Chosen : Assassin Book 1

Chosen - Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty

I missed home. I even missed mother and her overbearing ways. I stood at the railing of the ship, staring into the sea thinking about the English countryside. I missed the mincemeat pie my mother took it upon herself to make. She never did anything herself, but that. She stopped when I was a child. I missed being excited to go to court to visit with the royal family. I missed my mother how she was before I left for France; a sane, normal, loving mother any daughter could want. Then I grew, and she realized I could be a pawn in her twisted games.

"You appear to be thinking rather hard."

"Remembering times past," I mumbled.

"Are you all right?" Cassius asked.

"Of course."

"We're almost there. We should be docking by nightfall."

"Good," I replied.

"Do you have a plan yet?" he asked.

I shook my head, watching the frothy waves slam into the side of the ship. A few dolphins leaped beside the ship as we sliced through the water. I wished I could be as free as they were.

I relished in the fact we had yet another relatively uneventful sailing trip. Only a few minor storms popped up and surprisingly no pirates.

Angeline stood near the helm of the ship, eyes closed, and going through movements. They were calming movements meant to put us in a state of readiness. She moved as gracefully as a ballerina. Each turn, spin, and kick were done with precision.

"Should you be readying yourself?" Cassius inquired.

"I'm as ready as I'm going to be. Nothing can get me out of the mindset that I'm in," I replied.

"Once the Guild is defeated what do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know."

"Will you have replacements for the leaders?"

"I haven't decided yet. I suppose I'll have to do something. We very well can't leave all of the assassins leaderless. Someone has to make decisions and set about changing the rules."

"Why don't you do it?"

"Me?" I looked at him in shock.

"Yes. You and Angeline."

"I've never been in charge of anything. I just follow orders."

"You're more than capable of doing it. You know how the Guild works, you can lead the assassins."

"The location for their home would have to change. I don't plan on staying in Italy," I said.

"You'll figure something out." He kissed my cheek and returned to help the sailors.

Will I figure it out? Am I even going to defeat the Guild?

I picked up a crate sitting on the dock nearby and placed it on a large piece of cargo. I pulled out my dagger and drew large circles on it. Stepping back a few feet, I threw the first dagger. It landed near the outer ring of the first that I drew. I threw the second and it hit closer to the center.

We need more consistency!

I yanked the daggers out of the wood and repeated the process over and over until my shoulders ached and my back was sore. Large gashes adorned the side of the now ruined box. I still wasn't satisfied. The sun sank beneath the ocean in the horizon, casting its beautiful array of colors across the sky. I turned toward the bow of the ship and watched the distance for any sign of land. We should have been close. The darkness prevented me from seeing much of anything. The Adriatic Sea was enormously large, but it was big enough to cause the trip to feel that much longer. Lights appeared in the distance. My heart leaped to my throat as they grew closer. Ships spotted the port and lined the docks. The lights of the houses became brighter as we pulled into port.