it was Zevedo who was in control, not you."
"And you saved me. Oh, Risha, I don't know what to say; a simple 'thank you' seems inadequate."
"You don't have to say anything, I did it for my own sake as much as yours."
Merees smiled, she understood what her lover meant.
"I feel the same way" she said and this time, it was she who gave the lynx her mouth to kiss.
The Two of them remained in that position for a moment, lips locked, fingers clasping each other. Then, Merees remembered something that had been puzzling her.
"You said that there was no wound. So, where does this come from?" She asked, pointing to Risha's chin.
"This? It's fake. Theater-blood; courtesy of our old friends in the Eramus-Troupe. I'll wash it off later."
"The Troupe is here? And your brother, is he with them?"
"He is. He's a full-fledged member of the Troupe now, he and Sara have even written a play together. You remember Sara, don't you?"
"Of course and what about you, Risha? What happened to you after we were separated?"
"Me? Oh, nothing important" Risha replied, with labored nonchalance. "Nothing worth talking about."
Merees could sense Risha tense up and immediately wished she hadn't asked the question. It was clear that something had happened to the lynx during the long years of their separation and though she did not even think about it, it the dragon could very well guess what that something was.
"Oh, Risha" she whispered sadly, hugging her tightly.
Just then, someone tapped Risha on the shoulder. She and Merees both looked up and saw a black cat standing in front of them.
"Hi, Princess" the black cat said, smiling. "Did you miss me?"
"My goodness" Merees said. "Risha, this handsome youth can't possibly be little Leo, can he? Although, I must admit, there's a certain resemblance." She added, teasingly.
"That's him alright, my little brother the playwright" Risha said, with a hint of pride in her voice.
"Sorry to interrupt up your reunion, Sis" Leorin said, "but the others are growing impatient."
"What others?" Merees asked.
"You'll see" Risha said.
She rose from the ground and helped Merees on her feet. Then, she called out:
"Guys!" "You can come out! Sorry for the wait!"
Immediately, figures emerged from the fog. Their movements were accompanied by miscellaneous mutterings of 'about time' and 'damn it, my foot is asleep' and various other utterances of the same sort. Merees immediately recognized Eramus and Sara, but the others were not familiar. Most of them were male and, with the notable exception of a small, white dog, they all looked like people used to violence. Merees' attention was drawn in particular to two of them: A tall male mountain-lion and a female poodle. In one paw, the mountain-lion was carrying a small crossbow and with the other, he held a firm grip on both the poodle's arms.
"Mer" Risha said, gesturing to the mountain-lion. "This is Kyros, he's the leader of a band of adventurers that I'm currently a part of. He's also a good friend, I would trust him with my life."
"It is an honor to finally meet you, Your Highness" Kyros said. He bowed to Merees, which forced to the poodle to do the same.
"Please, Merees will do just fine. Or Princess, if you feel being on first-name basis is too casual. Anyway, f you are a friend of Risha, than the honor is all mine". Merees replied, returning Kyros' bow, with an elegant curtsy.
"What about her?" She asked, looking at the poodle. "Something tells me she's not a member of your group."
"She's not, no" Risha said. She turned to Kyros, "What shall we do with her, Boss?"
"You said you'd spare my life if I did what you told me" Vidia. She looked at Risha, with fear in her eyes. "You gave me your word!"
"That's true" the lynx agreed. "I did."
"We can always hand her over to the authorities" said Kyros. "Perhaps there's a reward to be had for her. Anyway, she's your captive, I'll leave the decision to you."
"What about her?" Vidia exclaimed and Merees realized to her astonishment, that the poodle was referring to her. "She's the one who..."
"Shut up!" Risha growled. "One more word out of you and I..."
She took a step towards the poodle, claws and teeth bared. She looked so ferocious that Merees found it best to intervene, stepping in front of Risha. She did not say anything, however, but merely touched the lynx's cheek in a soothing manner.
The Caress had its indented effect, Risha visibly relaxed. She then turned to Kyros.
"Boss?" She said.
"Yes?"
"I've made up my mind." She looked at Vidia and nodded. "Let her go."
Both Kyros and Vidia stared at Risha; neither of them had expected this.
"Very well" Kyros said. He shrugged his shoulders and let go off Vidia's arm. "Get out of here assassin and take care not to cross our paths again."
Vidia did not need to be told twice, she mouthed a silent word of thanks to Risha, retrieved her cloak from the dummy and vanished into the fog, as fast as her feet could carry her.
Why, she wondered was I told to shoot the lynx with that dummy crossbow-bolt and why did she and the dragon suddenly become so friendly to each other afterwards?
These were the questions that filled Vidia's head as she ran out of the park and also our story and although she would later leave her life as a killer-for-hire behind her and settle down, they would remain unanswered, until the day Vidia had an encounter with a former colleague and questions of any sort, seized to matter.
Shortly afterwards, the others left the park as well, through a different exit. As they stepped out on the sidewalk, Risha and Merees, once again shared a long kiss, not caring that they had an audience.
