The Assassin's Trainee

Obtaining the horses was a lot more difficult than Vincent had anticipated. The man he saw was the only horse dealer in the entire city and the stock he had was sub-par to say the least. There was an old nag who would be better suited being in the knacker's yard than for sale, two barely grown colts and a couple of thin creatures in dire need of a rest, not a trek across the wastes. The asking price for all of them was well beyond ridiculous. Vincent was leaning against the railing looking at the creatures when Talia returned with a bag full of supplies, "What's the problem?" she said.

"Take a look." Vincent said.

"What?"

"Talia, look at those animals and tell me why I might be waiting here."

She turned her head this time and spent a moment judging the creatures in front of her. "They look as though they've not been kept very well."

"And you don't know what he wants to charge for them."

"Can't we just... you know?"

"Steal them?" Vincent said raising his eyebrow.

"What? You've never stolen before?"

"Do you know what they do to horse thieves around here?" she shook her head. "I don't think there is enough unscarred skin on this body for the kind of treatment they give. No, we won't steal them."

"But we're guardians of the people. That's got to get us somewhere right?" she said. Vincent sighed.

"We are, yes. It's also illegal in most of the countries we guard to be one of these guardians, including this one. If we demand these beasts and leave the man alive, we'll be followed across the wastes until we're caught. If we kill him, the same will happen. No, we have to use words to get ourselves out of this one." He said.

"How?"

"I'm trying to think of that now."

Talia looked into the coin pouch and smiled. "Give me a moment and I'll see if I can do anything."

Vincent frowned. "If you think it will help."

"What harm can it do?" she said before trotting off towards the office. Vincent turned his attention back to the horses and coughed, the air was dry and dusty even this short distance from the ocean. The sun was climbing to the pinnacle of the sky and the ground was heating up. Sweat trickled down his back making the rough cotton stick to his skin. It was beginning to itch. It was going to be a long few months. He looked up at the sky and watched a thin wisp of cloud crawl lazily across the great blue expanse. One of the horses trotted over and nudged his shoulder, a look of hope in its soft face. Vincent could see his ribs through his thin hide but there was still some fire in his clear eyes. He ran his hand along his nose and smiled when the horse snorted and nudged against his hand. The horse's ears pricked up and Vincent looked around at the same time. Talia and the ostler were walking towards them. They were talking as they walked and there were smiles on both their faces. Vincent wondered what had changed; he's been a sullen fellow when he'd spoke to him.

"Come on brother." She said as they approached him. He nodded and fell in behind her, shouldering the bags and keeping at her heels.

"Excuse my brother sir, he is a proud man and not accustomed to such hardships." She said to the ostler. Vincent heard him chuckling and was tempted to bury one of his knives in the back of his neck. Instead he followed on in silence. The horse followed alongside them too, occasionally stopping to crop grass along the way. They walked to the gate in the paddock and the ostler whistled. The other horse looked up from where he was cropping grass and trotted over.

"These two are sure footed and will lead you to your family." He said.

Talia walked around the two beasts, inspecting their hocks as Vincent took in the faces of the beasts. Both were undernourished but looked like they'd pick up with regular exercise and feed. Talia spent longer than was strictly necessary running her hands over their coats and making sure they were able to carry them. After a full fifteen minutes, she turned back to the ostler. "They'll do. Go and draw up the papers while I discuss something with my brother." The ostler nodded before striding off.

"What did you tell him?" Vincent said as soon as he was out of earshot.

"We're travelling to see our dying mother, you're in denial and its making you short tempered and irritable, I'm handling most of the business. He said you were rude and condescending, I explained it as one of your flaws and after that he became quite pleasant. Just continue to act sulky until we're out of here and we'll be fine."

"How much are you paying for those animals?"

"Does it matter? We're getting out of here aren't we?"

"Well-"

"Now give me your purse so I can complete the deal." She said. Vincent snorted before handing it over.

"I want some left in that when you give it back." She gave him one of the smiles that made his insides turn to mush before turning away. Vincent kicked the ground and cursed.

When she emerged from the office she threw the coin pouch back at him, he caught it with ease, it was surprisingly heavy. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. He tucked it back inside his duster jacket without looking at the contents; that was a surprise for later. "They're going to saddle the horses for us now so can I have your saddle please?" Vincent gave it to her and she walked off.

Ten minutes later both horses were led round to the front of the office. Vincent took the reins of the hopeful creature that had nudged him earlier and patted its shoulder. Talia led the other and they walked away from the ostler. Vincent didn't miss the smug expression on his face and he frowned back as they walked passed him. They didn't mount the animals until they found the wide track through the rest of the tent city that led into the Tego Wastes.

They'd been travelling at a modest pace for a few hours when Vincent dismounted, encouraging Talia to do the same.

"Why're we stopping?" she asked

"We're not. These animals haven't been ridden for some time by the look of them it would be unwise to tire them out on the first day." He said.

"I see, where are we going?"

"The first town on the Wastes is Dillon; it should take a couple of days to get there if this map is anything to go by." He said looking down at the map again.

"What're we going to do when we get there?" she said

"Start what we came here to do."

"How?"

"Talia, I don't know yet. Give the questions a rest for a moment. I haven't thought it all through yet," he said. He ran his hand over his forehead, flicking the sweat onto the dusty ground.

"Sorry." She said looking down at the floor. Vincent sighed.

"I don't like to plan too much when I'm out on assignment. I've found that doing so means more can go wrong. Don't plan too much and you'll not go far wrong." He said.

"I see." She said before turning her attention to the changing landscape. The road remained dusty but gradually the sides began to change from sandy waste to grassy plane. Long brown grass clung to the ground in rough patches; it was bent low to the ground, flattened by the coarse winds that ripped across the landscape. There was no cloud in the sky as they walked along in silence, the sun offered no reprieve from the heat, it was relentless in its torture of the already ravaged ground. The ground slowly rose and on the horizon appeared the ghost of a large stack, the likes of which neither of them had seen before.

The sun began to sink slowly to the horizon and the wind began to die down, Vincent scanned the horizon before leading his horse off the road. Talia followed behind him. Vincent found a hollow in the landscape and dismounted, "Here's a good a place as any, and I can't ride any further without some sleep." He said with a smile.

"You're getting old!" Talia said, a good natured smile on her face. She dismounted and they both went about setting up the camp, "You know, I should have purchased clothing that would better suit a man than a woman." She said as she gathered some wood.

"Oh?" Vincent said looking up from seeing to the horses.

"Have you ever tried riding all day in a corset?" she said, "These skirts are far too full for anything practical, how on earth am I going to do anything useful in it? Including sleep?"

"I can unlace the stays for you." Vincent said with a shrug. Talia's eyes widened and her face flushed a pretty red. "I didn't mean that as it came out." He said quickly. "I've undone stays before on numerous occasions and..."

"You're not helping."

"Name of the God's Talia, I've been around in the world, I've seen enough stays in my time to know how they work." He said.

"I haven't." she squeaked.

"Talia, I have no interest in taking advantage of you, or anything. The first reason being that you're my student." Vincent said. "I know full well what type of a reputation you guys have given me and some of it is even deserved but I would never harm any of our own." He ran his hand through his dark hair and did his best to smile. "Nor take advantage either."

Talia nodded. "It's just, well, I don't know, I've seen some of the older men look at me and I know what they're looking at and it's just a bit, I don't know, weird." She said rubbing her forearms with her hands.

"Of course they do Talia, you're a pretty girl and it's difficult not to notice but remember, so long as you're travelling with me you'll be safe. I certainly won't do anything you don't want me to. I was just trying to offer help where it's needed."

"I've been silly haven't I?" she said, a shy smile creeping onto her face.

"Maybe a little but we've had a long day."

Talia unrolled her bed before handing Vincent some of the hard biscuits she'd bought for food. He nibbled on one as he sorted out his own sleeping place. "We need to keep a watch tonight," he said.

"Why?"

"I don't know who or what is out there." As he spoke, a creature let out a low whining in the distance, as if to punctuate his words, "And I for one don't fancy meeting my end yet."

"No. Wouldn't that be a let-down?" Talia said. "After all this training to get eaten by some creature in the wilderness! Would you mind untying this?" she asked. He could hear the shy tone in her voice so smiled as best he could.

"Of course. I'll take first watch, you get some sleep. I'll wake you when it's your turn." He said as he loosened the tied laces of her corset. He could smell the faint perfume she used as he brushed her blonde curls aside to reach the laces. He swallowed hard and did his best to ignore it, it wasn't easy. She nodded; He turned his back on her, allowing her some small privacy as she readied herself for bed. He was half tempted to turn and watch despite all he'd said but decided against it. It would be unfair after what he'd said. He turned his attention instead to the growing gloom. Not much was happening. Talia settled quickly. There was the occasional cry of an animal, the snort from one of the horses and even the odd snore from Talia.

The hours passed and even the sounds died, there was nothing but the darkness and the pin prick stars above, there wasn't even a moon for company. Vincent yawned and stood up to stretch. The duster jacket he wore may be heavy but it kept out the night cold. The temperature had plummeted since the setting of the sun; now it was just above freezing. He shivered as he walked around the camp without making a sound. He gave a final scan around the landscape and was just about to wake Talia when he thought he heard a whisper in the grass. He nudged Talia with his foot and as her eyes flickered open he put a finger to his lips.

He returned to where he had been sitting and strained to hear in the darkness. There was nothing to be seen out there and he began to wonder whether he had really been hearing things. Vincent was just about to put it down to tiredness when there was a rustling from behind them. It sounded like the scrape of a boot on gravel. He turned, now convinced they were being watched. He glanced down at Talia, who had rolled on to her side, her eyes were shut but he knew she wasn't sleeping. He bent down and loosened his boot knife. He listened again, nothing.

When it happened, it was so fast he acted more on instinct than anything else. There was a crack and a heavy weight collided with his midriff. Vincent coughed, sputtering as the air was forced out of him. Stars swam in front of his eyes as he groped for his boot knife. Meaty hands forced his shoulders to the ground, pinning him where he lay. "Talia!" he shouted as he heard a scuffle to his left. She yelled something and he brought his knee up sharply, aiming for his opponent's crotch. He missed, instead catching his thigh. A breath of rancid air swamped him, making him choke. He strained against the hands but couldn't break the hold. The sneer on his attackers face showed dirty broken teeth. Vincent hawked deep and spat into his eyes. The hold on him was broken as the attacker lurched backwards clearing the phlegm from his face. Vincent kicked him backwards until he was sprawling on the floor.

"Talia?" it was a question. A noise was made as he drew the knife from his boot. He regretted not strapping his swords onto his belt as he walked over to the attacker, who was now getting to his feet. Vincent strode over to him and kicked him in the ribs, sending him back to the ground again, "Now then." He said smiling down at the prone man. He flashed him the dagger to show what sort of business he meant. The attacker grunted and drew his own knife. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Not be much left of us if I don't." he said with a grunt, he was surprisingly well spoken for a thug. Vincent shrugged. He threw his knife at his attacker, throwing him off guard for a moment but missing, "Hmph, and now you have no weapon." Vincent took a couple of steps back and reached for his blanket, all the time watching what his would be attacker was doing. Vincent drew on of his twin swords and strode forward. He heard the clang of metal against metal as his sword struck the knife. He drove his opponent back with a blow that should have sliced a large chunk of forearm away.

"You're from that horse seller aren't you?" Vincent said. The slight widening of his eyes told him everything. He fended off a clumsy blow with ease, forcing him back further. They reached the point where his knife had landed and he stooped to pick it up. As he did so, a cloud of dust collided with his face. He coughed, retching up dust and stone, he managed to stumble to the side as his attacker charged forward. Vincent, anticipating the blow, brought his sword up. He felt the blade enter the soft belly of his opponent; there was a gasp of surprise and warmth flooded over his hand. He drew the blade back with a quick thrust and backed away from the dying man. He rubbed dirt from his face.

"Talia?"

He turned to see the young woman was holding herself well against a single attacker. She had a nick on her left arm that bled freely but from the look of it, it wasn't deep. Vincent also noticed that the man had more cuts than she did. He padded around the back of the fight while they exchanged blows. He kept a close watch on the fight, ready to step in when he needed to. He didn't. Talia made the best of a misstep from her attacker and thrust the sword into his chest. Vincent stepped forward as the now dead man hit the floor. Talia let go of the sword and stepped backwards, her hands held frozen in front of her mouth as if to capture the gasp she's uttered. Vincent pulled the sword from the chest of the dead man and held it out to Talia. She looked at it for a moment before recoiling away.

"It's your task to clean the blood of the fallen from your blade." He said, holding it out to her. "Do it while you put your thoughts in order." She took the blade from him then and sat down on her bedroll. Vincent did the same and began cleaning the blood from his own weapon. He kept an eye on Talia as she starred at the weapon on her lap. He re-sheathed his sword when it was done and pulled one of the blankets around his shoulders. The temperature had dropped further in the hour before dawn and he shivered. He watched as Talia began the task of cleaning her blade. The concentration that went into the task was palpable. She made no other noise as she stroked the weapon over and over. She continued long after every trace of blood had been wiped from the metal. Vincent let his eyes drift shut; he lingered on the borders of sleep. He awoke with a start when a presence sat close by.

"Who were they?" Talia said her voice low and shaky.

"They'd come to steal the horses back." Vincent said sitting up.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

She remained silent for a while, sitting and starring at the sword she'd left on her bedroll. She was shivering but seemed unaware of it. Vincent put his blanket over her shoulders and she pulled it around her. "Is it always like this?" she said.

"I'd like to say it gets easier but it doesn't."

"I don't see you moping about it!"

"No, coping with it gets easier, doing the act and the consequences don't, ever. I regret having to take lives needlessly, it's just less of a shock for me now." He said. She nodded as he spoke. "This is what we get for choosing the life we live." He added.

"Should we bury them?"

"Would they offer you the same kindness? If not for a stroke of luck that would be you lying there on the ground instead of them." Vincent said. She shook her head. He noticed her bleeding arm again and touched it with his fingertips, they came away sticky. "I'll have to dress this." He said. He pulled his bag over and dragged out what passed for a first aid kit. He wiped the blood from her arm and wrapped a fresh bandage around her slender arm. "This is the only one?" he asked. She nodded, "It was a clean fight for a first time, you did well."

"I could've died." She said. Vincent nodded, it seemed obvious to him but then again, he'd been killing for a living for a long time. He put his arm around her slim shoulder and gave her a squeeze, "I could've died without experiencing anything. I've been in the compound since I was ten years old and I know nothing." He could feel her trembling next to him and he pulled the blanket around them both. It was a cold night.

"What do you mean? I know life in the compound can be dull but there's plenty to do." He said.

"Vin. I've lived behind walls for eight years." She said, relaxing into his arm and against his body. "I know nothing of life." He looked down into her blue eyes and knew her meaning. He swallowed hard.

"What about your training partners? Phillip and James? I was infatuated with one of mine when I was still training. Alicia." He said. He could feel warmth flushing into his cheeks and couldn't help feel a bit giddy.

"You mean we're allowed to, well..."

"Of course, Mathias once said to me that we're assassins, not saints, so long as we're discreet in our affairs then it isn't a problem." She wound her arm around his slender waist and sighed. Vincent pushed a curl out of her face and held her for a moment, "I said earlier I wouldn't-"

"I don't care. I don't want to die not knowing..." Vincent nodded as she spoke and ran his finger down her soft cheek. He was surprised to see it was damp, he'd not noticed her tears. He let his thumb rest under her chin and placed his mouth on hers. He breathed in her scent, the subtle floral perfume, the salt of her tears. His eyes drifted closed and he pushed his hand through her curls, letting it rest at the back of her neck. He held her close as her lips parted, inviting him to deepen the kiss. Her tongue nudged his mouth, urging him to let her in. His lips opened and she collided into his mouth, exploring with all the fresh inexperience she had.

Her hand tugged at his shirt and she thrust it up against his skin. The sensation of her bare hand against his chest sent a tingling straight to his crotch. He relaxed back onto the blankets beneath them and she followed, not breaking contact with his mouth. He enfolded her in an embrace, revelling in the feel of her alongside him. He slid is tongue over hers, relishing the taste of her, sweet and fiery at the same time. He pushed her tongue back and broke the kiss. The question on her face was one of innocent confusion, "Did I do something wrong?"