Assassin's Mask

by Everly Frost

  Slade’s eyes shoot wide, one hand rising into the space between us. He shakes his head, the smallest shake, as if that’s the last thing he wants… before he carefully relaxes his arm and waits for my decision.

  The idea of cutting my final ties with him tears at my heart. Seceding from the Legion is like declaring that I’m an enemy of the Legion and everyone in it. It’s not true. They might not be my allies, but many of the assassins here have my respect: Rowan, Brandon, Superior Lincoln, Slade’s cousin Thomas. Even Lutz. And especially Ridley.

  But I have to be free to return to Saber Lane and find out what weapon the Clave is hiding and then destroy it. In fact, I need to be free to follow my own path separate from the Legion in all things.

  If I declare myself Rogue right now, Slade can’t fight me. In fact, one glance at Cain tells me he’s considering moving to stand beside me. He wouldn’t have made such a rogue move if it weren’t for me, but the determination I’ve shown appears to be swaying him. Two of us facing Slade will stop him from killing Vlad.

  Just as Cain steps forward, Slade steps back from me, his shoulders squared, visibly prepared for my decision.

  I swallow the pain of cutting ties with him.

  I say, “I’m going Rogue.”

  Chapter Eight

  Vlad rises to his feet, hands flat on his knees as he leans forward while he gets his balance. Upright once more, he says, “I will support Hunter’s bid for freedom. The same way my Master gave his support for the Glass Fox to become her own Master.”

  Before an assassin goes Rogue, they need the support of at least one Master. That’s what makes it so rare—what Master would willingly support the creation of a rival? I consider Vlad with surprise. I never guessed it was the Dominion Master who supported my mother.

  The Guardian doesn’t miss a beat. “Your support is sufficient.” Her dress swishes around her long legs as she turns to me, her previous alarm and fear quickly disappearing, tucked away behind a regal veneer again. “Hunter Cassidy, where is your chosen territory?”

  “Saber Lane,” I say, without hesitation. It’s a small chunk of land to take away from the Legion so it shouldn’t be too much for the Guardian to approve.

  She replies, firmly, “Sanctioned. All Masters will respect the boundary.” A smile curves her lips. “You are now your own Master, Hunter. But remember, a Rogue Master has no Faction.” Her smile fades, sadness creeping into her voice. “You are, from this day on, alone.”

  It’s done so quickly that I’m left with a sense of shock, as if the world shifted and I’m only now registering the earthquake beneath my feet.

  Cain unfolds his arms from across his broad chest. “The Horde will respect the boundary.” The weapons he is carrying about his massive body glint as he gives me a formal, acknowledging nod. I recognize the daggers marked with his initials. In fact, one of them looks like the very dagger I returned to him.

  Vlad says, “The Dominion will also respect the boundary.”

  As Vlad speaks, Cain contemplates him with wary respect. It will take a lot for them to move past their existing distrust, but for now, they seem to have reached a silent truce.

  Slade is the last to respond. He moves further away from me, his boots thudding one after the other, increasing the space between us. His eyes are dull, the flickers of his power concealed. I sense it lurking beneath the surface, the pull toward him just as strong as before. Except that now it’s like I’ve built a wall made of explosives between us. If either of us breaches it, we won’t survive.

  A perfectly blank expression conceals whatever Slade is feeling. “The Legion will respect the boundary.”

  The Guardian remains formal as she addresses the previous problem. “Slade Baines, do you wish to carry out the sentence on Alexei Mason or will you hear him out?”

  Slade’s expression is neutral. “If Hunter thinks it’s worth risking death to save him, then I will listen.”

  Vlad dabs a thumb to the cut on his forehead as I move to stand beside him. He told me that coming here was important enough to risk our safety. I have to believe that he didn’t lie to me. But… dammit… he’d better have a spectacular reason after everything I just did for him.

  Vlad gives me a short, formal nod, but beneath the cool gesture, gratitude warms the depths of his eyes and lifts my heart just a little.

  He says, “First, I need to verify that Hunter did not know who I was when she brought me here.”

  The Guardian clasps her slender hands in front of herself. “Duly noted.”

  Vlad addresses both Slade and Cain. “I came to warn you about a powerful and dangerous woman.”

  Slade’s eyes narrow to glinting, blue slits, taking on a little of his former ferocity. “There are many dangerous women in this world. One of the most dangerous is standing right beside you.”

  Vlad assesses the continuing friction between Slade and me. He’s probably wishing that he’d pushed me harder to tell him what really happened between us.

  He says, “This woman has the power to interfere with our ledgers.”

  “What?” The Guardian and Cain Carter both speak at once, their shock reflecting my own.

  Tension renews in the angle of Cain’s shoulders and the set of his jaw. He and I aren’t exactly friends. In fact, he told me once that there is no such thing as a friend in the assassin’s world, but he certainly isn’t my enemy or my rival.

  He demands, “How is that possible?”

  Vlad replies to Cain, but watches Slade carefully, knowing that it’s Slade he has to convince. “Somehow, she has hijacked the Guardian’s power and uses it to sanction assassinations for her own purposes.”

  The Guardian gasps. “Who is this woman?”

  “You know her as Lady Tirelli.”

  The Guardian hisses, “Lady Tirelli! I know her violence very well. She is responsible for multiple murders in the last three days alone.”

  Vlad continues, “She gets someone who works for her to pose as a client and write in the ledger. Then she sanctions the killing herself. The assassin has no idea that the assassination isn’t really sanctioned. As for the magic behind it, we haven’t figured out exactly how she does it, but we have ascertained that she can only affect the entry being made by the person she sent. She can’t read or change any of the other existing or future entries.”

  The Guardian is aghast. “For her to do this, she has to conceal from me the fact that the entry is being made at all. I should be able to see every entry in every ledger! How… I can’t… how did you find out about this?”

  Vlad sighs. “Lady Tirelli is playing a long game. It began twenty years ago, when the Dominion Master—the Master I just replaced—fell prey to her scheme. He was given his first assassination. Determined to prove himself, he tracked his target across the country. He carried out the mission only to discover that the woman was innocent. It was a tragedy he could never atone for.”

  The Guardian clenches her fists, advancing on Vlad. It’s the angriest I’ve ever seen her. “Why didn’t he notify me?”

  Vlad meets her accusation with an even gaze. “He couldn’t come forward. He carried out an unsanctioned assassination. That means exile, which ultimately leads to death. And… unfortunately… there were other unsanctioned killings before he discovered what was going on. Other assassins were implicated. Good assassins. I’m here now because Lady Tirelli has moved her base of operations from the Dominion’s territory to the Legion’s.”

  It’s easy to see that the Guardian has a thousand questions bubbling on her lips, but Slade gets in first. He demands, “Why haven’t you killed her?”

  Vlad exhales. Slowly. He swallows. It’s his first sign of defeat. Even when Slade knocked him across the room, he didn’t appear this beaten. His shoulders take on the same slump that they did when he apologized for offending me.

  He exchanges a glance with the Guardian as he says, “Two months ago, my Master wrote her name in my ledger and the Guardian sanctioned the kill.�
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  The Guardian sucks in a breath. “So that’s why your Master wrote her name! I sanctioned it because of the other atrocities she committed.”

  Vlad nods. “I waited for Lady Tirelli to enter Dominion territory. I took a shot at her. I was sure I hit her but… she got away.”

  A muscle in Slade’s jaw ticks. “A failed assassination can’t be attempted again.”

  Vlad lifts his chin. “Not by the Dominion.”

  It’s the fourth rule in the Assassin’s Code, which means Vlad can’t try again.

  Cain paces at the edge of our group. His distrust of Vlad has returned to his features. “Why haven’t you tried to warn us before now?”

  Vlad shoots back with his first sign of irritation, “Would you have believed me?”

  He levels his gaze with Cain. “I know you don’t trust me, Cain Carter, because you heard rumors of unsanctioned killings. Well, it’s true. But it’s not our doing. We have been tricked in the same way that you will be tricked unless we work together to deal with this problem.”

  Slade shakes his head. “You expect us to believe any of this after you gain access to my Legion by subterfuge?”

  Vlad says, “I couldn’t make this an official visit and let others know I was traveling here—not even my own people. Lady Tirelli has infiltrated all Factions. You know who your traitors are: Master Gareth and Superior Fallon. But even after all these years, we have not discovered ours. Lady Tirelli is waiting for the chance to take us all out. Then she will be able to get to Hunter, who is her ultimate target.”

  I can’t disguise my surprise. “Me?”

  Vlad sighs. “Twenty years ago, my former Master tracked his target all the way here.” His hand shoots up as Slade growls. “Yes, I know, he trespassed into Legion territory which he shouldn’t have done.”

  Vlad returns his attention to me. “Your mother intervened but not soon enough. You see… the target was a woman with a baby. My Master found out, years later, that it was the child that Lady Tirelli wanted.”

  I touch Vlad’s arm, needing to anchor myself. There’s too much I don’t know about my mother’s past. “What did Mom do?”

  He says, “She fought my Master. She sent him packing. But not before she made him promise to support her to go Rogue. The last he saw of her, she was walking away with the child in her arms.”

  A chill speeds down my spine. “What happened to that baby?”

  Vlad shakes his head. “My Master searched for the little girl for years. He wanted to make amends, to look after her, but she disappeared completely. Whatever your Mom did to protect her from Lady Tirelli, she did it well. My Master couldn’t find her. But neither did Lady Tirelli.”

  I pause to consider everything he has told us. “Why would all of that make me her target now?”

  Vlad replies, simply, “She thinks you know where the child is.”

  “Not a child anymore,” I say. “That girl would be the same age as us now. A woman. I have no idea where she is. This is the first I’ve heard of her. At least it’s obvious what Lady Tirelli can gain from tampering with our ledgers.”

  Cain nods. “She can annihilate her competition without us knowing we are pawns in her game. She can even turn us against each other.” He gives Vlad a solemn nod and once more they are back to a quiet truce.

  Vlad turns to Slade. He spreads his arms wide in an open gesture. “Do you still want to kill me, Legion Master?”

  Slade exhales. “No.” He turns to the Guardian. “From now on, we will communicate directly with you instead of relying on our ledgers.”

  The Guardian nods. “Perhaps I should stay in Boston for a while. It will make communication easier. With your permission of course, Slade?”

  “Granted.”

  Cain also indicates his agreement with this plan. He doesn’t take up the role of Horde Master for another four months but he says, “I will warn my Master, although it sounds like this is mostly a Legion problem for now. I have no doubt it could become a Horde problem too, so I will help in any way that I can.”

  Despite the general agreement, Slade is no more relaxed than he was when we first arrived. “That takes care of the problem with our ledgers, but it doesn’t deal with Lady Tirelli herself.”

  Vlad says, “She lives in the shadows. Only a handful of people have seen her or even know what she looks like. You need to draw her out.”

  “How do you propose we do that?”

  “We need to be seen together, all four of us, in a public place. She won’t be able to resist the temptation to strike.”

  Cain says, “I can help with that. I’ll put on a charity event and leak the guest list so she knows we’re all going.” He considers the tension between Slade, Vlad, and me with a wry smile. “We can pretend to be friends.”

  A muscle in Slade’s jaw continues to tick. “How long do you need to set that up?”

  “Three weeks. Is that soon enough?”

  Slade nods. “It will have to be.”

  Vlad says, “Thank you. In the meantime, I request permission to stay in Boston. I can’t fight Lady Tirelli, but I can pass on my knowledge of her organization.”

  Slade takes a deep breath. “Permission granted. But from now on, you will respect the boundaries between Factions. The rules exist for a reason. Do not trespass in the Realm without an invitation.”

  Vlad relaxes for the first time. “You have my word.”

  Slade isn’t finished. He is quiet and doesn’t look at me as he says, “Likewise, Hunter, as your own Master, you will not step foot inside this Realm unless I ask you to. Just as… I will not come to Saber Lane without an invitation.”

  I flinch. Whatever words he’s speaking, it’s his emotions I’m sensing now. He is pushing back against my presence, pushing back as hard as he can. He knows he can’t breach the wall I’ve constructed between us. What I don’t know… is whether I can either.

  I focus on a spot beside his face, trying to quell the emptiness creeping into my heart. I’ve done what I had to do. I will make it through this.

  I say, “Understood.”

  Cain speaks from the side. “I’ll make the preparations to draw Lady Tirelli into the open and let you all know the details.”

  We’re almost done but there’s one more thing I need to know before I can leave. “What about Gareth?”

  Slade’s expression hardens. “He will be imprisoned here for the next year. After that, he will be exiled.”

  “Exiled? Not executed? But… he tried to kill you.”

  Slade folds his arms across his chest, muscles bulging as he presses tight. “He tried, but didn’t succeed. If he had succeeded, the Guardian could execute him, but as it is, he hasn’t broken the code. All I can do is banish him from the Realm.”

  I exclaim, “So attempted murder isn’t a crime?”

  Slade’s ferocity returns. “If it was, then your father would have to die, too.”

  I jolt. “No… that’s…”

  “Different?” Slade exhales and deep frustration fills his expression. Gareth was determined to kill both of us. He will continue to be a lethal threat. He won’t stop until he has the feather and the verdan. But Slade is right. Ridley attacked him. Slade can’t apply one set of standards to Gareth and another to Ridley. If he executes Gareth, he has to kill Ridley, too.

  My heart sinks. If Ridley hadn’t gone after Slade, Gareth’s punishment could be more severe.

  Slade meets my eyes. “You’ve already lost your mother. I won’t take away your father.”

  Silence fills the space around us. Slade could have chosen to make a very different decision, but he won’t kill my father.

  I sense Cain’s eyes on me. One of the first times he saw me, I was completely vulnerable after I found out that Ridley could be my dad and that there were things about Mom—important things—that she’d kept from me. Slade, too, knows how much Mom’s death affected me.

  I ask, quietly, “What about Fallon?”

  “Exiled alr
eady. He is no longer part of the Legion.”

  I bite my lip. Fallon will go to Lady Tirelli. He was already in her pocket. No doubt she will protect him for as long as he is useful to her. That means he’s out there somewhere. The Realm is safe from him but nowhere else is.

  Especially not Saber Lane.

  I have to get back there.

  I return my attention to Slade, finding his focus still on me. I bow to him, a formal goodbye. Traditionally, Masters maintain eye contact while bowing to each other. It’s an accepted acknowledgment of the distrust between Factions. I choose instead to lower my eyes to the floor, exposing myself to attack. It’s the smallest gesture I can make to ease the tension between us. He could have chosen to execute my father, but he didn’t. I want him to know how much that means to me.

  I murmur, “Thank you, Legion Master.”

  He swallows. “Thank you… Glass Arrow.”

  Vlad offers Slade a warrior’s bow, but the two men never take their eyes off each other. Cain and the Guardian bow quickly after that.

  I hold Slade’s gaze for another moment before I force myself to walk away. My reason for being here is at an end. As tough as I’m pretending to be right now, I’m hurting inside, physically and emotionally. Absorbing all that power took its toll and being around Slade is like a battle that never ends, fighting what I want.

  My hands have started to shake, tiny tremors, but increasing. I hate that I can’t control it. I need to rest and I don’t want to collapse here.

  The tension eases around me. Cain gives me a small smile before he offers his arm to the Guardian next to him. For a moment, he morphs into the public persona he wears in the outside world. He really does carry off the whole millionaire identity very well. “Guardian, can I have my car take you to your hotel?”

  “Thank you, Cain, I would appreciate that.”

  As Vlad takes up position walking beside me, I manage to catch Cain’s eye. “I don’t suppose you have two cars? I could use a lift to Saber Lane.”