Secrets of the Crown Assassins

48

ARIELLE

My heart wasn't beating.

I couldn't believe my luck. Indigo Fluor just ran right into me. Right to her death. I didn't even have to look for her.

I would've been delighted if it weren't for Nydia standing right beside her.

I should've been angry at the sight, should've felt betrayed that Nydia was choosing to side with a traitor. That she was probably a traitor herself. That she may have been working against us this whole time, lying about everything, her friendship with us a ruse she concocted to get closer to us. But instead, there was only one emotion I could feel.

Relief.

She's safe.

I couldn't explain why I wasn't bothered by the revelation. Perhaps I always knew deep down that Nydia wasn't exactly what she pretended to be. But it didn't matter because I spent the past ten minutes searching in a frenzy, calling out her name, worrying the Ravens took her again, afraid as I turned every corner that I would find a mangled corpse. But she wasn't hurt, she wasn't being held captive. She was safe and she would remain safe. That's all that mattered.

"Arielle," Indigo muttered, eyes wide.

"Indigo," I greeted and I flung my blade.

She ducked behind the door of the stairwell at the last second, the blade scraping her cheek and sending droplets of scarlet splattering through the air. The blade embedded itself into the wall across from the staircase just as the two took off running down the hall, Indigo practically dragging Nydia who looked like she wanted to say something.

I merely walked up to my blade and pulled it out of the wall, made sure the edges weren't dulled too much by the impact, and walked around the corner. Indigo was heading straight down the hall, a solid twenty yards away. She was almost reaching the end.

She turned to look back and I flung my blade again. She ducked, her feet stumbling a bit as she lost balance, though she quickly righted herself as she looked up to find that the blade missed her again. I stalked toward them, my pace brisk but not nearly as fast as theirs.

That's just because you're tired. You're only slow because you're tired. No other reason.

Just as she rounded the corner, Nydia shoved out of her grip, standing in the middle of the hall. I couldn't see Indigo anymore, though I could hear her calling Nydia's name. Nydia merely looked at the blade embedded into the wall and then back at me. I flung the other one.

She didn't even flinch, didn't move, as the blade whistled down the hall, whisking past, missing by just half an inch before it too hit the wall.

You're tired. That's why you missed. You're just tired and your aim is off.

Nydia's eyes were wide. She understood. Her lips parted as she spoke two words, words so quiet that I couldn't hear them, but I knew them all the same. My breathing became uneven, too fast as my heart pounded in my chest like a drum following an uneven rhythm. And then she ran after Indigo, disappearing again.

By the time I reached the end of the hall, they were gone. There was nothing but silence and my own unfocused thoughts. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady myself, trying to breathe normally.

What did I just do?

I let an enemy of the state get away. A person who was intent on destroying me, on killing me and everyone that I love, on ripping my life to shreds. I let them get away.

You're just tired. You didn't do anything wrong.

If they came back, if they succeeded... the blood of my family, of Damien and Xavier, would be on my hands.

What have I done?

No, no, no. Nydia wouldn't kill the three of us. She wouldn't let anyone else kill us either. We were safe. For now.

A gunshot split through the air. A few screams echoed from far above. And then it was utter silence.

My mind cleared. I was in the middle of a battlefield. I was a Fortier in the middle of a battlefield. This might've been a maze filled with my worst enemies and mind games, but this was still a battlefield through and through. It was my turf and I sure as hell wasn't going to lose.

Focus.

I could deal with the ramifications another time. First I needed to finish what I came here to do.

I took a deep breath and yanked my blades out of the wall, wiping away the blood. The golden sharp edges glinted against the light. I set back down the hall, gripping the deadly blades at my sides.

It was time to find the Raven Ruler.

So... it's been a while.

Like a really long while. And for that, I apologize. I got a little carried away with school, college applications, getting ready for college, etc. I'm really sorry for abandoning you guys like that. I told myself that I would come back and start writing again, that maybe I would take a break for a week. Well, a week became two weeks, two weeks became a month, and one month became six.

I think the biggest issue was I seemed to be facing a weird sort of writer's block. I would look at the page and, even though I knew what was supposed to happen because I already planned the chapters out, I couldn't seem to write it down. To combat this, I tried writing other things to keep my creative juices flowing so to speak. I managed to write around eight chapters of another story offline that I'm not going to be adding to Wattpad but am hoping to get traditionally published. But, eventually, I reached the same issue and basically halted halfway through chapter 9.

I know none of this is a valid excuse for not writing and basically going AWOL, but I figured I at least owe you guys an explanation for abandoning you.

But, don't worry. I'm back now! And I'm done making excuses. I'm making it my goal to write and update this story consistently throughout the rest of this summer. That being said, I may have to take a few breaks in the middle as I move into and adjust to college, but I promise I'll try warning you guys about that beforehand.

Anyways, I hope you guys have fun and welcome back to the murderous, chocolate-filled world of the assassins. It sure as hell feels good to be back home.

See you later!

~sweee_the_writer