Chapter 3

As soon as her white leather boots sounded against the marble floor of the throne room, breaking against the silence of the crowd standing around the perimeter, all eyes turned to her. Of course, they couldn't see her face. Not when the Lady in White kept her true identity a closely guarded secret. The hood of her cloak concealed every one of her features, hid her hair she had braided down her back, every bit of her covered in her white leather bodysuit. She didn't need any weapons, not when she herself was one, yet still kept a dagger sheathed against her left leg.

If anyone saw what she truly looked like and not what the rumors had said which spread across all of Laria over those last one hundred and twenty-five years, they would have been able to easily identify her as the foreign female mage named Addie who called Krahzara her home, the one who lived in one of the wealthiest districts, who spent every bit of her blood money on their goods and threw in extra coin anytime she could. They praised her generosity, loved her not only for her money but her kindness as well. If only they knew how she'd come about that money, usually paid from the Empress of Krahzara's coffers or one of the wealthy lords or ladies from her court. This job, though...this one she would have done for free just for the sheer pleasure it would be in taking this piece of scum's life.

To everyone else, Adeena Lucerra Brandt was dead, killed when she was just four years old by the head of the assassins of the Guild of Starlight.

Throughout Krahzara and even in the kingdom of Searis when she went for short trips to get away, she went by Addie. No one knew her by her fully name, save for just a few. Two of which were looking at her as she made her entrance. Empress Sophea nodded as she looked back at the male knelt in front of her, but Crown Prince Malik was still staring at her. Since she was a child, he had been her best friend and yet he still had to look away whenever she was here for a job.

"How do you plead?" Empress Sophea demanded as she sat on her gilded throne.

The male, who had been rotting in the palace dungeon for the past eight weeks, grinned at her. "Not guilty."

She raised a brow. "Are you sure? Because the children, whose ages range from six to sixteen, you sold to the highest bidder would beg to differ."

"And they were good. Oh, so good. Had to try them out myself before I knew what they were worth."

Adeena's stomach rolled as she tried to swallow back the bile that rose in her throat. Children. They were just children.

These were the kind of executions she didn't mind. Not when the person more than deserved to suffer for the suffering they'd caused others. And oh, would she make him suffer.

Her dark magic spooled in her palms as she stepped forward out of the crowd. They all seemed just as eager as she was for her to end this male's life.

The silence was what clued him in as he whipped his head around, dull brown eyes searching...before finding the Lady in White standing just a dozen feet behind where he was on his knees, two guardsmen on either side of him.

Now, he seemed to understand he wouldn't be met with a blade.

"No," he moaned as fear paralyzed him.

Adeena's chuckle sent shivers down everyone's spines, including the empress.

"I'm afraid your fate has already been decided," Sophea told him as he turned those fear-filled eyes back to her. "And I'm sure the Lady will take great pleasure in ending your life. She despises people like you even more than I do."

And she would.

Before the male could even utter a word, it wasn't just his own fear that paralyzed him, but rather Adeena's dark magic. No one ever saw it, but they felt when it was present. A warmth spread through the throne room but was concentrated on the male. It cocooned around him, then speared into his body like a million daggers. He couldn't scream, but his mouth was open as if he were about to.

Her magic had always been focused on the mind, bending it to her will, making people do things she wanted instead of what they did. Over the years, she's practiced with it more, especially when she went out on her first few assignments as an assassin with the Guild. Now, though, her magic was something no one else had seen before, not with what she could do with a mind. One thought and she could turn a brain into liquid. That was a quick death, though.

For this male, she wanted him to suffer.

The images she sent were of the darkest kind as his body contorted in ways it should be able to without some physically maneuvering him. Almost everyone had to turn their heads, hands pressed over their mouths as his bones snapped and skin stretched to the point of breaking.

But she could feel her darkness wanting to continue with the torture, even though her light magic was trying to reign it in. This was when things got complicated, when she knew her normally emerald eyes would flash onyx.

Finally, she'd had enough. With one motion with her finger, the male's brain turned to liquid inside his head, blood leaking from his ears, nose, and eyes, cascading over his chin in a river from his mouth.

Then he slumped forward, dead.

Never to hurt a child or anyone else again.

Never to breathe the same air as they did.

"Let what happened to him be an example to you all," Empress Sophea said, voice cutting through the deathly silence. "Should anyone hurt a child as this male had, you will be met with the same fate."

The continued silence was answer enough. The only one who dared to even look at her was Malik.

Adeena turned on her heel right as the guardsmen began dragging the body across the marble floor, trailing bright red blood out behind it. Let him rot and thrown in the river without proper burial and rites. He didn't deserve to rest peacefully.

Even though she didn't lay a finger on him, she could still feel his blood on her hands, coating every inch of her just as she did with anyone she'd killed on the empress's orders. And even though every single one of them deserved it, she still needed time to herself, time to wash their blood and the memories of their deaths off her.

***

Only two of the five assassins of the Guild of Starlight were present when Adeena strode back into their home. Just an hour before, she ducked into an alley to change out of her Lady in White attire and back into her loose-fitting, sleeveless dress. She'd managed to run her fingers through her tangles, sweeping half of her blonde hair up into a braided knot at the back of her head. Just two minutes and she managed to be a presentable lady, a fake yet pleasant smile plastered on her face.

The walk back to the Guild house was torturous every step of the way, especially when she had to play nice and try not to snap at anyone. The darkness inside her was still raging, but it got nowhere near her heart. No, her light magic was what held tight and never let go.

The orc Warek, her second, met her at the gates. His muscular arms were crossed as he stared at her walking up the pathway, golden eyes narrowed. Though he just got back from a job himself, he looked as if he were getting back from a trip to market as well. His black hair was still braided back in a mohawk with the sides shaved, just like he'd worn it since she first met him, and his tunic and tight brown pants didn't have a speck of dust on them.

"You all right?" he asked as she strode past him.

"Fine," she said through her teeth, then tossed him the coin pouch heavy with her payment. "And there's more where that came from. The empress is sending a guardsman with the rest later tonight. We'll have to get it to vault before any one of our nosy neighbors sees."

"Addie..."

But Adeena lifted a hand, silencing him before he could continue with both it and the fierce look in her eyes. "Not another word on the topic, Warek. Now, where's Selise?"

He nodded toward the front doors. "Waiting for you upstairs. She knows your routine. All of us do."

"Anyone back from their assignments yet?"

He shook his head once, listing off the other three assassins of the Guild. "Dante sent word. He'll be back in a few weeks from Rezuvell. His is taking a little longer than expected but will let us know when he's heading back."

The Golden Boy, as Adeena liked to call him. He usually worked his way into the homes of those he was hired to kill...and right into their beds, whether it be male or female. He didn't have a preference. Then he usually made his kills right after a few hours of tumbling in the sheets.

"Taeva is in Searis, already done with her assignment and sent back half the coin she made but wanted to stay for a few more day. You know her. She takes a liking to one of the males she finds and wrings him dry."

The female mage definitely did like her males, especially when they were wealthy. She had a taste for the finer things in life and her closet displayed that, especially the case which held her many jewels.

Warek sighed, picking under his nails with the tip of his dagger. "And as for Zakari, he's actually here in Krahzara again but is keeping to himself. He came by this morning and said he would be back in a week. I have a feeling he's gone to the orphanage to help out just as he always does after a job. We all have our things to help ground us, don't we?"

Of course, he would. He had ever since Adeena herself pulled the half-orc out at seventeen. She still remembered the day barely ten years before when she went and knocked on the door as the Lady in White, demanding one of the older males in a cool voice. She was still processing the death of one of her assassins then on a botched job he'd taken, so she wasn't the nicest she'd ever been, even dressed as the Lady. As soon as she saw Zakari, she knew, even though he'd been shaking, his fangs practically stabbing holes through his lips, and tears streaked his dark skin. Half orc with one of his parents probably being from Rezuvell since he'd inherited their dark complexion.

Of course, he thought he was going to either be killed or be used for training other assassins, but no. It was either come with her to the Guild of Starlight or be put out onto the streets once he turned eighteen since he aged out, destined for death or the pleasure house since there were sick enough people to want to tumble with a 'half-breed,' as they liked to call him. That hadn't happened in a while, though, not when they knew what he'd trained up to be.

Adeena let out a sigh. "All right. I'm heading inside. Are you staying out tonight?"

Warek nodded, winking at her. "Of course. Like I said, we all know your routine after an assignment from the empress. We know to stay away, save for Selise."

She smiled up at him, though it didn't reach her eyes, and lifted a hand to his cheek. "I'll see you later then."

And with a nod, the orc pulled the hood of his jacket up onto his head and slipped through the gate unnoticed.

Adeena enjoyed the silence as she walked inside to the front foyer, slipping off her sandals as she walked toward the staircase. This was what she always did after a job and everyone but Selise knew to keep their distance from her. The water nymph already had the bath running, steam spilling out from beneath the double doors of her private suite. As soon as she went inside, she tossed her bag on the sofa in the sitting area, placed her sandals inside her closet through another doorway, and was working the thin straps of her dress over her shoulders when she caught sight of the male standing at the doors of her balcony.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, ice lacing her every word as she stared at the Crown Prince of Krahzara.

But it was Selise, with her light blue skin, dark navy hair, striking features, and lithe figure who answered as she came out of the steaming bathing room. "I tried to kick him out, but you know how insistent he is on checking on you after a job."

"Unfortunately," Adeena grimaced, then continued working on undressing. "But he usually stays downstairs until I come to meet him."

Malik turned toward her, a blush coloring his cheeks as soon as he realized she was still undressing. Why? He'd seen and touched and kissed every part of her plenty of times before, though that hadn't happened in...well, about twenty years, come to think of it. She'd found others to keep her company while Malik pined over another from a distance. Though she was older in years, her body hadn't changed in that time.

"I came to make sure you were all right, especially after that one."

Adeena waved a hand, letting her dress fall to the floor, leaving only her lacy undergarments to cover her. "Of course, I'm all right. That male deserved to die. I'm just mad I didn't make him suffer any more than he did. The charges against him warranted at least a few more hours of torture, but I'm sure your mother was on a schedule and I didn't want to make anyone vomit. That and the blood wouldn't have been fun to clean up and gods know I wouldn't have been the one to do it."

"Adeena..."

"I'm fine, Malik. Stop worrying over me just like you always do. You realize I've been doing this far longer than you seem to remember, right?"

"I do."

"And yet every time you look at me after I come back from an assignment, you don't see me. You see the Lady in White, your mother's lackey, an assassin who could take your life without even touching you if she were given the right price. And why are you blushing like a innocent school boy as I undress? You've seen me plenty before."

"Not in a while."

She had to do it. She had to tease him mercilessly, her smile turning wicked. "You want to change that? Get my mind off things?"

Oh, it worked beautifully, his face going a dark shade of red. "Seriously?"

"Of course not," she laughed, reaching for her silk robe to put it over the lace that covered the important parts of her. "You and I both know that certain part of our friendship is over and done with...especially after you met a certain young mage in Arloerin, right? Have you even tried to make a move on her yet, or is it that leopard familiar you're afraid of? I thought familiars were supposed to be just as close with their bonded one's mates?"

"I...we're not..."

But Adeena was still smiling as she walked over to him, took his hand, and leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "I'm just teasing you, Malik. You know that. Except when are you going to make a move on Janan? Because I hear she's a sight to behold and must be if King Nishan is still pining after his long-lost favorite consort. I would love to see for myself."

Malik narrowed his eyes in challenge. "Then come with me to Arloerin in a few weeks when we redo the trade agreement. You'll get to meet her and..."

"Don't."

"Adeena."

She let out a snarl, eyes flashing with rage that sputtered out. "Don't talk about her. Please."

She couldn't do it. Couldn't even think of the identical twin sister who was now one of the strongest, if not the strongest ruler in all of Laria. What would she think of Adeena if she knew what she'd become?

Malik reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You used to want to hear everything I had to say about her...about Cleo."

Well, she didn't want to anymore. Just another reason to want to get in the bath, to wash off the invisible blood on her hands, to help reign in her darkness inside, to drown herself in her sorrow.

"I don't want to. Not anymore."

"Why?"

"Because," she told him, eyes dropping to the gold embroidery on his jacket. "I don't think I can ever face her, not after all I've done, after what I've had to become to survive. She will want to know why I stayed away, especially after I was old enough to go back to her, to find her after all that time. I had to stay here, I had to stay because of your mother...because she was the only one with access to the mages we needed to heal Grandfather."

Her grandfather Evander, who had taken year after year to heal from his injuries under the careful care of Sophea's mages. Evander, who was somewhere in his rooms just down the hall from her own at that moment, probably humming an old Eld tune from back home and putting paintbrush to canvas just as he did every afternoon around this time.

"How is he, by the way?" Malik asked Adeena then, knowing her mind began to wander. "I haven't seen him in a few weeks."

"He's all right. Still doesn't say much when he doesn't have to. His voice..."

He'd been a beautiful singer. She remembered the lullabies he used to sing to her and Cleo when they were little, curled up against his chest as they fell asleep.

"Why don't you just go back?" Malik asked her then. "Back to Arloerin, to Cleo and your grandmother Renna. And Cleo...gods, you honestly think she would kick you out once she knew the truth? It's been so long, Adeena. So long and yet she still misses you something fierce. Bring Evander with you..."

"I have a debt that isn't even close to being paid," Adeena continued in a monotone voice.

"A debt that wouldn't have to be if my mother hadn't sent those assassins after you in the first place."

"I think she's paying her own debt in a way, especially since she gives so much coin for the jobs she has me do. I could buy this house five times over with what I have in the bank in my personal account. Besides, if she hadn't sent those assassins after me, how would she have known what I can do with my dark magic...and what it can do with the light combined. Death doesn't hold me anymore, Malik. Me or anyone I can find in the in-between. I learned that when mine and my grandfather's bodies were being hauled back here to Krahzara and yet I was able to pull us back into the physical world. At the age of four. Four precious years old. And I learned that because of Sophea. Learned that I have to keep one foot here in the physical world and the other in the land of light and shadows. Now...do you mind? Because I have plans you're ruining unless you plan on joining me. Like I said, I could use the distraction, you know..."

Once more, Malik's face heated, making Adeena grin as she turned toward the bathing room doors, letting her robe drop to the floor right before her lace undergarments followed.

The Crown Prince of Krahzara knew to let himself out, to wait in her office with one of the many books she'd collected over the years.

Except this time, when Adeena slipped naked into the scalding water, scented oils slick on the surface, it was the warm tears she felt first. They trailed down her cheeks, hitting the water before she leaned her head back against the rim, and allowed herself to cry.

When she was like this...gods, it was hard to keep her darkness locked up inside. It even started going after her light but would shrink back as soon as it burst into shimmering light. Only one thing could help her focus, could help her regain her hold on her magic without the threat of it taking anyone accidentally.

"Do you need my help?" Selise asked as she appeared through the doorway. "To be your anchor?"