Shattered Assassin (18 page)

“Kazia, that isn’t true.”

“It is. I led him here and he took his vengeance on Randolf. Instead of me. While I slept,” she cried.

William slowly shook his head. “The city is locked down, Kazia. It has been since we received word of your parents’ deaths. The assassin was already here.”

Kazia nearly fell over.
He knows who killed his son.
“Already he— How can that be? The assassin attacked me at Uncle Jeffery’s. He tried to poison me.”

William tipped his head to the side, considering. “Then it seems that there is only one person the assassin could be. The only one there and here.”

“Jeffery.”

William nodded, watching her out of the corner of his milky eye. “But, he was at his estate when my parents were killed. Two of my guards were on patrol there.”

“You and I both know that he has had help.”

Kazia bit her lip. This man, somehow he knew. He knew what she was, what she tried so hard to hide. “We need to alert the guards. If we act quickly we can take him by surprise and he won’t have a chance to escape.” Kazia rose to her feet, shoving her skirts out of the way. “Nakomi, come.” She started to pull the door open — it was a big, heavy door that groaned as she moved it.

“You are much stronger than anyone gives you credit for, little princess.”

She smiled, distracted, as she motioned frantically at the Abeta captain. “Because I can open your door?”

“Because you’re still alive.”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise but he only smiled his sad smile.

“Yes, Princess? Is something wrong?” The captain hurried to her side, scanning the room behind her. “No. Actually, I think something is finally right.

They stormed through the castle, the combination of both guards, moving like swift flames of justice toward Jeffery’s quarters. The king led the way. When they burst through the doors, Jeffery’s window shutters flapped in the breeze, a long rope trailing down to the garden. “He won’t get far. He can’t get out of the city. Find him!” William shouted, glaring out the window. The mass of roiling black clouds raced across the sky, as if in answer to his call.

Kazia watched them move away, on their quest for justice. They wouldn’t find Jeffery. He’d left as soon as he’d killed Randolf. And they’d forgotten her in their angered frenzy. Which made it very easy for her to leave the castle and escape into the village.

She moved on silent feet, blending with the shadows, nearly invisible, escaping around the light. She followed her target as he slunk through the streets, infuriated at his confidence. He was so sure he would escape. So sure he had outsmarted the castle guards, pinning the prince’s murder on someone else. He even whistled occasionally, nearly tempting her beyond her limit not to shoot him from the shadows and leave him to die, like he had Randolf. But she wanted him to see her face, to know her plan before she killed him. Even so… she glared ferociously as he skipped over a puddle like a child playing hopscotch. He should be scared. He should know she was coming for him. But he wasn’t smart enough to put all the pieces together. She reached into her belt and pulled out her blow dart, dipping the tip into her special powder. Just a bit — she didn’t want to kill him. But it would hurt. Oooh, it would hurt.

He paused, tipping his hat to a very well-endowed woman of the streets. She turned with a smile on her scarlet lips, placing a hand on his arm and leaning into him. Kazia slid from one shadow the next, until she was within range, inwardly cursing the fact that she didn’t have her cloak in this pouring rain.
My cloak. Covered in Randolf’s blood.
Her princess-self, weak and hurting, flashed briefly into consciousness. Kazia couldn’t deal with that pain now. She couldn’t deal with the guilt. If she hadn’t been so sick. If she hadn’t been so confused. She should have killed Jeffery as soon as she arrived in Abeta. But she’d failed. And now he would suffer even more for it.

She raised the blow dart to her lips, unable to stop the wicked smile before she blew, one fast, hard breath, watching the tiny little dart whiz through the air and embed itself in his neck. He squealed a little in pain, his hand slapping his skin, shoving the dart in even further and she nearly danced with glee. The woman frowned and backed away as he yelled. Kazia counted backward, pronouncing
zero
as his agonized screams tore the alley in two.

And then he started looking, his gaze running frantically up and down the streets. Finally, he realized she hunted him. She moved through the shadows, not enough that he would see her but enough that he would know she was there. Her wicked grin broadened as terror took over his features.

He turned and ran.

She didn’t run. There was no need. She knew where he was going and once he got there, he’d be trapped.

She followed him to the tunnels. Ancient underground tunnels that went beyond the city walls. Long ago kings had closed the tunnels, but thieves and bandits had torn them open again. Kazia herself had used the tunnels more than once to get in and out of the city undetected — it was the only way when the gates were closed.

She paused outside the door, cleaning her knife and letting herself revel in his frustrated screams as he found his way out of the city blocked. But time was wasting and she didn’t want him to die before he found out who she was and what she planned to do.

“Stay, Nakomi.”

“Uncle Jeffery,” she purred, pushing the door open and letting herself into the room. He spun, facing her, and his features relaxed.

“Kazia. What are you doing here?”

Kazia opened her eyes as wide and innocent as they would go. “I’ve been framed for Prince Randolf’s murder. What are you doing here?”

He gave her that arrogant pity that she hated so much. “I feared the assassin.”

“As well you should,” she said, almost conversationally as she reached up, pulling one of the sticks from her hair and crossed the room, flicking the blade out as she reached him. She drove it into his stomach, again and again as he screamed in agony, but he was powerless to fight her off — not with the poison from her dart running through his blood. She moved quickly and ruthlessly, and then stood back and watched the shock in his eyes turn to pain. “You’re going to die, Jeffery. But before you do that, you are going to be in unimaginable agony. Leaving Randolf to die was a very, very bad move on your part.”

He opened his mouth to object, but only blood ran from his lips.

“I know your son killed my parents. My brother. The fact that you thought he would ever take the crown from me only proves you’re more insane than I thought.”

“But you’re so weak—” he gasped, but there was no arrogance this time.

“There’s something you don’t know about me.” She watched as his lips turned blue. “I’m my father’s greatest assassin. No one has ever escaped me.” Jeffery’s eyes started to glaze over, and she leaned very close to his face, whispering in his ear, “And your son? The one you’ve doted on your entire life? I heard his voice when he attacked my wolf. I know where he is and where he’s going. I will find him, and I will kill him — slowly, painfully, more painful even than what you’re going through right now. And you and your heirs will be extinct. I will have obliterated you from this world — never to scar it again.” She stepped back, jerking the blade from his stomach and wiping the blood on his tunic.

“How…?” he whispered.

She shrugged. “I was a sickly child. Sickly children get picked on. My father didn’t want me to be in danger, so he brought in teachers. The best in the world.”

“Kristina…?” His face was gray except for the blood running down his chin.

“I went after her, yes. But she killed herself. After she told me where to find you and your son.”

“That bi—” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He collapsed on the floor, trying to clutch at his wounds but lacking the energy.

“You will live for several more hours. Not as long as Randolf suffered, but in much more pain. By then the guards will have found you and the world will know what you’ve done.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

_S
HE TURNED AND STALKED OUT
, letting the door swing shut behind her, joining Nakomi where she waited in the shadows, the fur on the back of her neck standing on end. “Nakomi?” What’s wrong?”

“I think she’s deciding whether she should attack me or lick me.”

Luke stepped out of the dark doorway across the alley, sword drawn.

“How did you find me?” She drew her sword, too, even though she knew she’d never use it. Not against him.

“Kazia.” He began circling her. Nakomi kept herself in between them, a growl rising low in her throat. “Do you honestly think I was going to let you out of my sight when we knew, finally, for certain, that the assassin was your uncle? Did you think I would let you face that news alone?” He raised his sword, pointing it at her heart. “And then it turns out that
you
are the assassin.”

She glared, knocking his blade away with her own. “What are you going to do, Luke? Kill me and be hanged for treason?” Nakomi’s growl increased, vibrating through the dark ally. Luke stared at her for several seconds before dropping his sword to his side, defeated.

“I don’t care about the treason.” She lowered her sword as well, keeping a cautious eye on his blade as she did so.

“Why, Kazia?”

“I didn’t kill them, Luke.”

“Your family? Randolf? I know.”

She frowned, confused. “Then what do you mean, why?”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you leave it to the law and a fair trial to take care of them?”

“Tell you? Are you kidding? You don’t think I can even get myself into bed at night! You would have laughed in my face. Or arrested me to keep me safe.”

“I think you can’t get yourself into bed at night because you led me to believe that!” he yelled, struggling to control himself. “Your whole illness —all these years spent so worried about you. It never existed. You made the whole thing up.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes Luke, I can magically grow blisters whenever I want and collapse on command. Oh, and the fevers. Yes, I produce those whenever I’d like as well.” He frowned, clearly confused, so she continued, “No, I didn’t make up my illness. I’m the killer I am
because
of my illness. My father said, ‘Use your weakness.’ So I did.”

Luke took a step closer, but Nakomi’s growl intensified and he stopped. “You’re so sick because you’re out hunting at night.” She shrugged, looking way. “Seeking revenge is killing you.”

“It doesn’t matter. My family deserves vengeance.”

“Then why not let us take care of it? And not risk yourself?” He was yelling again.

She yelled back. “Because
I
wanted to see the pain in their eyes. I wanted to see them suffer!”

He blinked at her fury, his sword coming up in an automatic defense to her anger. “I can’t believe you didn’t trust me enough to tell me.”

“With your flip-flopping emotions? You’re really surprised I didn’t tell you?” She planted her hands on her hips, but the adrenaline was wearing off and she could feel the pain sinking in. She needed to escape, to rest. She needed to get back to the castle before anyone else discovered she was missing.

His face closed, even in the dark of the shadows she could see the emotion wipe from his face. “I have to arrest you, Princess Kazia.”

She glared at him. “You can try.”

He blinked, clearly not expecting that answer. “You would run from me?”

“No. I would fight you. And then everyone would believe you attacked me and no matter what I said, you’d be hated and eventually hanged for treason.”

Luke’s mouth opened and closed for several seconds, like a fish. She looked behind him, wondering if she could make it past him to the street if Nakomi distracted him. He followed her gaze, looking over his shoulder and she saw her chance, but didn’t take it. Instead she sighed, sheathing her sword. “Luke, no one will believe you. You barely believe you. Go back to the castle. Gather the guards. Tell them you found Jeffery trying to escape and you killed him.”

“I’m not taking credit for something I didn’t do.” He crossed his arms over his chest, a bit bewildered, and she shook her head.

“I’m going back to the castle now. And I’m going to sleep for a very long time. Do what you will.” She patted her thigh and Nakomi edged past Luke, keeping her big body between him and Kazia. She made it to the street before she started to cry, glad for the pouring rain that hid her tears. She made it back to the castle and into Randolf’s chambers before she collapsed. Crystali tugged her out of her soaked clothes, throwing the blood-stained tunic into the fire, and helped her into her nightgown, silently handing her the hot tea that would save her life. Nakomi leapt onto the bed and Kazia curled against her side, seeking the comfort only Nakomi could give and when sleep claimed her, she didn’t fight it.

“Princess. They found your uncle…” Benjamin didn’t wait for her eyes to be completely open before he started talking.

“My uncle?” she groaned, rolling over and sitting up. “Oh! Lord Jeffery? They found him?”