Trey gestured toward the window. Staring out the window, feet spread wide, stood Eylsa. The baggy shirt they had given her hung just to her thighs as she kept her back to them one arm tucked behind her cradling a long steel knife.
“We just found her like that. Won’t respond when we call to her.” Trey glanced over at him. “No offense, but I didn’t really want to test my luck with her stroking that blade so tenderly.”
Brendan nodded. “Probably a good idea.”
Cade glanced back. “Be careful, Brendan.”
Brendan took a deep breath clapping Cade on the shoulder as he passed. “You guys may want to vanish for a while.”
“We’ll keep in earshot.”
Nerves fortified, he took a step forward and gasped as her hand flexed around the knife. “Eylsa?”
“How long.”
She didn’t move. He couldn’t even see her breathe. “I’m not sure, my memory is a little fuzzy.” He inched closer. “Would you mind handing me the knife? No one will hurt you here.”
She pulled her hand in front of her. “I keep the knife.”
He nodded. “Okay.” He sank to the arm of the couch careful to keep his motions slow and disarming. Her actions had him antsy. “Can you talk to me? I’m not ashamed to say you’re freaking me out a bit.”
“What do you want to talk about.” Her voice was flat.
“How are you feeling?”
“I have not been overly harmed, your concern is ill founded.”
A heavy knot of fear had settled in his stomach. “Is that why you’re standing in a window ignoring people when they talk to you?”
“I had nothing I wished to speak of.”
He jumped to his feet but hesitated as he reached for her. “Ellie…”
“Eylsa. My name is Eylsa.” Her response had a bite to it, a sharp edge of annoyance.
He lowered his hand to his side. “Eylsa then. Could you come away from the window, please?”
“No.”
“It’s okay to feel upset. You thought he was your friend and he betrayed you.”
“He didn’t betray me. He acted exactly as he should have acted. I am the one who left the path.”
A wave of ire diluted the worry that fought to take him over. “How can you say that?”
“You do not blame the wolf for killing the deer.”
“Gregor is no wolf and you are the furthest thing from a deer I’ve ever seen.”
“Not a deer, but I am broken. I needed to be culled.”
His anger flared and he flung his hand out to the side. “Says a man who thinks it is okay to breed people against their will!”
“He is making a perfect hunter.”
The anger had given him courage now as he took a step toward her. “He is turning people into his own experiments! It is wrong! You know that or else you would have given in to him!”
“Giving in would have shown weakness.”
He grabbed her arm and spun her around. The knife flashed but he ignored it even as it bit into the flesh of his neck.
“This isn’t you!”
“You don’t know me.”
He stared into her emotionless eyes. “Fine. Then go back to him. Go back to the man that kidnapped us, tortured us. Go back to the man that sold you into slavery.” He threw up his hands in defeat.
She turned back to the window. “Not yet.”
He let his voice rise with his rage. “When, then? I’d hate to miss your grand departure.”
“You are trying to anger me?” She was emotionless again, her voice dry and devoid of life.
“I am trying to make you see sense!” He watched her expectantly but she held her silence as she stared out the window. “What are you looking for?”
“Security here is pathetic.”
“This house is protected by more spells and enchantments than you can count!”
“You’re distracting me.”
“What has gotten into you?”
“Nothing is inside of me.”
He buried his fists in his hair as a growl erupted past his control. “No, why are you acting like this?”
She glanced back at him. “You think I am acting?”
His mouth flew open, ready to flay her with his anger when a hand fell on his shoulder.
Darius smiled at him. “Good morning, Eylsa. You are looking better.”
Brendan’s lips tightened as she remained silent. “What, you’re only talking to me? What kind of development is that?”
“I told you before. I have nothing I wish to say.”
Darius nodded. “No one is asking you to talk. You’ve been through quite a lot lately.” He took a careful step forward. “I would, however, appreciate it if you would come out of the window. It has been a long time since you have eaten. Can I get you something?” She didn’t move and he stepped closer and touched her arm. “Eylsa?” Darius let his hand drop as he turned back to Brendan.
Brendan lowered his head. “Eylsa, please come from the window.”
“I told you to quit distracting me.”
“Can you leave us, Darius?” Brendan stood silent until he heard a door swing shut. He felt weak in the absence of his anger, tired to his bones. The quiet needling fear crept back up to replace it. “I need you to talk to me, Eylsa. I know you don’t want to talk, but I really need—”
“It wasn’t real, Brendan. None of it was.”
His forehead wrinkled as his hand rubbed the back of his neck. “It seemed pretty real to me. Especially the pain, that was definitely real.”
The breath rushed from her in irritation. “The emotions. He was playing us.”
His brain caught. “What are you talking about?”
“You should leave. He’ll be coming.”
“I’m not going anywhere! Now tell me what you are talking about.”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “He was replacing me. It was all set up. None of it was real.”
“Slow down, what are you saying?”
She turned from the window, knife still tucked to her chest. “Don’t be dense, Brendan. I was no longer useful to him and he needed to replace me. He pushed me at you. I don’t know why you, but he was adamant.”
Brendan put out his hand. “Wait, you’re saying he drugged us? Was slipping us draughts all this time?”
“None of it was real.”
“Who is he?”
She turned back to the window. “No one you want to deal with.”
“Did you know? Did you know he was more than just an assassin? Did you know who he was?”
Her shoulders sank. “I knew he was high up, more than he pretended to be. I promised to help him take down the Trinity if he got me out.”
Brendan dropped his head. “You lied to us.”
“Lied to you before this.”
He bit his lip. “I don’t believe this. So, you were working for Gregor?”
“It really isn’t that complicated. I was helping Gregor to eliminate Mavrin by gaining his trust as his assassin.”
“How long does that take exactly?”
“The Trinity is complex.”
His mind worked for a moment. “Gregor wasn’t interfering the entire time. He didn’t expect you to fall to us, not the first time. He didn’t expect to lose you. You can’t tell me he was dosing us then.”
“You are a fool, Brendan.”
“I don’t think so. I think I am right and you just don’t want to admit it. I think he only dosed us because we were more focused on keeping you safe than breeding his replacement.”
She glared back over her shoulder. “What. Are you saying you are so irresistible that your mere presence rotted my brain to pudding?” She laughed derisively.
“I don’t care what you think. I know what I felt long before Gregor came into our lives. You can’t tell me that wasn’t real.”
Her back straightened as she shook her head. “I do not have time for this. Believe what you want, it will not keep you alive.”
His hand flung out toward the window. “Here I thought that is what you are doing.”
“Prepare your people; we will be leaving soon.”
Brendan’s eyes dropped to the carpet with a heavy sigh. “Right.”
He crept from the room, his mind abuzz with useless noise as he made his way into the kitchen. Cade’s nervous gaze met his but he shook his head. “Wouldn’t even come from the window. She’s completely closed off.”
Darius motioned to a chair beside him, sliding over a glass of green liquid that had a slight glow. “Seems Gregor was not the only one keeping secrets from us.”
Brendan’s forehead smacked down onto the table. “What do we do now?”
Darius’ eyes glazed as he stared at the wall. “First thing is move again, we’ve been here for too long. I want you all packed and ready.”
The three younger men nodded then stood and left the room.
* * *
Darius waited for their footsteps to fade before he made his way into the living room.
Eylsa had yet to move from her post as he settled himself into a comfortable chair. “I’d like to know what to expect, if you could give me some idea.”
“You can expect to die.”
“This is no reason to give up. You’ve come too far to go back now.”
She barked a laugh. “Death is the only release any of us can hope for. When they come for us—and they will—your best hope will be to anger them enough that they kill you. Make sure they know that the cost to capture you will be higher than they are willing to pay.”
Darius lowered his head. “And if they do capture us?”
“We know many ways to prolong death.”
“What happens if we fight and defeat them?”
“Then more will come.”
“Would they ever stop?”
She turned in the window, her stoic eyes chilling him. “You would have to find a way to kill Gregor, and anyone else who cares.”
“Then we go after Gregor.”
Her lips spread into a wry smile. “You would stand no chance.”
“But you would.”
The sigh whispered from her lungs as she turned back to her window.
“Is your life worth so little to you?”
“What do I have to live for? To spend the remainder of my life sequestered away? Or would you prefer to parade me around like some grotesque oddity for your people to gawk at?”
“You don’t really think we would do that, do you?”
“Is it not exactly what you have done?”
“That insanity with the Tribunal will not last forever. It will die down and you will be left to live your own life.”
“Yes, well, I was never taught to live my own life, was I?”
Darius stood from his chair. “We’ll be leaving shortly. I’ll come get you when we are ready.”
She didn’t respond as he walked away and left her to her vigil. He wasn’t surprised to find the three men seated together in a room down the hall. Their eyes pleaded as he stepped into the room.
“She has given up then? After all we’ve been through?” Brendan’s gaze burned with anger. “That is ridiculous!”
Darius held out a hand to stall the younger man’s tirade. “She’s still here; she’s not given up completely. Are we ready to leave?”
Trey nodded and opened his mouth to answer but the words died in his throat. The house resonated with the twinkling of shattered glass, pulling the men to their feet. They rushed toward the living room and the continuing crashes and grunts. They slid into the room and stumbled to a halt as Eylsa tore her knife from the throat of a man in her arms. The blade sent an arc of red across the wall behind her. The room was trashed, furniture upended, glass everywhere, blood spreading across the carpet. And in the middle of it all stood Eylsa, face stoic as she let the man slide to the floor to join two others. She pulled a kerchief from her pocket and wiped splattered gore from her face. “Are we leaving then?”
Brendan crossed toward her as she cleaned the blade, risking quick glances at the bodies. He handed her clothes but kept a wary eye toward her. “Yes, we’re leaving. Are you okay?”
Her eyes were hollow as she dressed unabashedly before them. “Why wouldn’t I be?” She ignored his outstretched hand and hopped across the room, stowing the blade in her belt. “We should move quickly.”
Darius held out his hand and wrapped his gnarled fingers around the homing devices Trey and Cade laid in his palm. Brendan tossed his in as he made his way across the room. Darius glanced up at Eylsa whose face was still stained with blood she had missed.
“Eylsa, if you wouldn’t mind, you will be homing with Brendan.”
She gave an absent nod as he set the new address and handed each man back his device. Cade and Trey flashed away, leaving Brendan to stare after them. Darius met his gaze.
“Give us a decent lead before you follow. We will send warning if we encounter any trouble.”
Brendan nodded and handed Eylsa a bag of her things Trey brought. Darius flashed away. “Just a couple more seconds.”
Eylsa shouldered the bag, opened her palm and without a word pressed her own homing device that she had secreted there, jerking Brendan from his feet. She released his hand and turned up the deserted street.
“Where are we?” he stammered, confused.
“Nowhere anyone will find us.” She dug into the bag and didn’t slow as she pulled on a jumper from its depths.
“Why did you do this?”
She didn’t turn as she spoke. “They are targets only because they helped us. Gregor will focus on us.”
He struggled to keep up with her swift pace. “So you ran to keep them safe?”
“If we can prove enough sport, he might even forget them.”
“Sport, what? Eylsa, they won’t just let us disappear. My friends will look for us.”
She grabbed his arm as she watched a shifting shadow. She took off again without warning. “They can try. Brendan, please, I am a highly skilled assassin. I am quite capable of evading your friends.”
He let his anger surface as she left the street and made her way toward the trees. “You didn’t do so well evading Mavrin!”
She rounded on him, eyes alight with anger. “You just don’t get it, do you? You just cling to this ideal and think you are safe in it. I was raised that you are only as powerful as you dare to be. There are always possibilities if you are willing to pay the price for them!”
“You’re saying morals make us weak?”
“They keep you from many options that those against you will not hesitate to use. They make you vulnerable.”
“And we make you vulnerable.”
Her eyes darted among the shadowed trees. “We should keep moving.”
Sighing, he rubbed his temples as he followed her. “He scared you.”
Her shoulders jerked but she didn’t slow or turn as he pressed.
“That’s it, isn’t it? We showed you something you didn’t want to lose and now he has you thinking he can take it away.”
“You should really be paying attention to your surroundings.”
“Why can’t you admit it?”
“You want me to lie to you?”
Brendan scoffed. “Some big assassin you are, afraid you’ll lose a couple of friends.”
He could hear the sigh pass her lips but her face was hidden in shadow.
“Guess you were right after all. We did make you weak. Too weak to survive without us, too—”
Her foot collided with his chest and sent him sprawling to the ground.
“I don’t know how to deal with this pain!” Her voice shattered across the darkening copse and startled a few birds that were roosted above them. “Does that make you feel better? It incapacitates me!”
She dropped to her knees before him. Her labored breath rocked her body as her eyes finally flooded with life. She pressed her hands to her face, shaking. “Why does it hurt so much?”
“Eylsa…”
She jumped back, shuffling away from him. “Don’t touch me!” Her eyes were wild as she pressed back into a tree. “Don’t you ever touch me!”
He held his hands up and slunk back to the ground. “Okay, I won’t touch you. Just calm down.”
Her hands flew to her hair. “I can’t! I can’t even think! Make it stop!”
“It won’t stop, Eylsa. You won’t find any tools in your training to deal with emotional pain.”
The glint of tears shimmered as she looked up at him. “How…” Her voice broke as her body was wracked with sobs.
His laugh was hollow as he rubbed his face. “I don’t have an easy answer for you. All I can do is comfort you by saying that none of us are helpless. We’re not easy prey.”
“You have hobbled yourselves with ridiculous morals and rules! Your abilities are not what I worry about; it is your convictions that are lacking!”
A strange relief rushed through his chest. “Come back with me. It’ll get better.”
She jumped to her feet and turned her back to him; he could tell she had drawn the knife again. Cautiously he came to his feet, ignoring the leaves stuck to his clothes.
“Eylsa…” He let his fingertips brush her forearm and when she didn’t jerk away he braved another step. “We can figure it out, the five of us together, but we need your help.” He turned her to face him and gasped at the blood that dripped from her mangled forearm.
She tightened her grip on the knife.
“The pain helps. I understand it.” He nodded as he held out his hand. “It’s time to decide, Eylsa: Give up or fight on. If we are dead already, might as well take a few of them with us.”
She stared down at the ground. The shadows played across her face and made her look even younger than she was. Her eyes were wide with worry when they lifted back to him. “What…” She paused and swallowed before she continued. “What if I’m not good enough?”
“Gregor thought you were good enough to keep around. He may be a complete creep but he seems to think a lot of your skills.”
“He thinks well of my skills because he instilled most of them in me, but that’s not what I mean.” She stepped toward the streetlight’s circle of illumination. “What if I’m not a good enough person? What if I can’t be like you?”
Tension eased in his chest as she turned back to face him, blood still dripping from her fingertips. “I can understand why you would be worried; it’s a lot to get used to. We’ll help you where we can. All you can do is try your best.” He took a step toward her. “And, if after some time has passed, you still can’t get it right, we’ll just have to find you stricter teachers.”
An Assassin's Redemption: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance Novel Page 22