I walked out of Elga’s cottage into the cool night air, inhaling deeply. Elga gave me so much to think about. Not only was I supposed to be assassinating a full-fledged dragon but also ensure the safety of the three princes. The latter task seemed even more daunting than the first. I was used to killing people, not keeping them safe.

Up ahead, I heard the soft whispering of female voices. Moving closer to them, I saw two maids heading towards the kitchen.

“Where is Tilly now?” I asked.

“Who, Miss?”

“The new girl who came in this morning. Have you seen her?”

“Oh, her?” said one of them. “She looked exhausted, so Megga sent her to rest. The girl is probably in the maids’ quarters to the west.”

“Thank you.”

I watched the glow of their lantern disappear down the bend in the path. Tilly was already being taken care of. Megga was the head of the kitchen and watched over every woman under her. While the chores were harder, she didn’t drive them like slaves. Deciding to see Tilly after knowing what the princes planned, I headed towards the place reserved for guests.

The guest cottages were located far from the main village center. It was isolated, hiding the rest of Linmoor from them. Most days, it was dark. Today, however, the place was bright with lit lanterns hanging from the trees surrounding the area. 

The doorway to the nearest cottage was open, so I decided to step inside there. At once, my heart sped up at the sight of the three princes sitting around a low table and drinking from flasks of wine. They looked relaxed, their long tresses loose about their shoulders. 

Adal glanced up at me. His blue eyes widened in surprise but he was quick to hide it. Clearing his throat, he called out to me. “Daria. Please, come inside.”

I tilted my head low and entered the room. Norvin shifted towards Adal to make space for me at the table. 

“You look lovely, Daria,” said Norvin, draping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me against his chest. “Red really suits you.”

“Thank you.” I looked around the room, hoping to calm my racing heart. I didn’t understand the flurry of desire and emotions that filled me every time I was around them. 

“Norvin already told us you’ve decided to be our assassin,” said Cain. His steely gray eyes were grim. Piercing. With his dark hair hanging loosely at his side, he looked utterly beautiful. Maybe it was the fact he had dragon blood coursing through his veins that gave him an almost god-like aura. I had to keep reminding myself to breathe as I met his intense gaze.

I nodded. Suppressing the fluttery feelings in my stomach, I cleared my throat. “I want as much information about the emperor as you can give me. Even facts about the people he is close with could prove important. Can you procure a map of his palace? It will be really useful.”

“None of us have stepped into his palace after the massacre nineteen years ago,” said Cain. “That kind of information is very hard to come by, but Adal has mapped some of it out.”

“Do you remember the details well enough?” I asked, shifting my attention to the man on my left. 

“I went through my family’s journals,” said Adal. “There is always some description of the halls, the corridors and the pathways to the temples. I have been adding the entries to make up a loose plan of the layout of the palace. It’s not much but anything’s better than blindly walking inside, not knowing which way to turn.”

“That’s a good start,” I agreed. “I can find out the rest when I reach Drakhaven.”

Norvin poured wine into a porcelain cup and pushed it towards me. Picking it up, I took a sip. 

“Do you have a deadline for me?” I asked, taking more sips of the floral, sweet wine. 

“No,” said Cain. “It’s a long journey from Linmoor to Drakhaven. The closest route will have you travel half the length of Iorna, then cross into Baledonia and then move north to reach Drakhaven.”

I nodded, leaning into Norvin. The wine warmed my belly, making me relaxed. Until now, I never allowed myself to get drunk, always staying sharp. One never knew when Elga would spring up a surprise training drill. Somehow, with the three princes, I felt utterly safe. The tension in my body loosened. 

“How long do you plan to stay here?” I asked after a while.

“We are leaving at daybreak tomorrow,” said Norvin. “We will be taking the mountain pass from here to reach Partaig, the closest town to Cain’s capital.”

“That will take at least a week,” I said, startled. “If we follow the main path from Oakhedge, it will be so much faster.”

“We can’t go through Oakhedge,” said Cain in a low, urgent voice. “The town will already be in an uproar by now.” His ice-blue eyes fixed on me. “I told Elga to send out assassins to finish every person on the list you gave. With the death of the generals involved, the town will have more soldiers and high officials coming in. We can’t be on that route and risk being identified.”

“Do your ministers know you’re here?”

Cain shook his head. “They think I am in isolation at the dragon temple.”