The Assassin Princess (The Legacy Novels Book 1) (4 page)

“None knew where Graeme and Adam had gone, not until recently, thirty years after they’d disappeared.”

Ami looked up. “Thirty years?”

“Legacy has had no ruler in that time,” Hero said, pushing away from the tree. “His wife is still alive, Lady Grace.”

“But, my dad isn’t an old man,” Ami said. “You have the wrong Graeme, you have the wrong Ami!” There was a brightness to her voice. Settled, she could go home. And yet there was also disappointment. She didn’t want it to be over.

“We don’t know what happens when one enters the Mortrus Lands,” Xavier said. “We have no knowledge of those lands as they are older than even we are. The old lord regains the youth he lost in Legacy, and that is all we can glean.”

“A second life?” Ami said, feeling the excitement bubble again. It wasn’t over. “So Dad could have had the life I know of
and
a life in Legacy?”

“Yes,” Xavier said. “The Mortrus Lands are unknown, a mystery. We suspected that Graeme had returned to your layer, but we didn’t know of Adam’s whereabouts until now.

“The horn is powerful and the power infected each that used it, spreading it through each generation, all the way through to you.”

Ami shook her head. “No, I don’t have any—”

“You defended yourself against my attack,” Hero said to her. “You have power within you, enough to dream, enough to reach into those dreams, enough to make a connection.”

“But I never—I haven’t—” She shook her head. “I haven’t made any connection.”

“Your painting,” Xavier said, lowering his muzzle so that his eyes were level with hers. “You were painting this valley, though you didn’t know it, and were reaching into your dreams, using your power. You painted the herd, and we felt you calling to us from far away. We looked, we searched, and finally found you.

“The moment we found the connection though, we realised we were not the only ones to know of you. Adam has the broken horn that Graeme possessed, and we felt him, his hand on the horn, his thoughts running through ours. He now knows of you and knew where to find you. He was bent on going after you. We sent an envoy to Legacy and Hero rode back to us. We sent him to you using your connection, your painting, as a portal through the layers.”

“He’s coming after me?” The vampire flashed in her memory, the white face, the pulsing green eyes.

“He’s been living in Noxumbra, to the far east of Solancra. Using the horn, he’s fashioned himself a home there, and has been waiting for an heir to show themselves. Planning, plotting, his mind is twisted with hatred and misuse of power. He is unable to enter Legacy, though it is unclear as to why. He is dangerous, and wants revenge.”

“He almost got to you in your layer,” Hero said, coming closer, “and he tried when you arrived in this one. As soon as we leave the protection of the unicorns here, it is likely he will try again.”

Ami looked between them. “Can’t we stay here?” she asked.

Hero shook his head. “It is your destiny, Princess, to come back with me to Legacy.”

“And what will he do with me if finds me? Kill me?”

“We don’t know, but I won’t let that happen.”

Ami wasn’t convinced. Though he’d now saved her twice from some evil, crazy-man, this all seemed too big, too
magical
for just a man with a sword. He was just a man, wasn’t he? “How are you planning on protecting me? Are you some kind of superhero?”

“With skill, Princess,” Hero said, giving a slanted grin. “It’s what I have trained for all my life.”

Perhaps it was
just the way the branches moved, filtering the light through the shadow, but Ami was sure there were
things
between the trunks of the woodland opposite; a vampire lying in wait, his blood-red lips quivering in a manic smile.

Watching you
.

The trees breathed and the leaves sighed as they rustled high above, whispering to her; she heard their murmurings even over the sound of the river’s rush, and it made her skin crawl.

“Hero, I think there is something out there,” she said, but Hero was already alerted and by her side, his dark eyes scanning the trees. He raised his finger to his lips and pointed to the left of them, across the river and into the forest. There she saw flickers of grey movement, though it was hard to make out. Whatever or whoever it was, they were quite camouflaged. There was a sound of voices, and as Hero drew his sword, two hooded men emerged from the foliage, leading horses out of the gloom.

“I told you we were heading right all along.”

“Yes, well done. When we get back I’ll give you a medal.”

Hero dropped his guard and waved across the river. “Men!” he shouted. “What’s taken you so long?”

The men waved back. “I’m sorry, Hero,” said one. “Raven had us riding in circles.”

“It wasn’t my fault!” the other called in response.

“We leave soon.” Hero then turned to Ami. “These are my most trusted men from the Guard, Raven and Kane. They will accompany us on our journey.”

The newcomers stole glances at her as they jostled for position at the edge, and Ami breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t Adam. She hadn’t realised until that moment how frightened she was. Only hours ago she’d convinced herself that it was all a dream, but was now jumping at shadows.
Get a grip.
She looked from the men on the opposite bank to the water, and then to Hero. “How do we cross the river?”

The water was deep and rapid, and Ami didn’t think they could swim it. Hero turned to Xavier. “Will you help us with that?”

“Certainly,” the unicorn said. He walked to the edge and bowed down toward the water, his horn flaring a bright white. A strange glugging sound started as large bubbles broke the surface, spanning the width of the river. A crunching noise followed as large black rocks rose to the surface, creating an uneven pathway between the banks.

Xavier lifted his glistening horn, the water settling once more. “This path will submerge once you’re across.” He walked over to Ami, addressing her directly. “Remember that as soon as you cross, all protection from us ends. Be safe and be careful. Let Hero guide you, but trust yourself to protect and defend.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for all of this, whatever this really is.”

“I know it may seem unreal to you,” he whispered, lowering his large muzzle to her, “but remember your dreams. Just because it’s unreal, it doesn’t mean that it’s
not
real.”

“It’ll be okay,” Hero said, leading her to the edge, the stepping stones before her. “Kane and Raven are in front, and I’m behind you. You are protected. Now, take the step.”

Ami looked down at the first rock, the river running fast around its base. She lifted her foot, let it hover for a moment, then stepped forward.

*

The first few steps across the rocks took her to the middle of the river where the water frothed and parted, reached for her before failing, falling, and continuing downstream.

Within a minute Ami had made it across, the two Guards taking her arms and lifting her onto the bank; on the other side, the unicorn had gone. His warnings of protection rang in her ears, just as a chill ran through her, making her feel cold and exposed—she could be attacked at any moment, killed, kidnapped, and only the men with her stood between her life and death.

She looked to each of them. Hero’s eyes bore into her as he checked her over, making sure of her safety, while Raven and Kane eyed her with suspicion or awe, though she wasn’t sure with which. She heard birds singing high-up in unseen places, and for a moment, their sweet song distracted Ami from her thoughts—until she felt the chill once again.

Watching you
.

Hero placed his arm around her and drew her in. “He is watching,” he said. “He is near. I feel his chill in the very air. We must move.” He brought one of the horses forward and helped Ami up onto its back before climbing up himself.

Raven and Kane had already mounted the other and were turning to face the new forest. “Princess,” said the one named Raven, “it is lovely to meet you.”

“Umm, thanks,” she said, as Hero brought his horse parallel to the other. “You too.”

“Enough,” Hero said. “We keep close, tight ranks.”

Kane nodded, and holding the reigns of the other horse, started a slow walk into the shadows, Hero and Ami at their side.

The light disappeared fast, dimming to a washed-out gloom as the sights and sounds of the river faded behind them. Their path was a carpet of dried twigs, pine needles, fallen leaves and yellowed grasses, leading them into a more open woodland than Solancra. Ami listened to the birds sing a mournful song between the creaking of far reaching limbs, the rustle of shivering leaves, and watched as a squirrel darted from her right to scramble up a trunk. Shadow gave way to light and light gave way to shadow, the whole space feeling ethereal, and more unreal to Ami than anything else. It was a dream world, passing quietly, scenery moving around its actors.

A large bird soared past, cutting the air against her cheek. It flew to the highest branches and hovered there like a hawk, another joining it, then a third, all three as black as the night.

“Hero, I—”

“I see them, be still,” he said, reaching back to clasp her hand.

A woodpecker rattled to her right, and Ami’s eyes flashed through the endless forest, the light fading and growing, shifting and creeping.

A fourth bird joined.

“What are they?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Dark power.” He signalled for Kane to stop, pulling on his own reigns. “I don’t want to go beneath them.”

He pulled his horse to the left, edging slowly around a tree and pointing them a different path.

The birds flapped and hovered, black blots in the shaded browns.

Ami ducked as two, three, four more birds flew past and hovered above their new path. Eight birds.

“What should we do?” Raven asked, leaning over to whisper. “We can’t go round, we need to continue onward.”

Hero nodded and moved them forward, his sword now firm in his grip.

The tension was tangible, the smell of wood and grass ripe and close. Ami’s eyes were glued to their bulbous, black bodies and their spindly clawed feet; their thick flapping wings counted the beats of her heart as they passed underneath.

Then the birds dropped.

Ami’s screams were stolen with her breath as Hero launched into a full gallop, dodging trees, jumping roots, the forest flickering frames of light and dark. The Guards had drawn their swords and the two horses battled for speed through the thicket.

Ami clung tight to Hero and looked behind them. There weren’t just eight birds anymore, but scores of them. One gained on them, its ugly head squawking before the whole bird exploded into a black mist. Ami gagged as she breathed the stuff in, tasting ash and dirt. The mist pulled together and formed two new birds; more explosions, more birds—fifty, a hundred—the path behind was black with them.

She turned to Hero and found the black terror overtaking them on each side. Hero’s sword sung as it sliced through the air above them, to the left, to the right, but the birds continued to multiply, diving at them, their sharp beaks, their sharp, scratching claws.

They burst from the trees and flew down the slope of the land, the horses halting and rearing beneath them. The world was now nothing but black feathers and confusion as Ami was pecked and scratched; her cheeks bled as claws cut her, her clothes shredding fast. Batting at them, she screamed and flung her arms out, this way, that way, kicking and punching, grabbing and clawing—but with each handful of feathers, a hundred more birds appeared. She felt a release from Hero as she was lifted from the saddle by the strength of a thousand wings.

It was then that she felt something snap inside her.

Trust yourself to protect and defend.

Ami let out a cry as she burst into flame, the purple fire running down her arms and legs, covering her body in an instant. Her hair and clothes were alight but didn’t burn, and though she expected it, there was no pain at all; instead there was a seductive power that made her feel as if she could extend herself through each licking tongue of flame and swallow the world. The black bodies of the birds began to explode as the flames caught them and spread like wildfire through the swarm. Soon Ami was engulfed in a cloud of burning dust that went as quickly as it’d come, the fire extinguishing as she landed back to the ground.

Her eyes fixed on the deep blue sky above her, and she watched the last remaining bird circle before darting out of sight. Black dust rose with the breeze and disappeared.

Ami shook her head, clearing it. Her clothes were in tatters, and she felt bruised and cut everywhere; warm blood trickled down her jaw. Feeling Hero’s hand in hers, she was pulled up to her feet, his eyes scanning her face, his rough fingers wiping at her wounds. She winced.

“The birds, those ugly, horrible things. They were flying away with me.” The memory from only seconds ago was vague and unreal. There was that word again,
unreal
. But it
had
been real, as the pain above her eye proved. Hero dabbed at the blood.

“Yes, but they didn’t succeed. Your power is stronger than I knew.” Hero pulled away from her, looking into her eyes. “It was impressive.”

Ami smiled, not sure what to say. She should’ve been freaking out—she’d just been on fire, after all—but for some reason she felt calmer than she’d been before. She
did
have power, though what it was for and how to use it, she wasn’t sure.

The breeze caressed her face, and she took a look around.

Kane and Raven were still mounted, whereas their own horse stood close by, chewing on the grass that spread all around, a rippling sea of long blades touched by the wind. In the distant west broad hills rose and fell in succession, clustered and bathed in sunlight; more forest to the north, while in the south the luscious meadows continued to meet the blue of the sky.

Ami breathed in the fragrant air of perfumed flowers, those that dotted the expanse in yellows and reds, blues and purples, wild and earthy. The world was wide and open in contrast to the constraint of the woods and the horror of the birds.

“Considering the attack,” Kane said, interrupting her thoughts, “we should find shelter before nightfall.”

Hero nodded. “Agreed. The night will not be kind to us if we are caught beneath it. We’ll need to travel into the hills. I know a place we can shelter.” Hero mounted his horse and beckoned Ami to join him.

In a moment of hesitation, Ami thought through the events from moments ago.
Power.
The purple fire had dealt with the birds, but what if they came back? Could she do it again? Could Hero protect her if she couldn’t? It didn’t seem she had a lot of choice in the matter, but the doubt still remained. She took Hero’s outstretched hand and mounted the horse.

He pointed to the hills lining the horizon. “We shall find our shelter there, and beyond those hills you’ll see the mountains of Edorus. Legacy is further west, and when you see it?” His face lit with a rare smile. “When you see the city spiralling up the mountain? You will see true awe. It’s our home.”

Ami liked the image it brought to her mind, but to her there was only one true home, where her mother and father had sat with her in the garden on beautiful spring afternoons; that would always be her home.

“We will be attacked again,” Raven said. “What do we do then? We can fight one on one, and we can repel attacks, but those birds? I never saw that one coming.”

Hero tightened his grip on the reins. “We’ll have to fight. Princess Ami’s power will come in use I feel.” Hero reached over and patted Raven’s back. “Fear not, brother. We shall reach Legacy, and order will be restored.

“Let’s ride!”

*

The bird circled and landed on the ground, hopping from side to side.

The man looked down at it for a moment, and then out to the party now riding away. He saw the girl sitting behind the Guard. The girl. His
sister
.

He clutched the sword tight in his hand, a green light shifting from it to his arm and gone. She wasn’t supposed to get away. He gritted his teeth in a grin, grinding them together.

No, she hadn’t gotten away. Not at all. He looked back at the bird. “Follow them. Show me where they go.” The bird flapped and lifted up above the trees.

The man slashed his sword through the air and disappeared.