Assassin's Fate (The Assassin and her Dragon Princes Book 1)

by Ivy Clyde

  Cain let out a deep breath. “We’ve kept this fact to ourselves for so long. It feels strange to even think of letting an outsider know what we’re up to.”

  “Emperor Ivan and his sons know very well what we’re up to. They murdered our fathers and brothers, mass massacred the entire Fire Clan and took over the control of our kingdoms.” I watched Cain’s features harden as his entire body was covered in flames. His rage was infectious. Deep resentment coursed through my veins as I thought of the emperor’s atrocities towards us.

  “They will never sit still until they’ve eradicated the last of our line,” I said, balling my fists. “Look what happened to Norvin. He was trapped by his own stepbrother. We can’t be sure when we’ll be betrayed next. It’s imperative we strike before they do.”

  The blaze on Cain’s body died out, making the cave go dark again. The flames flickering on my palm suddenly felt too dim. “I am glad you’re still with me, Adal,” he said in a low, choked voice. “My mind hasn’t been clear since the day I learned of Norvin’s death.”

  “I understand what you mean,” I said, swallowing down the choke in my throat. “It’s just that this is something I’d been planning on before he died. Now that we’ve already been to Linmoor, we can be confident on the skills of their assassins.” I got to my feet and looked down at my companion. “So you agree with me to hire an assassin for our use?”

  “Yes.” Cain came to stand beside me. “We can communicate faster through them and ultimately carry out our plans. Let us be on our way.”

  We began walking towards the cave’s exit once more, my heart a lot lighter after the conversation with Cain. I hoped we would get a positive report on the case of the virgin blood trade, after which we could proceed with selecting an assassin for our personal mission.

  It was still early morning when we emerged into the woods. We spent a moment to enjoy the sunlight streaming down on us and deeply inhaled the cool, fresh air.

  After riding for a short distance, I got the first glimpse of Linmoor. Slowing the horses to a trot, we entered through the ancient archway, leading the way into the village. Some of the women on the path looked up at us with wary gazes but nobody blocked our way.

  Reaching the central part of the village, Cain and I climbed off our horses. A young maid came forward immediately.

  “Merry morning,” she greeted. “I will take away the horses for you.”

  I nodded, letting go off the rein. The girl looked about fifteen years old and was dressed in simple cotton. She looked too soft and innocent to be an assassin.

  “Has anyone announced our presence to Lady Elga?” asked Cain, looking towards the tallest cottage nearby.

  “I am sure she’s known of our presence since the moment we stepped into the valley.”

  “Very well, let’s go see her,” said Cain, walking towards the cottage where we’d met Lady Elga on our first visit.

  The doorway to the cottage was wide open but as we entered, I felt a sudden change in the air. It felt somehow denser as I breathed. A cool chill ran down my spine. A similar shudder went through Cain. The fire in both our blood had been subdued.

  “Isn’t it too early for a visit, princes?” asked Lady Elga. She sat near the furthest wall of the room. A low table was positioned before her. At a glance, I could see there were complicated astronomical charts covering its surface. It never failed to astonish me to see the elderly, graying woman having so much more knowledge than a scholar in the royal court of Baledonia.

  “We didn’t want to be seen or followed,” said Cain.

  Lady Elga gestured towards the cushioned seats near the table. Once we settled down, she watched us with her eerie gray eyes, like she was reading our thoughts. It was unnerving.

  “The assassin I sent to do the job returned only minutes ago. I haven’t had the chance to get a report from her yet,” said Lady Elga. “I’m afraid you’d have to wait a little longer. Would you like some tea in the meantime?”

  I was hungry but politely accepted the offer of tea. Lady Elga got to her feet and went to the corner where a low fire was burning in the hearth. She hung a copper kettle over it and began fussing about making tea, giving the impression of a regular old grandma.

  She returned with a tray. The tea was fragrant and at once, I felt aware of my thirst. Lady Elga poured the brew in earthen cups and served it to us.

  “Thank you,” I said gratefully, taking a sip of the tea. It was the most refreshing drink I’d ever had.

  “While we wait,” began Cain. “We would like to discuss something else with you.”

  “Tell me.” Lady Elga folded her hands on her lap and looked at us with the most utmost concentration.

  Cain gestured for me to talk. Taking the lead, I began. “You know the recent history of the four kingdoms.”

  Lady Elga nodded.

  “The four kingdoms are in chaos. The royal families no longer have any power. Our every step is monitored and censured. Thugs and merchants are paying tithe to Emperor Ivan directly and he approves. It won’t be long before law and order disappears completely. The common folk are suffering in all four kingdoms.”

  I paused to take a deep breath. “I believe the royal families would be wiped out too. Prince Norvin, the ruling prince of Redfall was wrongly accused and killed without a trial. If he’s not stopped, Emperor Ivan will rule over every soul in this realm with similar injustice.”

  Lady Elga remained quiet but her attention was on me.

  “We want one of your assassins to assist us in deposing Emperor Ivan.”

  The air left my lungs just as I said those words.

  I wanted to kill the man who’d murdered my father nineteen years ago but I had never said those words aloud. Not even in the privacy of my bedchambers in the palace. Even the barest of whispers heard by Emperor Ivan would bring death to me and my mother. While Cain, Norvin and I had the same goals, we’d never spoken it aloud. It felt oddly freeing to speak the thought that had haunted my mind all these years.

  “That is very brave of you, Prince Adal,” said Lady Elga in her clear, quiet voice. “Emperor Ivan is the only true dragon left in the realm. Can you really go up against him?”

  “No,” said Cain. “We can’t. No one in the four kingdoms has the power to go up against a true dragon, but an assassin can do the job. He can be killed in his human form. The stealth and strategy of an assassin can accomplish that. The assassins of your guild are legendary in that regard.”

  “Is that what you propose now, princes? You want me to take up the assassination of Emperor Ivan?”

  “Yes.” Both Cain and I said at once.

  “It is the deadliest mission for any assassin,” said Lady Elga.

  “We will offer whatever price you ask.”

  “There is no price for a life.” A cold chuckle escaped Lady Elga. “You must think it odd for an assassin to say that, but I never take on missions until I know it’s an act of mercy to take a life.”

  “How can it be mercy to take a life?” asked Cain.

  “Say you saved a tiger that was caught in a trap. Is it mercy to save its life? The same tiger would go and kill many other creatures in the forest. That’s not true mercy. Mercy only happens when you are saving thousands of life by killing one.” Elga fixed her gray eyes on both of us. “Do you understand what I am saying?”

  “I think so,” I said slowly, pondering the example she gave. “Is that why you readily agreed to assassinate the group involved in the virgin blood trade? Killing those few men can save hundreds of innocent lives.”

  “Yes.” A soft smile lit up Lady Elga’s face. “You understand.”

  “Killing Emperor Ivan would save many more lives, Lady Elga,” said Cain in a grim voice. “The four kingdoms won’t last long if his reign continues. The common folk are starving and the vultures are swooping in to take what they can. The virgin blood trade is just an example. Many more people will die if we don’t bring an end to him.”

  “Will
the common folk be better served by you?”

  “Of course,” said Cain. “You have seen how our fathers ruled their kingdoms. There was peace among us all. No war. No famine. No plague. Adal and I…we are taking the risk for our people.”

  Lady Elga remained quiet. Her expressions didn’t give any indication to her thoughts. I waited with bated breath to see if she would agree to take up Emperor Ivan’s assassination.

  It was a long time before she spoke again. “See if anyone’s outside the cottage. Bring them inside.”

  I got to my feet at once to obey her. Going outside the door, I found a middle-aged woman in a simple but elegant blue gown. “Pardon me, Miss. Could you please come inside for a moment?”

  The fair-haired woman gave me a cold stare but she didn’t refuse. The women of Linmoor were unnerving. They were independent and fearless. My status as a prince counted for nothing in this tiny village of female assassins.

  “Sanita,” said Lady Elga as soon as the two of us entered inside the cottage. “Would you please bring Daria to me?”

  “Of course,” said the woman with a tilt of her head.

  Lady Elga went back to being quiet while Cain and I waited. Was that the name of the assassin she would assign us? Would she be as domineering as Sanita? Questions swirled around in my mind until I heard the sounds of soft footsteps approaching us.

  I turned around and instantly felt my eyes widening. Before me stood a beautiful young woman with long, flowing hair. The lavender gown she wore hugged her soft curves intimately, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the pounding of my heart. My gaze rested on her plump, pink lips and the desire to taste them ignited within me.

  The thought caught me unaware. I’d never been affected this way by a woman in my life. As a man, I valued intelligence over beauty in a lady. There were plenty of beautiful women in the palace of Baledonia but I was never attracted to them.

  I didn’t even know the stranger before me, and yet I couldn’t dismiss the pull I felt towards Daria as her gaze met mine momentarily before flickering towards Cain. Recognition settled in her emerald green eyes the longer she gazed at him.

  My hand almost went to my heart to soothe the sudden stab of jealousy it felt at that moment.

  6

  My mouth parted slightly to see Cain standing beside the golden-haired man. It was rare to see men in Linmoor and I’d never been allowed to engage with them before.

  “Cain,” I blurted out. “What are you doing here?”

  “You know the prince?” asked Lady Elga, her gaze focused on my face.

  I quickly rearranged my features. Thirteenth rule as an assassin? Don’t give away your emotions. “I met him last evening in Oakhedge, but I wasn’t aware he is a prince.”

  Cain turned back to glance at Lady Elga. “She is not aware of my identity.”

  “Is she the woman you met last evening?” asked the golden-haired man beside him.

  “Yes.”

  My gaze focused on Cain’s companion. He was just as handsome as Cain but in a very different way. While Cain was tall and broad-shouldered, appearing like a trained soldier, the stranger was lean with a keen look in his soft blue eyes. His features were smoother and less harsh. Even his skin shone like polished marble. He was dressed the same way as Cain, in plain cotton clothes, but the air of regality about him was the same as him.

  “Come forward, Daria,” said Lady Elga.

  I moved past the two men to reach Lady Elga and bowed down low. Before either one of us could say a word, strong fingers grabbed hold of my elbow. I twisted my body and would have hit Cain in the face with my other elbow if his companion didn’t stop me. Suddenly, I found myself in the grip of two men.

  “What is this?” I muttered, struggling against them.

  “Sshh,” whispered Cain, his hot breath on my face.

  “Let me smell you,” said the golden-haired man in a low voice in my ear.

  My heart was pounding heavily. I was acutely aware of their warm touches on my skin as their noses skimmed over my skin. Warmth pooled between my thighs as they pressed my body between theirs. I bit my bottom lip hard, struggling to suppress the moans threatening to come out of me. Lady Elga could never know the emotions these men were bringing out in me. The consequences of her finding out would not be good for me.

  “Do you smell him on her, Adal?” asked Cain.

  “I do. It’s so strong…like she’s been rubbing herself against him.”

  “Lady Elga,” I called out breathlessly. “What do you command?” I could free myself from both men but they would both be hurt in the process. I still didn’t know whether they were guests or people she brought in for a training session.

  “Let the child go.” Lady Elga’s voice was cold.

  Cain and Adal released me at once and stepped away, but their gazes were filled with anguish as they stared at me. What was making them act so desperately? Cain wasn’t so agitated last evening.

  “Where is he?” asked Cain. “Where did you see him?”

  “Who?”

  “The dark-haired man,” said Adal. “You must have been very close to him for his scent to be so strong on you.”

  I turned to Lady Elga. “I don’t understand what’s going on. Who are they and what are they talking about?”

  “You will calm down, princes,” said Lady Elga. “Explain your sudden excitement before you touch her again.”

  “Lady Elga,” said Adal. “This young lady has the scent of Prince Norvin all over her. Both Cain and I cannot be mistaken.”

  Surprise flitted through Lady Elga’s gaze. “How is that possible?”

  “That’s what we want to know,” said Cain. There was pain in his silvery eyes and his voice was heavy with anguish. He turned towards me. “Please, Daria. Who have you been closest to recently?”

  “There is a stranger in Linmoor,” I replied, meeting Lady Elga’s stern gaze. “She is a young girl called Tilly I rescued on my mission. She is with one of the girls now. I’d hoped to present her once she was cleaned up and fed.”

  “They are talking about another man, Daria,” said Lady Elga. “Who else have you been close to? Who else have you…touched?”

  “Touched?” I thought of the events since last evening. “The man I killed, Tilly and my pet snake are the only creatures that I’ve laid hands on since yesterday.”

  “You have a pet snake?” asked Lady Elga, her thin eyebrows arched high.

  “I got him only a month ago, though I am not really sure he’s a snake. He’s got horns on his head and tiny limbs on his body.”

  “It’s a dragon,” said Adal. An excited smile came over his beautiful face. “Cain…could it be Norvin?”

  “They never found his body after being thrown in the river,” said Cain, his own voice rising with excitement.

  “Please, Miss Daria,” said Adal. “Can we see your…err…snake, please?”

  I looked over at Lady Elga. She gave an imperceptible nod.

  My curiosity was taking over the strangeness of the situation. I still didn’t know who Cain and Adal were but since Lady Elga seemed to favor them so much, I would treat them respectfully and avoid hurting them.

  “Come this way,” I said, turning around to walk out of the cottage.

  Everyone stared at me as I led the two strangers through the village path towards my cottage. My body yearned for a hot bath and nap, but I was desperate for an explanation. I had to know who these men were. Their strange behavior was making my emotions run wild. I was angry, confused and curious while my body throbbed with need.

  “Here we are,” I said, walking inside my cottage to see Naya on my pillow.

  Cain and Adal strode past me to get a closer look. I held back, watching them.

  “It is him,” said Adal, picking up Naya gingerly.

  Naya opened his purple eyes to stare at Adal. His head slowly turned to stare at Cain next. Even from the distance, I could see the surprise in my pet’s gaze. Naya leaped fr
om Adal’s palm to fall onto the floor. Before I could move to pick him up, a man materialized in his place.

  My whole body tensed at the transformation that occurred before my eyes. I’d never witnessed shifter magic before but I’d read about them. Certain mortals with ancient blood could turn themselves into the beast from which their ancestors emerged. The change happened in the blink of an eye.

  I recognized the young man who stood before me now. He was the same person I’d been dreaming of since the past few weeks. I took in the dark hair that almost looked navy under the sunlight, his purple eyes and the way his lips curved up as he smiled at the two men before him.

  “Norvin!” Cain and Adal gasped together. They fell on him and hugged him tight, shouting and crying incoherently.

  I almost pinched myself at the sight to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Such extraordinary things never happened in Linmoor. Now, there were three handsome men in my cottage, embracing each other like lost brothers.

  “Naya,” I called out, unable to keep a hold over my emotions.

  The blue-haired man looked in my direction and smiled. “Hello, Daria.”

  I stared at him. He was grinning at me and the cheekiness in his voice was exactly the kind of vibe Naya gave off.

  “I don’t understand,” I said slowly. “Why didn’t you show your true form to me before?”

  “Would you have let me share your bed if I did?”

  My mouth fell open at the question as my cheeks grew hot. “No.”

  “You have a tale to tell, Norvin,” said Cain, moving forward to drape an arm over him.

  “How could you keep yourself hidden like this?” asked Adal who still looked moved. “We thought you were dead.”

  “I am sorry,” said Norvin, his gaze suddenly grim. “I regained my human form only two days ago. Before that, I was still playing Daria’s pet snake.”

  “Who are you really?” I asked, looking at the three men. “What are you doing in Linmoor?”

  “We will explain,” said Cain. “But before that, I want to know whether you’re the assassin Lady Elga sent to destroy the virgin blood trade.”