Chapter One
“Kiala, get me some greens from the garden.”
Kiala hopped down from the stool she had been sitting on and headed outside while her mom continued to knead the bread.
The herbs and plants tickled her legs as she skipped through the garden with the collection basket. With a smirk, she picked her favourite greens to fill the bottom of the basket, leaving her least favourites for the top where her mom could see them. If her mom saw those greens, she wouldn’t put in more because she figured Kala had lined the basket.
She rushed back into the kitchen to watch her mother forming the loaves for dinner.
Kiala set the basket next to the sink and hopped back onto the stool, waiting for her turn to mark the loaves. It was her favourite bit.
“Wash your hands, dear. Your turn is coming.” Her mom’s smile was gentle.
Kiala slid off the stool and went to wash the garden dirt from her hands. When she turned, the front door opened and her father rushed in.
“Nila, they are here.”
Her mother nodded and reached for the drawer that Kiala wasn’t allowed to play with. Her mother tossed a number of cylindrical items to her father, and when they were both armed, her daddy turned to her.
“Kiala, we have to leave here, today. I need you to run when we say run and to keep yourself safe. Can you do that?”
Kiala looked toward the bread. “But, the bread.”
Her mom grinned. “We will make more birthday bread when we get where we are going. You can have a second birthday. Is that all right?”
“Yes.” She nodded and firmed her shoulders. She was a big girl and she could handle it. She was six years old today, after all.
The run through the woods was hard on Kiala. Her legs didn’t want to move after a while, but she kept going. She didn’t know who they were running from, but every now and then her mother or father stopped and fired into the shadows. Cries happened when her parents fired, and she kept her stubby legs moving.
A tree next to her head exploded and her body defended itself. When her skin went funny, it made it hard to move but she kept going.
Lights flared up ahead of them, and she followed her parents into the shuttle. It was the third time in the last two years that they had to run, but now, she was big enough to run on her own. Her dad didn’t have to carry her anymore.
When they were inside the ship, her dad held her on his lap while her mom piloted them away from their home.
“Sorry, lass. We are going to have to try again.” Her dad rubbed her hair.
“My skin did that thing again.” Kiala held up her hand.
“Good thing it did, little one. It wouldn’t do to have to stop and give you a going over in medical.” Her mom smiled and focused on their path through the stars.
Kiala didn’t know who was hunting them, but Mom promised to tell her after her birthday. She just wasn’t sure that it was this birthday or the one that they were going to start when they found a new home.
She hoped that the next home they found had a swing.
“Kiala Navo, please step forward.”
Kiala sighed and got to her feet. She was older than the rest of the candidates to the Assassins Guild, but she had been trained by two of the best.
The shadowed figure ahead of her turned and led her deeper into the complex.
When the attack came, she was prepared for it. Blades flew, she deflected them and struck back with the non-lethals she had been instructed to bring with her. They were on the ground and groaning before her heartbeat settled into a normal pace.
The escort waited, nodded, and continued to lead her into the depths of the guild.
Kiala faced the triumvirate and watched as they assessed her.
The central figure leaned forward and settled his elbows on the table. “Navo. You are named for your mother’s line?”
She inclined her head. “My father insisted. I got his good looks; I should carry my mother’s name.”
The speaker paused. “You have a sense of humour.”
“I do. I have been hunted for a long time, but now that I am fifteen, my family can no longer protect me. I must approach the guild and apply as a new recruit. No family can vouch for me, so I am on my own.”
“Do you know why?”
“Sure. My parents were not supposed to get together. They needed guild permission to have me, and they didn’t get it, so you hunted them.”
“The price on their heads has been lifted.”
“I am aware. The price is only on my head. Thanks for that.” She kept her body relaxed, but she could feel the shadows around the edges of the room circling her.
“Why do you want to join the guild?”
“To get the price off my head. It seems to be the only way to do it, so here I am. I am throwing myself on the mercy of the guild, so to speak.”
She waited until the chuckling ceased. “That is about the only reason that I would show up here.”
“You are very bold for a woman your age.”
“I am still a girl by most modern standards, but thank you.”
The shadow on the left murmured, “What are your strengths, child?”
“I am relatively impervious to damage and am hard to see when I don’t want to be seen.”
“Your parents have taught you concealment?” The voice was feminine.
“No. This is just something that happened the first time I was shot, when I was two.”
The shadowed form lifted a small bolt gun and fired it. Kiala felt the impact, but it skidded to the side and struck one of the assassins preparing to attack.
The three hooded figures spoke quietly before they addressed her again.
“With a skill like that you would make an impressive assassin.”
“No, with a skill like this, I would make an excellent bodyguard, possibly a nanny. While I can, and have killed in self-defense, seeking out someone to end them is not what I am interested in.”
The central one spoke, “So, you didn’t come here to apply to the guild?”
“No, of course not. Being hunted by assassins for my lifetime is enough exposure. I just want a life of my own now, and that means registering with the guild so that you won’t hunt me anymore.”
“In what capacity?” The woman’s voice sounded again.
“What?”
“You are registering with the guild in what capacity?”
Kiala smiled. “I am an excellent babysitter.”
The shadow on the left chortled. “You think that we are in need of a babysitter?”
“I think that you have children just like any other beings. Those children might not be suitable for the guild.” She shrugged.
The guild masters leaned back and discussed the situation for a few minutes. Kiala waited patiently, ready to move.
“If you make it out of the guild hall, you will be free. Any contract you engage in after that is your own business. The test begins now.”
Kiala thickened her skin and fired her bolt guns in low arcs. The shouts from around the room confirmed her targets and when she drew the second cartridge, she began to run.
The assassins who were injured were no threat. They were trained to regroup and attack later. Leaving a trail of DNA was undesirable, even in the guild hall.
Kiala felt the tugs of weapons at her clothing, but the blades couldn’t penetrate her skin, so she kept running. She made it out the door, past the waiting area and toward the giant doors that marked the guild entry.
A long, metal bar was sliding across the door, and Kiala couldn’t make it through with her body stiffened. She changed her angle and headed for the wall, her hardened fingers held her weight as she pulled herself upward, digging into the stone inches at a time.
The window to the left of the door was barred by a few stripes of steel, and it was nothing for her to pull the struts out in order to let herself through. She clawed her right hand, dug it into the outer wall and let her weight pull her down with her hand slowing the descent.
Outside the guild she smiled but kept running. The decision made in the chambers would not be completely spread for three days. Her life was in her own hands, and she was going to have to watch her back.
At least she had gotten freedom for her parents. From this point on, they could have as many kids as they wanted with no worries. With her mom hoping for a pregnancy, Kiala knew she had to take steps. One ruined outfit and one night of imminent danger, and she might have bought an eventual new brother or sister their freedom. She could only hope that her evening was well spent.