Asteriva was beginning to regret accepting the job. It had seemed so simple at first – get a coin from some bank or other, report back, done. That was before she realised that the bank was Dragon Holdings. Looking over the large, secure cave, she wondered how she would manage to get in, find one coin among all the coins in Dragon Holdings, steal it, and get out – without being detected. It was all too clear that she would have to go at night; there was a risk that she’d be recognised, and she would have to kill them, which was messy, and a waste of time. Suddenly, she spotted wisps of cloud, dark and heavy, at the edge of her vision. Dusk was falling in the Dragonridge Mountains as Asteriva smiled- she’d forgotten one thing: it was storm season. This, combined with winds from the mountains and the cloud wisps could only mean one thing. A storm was coming – perfect for a heist.

Thunder flashed, briefly illuminating a lone figure slowly creeping towards the Dragon Holdings. The storm was worse than Asteriva had thought – it had the makings of a record breaker. “Doekel!”* she exclaimed under her breath. The storm would be so loud that it would surely mask her approach. She crept towards the entrance: the situation was better than she’d hoped – she didn’t even have to get through the door; the door had been exposed to the full force of lightning, and now the bottom was nothing but scrap metal. Asteriva slipped through the gap and grinned. She knew exactly where to look now. The coin was clearly important, in a glass box protected by… she cursed. Two huge trolls were guarding the box, with huge, spiked clubs in their hands. Asteriva sighed. Perhaps she would have to make a mess after all.

Asteriva looked unhappily at the blood-soaked bodies of the trolls, knowing that she’d just lost her head-start. Oh, well. She looked at the coin nestled in her hand – half diamond, half gold. A strange rune was carved in diamond on the gold side, and an elaborate, golden dragon was etched into the diamond side. It looked ancient, like it could have come from the Sunken City – and therefore far more valuable than the meagre sum that her buyers allowed. She slid the coin into her pocket; she would have to find someone willing to pay a more worthy price for it. She walked through the melted door and disappeared into the night.

Read Part 2 here: https://storystudiosaustralia.com.au/the-assassins-tale-part-2/

*The word pirates use when the clouds come together and a feeling of a storm coming is quite strong. Usually used when the storm may be damaging and staying inside is essential.