The Assassination of Grand Mage Kerias

Persephone Grief knelt above the window. She had been hired to kill the American Grand Mage, Zafira Kerias. All she knew was that Bisahalini wanted to be Grand Mage, and that he had given her a lot of money. This assassination wasn’t like her usual jobs. Bisahalini didn’t know, but Persephone harbored a personal grudge against Grand Mage Kerias. The Necromancer was responsible for the scar that marred the left side of her face, and Persephone had waited a long time for revenge.

Persephone shifted in her precarious position. The ledge was very small, and she hoped Kerias would be alone soon. She didn’t want to take the chance of being outnumbered. The wind whipped Persephone’s short brown hair in her face, and she brushed it away with one hand, careful not to lose her balance. Kerias had been talking in the office with the Administrator, a user of symbol magic named Kestrel LeStarre, for a long time now, and Persephone was starting to get impatient.
At last, LeStarre left the room, but didn’t leave earshot of Kerias’ office. Persephone sighed and slid along until she was above the window of LeStarre’s current location. She turned herself invisible, and swung through the window. LeStarre turned at the noise, but saw nothing. Persephone kept an eye on LeStarre’s katanas, knowing their dangerous properties. Slipping up beside LeStarre, Persephone reached out and tapped her lightly between the bottom of her ear and her spine. LeStarre, whose hand had begun to reach for her dagger, crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Persephone took LeStarre’s daggers and katanas and moved them out of reach. Then she took off her belt and tied it around LeStarre’s wrists. As she left the room, she was careful to lock the door. With any luck, no one would find LeStarre until Persephone was long gone.
As Persephone stepped out into the hallway, a small man with a worried expression rounded the corner. She recognized him as Hector Gray, an Elemental. He stared at her in shock for a few seconds before pressing at the air. His hesitation had been all the time Persephone needed however, and she had her hands around his throat before he could stop her. She cut off his air supply, and after a few seconds, the man collapsed. Lifting Gray up, Persephone opened the door to the Grand Mage’s office. Kerias quickly turned and whipped a shadow at Persephone and Gray. Persephone swore as she tossed Gray in front of her and stepped to the side. Kerias must have heard LeStarre or Gray fall. Kerias’ shadows sliced Gray across the chest, and his blood sprayed against the carpet.
Persephone quickly turned invisible, and ran behind Kerias. The Necromancer heard her footsteps and turned around, shadows slicing across Persephone’s arm. It began to bleed, but luckily the cut was not deep. Kerias reached out to finish Persephone off, but she ducked beneath the blow and broke Kerias’ nose. Kerias screamed and pulled out her knife. Persephone brought the heel of her palm up against the side of Kerias’ head, knocking the Grand Mage off balance. As Kerias stumbled, Persephone twisted the knife out of her hand and stabbed it through the Necromancer’s eye and into the brain.
As the Grand Mage--no, the body--lay on the ground, Persephone knelt and yanked the knife out. Wiping the blade on the corpse’s jacket, she quickly slashed the left side of Kerias’ face.
“There,” she said. “Now we match.” As she stood up, Persephone could hear the footsteps of Cleavers coming closer. She smirked, and climbed out the window and down the side of the building.
When Persephone told Bisahalini that she had been successful, he gave her the payment, and thanked her for the service. As she took the bag, Persephone memorized Bisahalini’s face. Somebody would want him dead someday, and she needed to be ready.