The room began to stir as men jumped and separated into smaller groups. Brendan stood and followed Darius’ confident glide from the cramped room. “What have we found out?”
Brendan rushed forward, trying in vain to grab the door before the older man could open it for himself. “Sadly, not much more than those fools back there.” Brendan glanced over his shoulder at the thinning room behind them, giving the neck of his shirt a tug. “Of the seven bodies, Cade was able to identify three. Two he is pretty sure had connections to the Trinity. Trey said he can find no trace of power being used on any of the bodies. Each only had marks from weapons on them.”
Darius nodded thoughtfully. “I’d say the likelihood is that the Trinity is going through a coup. I will guarantee that if the other bodies can be identified, they will also have connections to the Trinity.”
“So what do we do about it?”
“I don’t believe there’s much we can do. No one has ever been able to deter anything when it comes to the inner workings of the Trinity. Perhaps this will give us an opportunity to divine some intelligence about them.”
Brendan shook his head. The Trinity was like a ghost, the bogyman your parents told you about at night to make you behave. They were a blood gang, rough people who were into everything from petty crime to human trafficking. “How long until we can expect this to spill over out of the Trinity?”
“Whoever is behind this will have to secure his position before he can turn to outside interests. The problem is, we have no idea how many people are in the Trinity and therefore we have no timeline as to how long it will take this new power to secure their hold.”
Brendan stopped turning to face the older man, hands clasping at his lower back. Darius held his emotions well but Brendan knew him well enough to see the tells: a tightening around the eyes that were slightly unfocused. He knew Darius’ mind was turning. His was a keen mind, one of the sharpest of their age. And it was stumped. “So basically we know nothing.”
“That is not true, Brendan. We know that there is a reason to worry.”
* * *
Darius shut his front door and switched on the lights as Brendan shook the rain off his coat. “Everyone should be arriving shortly, I’ll go and see if everything is ready.”
“Thank you Brendan.”
Darius hung his cloak from a hook beside the door as he turned toward the sitting room. He had lived here for years, studying, mentoring, and consulting. He had no idea now how to protect those who depended on him, no clue to what was happening around him. He didn’t like not knowing. He was a clever man, though perhaps not as clever as everyone thought he was, and the lack of knowledge on the subject angered him.
He waved a hand and sent the furniture sliding into a large circle against the walls and flames erupting in the fireplace. He paused and drew a breath as he reached the center of the room. Something was off, something that shouldn’t be there. A tingling ran up his spine, itching along his neck: Someone was watching him.
He spoke to the room. “Should I be flattered that I am the first outside of your group to be targeted?”
A shadow shifted from the back wall. “How did you know I was there?”
He turned and started at the youthful face that greeted him. “Who sent you?”
“Master would not be pleased to be known.”
The girl ran her eyes appraisingly from his toes to his silver hair. She was unconcerned to have been caught and showed nothing but curiosity.
“But I am right—you are here to kill me?” He kept his voice calm, not wanting to precipitate any reaction.
“Darius?”
She melted back into the shadows behind the sofa as Brendan popped his head in from the kitchen. Even knowing where she was, he had a hard time picking her out.
“Who are you talking to?”
Darius forced a smile to his face, kept his voice calm. “Brendan, could you run out and fetch some tea? You know how much Kendon likes tea.”
“Of course Darius, I’ll be right back.” Brendan’s handsome young face brightened with the joy of a task he could accomplish.
She materialized again as Brendan slipped out the door, her face twisted with confusion. “Why did you send him away?” She picked her way through the furniture spread about the room. She moved with a quiet grace, not threatening, not aggressive; a pace designed to be efficient to both energy and distance.
“Brendan is my friend; I would not want him to get hurt.”
Her sharp eyes studied him. “He could have helped you defeat me.”
“I would not risk his life for mine.”
“Why?” It wasn’t an attack, more a simple curiosity.
“Because I care for him.” His mind churned, trying to divine what she might be after.
She glanced back at the door. “Is he your son?”
“No.”
She tilted her head. “Does he hold sway over others for you?”
He sat in a large chair, hoping the motion would ease her more. “I am only concerned for his safety. Does that surprise you?”
She dropped into an overstuffed chair and threw a leg over the arm. Her body held no tension at all, no indication that she was worried in the least. “I am sure there is a reason; it is not important.”
He watched her, the way her eyes flitted and her limbs draped comfortably across the furniture. Was he really that little of a threat to her? Either she was confident of her own strength or she had no belief he would defend himself. He needed to keep her comfortable. “What is your name?”
Her finger tapped her lip as she watched him silently. “You know why I am here, at least partly, yet you have made no move to defend yourself and you sent away someone who could assist you. Why?”
Her mind was sharp; he could see the thoughts brightening her eyes as she watched him. Brendan intrigued her, or, more precisely, the connection between them. “You have made no move to attack me and remaining calm seems like a good way to prolong the status quo.”
“But you could try and stop me before I am ready. Might even be able to catch me off guard.”
Darius’ eyes narrowed as she stared at him, controlled and steady. “I doubt you would allow that. I would prefer to keep the talk quiet and calm. No need to test anything until we have to.”
She jerked up, dropping her leg to the floor. He had to fight hard not to jump back. The intensity in her face brightened with some snagged thought. “Are you saying that, even knowing what I must be, you will not try and hurt me unless I attack you?”
He took a deep steadying breath as she stared at him, listening to the growing sound of voices outside. Her eyes shifted toward the door and returned to his. Not even the slightest change registered. The impending arrival of more people did not seem to aggravate her plans. “I have no intention of attacking you unprovoked, but I must ask your intentions now. I have more friends coming, more people I would hate to see hurt. Do I need to fear for them?”
She eased back in the seat, her fingers steepled before her, a slow smile spreading across her face. He struggled to control his own nerves as she let the silence stretch between them, her sweet smile frozen. “I will forgo my attack…until my curiosity is satiated.”
The voices outside were coming closer and Darius glanced back over his shoulder, a heavy sigh rushing past his lips. “If you intend to stay, I will need a name to call you.”
She watched the door for a moment, allowing the pressure to build. “Eylsa.”
The door opened and released a rush of wind damp with the falling rain. The Tribunal had formed a taskforce to look into the string of bodies and Darius had volunteered to be the head. The flood of chatting people stopped as they noticed the strange woman seated across from him. Eylsa smiled in silence, obviously content to let him explain her presence.
Brendan moved to his side followed by Cade and Trey. “Darius, is everything all right?”
Darius stood and laid a hand on Brendan’s shoulder as he faced Eylsa�
��s unflinching stare. “Everyone, please come in and sit.” He indicated the chair next to him. “Brendan.” He swept a hand to the opposite chair. “Eylsa, please, would you come sit by me. Everyone, this is Eylsa, my niece.”
Brendan shot him a skeptical glance that was mirrored by Trey and Cade. Eylsa’s excited smile swept the room as she dropped into the chair and pulled her feet under her. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as the group settled and began chatting.
Brendan leaned close with an urgent whisper. “We need to talk.”
“Later.” Darius waved him to silence, working hard to keep the young girl in his peripheral vision.
A slight, dark-haired woman in a bright yellow jacket bounced to the end of her seat. “Darius, I spoke with the Tribunal this morning. There have been no new bodies found since the Rhennon.” Reany was bright, young, and flush with enthusiasm.
Darius fought to keep his eyes from snapping to the woman curled atop the seat beside him. He couldn’t discern any reaction from her. “That could mean that the situation may be stable for a while.”
“Or that a new target has been set.” Eylsa leaned on her elbow, unperturbed at the nervous glances darting her way.
Long, lanky Keena brushed hair back from her face. She alone seemed immune to Eylsa’s presence. “Whatever the case, there does seem to be a slight lull in the killings. Hopefully it will continue long enough to allow us to figure out who, or what, is behind it.”
Cade sat forward, glance shifting toward Eylsa as her eager smile swept to him. He was a handsome boy, understated and unassuming with soft mousy hair and gentle brown eyes. He’d always had a quiet dignity that was disarming. “Identifying the bodies is slow going. If, as Darius suspects, they are all part of the Trinity, we may never know who some of them are. The Trinity is very secretive of their members.”
Brendan’s grip on the arms of his chair had turned his knuckles white. He was having the most trouble controlling his anxiety from the woman’s presence. “The council is clueless. They truly might as well just walk around with blindfolds on. I do believe we are on our own.”
Darius stood. He couldn’t let this draw out; Brendan was going to snap at any moment. “We all know our duties. Let’s be sure to get about them.” He took Eylsa’s hand and tried to ignore her amusement as he led her into the kitchen. Most of the crowd moved toward the door with startled confusion, but Brendan, Cade, and Trey were at his heels before he could take two steps.
When the door shut behind him, Darius released Eylsa’s hand and she jumped up to sit on the counter. She swung her feet, a mischievous glow sparkling in her eyes as the three young men surrounded her.
Brendan crossed his arms across his chest. “I know for a fact that you have no niece and I doubt seriously that whoever this is, she is as innocent as her face would suggest. Is this why you sent me for tea?”
Eylsa watched him, her eyes drinking in his every blink. Darius took a step forward to pull their attention from each other. Darius could feel the energy spark off Brendan as his eyes turned. “There is no need for any hostilities, boys. I do not think Eylsa has decided to cause any harm yet, though I am sure that she is more than capable of doing so.”
Cade took a step back. “That’s nice, but who is she?”
Eylsa’s brilliant laugh sent a shock through all of them. “I was sent here to kill him.” Her face was alive with animation, eyes sharp, muscles tight with anticipation.
Darius could see the young men tense and jumped in front of the woman who again watched their reactions. “Do nothing. She does not seem inclined to attack as long as we do not offer her any violence.”
Cade guffawed. “So we just ignore the assassin sent to kill you?”
Darius turned back to the woman who now wore a strangely bored expression. “I will not have you risk your lives for me! This girl is the only tangible lead we have as to what is going on. Even if we were to best her with no harm to ourselves, how do we know they will not send another that I may not be able to defeat? Or a group of men? Or an army? Until we know more, it seems the safest course of action. To anyone else, she is my niece and we will keep her with us.”
“Rather brave of you, keeping one such as me in your confidences.” Her eyes rolled up from beneath her lashes. “Brave…or foolish.”
Trey stepped forward and grabbed a strap that crossed her chest. “Perhaps the braver thing would be to test your confidence? There are four of us to your one girl!”
Her smile was calm as Darius wrenched Trey’s fingers from the leather.
“I want your word, all of you, that you will give her no cause to attack. Swear it!”
Brendan shook his head and his dark hair swayed around his face. “This is madness! I will not sleep with a wolf at my throat!”
“No one sent me here for you.” She blinked at him through heavily lidded eyes. The response was flat, unemotional. Just a fact.
“Brendan, please. She has given me her word; I ask the same of you.” Darius caught each young man’s gaze in an attempt to instill in them a confidence he didn’t hold.
Cade lifted his eyes slowly as he suppressed the anxiety that was still tightening his face. “I will cause no trouble for you, Darius.”
Trey tossed his head haughtily, unconvinced but placated. “I won’t lay a hand on her until she shows her true form.”
Brendan took a step toward her, a glare directed into her unflinching eyes. “I will hold Darius’ peace with you, woman, but if you so much as set one toe out of line we will all see just how good you really are.”
Her smile slid sideways as she slipped from the countertop. “Perhaps you will get your wish when I have made up my mind.” She turned to Darius with a tilt of her head. “I will return, have no fear of that.”
* * *
Darius flinched away from their glares as the door shut behind the girl. Brendan, as usual, was the first to break. “Are you out of your mind?”
“This does seem a little out of the realm of sanity, even for you.” Cade rubbed his temples as he paced the kitchen. Trey seemed content to watch.
Darius took a seat on a stool and faced the three men. They were still so fresh: Cade, the youngest at seventeen, was slim with a mop of mousy hair and intelligent eyes. Trey’s brown gaze burned as he watched, a hand clapped to the back of his neck. Brendan was a ball of tension, his dark curls a tousled mess atop his head.
“Please, it has been a trying time for all of us,” Darius said. “She is an assassin; we know this and can use it. We must assume that she was sent by the same men behind these murders, and she might in fact be the murderer herself. If that is true, she has vital information. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by. As long as she remains curious about us, we have a chance of learning something about the Trinity. She is here for me, and no one else. You will not cause any trouble with her. I will not be pleased if any of you get hurt.”
Brendan shook with rage as he flailed his arms in frustration. “How can you ask that of us? How can we stand aside while that woman plots your death?”
“That woman is a child! She could barely be sixteen! She looks to be Yagrecian; she was probably kidnapped as an infant and raised to be an assassin.” Was he convincing himself? She was young, yes, but innocent? It didn’t matter; he couldn’t hurt a child.
Brendan growled angrily. “And that means we are supposed to let her kill you?”
Darius felt his body collapse in on itself. “No. That means we are supposed to help her. She was curious about me because I sent you away rather than having you help me fight her. She was curious because even after I knew she was sent to kill me, I did not attack her. I don’t think she’s ever been around normal people before.”
Trey shook his head. “Okay, so she’s had a rough childhood, does that really excuse murder?”
“No.” Darius dropped his head. They would not see his side. She was closer to their age and their young minds couldn’t see her as the misguided child she likely was. So
mehow he had to make them see, had to keep them at bay. “But again, we cannot overlook the intelligence she might be able to give us.”
* * *
Eylsa perched in the shadow of the chimney and watched the three men as they argued in the yard. They seemed held by the man Darius’ promise to not attack her, but why was he protecting them? It made no sense. He could easily send the three younger men against her and even if they weren’t able to defeat her, she would be weakened for her fight against him. Surely something deeper was at work here.
She slid from the roof and landed behind them. All three jumped as they turned to face her. She smiled and cocked her head in curiosity. There was anger—not fear—on their faces, something she wasn’t used to.
“You know what I am, why I am here. Why do you not protect your Master?”
The man called Brendan stepped up and glared his anger down into her face. “He is not our master, and don’t think anything will hold us back once he decides you are not worth saving.”
A laugh erupted from her. “And just who do I need saving from?” She ran a finger along his neck, forcing him back a step in shock. “Are you going to hurt me?” Her eyes shot wide and frightened so quickly that he gasped. She was small and young; she could easily don a mask of innocence. “Would you hurt such a helpless little girl?”
He grabbed her wrist and twisted it, as if to give her an answer.
Dropped the tease from her voice, she said, “Your master is not here now. He wouldn’t know who moved first. There are three of you—you could easily kill me and say I attacked you. There is nothing to stop you here.”
Trey pulled Brendan back. “We gave our word, and that means something among us.”
Her eyes shifted to him as he held his friend’s arm. He held his anger in a tight fist, a calm knot deep behind his eyes. “And what would he do to you if you broke your word?”
An Assassin's Redemption: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance Novel Page 3
