We reached The Pit at 10:28 as my watch told me. It was a house on the outskirts of town, near the forest's edge. Small and dainty, it looked to be a cottage housing an old woman or a farmer, but looks were deceiving. Sorin looked at the house, mouth open slightly.
"Close your mouth, you insufferable, pitiful excuse for a man," I muttered, walking up to the door. Sorin scowled.
"Will you stop with the insults?" He complained. I scoffed.
"Will you leave?" Sorin glared at me. Ignoring him, I rasped my knuckles against the heavy oak door, but the only thing that greeted me on the other side was silence. Again, I knocked but this time yelled beyond the door, "It's Vera, Ace. Come out!" It took a second, but eventually, there was a shuffling in the house.
The door unlocked and opened. A woman, young and lanky, appeared. She looked to have just woken up, her short hair frizzy and askew, and her loose clothing wrinkled. Rubbing her eyes as if the sun hurt her, Ace asked slightly sarcastic,
"What can I do for my wonderful boss this morning?" She leaned against the doorway, still shielding her eyes from the sun, but behind her hands, I saw her squinted eyes. "I suspect there's a reason for coming down here when I was spending my Tuesday morning sleeping peacefully." I gave her a small, contempt smile and bit down my insult. My lack of food was making me irritable today. I knew I should've eaten that damn food with Carter.
"Are the things I asked for ready?" Ace took her hands from her face and folded them across her chest. Her eyes were still squinted, but the light didn't seem to bother her anymore.
"I'm an inventor, not a miracle worker." Pulling the wine bottle up from where it sat against my outer thigh, I waved it around.
"I brought you a little motivation." Ace's lips pulled into a crooked half-smile.
"Come on in." Before she moved out of the entrance, she froze and cocked her head. She had finally looked over my shoulder, seeing Sorin standing behind me. Her eyebrows shot up. "Who's the eye candy?" I stifled an annoyed sigh.
"Compliments of the king. I'm now being watched for any acts of treason. Lovely isn't it?" Ace laughed and shifted so she was looking at Sorin.
"What's your name?" Sorin took a half step forward. I felt his breath on the crease of my neck and fought the urge to shove him back.
"First Class Lieutenant Sorin Ackroyd Stryker." Ace smiled and chuckled.
"Well if we're using irrelevant names, I'm Ainsley Montgomery Pruitt, the Viper's prestigious inventor and chemist. I'm assuming you're coming inside too, so don't mind the mess. Oh, and don't touch anything unless you want to get blown up to shreds." She beckoned us in, disappearing into the darkness of the house. Sorin came up behind me.
"Is she always like this?"
I shrugged. "Pretty much."
Walking into the house, I was immediately hit with the overwhelming scent of burnt chemicals and alcohol. The ground and furniture were stacked with metal scraps, wires, and other concoctions. Beakers, scales, tubes, funnels, and other science equipment sat on tables along with a lab coat over a chair and goggles. On the other side of the house, the door opened, and a half-dressed girl, only wearing a white shift, stepped out, leaning against the door frame.
"You didn't say we were having guests," she said sweetly though I figured she was probably annoyed with me. This wasn't the first time I'd barged in on them. Ace gave her a 'what do you want me to do' look and vanished to the next room.
"Isabella," I said, bowing my head in greeting. She raised a brow at me.
"Morning Ms. Drystan. I'm guessing you're about to ask me to leave, so I don't hear the 'confidential' information you and my girlfriend will be discussing?" I set the wine bottle down on the table with less clutter.
"I apologize," I said, trying to sound genuine, "but this couldn't wait."
"Mhm," she hummed curtly, walking over to the sofa where a light blue tunic sat discarded over the back. I began looking around the room at Ace's new insane inventions. People called her crazy for her ideas, but I found them resourceful. It blinded my enemies, metaphorically and sometimes physically, and gave me a momentary advantage.
When I looked back to the center of the room, I saw Sorin watching Isabella, looking almost confused. "Do you have any modesty?" he asked suddenly, watching Isabella lace up her corset, then her black leather boots. She smiled at him.
"It is my house, and it's not my fault your eyes refuse to leave me. If you don't want to see my dress, turn away." From across the room, I snorted softly and stifled my laugh. Sorin cleared his throat and turned away.
Ace walked back in right as Isabella finished and began walking out. "I'll be aimlessly wandering the streets until you finish," Isabella sighed, passing by Ace and kissing her lightly. Ace smiled and nodded.
"We'll be quick, love." Isabella shot her a look, then was gone.
"Okay, let's get over this," I said, dropping a rectangular instrument. Ace nodded as she sat at the table containing wires and other objects.
"I'm almost done with your request. The flash bombs are already done, but I've come up with a few more ideas to enhance your performance. It'll take me at least ten minutes to finish it though, so make yourselves at home." She slid on her goggles, the lenses enhancing her eyes, one green, one hazel. I began to slip into the washroom. Sorin looked at me and started to follow me.
"Where are you going?"
"Can a lady not do her business in peace?" I hissed. He looked at me suspiciously but nodded.
"You can go." I scoffed softly and turned.
"I was going to anyway." When I got to the washroom, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a note -the same note Rafe had slipped into my pocket back at the Vipers Den.
Scarlett Assassin, meet me at the boarding docks at half-past midnight. Come alone and unarmed.
It wasn't Rafe's handwriting, so I knew it wasn't his note nor did it look like the king's though the thickness of the cardstock and the evenness of the ink suggested wealth. Easily, it could be a trap especially since it asked for me alone and unarmed, but I had a feeling about this. The only thing I'll need to do is shake off my shadow. I folded the note back up, sticking it into my pocket, and walked back out to the living room.
When Ace had finished, probably fifteen minutes later, she stood and walked over to me, pulling her goggles up to rest on her head. First, she handed me five small, spherical devices. I slid them into one of my pockets. Then, she grabbed a twin set of regular-looking blades and put them in my hands. I raised a brow.
"Blades? Really? How original." Smirking, Ace pointed to a button on the hilt.
"Just press the button," she said, "and let it work its magic." I stepped back and pressed the buttons. In an instant, the usual silver blades were wrapped in a transparent blue hue that hummed softly.
"Huh," I hummed, examining them closely. Quickly, quicker than Sorin could comprehend, I reached over and tapped his arm with the blade. When they made contact, the electricity spiked and Sorin cried out, jumping back. I nodded, impressed. "You have outdone yourself, Ace. These will be put to good use. Is that all?" She nodded, satisfied with my reaction. "Then I'll leave you and Isabella alone for today." With that, I nodded my head toward her and brushed past an appalled Sorin.
"Are you coming?" I asked. Sorin scoffed but trailed behind me.
"You shocked me."
"Yes. Yes, I did." We opened the door. "Would you rather stay here and pout?" Sorin scowled at me but eventually stormed out the door. I smirked. "Good boy."
We got back to the Viper Den in the early afternoon. I completed some paperwork while Sorin made himself completely useless by drinking at my bar and gambling. He lost some money in the process, but still, he slowly began making friends, charming my runners, laughing with the rich, flirting with the poor, and I despised it. I despised how easily he could slide into my territory and get people to like and respect him.
Toward the end of the night, I snuck out to go back to my room, leaving Sorin with his drinks and new allies. Eventually, I felt a presence behind me.
"You thought you could fool me, little assassin?" Sorin asked, walking beside me. His hot breath was drowned with alcohol and I heard the clacking of coins in his pocket.
I shrugged, ignoring this new little nickname he's seemed to give me. "No. I just figured I'd take all the silence I could get."
"You wound me," he said, smiling.
"Intentional." There was a small silence between us.
"You're turning in early tonight," Sorin mused. I took notice of the good mood he was in. It made my next task easier.
"I got done with paperwork early and had nothing else to do. Figured I'd catch up on some sleep." When we got to the entrance of the apartments, I sighed, turning to Sorin. The sun had long since set, and from the dim lantern light hanging outside the stone building, I could carefully pick out Sorin's features- his defined jaw and quizzical eyes. They were clouded with alcohol and exhaustion.
Carefully, I took out a flask from my pocket and handed it to him. "Here," Sorin smirked.
"What's this?"
"An apology," I said sourly, "for shocking you earlier. It's not much, but I didn't want you going to the king and crying wolf." He took the flask from my hand and nodded smugly.
"Good idea. Wouldn't want to upset the boss." With a last, exasperated look, I turned toward the building, hearing Sorin take a swig from the flask while he followed me. I swallowed down my smirk as we walked to our rooms.
By the time we made it to our hallway, Sorin was already stumbling, having drunk nearly half of the flask coated with an anticholinergic drug. I coaxed him into his room where he collapsed in a large mess of muscles on the bed, flask in hand. Without even missing a beat, I slammed the door shut and walked back downstairs. It was nearly midnight already, so I would be slightly late to this impromptu meeting with the mystery sender. At least now I didn't have Sorin bothering me.
Right before I reached the docks, I felt someone behind me. I listened to their near-silent footsteps. "The note said I had to go alone, Rafe." He didn't miss a beat.
"The sender of the letter won't see me. Trust me." I nodded though I figured he wouldn't see it.
"Very well. Be careful." Then he was gone, and I was alone again, listening to my footsteps against the pavement.
I reached the docks at around 12:10, dodging the late-night fishermen and drunks swaying down the streets. The sky was painted in hues of blues and purples and black and spotted with specks of bright, white stars. I glanced up at them, reciting the constellations and planets and stars I saw by heart in my head.
Not knowing where to meet the sender, I kept walking up and down the docks until I saw a woman in a deep purple cape embroidered with gold trim. She was facing the water, her dark curls taken by the light sea breeze. My steps slowed.
"Getting your hands dirty, Princess?" I asked, recognizing the expensive fabric. "Does Daddy know about this little endeavor?" Slowly, Princess Sophriona turned, giving me a small smile.
"Scarlett Assassin. I've been wanting to meet with you for a while now."
I gave a half-smile. "Ms. Drystan please, your highness. What can I do for you?" The princess stepped forward.
"I have some information that may prove valuable for you." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her cloak. "Of course, in exchange for something."
"Which is?" I asked. It couldn't be money as she had more than I would ever see, more than I could imagine, so it begs the question of what the princess of a nation wanted from an assassin.
"I want to be taught how to fight, how to wield a knife, et cetera. Father won't let me train or learn how to defend myself. I want to learn." So the king didn't know about this. I'm already on thin ice with him, and this could push him over the edge. Then again, any information that can get me one step ahead of the king is helpful.
"Let me hear this information, and I'll think about it."
The princess hesitated. "Father is planning an assassination attempt on you. I'm not sure by whom, but it's supposed to happen soon." I raised my chin at the information.
"If I agree to this, I'll be going against the king's back. You'll be threatening my life, my business, and everyone who works for me. You have to give me more than that, Princess." She swallowed hard and inhaled, glancing down to the ground then back up.
"Fine. If an assassination doesn't work, he's going to recruit you for a job. Don't ask me what it is -I don't know- but it's supposed to be deadly. In other words, if you don't die at the hands of one of his hitman, he's going to kill you by sending you on a suicide mission, and soon -I'm talking the next couple of months. If I was you, I would flip the tables. Resist until you can get what you want. If there's one thing father hates more than imperfection it's defiance." At this new, more helpful, information, I nodded. Then, I chuckled at the notion that the king's daughter was selling him out.
"Very good, Princess, but I have to ask: Why go behind your own father's back? Especially for something as simple as training lessons?" Princess Sophriona inched forward again.
"Because my father sat idly aside while I was sold to another kingdom where my only job is to produce heirs to a man I don't love, know, or have ever met. Not my ideal way of spending the remainder of my youth -locked in a kingdom with the courts breathing down my neck. Plus, I want to learn self-defense just in case I am forced overseas and in which case, I want to be able to protect myself." Reasonable.
"No offense, but isn't that the job of the princess? As sexist as it is?"
The princess's head slowly bobbed, and she began to avoid my eyes. "Yes. Yes, it is. But I didn't ask for this life, Ms. Drystan. A life where my body is only seen as a vessel to bear future kings, my voice silenced behind an arrogant man, and as selfish as it sounds, I don't want it." For a moment, I was silent, taking in everything I'd heard in the past few minutes. "I don't want it," she repeated, weaker.
The fact that she could even sneak out of the castle was impressive, but it was even more eye-opening at the fact that she was able to get a note to me and get down here without being recognized. Many people hate the king and will do anything to blackmail him, including kidnapping his only daughter. It would be too easy for me to do that, and why would I when I now have a new way for inside information?
I smiled. "Fine. I will have my right-hand man, my spymaster, train you. With your father putting a target on my back, I'll be too busy dodging my shadow and warding off hitmen to do it. It'll be three times a week -Monday, Wednesday, Friday- and only at night. I'll get the details to you sometime tomorrow." Even in the midnight light, I saw the tension leave the princess's shoulders.
She gave the smallest of smiles. "Great, Ms. Drystan. Thank you-."
"But I want new information every week," the princess closed her mouth, "anything that will help me find out this suicide mission or my assassin or any dirt on your father. If you want to take him down, I'm a willing and happy volunteer. So, what do you say, Princess?" I watched her deliberate this, but it didn't take long. She closed the space between us and held out a hand which I took and shook. Then it was done. I had officially made a deal with my arch nemesis's daughter.
"Great doing business with you, Ms. Drystan," she said, beaming happily.
"Likewise," I responded. We dropped our hands. I was the first to leave, walking back down the docks and toward my quarters. Sometime, I felt Rafe trailing behind me again.
"You made a deal with the king's daughter, the crowned princess? What if it backfires?"
"Then I deal with the consequences. In the long run, we need this information to stay one step ahead. The king's on my ass, and I need to find a way to shake him." Rafe was silent for a few steps. Then, he sighed.
"Speaking of being on your ass, how did you get Lieutenant full-of-himself Stryker to not follow you?"
I couldn't contain a smile. "Oh, right, about that boy. He must've drunken a bad brew of Hellsgate and passed out in his room," I said nonchalantly, thinking of Sorin drugged and asleep back at the Viper's lodgings. If I was lucky, someone would break in and slit his throat -would save me the trouble. "He should be awake in a few hours." Rafe snorted a laugh.
"Prick deserves it." Somewhere in the dark, I saw the faint outline of Rafe following me, the sleeve of his cloak rolled up and showing his forearm along with the small intricate triangle tattoo on his wrist. There was a small blade in his hand. It gleamed in the moonlight and under the lamposts we passed. His fingers were clenched tightly around the hilt, and I found myself wondering what had riled him up. But I didn't ask.
Once I was sure we were far enough away from the docs, I said, "Follow her. Make sure she gets home safely. Stop watching Draven and his goons -I'll get someone else on that. Now, I want you to follow the princess anytime she leaves the castle. Intercept every letter she sends."
"I have to protect and train her? This princess seems like a lot of work," he complained softly.
"She could be," I confirmed, "but she could be the key to taking her father down. So, for that, she's valuable to me, and therefore needs to be protected. And who better to watch her than my best spy?" Rafe said something inaudible and was gone. I continued back to my room.