The Virtuous Assassin (3 page)

Chapter Three

“But you can’t come.” Cateline pointed to Jocelyn’s leg, trying to think with her common sense rather than her palpitating heart. “You’re wounded.”

He shook his head violently, the muscles in his neck tensing.
“That isn’t an issue. It’s almost healed, and it’s not like we’ll be fighting. You’re an assassin”—he spat the word as if it was poison—“you should have no trouble getting us past the Brickendens.”

Kenrick moved around the table, stepping between Cateline and Josse. He touched Josse
’s shoulder with a sigh. “If you really believe this girl, then go. Nobody here is going to stop you. But nor are we going to come to your rescue. Understand? You’re on your own.”

Josse glanced at her over his uncle
’s shoulder, and she shudder involuntary. His gaze was deep, and it felt as if she would melt under his stare. “I don’t trust her. I just don’t think we have another option.”

Her heart sank. Josse thought he understood Cateline because he knew she was an assassin, but he understood nothing. He didn
’t know her at all.

“
All right.” Kenrick sighed and signalled for the other council members to leave. They followed him from the room, everyone touching Josse’s arm in goodbye.

Alone again, Cateline rounded on him.
“There’s nothing wrong with being an assassin,” she snapped. “It takes years of practice to master all the acts of deception. It’s an honourable career and no different from being a warrior. You kill. I kill. We’re both just trying to protect our homes.”

“
You and I aren’t the same.” Josse took a step back, and his legs knocked the table behind him. “A warrior fights a fair battle. My opponent is always armed and has an equal chance of killing me.”

She felt suddenly exhausted, and the world began to spin. His disgust scared her. How could the man who
’d been so kind only an hour before suddenly hate her so much? She’d lied yes, but everything she’d done had been for the greater good. The war must end, and the Brickendens must be defeated.

“
If that’s what you want to think . . .” Her hand leapt to her temple as the sense of unreality took hold. What was she doing? Everything had happened so fast. She needed to sit down and take a moment to clear her thoughts. The wooden floorboards seemed to pitch towards her. She slumped against the wall, grasping the doorway for support and found herself engulfed in Josse’s arms.

It was so easy to be carried. She closed her eyes, resting her head against his shoulder. Here, it felt as if all her problems were fading away. Nothing was important anymore.

But that wasn’t true. She struggled. “Let me go.”

Josse disregarded her, stridin
g back along the corridor.

“
Don’t ignore me. We aren’t finished.”

He dropped her onto a bed where she bounced for a moment before settling onto a soft straw mattress. She pointed a finger into his face.
“If you think that act will quiet me on the subject, you’re wrong.”

He turned his back on her, staring out the window.
“You’re tired, and we’ve got a long way to travel tonight. Sleep.”

“
You can’t tell me what to do.” But despite her words, she felt compelled to obey and rested her head on the pillow. It smelt pleasant, like an intoxicating mixture of horse, leather, and fresh grass.

“
I’m not just an assassin.” The words fell from her even as her eyes began to close.

“
No?” He didn’t turn. “Then what are you?”

“
I’m . . . I’m more.” How could she explain?
Was
she more? Hardly anybody knew her real identity, and after this mess, her secret would spread. The Gabriel family already knew.

Was it possible this was to be her last mission?

Flickering light seemed to penetrate Cateline’s mind, and her eyes fluttered open. She was lying on a bed in a vaguely familiar room. To her right, Josse struggled to keep a candle lit. He bent over the bedside table fiddling with two flints, clicking the stones together to create a spark. He bit his lip in concentration, and a bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck.

Josse
’s room.

She blinked. She must have slept the day away.

Suddenly, the sound of swords clashing rushed through her open window.

“
What’s that?” She sat up, staring out at the darkening sky.

“
It’s nothing,” he mumbled, not looking around. “The men are practicing. The Brickendens haven’t broken through our defences quite yet.”

“
Oh.” She relaxed a little, resting her back against the wall. “I must have been out for a while.” It had been early morning when Josse had taken her to the council meeting, but now the sun was setting.

“
A few hours.” With another failed attempt, he tossed the flints onto the bed, and the room fell into shadow. “I found you some new clothes, something less conspicuous, and your weapons.” He touched something on the bedside table, and Cateline heard the soft clatter of steel against steel. Her daggers taken from the two dead men.

“
Thank you.”

He obviously didn
’t believe she was going to kill him or perhaps thought himself more than an equal opponent.

He sunk onto the bed beside her, his backside brushing against her leg.
“What’s the plan? How are we going to get out without being seen?”

“
Well . . .” His presence was consuming her concentration. The scent of him, the feel of him against her thigh. He released a breath, and the air brushed across her face, tickling her skin. She reached out a hand to touch his face, then paused.

She couldn
’t think like this. They were at war! Outside, soldiers were preparing to defend their home. Preparing to die.

Besides, how could she ever love someone who didn
’t trust her?

“
Your soldiers can lower us over the wall with ropes,” she said, dropping her hand back to the bed. “If they drop us into the clearing at the back of the castle, there’ll be fewer guards. Then once we’ve entered the forest, it shouldn’t take more than a night’s walk to reach my brother’s estate.”

“
That’s your plan?” And even in the dark, she knew he was frowning. She could hear it in his voice.

She tapped a finger against her bottom lip. He
was right—it was very risky. Even a few guards were too many. She might be able to pass unseen, but Josse would have more trouble. And if the Brickendens caught them, both castles would be lost. They needed a distraction. “What if we light a giant fire on the other side of the castle? That should catch their attention and draw the guards away from the far side.
”
             

Josse shifted against her leg, and she inhaled sharply.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s kind of obvious.”

“
It only needs to confuse them for a moment,” she argued. “Just long enough for us to pass through the clearing. Besides, the fire will cast even darker shadows over our escape route, and we need all the help we can get.”

There was a pause. Silence descended. Then,
“All right.”

By the second
hour past sunset, everything was prepared. Cateline knelt by his side, staring out over the battlements. A rope dangled down the outer wall, swaying gently in the soft breeze. Josse glanced down over his shoulder—the other end was held securely by five soldiers standing in the castle courtyard, all waiting for his signal.

Beyond them, against the furthest wall, was a great fire. Spears of flame shot into the air, sending flickering light out across the portcullis and onto the Brickendens
’ camp. The guards surrounding the castle hurried towards the commotion, leaving the strip of wall opposite the main entrance clear.

“
Here,” whispered Josse, and he grasped the rope with both hands. Cateline stepped into the circle of his arms, her back pushed up against his chest. His body’s reaction to her was instantaneous, and heat flushed through his veins. “I hope you’re ready.” And he stepped off the wall.

For a moment, they hung suspended twenty feet above the ground, and then the rope slackened, and they were lowered.

His feet hit solid ground, and Cateline jumped away from him with all the speed of a lightning bolt. He tugged the rope three times, telling his soldiers they were safe, and tried to push Cateline’s reaction from his mind. This wasn’t the time for such thoughts.

“
This way,” she whispered and darted forward.

Her trick with the fire seemed to have worked for the castle cast dark shadows over the open land. Josse squinted ahead
—in her borrowed shirt and breeches, Cateline was almost invisible. Her slim legs moved soundlessly as she sprinted for the cover of the trees a hundred yards away.

He hurried after her, grasping the hilt of his sword to stop it swinging as he ran. The leather of his body armour creaked as he moved. Traveling silently was much harder tha
n Cateline was making it look.

A spot of light appeared in the distance, bobbing up and down.

Cateline veered to the right, but another light appeared. Then another and another.

She paused, and Josse had to sidestep to stop himself from crashing into her.

“They know,” she whispered, and two daggers slipped into her hands.

“
What?” Josse frowned, staring at the lights. They were moving closer, getting larger.

Lanterns.

Carried by Brickenden soldiers.

If they ran . . . If they could just make it to the safety of the trees . . . Who was he kidding? His wound was already aching, and his leg was beginning to numb. He stepped in front of Cateline, releasing his sword from its sheath.
“I’ll hold them off, you get free. Tell your brother to send his army. My uncle will be waiting.”

“
Leave you?” She stepped to the side as if going to take off again, then glanced between Josse and the approaching soldiers. “I can’t. They’ll kill you.”

“
Just get out of here.” He couldn’t let anything happen to her. She was his family’s last chance for survival.

She raised her weapons, her left foot sliding back into a guarding stance. His heart swelled, and in that moment, he knew he couldn
’t bear to lose her. She might have lied about her identity, but she’d been nothing but strong and loyal, determined to protect her home from enemy invaders. She had the blood of noble warriors in her veins, just as he did.

An arrow soared through the darkness, the wind whistling past its fletchi
ng. He grabbed Cateline’s arm, dragging her back. The arrow missed them by inches.

He growled, letting the sound rumble up from deep within his chest. With an archer, they
’d be dead in minutes and with no chance to defend themselves. But then Cateline released one of her daggers. It flew straight, and with a shout, the archer fell. His lantern hit the ground with a crash, and a wild fire blossomed into existence.

“
Come on.” He pulled her forward, trying to use the spreading fire as a shield. The flames leapt skywards, sending splashes of light across the faces of their attackers. Each man carried two short swords, and they lost no time, breaking into a run, sprinting after Cateline and Josse.

Cateline stumbled, and he tugged on her arm, straightening her
. The fire was disorientating. He couldn’t see the trees anymore, and the castle was a distant memory. There was only flame and sword and heat.

Then the soldiers were upon them. He released Cateline who pulled another dagger loose from her ankle and presse
d her back against his.

An assassin. A knight. Maybe she
’d been right after all. Maybe there was little difference between them. They both killed. They both fought for survival.

An assailant thrust forward, slicing towards Josse
’s head. He cut him down with a single strike to the stomach, but another man took his place. It was a nightmare come into being. He could feel the warmth of Cateline behind him and hear her battling with men twice her size but could do nothing to help. His attackers seemed to be in endless supply.

There was a short scream. Something bumped his back. The battle ceased with everyone suddenly jumping away.

Josse turned, his eyes seeking Cateline in the gloom.             

She stood frozen in the arms of a Brickenden. Slumped against his chest, her
head lolled to one side.

“
Cat!” He sprung forward, stretching out an arm to catch her, but the soldier pushed his blade against her neck. Beads of blood ran down Cateline’s throat like a necklace of red rubies, and his heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t live without her.