He was, Leonard thought, getting too old for this shit.

But then he glanced across the carriage at Sara, who was looking out the window thoughtfully. And he thought of her response to Druce, of her poise in front of the king, of the gesture that he was pretty sure most of the room hadn't recognized the significance of. And…well, maybe not. Maybe he wanted to hang around. If only to see what she did next.

She turned her head and noticed his regard, then smiled at him, an impish expression that made his stomach—or something—do a little flip-flop. Len cleared his throat, then smiled back.

He was trying to decide whether to extend a dinner invitation to her, though, when he saw her expression change from smiling to thoughtful, her eyes still focused on him. And it didn't take too much to realize what she was thinking of.

Len sighed. "What Druce said?" he asked. "In court? Is that what you want to ask me?"

Sara tipped her head to the side but didn't deny it. "Is it true?" she asked. "Did you kill your father?"

Lewis will never stop haunting him. "It's true." He shrugged a little, settling back against the seat. "He was the Guild head before me."

Len darted a glance at her, but while her gaze was intent, there was no judgment in it. "I told you that I did it for much the same reasons you did," he told her. "That's true. Lewis…he'd stopped doing his job as Guild head—if he ever really did it. He collected money from half-trained apprentices and then set them loose on jobs in which he knew they'd be killed or captured. He refused to ransom anyone, claiming that he wouldn't put up with 'incompetence.'" He sighed. "He held the Guild to none of the rules that exist for both our protection and the protection of the rest of the city. And he forced my younger sister into the Thieves Guild even though she'd showed talent as a healer. That's just the start of my reasons for killing him."

Sara nodded. "Sounds like Darhk," she said quietly.

Len laughed, a sound without humor. "Well, he sponsored Darhk before the court, when Darhk took over the Assassins Guild," he told her. "They were friends as much as Lewis was friends with anyone, though that's not saying much." He paused. "Sponsoring you today was a little bit of a step toward righting more of his wrongs."

Sara studied him, then, unexpectedly, smiled again. "I hope that wasn't all it was."

"Not at all. I…"

The carriage shuddered-and someone screamed outside. Leonard closed his eyes and cursed, then opened them to find Sara hanging out the carriage door, looking around as the carriage shuddered again and slowed down dramatically, nearly to a stop.

"Probably not a good idea!" he yelled, reaching back and pulling his cape off. If he needed to fight, he didn't need it tripping him up. He'd guess that, from the roughness of the ride, one of the wheels was gone.

Sara pulled her head back into the carriage. "We're being attacked," she said grimly, then reached down to give her skirt a good yank. The white fabric released quickly, much like his cape, and she pulled it off, leaving her simply in the white catsuit and armor-and Leonard suddenly had to tell his libido that now was not the time, thank you very much. No wonder she'd worn the skirt over it.

"Who?" He reached under the seat and pulled his sheathed sword out from under it. He wasn't a great swordsman, but he could do some damage if given the opportunity.

"Four horsemen and a few on foot, including an archer. Sort of circling us. They could have closed in by now, but they haven't. They want something." Sara was frowning. "The City Guard…"

"We're probably in that lovely zone between the palace environments and the city proper where patrols can get scanty." Leonard cursed again, then, taking a good grip on the door frame, prepared to shove the other carriage door open. "If we make it through this, I need to have another word with the Guard captains!"

Sara laughed a little wildly. "Isn't that a little against your own guild's, ah, agenda?"

"Not when people are trying to kill me here, it's not!" Leonard shook his head. "I'm going to tell the driver to run. He's just a hired hand; he doesn't deserve this. You should…"

"Can I have that?" Sara reached out and plucked the sheathed sword from his grip. "Thanks. I have knives all over the place in this getup, but a full sword is a little too much to hide."

How the hell did she fit multiple knives in that thing? Leonard didn't realize he'd spoken out loud until Sara laughed again.

"Maybe," she drawled, winking at him, "I'll show you at some point."

And with that, she'd pushed up the other carriage door and jumped out. Leonard swore (again) and shoved open the other door, holding on tightly and pulling himself up onto the seat in front, where the driver, a wild-eyed young man, nearly hit him before he realized that it was actually his employer.

"I'm going to take the reins," Len told him as they hunkered down. An arrow whizzed by overhead, but he didn't think anyone was actively trying to actively hit them. "Just run for cover. They don't want you." He smirked at the man. "Unless there's something you didn't tell me when I hired you?"

The fellow laughed shakily. "No, sir." He cast a worried look around. "My horses…"

"I'll take care of them as best I can…and I'll pay for any repairs to the rig. Now…run!"

Len grabbed the reins and hauled the horses to a stop. The kid gulped and jumped, scurrying for the nearest building. Len stood up and looked around for Sara, trusting that the archer would at least have to pause to aim. People were going for cover all over, but it was a little odd that the City Guard wasn't here already.

Then he saw Sara.

One attacker, in nondescript clothing with his or her face covered, was already sprawled in the street. Sara, not far away, turned slowly as six remaining figures circled—they must have released their horses for some reason once the carriage was stopped. His blade was bare in her hand, but still clean.

And then it wasn't.

Sara had taken the offensive, darting at one of the figures so quickly that Len had barely seen her move, and the attacker reeled backward, a hand going to their now-bloody shoulder. Not a professional, Len thought, given that he'd seen true assassins or warriors keep going through worse injuries. But Sara's move had inspired the others to close in around her, and...

Holy hells.

Part of him thought that he should go help her. A larger part of him realized that he'd just get in her way. And a portion of him was really, really having thoughts that didn't belong in the midst of such a situation.

Sara was...Sara was a flame. A flickering flame of a woman who danced and moved and struck and fought. She was badly outnumbered, but the attackers couldn't touch her. The sword blade shone in her hands as she attacked and parried and ducked and spun and sent people flying.

Len stood there watching her with his heart in his throat—and certain other body parts clamoring for attention as well. He'd never seen anyone fight quite like this, not the best guardsmen or warriors he'd ever seen. There was a fluidity, a grace, to her movements that was both incredibly beautiful and incredibly frightening, and all he could do was watch in awe.

And then there was one.

One Sara. One attacker.

The former landed neatly on the ground after executing an incredible maneuver that had taken down the biggest of her attackers, looking up with narrowed blue eyes and blade still in hand. Unsurprisingly, to Len's mind, the latter promptly turned tail and ran.

Sara launched herself after him.

Leonard, cursing, leapt off the carriage and launched himself after her. Not that she wasn't more than capable of handling things herself, but if they were going to figure out where this attack had originated from, better to have both of them in pursuit. And he knew his city, inside and out, while Sara was a newcomer.

Cries behind him told him that the City Guard had finally arrived, but he had other things in mind. Let them clean up the mess if they were going to be that late to the party.

Sara was younger, but she'd also just been involved in a pitched fight...and Leonard's legs were longer. He knew he'd probably regret it later, but he managed to catch her fairly quickly, getting a nod of acknowledgement and a slightly wild grin as she noticed him, and they pelted through the streets, dodging startled passers-by and other hazards and keeping the other figure in sight.

Fortunately, the fleeing attacker also seemed to be injured, because he wasn't moving nearly as fast as he might have. Unfortunately, he headed straight for one area of the city Leonard probably knew least—the Temple District—and promptly ducked down one of the twisty lanes there.

Leonard let Sara head after him, ducking away and down an adjacent street. With a grunt—yes, he was definitely going to regret this later—he jumped and swung himself up onto a low balcony, startling an acolyte who was watering plants there. Len winked at her, then ran down to the opposite end, jumping again and landing on the low roof of another building. One thing about the Temple District was the sheer diversity of its structures. This wasn't always good for a thief—well, it was generally a bad idea to steal in this district anyway—but if you knew the area at all, you could make it work for you.

He put on another burst of speed, then, with another grunt, grabbed a rope that'd been used to secure an awning and swung down to the street level, planning to cut off the attacker... but then Sara hurtled around the corner and nearly into him before catching herself.

"Where the hell?" she seethed, looking around, grip tightening on the sword that'd come perilously close to Leonard's neck. "He was right in front of me..."

Len took a rather hasty step back. "I was just concentrating on getting in front of him," he told her, restraining himself from putting a hand to his neck. "He came around this corner?"

"Yes." Sara turned slowly, scowling. Leonard glanced around too. There were a few doors there, and at least one ladder leading upward, but someone would have seen...

Then his blood ran cold.

"Hold on," he said quietly. "I need to check something."

Sara asked him something, but he barely heard her, moving to the end of the alley and out into a bigger street, then around to the front of the building.

Hells. Holy, bloody, burning hells.

Leonard stood there for a long moment, regarding the now—supposedly—defunct temple of the cult of Vandal Savage, then shook his head and returned to Sara, who was cleaning his sword with a cloth she'd produced out of nowhere.

"Let's head back to the carriage," he told her tersely. "I need to make a report. This...isn't great."

Enough bystanders had told the Guard where Leonard and Sara had vanished to that a few guards had evidently been dispatched to find them. The pair had just emerged from the district when those guards hurried up to them, asking about injuries—and if they'd left any more casualties behind them.

Len and Sara had exchanged a glance and mostly ignored them, heading back to the scene. Both Joe West and Barry were waiting for them when they got there, while other guards were cleaning up the mess Sara had left. At least three of the injured attackers were still alive, and healers were attending to them.

"The Guard had a warning that something big was going down at the other side of the city, and we had a big presence there," Barry told them worriedly, a look of relief on his face as they approached. "It must have been meant as a distraction. Are you both OK?"

Joe West, a tall man a bit older than Leonard, who looked a good deal like his daughter the bard, cleared his throat, giving the younger man a glance that clearly asked Barry to stop spreading the information to all and sundry. At another time, Leonard might have smirked at that, but not now.

Nothing really felt amusing, right now.

"We chased him into the Temple District," he told West tersely, stepping closer and lowering his voice. "But he vanished. And I'm pretty sure it was into the old site of the Savage cult."

West cursed. Barry's eyes widened. And Sara tilted her head to the side, frowning.

"Savage..." she said slowly. "That's..."

"The psychopath who killed the queen." Leonard's jaw was clenched so hard that it was starting to hurt.

"I thought they tore that down!" Barry exclaimed. "Didn't they? After they executed him?"

"I didn't even try to get in." Leonard didn't mention that he probably could have if he really wanted to. "If the cult is rising again..."

"The king needs to know." Joe nodded decisively. "As do Kendra and Carter." He glanced around, then gave Sara a look that mingled both admiration and colder consideration. "You left quite a mess, Master Assassin."

Sara shrugged. "Sorry." She didn't sound sorry. Len smirked a little. "Are you going to be able to question any of them? I tried to pull my blows once the odds got a little better."

"Perhaps. The healers will let us know." West sighed. "I don't suppose you recognized anything about them?"

They both demurred, but Sara pointed out the same thing she had earlier. "They weren't trying to kill us; at least, not immediately and not as a priority," she told him. "They wanted something—whether it was information or something physical, I'm not sure." She smirked a little too. "I can say no one tried to talk to me, but that might just have been because they were...distracted by trying to stay alive."

"Neither of you had anything they might want, as far as you know?" West shook his head again at the negative responses. "Get out of here," he instructed, not without sympathy. "I'll make sure there are guards around your Guild halls, though I'm sure your Guild members won't thank me for that." He rolled his eyes when Len bowed theatrically. "Be careful. You're a pain in the ass, but you're better than the alternative." He glanced at Sara. "And I daresay you're going to prove to be the same, Master Assassin."

Sara laughed. "The pain-in-the-ass part or the better-than-the alternative part?" she asked shrewdly.

"Both! Either."

The carriage driver had emerged from safety with a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face and had been calming his horses, who had proven just how well trained they were by staying relatively put during the chaos. Now, he held the door for them to reenter the carriage before retaking his seat and continuing their interrupted trip back to Guild Row.

Sara passed Leonard back his re-sheathed sword as if nothing had happened, then calmly settled back in her seat.

"If they executed Savage," she asked thoughtfully, "why are you all so worried that the cult could become a problem again?"

Len regarded her a long moment, marshaling his thoughts. "Part of the point of the cult was that Savage claimed to be immortal," he said finally. "And that he'd be back. They had been toying with black magic. If they think their leader could return..."

Sara hummed to herself, nodding. "But this attack... I wasn't even in the city back then and you...were you involved at all?"

"No." Len shrugged, knowing his tone sounded rather flat. It'd been a dark time. "I was asleep in the Guild Hall when Savage and his people broke into the palace and killed the queen. Heard about it in the morning with everyone else. Savage had already been captured." He sighed, remembering. "The combined Guards simply overwhelmed him."

He tapped his fingers on the side of the door. "The Royal Guard captains had a big role in that. Savage was fascinated by Kendra in particular. Thought she was his 'soulmate.'" Sara made a gagging noise, and Len smiled faintly. "Yeah. He seemed convinced he'd take power and rule with her by his side. Instead, he was captured and executed—and Carter survived and married Kendra."

Sara eyed him. "Who backed him? Savage? Something's missing here."

Len pointed at her. "Interesting question." And astute, not that he was surprised. "We're pretty sure someone did. He gained too much power, too fast. And all three sets of the Guard had been keeping an eye on him because of his rhetoric, but...someone kept redirecting them. And the orders never seemed quite traceable..."

Sara frowned, leaning forward. "But...you trust the three Guard captains?"

"I do." Len frowned too. "Someone had been pulling strings. Never did find out who. And after...everything, when Savage was dead, people just didn't want to think about it anymore." His frown deepened. "I said that was a bad idea, but..."

"But people just didn't want to think about it anymore," Sara repeated. She shook her head, then looked out the window as the carriage stopped. "Ah. Home sweet home." She sighed, then smiled a little. "And instead of some peace, I have a Guild meeting tonight."

Leonard regarded her. "Big one," he said finally. "Confronting your masters?"

"All of them, apprentices on up, but yes." Her eyes were steely as she looked back at him. "There are a few masters I expect to push back on the new...state of things." The smile turned cold. "I'm not worried about it."

Given how he'd just seen her fight, he wasn't surprised. And wishing her good luck didn't seem to fit, either. She didn't need it.

Len hesitated, then, watching as the driver came around to get the door, then sighed as Sara started to climb out, the length of silk that had been her skirt in one hand. After the past few hours they'd just spent, simply bidding her farewell seemed...

"Sara."

The Master Assassin paused, looking back at him. "Len."

"Tomorrow," he said diffidently, looking out the other window and then back at her. "Shall I introduce you to the Artificers Guild? To see about that new emblem?"

Her smile seemed to say she knew exactly what he was thinking. "I'd like that." She waited.

Well. "And then...dinner afterward?"

The smile grew. "I'd like that even more." Sara stepped out of the carriage, ignoring the hapless driver, looking back at Len with a sparkle in her eyes.

He inclined his head toward her. "Then...until tomorrow, Sara."

"Until tomorrow...Len."