Her Position in the Guild

"Well, Seleste, it has been far too long." Nightengale sighed wistfully. His demeanour relaxed and he seemed more like an old man than the fearsome assassin.

"Far too long?" She pressed cautiously.

"Since we last met." The old man smiled.

"We...we never met, sir." Seleste pointed out. She was pretty sure of that fact, anyway.

"Well, you would be too young to remember." Nightengale shrugged. "I was there the night you were born, Seleste."

"What? W-why?"

"Because the man you call father, I call son." Nightengale said. It took Seleste only a second to catch on.

"Wait...you're my grandfather?"She asked in shock.

"Yes. Your father, Ferris, used to be one of my thieves. He was not the best, but very competent. However he abhorred killing, so he never became one of my Birds of the Shadow. And then he fell for your mother. Usually I do not let my underlings leave, but he was my son. And your mother was an extraordinary woman." Nightengale looked off into the darkness. "Of course, when you were born, I wanted to train you to join my Birds. But Ferris did not want you to follow in his former footsteps. So I agreed to stay out of your life. Unless you decided to follow the life of a thief on your own accord."

"So that's why you hunted me down?" Seleste asked. "That's why you had Hood kidnap me? You want me to be a thief for you?"

"No, no. Nothing so mundane." Nightengale waved the idea off. "I brought you here to be the next Nightengale."

"W-what?!" Seleste took a step back in shock. "Me? The next Nightengale?" She didn't know how to respond. It was like being awarded an honour you always wanted but never thought you'd get. "W-what about Hood? He has that bird tattooed on his-"

"Hood has the necessary skill and talent to be the next Nightengale. But you have something he never could. Lineage." Nightengale held a finger out. "My blood runs through your veins. You are clumsy and inexperienced. But with training, you can reach your full potential."

"Training?" Seleste asked.

"Yes. Skill and talent can be taught. So who better than my most skilful pupil to instruct you. Hood will take you under his wing, if you pardon the pun my dear."

"He can't be too happy about that." Seleste finally said.

"Which is why you will never tell him. He won't find out until the day I make you Nightengale. At that point, he will dare not oppose you. Hood has one weakness I have found easy to exploit. He has undying loyalty that he will not cross."

"To you. Not me." Seleste brought up.

"Which is why he will acknowledge my choice." Nightengale smiled. "Now. You may leave the room. Hood will be waiting for you. I left a note for him, instructing that he will be your teacher from this day forth until you finally ascend and take your rightful place on this dark throne." He patted the arm rests. "I am pleased that I see myself in you."

His words sent shivers down Seleste's spine. She did a hasty and clumsy repeat of Hood's one-kneed salute, then hurriedly left the room. Her mind was so abuzz, she couldn't stand it. Nightengale; her! She must be dreaming.

When she left through the doors, she saw Hood waiting for her, back against the wall. He was holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hands. His eyes were cold and serious as always, but they held something else in them, maybe sorrow. Did he know Nightengale's plan? She worried for a just a second. As much as she wanted to become the leader and rub it in that Thamara bitch from earlier, she felt partly guilty for what she would do to Hood. There was something about the young man that drew her to him and knowingly stabbing him in the back caused part of her to ache.

"Hood...I..."

"What Nightengale said is for you alone." Hood said simply. he pushed off the wall and walked down the long hallway back the way they came. "Now come along. Training is beginning."

"What? Right now?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"We have a lot of ground to cover." Hood said simply. "And very little time to do it."