Chapter Five
Whist was right. Thecapital rolled into sight right as the sun reached the highest point in the sky. I couldn’t see much out of the tiny barred window, but enough to see the glittering palace set high above the rest of the capital. I snorted. Of course it’s built on the top of the hill. Assholes. They literally looked down on their subjects.
The cart rattled to a halt, and I almost toppled over, but the chains kept me stable enough to keep my feet under me. I swallowed what little moisture remained in my mouth. They’d given us a little water, but no food. I assumed to keep us weak.
My panicked eyes met Sky’s, but he calmed me with his trademark smirk. “Everything will be fine, doll. For now, just do whatever they say.”
I nodded. I drank them in as much as I could, memorizing their faces. If I was about to be ripped away from them, I wanted their pictures inside my head along with my parents.
The door of the cart flew open, and we squinted at the sunlight pouring in at our faces. It took a minute for me to see the swords and crossbows pointed at us.
“Climb out slowly with your hands raised.”
Sky snickered. “Did you guys forget something? You shackled us to the floor. I mean, we’re good, but we’re not quite that good. It’s nice to know our reputation precedes us though.”
Mutters and grumbles filtered through from outside and I bit back the hysterical laughter bubbling in my chest. It appeared my assassins terrified everyone to the point of stupidity. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing for our situation. Probably bad.
“A guard will come in to unlock your chains. If you try anything, we will not hesitate to fill the cart with arrows.”
“We’ll behave. Hurry up. I want a bath.”
I stared at Sky with wide eyes. He was insane. And I loved it.
A burly guard whose purple uniform burst at the seams climbed into the back of the cart. It rocked with his weight. What did he do for exercise? Toss boulders? He glared at each of us in warning before he squatted down to release us from the shackles.
As soon as we were free, I slammed into my assassins, desperate to hold them one last time. Their arms wrapped around me and I soaked in the feel of them.
“Step back from each other and get out of the cart one at a time with your hands up.”
I separated from my assassins with reluctance, stepping back and fighting tears. But I wouldn’t give those guard assholes the satisfaction of seeing my pain, so I sniffed and swallowed it down, setting my shoulders back.
Whist exited the cart first, Saber right behind him while Sky nudged me in front of him. Outside the cart, what looked like an entire army waited for us. I huddled in the middle of my guys, wrapping my tattered and torn green cloak around me.
“Are you guys that dangerous?” I asked.
Whist met my eyes. “Yes.”
Huh.
Three men and two women separate from the lines of purple clad soldiers. They weren’t in uniforms, instead they wore black trousers and shirts, the only color on them the sparkling silver of the weapons strapped on their bodies.
Sky groaned under his breath at their approach and dread pooled in my belly. Assassins, I assumed. Shit.
One of the women stepped forward and stared down her nose at the guards. “We’ll take it from here.”
The guard who seemed to be in charge crossed his arms. “We’re supposed to lock them up, Mara.”
She tossed her auburn braid off her shoulder. “The king wants to see them.”
“Perhaps we should send a squad with you.” The guard did not want to let it go.
Mara rolled her eyes. “We can handle those three.”
“Might want to watch the girl as well. She’s more dangerous than she looks with a knife.”
Sky snorted and flashed me a grin. I frowned at him in response.
One of the male assassins stepped up beside Mara. “Again. We’ve got it from here, soldier.”
The guard grumbled, but backed off.
Mara grinned at my guys. “Welcome back. Can’t believe you threw everything away for a piece of skirt.”
Saber growled and lurched forward, but Whist held him back. “Shut your fucking mouth. She’s our kindred.”
My eyes widened at Saber’s unusual loss of control.
The woman reared back, shock paling her face while gasps rang out around us. “She’s what?”
Whist nodded. “She’s our kindred.”
“Shit.” Mara blew out a breath. “All right. Let’s get you to the king. Hopefully that will change things.” She didn’t look like she believed it would. But at least it seemed like she wanted it to. Which meant, we possibly had allies there at the palace.
“We won’t cause any trouble, Mara.”
She sniffed. “You three are good, but you know damn well we could take you.”
The other assassins fanned out behind us.
“Of course you could.” Sky smiled widely at her, making her narrow her hazel eyes.
“We won’t put you in restraints, but don’t forget you’ll have crossbows aimed at you the entire time. If you make the slightest move we find suspicious, we’ll put you down.”
“We aren’t fucking traitors. We’re no threat to the royal family.”
I was completely at sea, lost in this new world we’d stepped into. One I’d never lived in, had no familiarity with. I didn’t understand the subtleties and innuendos passing between the group of assassins.
And I definitely had no idea what to expect once we crossed the threshold into the palace. My hands were clammy, and I wiped them on my trousers.
I was about to meet the man who I blamed completely for my parents’ deaths. It was probably a good thing I didn’t have a knife on me.