Chương 16: Chapter 17: Solo

For the umpteenth time in the last two days, I reread the missive. These instructions are more detailed than I've ever had before. I gently lay out the vials and my pipe, getting ready to pack them up. With not much time left before I head out, I pull out my best night gear and pouch. Just me and my vials of poison required. It's been so long since I went on a solo contract, I've forgotten quite how it feels. The enormity of having to rely solely on oneself.

Even though most of my duo contracts just mean we have an assignment in the same vicinity. Being fully alone lends more urgency. Not to mention the thrill. Aarron, luckily, didn't require my presence to hand me the instructions. Considering I'm still faintly mottled, that's a good thing. I lift the paper again, fingering it thoughtfully as I pull on my night gear. I haven't burned the contract yet for multiple reasons. There's a sketch of the target included, and the requirements are complex.

I've spent two days prepping for this one. The toxins necessitated careful mixing. I frown as I read it through again. This death must be painful and performed in public. The execution must send a message. It's another Court target, but this time in the actual capital. In front of other people. From the sounds of it, in front of a whole room full of people. I've never hit a target in Korrien before. Little villages and towns scattered around us, sure.

Having to travel to other cities for my specific set of skills, definitely. But directly in the middle of Korrien? Never. It's bold. Dangerous. I lace the front of my black leather jacket tight, not liking the bagginess around several areas on my person. Blending into the shadows will be of paramount importance in this location. Korrien is a big city, right on the border of our Enclave's lands. It's where the Courts congregate. It's where the governing bodies of all the Orders have their official headquarters.

Except Bryony and Nightshade, of course. Their fronts don't express their true colors. Bryony is known as the Order of Retrieval, Nightshade as the Order of Enforcement. Can't have thieves and assassins with an actual shop front. That just wouldn't be acceptable. Korrien, unlike other major cities, never sleeps. Inns, taverns, and shopfronts are always open. While I expect to use my usual method of execution, I'm unsure how viable it will be if the area is too crowded.

The odds of someone walking in my path are slim, but they do exist. A public execution is specifically tailored to deliver the point in just the right way amidst a gathering. The contract even details the precise timing. And that is not a frequent request. Most assassination demands go for shock value when discovered. Dying in front of other people as a warning? Nothing regular about that.

"You sure I can't come with you?" Xan just arrived and leans against my door. I've grown so used to sensing presences in more detail as they approach me. There's no impact. They didn't startle me. I have a new forewarning system.

"Aarron is sure you can't come with me," I chide as gently as I can, considering Xan has been asking this for the last two days and I'm sick of it.

"I don't need to be babysat. You can't protect me from myself." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. For a moment, the air around me is one with my mood, crackling with an energy that makes Xan's hair stand on end. Just for a second before I tamp down on it. That was a first. Yet another thing I need to explore. I need more time to cement a base for my abilities. It really would help if I didn't need protecting from myself.

Xan clears their throat and takes a step back, smoothing their hair back down.

"Right. Not asking that again." I want to ask how the energy felt. How the power reacts with someone's senses who aren't mine. Is it intimidating? Scary? Terrifying? I've no doubt that with practice, I could make it all of those.

"Minx and I leave tomorrow morning for Dorrinth." I cringe at the name of my once-home city. The last place I wish I could visit. Unless they want me to wipe out the entire population. I could perhaps be persuaded then.

"Be careful of those people." Xan eyes me.

"Bad memories?"

"The worst." Glimpses of my past threaten to overwhelm me, the attached emotions bubbling to the surface. The house was charred by the time I returned. There was no hope for survivors. So many nights filled with uncertainty. Days spent scrounging for herbs. The draft in that tiny wooden hut I lived in for three years. Alone. I let out my breath slowly, focusing on my leathers instead of all of those memories, all of that pain. My uniform still doesn't fit me right. I should have gone to Velina.

But she would have seen my bruises. While I like her, I don't trust her as I do Lennick. I'll see her when I get back.

"Hungry?" Xan asks, beckoning me toward the door. I'm about to relent when I sense Lennick flying down the hall. I hold up a hand to pause Xan, and my mentor is there within seconds.

"In a hurry, then?" Xan quips, a grin playing on their lips. Lennick flashes a smile as he steps into the room and pulls the door closed behind him.

"Wanted to catch Taria before her assignment. Here." He shoves another two journals and a "so old it's almost falling apart" book into my hands.

"I knew I had more. These will help." He's excited. The very air around him vibrates fiercely with life. I wish I could see the way the power moves. Maybe that's something I can't do yet. It might be something I have to build up to. Wish I could slow time. I need more of it.

"Thanks." But I can't leave the books out. I'll need to hide them. Nightshade members might get on well, but I wouldn't say we're a trusting bunch. Although I guess since they already know so much, I trust these two about as much as I am willing to trust anyone. Xan knows my Novice days weren't as perfect as most think. Lennick could have let me fend for myself and told Aarron. But I guess, knowing what they know about me, it would be foolhardy to upset me.

Stashing the books away, I find myself drawn to reading them.

"You can't read them now?" Lennick seems a bit let down.

"I thought you had enough time."

"Time to eat and head out. I prefer to get the lay of potential escape routes before I have to use them." My tone is business, but just for a moment, I almost wish I didn't have a job to do. The need to understand how I interact with all of this is intense. But then I remember the opportunity this contract presents to me. A chance to use my powers to help me, to make me better at what I do.

"I'll get to them as soon as I'm back." I offer a brief smile and then grimace as my stomach rumbles. Ushering them out of my quarters, I lock the door behind me.

"But I do need food." When we get to the cafeteria, the food is bland, and we can't talk about anything without too many overhearing. Checking my darts, I glance up at the skylights. Twilight is approaching.

"I'll see you when I get back," I say to Xan.

"Don't get yourself killed without me."

"I'm just as capable as you." I roll my eyes, but I know despite all their flaws, Xan is fully capable. It's Minx I'm worried about.

"Speed and Silence," I say, feeling the farewell fall oddly on my tongue for once. It's not something I use often.

"Speed and Silence," Xan says, and I feel like they're forcing the words out. I make myself leave before I can second guess myself, slinking through the halls and out the exit into the forest beyond. It's going to take me a few hours to get to town, especially since I'm traveling by foot. Horses don't make for the quietest or best getaways. Even if I will miss my Jax. There's still some sunlight lingering, barely making it through the canopy. I can feel the lull of nature all around me.

Its relaxed attitude in the breeze, the way the leaves sigh with every sway. I'm going to have to make it a habit to come out here when I'm not in a rush to work. A light jog will get me there faster, and the slope right now is gentle. My injuries have healed enough that the impact from my movements no longer jostles and hurts. Going this way allows me to practice as I move.

Touching a tree and exerting just a sliver of power, a boost to its health, I deliberately make contact with every tree I can as I move through the area. Coaxing it to grow stronger. For the leaves to spread thicker. For the branches to reach higher. Small amounts. Reinforcing what is there. Practice. It's taken a couple of hours, and I'm still a short way out. The sun is almost completely set now, and I pull out my night vision lenses to help navigate. I know these woods.

Not as well as I knew the Western Enclave, but well enough. There are fireflies that light up the night, glaring through my goggles. They pave a way down toward the ever-nearing lights of the city. Korrien from above at the end of dusk holds a more sinister feeling than I'd thought. Shadows play around the buildings, and the people look like bugs. That's when I realize it's not the city, but the ground thrumming beneath me like it's trying to warn me.

I wish I was good enough at wielding this power to know what the hell it means.