Assassin (Book 1)

SEVEN

Who knew the base would be so small?

It was a house, no different than any other house.

"They'll take care of me here?" my voice wavered. "Don't send me back. . . ."

"I'd never do that," he smiled reassuringly, squeezing my hand as he brought his dark horse to a stop. Lance slid off first, and then, taking in a deep breath, I dismounted. But as soon as my foot hit the ground a jolt of pain shot up my ankle. Careful to make my feelings obvious, I cried out, squeezing my eyes shut.

"There, there, easy," Lance said, his green eyes curious. "We're right here."

Inside, I was screaming at him. Give me the antidote! Your people are killing my friend.

"Okay," I nodded. Okay.

He took me inside and as the door opened, a fresh smell hit my nose. Bread was baking. People were laughing and sitting around tables. Children were running around, music was playing.

"This . . . this is the base?" I asked. I'd expected it to be dark and pitiful. Eerie. Dull.

"Yes. Why?"

"It's loud," I whispered.

"It's fine. You'll get used to it." He helped me in as I took my reluctant steps. He needed to trust me. To know that I wouldn't hurt him. He was my only chance to capture the Leader's child, and get the antidote to save Xavier.

He walked me in slowly, as the room fell silent all of a sudden. All eyes were on me.

I stood closer to Lance, my arm around one of his, and I realized, I wasn't used to this much attention. I felt completely out of place.

"Can I please have your attention?" Lance grinned widely, "This is Kristina, our newest member."

Some waved, others muttered hellos while many smiled, but I noticed a lot of them were frowning.

"Why don't they look happy?" I asked quietly.

"Not here," he shook his head and pulled me away. "You need to talk to the Leaders first."

My stomach did a little dance inside. "Alright," I sighed.

I followed him through a small door, and suddenly it was too dark to see. "Sorry," he said, and the next second he lit a torch. "Stay close."

I scoffed silently. How much closer could I get? We walked down the steps, the eerie glow of the torch light flickering on the earthen walls.

Earthen walls. We were heading underground.

"Where are we?" I asked, stepping closer, my weak ankle aching. It was cold.

"Underground," he replied, stating the obvious. I was glad it was dark enough for me to do my classic eye roll. "Our rebel bases were built on top of the old mines. There are still tunnels under construction, but every rebel base is connected so we can move around easily. You're the first person I've ever showed this to, because you actually look like you need our help. We don't often get many girls that are alone."

"Why not?"

"They don't usually make it this far by themselves," he explained. My fingers were itching to pull my knife out. Relax. He's naïve. You can teach him a lesson after you get the antidote.

My hand dropped to my side and I took a deep breath.

He smiled over his shoulder and stopped at the end of the stairs where a trapdoor was located. "We just need to get through here."