Chapter 16 - Assassination

“Do we bring him in?” One of the figures asked.

“We can’t question him here.” The leader responded. “That’s what the basement is for. The inquisitor left his tools there as well. So, yeah, pick him up and bring him in.”

“What about your arm?” The one who had suggested the torture asked. “I don’t think they have a proper healer in this dump.”

“It will have to wait.” The leader sighed. “The boy was more skilled than I expected.”

Mila perked upon hearing about an injury. If Kefo had managed to injure the only person capable of casting spells, there was a good chance she would succeed in killing them.

The thought came unexpectedly easy. Mila felt sick from not feeling any resistance from her consciousness. It just felt like the right thing to do. Even logical.

Killing would not leave any witnesses and decrease their numbers. Of course, there was a risk it would cause enemy reinforcements to arrive, but-

Mila found herself climbing up the building’s wall. Her muscles struggled, so she forced some of the gathered mana to move and reinforce her limbs. Once she was on the roof, she carefully crawled towards the edge to see Kefo being picked up and carried inside.

Only a single individual stayed outside by the doors and sat on the bench next to the entrance. Mila glanced at the nearby bird, judging her every movement.

“Think you can distract him for a moment?” She whispered.

Mr Crow thoughtfully tilted his head sideways and hopped next to her to glance down to where the man was resting. He silently took off and glided towards the furthest side of the yard, where he landed on the wall.

A loud caw startled the man and Mila alike. Mr Crow released another loud shout and looked at his target in contempt.

“What do you want, you shitty bird?” The man grumbled. Another caw later, he bent to the side to pick up a pebble.

It was the perfect moment to strike. Mila double-checked the surroundings. The air was clear, it was dark, the doors were closed, and the walls made an excellent obstacle for anyone who would want to peek from outside.

Before she could question her decision, Mila was already falling down. Her arm reached out, and as the man raised, she landed on his back, her arm snuck around his neck, and the sharp blade effortlessly slit his throat.

Mila felt nothing besides the dull pain from the fall. The smell of Cooper quickly permeated the air as the man collapsed forward with her on his back and landed with a soft thud.

In the back of her mind, Mila understood what she had done and looked down at her hands. A bit of blood had splashed on her palm, which she wiped in the man’s robe. Her eyes rose, and she met Mr Crow’s curious gaze.

The bird simply looked at her, then at the body. It cocked its head and silently judged. Mila gave it a sign, and it left to find her friends.

Looking back at the closed doors, Mila tried them and found them open. She made a small opening and listened for any sound.

There was something. Mila extended her senses but felt no mana. The only sound was the ratling of kettles and the shuffling of a single pair of feet. Somewhere further in the building, she could hear a conversation.

Mila knew there was not much time left before they would start hurting Kefo. She widened the opening and glanced inside, where a man was currently pouring himself a bowl of food.

Despite the hurry, Mila waited. And then the man spoke.

“Hey, Dotty, you want some food?” He asked, and when there was no answer, he turned towards the doors. “Dotty?”

With unhurried steps, the man began to walk towards Mila. She slipped to the side, and just as the man pushed the doors open, her dagger sped through the air, striking the man’s neck and severing his windpipe.

Mila grabbed the man’s robe and yanked him out of the building, dropping him next to her first victim. She listened for a moment, checking if anyone had noticed her actions.

Seeing the air was clear, Mila slipped inside the building. It would be safer to wait for her friends, however…

Mila didn’t want them to see what she had done. How callously she took lives. Her mind was still clear and focused. She had no doubts it would remain so. There was something wrong with her, just as she had suspected.

There was nothing important in the kitchen, so Mila prowled deeper towards the half-opened doors leading into a hallway. The voices grew louder. Her eyes landed on another door leading down into the basement.

It was dangerous. Mila understood it. She knew she should wait. But if Isabel saw her- She found herself sneaking down the stairs.

And there was more. Mila felt this was the right thing to do. The years she had experienced fighting against these enemies. They had left an unmistakable impact on her.

Even more so, Mila enjoyed it. The feeling of slinking in the dark. The cold certainty she felt when taking out her target. It was sick. There was no need for strength or overpowering stature. This was something she could do.

The voices were now just a doorway distance away from her. Mila listened to the men ramble and question Kefo, who remained silent. Their threats grew increasingly appalling.

Mila hefted her dagger and considered her options. There were still two opponents left. She tasted the mana in the air, feeling the leader's position. He was standing next to Kefo. Judging by her senses, the leader should be facing away from the doors.

The third man’s mana was too low for Mila to locate. An unexpected but understandable limitation. She would have to keep it in mind for the future or find a way around it.

Finally, Mila’s targets had enough of Kefo’s defiance. She heard footsteps and Kefo’s curse.

It was time. Mila put her hand on the door handle and readied herself. She took a deep breath and felt the meagre amount of mana circulate through her muscles.

Mila heard Kefo grunt in pain, and it was her sign. She pressed the handle and hoped her comrade's suffering would mask the noise of opening doors.

And it worked. The two men were too occupied to notice the doors opening. They stood with their backs turned to her. Mila saw Kefo’s eyes widen, both from pain and from her appearing in the doorway.

There was a choice here. To take out the easy target or to gamble and attack the hard one. Mila skulked forward, her stance low. She raised her bloody dagger and aimed.

The strike was swift and brutal. The leader barely reacted, and Mila managed to sink her weapon at the side of his neck. Still, it didn’t immediately kill as he managed to move sideways at the last moment.

Before Mila could finish him off, she had to jump backwards to avoid the tackle coming from the second man. She looked at the collapsing leader and judged his wound to be mortal. His mangled arm had failed to grab the stiletto hanging at his belt. If Kefo had not injured him, perhaps he could have retaliated and put her in danger.

Mila heard a noise upstairs. A wood shattering and her friends calling her name. There was not enough time. They would notice the fighting and come downstairs. Kefo opened his mouth to call out to the new arrivals.

It was happening too fast. Mila’s body struggled to keep up. The man in front of her swung the pliers he held, and she deflected the attempt, slicing his wrist in the process.

Mila felt the leader gather mana in one last attempt at getting back at her. His eyes watched her hatefully while slowly growing dull.

But the mana was as potent as ever. Mila felt it was something simple, likely just a pure mana bolt. It was more than she could handle.

Hearing the footsteps on the stairs, Mila ducked beneath the standing man’s wild swing and sliced his face, blinding one of his eyes. He screamed and covered his face. It was a mistake Mila gladly capitalised on.

She drove her dagger upwards between the man’s ribs. He gasped one last breath before his punctured heart stopped forever. Mila tore the weapon out of the falling body.

The leader was about to finish his spell. The thought of throwing her dagger flashed through her mind, but she dismissed the idea. Mila had to be sure she killed the man before he could do anything more.

So she rushed. Mila used all her strength to fall upon the man. His eyes followed her movements. She felt the spell finish and jerked herself to the side, avoiding the flashing bolt as it whizzed past her face.

Somewhere behind her, Mila felt the bolt punch through the wall. The man had been predictable. There was no way she could be hit by such a sloppy attempt.

Then Mila was above him. She drove her dagger downwards and used her weight to make her blitz deadlier.

Mila heard voices behind her exclaim in horror as the dagger pierced the man’s chest. A gasp escaped his mouth for the last time, signalling the end of the struggle.

There was a strange moment of silence in which Mila felt something unexpected happening within her being. She narrowed her eyes, trying to locate the source of the sensation, but before she could-

“Mila!” Isabel’s distraught voice filled the room.

The reality hit her. Mila had been too slow. She looked down at the bleeding body and pushed herself up.

“There is blood on you!” Isabel rushed towards her friend.

“Not mine.” Mila allowed Isabel to pat her body, checking for any wounds while she normalised her breathing.

“I am so glad.” Isabel wrapped her hands around her. “You are alright, you are alright.” She whispered. “How could you!” Her tone suddenly changed, and she pushed Mila back. “Why did you do this alone?” Isabel demanded an answer.

“I-” Mila searched for words. She absently noted Isabel had stained herself with her victim's blood while embracing. “I couldn’t let you do this.” She finally admitted. “I didn’t want you to kill.” Mila paused. “And to see me like this. Furthermore, Kefo was in danger, and there was no more time.”

Mila watched Andrew stand behind Isabel, watching them with apprehension clear on his face. Tiff meanwhile rushed towards Kefo to free him from the ropes.

At least Mila’s words seemed to calm Isabel down somewhat. Her friend glanced at the captured boy, who was now reassuring Tiff he was fine.

“We must leave,” Mila noted. “There are more of them chasing Martin. They shouldn’t be back before dawn, but there is no need to risk it.”

The group immediately moved out. Andrew looked queasy while Isabel fussed over Mila’s actions. Kefo was pulled along by Tiff, who was whispering in his ear menacingly.

Upstairs, Mila noted the broken front door and the shouting outside, so she led their group towards the yard, where they climbed over the wall to avoid the growing bustle.

Carefully, they waded through the darkest alleys, trying to stay unnoticed. Mr Crow glided above their heads in silence. He occasionally landed on Andrew’s shoulder to let them know where to head next.

Soon, they had made it to the other side of the town. They hid behind a pile of firewood and took a breather.

“The guards will make the connection and search for us,” Mila concluded after a bit of thinking. “We must leave the town as soon as possible.”

“Won’t the guards stop us at the gate?” Isabel whispered back.

“What about our supplies?” Andrew raised another issue.

Mila turned to Kefo. “Is the supplier trustworthy?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “He is a friend of Martin’s.”

“Then we will visit him and see if he can bring our supplies outside of the town where we can get them.” Mila decided.

Despite the plan being improvised and full of holes, they didn’t face any significant setbacks.

The man who Martin had referred them to was helpful. He had immediately agreed to bring the cart with their purchase to the agreed place outside of the town. He had also given dark cloaks to help them hide in the night’s blackness.

In addition, the man had led them to a quiet spot where the town’s wall was undergoing repairs.

One by one, they slipped outside of the town. Martin had made sure to lead his pursuers away from their hideout’s direction so they didn’t need to worry about running into those.

Mila looked up to the sky. The cold night’s light illuminated their path. She looked at Kefo, who was leading them through the fields. Her feet moved on their own while her mind finally found the time to contemplate an important fact.

Despite spending her reserves to keep herself going, there was now more mana in Mila’s body than before the night had started.