Rise (5 page)
With his absence, the little clearing seemed just a tad bit too quiet. The gurgling stream was too loud, and her favorite place to sit, seemed tainted. Victoria shook her head, and began to make her way back to the convent. It would soon be time for dinner, and then, for her first night as a true sister. But, the anticipation from earlier in the day had faded, and all she could think about was Roman, and how he said he’d known her, simply by watching.
IV.
Victoria burst through the clearing, to find the nuns finishing up the daily activities. Grace was folding up the cots, Sister Katherine was pouring out the soiled water from the wash bins, and for once, Raela was actually doing her job, and collecting the slop bowls. Victoria returned to the slop station and began to collect bowls as well. “You’re back. Look who took a long walk in the forest. How was it? I bet you met a guy.” Victoria collected more bowls, stacking them high until she couldn’t see Raela’s face. “Nope, just relaxing.”
She wobbled over to the mess table to collect more bowls, and to her dismay, Raela followed. “Hope you got enough rest then, tonight’s going to be a fun one. Initiation, you know.” Victoria put her bowls down, and put her hand on her hips. “Nice try, Raela, but I was already initiated.” Raela’s eyes darkened with barely contained laughter with a hint of something Victoria couldn’t place. “No, silly. The real initiation. You’ve got to prove yourself you know. We’ve got to see if you’re going to get yourself killed. So, it’s do or die tonight. No pun intended.” Raela skipped off towards the kitchen inside, leaving Victoria staring after her with a mixture of doubt, and the usual annoyance. She collected the rest of the bowls and headed off towards the kitchen as well. Before the entered the double doors of the convent, Victoria looked to the sky. It was nearly 6:00. She felt her heart skip a beat, in anticipation. She wasn’t sure however, what exactly she was excited for.
She entered the kitchen, and dumped the bowls into the sink. From the other side, Victoria saw Raela wave, and mouth “See you, tonight.” Victoria rolled her eyes, feeling only mildly concerned that Raela would be so pleased about her imminent death. But then again, Victoria likely wouldn’t shed a tear over Raela’s death either. It would be a lot quieter around the convent without her. Victoria smirked, and shoved her hands down into the dirty dishwater, and began to scrub.
She finished drying the last of the dishes and stacked them neatly on the edge of the sink. She looked down at her hands, wrinkled from the time they spent emerged in the dirty dishwater. She rubbed her hands together hung up the dishtowel she was using, and looked around the kitchen. It was empty, except for a very old nun who was sweeping the floor in steady, back and forth motions. The rest of the nuns were likely readying themselves for tonight. Victoria shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold. A part of her, deep inside, was a tiny bit afraid, and she didn't know why. She had looked forward to this moment for as long as she could remember, she couldn't just lose interest now. It's just nerves. It's natural, in new situations, Victoria assured herself. She left the kitchen and headed back to her room. Once she arrived, she shut the door behind her and stared at her other robe. It looked as if it too was glowing with anticipation, the gold strip around the middle shimmering like the evening stars.
Victoria glided over to the corner where the robe was hanging and slid it over her shoulders. It swished lightly as it fell smoothly over her body. She tied the robe, and picked up her dagger. Even it seemed to gleam more than usual, like a bright silver tooth in the mouth of darkness. Victoria pocketed her dagger, and turned to examine herself in the mirror. With the exception of her red roots, she very nearly melted into the black walls behind her. She gave a self satisfied smirk, opened the door, and strode towards the secret door that led to the Other Sisterhood.
Victoria walked slowly down the pathway. There were no voices this time, but the lanterns on the wall burned brightly, leading the way. She could actually see this time, however some things she wished she couldn’t. The sticky, wet liquid on the walls glowed bright red under the lantern's glare. Beneath her feet, the grass was wet as well, but with what, she didn’t know. Victoria continued on, until abruptly, the air changed. Or at least, she thought it did. She stopped to sniff the air. No longer did it smell musty and tangy, surely due to the fact that it was an underground tunnel. Instead, it smelled fresh. Piney, even.
Victoria felt around for the walls; there were none. She wasn't sure why she hadn’t noticed this before, but somehow, she was no longer underground. At some point, she must have left the convent, which meant that this was probably a secret passageway. She continued forward, feeling slightly nervous without the comfort of the hard stone wall. Her feet sunk deeper into damp grass, and she looked up. Instead of seeing a ceiling, she saw the sky.
Victoria could see the stars twinkling far above, and she began to wonder if she had gone too far. Her fears were immediately confirmed when she spotted a large campfire not too far off into the distance. Victoria wondered if she had not run into another nuns assassins group, but then shooed away the idea. The odds of that were slim to none...she hoped.
Victoria approached slowly, her footsteps careful and as quiet as she could manage. As she neared, she heard voices, garbled due to the distance."First task...should tell us....progress." A voice was saying. Victoria crept closer, and breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized Sister Katherine’s voice. "Very well. I shall let him know." A deep baritone voice spoke next, causing Victoria to drop her jaw in surprise. A guy, she thought, her mind racing with questions, but namely accusations. There were no guys allowed in the convent.
Overwhelmed by curiosity, Victoria figured that she had better go ahead and reveal herself. She cleared her throat softly. The baritone voice continued rumbling away, and Victoria cleared her throat even louder.
The voices faltered for a moment, but went on, hesitatingly. Victoria heard Sister Katherine say something in a soothing tone, and shake her head in disgust. "Attention, I am here!" Victoria's voice rang out, the sudden silence only magnifying it. "Quick, quick." Katherine's voice said urgently, and there was a quick scuffling, and the sound of footsteps running quickly from the campfire. Victoria worked her face into a rather convincing calm expression, although she thought her twitching mouth might just give her away. She stepped into the campsite, to find Sister Katherine looking just a bit too casual. She was squatting, and feeding more wood into the fire. When she spotted Victoria, she got up slowly, with her hands on her hips, as if she had been sitting down for a long time.
"Ah, you're early I see." Sister Katherine gestured towards the array of cushions arranged neatly around the fire. Victoria chose one a few feet away from her, and sat. Sister Katherine didn't say anything for a while, instead poking at the fire. After a few moments of silence, Victoria cleared her throat softly. Sister Katherine took no notice. "Uh, sorry I was late this morning." Victoria said, awkwardly, and she traced a circle in the grass with her finger. To her surprise. Sister Katherine smiled a small smile.
"Oh, Victoria. Do not think I am ignoring you because you were late. I've been a nun for almost forty years now. You are not the first person to have been late. No, I am just reveling in the silence, since Raela is not here yet."Victoria allowed herself a small chuckle. "You will need this silence, this thinking time, for your first job tonight." "So...I have to kill someone?" Victoria swallowed. "Well, that is what we do, dear. I thought you were looking forward to this part." "Oh, I was. I mean, I am" Victoria said quickly. "It's... Just not going to be an innocent person, right? That’s against the rules, I heard."
Sister Katherine did not speak for a moment, as she added a roast pit to the fire, and began roasting a small animal over the top of it. Rabbit, from the smell of it, Victoria mused.
Sister Katherine turned the rabbit over, and sprinkled some salt over the top. "No one's truly innocent, Victoria." She went back to tending the rabbit. A few moments later, when the smell wafted over to Victoria, and the skin had turned a delightful golden brown color, Sister Katherine sliced the rabbit and handed her a plateful.
Victoria's mouth watered. She hadn't eaten all day. There was something about slop that made you lose your appetite. Victoria ate her food quickly, the flaky golden meat disappearing down her throat in five minutes flat. When she was done, she looked around the campsite. It was large, big enough to accommodate the entire convent, if necessary. Victoria spotted a few rolled up green sacks, either sleeping bags or tents, she figured. Near the sacks, she saw some everyday supplies. Bowls, cups, things of that nature. She chuckled. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought that it was all some camping trip for Go Girls, the local girls club. Victoria hoped no young girls would accidently stumble in, as they’d be in for the surprise of their lives. She looked down at her plate, although her rabbit was long gone. She made a mental note to try and hunt rabbit sometimes. It was delicious.
Suddenly, Victoria froze. She heard footsteps, coming from the direction in which she had first entered the campsite. Sister Katherine's shoulders tensed for a moment, and she stopped sharpening her knife (When had she started doing that? Victoria wondered). But then, she relaxed again. "No worries, just Raela. Although a bit quieter than usual." True enough, just a few moments later, Raela stumbled through the brush, her would-be graceful entrance marred by the tree root she stumbled over. She righted herself and drew her dagger. To Victoria's alarm, it was about six inches longer than her own, and completely black. Just looking at it caused brief panic, and she wondered if that was entirely the point.
Raela looked to her, noticing Victoria's gaze. "Like it?" She didn't wait for her response. "Got it off a body. Perhaps when you make your first kill, you'll get a little beauty like this." Raela looked down at her dagger, and for the second time that night, Victoria was alarmed. She had never seen Raela look so intently at something, other than a man. And the gleam in her eye, it was different. It was unnerving.
"Now, now Raela. Sit down. I've already got your assignment for tonight." Sister Katherine said sharply, clearly intending to interrupt Raela's staring contest with her dagger. Raela looked up, startled for a moment, but the regained her composure. "Yes, I'm ready", and she approached Sister Katherine, and the two women began whispering. After a moment, Raela nodded and started off back the way she came, her obsidian dagger disappearing into the velvety darkness of the night."Um, so, when do I get an assignment? Raela said something about initiation." Sister Katherine turned to look her Victoria, her brown eyes looked eerily red in the light of the campfire.
"Yes, well, I suppose it IS time to get around to that. All the others are out on assignment, so it is only reasonable that you should be too. Are you ready for it?" The question took Victoria by surprise. She didn't know she had the option to not be ready. "Yes, of course" she stammered. Sister Katherine stared at her for a moment more, as if she was trying to gauge Victoria's true feelings.
At last, she sighed. "Very well. Come here, and I will tell you about it."Victoria's heart sped up as she scooted closer to Sister Katherine."Alright. Not too far from here, northeast to be exact, you will find a group of men. They will be sitting in a campfire similar to this one. From what my sources tell me, there will be approximately four men present. These men are rivals of the Other Sisterhood, appropriately named the Other Brotherhood. You are not to kill, but are only going to shake them up a bit. I suggest that you either ambush one, and create a hostage situation, or incapacitate them all separately. It is your decision."
Sister Katherine's voice was hard and urgent, and Victoria's hand began to shake, nervously. This was going to be bigger than she thought, and she suddenly felt woefully underprepared. Sister Katherine seemed to sense this, and rubbed her shoulder. "Don’t worry. This will be easy. The hard part has yet to come." So, ambushing four men was the easy part. Somehow, Victoria didn't feel all that comforted. She pushed herself off from the ground and stood up. She turned northeast immediately, direction being one of the only one of her skills she felt comfortable with. "I would give you a map, dear, but I fear you won't be able to see it in the dark." Sister Katherine said wryly.
Victoria started off, in the general direction of northeast. Her stomach growled angrily. She wanted more rabbit, and she wanted a lantern. But, she reasoned with herself, an assassin can't really be stealthy if he comes bearing food and bright lights. Victoria trudged slowly through the underbrush, and wondered, briefly, if she was, say, stumbling into a patch of poison oak. She reached out her hand to feel for trees, and soon fell into a comfortable pattern. The trees would guide her through.
Soon enough, she came through a break in the forest. She peered ahead, her vision no longer hindered by the tall pines and the wide shrubbery. In the distance, she could see a glowing campfire. "Gotcha." Victoria whispered softly. She quickened her pace, while going over Sister Katherine's suggested plan in her mind. Just have to corner one of them. Maybe cut his throat just a little bit. Not too much, just enough to make him sweat. Victoria's body tingled with excitement and adrenaline. The campfire grew nearer, and she could hear the deep
voices of several men. She began running through a mental checklist. She heard one voice, another, and then another. But, then where was the fourth?
As she pondered this, something sharp struck her in the back of the head, and she fell hard, dazed. "What the---?" Victoria flipped over onto her back, and found herself staring into a familiar face. "Roman, what are you doing?" Victoria kicked upwards into the darkness. Judging by the grunt, her foot had reached its target. Taking advantage of the minor distraction, Victoria pushed herself up, and peered wildly into the darkness. She knew he was there. She could see him. She could see the whites of his eyes, but as for the rest of his body, it was as if it had melded right into the night. Victoria crossed her arms, although she doubted that he could see it. “What do you want, Roman? Didn’t get enough last time?” Roman smirked from somewhere in front of her. “I could get more, anytime I want. Don’t you remember what I told you? I’ve been watching you.” Victoria’s heart thudded a little faster in her chest. “W-well, stop it.” She cursed herself, silently. Roman would have noticed that stutter. His mouth suddenly spread into a wide grin. His teeth gleamed in the moonlight. “I can’t ‘stop it’. That’s what I’ve been told to do.”
