Shana ---the slayer of men

Story: Shana
Disclaimer: I do not make any money on this.

Reviews are welcome.


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She sat there… waiting for her next assignment. The air around her was electric. Heavy and waiting. She sat there motionless and stared with her icy blue, cold eyes out into nothing. Everyone that she had murdered… everyone who had died because of her danced in front of her eyes, and she relieved how their last moments of life were. Alexander, her last kill, had been a good fighter, but not good enough. His scull rested in her right hand and a bloody sword rested in the other. She had kissed his forehead before she took his head as a reward and a memory.

No one had been strong enough, good enough or fast enough to kill her… no one. She bowed her head and sighed. The sound was dulled by the waves and bitter wind that lifted her raven black hair. Alexander’s scull made a hollow sound when he hit the others. The wind changed and got colder. It brought news of who she was going to fight next. Her hand flittered up to her left eye and she covered it with a black eye patch before she stretched her cold fingers and made herself ready. Ready to fight, her eyes went towards the entrance of the cave. There he came, the man which she was going to fight in a battle of life and death.

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She was in there… he was sure. Every history about her that he had heard, stunningly beautiful with steal blue eyes that looked right into your soul. Her mouth… her mouth that smirked and silently whispered “Goodbye love”, before it kissed you and her hand lifted to deliver the killing blow. Shana the cannibal, Shana the witch. Her names were endless, but they all told about her cruelty. Cain went further into the cave, his muscles were tightly strung. He carefully stepped around a corner, and then he could finally see her. The rumors about her beauty were not exaggerated…
She was waiting for him. Her eyes or rather eye stared right at him. “Shana…” her name forced itself out of his mouth. She smirked “Is it you who’s going to kill me…” she stopped and tilted her head to right and seemed to be listening to something before she continued. “…Cain?” His eyes widened when she mentioned his name and then he saw what was around her. Sculls… dozens of sculls, some broken and old, some with bullet holes and others which were so old that moss covered the once white bone. She seemed to have built herself a throne in the middle of them.

“So the rumor is true…” “Which of them”, she retorted. Her voice was soft, melodic and ironic. “Deep inside she sits, on her throne of dead men…” he started to recite the old tale.” She awaits her next, the one who shall for only a minute rest in her hand before she lets it go and let it roll.” The rumor he heard from a servant. A servant to a brute named Nathan and he had told everyone who wanted to listen, the bloody story of his masters last moments. He told about the way the witch had toyed with his master.

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Shana studied him. He was different… “If you turn around and walk, I won’t stop you.” she offered, her voice now hoarse. She stood and tossed the thin cloak. Her arms and feet were full of white scars. A wound on her left arm had yet to heal, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t feel the pain, she hadn’t been able to for a very long time…
Cain studied her, noticing the scars littering her arms and legs. She lifted her left arm and he noticed the still bloodied sword in her hand. “The blood of the dead drips from her sable.” He thought.
“Make yourself ready to die, Shana.” He whispered silently and noticed that there was no wind any more. Shana just smiled. “Not here.” She answered him. “Outside.” He followed her outside to a green meadow.

She went toward the field where so many had died and stopped by a wooden cross with several marks in it. She drew her knife and made another. Another one would die here today. “Do you have an amulet, a family ring or the like?” She turned against him with her own amulet in her hand. “Why?” was all he asked. “One of us shall die here today. I’ll hang it here and the one who survives can collect theirs again.” She answered him with a shrug and showed him the aged three next to the cross. His eyes grew big and he gasped when he saw all the amulets, family rings and the like who hang in the three. Some the three had grown around and would forever be held by the three. He collected himself slowly and took of his own family ring and gave it to her. She smiled when she saw which family he came from. “Many have given me a ring like this… therefore have I given your family its own branch. If you win, and find the branch you may take the rings. He didn’t answer only nodded. “If you take any of the other rings, you will die. That is… IF you win.” She gave him a smirk and nodded towards the lane. “Come.” They walked together, found their positions and their battle started.

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I’m going to lose… Cain suddenly found out. He had numerous cuts and bruises on his body, and starting to feel the strain of fighting against Shana. He pushed her away from his body as hard as he could and held up a hand to stop her attack. “Wait!” he croaked forth. “I want to die as a knight should.” He knelt and barred his neck. “Do it…”

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Shana cursed… once again she had to kill a man because he couldn’t kill her. She smiled sadly, bent her head, and silently whispered her curse. “Goodbye, love…” before raising her sable once more to cut off his head.

Cain gritted his teeth when she whispered her goodbye. Inside he whispered together with her. “Goodbye…”

Shana bent down and picked up his head. In a white flash she only held his skull. Then she shot a light up in the air. That would alert the village nearby, and they would bury his body in a few days. Once again she walked up to the three and took down her amulet. Once again she could sit down on her throne of skulls, with her last kills skull in her hand while she saw pictures of his life fly by. When the last picture flew by she let his skull join the others at her feet. “You weren’t good enough Cain… not good enough!” she screamed. A clear tear rolled down her cheek, and she caught it before it landed. “Not red… clear… Not RED!” She gasped and reached for Cain’s skull. “You died without remorse!”

She went over to a special shelf were only three other sculls were sitting. One had an emblem burned into its forehead. The emblem made her smile. It meant “Without remorse”. She went back to her throne were she sat for a while. She needed food and other supplies, therefore she took of her eye patch and got out a dress with long sleeves. Her raven black hair was put up in an elegant knot in the back of her neck.

A new day would come and the village would wake up to rumors swirling in the air. “Who was killed by the witch this time? Maybe she, herself, was killed…







Chapter 2.

All good things come in trees.

Shana walked silently along the road into the sleepy village. Her eyes did not notice the village people. They could have all been dead and she would not have cared. Underneath her dress she had her sable and dagger and of course the usual dirty and bloodied pants. “Shana!” A man shouted behind her. She always paid him good for his help. She protected the villagers against pirates and others who wanted their land, in exchange he gave her message to the village people and they gave her food and clothes. She told them what she wanted, they delivered it. “Thorne.” She turned around and lifted an eyebrow. “Shana… a man, Caine Arlane...” “I know.” She interrupted him. “…Met him this morning.” she smiled casually. “Get me food, a dress and a new set of pants and a couple of shirts. Caine Arlane is to be buried with honor, together with the tree without remorse.” Thorne gasped “With them?”

Suddenly a scream sounded and a cannonball flew into a roof next to them. “Bloody hell!” Shana screamed. “Bloody pirates!” Thorne went frantic. “Please, Shana. Save the village!” Shana started tearing at her dress, ripping the seams and revealing herself to those who didn’t know who she was. “Put another dress to that order, Thorne!” She barked before fastening her eye patch once again. Her black hair flowed in the slight wind behind her as she ran towards the sea. She knew that ship! Bloody hell, I told him to keep clear of this village!” The pirates who discovered her cheered and yelled her name. “Where is he!” she growled. Her eyes showed no mercy when the crew on “Lady Trick” winched.

“My dearest Shana… how are you fairing?” A voice sounded from the middle of the group and they split to reveal their captain. The man was handsome. That kind of handsome all women looked for, but his charms had never worked with her. “Don’t you dear me, Nickolas! I thought I told you to never come here again. If you did I would not show mercy!” She circled him slowly. “Aren’t glad to see me, lovely?” he cowered. “No! make ready to fight Nickolas…” She purred and stroked her blade lovingly. This was one kill she would love. “You know the drill, Nickolas. Give me your amulet.” He ripped it off and tossed it towards her. She tossed hers back. She put it around her neck. “To get it back, you have to kill me… dearest.” He attacked first, and she parried. “To bad that you can’t give me a real fight, Nickolas.” Two times she swiped across his neck, teasing him, before she without remorse whispered “Goodbye, love. ” Then she cut his head cleanly off.

“Thorne!” She roared. “Do what you want to with his body…” A blood red tear rolled slowly from her right eye. “…but his head is yours, Shana. I know.” She turned towards the crew. “Follow me or stay behind with the villagers… I am sure they would welcome you…” She wasn’t even finished before she was interrupted by the whole crew shouting “We follow you, Shana!”
“Good. Be here tomorrow. I’ll be here then.”

Again a man was dead because of her… she sat on her throne of skulls. He got his second chance, but wouldn’t take it. Too bad… for him. It was time to collect her things. Dawn was swiftly approaching. She walked towards her special self, stroked lovingly across the white bone. The she took the first skull and put it in her satchel, then the rest. They would be returned to the families, she knew was out there. The amulets and family rings belonging to them would also be returned in due time. She just had to follow the wind…

“Follow me, Shana… I won’t lead you astride.” It whispered, and she followed it gladly. Maybe she would finally find peace.



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