Shattered Assassin (2 page)

She shook her head, biting her lip to stifle her sobs.

“Then where is the blood—?” He paused as Nakomi limped to their side, finally ridding herself of the silk and satin, and Kazia looked down.

Nakomi was covered in blood.

“Nakomi, no,” Kazia whimpered as the room began to spin and tip sideways.

“Captain, the castle is on fire! We have to leave immediately!”

She didn’t fight it; the blackness that overtook her was safe and welcome.

CHAPTER TWO

_S
HE WOKE IN AN UNFAMILIAR BED
with her father’s head physician standing over her. “Thank goodness,” he breathed as her eyes fluttered open.

She pushed the smelling salts away, gagging. “What happened?” she asked, passing a hand over her eyes.

“You… don’t remember?” The physician frowned.

“No, I — where’s Nakomi?” She shoved herself to a sitting position, cursing under her breath as her tangled blond curls caught in her hands, yanking her head sideways. From the side of her bed, Nakomi raised herself to her feet, laying her head on Kazia’s soft quilts.

“She wanted to sleep next to you but the doctor wouldn’t permit it,” Luke said, striding forward.

“Captain? What are you doing here?” Kazia tried, and failed, to ignore the way her heart seemed to come to life in her chest, pounding and fluttering all at once.

He frowned, glancing uncertainly at the doctor. “You really don’t remember anything?”

Kazia looked at Nakomi, hoping for some hint of what she was supposed to say, and her eyes widened. “What happened to Nakomi? Why is she bandaged? And where are we?”

“Please calm yourself, Your Highness. You’ve suffered a terrible shock.” The doctor pushed gently on her shoulders, trying to get her to lie back on the pillows, but she shoved his hands away, looking at Luke.

“What. Happened. To. My. Wolf?” She ground out each word.

“She was injured protecting you.” He was staring at her like she had lost her mind, and perhaps she had, or at least she would soon if someone didn’t tell her what was going on.

“Protecting me from what?” she shrieked. Nakomi whined next to her. Kazia was aware her voice could reach heights that only Nakomi could hear and she swallowed, trying to calm herself. “Sorry.” She stroked the silky fur between Nakomi’s ears as she looked back at Luke.

“Kazia…” he started, but paused as the physician sent him a horrified glare, and Luke cleared his throat, “Your Highness, your family was attacked. The castle was burned beyond habitability.”

“Attacked? Burned?” she whispered.

“I’m sorry. No one survived.”

Kazia felt her eyes widen, unbelieving as the world seemed to storm her heart all at once, and she was certain it would stop beating and when it didn’t, prayed that it might.

“We found you hiding in your mother’s closet with Nakomi. It was clear from the mess in the royal bedchamber that she had fought with someone — and won, I believe.” Luke looked gratefully to Nakomi, “We escaped before the smoke became too thick, but it isn’t safe to go back until it can be repaired.”

Kazia felt the world spin again and grabbed her head, moaning. “Quickly, hand me that rag!” the physician ordered.

He squeezed the water right onto her head, cold dripping down her face and back. “Gah!” she gasped.

“Princess, I know this is horrific, but I need to know what you saw so we can attempt to find the assassin,” Luke said as he took his turn glaring at the physician.

“Saw?”

“Yes, Kaz — er, Princess.” Luke knelt one knee on the bed and leaned forward. His eyes, bright green, studied her so intently that at any other time she was sure her heart would have been singing and perhaps exploded right out of her chest.

But now she could only shake her head. “I saw… I don’t think…” Tears escaped, rolling down her cheeks. “I want to help, Captain, but there’s nothing there. I don’t remember!” she wailed.

The physician cleared his throat. “It isn’t uncommon for someone who has suffered a traumatic event to suppress the memory until he or she can better deal with it.”

“How long will that take? She’s the only one who knows anything.”

The doctor merely shook his head. Kazia clutched at her chest, certain her heart was breaking. “Please, leave me. I wish to be alone.”

“Your highness,” the doctor objected.

“I don’t think—” Luke, too, looked like he would argue with her, and she held up a hand to ward them off.

“Please don’t make me order both of you out,” she whispered.

Luke’s jaw tightened as he stood up, backing away. “Of course, Princess.” He stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him. The physician checked her once more and then also left.

“Up, Nakomi.” She patted the bed beside her and the gigantic black wolf heaved herself up, flopping down next to Kazia. Kazia rolled onto her side, burying her face in the thick fur, mindful of the injuries, and sobbed.

“Your highness, we’ve received a missive. Would you like me to bring it to you?” Her lady-in-waiting, Crystali, waited in the doorway, her blond hair swept away from her face. Kazia, on the other hand, hadn’t even bothered to brush her hair for over a week, not since the attack… she forced it from her thoughts, refusing to try again to remember that night.

“Yes, thank you.”

Crystali crossed the room, handing her the note. “My relatives are demanding that I come to the safety of their estate.” Kazia frowned. She didn’t like her relatives. They were kind only when her back wasn’t turned, and had been belittling her father and his decisions on how to run his kingdom for as long as Kazia could remember. Her father had always pretended not to know, and the rest of them followed his example.

Her uncle had been heir to the crown until he had given it up to marry a commoner, so of course he believed himself better suited to run the country. But they were still family and still grieving over the loss of their brother and King. “Could you ask the captain to come to me, please?” she murmured, taking the missive and crossing to the fireplace. She couldn’t get warm; there was a cold that seemed to be radiating from the inside out and she couldn’t escape it.

“Of course.” Crystali paused in the doorway and turned back, “There is one other thing, your highness.”

“What is it?” Kazia asked without looking up. It took too much effort to raise her head. She wished she could cut her hair off, like a boy’s. It was much too heavy.

“They have sent their own guards to accompany you.”

“How kind of them.” Kazia closed her eyes, biting back a caustic remark. She tried to summon the energy to pace while she waited for the Luke — as captain of the royal guard, he could advise her in this matter, and since she couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought in her head, she would let him do his job. Besides that, he was the only one she trusted. Besides Nakomi, of course.

She wanted to lean on him, to bury her head in his embrace and let him protect her when the rest of her life was so dark and frightening, but leaning on Luke would hurt them both, so she fought to remain professional when he walked through the door. Amazing how he could make her pulse race even when she felt like there was no way her heart could still be beating.

“You summoned, your highness?” he asked with a curt bow. Twice in the previous week and a half he had come to ask if she remembered anything. She had told him no both times, and he hadn’t returned in several days.

“Yes, Captain,” she murmured, averting her gaze so he couldn’t see her blush. “I received this a few minutes ago.” She crossed the room and handed him the note, which he took without looking at her.

“They don’t believe you’re safe in the village.” Now he did look up at her, forgetting proper decorum.

She nodded, stopping herself from pointing out that even the castle had not, in fact, been safe and the village was far from it. “If I leave, how will I rule? How will I be crowned queen?” She hadn’t been crowned yet, so far refusing to face the fact that she was the new ruler of her kingdom. That was her father’s job, and then her brother’s. It was never meant to be hers. She was only supposed to marry a prince — not even an eldest prince — to form the alliance and live out her days ruling her own household and nothing more.

But her father had raised her to be able to face the unthinkable, should it happen. She supposed she should at least pretend like she knew what she was doing.

“How long do you plan on being absent?” Luke asked, leaning against the doorframe, watching her with those green eyes.

She attempted to rake a hand through her curls but only succeeded in tangling them more. She needed a brush. “I don’t know.” She sighed, trying to find the will to care, which had to still live somewhere inside her. Her eyes swept lazily through the room — this house was the biggest in the village, and it wasn’t even as large as her father’s chambers. But the longer she stayed here, the longer this family would be without their home. She knew all too well what homeless felt like.

“Going might be an acceptable solution. We might find safety within their walls that we do not have here.”

Luke looked offended. “Princess, we have three guards stationed at your door on a constant basis.”

“I know, Captain, and please don’t take this as an attack on your capabilities.” It was exhausting trying to be polite all the time. She wished she could just talk, like one normal person to another normal person. It would be so much faster.

And she missed him. It had been years since she had been allowed to talk to Luke. She blinked rapidly, realizing her thoughts had run amok. “I’m positive it’s more of an emotional safety I’m seeking, rather than a physical one.”

Luke’s eyes softened. “Of course. I’m so sorry. By all means, you should go. The comfort of family might be just what you need right now.”

“They have sent their own guards…” she hesitated, unsure how to continue.
I know we promised never to speak to one another again
all those years ago, but would you accompany me the four days’ journey to their estate?
She frowned. Probably not the best way to ask.

“I saw them arrive.” He nodded, but he wore a fierce frown. “I would suggest, Princess, that I assemble a team of my best guards and we will accompany you. I wish no offense, but until we know who our enemies are, I believe the royal guard should be in your company at all times.”
We will accompany you
. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest, she was certain he could hear it.

Cursing her fair skin and the blush that rose easily to her cheeks, she ducked her head, nodding. “As you wish, Captain. I will prepare my belongings for travel.”
What I have left, at least.

He bowed again and left. She cast a long look at Nakomi. “Clearly he has no lingering feelings he’s fighting.” She motioned to Crystali, who waited discreetly by the entryway. “We are going on a journey, it seems.”

Kazia loved horses. She always had, but she wasn’t the most experienced rider. She was nervous as she settled onto the saddle. Nakomi waited next to her, big wolf head level with the horse’s back Kazia rode on. “Are you sure that thing will be able to keep up with us?” Luke’s second-in-command, Benjamin, motioned toward the gigantic wolf.

“She can run as fast as a horse, as long as we aren’t sprinting,” Kazia said.

“But what if we have to sprint? We’ll lose her and we can’t have you stopping to go back for her.” Heath, Luke’s third in command, if Kazia remembered correctly, eyed Nakomi like she might tear them all to shreds at any second.

“If we sprint, she’ll outdistance us.” Luke cut in as he finished checking the pack horses and swung up in his saddle next to her. “Give it up, boys. The princess would walk barefoot rather than leave Nakomi behind.”

The others in their small party — there were ten guards accompanying them — gave Nakomi a wide berth. They respected her; how could they not? But she was huge and black and moved like the monsters that hide in the shadows. Yes they respected her, but mostly they feared her.

Luke did not. He had been Brodi’s best friend growing up, and so Nakomi had grown up with him. He seemed unable to see her as anything but a very large puppy.