9 Chapter 9

When the carriage stops at your stop, you are immediately awake, even though you are drowsy. "Ma'am. Would you like me to see you to your hotel, this is a dodgy part of town, and you seem to not be at your best." I pay the guy and smile. "No. I have got it." He nods and rids off. I walk through the unfamiliar streets, marking places you could run and hide. When I get to the hotel, I buy the best room. When I walk up to it, I smile. It is beautiful and gives me a perfect view of the place I am supposed to meet this mystery guy. I grab a pen, and place it on the ledge, pointing directly to where I am supposed to meet him.

To anyone, it would look like a random pen, but if I get caught, and Wilker checks this room, he will see it and know. I keep everything in my bag, set it in a chair, and lie down on my bed. I need to sleep, but it evades me. After an hour of staying perfectly still, and slowing my heart rate, I fall into a dreamless sleep. When I woke up, I felt better. I looked around, half expecting, and hoping the last week was a dream. But nope. It was all real.

I look out the window, and it is dark out. I push open the window and let the breeze cool off the room, then I head down to get a quick bite to eat. The first place I come across is a street vendor selling some sort of meat. I bought some and quickly down it. Then I buy a water to chase it down. Then I am left walking around the streets.

Everyone is walking by, laughing, smiling, not a worry in the world. As I pass a alley, I see a girl about make a short cut through it. The only reason I see the guy waiting in the shadow, is because he lets out a small laugh. I immediately jump up next to the girl. "Hey, didn't we talk earlier tonight?" I ask. She jumps. "What? We met." She looks over my outfit. Her eyes go wide. "Yes, we did. Remember?" I ask. She nods taking the hint. She keeps walking with me next to her. "How have you been?" I ask awkwardly.

She plastered a smile on her face. "I have been great. Didn't you see that guy who was checking me out earlier? He came up and talked to me. We are meeting up tomorrow." I manage a half-hearted smile. I always hated this small talk. "That is great." We pass the guy, and I can see his interest has settled on me know. He is completely ignoring the other girl. I swallow and keep walking. "Don't you want to know where we are going?" She asks. "Do you really have to ask?" I answer, hoping she doesn't answer. "We are going to park that is somewhere near here. He is making a lunch specially for me." I nod as we get to the far side of the alley.

I feel a hand latch onto mine, I don't even flinch. The grip is tight enough to tell me to not let the other girl he is there. I stop. "See you soon." I say. She nods and walks off. As soon as she is out of ear shot, I turn with a dagger already out. I swing it towards the attacker, but he ducks. This throws him off balance and I pull away from him. He walks towards me. "Why did you step in? Why not let me have her?" He is smiling at me. I stand my ground. "Because I don't need a girl found dead in the city right now."

I knew if word got to Wilker that a dead girl was found, the whole guild would be out here in a matter of hours. That happened anytime a dead member was found. He was a foot from me. "Back off before there is a dead man." I say. I move my dagger, so the light reflects off it." He tried to grab it, but I dodge him and throw him into a wall. "Don't even try." I say and walk away. He calls me a few choice words and I turn on him. "I have been called much worse. Trust me. I have gone by many names. You think any thing can beat the names I have collected as the only female assassin. You are sadly mistaken."

Then I walk through several other streets. After a half hour, I hear a group walking through the alley. I slip into the shadows. I am watching them. They are obviously from the assassin guild here. They are all wearing multiple blades, like most people, but they all have a black dagger going through an x on there suits. They look slightly drunk. I go to take a step towards the exit of the alley, but that causes a rat to go scurrying. The leader looking one stops, getting all the others attention. I slow my heartbeat to a rats heartbeat.

The leader hears this though. He has them spread to all possible exits. "Who is watching us. I heard you slow your heartbeat." I slow it further to almost not beating at all. "They can hear us boys. I can hear the heartbeat further slowing." I take a deep breath. It is hard to keep a heartbeat this low for long. It makes you tired and makes you feel like you are going to pass out. I had trained myself to be able to hold a low heartbeat for about five minutes before I was pushing it.

"Look, who ever you are, come out. We can talk. No one gets hurt." I decided to take a chance. I can't get past them. I will see me one way or another. I pull my deep hood up, hiding my long hair and face. I step out. I am in the middle of the alley way. I put my hands up, showing I mean no harm. It also lets them I know I am wearing blades. I turn in a circle so they can all see me. "I didn't mean to stop you. I am just passing through." I say.

I can see they are all surprised. I am looking at the leader. "Pull you hood away." He says. I lower my hands keeping my hands within in casual distance of my blades. Same for all five assassins around me. I could take them, but I would probably take some damage. "I would rather not. I would like to just keep my hood up and to not give away my identity. You of all people should understand that." He stays quiet. "People in our profession don't like people knowing who they are exactly." I say. He takes the hint. "Have we finally met the infamous Huntress?"

I laugh. It had been a long time since I had heard that name. "The Huntress. Is that what I am called in these parts?" I ask. One of the assassin's behind me spoke. "It is one of the nicer names that I have heard." "That's more like it." I say. "Well, I should turn in. Are we good?" I ask. The leader looks at the others. "What are you doing in our parts? Missions in these parts go to us." I sigh. "The mission was in our territory. The drop off is out here though."

The leader looks around again. "Okay. If we find you dead, which guild do we inform. I have never actually learned which one you belong to." I give him the address of our guild. "Okay. Nice meeting you. My guild will be reaching out to yours." He says. When two assassins meet, they are expected to do this. I nod and walk out, right as I am about to turn the corner, I hear the leader speak up. "Huntress?" "Yes." I ask turning my head slightly wo where you can see only the side of my hood. "Good Luck. Be a shame if you died. The female assassin dying on our turf would not be good." I smile. "Okay. If I die, I will make sure it is off your territory. Will ask them to prolong the death shot until I am just outside." I hear a laugh and walk up to my hotel room.

"Well, hopefully Wilker will use this connection as an opportunity." I feel asleep fairly quickly, into a restless sleep. When I woke up, I hurriedly got ready, arming myself to the teeth. Everything from poison to concealed weapons. I look out the window, I am supposed to be there in one hour. I don't bother getting breakfast. I can see a guard on the roof directly across from my room. He is looking away towards the pick-up spot. He is working for the man I am meeting up with.

I walk into the streets, cloak on, hiding most of my weapons. I walk around the pickup point, making ten other guards without them seeing me. I go into the watched spot a half hour early. I can feel the guards eyes on my, but I pretend not to notice. I lean against the wall and start cleaning my mostly clean nails with a dagger. Making it look like all my attention is on my hands, when in reality, I don't even have to be paying the least bit of attention to do this. A trick I made up myself.

I hear someone walking into the alley twenty minutes later. He is only ten minuets early. But he has guards. I sheath my knife, a sign that I mean no harm, and look up at him. His face is uncovered. He is not trying to keep his identity secret. He look's me over, as if he can see right through my suite. I don't squirm, although I want to. After his eyes get back up to my face, he gives a genuine smile. "Hello sweet little girl. What are you doing in back alley ways? You could get hurt." I give a small feminine smile. "Oh, I am anything but sweet."

His smile drops for a quick second as he takes a step toward me. "As much as I would like to figure out just what you mean by that, I have business going on here in a couple of minutes. Do you mind leaving." I shake my head, purposely letting my hood fall back. The affect takes place immediately. My hair falls in ebony waves. My ice blue eyes stare at him, not a hint of warmth in them. "Gorgeous." He whispers. "Darling, please. You don't want to be caught in my business. A beauty like you could easily get hurt."

I put mock hurt in my expression. "Oh, but your business is with me. You are the man that is going to pay my guild and tell us where your territory is right?" His jaw drops and then turns into a deadly smirk. "Wes sent you?" He asks. His eyes go back over me again. "Yes. And I would like to keep things professional if you don't mind, so let's get on with this." He only answered with, "I wouldn't." "This creep. Ugg." I check my anger, and put my assassin smile on my face. "So, where is your backup?" He asks. "Don't have any. You told him to only send one. So here I am." He laughed.

"Come on Beauty. You are just a face. I bet you don't know how to use a single one of those blades. Just send out your man, and we will get this over with." I raise one eyebrow. "There is no one else to send. I am on my own." His eyes narrow in shock. When he sees the truth in my eyes, his smile comes back. "Then this is going to be more fun than I thought. I just planned on killing which ever assassin he planned to send. But you, I think I will take you with me." I smirk raising my hands to either side of me. "Just try to get me. I dare you." The words come out on reaction. Then I remember his ten guards. I use my senses to realize, some of his men got closer. He takes a few steps towards me, unsheathing a couple of daggers. "Really girl. You don't want to try my patience." I smirked. "Oh, but that always makes things more fun." Then he lunged at me.

I didn't bother with my blades yet. I ducked under a strike that was coming for my shoulder and used his momentum to shove him into the pavement. It took two seconds for him to jump back up. "You-" "Save your breath. I have heard it a hundred times." I cut him off. He jumps at me again, this time going at me with on dagger to the gut, and one to my neck. I pretend to step away, and he went to go that way. Then I stepped into his arms. I threw a palm into his nose. Then knee to his groin. Finally, a punch to his gut. He goes reeling back.

He sheaths his daggers and nods. "You want to play hard to catch, let's see how well you play now." He takes a few steps back, and I see guards closing in front of me, and sense them closing in behind me to. I pull out my two swords. "Okay. Let's play." I answer. I lunge towards the guard closest to me. He doesn't expect this, and I watch his head fall from his shoulders after one swipe of my sword. I don't eve wait two seconds before going for another guard. I swipe with my sword. He takes it to the arm, and tries to kick me, but I drop both my swords, grabbing another guard and use his as a human shield against the first guard.

Without letting go of the guard in my hands, I pull out a dagger, and slice it across his throat from ear to ear. I throw him down before he is fully dead. I turn, hearing a punch soaring through the air. I dodge it, swinging my head to left. My right leg following, in an arch through the air, kicking this guard in the head, knocking him out cold. I feel a had yank me down the hair, and I fall to the ground, but I turn it into a back roll and roll away from all the guards. I jump up and my breath is slightly fast with adrenaline. All seven remaining guards come toward me.

"Are you oafs not ready to quite?" I taunt. One of them goes for my right hand and I purposely twirl into another guards arms. Out of shock, he catches me, and I do the dip. "So romantic." I tease, then flip my legs over me, pulling the arm on my back around and snapping it. He screams out, and I immediately take the pain away by giving him a quick stab to the heart. I may be an assassin, but I am not heartless. I didn't leave him to suffer.

One goes to corner me against the wall, but I drop the two daggers I am holding and punch him in the mouth. Then kick him in the shin. I pull another dagger out and smash it into his temple. I let the dagger clatter to the ground with him. The dent in his head tells me he is definitely dead. I turn back to the other five and they are all be there boss's side. I frown putting on a pout. "Are you backing down already?" I whine. He laughs in genuine humor.

"I have never met an assassin quiet like you." I laugh. "Look, pay me and back off before you are a dead man. Also, call off your-" I am cut off by a guard. "What did you just say?" I look at him quizzically. "Am I using to big of words? You give me money, and I don't kill you. We all say bye bye and live happily." I act like I am talking to a baby. "No. About the dead man." I raise an eyebrow in question. "Pay me or you are a dead man."

He scoffs. "This is the wise ass I saw last night. Think's she is all tough." I smirk at him. "That is because I can actually fight, unlike you." He laughs a dry laugh. "Boss, I want to kill her. Here and now. She just killed my brother." I saw his eye's fly to the one I killed with a dagger to the temple. The boss quickly answered. "Grab her, get her subdued, and pile all her weapons over there, by the back wall. We will take her with us. Daren, you will get your revenge."

They all head towards to me again. I pull out two of my daggers, ready to take them down. The back me into a corner. I am ready to take all five of them. One of them pulls something out of his pocket. He aims it at me. "What the hell is that?" I ask. I am ready to dodge to. He pushes the button, and I duck. What I hadn't realized was that another one had pulled out the same thing. He shot it, and it stuck into my neck. A small dart. My hand flies to it and pulls it out. "That is a mixture of falazaic, calveis, and balron." My eyes widen. I can already fell it. The balron, in a big enough does, can keep you knocked out for up to two weeks. As a mix, it would parallelizye me, make me foggy, and keep me out for however long they wanted depending on how much balron was in there.

I pushed through them, and they let my get through easily. I tried to dodge their boss, but he caught me in his arms and kneeled on the ground. I was laying across his lap with my head cradled in his arms. He ran a hand down my face. I couldn't fight. The falazaic was already taking it's toll. "Calm down my beautiful girl. You are okay." I can't speak. I let out a grunt and he just sits there. "Don't worry. Wilker won't miss you to much. We are leaving all you weapons for him to find. He lays me all the way on the ground. His guards come and start pulling all my weapons off. The only ones they miss are the ones in the breast pockets.

I can feel one tear fall down my face. My eye's are already falling shut. I had come to do this, so I could get away from the guild. Now I might never get back. I had told myself I was prepared for this, but I wasn't. I was on my own, and I couldn't even move. The boss comes back into my view and keeled next to me. "Don't worry. You won't have to be awake during the trip. I will keep you asleep. I have plenty of balron." He uses his fingers to close my eyes the rest of the way. I am only conscious for a few more seconds. Then I fall into the black oblivion of my mind.

I have no idea how long I was asleep for, but when I wake up, I lying on the ground. I keep my heartbeat steady, and don't let myself move. I listen. I am moving, or rather in something that is moving. A carriage. Only, I am in a pull along, attacked to the back to carry luggage. It is dark and I am alone. I open my eyes and try to move. My legs are tied, and my hands are behind my back, tied to a ring on the ground.

My fingers immediately start working the knots. I stay quiet. This was not good. I paid attention to the movement while untying the knot. The wheels were going through something that shifted. Not a road, but not water. Grass wouldn't feel like this. My eye's go wide. I am going through sand. My finger slips, and I feel the rope bite into it. I almost let out a string of curse. I can feel the knot coming undone quickly.

When it is undone, I sit up. My back yells at me. I rub it slightly. I have been on this ground for twelve plus hours if I was this cramped. I worked through the pain. My hands went to the knot on my feet and start undoing it. After a minute, I hear voices. I lay back down, hiding my unbound arms. The carriage is stopped, and all the sudden, light blinds me through my closed eyelids. I fight the urge to squint. "She is still so beautiful. I am glad we have an opening in the reception room, because she will definitely make a perfect addition there." My mind pictures myself in some very revealing outfit and having to stand around while men stared at me.

I felt hands grab my feet, untying my legs the rest of the way. The don't even recognize where I had undone it. I was pulled slightly forward. I felt someone reach to were my hands should be tied. At that I jump up, head butting someone. They fall back with a groan. I can't see, the light is to bright. I blink like crazy. I swing my fists blindly. Someone grabs one fist, pulls me out of the carriage and twists it behind my back. I wince at how high they push it. I feel the cool bite of a dagger at my neck. Not cutting into my skin but pushing hard enough to make me settler down.

A voice whispers into my ear. "Move again, and I will make your death a lot more painful than my brothers." I stay still. My eyes become use to the light, and I see thirty-five guards armed to the teeth around me. Ready to kill me if I so much as look at them funny. Someone pushes through the crowd. The boss. "Oh, you are awake. Good." I look away from him, and mutter, "Looks like someone is scared I will kill my way out." He grabs my face and pulls it up harshly. "Look, you are on my turf now. You will listen to me. I am you boss now. You will address me sir or get punished. Understood?"

If I nod, I will kill myself on the blade at my throat. I work up some saliva, and spit in his face. He jumps back and wipes his hand down his face. "Take her to the mirror room. She will listen." I laugh as they pull me away. "In your dreams. I will never listen to you. I have one boss. And he knows where I am. He is heading over right now." I lie. I get a slap to the face. This causes me to overflow with anger. The dagger at my throat has been removed, so I surge forward and out of the guards arms.

When I turn, everyone is on alert. I feel like a caged animal. I turn back the way they were dragging me and run. They follow. "Thirty-five guards, and I still get away." I taunt. I see a kingdom looking place appear in front of me. There are guards everywhere. They see me coming with guards chasing me and come towards me. I only manage to knock three down and get one dagger. It is enough. I start killing left and right. There are fifty guards surrounding me. Kill about ten, before I am knocked down and captured. Two guards re-grab my arms and start dragging me into the depths of the palace. I am yelling insults the whole way. The string of curses coming out of my mouth make the guards pulling me blush.

When the finally get to a door, they open it and take me into a room. One of them cover my eyes and starts spinning me. Since I wasn't ready for this, I can't mark forward or backward. I feel shackles go around my ankles. Then I am pulled to where I am sitting on my lower legs. My hands are cuffed behind me. I can't come out of the hunched over position. Only raise my head and turn it. The one holding a hand over my eyes, pokes me in the eyes and backs off. I am seeing black. I can't see anything. When my vision clears, I look around. Everywhere I look, I see myself. There is no door, or at least it looks like there isn't. That was the point of disorienting me.

The mirrors are put in suck away, that there is not space between them. The ceiling, the floor, the walls. All of it covered in mirrors. I see myself staring back. I am covered in blood. I can't reach my blades or my lock picks. I don't understand the affect of the room until about an hour goes by, and it has me cowering down.