Page 74 of Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate #1)

Chapter Thirty-Five

The Assassin

I ’ve been sleeping beside the king for days now, so I shouldn’t be awake. It’s just so odd to have him on one side of me, with Jory on the other.

Despite what the king said about freedom and protection, there’s still a part of me that wants to slip out of the bed and flee the castle. I could return to the shadows, where everything is less complicated.

You don’t have to pick a fight every time .

The memory of the words makes my throat go tight.

That’s what I want to flee. That... awareness . Not just from him. From her, too. It’s too much. Too intense. I clung to her in the Hall of Stars. I clung to him just now. I’ve spent too many years locking myself away, and now I feel as though every wall has been torn down.

I’m not ready for it.

Jory shifts in the bed, turning a little. Her hand, light and soft, lands on my shoulder. I’m frozen in place, wondering if she’s awake, if she somehow sensed my indecision.

No, she’s still sound asleep. I sigh.

But then I hear a sound, and it’s so faint I could almost ignore it. Not a voice, not a scrape, just a whisper of movement.

I go completely still. I have no idea if this is a Hunter or another Draeg soldier, but if either one made it to Lastalorre, this palace has so little internal defense.

Ky said he was checking with his guards before we retired, but it’s clear that he sends his most experienced fighters to the battle against Draegonis.

I wait, listening for another sound. My eyes search the shadows, looking for movement.

Then a blade is drawn, and as always, I’m lucky I’m fast.

I roll, then punch, then duck when another blade comes out of nowhere.

Pain erupts in my forearm, but I roll again.

There’s not enough light to see much, but I spot three shadows in the darkness.

Jory shrieks, but the sound is a momentary distraction.

I reach for her, but her shift is jerked away from me.

“It’s me,” says Ky. “I’ve got her.”

Then it’s not dark at all, because the king has called fire.

It surges from his hand, catching anything within reach, almost too bright.

I see his form, clutching the princess, and then I see one of the attackers—just before they’re all but incinerated, leaving nothing more than a charred corpse on the ground.

It’s quick and vicious and the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen, and it steals my focus for a terrifying moment.

I can hear the princess’s heaving breath, too.

As we stare, fire leaps to the wall tapestries, and smoke begins to fill the room. The princess coughs.

“Asher,” the king snaps. “Get her out. The walls are stone. The fire won’t spread from this room.”

“There are two more,” I say, because I saw them. But they’re either dead in the sudden inferno—or they’re hiding, using the smoke and shadows to their advantage.

I inhale a lung full of smoke, and the decision is nearly made for me.

“Asher!” the king says again, and he shoves her in my direction.

Jory shrieks, but I catch her, and I drag her into the hallway. The steel door slams shut behind us.

Suddenly we’re cloaked by silence.

Jory stares at me, shaking. “We have to help him, Asher. We can’t leave him in there.”

I look back at the door. As usual, I have no weapons. No protection against the flames.

I reach out and touch the handle anyway.

“Fuck,” I snap, jerking my hand back. It’s too hot to grab.

Jory stares from the handle to me. “He can’t stop it,” she whispers. “He can only start it.”

I swallow. I don’t know what to do.

I remember the captain demanding to know why I didn’t call for help. I haven’t even done it now .

“Guards!” I shout. “ Guards! ”

But no one comes.

I wonder if the assailants killed them first.

Something thumps against the door. A minute later, it’s pulled wide. The heat of the flames inside is intense, and we rock back.

Ky has a burning tunic wrapped around the handle, and he’s dragging a blistered body. He’s also panting heavily. The door falls closed behind him, and he shoves the body against the wall.

Then he drops himself right next to it. His hair is threaded with sweat, but he doesn’t look like he’s been injured.

“Asher,” he says to me. “Do you recognize her?”

That makes me look, because I hadn’t realized this was a woman. The burns are already too bad. But not only is it a woman, she’s still alive.

Barely.

“I don’t know her,” I say, but that’s more a factor of the injuries than anything else.

“Who sent you?” Jory demands.

The woman says nothing.

Ky rolls onto his knees and summons a handful of fire. “Talk,” he says.

The woman says nothing again, and Ky draws the fire closer to her face. She tries to flinch, but that must be painful, because she doesn’t move.

“Talk,” Ky says again. His voice is vicious, and it makes me shiver.

“He’s bargaining with Draegonis,” she gasps. “He’s killing you for them .”

“The Guildmaster,” says Jory. “Is he directing this?”

“No,” says the woman. Her voice has grown very weak. “They want you back. That’s part of the...”

Her voice trails off. She slumps over.

Ky crushes the fire out of his palm and grabs her burned tunic, pulling her upright. But her head lolls. She’s dead.

Jory looks between me and the king. “They want me back? Did she mean Astranza?”

Ky frowns, then lets go of the woman. “Come,” he says to us both. His voice is tight. Hard. A military commander, ready to take action. He glances at the princess, then me. Assessing damage, looking for weakness. “I need to check Victoria. I’ll take you to a safe place.”

But Jory stands. “No. I need to check on Charlotte.”

Ky draws a sharp breath, and I can already see this is going to turn into a standoff. “I’ll go with her,” I say to him. “Go. See to your sister.”

He considers for less than a second, and then he gives me a sharp nod. Without a look back, he turns and departs.

THE HALLWAYS ARE cool and dark, and I can hear Jory breathing heavily. We inhaled too much smoke, and my lungs feel tight and scratchy, so I wonder if hers are the same. We have to cross through the massive atrium to reach the other hallway, and our footsteps echo.

There are no guards posted. A chill goes up my spine. There was one earlier. I’m sure the king has already noticed.

“No guards,” Jory whispers.

“I know,” I say softly.

She glances at me, and her expression is tense and worried. “They’re going to keep sending people, aren’t they?”

“It certainly seems that way.”

“Do you think they got to Charlotte first?” she says. She draws a shaky breath. “She’s been so brave for me. I should’ve been in that room.”

“Most Hunters won’t go after someone who isn’t a target.”

She glances at me, her soft features barely visible in the shadows. “That Draeg soldier attacked the whole settlement.”

My mouth forms a line. There’s a part of me that wishes I’d returned from Morinstead a week earlier. Would I have learned about the Guildmaster’s treachery? Would I have suspected something?

Would I have been able to warn Jory, preventing all of this?

There’s just no way to know.

And as I consider everything we’ve been through together, I wonder if it was better this way.

We turn a corner, and a shadow shifts. Without hesitation, I shove the princess behind me, then tackle the other person into the wall. A woman gives a sharp cry, and I freeze.

“Oh!” says Jory. “Asher, it’s Charlotte!”

Fuck . I withdraw, letting the woman go. She’s so pale. She rubs at her sleeves and peers at us in the darkness. Her breath is shaking, like she’s afraid. I suppose that’s my fault.

She offers Jory a hasty curtsy. “Your Highness,” she says in surprise. She glances warily between us. “What are you doing here?”

“There’s been another attack,” Jory says. “Charlotte, I was so worried. Were you harmed?”

“No. No, I’m fine.” Charlotte looks back toward the darkened hallway. Her hands twist together, fidgeting. “There’s been another attack?”

Her tone is so hollow, and I frown. She doesn’t quite seem afraid. It’s something else, and I can’t put my finger on it.

“Yes,” says Jory.

“What of the king?” she says. She glances back a third time.

“He survived,” says Jory. “He’s checking with—”

“Jory. Wait.” I grab hold of her wrist sharply, pulling the princess behind me. Jory breaks off, sucking in a quick breath. I’m not sure why my instincts are warning me about this moment, but they are.

And then I figure it out.

Your Highness. What are you doing here?

She wasn’t surprised Jory was gone. She was surprised to find her.

And she keeps glancing down the hallway.

Just as I put the pieces together, another shadow shifts, somewhere to my left. I move to block, but this time Charlotte tackles me , shoving me into the wall. It’s completely unexpected, but I’m able to throw her off.

Unfortunately, it allows the real attacker to slam me into the ground. The stone floor scrapes against my branded shoulder, and someone lands on top of me. I cry out. “Jory, run .”

But she gives a sharp shriek, and I know they’ve got her. Panic grips my heart as I fight my assailant, desperately seeking a dagger. Desperately seeking anything.

So much Incendrian steel in the palace, and I never asked the king for a weapon.

Light flares, fire filling the hallway. It’s so blazingly bright that I can’t see anything at all. But then I hear the snick of a crossbow, and the man pinning me to the ground jerks hard. A second later, a booted foot kicks him off me.

Ky stands over me. He’s got a handful of fire in one hand, and a crossbow in the other. Two guards are at his back, swords drawn.

They’re all pointing at Charlotte.

Jory is gasping, shoving her own shot attacker to the ground. Blood is all over her chemise, and I quickly draw her to me. “Where are you hurt?” I say in a rush. “Jory, where?”

“Not mine,” she says. “Not mine.”

We scramble to our feet. To my surprise, the two men on the ground are familiar. Though maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise, if Pavok is working with Draegonis. Beyond them, Charlotte is cringing against the wall, backing away from the king’s fire.

“Please,” she’s saying. “Please. He made me.”

“Charlotte?” says Jory. Her voice is small. “Charlotte, who made you?”

She shakes her head quickly. “No. Please. You must understand.” Her voice drops to a whisper. “He’ll kill me.”

I frown. “Master Pavok?” I say.

Charlotte shakes her head.

“Then it’s someone from Draegonis,” says Ky, and his voice is dark. The fire on his palm flickers, emphasizing his fury. “One of the generals? If they’ve infiltrated Astranza this deeply, I will have to—”

“ No ,” says Charlotte. “But Your Highness—you should know. You are in danger.”

“Then who?” demands Ky.

Charlotte wets her lips, then glances down the hallway as if she’d like to run. “Not like this,” she says. “Please. Not like this.”

It’s exactly what my mother said, when the queen’s carriage was attacked. The words hit me like a knife—and I know they’re doing the same to Jory. Her lips part.

Ky steps forward, lifting the ball of fire. Lady Charlotte flinches back.

“No!” says Jory. “I’ll hear what she has to say.”

For a moment, there’s no sound aside from Charlotte’s panicked breathing.

“I cannot,” she finally says, her voice barely more than a whisper. She stares into that ball of flame, then shudders.

“If you fear for your life,” Ky says, “you should be aware that you are no safer from me than from whoever bears this threat.”

Charlotte blanches. The silence stretches on. One of the Hunters on the ground makes a low moan. I don’t know him well, but I think his name is Rancal. I kick him.

“Fuck you, Asher,” he says.

“Fuck you back.” I kick him again.

Jory puts a hand on my arm, though the king looks like he wants me to do it again.

“Charlotte,” says Jory. “I will spare your life. No matter what you say.” Her tone is bold and confident. The princess who will be queen. She looks to Ky. “Tell her.”

He hesitates, then nods—though he doesn’t look happy about it. “If the princess will spare your life, then I will as well.” He pauses, and that ball of fire crackles and pops, making Charlotte flinch. “But only if you speak the truth, and now.”

Charlotte shudders. “Your Highness, you should know—you should know I have always tried to be loyal. I have always tried to be—”

“ Now! ” Ky snaps.

The woman cringes against the wall. “Dane,” she whimpers. “He told me to leave a trail on your journey. I left scraps of my clothing when we stopped.”

“That’s a lie,” Jory says. “Dane is allying with the king of Incendar. We already know Draegonis is involved.”

Charlotte shakes her head quickly. “It was Dane. I swear it. Astranza needs Maddox Kyronan dead to keep up their end of the bargain.”

“What bargain?” says Ky. “He is bargaining with me .”

Charlotte falls silent again, and Ky draws the fire closer to her face. “I am not bound by the princess’s vow unless you tell the truth.”

“Dane is the one bargaining with Draegonis,” Charlotte gasps. “He’s killing you for them .”

Ky goes very still.

“And me?” says the princess. “Did he send you to kill me as well?”

“No,” says Charlotte. A tear slips down her cheek. “They want you back. That’s part of the—”

“ Enough .” Rancal surges off the ground to drive a dagger into her gut.

Jory shrieks. Ky fires his crossbow, but it’s not fast enough. Charlotte is already collapsing.

Jory catches her, easing her against the wall. “Charlotte,” she whispers. “Charlotte—I wish you’d told me—”

“Your Highness,” she gasps. “Forgive me. Please, forgive...”

Her voice trails off.

Jory’s face crumples. “She was supposed to be my friend. I promised her. I promised her .”

The king looks down at the carnage, then looks to me. “I’ll deal with this,” he says, his voice low. “Take her back to your quarters. I’ll find you shortly.”

I nod, and he claps me on my good shoulder. He does it so casually, like I’m one of his soldiers, and of anything, that takes me the most by surprise.

But I have to shove that away and look after Jory.

Before I do, I turn back to the king. “Ky,” I say.

His eyes glance my way. “Asher?”

I put out a hand. “I’ve made do until now, but would you please give me a weapon?”