The Scarlet Assassin

Chapter One

If there was one thing Dad taught me, it was how never to get lost. Even now as I ran through the streets of a foreign city, discarding my knife dripping with blood, I knew exactly where I was. Find the stars, he always told me, Measure them, memorize them. They are your only true compass, Vera. So I did.

I ducked between two buildings and started climbing the cargo boxes stacked against the stone with little effort. Before I pulled myself up the second crate, icy fingers gripped my ankle and I was dragged down into the darkness. My body met with firm stone, and as I picked my head up, a fist came into my vision, swinging directly toward my face. On instinct, I threw my free hand up, diverting the arm away from me.

    I kicked my knee up, landing a lucky blow to my attacker's chin. His grip on my arm loosened enough for me to break free and punch him once in the side of the face. Then, rocking my hips back, I tucked my legs and gained enough power to spring them forward and strike his chest hard. The man recoiled and fell backwards with a loud grunt. A knife was in my hand right as my attacker fell to the ground and then the blade was in his chest. I scurried up quickly and barely gave myself a moment of breath before re-climbing the crates and cussing under my breath.

The day a mission goes to plan is the day the devil sings a damn hymnal to the gods.

I was running on top of roofs now, jumping from one to another as my foot graced each edge. The air littered with smog and smoke hung heavy in my lungs, but with this town similar to the one I grew up in, I was used to it.

Clouds were in the sky, dwelling from the last storm, sending waves of humidity down around the city in large blankets. The thick scent of wet cobblestone hindered my otherwise smooth breathing and the pools of water made my foot slip occasionally. But every time, I caught myself quickly and continued my sprint over buildings and through the town.

Clothes hung in between buildings on a thin wire to dry, and the last of candles burned in the windows of the few people still awake this late in the night. Behind me and below me, orders were being shouted, men were yelling and clamoring their way down the paved roads after me.

Fools, I thought with a small smile as I again felt my body being cradled by the wind then smashed back down onto yet another firm roof. Rolling, I was back onto my feet in less than a second and sprinting the length, feeling the knives at my hips sway with me.

The shouting intensified, but I spared no glance behind me, instead thinking four steps ahead and bracing myself for a possible impact.

With a grunt and a small bit of luck, I jumped straight down in between two buildings and caught a hold of a rod iron balcony. I managed to swing down onto the next slim balcony and pluck a thin, metal wire from my jacket pocket. The large window in front of me, dark without a sign of life, opened within seconds.

I slipped inside quickly as I heard the voices start to pool above me. Once inside the house, I slammed the window shut and re locked the rusting latches, pulling the lace curtains closed. The shouts grew, then quieted, then faded. I released a breath and turned, finally getting a good look at the room.

The walls were a dingy yellow, and the furniture was chipped and scraped, evidence of a young child. A bed sat against the wall next to me, and little toy dolls and books were spread out on the floor. The covers moved, the rising and falling of the girl's chest disrupting. I stood frozen, eyes narrowed, body cloaked in darkness, watching as the girl sat up. She rubbed her wide eyes and scanned the room once before they laid on me. She visibly stiffened.

"Mommy?" She asked. I stilled, wondering exactly how I got here, cursing myself for not going one building over. When I didn't answer, the girl's lips quivered. "Mommy?" Her voice was a whine now, growing louder- nearly a call. I finally stepped forward. The girl cocked her head. "Who are you?" The innocence radiated off of her, an innocence I vaguely remembered, but the quiver in her voice drew me back.