“That’s the Death Sparrow. She’s come offering her services to stop the Samorians.” Raft said.
“It’s a trick,” growled the old man.
“She could’ve killed me. I think she means to be our ally, at least for now.” The Prince said.
“Daryl,” the Captain began.
“No. We’re in trouble. We hire mercenaries we don’t trust all the time. Why not an assassin? If we keep a close eye on her, we both get what we want.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“We’re out of options. We can’t win as it stands. The General will be weeks, if not months, before he returns with the strength of the rest of our army.”
The Captain stood up taller and sheathed his blade.
“Fine.” He said before turning to her. “Alright, Sparrow. You want to prove you mean it. I want you to play Court Lady for a few weeks while we’re preparing our army. Prove to me you can restrain yourself from killing anyone and I might let you stay.”
Serena scowled at the idea of wearing ball gowns and layers of makeup.
“I’m much more suited to be a guard than a Lady.” She remained kneeled with her weapons in reach.
“Ike and Raft will be your personal guards during this time. I expect them both to be kept alive.”
He grinned. Serena looked at the Captain, seeing the darkness in his eyes. There was more to this than just a test of loyalty. Perhaps humiliation? Perhaps something else. Regardless, it was an opening.
“Fine. I agree,”
“Stand up, arms out.”
“What?”
“Arms out,” Serena did as asked, and the Captain began patting her down. His warm hands roughly checked the curves of her body. Serena glared at him, her hands balled into fists as she let him work. He pulled off her whittling kit and added it to the pile of weapons he handed to the half breed. Finishing his search, he nodded. She glared at him.
“It was necessary. Don’t act like I enjoyed that.”
“Let’s get you settled, Lady-” the Prince began.
“Serena,”
“Get those put away for me, James. Ike and Raft with me. Daryl go back to your room. I’ll talk to you after I get Lady Serena settled.”
“I’m coming,” Daryl said. “I want to learn more about our new guest.”
The Captain took a deep breath but led the group out into the hall. They walked through the corridors, each looking the same as the last. They entered the grand foyer, and she marveled at the extravagance. Golden vines and flowers outlined the matching leafed ceiling. Crown molding led the eye inwards to the center where a golden painting of the sun seemed to illuminate the room from the light of the chandelier below it. Huge twenty-foot pillars rose to the sky as colorful lights from large stained-glass windows danced around them. Each window depicted a hero of Acreage and was encased in golden molding that highlighted the oversized windowsills.
Serena held back the gasp in her throat. She never thought such things would still exist. Why wouldn’t the King destroy them and remake them in his image? A pit of despair reminded her why. They were a method of reminding the natives of what he stole. A reminder that even their heroes could not protect them from him. A bitter taste sat in her mouth as she looked away from the windows.
Her steps felt loud as she adjusted to the marble floor. The Captain led them through a set of double doors to another room. This one had a large chandelier hanging in the center as a grand staircase curved around it. Several more normal-sized doors pointed out in different directions. Large paintings filled gaps on the walls as intricate golden candelabras lit the room.
She memorized the look of the place, imagining where the many doors could take her. She tried to think back on the maps she had seen, but none of them captured the grand scale of the castle. Keeping track of the number of steps she took comforted her as they provided an opportunity to snoop later without getting lost.
The Captain led them down a new hall into a different wing of the castle. These walls were covered in a red wallpaper full of small white flowers. A golden-colored crown molding, and a matching chair rail, outlined the hall. Many doors lined both sides as windows began twenty feet down the hall, breaking up the wall of entryways. The windows each shared a small circular stained-glass image of the sun outlined in red at the top. It memorialized the creed of Acreage and their Gods. The sun always rose on Acreage, once.
The floor was covered in a red carpet with golden trim matching the golden chandeliers that hung at intervals through the hall. A gentle glow illuminated them as they turned the corner to a new passage. Here large bay windows illuminated the west side of the palace, looking out on the far side of the gardens and the training fields of the guards. It helped her keep her bearings of the palace as they walked. Otherwise, she felt she could get lost in these monotonously luxurious halls. The windows stopped, and they turned yet another corner to a less grand passageway.
Serena took in the details of the Prince and his Captain as they walked. The Prince had bright brunette hair and a handsome face. No wonder there were people like the Captain at his side. Looks and power often drew other people to their side. Something the King no doubt enjoyed exploiting. She wondered how the Prince grew up so docile in a place like this. The stories she heard painted a very heavy and dark image of the castle. Yet the Prince and in some regards the Captain were both still fighting against that darkness. Maybe she understood that herself. She had been fighting her own darkness for as long as she could remember.
“This will be your room milady.” the Prince said, walking over to the first door on the left. He pushed open the door, revealing an extravagant room behind. Luxurious couches, tables, a fireplace all draped in frilly lace. A vanity full of makeup drew her attention as well. She felt incredibly unprepared to have to layer that on.
“I’ll send over some things. You don’t exactly have the wardrobe of a Lady of the Court.” The Prince said.
“We’ll see how long she lasts. I’ll have a noose waiting for her.” The Captain said walking inside as he surveyed the room.
“Do I make you nervous, Captain?” She leaned closer to him, a smirk planted on her lips.
“I don’t trust a word that leaves your pretty mouth.” he returned, leaning down to her. His eyes fell onto her rosy lips and she chuckled. The moment of seduction was perfect. She pulled away from him and walked into the center of the room.
“That’s very smart of you. Much too smart for a Captain. Perhaps, you’re smart enough to be a General.” She continued looking back at him. The Captain glared at her. She saw the slight trepidation of his breaths and the slight tightness of his muscle. She hit a nerve he was trying to not show. She’d never forget it.
“You should be happy I don’t accommodate you in the dungeon,”
“We made a deal.” The Prince reminded. The Captain snorted, walking to a small door on the wall.
Serena observed the gray walls and the tapestries that covered them. The tapestries proudly displayed the crest of the King. The sword and shield feeling like an ominous threat. She noted a large bay windowsill full of pillows. A small chandelier hung above a blue living room set on top of an ornate rug.
She watched the Captain. He opened the door, leaning into the doorway.
“Mary!”
“I do not need a servant!”
“You’re having as many eyes as I can put on you.”
“She’ll help you dress for court. There’s a court dinner tomorrow. You’ll be expected to attend.” The Prince inserted.
She scowled and clicked her tongue.
“Fine. Can you all leave now? I’d like to get some sleep before this dinner.”
Puffing breaths drew her attention. She looked to the servant’s door where an older Acrean woman walked in.
“It’s bloody late to be calling through the castle. You’re lucky I was nearby or else you’d be screaming to the wind.” The woman said. Her Acrean accent was thick and her sk
in a deep chocolate. A perfect image of an Acrean before the war.
“Serena, here is your new charge. I’d like you to sleep in the nearby servant bedroom and keep an eye on her.”
Mary’s dark eyes inspected Serena.
“What is she, a mercenary?”
“Assassin,”
Mary’s eyes widened for a moment before settling.
“I’ll move my stuff tonight. Expect to get up early, girl. We will need every minute to make you presentable.”
“I get up when I want.” Serena returned in Acrean. The room fell into a hush as if she’d just done something truly awful, like kill a man.
“You can’t speak in that tongue here. If the King hears, he’ll have you strung up by morning.” Mary said, breaking the silence. “Mind your manners. The castle only looks spectacular.”
The Captain woke from his shock.
“I expect you to be on time tomorrow. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself.” He turned to Mary. “Thank you, Mary. Ike, Raft outside the doors. I’ll escort her to dinner. Until then, I expect you posted outside. Let’s go, Daryl.”
Raft and Ike walked to the hall, standing on either side of the door. The Captain walked into the hall and turned to the Prince who idled looking at Serena.
“I’ll pray to the ancestors you meant your promise. We need help. More than you know.”
With those parting words, he left. The Captain slammed the doors shut, locking her in.
◆◆◆
Chapter Five
Serena sat in front of the vanity. The morning light illuminating the rich shades of her hair as she untangled it. Once finished, she instinctually braided it.
“Stop that!” Mary said. Serena looked over at the Acrean woman who stood puffing up the skirt of a lavender dress. Serena gritted her teeth at the sight of it.
Compromises. The thought turned her stomach. All the layers of the dress would impede mobility. What if she needed to run? She’d trip or the fabric would catch under people’s feet. Her hands grew sweaty, and she rubbed them on her robe.
“Tell me Mary, how long have you worked here?”
“A long time.”
“Were you here before?”
“Before what?”
“The Templarians.”
Mary stopped with the dress and looked over at Serena.
“Why would you ask such a stupid question? Of course not.”
“Who were you before?”
“Why reminisce? This is life now.”
“I don’t remember it.”
The way her heart throbbed at the thought stunned Serena. She had no memories of a world before Templarians. Mary sighed, walking over and beginning to fix Serena’s hair into a Templarian updo.
“It wasn’t all rainbows. Too many people prayed to Gods instead of doing the work themselves. Too many people, the old Royals included, thought magic solved problems. I saw it create many more than it fixed.” Mary stopped for a moment, a small smile growing on her face. “but nothing compared to the festivals. My family and I would visit each of the God’s grand Temples for their festivals. Even Klona before crime took it over bustled with people. So much music I haven’t heard since. So many foods even I have not been able to eat.” She paused again, her smile quickly replaced with a frown. “You are lucky you don’t remember. It makes it easier.”
“I would’ve liked to go to festivals with a family. I would’ve liked to have had such memories.”
Mary looked at Serena’s face in the mirror and sighed.
“We all lost people during the war. Take comfort in Altara. She greeted them and led them to the heavens.”
“You’re confident they’re still listening.”
“The gods never left us. They live in our blood, in our skin scorched by their divinity. That’s why the Templarians don’t have magic. No gods wanted to touch them.” Mary smirked and finished pinning Serena’s hair. Serena smiled as well.
“Get up. Let’s get the dress on.”
Mary led her to the dress and took off the tulle skirt. Serena slid off her robe, revealing her bloomers and corset. Mary helped her step into a large skirt of tulle, tying it behind her before offering the chest piece. Serena pulled her arms through the sleeves as Mary began lacing the back.
“I heard about the Death Sparrow. Was supposed to be a man.” Serena waited. “Glad it ain’t. Men need a good reminder that women aren’t as weak as we appear.”
A couple more layers of dress Serena stood in the most extravagant clothes of her life. The lavender dress was decorated in pearls and glistened in the room's light. She tried counting all the pearls, knowing this dress cost more than any amount of money she ever held in her hands. It felt foreign. She moved to sit back at the vanity as Mary moved to her makeup.
A knock on the door drew her attention.
“Come in!” Mary said as she continued her work. The Captain walked in, looking over at the pair. He walked with silent steps. Too much like an assassin himself, it put her on edge. She touched her waist searching for the comfort of a blade, finding none.
“We need to be going.”
“We’re almost finished.”
Serena took in his uniform. He dressed in his blue military suit with gold trim that elegantly framed his well-built body. She could see his toned muscles underneath the white shirt outlined by the deep royal blue jacket. On his head was a matching blue and gold hat that cast his face into a gentle shadow. His light-colored eyes shone out, peering at her. She noticed the engraving on the buttons. The Templarian Phoenix engraved there claiming him to the King’s army. He stood erect, his black boots newly shined and his sword tied to his left hip. Looking at him she admitted only to herself he was indeed handsome. Something to be wary of.
“There,” Mary put down her brushes and handed Serena a pair of heels.
“I draw my line at these,” Serena said, offering them back. There would be no way to run or move in such torture devices.
“Follow the customs,” Mary returned, her eyes stern. Serena scowled but slipped the shoes on her feet before standing. At first, she wobbled, gathering her balance as the weight of the dress felt like it would drag her down. She felt the awkward way the shoes made her stand taller and more erect, her weight moved to her toes over the balls of her feet. She took a few steps, hearing the loud clank of the heel. The loud sound annoyed her, sounding like horns announcing her presence.
Mary grabbed her hands quickly, sliding white gloves over her fingers before Serena could protest. A silver ring was then added. A hiss escaped Serena’s throat looking at the sight of the King’s phoenix on her hand.
“I know you don’t like it, but appearances are everything in front of the King.”
She held back her grin. The best way to get close to the King would be to learn his court. A perfect opportunity could not be wasted regardless of the dress it required. She wondered how she’d control herself.
Killing the king felt ingrained in her. All the young assassins played a game called kill the king as children. They each took turns planning the perfect mission to end the tyrant. Now she was about to be in the same room as him and forget such things. Killing the king would not stop the Samorians. It would not help the assassins. She gritted her teeth, trying to push the idea away like a childish game.
“Finished?” The Captain remarked. She turned back to him, seeing a mixture of emotions. Perhaps even him, the Captain of the Guards did not like his ruler. She prepared herself to sit before the King as an exotic toy for him to remark about and play with. If she displeased him, the Captain had no power to protect her even if he wanted to. She realized the truth. This was a solo mission amongst enemies, and her appearance meant everything. The layers of fabric that surrounded her skin suddenly felt like the strongest armor around.
“Do I look the part?” She turned to the Captain who finally looked at her. His eyes remained disinterested, as if unaffected by the gown.
“You’ll fit in fine,
”
“Well then, let’s get this over with. Come on, Captain,” she said walking past him. The scent of myrrh and jasmine filled her nose as she walked closely by nearly rubbing shoulders. For some reason, it comforted her anxious heart, but she quickly noticed the stares of the new guards stationed at her door.
“New guards? What happened to Raft and Ike?”
“They need to sleep like the rest of us. Come on.”
“You look pretty, Miss,” said the guard on her right. She smiled at him, noting the uniform matched the other guard. Perhaps she’d get to know them better later. She was curious who else knew who she really was.
The Captain walked over to the guard who spoke glaring down at him.
“I expect silent obedience. Especially when you are being punished for being late to last night’s rounds.”
Will nodded his head vigorously.
“Yes, Captain. Sorry, Captain.”
The Captain snorted, turning back to Serena. He grabbed her arm hard. His fingers digging into her. She yanked her arm back, glaring at him. He stopped for a moment, the anger on his face softening.
“Sorry,” He offered his arm to her, waiting for her to take it. “You’re my guest at dinner. I need you to act the part.”
She looked at his outstretched arm. She inspected his face for any signs that he’d take his anger out on her. Was he dangerous? Yes, but he would not hurt her. Not without a reason. She linked her arm into his, stepping closer. His warm touch burned her skin. She ignored it. The nagging truth about appearances, threatened her to behave.
“You’re too tense. People will notice.” He commented as they walked.
“I’m about to walk into the presence of the man who effectively killed my parents. I’m sorry if it does not excite me.”
He let out a breath.
“It’s not ideal, but this is the way things are.”
“That’s easier to say from your position than mine. None of this is acceptable to an Acrean.” She explained. Silence persisted for several seconds before the Captain spoke up.
“You’re right, none of this is acceptable, but here at court, we’re all under the threat of execution. Play your part and everything will be fine. I’ll be across from you at dinner.”
The Death Sparrow's Shadow: The Assassin of Acreage Book One Page 5