Stargazer

Chapter 1

I dug my leather boots into the hot sand and propelled myself forward as fast as my feet would move, but the sand had a way of weighing a person down. It grabbed hold at every step and sucked me in as I tried to push off the soft mounds to lift forward. I breathed with the rhythm of my dark braids bouncing on my back. "Don't look now! Right behind ya Solé!" Pierce shouted to me intimidatingly. He was catching up and becoming his arrogant self.

I was the fastest runner, but not by much compared to Pierce.

One of these days, I was afraid he’d actually pass me and that could not happen before I completed the trials and became the one, true thing I'd been hoping for my entire life: an Assassin, defending our realm, Sordova. 

I bared down, ignoring my aching thighs, and forced myself to go faster to make sure Pierce wouldn't pass me up to get to the tower. "Don't speak too soon, Pierce!" I yelled back at him in jest as I saw in my peripherals the gap between us widening again.

I was so focused on running to the tower that nothing else was in my vision. Raised up against the open, blue sky was the stone tower. It was closing in fast at 100 feet, then 50 feet, then 20. But a voice from behind stopped me in my tracks.

"You forgot a ribbon!" Jasmine yelled. The Ribbon! I panicked. Swearing to myself, I turned back. Not far behind were the bones of a large dead tree crumbling and burnt, from what appeared to have been a lightning strike. And there, waving at the top, was my color, the red ribbon tails whipping in the wind. 

Jasmine laughed as she ran towards the tower, now being in the lead. Pierce had missed his yellow ribbon too and was just beginning the climb up the black branches. As I began my track back to the tree, I passed by Jasmine, her thick, wavy red locks billowing out behind her like a cape. She looked like a warrior goddess with our tall leather boots, and hooded tunic ready for war. Without slowing, we grabbed each other's forearms and embraced our palms to arms in a reassuring squeeze. This was our sign of forever friendship. 

We had been together at the Assassin's Academy since babies and Jasmine was like a sister to me. Most of us we're like family to one another, being that we didn't know our biological families. 

The people of Sordova were under a mutual agreement that the Assassin's were a much revered and respected title, protecting all of the lands and cities of the realm from our rival realms. Families gave their babies to the academy in hopes that their child would become a skilled Assassin one day, a title of great respect and power among Sordovians.

I will become the next great Assassin, I encouraged myself as I got to the tree. Pierce had gotten his ribbon and was working his way back down, dead branches falling away beneath his feet and almost crashing onto me. I moved off to the side and quickly began climbing up the tree without hesitation between steps.

The tree branches were not sound and we were taught by the academy how to check for stability in things before bearing our weight, but I decided I didn't have time. I said a little prayer and hoped I wouldn't fall. Finally, I reached the top where my ribbon was tied to a branch waving. I quickly pulled the ribbon off, easily giving way, and wrapped it around my leather belt with the other collected red ribbons.

Then I looked down to the ground assessing what to do. Climbing down would take too much time, Pierce was running to the tower and Jasmine was already beginning to climb it. I decided I would have to make the jump, although it would be extremely risky. 

We had done it many times in the academy, drilling it through daily so that it became a second nature, but not at this height. “Remember class, one wrong move could prove fatal. Only in times of desperation must we warrant the risk,” Master Kahlweh’s serious lecture echoed in my head. We had only been allowed to do the maneuver from this height a couple of times so we would know how to if we must on a quest, but those times, we had thick padding below us. In the real world, one wrong move could leave a person injured or crippled, and the strain on the legs was intense.

This is worth the risk, I weighed, and besides, Master Kahlweh always has her staff up her ass! I stood on a thick branch and looked below, the sand calling to me, appearing to look like soft, orange pillows.

I pushed off with my toes and leapt into the air. But right before my body lifted, the branch crumbled beneath me. I panicked for a split second, but remembered to pull my legs in until the last second. Right before hitting the ground, my legs reached out, absorbing the impact and thrust my body forward into a roll. 

“Yes! That’s how it’s done!” I rejoiced to myself between cringing at the aches. No serious injuries were taken, but I knew I’d be bruised up by morning. The sand did not feel like a pillow, and that branch giving way did not help my landing much either.

I immediately jumped up and ran full speed to the tower. When I finally approached the stone wall, Jasmine was already three-quarters of the way up and Pierce was working his way to the halfway point. There were two stones easily at my eye level I grabbed hold of and frantically began searching for another stone, or anything, that I could use to push up with my foot to the next set. As soon as I couldn't see anything, I realized there was none, and I was sure it was on purpose.

Still clutching the stones, I pulled my body up using solely upper arm strength. My legs dangled off the ground until I could get to the next set of stones, my arms shaking. When I gripped the next stone up, I could finally prop my feet where my hands had started. Thankfully, I was in pretty good shape and praised fate for that. All the extra training I had done, paid off from when I would sneak off during breaktime and continue my workouts. 

Once I got to the next set of stones, my climbing was easy. I launched my way upward as fast as I could climb. Pierce had passed Jasmine as he was almost to the top and I was just about to pass her as well. 

Jasmine wasn’t moving, she was clutched to the rocks, shaking with an exasperated look on her face. I thought about stopping to check on her, but remembered this was a competition and realized she was probably just exhausted. The strength of her arms had probably given out, being that she was a little thinner build and had to work harder in training. 

Recently, though, she was usually not far behind, and was a fierce competitor. I could see a piece of myself in her determination, the only difference being that at the end of the day, she was happy to be done and enjoy other life. It was a good thing I had her to remind me to stop and enjoy it with her.

I kept climbing and saw Pierce at the top windows. The entire top row of the tower was circled with the windows, and the shutters all thrown open in waiting for us. 

He pulled himself up on one of the wooden window frames and launched his body over in one swift move, disappearing inside. I wasn't far behind and had hope there was still time, perhaps another trial. Seconds later I did the same, pulling my body over and leapt into the darkness of a window. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust from the contrasting desert sun to the cool, stone room. Two silhouettes stood before me and I blinked my eyes attempting to focus. 

There stood Belefius, an Assassin Lead, holding up Pierce's arm like a trophy, and a yellow ribbon hung from his sweaty, sandy hands. Pierce stood proudly and looked between me and Belefius, a broad grin dimpled his face, mischievous and heart-throbbing. He was an attractive person, no doubt, with a square jaw and dirty, blond curls he kept back in a leather tie. But, he was a bit of a bully and egotistical. 

My ego plummeted. I couldn't believe I missed my chance! I was too upset to be happy for Pierce. Maybe I could be eventually, but not now.

Belefius' deep voice echoed in the empty, stone room. "Let us congratulate Pierce! He has passed the Assassin Trials and will graduate to become the next selected Assassin, defender of Sordova!"