75
CAMILLA
Ihad to admit, the assassin’s guild may be one of my new favorite places. It was an underground fortress, with the shadows being the only way in or out. The walls twisted and turned, thousands of homes stacked on top of each other and nestled deep in the ground. It had been so long since I felt safe, and it was very odd that I had found it in a city of killers.
Vincent and I sat at a table in the middle of the square. Faye, the Queen of Assassins, eschewed closed doors and rooms that held secrets. She held the title of queen, but she had no interest in the hierarchy. She kept nothing from the men, women, and children who lived here.
“You know,” she said, picking at her nails. “If you break a bed we offer you, you buy it.”
The assassins flanking her chuckled, the thick masculine laughter grating on my nerves. My cheeks burned, but I said nothing. Vincent brushed his leg against mine in a gentle act of comfort.
“Laughing pretty hard, are we? I pity your lovers if you think it’s a joke,” Vincent cut in, eyeing the tall men on either side of her. “I’m sure I can give you some pointers if you’ve never had the issue.”
Their laughter stopped abruptly, and they pulled blades from the straps crossing their chests. Faye held up one hand, stopping them.
“Why help us?” I asked, trying to get everyone’s attention back on me. I pressed my leg firmly against Vincent’s, grounding him in the feel.
She shrugged and took a bite from a crisp piece of fruit. “I want something. Think of a peace treaty. I bring you back to her, and I am in her good graces once again.”
“Dianna.”
Faye nodded. “She is marvelous. Truly. I heard the stories of her when she was on Onuna. Nismera tries to keep them under wraps, but people talk. We heard she burned an entire dimension, leveled a city, fought Samkiel, and won.” She blew out a long whistle. “On top of that, she shows up here and shakes Nismera to her core, even though she’d never admit it. Calling her out with the bodies of her fallen soldiers was a ballsy move. That will become a legend, the story told long after we are all dead.”
“That she is,” I said with a nod.
“She fought the brothers, and I heard she gave them their just due. Then! Then, she disables Milani’s warships. Have you ever seen an actual warship?” Faye asked, her voice rising and her hands gesturing wildly with excitement.
Vincent scoffed. “Yes, we were chased by them.”
“Oh, no. Those are like ants compared toherwarship. Some say she was preparing to use it to cross dimensions, and guess where it is now?” She flicked a brow up, looking at both of us, but we just waited. “In pieces, scattered all over the ground. That being, that power, is who I want to follow.”
“Well, I’m glad,” I said archly, getting a bit annoyed with the singing of Dianna’s praises. I could tell Faye what a psychotic bitch she could be, but I was sure that would only make her like her more.
“You should be,” she said. The shadow assassins arranged around us, watching warily. “Because guess who showed up at my door while you were sleeping?”
Vincent’s hand brushed my knee, and I looked at him.
“That’s right. The sons of Unir themselves. I was prepared to take their heads, but a little black birdie told me they are no longer with Nismera.”
“What?” Vincent said, leaning forward.
My mind reeled. Well, that would explain why they were with Samkiel and Dianna, but it also created so many more questions. Dianna hated him. Samkiel, too.
“Yup. No one knows what happened, but now they seem bound to Samkiel and Dianna.”
My mind reeled. I wondered what in these realms was powerful enough to make them work together, and then I remembered the medallion they all wanted.
She took another bite of her fruit, the core showing. “However, I did not expect how hot they are in person.”
My lip curled in disgust. “Agree to disagree.”
She grinned and chewed, her cheek full. “My point is, Dianna is someone who looks at the most formidable forces in the world and doesn’t roll over but spits on them instead. That’s a leader we need. Nismera and her allies have had their feet on our necks for eons, and no one has challenged her. They just accept it. Dianna will be the flame that lights a fucking revolution, and I want to be right there holding the damn torch.”
I sighed, not able to deny anything she said. “Well, in that case, you’re right to follow her. There is only one thing wrong with your plan.”
“And what’s that?”
“She doesn’t like us. So bringing us as a peace offering won’t help.”
