Connor spotted the strange woman multiple times throughout the next few days, though he always ended up losing her and that wasn't an easy feat to accomplish. He knew she was currently staying at the inn, a risky and odd choice if she was a spy. But of what she did during those days, he knew nothing of. When he wasn't following her, he was snooping around for what had become of his informant. Without him, it would take much longer to find out what his father was up to and where he was.
One night, he heard some promising news about the location of his absent informant. Cautiously he approached the abandoned old church in the outskirts of the town. The building had been well licked by a fire before being extinguished, it had left the church weak to the elements. As he entered, the snow dusted boards under his feet creaked with his weight. He made his way forward pass the empty pews to the alter. He had barely set his foot down before the ground fell from beneath him and he tumbled into darkness.
He landed on a cold stone floor, narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the hard ground. He stood up and felt around blindly, he could barely see the hole above him in the darkness. The room or hall he was in was very narrow, he followed it with his hand towards what he guessed was the front of the church. Walking through the dark abyss, he can feel the soft decline in the floor and the outline of a door left ajar comes into view. Peeking through he finds the room strangely empty. He enters and shuts the door behind him, moving about quietly. Surveying the room, its lined with book shelves and nothing else aside from a table in the center. The air is musky, dense and has a faint metallic smell.
Pausing in his movements, the faint sound of a voice can be heard. Turning around in the room he moves to where the sound is coming from. Inspecting the floor in front of the book case he notices scratches in the wood and drops of blood. Pulling on the shelf reveals it to be merely a cover up for a door. Opening it, the room is dimly lit and filled with bodies. Looking over the dead, they've all been killed cleanly and precisely. Moving to the desk, he begins to flip through the pages when he hears a low whimper below him. The man shrinks back from him in fear, begging to be spared. There is a soft swish, a sound he is familiar with, of a blade being unsheathed. Turning, he ducks from the blow and knocks the machete out of his attackers hand. Pulling forward the offending arm, he traps the person's arms behind their back for a moment.
"Who are you?" Connor gruffly asks.
The offender remains silent, slamming their head back into his before he can move out of the way and slips from his grip. They swipe his legs out from beneath him, but he recovers and sends a blow straight to their stomach. The two fighters exchange blows, equally matched despite his opponents smaller figure. He is stronger, but they are quicker. He manages to get his arms locked around their neck, but they surprise him by flipping him onto his back. The air in his lungs is knocked out as his back slams into the floor, disorientating him for a moment while his opponent retreats. Following close on his attacker's heels, they peel out of the room and through the dark hallway. He stumbles to the end of the hallway and up stairs that bring him back to the level of the church. His attacker vanishes into the dark woods, long black braids trailing in their wake.
Aveline follows the man through the woods into a burned down church where he lifts up a piece of the floor to reveal stairs heading down into the ground. Waiting in the shadows as she counts to ten, she makes her way to the trap door and quietly eases it open. Slipping down into the gloom, the man's torch can dimly be seen ahead. The tunnel winds down for a while before he comes to a door, knocking once and then three times. The door swings open, illuminating the hallway as she shrinks back against the wall. Voices come from behind the door as she slinks up to the keyhole and peers in, there are four guards around the room, the man she was trailing and another to which he is conversing with. The pair stops in front of a book case and pulls it forward, opening a door hidden behind it. Deciding the best way to enter is to be up front, she simply opens the door and steps inside. The four guards attention snap to her and shout at her to stay where she is. They bind her hands and the other man emerges from the hidden room.
"Who are you and what do you want?" The man asks.
She answers in French, knowing he cannot understand her.
"Don't play games with me child, I'm not a very nice person when I'm angry." He says again, getting in her face.
"You die now." She answers, her hidden blades springing free and cutting her binds. She snaps one guards neck, breaks the knee of another and shoves his nose into his brain.
Grabbing the gun of another, she slams the butt of it into his wind pipe, crushing it. The last guard draws his sword, but she's quicker and buries her hidden blades into his lungs.
"Most impressive, but I won't talk no matter what you do." The man says, eyeing the blade she holds at his neck.
"I doubt that, but I don't need you to speak." She says, her blade receding back into her sleeve. Her hands come up to his face, lightly caressing his cheek before forcing his head into an unnatural position.
She steps over his limp form and takes out her blowpipe. Opening the door, the man she trailed stands front and center, his gun trained on her.
"Sur-" He starts, his sentence cut off by a poison dart lodged in his neck. He falls to the ground, the gun clattering to the floor. There is a man tied to a chair, his mouth bound and his eyes fraught with fear. She slowly makes her way to him, undoing the gag around his mouth.
"Shh, I'm not here to hurt you. I came to free you in turn for some information. Please don't run, you're safe now." She says, cutting his hands free.
"Wha...what do you want?" He stammers, rubbing his wrists.
"Do you know anything about an Officer Davidson?" She asks, backing up to give him room.
"Last I heard he was with the Ethiopian Regiment, don't know where they are though." He says, trying to stand up.
"No, don't try to move. I need to check first-" She starts, when a low rumble echos throughout the rooms.
"Stay here, I don't think we're alone." She says, walking back into the other room. She opens the door and sticks her head out into the hallway, listening. The soft tread of shoes upon the stone floor confirms her suspicions. She quickly drags the bodies of the guards and man into the other room, closing the door behind her.
"What is it?" He says, beginning to shake as fear returns.
"Someone is coming, there is only one but they will know something is amiss when they find the room empty. Stand up and hide under the desk." She says, helping him to the desk.
"Whatever you do, stay quiet." She says, extinguishing most of the lights and recedes into a dark corner.
She can hear the book shelf scraping as its moved, and the door handle creaks as its turned. The stranger steps in and examines the pile of bodies before moving to the desk. He looks over the papers, but something under the desk draws his attention. The man provides a suitable distraction and she lunges, but her blade is knocked out of her hand. The hooded figure pulls her arms behind her, demanding her identity.
She slams her head back, successfully breaking his hold and kicks his legs out from underneath him. The man is quick to get back on his feet and manages to hit her in the stomach. He's strong and in turn she uses his movements against him, knowing she lacks his strength. He pulls her into a headlock, a mistake, as his taller form allows her to throw him over her shoulder. The prisoner is long gone and she follows suit, dashing out and through the tunnel. She's faster than the man and disappears into the woods before he can catch her.
She takes her time, losing her trail in the woods just in case. By the time she makes her way back to the town, the sky has begun to turn the vibrant shades of dawn. Exhausted and body aching where he hit her, she scales the building and slips in through the window. Tossing her hat onto the bed, she takes off her boots and holster.
"Now what would a lady of your supposed status, be doing sneaking in at this hour?"