Assassin (Book 1)

NINE

I sat up, realizing I'd slept longer than I'd meant to. Ripping off my covers I walked to my wardrobe, threw the doors open, and grabbed the first thing I saw. A dress. It was light green, soft and comfortable to the touch. It was figure-hugging above the waist but the skirt was loose and wide enough to move in.

I shut the door behind me and peeked down the steps, not bothering to tie up my hair. I held up my skirts, annoyed, that it was getting under my boots as I walked, and slowly stepped down the stairs.

The rooms were empty. Everything was quiet. "Hello?" I whispered. No one answered. Where had everyone gone? Was this a trap?

As I walked through the rooms, peeking through doors and into game rooms bathrooms and rooms. Suddenly, I heard footsteps.

"Who's there?" I called out bravely. The footsteps stopped. "Show yourself," I commanded, taking five quick steps towards the sound, when suddenly I slammed into a figure who had taken the same move. We both stumbled back.

Regaining my position, I heard a small intake of breath.

I looked up, confused for a second, and what I saw left me shocked.

"You?" she whispered, covering her mouth.

"You," I hissed, grabbing her shoulders. Now it was all beginning to make sense. It was her. She'd poisoned Xavier, and then she escaped, coming back here.

Lorelle.

"I-I can explain!" she gasped, backing away.

I was more worried than she'd ever be. She could turn me in or reveal my secrets in the blink of an eye.

"You traitor," I hissed, dragging her into an empty room. She didn't even try to pull her arm out of my grasp. "You poisoned Xavier? How could you do something like that?" I was furious with her. "You're worthless," I spat.

"I didn't. I mean, I did—but you don't get it," her lip quivered, tears starting to pool in her eyes. Oh, don't even start. "Just hear me out." I stepped back, pushing her away from me and turning my back to her.

"Okay," she said shakily. "Do you know why I'm here?" I didn't bother to respond. She was the spy that had prevented me from killing the Duke. The spy in the castle. The one that meddled with the letter. "My mother is the Leader," she whispered.

My eyes widened and I gripped the wall in front of me. "What?" Bring the Leader's child back as a hostage.

The Leader's child was Lorelle.

"There are three Leaders," she breathed out. "One is my mother. The other one is a man, and the third is another woman. My aunt." I rested my head against the wall, bewildered. Who knew things would take such a twisted turn? "I'm the daughter of one of them. Look at me, Adalia. You need to look at me right now." I didn't move at all. "I need you to face me," she grabbed my arm and spun me around. Her eyes were glistening. "Do you know who my father was?" she asked. I shook my head, unaware of what she was going to say. "My father . . . My stepfather was the Duke of Dystalphi. The one you killed."

"What?" I repeated.

"For revenge, I was supposed to kill someone close to the King so he would suffer the same way . . . the same way we did. My mother ordered it," she bit her lip, sighing shakily. "I poisoned Prince Xavier not because I wanted to. But if I didn't, I wouldn't have been welcomed back home,. Yes, I was already at the castle before you kill—before my father was killed," she corrected, her eyes trained on me, careful. "I'd been assigned there by my mother. She's very strict. If I didn't follow orders, she'd throw me out as a traitor."