Page 18 of The King's Sword
“I know,” he said as he released her. “I miss Alina—even if she was a pain in my ass sometimes.”
For Sabine, it was more than that. While she missed her sister, she felt as if she’d lost her entire family since she no longer lived at home. She wanted to be with them, and she longed for the days when she had no responsibilities. Or people trying to kill her.
“I need to be on my way,” Otto said. He kissed her cheek before shouldering his bag and heading out the door.
She went over to the window, watching him walk away.
The stairs creaked as someone descended. “I’ll be heading out as well,” Anton said from behind her.
“I wrote two letters,” she said, still watching her brother’s retreating back. “One for Rainer, and one for Markis.” The letter she’d written to Rainer had been simple and to the point. She figured saying less would be more effective and not get herself into trouble. With Markis’s letter, it took her far longer to write since it was in code. She had to make the letter appear normal, casual, as a royal speaking to her guard and nothing more. All the while she needed to tell him what happened, where she was, and who she was with. Markis was going to be furious. She tried to reassure him as much as possible knowing he’d feel responsible for her kidnapping. Which he wasn’t.
“Are you certain you don’t want to go with me?” Anton asked.
“Yes.” She didn’t trust Anton to keep her safe. Granted, she didn’t trust Evander all that much either. However, between the two, the assassin-pirate-prince seemed the better, safer option. He could protect her, and she felt no attraction, friendship, or loyalty to him. And right now, that seemed the best bet.
“Are these the letters here on the desk?” Anton asked.
“Yes.”
“Please be careful,” he said.
“I will.”
“Hang on,” Evander called from the kitchen. He emerged a moment later, drying his hands on a towel hooked to the waistline of his pants, a young woman following him. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, as if he’d been cooking. The tips of his fingers were dark green and black. A red tattoo wrapped around his wrist.
Sabine and Anton exchanged glances—he seemed as confused as she did.
“For all intents and purposes, this is Sabine,” Evander said, gesturing to the woman now at his side. She had similar brown hair and was about the same height as the real Sabine. “She will accompany you,” he said to Anton. “You will call her Sabine and treat her as you would your queen.”
“Is this necessary?” Anton asked.
“It is.” Evander went over to the closet and withdrew a cape. “Here.” He handed it to the fake Sabine. “Put this on.”
Sabine watched the young woman. “Do you understand what you’re doing and why?” she asked her, hoping Evander hadn’t found some innocent person who had no idea what she was getting herself into.
“I do,” the woman replied. “I am your decoy. You can trust me to do a good job.”
“Don’t worry,” Evander said. “She’s being paid handsomely for her services and time.”
The fake Sabine tied the cape around her shoulders. The bottom portion of her dress, along with her boots, still shone. The woman reached up, pulling the hood on before making sure a strand of her hair escaped beneath it.
“Perfect,” Evander said. “You have the dagger?”
“I do,” she answered.
“Good luck.”
Anton rubbed the back of his neck. “Fine,” he said with a sigh. “Let’s go.”
The woman joined him, and they exited the house.
“Stay away from the windows,” Evander said. “In case the house is being watched. I don’t want anyone to suspect you’re still here.” He went back into the kitchen.
Sabine went over to the hearth. The fire was just about out. She squatted, trying to warm her hands with what little heat there was. She couldn’t help but wonder when Evander had left the house to find a woman to pretend to be her. Granted, it would make her journey back to Lynk much safer. However, it emphasized the fact that Evander was a trained assassin. She would need to keep her guard up around him. She also hoped that woman made it safely to Lynk with Anton. If the assassin killed her, Sabine would never forgive herself.
Banging came from the kitchen. She wondered what Evander was doing in there. She was just about to go in there to find out when he opened the door, heading toward the staircase.
“Do I even want to know what you’ve been doing?” she asked.
