I led the way through the dark underground passage that ran underneath the river flowing over us. Cain and I were on the road to Linmoor. So far, we’d been quiet. He was brooding over a woman he met last night. I knew he was reproaching me for not letting him wait longer at the town tavern for her to show up. 

Cain was usually the most level-headed guy among the three of us, yet he was acting irrationally silly. How could he be swayed by the charms of a woman when both our lives and the lives of our people were dependent on keeping our identities secret? I wondered if I should have Elga check him for poisoning or some kind of spell that was making Cain so illogical. The leader of the assassins was a practiced witch and potion master. She would surely be capable of detecting an enchantment placed on him by a spy. 

The grip on the rein of my horse tightened as I realized the amount of time I spent thinking about the woman Cain met last night. We were already close to Linmoor and I hadn’t spoken to him about the plot that had been brewing in my mind ever since I found out about the secretive assassins’ guild. When Cain came to see me about the virgin blood trade running rampant in his kingdom, I knew it was the perfect chance to see whether my great grandfather’s directions would really take me to the assassins’ lair.

I came to a halt. 

“What’s wrong?” came Cain’s tight voice from behind me.

I turned around to face him. “I have something to talk to you about.”

Cain’s eyebrows furrowed. “Now?”

“Yes.”

“I can barely hear you over the sound of the water flowing over our heads. Can’t it wait until later?”

I shook my head and led the horse to a corner. Conjuring up a ball of flames in my hand, I sat down against the wall of the cavernous tunnel. It was the only magic I was capable of doing because of the dragonblood coursing through me. Both Cain and I could summon fire and withstand very high heat without any physical harm. It was the only advantage we had over mortal men.

Cain looked surprised and came to sit beside me. “Do we need to converse this very moment?”

I nodded, turning to face him. “This is the best for the conversation we’re about to have.” 

Light from the flames flickered over Cain’s grim, unshaven face. “Go on.”

“After Norvin’s passing, I’ve been thinking of adding a new member among us, someone who can help us with our ultimate mission of ridding the four kingdoms of Emperor Ivan’s dictatorship. Even before we came to Linmoor, I wanted to have an assassin assist us with our plan. While we won’t always have the freedom to move around, this person could do it for us. The assassins of Linmoor work without leaving any trace behind. It would be perfect to have someone like that working for us.”

“It would,” he agreed. “Do you think Lady Elga would agree though?”

“I don’t think she will leave Linmoor,” I said, looking ahead into the dark corridor. “But it would be just as good to have one of her trusted people working for us.”

“It will be a woman.”

“I know.” Every assassin in Linmoor was a woman. In fact, every resident there was a female.

Cain let out a deep breath. “We’ve kept this fact to ourselves for so long. It feels strange to even think of letting an outsider know what we’re up to.”

“Emperor Ivan and his sons know very well what we’re up to. They murdered our fathers and brothers, mass massacred the entire Fire Clan and took over the control of our kingdoms.” I watched Cain’s features harden as his entire body was covered in flames. His rage was infectious. Deep resentment coursed through my veins as I thought of the emperor’s atrocities towards us. 

“They will never sit still until they’ve eradicated the last of our line,” I said, balling my fists. “Look what happened to Norvin. He was trapped by his own stepbrother. We can’t be sure when we’ll be betrayed next. It’s imperative we strike before they do.”

The blaze on Cain’s body died out, making the cave go dark again. The flames flickering on my palm suddenly felt too dim. “I am glad you’re still with me, Adal,” he said in a low, choked voice. “My mind hasn’t been clear since the day I learned of Norvin’s death.”

“I understand what you mean,” I said, swallowing down the choke in my throat. “It’s just that this is something I’d been planning on before he died. Now that we’ve already been to Linmoor, we can be confident on the skills of their assassins.” I got to my feet and looked down at my companion. “So you agree with me to hire an assassin for our use?”

“Yes.” Cain came to stand beside me. “We can communicate faster through them and ultimately carry out our plans. Let us be on our way.”

We began walking towards the cave’s exit once more, my heart a lot lighter after the conversation with Cain. I hoped we would get a positive report on the case of the virgin blood trade, after which we could proceed with selecting an assassin for our personal mission.

It was still early morning when we emerged into the woods. We spent a moment to enjoy the sunlight streaming down on us and deeply inhaled the cool, fresh air. 

After riding for a short distance, I got the first glimpse of Linmoor. Slowing the horses to a trot, we entered through the ancient archway, leading the way into the village. Some of the women on the path looked up at us with wary gazes but nobody blocked our way.