I sat up in a cold sweat. My heart raced as I swiped at my forehead. My breathing staggered as I climbed out of bed. My head spun and my stomach heaved. It felt, as though the little bit I'd eaten earlier was going to come back out. The moon hung high in the air as I flung myself across the windowpane.
"Be careful, dear tulip. You may fall out," a deep voice said behind me.
I spun on my heels and stared into Agnolo's face. "Why are you in my room?"
"I heard about the incident this afternoon. I wanted to check on my sweet petunia."
"Stop it. I'm not your sweet petunia. I'm your assassin. That's all."
"Oh, little princess, try not to be so bitter. This life isn't so terrible. You will come to love it in due time. Just don't be like your mother and fall in love with the king you're assigned to protect."
"Where are you sending me?" I inquired.
"There's a large empire in the far east. You won't be able to communicate with them, but the emperor needs someone who has no claim to his throne that will protect him with their dying breath."
"What? Nobody is loyal to him in his own country?" I asked smarmily.
"Now, now dewdrop, you know that's not how things work around here. When you are ready, you will set sail to the country and do your duty as an assassin. By then you will scarcely remember being a princess. All you will know is how to kill."
I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to yell to the entire castle that I wasn't an assassin, that they were wrong. Instead, I bit my tongue and gritted my teeth. I put my head down and listened to him.
"That is if you want to keep your family and love alive."
I looked up at him quickly and saw him clench his jaw. He was serious.
"Yes, of course."
He moved across the room quickly, grabbing my chin, and turning my head up so I had no choice but to stare into his piercing eyes.
"You understand if you do not follow our rules to the T then your family will die. Starting with your weak and pathetic father. How he managed to stay king for so long puzzles me. Wait, no it doesn't. He has your mother. Then she'll go. Not quick. I'll be sure her death is prolonged and painful. Then on to that prince from Scotland. The savages. I don't understand why your parents would waste such a resource like you on such an insignificant country."
"They're not savages and they're not insignificant." I instantly pressed my lips together and wrenched my face free of his grip.
"Not insignificant? It's a tiny plot of land. Nothing to be eager about. Why would a king and queen of a great nation want to merge with them?" He circled me, almost as though he could sense something was off about everything.
"I don't know. They don't discuss state policies with me. I'm simply a princess they use as a pawn."
"No. You're much more than that. You're as conniving and manipulative as your mother. There's more to you than meets the eye. I will find out why your parents want to marry you off to the Scottish prince."
I shrugged my shoulders and looked away from him. He couldn't find out about Draco.
"I'll find out your little secret, little tart."
He turned on his satin heels and glided out of the room, his shoes tapping on the stone with each delicate step he took.
Late-night visits? Is he on to me? Does he know I'm planning an escape for all the girls?
I took a deep breath and searched the sky for Draco. He was nowhere to be found though. No hot breath coming from above and no deep voice coming from the darkness around. I sat down and watched as the moon crossed the expansive sky. I'd heard something from an astrologer when I was a child that the moon moves in a motion around us, controlling the tides as it moved.
"What am I going to do?" I wondered aloud.
Climbing off the windowsill, I headed toward the bookcase. Moving it out of the way, I crept down the narrow and winding staircase. I snuck through and went to Anastasia. Sitting on the edge of her bed, I tapped her leg until she woke.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Agnolo came to my room."
"What? When?" she asked, her eyes growing large as tea saucers.
"A bit ago. He threatened my family."
"Again?"
I nodded. "He's sending me to a country in the east as soon as I finish training."
"He already has your assignment ready for you?"
I nodded. "They don't usually?"
Anastasia shook her head. "Not until the final weeks of training, but you only just started. You're not nearly ready for an assignment."
"What does that mean?" I pondered aloud.
"I have no idea. This has never happened before. You're already changing things around here. I honestly think that they are threatened by you."
"Well, they better be ready because I'm not going to the east. I'm not letting another girl go."
"Then we have to move by tomorrow," Anastasia said, her eyes welling with tears.
"Why?"
"My training finishes and I will be sent to my assignment."
"What?"
She nodded her head as tears ran down her cheeks.
"It can't be time. Not yet," I said, grasping her hands.
"It is. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I-I didn't know how to. You have such wonderful, crazy ideas. Freeing all of us here? It seems like a dream."
"It's going to be a reality. Tomorrow. We're doing it tomorrow."
The sun's rays peeked through the window as the moon vanished beyond the horizon.
"Oh no! It's morning. Hurry to your room. The guards will notice if you don't come out!"
I ran toward the secret passage and back to my room. I hurried into the assassin garb and exited the hallway. The other girls were already filing out ahead of me. I snuck into the line, hoping the guard didn't notice. I glanced behind me, but he didn't seem to notice. He didn't seem to be too aware of anything.
"Do you want to get out of here?" I whispered to the girl in front of me.
"What?" she asked, turning her head slightly.
"Do you want to leave? Escape?"
"Don't talk like that. Thoughts like that get people killed."
"I'm being serious. There's an escape plan for tonight."
"Who are you?"
"Princess Evelyn."
"You're the disgraced assassin's daughter?" she whispered back.
"Yes. Now, do you want to escape?"
She took a deep breath and nodded her head.
"Good. Meet near the library. Tell everyone you can."
"Okay."
"Hey! No talking!"
"Sorry," I mumbled.
I sat beside Anastasia at breakfast. She nudged me and winked.
"I started telling people," she said.
"I did to."
"What time are we meeting at the library?" she questioned.
"Midnight. Everyone should be sleeping by then."
"Perfect. I'm glad that you're here. I don't know what I would have done if I had to go."
"Where do they want you to go?" I asked.
"Germany. The emperor has requested an exotic woman with skin the color of snow and hair the color of the sun to be his assassin."
"You're as exotic as I am." I shook my head.
"He's a grotesque man. I don't want to go."
"I'll bet you don't, and you're not going to. I'll make sure of it."
"I would hug you right now..."
"I know, Anastasia."
As breakfast finished we headed to our first class of the day, spreading the word of our break out as we went. Whispers went up amongst the other girls as the thought of returning to their homes filled their minds. I wondered how we would manage to sneak out so many girls without anyone noticing. The leaders of the Guild seemed to follow me around. Every turn I made someone was standing there. I kept my head down and went from class to class, paying as much attention as I possibly could. The sun sank beyond the mountains, indicating it was time for everyone to go to their rooms. I ripped of the black tunic and trousers, pulling on the dragon armor hiding under the mattress. Pushing open the window, I searched the skies.
"Draco!" I called as loudly as I dare.
No answer.
"Draco!"
"Evelyn."
"Are things prepared for the girls?"
"Aye, princess. I just have to give word and the wagons will be hitched to horses."
"Where will they be taken?"
"Out of Italy. My contacts here will take them as far as Chamonix."
"France?" I asked.
Draco's hot breath blew down from above me. "Yes."
"Good. We have close connections with France. I haven't seen the king and queen in quite some time. I'm sure my godparents would love a visit from their dear goddaughter."
"I'll have one of the younger dragons stationed here fly straight away to inform the royals."
"They know about you guys?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Why don't the English?"
He let out a deep chortle. "Relax, Evelyn. They're the only others besides the Scots who know of us. They have magnificent breeding grounds. The king and queen keep them clear of humans so we have other areas for our hatchlings."
"I suppose."
"When are you making your move?"
"Midnight. I'll be at the passage quarter till midnight."
"Okay. I shall see you shortly. Please be careful. You cannot trust anyone here," he said.
"I know."
A gust of wind blew in through the window as Draco left the area. I sat on the bed and waited. It felt like ages as the moon returned for her nightly turn.