The people were still spread out at this end of the street, but the market square ahead of them was packed. It would be difficult to keep an eye on the princess and her attendants from the rooftops.
She reached the start of the festival, passing under the large colourful banner that marked the boundary and the first of the stalls.
Ixion watched her closely as she moved through the gathered people. She was beautiful. Her gown pushed her breasts up and the tight short pale blue jacket she wore only emphasised them all the more. The glossy waves of her long black hair spilled over her shoulders, free for once rather than drawn back. At the palace, she had looked at him long enough for him to notice the black kohl that lined her rich green eyes, emphasising the shape of them and her long lashes. She was beautiful enough to take his breath away, but it was difficult to see her like this, knowing what her father had planned and that she may already love another.
It was torture and he longed for her to end his misery and silence his heart forever.
She had a very sensual way of moving, her hips swaying enough that it would be noticed, more so than usual today. It was as though she knew she was being watched, or she wanted to be watched.
The males in the crowd were certainly out to satisfy her desire to be seen. The way they looked at her made Ixion's blood burn. His fingers twitched against the two blades strapped to his legs.
Two young males at a stall called her over, showing the fine pottery they were selling. Another male at a stall opposite called to her too, holding up a bolt of pure blue silk and smiling.
Ixion stroked the blades, picturing their quick deaths at his hands. He hated the lustful and unabashed way they raked their eyes over Natalia, lingering on her cleavage and daring to look into her eyes.
Natalia shook her head and moved on, her hips swaying enticingly with each step, drawing his attention to only her, so much so that he started to forget to focus on the crowd and look for danger.
He was no better than those males. Her sensual air and beauty had him lusting after her too.
No. It was more than lust.
But whatever it was, it was pointless, just as the males attentions to her were. They could compete for her attention all they wanted but in the end, she would belong to none of them.
Ixion watched her stop at a stall with her two attendants. All three of them wore empire-line dresses but the two attendants’ ones were noticeably different. The material was poorer quality and made the fineness of Natalia's evident to everyone. The colour was also dull, the dark haired maid in cream and the redhead in a pale green. Natalia wore sky blue.
It turned his stomach.
Sky blue would be the colour she wore at her wedding.
Her father's conversation with her came back and Ixion stared at Natalia, wondering who the man she had blushed about was. Did she already have someone in mind? Had other males been contacting her, males worthy of her love and attention? That turned his stomach too. The whole affair made him want to turn his back right now and walk away. Pride and duty kept him still, forcing him to continue along a path that would inevitably break his heart. It was a path that he had to tread. An assassin had no right to desire or love a princess and it was time that he realised that. His duty was everything. To turn his back on it was to disgrace his family.
She had moved on and he was thankful that his men had followed, blending into the crowd.
Two older males at stalls next to each other competed for her attention, offering her sweet candy and sugary drinks. She took some from both of them. When her dark haired attendant tried to pay, the men waved them away, smiling and laughing.
Did they think that giving her free things would win her heart?
Ixion's jaw ticked.
If that were the case, he would kill every suitor her father sent her way for her. It was the only thing he knew how to do. He couldn't offer her fine goods and fancy delicacies. He could only kill.
That was all that he was good for.
Natalia stopped at another stall, this time managed by an older woman and selling jewellery. The stones didn't seem particularly expensive, nothing more than cheap trinkets, but they excited Natalia and her two attendants. The dark blue hangings on the stall were stitched with silver stars, providing a beautiful backdrop for Natalia as she turned and showed one necklace to her companions. A myriad of emotions crossed her face as the bright sun made the deep purple heart-shaped stone in the pendant sparkle. They fascinated him. He had rarely seen her express her emotions and let them show. She looked at the tag on the pendant and frowned when her attendant checked her purse. Disappointment flitted across her face. Clearly she hadn't expected the festival to be so expensive.
They moved on, heading deep into the crowd where there was barely any room to walk and away from the rooftop on which he stood. He couldn't track her from above anymore and he was growing tired of seeing the males vying for her attention. He needed to be closer to her, wanted her to be his so much, even when he knew that he couldn't have her.
Ixion disappeared and reappeared next to the stall that sold the jewellery. Looking down, he spotted the necklace that had made Natalia's eyes shine and frowned at the price. It was expensive. The price tag was far more Lynans than it was worth. But she had seemed to like it.
Reaching into his jacket pocket, he took out all the Lynans that he had. He never bought anything with his wages. It accumulated in the Central Bank of Lyra. What he had in his pocket was this week's pay and wasn't enough to buy the pendant. He looked at the old woman and then in the direction that Natalia had gone. She had stopped two stalls away.
His hand went straight for his blade when someone touched his money where it sat on his upturned palm. He stopped himself from drawing it when he saw it was the old woman. She smiled at him, as though she knew why he wanted the pendant, and took some of his money, not nearly enough to cover the cost of the necklace.
"Tk'llsoi nkayk utteaiosolance."
Ixion stepped back, glaring at her, shocked by the language that she had spoken.
She offered the pendant with a broad warm smile.
"Akkati nem utteaiosolance."
His hands shook when he went to take it. The clear purple heart was warm against his fingers and slowly turned black when he touched it. Variance stone? He stared at the old woman. How had she managed to lay hands on something from his home world? No traders went there. She nodded and smiled. Her words rang in his head.
A heart for an assassin.
How did she know him?
An assassin deserves love too.
She didn't know him at all. If she did, she wouldn't say such things to him in his own language.
Her eyes shifted, the edges of her irises turning purple. Perseian. Their own language then. He had never expected to meet another Perseian outside of the royal assassins, not here on Lyran soil so far from home and definitely not a female.
He bowed, pocketed the pendant and followed after Natalia, trying to shake off the unsettled feeling inside of him. It had been twenty Lyran years since he had left Perseia. In that time, he had forgotten things about his home world, things that came back to him now.
He shook them away and focused on Natalia.
The crowd was closely packed but he moved through it with ease, never breaking his cover or being seen and always aware of his surroundings but focused on Natalia.
She pointed to something a short distance away and tugged her attendants there. Ixion slipped through the crowd and stopped when he saw her. She was laughing. It had been so long since he had seen her laugh. Years. It was a relief to see her smiling again after her confrontation with her father.
Ixion moved closer, wanting to see what had amused her. Her eyes lit up, glittering like the precious stone from which they had stolen their colour, and she laughed again.
He looked at her hands as a portly middle aged Lyran female placed a small bundle of pale blue fluff into them. A head immediately popped out of the mass of fe
athers, wide blue eyes taking in the Natalia as she stared back at it. It pecked at her with its dark blue beak and then wriggled as though settling down for a sleep in a nest.
A baby Friskin.
They didn't have such things on his planet. It was bleak and lifeless, barely able to sustain his species let alone any wildlife, and situated beyond the point where the markets roamed.
There was so much life on Lyra Five.
He narrowed his eyes on Natalia, almost smiling along with her as she laughed and stroked the Friskin now settled and sleeping in her delicate hand.
There was so much life in her.
It only made him love her more.
Natalia turned and stopped when her eyes fell on him. Her hand continued to stroke the Friskin even though her concentration was clearly on him. The laughter fled her lips, replaced by a shy smile that barely tilted the corners of her rosy lips but filled her green eyes with startling warmth.
It tugged at his heart.
Such a smile for him?
He was tempted to look around and check that she was really looking at him and not one of the more worthy males present, but didn't want to shatter a moment that he knew would live in his memory forever.
No matter what happened, he would always have this moment. This smile would always be his.
He took a step towards her.
The universe exploded.
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Chapter 5
A hot shockwave slammed into Natalia's back, throwing her to the ground. She held the baby Friskin to her chest, protecting it, and angled herself so she landed on her shoulder rather than her front. Blood rushed through her ears, her heart thundering as she tried to make sense of what had happened.
Her two attendants were immediately covering her, their bodies protecting her from any further damage. Her head spun and a ringing sound replaced the rushing blood in her ears. She could barely hear the shrieks and screams of the crowd over the noise. Every bone in her body ached when she tried to move.
Suddenly she was on her feet, the baby bird still clutched safely in her hands, and was moving. She stumbled along, her legs shaking and weak, and looked down at the black-gloved hand on her arm. Her gaze tracked up a black-clad arm to its owner.
Ixion.
He said something to the other two assassins and they were gone, leading her two attendants off in different directions.
The crowd pushed at her, increasing her panic to the point of hysteria. Weapon's fire rang out around the square and she ducked her head, clinging to the small animal in her hands. Its frightened heartbeat almost matched the speed of her own but she wouldn't let anything happen to it.
Ixion pulled her down a side street where only a few other people were running from the scene. Natalia looked back to see black smoke curling up into the air and the military rushing in. So many people must have died. The heat and force of the blast had been incredible and she could see that it had come from the spaceport. She had been over two hundred metres from the port. The bomb must have decimated anyone near it.
Adrenaline made her shake and she only managed to keep going because of Ixion's unrelenting grip on her arm. If he hadn't been with her, she was sure that she would still be back in the square, shell-shocked by the blast.
Heavy weapons fire made her flinch. Deep thudding echoes alerted her to the approach of armoured suits—metal robotic armour that soldiers piloted. One appeared at the end of the alley, blocking it completely, the suit making her think of a huge man. It moved towards them, massive assault rifle raised.
Ixion ducked down another alley, heading away from it and towards the palace.
The palace.
She wished that she had stayed there.
Smoke loomed ahead of them and the sound of fighting was getting stronger rather than weaker. She gasped when they came out in the midst of a skirmish and only had time to see one man gunned down before Ixion was running with her again, this time towards the ocean. The palace was getting further away.
Tears filled her eyes, a mixture of fear and reaction to the smoke. It burned her lungs but she kept running, holding the Friskin close to her chest. They were all in this together now and she wasn't going to let anything happen to any of them—not her, not the Friskin and certainly not Ixion.
Natalia looked across at him where he ran a step ahead of her, his gaze scanning everything. He turned again and she wondered how well he knew the city. She had never seen these side streets before. They were barely wide enough for them to run down.
The palace stood in the distance. She held the Friskin in one hand and lifted her dress with the other, determined now to keep running and get back to her home. Ixion's grip on her loosened, as though he had sensed her resolve to live, and he ran faster.
"My attendants,” she huffed and promised herself that, if they made it back alive, she would start running around the palace grounds to keep fit.
"Safe with my men. We must get you back to the palace.” Ixion didn't sound at all out of breath.
A wide road lay ahead of them. Natalia stopped in the middle of it when she saw the soldiers running along it towards them. They would help. Ixion grabbed her arm.
"Not a wise place to stop,” he said and pulled her forwards.
Shouts filled her ears and she turned and saw a group of civilians running at her from the other end of the road. No, not at her. At the soldiers. They raised their weapons and Natalia ducked as she ran. She had barely made it into the alley when laser fire shot down the road. One hit the wall of the building to her right, sending brick exploding outwards.
"Keep moving,” Ixion said in a grim voice.
She looked up at the palace. They were close now. She could see the bridge ahead of them.
Her eyes widened when it began to lift. She ran harder, desperate to reach it in time, even when she knew it was impossible. Ixion had to grab her to stop her from attempting to leap for it when they reached the moat. He pulled her back, tightly holding her arm.
Along the length of the moat, all of the bridges were rising.
They were too late.
The last bridge clunked into place and the pale blue shield flickered into life.
Natalia's breathing quickened. She had to get back in. She needed to get back into the palace where it was safe. The whole city had gone insane. Everyone was fighting or running for their lives. She didn't want to be out here anymore. She wanted to be back in her room. She wanted to be with her family.
"Ixion reporting in."
Natalia turned to look at him. He had the black band around his wrist close to his mouth, his eyes fixed on her.
"We hear you, Commander.” Came the reply.
"Inform her highness that Princess Natalia is safe and contact us when the gates are open again."
What was he doing?
Natalia grabbed his hand and pulled the device to her mouth. “Lower the bridge!"
Ixion snatched his arm back. “Belay that order. I will report in at nightfall."
The communicator crackled and Ixion pressed the button.
"What are you doing?” Natalia tried to grab his arm again but he held it behind his back. “Tell them to lower the bridge!"
"I cannot do that. Lowering the bridge would leave the palace open to infiltration.” His tone was soft and Natalia stopped trying to reach his hand. He was right. She couldn't risk her family for the sake of getting back in. There was fighting everywhere. In the time it took them to lower and then raise the bridge again, any number of people could make it over into the grounds. The shield would be down too, leaving the palace vulnerable to aerial attacks. Ixion took hold of her arm. “I promise you, my lady, that I will keep you safe."
She warmed from head to toe at those words and the fiery look in his eyes. She had no doubt that he would protect her and keep her safe. In fact, she trusted him with her life.
And with her heart.
"We must move.” He took her by the elbow and led h
er away from the palace.
Natalia glanced back at it, afraid that her family were in danger and needed her, and that her mother would be worried.
She must have slowed because Ixion stopped and looked at her. “Do not fear."
It was easy for him to say. It wasn't his family in there and he was trained to kill. What good would she be if they were attacked? She would only prove a distraction for Ixion. He would want to keep an eye on her to ensure that she was safe. It could be the opening that would see him killed.
She looked up at the sky.
"Do you think my father knows?” she whispered.
"Standard protocol dictates that he would be contacted in the event of an uprising or emergency. The moment it had happened, they would have sent word.” His tone started out empty but grew warmer, until it became so soft that it comforted her. “He will be on his way back, my lady. The skirmish will not last. You will be in the palace again before dawn."
Natalia nodded and then let him lead her away. He took her through the back streets, avoiding the areas where they had run into conflict before. When she began to recognise some of the streets, she realised where he was taking her.
The entertainment district.
She looked towards it where it lay downhill from her and then over at the spaceport far to her right. The single black column of smoke that the bomb had caused had been joined by others. The smell of burning wood filled the air. Some of the buildings were on fire. Her city was burning.
Ixion's hand tightened against her elbow and she looked ahead of her again. Some men were coming. They had no weapons that she could see but they didn't look friendly.
Natalia's eyes widened when Ixion turned with her and pinned her against the wall, his hands firm against her shoulders. She was about to ask him what he was doing when one hand shifted to her cheek, moving her hair across her face, and his lips pressed against hers.
Her eyes went even wider and then slowly slipped to half mast as Ixion kissed her, his mouth slanting over hers, turning her blood to fire and making her heart race quicker than fear ever could.
Heart of an Assassin [Daughters of Lyra Series] Page 4