Chapter 6: The People's Money

"Are you ready?"

"Of course."

"Good, then let's go."

Kira nodded in agreement with her fellow Assassin, before watching him disappear into the alley that lay between two houses nearby. She stood, taking a moment to gaze up at the clouded night sky that she knew concealed so many thousands of stars above, before turning her attention to the building that stood before her. She noted the window, left carelessly open by the owner, through which she would make her entrance. She hadn't lied to Connor; she was anxious to begin their latest endeavour- that of apprehending the man posing as a tax collector- as soon as possible, and impatiently she counted the seconds that passed in her head. Despite her eagerness, she knew that the mission would only be successful if she timed her entrance correctly, to correspond with Connor's own arrival at the rear of the house. He wouldn't be ready, not yet, she thought, as she pictured him surreptitiously lock-picking the back door.

Over the few years she had known him, Kira had grown to adapt to Connor's strengths and his weaknesses. She understood how he operated: which hand he favoured when fighting, his preferred techniques in both attack or defence, and every other act or movement that made him unique as an Assassin. Despite not having the benefit of watching Kira's early years in training, Connor too had come to an understanding of how she worked, fought and acted; and due to this mutual understanding, the two found that they worked together like clockwork.

For this reason, Kira now knew Connor would have picked the lock in the house's rear door. Pulling her hood over her head, she reviewed the plan once more in her mind, before darting towards the building. The window was on the first floor, and after glancing around to ensure no inconveniently placed bystander was watching, she began to scale the structure. She'd previously taken the time to map each foot and hand hold, so her ascent was as swift and effective as possible. The coldness of the red stone bricks with which the house had been constructed stung her already numb fingers as she nimbly reached her destination. She had planned for if the window had been shut, but was grateful that it had been left open. It made for a much more effortless entrance.

She slipped silently inside the house, finding herself in the upstairs hall and staring across at the wooden stairs leading down below. Along and to her right was a closed door, which she believed to be the entrance to the bedroom, and through that, the study. Several Assassin recruits had studied the activities of the household over the previous week, and had provided Kira and Connor with the information that the stolen money was being kept in this study, and also the routine of the few mercenaries who had been hired to guard the rooms.

Creeping alongside the wall, Kira reached the door and carefully pressed her ear to the wood. On the other side, she heard the footsteps of two men, pacing incautiously on the other side. These would be the two guards- one in the bedroom, one in the study- of which she had been informed. From what she had heard, the mercenaries were hard-hitting, but not professional. They shouldn't be difficult to overpower, but she reminded herself of the fact that she was under strict instruction to only incapacitate them temporarily- in short, not to kill any of them, unless entirely necessary.

Keeping this in mind, Kira's hand moved softly to the door's handle, and she grasped it slowly. As she heard the guard in the bedroom move away from her, she turned it and pushed the door open, ever so slightly, and all the time praying it wouldn't make a sound. It didn't, much to her relief, and quietly she stalked into the room, her eyes fixing onto the figure of the first guard as soon as he came into sight. His back was turned to her as he gazed out of a window, his head moving briefly as he surveyed the outside world. At once Kira saw her opportunity, and darted forwards, grateful for the soft rug that lay across the floor which so effectively silenced her footsteps. In an instant she was upon the guard, one hand clasped tightly over his mouth, and her other arm around his neck, slowly cutting the oxygen he needed to breathe.

She held him strongly as he thrashed desperately to get free from her grip. His short and ragged breaths gasped for air against her hand, as she prevented him from crying out to his comrade. Moments later, the same breaths slowed as he drifted into a slumber. The hands which had previously been clawing at her arm now fell away, lying limply at the sides of his body. He was unconscious, yes. But still very much alive.

Kira breathed a sigh of relief as she felt him weaken. She lowered him gently to the floor, being careful to remain as quiet as possible. The door to the study was pulled to, meaning that she could be certain the second guard had not seen her attack. Taking one last look at the unconscious guard, she studied the weapons he carried and his physique- he looked strong, powerful- and like someone she would rather take by surprise than head-on. Presumably the guard next door would be the same sort of build, so she still favoured stealth as her method of confrontation.

It was a good choice, for a minute later, she stood over his now limp body, after having overpowered him in an almost identical way as she had done with the previous guard. The plan was certainly going well so far, as far as she was concerned, anyway- for she could only hope that Connor's part in it had been as successful. She turned her attention to a wooden box which lay on a small table on the opposite side of the room from her. She approached it, her hands reaching for the lid and gliding across the wood to reach a small lock. The box had been varnished and felt smooth under her fingers as she bent down to study it. There was no time now to unlock the box, but after lifting it and testing its weight, Kira was certain it contained Boston's stolen coin.

Smiling to herself, she walked with the box into the bedroom, heading purposefully towards the door. As she passed the bedside table, she stopped, recalling the other reason she was here. Placing the box onto the bed, she turned to the table and pulled out a small draw. After rummaging through some paperwork, soon enough, she was greeted by the sight of a small book, leather-bound, and, after she had flicked through several pages, undoubtedly the journal kept by the fraud tax-collector. Satisfied, she pocketed it quickly into the inside of her coat, before hearing a loud thud from downstairs.

Alarmed, Kira snatched the box from the bed and hurried towards the hall, and from there, down the stairs to the source of the sound. As she reached the room, a sitting-room, she moved the box under one arm, her now-free hand reaching for the dagger sheathed at her side. She drew it sharply as she entered, but lowered it again as she came upon the waiting scene. Connor was stood, hidden blade unsheathed and shining a dark shade of crimson, above the body of a middle-aged looking man. Johnathon Miller, she presumed. The criminal whose house they had just been invading. Connor looked up at her, and on seeing her puzzled expression, sheathed his hidden blade and stepped forward.

"He did not take too lightly to being caught." He explained, gesturing at the body, a pool of blood now starting to form on the carpet beneath the dead man. "He left me no choice"

"I see." She replied, understandingly. Part of her wanted to press further the fact that she had been careful not to harm the guards upstairs, but she conceded she would have probably have done the same thing in his position. She now held the box out to him, the weight of it starting to tire her arms. "Here. We've got what we came for, at least."

"Is that all of the money?"

"All that there was in the study, yes."

She relaxed her arms as he took the box from her, smiling as he did so. She knew how strongly he felt about returning the money to the people, and how relieved he'd be that they had succeeded in their mission. She watched Connor turn to face the fallen criminal, knowing he took no joy in the man's demise. It would be wrong to take pleasure in killing any man, even one as despicable as this. Kira studied the body, too.

"We should go. It won't be long until one of the guards gains consciousness and comes looking for him, and the money."

In strong agreement, Connor nodded, holding the box tightly and then stepping over the body to head towards the door. He nodded in appreciation at Kira as he passed her, grateful for her assistance in retrieving the box. She smiled back, keeping to herself the fact that she had also got what she'd come for.

Author notes:

Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read my story so far. Please review, follow, or favourite my story, as I appreciate all feedback, and I'd love to hear what you think. :)

I've been really busy lately, hence it's been such a long time since I published my last chapter. I'll do my best to get the next one out on time, and thanks for sticking with the story so far. I really appreciate it.

Thanks again,

Kittycat312