Rise

by Danielle Racey

  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 obsi
dian 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.”

  Victoria cleared her throat and hoped that her voice would come out stronger this time. To her relief, it did. “Fine, then, Roman. Watch all you want. You might even get a free show. Now, step aside, so I can get back to what I was doing.” Victoria heard the soft hiss of steel. She knew that sound all too well. “Roman?” The point of his dagger appeared beneath her chin, and Victoria gulped involuntarily. “Unfortunately, I can’t let you do that.” Roman’s arm snaked around her shoulder and pulled her closer, until Victoria was sure she could feel his on the back of her neck.

  Victoria’s heart was now thudding wildly, and she forced herself to take a deep breath while she considered her options. There was one, of two things to do. She could die, and prove to Raela and the rest of the nuns that she wasn’t cut out for this after all. Surely, Roman would deliver her dead body back to the convent, as a warning to all those who should try to cross him. Something along those lines, since all good assassins used one-liners and gruesome warnings, so she had heard. The second option, however, was much more frightening, because it was not as certain as death. Roman pressed his dagger, flat, against Victoria’s throat. She knew that move, she had practiced it enough times. It was a subtle threat, one to remind her that the seconds of her life were slowly ticking away, as she thought and considered her options. In a moment, he would twist his dagger, and it would be over. It would be a terrible way to die. In a dark forest, with no one around to tell how it really happened. The only account of what happened that night would be forever lost, or would be re-told by Roman, but only his version of the events. He wouldn’t tell how she was probably reaching her spiritual zenith, as his dagger was pressed against her throat. Or how she had secretly liked being that close to him, but at the same time, was too ashamed to admit it. But, that’s how it went, Victoria supposed. The winners write the history books, and the losers whine from their graves.

  Not today, however. Not today. She would not let Raela get the satisfaction. While death would be terrible enough, the idea that Raela would probably blacken her name after her death was motivation enough. The second option, then, was the only option. “I guess this is the end, then.” Roman’s voice shattered Victoria’s thoughts, and she realized with a start, the situation she was in. “I guess it is.” She added in a pout at the end. Victoria didn’t believe for even a second that Roman would buy it, but figured it was worth a try. There was silence, for a moment. If her intuition was correct, Roman was taking it all in. In a second, he would see the trap, and walk right around. Before that second occurred, she had to act.

  Victoria mustered all of her strength and thrust her elbow backwards. Her elbow connected with Roman’s abdomen, which Victoria noticed, absentmindedly, was rather toned. It likely didn’t do him any lasting damage, but the blow shifted the dagger away from Victoria’s throat long enough for her to duck down, and deliver another blow. She knew shin kicking was not what master assassins did, but she’d have to deal with her techniques later. As the heel of her foot connected with his shin, Victoria felt him squirm away. “Oh, no you don’t.” She kicked his feet out from under him, and smirked when she heard a satisfying thud just a moment later. Victoria quickly searched her mind for what she could do when her opponent was on the ground. She drew nothing but a blank. Victoria shrugged her shoulders, and threw herself down on top of Roman, who was struggling to right himself. Her elbow landed squarely on the back of his head, and he suddenly fell limp.

  “Okay, Roman. Playing dead is for possums. Get up.” There was no movement. “Really. I’ve won now; we both knew it would happen, so just get up. We can call it a draw. Maybe.”

  He still didn’t budge. Victoria reached down and felt along his head. His hair is so thick, she found herself thinking, oddly, but she turned her thoughts back to the matter at hand. She moved her hand around the base of his skull, and her hand came upon a raised mound. She rubbed it a little, and her hand came away sticky. Panic set in, and she stumbled up. He looked even worse when she was standing.


  Roman looked as if he had been barreled over by gods know what, and he lay sprawled out over the uneven earth. Either this was a very good act, or he was knocked out, or worse…dead. Victoria gulped as she thought about the last possibility. She hadn’t wanted to kill him, necessarily. Perhaps just a part of her wanted to kill him, just a tiny percentage. The majority of her wanted to keep him alive, but the majority that did was split on the reasons. Sister Katherine had told her not kill anyone. She had meant on purpose, right? Victoria reasoned. She couldn’t very well be punished if she accidentally killed anyone. It was an accident, which meant it wasn’t her fault.

  Victoria sighed. There was no use trying to convince herself. No matter how much she reasoned, she wasn’t supposed to kill him.

  A tiny voice inside of her piped up. It was different from the angry little voice that accused her of liking to kill. This one was soothing. “Perhaps you didn’t want to kill him. Not because you’re a particularly good person, dear”, the voice said apologetically, “but because maybe, just maybe…you care.” Victoria’s gaze returned to Roman’s body as she cleared her head. Now was probably not the ideal time to be arguing with her selves, but, there really wasn’t ever a good time to go crazy.

  She stared at Roman’s body in silence, as she wondered how exactly she was going to get his body back to camp. If at all possible, she would want to avoid dragging him through the mud all the way there. She could at least give some respect to his body, even if Roman wasn’t technically inside it anymore.

  Victoria crept closer to him, lifted one of his arms, staggering backwards under the weight. She sighed. Just one of his arms was going to be too much of a chore. She stumbled and lifted the other, so that Roman’s head was falling forwards into her stomach. She wrapped his limp arms around her waist and started to turn in a circle to head back to camp. Abruptly, Victoria stopped. She looked down to where Roman’s head lay nestled against her stomach. Just ever so faintly, she could feel something pulsing. She stopped and bent down for a closer feel, and then chided herself for her stupidity. She hadn’t even thought to check his pulse. She pressed two fingers against his neck. It was there. Weak, but pulsing steadily. Then he wasn’t dead. Victoria’s lip curled involuntarily into a smile, and she immediately replaced it with a scowl. She shouldn’t be happy he’s not dead. This was the second time he had tried to assassinate her, she thought, and squared her shoulders as newfound confidence washed over her. She couldn’t wait to get him back to camp.