chapter nine

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-9-


As soon as she could, the assassin returned to training, focusing on her upper body and core. Kade had just watched her arrive and shook his head, not bothering to persuade her otherwise. Elle had slipped back into her normal routine of infuriating Jax fairly quickly.

Baldy stepped into the training room, eyes darting between the agents. Elle slowed to a stop and approached him, noting how he made a point not to look her in the eyes. "For months, the High Council have been developing programs and agendas for our agents, operations of such scale that we needed to reintroduce teams." He began, rubbing his hands together, "despite its...shortcomings it has been proven so far as to work."

Elle caught Tristan's eye.

"You will be infiltrating DETRA. Undercover as new agents entering their training program, young hopefuls if you will—willing to fight for your place within the agency."

It felt like the room's temperature had plunged. Her fingertips were numb and her ears muffled sound, no one spoke for a moment. Then the outcries began. Elle could only shut her hanging mouth and glare at the floor, stomach churning and boiling. DETRA? It was impossible to get in, and even more impossible to escape. They are assassins with dark agendas, slaughtering and hacking through anything—or anyone in their way.

"This is suicide! We have only worked together for a month, what are the council thinking?" It was unusual to see the normally lighthearted Leo so worked up, spitting in the councilman's face and cussing, running his hands through his hair. Elle just stared past the chaos, past Baldy and his pissy mission, to somewhere far away from where she stood.

Baldy had just managed to quieten down the room when Tristan spoke, his cold voice cutting through air thick with tension. "What is our objective in the heart of DETRA?"

The nervous man rubbed his hands together faster, sweat building upon his brow. "This mission is crucial to the Order's aims. You will need to collect information of a sort I suspect. Pick up on their weaknesses."

"Yes, yes." Elle folded her arms. "I think we both know Mikel has ulterior motives up his sleeve."

A nod. "Your mission is to identify and kill the Imperial Heir of DETRA." Her eyes widened but she clamped her lips together. "M-matters are being dealt with higher up than me. I don't give the orders, I merely follow."

"Yes, well I can see that," she grumbled. Baldy pretended not to hear her, continuing on with his little speech. "This is the first time we have access to DETRA, as one of their loyal ones has turned against them. They hold trials for new agents every few years in Lorel, someone will guide you from the Central Market. Keep out of sight, DETRA run that city and they have eyes everywhere. Once you infiltrate their guild you will partake in the challenges and competition between you and other budding killers—"

"Budding killers? Is that what we are?" Leo hissed into Kath's ear, she nudged him with her elbow.

"—and, with you all earning a prestigious place in DETRA, you can gain access to their main base. Kill the Heir, gather information."

"Information? Why?" Kath's brows were furrowed.

Baldy wiped sweaty hands on his cape, "it's out of my hands, see?"

There was something very wrong about this particular mission. Elle just knew it.

"We cannot give you much more information until you are inside: DETRA are notorious for breaking agent's silence through means of torture, so we don't want one of you to be compromised with the whole plan."

Elle scoffed, "oh ho! And leaving us in the dark is just oh so much better."

Jax cut off her snarky comment with his own arrogant one, "How in all Hells am I-we going to possibly fit in amongst rookies? Surely they would notice our...advantages."

"It seems you have too much confidence in your own abilities. Don't get ahead of yourself, we can't be too careful," Kath's soothing response sounded after a moment of silence. Jax's ears reddened at the pink-haired girl staring up at him. Elle couldn't resist chipping in with her own flippant comment: "his comment is only what can be expected, his overconfidence merely makes up for...smaller more insignificant physical qualities he has."

Leo guffawed, clapping his hand over his mouth—eyes wide and lips clamping shut to avoid another explosive giggle. Tristan remained stone-faced watching Baldy's every move. Before any real bickering could begin, Baldy cut off the fun. "You go tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Kath repeated.

"It's a long journey, you best begin now before winter takes its toll."

#

Later that day Elle strode to where the team had decided to meet to discuss the new knife twist in the gut, courtesy of the council. Her boots sounded along the empty hallway, marching to one of the vacant strategy rooms where Leo greeted her, sporting a big grin. "You're looking happy for someone who just found out we're being sent on a suicide mission," she commented drily, crossing her arms.

"I take out my anger in other ways."

She looked past him warily, "who've you killed?" He gestured for her to enter the room, eyes lighting up when she beheld his trap. How the man had strung up both Tristan and Kath to the light fixture in the middle of the room she didn't know, using some rope and Tristan's belt. The hanging agent's dark hair obscured his eyes, Kath's hair was wild as she thrashed.

The pink-haired girl laughed at Tristan's attempts to escape the bindings, only succeeding in bashing into her until they created some momentum. "Leo, get us down!" He growled.

Both Elle and the aforementioned copper troublemaker were too busy snickering to aid them. "Just wait until I get down here—" his empty threats drew a new round of laughter as one of his flying arms whacked Kath in the head. She whined and tried to knee him back but unfortunately missed her mark.

"Shit." Came Tristan's muffled exclamation, doubling over as best he could. Kath blushed and began to profusely apologise. "Oh, the blood's rushing to my head," she said, shutting her eyes. "Glad to know I'm not the only one suffering," Tristan gritted out in reply. "I didn't mean to—!"

"I know you didn't." He grumbled.

Jax strode in, beheld the comical duo dangling before him and immediately turned to Leo. "Stop playing around, this is no time for games."

With a shrug, he grabbed a small knife from Jax's belt, flicking his wrist so it sailed through the air and cut through the bindings at Kath's feet. Now loose from their ties, the pair fell to the ground, landing with a loud thump on wooden floor. "Gods, don't look at me like that. You lot would die of humour deficiency if it wasn't for my service." Leo announced, slumping into a chair.

Jax looked unimpressed, playing with another pocket knife in his artillery. "We will travel to Lorel at first light, but once we arrive in DETRA we should only communicate in secret. We don't know each other, got it?"

"Gods, we understand." Elle said, glaring at him. Jax cleared his throat, "I spoke with Kade about logistics of us getting in. DETRA makes a list of its agents, most of whom already have bloodlines and families tied with the organisation. We just announce that we are the first of our line and give a name. They will monitor everyone closely with a strict schedule."

"Sounds sketchy if you ask me," Leo muttered.

"We didn't." Tristan cast an exasperated glance at him. Leo's whining kicked up again a beat later. "Have the Order really stooped so low that they have no older, more experienced agents for the job?"

"There are very few active agents working missions who are older. Most leave when their contracts are paid, die, or earn ranking within the agency." Kath supplied.

Leo humphed. Elle looked at the sulking man, "how old are you?"

"Twenty-one. What about you?"

"Eighteen." She replied. He whistled, "how old were you when you joined the agency?"

"Young." She shot him a sour look and he quietened for a few seconds.

"Are you pissed—?"

"Stop asking so many questions," she growled. "Let's prepare our personas tonight, know every fact there is to know about our covers. The Highers will give us horses."

Jax jumped to his feet with her, "it is my job to contact the Highers."

Elle stood her ground, shrugging. "Then do your job." As they left Leo turned to her, "sorry for pestering you, Ellie."

"Don't call me that."

"Why not, Ellie? I rather like it."

She shushed him, but it didn't dampen his smile. A small one tugged at her lips.

"Is the nickname already taken or something?"

Elle twirled a piece of hair around her fingers. "Something."

First light tomorrow their mission into the hellhole would begin. Somehow Mikel had got it into his head that the team of them can do what no others had done before: assassinate a member of the Imperial Family of DETRA. Not only that, but the heir himself. His identity remained a closely wrapped secret from all outside of DETRA. Perfect. 


(edited)

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