Morning chill seeped through the blanket covering Tilly’s body and mine. She was still deeply asleep, her head leaning against my shoulder. The girl looked so peaceful and innocent, I wondered if it would be better to leave her there and carry on towards Linmoor. At least, her innocence would be preserved a little longer that way.

As the gray light dawn lit up the woods around us, my mind went back to reminisce my childhood. Elga, our leader, had found me abandoned in this very forest. To this day, I don’t remember how I got there. My memories from before that day were lost. While Elga fed and clothed me, it became apparent I was meant to be more than an errand girl in the hidden society of the most deadly assassins in the world.

Ever since I was five, Elga took over my training. Your blood is too powerful to be wasted, she’d said to me. Over the course of my education, I understood what she meant. While she could control the elements to some extent, I could conjure them through my powers. Elga could make the flame of a candle sway and dance but I could light up an unlit taper, a feat none of the practicing assassins could boast.

Along with Elga, there were thirteen assassins living in Linmoor. There were servant girls and maids too, but they were never sent on missions. The most interesting feature of our society was that only females were allowed to stay there. 

Tilly stirred, pressing her thin body to mine for warmth. The girl couldn’t go home and if I left her to wander on her own, she might end up as someone else’s prey. A heavy sigh escaped me. Tilly left me no choice. 

I prodded her shoulders. “Wake up. It’s time to go.”

Her eyes slowly blinked open and she looked blank for a moment. It took a few moments for her memories to surface and realization slowly dawned on her. 

I got to my feet and stretched my arms over my head. My whole body was sore. Tilly came to stand up next to me. There was color on her cheeks and she already looked much better than last night.

“Get on the horse,” I said.

She looked at the horse blankly before moving towards it. Tentatively, she extended an arm and touched its buttock.

“What are you doing?” I asked, untying the reins and watching her prod the horse’s leg with her finger.

“I am scared,” said Tilly in a small voice. “I never got on a horse before.”

“Didn’t your farm have one?”

“Yes, but only my brother was allowed to ride on it.”

Pity flared up inside me at once. “Come on. Put your foot here,” I said, pointing at the stirrup. “Grab the saddle. That’s it.” I pushed at her buttocks, giving her the lift she needed. Once she was seated, I mounted behind her. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yes. It feels so high up here.”

A chuckle escaped me as I led the horse to trot lightly through the trees. The pathway to Linmoor was further inside the forest. 

“Miss Daria,” Tilly spoke up after a while. “Who sent you to save me?”

“No one.”

“But you killed that man and rescued me.”

“Yes, but I was only sent to kill him. Rescuing you was my personal choice.”

“Who sent you to kill him?”

I brought the horse to a halt. It was important she understood where she was going until it was too late. If she didn’t want to stay among a group of female assassins, we would have no choice but to silence her. 

“Do you know what I am, Tilly?”

She turned back to glance at me and shook her head. 

“I am an assassin. My master gives me the order to kill and I obey. Sometimes, I get paid a lot of gold for it. I was just a few older than you when I first killed a man.”

Her pale eyes widened and she gulped. “Would I have to kill people too?”

“It takes years of training to become an assassin. If you are not suitable for it, no one will force you.”

Tilly looked visibly relieved at that.

“I am asking you for the last time, Tilly. Are you sure you don’t want to go home and make peace with your family? You can’t turn back once we leave.”

“I can’t go home,” she said in a sad but strong voice. “I will go with you, Miss Daria. You have shown me more kindness than anyone in my life. If you let me, I am ready to serve you all my life.”

“Ayah! You’re not so unfortunate as to be my lifetime maid,” I said with a laugh. “All right, then. We’ve dawdled long enough. Let’s go home.”

The horse sped up and soon we were on our way to Linmoor through the forest pathway. The trees whisked past us and the cool morning breeze felt good and fresh against my cheeks. Tilly often cried out with mirth, suddenly being the child she truly was. I made sure to keep one arm around her as we rode. Her excitement made me wary she would fall off anytime. 

At times we would slow down to change directions. The route back to the hidden valley was convoluted, making sure our location was always concealed from common folk. 

It was a few hours before we reached the point that separated Linmoor from the forest. The horse came to a stop at the edge of a cliff. Tilly peered over and then looked back at me. “How do we cross the chasm?” I smiled at her confusion. The cliff fell sharply several hundreds of feet from where we stood. A broad, swirling river gushed down below.

Turning the horse away from the edge, I climbed down from it. I hauled Tilly down next. Taking the reins in hand, I gestured towards a group of boulders. “That’s the way forward.” She looked confused but followed me. From a distant, it looked like a pile of rocks with thorn bushes around it.

Reaching close to a low rocky hill, I removed the dead bushes covering a part of it and revealed the hollow chamber inside. The entryway was tall enough for the horse. We entered it and I made sure to conceal the gateway before moving forward.

It was dark inside the cavernous hollow. Only the shafts of sunlight coming through the gaps in the bushes gave us some light. Tilly’s hand grabbed onto a handful of my dress as I started walking forward. 

After a few minutes, we came upon a stone staircase that spiraled down several feet. In the low light, the bottom was hidden in darkness.