Mage Assassin 2 Chapter 2

The man who entered the room was a human of about seventy years, but he looked remarkably fit for his age. He wore a simple gold crown on top of his thick, auburn curls, and his well-trained body was clothed in a fitted doublet that was deep-green and embroidered with gold silk. His simple trousers were made of the finest quality of leather, but while the man’s overall attire was quite casual today, he still looked royal nevertheless.

“Ahh, the Dex Morgan,” the king boomed.

He was far more cheerful than the last time I saw him, but I guessed that was because his kingdom was no longer on the verge of utter destruction.

“Good morning,” I calmly returned. “You sent for me?”

“A few weeks ago, yes,” the king uttered. “Come. We should talk somewhere else.”

He turned his broad back to me and headed out the door, and I hoped the guard who sent me here wasn’t standing outside. I clenched my fists together and followed behind the king, but the stairwell was deserted when I emerged from the room.

The king proceeded to take me through the stone tunnels that weaved through the castle and then up another flight of stairs. I knew the place was massive, but I could hardly comprehend the many dozens of doors I walked passed along the way.

“In here,” the king announced as we approached a door with no guards beside it.

Then the king shoved the door open and held it for me, and I decided that for someone who ruled as much land as Ocadia, he was surprisingly modest. I knew countless estate leaders who treated even their staff like scum and expected to have everything done for them, but not the king, apparently.

He’d received me himself and led me to the proper room without calling on someone else, and then he’d actually held the door open for me.

“Thank you,” I said with a nod of my head.

“Take a seat,” the king insisted.

He pointed to a chair that sat in front of an enormous desk that was actually gilded around the sides, and even the chair was much grander than the one I had just sat in.

I glanced around the new room on my way over, and it held more clutter and valuables than the one I had just come from, too. Now that I compared them, I wondered if I had just come from a simple holding cell. Oil paintings of the king speckled the wall, from when he was young all the way up to the present day, and ornaments lined around the floor and leaned against the dark brick walls.

Then my attention turned to the gargoyles.

There were two that hung at the top of the wall just behind the desk and looked down on us. They were definitely made from solid gold, so they couldn't move, but they still made me uneasy with their snarling expressions and five-inch-long talons.

“Oh, don’t worry about them,” the king chuckled when he saw my eyes flicking between the two gargoyles. “They won’t cause any harm so long as you don’t. They just look after me.”

The king took his seat in a grandiose chair opposite me. It wasn’t quite a throne, but the skeleton of it was covered in jewels while small ropes made from gold dangled from the highest points.

“Right!” the king boomed as he looked me dead in the eye. “Where shall we start?”

I often wondered from afar if the king was dabbling in some of the magical tonics this kingdom had to offer, but now that we were only a few feet apart, I was sure of it. No non-magical human could maintain this level of health at his age. There were hardly more than a dozen wrinkles on his face, and his gaze was as lively and direct as a man a quarter his age.

“Well, you’re the one who summoned me,” I reminded him.

“Yes, that’s right.” The monarch smirked and stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I heard you did quite a good job of defeating that awful titan, Ignis.”

“What makes you think it was me?” I asked in an even tone.

“Master Morgan, let’s not play these games,” he scoffed, and I swallowed hard. Somehow, the king even knew of the title I’d recently acquired. “It’s an insult to both our honor. I only want to commend you for killing him. Without you, the whole kingdom could have gone to pot.”

I chose not to respond just yet. I didn’t whole-heartedly trust the king, but he never gave me a specific reason to distrust him. He simply hadn’t given me a specific reason I could trust him, either, so I continued to dance around the topic as lightly as I could and casually sat back in my chair while I held his gaze.

“There’s no need to be shy about your valiancy,” the king assured me. “You know, there are thousands of people and creatures all over the kingdom trying to claim notoriety for this job. This is the greatest act of heroism Ocadia has seen in nearly a century. If people knew it was you who accomplished this feat… Well, I’m certain they would line your street for miles just to train with you. Something your late Master Abbot would abhor, I’d imagine.”

I shifted in my seat and narrowed my eyes. This king definitely knew plenty about not only me, but the workings of our estate.

“Your Highness,” I calmly replied. “With all due respect, I’d rather not discuss--”

“Hold that thought,” he said and held up his hand. “I’m not finished yet.”

I ground my jaw a bit, but I nodded for him to continue.

“Now, what I was saying was that people would love for you to train them if they knew,” he started again, “but I respect your situation, Master Morgan. I would not endanger the workings of your estate, and I understand that this task you managed on behalf of Ocadia should be kept between the both of us.”

“I see,” I muttered, and I drew a steadying breath.

The king raised his eyebrows, but then he grinned, and after a moment, his throaty chortle rippled around the room.

“You are a hard nut to crack, aren’t you?” the king acknowledged. “But you don’t need to stand on pretence with me. I was good friends with Master Abbot. Actually, I was hoping to offer my condolences for your loss sooner, but you didn’t return my summons very promptly. I hope everyone at the estate is keeping well.”

I sat rigid in my seat because this was all news to me. Master Abbot had never once mentioned any personal acquaintance he had with the king, so I continued the conversation carefully for now.

“It was a hard loss,” I replied. “But we are doing well.”

“Good, good.” The king nodded. “All that being said, I’m sure you understand why it wouldn’t be good business for me to lavish you with all the rewards for killing Ignis. Can’t have all of Ocadia looking over their shoulders when Master Morgan walks by, can we?”

“I agree,” I replied. “May I point out, Your Highness, that you seem rather unconcerned about the presence of an estate like ours residing within Ocadia. You are aware we deal in the business of killing, yes?”

“You’re blunt,” the man snorted. “I like that. Yes, I am unconcerned. As a matter of fact, I appreciate your work. Ocadia boasts a plethora of beings, and this is a point of pride, of course, but it is also an utter pain in my ass to keep order in these streets. I can’t possibly address every issue, and plenty of criminals lurk in the shadows. Hell, plenty of criminals preside over magical estates that could topple this monarchy given the chance.”

“You’re blunt as well,” I replied. “But you make a good point.”

“It’s estates like yours that I find I don’t ever have to worry about,” the king chuckled and scratched his beard. “Not only do you offer me no trouble, but you have a swift and effective means of doing away with the trouble I can’t be bothered with or don’t even know about. In truth, I need estates like yours to maintain the peace here.”

“I suppose,” I muttered. “So… if you are not foisting your rewards upon me, what is it you wanted to speak to me about?”

“Firstly, I did want to formally commend you in person for killing the titan,” the king replied. “You were a difficult man to track, but it was worth the effort to have my curiosity satisfied.”

“And in only a matter of hours, too,” I returned.

“Of course.” The king shrugged.

I fought the urge to ask him outright about his intel, but judging by the straight-faced mask he wore now, I guessed he was just as protective of his privacy as I was.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Ah… no,” the king admitted. “I’ve noticed that without Master Abbot’s help, things have gotten… well, rather hard to manage around here. I honestly didn’t realize just how much I relied on the man until he was gone. Such a pity.”

The king rolled himself back on his chair and collapsed his hands together. He huffed, pursed his lips, and stared into the distance for a moment, and I was unsure if he was just putting on a performance for me, or if he was truly this dramatic about his grief.

Suddenly, he stood up from his seat and started to pace in front of me.

“I like to leave the estates and the nobles to handle their own little tiffs,” the king divulged. “It keeps them busy and spares me having to interfere with more trivial matters. But sometimes… sometimes the troubles hit too close to the monarchy.”

“I can imagine.” I nodded.

“What I’m saying, Master Morgan…” the king trailed. “I guess what I’m saying is that I do hope we can maintain the professional understanding Master Abbot and I had before his passing. I’m obviously aware you have taken over the estate, which I assume means you’re handling all of the back end stuff, and frankly, maintaining this relationship would be of great service to the both of us.”

“I see,” I replied.

The king was breathing heavily, as if he had a lot riding on my opinion of him, but I still couldn't understand if it was just his attempt of weaseling in and making a powerful ally, or if what he was saying about working with the Master was true.

“So, you’ll do it?” he asked with wide eyes.

“Not necessarily,” I returned with a slight shrug. “That answer could change, but for now, as with all clients, I won’t accept any jobs without the proper research. I’m sure you can understand that I have a lot to attend to. Master Abbot left quite the legacy behind him, and I couldn’t risk allowing anything to jeopardize what he’s built here.”

“I assure you, I would never--” he began.

“I understand you would like to assure me,” I interrupted. “But as you know, nothing can rely wholly on assurances in this kingdom. To be blunt, I’m not going to simply fill my ledgers with your assignments because of who you are, Your Highness. That’s not how I run this business.”

“I see,” the king replied and nodded. “A fair response.”

Then he started to rub his chin again, and the crown on his head jostled with his rough movements, but it still stayed in place like it was a permanent fixture. That’s when I realized how anxious he seemed to be. He was the king, and I was just a local assassin, but for some reason, he was pleading with me, albeit in a sheltered way, and suddenly, I knew there was more he had left to say.

It was only that my response had silenced him on the topic.

“There’s something else you want to ask me,” I informed him with a pointed stare.

“There’s not…” he trailed.

“Yes, there is,” I defied him. “You’re trying to present this relationship as one that would benefit the both of us, yet the careful way you speak suggests that it would benefit you a lot more than I, and you said something about trouble hitting too close to the castle. You have a particular issue on your mind at this very moment, and that is the primary reason you summoned me here. I’d wager it’s also the reason my delay in responding has agitated you.”

The king looked both surprised and impressed, and he seemed to be trying not to smirk. Then he returned to his seat, sat back down, and leaned on the desk with his hands folded together.

“I do have a problem within the confines of the castle,” he admitted. “And I need your help to see it dealt with immediately. I’m afraid time is indeed running out on my end.”

I was neither a defender of the monarchy, nor a confidant of one, but I was certainly curious what sort of circumstance a king would need an assassin for.

“What problem?” I asked.

“I have a brother, I’m sure you know of him,” he started. “Gruffydd, the Grand Duke of Roanwick.”

I wasn’t into royal politics, but I had a pretty good understanding of what the Grand Duke looked like from various addresses the king had given over the years. He was auburn-haired, just like the king, but his hair was longer and had sleeker curls. His nose was more pronounced than his brother’s and hooked in the middle, and he always had rosy cheeks.

“Of course, I know of him,” I returned and waited for the king to begin again.

“Well, he has a daughter, my niece, the Duchess of Roan--”

“No,” I refused flat out. “I’m not assassinating your niece. I’ve been caught up in bitter uncle assassinations before, and it does not end well.”

“You most certainly will not be assassinating my niece!” the king huffed, and he looked insulted and furious all at once.

“Oh,” I chuckled. “My mistake, I thought you… go on.”

“My niece is the very picture of perfection,” the king said in a warning tone. “And she has never caused trouble in this kingdom. It’s the man the duchess is betrothed to who is the issue.”

“Which duchess is this?” I asked. “Maggie or Nellie?”

Unlike their father, I didn’t know what the two duchesses looked like. They were known to be quite private, almost to the point that the city took it as an insult that they never mingled with the residents. They were in fact both princesses, given their relation to the king himself, and since our king had no children of his own, Maggie and Nellie were the only women in the kingdom who could be considered as such. I’d heard their names gossiped about in the streets for most of my life, but I rarely paid attention to what was said since absolutely all of it had to be hearsay.

“Maggie, the eldest,” the king said. “It’s quite difficult to talk about, considering family affairs are normally kept quiet, but her husband-to-be is such a wretch that I have no choice.”

My ears perked up a bit. “What’s happened?”

“Maggie has been promised to a young duke who insists everyone just calls him Monty,’” the king huffed.

“Is it the name that bothers you?” I chuckled.

“No, it’s the fact that he’s a filthy bastard,” the king bluntly informed me, and I furrowed my brow. “A drinker, a gambler, someone who dabbles in the darker, mind-altering magics of the kingdom… Any unsavory behavior a young man in Ocadia can get up to, he does it.”

“You’ll have to be more specific than that,” I said. “You’ve just described most of the younger members of your court.”

The king narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t argue the point.

“Monty has also been… having affairs with the local nymphs rather regularly,” the king uttered in a lower tone. “He has been seen in the filthiest underground taverns and hanging around with immoral types, making a heinous reputation for himself over the past month or so. I even heard he’s been seen with the warlocks, and although I am the king, and on record, there isn’t an estate I look down upon, I will say that the warlocks are not a group for a future prince to be associating themselves with.”

“Why don’t you talk to your brother about all this, then?” I asked. “With all due respect, it seems like a big step to go from disliking someone because of their antics, to wanting them dead.”

“I have tried to speak to my brother, but he won’t hear any of it,” the king muttered as he furiously stroked his beard. “The Grand Duke is a stubborn fool, and he is either determined to ignore the obvious trouble in the matter, or is dead set on dismissing my stance at all cost. He insists that the young duke is of perfectly good stock, and that his daughter deserves to marry well. I agree with this last part, of course, but Gruffydd refuses to admit this Monty fellow isn’t the match he was represented to be.”

“Represented to be?” I asked.

“Yes, I assure you he didn’t appear to have a single flaw prior to the engagement,” the king said with a loaded look. “This young duke is a little weasel who was smart enough to hide it from everyone until he was sure he had my darling niece in the bag, so to speak. Now, my eyes about the kingdom are bringing in reports daily about the filthy bastard, and I won’t let this continue. If my brother won’t do the proper thing, I’ll certainly see to it myself.”

“Then do see to it yourself,” I suggested, and the king looked at me in confusion. “Refuse to allow the marriage. Problem solved.”

“Hah!” the king scoffed. “If you think the magical estates are a pain in the ass, try dealing with this royal court. Or my brother for that matter. No, I need this settled carefully, and in no way can I or my niece be tied to the situation when all is done. I’d end up with not only my brother, Gruffydd, to answer to, but the whole of Ocadia, as well as this imbocile’s family. Not to mention, dear Maggie’s chances of gaining a more deserving suitor would be harmed.”

I thought over this for a moment, and while the situation did seem almost standard to the sort of request we’d receive any day at the estate, this one was vastly different. This involved the affairs of the king’s kin, and if anything went awry, all of the heat he was hoping to avoid by hiring me could mean a noose around my neck.

“She’s a sweet soul, Master Morgan,” the king spoke when I remained silent. “I do not know if you are acquainted with any young ladies who you can say are truly pure, but that is our Maggie.”

“Hmm,” I returned, and his words immediately brought Ephy, the beautiful siren, to mind.

She was the very picture of purity to me, and I briefly wondered if the king’s “eyes” knew of my involvement with her, on top of everything else.

“On my honor,” the king continued. “If this marriage is to go through, this young duke’s reputation will soon sully her spirit, and every time he gets caught being a lecherous fool, it will only hurt her more. Maggie is the first priority here, and where she is concerned, I pay no heed to foolish arrangements. This will be handled properly, without any room for error. That is precisely why I have approached your estate about the matter.”

“Well, I will have to consider the--”

“In return for your troubles,” the man interrupted, “I will pay you a great deal.”

“Yes, I will have to work through the case in order to decide upon a price,” I clarified.

“Nonsense,” the king snorted and waved his hand at the idea. “I’ve always paid Master Abbot what I saw fit, and he certainly never found my rewards lacking.”

I was surprised by how confidently this was stated considering I’d never heard of any gracious payments from the king. On the other hand, there were a hell of a lot of priceless items of Master Abbot’s around the estate, and I didn’t know the story behind most of them.

“I can’t have the stave and everything else you promised for the killing of Ignis,” I reminded him.

“Oh, please,” the monarch scoffed. “Have you seen the way the kingdom’s falling at my feet for the chance to be the chosen one and receive those prizes? They’ll remain unclaimed. No, in return for killing the young duke, I will reward you with this.”

The king stood up once more and strolled to the back of the ornate room. I kept my eyes firmly fixed on him and watched his back bend and rise as he chose something from the lower shelves.

“As well as two kilos worth of gold, you will also receive one of the royal daggers, encrusted with the finest sapphires and emeralds, a card written by me that gives your entire house the ability to speak to me whenever necessary, and this.”

The king placed an egg on the desk. It didn’t resemble the gold one that perched on the Master’s shelves, instead it was a deep, wine red and about the same length as my forearm.

“What is it?” I asked as I cupped the warm, oval shell in my palms.

“Nipitar egg,” the king revealed, and my eyes bulged from my head.

“There’s no way,” I countered. “A nipitar has never nested within Ocadia. They inhabit lands thousands of miles from ours.”

“Blame migration season,” the king returned with a grin. “When the nipitars fly overhead, sometimes they drop their eggs on their journey. There were three that were found this year. One of them I have, then another I gave to the Royal Associates’ Estate, and this last one can be yours if you choose to accept the job.”

I placed the egg back down and remembered that eagerness was not the best path to take in this moment.

But nipitars were beyond rare, and I had only seen a few fly overhead in my life.

They were somewhat like dragons, but much smaller and stealthier, and I’d read it was impossible to tell what color they would be until they hatched. Having a nipitar at the estate would not only give us extra protection, but also be a great ally for the assassins, especially in large-scale combative assignments. We’d once been sent to battle a whole drove of possessed trolls who’d pillaged half the southern quarter and become too violent to contain, and even with ten of us fighting, we nearly lost two of our assassins. A nipitar certainly would have improved our circumstances then.

Still, I pushed the wine red egg back toward the king and pretended like the offer wasn’t such a big deal.

“As I said before, I’ll have to think about it once I’ve conducted the necessary research,” I informed the king.

He seemed shocked, but then amused by my stance on the matter. “Mr. Morgan, your persistence is showing me that you have the same forthcoming energy as Master Abbot, and I can’t help but commend you on it. In any case, if you do decide to take me up on my offer, then you will be able to find Monty at that troll boxing speakeasy that nobody thinks I know about. I think it’s called Lorticon.”

“And what does he look like?” I pried.

“Eh, look around for the most pompous ass there is, and that’s good ol’ Monty,” the king said with a slight smirk on his face. “I imagine with your experience, you’ll find him easily enough.”

“I’ll be in touch,” I said and stood up to leave.

“Hang on one moment,” the king called and went to the shelf again. “Before you leave, I think it’s only fair to still reward you with something for killing the titan.”

I turned back around, and in the king’s outstretched hand was an opal.

But it wasn’t just any opal.

The opal was large enough to fit in my palm comfortably, and when I looked at it, the most extraordinary thing started happening. What looked like an entire galaxy was encapsulated within the mineral, and it was rotating slowly. Neon pink, green, and blue nebulae held in the spirals like stagnated explosions, and at the bottom, bursts of oranges and whites blossomed and dissolved over and over again like supernovae.

I looked in awe at the living rock, and I could have sworn I even saw the faintest trails of cosmic dust sifting through the core of the opal.

“Thank you,” I said as I tried not to gawk too much, but all I could think about was putting it in my new office.

What used to be Master Abbot’s office was now mine, and surrounding the walls were shelves filled with ornaments and rare collectibles from his centuries in the kingdom. Apart from my first sword I’d used to kill a shepherd, I didn’t really have anything particularly worthy of placing beside his priceless objects… apart from this.

“Keep it well hidden,” the king remarked. “If anyone sees it, I’m sure they will fight to the death for it.”

“I think I could handle that.” I smirked at him and put the opal in my bag. “I must go, but can I ask you to show me another exit, preferably one not in the open so much?”

I hoped that the king would agree to sneak me out, considering the guard at the door let me in as a maiden in the same clothes and satchel.

The monarch scratched his head and looked at me bewildered.

“I suppose,” he chortled. “But most of my staff don’t even know about it, so discretion is advised.”

“You have my word,” I promised him.

“And the word of a Master assassin is certainly one I’ve learned to trust,” the king replied. “Follow me.”

I did as he said and trailed behind him, and he led me through thinning bricked corridors that were lined with lanterns filled with candles. The deeper into the castle we got, the darker everything became. He led me through tunnels that had no windows, and the air felt less fresh and tight around my neck.

“Down here,” he said and stepped down a small corridor.

Then the king bashed on the stone slabs of the floor a few times, lifted a drain cover, and revealed a set of stairs.

I was baffled by the intricate passageways he had hidden in this place, and I wondered if they were something he used often, or if they acted as an escape route for when people inevitably turned against him.

Then the king swiftly jumped down the ladder and waited for me to do the same.

Once I was in, I covered the drain again and rushed to catch up with the monarch who had already lit a nearby lantern and was storming ahead with it.

“Just by here,” he said. “You should come out at the back of the castle. When you go through this door, you must climb the stairs and then you will reach another door and a ladder. When you reach the top of the ladder, you will find yourself in the hedges. Slide out of there without anyone knowing.”

“Ok, sure.” I nodded.

“And one more thing,” the king said. “You can’t come back through this way. There’s far too many enchantments in place, and you will be painfully destroyed, so don’t even try.”

“I won’t,” I chuckled.

The king pushed open the door and stood there while I entered into the dark tunnel and turned around. The amber from the small lantern in his hand reflected on his face and made his auburn hair seem like its own flame. He gave me a smile that actually seemed genuine, and then he waved me goodbye and closed the door.

The door shut with a loud thud, and the echo ricocheted off the bricked walls.

From there, I did as the king said and followed his directions to the ladder. Then I climbed up it and opened the fake drainage lid. Speckles of light filtered into the tunnel, and it took a moment to readjust my eyes. Once I’d wormed my way out, I found myself in the middle of a patch of shrubs, and I peered through the leaves until I was sure the coast was clear. Then I jumped out, dusted myself off, checked that I had no sticks on me, and set off back to my estate.

The air was fresher out here than it had been in the tunnels, and the sun was edging higher over Ocadia. I was around the back of the castle at the edge of a hill, but already, there were hordes of people and creatures that made their way to the market stalls. Toward the far north, just on the outskirts of the kingdom, were where the dragon’s lived, and from this vantage point, I could actually see a waft of smoke in that direction. I was intrigued to see what was going on over there, but I had other work to do and turned east and walked home.

I chose not to go through the stalled areas again, just because I felt I’d experienced enough busy-ness for one day. Instead, I trailed along the outskirts of the city centre and kept on the dried-mud path that forked off into all different directions.

As I passed the outer-facing stalls, I couldn’t help but think about the king and the deal he just tried to make with me. Surely, the understanding between the king and Master Abbot would be something the estate would have known about… at least, I should have known about it, but I was none the wiser.

I thought back to some of the tasks we had been given over the years, and there were actually several incidences I could remember that involved killing someone who was connected to royalty in one way or another. I decided I’d have to look through the ledgers more carefully later on to see if I could confirm any of the king’s statements, and I quickened my pace, but it still took me over an hour to get back to my estate in the morning rush.

The Assassin’s Estate was hidden on the far east side of the kingdom and tucked partially within the Forest of Hud. For most locals, it would be pretty much impossible to find, especially because of the old and disused witches’ coven that lay in front of it. The overgrown foliage of the area gave the impression half our street was swallowed up in plants, but there were several workshops in our same quarter of Ocadia that belonged to people who allied with our house. These included Myokos the blacksmith’s workshop, a carpenter’s shop, two carriage builders, and quite a few others.

I bounded up to the fifteen foot, ivy-covered wall surrounding my estate, passed through the gate, strolled up the rugged, stone footpath to the door, and watched as the plants tore themselves away from the knob and allowed me to enter.

“Ah, Dex… I mean, Master,” Mazne, the curly-haired receptionist, greeted me.

Calling me Master was odd for the both of us, especially because I had known Mazne since I was just seven years old, and she was like a sister to me, but we were both adjusting to the changes around here.

“Where’ve you been?” she asked and flicked through the papers that sat behind her desk. “Ahhh, you took on Bick, the goblin. How did it go? One shot kill again? Oh, of course you handled it the same as always, what am I saying? You were gone a long time, though, what else did you do? Did you get some lunch? Oh! Did you find any new fruits this week?”

Mazne was a bubbly woman, but sometimes, her bombardment of questions were unbearable. I sighed and took my time in answering while I untied my cloak from my neck, and then I removed the bow and quiver from my back.

I darted my eyes toward the carpet as I walked over to Mazne’s desk, and a hundred embroidered snakes got out my way when they saw I was about to step on them. Once I had passed them all, they went back into their positions again, and their golden eyes sewed closed.

The reception area was dark and filled with dark wood, golds, black, and red, and it was warmly lit while maintaining a perfect blend of inviting and intimidating energy.

It was always good to be home.

“The goblin’s dead, and I went to see the king about this whole Ignis thing,” I said as I laid my weapons on the reception desk.

“Ignis?” Mazne suddenly jumped. “So, you confirmed to the king that it was you? Oh, Dex, was that a good idea? Because now he knows you can kill the greatest of foes, and what if--”

“It’s okay,” I told her. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I couldn’t have lied to him because he already knew, but it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Okay,” she returned in a skeptical voice.

Whenever Mazne came out with just a word or two in response, I knew she didn’t agree with what I was saying.

“Anyway,” I continued regardless, “I have some tasks to research before anything else, so I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

Mazne pursed her lips, but I turned away and headed to the hall.

The house my assassins and I lived in was much bigger than it looked on the outside, and it took a minute or two to reach Master Abbot’s office. Or rather, my new office.

I twisted the door handle and walked in.

The space still didn’t feel much like mine, and dark wooden shelves lined a whole wall where the Master’s rarest belongings and books were displayed. The desk and chairs that sat in the center of the space were as dark as the rest of the estate furnishings, and the pristine fountain that the Master used to read the waters of stood toward the back.

The thing that irked me the most, though, was the back wall itself.

When the Master was alive, he would command the wooden panels to lower and showcase the outside. This hidden window looked out on the outdoor training grounds and some of the encroaching Forest of Hud, but since his passing, the wooden wall had cemented into place, leaving no view or daylight to infiltrate the area.

I had tried many times to get it to work, but it still wouldn’t budge.

I placed my items on the other side of the desk, where the assassins usually sat to talk to me. Then I started to rummage around in my bag until I found what I was looking for.

The living opal.

It still glowed, gleamed, bursted, and blossomed in the same way it did when I first saw it at the castle. I gently picked it up, and I carried it over to the right side of the room.

After skimming my eyes across the collection, I found the perfect place to put it, and I set it down beside a golden egg. This egg was a piece the Master got from the Queen and had been acquired at the start of his founding the Assassins’ Estate. So, I decided to put my prize next to it to symbolize the beginning of what Mazne insisted on calling “my new legacy.”

I stood a few steps away from the living opal, and I decided it helped the office seem a little more like my own space. I didn’t get much of a chance to admire the strange, swirling galaxy, though, because a sweet symphony whispered to me from across the room.

It was so faint and died away so soon that I almost wondered if I’d imagined it.

Then I furrowed my brow and looked over my shoulder to find the water in the fountain was glowing a familiar aquamarine. I swiftly headed over, and my heart leapt into my throat.

A song that sweet could only have come from one being.

“Ephelia?” I called as I trailed my fingers through the reflective water.

Only my face stared back at me, so I lowered my head and squinted to try and find the sweet siren who had helped me so much with the greatest mission I’d completed to date.

Without Ephy, I may never have been able to avenge my departed Master.

Suddenly, the water went cloudy, as if a small storm had formed in the eye of it, and then I heard her again.

“I miss you, Dex,” Ephy lulled in the softest, sweetest tone I’d ever heard.