Page 31 of Fateless

“Because they are planning to resurrect the Deathless King,” the iylvahn finished. “Nowdo you understand?”

Numbly, I slumped in the chair, trying to process everything I’d learned. My mind was spinning, my thoughts fractured, but Idid manage to piece one question together. “What will happen,” I whispered, “if the Deathless King comes back?”

“I don’t know,” the iylvahn replied. “But life has returned to the world. There is a whole city of souls to draw power from, and no rival Deathless to pose a challenge. Whatever you think might happen, the reality is likely a hundred times worse.”

The assassin knelt in front of the chair, his gaze intense. “I need you to tell me where the soulstone is,” he said. “This isn’t about riches, or wealth, or power. This is about preventing a Deathless King from returning to this world. You won’t just be saving your friend—you’ll be saving the entire city, and possibly the kingdoms beyond.”

I bit my lip, using the pain to clear my mind. I felt like I was drowning, in way over my head. I was just a thief trying to complete a mission for her leaders. Leaders who, according to the kahjai,were attempting to summon a legend straight out of the history scrolls. Because of me. And if they succeeded, it would be on my head.

“The thief that took the stone,” I said shakily, “he doesn’t know anything about the Deathless Kings or the soulstone or the ma’jhet.He just... needed a way to impress the Guildmaster. He took the stone to the guild.”

“To the Guildmaster.”

I nodded, hoping he wouldn’t ask me who the Guildmaster was. I was already betraying Jeran and the entire guild. I couldn’t betray Vahn, not for anything.

“The Guildmaster won’t keep the stone there,” the assassincontinued thoughtfully. “He’ll be taking it to the Circle. I suspect they’re in a panic because one of their members has already died. They know I’m close. They’ll want to perform the ritual straightaway.” His piercing gaze rose to mine again. “Do you know where they are?”

I hesitated. The iylvahn waited patiently as I fought a battle within myself. I had already betrayed the guild. But now I faced leading a stranger—an assassin—directly into Circle affairs. They would kill me if they found out what I was doing.

But... if what the iylvahn said was true, if the Circle really was trying to resurrect an ancient, godlike Deathless King...

“I can take you there,” I told the assassin slowly, “on one condition.” I took a deep breath and met those impassive blue eyes. “The thief and the Guildmaster... they’re not part of the Circle,” I said. At least, I desperately hoped Vahn was not. “They’re being used, same as me,” I continued. “If I take you to the Circle, I want you to promise that you won’t kill either of them.”

“My mission is to stop the Circle,” the iylvahn replied. “And to prevent the rising of the Deathless King at all costs. If you say these two are not part of it, I have no reason to kill them.”

That wasn’t exactly the ironclad promise I was looking for, but I had a feeling the iylvahn wasn’t going to change his answer. “All right,” I said, feeling an invisible hand grab my stomach and twist. “I’ll take you to where the Circle meets. We’ll have to go through the guild, though. I don’t know any other way.”

“Through the guild.” The assassin’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think you’ll be this foolish,” he said, his tone cold and dangerous, “but just in case you are planning to betray me once we areinside, I would very much advise against it. I promised I would not kill your friend or the Guildmaster. Others will have no such protection.”

I clenched my jaw and nodded. “I know how this works.”

He crouched in front of the chair, the dagger in his hand again, and sliced through the ropes around my ankles. Then he stepped behind me, and a moment later, my hands were free as well.

Rubbing my wrists, I stood and quickly pulled up my hood, feeling a swell of relief as it settled over me, hiding my face from the world again. I was in a room with the deadliest of assassins, and I had just agreed to take him inside the guild. I did not want to be seen by anyone.

“Are you ready?” the iylvahn asked. “Is there anything you need before we attempt this?”

“Just one thing,” I said, turning to look up at him. “What do I call you? I mean, you don’t have to give me your name, but I don’t want to have to yell ‘Hey, assassin!’ the whole time we’re together.”

He blinked. I got the strange feeling that he almost smiled. “You can call me Raithe,” he answered. “Not my real name, of course, but it’s better than ‘iylvahn’ or ‘assassin.’?”

“Raithe,” I repeated. It fit the dark, silent figure at my side. “All right. Let’s go.”

His arm came up, stopping me. “And what about you?” he asked.

“What?”

“Your name,” he went on. “What do I call you?”

“Oh.” For some reason, that surprised me. I didn’t think the cold, deadly iylvahn assassin would be interested in knowing my name. “It’s Sparrow,” I told him. “And yes, that is my real name.”

Again, that hint of a smile went through his eyes. But he simply nodded and turned toward the door. “Lead on, then. The Circle might be well into the ritual by now. I pray that we are not too late to stop them.”

Twelve

It was a surreal feeling, striding through the Docks District with the iylvahn beside me. Everything around me looked normal. The haze hung thick in the air, and dock workers shuffled down the street, hoods up and cloths over their noses and mouths. High overhead, Solasti blazed in the cloudless sky, alone for a few more hours until her sister joined her for Demon Hour.

For a brief moment, I wondered what would happen if I ran. If I darted into a nearby alley and lost the iylvahn in the crowds. After all, he hadn’t been able to catch me in the underground city, and I knew these streets like the back of my hand. I could abandon the assassin sent to kill me and go warn Vahn about the Circle and the Deathless King myself. And then maybe we could leave the city together, take a strider across the Dust Sea to start a new guild on the other side of Arkyennah. Far from the Circle, scary iylvahn assassins, and terrifying Deathless Kings. Vahn wouldn’t want to leave Kovass, but he had always been practical; if I told him what the Circle was planning, surely he would see the writing on the wall. We were thieves, and this wasn’t our fight; if a godlike Deathless King really was about to be summoned, the smart thing to do was to be far, far away when it happened.

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