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“I’M WARNING YOU.” SEVYLIA attempted to sound menacing but failed miserably.
I leaped onto the balcony’s edge, landing in a flawless crouch.
She yelped again and jumped back, watching me with wide eyes.
“Don’t be frightened, princess,” I told her derisively. I looked up at her, moving only my eyes, and kept the rest of my body perfectly still. “It’s only me.”
She gasped, and then closed her mouth quickly. “You! What are you doing?” Eyes widened, she gaped at me.
“What are you doing? Isn’t it a bit past your bedtime?” I sneered.
She glared at me in response. “I am on my balcony, observing the quiet peacefulness that the night offers. You, however, are not exactly where you’re supposed to be. If you were caught here—”
“I won’t get caught. I never do.” I straightened and met her gaze.
“You are arrogant.” She sounded like she was accusing me of something horribly wrong.
“Is it arrogance if I speak the truth?”
She thought about that for a moment. “What are you really doing out here?”
“Only observing the quiet peacefulness that night offers.” I kept my tone un-mocking, hoping she would not ask the question again.
She scoffed and leaned against the railing, facing away from me. Her dark brown curls were twisted to lie around the front of her left shoulder, and her nightgown revealed her back. Her bare shoulders almost seemed to glow under the moonlight. I deliberately forced myself to look up toward the moon.
“You should never turn your back on anyone, princess,” I warned her in a soft tone.
She glanced at me over her shoulder but said nothing.
“Not even those you trust,” I added.
“You are a very mistrusting person, aren’t you, assassin?” She glanced at me once again.
I remained silent. It was the first time she stated so bluntly exactly what I was.
She pressed her weight against the smooth stone railing.
I strolled up to the balcony and leaned against the barrier beside her.
“It isn’t mistrust. It’s simple facts. Exposing one’s back gives others the opportunity to strike. It makes one vulnerable,” I explained.
“You seem very wise...when it comes to protecting oneself,” she commented.
“I’ve been trained for a long time.” I held her gaze.
“How long?”
It was a question that made me uncomfortable. To answer it would require speaking of my past, and that was something I would never talk about.
“A long time.” My tone left no room for argument.
She bit her lip and nodded once, slowly. “I wonder how you became like this,” she murmured.
The statement took me by surprise, so I kept silent.
“Surely you weren’t always like this...”
“Like what?” I slid my gaze to her without moving.
“So... distant. Cold almost. It’s as if you don’t feel anything. You obviously don’t like talking about yourself or your past much either.”
“Very observant, princess,” I told her flatly.
“Why do you call me that, assassin?” She narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on the barrier. “I do have a name.”
“It’s what you are, is it not?”
She shot me an irritated look but nodded. “It is not all that I am.”
I remained silent, gazing back out at the yard below us. Off in the distance, I thought I noticed movement inside a tree on the edge of the garden. I squinted, trying to see if it really had been someone moving, but it was too dark to tell.
Suddenly, my eye caught something whizzing toward us and I had just enough time to shove Sevylia backward so that we both landed flat on the floor of the balcony, safe from the arrow that flew at us.
“What—?” She started to rise.
“Stay down, princess,” I hissed in her ear, mentally cursing myself for not having my bow and arrows with me. I always kept a small dagger in my boots, but at this distance that wouldn’t do me any good. I took it out anyway; some protection was better than none at all.
“Where did that come from?” Her voice rose in pitch from her fear as she slightly lifted her head.
I pushed her back down. “Stay down,” I hissed at her again. “He’s in a tree beside the garden. You need to get back inside your room and stay down low.”
She nodded and we rose, stooped as low as we could get. I stayed behind her so if another arrow came, she wouldn’t get hit.
“Go!”
She jogged as quickly as she could to the balcony doors and went inside.
“Lock it.” I jumped onto a tree branch, staying out of sight.
I switched between branches and trees until I reached a few feet away from where the man had been. My eyes darted around, searching for sign of him. He had moved around as well, but I finally spotted him and jumped down, landing on a lower branch, so that I was on the one right above him. With my dagger in my right hand while holding onto the branch with my left, I kicked my feet out and wrapped both of my legs around his neck. His eyes widened for a second, while he gasped for air.
“Who sent you?” I demanded.
He laughed, as much as he could while choking, and glared at me. “You...really think...I’m gonna...tell you?”
I could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t just a random thug; he was a trained assassin, just like me. Pain meant nothing to him.
“No. I don’t.” I clamped my thighs tighter around his neck, pressing against the muscles and vertebrae. When his body finally relaxed in unconsciousness, I twisted hard to the left. When I moved my feet away from him, his body fell to the ground, almost eighteen feet below. I slipped the dagger back in my boot and jumped down myself, landing lithely on my feet.
I ambled over to where his body was and searched all his pockets for anything useful. All he had on him were a bit of gold coins, a finely crafted bow, arrows from the same high-quality blacksmith, a small dagger in his belt, and a piece of paper with the name of a pub I recognized.
After pocketing the gold and piece of paper, I swung the arrows over my shoulder and climbed until I was on Sevylia’s balcony again.
She shrieked when I pounded on the doors.
“It’s only me, princess.”
After a few seconds the lock clicked, and the doors swung open. “Are you all right?” She looked at me with wide eyes and stepped outside onto the balcony. “What happened?” she continued, not giving me time to answer.
“He’s dead. This was the only thing I found.” I handed her the piece of paper.
“Wuvious?” She glanced from the paper back to me again. “What does that mean?”
“I’m almost sure it’s a pub in a small settlement on the outskirts of the realm,” I replied.
“We must inform my father immediately.”
I glanced up at the sky. “It’s the middle of the night. We should wait until morning.”
“If we withhold this information from my father, he’ll be angry.” She shook her head, gnawing on her lower lip.
“Angrier than being disturbed in the middle of the night?”
Whirling around, she took a step toward the balcony doors. “Not if I wake him.” Without even waiting on me, she slipped back inside.
“How are we going to explain my presence on your balcony?” I followed her inside her room but doing so felt terribly wrong—an invasion of her privacy.
She stopped mid-stride. “You were in the garden and you saw the assassin and when you looked, you noticed I was outside on the balcony. You shouted at me to hide and went to find the assassin,” she explained easily. “You should go around and if my father wishes to speak to you. I’m sure he will send for you.”
I nodded and turned back to the doors. Her hand gripped my shoulder, and it took every ounce of strength inside not to flinch away from her touch.
“Wait. Here.” She handed me the piece of paper.
I took it and left her room as quickly as I could. It didn’t take me but a few minutes to climb down the tree and begin heading back across the courtyard.
One of the guards chuckled when he saw me. “Finished all that wine already, huh, Aidan?”
For a moment, I stared at him, complexly dumbfounded and unsure as to what he was talking about. Then I remembered that I had brought wine out with me.
I nodded with a chuckle as they opened the doors and let me into the grand hall.
Once I was back in my room, I put the arrows beside mine in the corner and lay back down on the mat. More than likely, the assassin was supposed to have met someone at the pub, either to get a job or payment once the job was completed; possibly both. The answer to who the assassin was, who hired him and why, was at that pub. I needed to go there and find out.
I continued thinking about this for a few minutes before there was a knock at the door.
A young slave girl opened the door. She stood in the doorway, her eyes lowered to the ground, as all the servants did. It was a rule for the slaves here—not to look into your master’s eyes unless told. “My King has sent for you, sir,” she said in a small voice.
I grabbed a loose shirt with short sleeves and slipped it over my head. “I’m ready.”
She nodded and, keeping her eyes on the ground, led me out the door and into the grand hall. From there we trekked up the gold stairs until we reached the throne room. It was entirely empty, except for a couple guards, but we continued moving onto another set of stairs. The girl led me to a room with an open door. Inside, the king sat behind a huge table. At the table on his left sat his advisor, and at his right hand, Sevylia.
As soon as I stepped inside, the king dismissed the servant, who bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
“Aidan. Sevylia told me what happened. I want your story,” the king said.
I quickly recalled the story Sevylia explained to me earlier and commenced telling him the story, making it as solid as a rock, so that there were no discrepancies within to make him question me further. Though I left out pocketing the gold, I was sure to inform him of the assassin’s other items.
“What is this pub called?” the king asked when I finished.
“Wuvious,” I answered.
“If someone came for your daughter, my king, then it is fairly certain someone will come for you as well,” his advisor, Himlav, pointed out.
“Aidan, what is your perception?” The king gazed at me in question.
“As I said before, he was well trained. His weapons, also a bow and arrow, were finely made. Someone with his skill, along with the care he took with his weapons, wouldn’t use their skills working for some minor thug or guild member.”
“Hmmm.” The king crossed his arms and rested them against the table while he fell into deep thought. His expression was angry, as always, his eyes hard.
He stood and leaned over the table with his hands closed into fists, pressing them against the smooth wood. He was dressed in clean, silk trousers, opposed to my worn, ripped, and dirty ones. He also had on a long robe, which was open, exposing his chest, and somehow made him look more menacing than usual.
“Aidan, you will travel to this pub and find out what information you can on the attacker. You will make sure you are back before tomorrow night,” King Lavious ordered.
“What happens tomorrow night?” I was the only one who could get away with asking him questions without being executed. My irreplaceable skills had benefits.
“Tomorrow night King Maxiveren from the Isvyesious Realm is coming to stay here as an honored guest to discuss an alliance. He and all his attendants, advisors, servants, and guards will be here. You will be attending the festivities here to watch over my daughter and I,” Lavious stated.
“You want to use me as a bodyguard?” I asked in disbelief. I was a trained assassin, not a...babysitter.
“Don’t you dare take that tone with me, boy!” Lavious yelled.
I clenched my teeth but said nothing.
“I also want you to observe. That is what you are good at, is it not?”
He knew all too well it was.
I glared at the table, rather than at him, because I knew then he would be infuriated. He would not execute me, but if he became displeased, he would find a way to punish me.
“Yes,” I finally answered, in an overly calm tone.
“Good.”
“Who exactly am I supposed to be observing?”
“You will watch King Maxiveren. Everything he does, who guards him, the closest people around him, how often he is alone or with one or two people, anything about him and his actions,” Lavious said.
I nodded. If he wanted me to observe someone it could only mean one thing: that eventually he would want me to act against them. If he were discussing an alliance with King Maxiveren, it didn’t make sense that he would want me to kill him.
“So, you understand your task, Aidan?” Lavious asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. Pack whatever you need for your journey. You start off for the pub immediately. I expect you back here before sunset tomorrow. Slave!” Lavious raised his voice and it bounced off the walls.
“Yes, my king?” A girl peeked in through the door.
“Go wake and inform the stable-keeper outside the city that Aidan is to have permission to use the fastest horse by my orders,” Lavious commanded.
The girl nodded. “Yes, my king.” She bowed and rushed back out the door.
I creased my eyebrows. “I won’t be using a horse from the palace stables?”
Lavious shook his head. “No, this is to be discreet. Sevylia.”
“Yes, Father?” She glanced over at him.
“The hour grows late, and I’m certain you must be exhausted. Go and rest for tomorrow night.”
She nodded, inclining her head a bit before walking out. There were two servant girls waiting at the door for her, and they followed her as she left.
“I’ll go get my things and start off immediately, my king.” I bowed and left the room behind.
Minutes later, I was back in my room. First, I took the time to carefully dip each of my arrows, as well as my newly acquired ones, in the poisonous sekiyx sap. Just in case I needed it. After that, I slipped off the trousers and loose shirt, and put on my ruhious and vavyious. I strapped my bow on my back, along with my arrows, as well as the assassin’s. If I was going to find out who he was, his weapons were a good start. They were designed specifically for him, just like mine were, so anyone would know him from his arrows. After I geared up, I closed the door behind me and was off on my journey.
Within minutes I was outside the palace. The guards had said nothing as I escaped out of the outer gate. Their insignias on their shoulders meant they were palace guards, a clear distinction from the city ones. The king liked to keep my jobs secret, which was why the normal city guards were still looking for the person who had killed Bavyl.
I smiled to myself. I had been through this hundreds of times before; the city guards amused me. It was like a game, watching them search endlessly with no luck.
They would never find me. They would never catch me.
The hardest jobs were the ones outside the realm where the king had no control. Those were also the most enjoyable ones to complete. It wasn’t very often he sent me outside his realm, but when he did, it was always difficult, but it was also...exhilarating.
Which was why I was thankful to be sent away from the city tonight. I wasn’t planning on sleeping the rest of the night, so I was almost cheerful that the assassin had come. I was ready and eager.
Within minutes, I was outside the walls and headed toward the stables. It didn’t take long before I was standing in front of them. The slave girl was just walking out the door, with the stable keeper just behind her.
“Aidan,” the old man acknowledged.
I nodded my head toward him.
He motioned for me to follow him, so I did. He opened the doors and waved me in, and as soon as he closed the doors, darkness encased us. Seconds later, he lit a torch and led me through the main corridor.
The horses were kept on both sides of the stable. We passed four of them and then he stopped and stood in front of the fifth one on the right side.
“This one here is called Ghost,” the man said.
“Ghost?” I raised an eyebrow.
“He’s quick and silent. He’ll get you where you need to go in no time,” he replied.
I stood to watch as the stable keeper readied the horse. Several minutes later, he opened the door and led Ghost by the reins down the hall and out the back of the stables.
“You’re all set.”
I nodded toward him as a thanks and swung my leg around the horse’s body after digging one foot in the stirrup. “C’mon boy,” I murmured, stroking him on his neck.
I urged him forward and he took off, leading us both into the night and away from civilization, just as I preferred it.
The moon above gave plenty of light to see as Ghost and I journeyed. He was a fine steed; nimble and quick, like I was. The distant mountains and hills towered in the sky along the edges of the horizon and stars blanketed the black sky above.
We encountered several wolves along the ride, and I managed to shoot three of them before another one reached us. I bounced off Ghost and as I did, I slid a dagger out of my gloves and stabbed it in the throat. Hastily, I snatched an arrow and fired it at another wolf who charged toward Ghost, who bucked in fear. There were two more after us; one I could hear behind me and the other coming up behind Ghost with a furious snarl. I quickly shot another arrow at it and turned, going for the one behind me, but he fled. As soon as everything was clear, I checked to make sure Ghost hadn’t been injured. He was unscathed so I jumped back on and continued moving.
When I had left the palace, it was only a couple of hours until dawn and by the time I reached the pub, it had been light for about three hours or so. We made good time; the horse lived up to his high acclaim.
I tied Ghost’s reins to a post that held up the small building. It was the only place around here for miles; but I suspected it got business just fine, with all the travelers that came through.
I shoved open the door and strolled on inside. The smell instantly hit me the second I stepped into the pub; ale, sweat, and smoke all mixed to make an uncomfortable stench. The first thing I noticed were smaller tables spread out around the place with no specific layout I could see, where a few people sat, drinking and eating. I also recognized several doors upstairs which led into rooms available to rent for the night. A lengthy counter was angled along the back wall to my left and behind it stood a medium-sized man. He was as scraggly as anyone else in here.
“What can I get’cha?” the man behind the counter asked in a heavy accent. It was one from the Fixid Realm and seeing that the pub was just barely on the outskirts in between the Kiayious Realm and the Fixid Realm, it wasn’t surprising to find people from both areas.
“Information,” I murmured, crossing my arms, and resting them against the counter. I leaned in closer to the man, as he stopped from grabbing a bottle of ale, which was stacked in rows of barrels behind him.
“What kind of information?”
I grabbed one of the assassin’s arrows and displayed it on the counter between us. “I’m looking for the man this arrow belongs to.”
The man’s eyes widened in surprise. “Y—you’re lookin’ fer Daxisous. He’s a freelance archer who does a lot of mercenary work,” the man stuttered.
“Who does he work for? Is he in a guild?”
The man shook his head. “No, he works by himself... fer many different people. Why are you looking fer him?”
“He shot this at a friend of mine. It’s personal. Is there one person, someone important, that he worked for particularly more than others?”
The man paused as beads of sweat dotted his forehead and his hands shook. “No.”
“You’re lying.” I glared up at him.
“N—no, sir,” he protested.
My hands were on the arrow already. All I had to do was flick my wrist and the arrow would jar him right below his stomach. “If you’d like your intestines to stay where they are, I suggest you tell me the truth,” I warned.
The man swallowed deeply. “Okay—okay just... take it easy!” He glanced around as if seeing if we were being overheard, then leaned in closer to murmur in my ear. “Everyone knows he serves at King Cexious’ hand. Not very often, but when the king needs a job done, he hires Daxisous and he only hires him when he wants someone important... finished off... someone with high priority,” the man explained.
It was a good thing I took the time to rub poisonous sekiyx sap on the tips of the assassin’s arrows.
All I had to do was press the arrow in toward him so that it cut through his clothes and barely scraped his skin.
I pressed it in so that it drew blood, making it appear as a simple threat. “You better be telling the truth. If I find out you’ve lied to me, I will find you and end you,” I growled.
“That’s the truth, sir, I swear!” the man yelled in desperate attempt to spare his life.
I pulled the arrow back and slipped it into the sheath on my back.
The man sighed and his shoulders sagged in relief. The man may have been relieved his life was spared, yet the poison would seep into his veins, with no symptoms or signs. He would never know it, and he would be dead the minute he chose to lie down to sleep.
I turned, strolled out of the pub, and leaned against one of the posts. Our land was called Eious, surrounded by the Eious Sea. Though there were more lands bordering the Eious Sea, known as the Outlying Lands, the two never intermixed. Eious itself was divided into four realms, each its own kingdom: King Cexious ruled the Fixid Realm in the East, King Maxiveren ruled the Isvyesious Realm in the North, King Lavious ruled the Kiayious Realm in the West, and King Aeveron ruled the Tyrix Realm in the South.
King Cexious had invaded King Maxiveren and had managed to take a great portion before Maxiveren even knew what was happening. I had guessed this was why Maxiveren wanted an alliance with Lavious—he was weak and losing and could use the support. I had no idea why Lavious would agree to something that had no benefit to him or our realm, but Lavious was as clever as he was bold; he knew what he was doing.
It made sense why Lavious wanted me to observe Maxiveren at the alliance signing. However, why he wanted me to move against him after planning to make an alliance with him was beyond me.
Unless he was playing both sides.
As I pressed against the post outside the pub, my mind reeled. The alliance may have posed as a threat to King Cexious, which could have been the reason why Daxisous was hired in the first place. Perhaps Cexious thought assassinating Princess Sevylia would affect Lavious’ decision to support Maxiveren. It was likely Cexious hoped assassinating Sevylia would intimidate Lavious into neutrality.
I would need solid proof to go on, but I was almost certain my assumptions were correct.
“Stranger!” a voice yelled. I glanced up to see a group of four men: each wearing armor. One of them had a broadsword, another had a battle axe, and the last two had warhammers.
“You’ve been looking for someone....” The man with the broadsword stepped toward me.
“What makes you say that?” I remained unmoving.
He smirked. “The arrows you showed the barkeep. I would know those arrows anywhere. Why don’t you tell me why you’ve been searching for Daxisous?”
I glanced up, as if debating. “No. Don’t think I will.”
“You will if you’re smart. You don’t want enemies with us, or with Daxisous.”
I watched them, amused. “If you’re trying to warn me, it won’t work.”
He frowned. “No?”
“No, because Daxisous is dead. I killed him.” I smiled.
