Assassin's Mask

by Everly Frost

  His wings burst from his back.

  The glittering mass extends across the field of flowers. A thousand petals break free around us, disturbed by the electrical force, floating upward, dazzling in the air.

  His wings…

  His wings released…

  It’s too much. So much. His heartbeat becomes mine. My movements become his.

  I cry as I crash. He follows me and everything shatters between us, my sense of time and space expand, the Realm contracts, and nothing else exists.

  I descend into his arms. My heart pounds as I wrap my arms around him. He holds me close, stroking my back, soothing my shoulders, easing the burn in them as if he senses it. His wings close around me, a protective force, and instantly, I’m grounded inside the safest place I’ve found in years—a place he gave me.

  He kisses my cheeks, my forehead, and then my lips, only drawing back when I press my hand to his heart. The deep rhythm thrums through me, speeding up at my touch. When I brush my lips against his, his heart kicks in his chest, a rapid thud-thud.

  He gives me a small smile, vulnerable despite his ferocity. “I bonded with you… didn’t I?”

  Tears burn at the back of my eyes, escaping when I close them. He bonded with me in a way that I can never bond with him.

  He brushes the tears away from my cheeks, kissing them carefully.

  He says, “I meant it when I said your wings are beautiful. I wasn’t in control of anything else when we were fighting, but that part was me.”

  I curl into him and we stay like that for a long time. Then he helps me stand, retrieves his clothing and the sash that remains of the dress, and draws me inside the gazebo. He pulls me gently down onto the large pillows there, urging me close again. My upper leg curls over his as he strokes my hair, fanning it out over the soft surface.

  I don’t want to break this moment, but I don’t want secrets or misunderstandings between us anymore. Truth is hard, but I need to speak it. “I need to tell you… I don’t know who killed your brother.”

  He continues to drop gentle kisses on my face and neck. “I know.”

  “But I’m afraid that it could have been my mother.”

  He says, “I know that, too.”

  I try to banish the worry rising inside me. “I can’t read her ledger to know for sure. Or… it could have been someone else. I used to believe that I was the last Valkyrie, that the Keres were extinct, but they aren’t.” I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. “I wish I had answers for you.”

  Slade is quiet, stroking my arm in a soothing gesture. “It wasn’t your Mom.”

  My lips part in surprise. “How do you know?”

  He says, “I don’t remember much about that night. I’ve tried to obliterate the memory, but my brother went out to kill that woman. Not the other way around. Your mother was an honorable assassin. She only killed when it was sanctioned. I had the chance to ask the Guardian when she started staying in the Realm. She didn’t want to tell me anything, but I wouldn’t let it go. She confirmed that my brother was never a target.”

  A world of relief floods me. “I was so afraid…”

  His gaze fills with regret. “I wanted to tell you but I wasn’t in control after that day.”

  I ask, gently, “Why did your brother go out that night?”

  Slade shakes his head. “None of it makes sense to me. He was eighteen. He wasn’t an assassin. I tried talking to my parents about it but they refuse to tell me anything. They tried very hard to make everything normal. Including me.” He gives a humorless laugh. “That didn’t work.”

  I study his eyes, lifting myself to kiss his cheeks. “I love who you are. Especially your eyes.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “What about them?”

  “They have silver flecks in them when you access your Valkyrie power. I don’t think mine do that.”

  He becomes serious again. “You gave me a powerful memory to hold onto, Hunter. I promise I won’t lose myself again.”

  “I trust you.” I inhale as I realize what I said, knowing that it’s the truth.

  Snuggling into him, my eyelids droop. I murmur as my limbs grow heavy. “This is the safest I’ve ever felt.”

  Despite my best intentions, I fall asleep.

  I jolt awake, a sense of alarm shooting through me. I’m still lying next to Slade, curled into him. The dress has transformed into a silken blanket over us, leaving me in my underwear, but I’m not cold. Slade’s breathing is deep and even, but it hitches as soon as I shift beside him.

  His eyes fly open. “Hunter?”

  I try to shake it off. “I don’t know… I felt something…”

  A worried frown grows on his face. Then he winces, pressing his fist to his temple. He jolts upright, the blanket sliding away from his bare chest. “Something’s wrong in the Legion. I can feel it.”

  I say, “We need to get back there.”

  I reach for my assassin’s suit, pulling it on as quickly as I can, but I stop him before he pulls the upper half of his suit up. “How long is the beach?”

  “It reaches all the way back to the Legion. Why?”

  I say, “We should use the cover of this Realm to fly back. It will be faster.”

  We race to the beach, but Slade takes my hand before I spread my wings.

  He says, “I have to dismantle this Realm as soon as we get back to the Legion. I can’t leave a world this large stretching across the city. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave like this.”

  I kiss him, gently. “I understand. I loved it here, Slade. I wish we could stay longer.”

  His power thuds the air and his wings shoot out on either side of his body. My own release, spreading wide.

  We race each other across the sand, taking flight together. Soaring through the clear blue sky, we follow the path of the twisting, turning beach below us, until Slade finally points downward.

  We alight onto the end of the beach, knees bent, folding our wings away and striding toward the memorial leading into the Realm as soon as it becomes visible in front of us.

  The beach Realm fades away, taking all my peace and security with it.

  Slade pulls up his suit, sliding it over his muscled chest and arms as he hurries to open the door into the Legion, pulling me inside with him.

  The screams chill my heart.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I can’t take it in. Can’t process what my eyes are telling me.

  The Guardian kneels on the grass, her dress bloodied, her caramel hair hanging loose. She rocks back and forth, weeping. An assassin lies across her knees, his head cradled in her lap.

  Bodies are strewn all around her. Ten… twenty bodies.

  They aren’t moving.

  A cry of horror rips out of me.

  Slade runs to her. I’m close behind. “Guardian!”

  The Guardian’s face is splattered with blood. “She came for Gareth… She killed everyone who got in her way. They’re all… dead.”

  The man she holds is Superior Lincoln, the poisons teacher. He is lifeless in her arms, a shotgun dropped mere paces away, the barrel bent.

  My heart plummets. They’re all dead? But Ridley’s here too… Dad…

  I search the faces of the fallen men, terrified that I’ll see Ridley among them.

  Slade’s focus is sharp, pinpointed, rage thrumming through him. “Was it Lady Tirelli?”

  His stern demand breaks through the Guardian’s shock. She shakes her head rapidly. “I don’t know. She was wearing a suit. Her face was covered. I’m sorry...”

  She tries to wipe her tears, her hands trembling. “But the smell…” She gags, her hand flying over her mouth. “Roses. Rotten roses.”

  She continues rocking, choking back her sobs.

  I press my hand against her shoulder, demanding that she focus on me, asking urgently, “Is she still here?”

  The Guardian shakes her head. “She sensed you were coming back, Hunter. It’s the only reason she left me alive. She didn’t
have time to kill me.”

  Fear is a vice around my heart. I try to hold myself together. I push away my dread for my father, whispering to Slade, “The Guardian is in shock. We need to get her to the medical wing. We need to… check the dead.”

  I pause. “Slade?”

  He is frozen beside me. “Roses…” His expression changes as he scans the bodies, desperation mixing with rage. “My people…”

  His focus snaps back into place. “This is not the entire Legion. Where are the others?”

  The Guardian points a shaking arm toward the Cathedral. Three figures sprint from that direction. It’s Lutz, Rowan, and Brandon, their legs pounding the ground.

  Relief floods me when I see that Ridley is close behind them.

  Rowan reaches us first. “Master! We tried to stop her, but she took Gareth.”

  They are all beaten and bruising, their clothing cut and torn as if they stepped out of a war zone.

  Brandon wipes blood out of his eyes. “We tried the tranquilizers. Then we emptied whole clips at her, but she was wearing a protective suit. Nothing touched her.”

  Ridley reaches my side, checking me over. Compared to him I am as pristine as the beach I just left. I throw my arms around him in a fierce hug. “Dad.”

  I can’t say anything else. My fears have clamped my throat tight. I can’t lose him like I lost Mom.

  He returns the hug, holding me tight. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

  Slade is still searching the faces of the dead. “What about Thomas and Matthew?”

  Ridley answers quickly, lifting his head as I shift beside him, not quite letting him go. “They’re out in the city on reconnaissance. They’re safe.”

  Now that he knows his cousin is alive, Slade’s anger rises and so does his power. “How the hell did she get in here? The Realm is protected.”

  Lutz presses a hand to a wound on his arm. “She walked right in and then… she took them all down.”

  I stare at the fallen men. “By herself?”

  Rowan nods. “She was like lightning. Faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. They never had a chance. We were further back and were able to take cover.”

  The Guardian tugs on my hand, demanding my attention. “She must have access to an assassin’s ring—a powerful one that I don’t know about. There were always rumors of more rings… The ringmakers had rogues too…” She’s mumbling now, barely making sense.

  As Rowan helps the Guardian to stand, I say, “It has to be Lady Tirelli. I can’t think of anyone else who would free Gareth.”

  Slade asks, “But why now? She’s obviously powerful. What can he do for her that she can’t do herself?”

  I close my eyes as the answer hits me. “Gareth knows how to decode the books.”

  There must be something hidden in them that I don’t know about. William used the Keres Coda to find out how to remove the resin from the Clave. He was close to discovering other secrets when I left this morning… before I killed the Tirelli brothers. I’ve struck at the heart of Lady Tirelli’s organization. I’ve killed her men. If she is the Realm’s attacker then she is on the rampage now.

  Slade frowns. “But… you have the books.”

  Fear rakes through me. I pull away from Ridley. “I have to get back to Saber Lane right away. Everyone there is in danger.”

  Slade spins. “I’m coming with you.”

  I’m at war inside myself. He needs to stay here and look after his Legion. There are so many dead. But his bond with me will control his movements now. I try to find a way to tell him he doesn’t have to come with me, to ease the force of the bond so he can make a free choice.

  He glares at me, all the harsh lines returning to his features. He knows exactly what I’m thinking. “I want to come with you, Hunter. I’m not letting you fight her alone.”

  Brandon speaks up. “Go, Master. We will take care of the Guardian and the wounded.”

  Rowan nods beside him. “We’ll call back all of the assassins who are out in the city. We need to regroup and protect the Realm from another attack.”

  Lutz has been quiet, contemplating Slade and me. He told me that Slade was becoming a ruthless killer. Despite the horror around him, he looks relieved to see that Slade is himself again.

  Lutz says, “Master, I’m coming with you. You need backup.”

  Ridley also speaks up, “I’m not letting you out of my sight, Hunter. Not while that woman is still alive. Whether or not she is Lady Tirelli, she’s dangerous.”

  I glance at Slade, hoping he will hear what I’m not saying. “I intend to blur. If you want to help, meet me at Saber Lane as fast as you can.”

  Slade immediately spins to Rowan. “Tranquilizers! Now!” He catches the tranquilizer belt that Rowan throws him right before I break into a run.

  My heart is in my throat as I disappear into a blur, release my wings, and take to the sky. A whoosh behind me tells me that Slade has blurred and followed, rising into the air with me. I’m relieved to know that he understood my unspoken intention to fly to Saber Lane.

  I push myself faster than ever before, cold fear gripping my heart. There were so many dead assassins in the Realm and they were trained fighters. Other than Drake who owns the dojo, the people of Saber Lane are peaceful. They are not trained to fight.

  As I near my home, men dressed in combat gear become visible converging on the entrance to Saber Lane, at least twenty of them. Gareth and Fallon stride at their head, but there is no sign of Lady Tirelli, no awful scent of roses wafting through the air.

  Fallon told me that Lady Tirelli knows what I am.

  My lip curls. She has sent them to do her work for her.

  I slam onto the middle of the street so hard that the pebbles crack. I emerge from my blur facing the attackers and stand my ground. A second later, another crack appears on the street and Slade emerges, his expression stony. He is controlling the Valkyrie power but he will unleash it if he has to.

  As Gareth, Fallon, and their men pause at the entrance to the street, taking note of our arrival, Briar races out from the Diner. She’s carrying my katana, her lanky legs a blur as she sprints across the distance. “Dean sensed them coming. Vlad and Tansy have taken everyone back to the dojo where Drake is standing guard. Vlad will join you soon.”

  I ask, “Is William safe?”

  “He’s in the dojo.” She lowers her voice. “He took the books with him.”

  “Thank you, Briar. You should head back to the dojo, too.”

  She gives me a firm shake of her head. “My place is here beside you, Milady.”

  I spin to her. “Briar, no. Slade and I are both wearing protective suits. You aren’t. Seek shelter now, please. I won’t lose another friend to this monster.”

  She places her hand on my shoulder. “I love you, Hunter. But I will do as I please. I’m not leaving you.”

  She shocks me by hitching up her dress and drawing a dagger from a surprising arsenal of blades strapped to her thigh. She winks at me. “That’s just one leg.”

  There’s something etched in the dagger’s handle, but she quickly covers it with her hand.

  I pick up my jaw. “You know how to use that?”

  She grins and I’ve never seen such a light of vehemence in her eyes. “I’ve been waiting for the chance.”

  Vlad sprints up behind us, his boots pounding the cobbles, and I’m relieved to see that he is in full combat gear.

  He says, “Everyone is safe at the back of the street. I’m glad you’re here. As much as I rate my skills, I wasn’t looking forward to defending Saber Lane alone.”

  Briar clears her throat and Vlad quickly adjusts his statement, “Alone with Briar, that is.”

  Vlad hands me a belt of tranquilizers. He is wearing one himself—along with a handgun and a cloak of rage. He is a towering inferno glaring at Gareth and Fallon as they dare to approach. The twenty men behind them crowd into the street in rows of five, weapons raised and ready.

  I murmur, “Those are s
ubmachine guns. We need to protect bystanders. And people on neighboring streets. Our friends in the dojo aren’t safe either.”

  Bullets travel far and fast. Gareth won’t care who gets killed in the crossfire.

  Slade places a hand on my arm, his determined gaze meeting my own. “I can help with that.”

  As he speaks, a brick wall sprouts out of nothing on our left and right hand sides directly in front of the shop fronts. Bricks layer on top of each other, rising high enough to protect the buildings on Saber Lane as well as the neighboring streets. The wall grows behind us, forming a barrier in front of the dojo and, much to our attacker’s surprise, it forms behind them too, blocking off their retreat. The back row of men jumps forward, shouting, clearly not liking this new trap.

  Vlad stares at Slade. Alarm etched on Vlad’s imposing features. “What are you doing?”

  Slade shrugs. “I’ve created a partial Realm. It will appear as an illusion to anyone walking past the street—they will only see Saber Lane as it’s meant to be. But the wall will absorb any stray bullets. It looks like brick, but it’s spongy. If I could, I would pull all of those men into a full Realm where we could fight them without any risk of collateral damage, but that would require grabbing them and pulling them in one by one. This will have to do for now.”

  Vlad gives the walls a wary once-over. “We’ll have to grow wings to get out of here.”

  Slade grins, catching my eye for a moment. “Don’t worry, I’ll take it down when the threat is gone.”

  Vlad gives him a stern look, indicating Slade’s assassin’s ring as he says, “That ring is dangerous in your hands, my friend.”

  Slade doesn’t deny it. He says, “The disadvantage is that we are boxed in.”

  Like fighters in a cage.

  My teeth grind together.

  Bring it on.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Gareth, Fallon, and their men continue to advance, stopping ten paces away from us.

  I shout, “You’ve invaded my territory without permission, Gareth.”

  He smiles, cold and cruel. He has grown a short beard during his time of imprisonment, but he is not weakened, his gaze gleaming with vengeance. If only he was still a Master; he would have broken the seventh rule like Vlad did, and I would be entitled to kill him.