Page 6 of Lady of Darkness

Scarlett ran to the man as he sauntered past Mikale and Drake. He caught her when she threw herself into his arms, gripping her as tightly as she gripped him.

“Hello, Seastar,” he murmured into her hair.

Cassius Redding had grown up on the streets of Baylorin in the same District where she had lived with her mother. The Assassin Lord had discovered him and brought him to the Fellowship where he had met Nuri and, eventually, Scarlett. He had begun training with Nuri’s father, the Lord of the Assassins. When he was twelve though, Lord Tyndell had come across a young boy who had bested six other boys in a brawl in an alley. He had been so impressed by Cassius’s fighting skills at such a young age, he took him in and raised him alongside Drake and Tava, considering him one of his own. The Assassin Lord had only allowed Cassius to do so if he continued to train with them as well. He had done just that and had become a lethal warrior, rising to become a Commander in the king’s armies, which Lord Tyndell led as a member of the king’s Inner Circle.

Cassius had been one of the men who had trained Scarlett the most in combat and weaponry; but she hadn’t seen Cassius in weeks,and it had worn on her. Scarlett’s relationship with him wasn’t one she could put into words. He was more than a brother, and she was closer to him than anyone else. He treated her as an equal and trained her as such. His pride hadn’t been hurt when Scarlett started becoming a real challenge in the sparring rings, and he wasn’t afraid to correct her or spare her feelings when she was sloppy or made a crucial mistake. As they had grown up, they had only grown closer, especially once he was assigned to be her private tutor when she was thirteen.

Cassius set her down, brushing his hand along her cheek, and Scarlett closed her eyes to the touch. “Where have you been?” she whispered, barely audible. Tava had stepped closer to Drake to give them space.

“Here and there,” he answered. His hand stilled. “Open your eyes and look at me.” She did as he ordered and peered into his eyes of rich chocolate brown. No words were needed. They rarely were with them. He searched her face and said, “Are you off to something pressing?”

Scarlett shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Gods, she hadn’t realized just how much she had missed him. Without breaking her gaze, he called to Drake, “Are we fine to use the training quarters? Will we be undisturbed?”

“I can make that the case,” Drake answered with understanding.

“Please do so,” Cassius replied. “Shall we?”

For the first time in a long time, a grin spread across Scarlett’s face and reached her eyes. She looped her arm through Cassius’s and let him lead her back to the training building they had just vacated, flipping Mikale off over her shoulder as she went.

Scarlett grabbed the same sword she’d used with Nuri and stepped into the ring opposite Cassius. He pulled his sword from the scabbard buckled to his waist, his features serious as he said in a low voice, “You looked like you were about to gut him.”

“Did I?” she asked innocently, readying herself for the match.

“Scarlett.” His tone was a warning.

Drake, Mikale, and Tava had followed them into the barracks. Drake and Tava were speaking quietly near the doors, keeping watch.It would be frowned upon for a woman in a noble household to be trained in weaponry. Never mind the fact that she hadn’t been born noble. It was generally unacceptable for any woman to know how to defend themselves, and shouldshebe discovered to be swinging a sword…well, it wouldn’t be good.

Cassius struck first, and Scarlett parried his attack. Ignoring his warning, she said pointedly, “You say you have been here and there, but you most certainly have not been here. I live here, you know. Your bedroom is literally next to mine. It’s been weeks since you’ve slept in your own bed.” Cassius opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. “I would know if you’d slept in your bed, Cassius.”

He closed his mouth as he caught her feint right and blocked her blow. “You’ve been training again?” he said, surprise in his tone.

“Here and there,” Scarlett replied, ducking low to dodge a swing, then quickly rising to strike one of her own. Cassius smirked at her response. “She said I was out of practice, and you’re deflecting the question.”

He chuckled as he avoided her swings. He was on the defensive now, and Scarlett took full advantage, her footwork nearly perfect. She took in every move he made, anticipating every strike. “My Seastar, you never miss a thing, do you? I assumed she had been here when I saw you near the training quarters.”

“He has an assignment for me,” she said, breathing hard now. “Do you know of it?”

“I do not,” Cassius answered, cursing as she ducked under his arm and popped up behind him, forcing him to swing around. “I’m assuming you will say no. Again.”

“I said yes.”

The shock was evident on his face. He was so stunned that he left his left side unguarded, and Scarlett capitalized on the opening. She whirled and swung, and, as he moved to block the blow, she dropped down and swiped with her leg. He realized the maneuver too late, and, although he caught his balance at the last second, it was all she needed to bring the point of her blade to his throat.

She lowered her sword, stepping forward and closing the small distance between them,breathless. “That’s why she was here?” Cassius asked. “To bring you the details of the assignment?”

Scarlett shook her head. “No. She was only sent to see if I wouldtakethe assignment. He is apparently sending word of the target later.”

“You have reconciled with him enough to begin taking assignments again?” Cassius asked with a raise of his brow. She could hear the doubt in his voice.

“I have when the payment is aid in taking out the one responsible for my mother’s death,” Scarlett whispered.

Cassius’s eyes widened. “Scarlett, I know you desire answers, but you got retribution on Dracon. Some secrets are better left just that.”

“You can’t be serious, Cass,” she hissed, struggling to keep her voice low.

Before he could answer, Mikale came striding towards them, a curt smile on his lips. “Still deadly, I see,” he said, his voice steely. “Although I do wonder why a woman of your newly found status feels the need to be so well-versed in weaponry any more?” His eyes slid to Cassius. “And why the men in your life still feel the need to train you in such fields now that you are a woman of nobility?”

Cassius lazily flicked his hand in Scarlett’s direction. “Have you met Scarlett, Mikale? You will find it in your best interest to indulge her requests and continue to watch your balls around her even with the current…agreements.”

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