The Necromancer's Stone; Talk of Strangers

"I hear she's the most dangerous woman alive."
"They say she blew up the whole tavern, just because there was a fly in her drink."
"Doesn't she live in that ice fortress on the edge of town; a friend of mine said they carried a body out of there on Saturday morning and the sheet they use to cover the bodies was so soaked in blood you couldn't tell it had ever been white."
"Wouldn't be the first time she'd killed someone; remember her Junsrew party?"

Thalia didn't normally pay attention to the whispers; they'd have driven her crazy ages ago if she had.  But today she seemed to be the talk of the school, everyone had heard about how the Fuzzy Librarian had been destroyed.  Apparently the explosion had been visible from the dorms.  And when people had found out she'd been involved, they'd just started digging up every nasty rumor they'd ever heard about her all over again.

"I thought she controlled the local gangs."
"She has the local police under her thumb, that's why there isn't an investigation.  Anyone else would be in prison by now for what she's done."
"They say she cheats in TacSim.  Manipulates the rules to get the maps she wants, and makes her troops stronger than anyone else's."

Normally she'd have picked someone out of the crowd to humiliate, brutally.  She'd have exposed their every secret to the world, beaten them soundly, and left them subject to the disdain and ridicule of the crowds.  But she couldn't seem to bring herself to do it.  She knew every one of their dark secrets, but it made no difference what they thought of her now.

"Doesn't she go out with that one girl, the one with the shield?"
"You mean Katie?  I think that was only the once."
"She's never been the same since though.  I think it broke her heart a little."

Normally, she'd have gone home at the end of the day, exchanged pleasantries with her father, and then hidden in her room until she fell asleep at her desk.  Maybe, on a really bad day, she'd have gone down to the tavern and beaten up some worthless miscreant.  Now all of those things were gone; the tavern, the miscreant, her desk, even her father.  She had nothing but the clothes from her closet, the jewelry she'd recovered from the wreckage, and the collection of soggy, plush unicorns.  Hal had offered to let her stay with him, but she'd chosen to stay at the Hapsburg instead.  With her parents combined fortunes, she'd never want for money, and even the Hapsburg was well within budget.  She liked Hal, as much as it was possible to like someone you'd only known for less than a month, but she wasn't about to just go and move in with her boyfriend, was that what he was? until they'd been dating a lot  longer, maybe even gotten married.  But it had been nice of him to offer, and he'd been very understanding.  After all, hadn't the same Assassin killed his parents years ago?

"Thalia, I just talked to the Ga-Vok who escorted you to school.  Is it true?  Are your parents, both of them..?"
"It is.  They're dead."
Katie hugged her.  In fact, she sort of threw herself around her.  It was cold, plate armor got like that in the winter.  Katie herself was very warm, she must have just been sparring, and from the sound of her heart beat she'd run all the way back from the training fields.  Enchanting being taught from a tower, it would have been quite exhausting.
"I'm so sorry!  Oh light's sake, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine.  I'll be fine."
She didn't let go.  Thalia couldn't move her arms enough to pat her on the back, or push her off, or in any way signal her that the hug had lasted as long as she could bear.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Live.  Did you have an idea?"
Katie let go of Thalia, finally, and looked up at her with eyes full of rage.
"I think you should find the one who did this, tie her down, and make her your #$@^ toy."
"I don't think that would be right."
"*&$^ the Law girl.  You never cared about it before."
"No, its that I don't think she's old enough.  I'd guess she was maybe fourteen, fifteen.  its not a legal thing, its moral one.  I'm just not going there."
"Oh."  Katie blushed.  "Jaron failed to mention that part."
"She's an immortal.  The head of the pantheon, Tala; she seemed to know something."
"Really?  Then you think she might be older than your parents?"
"I'm not sure.  But I know she killed Hal's parents too, which would make her at least thirty four years old.  But I think she's probably a lot older than that."
"She's older than anyone but the Sage.  Her name is a secret to all but those who read the past, and see the future.  The Pale knows, but she speaks little to many, and the meanings are lost."
They both spun around as a familiar, somewhat condescending, voice issued forth from behind them.  The figure was clad in a light tunic, brown with silver trappings, and her hair was worn in a long braid.
"Professor Zinksfeld!  What are you..?"
"..Doing here.  Is it so hard to believe that I exist outside my classroom and after my office hours?"  Neither Katie nor Thalia responded, both still startled by their teacher's sudden appearance.  "The girl you are speaking of is known by many names; the reaper of souls, the claws of death, Assassin, witch.  But her true name, even I do not know that.  But I know a name to which she will respond; call her Rea, and tell her that Death's Daughter is still waiting for her proof."
"Proof of what?"
"That's none of your business really; she'll understand.  She may even be startled long enough for you to hit her some more."  The Professor paused for a moment, then muttered quietly.  "Maybe you'll even knock some sense into her."
"Uhm..Thank you?"
"For what, if you hurt her a bit it might make up for all of the students of mine she's offed over the years.  Your parents among them.  Tarted up little brat is responsible for more dead immortals than anything but suicide, and most of them don't even know she exists.  Its about time someone put a stop to things, and if anyone's foolish enough to take on the top assassin in the universe, its you."
Thalia considered the statement quietly, and with even less confidence replied once more, "Thank you?"
"Go, you'll be late for class.  And this changes nothing, necromancer, I still don't like you."
That at least, Thalia could rely on.