Protection.
Location: Skycove.
Objective: Protect Jenner Reese, Deliver Jenner Reese to the Airship Horus.
Before the week was up, Ada had accepted another assignment. It had never been in her nature to be idle for long, and that had not changed. Growing up in Hope, Ada had always been told, âAn idle mind is the breeding ground of corruption.â That attitude was solidly ingrained in her, quickly making her tense and antsy when she had nothing to do.
She had taken the first assignment she saw, not caring what she had to do as long as she could avoid sitting around and questioning her actions, as she had been doing for the past few days. Having to retrace her steps back to the Skycove did little to distract her from brooding, but Ada managed to keep her mind sufficiently occupied.
She had mended fairly well from her recent mission to Farpoint, and was able to make excellent time to Skycove, which was now much closer than it was a week ago. Having grown up in a Old World city made of unchanging stone, it was hard for Ada to grasp the concept of a âcityâ moving around so much in the span of just a few days. It was even irritating to some degree. However, this time the annoying unpredictability of the âFloating Cityâ worked to her advantage. Time was not her ally on this mission, so getting to Skycove ahead of schedule took some pressure off.
If only finding this Jenner Reese and convincing her to come was as simple. The first issue was actually getting to the Thorny Rose Inn. Ada faintly recalled having stopped in there to ask questions at one point, and she thought she could easily find it again from that. However, it was nowhere near where she thought it was. In the end, Ada ended up having to ask after it, and, in a place like Skycove, one does not simply get information with only words. The young woman she asked seemed natural at playing the idiot until Ada flashed a few beads. It was amazing how suddenly the woman remembered where it was.
Finally, after having lost most of the morning, Ada found the inn. Of course, the scrawny, fidgety innkeeper had never seen or boarded a red haired woman in his life. His constant twitching made her want to scream at him to stay still, but she restrained herself, becoming colder and less polite by the minute.
Finally, with a little extra persuasion, he was finally ready to take a message to Jenner, and Ada was ready to punch him. She quietly gave him the passphrase that would identify herself to Jenner as someone her father sent. Though that could possibly backfire, that was all she had at the moment.
He bustled back to the small rooms clustered together down a narrow hall. After several moments, Ada took a seat near a porthole, looking out at an adjacent ship that seemed to be temporarily docked. A moment later, the innkeeper scurried back out and stood expectantly behind the counter, closely followed by a young man who immediately split for the door.
The way the innkeeperâs eye kept darting towards the narrow hall made Ada suspicious. The young man was currently blocking the entrance, and all but staring at her. She was just about to stand and find out what was happening when she glimpsed movement through the porthole out of the corner of her eye. Flaming red hair whipped around a pale face as the young woman swung across the narrow gap between airships.
âBlast it,â Ada murmured under her breath. She whirled and started toward the door, noting the young man tense and crouch as if ready to attack, desperate to keep her from following Jenner. âLet me pass,â Ada growled dangerously, already irritated. Instead of answering, the boy pulled out a knife and lunged at her. Using finesse so she would not permanently injure him, Ada kicked his knee with the bottom of her foot, causing him to trip. Grabbing the arm he flung out for balance, she pivoted with his arm over her shoulder and used his momentum to flip him over. He hit the ground with a solid thud and began gasping for breath, the wind knocked out of his lungs.
Wasting no time, Ada flew out of the door and charged across the rickety walkway to the ship Jenner was sprinting across. She pushed through a couple groups of talking people without pause, ignoring their angry yells. Ada and Jenner ran form ship to ship, leaving either unhappy or laughing people in their wake, yelling curses or cheering them on. After a short time, Jenner ran across a thin plank haphazardly strewn between two permanent-docked ships, dislodging it with her foot when she was safely across, just as Ada came to it.
Without hesitation, Ada jumped the wide gap, landing hard and rolling safely onto the deck. Jenner, seeing this, began climbing the tall central mast of the large ship. The little chase was starting to gather a crowd, all cheering on Jenner to get away or Ada to catch her, making bets on who would win out. Ada heard a couple comments on Jennerâs red hair and how it seemed familiar. âThis is not good. We are making too much of a commotion,â Ada thought with a scowl as she started up the mast after the woman. âThis would be so much easier if she would have listened instead of deciding to expose herself to every money-hungry, would-be assassin in Skycove. Do these blasted pirates have nothing better to do?â
Ada was quickly gaining and Jenner was running out of mast to climb. The fleeing woman pulled herself onto the narrow, flat platform that served as a crowâs nest with Ada close on her heels. As Ada pulled herself up, Jenner began backing away nervously, eyes fixed on the cloaked woman who had so doggedly pursued her.
Jenner took one step too many, tipped back, and gave a shriek. A look of horror crossed Adaâs eyes as she launched herself onto the platform and across, stretching out her hand toward the falling woman. She managed to catch Jennerâs shirt, along with a handful of fiery hair, violently pulling her back onto the platform and spinning Jenner around to pin her to the mast, the cloth of her shirt still balled up tightly in Adaâs fist.
Ada panted for a moment, head down, not only from the chase, but also from the fright of almost losing Jenner over the edge. After a moment, she lifted her eyes up to meet Jennerâs nervous gaze and spoke in a scolding tone, âThat was a rash, no, idiotic thing to do.â She slowly released her fist, and Jenner shakily leaned against the mast. âYou have decimated any cover you might have had and made this much more difficult than it should have been.â Ada stopped then, taking a couple breaths to calm herself and release her anger.
Jenner retorted, âHow did you find me and what do you want?â She cursed vehemently. âNo, more importantly, what does my father want?â
âIf you did not notice, you have a price on your head. Which means every money hungry pirate who recognizes you will be out to kill you. Someone has already tried, have they not? Yet here you are, blowing what little cover you had and flaunting yourself to everyone.â Adaâs voice was emotionless and stony, making Jenner wince. âYour father wants you safe. Whether you like it or not, that is your only option if you do not want to be murdered in the night.â Ada peered over the edge at the slowly dispersing crowd. Finally, they were getting bored and wandering off, denied the excitement of a fight and, thankfully, unable to hear the conversation.
Jenner took a cautious step toward her, still holding the mast, as Ada turned to face her again. âWhat makes you think I would want my fatherâs help? I came out here to get away from that overprotective, hot tempered maniac. I can take care of myself and donât need him intruding in my life anymore!â Jennerâs voice steadily rose until she was shouting at the unflinching Ada.
âAnd you have been so responsible with your safety already. It seemed you father was not the only hot headed person in your family,â Ada said in a dry, sarcastic tone. She continued, âIf I must, I will bind you in a burlap sack and carry you out of here on my back.â There was no humor or anger in Adaâs tone; she was merely stating a fact. She watched impatiently as the sun sunk lower in the sky, casting sharp, long shadows.
Something slowly changed in Jennerâs eyes. Defiance was replaced with defeat and a weary acceptance. Finally, under Adaâs impatient, questioning stare, she asked, âWhatâs the plan?â
âI am taking you to Farpoint. You will be a passenger on the airship, Horus, where a man named Mr. Costner will look after you,â Ada said, every word firm and authoritative, allowing no argument.
Jennerâs eyes seemed to light up when Ada mentioned Mr. Costner. âJames? Of course father would send him for this.â She smiled softly. âFine, I will let you take me to him.â She tried to sound irritated, but the happily nostalgic look in her eye ruined the effect. It seemed as though she both known and trusted this Mr. Costner.
Ada made Jenner wear her cloak to cover her bright hair. Perhaps they could reduce the number of people who might guess her identity. They made the decent to the deck, this time moving slower and more carefully. Ada was watchful and tense as she waited for Jenner to join her safely on the deck. She watched carefully for any sign of an attack, but it seemed no one was paying attention to them now.
They headed west to find a transport. Ada watched the people around them closely as she argued with Jenner about going back to retrieving her things and say goodbye to her boyfriend. Apparently that was the young man who attempted to keep Ada from following Jenner. âYou lost the opportunity for goodbyes when you ran. Perhaps you can write a letter when you are safe, but now is not the time.â She had to stare coldly at the woman for a moment before Jenner whirled around and stomped off, still heading toward the dock. At least she was cooperating a bit better now. Ada still kept a close eye on her, following silently.
They had no issues finding a ship down from the city. There were only a couple other small groups of people with them, but Ada watched one particular group of three men out of the corner of her eye. They had boarded right after Jenner and Ada had, and were watching Jenner far too closely for Adaâs liking. They made no move on the ship, though, and she and Jenner began their journey. Ada knew she might be acting too paranoid, but she decided they would travel north before turning west so no one watching would be able to guess their destination easily.
After a short time, the sun was beginning to set. They saw a line of hulking forms that were clustered together. At first Ada dismissed it as piles of debris; but coming closer, she realized it was horses, all tied together and picketed so they would not wander.
Moments later, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She covertly watched three figures steadily proceeding toward them as the darkness began to fall, weaving around the piles of garbage. Adaâs heart quickened for a moment, though nothing showed through her expression. Jenner seemed almost startled when Ada began quietly speaking in a calm voice a few moments later. Jenner, for the most part, had been sulking quietly after a couple horribly unsuccessful attempts to escape from Ada.
âDo not look around. We are being followed.â
Jennerâs eyes grew wide, perhaps realizing the seriousness of the situation for the first time. âWho is it?â
âI am not sure, but they are trying to sneak up on usâŠ. Perhaps those men from before?â she said, the last part murmured as if she had not meant to speak aloud. A plan was already beginning to form in her head.
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As the darkness began to settle and the moon was beginning to peek over the horizon, Ada and Jenner began to sneak around to the horses. Jenner seemed somewhat loud to Adaâs keen ears, though she was barely making noise. The men behind them were beginning to realize what was happening, and after a moment, they dropped any pretense of being silent and catching the women off guard.
By that time, it was already too late. Ada and Jenner had freed one of the horses, jumped on, and rode past the men sitting around a fire guarding the animals. They all stood with a yell as Jennerâs pursuers noisily reached the horses. Thinking they were there to steal an animal as well, several of the horse-guards charged the assassins, weapons drawn, while a couple others jumped on their own horses and began pursuing the fast-fleeing women.
The wind whipped Adaâs hair as she crouched low over the horseâs withers, feeling the animal move underneath her as Jenner held desperately to her waist. She heard the two sets of hoof beats behind them, and headed for the opening of a rocky ravine to their right. Hopefully, if they were fast enough they would make it in and quickly lose their pursuers.
They darted through the ravine, though slower than Ada would have liked. She had only ridden a few times before. And, though she had usually ridden at a gallop before, for either a getaway or pursuit, she had never ridden for very long. She had no idea how long the animal would last at such a high speed.
She noticed a large crevice mostly blocked by a boulder, barely visible from the front, and slowed the horse. She dismounted and half pulled Jenner from the horses back when she started to argue. Ada whacked the horseâs rump, startling it and causing it to gallop away. She pushed Jenner into the small space, getting as far in as they could before stopping to listen. Their pursuers were not far behind, and she could soon hear them pounding through the sandy soil.
Just a moment later, they slowed to a trot as they cautiously rounded the next corner, moving away. Jenner gave a heavy sigh of relief and Ada looked at her with sharp disapproval. Jenner sighed again in exasperation, though much quieter this time. Soon all was quiet, including Jenner, and Ada whispered, âWe will stay here for the night.â
âWhyâd you chase that horse off? We could have been halfway to Farpoint by dawn!â Jenner said, rather loudly.
âThat is what they wanted, is it not?â Ada replied softly as she turned toward the entrance. âWe do not need more people tracking us than already are. Stay here,â she intoned as she walked to the small opening.
Ada carefully watched for any sign of someone watching before cautiously walking out. She carefully wiped their tracks from the sand and strewed a few sticks and other debris randomly around the swept ground. A completely clear track would be like a beacon for an experienced tracker. After a few moments, she was satisfied with her work and returned to the small opening in the rock. It was only about ten feet deep, and the rock converged overhead to make a roof. The moon shone brightly through small openings overhead, illuminating their faces in a pale light.
Ada kept watch, listening for any noise. She pulled out some food from a small bag and they ate silently. Jenner was soon fast asleep, still wrapped in Adaâs cloak. The night was cool and silent, and Ada allowed herself to drowse, coming wide away at every sound. It was a trick she had been taught early in life, and it came easily to her. Finally, the sun rose. Ada stood stiffly, stretching briefly before turning to wake Jenner.
They traveled quickly for the next couple days with Jenner frequently complaining about nearly everything she could think of, from the heat to their âbrutalâ pace. Eventually, she became bored with this and started asking Ada questions about her life, her sword, or her profession, which she answered vaguely with only half her mind, still very aware of their surroundings. Usually, each of these questions would end with Jenner complaining about some part of her past and that she would be going back to her father. Surprisingly, Ada did not mind all the meaningless chatter. It at least kept the hotheaded woman from trying to plan more escapes.
On the third night, they made a small camp without a fire, as they had for the past couple nights. After eating, Jenner fell asleep, exhausted from the dayâs travels-- and complaints. Ada wearily kept watch, leaning against a dead, dry tree that was probably centuries old. It had been struck by lightning at some point, and was blackened and split about halfway up. Ada was wary; though, she was fairly sure they had lost their pursuers. They would arrive at Farpoint sometime the next day.
In the early morning, when the moon was just beginning to sink, Ada dozed. Suddenly, a noise awoke her. She did not raise her head or open her eyes, but merely listened. She heard the noise again, closer this time. Whispered words, a sword unsheathing, and a shuffling step resounded in Adaâs ears.
Moving quickly, Ada harshly shook Jenner awake, saying, âClimb the tree, you will be easier to defend.â She pulled the confused, half-awake woman to her feet and pushed Jenner toward the tree where she obediently began climbing without argument for once. Probably because she was not awake enough to argue yet.
Ada pulled out her daggers, watching the deep shadows around them. She cursed herself for not being more careful and covering their tracks. It must have been easy to follow them, but she had been overconfident that they had lost their pursuers. A man with a rifle appeared to her right, and Ada whirled to face him, keeping her back to the old tree and her ears listening for any other attackers.
âGive us the girl, and we might not kill you,â the man growled in a rumbling voice. Ada made no reply, readying herself to lunge at him or dodge. When he noted her refusal, the rifleman intoned, âFinish her.â He turned, as if to disappear back into the shadows. As soon as the man turned his back on her, Ada lunged, not willing to let the man dismiss her that easily. Before she could finish her attack, she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and flung herself to the side, rolling to a kneeling position, the swipe of a club just missing her head.
The brute who wielded the inelegant weapon brought it over his head to slam it down on her. Ada dodged the slow, if powerful movement, immediately lunging to deliver a deep gash to his arm. He roared in pain as she swung around behind him, ready to end him. The thought felt natural, to kill in defense of someone she must protect, and it only made her more determined to bring this band of murderers down.
Before she could move, she was caught off guard by the manâs wild swing with his uninjured arm, which, while nowhere near full strength, was enough to send her flying off her feet. She hit the ground hard, but scrambled up again, ready to defend or attack. A couple of her ribs must have been broken, and they screamed in protest as she moved. âIf you let pain overwhelm you, you will be useless.â The words of an old Guardian echoed in her mind, and she ignored the pain, not allowing it to slow her.
Ada heard Jenner scream her name, the first time she had used Adaâs name since Ada had told Jenner to call her Lyn, and her eyes immediately swept to the tree. Another man she had not noticed before was agilely climbing toward Jenner, grasping a curved sword in his teeth. Perhaps he had been a pirate, used to climbing through a shipâs rigging. Without losing a moment, she began to charge toward him. She could not let him get to Jenner, at any cost.
Suddenly, the brute with the club was nearly in front of Ada, blocking her path. She stopped, wracking her brain for a way to stop the climbing man. Before two seconds had passed, she desperately threw one of her daggers, watching as it seemed to slowly whirl through the air and sink into the manâs fingers, immediately amputating a couple of his digits. He gave an agonized scream as he fell back down to the hard earth with a groan and an agonized scream.
Without pause, she threw the other dagger at the throat of the brute before her. He was far too slow to block the weapon before it sunk into his throat, and he gagged and fell to the ground as the blood rushed from his jugular and seeped out of his wide mouth.
The man whose fingers had been cut off finally stopped screaming, probably falling unconscious. âOne more,â Ada thought, though she was not sure if she was reminding or reassuring herself. She drew her sword and began backing up towards the tree, her eyes sweeping the shadows. She heard the click of the riflemanâs gun being loaded, and located the man in the shadows. The arrogant man had probably thought he would not need to waste any of his precious bullets on her, leaving the dirty work to his subordinates. Now, he fumbled with the cartridges as Ada charged.
The rifleman calmly stood from his hiding place and leveled his gun at Ada, squeezing the trigger as she attempted to dodge. The bullet grazed her temple, leaving a deep gash. Ada stumbled and the man kicked her away, loading once more. As Ada lay panting on the ground for a short moment, he casually began loading once more.
Ada struggled to her feet, her head wound bleeding profusely near the corner of her right eye. âLyn!â Jenner yelled. Suddenly, she saw Jenner behind the man, a rock spiraling toward his head. Using the opportunity, she lunged as the stone made contact, distracting the rifleman for the briefest instant. He tried to take aim, but he had no time for accuracy. His gun discharged just as Adaâs sword found its target, plunging through his stomach.
As the bullet found her flesh, Ada moaned in pain. The rifleman fell back off her sword and she sunk to her knees, dropping her sword and holding the injured shoulder just below her collarbone. Jenner screamed her name once more as she collapsed, briefly fainting from the shock to her body and pain finally washing over her in full force.
She only lost consciousness for an instant, but when she opened her eyes, Jenner was already crouching over her prostrate form. She struggled to rise, and Jenner gently helped her come to a sitting position with concern in her eyes. Ada waved her off, reassuring Jenner that she only needed a moment. When she no longer felt dizzy, Ada cautiously shrugged the backpack from her shoulders with a wince. A few minutes later, she had bound her wounds with a roll of bandages Jenner pulled from her bag. The bullet had thankfully gone all the way through, so she would not have to dig it out later. Though Jenner begged her to rest for a bit longer, Ada refused. The sun was just rising, and they had to get to Farpoint that day or the ship would be finished loading and gone, along with Jennerâs way home. They tightly bound the man who was still living to the tree, his sword just out of easy reach.
With a long drink of the water they had left, Ada rose and they headed off toward Farpoint. Though Ada pushed herself, what should have been a relatively morningâs journey took them until late in the evening. It was not difficult to find the Horus, and they were soon safely aboard. Mr. Costner, a man who seemed old enough to be Jennerâs father, had been anxiously waiting for them on the deck. He was surprised when Jenner flung herself into his arms, but awkwardly returned the hug after a moment. However, it seemed clear he had some affection for the girl. Ada received her pay, stuffing the money in her bag, and nodded to the two, turning to walk away.
âWait!â Jenner yelled, running after her. She unclasped the cloak and slid it from her back, handing it to Ada. Ada looked surprised as she grasped the material. She had completely forgotten it. Jenner gave a shaky, somewhat sarcastic, âThank you,â before pulling Ada into a hug. Ada gave a small gasp of pain as her ribs protested, and Jenner released her, apologizing profusely. They said a simple goodbye, and Ada walked off the ship, a rare smile curving her lips. âShe has spirit. I think she will make it,â Ada thought decisively.
Ada lodged at a small inn, allowing some time to regain her strength, before journeying back to the workshop. It was a much easier journey going back, though much quieter.
Ada checked in with Mr. Charles, telling him what was necessary and nothing more in a properly emotionless voice as she handed him the payment for the mission.