By the Skin of Our Teeth

[skyler manfield]

“Skyler, stop pacing,� Hawk laughed, “You’re making me twitchy.�

The young assassin paused in the middle of the small room and turned wordlessly to face her mentor, then started pacing again. It was cold anyway and this kept her warm. This damned place was so cold she thought her nose might fall right off her face, even with the fire that roared and popped loudly on the hearth. Her boot heels were loud against the wood planks of the small house outside of town she and Hawk were holed up in.

“Sit down,� he said more sternly this time, “I mean it. If I didn’t think you could handle this I wouldn’t even consider sending you in there.�

Skyler huffed, rolled her eyes, and sat down in the floor right where she stood, folding her long legs lotus style before her. With raised eyebrows, she fixed her grey eyes on Hawk, waiting for the middle aged man to speak.

This war didn’t even interest the girl, the Church didn’t matter or the Rebellion. Who cared who was right, or what the political or religious implications were in this stupid war? One thing she couldn’t argue with though, was the thousands of people left devastated. So many women whose husbands had been murdered in cold blood and children who wouldn’t remember their fathers, simply because they were trying to defend what they believed in. Even at her worst, Skyler had never been asked to take the life of anyone who didn’t deserve it. There were whole villages left burning to the ground, the people freezing and starving, begging for help.

It was the only reason she had agreed to help. Her job this time wasn’t assassination, it was retrieval. Some poor fellow had gotten involved where he shouldn’t have and was now a captive of the Church. Hawk might not have cared, but he was involved in the Rebellion against the Church and they couldn’t have this man releasing names and locations. Skyler was skeptical - he’d been in prison for months, if he hadn’t told by now, he wouldn’t break anytime soon. He might even be dead. Hawk promised he wasn’t.

“You’re the only one who can do this,� Hawk reminded her, “It’s the reason he’s been in there for so long. Nobody else could get in past the guards that we haven’t been able to pay off.�

Skyler frowned, still upset they were willing to risk her neck for a cause she had no faith in and a man she’d never met. There was no money, no pay, only a happy feeling deep inside a heart she questioned if she had. She tried to remind herself it was a challenge, and she loved a challenge.

“And what about him,� she asked indignantly, “How do I get him out once I get in there? I’ve been in that prison before - and yes I know I’m only giving you more reason to send me in - and they don’t feed you nothing but pig slops once every week or two. He’ll be so weak he probably can’t walk. And that’s not counting if they’ve tortured him.�

Hawk nodded as if he’d thought of all her arguments already (he probably had, he hadn’t been the leader of the Radasanth Crime Syndicate for no reason). Steepling his fingers, he looked at his student fondly - dammit he knew she’d do whatever he told her, regardless of her argument.

“We’ve got that covered,� he reassured her, “You’ll take in food and clothing for him, and probably hide in his cell for at least a week until he’s able to walk out under his own strength.�

Skyler could have strangled the man who had been the closest thing she had to a father. He was avoiding her unasked question, and he knew her well enough to know exactly what she wanted to know. Fine, she’d ask it.

“And how exactly do I keep the guards from seeing this prisoner I’m walking out of their prison with?�

“You’ll find that out tomorrow,� Hawk smiled devilishly, “I have a good friend on his way who’ll tell you. He’s bringing everything you’ll need for your mission. We’re not going to set you up for failure my little mouse.�

“You better be glad I trust you,� she growled playfully, standing and going to the ladder to climb to a bed hidden in the loft of the cottage. She’d not sleep tonight, but she had a couple of hours to doze before Hawk’s friend came - after he gave her what she needed, then it would be up to her to get back to that place she’d worked so hard to escape with Malagen only a year before. The commitment was made now, she couldn’t go back.