Girl of Shadow Read online

  Knocking lightly on the door, I stand back and wait. The house goes quiet, but after a moment I hear faint footsteps. Charlie cracks the door open until he sees me and then opens it all the way. I give him a look to let him know I’m here on official business. He clears his throat, “Enforcer, we weren’t expecting you, but please do come in.”

  “What is it?” A woman whispers from another room.

  “Darick’s here hunny.” I follow him to the kitchen.

  His wife stands in their kitchen, twisting her apron between her fingers. “Hi, Nancy.”

  “I wish I could say it’s good to see you, but I have a feeling that earlier plans are still in play?” Charlie keeps his tone light, but the tension is palpable.

  I nod. Nancy bursts into tears. Her husband goes to hold her and whispers in her ear that everything will be all right. He does everything he can to comfort her. When she calmed a bit, Charlie got right to the point.

  “This is what I agreed to darling. For you. For the children. Someone has to do it.”

  “I know. I just hoped it wouldn’t come to this.” I leave them for a moment and wait by the door, wanting to give them a little privacy. We don’t have much time, but I can offer them this.

  About a minute or so goes by before Charlie calls me back into the kitchen.

  “So what needs to be done? I’m assuming things didn’t go as planned since Sam was caught as well?”

  I fill him in on everything; what will happen when I bring him in, and finally what Nancy must do to keep her family safe. He doesn’t seem upset about Samuel’s betrayal. Perhaps, he knew it would happen all along.

  “I hate to make this harder for you Nancy, but I need you and your children to leave here tonight. Take Sam’s wife and the kids with you. If things go south, I need to know you’re safe.” If The Boss is feeling a little more sadistic than usual, it’s possible Nancy and her children or Sam’s wife might be tortured as well just for the sake of hearing them scream.

  She nods her understanding. The weeping woman gone replaced by a woman with a spine of steel and a task to complete. “Not an issue. I could never stay here after tonight and I’m sure Sam’s wife will feel the same.” I saw the truth in her eyes. Losing Charlie to the hands of The Boss will make it impossible for her to serve his household. It’s better if she’s as far away as possible. “I talked to her tonight.”

  “How is she?” I feel a trace of guilt for not asking about her, I just kind of forgot…

  “She’s pretty torn up. Of course, we all live with the possibility that…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish.

  “I understand. She wasn’t ready.”

  “No, at least, I knew it would come…”

  Right before I push out the door, I pull Charlie into a brotherly hug, whispering into his ear, “If I can get you out, go straight to Leslie’s house. I will tell them to look out for you. Just hold out as long as you can Son of Liberty.”

  Chapter 8

  IZABEL

  “People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.”

  ― Niccolò Machiavelli

  ~~~

  I meet up with Fernando at one of our regular spots. On top of an old Catholic church in the poorer part of the city. It no longer functions as a church, much less a Catholic one since Catholicism is illegal. But if I use my imagination, I can picture what is used to look like in its former glory. The cross that used to stand at the front of the church is gone, but the nails it hung from left undeniable holes in the structure shaped like a cross. The inside still has remnants of old religious murals and the floor is torn up where the pews used to be. They were most likely burned in the cold months following the end of the Old World. Everything is faded after two centuries, but there are hints here and there that give way to its former majesty.

  For now it’s the perfect meeting place. It’s flat, parapet roof allows us to see anyone approaching while its bell tower offers us its shadow for cover. Fernando never comes alone, he’s stationed a guard within the general vicinity to serve as an extra look out. It’s here, on the roof, we make plans for Friday night.

  “Who’s the target?” We sit comfortably against the cool stone of the bell tower. I scan the area, never actually looking at Fernando as we talk. He does the same. We both have our weapons easily in reach on the off chance something goes wrong. “He’s a soldier of your father’s, one of Lorenzo’s men. His name is Erik Lautrette.”

  The name doesn’t ring a bell, but even with my position in the family and my job as an assassin it’s impossible to know everyone involved in my father’s plots. “Where can I find him?”

  “He’ll be at his home after 6 pm on Friday. He’s meeting someone there in his office. I would like to know who he’s meeting with and what they discuss. You should have no problem taking him out right after his meeting. I’ve had someone scope the place for the last two weeks; it should be fairly easy. Here’s his address and blueprints of the house. I labeled every room. There’s also a few notes.” Fernando hands me a small slip of paper that looks a lot like trash. I don’t bother looking at it, knowing it would require a flame to read and then a magnified glass. I slide it into my pocket. If anyone were to find it, they would think nothing of it. If I were to get caught, that little slip of paper would be the least of my problems with all the unauthorized weapons I carry. “There’s a window on the second story, it leads to his office. I think this is the best place to enter, but it’s your choice on how you want to get it done.”

  I stand to leave. We can’t linger long or else risk being seen and I can’t be away from home for a long stretch of time tonight. When I left, my father was still up working, which meant a significant number of the staff would still be roaming the halls, heightening the risk of discovery. “Consider the job done.”

  “Don’t be so overconfident it leads to your death.” He warns. I turn to him to really look at him for the first time tonight. His face is etched with worry and wonder what’s gotten ahold of him. Perhaps the efforts of the Underground are weighing too heavily on him. He’s been making some very bold moves lately. It’s only a matter of time before The Boss realizes the string of high-profile deaths and small skirmishes in the streets are a bigger problem than he anticipated. I know my alias has grazed his ear a time or two. All of the planning and much of the risk falls on Fernando as the leader. I take his hand in mine and reassure him. “I’m not, but the job will get done just like all the other jobs. I haven’t failed you yet and I never will.” I would rather die than disappoint my mentor who has given me everything.

  “No, you have not,” he leans in to kiss my cheek. “Goodbye, Daughter of the Shadow.”

  I bow over the hand I hold and say the customary parting between us. We are so much more than just the resistance. Nothing could ever replace or break the bond between teacher and student. We both strive for the same thing. “Goodbye, Father of the Moon.”

  I release his hand. It’s time to go. At the corner of the roof is a ladder, I use it to get to the street. Fernando will wait a few minutes and then depart to wherever he sleeps at night. We have known each other for years, but he has never told me the location of his home and I have never asked. I suspect he doesn’t have an actual house and instead sleeps where ever space is available just in case things turn sour. Smart man.

  I take off towards the shadows that will guide my way home. Only stopping to leave a gift here and there with my symbol on it. A small stamp of a raven so the people know I’m still watching out for them. It’s my way of giving back. In all of this ugliness, there has to be some small measure of good.

  The bulk of the money is left at the orphanage. The children there need so many things. I stopped there once with my mother when I was really young and not fully able to understand their circumstance, their face
s have never left me. My mother spent a lot of time there. It was her charity project, something she had personally experienced and felt the need to change. After her death, there was no one interested in keeping it up so it fell on hard times, only making it by on the irregular donations from the wealthy until I began leaving coins.

  The night before my mother died, she began reading a book to me about a man named Robin Hood. We never got to finish it, but two years after I began working with Fernando, I read the story on my own one night when I was feeling the weight of her loss more than usual. Seeking comfort in the pages, I found myself enamored with the tale and wanting to do something more. It’s stayed with me and inspired me to do the charity I do now. From that day on, I took a valuable or two from the home of each job and gave it back to the community. I prefer money because it’s difficult to trace, but I have a connection on the black market that helps me out from time to time with rare objects of value.

  Soon rumors spread about a girl with no face who helped those in desperate times. The rumor went that I only appeared at night under the heavy cloak of the shadows. After a time, I was referred to as the Girl of Shadow and Fernando soon adopted the name for me as well. It’s because of the tools he has given me that I am able to do this for the citizens of the United Party. That’s when I began referring to him as the Father of the Moon since we always trained by moonlight. He hated the name at first, but I hated referring to him as the Ragno Rosso, the Red Spider. It eventually grew on him. The greeting served to protect his identity as well. If anyone were to overhear our conversation they would never know he’s the Red Spider.

  Soon word got out that I was taking on The Boss by removing his worst men, then I became a hero to the people who felt the strain of power so acutely. I offer hope when before they had none. My symbol became the raven. It represents everything I am and want to be. It’s the bringing of light to the darkness; a bird which legends say used to be white but after great sacrifice turned black after its feathers were charred from bringing the sun to the world. A cunning creature, who is also capable of bringing death and ill fortune to those who deserve it. As the years have passed, my fame has grown. I have been known to come to the aid of those attacked in dark allies on their way home or putting a stop to gangs selling protection for money. Although those incidents have been few, it fills the people with the hope and lets them know someone cares and is looking out for them.

  The streets remain quiet tonight and I am able to make it back in record time. There are fences throughout the city, meant to prevent people from moving about too freely. The Boss likes to keep the poor away from the rich for the ‘protection’ of the rich, but it’s just another way to control the people. The police monitor the fence line and only those with special passes can go from one district to another. For people like me the fences are a joke, I just go over them, but for the average citizen these fences are like a prison.

  My home is now within sight, I find the security guards more alert and active than usual for this time of night. I have to wait for the perfect moment when I can breach the ten-foot stone wall unseen. Finally, one is called over by another. I take the opportunity. It might be the only one I get tonight. I climb a tree just a few feet away from the wall. My eyes constantly wandering back to the two talking guards. It’s a three-foot jump from the tree to the top of the wall. I usually just climb it, but it takes time I don’t have. I take the leap and in one smooth motion, catching the wall and flipping myself over it as silently as possible. I hang on the wall for a moment to listen, hearing nothing I let myself drop to the bushes below. I wait in a crouch still listening for any noise. Nothing. I examine the activity in the house, it would seem I arrived without a moment to spare. Most of the lanterns are lit and it looks like every available candle is in use. I can see people moving through the windows all heading towards my father’s office. It looks like The Boss has night time visitors and not a few, but a small army of people.

  I remove my cloak and wrap my weapons in it, hiding it as deeply into the bushes as possible. There is a danger being caught in my current attire with the kind of weapons I’m carrying. I’ll have to retrieve them tomorrow. I’m left in tight, black leather pants and a matching top. I undo the braid in my hair and run my fingers through it so at least it will look like I slept and can excuse my attire for a quick night walk due to a fitful sleep. Most of the household knows I have trouble sleeping, so it isn’t too farfetched. After I’ve made the right adjustments to my person, I take the path that winds through the garden at a stroll like I have a right to it. Not many will stop and question the Principessa di Don.

  Chapter 9

  MARGERY

  “Camouflage is a game we all like to play, but our secrets are as surely revealed by what we want to seem to be as by what we want to conceal.”

  -Russell Lynes

  ~~~

  That stupid girl is not in her room again! I search the rooms nearest hers, trying to locate her or find something that might give a clue as to where she has gone. I check closets, under beds, basically anywhere a person of her small size could fit. Though, I have no idea why she would be hiding in any of these places, but just to be thorough I check anyway… It’s always possible someone found her as obnoxious as I do and couldn’t resist strangling her and hiding the body. Unlikely, but possible.

  It’s moments like these I wish the principessa had a nanny.

  I move to the next room, first scanning the open space and find nothing. I then walk to the closet.

  Tonight is already chalking up to be unusual. Between the search for Izabel and all of the night time visitors, the daytime serving staff is probably not going to be released from duty until well past midnight. The nighttime shift is much too small to manage the gathering crowd as well as maintain the search for one stupid girl.

  Feeling dead on my feet, I take a seat in one of the cushioned chairs for a moment just to rest my legs before I begin my search anew.

  Late in the evening, The Boss sent a guard around to check in on each of his children. All of his boys were found in their usual places… Izabel, of course, couldn’t be as easy. The Boss is having a fit because he can’t find her. Something’s going on that has everyone on edge and apparently Izabel needs to be accounted for. It’s priority number one; which is surprising. The Boss has never taken an interest in his daughter, but the Way forbid something happens to the spoiled brat. He could never accept it. It would make him look weak.

  I’m not sure why anyone bothers. In terms of value, she’s the least valuable member of the family. More than likely, she’s doing what any other teenage girl would be doing, sneaking out to meet people. That’s what I used to do before all of this began. I get up from the chair and renew my search, getting more and more frustrated when it’s not called off. I just want to go to bed.

  “Margery?” Someone whispers from the doorway. It’s dark other than the area illuminated by the lantern I’m holding. It only sheds enough light for me to see a few feet around me, but not the person blocking the doorway.

  “Yes?” I peer at the door, but all I can make out is a man in a guard uniform. His voice is familiar, but I can’t quite place it.

  “I’m glad I found you.” He steps closer and I have to remind myself to stand my ground. I don’t know who he is or why he’s here, but showing fear in the face of uncertainty will get me nowhere. When he’s within my circle of light, I recognize him. He’s well built with a tall, broad frame; handsome in a brutish sort of way with plenty of faint scars visible on his hands and face. He wears the guard uniform really well and I’m sure he’s naturally good at intimidating intruders.

  “Mr. Brown, what’s going on?” My voice is a little higher than normal. I know of him, but I don’t really know him and the way he’s behaving is making me nervous. He’s basically a capo because he is the head of the day shift guards and reports directly to the Enforcer. He is definitely not someone to trifle with. Usually, I wouldn’t concern myself with b
eing harassed by guards or other employees, but with the whole house in an upheaval one can’t be too careful.

  “Shh! We only have a moment. Call me Daytin. Mr. Brown was my father.” He gives me an easy smile and then uses his two fingers on his right hand to draw a symbol in the air that looks similar to the lowercase Greek symbol, delta. His fingers start at his left temple to signify his mind, then curve over his forehead and then to his heart and up to his mouth. It’s the symbol of Liberty. From the mind, to the heart, to the mouth. It means to think, feel, and act- in that order. I’m so surprised by his revelation, I’m momentarily dumbstruck. I didn’t think Samuel and I were the only ones to have infiltrated The Boss’s house. I knew there had to be a few others; it only made sense. But to have someone of Daytin’s rank involved is shocking in a good way. He has to have regular interacts with the Enforcer and The Boss. I feel slightly envious of his job, it’s the kind of work I want to do. Obviously, this operation is bigger than I realized. Without giving me time to process the news, he jumps to the point. “Sam has been compromised.”

  “What?!” I’m stunned and worried about what this could mean for me. I’m not ready to call it quits.

  He ignores me and continues. “As far as we know no one else has been implicated, but just in case we need you to behave as normally as possible.”

  “Okay.” I take a breath of relief. I still have time. All of us live on borrowed time- some more than others.

  “Good. I’ll be your new contact person. We can meet in the mornings just like you did with Sam, but only when you think you have something important to share. With everything happening right now, we can’t risk anyone else. After seven days, if you have no useful information, just stop by for a moment and I will fill you in on anything you may need to know that’s occurred over the past week. If it’s really important, I’ll come find you.