An Assassin's Anthem

Stars stretched around in the sky. The polished floor shone, and Riley plucked away at the lute, happily playing a song.

A hand reached up and grabbed her, pulling her through the floor. Space blurred around her. Candlelight shone, and Riley blinked. She looked around the stone room. Right. I was meditating. Gods, that’s disorienting. Looking up, she saw her father. “Hi, Dad. Ready for more?”

“You’ve been out for two hours. I have your lunch.” Roger handed her a bowl and took a seat on her cot.

“Where’s Nicole?” Riley asked, grabbing the spoon and eating the brown stew.

“Shooting. It’s largely a stand-off as their mages don’t want to deal with you and aren’t certain if you are awake.”

Riley nodded and looked at her list of notifications.

[311 people have sworn loyalty to you. This bond will break if you fail in your noble duties.]

We didn’t take that many prisoners. She ate and mused on it.

“And you should know that rumor is spreading to swear loyalty to you. Someone managed to get a note to the other fort.” Roger shook his head. “Is there a way to hide your aura?”

Riley frowned. I don’t think it works that way. She looked at it. “I don’t think so. How bad?”

“I don’t know, but it’s a worry.” Roger pulled out his knife and a stone. He sharpened it. “We are going to be setting up another rotation if that’s alright?”

Riley nodded. “I get it. They’re going to target me more often, aren’t they?”

“Yes. Now, you’re close to C-tier, which is great. For now, pick one of your classes to reset. Ideally, it’s one that you aren’t currently using.” Roger paused. “Which one is that?”

“Ranger, but I really should swap it in. I need the mana,” Riley whispered back.

Roger nodded. “Push it up tomorrow and reset it. It’ll hurt to go back to level one, but it’ll push back up quick enough.”

“Waste crystals?” Riley asked, grimacing slightly.

Roger chuckled. “Don’t think of it that way. It’ll be worth it, and I have some for you if things stall out.”

“Thanks.”Riley finished off her bowl and stood. She stretched and looked at her mana. Four percent? That’s all I got back. She felt like groaning.

“What’s bothering you now?” Roger asked, chuckling softly.

“I was hoping to get more mana.” Riley walked to the door.

“You don’t get a lot, but it can add up.” Roger gestured.

Riley opened the door and walked out. A group of knights were gathered around the table and map.

“If you are with the knights, you’re safe. If you leave here, get a guard.” Roger gestured to the wall of soldiers.

“Got it. Where’s Lucas?” Riley asked.

“Escorting prisoners and giving a report.” Roger smiled. “Feeling up to it?”

Riley nodded and conjured two knives, handing both to him. “Be careful.”

“I will.” Roger dashed out the door.

Riley walked over to the group and took a seat. She studied the map.

“…And the palace has a caravan of supplies and recruits headed our way. We need to clear a path.” Travis gestured. He looked at Riley. “Can you manage another fort today?”

Riley felt her mana. “I can manage a storm and a few more spells. Are we pushing?”

“It’s ideal.” Travis turned. “Michael, please?”

“Sure thing,” Michael stretched and headed for the door.

Riley followed him, striding out into the courtyard. “Has it been quiet?”

“Yes. We periodically barrage but have been conserving mana. We did wreck one of their forts.” Michael walked across the muddy ground.

Riley nodded and followed him into the tower. Winding up the steps, she looked at the group of mages inside. The magus walked in. Riley leaned against the wall, slotting in her spell to save mana.

“We’re taking the northwest,” Michael said to the Magus.

Summer spun and gestured. “You six, I need boulders…”

Riley walked out to the ramparts and looked at the forts. The southwest fort was a pile of rubble. Turning to the northwest fort, she prepared and waited.

Summer walked out with a dozen mages behind her. They took up position. Riley nodded and fed mana into her spell, willing it to encompass the fort. Vibrant blue lightning crackled into existence, snaking through the inside of the fort. Boulders flew and slammed into the wall, filling the air with a low roar.

Dust and snow billowed. The distant fort came alive. Enemies shouted, and soldiers fled, bailing from the nightmare that had been dumped on their heads. Fire flew, and Riley reached out.

Grabbing water and stone intended to block the barrage, she slammed it back into the group and sent a stream of psychic energy ripping back into the mages. Soldiers panicked and ran. Fire exploded, rippling through the area while lightning crashed onto it in a barrage of death.

Riley looked at the stream of notifications and grimaced. Gods, forgive me. She swallowed and watched soldiers scatter and flee. Archers fired, volleying long-ranged shots. The mages sent boulders slamming into the undefended fort.

Clouds formed above them, and Riley grabbed it. Feeding psychic energy back, she felt the tether to the distant mage drop. The lightning thrummed, and she willed it back to the source. Lightning lit the sky, and thunder boomed. Reaching out, she grabbed the defending stone, slammed it into the gate, and sent a stream of mana back down her link.

A kill notification popped up, and she spun. The archers continued to fire, launching arrows off into the distance. Enemy soldiers suddenly started turning red in her vision. They jogged toward the fort. Archers fired at the others.

“I’m low on mana,” Riley said, looking back at the Magus.

“Inform us when we need to retreat,” Summer said, looking out into the distance.

Riley nodded and watched. A fireball flew. Reaching out, she grabbed it and found no mage controlling it. Tossing it back, she prepared. It exploded, rippling across the enemy fort. They’re fighting smarter.

“No connection,” Riley replied.

“They’re draining you. We’ll deflect,” Summer said. She barked out orders to the nearby mages.

Riley turned and watched. The archers continued to pick off anyone running. Michael fired, sending an arrow streaking across the sky and dropping someone. Soldiers turned, raised their hands, and ran toward the fort.

Turning away from it all, Riley walked down a staircase and entered the courtyard. Jogging across it, she entered the barracks and walked into the large meeting room.

Travis looked up.

“You have defectors coming. They crumpled fast, but I am very low on mana.” Riley walked over and took a seat at the table. “Michael’s shooting.” She studied the map. “That’s one more down, but I won’t be able to do it again today.”

“Thank you, Lady Riley. Do we have deserters?”

Riley nodded, and Travis strode from the room. Turning back to the map, she studied it. The nearest allied fort is about twenty-five kilometers away, but we’ll get the most pressure. Or Riverfront. Her eyes flickered to the narrow stretch of the river.

“Lady Riley?” Ivan asked.

“Riverfront is secure, right?” Riley asked. “They may push there instead.”

“We have another contingent of knights there. I’ll admit that they managed to slip through, but they were cut down. We’ve put up a minor fort to ensure that won’t happen again.”

Riley nodded and studied the map again. “Will they throw everything here? And do we try to move up the front before pushing inward?”

“We’re debating that,” Ivan said, looking at the board and frowning. “It’s difficult to tell what they’ll do. The biggest question is how far we can push. We’re hoping to clear out those two forts tomorrow.”

“That fast?”

“If they don’t have time to build, we can do it.”

“And if we keep her aura,” a captain said, chuckling. She stretched. “Between that and meditation, our ranged soldiers are getting far more done.”

Riley looked up. She conjured blades and handed them to her father. He spun and raced out the door.

Nicole walked inside. “They’re pulling in the deserters.” She shut the door. “Keep an eye out in case someone tries something. They aren’t all bound yet.”

Riley looked back at the map. Do we push the entire front forward or try to cut them off? We’d be surrounded. She looked back at the group.

“For now,” Ivan said, gesturing. “The goal will be to push out the remaining two forts. They’ll start building a better, permanent one. We won’t be able to stop that without reinforcements.”

“I still think we should send her to Riverfront and let them push it. That would be ideal,” a captain said.

“We’ll need to wait for Seeker Lucas before we know the answer,” Ivan replied.

“The king will agree. It’s the ideal place. If we get the bridge up, we’ll have direct access into the undefended heart of their kingdom.”

Riley studied the map. It's not a bad option. However, we’d need to cross the river, and that’s the problem. She frowned. “How would we cross the river? A bridge takes time and proper engineering.”

“Exactly,” Ivan said. “That’s why we’re focused here. If the bridge went out, you’d be done.”

“But if we take the border of Eteln, we’ll get troops locked here,” the captain argued. “That will halt our progress.”

“That’s why we need reinforcements,” Ivan said, shaking his head. He stood up. “We’ll wait for word from the palace.”

The palace. Riley looked at the map. Who knows what they are doing?

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