Chapter 20 To Assassinate Assassins

Lots of death

Chapter 20

To Assassinate Assassins

 

“Bye guys I’ll see you later” I said as I stopped at the doorway to the castle garden. Amy, Ryan, Emily, Daniel, and Amelia. Responded with ‘catch ya Matt’ and ‘Bye’ then continued down the hall as I moved into the garden that the castle was built around. I watched the grass underfoot looking searching. After a minute or so I found what I was searching for.

“You know Amy, at night it would be impossible to see any sign of you its only because its sunny and I can see the depressions where you stand that I know you are walking next to me now” I said out of the corner of my mouth. “So did the guards take the bait?” I asked her. After a short but extending silence I said “now answer me with words when someone is invisible I can’t generally see them hence them being invisible” I immediately imagined Amy sticking out her tongue at me which would most likely be her response and would fit the small pause before I heard Amy whisper the answer.

“yes they took the bait there are about 15 guards following us, none of the other guards are following us or the other 4 guys, they returned to their other patrolling duties” we had gotten all our things ready to leave and then had a fitful nights sleep though no attack came. Today we had noticed we were being watched and when we started walking we realised whoever it was, was following us Amy had managed to slip back and discover it was the castle guards and that there were too many for even all of us together to handle if it came to a fight. So we decided that I should appear to be alone and hopefully that would lure the guards to reveal themselves so we could find out why they were following us. If they attacked, me and Amy could at least keep ourselves from getting killed until the others dropped into the garden from the balconies above where they were hiding in the shadows. Amy and I kept walking Amy remaining invisible. Suddenly guards rushed out and surrounded us swords drawn. I drew my sword as I heard Amy speak.

“Hello boys.” The guards were shocked at the sound f a female voice, and one reacted with a swing at me. I blocked it and swung back catching the guard in between the armour on his arm he dropped his sword and retreated as another moved forward. While the next man took his place I looked up in time to see Amelia and Ryan simply drop from the railing of the balcony overlooking the garden, Emily use only her hands to climb down a rope, and Daniel half climb half slide down his rope using his feet and hands like most people do when climbing up and down a rope. I swung at the next man and as I did I heard a man behind me shout in pain, that was obviously Amy as the others had not reached us yet, once they did it was over in a matter a minuets I kept my sword out as I walked over to one man one of the men I had cut on the shoulder had gotten away before Amy could cut him on his leg to immobilize him so more guards could be arriving any second.

“Why are you attacking us?” I demanded. The man glanced to my sword even though it was not in a threatening position.

“What is the meaning of this?!” At the sound of his voice I swung round to face Robert as he and more guards entered the garden.

“We could ask you the same thing” Daniel said. Suddenly Robert stiffened and I knew before Amy became visible again that she had a knife at his back.

“And we will” she said. Guards moved forward but a slight and quick add of pressure from Amy and Robert waved them off, they stayed back but ready.

“Why did you try and kill me?” Robert asked

“Funny” Emily said “really funny especially since we were almost drowned last night in those baths.

“What? You too?” Robert asked.

“Come off it a servant would a told ya ‘bout the thumping great big holes Emily left killing ‘er attacker” Amelia said sliding slightly back into her street accent. “You know we were attacked!”

“The servants are dead” Robert said. It was then that I realised I hadn’t been woken by anyone and the only two reasons for that to happen is that they are dead or that it was expected that I was not there... or dead.

“Daniel...” he cut me off.

“On it” he said and ran off.

“Where’s he going?” Robert demanded.

“To check how much truth your telling Emily explained he’s going to find out if the servants have been killed. Both groups remained quiet but tense ready for action while we waited for Daniel to return. Finally he did dragging a man with him he threw the man down in front of Robert griped his hair and harshly pulled his head back.

“All the servants were dead, do you know this man?” Daniel asked Robert. He shook his head.

“Honour the contract!” the man said Robert looked at him sharply then said

“Search him for a black cloth with red at the tips”`

“I already found that n his ankle” Daniel said “what does it mean?”

“We are dead” he said “that’s what it means”

“Honour the contract!” the man shouted again.

“Shut your cursed mouth!” Robert yelled at the man angrily.

“Honour the contract! Sealed in blood is the wound, sealed in blood is the death, sealed in blood is the contract! Honour the contract and honour the spirit marker! While the man had been yelling this Robert had started hitting him screaming for him to ‘shut his cursed mouth’ guards now pulled him off.

“What is he saying?” Amy demanded of Robert. “What’s wrong with it?” Robert bowed his head in sadness

“He is an assassin...”

“Honour the contract!...”

“... He belongs to group known as the spirit arrows...”

“...Sealed in blood is the wound...”

“...the spirit Marker is the spirit arrows god...”

“...sealed in blood is the death...”

“...every people come to them with someone they want dead...”

“...Sealed in blood is the contract...”

“...and the ‘spirit marker’ marks those wanted dead as a target...”

“...Honour the contract...”

“...And then the arrows hit the target...”

“...and honour the spirit marker!” The assassin finally finished but Robert still had more to say. “The spirit arrows complete every contract you cannot kill the person who made the contract to terminate it. They believe there god has marked you so they will not rest until your dead.”

“There has to be some way to terminate the contract” Emily said. But Robert shook his head sadly “we have all been marked, so... we will all die”

“What if we kill every Spirit arrow?” Robert looked at Daniel who had voiced the question.

“if you can do that you will be safe from them for a while only one other has done it before but two years later a new group started and tracked him down and killed him” That man was my father’s father. I was very young at the time Barley 4 years of age”

“White light” Daniel said it took me a moment to realise that he saw a white light around Robert meaning he meant us know harm.

“I apologise for our suspicions...” Ryan cut me off.

“Don’t apologise Matt he had his men following us they attacked we defended and as for suspicions we live in dangerous times and are always being chased by people who want us dead”

“Indeed we do” The count said “However I wish you to leave. Anyone you go near endangers them I give you three days to do what you want and then I will send out every able bodied man to scout the city in groups and if they find any trace of you they will destroy it immediately. If they find you... they will have orders to kill you each group will have a runner to go to the other groups and tell them where you are you will die if you stay. I do not wish for more assassins to enter this city I will do what I must to protect the people.”

 

“Lets do it then” Amelia said. After the count told us we had three days to leave the city we had moved our things to an inn and then started gathering information about the assassins we had learnt that they were well known they didn’t try to hide themselves in fact they had an estate that every one new about. They also knew its exact location. Amy had gone to look and reported back that it was better defended than a fortress and would be able to with stand an attack from an Army for 3 days longer than any fortress maybe longer but it wouldn’t be a problem for us

“However” she had said “Ryan will be happy to know we will effectively be in a siege.”

It was dark so we were now heading to the estate. There were three walls each with a number of patrols and two guards at each gate. There were three gates all together one in each wall. Once inside the walls there were three possible ways to reach the actual house for anyone climbing or smashing down the wall there was either a whole heap of camouflaged pits, a statue garden (the trap system is unknown but there are rumours that no one enters and lives), or there is a lake with lots of crocodiles... that are really strong Amy said she saw one smash through the row boats that are the only way provided for crossing. If however you managed to survive the walls you enter a hedge maze. When we arrived at the estate we hung back a bit hiding we timed the patrols then it was time to move Daniel took control of both guards mind at the gate and made them open the gate once done Amy slipped her blades out of there glove sheaths and stabbed their necks they fell but didn’t hit the ground Emily caught both before they hit and carried them away to hide them under some trees then Amy went around the wall once disposing of every patrol with ease silently slipping her blades into the male and female assassins on patrol duty they walked in groups of three so she could take out the last assassin before they had there weapons half drawn. Then she returned to the first gate and we waited as a patrol approached from the inside the first and second wall. They reached the gate and Amy Immediately slit the throat of two men Emily Punched a man in the head she was so strong he went flying back the way he had come a disappeared into the darkness (there was no doubt he was dead). Me and Ryan killed the last two men using blades I used my sword and Ryan’s staff had turned into a S shaped weapon the middle was a handle and each end had a point and each curve a blade, once that patrol was dead Ryan kept his staff in the shape of an S. we had to reach the side of the wall directly opposite us and kill all patrols without raising an alarm, so we walked in a direction that would make us face all patrols head on Amy was ten meters ahead I knew, and I also knew that if she were not invisible I would just be able to see her outline suddenly I heard to bodies hit the ground and ran forward but Ryan got there first he cut one man across the throat with the curved bladed edge of his weapon then brought the point slamming into the back of the man in front of me both dropped immediately I turned to another assassin but Emily kicked him in the neck and he fell choking and Daniel drove his sword through the man. This continued for a while until we reached the next gate Amy stoped us then Daniel made them open the gate and Amy disposed of them then she did A round of the wall making sure there were no more patrols luckily these were not trained soldiers but assassins and Amy was able to run around the wall if not the Guards would not have as slow as they were and Amy would never have made it round the wall without a guard patrol passing the gate  the rest of us were waiting at. When she returned we repeated the process at the last wall (between walls two and three) and finally entered the hedge maze. Daniel walked forward and slashed at the wall instead of cutting through the hedge his sword bounced off. I tried with me sword while Daniel tried pushing the bush apart. When these didn’t work Emily tried to push the bushes apart and then tried ripping the hedge out the ground. Nothing worked.

“Great what do we do now?” Ryan asked.

“We could run our right hand along the right side of the maze” I suggested “it would lead us out eventually”

“Key word in that sentence Matt... Eventually” Amy told me. I shrugged.

“Never said it was perfect”

“Amy” Emily said making a cup with her hand “run and...” Before Emily finished Amelia lunched herself onto Ryan’s shoulders

“Don’t look up” she told him (she had decided to wear a skirt that stoped just above the knees) Ryan turned his head and looked down instead of the straight ahead position it had been in. I swear I could see Ryan blush in the darkness though I don’t know how much or why. After a few moments Amelia jumped down and ran off.

“Follow me she yelled back at us as we took off after her every now and then she would jump up on someone (usually Ryan or Emily) and look out over the maze to figure out which way to go. Suddenly Amelia stoped Ahead of us standing in the middle of the path we needed to take was a Minotaur.

“Oh how original” Amy said. “A Minotaur in a maze!” it stood there regarding us for a moment then lowered its head and charged. I drew my sword but never used it because when it was about 100 meters away an arrow struck the beast on the head between the horns. I turned to look at Daniel who was putting away his bow. He shrugged.

“Worth a shot. If it didn’t work Emily would at least be able to stop it while I put my bow away and get my sword out so I thought why not”

“thanks a lot Daniel Maybe next time I should let the enemy gut you I’m not going to be your body guard” Emily said then added “still its good you have so much faith in my skills”

“Hey Emily don’t steal. I was gonna say that!” Amy said we sniggered but continued on through the maze. Every now and then we would come across another minotaur or see one of a path we were on some were armed and once Amelia ran into one coming around the corner she had fallen down and scrambled back avoiding the minotaur’s Battle axe before I put my sword through its neck. Eventually however we arrived at the end of the maze. I squinted at the house that was directly in front of me. There were 2 guards at the front door to the estate house but they were lazy. Emily cupped her hands and Amy ran and planted her foot firmly in Emily’s hands. Emily then lifted and Amy jumped and landed on the veranda with a loud bang Amelia Myself Daniel and Ryan followed Amy up so that only Emily remained below to confront the now fully aware guards. Emily walked forward out into the lamp light revealing herself.

“hello boys” she said and suddenly to guards went through the veranda roof just a couple of meters behind me I quickly aimed my bow at one guard and fired the arrow with my pendant activated I couldn’t miss the arrow struck the man in the neck between armour and the helmet. Then I fired at the man that Daniel was holding suspended in the air then I jumped down to where Emily was waiting A few seconds later Ryan had dashed into the House and had loosed a mixture of weapons he had created he had so many it had actually taken him 10 seconds (which for him was a very long time). Then with the assassins inside in a wild panic the rest of us followed Ryan into the house. It was simply a massacre. I stood in the middle of the room swinging my sword in complex sword patterns deflecting 3 swords at once ripping some weapons out of hands and letting some simply run themselves onto the point of my sword when they didn’t meet a resistance at the hand guard I was surprised that only some of the swords were actually cut in half. The hardest part was at a point when I didn’t have time to turn and I was swinging my sword around behind my back over my shoulder I was flipping it around in my hand holding it every which way I could to deflect the man attacking me from behind every now and then switching hands kicking the 4 men attacking me from in front eventually I took one sword from one of the 4 men in front of me and I quickly killed him and the other three before I rolled I somersaulted forward narrowly avoiding a swipe of a sword from the man behind me. I spun and after a very short exchange killed him we fought and fought until finally we found the leader. He was standing in the middle of a room his Assassins bodies strewn around him piled up at his feet and yet none of us could reach him finally however every assassin except him in the room were dead. Amelia Lunged forward he reached out with his hand and without even a hair touching her sword grabbed her wrist and twisted. Amelia’s sword dropped But the leader wasn’t finished he manipulated his twist of her arm so she spun Around to face away from himself and toward us then pulled her back toward himself and he slammed the palm of his hand into the middle of her back she cried out in pain as her back almost broke. The leader stood there a head taller than Amelia. He was safe. He had a knife against her throat we had to stop however we kept our weapons ready.

“Who hired you to kill us?” I said

“Mick Sanglee his name was”

“Why did you send people who were not good enough to kill us twice?”

“Once the Muna game wasn’t us”

“They wore strips of red” Daniel said

“Exactly only the end of our bands are red” while we had been talking I had been watching the progress Amelia was making with her hand she had now fully drawn a dagger. Then she smiled at us. I smiled back.

“Ouch” I said simply to the leader as Amelia flipped the blade in her hand so the point was pointing behind her

“What?” he asked then Amelia swung her hand backwards. The blade stabbed the Assassin leader in the groin he let go of Amelia howling in pain Amelia spun easily lifting her leg over her head to collide with the side of his face I stepped forward as Amelia knead him in the stomach. He doubled over and I thrust my hand up the tips of my fingers curled back but my hand not in a fist. The heel of my palm slammed into his chin snapping his head back with a loud crack. He crumpled to the floor. We searched the entire house and found only one more assassin he ran however and got away I watched as he disappeared in the darkness of the statue garden.

Reviews

[Amy]

go thrue the changes i made in that email and the whole thing will make a whole lot more sense for people to read love the plot though realy featured me and Amelia alot