Rise (19 page)

“
It’s all right where?” Victoria asked, as she approached Roman and looked over his shoulder at the maps, bewildered. She heard Roman sigh impatiently, before launching into an explanation. “The Gloucester Estate is a historical landmark. It’s not all that hard to reach. You can even tour it during the day. The problem is, the part you can tour, isn’t actually where the Gloucester family lives. The estate is so huge, they could be anyway, but Prince Alexander, he’ll probably be in the back, with the game room, and all the other entertainment. I can see a teenage guy living there.”

“
That’s just an assumption though, right?” Victoria asked, uncertainly.

“
I mean, yeah, I guess it is, but I’m a teenage guy too, and I’d want to live by the ping pong table.”

Victoria stared at Roman in disbelief, opened her mouth to say something, but shut it, instead opting to roll her eyes. “Okay then…do you know the way? Are we going right now?”

“
I don’t see why not, we’ve really got to get started. It’s this way. We’ll take the city route.” Roman set off back towards the convent, and Victoria fell in step behind him, her heart racing. It was really happening. Earlier, Roman’s spirits were dampening her own, but as she followed him, heading towards the Gloucester Estate, her excitement only grew. It was actually happening. She found herself wondering why she had allowed Roman to berate her over her giddiness. “Damn it. I don’t care what Roman says. This beats serving slop any day.”

The two entered the city just before dusk, and Victoria found herself looking every which way, with wonder. She’d never seen the city at night before, but after seeing it now, if she survived, she would make sure to return. Neon signs were everywhere. At the diner she and Roman had eaten at several months before, a large, flashing neon hamburger towered over it, along with the words “Best Hamburgers in Town!”

Victoria frowned, disappointedly, as Roman steered her past the diner, and further into the city of Gracelia. “Stay close, this isn’t a great part of town.” He said, and Victoria saw him reach in his pocket, to grip his dagger.

She looked around, down the various alleyways as they passed through. Everywhere she looked, the streets were deserted. A few stray pieces of paper rustled about on the pavement, along with the cigarette butts and bottles that littered the streets as well. Victoria looked back over at Roman, who still seemed tense, and wondered if this particular area was home to a lot of trouble. She can’t say she would mind a little scuffle before they got started though, as she still needed the practice. And besides, how could Roman possibly protect either of them with a knife, when the common street thug probably had a gun?

Knives and daggers were good for assassinations, she expected, as you could get up close and personal, and get the job done without spattering blood everywhere, if you were good. But in reality, they didn’t stand a chance when faced with a gun. Victoria thought about this, and then repeated her thoughts to Roman, who was still looking around, shoulders tensed.

“
Don’t be the guy that brings a knife to a gunfight, Roman.” She said, laughing. He didn’t look at her, instead just increased his stride. “I will bring a knife to a gunfight, and win.” He said quietly. “Now, come on.” He grabbed her hand, and pulled her forward, roughly.

“
What was that for?” Victoria asked, yanking her hand back, as she felt quite manhandled. “This area is safer. You were walking too slow.”

“
What area?” She looked around. She couldn’t tell the difference, except perhaps there were more street lamps, and less trash.

“
This one. We’re getting closer to the Prince.” Victoria looked around again, still apparently not seeing what he was. “Alright, if you say so.” She said shrugging, and she fell in step besides him.

They continued forward until gradually, the street lamps grew brighter, and more numerous. At last, they finally stepped into an area that was completely lit, and unlike where they’d just been, was as bustling as the city. Victoria glanced left and right, taking in her surroundings. It wasn’t a city, per se. A suburb would be a better word for it, she mused.

On both sides of her, she could see the beginnings of sprawling estates, complete with long winding driveways, with security booths at the front. “This is pretty much where all the board members live, I’m guessing?” Victoria asked, as she watched an automobile creep up a snaking driveway, to what she presumed was a very large house hidden deep beyond the brush. “It is.” “But, then how will we know where the Prince lives? And shouldn’t we be more, I don’t know, sneaky about this?”

“
It’s fine, Victoria. We’re dressed like a monk and a nun. We don’t look suspicious.”

“
But we ARE a monk and a nun. An assassin monk and nun, for that matter. Don’t people know that?”

“
Nope.”

“
You mean, no one knows that we exist? They think we just serve slop and pray?”

“
Pretty much.”

“
But why?” Victoria was beyond confused. “If a Board member did in fact order this hit, then he would know, wouldn’t he? It can’t be some sort of secret if the government knows.”

Roman sighed, and turned to face her. “Much of the government knows about us. Generally, they place the largest amount of requests each year. Against other cities, towns, and each other.”

“
That’s…sick.”

“
Well, that’s how it is.” Roman replied, wryly.

As she and Roman inched closer to the Gloucester Estate, Victoria’s mind was spinning. She was literally here, and about to do this. Well, the actual assassination wouldn’t happen yet. Tonight, was just the watching. But the watching started it all. She felt her fingers tingling with excitement.

“
Ah, I think we’re getting close. Look, Victoria.” She looked up, and followed Roman’s eyes to what was clearly the grandest estate in the area. For as far as her eyes could see, there was lush, green grass, and a smooth, asphalt driveway that seemed never-ending. And, to add a finishing touch to the clear exclusivity of the estate, a tall, barbed wire fence ran the length of it. “Tie up your robe, and put on your hood.” Roman whispered, urgently. Victoria did as she was told, and looked over to Roman who was doing the same, and couldn’t believe her eyes.

Roman was gone.

Well, at the very least, she couldn’t see him. He blended in with the night perfectly. Victoria truly would not have noticed his presence, if hadn’t already known he was there. “It’s great, right?” Roman’s voice came from somewhere in front of her. To her pleasant surprise, despite his adamant, and (Victoria could say this now, as they were separated) boring moral discussions, even he seemed to be catching the excitement. It must be contagious, she thought. “You look just the same. Except for that golden strip, there.” Victoria felt a rush of movement in front of her, and she realized that he was pointing at her. She looked down, to see the familiar golden strip running across her abdomen. “What’s this even here for, anyways?” Roman shrugged, or at least, she thought he did. “I think it’s supposed to reflect light.”

Victoria shrugged herself. “Well, okay. I hope it doesn’t get me spotted, though.” No worries, Victoria. It won’t. Besides, if we’re lucky, we won’t even need to go inside, except for the actual kill.” She felt herself shiver at the word kill, and waited for the metaphorical angel on her shoulder to show up, and tell her that this was all wrong. It didn’t, so she pulled her hood lower over her eyes, and fingered her dagger. “I’m ready. Now, how do we get in?”

She and Roman spent the next ten minutes plotting a way to get around the barbed wire. They sat down on the street curb, and looked over the maps. Whenever people stopped to stare in their direction for more than a moment, Roman would loudly proclaim “I see the nearest convent is just 5 miles east of Gracelia. Remember to bring your tithes.”

“
The Prince’s quarters, I believe, are around the back.” “Right, where the game room is.” “Right. So, we’ll need to start walking east along the fence. There are plenty of trees about, so we should have more than enough coverage.”

After making several more loud comments about convent life, Victoria jumped up, with Roman following, and made a beeline for the east. They stuck close to the thickets of trees and brush that littered the area surrounding Gloucester Estate, as Victoria was still unsure as to how invisible they really were. “Don’t worry, we’re completely invisible.” Roman reassured her, on multiple occasions. She wanted to believe him, but she also didn’t want her epithet to be: “Stupid enough to think invisibility exists. Deserved to die.”

After darting back and forth between open land and brush for nearly an hour, Victoria and Roman finally rounded the back of Gloucester Estate. “You’re right. This does look like where a teenaged guy might live” she said wondrously, as she could see, even from a distance, that the ground was littered with candy wrappers, red cups, and bits of food.

“
He must have had a party.” Roman said, sounding uncharacteristically wistful. “What? So? He had a party. He’s pretty rich, so he probably has them all the time.” Victoria shrugged.

“
Yeah, I know. But, that party he just had. It’ll be his last.”

Victoria continued forward, as if she’d not heard what Roman had just said. She turned her face away from his, unsure of what to think. She’d heard it all right, and it made her feel bad.

Bad.

It wasn’t something she usually felt, but for some reason, ever since she’d met Roman, she’d been having more of these…feelings. It was like he was trying to guilt trip her every single day.

But you wouldn’t want someone to come kill you after you’ve just had a fantastic party, the little voice in her head piped up. You are very right, Victoria mused. But this is my job, isn’t it? She thought, although a slight doubt was creeping steadily into her thoughts. You always have a choice, Victoria, the voice said triumphantly. “And I choose for you to shut up.” She responded, sharply.

Just as she was about to give the little voice another piece of her mind, she felt Roman grab her on the shoulder. “Victoria, you’re talking to yourself. It’s a little odd.”

Victoria shook her head, clearing it, and turned her attention back to reality. To her right, Roman stood crouched, shoulders tense. "What are you doing?" She asked, as she quickly scanned the brush for any signs of trouble. He looked back at her bewildered. "Waiting for you to do something, of course." "But why me?" "This is your task" he said, exasperatedly, and he tossed his head back in disbelief. "We need to get closer, Victoria" She nodded sharply, wondering why she didn't think of that.

The two crept closer, finally shedding the precious cover of the brush. "Keep your hood up." Roman whispered from her side. She nodded again, and pulled her hood down over her eyes, and prayed that the robes worked in the way Roman had claimed.

As they inched closer to the barbed wire, Victoria found herself wondering about something. "Roman?" "Yes?" His voice came out so softly, that at first, she wasn't sure if he'd spoken at all. "You know that part, where we, uh, have to die trying?" She thought she saw Roman nod his head. "How exactly does that come about?"  "You kill yourself, of course." His answer was so simple, and that was what made it so disturbing.

She suddenly felt like a small fish in a big pond, and she found herself wondering if perhaps Roman had been right. Of course, she would never tell him this, if she could help it. She didn't want to see the smug look on his face. But, she thought, as her uneasiness grew, if her rashness had just doomed them both. Why had she done it anyways? She didn't know. She went back and forth. Initially, she'd been hungry for it. But shortly after, she'd been in despair. A short time ago, she was ecstatic, yet here she was again, in doubt. Or maybe she was just feeling stupid.

Victoria thought back to Roman's revelation in the forest the previous day. She'd been insensitive, to say the least, and she hadn't really listened. She scratched her head, as she tried to remember all of what he'd said. Something about killing, feeling guilty because he liked it.

She liked killing too, or so she thought. She'd never actually killed anyone, but she loved playing Bulls eye with her daggers, so that had to count for something. It was fun, it made her feel good. She hadn't had a lot in her life to make her feel good. She'd been abandoned, forced to live in a convent, ridiculed by the nuns her age, and kept in the dark about nearly everything. It upset her, and made her feel as if she were less of a person.  That's why she craved the life of an assassin. It had adventure, it was straightforward, and when she had that dagger in her hand, she felt a rush of power so great. It was incomparable to anything in her life. Except Roman. The rush with him was different, but it was nice, no doubt. As Victoria's mind lingered on Roman, she remembered his words to her as they'd broken up, as he told her she had nothing to prove. Didn't she? She furrowed her brow in confusion, before a tap on her shoulder drew her from her thoughts.

"Victoria, hey. You look a little dazed. Stay focused. Now is not the best time to be meditating, or... whatever it is you were doing" Roman said, as he looked at her dubiously.

"I was just thinking on where we could set up the best observation point." She recovered, quickly, sounding as confident as she could. "Have any idea where his room might be?" Roman shrugged. "No idea. This is his entire wing though, so he might be anywhere."