First Raid

I crouched outside the first gate leading into the small village known as Blue Rock. The gate was guarded by three burly men who had swords strapped to their backs. They wore plated silver metal that looked like it cost more than the village itself a couple of times over. The fur they wore to keep them warm also doubled the amount the Brotherhood could get from just their kill. But that wasn't the ultimate goal. What we wanted was at the center of the village.

The Lord who ruled this section of the Kingdom had a favorable amount of mistresses which he let live on their own in their native villages. The woman who was bedded a couple of times a month when the Lord passed through was known to be spoiled beyond she could have been worth. A woman who spread her legs for money wasn't that uncommon in the Kingdom, but a highly paid whore was rarer than a Lord who didn't bed out of wedlock.

Her house was the heart of the village, protected by many of the Lord's loyal followers. All this information had been fed to me by Alis before I'd set out to the raid.

He'd warned me that this would be more difficult than the small robbing we did when we into town.

"I know that," I'd said, yanking out of his grip as he fastened another layer of protection onto me. The thick fabric weighed me down and made my skin feel funny. I would have rather worn my usual clothing, but the many ringlets I'd attached would have gotten us caught.

Decked out in a full black suit made of thin fabric, I pulled on the thin armor every brother wore when we were either sent out on a raid or went on a mission. The attention to detail would have made a seamstress weep. The stitching was beautiful in a way that I doubted any of the other brothers would have paid attention to. Whoever had been brought in to make these were no doubt a genius in their own right. It was too bad that most of the women who worked for the Brotherhood weren't so revered as their male comrades.

I'd pursed my lips. Alis had noticed.

He'd put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't do anything foolish."

I'd given him my cheeriest grin. "You needn't worry. It's me after all?"

A few yards away from me, I saw Meeko creep into my line of vision. He raised his hand to me and made the signal for me to go.

The routine had been drilled into my head and since it had always been what I'd wanted to do since I was old enough to hold my blade's, I had it memorized. But there was a slight problem. There was a large difference between studying and memorizing a set of commands versus actually doing them. That's where my problem was and where I hoped I wouldn't fail. The worst case scenario was that I would end up dying on my first raid.

That would be embarrassing.

There a total of five of us on the first outer circle. Our task was to sneak as close to the perimeter as possible. From there, the second wave of brothers would be the distraction, and then the final set of brothers would be the ones to disarm the guards. The five of us on the first out circle would get inside, check that the close was clear, and then lead the way to the house.

It seemed almost too easy when it was laid out like that, but I knew that it was going to be a lot more work than just getting inside.

I followed the natural falling shadows of the forest. After years of playing hide and seek with the brothers in the forest, it was almost natural for me to follow the pattern of shifting from one leg to the other. I let from side to side, always keeping in time to the swaying trees. The dance was complicated only as much as I thought it was. Once I got the hang of it, I got lost in the rhythm and was at the edge of the other side of the wall before I could think about it. The guards scanned the outer edge of the forest. One of the guards turned towards where I was sitting. I held my breath and waited for him to look away.

He turned towards the forest, looking at a bush that had rustled.

I couldn't help the grin that appeared on my face. It took only a second for me to scramble up the side of the wall. I laid face down into the rough rock. The village was encircled by a wall that must have been built over hundreds of years ago. It was a frail rock that looked to be only held upright by plaster and good luck.

From below, the guards were becoming little suspicious.

I signaled with a small wave when the guards weren't looking.

The distraction came in a sort of yelp from out in the distance. The guards glanced at one another, clearly not knowing what they should do. The yelp came again, higher pitched, and a little more distressed.

One of the guards gestured to the one closest to me. Looking almost defeated, the guard withdrew his sword and advanced cautiously towards the forest in the direction where the yelp had come from.

The other two guards were ready to fight, stiff and at attention where they stood. But they didn't have the time to prepare once they heard the yell of their other former guard.

They couldn't run to help the poor man though they didn't get the chance.

The band of Brothers emerged from the forest. They were like shadows themselves, trailing across the ground towards the guards. They raced forwards on their fast feet, so quick that I swore that if they'd gone any faster they would have flown.

The first strike was a quick swipe across the first guard's neck. Blood spilled to the ground as the guard choked and fell to a lump before the hidden assassin. I watched with a close and awed eye. This killing was the first I'd seen. It was an art form that I wanted to learn and would in the coming minutes.

My heart leaped with anticipation.