School of the Crown Assassins

10

After scaling the side of the building, the three of us darted across the roofs, heading towards the looming warehouse ahead. The Royal Trio had disappeared from our sight in the streets below us.

Knox climbed up the warehouse roof, then to another roof with a higher vantage point, setting up his rifle on the roof's ledge and scanned the streets below through the scope. I slid through a high window on the upper floor of the warehouse. A narrow, metal pathway wrapped around the interior edge of the warehouse, hanging only ten feet below the roof. Guards milled about, walking to and fro as they carried guns and kept an eye on the bustling drug operation below. I landed on the metal walkway, my feet perfectly silent. Nydia followed and we slipped past the heedless guards.

Sticking to the shadows, we made our way across the metal pathway, thankful for the way the warehouse had been structured. The ceilings held no lights leaving the people below to work with small lamps as they weaved between large metal crates and tables filled with all kinds of chemicals and signs of experimentation. The metal crates blocked some of the light from carrying upward and allowed the ceiling to look darker than night. Nydia and I took advantage of this as we pulled ourselves up onto a pipe that ran from one side of the warehouse to another. We crawled across it to the middle, backs just barely scraping the roof, arms and hands straining to keep us balanced.

Finally, we reached the middle and Nydia adjusted herself into a crouch before swinging her bow off her shoulder and notching an arrow, pointing down below, staying in ready position. I checked the straps of my knives, making sure they would hop into my hands as fast as possible upon signal. Looking around, with a certain sort of satisfaction, I realized none of the guards had noticed our presence.

I focused my attention back on Nydia and watched her move the bow around as she watched the people below. Finally Nydia stopped and pulled back harder on the arrow. I followed her line of sight and watched a man standing in the middle of a warehouse talking to another person. I was about to ask Nydia why she was aiming at him when it dawned me. Based on the patterns of movement and the way the people seemed to be acting around this man, he was the main boss of the whole operation.

"Are you going to shoot?" I whispered, the sounds below masking my words

Nydia shook her head. "You remember what the Crowns said. They want him to be brought back to the Golden Palace alive."

"Then why aim?"

"Just in case."

I paused for a moment before asking, "Where are the others?"

"Probably waiting in the street for the ten minutes to be over."

"Ten minutes?"

"They usually give us ten minutes before entering so that Knox and I can take our positions up top," she explained. "It's harder for the two of us to get in after the Crowns walk in since the guards are on high alert and much more jumpy."

"Wait, walk in?" I asked. "As in straight through the doors?"

Nydia nodded.

"Why the hell-"

I was interrupted by the sound of the large front doors opening. Three silhouettes stood in the doorway and all movement below halted. Numerous guards and workers raised their guns, including the middle boss man.

"Put your hands in the air and step into the light!" Someone shouted, though I couldn't pin the location of origin.

The Royals ignored the hands order although the did take a few steps forward, just enough for the light to reach them, but not enough to be seen clearly. They looked around the room at all the guns trained on them, expressions more maniacal and taunting from the shadows that were cast across their faces.