Page 20 of Daughter of Shadows and Ash

Despite my unease, I masked my discomfort with a nonchalant shrug, sinking into the other chair with feigned casualness. "To be fair, I never promised my presence."

They chuckled, straightening. "But you are indeed here. Have you considered my offer?"

"Remind me, what exactly are you offering?"

They leaned forward, pushing back their hood to reveal hair like spun candlelight, blue eyes gleaming with predatory interest and lips curved in a savage smile. "I'm offering you exactly what you seek, little one—vengeance."

I met her eyes, weighing my response. Had I been so transparent with my purpose?

"I'm only guessing," she said, leaning back to watch the flames devour the log inside.

"You're no trained assassin, yet I watched you murder Archie. I collected that bounty myself, so I know you weren't on contract. You have a score to settle—and clearly, you're not finished yet."

Her gaze found mine, calculating, weighing my worth like a merchant appraising rare goods.

"I'll train you. You'll take the jobs I assign. In return—shelter, meals, payment for your work, and my help finding whoever you're hunting."

There it was—the choice I'd wrestled with since learning of this place.

The resources I desperately needed, paid for in blood.

Could I do this? I studied her face, searching for... something.

Her feral smile softened into something familiar—a fierce determination that burned as bright as the flames behind her.

I knew that look—it was the same fire that had driven me as I hunted my village's murderers.

I nodded once. "I accept. Who are you?"

She tossed a coin purse into my lap. "Vanya. That's your cut from Archie. Now come—your training begins."

A chill traced my spine as I rose to follow her. I was stepping into a world of shadows and blood, but beneath my fear, hope flickered to life. Vengeance was finally within reach, and I would pay whatever price it demanded.

Chapter 15

Vanya drew the hood of her midnight cloak over her head, gesturing for me to follow suit. My worn cloak was nothing like her opulent one, the threadbare hood refusing to stay in place even in the gentlest wind.

Drawing on my power, I pulled the hood up and coaxed the shadows to me, weaving them around my neck and lower face like a living, breathing cowl. Vanya's eyes glittered with interest as she turned to lead the way.

I followed my new mentor out of the little tavern, slipping out through a window. Our fingers found purchase on the wall like water flowing upward, our feet finding holds in the weathered bricks. In a heartbeat, we were atop the roof, leaping to the next with silent grace, our movements fluid as shadows dancing across moonlit stone.

Like whispers in the night, we ghosted as we made our way across town. Or so I hoped. The assassin could very well be leading me into a trap, and I would have to guess which direction was the exit. I tried memorizing our route, but after our third turn, I couldn't tell if we were moving East of the tavern orWest. Every so often I would find a wet patch, my worn boots threatening to slip. I felt out of my element. What in the gods' names had I agreed to?

Vanya moved fearlessly with the grace of a cat, ready to strike her target. I, on the other hand, was like a fawn learning to walk, clinging to my newfound powers like a drowning sailor to driftwood. I shook my head, cleared my thoughts, and focused on the moment at hand. I could do this. This was how I would find the last man and rid this land of his evil.

Vanya crouched ahead. I crept behind her and mirrored the movement, scanning the silent streets and shadowed homes, desperate to catch a glimpse of whatever had caught her attention.

"Look there," she pointed towards a three-story structure, shadowed between two others down the road. The building loomed dark and foreboding, its weathered facade a testament to countless secrets. "That's the target. Towards the top window, there is an office of a man who has found himself on someone's list. Get in. Be discreet—they will alert the whole block you're there if they sense a threat. Kill him and get out."

I realized there was no "we" in that. This was my test.

I swallowed. "And if I get caught?"

Vanya gave me a predator's smile, "You'd be better off slitting your own throat. Don't get caught." I nodded, and she sat back on the roof, content to watch the spectacle unfold from her lofty perch.

I took a deep breath before I closed my eyes and pulled more shadows to me until I all but disappeared. Here on the roof, there was nothing above me to provide any coverage to make me completely disappear. Like death's own wraith, I imagined I must have looked like a nightmare given form, a creature born of shadow and starless night.

I stepped to the edge of our perch and started to slowly climb my way down, my fingers biting into the harsh brick of windowsills until I dropped onto the one below. Climbing trees with Maël when we were younger never served me so well.

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