“What?!” She laughed at the question like I was joking but I wasn’t. I couldn’t even look at her.
“Change back.” Dirk muttered like he was trying not to draw my attention. “Now. He’s sensitive about it.”
“All right. Um, Cadence, a little help?” I looked long enough for Cadence to drape a tablecloth over her.
“What’s that for?”
“She comes back naked.”
Lana changed back to her human form and held the table cloth around her as she sat back down. “So, I haven’t worked out all of the kinks yet. It’s hard when animals don’t wear clothes and besides, we’ve only had our powers for less than a year. We weren’t born with them like you.”
“I couldn’t imagine not being born with it.” Dirk muttered.
“It’s not so bad. We can learn to control them pretty quickly.”
“I still don’t come back in my clothes.” I said. “Is it possible for you to do that?”
“It will be eventually. It’s one of the steps to mastering it. I think you’re too big for that though.”
I would have replied but a servant came in holding a covered tray. He took instant notice to me still being a wolf and bowed. “Your majesty.”
“What is it?”
“A message from King Aleksander for Cadence.”
“That’s me.”
“My lady.” The man approached and uncovered the tray to reveal an envelope.
“Thank you.”
He bowed his head then walked away and Lana laughed to herself. “He called you a lady. That’s because he doesn’t know you.” Cadence just looked up at her and raised both her eyebrows. “What? It’s true. Assassins can’t be ladies. That’d be pointless.”
“And who’s the one sitting naked at the dinner table?”
“I like being naked.”
“And I love that you like being naked.” Dirk smiled. He still sort of seemed like his usual self when it came to sexual comments but I appreciated that they were all directed towards Lana.
“What is it?” Naomi asked, looking at Cadence with the envelope.
She took the letter out and read it to herself. “Damn it.”
“What’s the news?” Lana asked.
Cadence stood up and looked at just Lana and Naomi. “We have orders. We have to go, now.”
“Now, now?” Lana asked.
“Yes, now.” Cadence answered as she started walking away. Lana and Naomi looked at us then at each other. “Let’s go!”
“Right. You’re the boss.” Naomi said as they started to follow.
“Wait. I can’t exactly run in this thing.” Lana shouted as she picked up her clothes and followed behind them, holding the table cloth over her.
We were left here while they walked off and Dirk sighed. “Well, that’s great. It’s only been like a whole day and now they’re leaving.”
“Maybe we’ll go with them.” I said. “I don’t know about you but I’ve been away from Cadence enough and this could be the trip I need.”
“Oh, yeah. The visions.” Bryce said, remembering small talk of it from earlier.
“Good idea.” Dirk added. “We should go.”
“But I’m sure our fathers would be thrilled with that decision.” Bryce sighed.
“They shouldn’t get a say in it. We’re seen as men now after all.”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t tell them about it looking like that.”
I sighed and changed back into my human form since it was just us and started to redress. “Well, I’m still right. We are men. It’s time for us to make our own choices.”
“I like that.” Dirk said. “Let’s do that. Zayden should approve anyway if you tell him why we should go.”
“Okay, but will they even want us to come?” Bryce wondered.
“There’s only one way to know for sure.” I slipped my last boot on and we started to leave after them. I came to Cadence’s door downstairs where she had all of her belongings and knocked.
“Come in.” I walked in and saw her gathering her stuff together. “Oh, hey. I know. I don’t want to leave either. It sucks.”
I closed the door behind me and walked to her. “Like you have a choice. I understand.”
“I know but it came at a bad time. I finally get the chance to be with you again and now we have to leave.”
“Don’t think of it like that. Maybe we’ll come with you.”
“You mean it? You would really want to come?”
“Only if you want me to. We have nothing to hold us here or to do for that matter.”
Cadence came to me and hugged me tightly. “I would love it if you came but what does your father have to say about this?”
I laughed to myself. “I don’t have to ask him. I’m not leaving forever and he wouldn’t be able to keep me here.”
“Yes. I’ve heard about your decision to go to war. Not exactly the smartest thing to do.”
I laughed, not wanting to mention my vision to her yet. “No, it wasn’t but I handled it well.”
“You should probably tell him at least. Just so he knows. It’d make me feel better. He is the King.” I nodded and knew she was right. I already planned to but it made it easier that she would know too. “Why don’t you do that while I make sure the others are set to leave then you can get ready and we’ll go.”
“All right. It shouldn’t take long.”
“Wait.” Cadence stopped me before I fully turned and grabbed my hand. We kissed. “You better hurry. I hate having you out of my sight.”
I smiled back and left the room. I walked down the hall and saw Dirk and Bryce walking the same way and used my speed to reach their side. “What are you doing?” They just looked over and I knew. “Oh, right. Me too. The best way to do it is to just tell them before they get a chance to say anything and hopefully they won’t protest.”
“Yeah, we’ll see how well that works out.” Bryce muttered. “There’s going to be something.”
Dirk laughed as we continued to walk and found our fathers in the main hall.
Darius looked up first and saw us coming without a girl at our side. “Well, well, well. It looks like someone got away.”
“Yes, father but it’s only temporary.” Dirk replied.
They looked at each other curiously.
“All right. What’s going on?” My father asked.
“Okay, but before you say anything else, just listen.” I said. “The girls are leaving on a mission tonight and we don’t care what you say, we’re going with them so don’t try and stop us because it’s not going to work this time. There’s nothing you can say that will change our minds.”
They looked at each other again.
“Okay.” My father said.
“Good luck.” Darius added.
“Yeah, have fun.” Troy smiled.
Now it was us who looked at each other.
“Wait a minute.” Dirk said. “You really have nothing to say?”
“No.” Darius replied.
“No words of caution or worry?” Bryce added.
“None.” Troy said.
“What’s the catch?” I asked.
My father laughed. “There’s no catch. You clearly already thought about this and we won’t object to your choice. We were, after all, just as adventurous as you at this age. It’s time you broke free and see the world as we did. It’s a good way to see what they’re up to.”
He was looking directly at me through the pause and I lightly nodded, knowing he spoke of getting the information we need on talks of war.
“Let’s just keep this between us until you’re gone. If your mothers find out they will be—unhappy but don’t worry about them. We’ll take care of it after you’re long gone. Now, go get ready and we’ll take care of the preparations for you to leave immediately.”
We were ready—well almost.
Chapter 23
Zayden
We stood together and watched our boys leave to prepare.
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“Look how happy they are.” Troy said. “We did the right thing.”
“Yeah, but how are we going to tell their mothers we let them leave?” Darius asked.
“I’ll admit they will be mad.” I explained. “But they’re men now and they need to understand that letting them go was the next step Fate wanted to join them in life. This journey will not only test their skills but their will to be together as we once did. Let’s ready their horses. They have to get out of here before their mothers sense something’s going on.”
We sent someone to do it for us and waited for our sons to come back down, trying to make sure their mothers didn’t catch ear of this.
They were dressed and ready for travel with their weapons equipped and I couldn’t help but show a smile. They reminded me so much of us but it was a good thing to see.
Their colors even matched how we would dress when not travelling in our armor and every step taken toward us was just a reminder that they were grown up.
“You look ready.” I said. “Where are the girls?”
“Should be coming.”
We could hear their footsteps before seeing them but when we did, the boys kind of stood cold and starry-eyed.
It was amusing but I knew what we would have been in store for. The Assassin way never really changed from generation to generation and the girls took on the roles just as I assumed they would. The tight pants and leather corsets in their chosen colors were just how I’d expect. Lana wore white and red, Cadence wore brown and lavender and Naomi was in black and pink. It was only funny to watch them strut towards us because our boys were staring off as if they’ve never seen anything like it.
“This is already turning out to be a great trip.” Dirk muttered.
Seth and Bryce agreed while nodding and the girls joined us.
“Good. Hurry.” I said. We headed out into the stables and I handed Seth his horse. “You must swiftly ride out of the city before they catch wind of this.”
Seth nodded and got on.
“Aren’t you going to get into trouble for this, your majesty?” Cadence asked.
“I appreciate the concern but we know how to handle them.”
Cadence smiled, taking an interested look at her teammates. “I believe it.”
Seth was watching but I didn’t want to make a big deal about it and I pulled Cadence aside. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to save that kind of talk for my son on this trip.”
“Oh, your majesty, I—”
“I know but you need to know that he’s emotionally distressed with the recent events and seeing you again. I don’t want to put any pressure on you but you know as much as I do that your union is key in holding peace for the future and I’m counting on you to keep it that way.”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s no pressure at all. I humbly accept my fate with your son and look forward to the days ahead.”
“That’s my girl. Take care of him.”
“I will.”
“Good. Now go. You need to leave at once.” Cadence nodded and walked to her horse. She got on and I walked back over to Darius and Troy by the door. “Everything you need is packed with you. Remember to look after each other and don’t get killed.” They all nodded and I turned to Troy. “Check their position. They need to make it out this gate unseen.”
Troy nodded and walked out of the stables. Darius and I led the others to the exit and waited for Troy’s signal before letting them leave. He used his vision to make sure their mothers weren’t anywhere near a window where they could see the palace gate and he waved his hand.
“Okay.” Darius said. “It’s clear.”
“Ride fast but not until you’re on the other side of those gates.” I told them. “We’ll see you when you return and hopefully everything should be calm by then.”
“As it should be, father.”
“We’ll see. You know they’re having a hard time letting go. We can only hope they accept it in the time it takes you to get back. Now go.”
They nodded and quietly left the stables toward the gate. We were left to only watch.
“And so it begins.” Troy said. “May this be that memorable trip that leads them in the right direction toward their futures.”
“Let us hope.”
Chapter 24
Cadence
We rode to the southern gates of the city and left down the southern road towards the sea. We rode swiftly as told from there until we were out of sight of the city completely and stopped to rest the horses for the remaining of the night.
We sat around a campfire while I was going over the map Aleksander sent me but I wasn’t paying attention to much else.
“So, Cadence, where are we going?” Naomi asked. “You haven’t told us.”
I didn’t answer. My mind was somewhere else.
“Hello!” Lana said. “Cadence!”
I finally looked up. “I’m sorry, were you talking to me?”
“Yeah. Why are you always chewing on that thing?”
I looked down at the chain I was holding. I didn’t even notice that I was running it back and forth between my lips while I was looking over the map.
“I’m not chewing it.”
“What is it?” Seth asked.
I pulled the whole thing from my coat and he saw the little blue stone heart wrapped in a silver wire.
“You still have this?”
“Of course. It’s lucky.”
“What is it?” Dirk asked.
I turned it so he could see it. “You were there, remember? Seth caged his heart for me.”
Naomi awed softly. “That’s so sweet.”
“Swell.” Lana sighed. “Where are we going?”
I put the necklace away to answer. “Rugis.”
“What’s in Rugis?” Seth asked.
“A lot of mountains but I think you mean for whom are we after in Rugis.”
“All right, then who?”
I was quiet for a moment as I looked over at Lana. I haven’t mentioned anything to her about what we were actually doing but I didn’t think it was something that required a group discussion so I stood up. “Lana. I’ve been meaning to talk to you sooner. Come here.”
I started to turn away but she stopped me. “Wait. Can’t you tell me here?”
“I don’t think I should.”
“Then do it quick and get it over with.”
I sighed as I sat back down. She probably just didn’t want to leave the protection of Dirk’s sight but I was okay with that and I took a deep breath. “All right, fine. They found him. It’s Kyos.”
Naomi gasped and looked over at Lana who had a blank look on her face. There was a pause as everyone sat there quietly until Lana started to laugh. Naomi looked over at me and was confused by her reaction. She shouldn’t be laughing about this. It wasn’t funny.
“Lana? Are you all right?” I asked.
“I think this is her freaking out.” Naomi whispered.
Lana tried to calm down. “No. I’m okay. This is all just too funny.”
“How is this funny exactly?” Naomi asked.
“Nearly two years! That’s how long it’s been since he disappeared and now that I’m ready, Fate is sending us to kill him. It’s perfect!”
“Who’s Kyos?” Dirk wondered.
It was quiet. Naomi and I looked over at Lana and we could tell that she started to think about her past a little more and was getting upset on the inside. Anyone would. It was heartbreaking.
“Kyos is—” Naomi trailed off as Lana remained to look at the ground in front of her.
She didn’t want to say it but neither did Lana. She stood up and turned away. “Soon to be dead and then it won’t matter.” She leaped up into the air and turned herself into a bird as her clothes fell to the ground where she stood.
The guys all looked up and surely began wondering what happened to her if she couldn’t even say.
&
nbsp; “I know you must be curious.” I said. “So I’ll tell you because everything will make much more sense when we get there.” Naomi nodded and waited for me to start from the very beginning. “Naomi and I have known each other for about seven years. We’ve met with, well, your mothers on several occasions since then pertaining to what we do now and we’ve been looking for the third. We met Lana three years ago and immediately got our hopes up. I mean, obviously, she’s got the look and I’m not going to lie, we wanted her.”
The guys looked at each other and smiled but that was the only happy part about this story.
“It seemed so simple but when we actually approached her about joining, she was very skeptical. She’s always been real big on family. Being the oldest of five other siblings, she had a pretty big responsibility to them and declined our offer. We didn’t want to but we respected it and tried moving on. I say tried because we just could not succeed after meeting her. There’s no one like Lana.
“Then that night came that changed all of our lives. There was a fire on her farm that claimed the lives of everyone in her family. Her mother, father, three little sisters and twin brothers but by morning, she was the only one found alive; barely. When she started to come to, she was vigorously questioned about what happened but she kept saying she didn’t know. No one believed her. She was called crazy and was blamed for the fire and their deaths and was locked up for it.
“It was nothing more than a small town jail but Kyos was the man in charge. She was beaten and raped for two straight months by him and the other guards that patrolled there and even some of the other prisoners.”
The guys remained quiet and Dirk looked back up to the tree. I hated saying all of these things but it was something they had to know.
“By then, we still haven’t found our third member. We just couldn’t after meeting her. Even Ruby was in love. She’s actually the one that decided to check in on her again but the farm was gone. She asked around and the information led her to that jail where she was kept. Ruby is the only one that saw firsthand what was happening and she lost it. Everyone present in that jail that day suffered greatly for their deeds; everyone except Kyos. He fled and has been hiding ever since but now we know where he is and he won’t be able to get away this time.”
Autumn Dawn (Fate's Intent Book 11) Page 13
