by Emma Couette
“That you are. How do you like that leg brace?”
I snort. “I hate it. It’s a ridiculous get-up. I can’t even walk properly.”
She laughs. “I know what you mean.”
“How is that?”
“I received a similar injury some years back. It was a sword though instead of an axe. Came about as close to dying as you did and had to wear that stupid brace for weeks. I hated every second of it. You can’t do half of the things you want to do and you can’t stay on your feet for long without excruciating pain running up your nerves.” She pauses and smiles at me. “It’s a great time. You’ll love it.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, I’m sure, but did you say weeks?”
“Yeah, I wanted it off sooner, but the nurses wouldn’t allow it. They said I would end up breaking it again if I didn’t let it heal completely. I listened to them, seeing as I broke my foot the year before and ended up screwing it up even worse when I took the cast off early.”
I wince. “Ouch. That must’ve been rough.”
“Well, I learned my lesson, that’s all I can say.”
“I suppose you did.”
We’re all quiet for a minute and Trey slides off of the chair arm so she’s actually sitting in the chair.
“What brings you guys here then?” she asks. “Now that we’ve got all that out of the way.”
“Nothing much,” Jax says, answering for me. “We just wanted to let you know how Silent was doing. You were pretty distraught the other night when you heard the news.”
Trey rubs the back of her neck. “Yeah, well,” she looks over at me, “I didn’t think you deserved to die, Silent. Coming here, I know it’s changed you for the better, and I was afraid it would all be for naught, that the Guild would end up taking that away from you again.”
“Again?”
“Well, they killed your mother and took away your innocence. They were trying to finish what they started if you ask me.”
“Right, yeah,” I reply. Something about her answer bothers me, but I can’t put my finger on it.
“Well,” Jax says, “I guess we should be going then. Jenson is expecting us. We have a meeting; the man’s so impatient.”
Trey laughs. “Thanks for coming and have fun. Good luck with the old man.”
I snort. “Luck will get us nowhere with him.” I go to stand up and Jax reaches for my arm to help me. I shrug it off. “It’s okay, I can do it.”
He sighs. “Fine, I was just trying to be a gentleman.”
I get up fine on my own and we head for the door when I remember something. I turn back to Trey. “Oh and by the way, I should let you know that you lost your bet with Bast.”
Her eyes are blank with confusion for a second and then her face distorts into a grimace. “Damn, I thought I had him. The two of you are really together?” She points to Jax and me.
I smile. “Yeah. It’s a relatively new concept, but something I’ve been ignoring for a while. We’ll see where it takes us.”
Jax wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close. I smile wider.
Trey shakes her head. “Young love... You, my friend, just cost me ten bucks.”
I shrug. “What can I say?”
“You can say goodbye and leave me to mourn my losses,” she jokes. “Nah, in all honesty, I’m happy for you guys, just don’t go ignoring your duties or anything. Remember what’s at stake.”
I nod. “We will.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Jax agrees. “We’ve got our eyes on the goal. We’re not going to let anything stop us.”
Trey nods. “Good. Now you better get going, Jenson is waiting.”
We say our goodbyes and head out.
Once we’re alone, I turn to Jax and say, “If you were a real gentleman, you’d do more than help me to my feet; you’d carry me in my time of need.”
He smiles. “All you need to do is ask,” he replies and then he scoops me up, throwing me over his shoulder in a split second. He’s walking down the hall before I have time to react.
“Assassins below, Jax!” I screech. “Put me down!” My chest is against his back and I now have a wonderful view of the floor.
“Sorry,” he replies, “no can do.”
I beat my fists against the backs of his thighs, but when that doesn’t shake him, I resign myself to the journey as he heads to the council room.
When we reach the right hall, Jax puts me back down on my feet and I say, “Never do that again.”
“Why not?”
“Because... Because...”
He raises an eyebrow. “Does it scare you?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Nothing, I guess.”
He smiles at me. “That’s what I thought.”
I can’t help but smile back. “All right,” I say, “you’re a total genius. There, I said it.”
He grins. “I know.”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, wise guy; let’s get this meeting over with.”
He sighs and takes my hand, making my heart skip a beat, and we continue down the hall to the door at the end. We don’t bother knocking; we just walk in like we own the place, or at least, that’s how I do it.
“Jenson, my friend,” I say, getting the ball rolling, “how have you been?”
“Splendid,” he replies. I get the impression he would’ve rather I kicked the bucket. I also sense exhaustion lingering behind that ever-present scowl of his. The battle must’ve taken a mental toll on him.
“Great.” I take a seat at the table across from Jenson and Jax follows my cue, grabbing the seat beside me.
“Anyway,” I go on, “I heard you wanted to see me as soon as I was able, so here I am. What did I miss and what do you wish so desperately to discuss with me?”
He scowls. “Cut the bullshit, Assassin. I am pleased you recovered so quickly, but I would like to get on with the mission.”
“What has the enemy been up to?” I ask him. I’m all business now, the better to get this over with. The pills Jax made me take this morning definitely took the edge off. I can feel the pain creeping back in.
“Not much,” Jenson replies, “which I find strange. They’ve been rather quiet and I would like to silence them for good before they get their heads together enough to execute another counterstrike.”
“What do you think we should do?”
“You tell me, Assassin; both you and Avery keep reminding me that this is your plan.”
And rightly so.
“In that case, we should start planning Stage Three.”
“And what will that entail?”
“It’s the assault on the Guild. I think we’re ready.”
“I beg to differ. Our manpower has been stretched thin. How can we hope to wage a final battle?”
He must be tired indeed to let slip even a kernel of doubt.
“With the element of surprise, Jenson. They still don’t know I am with you, that I can lead you straight into the centre of the Guild and unleash hell. They will never expect to fight in their own territory. We are bringing the battle to them for once.
I clear my throat and prepare to lay out the plan I’ve been drawing up in my head ever since I kissed the Guild goodbye. It leaves no room for error.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” I say. “We need to split your forces—all you are willing to send out—into twenty equal platoons. I have twenty entrances which I will mark out on a map after our discussion. Each platoon will use a different entrance and each will have their own exit. There is one emergency exit.”
“How did you come up with those numbers?” Jenson asks me.
“As Agent Two of the Guild, I had access to twenty entrances and exits. The emergency one is that of the double agent, Rachel, that I took down the last couple days I was there. I followed her through one of her exits and the Charger won’t think of checking there. He’ll forget I know about that tunnel.
“Now, each e
ntrance and exit comes with specific instructions which must be followed to the letter, else your men and women wish to perish. If they follow the directions, they should be fine. From there, we’ll hit the assassins with our surprise attack and take them down before they know what hit them. The Charger, of course, is mine.”
“I think not,” Jenson argues. “Whoever catches him will bring him back here for questioning.”
I snort. “Good luck with that.”
“Excuse me?” Jenson says.
“You’ll never get a word out of him,” I reply, “even if you do somehow manage to catch him and get him all the way back here. He’s not the Master of all assassins for nothing you know.”
“What exactly are you saying, Assassin?”
“I’m saying he’s dangerous and you shouldn’t underestimate him. Jenson, do you know why no one has ever done this before, why Trey and I as traitors are exceptions, not the rule?”
“Why, Assassin?”
“Because we’re all too afraid,” I admit. “Any captured assassin won’t talk for anything. They’d rather die than let the Charger find them. They know that if they talk and you set them free, there will be consequences. They know the Charger won’t die until he doles out his punishment and that the odds of you finding and killing him are slim to none. They’d rather die of Resistance torture than have to endure the kind of agony the Master Assassin’s wrath can bring upon you. So, Jenson, if you think you can capture the Charger, by all means, be my guest, but you might want to finalize your last will and testament first, and decide if you’d rather be starved to death and skinned or made to bleed out while you’re burnt alive.”
Jenson looks at me in horror and Jax shivers beside me.
“It’s the truth,” I sigh, “and the sooner you realize it, the better. The Charger should not be dealt with lightly. I’m your only chance at getting him, alive or dead, and even then, my chances are low. I will do my best to end him, but it might not be enough.”
“If you are speaking the truth about his prowess,” Jenson says, “how do you expect to stand a chance given your current condition?” He nods to my leg. “If you thought I wouldn’t notice that detail, you are sadly mistaken. How do you hope to fight with a broken leg?”
“It’s only a fracture and unlike the rest of you, I know how to work through the pain. I’ve dealt with broken limbs before and if you couldn’t learn to fight with them, you didn’t survive. The assassins sniff out all weaknesses, so you had to be sure to turn each one into a strength before they found you. My leg is only a hindrance if you see it as such. I’m still your best bet at beating him. Even injured, I am better than any soldier you could throw at him.”
“Why do you want him dead?”
I blink. “What?”
“Why do you want to kill the Master Assassin so badly? I am not stupid enough to believe you turned your back on the Guild simply because you learned you were killing innocents, Assassin. I have seen the bloodlust in your eyes, the anger when you say his name. That does not come with mourning strangers.”
“I…” I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say this much outside of our arguments, never thought he was that observant.
“Who did he kill, Assassin?” he asks me. “Answer that one question and I’ll grant your request.”
He’s caught me off guard and for some reason I don’t hesitate. “My mother,” I reply. “He killed my mother.” And he killed me, every day after that, piece by piece.
For once, Jenson doesn’t scowl at me. There is something like understanding in his eyes as he nods and says, “Very well, Assassin, you can have the Charger. You better hope you are telling the truth about your skill and make sure he suffers long and hard for his transgressions.”
I wonder what the Charger did to him, who died. I wonder if that is why he is so cold now.
“Oh, believe me,” I tell him, “he’ll be begging for his death long before I’m through with him. I won’t grant his wish until I’m satisfied he has paid for my mother’s death and the deaths of everyone else twice over, in blood.”
“See to it that you do,” Jenson mutters. “Now, about that map and directions...”
I spend the next forty minutes marking the entrances and exits on an old city map and writing out the specific instructions for each, from the number of steps to take, to elevator codes, steps to avoid on staircases, and booby traps to duck. Every motion the men will make is written out in detail.
“Lose these instructions, Jenson,” I remind him, “and the lives of all of your men will be forfeit. They’ll die long before they even get near an assassin.”
“I get it, Assassin,” he says. “You don’t have to keep telling me.”
“Yes, I do. I will repeat myself until the knowledge is burned into your brain cells. This is not a game. There are no retries. This is it.”
“When do we march?”
“As soon as everything is in order; three days from now should do it.”
“I will make it happen. Go prepare yourself; I have important work to do.”
He shoos Jax and I out of the door and I mutter a goodbye under my breath.
It was a pleasure, Jenson. I can’t wait until we meet again.
“So,” Jax says, “that was fun, right?”
“Wrong. Does he think I’m not smart enough to catch his idle threats?”
“Hmmmm,” Jax mutters. “Do you know the definition of hypocrisy, Silent? Because, oddly enough, that sounds exactly like someone else I know.” He gives me a look.
I scowl. “Shut up. I am not like that.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Oh, really? The ‘you should decide if you’d rather be starved to death or skinned’ was simple conversation?”
“That wasn’t a threat. That was merely a promise of what will happen if he doesn’t take the Charger seriously. Black Death is not an assassin to be trifled with; he makes my deeds look like child's play.”
Jax winces at the mention of the name.
“Sorry,” I say softly, “but it’s the truth.”
“So is what Jenson said about your leg,” he argues. “The nurses told you to lay low and now you’re planning battle in three days? Couldn't you have postponed it so you could recover more?”
“We don’t have time for that. If we don’t strike now, the assassins will do it for us. We’ve already risked enough time as it is and I’m not going to sit back at the base while others fight my war for me.”
He sighs. “You’re impossible.”
“I know, but we shouldn’t worry about what will go wrong. There will be plenty of time for that later. Can we just enjoy ourselves for now?”
“Sure,” he says, “what do you want to do?”
“How about we go back to my room and enjoy the peace and quiet while we still can. You got any funny stories?”
“Oh, I’ve got plenty,” he replies with a grin. “Did I tell you about the time Bast accidentally set the Den on fire?”
I laugh. “Oh Guild, how did he manage that?”
“It took some talent, I’ll tell you that much...” He goes on, weaving the threads of his story together as we head to my room, content in each other’s company.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The day drags by. It seems like eight o’clock will never roll around. Jax and I sit in my room talking and stealing the occasional kiss until dinner. I still can’t believe I waited so long to tell him how I feel.
He waits until six o’clock to tell me that I have to go to a therapy session for my leg. It’s a gigantic pain in the ass. The nurse tells me I’m doing fine, but to remember to rest it as much as I can. I assure her I will and head back to my room to get dressed for the party. Blake is there when I arrive and I graciously accept her help.
“How about blue? I bet you look great in it.”
I am sitting on the bed, watching her as she pulls one outfit after another out of the closet.
“No, too...bright,” I reply.
She puts
her hands on her hips. “How is blue bright?”
“It just is,” I argue. “I prefer black, red, grey, and the occasional dark green.”
Her eyes light up. “Oh, well in that case, I have just the thing. I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
She runs out of the door and I can hear her footsteps echoing down the hall until she turns a corner. I wonder what she has in mind and if I’ll even remotely like it.
Ten minutes later, she returns with a bundle of clothes. She pulls out a pair of tight black pants and black boots.
“Oh,” I breathe. “I like those.”
She smiles. “I thought you might, and this will finish off the look.” She holds out the shirt with a flourish. It’s a deep green cloth, with a v neck and a slight shimmer when it moves. It’s simple and beautiful.
“I love it.”
“Wonderful,” she says, “let's try it all on.”
She helps me with the pants, which take a fair bit of work, but waits in the hall while I change my top. Eventually, the outfit is complete, and I call her back in.
Blake looks at me in awe. “You’re gorgeous, girl. Have a look.” She pushes me over to the mirror.
I hardly recognize the girl staring back at me.
There’s one word for the way I look: amazing. The dark green goes great with my hair and eyes, and the black pants diminish the bulk of the stupid brace. The boots look pretty sexy too.
I smile and say, “I love it.”
“Of course you do,” Blake replies. “Poor Jax won’t be able to take his eyes off of you.”
I laugh and surprise myself by saying, “I don’t plan on taking my eyes off of him either.” I intend to enjoy this time with him. It’s our first chance to do something together that doesn’t involve fighting for our lives or sparring verbally with Jenson. I mean, there will be other people there, so we won’t be alone, but he’s the only person I plan to focus on tonight.
It’s Blake’s turn to laugh. “Honestly, I can’t tell if you two are adorable or sickening.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I’m glad Ajax found somebody though and I’m glad you’re that somebody. The two of you fit together somehow. You make sense. And God knows life’s too short to spend it alone.”