The Rogue Rider (An Inheritance Fanfiction)

Chapter 38: Hidden Memories Part 6

Akaysha watched through the eyes of fifteen year old Ragin as he sat, almost perched, on the roof of a building somewhere in Illirea, studying the noble's compound not a hundred metres away. He was wrapped in a dark grey cloak, with a bow on his back and an assortment of weapons stashed through his uniform, much like he had been dressed for the night when he stole her egg. He was calm, focused, and confident. His first mission. A mission that would succeed.

While Ragin had been trained in the blade, throughout the years there was many other sorts of training that he had done with Vanir preparing him for this mission. His aim with a bow was uncanny. His skill with a dagger and throwing knife had been toned to perfection. The skill and ease he pulled off mental attacks he could have only strengthened with years of practice. All of these he did, and more, but they were not important memories, or at the very least not significant ones, so Akaysha hadn't focused on them.

Ragin had been sitting still on the roof for hours, studying the building with an assassin's intensity. That was probably why it was so clear in the memory. The building looked like a small mansion, with stone walls surrounding it on each side with a garden just behind them, encircling the house with an assortment of plants, both foreign and native. The actual house was about three stories high, with balconies at each window and vines crawling up the walls. Guards patrolled each wall, garbed in heavy armour with a spear or bow and a short sword at their hips. They were well trained and loyal, not simple mercenaries Ragin would be able to bribe. He had yet to see a mage, but he knew there would likely be someone.

The manor in question was owned by a man named Martin Fendou, where he lived with his wife, Pearl, and daughter, Freya. Martin was a well-respected man in Illirea and a minor member of the Alageasia's inner court. While not close friends with the current king, they were on talking terms. There seemed to be nothing wrong with him specifically, but he needed to be taken down, as he was the primary reason illegal magic had been so problematic for a good number of years. He secretly funded many of the criminal groups that were teaching people the ancient language and making it difficult for the royal group of magicians, the Du Vrangr Gata, to deal with them. With him gone these groups would quickly fall. This made the mission quite simple. Ragin was to sneak in, kill the target, and sneak back out again. There were to be no witnesses, as that could quite easily lead back to the Black Hand's strong presence in Illirea. Anyone that spotted him needed to be killed quickly and efficiently.

Ragin twisted the ring in his right hand, slightly anxious, as he waited for the next pass of the guard, before making his move. His mind was hidden by the ring, so no one would see him mentally. The dark grey cloak would allow him to blend into the surrounding buildings, keeping him even more hidden. The only way he would be seen would be if they literally ran into him.

As the clouds passed over head he dropped from the top of the building, running along the road to his chosen point of entry. There was an overgrown vine hanging from one of the walls toward the back, allowing Ragin to jump and catch it with a hand, before slowly pulling himself up. He estimated he had only ten seconds of opportunity to be able to get over the wall, and he had already used five. With a slight grunt he hauled himself onto the battlement, and without pausing threw himself over the other side, and down into a slew of bushes that he knew was down below. He used a spell to slow his fall, making sure not to stir up too much sound with the plants. Not a second later a guard appeared along the wall, making his routine rounds. He didn't even notice the slight scuff marks on the ground beneath his feet.

Satisfied with his performance, Ragin snuck his way through the compound, making use of the moving shadows of the sky and many plants scattered throughout the backyard. As he got to the wall of the building, he looked back the way he had come. Guards still patrolled the outer rim, but as far as he knew there wasn't any of them actually in the house. Also, the fact that they used lanterns to see meant they wouldn't be able to make out the shadowy figure from any reasonable distance. They had been unprepared for an assassination tonight.