After the events of 'Finale', Tella and Legend are finding their future. Scarlett and Julian are writing their fates without letting anyone telling them otherwise. But there is one particular Fate that it has had a toll on - The Assassin. The words...
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The stars are said to have walked on earth long before the Fates, long before legends were even written down. People whispered with true belief that no matter what the night sky held, it was full of secrets. The stars were not angelic creatures illuminating themselves. Some say that they created the Fates themselves, wanting to wreak havoc on land for they were the most vicious beings of all.
But they were also Paradise's only company as she sat crouched on the rooftop opposite to the town merchant's mansion. This wasn't supposed to be her life. She was supposed to be happy, living the life of princesses. Only if it wasn't for her love for adventure and righteousness.
The bell in the town square rang ten times, giving its signal to the cat that had their eyes on its prize. This is what Paradise was being paid to do and it was what she would do. Swinging herself onto the balcony, the marble pillar provided support for her knees that had rattled covering the distance that she had.
Night would end soon and the darkness would shatter at the first form of light. By the time anyone would catch a whiff of her, Paradise would be long gone, counting the money that she would get for raiding the house she was at and getting the papers to the land that was recently purchased.
What really made her take the job was the sight of bruises on the face of the merchant's wife who would peek out of her carriage outside the temple town, perhaps wishing for a way out from a brutal life of fear. Every house had its secrets. This was the merchant's.
The window was easy to break into. The lock was one of the oldest ones, perhaps made at the same time the Empress was born, although no one was lawfully allowed to mention Empress Elantine's age. The private secretary had been clear about that while making his weekly trip to the market for his announcements and news.
Valenda was a tough city to live in. The centre capital made it difficult to hear the gossip from other worlds, secluded by water on all sides. Beauty lay only in its architecture and its anarchic streets. This wasn't the best place to hide after her previous expedition at leaving her childhood behind with the city's tourist fees. That made it the perfect place to hide in plain sight.
It had been several years and nobody had come searching for her. Why should they anyway? It was her life and her choice. Paradise would not go back to a methodical life when the world would offer her the thrill of living on her own terms. There was no bargain that would change her mind about this.
Paradise had always been gifted. Seeing the outline shapes of the objects in the room that was quadruple the size of her lodgings was only the beginning for what was to come. The merchant and his wife were out for the night, where he was probably gawking at another woman while she would hide her blush at his friends hitting on her.
"Ugh," were the words that left the thief's mouth at the thoughts that troubled her. Paradise couldn't even imagine being married to someone, let alone telling the whole world about it.
The papers were in the same drawer that the anonymous letter had suggested. It was a quick grab at taking what she needed. The fun had been taken out of it because of the downpayment that requested her to be discreet. But that didn't mean she couldn't make it interesting. Paradise left behind her signature mark of a blue star. This would be the work of the creep that haunted Valenda's nights and was brave - or stupid - enough to leave behind their mark.
The town was easy to walk through when you knew that all work was fictional. There were no temples of worship, no magic that could betray people, no truth that would tumble down a dynasty. It was only people and human flesh that hurt one another.
Paradise dumped the papers in the plastic bin that had been laid out for her outside the Spice Quarter. Why the rival merchant chose this place, she would not know. Nor did she care. The money she needed was stuck underneath. Her work here was done.
A smile spread across her face when she thought of the dress that she could buy using this investment. It would be so easy to make the girls jealous if she could just get her hands on this enchanted piece of dress. Or maybe she really just wanted to make one jealous....
But that didn't last long.
Her vision was soon covered with a black cloth thrown over her face. Hands grabbed her arms and were dragging her away. She did not back down from the fight as she slashed her dagger out in defence. The merchant couldn't have tracked her down. Her employer couldn't have betrayed her either as the contract would require because she knew something that could bring them down as well.
Like Paradise knew. Every house had its secrets.
"Let me go!" She shouted as she felt herself being pushed up staircases that seemed to make her slip more than her boots allowed herself to steady. "I will write to the city council about this!"
But no answers came in return. Her hands seemed to be magically tied together now as the numbness started to spread through. This would be a resilient situation to get out of with lies. Perhaps that was what it would always come down to - risking lives and living on truths that could never be said to another person. There was no one Paradise trusted more than herself.
"Hey!" She shouted as the black cloak came off of her, but when she turned around, no one was there. Her heart was beating against her chest but her hands remained calm.
That was when she noticed her surroundings for the first time. The ceiling was sky high and arched with wings interconnecting to each other, all black with a touch of gold clustered into constellations - some of which even Paradise couldn't recognise. There was no one that loved the legend of stars more than her. This was a world unknown to her.
The floors were made of white soapstone and were shiny enough for her to see her own reflection. Her olive skin seemed pale overthrown by a curtain of evil hiding who she was. That made her wonder if she was the reflection all along, living a double life that could backfire at any moment. Stone statues lined the walls, making her cry at the lifelike look that they had to them with expressions of shock and terror. It was as if they had witnessed the horror of evil right in front of them before they were turned.
Just as her thoughts began to turn cloudy and imploding on itself, a calm voice spoke through the echoing halls. "Welcome to the Temple of the Stars....Paradise the Lost."
*****
This is a fanfic of the 'Caraval' trilogy by Stephanie Garber
If you haven't read it, I would suggest that you do! It's only the greatest fantasy fiction series ever! This book takes place after the final book (and also before the series ever began). It contains SPOILERS! And this is my warning
Introducing....
Ivana Baquero as Paradise
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