Assassination Day

Trina's POV 

"Get back to sleep," he said to me as I frowned. "It doesn't concern you."

What did he mean by that? I knew he had gotten into a heated fight with his maid which had finally ended with the woman being sent away.

"I just want to know if you'll be back on time. I have to discuss something with you. If you want, we can talk about it now."

But he wasn't having it.

"Look, how about we talk about this later," he said, leaving with his general which had me dressing up to follow him out.

The minute he left with his general on their horses, I started for Jamie's house.

***

"Get your ass up!" I yelled while banging on her door.

"What is it?" She asked with sleepy eyes as she opened the door.

"We have a little problem."

"What is it?" She asked as I walked past her, getting into her house. 

"It's not really a problem per say but it's also a solution. Have you gotten a hold of your boyfriend and his people?"

"They are working on it."

"Jane ran from the palace," I said excitedly. "She got into a heated argument with the prince who kicked her out."

"Oh by the gods!" She laughed. "We finally have our lives back. But wait, isn't she blind? How did she…"

"How she left isn't important. All that is important is that we need to find her and have her killed. The prince is out there right now trying to find her so I would like it if we can get them out there and kill her before he can find them."

That didn't seem like a big deal. I would let her handle being with her boyfriend and handle the team to take down the woman.

"I'll wait here," I said as the woman ran out to tell her boyfriend to send out the teams to kill Jane.

I waited for a while before being joined by the man and the woman.

"You surely came back fast," I laughed.

"I used old Betsy to get there," she said out of breath.

"Old Betsy?"

"Yeah, my horse."

"And does this fine fella have a name?" I pointed to her boyfriend.

"Oh this is Thomas."

"Hello Thomas," I said to the man who bowed before me. He was a fine looking man whom I wouldn't mind having a fling or two with.

"I've sent the assassins out there to look for her. I'm sure they'd find her and kill her before dawn. Even the prince wouldn't be able to save her from these guys."

That was when I remembered the extra measures I had taken with the assassin I had employed.

"Yeah, I also sent my own killer to find her."

This had them looking at me in confusion.

"I'm confused," Thomas said. "You already sent someone?"

"Yeah. You guys already failed multiple times so I decided to take matters into my own hands and I hired someone I knew would surely get the job done."

He shrugged. "I'm sure they'll work together. All assassins work together except for that one assassin who is too difficult to work with. The silent shadow or whatever their name is."

"What do you mean?" I asked, scared that I might have messed up the mission.

"Well, the silent shadow doesn't like to work with others. Instead they go out of their way to kill others going after the girl."

"So let's just say hypothetically I sent the prince to go out and find her with other people…"

"The shadow killer would kill everyone including the target."

"Oh my! What have I done?"

Suddenly everyone knew that I had messed up. 

"Please don't tell me you sent the silent killer."

"I did," I answered the man as he banged his fist against a table. "I didn't know that you would send people who would be competent. I had to make sure she was dead."

"Let's all say a moment's prayer for the souls of the boys I sent out there because they aren't coming back."

That was when I knew that I had truly messed up. I started to pray that the prince would see her dead and not engage with the killer.

***

Silent shadow's POV

I moved silently, my steps carefully calculated to leave no trace. 

The moonlight filtered through the thick canopy of trees, casting eerie shadows that moved around me.

I had followed her trail diligently, tracing the imprints of her feet in the soft sand near a nearby river.

From the palace I had seen her get into a carriage and get to the edge of the kingdom before deciding to run into the forest.

My info was wrong. She was supposed to be blind but she ran like someone who could see. The person who rode the carriage didn't even care to see if she would be safe as he rode on without a care in the world.

Through my mask, I could see her disappearing into the forest and I knew this was going to be an easy job.

As I ventured deeper into the woods, my senses heightened. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filled the air, mingling with the musk of the forest. The silence was broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant hooting of an owl.

Finally, I reached a small clearing, colored in a pale moonlight. There, amidst the gnarled roots of an ancient oak, I found her. 

She crouched, her back pressed against the rough bark, her eyes wide with fear. 

I stood there for a moment, silently observing her. She was young, her raven-black hair cascading down her slender shoulders. Her eyes met mine and in that moment, she knew the danger she was in.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, her words filled with fear. "So, you've come to kill me, have you?"

I did not respond, allowing the silence to hang heavy in the air.