The white clouds, wisps of fluff floated overhead while Juan scanned the area below him. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, the cool fresh air filling his lungs. As he oped his eyes and looked out the cityscape stretched away before him, he could see for miles from his vantage point on the peak of the church building. On the ground below long precession of people were queued outside its doors calmly filing in. They were all dressed for the sunny weather and their light happy voices drifted up to meet his ears.
'Lets see how calm they are when retribution descends on them.' The thought caused a smile to cross his face and his eyes smiled too.
The unlucky casualty was a tall slender man, his fine blue and gold coat whipping in the breeze and his white wig perfectly presented, face powdered like a porcelain doll.
He almost deserves this for his attire alone.
The man was at the far side of the crowd waiting patiently in no hurry, surrounded buy half a dozen guards and a small group of hangers on. He was in no hurry to enter, Juan had observed that the higher up the chain you were, the less likely to be committed to your religion you were. But either way he was in no rush to hear the word of the lord this day, or maybe he just didn't want to get closer to the common people than was needed, his seat inside was assured any way.
As the crowd thinned he made his way along with his entourage, walking slowly and casually he laughed and talked. A small boy ran across his path and tripped over, the nobleman stopped in his tracks sneered at the boy and raised his hand. If the boy had been close enough Juan thought the nobleman would have backhanded him but as it was the two guards stepped up and picked up the boy throwing him to the side of the path, Juan heard his small body collide with the gravel of he path and gritted his teach. The nobleman turned and said something funny to his followers and they laughed as they moved inside the great stone building.
Juan turned and strode along the spine of the rooftop to the accesses to the bell tower the wind blew strong over him, his brown hair fluttered about his face as he drew his hood up over his head and his hard and callused fingers gripped his sword.
As he descended down the ladder to the fusty hallway below the chatter and talk grew louder. Juan took up a position at the top walkway around the high chamber, able to see every one seated below. The coloured light filtered through he leadlight windows and threw pretty shapes on the crowd.
A door to the back of the alter opened and the bishop came forth, his white and purple robes long and very bright even in this light. Every one slowly silenced as he raised his hands fourth, old and liver spotted, his wrinkled skin made for a grand contrast to his attire.
Juan looked among the crowd, his target was not amongst the common rabble, he scanned the rows along the side, no there either. As Juan made his way silently around the walkway the bishop began his sermon.
"God in his infinite wisdom created man, and all men are born equal. However we do not stay equal, some of us rise to greatness. It is the Lord Gods will, though us we do his will and we rise to greatness because of his hand guiding us."
'Oh yes father' thought Juan, 'spin a good tale of our noble brothers, I will show you their equality, I will show you not Gods will but the will of his people. I know my god, and he does not hold one man over another.'
"If it is his will these our Noble men and women are here to govern and guide us then we are not to go against it."
Juan found his target, he was on the level below him on the opposite side of the grand room.
Juan looked around for a means to cross the distance and he realised the great iron cross hung directly above them.
Looking at the cross he judged its chains suspending it, judged the weight and height. He began to climb up the wall behind him, his experienced fingers gripping the smallest niche in the stonework. He moved along the beams of the roof and then dropped onto the massive cross. His body rocked it slightly and he leant into it, it began to sway back and fourth building momentum. The chain creaked as it made the beams groan every one looked up. He pulled out his pistol and fired at the chain, it burst apart!
Right at the apex of the swing he had shot it and it continued its forward movement through the air in a graceful arch and into the chest of the noble lord below. It drove its iron point through him and then drove him through he floorboards and into the gallery below.
People scattered and Juan righted himself as the guards picked themselves up from the rubble and came running towards him.
He pulled his sword deflecting the bayonet of the first guard into the chest of another, then he locked the rifle under his arm and threw his elbow into the mans face. He spun his sword a blur and he cut down two more guards in seconds. He had trained for years for this and his muscles took to the work with vigour. This was his life now, this was what he had been built to do. His blade flashed left then right, a smooth circle it cut through the air and the steel sung. More guards rushed forward, dodge, dodge, parry. He moved in close and drew his knife as one man dropped his rifle and went for his pistol. Juan sidestepped the mans aim before he could pull the trigger. The sword came up and pushed the pistol aside and the knife cut a line across the mans wrist then with a reverse grip on the knife he plunged it into the guards chest, with drew it and slashed across his throat. With that Juan let the body drop and sheathed his knife and turned to face the rabble, panicked and screaming.
The first guard one got up again and wiped blood from his face while he looked about for his rifle. Looking up he saw Juan standing silent, the dust floated around him lit by the red lead glass from behind him, he looked a visage of death in the cloud of dust, blood red, and his silhouette of the avatar of justice.
"This is the peoples justice." Juan spoke with a flat even voice that carried through the church even over the cries of the crowd.
The guard put his hands up and backed away into the mass of people.
As Juan reached the peak of the church roof again he heard the sound of other noble men and their guards rushing to the scene. They were too late, and now he had begun a thing that would change a nation. Now the city would know their time had come, the time to rise and take back what was theirs.
He smiled.
