I did not have time to relax, to properly nurture my sunburn. Without hesitation, Rynold beckoned me to follow him, and soon I realized he was leading me to his private ship. No one was allowed to set foot in there besides him no matter the circumstance, and this revelation made me freeze. He was going to escort me to the king himself.

Rynold stopped suddenly, barely giving me a side glance. “Are you coming?”

I just stood there, dumbfounded, as my eyes flickered from him to the ship and then back to him. “I’m not allowed in there,” I said dumbly. Get a hold of yourself, Astrid!

Rynold’s lips then split wide into a menacing grin. “Indeed you are not. Normally.” He paused as he motioned towards the ship, and as if on cue, the ship opened its entrance as if in a silent invitation. Rynold turned back towards me. “We mustn’t keep the king waiting now, should we?”

I huffed in response as I took one careful step after another until I was at the foot of the entrance. Rynold was already inside the ship, and I knew that if I did not hurry, he would leave without me.

And I would get the beating of my life.

Well, not exactly, but I would be in some huge trouble.

The engine then flared to life, and I knew it was only a matter of time before my gateway to the king of Xaenov closed. In one fluid motion, I leaped onto the ramp just as it was about to shut and sprinted towards the body of the ship. With the way the ship was manufactured, I knew I would not be crushed, since the ramp became part of the wall. Still, tumbling was never fun, and tumbling in front of Rynold was even worse.

I leaped onto the body of the ship just as my feet slipped out from under me. Reaching out, I braced for the impact as my hands slammed against the wall. The force of the impact bent them at an unnatural angle, and the crack that ensued made me think I had broken them.

But I still had feeling in them.

After regaining my footing, I stepped away and moved my wrists around in circles. They still worked. Definitely not broken. A small fracture in the bone maybe? Most likely.

A throat then cleared, and I whipped my head around only to be met with the disapproving glare of Rynold. Why wasn’t he piloting the ship?

“Did you get lost on the way to the ship?” he said somewhat sarcastically.

“I…” For a moment, I just stared at him, gaping like a fish. He must have been watching me the entire time, even the parts leading up to my grand entrance.

“I almost left without you,” Rynold continued. “If you pull a stunt like that again, and especially if you embarrass me in front of the king, you will wish those wrists of yours were broken.” Then, he turned on his heels and stalked back towards the front of the ship.

I didn’t follow him right away. Perhaps I was still in shock over what he said, even if he has spoken to me in such a manner before. Rynold has never struck a hand upon me or any of the other assassins. A couple days in solitude, a skipped meal here and there—it was punishments like that which he seemed to favor the most. And he most certainly has threatened to physically harm me before but never acted upon it. However, something in his voice stuck with me, reminding me just how important this meeting was. We were meeting with the very person who had put that bounty over my head in the first place, and the completion of this contract could lead to that bounty being removed.

Perhaps then, I could leave Rynold and the other assassins behind. It would pain me to say good-bye to Lynda, but as long as her bounty remained uncleared, she had to remain in hiding. But me? Perhaps it would be my chance to make something of myself, to prove to the man and woman who had given birth to me that I was not some piece of trash that could easily be discarded.

Rynold cleared his throat once again, a signal that he expected me to follow him. So, I did, into the head of the ship, where he took the pilot’s seat, and I sat in the back. I didn’t particularly want to be in the co-pilot’s chair next to Rynold.

The ride to the castle was a short one, mainly because we did not have to switch planets. In only thirty minutes, the top of the castle came into view, and soon, we were soaring over tens of hundreds of guards, servants, and others of noble blood but who were not descendants of the royal family. For a moment, I watched them; from this height, they looked like tiny insects that I could squash in an instant. I wondered if they knew the king was meeting with me, if they knew of my arrival. Of course, no one would be able to recognize me. Whenever I was completing contracts, my face was hidden. Few even knew my true name.

The ship finally docked on the landing pad, and the entrance opened up, revealing the ground underneath. Rynold hopped off the pilot’s seat and made his way towards the entrance. “It is imperative, Astrid, that you follow my lead. We are in enemy territory now. Do not give them a reason to sedate you,” he said coldly before descending the ship.

As a precaution, I pulled my hood over my head in order to conceal my face before following Rynold out of the ship. I will admit I did not know what to expect, but being met with tens of guards with guns drawn was not one of them. Rynold soon skidded to a hault as he beheld the weapons, and I nearly bumped into him, entranced by their instant distrust. They knew who I was, then. Though of course, I knew I shouldn’t expect anything less from the king.

“State your business,” the guard in front commanded, and I could only assume he was their captain.

“We have official business with the king of Xaenov,” Rynold stated plainly and confidently. He had hammered into me since an early age the need to not show any weakness, and I suppose that situations like this were what goaded him to do so.

The captain seemed to eye Rynold with such disdain, as if he were a piece of trash that could easily be discarded. “The king has a very important meeting today,” he continued as if Rynold had not spoken. “Which of you is the Knife of Kentaurus?”

I did not know when I started holding my breath, but the burning in my lungs forced me to exhale. Rynold’s eyes soon turned to me, and soon, the other guards followed suit, sizing me up. My heart pounded violently against my chest as I took a step forward with my head held high in order to exude more confidence than I felt.

“That would be me,” I stated clearly, over-enunciating every word. The weapons did not lower, and soon I found myself wondering if Rynold and I just walked into a trap. Or perhaps Rynold was the one who set the trap up in the first place in an attempt to claim some of that handsome bounty. I shuddered at the thought. Would he really do that to me?

“Our business is with the Knife of Kentaurus only,” the captain continued, his eyes returning to Rynold. There was such malice in them that I wondered if the captain considered shooting him on sight. I was the only one they needed alive.

Rynold shot me a quick glance before facing the captain once again. “I am her escort and mentor. Therefore, it only makes sense that I attend any meeting she is a part of.”

The grip on the captain’s gun tightened. “I will say this again. Our business is with the Knife of Kentaurus only. No one else is permitted to enter.” The captain cocked his head to the side with his thumb stroking the trigger. “Unless, of course, you don’t mind a few bullets to the head.”

Rynold didn’t even flinch at the threat, and I suppose I should give him a lot of credit for that. I wouldn’t even begin to be able to count how many threats he has received in his life, and the fact that he could brush them off left me in awe.

“So be it,” Rynold said before turning towards me. Slowly, he approached me and gave me a light pat on the back, whispering, “Remember what we talked about. Do not give the king any unnecessary details about yourself.” Then, he walked past me and up the entrance to the ship, soon disappearing out of my sight.

I turned around to face the many guns that were still aimed in my direction. I was officially alone. I took one step after another towards the captain whose cold expression never wavered, and soon, I was directly in front of him. The barrel of the gun was nearly pressed against my chest.

Then, the captain put his gun sway, and the others soon followed suit. A smile broke out across his lips, and a sense of dread washed over me. “I hope you are planning on taking that hood off before meeting with the king. He doesn’t do well when he cannot see his cohorts eye-to-eye.”

Cohorts? I questioned as my eyes narrowed into slits, but of course he could not see that underneath the hood. “Only the king then will be permitted to see my face.”

The captain’s lips then pulled into a frown. “Pity. But I’m sure the king will enjoy the added privilege.” He then began to walk back towards the castle in a silent beckon, and I followed him. Before the doors to the castle closed behind me, I stole one more look at the ship. Somewhere within that ship was Rynold, and a part of me wished he were here with me. After all, he usually met with our clients, not me. I wondered if he was just as worried about this meeting as I was. I wondered if he was worried about me.

The castle was a lot bigger than I anticipated it to be, and the golden walls stretched high above my head in the entrance hall, soon curving in an arch above my head. Several chandeliers hung from the ceiling, which served as the only light in the room other than the windows that had been built into the ceiling. In front of me was a staircase leading upwards towards a door, and wordlessly, the captain led me through the door and into a much larger room.

It took me a while before I realized that I was standing at the bottom of a tall chamber that stretched at least nine floors. In the middle of the room were circular elevators placed in tubes made of glass. I never considered myself ignorant in regards to the technology my planet has amassed over the years, but just seeing one of the major technological advancements in person was a whole other story.

The captain still did not say one word to me as he stepped into one of the elevators, and so did I. I admit the space inside the elevator was somewhat cramped, for they did not seem to be built for more than one person at a time. I also did not realize the buttons for each floor were built into the pad of the elevator, and I would’ve stepped on one if it wasn’t for the captain forcing me backwards. At first, I was angry, but soon that look of anger turned into one of astonishment as he stomped on the button for the ninth floor, and the elevator skyrocketed into the air.

“The king will be most pleased that you came,” the captain finally said.

I did not trust his tone. My eyes watched as the elevator whizzed by various floors as I chose my words carefully. “It is not in our nature to turn down a potential contract.”

The captain’s eyes narrowed at me, and I could feel his gaze burning a hole in my scalp. I wondered how many important clients Rynold had met with. I wondered if any of them were as dangerous as the king himself.

The elevator soon came to a stop at the ninth floor, and the doors slid open. “I give you my word that while you are here, no harm will come to you,” the captain added as he stepped off the elevator. “However, I find it amusing how easy it would have been to lure you here and kill you.”

I swallowed what I thought was bile rising in my throat. “How do I know this still isn’t one big trap?”

The captain chuckled slightly as if what I said was the funniest thing in the world. “You would be dead already.”

I scoffed at his comment, but fortunately the conversation did not continue after that. Within moments, I found myself within a narrow hallway being led towards the door at the end. On the red walls hung various pictures of the royal family from past to present. I couldn’t help but ogle each one as I passed, stopping briefly at the most recent one. Three faces smiled back at me as I gazed into the eyes of the king, the queen, and the Crown Prince of Xaenov. King Gabrian Terranova looked the fiercest, what one would expect a true king to look like. His dark-brown eyes were in direct contrast with his pale complexion and short, stubbly, brown hair. To his right was Queen Vasilisa Terranova, who looked exactly how one would imagine a queen should look: compassionate, homey, and inviting. Her eyes were light-blue, her complexion was also pale, and her hair was a beautiful shade of midnight-black. Then, directly in front of them was the Crown Prince of Xaenov, Wilhelm Terranova, who looked every bit the part of someone who would become king one day. He had inherited his father’s eyes and his mother’s hair, and his skin was just as pale as the rest of them. Together, the entire family looked truly Xaenovian—the very picture of a family who could trace their ancestry back generations and still be considered truly Xaenovian. A picture-perfect, pure-blooded family.

It made me sick just looking at them. Though of course, I could probably do the same.

It took me a while to realize the captain had stopped as well, and he watched me with a curious expression on his face. “The time is approaching when Prince Wilhelm will choose a bride. I hope he chooses wisely.”

My eyes narrowed at him, but the hood once again blocked my face from his view. “You’re not seriously suggesting—”

“Of course not!” The captain waved his hand dismissively. “I’m sure he can do better than a filthy assassin.”

I scoffed but let him continue.

“Though I do hope he will choose wisely. Anything less than purely Xaenovian simply will not do.”

I bit hard on my tongue to keep myself from lashing out at him. Then, I thought of Lynda, my best friend, who was Coelarian. In many ways, she was my only friend, and I would do anything to protect her.

“But I digress,” the captain continued. “The king is waiting for you.”

He then led me through the door at the end of the hallway, and once again I stopped in my tracks. In front of me was a huge throne room with the same style of glass, domed ceiling I had seen before in the entrance hall, marred only by the presence of the royal family sitting placidly in their seats. Up above, a balcony overlooked their seating area as well as the area leading up to it, and two separate spiral staircases protruded from each side, coming to a stop at the base of the seating area. Aside from the three red thrones and the red rug that was stationed in front of the seating area, the room was completely devoid of furniture.

The king was the only one who stared at me head-on as I approached. Shuddering, the queen and the Crown Prince of Xaenov left their seats in a hurry, scurrying up the stairs without one glance in my direction. Either the fear of me ran that deeply within Xaenov that parts of the royal family did not even want to be in the same room with me, or the king ordered them to scurry away the moment I appeared. Either way, I relished in their quick exit, imagining how their carcasses would look taxidermized and nailed to the walls of this room.

The captain then dropped into a low bow a few inches from where the king sat. “Your Majesty,” he began breathlessly, and seeing this change in his personality unnerved me, “I brought the requested.”

The king didn’t divert his gaze from me as he asked, “Why is she hooded?”

“Your Majesty, she will only reveal herself to you,” the captain continued, still hunched over in a bow.

“Very well. You may rise.” The king then paused as the captain regained his footing. “Now, leave us. We have important business to discuss.”

The captain wasted no time scurrying out of the room, thus leaving me alone with the man who had wanted me dead for years.

The king beckoned me closer with the flick of one finger. I complied, hoping the king was unable to sense my fear. It seemed as though my heartbeats were getting louder and louder, and I hoped he was unable to hear them.

“Do you not bow for your king?” the king said placidly in a voice that sent shivers down my entire spine.

A biting remark lodged itself into my throat, and I fought hard to not release it. I had no king, and even if I had one, he would not be the man who sat before me. Instead, I bent my body into a bow, the back of my mind screaming at me to resist, reminding me that I should bow for no one. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the king was pleased with my bow, and once he gave me the command to rise like he did with the captain before, I wasted no time straightening my spine.

The king then began to study me for a few moments. “You are a lot…leaner than I expected.”

I scoffed at his remark. “And what exactly were you expecting?”

“Someone with a little more…meat on their bones,” the king replied with no thought to how that comment would sit with me. “Yet, here you are, standing before me. I suppose I should welcome you to my home. After all, what host would I be if I did not treat each guest with the respect they deserve?”

I had no time for games, no time for the double-meaning the king laced into his words. “Why did you call me here?” I demanded, not unkindly but with enough force to get my point across.

“Straight and to the point, you are,” the king mused before proceeding to ignore my demand. “What should I call you? The Knife of Kentaurus seems way too…indirect.”

I had to remind myself that no one knows my true name outside of the assassins I hang around, and I did not know how I felt about the king knowing such a personal detail about myself. I met the king’s curious gaze, wondering if I should lie, but it was as if the king saw right through me. He would know if I lied. It seemed as though he already knew too much about me already. “Astrid,” I finally said, reluctantly. “Bruckis.”

The king then smiled. “Well, Astrid, would you do me the honors of allowing me to view your face?”

And just like that, I knew I had entered a point of no return. As soon as I had stepped foot into the king’s territory, I knew I would have to show him my face, but a part of me was not ready to reveal what I looked like to someone who was not a friend. With slow movements, I carefully removed my hood, letting my brown curls spill down my shoulders. I glanced up at him with my green-grey eyes almost as a silent challenge. I revealed two of the most intimate parts of my existence to him, and as I met his gaze, I dared him to make one comment about my appearance. Just one more patronizing comment.

The king smiled once more. “Your looks do not befit that of an assassin. Perhaps if you were not one, you could have been the perfect bride to my son.”

My stomach churned, and I fought the urge to throw up. The king did not patronize my looks per se, but in a lot of ways being compared to his son’s eventual bride was even worse. In order to hide my discomfort, I flashed the king a menacing smile. “Sometimes looks can be deceiving,” I challenged.

“Indeed,” the king noted before wiping the smile from his face. “As you may be aware, I called you here to offer you a contract. Complete the contract, and not only will I pay thousands of gold pieces for your work, but I will also make sure the bounty over your head gets removed.

I froze, unsure if I heard him correctly. The king was offering to remove my entire bounty, therefore offering me a fresh start, a clean slate. At the time, I did not know if I wanted that clean slate, but if the king himself, the one who put that bounty over my head in the first place, was offering that to me, then I had to take it. Perhaps then I could leave the assassins behind and make a name for myself, one that did not have such a negative connotation.

“What do I have to do?” I questioned.

The king leaned forward in his seat. “It should be a simple task for someone of your rank. I need someone to infiltrate the Caetania royal ranks. You will pose as a foreign ambassador from Xaenov named Katarina Ferring and observe the Caetania royal family. Then when the time is right, you will slaughter them.”

My blood ran cold. “I thought Caetania were our allies.”

“Were would be a correct assumption. It seems as though they have been hiding valuable information from us,” the king continued. “As a fake ambassador, you will be tasked to meet with the royal family on several occasions and make it seem like you have interest in patching things between our two planets.”

“You’re asking me to lie to a powerful royal family. If I get caught—”

“Are you saying you will not complete this contract?” the king inquired. “I suppose if you refuse, I can simply order my guards in here right now and kill you where you stand. After all, that bounty would still be on your head.”

I glared at him. “Once they have officially been eliminated, how will I make my escape?”

“I will have a ship waiting for you a few miles from the castle. Make sure you are not followed.” The king paused. “I have ways of monitoring you, ways I will not bore you with the details of. I can assure you, though, that you will be well taken care of.”

I sighed. “So, this is it, then? Either I accept this contract, or I die where I stand?”

The king did not answer me. He only gave me a glance that suggested I should already know the answer.

I took a deep breath as I met his gaze head-on. In that moment, I knew I was probably making the biggest mistake of my life, but I didn’t care. The sense of possible freedom fluttered through me, giving me my answer. “I accept,” I declared in a voice loud enough for the king to hear me.

Right as a swarm of royal guards slammed into the room and surrounded me.

Next Chapter: CHAPTER THREE