Then I calmly took another sip of wine. I set the wine down and started cutting her chest open. I slowly started at the bottom of the rib cage and cut it apart. When I couldn’t cut anymore, I took out a small bone saw and cut the rest of the way.

There was some blood, but I took a vial of liquid that was given to me for just such an emergency. I poured it on the young queen’s body and the blood didn’t leave her anymore. I continued to cut until I got to her heart. I carefully cut it out and placed it in to a wooden box with a gold heart on it. I latched it shut and stuck a dagger into what was left queen’s chest with a black silken ribbon tied to it. This was the mark of the Living Shadows, the infamous thieves’ and assassin’s guild.

I took out a small, enchanted rock, tossed it outside, covered my ears, and closed my eyes. Not a second later, a tremendous boom when off right next to the carriage with a blast of blinding light. I opened my eyes and took my hands off my ears. I rushed outside the carriage to see every one rubbing their eyes and ears. I closed the door to the carriage, and then I took out a grappling arrow with a rope attached from it to my belt. I aimed it at a five-story building and loosed the arrow to the roof. Perfect shot. I said a command word and the rope pulled me up faster than anyone could come back to their senses.

I sat there on the roof for a moment and watched the scene. When the guards could see and hear again one of them asked if the queen was all right. When they got no answer one of them stepped in to the carriage to check on the queen. I heard the guard shout, "Assassin!" and then he came out with the dagger with the black silken ribbon in his hand. I smiled at a job well done and made my way off to the Living Shadows Headquarters.

- - - - -

"10,000 gold worth of coins." My employer said handing my over a few bags of platinum coins, "A job well done. Now Tearias will enter war with the nation of Palastopega. Now, for your next job, you need you to pay the son of Lily and Antarlas Draxel a visit, don’t kill him, just kidnap him. What was his name again?"

"It’s Azzen. Look, that’s all well and good," I said, "but I would like some more money to cover my expenses. There’s the cost of a fire arrow, a blast stone," I looked to my boots, "and not to mention a new pair of boots. I got blood on my last ones."

"I believe 10,000 is enough to cover anything you need." He said rudely.

"All I’m asking for is another 3,500." I said innocently.

"No, I’ve given you more than you’re worth already. You’re only sixteen; I could get someone older and better. Besides, you don’t need cash."

"Yes, I do. I need to cover my expenses like all others in my profession. And just because I’m younger than most, doesn’t mean that I don’t deserve a nice reward once in a while." Then I sat in a chair and put my feet up in his desk. "Besides, there isn’t an assassin in the city that’s better than I am and you know that." I said, sounding as cocky as I could.

"Alicia Oparte, she-"

"That’s in the city." I interrupted him, knowing all too well about a girl about the same age of me. She was one of my lieutenants when I was leader of the street urchins. She had a better talent for this business than I. We always had ‘friendly’ competitions when we were in the same place. She beats me four times out of five.