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CHAPTER 34
Ilooked at the stars above me and could practically feel them watching me, as if tonight had somehow changed the course of fate and the direction of destiny was still being determined.
I peeked around the corner of 3rd Street, keeping myself hidden behind the wall of an old bakery, and I spotted the warehouse where Bennett was supposedly held. It looked as if it had been abandoned, and was hardly holding itself together as I eyed the broken windows and the peeling paint that left scrap metal for show.
I strained my ears for any sign of what I was up against, but all I heard was silence, which only set my nerves on edge even more.
Could I be at the wrong place? Was this a setup and Bennett might not even be here?
Trap or not, I was going inside. I took a deep breath, swallowed my fear, and slipped on the mask that I had gotten used to wearing. Although it was on, it almost seemed as if it didn’t fit as well.
I dashed across the street on the tips of my toes, being as silent as the wind. I crouched beneath a broken window on the first floor and peered through, finding it to be completely empty. My heart hammered in my chest at the thought of getting here too late.
I stepped on the window flat and hoisted myself up, using the ragged brick as steppingstones as I gripped the sill of the second story. I lifted myself up and over the broken window and rolled as my body fell onto the hard floor.
“Just when we thought you weren’t going to show up.”
I whipped my head up and without a second though unsheathed the dagger and unleashed everything I had on the men in the room. There had to have been about fifteen of them, and I smiled as I realized they underestimated me once again.
They came running towards me one after another as I lifted my blade and swung at each one. One swung down his sword at me, but I twisted out of the way, gripping his wrist and using my craft to quickly break his arm and then slice my dagger across his throat.
Another attempted a blow on my head, but I sped out of his way, fast. Faster than I ever had. I was moving as quick as the shadows themselves as I darted by each man, caressing my fingers across their necks, temples, and chests as my Artis blood destroyed each one.
I had gone through eight men already and not a single one had laid a hand on me. Just as I was about to strike down the ninth, someone yelled, “Back down!”
The men immediately backed down, but that didn’t mean I had to. I began to charge at them again before the voice yelled, “Rhiannon, stop!”
I halted as I looked to the front of the room and felt my heart break as I found Bennett slouched over, beaten and bruised, his lip cut, and his nose clearly broken. Cloth was tied between his lips and rope bound his hands and feet as he was held up with a knife hovering right above his jugular.
I brought my eyes up to the culprit who held him and gasped.
“Mendex?” I whispered in disbelief.
He stood tall; his white hair almost glowed in the dim warehouse. There was no hint of amusement in his eyes as he saw me standing before him with his men’s blood splattered all over my clothes, and there was no pain in them either as he eyed the bodies on the floor.
“What are you doing?” I asked in disbelief, refusing to believe that Mendex was responsible for all of this.
“What I was supposed to do months ago, but you were just a little harder to track down than expected.”
I shook my head in confusion. “This isn’t you, Mendex, what do they have on you?”
“Nothing.” His voice was eerily calm. Calculated. “This is me, Rhia. The Mendex you knew was simply just an act. A part I had to play in order to be welcomed into the castle and find the King’s Favorite.” He spat the words, as if they were poison on his tongue. “You would know a thing or two about that, wouldn’t you? I mean, you certainly had me fooled. Who would’ve thought the king’s assassin was in my bedroom more than once and I had absolutely no idea?” He barked a cold laugh. “I had so many chances to kill you.”
I couldn’t wrap my head around the betrayal, at seeing my friend standing before me, claiming to be my enemy.
He continued on, still pressing the dagger to Bennett’s throat, “Getting into the castle was the easy part. I was a still working as a Vicinus guard when I first joined the rebellion. I’d never even met the prince, until one day he showed up in the castle. The guard was informed that he was just a royal runaway, partying and avoiding his duties on the court. When Bennett explained he was returning to Veladis, he asked if any of us would join him. Bennett didn’t question me twice when I volunteered for the position. All he knew about me was that I was from Vicinus, and that was enough for him, I guess. It was idiotic, really, but I didn’t care. I needed an in, and he gave it to me on a silver platter.”
Bennett remained unmoving in his arms, and it took everything in me to not run towards him out of fear for the blade at his neck.
I let out a shaky breath. “How did you discover who I was? Were you spying on me?”
Irritation laced his voice as his nostrils flared. “Now, finding you was very tricky. Since we’re all out in the open here, I’ll let you know that I didn’t suspect you at all. I honestly never would’ve guessed that a little healer would be the best assassin this kingdom has ever seen. I spent the first week in the castle studying every guard I met, assuming that one of them had to be the king’s assassin. I would watch the ones who were high-ranking and see if there were any signs in their daily routines. I even tried to see if maybe you knew anything about the guards. That first night you came to my room to heal me. I tried to get close to you, show you I was trustworthy, and see if you could easily break, but I quickly learned that I wouldn’t gain the prince’s trust if I went after you. I wanted to, but it was obvious he was enthralled with you, and I couldn’t risk him seeing me as a threat. However, it wasn’t long after when I found exactly what I was looking for. That night in the lake was when I discovered that Amica was the little gossip of the castle. I knew I would need her, as she seemed to know everything about what happened in the castle and even told me she prided herself on that.”
I heard all I needed to and was ready to grab Bennett and be done with this conversation. I took a step forward, preparing to take Bennett by force if I had to.
“Not another step,” he hissed. “I’m not done with my story. It’s not polite to interrupt.”
I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw droplets of blood begin to slide down Bennett’s neck.
