The Assassin's Blade Read online

  THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE Kaitlyn O’Connor 1

  THE ASSASSIN'S BLADE

  By

  Kaitlyn O'Connor

  (C) Copyright by Kaitlyn O'Connor, July 2003

  (C) Cover Art by Alex DeShanks, January 2014

  ISBN 978-1-60394-852-4

  New Concepts Publishing

  Lake Park, GA 31636

  www.newconceptspublishing.com

  Faylyn was just congratulating herself on her cleverness in bypassing the famous royal security of the fif'Steorra Lumen when she made a most unpleasant discovery. The Royal ball in progress was a masque.

  Though she remained outwardly calm, indecision churned through her as she stared out over the milling throng below her from her position on the second floor balcony mezzanine overlooking the massive, glittering ballroom.

  It occurred to her after several moments that there was no need to abort her mission. The discovery simply required an adjustment to her plans—a contingency she’d been well trained for. The upside to the discovery was that stealth was no longer a particularly high priority. There seemed to be no particular theme to the masquerade and, considering the outlandish costumes the guests were wearing, it seemed unlikely anyone would think much of a ‘blue’ garbed as a Kilrathi assassin. In truth, it occurred to her that her chances of carrying out her assignment and living to tell about it were dramatically improved, though, like all assassins trained in the death arts by the Kilrathi, Faylyn had long ago accepted that her first mission might well be her last.

  In this particular case, Faylyn had allowed no doubts about possible failure, no qualms about the likelihood that she’d been sent on a suicide mission. She’d been born for this opportunity, had yearned for it throughout the years of training, waiting impatiently for her coming of age.

  THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE Kaitlyn O’Connor 1

  If she could only kill Talor Sylvanos, Emperor of the fif'Steorra Lumen, the man who had destroyed her world, she would die a happy woman.

  But therein lay the crux of the problem, and the inescapable downside of her present circumstances.

  She had memorized the face of the man she’d come to assassinate and now saw that she was not likely to find him among the hundreds of guests, even if he was present.

  Thrusting her doubts aside, she stepped from the shadows and moved casually toward the stairs that led down to the ballroom. As she made her way slowly down, she gazed out over the throng of guests, scanning and discarding possibilities.

  As massive and crowded as the room was, it was well lit and her vantage point on the stairs allowed her to see the entire room, from the entrance just below, to the wall of glass doors along the back that opened onto a wide, open air walk. The room was elegantly appointed, displaying the craftsmanship of artisans from the many worlds that comprised the fif'Steorra Lumen in everything from its furnishings; to the gilded moldings; to the eating and drinking vessels the guests used; to the fine silk that covered it’s walls and the carpeting that covered all but the tiled dance floor.

  There must have been upwards of five hundred guests in the room below, seated along the raised banquet that surrounded the dance floor, or gyrating on the dance floor itself.

  Nevertheless, the Emperor had been described to her as a ‘giant of a man’, well over six feet tall, powerfully built—a formidable warrior. Surely, with or without a costume, he would find it difficult to disguise such an imposing figure?

  She was halfway down the stairs when she spotted a knot of men who fit that precise description. A frown of puzzlement gathered on her brow as she scanned each in turn. There must have been a dozen of them, and all fit the general description.

  All wore identical costumes; a mask which covered the upper portion of their faces and their hair; a deep purple cloak; leather leggings and knee boots; a loose flowing, white shirt, opened to the waist, beneath the cloak; and on each chest glittered a medallion indicating rank in the royal guard.

  It had just clicked in her mind that the group she’d discovered could be none other than the Emperor’s personal guard when she realized that she had caught the interest of one of the men.

  From halfway across the ballroom, their gazes locked. A ripple of something unidentifiable went through Faylyn. What was this strange, almost breathless anticipation that surged through her? Uneasiness? She was certain it could not be. She had never known self-doubt where her abilities were concerned. Why then would she feel uneasy? She was in no danger, that she could see, of discovery.

  It seemed a poor time for self-analysis. She dismissed it after only a moment, allowing her lips to curve in a faint smile of invitation before she broke the hold his gaze held upon her with an effort, studying the men around him as she continued down the stairs. She was no closer, however, to singling Talor Sylvanos out when she reached the ground floor. She hesitated, filled with unaccustomed doubt.

  Finally, she decided it would be best to wait and see if the man who’s interest she’d captured sought her out and play it from there. Turning away from where she’d last seen him, Faylyn made her way to the refreshment table.

  She was not accustomed to drinking beverages with alcoholic content. One of the primary lessons of her training in the death arts by the Kilrathi was that an assassin never polluted their body, or dulled their senses, with drugs in any form. Their wit was as necessary to their mission as their physical skills. To allow even a little was to risk a moment of hesitancy, or indecision, or a slowing of reflexes that might mean failure and death.

  Unfortunately, the Emperor’s staff had made no allowances for the possibility of a Kilrathi assassin among the guests. She’d just requested a glass of water when she felt warmth at her back. A hand—a very large hand—skated across her lower back and settled on one hip, just above the waistband of the skirt that rode low on her hips.

  Faylyn did not jump, but, despite her training, she could not refrain from stiffening. Slowly, she turned her head. As tall as she was, as accustomed as she was to finding herself looking down at the average man, or at the very least, eye to eye, she found herself gazing at a very broad, very muscular chest. That strange, unidentifiable emotion washed through her again, more intense than before, more disorienting. With an effort, she lifted her gaze, noting a strong, youthful neck, a square jaw and decisive chin, a hard mouth, curled faintly in a smile beneath the mask, before her gaze at last met the one bent upon her.

  “I thought my eyes had deceived me … or, at the very least it was no more than a part of your masquerade. You are a blue, an Earth woman.”

  Faylyn wasn’t certain of how she should respond to the comment. It was a statement, after all—not a question. His surprise was understandable. Her race had been all but obliterated when their world was destroyed. The handful that had survived were scattered across the known universe. She had only once met one of her own kind herself--not surprisingly since she’d spent fifteen of her twenty three years of life inside ‘the citadel’ of Kilrathi— but she was well aware of their rarity and might have met no others even if she had not been cloistered.

  His obvious pleasure, however, confused her.

  “As you see,” she responded finally.

  She steeled herself as he reached toward her, relaxing only fractionally when he grasped a lock of her hair and lifted it to study the gleaming mass.

  “What are you called?” he asked when he released the lock of hair at last and met her gaze once more.

  Faylyn hesitated, then forced a coy smile. “I thought the point of a masquerade was to allow you to pretend to be someone else for one night?”

  He frowned, but finally smiled ruefully. “This is not the game I wish to play.”

  She was taken aback by the comment,
briefly at a loss for words. “I’m not at all certain I want to know what game you had in mind,” she said dryly.

  His rueful smile broadened into a grin that made her heart skip several beats. “I like to flatter myself that it’s one you would enjoy as much as I.”

  To her surprise, she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Although unaccustomed to the art of flirtation and seduction, she was fairly certain she knew his meaning.

  He frowned as he noted the blush, but his surprise was quickly replaced by a heated look that made her blush more pronounced. “You’ve not experienced the awakening?”

  It was more a statement than a question. Disconcerted that it was apparently so obvious, Faylyn turned away. “You are far too bold for my taste,” she said coldly. “If you will excuse me….”

  He grasped her arm when she would have departed. Faylyn looked down at his hand pointedly before she gave him a cold, unflinching stare. She dared do no more, however. At another time, in another place, he would have not seen death coming so swiftly would she have retaliated for his audacity, but she was of no mind to allow the oaf to jeopardize her mission.

  “I did not give you leave,” he said coolly, his tone and manner an odd combination of surprise, indignation and amusement.

  “I did not ask it,” she responded tightly, regretful that she could not even wipe the smirk from his face by depositing him in an ignominious heap on the floor.

  A deep chuckle escaped him. The heart stopping smile returned, though leavened with a touch of self-mockery that went a long way to appeasing her indignation. He did not release her. “You wound me, princess!” he protested. “I’d thought myself proficient in the art of seduction.”

  Faylyn smiled icily. “Self-deception can be a wonderful thing. I’m sorry to have to wound you further, but I see no evidence of proficiency in the art, quite the contrary, in fact. Your compliments are heavy handed and obvious, your directness only slightly more charming than insulting. Now, if you’ll release me….”

  Surprise loosened his grip. Faylyn took full advantage of it and moved away.

  It was a shame, really. He was obviously a member of the royal guard, close to the Emperor. A brief association might have been useful, except for the fact that the man was impossible.

  He fell into step beside her. She slid a cold glance in his direction, but otherwise gave no indication that she was aware of the fact that he was dogging her steps as she made her way around the edge of the crowded dance floor.

  “Would you care to dance?”

  “No.”

  “You find me repulsive?”

  It was hardly a question—more of a demand, but laced with disbelief. “I find you annoying. Run along now, there’s a good fellow.”

  She left him with his jaw at half cock, glancing around as she moved through the crowd for a point of vantage where she might study the other members of the group the oaf hailed from. One of them was most likely the Emperor, though she could not rule out the possibility that he was not present at all. It was a well known fact that the Emperor rarely attended the balls he threw. Though the events were designed to promote goodwill, he seemed to prefer smaller, more intimate gatherings with his close friends.

  Nevertheless, their intelligence had indicated that he would be present, if only for a short time, at the ball tonight.

  The dance floor of the ballroom was slightly lower than the area around it. As tempted as she was to go back up the stairs she’d so recently descended, the balcony above lacked convenience, despite its superiority as a vantage point. If she spotted her target, she wanted to be able to move into position quickly, and unobtrusively. Instead of climbing the stairs once more, therefore, she merely climbed the two shallow steps to the seating area on the banquet surrounding the dance floor and glanced out over the heaving throng once more.

  The men of the royal guard, she saw, had spread out across the room. She bit her lip in vexation. She might have discerned more from a side by side comparison, but she’d lost that chance. As advantageous as it would be to strike while the ball was in full swing, it began to seem certain that she

  would be forced to bide her time until it ended and catch her quarry in the

  royal apartments. Even so, there was still a certain advantage to striking this night. The refreshments were flowing freely. No doubt there would be few left standing by the end of the evening. Those who were would be at a definite disadvantage due to intoxication.

  A large hand slid around her waist, settling on her hip. Faylyn drove her elbow into the mid-section she knew was directly behind her. A gratifying grunt of pain rewarded her efforts.

  “You are being most uncooperative.” There was amusement in the voice.

  The faint smile of satisfaction left her lips. They tightened with annoyance at his apparently imperturbable self-confidence. “You noticed that?”

  “I find myself intrigued.”

  “Indeed?” Faylyn said tightly.

  “I’ll admit I’m not accustomed to women who play hard to get.”

  Faylyn’s lips flattened. “How wonderful for you! But--try impossible.”

  He chuckled. “I’m used to getting what I want.”

  “It grieves me to be the first to disappoint you.”

  “You don’t sound regretful.”

  “Because I’m not?”

  He was silent for several moments.

  Faylyn was hopeful that he might take the hint and depart for more likely prey, but her hopes were soon dashed.

  “I could have my pick of any woman here tonight….”

  Faylyn found she could not ignore so provocative a remark. She turned to fix him with a cold glance, one brow arched questioningly.

  “… it’s … disturbing to find the one who intrigues me most is so elusive.”

  She smiled. “Console yourself. Pick three or four.”

  He frowned, lifted a hand to her cheek. “I desire only you. Dance with me?”

  There was sincerity in his gaze, almost a pleading note in his voice, and Faylyn found, to her dismay, that she was not immune to either, particularly when she sensed that, for all his bragging, it truly was something he was confused by and unaccustomed to.

  Perhaps, as much as he annoyed her, she should take him up on his offer? It might well be useful to allow him to believe she was succumbing to his charms, to allow him to believe he was seducing her. It would make it easier for her to gain access to the Emperor’s apartments if she were escorted there by one of his men.

  It went against the grain, though, to allow him to believe she could succumb to his heavy handed attempts at seduction. “If I agree to a dance, will you cease to annoy me?”

  A slow, immensely appealing smile curled his lips. “I sincerely trust that will be the case.”

  Faylyn lifted both brows questioningly.

  “I’m counting on it giving me the chance to recover my elusive charm. One dance could lead to two and….”

  “Eventually to your bed?”

  A mixture of chagrin and surprise crossed his features. “Is it so obvious?”

  “A club might be more so.”

  He laughed but took her hand and urged her toward the dance floor as the musicians struck up a slow melody. Pulling her snugly against his length, he lifted one of her hands and placed it on his shoulder and grasped her other hand, then settled his free hand along her hip. Struck with unaccustomed doubt, Faylyn could not prevent a blush. “I do not know how to dance.”

  He looked down at her in surprise but stepped back a little. “Watch my feet. It’s really very simple. You are far too graceful not to catch on quickly.”

  She found to her relief that he had not understated the situation. The steps were quite easy to pick up and within a few minutes she relaxed, gliding easily along with him. As if he sensed her comfort level had risen, he pulled her snugly against him once more. The brush of her breasts against his chest with each movement of the dance sent a wave of heat through her and an uncomfortable
tension began to build low in her belly. She looked up at him disapprovingly.

  He grinned unrepentantly. “Is that why you refused my request for a dance?”

  “If it pleases you to think so,” Faylyn murmured, finding she was growing more uncomfortable by the moment—strangely breathless and warm, though the exercise was quite moderate.

  He looked disconcerted. “The truth would please me more.”

  “I find you….”

  “Attractive?” he queried hopefully.

  She smiled in spite of herself but shook her head.

  “Charming?”

  The word surprised a chuckle out of her. “Annoyingly persistent,” she corrected him.

  “It is one of my greatest virtues,” he responded complacently.

  She rolled her eyes. “A pity.”

  “How so?”

  “That you can only claim being pig-headed as your greatest virtue.”

  He shrugged. “An ugly man must be persistent.”

  She looked up at him in surprise. She could see nothing of his face but his eyes--a glorious shade of green dark enough to be called emerald, surrounded by thick, dark lashes--and his jaw and chin, but she had the impression that he was a remarkably handsome man. “You do not strike me as an … uh … ugly man.”

  A faint smile curled his lips. “That’s because you find me as intriguing as I do you.”

  Faylyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “It’s because I find it hard to believe any man could be as cocky as you are and not also handsome.”

  He gave her a smoldering look, his lips curling faintly. “Perhaps it’s my prowess that makes me cocky?”

  To her annoyance, Faylyn found herself blushing again. “Alas, I shall never know,” she said sarcastically.

  “I’d be happy to prove it to you.”

  “You’re too kind!”

  “Not at all!”

  “I’m overwhelmed by your offer, but I fear I must decline.”

  “It’s no trouble at all, I assure you.”

  She gave him a look.

  He grinned, but said nothing else for several moments.

  Faylyn had just begun to relax again when he spoke once more.