Royals Through Time 7: The Present Age

Chapter Eight: Assasins

Night in Rome was silent except for the low humming of far off voices and the chirping of crickets. Sarah readied herself for sleep, donning a pale lavender gown and pulling her hair back in a ribbon. Since Feria had betrayed her, Sarah had not replaced her with another maid. She instead chose the independence- and the safety- of keeping her own appearance. Tonight, however, was to be a sleepless night. Sarah was more than a little uneasy about the possibility of assassins coming for her that night. But then again, it wasn't really anything new. Besides, Justinus's room was just across the hall. Yet....something was bothering Sarah, like a buzzing in her ears. In the quiet darkness of her room, she thought of what she might have to do to protect Rome and the kingdoms of her friends. She would need to kill Feria, no doubt. As long as she was alive, Feria would not rest in her rage. She might bring down empires if she did not die. But then Sarah had another thought. She could try to kill Feria, as Feria would no doubt try to kill her. But what if Feria succeeded? The threat of death became very loud when everything else was silent and assassins may be coming at any moment. But if Sarah died, or any of the Royals, then the Seven Kingdoms might fall. So Sarah made a promise to not die unless it was necessary for the safety of Rome. Instead, she vowed to be the survivor of this revenge-fueled plot.

When the assassins arrived, Sarah called out for Justinus and sprang into action. There were four of them, dressed in curious attire. Sarah's dagger had lain beside her all night, and she grabbed it without a second thought. When Justinus arrived, two of the assassins had already been wounded by the blade. Together, Sarah and Justinus sent the would-be assassins running, each with a small scented packet attached to them, so that they might be tracked by the dogs that Justinus had ordered be set loose. Then they settled onto a marble bench to await the sunrise, eventually falling asleep leaning on each other's shoulders.

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Charity awoke with a start after hearing rustling outside her home. Getting up, she walked silently to where a spear stood propped up against the wall, and grasped the wooden staff with a firm hand. Then carefully, stealthily, she crept out of her home. Circling around the small building, she saw two figures in the shadows, heads bent close together. 

"Where's the entrance to this thing? I thought the spy said it was on this side of the hut?"

"Who cares! With all the rustling, she's probably awake!"

Those two never saw it coming. 

With a screech worthy of the fiercest Aboriginal warrior, Charity leapt at the two shadows, spinning her spear in her hands. It was only a moment before both surprised assassins were sprawled on the ground, Charity's spear pointed menacingly at them. But seeing their faces told Charity something: Feria was recruiting the fearful, the trusting, and the very young. One of the assassins was a girl, who was looking very scared. She couldn't be more than thirteen. The other was a very skinny boy, also scared, who wasn't above the age of fifteen. Charity pulled her spear back from them, but they stayed still. 

"You kids don't know what you're doing. This is no game. Go home, and do not speak to Feria again." 

The teens nodded and scampered off into the distance, leaving Charity alone with her thoughts. She down at the ground and shook her head. This was a new low for Feria. Another element had just joined the fight.

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Beth chased a retreating shadow through the forest near Lunden's palace. The shadow did not know who she was, since Beth had both an English gown and a white cloak that covered her face. But Beth knew who the shadow was. His name was Matt, and they had spent eleventh grade as a couple. They had split on good terms, but now...all Beth wanted to know was why. Why she had found Matt creeping through the palace with a dagger at his side. Beth herself carried no weapon, which was probably not the best idea. Then again, she couldn't really use an English weapon. Swords were not part of Beth's five-year plan. None of this was part of her plan really, but she was trying to make the best of it.  

At last the chase led them both to a river, and it was there that Matt turned to see if he had lost his pursuer. He almost took off again when he saw Beth behind him, and would have, if he hadn't recognized her.

"Beth? Beth Hill?"

"Hello, Matt." Beth almost wanted to sit down and have a friendly chat with him, but she knew she couldn't. If she was going to act as a representative of her country, some things would just have to take second place. "What are you doing here?"

Matt was still getting over the initial surprise of seeing her. "I could ask you the same thing! Man, I thought you were chasing me down!"

"That's because I was. Look, Matt, about that girl Feria you've been hanging out with..."

"How'd you know about her?" 

"Because I'm one of the people on the other side." Beth kept talking, as to not be interrupted. "Feria isn't all she seems to be. She was hurt a long time ago by Caesar Augustus and now she's looking for revenge. Matt, she has killed innocent people, and she will do so again if we can't stop her."

"We?"

"Yes. There are thirteen of us, if you count the Helpers, or the Friends, or however you'd like to call them. They aren't evil at all. Each has a kingdom to protect, and most have some sort of family waiting for their return."

Matt was now very, very confused. "But what about freeing the kingdoms from tyrants?"

Beth sighed. She could go back and forth with Matt all day about grey areas, right and wrong. Then she had an idea...

"Come with me, Matt. Leave that dagger here."

"Where are we going?"

"To meet the tyrants you're fighting against."