by A Lonergan
Assassin’s Reign
Tales from the Mirror Realm
A Lonergan
Copyright © 2019 by A. Lonergan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any way or by any electronic or mechanical means. Including, information storage and retrieval systems, without written permissions from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by A Lonergan
For all the people that laughed at me, and said, “You’re writing a book? Who even does that?” I do. Thanks for the hate and the push to get me to live my dream.
Chapter One
Willow
The salt air sprayed against my face as I leaned over the bow of the ship. There was no way I was going to make it across the Wasted Sea alive after all the vomiting I had been doing. I didn’t know why I had even taken this job to begin with. Yes, the pay was exceptional, judging by how heavy my pockets were, but… traveling into a kingdom of magic wasn’t exactly my definition of fun, or a job rather. It was my definition of suicide, and thats what this mission was. It was a suicide mission.
I had no plan. I had no magic, and obviously, no brain.
I heaved up my guts again, until there was nothing left but bile, and I sagged against the side of the ship.
But maybe the planning would come later.
Idiot.
I was possibly the biggest rutting idiot in the entire realm.
The Emperor’s daughter, Claudia Hildiguard, had gone to Rosalia to be in a courtship with the King there. Rosalia, a kingdom full of rutting magic. She had planned on marrying him and demolishing the competition, all the other princesses that had been there with her. But then strange things had started happening. Rumors started that people from the Mortal Realm were popping in and out, which was practically unheard of. The balls were cancelled, and girls were sent home. Now a year later, Claudia hadn’t been sent back, there had been no word on her courtship, or possible engagement and her brother was probably still drinking himself into oblivion there, too. The Emperor had also not received word from his son, that had been soon to follow his daughter across the black waters I now sailed on. The Emperor that had sent me after them like a nursemaid, and not the assassin I was.
I was the back up plan because the prince hadn’t worked out on bringing her home. I was the one being sent to retrieve her and then there was a list of other things I didn’t even want to think of what would come after.
I was an assassin, not a babysitter, not a hound. An assassin. A dagger for hire, or poison, whichever method was preferred. I had been raised to kill first and ask questions later, I had never had problems with blood, guts or gore. I didn’t think I would have ever have a weak stomach, especially when it came to the sea. And I especially didn’t think I would ever be sent on a rescue mission…
Everyone had their faults, I guess.
Even though my stomach was still thrashing inside of me, I couldn’t believe I was actually traveling across the Wasted Sea. It had taken a lot of gold to make this trip happen. Not many made the journey. Some pirates swore there were curses on the waters that kept enemies out, and some were afraid of seas monsters. But the only thing I saw staring back at me from the water was my own throw up. Good thing I had even more gold lining my pockets and my mother’s back at home. This would have been an impossible task without the Emperor’s sponsorship. This would have been an impossible task to just about anyone, but me.
Get in, find the princess, get out.
Easy as pastry. I did love pastries. My stomach took a turn again and I threw myself over the side of the ship once more.
“Oi!” A sailer shouted from somewhere behind me. “I told ye idiots that it was bad luck to take on the lass.”
I kept my eyes closed and ignored his drunken babbling. All of the sailors had been drunk for days. There was no fresh water left and wine was all that was available or ale, but with how fermented it was, I didn’t consider it a drink at this point. Pirates were never prepared, or maybe this was how they prepared.
I opened my eyes and focused on the almost black water crashing against our vessel and pushed my wretched thoughts away. I could hear the thunder rolling in the distance and knew it was about to get that much harder of a journey. I sunk to my knees and pressed my face against the deck.
It had been days since I had seen sunlight. Thanks to the storm and the ship’s crappy craftsmanship, all my clothes were soaked and when they finally dried, they were gritty with sand. The ship didn’t have a wash basin, and I knew my luck wouldn’t get any better from there.
“Ye sure carry a lot of blades for’ woman,” a sailor said from the corner of the small kitchen area.
“Better to cut ye with.” I replied back. I gave him a solemn stare and blinked my eyes blankly, giving myself a possessed look. Sailors were superstitious and I knew all the right strings to pull to keep them away from me. I wasn’t afraid to cut off one of their limbs if they got too close, either.
“Rumor has it yer on yer way to the castle!” he whispered.
“And what if I am?” I gave him that blank stare again.
“Some say he’s found himself’ bride.”
That would make things interesting, was the Emperor just mistaken? Had Claudia won the king’s heart? I frowned at the sober sailor. “Do you know her name?”
He shrugged his shoulders and washed a pot.
“Was it by chance Claudia?” He gave me a curious glance. Too curious. “My sister is her handmaiden at the Emperor’s castle and she hasn’t been sent for yet.”
“That explains ye proper talk.” He narrowed his eyes at me, like he could see through my lie. “No, was Freya”
I wrinkled my eyebrows. What a strange name. I wondered if it was related to the ones that had come through the portal from the other realm. The Mortal Realm as they called it. Magic was forbidden in the Kingdom of Arinal, the Emperor’s kingdom. Portals had been destroyed long ago and any magical creatures had been banished. Many of them had died at sea trying to escape to the Kingdom of Rosalia, and if they had been caught practicing magic, they had been executed on the spot. There was no mercy for rule breakers.
There was no mercy at all.
My existence had been permitted per the Emperor’s orders. My mother and father worked hard for the
ir earnings, especially my father, but it had never been enough. It was never enough for the man that sat on the throne of Arinal. I tried to free my mind of traitorous thoughts. There had been too many stories growing up about how the Emperor had kept the magic wielders he did catch and he used them for his benefit. That he knew who was a traitor and who was true. That he had special witches and genies that could read the minds of the people and sense when there was discontent in the people.
There had been rumors that that was how my father had met his untimely death. He had been the King’s Guard after all. My mother told me to never speak of him, and to only think of him when I trained. My father had trained me from the day I was able to walk, though he was only permitted to have sons, the Emperor allowed me to live. It had been the agreement since my conception, like my father controlled whether I would be a boy or not. The Emperor said that I was a wonderful asset to the royal families arsenal eventually when he found how easy it was for a woman to kill people. Flash some leg, and BAM, they don’t notice the powder floating to the bottom of their drink. Or better yet, pretend to be a maid and then you’re invisible and can do whatever you please.
Who would actually consider a woman dangerous, he had mocked and laughed, it was the perfect roust. But then he had looked at me and grew serious. You will kill for me, my little paloma.
I had sworn an oath to him that day, and my father perished the next.
“Oi! Lass! If I see ye vomitin’ on my ship again, I’m throwin’ ye off it!” another sailor screamed behind me.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the sickness from overtaking me again. It didn’t help that the gruel they served did nothing to replenish what was I losing over the side of the ship. I couldn’t train because I was too busy being sick and when I wasn’t sick the food was disgusting and had no nutritional value either. I didn’t know how I was expected to continue on like this and fulfill my mission. I was withering away to nothing. I also had no idea how long this journey was going to last.
The captain of the ship, whom I hadn’t seen since we had left the port, had told me that it could take weeks or even months to arrive, depending on the weather and sea monsters.
The ship rolled again and I tried to keep my footing. All I wanted was a nice feather bed and a huge leg of bird. It didn’t matter what kind of bird either, I just needed the greasy meat. I was tired of oats, and slop. For as expensive as this ship was, it had the lowest service. I would have been better off to spend double on passage, and keep my muscles, than to be here withering away to nothing here and wondering if I would even make it to the port.
“You are a pretty thing, ain’t ye.” I bristled at the words. I had done so well to keep the attention away, but we had been on the ship for a little over a month. For some of these men, that probably felt like years without a woman.
I held my chin up and pushed my nausea away. Nauseated or not, I would kill any man or woman that tried to touch me or take me. I narrowed my eyes in a challenge. The man that spoke just happened to be the captain. I didn’t change my stance. I didn’t care who he was.
“What do you want?” I fingered the hilt of the dagger on my hip.
“I want to know what ye plan to do in my kingdom, girlie.”
I snorted. “Your kingdom? Last I heard the King’s name was Calviér. You look nothing like royalty.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I was raised around the Emperor, I would know.”
“Ye are a testy thing.” He spit on the floor. “I am the only pirate that sails the waters of the Kingdom of Rosalia.”
That explained the piss poor conditions I was in. “You’d think for a pirate, you would have better accommodations especially with how rich you must be, being the only pirate and all.”
“I would have better accommodations if the storm hadn’t hit us so hard and knocked us off of course weeks ago.” He sat on the bench and I was able to get a better look at him. He had black tattoos that marked his fingers, and swirling symbols around his wrists. He held them up. “Ye like what ye see? Your Emperor did this to me when I was a wee child. He shackled in my magic, my body is a jail.”
I swallowed hard, no longer nauseated, no longer feeling. My eyes were glued to his wrists. I recognized the magic there. I had seen it all over my village. I had a vague memory of my father with the same markings before he had died. Or maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. It liked to do that
“Ye Emperor only cares about himself.” He spit again.
I hissed. “Don’t you dare say such things. He will hear you, he will know, and he will come for you.”
I made a mark over my chest, to ward against evil as my mother had done my entire life. It was silly, but it gave me comfort.
The captain cackled. “You believe those old hen tales?”
I raised my chin a notch. “I will not lose anymore that I love, so if I have to believe silly tales, then so be it.”
The captain stood and I watched his coal outlined eyes wander over my body. “I am not afraid of ye, lass.”
“That is exactly why I don’t bother with caring about your crew or you.” I smiled, baring my teeth. “Underestimate me like they all do and you’ll find a knife in your gut like all the rest.”
The smile slipped from his face as he walked from the mess hall. Good riddance.
Chapter Two
Willow
Land.
Land! We had spotted land. It had been hours ago, but it was something. Hope surged through me. I could hardly believe it. We were almost to the Kingdom. I was one step closer to finding the Princess and getting the hell back to my family. I was practically bouncing in my shoes. I pulled my small pack from under my hammock and made sure everything was in it’s place. I didn’t have the luxury of time on my side and I needed to be the first off of the boat. I couldn’t afford to have the customs inspectors get to me first. They would be speaking to the captain upon arrival and as long as I was vigilant, I could evade them.
I bounced on the balls of my feet and practically flew off of the boat as we made it into the port. I watched the captain as he approached the two customs inspectors and I threw myself over the side of the ship and onto the wooden dock. My knuckles had hit the boards but I didn’t feel it as I rolled my body upright. I lurched sideways and cursed. My body needed rest and food.
All around me there were different kinds of magical creatures. Creatures I had only read about, but had never seen before with my own eyes. Goblins hefted up crates off of our ship and tossed them to other Goblins at the docks. Their green skin shone in the sunlight, and their massive tusks were sharp enough to gut a man. Their beady eyes stayed focused on their task and didn’t move an inch away from what they were doing.
I pulled my hood up and over my face as I dashed for the shadows of the city. It wouldn’t do well to be in the sunlight. I had always done better from the darkness. I was just small enough to blend into them perfectly.
A few miles into the city, I finally stopped at a tavern and pulled myself up to the bar. The place didn’t seem to be the best stop, but by the way the ceilings were cracked, I was in a good cheap place. That meant less questions, and if people came knocking, it meant less answers too. I was famished. I slid a golden coin across the worn bar top and watched the barkeep inspect it. “You are a long way from home, little one.”
I snarled, showing all of my teeth. I didn’t want to share my story and I most certainly didn’t want to be called little one.
“You also have terrible table manners. You are lucky we are the only ones in here.” He waved his hand around and I felt the gentleness of his magic trying to peel my hood away. It was a slight intrusion, but just enough for me to have my hackles rising. “Come now, I know you come from a kingdom of no magic, but we do things differently here. Show me your face. I don’t bite like you.”
I pulled my hood away from my face and tried to keep my head down. The last thing I needed was him to be able to identify me. “I am hungry and tired, all
I wish is for a dry and clean place to lay my head.” I kept my voice abnormally low, distorted. It was the best I could do for someone that was prying. He wasn’t the typical bartender or keeper of this inn. I could feel it was abnormal in my bones.
“It’ll be two gold slivers.” He slid a cup of wine my way. I took a big gulp out of it and felt myself relax. “Don’t burn yourself out trying to sneak about. This kingdom is full of magic and it’ll snuff you out before you can even make it to the castle.”
I whipped my head up and narrowed my eyes. Could he read minds?
“You come heavy with gold and you evaded the inspectors at the docks.” I swallowed. How had he known? Had he been watching me? Waiting for me? “You aren’t the only one that was raised for secrecy. I watched you get off the ship in a hurry, and then placed the suggestion in your mind for you to stop here. It wasn’t too difficult. It’s easy to manipulate the mind when one is underfed and delirious from no sleep.”
“What are you?” I whispered. Chills covered my body and I was now afraid. There had only been a few times that I had ever been afraid in my entire life.
“I am a scry. I can feel the future, and sometimes people’s fates. I can also twist it in my favor if I wish.” The barkeep’s eyes were so light purple, they were almost white.
