We could’ve run away.We could’ve made it work.
But she made the apple that poisoned Sereth.
I just wanted to believe that she was good, but even she nodded to me that it was, indeed, the truth.
Barefoot, I stepped into the water and let the waves brush past my ankles. The saltwater was soothing, comforting. This was where I could think clearly, where allthe troubles of my past and present seemed to disappear. If only for a moment.
The moon sparkled on the water and I now noticed something coming towards me. A boat? Yes, it was a rowboat, with a figure in it.
I frowned. My blood boiled. I grabbed my dagger.
The tall form of the assassin was unmistakable, and when he got closer to shore, he abandoned the boat. I prepared for him, knowing that whenever he surfaced, there would be a fight.
Prince Elias probably sent this assassin,I thought. We did not like each other, and though he said it wasn’t his ship that attacked us, I knew better.
Rising from the water, the assassin charged. I barely had time to raise my dagger before his sword came down. The force from blocking the attack jarred through my arms, sending a hot ache into my freshly healed ribs. My grip faltered, and he pressed harder, forcing me back a step into the slick sand.
He swung again, faster than I expected. I ducked, the movement tugging painfully at my side, and barely blocked the next blow. The fight was quick and brutal, but every clash of steel sent another jolt through my battered body. My breath came short, and my legs threatened to give beneath me.
A desperate shove sent him stumbling, and I lurched forward, head-butting him. Pain exploded behind my eyes, but he staggered, swearing. My vision swam.
If I missed my next chance, I wouldn’t get another.
Through sheer will, I threw my weight into him, driving him to the ground. My dagger pressed against his throat, my arm trembling with the effort to keep it there. Rage burned through my exhaustion, hotter than the pain.
“Don’t hurt me, please!”
“This is the last time you’ve come for me,” I said, my voice a growl. “I’ve spared you all the other times. Why should I spare you this time?”
His eyes panicked in the darkness of night. Deep down, I was quite impressed that he had the courage to come after me yet again. Prince Elias must have paid him an unimaginable fortune to get rid of me.
“Because she has my family.”
“Your family?” I frowned. “Who has your family?” Malia had his family? What was he talking about? This man was a trained assassin… it was odd to imagine him having a family.
“My kids…” And then water pooled in his eyes.
I pressed the dagger. “Speak! Who isshe?”
“The queen. Sereth.”
My hatred deepened. “Sereth?
“She took my children years ago, trained them to become witch hunters. It’s my fault for abandoning them–my second wife hated them, convinced me to leave them in the woods to starve. I…” Now he really was crying. “I couldn’t live with myself. When my wife died, I found out they had survived. The witch… she took them in. And then they fled to Sereth. She wouldn’t let me see them. She wouldn’t even let them know I was looking for them.” He trembled. “Instead, she threatened to kill them if I didn’t do as she said. And she said the only way I could ever reunite with them is if I did what she asked. She sent me to kill you. I’ve failed time and again, and if I fail again, shewillkill them.”
Didn’t she want the Corallure crown to get rid of them?
Reality came crashing down on me.
Sereth.
Sereth?The queen. The woman I had saved five years ago from her wicked stepmother. She framed this man?
“I suppose I don’t deserve to live,” he said. “We killed your men. We burned your ship.”
I released my hold on him and sat back. The man scrambled away, feeling his neck, no doubt where I’d pricked his skin. He let out a breath and sat back, his fingers shaking.
“Your children were on board that ship,” I said, trying to put everything together. “Sereth’s orders to me were to deliver them safely to Corallure.” Then I shook my head. “But you were orderedby Serethto destroy my ship and to kill me?”
