"It was necessary" by Sabrina E G Withers

Creeping through the shadows, steps silent on the path, one goal in mind, this woman so lithe that moved with deadly grace. No one living had seen her face. Ebony, named not for her hair, white as snow, nor her skin so pale, but for her eyes, black as the night sky and tattoos which seemed to absorb the light.

A chill wind blew over the garden. She welcomed its caress over her bare skin, the tattoos on her arms and lower back visible to the world. Though it was not entirely necessary for her to bare them for their magic to work, she had always preferred to let them breath, wanting to see them as they woke. She gave a feral grin at the memory of the one time she had undergone a hunt naked.

This, her next mission, weighed heavily on her mind. She knew what she had to do, had in fact already seen herself completing the task. She told herself what she always did, it was necessary. However that did not mean that she had to like it. Foresight could be a pain sometimes.

Flexing her shoulder muscles, she stepped from the shadows of the northern wall, the closest to the building. She closed each hand and called upon the magic of the tattoos her skin tingling in response. Strange paper-like claws of shadow extended from above her wrists, radiating darkness. She knew she could have chosen to jump but this was more satisfying. Using the claws as grips, she worked her way up the stone leaving deep grooves where the tattoos gauged the wall. There would be no doubt tomorrow as to how she had entered.

Pulling herself to the top, she crouched and checked for guards. Spotting none, she let herself drop to the ground below, feeling the tingle as tattoo wings slowed her fall. This had been easy so far, she mused, slipping through a window left open against the summer heat. The bad missions always were. The sleeping servant within did not wake as she left the room.

Padding along the corridors, she searched for the symbol that would mark her goal. Her facial tattoos glowed as she stretched her senses before her. No one, not a single watcher to stop her in her task.

She entered the room with no doubt that here too nothing would hinder her. A lantern stood above the cot in the corner. Ebony wondered which servant would get the blame for leaving it lit. She sighed sadly, as if they would care when she was done. She looked down at the sleeping form, her eyes betraying nothing of the turmoil behind them.

It was simpler when she could easily justify what she did. The mad king removed to allow his daughter to prevent the horrors he would cause. That had been a good day. The doctor who would have scarred a thousand patients before he was caught. That too had been good. This was not. An innocent who could not control what his future held. A part of her told her she could still walk away from this. The babe slept and had not seen her face. Another part of her simply whispered, it was necessary.

Another thought hit her. Maybe this child was the one she would teach, just as her mentor had chosen her. Raised her to be the shadow in the night, the silent knife before the storm, to be alone. The peace the child showed in its sleep made her pause. No, this child did not have the Sight. She closed her eyes briefly. Let her walk away and let the child live.

Though she felt the words with every fibre of her being, she knew she would not. It broke her heart to release the tattoo on her palm and watch it form into a dagger. She knew that nothing would wipe away the hurt and guilt she felt. Nothing would fill the hollow that her actions created. As she leant forward, all she could do was repeat over and over to herself the words that always followed her. It was necessary.