Is it too late to turn back? I can fly back to Scotland in no time. Even though my family and love will be hunted down.
"My dearest dew drop! How lovely to see you have reconsidered our offer."
The voice came from everywhere. I spun around as the door slammed shut and lights erupted from every candle in the room.
"Who's there?" I cried out in surprise.
The man from Alastair's party stepped out of the only darkened crevice in the room. His porcelain skin shone in the dim light. His eyes gleamed and his smile sent shivers down my spine.
"Oh, little petunia, there is no need to be frightened. You are now among friends."
"Friends?" I asked. "You almost killed my friend. You sent one of those girls after me!"
"Assassin, sweet tart. She was an assassin." He shook his head solemnly. "One of our best. Amazing how you managed to burn her so horribly."
"Yes, well, she shouldn't have tried killing me."
"You are so much like your mother, my precious rose."
"Stop that."
"What?"
"Calling me those names."
His smile faded and his face became hard as stone. It felt as though he were boring into my soul with his piercing eyes. The tension grew in the room as he approached me slowly.
"Do not think for one moment that your status as princess will give you rights to act as you wish. You came to us, you now belong to us. You are an assassin. You are not a princess any longer. Do you understand?" his harsh whisper hit hard.
I was in far more danger than I assumed. This would not be some easy task. I could not simply walk in, kill them, and leave.
"Now that I'm here, you will leave my family alone, correct? You won't hunt down James or my friends?"
"We'll see. As long as you progress as we wish and think you will, they shall be fine. For now," another man said, approaching me from behind.
I spun on my heels and realized I was completely surrounded. The two men and a bunch of others stood around. The others wore the exact same black garb. Glints of steel shone near their hips.
I swallowed hard and pursed my lips together.
What did I walk into?
Chapter Twenty
My heart slammed against my chest and my mouth was dry.
"Enough of all this! I'm sure Evelyn is tired from her long journey." He clapped his hands and a young girl, who couldn't have been much past her sixteenth year, appeared. She wore a long black dress with a white apron trimmed in lace. "Please, show the dear princess to her accommodations."
"Of course," she said, bowing low to him. "This way."
I followed her up an expansive staircase to a long hallway of doors much larger than they needed to be. She paused in front of the last door, remaining silent the entire time.
"This is my room?"
She said nothing. Her eyes were downcast and her lips seemed to be in a permanent frown.
"Um, thank you."
Still nothing from the girl. I shook my head and entered the room unsure what to expect.
The chamber was scarcely furnished. A bed rested against one of the walls, a desk sat in front of the window, and a stand with washing basin completed everything. I wasn't so used to a basic room. The vast differences between what I had now and everything I grew up with put what I'd done into perspective. My life of luxury would be over as I continued with the Guild.
I suppose assassin do not need opulence, but not even a wardrobe for clothing.
A pair of black trousers, a black tunic, and a black sash lay on the bed with black boots sitting nearby. I picked up a piece of paper that rested atop everything and unfolded it.
Sweetest rosebud,
I am so thrilled you have decided to join my little family here at the villa. You've made the correct decision. I understand your accommodations may not be what you are used to as a former princess, but I assure you they are more than enough.
Do change into the garments provided. There is no uniqueness here. Everyone is the same. As I told you, you are no longer a princess. You are an assassin and that is all. Change and join us for supper.
I tossed it to the side, feeling the anger rise in me. He had no right to tell me I wasn't a princess anymore.
Deep breaths, Evelyn. Remember you need to stay calm and play along. They will get theirs in due time.
I stripped out of the dragon armor and into the much softer, and lighter, black garb. I wasn't sure what to do with the sash, so I tied it about my waist. Pulling the boots on, I stood quickly when the door opened.
"I did not give you permission to enter!" I hollered as a girl, older than I, approached.
"There is no need to knock. You're going to have to get used to the fact you're no longer the reigning power. It'll be hard, trust me I know."
"Forgive me, this is all very new to me," I said, sitting.
"I understand. May I help?" She motioned to the outfit.
"Please do."
The girl untied the sash from about my waist and wrapped it around my face, covering everything below the eyes.
"It's our mask. When we are out on mission, we also wear a black cloak with a hood. If times do not call for that, it can be maneuvered to cover all but your eyes. Anonymity is our greatest weapon."
"I'm Evelyn. Former princess of England."
"I'm Anastasia, baro...former baroness of Russia, future assassin for the Russian prince."
"A former baroness?" I asked.
She nodded while tucking in the shirt. "Very good. This is how we dress. The same outfit daily. Breakfast is at sunrise. Do not be late or you will not eat. After breakfast is weapons training. Once you finish with that it is one on one with whomever you're assigned. It'll be hand-to-hand combat. If you do well you'll get lunch. Otherwise, you will practice until you get everything perfect. After lunch, you practice riding. Followed by more weapons training. Dinner is an hour after sundown then you sleep."
"Is that our life?"
"It's how things have been since I've been here," she said, sitting beside me.
"How long has that been?"
"Most of my life," she said before sighing heavily.
"Are you happy?"
"Nobody is truly happy here. We're honored to have been chosen for such a destiny. We train hard so we may be sent to protect our kings upon our eighteenth birthdays."
"How were you chosen?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. All I know is my father sent me here shortly after my mother died."
"Oh. I'm sorry. It must be hard."
"At first it was, I didn't understand what happened. I knew my mother was gone, my father sent me away, and they expected me to do horrible things."
"You don't like killing?" I asked.
"I haven't actually killed anyone yet. We're not sent on our first mission until the year before we are sent to our kings," she informed me.in
"I see."
"Is it true about your mother?" she asked.
"My mother?"
"That she disobeyed the edicts and murdered one of the brothers?"
"Um, I think so yeah. She fell in love with my father, King Cassius, and had to go through a lot in order to marry him. She doesn't talk about her past life much. She always tells me not to dwell on what has been, but to focus on what can be."
"I see. She's a legend amongst all of us here." Anastasia put her head in her hands and looked forlornly out the window.
"You wish to marry?"
"Of course. It's every girls dream to marry and produce as many sons as God may allow. We're not meant to do this. To be so alone."
"No, I suppose we're not."
"Why did you come? You were free to do as you pleased."
"I did it to save my parents and the prince of Scotland," I replied, standing and strolling to the window.
"Why the prince of Scotland?" she asked.
"We are...well were...to be married. The Guild atta
cked us. They killed one of the servant girls and nearly killed a dear friend of mine. When someone attacked me, I realized I had no choice but to join in order to save everyone."
"You were the one who killed Agnes?" she asked
"The dark haired girl who was good with daggers?"
"Yes. She was our eldest trainer. She was set to go to her king in a few months."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"Don't worry about it. She was a terrible person. Nobody misses her much."
"Oh. Okay."
"You do not ever let them know you question what they do. They will not hesitate to kill you."
"Of course not. What is said between us stays between us." I reached out and grasped the girl's hand.
My perception of things changed drastically. These girls did not wish to be here. They didn't want to kill, they had no choice. I chewed my bottom lip as a bell rang in the distance.
"Supper."
She stood, leading me to the dining hall. There were so many more assassin than I'd expected. Three, long, dining tables were set up in the large room. Girls filed in from every door, taking their seats silently. Platters of food were brought out by the serving staff and placed sporadically around. A fourth, smaller table was set up in front of the others. The two brothers and a few other adults came in last, sitting down at the head table. Once they took their food, still everyone silent, everyone else began taking food.
I sat beside Anastasia wanting to say something, but I didn't dare. Everyone stared at their plates, sitting an equal distance away from each other, never saying a word. My heart hurt so much for everyone here. There was so much sadness about.
As the plates were cleared away, Agnolo stood, facing us.
"Good evening, ladies. Another day is finished. Unfortunately there is one amongst you who will not be going on."
Whispers started. A few gasped.
"What does he mean?" I whispered to Anastasia.
She shook her head and stared up at the man.
"Marie, come forward."
An older girl stood, her head hung low, as she approached him. I looked around, wondering if anyone was going to do something. Or what would be done to her.
"Marie, Lance has told us of your insolence. You refuse to listen, and you continue speaking of your former life. You've been warned and yet you refuse to listen. You know the consequences for not following our instruction."
She nodded as she knelt before Agnolo.
"What's happening? I'm confused," I whispered.
The younger girls looked away as the older ones kept their eyes down.
He pulled out a dagger and shoved it into the girl's chest.
She gasped and grabbed the dagger. Tears slid down her cheek as the girl
Slowly died in front of me.
This is how they control them. Listen or die.
Agnolo removed the blade, which dripped with blood, from her body as she fell to the side. I put my hands to my mouth to stifle the scream that wanted to come out.
"Return to your chambers and remember what happens when you don't follow instructions."
I stood, following the rest with shaky legs. Vomit rose in my throat, threatening to escape with each step I took. Once in my room, I sunk to the floor.
This was a mistake.
Chapter Twenty-one
I sat on the bed, letting the tears flow as terror engulfed every fiber of my being. The seriousness of my decisions fell hard on me. I'd known the Guild to be a violent group of people, hell they tried to have me assassinated a few times, but the fact they were so willing to kill their own simply to keep others in line was psychotic.
I couldn't match psychotic.
I jumped at the sound of stone scrapping on stone. Trembling, I strained to see in the darkened room as a floating ball of light emerged from the wall.
"Why is it so dark in here?" a familiar voice asked.
"Anastasia?" I asked.
She held the candle up, illuminating her face. "I didn't scare you, did I?"
"Only a lot. My heart feels as though it will escape my chest!"
"I'm terribly sorry. Why haven't you lit your candles yet?" she asked.
I shrugged and sat back down. "I suppose I just haven't gotten to it yet."
"Are you alright?" She placed the candleholder on a nightstand near the bed and grasped my hand.
"I'm fine. I've just never seen such blatant disregard for life before. It's as though everyone here is expendable."
"We are. We're only here to serve their purpose. We must always serve our masters."
"That is ludicrous. We're all important women of our kingdoms. There is no reason why we should be manipulated into performing such evil acts," I said, shaking my head.
"Do not speak like that! You'll end up like, well you won't be around much longer if you keep speaking like that."
"We have to stand up to them," I continued.
"Evelyn, please, stop. You don't understand. We're supposed to report anyone speaking such nonsense. I don't want to report you."
"Then don't."
"They know when someone is questioning the Guild. They will know I heard you say such awful things and I'll die too. I don't want to die."
I looked into her face, tears glazing her big, brown eyes. My heart hurt for this girl. I barely knew her but I didn't want this sort of pain for her. Not for anyone in fact. Nobody deserved to be treated as such disposable property.
"What if I told you I am forming a plan to save everyone?"
"That's crazy, Evelyn. Nobody escapes from the Guild. Nobody."
"My mother did."
"Did she?" Anastasia asked.
"Of course, she married my father and had me."
"And where are you?"
Point made.
"I came here of my own free volition. I need to save my family."
"How are you going to save them when you're in the clutches of such evil men?"
"I don't know yet. I honestly didn't think my plan all the way through," I muttered.
"Do you have any experience fighting?" Anastasia asked.
I shook my head.
"Oh. Well then you are handy with a weapon?"
I shook my head again.
She pursed her lips and furrowed her brows at me.
"I know I am not the most prepared, but there must be something I can do. They must have a weakness," I said, squeezing her hand.
It was her turn to shake her head. "No. They do not. They are immortal."
"If one of the brothers was killed they're not completely immortal. They can be killed, it's just hard."
"Your mother is the only one who has ever been able to. They've been training assassins for centuries."
"And I will stop them. I promise, Anastasia, I won't let them hurt anyone else."
She took a deep breath and looked at the floor, chewing on her bottom lip. "I'm doing it for selfish reasons, but I will help you. I miss my father and brother. I want to be in Russia as a woman who's not a killer."
"It's okay to want to do it for yourself. I am. I want to keep my family and James safe, and now, after seeing all of you, so nobody else has to endure such horrendous servitude."
"I shall speak with the other girls. We'll speak at breakfast."
She kissed each of my cheeks and rushed back to the hole in my wall. The stone scraped against stone as the heavy door slid shut. I laid back on the pillows, my entire body feeling weak, as I thought about the most dangerous thing I was about to attempt.
I woke early the next morning, sitting straight up as a bell clanged only a short distance from my window. I looked around wildly, trying to figure out where I was and what I was doing. Nothing looked familiar. The bed, the hard lump, wasn't my own. The scarcely decorated room didn't hold any memories to me.
It slowly flooded into my mind unfortunately.
The ride to Italy. The young girls murd
er the previous night. The Guild.
Right. How could I forget?
I climbed from the bed, every ounce of my body aching and sore. I'd never felt such awful pains before. I pulled the door open a crack and watched as the other girls filed out of their chambers, trudging along in a long line of black garb and downcast eyes to the dining hall once again. We took our seats, the same as the previous night, and waited for the house staff to serve breakfast. Anastasia passed along a small piece of parchment paper.
Spoke with a few girls.
We're all willing to help.
I let out a small sigh of relief, tucking the paper into my boot as a plate of boiled egg, meats, cheeses, and bread placed about the tables. My stomach growled with hunger, but I didn't dare eat much. There was no telling what they had in store for me during the day. I didn't want to take the chance of vomiting it all back up.
"Evelyn!" Agnolo shouted from the front.
I glanced around uneasily, my mouth becoming as dry as the very fires of hell, and stood.
"You shall go around with Assassin three-four-six-zero. You are now assassin three-four-six-nine."
I watched the girls waiting for someone to stand. Amazingly, Anastasia stood and nodded.
"There have only been nine other assassins in seventeen years?" I asked her.
She nodded her head and sat back down, tugging at my shirt.
"Oh."
"Sshh," she hushed.
I nodded and sat beside her. We ate in silence. Everyone ate in silence. I pushed the remnants of a boiled egg around with the tarnished fork I was provided with until the leaders stood and left the room. Once they were out of sight, all the girls stood and left. Lines exiting through each door, everyone going to their designated area. I followed close behind Anastasia.
"Where are we going?" I whispered.
"Melee combat training."
"Oh. That sounds fascinating."
"It's brutal," she responded quietly.
"Oh."
We entered a courtyard toward the back of the castle. A small group of girls stood in perfect unison near a tree. Nobody spoke. Nobody looked around. It was as though nobody else existed besides them.
This is how they gain control. Nobody speaks. Nobody learns about anyone else. Nobody develops feelings or friendships. It's absolutely cruel.
The Defender's Daughter: The Defender's Book 2 Page 13
