The sun dipped behind Dragonback Mountain, and I stood. My skin felt like it was buzzing. The ringing in my ears came back. I waited for the screams. I searched the shadows, the doorways, anywhere a vampire might be able to slip inside.
“Where are our quarters?” I breathed. My heart started racing. I pressed my hand to my chest, hoping it would help.
Celine stood up with me and shrugged. “We don’t know. Are you alright? Why are you breathing so fast?”
“The vampires come out at night,” I whispered.
“Yeah.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “They can’t scale the walls. Relax.”
Taewyn stepped in front of me and dropped his bloody towel to his side. “Vampires can’t get into Nighthaven. That’s why we call it Nighthaven. You’re safe here.”
I slammed my eyes shut. They didn’t understand what my life was like in Lothleton. They didn’t understand why I was terrified of the night. If they’d never been outside the walls, they’d never experienced firsthand what vampires did to us. The disappearances of neighbors, the talk of ravaged bodies found in the woods, they were sheltered from that.
My grandmother’s scream echoed in my mind.
“It’s not her fault! She’s a child!” my father shouted.
“My mother is dead! She’s dead, Havar! Aesira knows not to go outside after dark!” My mother cried back.
“Let’s go.”
The deep voice jolted my eyes open.
Viper stood before the three of us. He only looked at me briefly, then started walking away. “Go,” Taewyn murmured. Celine stared at me wide-eyed, waiting for me to react.
I pushed off the wall and winced. My battered ribs reminded me not to twist my torso. I hissed and cringed at the aches all over my body, but I caught up to him. He turned and we went back out the archway under the tapestry to the now empty arena. Night sounded so different here. Crickets chirped, music drifted through the air and even laughter—not screams.
Viper started in the opposite direction of the way I’d come in with my father, and I paused.
“Viper,” I said, softly. “Can I see if my father is here? To say goodbye. I don’t know when I’ll see him again since... he’s from out there.” I gulped. “Will I ever be allowed to see my family again?” I knew how the guilds worked. They didn’t like to associate with people outside. My Grandma Thora’s own parents disowned her for not being ducai.
I wouldn’t ever be that way.
He stopped and turned to face me. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or annoyed, but his eyes narrowed. “Where is he?”
“If he’s still here, he’s where we parked our wagon.” I pointed. I remembered the location was closest to the mage statue. “Back that way.”
He sighed and trudged in that direction. I smiled, and once we made it up the stairs out of the arena, it wasn’t far. Most of the wagons were gone but my father was sitting on the bench in ours. I didn’t care what Viper thought at the moment, tears slid down my cheeks. I hurried as fast as I could manage. He hopped out of the wagon and wrapped me up. I squeaked in pain from the gentle hug, and he immediately let go.
“What happened to you?” he asked quietly.
“You should see the other initiate. I got him good.” I sniffled and wiped my tears.
My father scrutinized Viper. They were about the same height, but my father was more brawn and barrel chested. “Did you do this to her?”
“No, sir,” he answered.
“Does this mean what I think it does?”
I nodded. “I’m an assassin apprentice. Once I took the drink, I—there wasn’t anything I could do. We had to fight the other initiates. They saw my speed.”
“I know. Don’t worry about that now.” He rubbed a hand over his beard and threw his chin toward Viper. “You her trainer then?”
“I am.” He sounded something between wary and bored that he had to have this conversation. I doubted he conversed with many humans. He stood straight with his hands behind his back. I was going to have to perfect that pose. They all did it.
“You make sure she is safe. Don’t let anyone hurt my daughter like this again.”
Viper’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. I got the feeling he didn’t like being told what to do by anyone, let alone an outsider. “Assassins protect their own,” Viper answered.
