Chapter 7

The next morning, Aria was ready to get to work. It was time to earn her keep. As she made her way to Vicente's quarters after breakfast, she thought about the night before. Now that she'd had time to organize her thoughts and take everything in, she was grateful that Vicente had allowed her time to get settled. It had been relaxing, getting to know the others a little bit. Aria smiled and knocked on Vicente's door. He told her to come in, and she pushed the door open.

Vicente was sitting at his desk, writing in a journal. He looked up when the door opened. "Ah, good morning, Aria. I trust you slept well."

"Yes, I did. Thank you."

"And how did you enjoy your first evening among us? I hope we weren't too frightening," he said with a grin.

Aria smiled back. "It was a lot to take in, but it was amazing, Vicente. Really. I enjoyed it."

Vicente leaned back in his chair. "I'm glad to hear it. Now please, tell me how I can help you."

Aria tucked a loose lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm ready for my first assignment. I think."

Vicente smiled again. He seemed to do that a lot. Aria idly wondered if it was an effort to help her get used to his vampirism. "Excellent. The contract I had yesterday has been given out, but I have another that will work just as well." He shuffled through a pile of papers on his desk and withdrew a rolled-up piece of parchment.

Aria pointed at it. "What exactly is a contract?"

Vicente held up the roll. "A contract is a secret pact one enters into with the Dark Brotherhood. They provide us with gold, and we remove someone from existence." Aria smiled faintly at his choice of words. "A contract is fulfilled by a skilled assassin such as yourself, who keeps the Dark Brotherhood's end of the bargain. So it has always been." He leaned back again in his chair. "Part of the gold received for the contract will be given to you as your payment. Also, while carrying out a contract, you may have the opportunity to earn a bonus if certain parameters are met."

"What kind of bonus?"

"It could be anything, really. A piece of enchanted jewelry, a new weapon, a piece of armor."

"Is the bonus part of the contract?"

"No. The requester gives us the details of the contract, but he may say something like 'if the target is killed this way, it would be nice, but all that really matters is that he is killed.' That would be an opportunity for the Speaker to decide if a bonus is due for the assassin that goes the extra step to kill the target in the specified way."

"Is the extra step always how the target is killed?"

"Not always. And the assassin is informed that there is an opportunity for a bonus, but not what it will be."

"How do you determine what the bonus is?"

"That is for the Speaker to decide. The Brotherhood keeps a large cache of items specifically for that purpose. Only the Black Hand has access to it."

"Will this contract have a bonus?"

Vicente shook his head. "Not this one. Perhaps in the future, though." He handed her the roll. "Now, on to business. I'm not sure how you feel about pirates, but you've got to kill one. A captain, in fact. On board his ship, surrounded by his crew. Interested?"

Aria looked down at the scroll in her hand. It sounded pretty difficult, but the challenge appealed to her. "Yeah, sure. Why not?" she said, trying to sound casual.

Vicente grinned broadly. "Excellent." He opened a drawer and pulled out a map of the Imperial City. "Here is what you must do: go to the Waterfront District of the Imperial City. There you will find a ship named the Marie Elena. Board the ship and find its captain, Gaston Tussaud. He'll be in his cabin. Eliminate Tussaud in any manner you see fit, and the contract will be complete. Then return here and report back to me."

Aria thought for a moment. "I used to live in the Waterfront District, so I know the ship you're talking about. But the crew is very territorial. How will I get on board?"

"My sources tell me the pirates have been moving a lot of cargo on board lately. You may be able to smuggle yourself aboard in one of the packing crates." Vicente pointed at the contract. "All of the relevant information is written there. Any questions?"

Aria unrolled the paper and scanned it quickly. "No, everything seems clear. Should I take care of this immediately?"

Vicente nodded. "Certainly. The amount of cargo the pirates are loading suggests they will not be docked much longer. Time is of the essence."

Aria turned to go. She was in the doorway when he called to her. She turned back to see what he wanted. "As a pirate," Vicente said, "Gaston Tussaud has certainly spilled his share of blood. It would be best to catch him off guard."

Aria nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Vicente leaned back in his chair and stared at the closed door. The new girl had surprised him. Most new family members waited until he came to them with their first contract a few days after arriving. Aria had been here less than twenty-four hours and had come to him.

He'd been surprised by her courage. He'd noticed her shock the previous day at seeing him for the first time, but she'd swallowed her fear and kept talking to him. He'd seen other new family members run out of the room or even pass out. The girl was strong.

She was also beautiful. Now that she'd gotten cleaned up, he could clearly see that. Her golden hair, set against the darkness of her borrowed clothes, practically glowed in the firelight. Her emerald eyes sparkled when she smiled. She was thin, but that was nothing a few good meals wouldn't take care of. He'd found his eyes drawn to her several times the previous evening and again at breakfast this morning.

He shook his head. He didn't have time to contemplate his reaction to the new family member. He had work to do. But as he tried to focus, he kept seeing Aria's face in the back of his mind. And he couldn't deny it.

For the first time in three hundred years, he was smitten.