Page 27 of Sands of Atonement

I found one.

Yanking myself over by the power of my arms, I crouched, balancing on top. I then surveyed my surroundings, trying to figure out how to get down.

But before I looked for another tall tree in the distance, I found a tower.

Thank. Fucking. God.

I tiptoed my way over, hoping no one would see my body on top of this massive palace wall. Once I reached the edge of the wall, I jumped onto the tower only to find out it was a watchtower, and a warrior now stood in front of me, eyes wide, hands on the hilt of the sword swinging from his hip.

I did what men did best: dancing around my opponent in a swaggering manner. My hood low, I watched him. Placing one foot across the other, I ensured there was a decent bounce in my knees before I sprang forward. Forearm in front, I crashed it into his wrist. The surprise didn’t release his hold on the sword, but he staggered backward. He opened his mouth to—I assumed—shout for his fellow warriors, but my head connected with his teeth.

A crack split the air.

Bent over, he howled—that wasn’t what I wanted. My legs wrapped high above his shoulders and climbed him as if he were a tree. My inner elbow twisted around his neck, and he gurgled against my chest and arm. I could feel him trembling for air, so I tightened my hold.

His hand reached up toward my face, but I leaned back, pulling even more. He wasn’t helping his case.

This was taking longer than I wanted. With my free hand, I grabbed the knife hanging from my thin belt and hit his temple.

We tumbled forward, plummeting onto the tower floor. He went limp, and I jumped back on my feet.

I glanced at his still face, wondering if I had, in fact, killed the man. I crouched low and placed my blade up to his nose.

A faint blur appeared in the reflection of the moonlight.

Flipping my dagger, I placed it back on my belt and looked for the⁠—

There it was. My way inside the palace walls. I approached the door and trotted down the staircase, noticing a set of weapons lying on one of the tables at the bottom. After browsing, I opened the door to the courtyard.

Peering through, two warriors passed by, making their way to the opposite side of the gates.

“—a quiet night,” the man to the left commented.

“Enjoy the calm before the storm,” the other warrior responded. “Tomorrow morning, when the Navons all arrive, it’ll be chaos with the festivities later. I’ve heard it’ll be the biggest⁠—”

Their voices faded, but not until I heard they weren’t here this evening.

I was hoping to catch one or two royal family members, slit their throats, and bury their bodies before the event started, and I did it all over again.

How terribly inconvenient.

As soon as they passed, I slid behind trees until I came to one of the palace buildings—the main one, crawling with beautiful jasmine vines. The front was where royalty and nobles of neighboring countries would see the first glory of its surroundings. I could tell this was it because I used to live in structures like this. It was like a city inside a city once you began to explore. That was before the family residing in this one burned it down and killed mine.

This was where I was to dance tomorrow, where the celebration would take place.

It was hard to see through the moonlight, but that didn’t stop me from climbing through one of the open windows to scout inside.

There was barely any light as I crept through the streets. After a long search within the palace, I had begun my way back to the Khraus. I hadn’t been expecting to find much, but I snuck around and got familiar with it. No man was injured, again, or killed.

I peered down at my hands through my coat. They were bloody and scraped up from sliding down that stupid bark. I tsked. I was going to get an earful from Sorrella.

A rabid cat attacked my hands in my sleep, I would say.

But the strangest thing occurred when I stepped past a quiet tavern, causing me to halt in my tracks. My heart pounded. It couldn’t be.

I skimmed the inside of the tavern for him.

He wouldn’t dare.