Page 45 of Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate #1)

I wonder how she feels about seeing mine right beside it.

Then again, she was the one to leap onto the bed and punch Gunnar in the face. She leapt into the fray right alongside us. Fearless.

She proves it now, too, because she might be pale and wide-eyed, but her voice is steady. “Where did they come from?”

“The Hunters Guild,” I say. “These are the men who would have been sent if I didn’t finish the assignment.”

The assignment that the Guildmaster said wasn’t real.

But I don’t say that. They already know it.

I look up, toward the crisscrossed beams lining the ceiling, then toward the windows, which are both closed. That makes me frown. I don’t usually close a window once I’m in . It’s just one more obstacle to getting out .

Could they have been inside the inn all evening?

I can’t quite make that work out in my head.

They would’ve had to know we would stop, and even though I wasn’t privy to the king’s decisions, this doesn’t seem like a planned location.

Then again, they could have followed our tracks in the snow.

Could Logan and Gunnar have come down the chimney after snuffing the embers?

I glance down at the bodies. They don’t look like they came down a chimney.

“There could be more,” the king is saying. He looks to his men in the doorway. Sev and Callum have stepped into the room, and their expressions are grave. Roman appears behind them with a lit lantern.

The king glances at me, and then to the closed windows as well. He uses his secret signals to give the men another order, and Roman and Callum both give him a sharp nod, then step back through the door, leaving the lantern.

Jory is watching, and curiosity must have broken through her panic. She swallows. “What did those mean?”

Ky inhales, but his captain’s gaze narrows. “Perhaps we can share strategies another time,” says Captain Zale. “When others might not be listening.”

I don’t know if he means me , or if he suspects that there might be more assassins in the inn, but either way, it doesn’t matter. I reach down and push the other Hunters onto their backs.

The king’s voice is low. “Do you know them?”

“Yes.” They’re both in their mid-thirties, and neither looks particularly noteworthy, though one has a bit of a gut straining at his jacket. I point to him first. “Gunnar.” Then the second. “Logan.” I hesitate. “You’re lucky they weren’t sent first. They were two of the best.”

“The best?” says the king. “Then this felt too easy.”

“They’re good at killing . Not fighting.”

Captain Zale has joined us now, and he’s looking down at the bodies, too. “Clearly.”

I bristle. “It’s not as if we meet much resistance. Your king would be dead in his bed if I hadn’t woken him.”

The king’s eyes meet mine, and I know he’s remembering the moment just before that, when my hand fell on his arm.

“I would’ve been dead, too,” Jory says softly. “And Charlotte.”

The captain looks up, and I watch him taking in the new marks on the king’s throat, clearly left there by Gunner. His gaze shifts to me, and I wait as his eyes flick over the blood, the chain that still links us together, the blade that’s still hanging loosely in my hand.

His eyes narrow, and I remember what he said at dinner about potential Draeg spies.

But I’m also remembering the moment I first opened my orders from the Guild and saw that the princess’s death had been paid with Incendrian silver.

Someone wrote those orders.

“They went after you first?” Captain Zale is saying to the king.

“Yes.”

His eyes flick back to me. “We were stationed at the door. Why didn’t you call for help?”

Oh . That question is a little piercing. The sad truth is that it would never occur to me. I can’t remember the last time I was ever in a position where I could cry out for help and expect someone to answer.

But I resent the note of suspicion in his voice, and my eyes narrow. I say nothing.

The captain glances between us again, and he sighs. He puts out a hand. “Fine. Give me the dagger.”

My fingers tighten on the hilt. I don’t want to. It’s stupid and petulant, but much like when I glared at the king in the snow, I don’t care.

“Asher,” says Ky.

Fuck. Fine. I flip the weapon in my hand, wipe the blade on my bloodstained trousers, and hold it out—to the king.

“Nice weight,” I say.

“Thank you.” He crushes the flame out of his palm and takes the dagger.

Captain Zale lowers his hand, but he lets a breath out through his teeth. He’s looking at the king like he wishes they could exchange more than military commands through silent signals.

Eventually, he turns away, saying, “I’ll wake the others.”

But he doesn’t have to. Garrett and Nikko appear in the doorway next. Their expressions are cold. Hard. I wonder if the other soldiers woke them when they left. I watch as they glance from the princess, to their king, and finally, to me.

It’s clear that the captain isn’t the only suspicious party.

Jory speaks through the tense silence. “We should search them,” she says. “They might have orders similar to Asher’s.”

“They won’t,” I say.

“We’ll search them anyway,” says Ky. “And when Roman and Callum return, we’ll see what they’ve been able to discover, if anything.”

“And then?” she presses.

The king sighs, looking from her to me. “Well, Princess, your brother said Asher’s orders were fake.

So did your Hunter’s Guild. These men seem to prove otherwise.

It’s clear that someone wants me dead—and you as well.

I can’t see any reason why Prince Dane would be the aggressor here, but our sudden departure was unplanned.

Few people outside the palace would have known.

Prince Dane and King Theodore may be committed to this alliance, but someone in their circle isn’t. ”

Jory swallows, but she straightens, looking him dead in the face. She’s so brave. “Has this changed your course?” she demands. “Is your intent to return me to the palace?”

I can’t tell if she wants that—or if she fears it. But the thought of being taken back to the palace makes my heart want to curl up and hide.

The king hesitates, running a hand across his jaw.

After a moment, he shakes his head. “No. I don’t know who’s behind this, but I won’t spend one more moment in this country without a regiment behind me.

” He glances down at the dead men on the floor, then looks to me.

“They failed. Will more Hunters be sent?”

“Probably.”

“We’re only a few hours outside Perriden,” the captain says. “If they were due to check back, it won’t take long for someone to know.”

“They could also have someone waiting ahead,” Roman says, by the door.

The king and his captain exchange a glance.

“Can we ride straight through to the border?” says Jory. “How far are we from Incendar?”

“Twelve hours,” says Roman. “Possibly more, if this weather continues.”

There’s a heavy weight in his voice, as if the weather is a clue—or a threat. Could King Theodore be hindering our journey so Hunters have an opportunity to catch up? Did the weather force us to stop last night? But why? I hate Dane, but he really did seem to want this alliance.

I watch as the king and his captain exchange another glance, and it’s clear I’m not the only one with questions.

Ky sighs, then nods. “We’ll leave at first light.”