The Prince, the Thief & the Artifact

Chapter 10: An Assassination Attempt?

Summer and Ida jumped to their feet, leaving the warm comfort of their beds. Summer gripped the dagger in her hands, listening carefully for another sound. It came a second later.

Sword in hand, Ida shoved her feet in her boots and sneaked out, following Summer. The sound was coming from another room in the inn, along with grunts and curses, the unmistakable sound of a fight.

"The guys' room," Ida whispered.

Summer hurried down the dark, deserted hallway. As if they'd done it many times before, she and Ida each stood on either side of their companions' door.

Another door opened across the hallway. A man and a woman peeked out, looking half asleep.

"Go get the guards," Ida hissed at them. The man shoved the woman inside, closed the door and hurried down the stairs.

Ida pointed to herself, the door, then held out three fingers. Two. One.

In one successful attempt, Ida's long, powerful leg broke the door open with a bang. Summer took the scene inside in a sweeping glance.

The room was larger than Summer and Ida's. With three beds along one wall and tables between them, two large windows with broken glass, and a closed door across the beds that must be the bathroom. Felix was nowhere to be seen, Summer assumed he was hiding in the bathroom. Leon and Al were fighting off six armed outsiders.

The intruders' were clad in all black, wearing head covers with slits for their eyes. The surprising arrival of Summer and Ida gave Leon and Al a precious second's reprieve.

Leon swung the pommel of his sword into one man's temple, crouched down to dodge another's sword, then thrust his blade into his attacker's gut. He moved on to the next man. His movements were grace personified. For a large man, he moved fast.

Ida swung her sword. The loud clang rang in Summer's ears as she slunk unnoticed in the darkness behind one of the men fighting Al.

She kicked his knees, he fell down, looking behind him. She drove her elbow into his throat. He struggled for breath. With a strike of her hand to the side of his neck, his eyes rolled and he collapsed to the ground. The sound of fighting intensified.

Summer ducked beneath a sword just in time. The intruder thrust his sword again. Summer jumped away, hitting the wall behind her. The man had the advantage of a longer reaching weapon. He was about to swing his sword again. Summer was cornered.

A blade tore into the man's chest before Summer could blink. The man dropped to his knees, his eyes wide. The sound of metal slowly sliding on flesh made bile rise in her throat. Leon stood behind him with blood on his face and a savage expression. The fighting died down.

Summer looked at the falen man. Blood bubbled out of his mouth, and his eyes lost life as she watched, turning dull as death claimed him.

Guards ran up the stairs, their steps like thunder in the sudden silence. Summer leaned against the wall, making herself as invisible as she could. The sight of the guards at the door made her uneasy, as if they would blame all of this on her. It wouldn't happen, but her mistrust in guards was deeply rooted, she couldn't shake it off.

Summer glanced back at the body laying prone before her. She felt sick. It was the first time she'd witnessed someone being killed. Her hands shook.

Leon stared at her with dark stained cheeks. He flicked his sword sharply, once. Blood spattered from the blade to the floor.

The bathroom door cracked open and Felix peeked out, his hazel eyes dark and wide. "Is it over?"

*** ***