2. Chapter 2
Chapter two
It didn’t take long for the assassins to cross the Aged Sea.
They anchored a fair distance from the inlet, to keep from being seen, and dropped two rowboats that would take them through the narrow waters more discreetly.
As they made their way up, they found Japheth’s coast lackadaisically patrolled and had to use only the smallest of efforts to keep hidden.
“ This is what happens when you employ mercenaries instead of citizens ,” Orion said as Cyrus watched through his eyes, as if Cyrus needed more reason to think less of Gregor.
When they reached the Canyonlands, Cyrus could see how quickly men could become lost in the twisted labyrinth.
Despite the crippling headache that came from using the eyes of the birds, he was able to navigate the assassins through, helping them avoid the Shadowmen who guarded the pass as well.
Only a few times they hit dead ends, with Cyrus receiving some colorful words from Orion, but by the next morning, they found themselves well within the Shadowlands.
They also found abundant hunting opportunities. The terraced rice fields drew endless numbers of ducks and geese. The men ate better than they ate in Rael, and while they stewed broth and meat over their campfires, Cyrus stewed even greater contempt that the gods would bless such a wicked kingdom.
Two days later, they reached the capital. Orion and his men set camp in the outer reaches and settled to run through their plan again and wait for the deep dark of night.
It came too quickly and took too long at the same time, and Cyrus found himself in his study, sweat beading his brow as Essandra, Kord, and Everan stared back at him. He watched through Orion’s eyes as the assassins entered the city and slunk through the shadows.
It was the largest city he’d ever seen, larger than Carn, the capital of Rael. Orion and his men moved from building to building, cover to cover, making their way toward the massive black castle that sat slightly higher than the rest of the city and was covered in torchlight like a beacon.
Their progress was slow. Guards were abundant through the city, and high-hanging pole lanterns lit the streets a little too well.
It was well into the dark hours of the morning by the time they reached the castle. Servants rising early for morning chores were out and about, adding to the challenge.
The assassins split into three teams of four to spread out and look for a way in. Raze took three men to approach from the east side, Feran and Thane took another two west, and Orion led the third team around the back on the south side.
“ We don’t have much time before the sun’s up ,” Cyrus said as they silently moved from street to street, drawing closer. “ We need to find a way inside, and soon. ”
“ Why don’t you sit back and trust us to do our job, yeah? ” Orion cut back through the bond.
“ I would if you —”
“ Found it ,” Feran said through the bond to Cyrus. “ West side. It looks like there’s a servants’ door that goes into the kitchen. ”
Cyrus relayed the message, and Orion pivoted and led his team west, cutting back a few streets until women’s laughs made his team fall back into the shadows, out of sight.
Cyrus still watched through Orion’s eyes.
He couldn’t see the women from the alcove the assassin pressed himself into, but one of the women chatting helped place them.
“If you like fabrics, you’d love Mercia,” she said as they drew nearer. “The patterns you can get are incredible.”
“ A Northern accent ,” Orion said. “ Queen’s maid, maybe. ” Cyrus recognized it. It had been a long time since he’d heard it.
A door with a bell opened.
“There’s one shop,” she continued. “It’s the oldest shop on the isle. They get everything from Tarsus…”
Her voice cut off with the closing of the door as they stepped inside the building. Orion peeked around the corner and glanced up at the sign—a seamstress shop.
“ Tell the men we need to hurry things up ,” Orion said through the bond. “ We have early-morning maids out. If we’re planning on going through the kitchens, we probably won’t be able to if we wait much longer. ”
“ Cyrus ,” Raze called. “ I think I see the Shadow King. He’s leaving the castle. ”
Orion said something else, but Cyrus wasn’t paying attention to him now. “ Are you sure? ” he asked Raze.
“ He looks like the Shadow King. There’s someone with him… who… also looks… like a Shadow King. ”
Cyrus traveled the bond to see for himself.
Two large men moved through the dark, the street lanterns casting monstrous shadows as they made their way toward what looked like the stables.
One wore a horned helm: the Shadow King.
Fire lit through Cyrus’s veins—the fire of bloodlust—but he watched quietly.
The other man… Cyrus had seen him before. Even with his face covered, even in the shadows, there was no mistaking him. This was the Shadowman he’d seen in his vision with the Mercian queen in Aleon.
“ The Shadow King is leaving the castle ,” Cyrus relayed to them all. “ And there’s another beast of a man with him. Does anyone know who that is? ”
“ Probably his Destroyer ,” Orion said.
Cyrus snorted. “ His what? ” That was the stupidest title he’d ever heard.
“ The Shadow commander ,” Orion told him. “ He’s no joke. We need to steer clear of him. ”
“ Looks like fortune’s on our side today ,” Raze said. “ They’re riding out. One less thing to worry about. ”
Cyrus watched through Raze’s eyes as the Shadow King disappeared into the night. It was everything he could do not to tell the assassins to change course after him.
“ As much as I want to, that’s not what we’re here for ,” Orion said.
Cyrus snapped back. “ What? ”
“ The thousand ways you’re thinking of killing him—that’s what you’re showing us right now. Not that we don’t enjoy it. Just reminding you of the mission. ”
Cyrus quickly pulled back his mind. The mission. He pushed himself to refocus.
The men managed to slip through the side doors and into the kitchens, using the morning’s dark hours and the dimly lit castle to hide themselves. Once inside, they split up into teams, with each man dotting his skin with blood from a vial in case they needed to fall back on the blood bond.
Feran and Thane took their team down one hall, and Raze led his down another, both in search of the queen, while Orion took three men to look for Alexander.
Cyrus stayed with Orion.
“ What does your brother look like? ” Orion asked, moving stealthily from hall to hall.
Cyrus paused for a moment, then said, “ We’re twins. ”
“ Ah, exactly like you then. ” Orion chuckled. “ So, you’re telling me I might enjoy this. ”
“ I was starting to like you—don’t ruin it. ”
Orion chuckled again.
“ I think we found the queen’s chamber ,” Thane called.
Cyrus peeled himself from Orion and dropped into Thane. Two Shadow warriors stood guard at the end of a long hall in front of a private chamber. They wore nothing over their chests and arms, displaying markings not entirely unlike his own. Their faces were covered.
“ They’re different from others we’ve seen ,” Feran said. “ More markings. Royal guards, I think. ”
Royal guards. Guarding a royal.
Thane and Feran stepped from the shadows and sent two flying daggers that buried themselves in the chests of the warriors. Both Shadowmen fell back against the wall, trying to use it to hold themselves. But the daggers had been aimed to kill, and the men slumped to the ground.
The assassins pulled the bodies out of sight, then Thane slipped into the chamber.
The sun hadn’t yet risen, but the approaching dawn lit the room enough for him to make out the Shadow Queen under a layer of quilts.
“ She’s asleep ,” Thane said.
Cyrus wondered how she could sleep so easily. Was her mind quiet? Was her heart at ease?
Thane drew his dagger.
“ Not yet ,” Cyrus told him. “ I need to find my brother first .” Alexander needed to know as Cyrus brought his whole world down.
“ If we have the chance now, we need to take it ,” Thane warned.
“ Find my brother first ,” he said again.
“ The queen is more important. ”
“ I said we find Alexander! ”
Thane stood, staring at the sleeping Shadow Queen for another moment before he finally sheathed his dagger.
“ He’ll be close ,” Cyrus told him.
Thane slipped back out into the hall and motioned another assassin in. “ Silva will stay with the queen in case she wakes. If she does, we have to kill her. ”
Silva was bonded only with the blood, but it was fine—Cyrus didn’t need to see or hear the sleeping queen. He did need to find Alexander, though. Quickly.
“ Fine ,” he said.
“ We found the queen ,” Cyrus said through the bond to Orion.
“ Good. Have Raze bring his team to join them. ”
Cyrus relayed the message.
“ On our way ,” Raze answered.
“ Keep searching the lower level ,” Cyrus told Orion, “ in case Alexander is already up and at the day. ”
Thane and Feran split, each taking a hall, checking chamber by chamber. Cyrus stayed with Thane. The potential behind every door made his pulse race, but every empty room served a dagger of disappointment. One after another.
“ Shit ,” Raze called through the bond. “ We’ve been spotted. Top landing of the stairs. ”
“ How many are there? ” Cyrus asked him.
“ Just one. A Northman. ”
“ Looks like we might be in for a bit of trouble ,” Cyrus told Orion. “ Raze was spotted by a Northman. ”
“ Tell them to manage it. ”
“ Deal with him ,” Cyrus said to Raze through the bond.
Thane and Cyrus moved down another hall. Still, there was no sign of Alexander.
“ She’s awake ,” came Silva’s voice. “ The queen—she’s awake. ”
Cyrus cursed under his breath. He’d desperately wanted to wait until he found Alexander, but they couldn’t risk losing their chance. “ Kill her. ”
They were running out of time.
“ Anything? ” he asked Orion.
“ Not yet. I’m going to check the east side. ”
“ Cyrus! ” Raze called. “ We need help! We have two men down! ”
“ From the one Northman? ”
“ He’s a big fucking Northman! ”
Cyrus swore again. “This Northman is causing problems ,” he told Orion.
“ Tell Raze to fucking deal with it! ” Orion snapped back.
“ Guys, I’m out .” Silva came through the bond again. “ She got me with a dagger. ”
“ The queen? ” What the fuck was even happening right now? “ Silva? ”
Only silence.
“ Is something wrong with Silva? ” Thane asked.
“ Silva? ” Cyrus called again. But there was no bond. Nothing. “Get back to the queen’s chamber! ” he ordered Thane.
Thane barreled back toward the queen’s quarters, Cyrus with him. “ Feran! ” Cyrus bellowed through the bond.
“ On my way ,” came Feran’s reply.
Thane reached the queen’s hall. She stood just outside her chamber, staring at a smear of blood on the wall where her guards had been. Sensing Thane behind her, she whipped around to face him.
“Impressive,” Cyrus said through Thane’s voice to her. “You surprise me, Queen Norah.” He hadn’t expected her to be skilled with a knife.
Confusion rippled across her face as she glanced toward the bedchamber, then back to him. “Who are you?” she demanded.
Understandable question, but not one he was willing to answer just yet. “Let’s say, a very old friend.”
“Friends don’t kill each other,” she snapped.
“No, I suppose that’s what family’s for.”
She shook her head again, her brows dipping, her breaths quick. “What do you want?”
“Is it not obvious?” he said as he stalked toward her. “You.”
She bared her teeth. “Well, then, I’ll have to disappoint.” She spun and raced back toward her chamber.
“ Kill her ,” he told Thane.
She reached the chamber in only a few steps, but Thane was close behind.
She slipped in and tried to swing the door closed.
Thane stopped it with his arm. Cyrus didn’t feel the pain, but Thane’s bellow rang loud in his head as she threw her weight behind the door, crushing his forearm.
Thane surged forward, throwing her back.
She lunged to a dead body on the ground—Silva—and pulled the dagger from him. Then she spun back to face him.
Thane swung his short sword, and she jumped back.
His blade caught the fabric of her gown and sliced it open.
He swung again, high this time, and she ducked.
It hit the post of the bed and lodged itself into the wood.
Thane and Cyrus cursed in unison as she jumped forward, slicing the dagger into his forearm.
Cyrus cursed again.
Thane released the sword and staggered back.
The queen seized the opportunity to jerk the sword free, and she launched an attack of her own.
And there was nothing Cyrus could do to help him.
She brought the sword down hard. Thane reached up to shield himself and the blade cut into his arm, partly severing it. He bellowed again as she whipped forward with the dagger in her other hand and plunged it into his gut. The last thing Cyrus saw was a blade arcing for Thane’s neck.
Then the bond went dark.