Chapter 40 - Sneak Attack

The shadow guards that were tailing Zenia were nowhere to be found. There was a secret path that the leader led Zenia to follow, and made them lose the shadow guards. The leader already felt that they were being tailed and just wanted to get rid of them. He did not think that a group may ambush them.

The burly leader with a confused face looked at Zenia as if telling her that he had no idea what was going on. He could recognize the men that appeared suddenly. He was certain that they were his men, but why were they attacking them? Unless…

Zenia assumed a fighting stance and took out her dagger from her scabbard. Not far away from them, the masked man from the burly leader's room watched everything and recognized Zenia's weapon. It was the last masterpiece of the legendary master weaponsmith of Venetia. That master was his great grandfather.

She moved so fast that the men found it difficult to restrain her. They had no other choice but to be in the battle mode. There were a total of fifteen men. Three of the black-clothed men detained the burly leader and prevented him from helping Zenia. The leader could do nothing as he tried to free himself. Zenia saw it and smirked.

'What kind of play are you all trying to plot?'

She did not hesitate to slash the throat of the one who tried to attack her on the back. She knew that the man intended to kill her. Did he know something? The man was caught unprepared when Zenia suddenly jumped up and somersaulted before she landed behind the man and slit his throat. Everything happened in a split second that no one was able to help the man.

The man who was watching from a safe distance watched more intently while smiling.

'This young man is not bad at all. But, how did he get great grandfather's dagger? Who gave it to him? He looks so young to have met great grandfather before. If he did, he should still be an infant by then.'

The attackers shuddered when they saw what Zenia did to their comrade. They became fired up and wanted to kill her on the spot. Someone stuffed a cloth in the burly leader's mouth as he tried to break free.

'Young man, you're on your own. I don't know what master is thinking that he must do this. Please be safe.'

Zenia concentrated on fighting the black-clothed men. She could easily finish them off. She could handle ten enemies without trouble, but that would also mean exposing her abilities. She just hoped that she would be able to keep up without using her secret technique.

The black-clothed men surrounded her, and they had a tacit understanding of killing her. The opponent was not someone they could just let off after what Zenia did to their comrade. Another bout was about to begin when suddenly…

"Stop!" The man who was just watching a while back suddenly shouted as he dashed to the scene.

The black-clothed men did not continue their assault, and the burly leader heaved a sigh of relief.

'Finally, you decided to stop this.'

The burly leader had a hunch that the masked man from last night would not stop until he was satisfied. He only hoped that the abilities that the young man had displayed were enough to convince his master that Zenia was someone they could trust.

The masked man circled around Zenia as if trying to imprint her whole being into his mind. Every now and then his gaze would fall on the dagger that Zenia was holding tightly in her hand. She noticed it and tried her best not to let the other party know what she was thinking.

'Did Big Brother offend this man and recognized my dagger? What's so special about it?'

Zenia's eyes met the masked man's gaze, and they stayed that way for a while. The masked man was mesmerized by Zenia's eyes that looked like stars had gathered in them. The masked man could not believe that the pair of enticing eyes belonged to someone who looked so ordinary and also a man. His mind wandered momentarily as he pictured a beautiful woman with a pair of those mesmerizing eyes.

Zenia guessed that the black-clothed men were the masked man's minions. She could tell that the masked man could be the mastermind behind it all and also the burly leader's boss.

"Is there any reason you should attack me like this?" Zenia asked without faltering as she threw a questioning glance at the burly leader.

The burly leader broke free from the men who were restraining him. He removed the cloth from his mouth and walked to where Zenia was standing.

"Listen, lad, I have no idea what's really going on."

He turned to the masked man and asked, "Why did you do it, master? Do you doubt me now?"

Zenia felt like she was watching a live drama, just like the ones being staged in the theatre of Ishelon. She really could not tell whether the burly leader was innocent or just acting.

The masked man only looked at the burly leader and turned his attention to Zenia once more.

"You passed the test. You will be assigned to the group that will guard the entrance to the capital from the North Gate. You will depart now to join your team." The masked man handed a token to Zenia and turned to walk away.

The burly leader gave her a huge grin and two thumbs up. "You made it, young man. The leader asked me to take you here so he can meet you personally before the mission. I did not expect that he was planning something like this all along. Lucky you're really good, ha-ha-ha!"

The masked man was annoyed with the burly leader's laughter. He suddenly stopped walking and shouted, "Get your asses moving before it gets dark. Don't forget to throw the body in the river. It would be easier for him to reach his true master from there."

Everyone was startled at the mask man's roar and looked at the direction he disappeared to. Everyone dispersed one by one, leaving Zenia and the burly man alone.

"Don't mind those men. They're envious that you've caught master's eyes."

"Boss, what's this token for?"

"It's a pass and to let others know that the master favors you." The burly leader nudged Zenia to get going.

"Where are we going boss?"

"We need to go through this path to reach the North Gate. There's a carriage waiting for us at the end of this path. It will only take two days at the most." The burly leader began to walk.

"But boss, I still need to take care of my belongings in the inn." Zenia protested and hoped that the leader would let her go.

"Don't worry about it. The old man will take care of everything until you come back." Zenia was helpless when the burly leader dragged her.

She just hoped that nothing bad would happen to her horse and her backpack.

* * * * *

"Is there any news yet?" Damien was furious. One of his most trusted guards had not returned yet.

It should only take less than an hour to carry out the plan. It had been three hours since his guard left to join the team that would test the ability of the newly recruited assassin. Damien knew that the burly man worked for the masked man. In fact, it was the burly man who introduced the masked man to him.

He knew that the masked man was a great strategist, and he lacked someone with such a skill. He also knew that the masked man was only using his team to help him with his personal vendetta. Although the masked man had his own people, it was still not enough. Their fighting skills were superb, but a few of them could only do so much. Their number was not enough to take over an entire kingdom.

Damien knew that the masked man was planning to overturn the reign of the current king of Venetia. He suspected that the masked man could be a prince based on his bearing. He agreed to collaborate with the masked man, but it didn't mean he trusted him completely. The masked man trained Damien's men using the same methods used by the masked man's people. Damien knew that he made the right decision when he joined hands with the masked man.

Damien was also aware that the masked man wanted to test Zenia's ability, but Damien wanted her dead. He instructed one of his most proficient guards to join the team and execute Zenia. It should appear like it was an accident. Damien had always been doubtful about the burly man's loyalty to him, but he had always admired the innate skill of the burly man in spotting talent.

The Ninth Prince trusted Jorick more than the burly man. When Jorick reported his suspicion, Damien paid a secret visit to the inn where Zenia was staying. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to get rid of Zenia right away.

He just returned to his rationality when he heard the rustling sound outside the window. He could still use Zenia to get rid of a formidable enemy. He could still wait a bit more and decided to postpone his plan to kill the suspicious young man.

His reverie was cut short when one of his guards opened the door in a hurry.

"My prince, we found the body of Sark floating on the river. From the looks of it, he had been dead for more than two hours now."

Damien clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He already had a strong suspicion that it was Zenia's doing. His face became darker as he thought about getting rid of that thorn at his side.