Quorum Praeteritum VIII
Early Spring, 1087 AD
Anabella Bruce smiled as she waited in her room. She had become Count Gospatrick's lover in the past few months, trying to gain influence in Scotland to her claim to Northumbreland. The old Count had told her that he would be right up after he dealt with a matter raised by his Steward.
As the door opened, Anabella turned with a smile on her face. And exclaimed. The man who had entered the room was dressed in old Monk cloaks. He grabbed Anabella and slammed her into the wall. As she stumbled, she could feel blood draining down her neck. She turned to defend herself, but the man stood over her with a sword raised. "I have grown accustomed to your time's methods of warfare. It is your intent to establish yourself or a child of yours as Duke or Duchess of Northumbreland. I simply cannot allow this. Thored is to crucial to my plans. I must reach Jerusalem, and he is my way there."
The man grabbed Anabella and drug her to the window, opening it and hanging her out. She tried to keep a fearless expression, but the man could see that she was terrified. "Please, don't!"
"Look at me, I came here to change things for the better, and now I'm assassinating a woman for my own needs. I really am sorry for this." he said. And with that, you opened his hand, and Anabella fell from the window to the Courtyard below. He then vanished, reappearing under the huge bed in the center of the room. He had almost mastered that art.
Two men rushed into the room, each wearing black, hooded outfits and wielding daggers and swords. "Where is she?"
They were not here to rescue her, but to kill her. But the Flickering Man had needed to ensure that the job was done right. One of the hooded men moved to the window, looking out and seeing Anabella, or what remained of her, splattered across the courtyard. "Well, somebody did our job for us." said the hooded man at the window.
Count Gospatrick then entered the room, a solemn and sorrowful expression on his face. "Well?"
"Someone got here first. But she's dead either way." said the other hooded man.
The Count nodded. "Send word to your Thored. I've done as he asked, now leave me and my County."
The two hooded men looked at each other before exiting the room. After the two had left the room and Gospatrick sat on the bed, beginning to sob, the Flickering Man vanished from under the bed, and had soon left the Castle.
First Berwick.
Now Jerusalem.