An owl hooted, so loud it sounded as if it was right beside my head. My heart leapt into my throat. Pressing a shaking hand to my chest, I loosed a nervous chuckle and looked around, and nearly startled again when I spotted the brown barn owl perched beside me on the stone.
A very familiar barn owl, the only one I’d ever seen with a patch of white on his back in the shape of a heart—or at least that was what I saw when I looked at him.
I smiled and stretched out my hand. “Ottar? What are you doing here?”
He was a very long way from home.
Ottar tip-tapped his little talons against the stone, coming closer. And that was when I noticed the folded piece of parchment attached to his left leg. Dread curled through me.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
The guild kept an owlery, specifically to send messages to assassins and thieves who were out in the field. Sometimes, assignments changed or new information came to light. Could Erik have discovered the same thing I had? Did he know he’d given me the wrong mark?
Would this letter command me to steal from Lilia instead?
With a trembling hand, I unhooked the message from Ottar’s leg and rolled it open.
Assassin’s Guild Assignment for Frida Rurik
Disregard all previous orders. The Isles are protected by magic. It prevents anyone from travelling there who intends to harm a resident. We gave you a false reason for your journey in order to gain you access. The dragon does not exist, and you are not required to steal one. Instead, your true assignment is to assassinate Rune in accordance with guild rules.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I crumpled the parchment in my fist. Blood roared in my ears, and the world around me seemed to tilt. Erik hadn’t sent me here to steal a dragon. That was why I’d found no evidence of Rune having one. It was never about that.
This was meant to be my first assassination.
My heart lurched, tears stinging my eyes. I should have known. Ihadknown. Deep down, I’d suspected something was off from the moment he’d given me this damn assignment. And if I’d actually asked more questions on the ship ride over, I would have realized what I was truly up against. I would have learned of the island’s magic.
“Frida?” Rune’s deep voice sounded from behind me, putting pressure against the splintered glass that was my heart.
How could I turn around and look at him, knowing the true reason I was here?
“Frida?” he repeated. “Are you all right?”
“No,” I choked out. I was not all right, and I didn’t know if I ever would be.
My first mark—the very first life I took—was to be one of the kindest people I’d ever met. He took care of people. He built them homes without demanding trunks of gold in return. When someone was in trouble, he put himself in harm’s way to help them. Perhaps he’d run from something in his past, something he wished he could undo, but he wasgoodnow. I knew that in my bones.
He came around to kneel in front of me, and his eyes searched mine. “What’s going on?”
My fist tightened around the message. “I…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. Once I said this, there was no taking it back. All my plans…all my hopes for a future surrounded by my loved ones. They’d be gone. But as I sat on that stone, gazing into the soft eyes of my mark, I realized I never would have done it. As much as I wanted to be part of a family again, I couldn’t kill for it.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I whispered.
Rune nodded. “All right. Let’s hear it.”
“I know you already suspect me of…something. And you were right to feel that way.” I sucked in a deep, steadying breath,then loosed my confession as quickly as I could. “I was sent here by a guild back home. This was to be my first assignment. An induction of sorts. They wanted me to find you and steal your dragon.”
His brow furrowed. “But I—”
“Don’t have a dragon. I know.” I held up my fisted hand. It was shaking violently. “I just received a message. This was never about a dragon. It wasn’t even about theft.”
Grim understanding shuddered across Rune’s face. He rose and took a step back—away from me. Away from the monster I was. “Let me guess. You’re from the Assassin’s Guild, and you found a way around the magic that protects the island inhabitants from harm.”
“No.” Heart pounding, I shoved off the stone. “I mean, yes, but no. I’m from the guild, but I didn’t find a way around the magic. Erik did.”
He glanced away, a muscle feathering in his jaw. “I wanted so badly to believe you weren’t what I thought you were. You don’t seem like the type, but here you are. Well, good job, Frida. Because despite all the evidence that was right in my face, you tricked me. I’m sure you’ll do well in the guild.”
“Rune,” I said with a shuddering breath. He kept his gaze locked on the forest, refusing to look at me. I could hardly blame him, though. “I’m not going to do it.”
