It felt good to be a part of something again—to feel like I had a real family now—even if I wasn’t completely thrilled about how I had to earn my place with them.
And so I couldn’t say no. Not when it meant going back to that aching loneliness again. At least I didn’t have to assassinate anyone yet.
“Frida?” Erik asked, his silver brow arching.
I wound my hands around my back and fidgeted with my tunic’s bottom hemline. The material was rough and scratchy, but it was something to hold on to.
“No, I’ll do it. I accept the mission,” I said, my voice tight. “I just have one question, if that’s all right.”
“Very well,” he said.
“Someone has hired us to steal a dragon. What do they want with it?”
Erik levelled his dark gaze on me. “I can imagine many reasons why one would want a dragon, but it is not our business to ask questions of those who hire our services.”
I prickled at that. “That’s not true. We ask questions all the time—to make sure we’re aiming our sights on the right people. Just because we’re assassins for hire doesn’t mean we’re willing to spill the blood of an innocent. Not anymore. We turned aside from the ways of the old guild decades ago.”
“This was a mistake,” Erik snapped, turning to my father. “I told you she wasn’t ready.”
“AndItold you she was,” my father replied in a voice that held just as much snap. Then he turned to me. “I’m sure we were hired to get the dragon away from someone dangerous. You’ll be doing the world a favor by taking it from the mark. Any more than that, we can’t tell you. And if this goes wrong, I’m afraid you won’t get another chance to join the guild.”
Unspoken demand:stop asking questions. It was a blunt command, one I knew he would never take back.
I searched his eyes for any indication of what he was thinking. Something about this entire situation felt off to me, but if my father agreed with Erik, I supposed I’d have to do it. He’d never send me on an assignment he thought I’d fail, and he’d certainly never let something as powerful as a dragon end up in the wrong hands. I truly believed that.
And so when he gave me a slow nod, I forced myself to stand tall.
“All right,” I said. “When do I leave?”
Erik’s slow smile chilled me to my bones. “In one hour. Gather your things. The ship will be waiting for you in the harbor.”
2
FRIDA
Ilooked around my room one last time, wondering if I’d ever see it again. The barren, stone-walled enclosure was a striking contrast to my cottage hidden away in the lush forest, with its large, flung-wide windows and worn timber floors that creaked under every step, like the house itself was alive and speaking back to me. Letting me know it was there to hold me in its warm, cozy embrace.
The lodgings of the Assassin’s Guild were cold and windowless, situated inside a skinny hall that had once been a prison for undesirables. I’d been forced to leave most of my belongings back home, bringing only the bare necessities with me when I moved here to train. The guild didn’t believe in frivolities—things like perfumed soaps, handmade pottery overflowing with lush plants, and stacks of fiction books that smelled of ink and vellum. Everything I truly loved was still there—everything but my family—and I’d left it the way I liked it, just in case I failed here.
But deep down, I knew failure wasn’t an option.
With a sigh, I threw a worn leather pack onto my shoulder, along with my bow and arrows, and left the barren room and its insufferably thin straw mattress behind. Once I was back outside with the fresh air filling my lungs and the cerulean sky stretching overhead, my heartbeat cantered at the thought of the adventure looming before me. After a full year, I could finally have some time away from this dreary city and those lifeless guild-hall rooms. I hated leaving my family and Stella, but I couldn’t think of a single other thing I’d miss about this place. Except maybe the owlery, where I’d spent a large portion of my time tending to the birds when they returned from delivering messages.
I took off toward the docks with a pep in my step. But as I made my way through the bustling city streets, it felt like a noose was wrapped around my throat—one controlled by Erik. Because though I might spend the next month or two out in the wilds, the guild would draw me back to it eventually.
Which was fine—no,good. It was what I wanted, wasn’t it?
This was the life I’d chosen. I had to see this thing through.
Weeks passed in a haze of sunshine and salt-thick air. I spent my days wandering the deck and helping the crew with whatever tasks they needed. At times, I stood on the bow and gazed ahead into the endless stretch of blue, my heart a wild thing in my chest. My emotions were more at odds than they’d ever been before. The blood in my veins seemed to hum from the thrill of the adventure, but my dread grew with every inch that vanished between me and our destination. Because once I arrived on the island, gone would be the soul-settling days of hard physical work and nights of booming laughter aroundbowls of salted fish and rice. In its place would come…well, at least it wasn’tmurder.
Yet.
The assignment parchment burned a hole in my pocket. I’d read it over and over again during the journey. It said not to kill the mark, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that was part of the test. Would Erik welcome me into the guild if I showed up without my first assassination notched into my leather belt? Knowing him, it was hard to believe he’d accept anything but a full demonstration of my allegiance to the guild, above all else.
But if that was what he wanted, he should have said. As it was, I’d do what he asked and no more.
I tried not to dwell on it and focused on each day as it came, and eventually, the ship set its anchor down in the calm waters off the southwest coast of an island called the Floating Forest. From what I could tell at this distance, it was about as blunt as a name could be. Towering redwood trees with enormous trunks and rich, verdant leaves consumed the entire coast, backlit by a golden sun. A small stretch of beach hovered near the edge of the trees, where the waves gently lapped against pristine white sand.
