Aligning Stars (Fate's Intent Book 1) (5 page)

Jaylyn seemed to freeze next to me; sincerely memorized. Great. His brown hair was slicked back over the top of his head and the warming smile he gave accommodated his words towards her specifically. “He’s always been much too obvious.”

The other one’s eyes rolled to the presence of him. “Glad you could join us, Troy.”

“Wasn’t about to let you have all the fun.”

“You never do.”

“Well, don’t you ladies seem to be a long way from home?”

Jaylyn was still staring. “More like feet really but never mind the details.”

His smile grew and he straightened his body, standing fully upright while taking a step in our direction. “What exactly are you here for? By my count, one of you already owes one of us a repayment of your gratitude.”

Ruby turned her eyes back to the one that supposedly saved her from the fall, his chest directly in front of her eyes, making her lift her head to meet his. He was still smiling and I knew Ruby felt more than welcome to oblige to the payment she would pay for saving her. It was in the look she gave and I had to stop it.

“No.” I pulled her back towards me by her arm and looked between the two surrounding us so they knew my words were for them. “We will do nothing of the sort. We’re looking for someone actually. Goes by the name of—Zayden. You know him?”

“Zayden?” Troy asked slyly.

He looked over us to the other man and he started taking his steps around us to join Troy in blocking any kind of escape back across the border. “Hmm. Can’t say that we do.”

His voice was amused, almost playful but I knew better. I wasn’t going to allow their handsome exteriors to cloud my judgment. I already knew who they were and called them on it. “You’re lying.”

Something or someone jumped down off the rocks and landed behind me in a sudden attempt to give us another jolt of fear. “Well. Well. Well. What do we have here, gents?”

It wasn’t going to work. I for one wasn’t afraid. I turned right around to meet him.

No
. It stuttered in my mind and I had to hold my breath in a complete silent feeling of disbelief. I wasn’t asleep. I was awake for sure but it was worse than I feared. It was those eyes. I was looking into those very blue crystal eyes that were the highlight of my dream that’s been haunting me for the last five years. I didn’t want it to be true. It couldn’t be.

This was the man whom I saw so many years ago on my test mission. He was more grown up and even more attractive than what I remembered with his golden blonde hair highlighted under the moonlight. I couldn’t believe he was actually standing before me once more. I wanted to smile and show my joy from it but I was frozen just like before and the more I thought about it, the more the fear made me realize that the one I obsessed over for so long was in fact the very person I have set out to kill. He was Zayden, Seni’s Prince. I was within the palace walls when I last saw him but never seemed to make the connection before. I was always too distracted by his face to think. Even now, this wasn’t helping.

I stood in front of him in a stare like I was paralyzed from moving and he continued to speak with a smooth confident voice, penetrating my very soul. “An answer to our prayers?”

“They’re here looking for someone.” One of the men behind me said.

“You particularly.” The other added.

“I see. You know it’s not safe for three women such as yourselves to be traveling in these parts alone. There’s danger lurking all around you.”

I was still standing closest to him and saw a gentle smirk form on the right side of his face. It was sweeter than the face I always remembered but I knew what he was insinuating and forced myself to speak to him for the first time, trying to show that I would not let him get to me. “I assume the danger you mean being you?”

“Maybe.” He took a step forward and I took a step back, putting my hand on my sword under my cloak. I was ready for anything at this point but he saw it as something else. “Are you afraid of me?”

“Fate favors the prepared but I’m more than that.”

“I know you are, Adele.”

I paused where I stood. His words alone made me freeze again. I wanted to shed a tear because I was now certain that if he knew of my name that meant he knew why I came. The answer trembled inside me like an earthquake strong enough to shake the very rock of the mountains and I held back any signs of emotion, remembering what I told Ruby and Jaylyn. We had to finish this mission no matter what. They had to pay for what they did to my father and that meant I had to brave against myself and throw away my childish obsession with the past by killing him. Only then may it truly be over.

“Good. Now that we know each other,
Zayden
, you know why we’ve come.”

“I have an idea as the Kalu Assassins are surely standing before us. So, what is it Fate has you planned to do next?”

“What we do best.”

I took my cloak off, letting it flow to the ground and revealed my black leather coat that lied beneath.

“You mean kill us?” Zayden let out a laugh that echoed around us, acting as if not to take notice to my dramatic move to unveil myself but he did notice. I watched his eyes shift.

The men behind me laughed as well but I found nothing to be funny.

“You’re no match for us. Clearly you should already know that.”

It was only intensifying my mood, helping rid me of the past once and for all. I pulled out my sword and held it out to him. How could I have ever thought that the Senian I was hung over for so long would be kind to me, the enemy?

“So, are you sure you still want to go through with this? I hear losing is bad to come by.”

“Then you better be ready for it.”

I stepped toward him and swung my sword but he kicked it away without blinking. I was amazed by his speed but it was only making me angrier. I lifted my sword to him once more, drowning out the sounds of fighting behind me but he blocked it again. I looked up as he pulled out one of his short staffs that was in resemblance to a set I’ve seen and he swung toward me. I bent over backwards, dodging the attack as it extended inches from hitting me and flipped back to my feet.

We just stared at each other when I landed. We were getting nowhere with this. It seemed we were equally great.

“It looks like it’s over for you and your friends.” Zayden said.

I looked back toward Ruby and saw she was being held by the one that
saved
her, her twin blades on the ground at her feet.

“It wasn’t my fault. Take it up with Muscles over here.” She shifted in his arms to show there was no way out while he shown his smile for it.

I then looked behind me on the other side and saw Jaylyn on the ground with Troy holding his sword over her. “Sorry, Adele.”

I admit I was mad at them. I knew they didn’t try their absolute hardest and I turned back to Zayden with my anger visible. “Let’s leave them out of this. This is about you and me.”

“About what exactly? It seems you’re turning this mission personal.”

“Because it is. The General wishes you dead.”

“Ah, yes. General Balwin. I remember as it wasn’t really that long ago. Such an irritating fool.” He fought from laughing.

“That irritating fool is my father!” I took another step forward to show my defense for him.

“I knew that.” He smiled that charming smile but I glared passed it. “He did say you’d come. Of course, he wasn’t capable of doing that for very long.”

My eyes narrowed even more but I never strayed them from his. “Let them go.”

“You see I’d love to but I’m afraid I just can’t do that.” Zayden was acting as casual as ever like he was already in control. “We’ve been waiting out here for days for someone to come and answer to our win. I won’t take this capture away from my men. They’ve been, how should I say,
detached
.”

“Capture? You’re not known for taking prisoners.”

“I’m willing to make an exception for you. After all, my people will be pleased to get to witness the fall of the Kalu Assassins in person. It’s not every day that we get to put an end to a legend.”

“And what is it you plan to do then? Claim victory and become the hero that put an end to the war?”

Zayden laughed like what I said had amused him in some way. “No. War is our life. To end it would be to end us and
I can assure you
that’s never going to happen.”

“So you’ll just force the world to suffer through so you can live out your glory days?”

“You forget you’ll have nothing to worry about because you’ll be dead. The course of the world will no longer be your concern.”

“But they still are until then and if you think that I’m going to just let you take us out of here then you’re wrong.”

“Well, I would have hoped it didn’t have to come to this.” Zayden made a single hand signal to those behind me. “But you left me no choice.”

I looked and the one holding Ruby pulled her arms together behind her back and tied her hands. She didn’t even bother to struggle, maybe already knowing there was no way out of it and Jaylyn was brought to her feet by Troy, her hands being tied as well.

“No. Let them go.” I demanded.

“You know I won’t do that.”

“Then let me fight for them.”

Zayden paused. I couldn’t have been sure what he was thinking but hopefully he was at least considering it. “You want to fight me for their freedom? You are brave but we already know how that will end.”

“Just one hit is all I need. If I can hit you where you stand, you let them go and we all walk out of here our separate ways.”

Zayden gained that smile on his face. “Is this a joke? You’re serious?”

“Just one.”

“And what’s in it for me if you can’t?”

“What do you want?”

His brow lifted with his smile and he shifted his eyes down the front of me.

It made me sick rather than interested and I held closed the front of my coat tighter. “Not that.”

“Isn’t that my choice?”

“Under the circumstances, I think we both know it would be inappropriate. I’ll choose.”

“Well, all right. Your loss.”

“Hardly.”

“So, what will it be?”

“If I can’t—” I had to think of something quick and looked back at Ruby and Jaylyn. All the different outcomes were tracing through my mind and I turned back to Zayden with the answer. “We’ll go without a fight.”

I heard my girls take breaths in behind me but I kept my eyes on Zayden. He seemed like he was interested in it while looking back but I was getting tired of waiting.

“Well?”

“All right but let’s get more detailed about that since it will probably happen.” He was overly confident. I hated seeing that trait in someone else. “If there’s no fight, I will remove the restraints but there will be no weapons and no problems. If at any point an escape attempt is made, you will be killed ahead of schedule.”

“Agreed but I want assurance that your men will be on a short leash around us.”

He paused for just a moment and looked back at them. “You seem to be planning for your failure as well.”

“And that includes you.”

“Then of course. The subject of rape will not be something you’ll have to worry about.”

Breaths were taken in strongly again from behind me but it was not from my team. The men seemed to disagree with the terms which probably meant they were expecting to have us however they wished. If only for a moment, I was thankful Zayden agreed to my way.

“Good. Shall we get this over with then?”

Zayden smiled and he put his hands behind his back, waiting for my move. “Take your best shot. I’ll even make it easier for you.”

He turned his back to me and I smiled as I brought my sword up behind mine. This was perfect. He wouldn’t have even seen it coming and we’ll be on our way home to fight another day.

I pushed the button on my sword handle and let it fall into pieces. I then quickly whipped it out from behind me toward Zayden to end this but something went very wrong. He didn’t even flinch before he spun around, putting his arm up and the whip wrapped around the end of one of his staffs. He quickly took a step forward with it and whipped it back toward me, extending his staff which caused more momentum. My own weapon wrapped around me and I tried pulling it back.

Zayden was still holding it and began pulling me closer to him. The blades were cutting into my coat while I was being forced right to him and he grabbed me by the arms just below them. “That’s a nice toy you have there but playtime is over. You and your friends are coming with us.”

I was heated. How did that even happen? It was too late now. I shamefully lost my own challenge and admitted it. “So be it but this is not over.”

“Oh, I think it is.” Zayden let me go and I tried to pull my sword away from him so I’d have it back. “Ah ah. No weapons, remember? What was agreed will be taken seriously. I’ll be taking that.” He unwrapped me and took it out of my hands. “Any others?”

“No.”

“Somehow I couldn’t believe that an Assassin would just carry one weapon. I want them all. Now.” Did he already seem to know everything about me? Annoying. I sighed and started taking out all the daggers I was carrying, handing them to him one by one while he put them away into a bag. “Missed some.”