Page 81 of Decoy

“I told you there’s no need for that,” I said. “If I intended to kill you, I’d have long already accomplished the deed; I do hate wasting my time. If you doubt me, perhaps a demonstration is in order.”

I told myself it was for the sake of the mission to speed their cooperation along, but in truth I was too prideful to resist showing off a little.

In quick movements enhanced by the shadows cast from the surrounding trees, I withdrew another dagger and threw it at the tree just behind Her Highness; the blade passed mere inches from her face to land precisely where I’d aimed. She startled and I performed a mocking bow.

“Quite impressive, isn’t it? To be clear, I only missed because I chose to.”

The warning effectively captured her attention. “If you’re not here to kill me, then what do you want?”

I returned to twirling my dagger expertly between my fingers. “I wager you’re astute enough to guess I earned my name by remaining elusive. Darkness is ideal for making kills, so I only venture from the shadows when there’s something I need.”

“And I can give you what you desire?”

I nodded. “It’s quite inconvenient to be forced to rely on my target, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

She pondered my words. It appeared she had a good head on her shoulders; this would be so much simpler if she were stupid.

“It’d be foolish to strike any bargain with a man who’s repeatedly intended me harm.” Her gaze flickered towards the fallen assassins.

“Who,thesemen?” I glanced lazily towards them, keeping my gaze on their faces rather than their fatal injuries. “I have nothing to do with them.” How insulting that she’d even considered it.

“Are you truly claiming it’s mere coincidence you appeared immediately following their attack?”

Ifcoincidencewent by the name of Malik and his convenient ability to gather information for the Shadow house. I lifted an eyebrow. “It appears my reputation has suffered defamation if you believe I’d choose to work with such incompetent amateurs.”

I cast another disguised look towards the fallen assassins…only to accidentally glimpse the blood staining their corpses. My vision blurred and the world spun; I hastily yanked my gaze away. I’d grown to tolerate Blair’s blood, but any other remained my crimson enemy.

“If they don’t work for you, then who are they?” the princess demanded.

I shrugged. “I have my suspicions, but informing you of them is the role given to the decoy.” Over my dead body would I ruin her sole chance at a pardon.

Her eyes rounded. “You know about her?”

My entire manner hardened. How dare she speak so casually of the woman who’d risked everything for her, as if her life meant nothing when to me there was nothing more precious.

“Oh? You wish to speak of the one chosen to die in your place?”

It took considerable effort to maintain my composure; my fingers twitched around my dagger’s hilt in temptation to use it to coerce the princess, a method that would be more likely to backfire than actually help. No matter how much she annoyed me, for Blair’s sake I needed to be patient in order to secure Her Highness’s cooperation.

She flinched. “I…I never asked her to—”

“Irrelevant, considering that’s still the role she’s been assigned.” I forced myself to take several steadying breaths.Get a hold of yourself. I needed to maintain a firm hold over my emotions in order to guide this conversation in its necessary direction. “I suppose the situation deems it fitting to speak of her. My assignment to eliminate the Estorian crown princess required me to get close to her; she’s a feisty thing.”

My thoughts reached across the distance separating us, granting me the strength to resecure my hold over my careful control.

“I’ve actually come to know the decoy quite well, along with her own mission. You seek the very information the decoy must present in order to secure her freedom…and if I give it to you now, she’ll have nothing to bargain with.”

“Why would you care about her freedom?”

“I don’t.” The blasphemous lie burned my tongue, but it wouldn’t do to tip my hand too early. If Her Highness discovered my weakness for Blair, it’d only put her at risk by allowing them to use her as a tool against me, something I wouldn’t stand for; as I’d learned after the shadows had taken Laila hostage, I’d do anything for those I loved.

“You speak as if you’re convinced of my identity, but it appears that for all your skills you’re not infallible: I am not the princess you’re looking for.”

I couldn’t suppress my laugh. Her cheeks pinked but she evenly maintained my gaze, as if she thought that by intimidatingly staring me down she might trick me into believing she was serious.

“Now, now, now, that’s not going to work on me. Games aremyarea of expertise.” And something I only played with Blair. “I won’t allow you to try and play one with me. No matter how much you attempt to deny it, I know you’re the true princess…the very one I’m charged to kill. I know you’re the princess, just as I’m certain that the one chosen to masquerade as you is nothing but a fake. She put up quite a valiant performance, but in the end my superior skills exposed the secret. Luckily for her I found her quite amusing, else she’d be dead too…or perhaps not, for we were almost evenly matched and she won her own share of our battle of wills. One would think I wasted my time, but to my own surprise I’ve quite enjoyed my assignment, definitely my most entertaining by far.”

Amusement filled each of these precious memories, but I forced myself to keep my focus on the matter at hand.

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