The Assignment
“I trust you will not fail me,” came the raspy voice of Antonius, her benefactor, in her memory. His face—the wrinkles tugging heavily at his sunken cheeks, the calculating glare always sharpened by greed—remained carved into her mind. Just days before, he had met her beneath the marble arches of a forgotten temple and handed her a sealed scroll stamped with a signet Kallista did not recognize. “Take it to Carthaga, and speak to no one of its contents. The price for your silence will be gold; the price for your betrayal, less forgiving.”
Yet now, as Kallista maneuvered through the labyrinthine streets of Alexandria, shadows closing in from the retreating sun, she felt an undercurrent of unease. There were whispers behind her—barely audible fragments carried by voices too careful to be mere passersby. She gripped her satchel instinctively, the leather strap taut beneath her fingers. A trail of black-clad figures had appeared in her periphery, blending into the chaotic swirl of the crowd. Coincidence? Or quarry?
The city around her grew sharper with tension, the distant hum of the sea punctuated by the sharp cries of seagulls and the clattering of pottery. She ducked under an awning at the edge of a teeming square, where a fortune teller’s stall spilled incense smoke and promises into the air. But Kallista had no time for omens or idle warnings. Her path was clear: the harbor lay ahead, and in it awaited a trireme bound for Carthaga. She had to board it before her followers grew bolder—or closer.
The Ambush
The attack came without warning. Just as she rounded the corner leading to the docks, a flash of silver caught her eye—a blade slicing through open air, aimed with precision where she had just been standing. She had ducked instinctively, rolling forward to gain her footing amidst the startled clamor of dockworkers and sailors. Her hand flew to the hidden dagger strapped to her thigh beneath her chiton. It shimmered in the twilight, its ivory hilt cool and familiar in her grip.
Her attacker stepped forward—a man clad in black, his tunic and hood bearing no insignia. His face was obscured, but his movements were practiced, fluid, and deadly. Two more emerged from the shadows, closing in a semicircular pattern. The dock’s planks groaned beneath their deliberate strides. Kallista’s mind raced. The trireme was within sight, but the plodding sway of its moorings told her the crew was preparing to disembark. If she didn’t act swiftly, her mission—and her life—would end here.
“Who sent you?” Kallista demanded, her voice steady despite the tension coiling in her gut. None answered. Instead, the first man lunged, his blade a streak of deadly intent. Kallista sidestepped, parrying the strike with her dagger. The clash of metal rang out, followed by a hiss from her opponent as her counterstrike grazed his forearm. But the others were closing in fast.
Without hesitation, she pivoted, slashing deliberately at the ropes securing a stack of amphorae nearby. The clay vessels toppled, shattering in the path of her assailants. The sudden chaos bought her moments—just enough to sprint toward the ramp of the departing trireme. Her boots pounded against the dock, heart racing as she leaped onto the ship’s deck just as it pushed away from the harbor.
Unraveling Secrets
Kallista leaned against the ship’s railing, breathless but victorious. The figures on the docks shrank into the shadowy bustle of Alexandria as the trireme cut through the waters. The scroll in her satchel seemed heavier than ever, its importance magnified by the blood spilled to protect it. Who sought its secrets? And what power could it wield to inspire such violence?
She glanced eastward, toward the expanse of open water and the faint outline of distant shores. Her thoughts darkened, yet her resolve only grew stronger. Whatever puzzle Antonius had thrust her into, she would see it to the end—even if it unraveled empires.
The Source…check out the great article that inspired this amazing short story: Neutral Tailored Blazers and Mustard Skirts: Chic Urban Outfit for Fall with Knee-High Boots and Minimalist Black Accessories
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