Attempted Assassination

---Katherine---

"Do you see that?" Aaron pointed up in the sky. I looked at the columns of smoke rising against the pink and orange sky. "Lord Victor's recruits must've set up camp at the edge of the Northern Mountains. This is our chance."

We discovered traces of Lord Victor's soldiers along the way: discarded trash, fire pits, piles of unused firewood. I was actually surprised they didn't loot the villages along the way; maybe Lord Victor had ordered them to get to the Northern Mountains as soon as possible, without any side missions. Aaron and I decided to do what we can to hinder these recruits so we can minimize the amount of people we would fight against. Our best plan so far was to sneak into their camp at night and kill off their leaders. Most of Lord Victor's soldiers were normal citizens forced to enlist and those with no alternatives. Without anyone to lead them, I was sure the army would be dismantled.

We set up our own little camp in a small grove of trees, close enough to see the enemy's camp in the distance but hidden enough so that they couldn't see us. As night fell, Aaron and I ate a simple meal of beef jerky and cornbread, listening to the murmurs of the enemy as their loud voices travelled in the empty landscape. We changed into what Aaron nicknamed our "ninja suits"—a set of black, form-fitting clothes that allowed for free movement when fighting while keeping the wearer warm and covered. To make sure no one would recognize us, we even tied black cloths over our faces, revealing only our eyes.

As the moon peeked out behind dark clouds and the area quieted, Aaron and I snuck towards the enemy camp. We successfully made it to the outskirts of their settlement without being noticed. "That's a lot of tents," Aaron whispered to me. "There has to be at least thousand people here."

"Lord Victor's army is a lot larger than I thought. If these are just his new recruits, think about how many people we'd have to go up against at his stronghold." A sense of dread pooled at the bottom of my stomach.

"That's a problem for later. Right now, we need to get in, kill the leaders, and get out." Aaron surveyed the landscape carefully. "Where is the main tent?"

I peered above the bush I was hidden behind, searching for a tent that seemed more authoritative than the rest. "There—you can just barely see it—that one tent, near the center. See how it's brightly lit inside? And how it's a lot bigger than the rest? That's not a tent for sleeping; it's a place for meetings. I bet the leaders are holding a meeting there right now."

Aaron and I crept up to the main tent, darting through the silent campsite, alert for any movement. It appeared that everyone was sleeping. We didn't even encounter any guards. Once we reached the main tent, we plastered ourselves to the left side. Aaron took out a small throwing knife and sliced a line in the fabric. We peeked inside.

About fifteen people were huddled around a large table, poring over some documents and maps. We couldn't see their faces from our crouching positions, but it was obvious that one of them was the head honcho—the guy whose voice kept thundering out over the others. He was the one whom everyone looked to for the final decision, and he was the one who was pointing out mistakes in their plans. He was the guy we were going to kill tonight.

"It's so hard to see," Aaron complained quietly. "These people keep blocking my view."

"We can always move to circle behind him," I reminded Aaron. "But I want to listen to their plans a bit first."

So many voices talked at once it was hard to distinguish what they were talking about. From the bits and pieces I gathered, they were discussing the best route to go into the mountain. If even Lord Victor's new recruits didn't know how to reach his stronghold, then Lord Victor must've really made an effort to keep his base a secret.

"Hey, do you see that person by the guy?" Aaron nudged me. I peered through the slit, but someone stood in my way. I saw a flash of brown hair. "Do you notice how the main guy keeps looking at that person for confirmation? Do you think that person is the actual leader?"

I furrowed my brow. "It's hard to tell, because I can't really see anything," I said. "But if the guy keeps asking for that person's confirmation, then he must be a valuable member of the team too. Another person to take down."

"Alright. I'll get that person, and you get the first guy. You have better aim than me." Aaron pulled out a second throwing knife and placed it in my palm. The small weapon was warm from Aaron's body heat. "When do we act?"

"Wait, someone's moving…they're all moving." I squinted through the slit. "Why are they moving? Now we have to move too." Aaron had peeled the slit open slightly to get a better look, but upon hearing my words, he released the fabric.

"Alright, let's circle around—"

"Who's there?" A voice suddenly called out. I was so startled I nearly toppled into Aaron. We froze and quickly scanned the surrounding tents for movement. A few tents down, someone was standing outside and looking around. He didn't seem to see us yet, but we needed to get out of here quickly.

"The next time you see an opening, just throw the knife," I hissed to Aaron. "We need to act now!"

"Wait, the guy, the guy is wide open, throw the knife!" Aaron poked me, gesturing towards the slit. I shifted to get into a more comfortable position—and promptly stepped on Aaron's toes.

"Ow—!" He cried out softly, and I clamped a hand over his mouth, apologizing with my gaze. The people inside the tent were too busy arguing to hear Aaron, but the person who was already looking for intruders heard. He turned in our direction and met our startled gazes. Two tense seconds passed. The soldier shouted for reinforcements.