“What kind of place is it?” asked Tilly in a timid voice.

“You will see.”

Flames erupted on my fingertips, making Tilly gasp loudly. “Sshh. Follow me.”

I walked down the stone staircase with the horse’s rein in hand. He let out a nervous neigh but I soothed him with low whispers. It was difficult for him to walk down those stairs and the only part of the journey that caused him discomfort. As the three of us went down, the flames on my hand surrounded our little party in a ball of light, shrouding the rest of the cavern in shadows. 

It took fifteen minutes for us to reach the bottom. From there, the underground chamber increased in height and led the way through a tunnel. Flames from lit torches flickered in the dark, lighting our way forward. It gave me pause. Those were rarely lit like that. Is someone else expected to come to the valley? I wondered.

We moved forward and the thunderous roar of the river flowing overhead echoed in the cavernous passageway. I quenched the flames in my hand and Tilly promptly grabbed my arm.

After half an hour’s walk, the ceiling of the cave began coming closer to our heads. Just when it was getting claustrophobic, cool, fresh air skimmed our faces. We rounded a bend and our eyes screwed tight shut because of the bright sunlight streaming through the wide opening a few feet away. The horse neighed loudly.

“Welcome back home, Cereus,” I said, patting the horse’s neck. “Come, Tilly.”

I led the way forward. 

Our path was surrounded on all sides by green woods. The sound of the river was now a gentle murmur in the background as we headed towards Linmoor. 

A heavy mist surrounded us as we got closer to the entrance of the valley. 

“This place is so strange,” said Tilly, looking all around. 

“It’s hidden well,” I explained. “No one knows the way in except for the people of the valley. Those who come to seek us out are led by one of our members.”

Wisps of thick, white fog soon surrounded us. Letting the reins fall from my hand, I stood with both arms outstretched to the front. Closing my eyes, I conjured the elemental power of wind and parted my arms, mimicking the motion of parting curtains at a window.

“Wow,” Tilly breathed.

When I opened my eyes, a pathway had been cleared for us. Taking the horse’s rein, I walked ahead with Tilly following behind me. The entrance to the village was marked by an ancient stone archway. Several small cottages lay stood in the distant. 

“This place looks so much nicer than my village,” said Tilly. “Everything is so green here.”

“Elga is an expert in earth magic. Even in winter, the woods remain green and we are never short of food.”

“I am hungry again.”

“So am I.”

As we reached the village, I spotted a pair of girls hurrying towards the kitchen. They were carrying a massive pitcher of water between them. 

“Gia! Taria!” I called out loudly.

They stopped and looked towards me, instantly noticing the stranger beside me. I hurried towards them as they set the pitcher back on the ground. 

“This is Tilly,” I said, gently pushing the girl in front of me. They stared at her curiously, taking in her bandaged wrist and ragged dress. “She will be living here with us from now on. I need you to help her bathe and put on some fresh clothes. Get her something to eat as well.”

Tilly stared up at me, looking doubtful. 

“Go with them. I will come find you later.”

“Come with us,” said Taria, the older of the pair. “We are going to the kitchen to finish our chores and then we shall eat.”

Tilly gave me one last glance before following the girls. I took Cereus and led him to the stables. The warm sun felt good against my face after the chilly night I’d spent outdoors. After putting him in his quarters, I took off his reins and saddle. With barely much energy left, I made sure his water bucket was full and dumped sweet hay before him.

“I’ll be back with sugar lumps later,” I promised him.

Leaving the stables, I hurried towards my living quarters. It was a small cottage but it solely belonged to me. It was one of the perks I earned at age twelve after becoming a professional assassin. A smile rose on my lips to see it in the distance.

Lavender blossomed in thick clusters on the path near my cottage. Their heady fragrance hung in the air, making me inhale deeply. It further helped to cleanse the rank odor of the brothel from my lungs. 

Pushing open the door, I entered the cottage. Tuto was already dozing on his perch in the corner while my pet snake, Naya, snoozed in a patch of sunlight falling on my pillow. His navy blue scales glittered in the light and he looked utterly beautiful despite his strange abnormalities. Naya had four little horns on his brow. He even had four tiny limbs attached to his foot-long body. 

I smiled at him, going to sit on the edge of the bed. With a large sigh, I fell back on the mattress. My movement woke him up and he came to slither up my chest and perch there, his dark, purplish eyes looking into mine.

“Hello, there,” I said. “Missed me?”

His head bowed in reply. This was another thing I liked about him. Naya seemed to understand everything I said and even responded to it. I’d found the strange little creature last month. He’d been washed ashore on the bank of the river. His glittering azure scales attracted my attention and I’d fished him out of the shallows. He was close to death, barely moving or breathing. I nursed Naya back to health, painstakingly catching grasshoppers and the occasional lizard to feed him. 

“I brought a new girl to the village today,” I said. “She is a victim of the virgin blood trade. Isn’t it good I reached her before the bastard was able to bleed her out completely?”

His small head gave a nod.

“I met a handsome stranger on the way,” I said, reminiscing about Cain. “He was so nice and looked like a prince. I bet he was a noble.”

Naya’s eyes turned a shade darker. Within a flash, he sank his tiny but sharp fangs into my thumb.

“Naya!” I cried out, pushing him off my chest. Two red holes appeared on my pale skin and a drop of blood oozed out. “Bad, bad snake,” I admonished, climbing off the bed to go to cupboard in the corner. “Why did you have to bite me for no reason?” Taking a wooden box out, I opened it and fumbled around for the medicine reserved for snake bites. After I sprinkled the powdery substance on the wound, I waited. It was after a few seconds, I realized there was no pain other than the slight sting from the broken skin.

“Are you poisonous, Naya?” I asked, looking down at the snake who was coiled up near my feet.

He shook his head. 

I breathed out a sigh of relief, leaning against the cupboard. “You’ve never bitten me before. What came over you just now?”

He remained quiet but slowly slithered up my legs and nuzzled his head on my knee. “Good thing you’re so sweet, Naya, or I would have given you to Elga. She would make a nice soup out of you.” A giggle escaped me as I gently caressed his horny head while he stared at me with reproachful eyes. “I am joking, silly. You know I love you.” Bending down, I kissed his head.

“Daria!” a voice called my name. “Have you returned yet?”

“I have,” I said, picking up Naya in my hand and taking him back to the bed. Leaving him there, I went outside. It was Sanita.

“Elga asked you to go see her now.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

I frowned. What was so urgent she sent Sanita, the second-most senior assassin, to call me? I was hoping for a long nap and a hot bath afterward. Instead, I followed Sanita as she led me towards Elga’s quarters. 

Elga’s cabin was situated in the center of the village. We passed by other cottages and several women waved at us as we walked past them.

“Go in,” said Sanita, gesturing towards the open doorway. She turned around and walked away. 

Curious, I walked through the door and entered Elga’s receiving chambers. At once, I knew something was up. There were two tall men sitting before her. At my entrance, they both turned around to glance at me.

I stopped short, my heart suddenly beating fast. One of the men was Cain.