Heroines and Hellions: a Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection

by Margo Bond Collins

  “Thank you, Captain. Is there anything else I need to know?”

  “Just off the king’s office is another room. This is our strategy and war room. When required, you are to meet in there. That is all you should need to know about your job so far.”

  “Thank you, sir,” I said.

  “Next I will show you the king’s quarters.”

  I followed him out of my office and down the hall to the king’s own office. As I expected, it was decorated even more elaborate than the halls of the castle. Humongous paintings and portraits hung on every wall while statues stood high in each corner. His desk was a dark stained wood with golden trimmings, and the bookshelves were filled with a vast range of books. Again, I was in awe.

  Captain Malik walked towards a statue in the far corner of the room and clicked a key into a small nook behind the stand. The wall beside the statue moved to the side and showed the hidden staircase behind it. Malik started up the stairs with me quickly in tow behind him. When we reached the top, it opened up to quarters about twice the size as my own. All the furniture was beautiful, and the room was filled with gold, just like a king’s room should be. Malik motioned for me to sit on one of the couches as he sat on the one opposite mine.

  “This is where you will meet with King Jarrett each morning and see him to his quarters before you are dismissed each afternoon. You are to have the afternoon and night to yourself, but you must show up for dinner in the dining room.”

  As Malik finished explaining the final parts of my job, movement on the top of another staircase to the side of the room pulled my attention away from him. A short yet strong-looking man began his descent down the spiral stairs. His hair was as black as the night and in the distance, I could see his eyes were a bright green. He was dressed in the most beautiful dark red tunic with black pants, and his hands were covered in gold and jewels. He definitely looked like a king. He strode towards us with a grim look in his eyes. King Jarrett stopped just short of the couch I was sitting on and looked me deep in the eyes before turning towards Malik.

  “Why is my new advisor a girl?”

  3

  Before anyone could answer the king’s question, we moved down to his office. His eyes stayed stern on mine and his face as hard as a rock. Malik’s eyes met mine as I began walking down the stairs back into the office. I tried to smile, but it wouldn’t go. I took my place in front of the large desk and waited for the king to be seated. Malik stood beside me but didn’t say a word.

  “I ask again, why is my new advisor a girl?”

  “Your Majesty, Callie won the tournament which you set up.”

  “Why was she in the tournament in the first place?”

  The king's words shot me in the heart like an arrow. When I had arrived to be a guard in the kingdom, I had a hard time getting the other guards to take me seriously. All women that wish to be guards are never taken seriously; the other guards think they are weaker. I had to fight my way in through the tougher of the guards just to earn the respect I deserved as a woman.

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I won this position fair and square. I know you won’t like the fact that a woman will be your advisor, but I will be able to prove myself.”

  The king’s eyes went wide, and his mouth dropped open. Malik was the opposite; he looked like he wanted to strangle me for what I said and how I said it. I didn’t care if I was being rude to the king. I deserved to prove my worth in the position. I looked around the room and mentally made a list of all the entry points an assassin would be able to use.

  “There are six entry points to this particular room, four large windows, a door that can easily be lockpicked and the fireplace chimney.”

  “The chimney?” Malik asked.

  “If an assassin was small and nimble enough, they could easily shimmy down the chimney undetected.”

  Captain Malik stared at me like someone had punched him in the face. Had no one pointed out the possible entry points before? Was I seriously the only one? Their holding stares made me nervous, and I bundled my uniform in my hands as I waited for them to speak. Malik moved closer to the king, and they whispered to each other for a long time, only stopping to look back at me before returning to their conversation. I almost wanted to ask if they wished to be alone, but before I could, Malik returned to my side. His face was still stern and unmoving, but he looked directly into my eyes as he took his place.

  “Callie, your detection of possible entry points has got Captain Malik intrigued. He has convinced me to give you a chance,” the king said.

  “Thank you, King Jarrett, I won’t let you...”

  “I didn’t say I was giving you the position. I said I was giving you a chance. A chance to prove yourself worthy of being my advisor.”

  I had no idea what he meant by giving me a chance to prove myself. I nodded along with what he was saying. If it was a way to get closer to him and do my job, I had to do it.

  “What is it I have to do?” I asked.

  “I have advised for Captain Malik to set up a food tasting test. For three days, you will test each of my meals for poisons, and one of my meals will be poisoned, something nonlethal of course. You are to find and identify the poison. When or if you do, you will be taken on as my advisor and personal guard. Doing this will prove your loyalty to me and the position of keeping me safe and advising me.”

  “Okay, thank you for the chance to prove myself, Your Majesty.”

  “Before you leave, how old are you, Callie?”

  I was curious as to why my age would be questioned. “I am twenty-five, Your Majesty. Why? Is my age going to be a problem?”

  The king shook his head. “No, not at all. I only ask because if you do prove yourself worthy of the position of my advisor, I’d want you around for a long time. I wouldn’t want you dying on me. Now go.”

  I gave a small bow and exited the room, leaving the king and the captain alone. I needed to read up on poisons before I took the test. As I began to walk back towards my new quarters, I had a thought to meet with someone who would be able to help me with the poisons, but I needed to go at night. Dinner was still a few hours away, so I went back to my quarters to look around for a while.

  The hours flew by fast, and before I knew it, it was time for a meeting I had set up months ago when the tournament was first announced. I dressed for warmth in the black clothes I had hidden from the servants and checked to see if anyone had been posted to guard my door. When I was satisfied that no one was around, I made my way onto the grounds to sneak out of the castle.

  4

  If I left the castle the normal way, the guards would question where I was going at night. While being a guard for two years I made note of every point of the castle wall that could be easily scaled in case I needed to leave quickly. With my favourite black cloak tied around my neck, I lifted the hood and was concealed. I made my way through the dark castle grounds towards one of the easy parts of the wall to climb. I knew the guards posting schedule and knew no one would be there for another fifteen minutes. Enough time for me to scale the wall and get over the other side. The large wall came into my sight as I raced across the lush grass. The bricks in the wall had slightly rotted away, leaving small holes that were big enough to use as feet and hand holds. I lifted my foot into the first hole and hoisted myself up enough to reach for another one, repeating the same thing until I got to the top. My hands scratched against the rough brick and cut small yet stinging wounds into my fingers and palms. I didn’t care; I was out of there.

  A noise to my left brought me back to reality and away from my injuries. The guard was starting his fence rounds early. Looking down to the ground below me, it was going to be a long drop. I lowered myself as far as I could off the wall before dropping to the hard dirt beneath me. The force of the landing sent vibrations up my legs and into my spine, causing me to stop for a moment and wait for the strange pain to leave. Sounds of the guard behind the wall forced me to stay quiet in the darkness. Normally, I would
be used to lurking in the darkness and stealthily entering and leaving highly secure places, but it still made my pulse quicken when a guard was that close.

  When the guard finally left the side of the castle wall, I made my way into Terralyn. My contact had a small house that he occupied for when I needed to speak with him. I stayed along the forest line in case I needed to run, making my way around the edge of town. I slipped through the close buildings and into the dirty and dark streets. My contact’s house was in the worst part of Terralyn, where crime had taken over and no one cared about anything apart from trying to stay alive. I lived in this area of Terralyn a few years before I moved into the castle, and I had learned how to survive but not without my fair share of crimes happening around me.

  When I finally arrived at the house, it was dark inside. No gas lamps had been lit. I didn’t even know if my contact would be there for me to speak with him. I knew the door would be locked, so I found a window that was unlocked for me to pry it open. As soon as I made it inside, I could feel there was another person there with me. I pulled out a concealed dagger that I always took with me whenever I went out alone, and I started walking through the dark house. A small shift in movement caught my eye; I brandished my dagger and got ready in case of an attack.

  “Who’s there?” I called.

  “Mal? Is that you?” a familiar voice called back.

  That name. As soon as I heard that name in that voice, I knew I was safe. I placed my dagger back in its sheath and moved farther into the room.

  “Yes, Fletcher, it’s me.”

  A gas light flickered to life and filled the room with a warm, yellow glow. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw Fletcher sitting in a corner with a dagger in his hand. I gave him a devilish smile before he placed the dagger on the table beside him, still in reach if something were to happen. Fletcher was a strange man. He always had crazy thoughts that he needed me to check out for him, although, most of the time he never told me the full thought. His dark brown hair was just starting to grey on the edges, but he didn’t care; he said it made him look more refined. I walked closer to him and noticed his shoes and pants were still muddy like he had just come from his fields. Fletcher was a horse breeder and seller; he would spend all day in the fields and stalls and forget about cleaning himself up.

  “There’s my favourite hired assassin.”

  “Fletcher, I’m your only hired assassin. You wouldn’t be able to afford a second one.”

  “That is true. How are you, Mal? Or should I call you Callie?”

  “It’s Mal for you; I only use the name Callie when I’m in the castle. I am good, I have some news for you,” I said. As the words passed through my lips, Fletcher’s eyes lit up as bright as the gas lamp.

  I pulled up a chair and sat in front of Fletcher; he leaned forward onto his hands and stared straight into my eyes. He always liked it when I had news. Fletcher hired me three years ago to spy on King Jarrett. He didn’t tell me why, just that I had to keep an eye on him and what he was doing. It took me a year to get a job as a guard and close enough so I could start watching the king better than as an outsider looking in. In the two years of being a guard, I hadn’t seen much happening around the king, only small business trips that didn’t look like anything serious, but I still liked to update Fletcher as much as possible.

  I gave him a small smile as I thought about where I should start my news. He fidgeted in his chair, excited to hear anything I had to say.

  “The king held the tournament yesterday and the day before. This tournament was to find his new advisor and personal guard for meetings.”

  “Why would he need a new advisor?”

  “That I am unsure of. I haven’t been told too much information.” I paused for a moment, allowing him to take in what I was saying. “The tournament had eight participants, and one was me.”

  His jaw dropped open, and his eyes went wide. He knew exactly what I was saying. I had a chance to get closer to my target of interest. A chance to get into a position to personally hear every affair the king was involved in, everything he was planning. This was the chance Fletcher was waiting for me to get and I knew it.

  “You’re telling me you had the chance to become Jarrett’s advisor? Please tell me you won.” He rubbed his hands together and bounced around in place, he looked as though he was about to burst with excitement.

  Through all our meetings and even when Fletcher first hired me, he never called the king the king. He always called him by his first name and never said anything about royalty. The only time he mentioned the king’s title was when he explained to me who I was watching for him. I just shrugged it off as a quirk of his.

  “Fletcher, would I have told you about it if I hadn’t won?”

  He thought about it for a moment. “No, you wouldn’t have, as it wouldn’t have been relevant.”

  He went silent for a moment then suddenly jumped out of his chair and started dancing around the room. I couldn’t help but snicker at his reaction to my promotion. The gas lamp in the room flickered and made it look like the light was dancing with him.

  “There’s more, Fletcher.” I stopped so he could take his seat again. “But this part isn’t that good.”

  “How can it not be good? You’re now close to Jarrett. You can hear and know about every single thing he does, so how is that bad?”

  “He doesn’t trust a girl as his advisor.”

  He was shocked again, his eyes went wide. He thought for a moment before he turned horrified with anger, his eyes went dark and his mouth tensed and his jaw locked, he looked as though he wanted to rip King Jarrett’s throat out with his bare hands. He stood from his chair, slowly walked into another room and closed the door behind him. A second later, Fletcher began screaming, shouting horrible things aimed at the king. I couldn’t let him continue in case others in the street heard and called a castle guard to come and take him away for saying terrible things about their king. I knocked on the door and ordered him to stop at once. After one last scream from him, he joined me back in the living room. Although the yellow light didn’t show much, I could see his face was now red from his rage. It was obvious there was more behind his anger than what I had told him but I didn’t want to press it further.

  “The king is giving me a chance to prove that I can be a good advisor.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that before I started shouting?”

  I laughed at his accusing question. “You didn’t let me continue, you just got up and left.”

  He nodded and joined my laugh before staring back into my eyes and waiting for me to continue. I didn’t know how to explain the proposition the king gave me to prove myself, so I decided to just say it like King Jarrett did.

  “King Jarrett is giving me a poison test. I am to test his meals for three days, and one of which will be poisoned with a nonlethal poison. I am to find which meal is dosed and identify the poison. If I do that, he will be okay with me being his advisor and personal guard.”

  “What would that do?”

  “He claims it will prove my loyalty to him, I don’t understand it but it’s the only way to get close like you want.”

  “That’s understandable, do the test.”

  “There’s one thing though,” I said.

  “What is that?”

  “I have no idea about poisons. I wasn’t taught that method of assassinating someone. I’ve always just stabbed or beheaded. Never poison.”

  Fletcher shook his head but smiled at me. He got up from his chair and went to the second room again. When he returned, he was carrying a black cloak in his hands. As he fastened it around his neck and walked towards the door, I stood from my own chair and watched him.

  “Stay here for a moment. I’ll be back with something for you.”

  As he finished saying it, he closed the door behind him, leaving me alone in his safe house. I waited in the living room wondering where Fletcher would have run off to. What is so important that it had to be done
now? I looked around Fletcher’s safe house while waiting; I noticed a nice stash of weapons in the second room, hidden in a fake wall behind the dresser. I pulled out a great sword and started swinging it around, practicing with the heavier sword. Since I had a smaller figure than a male guard, I had to train harder with larger and heavier weapons to keep up with them.

  Although swords are my specialty, the great sword was always trickier for me to master. My assassin trainer kept me using the heavier sword no matter how many times I lost in a fight. He taught me to keep trying even though I was at a disadvantage; I needed to learn to turn the disadvantage into my own advantage by learning the weapon and mastering it. Hours and hours of vigorous training, day after day but I finally did it. The great sword was finally one of my advantages.

  An hour went by, and Fletcher finally arrived back. As he entered the safe house, his arms were filled with five books. He placed them on the living room table and told me to look at them. They were all about poisons, detecting poisons, the art of poisoning and everything in between.

  “Where did you get these?” I asked.

  “There is a night market that deals in things like these; I bought them since I figured you’d need them.”

  “Thank you, Fletcher. I don’t know how to repay you.”

  “You will repay me when you keep finding out things about Jarrett. Now, it’s time for you go head back to the castle. You don’t want anyone to figure out you were gone.”

  I nodded in agreement, but before I left, I asked for something that would help me get the books over the castle wall. He handed me a rope and tied it around the books enough so they wouldn’t move and so I could tie them to my waist while I climbed. I thanked him again and left the way I came in, making sure I wasn’t seen. Lifting my hood over my head again, I headed back to the edge of the forest.

  An eerie silence fell around me; I needed to get back to the castle before it was too late in the night. Servants would be roaming the castle, getting things ready for the next day; I had to make sure no one saw me. By the time I made it back to the same place on the wall, I realised the guards would have already passed by so I started my climb. I kept my ear out for any noises around me, but nothing was there. The only movement near me were birds in the trees. I used the nooks in the wall to lower myself enough before dropping down. The drop to the grass sent vibrations through my body again, but I didn’t have time to wait for it to leave. As I scurried across the castle grounds, the town clock chimed ten; I hadn’t known it was that late.