Silent Night

by Emma Couette

  “Quite,” I reply. “I don’t see any gambling, pick-pocketing, or fist fights. It’s unnatural. Not to mention that most of the assassins wouldn’t even know the meaning of the word sophisticated.”

  He smiles wider. He looks as if he’s about to say something, but then we reach the front of the line.

  He hands me a tray. “What will it be?”

  “What do you have?”

  “A little bit of everything.”

  I follow his gaze and try to stop my jaw from hitting the floor. The counter is full of a variety of dishes: assorted vegetables, fish, meat, poultry, bread, soup, salads, and foods I don’t even have names for. I’ve never seen so much food all in one place. They even have an entire container of peas, my favourite vegetable I rarely saw at the Guild.

  “Guild,” I breathe. “Where do you get it all?”

  “What?”

  “The food, where does it come from? I’ve never seen so much variety.”

  He narrows his eyes. “That’s strange, I’d expect you people to have tons the way you raid the city trains every second week.”

  I frown. “What?”

  “The food trains that come in from the farms, they’re attacked by assassins at least every other week. None of the Resistance Agents guarding the cars return unscathed and not a single scrap of food is left behind when it’s all said and done.”

  “We... We don’t raid trains.”

  “That’s what you think. Tell me, what do you really know about the organization you were a part of? Because as far as I can see, you don’t know much of anything.”

  I don’t answer and my appetite has lessened, but I spoon some peas and chicken onto my plate anyway. He grabs a bowl of soup and some bread, and starts weaving through the tables with me close behind.

  He stops at a table near the far side of the room. A boy and a girl are already present, sitting across the table from one another. The boy is a brunette with long light curls and the girl’s hair is dark brown and braided, hanging over one shoulder. Her skin is only a couple shades lighter than her hair; she and I would be day and night standing next to each other. The two are wearing grey uniforms like mine. Theirs look like they fit better.

  They look up as Ajax and I arrive, two pairs of brown eyes studying me.

  “Hey, Jax my man, where you been all morning?” It’s the boy who speaks and his excited sentence trails off as he eyes me beside Ajax.

  The girl looks at me curiously.

  “Jax man, who’s the new chick?” The boy asks.

  “She’s a new recruit,” Ajax lies. “I’ve been showing her around. She calls herself Indigo.”

  “Huh,” the boy says, “is that so?” He turns his gaze to me. “Well, hello gorgeous.”

  I raise an eyebrow a fraction.

  “The name’s Sebastian, but you can call me Bast.” He flashes me a grin and holds out his hand.

  The girl brushes his hand away and says, “Actually, everyone calls him Bast, so we don’t have to put up with his whining. He’s quite full of himself.” She smiles at me and holds out her own hand. “I’m Blake.”

  I take her hand and shake it. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too, Indigo. We could use another crew member. Have a seat.” She pats the space beside her on the bench and I sit down. Ajax takes the seat beside Sebastian.

  “Wait right there, Blake,” Sebastian says. “Who said she could waltz right in and nail a spot in our elite squad? We should see what she’s made of first.”

  “Mmm, that’s right,” she muses. “How could I forget?”

  “What?” I ask.

  “Don’t mind them,” Ajax assures me as he digs into his soup. “They’re just teasing.”

  Yet—judging from the grin Sebastian flashes me—it would be safer to assume they’re doing anything but.

  …

  Around one o’clock in the afternoon, Ajax, Blake, and Bast take me to one of the many training rooms. Apparently, they want to test my skills. I’m not exactly sure what they mean by that, but I’m certain it’ll be a far cry from what I’ve experienced at the Guild. Still, instinct tells me to proceed with caution.

  The three lead me to a room on the second floor of the underground base. The whole venture is entirely Blake and Bast’s idea; Ajax spent most of lunch trying to talk them out of it. He was adamant it was a bad idea, and as soon as I step foot in the room, I know why.

  The room is one hundred feet by fifty feet with rubber mats positioned here and there on the floor. Covering the far wall are racks on racks of assorted weapons: hunting knives, throwing knives, daggers, all sizes of swords, crossbows, longbows, spears, single and double bladed axes, pistols, machine guns, and so on. The collection is extensive.

  I resist the urge to grin.

  Yes, Ajax, you were right; this is not the place to let an assassin loose.

  “So, what do you think?” Bast asks, turning in a small circle.

  Ajax eyes me as I answer. I go for the safe approach. “It’s epic,” I reply. “I’ve never seen so many weapons in one place.” This is a lie. The collection in the Guild weapons store is four times the size, but Mr. Watchdog Ajax here doesn’t need to know that.

  “Yeah? Well, we’re pretty proud of our collection,” Bast says, smiling wide.

  “Do you know how to use all of them?” I ask, searching for information I can use later.

  “Personally, no, but we all specialize in one or the other, every type of weapon accounted for even if it’s just one person who knows how to wield it.”

  “What’s your specialty?”

  “Me? Well, I consider myself an expert with any kind of bow you can name, but specifically the crossbow,” he replies with a sly smile that I return.

  “Is that so? You think I could see you in action?”

  Blake rolls her eyes. “Quit stroking his ego, his head’s big enough as it is.”

  “Oh, come on, Blakey,” Bast says, “don’t you want to see me work my magic?”

  She gives him an unimpressed look.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. To the crossbows!”

  I trail behind Bast as he practically skips over to the weapon wall. Ajax joins me. He’s taking his watchdog job pretty seriously. Blake groans before tagging along.

  We weave our way through the mats and people sparring on them with the various weapons. None of them are nearly as good as they should be to take down the assassins. They could best some of the younger ones, but it’s the more experienced ones who are the problem. Namely, the Charger.

  We reach the far wall and Bast stops in front of a rack full of crossbows and bolts. “Here we are,” he says, “the best weapons in the building. Decisions, decisions...” He taps his foot on the floor as he studies the bows, thumb and pointer finger resting on his chin.

  “For the love of God,” Blake mutters, “just pick one.”

  “Patience friend, these things take time.”

  “How about that one?” I point to a bow hanging three rows up—a delicate, yet powerful-looking beauty. Its wood is a rich mahogany colour with a lacquered finish, even though the best bows are made of ash or yew. The metal limb is black steel, strong.

  Bast smiles at me. “Very nice; you have an eye for weapons.”

  Ajax shoots me a look and I shrug, smiling.

  Is that such a crime? my eyes ask.

  His eyes narrow, but he says nothing and turns to Bast as he lifts the chosen crossbow off of the rack. He grabs a handful of matching bolts and the three of us—Ajax, Blake, and I—follow him to the target area of the training room.

  Bast also grabbed a hook, and he uses it now to cock the string back as he loads the bolt into the bow. I notice his muscles as he pulls it into position, his foot against the stirrup, and his back and arms straining. Well, not straining exactly. It takes him no time at all to cock the weapon. His muscles are substantial.

  Bast hefts the crossbow up to eye level and peers at the target. He breathes in, out, and pulls t
he trigger.

  A muted gunshot sound echoes through the room, followed by a thud. I look at the target: dead centre and his crossbow doesn’t even have a scope.

  “Wow,” I breathe, “that was extraordinary,” and it was. I’ve never seen someone shoot a crossbow like that; he hardly had to think about it. He is someone I need to watch out for.

  Dangerous.

  He lowers the bow and grins at me. “It was pretty cool, eh?” He leans over again to reload and Blake rolls her eyes.

  “Oh, please,” Blake huffs. “It’s not as if he can do it with his eyes closed.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “And you can?”

  She blushes slightly, a hint of red brightening her dark cheeks. “No, but can anyone?”

  “We’ll see. Can I give it a go?” I ask Bast, holding my hand out for the weapon.

  Bast starts to hand it over, but then he catches the death glare Ajax is shooting his way.

  What? Bast’s eyes ask.

  Absolutely not, Ajax’s reply.

  “Actually,” Bast says, “you probably shouldn’t.” He looks sad and confused at the same time, but tries to hide it. “Crossbows can be dangerous if you’ve never used one before. I think it would be best if—”

  “No, Ajax thinks it would be best if I didn’t,” I retort. “I saw your exchange. Don’t let him put words in your mouth.”

  Bast looks surprised and a bit taken aback.

  I shoot Ajax a look. “Why can’t I give it a shot?”

  “You know perfectly well why,” he says, fighting to keep his voice neutral.

  “Are you going to stop me?” I ask.

  Before he can react, I grab the crossbow from Bast’s hand and aim it at the target. It’s lucky he already loaded it or I would’ve wasted precious seconds. I close my eyes and pull the trigger.

  I hear the thud that means I hit the target and open my eyes as I lower the bow. I turn back to the others. My eyes meet Ajax’s.

  If looks could kill…

  But then his angered eyes turn to eyes of shock. I follow his gaze to the target and see my crossbow bolt stuck in it. My heart falls. It’s in the bull’s eye, but not the dead centre.

  I missed.

  “No way!” Bast exclaims. “A bull’s eye? I’ve got to be seeing things. Your eyes were closed. You did it so fast there is no way...”

  “Our little Indigo here is very special,” Ajax says, interrupting him. His tone suggests that the little Indigo will also be very dead if I don’t put the weapon down. His hand drifts to the gun at his hip. I set the crossbow on the floor without taking my eyes off of him.

  Bast picks the weapon up and says, “Well done, friend, you’ll be a nice addition to the squad.”

  I smile weakly, still nervous from my brief rebellion.

  “Bast,” Ajax says, “why don’t you put that thing away and grab a few staves. We can start Indigo’s training with them. Let’s see how she does with two against one.”

  “All right,” Bast replies. “I’ll be right back.” He walks off, whistling a catchy tune.

  How on earth can anyone be so constantly cheerful?

  …

  Ajax gets me to spar with the other two for at least an hour. Thankfully, staves are more my forte than crossbows, but I would prefer a gun or knife. It’s obvious why he chose the staves though, much less dangerous. He can pretty much guarantee that Bast and Blake will leave the matches with mere bruises. He doesn’t know the staff was one of the first weapons I trained with and that I know exactly where to hit to break a limb, knock a person out, or even kill.

  I stick to bruising though, whacking the two continually and running circles around their staves until they’re dizzy. I’ll wake up in the morning with less than a quarter of the bruises they’ll have. They barely think the motion before I’m ducking and dodging the blow while planning my own.

  I resist the urge to laugh. This is how I like to spend my time, not being led around on tours for hours on end. Of course, I still feel like a prisoner with Ajax watching my every move, but I’m the happiest I’ve been since I walked into the place.

  Eventually, though, Ajax tells us to take a break and orders me to hand the wooden stick over. I sigh, but do what I’m told. I join Bast and Blake on one of the benches that sit against the walls. Blake hands me a bottle of water. Ajax stands guard in front of us. I wonder if he acts this way all of the time or if it’s just because of me and, if so, do Bast and Blake notice?

  We’re sitting for about five minutes when the doors fly open and a tall girl about my age bustles in and looks around. I dismiss her quickly, but then she says, “Where’s the assassin? Where’s Silent Night?”

  I look up sharply at the mention of my name and so does Ajax.

  Who told?

  She spots me then and says, “Ah, you must be her. Father said you were here at the Resistance. I didn’t believe him.”

  Blake gives her a confused look. “What are you talking about? She’s not an assassin. She’s a new recruit; Indigo is her name. Maybe you should look somewhere else.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t question me,” the girl retorts.

  Blake hangs her head.

  “You’ve been deceived,” the girl goes on. “This is Silent Night.”

  This. As if I am some kind of inanimate object.

  I sigh and cross my arms. “Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag now, and you are?”

  “Natalie Sophia Roseanne,” she says.

  “That’s quite a mouthful,” I reply. “I’m surprised you can remember it all.”

  Beside me, Bast chokes on his water.

  “At least I give out my real name,” she retorts. “Silent Night at the Resistance, it’s simply preposterous. My father is in the council room with Jenson as we speak, reminding him of what we stand for.”

  It takes me a moment to remember who Jenson is, but then the face of the leader pops into my mind and I realize what she means. Her father is trying to get rid of me.

  The girl—Natalie—shakes her head. “An assassin walking among us...”

  “She’s here for a reason, Natalie,” Ajax says, speaking for the first time.

  “And you think that makes it okay?” she asks him, crossing her arms. “I would think you of all people would agree with me, Ajax. We’re both very loyal to this cause.” She tucks her hair behind her ear and…

  Oh Guild, is she batting her eyelashes at him?

  I’m going to be sick.

  “Jenson said you’ve been assigned as her escort,” she goes on, “but I can get my father to change Jenson’s mind. You shouldn’t have to consort with the likes of her.” She glances at me.

  “Thank you, Natalie,” Ajax replies, “but that won’t be necessary. I intend to do my job.”

  She goes to protest, but I interrupt her. “Ajax is right, Roseanne,” I say. “Jenson isn’t kicking me out anytime soon. I’m the person who’s going to get you people in and out of the Assassin’s Guild alive. I’m the one who’s going to help you kill the Master Assassin. So maybe you should run along now and tell your father not to waste his breath.”

  She looks at me blankly for a minute before saying, “We’ll see about that.” Then she whirls around, sandy blonde locks flying, and flounces out of the room.

  I have a feeling she’s about to be proven wrong and when that happens, I will have made my first enemy here.

  “Well,” I say as the door closes behind her and I turn to the others, “I suppose you have questions.”

  Blake face is ashen and all the cheerfulness has left Bast’s expression.

  “What was she talking about, Indigo?” Bast asks. “Are you really...?”

  “Silent Night? In the flesh.” I resist the urge to grin as they both shift away from me.

  “Seriously?” Bast breathes.

  “Why would I lie about that?”

  “Are you like the stories say you are?”

  “That depends on what the stories say.”

  �
�They paint you as a ruthless criminal,” Blake spits out, “a bloody, violent, merciless killer.”

  Someone isn’t too fond of my exploits.

  “That is a perfect description of the Master Assassin, not me,” I reply. “I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as merciless. Have I killed people? Yes. Will I kill again? Most likely. I’m not going to sugar-coat it, but I will not be compared to the sadistic monster that is the Master Assassin.”

  “But you’re his right hand assassin, are you not?” Blake argues.

  “Maybe I was, but those days are over. I betrayed him to come here and help you people.”

  “Why?” Bast asks.

  “He betrayed me, so I decided to return the favour; an eye for an eye. He lied about who we were killing and he murdered someone close to me.” I shudder as I relive the memory of seeing my mother’s name next to his. “I came here to help you because if I get you people into the Guild, you can help me take revenge on the traitor.”

  Blake eyes me warily. “And Jenson trusts you?”

  “Not exactly,” I admit. “I’m supposed to be gaining his trust over the next few weeks and proving my worth.”

  “Hmmmm...” she muses. “What do you think, Jax? Do you trust her?” She looks over at him.

  “It’s not about whether I trust her or not,” he replies. “I’ve been assigned as her escort, so she’ll be with us at least until Jenson decides she’s worth his time.”

  “Um, hello?” I say. “Do you mind not talking about me like I’m not here?”

  “Sorry,” Blake says, putting a hand to her head, “this is just...overwhelming.” She looks at Bast and Ajax. “Are we really letting an assassin into our squad?”

  “Not just any assassin, Blake,” Bast adds. “She’s the legendary Silent Night. This is so cool. No wonder she nearly bested me with the crossbow.”

  “Cool? You do realize she’s killed countless people, including several of our agents?”

  “Yeah, but...well, we’ve killed some of them too,” he argues. “We liked her all right before we knew. Why should we let Natalie of all people change our minds?”

  I smile. I do believe I like this guy.

  “Fine,” Blake says, turning back to me. “You could be telling the truth, so I’ll give you a chance, but once it’s gone, it’s gone.”