Assassin's Maze

by Everly Frost

  My wings shoot out from my shoulders like silver daggers, spreading to their full width, my power sizzling around me, its fiery wrath roaring to the surface so fast that the air crackles. Wasting no time, I take hold of a feather and prepare to rip it out.

  The sound of Slade’s inhale is like a shriek in my ears. His hand shoots out and grabs mine, stopping me with a grip that is like a vise.

  His command is powerful, ripping my heart into pieces. “No, Hunter. You will never do that again. Not for me. Not for anyone.”

  I drop my face to his, all my fear rushing over me in one massive wave. Tears run down my cheeks, leaking uncontrollably from my eyes.

  His big arms rise around my back, drawing me close, pressing me into him, wings and all. “I’m okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

  I sob against his neck, “You scared me.”

  “I promise I won’t do it again.”

  I raise my eyes to find a gentle smile on his lips. He wipes my eyes and presses a kiss to my lips that reminds me what I would have lost if he died. His expression becomes very serious as he strokes the hair out of my eyes and turns his head toward Archer.

  She huddles where she landed, close enough that I could touch her with my wings. I quickly tuck them back into my sides and bury my power again.

  She has drawn her knees to her chest. She is very pale. Too pale.

  I wait for her to speak, knowing there is too much for me to say. Not only has she seen my wings, but she knows I’m her enemy, and she knows I’m with Slade, the man who was meant to kill her.

  When she speaks, her voice is a hoarse whisper aimed at Slade. “You weren’t attacking Hunter, were you? It was your blood, not hers. You took the bullet that was meant for her because… you love her. And then… I hurt you.” Her breathing is rapid, sharp. “Like the killer that I am.”

  My lips part in shock. Of all the things she could have focused on, it wasn’t my wings after all. Or the fact that I can kill her. It was what she did, her own choices.

  Her hands shake. She clasps them together, pressing them against her legs and forming them into fists as if she’s determined to make the shaking stop but it’s no use, they rattle against her knees.

  She says, “I’m a danger to you. I’m a danger to everyone…”

  “No, Archer…”

  Her breathing is far too rapid. “You’re Valkyrie.”

  Slade’s arms tighten around me, but he remains silent.

  I say, “I am.”

  She says, “We could kill each other.”

  I nod. “We could.”

  “Did you know that when you agreed to train me? Did you know that I could kill you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why did you help me?” Deep pain bleeds into her voice. “I’m Archer Ryan, killer, murderer, thief, criminal. You have no idea the things I’ve done to survive… You don’t know how many people I’ve killed, how many times I’ve pulled the trigger.”

  She stares at her knees, her hair cascading across her shoulders.

  She says, “You can’t possibly trust me… not after this…”

  I am in shock. I expected her to retaliate. I thought she would fight me once she found out what I am. I anticipated violence, anger, even fear toward me, but not pain.

  Briar told me that Archer was good and kind. She wears a tough face, a shell made of iron, but underneath it she is completely human, vulnerable, cruelly aware of the consequences of her actions.

  “Archer…” I can barely speak.

  Slade’s strong hand flexes across my back, his gaze urging me to speak the truth.

  I say, “I have, too. Killed. Hurt. Lied. But you protected Cain. You nearly died for him. He told us that you protected his sister, too. You saved Briar’s life. For all of those things… I owe you… so much.”

  She doesn’t look up. “I am a threat to you.”

  “No. You aren’t.” I drop a kiss to Slade’s forehead and he gives me a gentle nod as I disentangle myself from his arms. He won’t be able to stand yet, his healing power is still working its way through his wounds, but he will soon.

  I approach Archer carefully, expanding my senses in case she is unconsciously harnessing her power, but if anything, the only sense I have is of emptiness, as if her power has been sucked out of her, drained dry.

  I kneel, reaching for her hands. I’m shocked to discover that she is colder than me, her fingers like ice. I rub them between my hands, attempting to warm them.

  Slade finally rises to his feet behind me, the color returning to his face, his wound visibly healed when he pulls up his shirt to check it. He keeps his distance though, giving us space.

  “You were trying to protect me just now,” I say to Archer. “You did a good job of it. If there’s anyone I want watching my back, it’s you.”

  She doesn’t respond, a low moan sounding through her lips.

  “Archer?” Alarm shoots through me. The sound she just made was physical pain, not emotional.

  She groans. “I don’t… I can’t...”

  Cain said she collapses after a fight. He thought it was because her power was triggered. Well, she definitely triggered it before, and now the sense I get from her is like an empty shell about to cave in on itself.

  “Slade! She’s shutting down. We need to get her back to Tansy right away.”

  “I’ll carry her.”

  “No!” Archer shrinks against the wall, fear making her lucid, but it’s clear she is in no shape to defend herself. “You were going to kill me.”

  Any sensible person meeting Slade for the first time would run for cover. He hasn’t shaved today, the shadows across his jaw adding to the harshness of his features, his ferocious eyes a paler blue, the dark rims around them making his gaze even more piercing. The circles under his eyes—his lack of sleep—worry me. Even kneeling down, he is one scary-looking man. My heart melts a little at the sight of him. He is my scary man.

  He rests on his knees and very carefully takes her hand and mine into his, clasping them together. He is warm, like a lifeline we both need. She gasps, her wide eyes shooting to his as our tangled fingers quickly thaw within his grasp.

  He looks her straight in the eyes and says, “I promised Cain I would keep you safe. I won’t do anything without your permission. Please, let me fly you back to Tansy so she can help you.”

  She chokes, “Fly me?”

  Unlike me, he takes great care releasing his wings. For a moment, I’m terrified that releasing his wings will release his power into her and hurt her. He’s taking a massive risk right now. I hold my breath as the gorgeous electrical currents that form his wings unfold into the air around us, turning the air silver.

  She doesn’t flinch, isn’t hurt, and I release my breath, grateful that the act of releasing our wings doesn’t hurt her. I guess my wings and Slade’s are extensions of our arms and legs. It’s the same as taking her hand. We don’t hurt her just by touching her, only if we are actively drawing on our power at the same time.

  “My wings are a long story,” he says. “We can answer all your questions once you’re safe on Saber Lane.”

  She considers him for another moment, then gives him a quick nod. He doesn’t waste time. He scoops her into his arms, sweeping her hair away from her face. Fully visible now, her features are drawn and pale, her eyes squeezed shut.

  Slade murmurs to her, “Hold on, Archer. We’ll get you help.”

  He turns to me as he strides from the room. “I’ll leave the Realm intact and send a clean-up crew. The casino-users won’t know a thing. We need to blur.”

  I nod. I trust him with her. “I’ll meet you back there.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I fly as fast as I can, beating Slade back by seconds. I race up the steps to Tansy’s place, but her door flies open before I even touch it.

  She says, “Hurry! Dean sensed you coming and alerted me. Bring Archer inside.”

  Tansy ushers Slade inside through the hallway and into
the parlor on the right. He lays Archer down on the floor, the early evening glow from the fading sunset casting shadows across her face and body.

  Her head nestles on the carpet. She is only half conscious.

  Tansy kneels beside her. “Help me lean her on her side, please. I need to see her back.”

  Slade enfolds Archer in his arms, propping her on her side so she rests partially on his knees. Tansy runs her hands down Archer’s spine with a gasp. “I can’t sense her power at all.”

  I hover nearby, keeping out of the way. “Our powers collided.”

  She blows out an audible breath. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. Slade, if you will…?”

  He gently places Archer back on the floor, lowering her head so it doesn’t drop, stepping away to allow Tansy to get to work.

  He joins me at the side of the room, taking a seat on one of the plush chairs. The seats are too narrow to share, so I hold his hand across the armrests instead. I’m still shaken up by what happened. His torn and bloody shirt is a sharp reminder that I could have lost him today. In fact, none of us is looking great right now. Even Tansy, dressed elegantly in a long, black dress, appears worn and tired. Like Slade, she has been spending hours trying to read the Coda and Vade each day.

  Speaking of books… I glance at her spellbook. It sits closed on the pedestal in the middle of the room.

  Interesting… She didn’t open it. She just acted in the moment. I can’t help the hope rising inside me that Tansy’s power might finally be healing.

  Her aura grows stronger as light glows around her, the same powerful healing light as when she helped Archer the first time. It wraps like ribbons around her body and Archer’s, connecting them.

  Despite what I’ve seen of Tansy’s power so far—the way she spelled Cain’s daggers and the force she used to create the protective spell over the Lane—it’s her ability to heal that is truly remarkable.

  The sun has set. Darkness creeps into the room before Tansy finishes. I don’t dare turn on a lamp in case I disrupt her concentration. Her power is light enough.

  She finally sits back, stretches her shoulders and neck, and then leans forward once more to run her hand across Archer’s cheek.

  Archer’s eyelids flicker open, her expression peaceful and calm, quietly taking in the room and everyone in it.

  Tansy gives her a smile. “How do you feel?”

  “Much better, thank you. Did you…” She falters. “Did you fix my wings?”

  Tansy’s face falls. “I’m sorry, Archer. I can’t break the spell that locks your wings. It wasn’t a particularly powerful spell, but when your birth feather was burned, it locked it in. Only a miracle will reverse it.”

  I grit my teeth, fighting the frustration that rises inside me. It was my fault. Now Archer is burdened with the consequences of my actions, the same way I will never be able to fully bond.

  Archer draws slowly to her feet, saying, “Thank you for trying.”

  Tansy flicks on a lamp and Slade and I both stand in the silence.

  “I think it’s time to start over.” I draw Archer’s focus to Tansy first. “Archer, this is Tansy, the Saber Lane Witch.”

  Archer gives her a genuine smile. “You saved my life. Thank you.”

  Tansy isn’t the hugging sort; she gives Archer a gentle nod. “No thanks are necessary. I’m glad to see you’re looking much better now.”

  I indicate Slade who waits quietly beside me. “This is Slade Baines.”

  He extends his hand toward Archer, remaining at a distance. “Well met, Archer Ryan.”

  She considers Slade for a moment, sizing him up the same way she assessed me the first time she saw me. “I’m surprised, Slade. Assassins never willingly shake hands.”

  “Well, we already got the fighting part out of the way.” He gives her a cautious smile. “You should know that I’m not like other assassins.”

  She takes his hand, maintaining eye contact. She has a powerful presence, even if she seems unaware of it. “I have a lot of questions.”

  He glances at me before he says, “We have a story to tell you.”

  It’s hardly a fairy tale. Tansy makes cups of apple and spice tea and Archer huddles over her cup, warming her fingers while we talk.

  I start at the beginning: her mother’s flight from the west with her as a baby, and my mother’s part in saving her and hiding her with Patrick Ryan, including hiding her birth feather. I don’t leave anything out, including the truth about my mother’s death, Gareth’s hand in it, and the complexities of bonding. I tell her about my quest to steal back the feather, how I didn’t know what it would reveal, then my efforts to find her—the violet-eyed child. I tell her about the Keres and the Valkyrie, about the ringmakers and the betrayal that led to Amalia becoming the person she is today. Slade speaks then, telling her that he is a ringmaker, that Amalia killed his brother, and that I gave him a feather to save his life.

  I tell her that I’m dying.

  Then we tell her about the Keres Coda, the Valkyrie Vade, and the hidden Realm.

  Tansy fetches the books for her. “This is the Keres Coda. It’s a history of your people.”

  Archer’s jaw drops. She reaches for it before she stops herself. “May I?”

  “Of course. It belongs to you.” Tansy hands it to her, opening it to the picture of the woman with the two babies.

  “This is beautiful.” Archer lifts the pages to her nose and inhales, her eyes closing. “Oh, that scent. And these images.”

  Tansy says, “There’s a code hidden in the illustrations. And, as of two hours ago, we know what it says.”

  I nearly jump out of my seat. “You decoded it?”

  “That’s why I came looking for you,” Slade says. “When you weren’t at the Tomb, I asked Briar where you were. She told me where you went.”

  “Where is the Realm, Slade?”

  “Where we thought: in the forests of Portland, Oregon, right in the middle of Mother Serena’s territory.”

  I grimace. “That’s bad news.”

  Slade holds out his hand for the Vade and the wad of handwritten notes folded inside it. “William was right. Nyx was the mother of the babies. Their birth feathers were so powerful that Nyx hid them in the secret Realm—a maze. She surrounded the feathers with monsters so nobody could get to them, and then she placed a Keres guard at the entrance. Only the Keres guard or one of her descendants can open the Realm.”

  He tips the book on its side to show us while he reads along the feathers that float on either side of the babies. “There’s one more message in the feathers. William decoded the first part but we figured out the rest. It says: Trust is shared. Only through trust can truth be revealed.”

  Archer says, “I’m the descendant of the original guardian, aren’t I?”

  Slade nods. “That would be our guess.”

  “Do I need to release my wings to open the maze?”

  I give her a curious look. “Possibly. Why?”

  “When I fought Lady Tirelli—Amalia—at the Horde, she let me go because she said that without my wings I’m useless to her. I think that means I have to release my wings to open the maze, which means… I can’t help you either.”

  She sinks back into her chair, running her hand across her forehead. “The irony is… the birth feather of the first Keres could be the miracle I need to unlock my wings. But I can’t release my wings to get it.”

  She gives a harsh laugh. “And you know what’s really ironic? If I can’t release my wings, I can’t use my power to kill Amalia. Even without those problems, if I don’t find a solution, my wings are going to kill me. I can’t release them, I can’t control them, and I can’t control what happens after I access my power. I can’t keep ending up here with Tansy trying to heal me.”

  Tansy leans across to her. “We can’t give up. I may not be able to reverse the spell, but maybe I can help you open your wings temporarily so we can access the maze.”

  I purse my lips for a
moment. “Tansy… you said ‘we.’”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  All of Vlad’s warnings rush back at me. He said that Tansy would be hunted if she left Saber Lane. Taking her to another witch’s territory is the worst thing we could do. “It’s too dangerous—”

  Tansy ignores me, presenting me with her back when she swivels to Archer. “With your permission, I can look into spells that might achieve that.”

  Archer casts wide eyes between Tansy and me. The friction is hard to miss, but she shakes it off with a smile. “I would appreciate that, Tansy.”

  Slade touches my arm. “What about the Keres ring? The Valkyrie rings always had a negative effect on you, but what if the ring could help Archer regulate her power?”

  I chew my lip. For now, I am forced to put aside my worry for Tansy. I’ll deal with that when the time comes to leave. “It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try.”

  To Archer, I ask, “Did you ever come into contact with Cain’s ring?”

  “Several times. His assassin’s magic calmed my pain when I collapsed.”

  I smile. “That’s good news. Even if it doesn’t work, the Keres ring belongs to you. It’s also the only one you might be able to wear as an assassin.” I turn to Slade. “Would you mind getting it?”

  He immediately nods. As soon as he’s gone, Archer tucks her feet under her bottom and considers me over the top of her cup. “So… you and Slade.”

  I give her a grin, the first today. “You and Cain.”

  She smiles and there’s a little less pain in her expression. “I didn’t think I would ever meet anyone like him. I want to believe that one day…”

  “You will,” I say. “I don’t plan on leaving this world before I kill Amalia and make sure you can be with Cain.” I also give Tansy a hard look but she chooses to ignore me. She won’t speak with me about Vlad.

  Archer suddenly frowns at me. “You don’t expect to survive, do you?”

  I stare at the floor, then at Tansy, then at Archer’s cup. “I have to plan for a scenario where I don’t. You know… there was a time when I was terrified of meeting a Keres. But a good friend taught me that enemies are made, not born. I want to make sure that when my time is up, I’ve done what I needed to do.” I swallow the lump in my throat, suddenly scowling at Archer. “It’s really hard to lie to you, do you know that?”