Page 8 of Decoy

No matter what, I would not fail again.

Sir Rupert eventually paused outside a door. “The princess’s room?” I was already gauging the thick wooden door to determine how easy it’d be to break down. It appeared annoyingly sturdy.

At my inquiry his eyes darted about, as if fearing potential eavesdroppers lurking within the shadows…and with the threats against the princess, there very well could be. He lowered his voice. “Do not speak so casually of the princess. For all intents and purposes,youare her.”

He opened the door and stepped aside to let me pass, a show of deference he undoubtedly loathed bestowing upon me. Upon entering I was immediately greeted with a room of soft blue elegance and gilded accents, with finely crafted furnishings beyond what even my family could have afforded during the days of our nobility, yet too simple to befit the heir to the Estorian throne.

“I expected greater extravagance for a room belonging to a princess.” Not to mention its absence of any personal effects to have belonged to the former decoy…unless all evidence of her existence had already been stripped away.

“Well discerned.” Despite the compliment, the advisor didn’t sound even begrudgingly impressed. “We would never taint the true princess’s bedroom with the presence of a criminal. Let this room’s simplicity serve as a reminder of your true place here—though you’re posing as a royal, you are far from one in actuality.”

Good riddance for that. He clearly meant to intimidate me, but in truth this demeaning gesture was a fortuitous turn of events, considering the real princess’s bedroom likely posed tighter security that would be trickier for me to navigate. For now the submissiveness he expected would be the best course, so despite the aversion prickling my skin at having to show such humility to the likes of him, I gave him what he wanted.

I lowered my eyes. “I understand.”

He seemed satisfied by the demeaning display. “Your own noble background will work in our favor. Nevertheless, you will still receive additional training in order to create a more effective performance. Until then, you’ll be locked inside until we have need of you; it won’t do for you to be caught wandering in places you don’t belong.”

The memory returned of tiptoeing through the shadows in the dead of night nearing my goal, the sting from my failure that followed before I hastily pushed it away. During my sojourn within the dungeon I’d already studied my failed mission to the point of obsession, agonizing over every detail of what I could have possibly done differently. No good would come from further torturing myself over my past.

“You will not be needed today,” the advisor continued. “But tomorrow you’ll be expected to make your first appearance. Be ready.”

Without a backwards glance he left, a departure immediately followed by the click of the lock. I rolled my eyes. Locks were child’s play for someone with my skills, for etiquette wasn’t the only thing my past had made me well versed in. While the lock on my dungeon cell had proven an impenetrable challenge, this one wouldn’t prevent me from exploring to my heart’s content.

I pressed my ear against the door. Through the thick wood I detected the presence of attending guards, two by my estimations. Highly trained guards posed much more of an obstacle; it’d be suicidal to demonstrate my skills in disarming them so early in this twisted game, not to mention I currently lacked the means of doing so.

Thankfully there were other ways out of a room other than through a door, though such exploits were best conducted beneath the shield of darkness. I settled in the window seat to wait out the hours until night. Unlike my previous days filled with fear measuring each breath, this one passed much more peacefully.

Though the room was far more spacious than my dungeon cell, the walls still closed in on me. Feeling claustrophobic, I hurried to the window and tried to open it. Locked. Thankfully, it opened relatively easily after a few minutes of frantic work with some hairpins I found at the dressing table where my assigned lady-in-waiting would prepare me for my first appearance as the princess.

The cool evening breeze washed over my senses, and for a tranquil moment I forgot my purpose in sneaking out and allowed myself to savor the wind’s soft caress and the scent of pine carried from the trees enclosing the palace grounds.

I took a deep breath, keeping my hand pressed against my heart to feel each steady pulse. I was alive. Though the threat of the executioner’s ax loomed over me, there remained a glimmer of hope…one nearly smothered by the lingering terror from my near execution. I could still feel the shadowy sensation of the noose draped around my neck with such vivid imaginings as to almost feel like a memory, my fate should this doomed scheme go awry…if the mysterious assassin didn’t take me out first.

The absence of my usual faithful blade against my thigh felt more exaggerated midst this looming danger. It’d been confiscated upon my capture, leaving me nothing with which to defend myself. I’d need to locate another weapon as soon as possible.

I didn’t expect to find anything within the surrounding elegance devoid of anything even remotely useful to my plight, but with nothing else to do, I searched anyway. Nothing. I pressed my thumb to my lip in silent consideration as I studied the mental map I’d created of the palace, not from the advisor’s brief tour but prior to when I’d first infiltrated it. If I remembered correctly, there was an armory on one of the lower floors near the dungeon; it was my best hope of acquiring what I sought.

My sojourn in the dungeon had only reminded me how precious a commodity time was. The moment dusk arrived, I made my move. I leapt lightly onto the windowsill and studied the footholds illuminated by the faint dusk in order to gauge the best route for my climb. To the untrained eye there was little to work with, but years of practice had made me an expert at finding the perfect grooves to scale any wall, even in a dress.

Even without the fading light, my window faced the back of the palace grounds, which would keep me out of sight of the attending guards. My long afternoon studying their patrols from my window had informed me that one wouldn’t come by for another four minutes, plenty of time for me to reach my intended destination.

I traced an invisible path in my mind before beginning to climb. Even with the pain lacing my still-raw wrists, I scaled the wall in no time. I climbed silently onto the roof, where I remained crouched to more easily blend with the shadows rather than give myself away as an obvious silhouette against the sky now blanketed with velvety night. I crept silently along the slates but hadn’t gotten very far when—

My breath caught as I squinted ahead. Was that…but no, it couldn’t be anything more than a trick of the thin moonlight, because it almost looked as if there was apersonjust up ahead, crouching low enough against the roof to melt into the shadows.

Dread coiled around my limbs, rendering me frozen. I could only think of one person who’d be on the palace roof: the assassin. What ill timing to discover my quandary when I had nothing with which to defend myself. I hadsomeskill in weaponless combat, but my abilities were mediocre at best; even with a weapon, I doubted my defenses could adequately stand against someone highly trained in combat.

Thankfully stealth was another tool in my arsenal, though it seemed unwise to employ it under such circumstances. The old Blair might have taken her chances in sneaking past her assailant, but death’s lingering memory compelled me to hesitate.

I remained motionless in my crouched position, waiting for the intruder’s next move. He was so still I might have questioned whether it was actually a person or merely a decorative statue if I hadn’t sensed his presence stretching across the distance dividing us…which meant that unless he was an amateur, he’d detected mine just as easily.

I kept my gaze riveted to him for several endless minutes…before suddenly, in the time it took me to blink, he vanished. I startled.

What?

I’d barely registered my shock when a sinister presence engulfed me from behind. I tensed and nearly lost my precarious balance as I swiveled around…and was greeted by a looming dark silhouette of a man shrouded entirely in black, the lower part of his face covered with a cloth mask. His eyes and hair were dark beneath the night, making it impossible for me to discern their true color.

“I wondered whether you’d detect my presence. It appears tonight’s opponent at least possesses some skill, which should make things more interesting.”

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