The Mariposa

Chapter 5

Maeve

I woke up today with a singular goal in mind. It was high time.

The prince had left a mark, one I couldn't easily erase. As much as I loved my family, I had questions that needed answering. I strode towards the main lobby where Azriel's secretary stood, ever loyal to her boss.

"Hey, I need to see Azriel," I said once I reached her.

She made a show of wincing. "Sorry, sweetie, he's not in right now."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, persisting. "I know his schedule, I know he's here."

She shrugged. "There was an emergency."

"Rachel!" I snapped.

She stared at me a long moment, unflinching. I arched my brow. Fine, I'll play dirty.

I swiftly leapt over the desk, pushed her to the side and yanked open the door. Azriel stood just inside the office, his brows arched.

"Why, hello. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise," he said, giving Rachel a pointed glare, to which she shrugged helplessly.

I leveled my gaze at him, gaining his full attention. "I want to talk about my parents."

Immediately he sighed and pulled me inside the office. He closed and locked the door behind him, then turned to me. "Are you sure? What even brought this on?" he asked, a wary look on his face.

I nodded. "I'm 21, Azriel, and I don't know anything about where I came from."

He rolled his eyes. "Course you do... I found you as a baby on the clouds of the lower region."

"Okay... But surely you know more than that. Who were my parents? Where am I from?"

He scoffed. "How do you expect me to know that information, Maeve? I had nothing to go on."

I frowned, silently thinking to myself how he's worked with less. "Okay, fine. You don't know anything about my origin, I get it."

He relaxed slightly, but rose one brow. "Thank you, that was oddly-"

"So what about our targets?"

He threw his head back, letting out a disbelieving laugh. "What do you mean, Maeve?"

"I mean, who are these people you're sending me to end their lives? What purpose could it possibly serve to do such a heinous thing? Is this actually helping our cause?"

He glared at me now and I knew I was testing his patience. "If you think it's all so pointless, you can leave at any time. I have given you plenty of information about our goal, to improve the kingdom, and each elimination of a target is an obstacle eliminated from that path."

I crossed my arms. "Who is Malachi?"

Azriel's eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer. "How do you know that name? He wasn't even your assignment."

I shrugged. "I asked around. Who is he? Why did we kill him?"

His brows full on furrowed now, his veins gradually getting larger as he tensed his jaw. "You were never ordered to 'ask around'! Doing so put you in jeopardy of blowing your cover!"

I stomped my foot, not backing down. "If I can't get answers from you, I will get them from somewhere else!"

"Then go!" he shouted, gesturing madly at the door. "There is nothing keeping you here and if this behavior continues, I'll have no choice but to MAKE you leave!"

I clenched my fists, searching his eyes to find any sign of give. There was none. He meant every word.

Slowly, I left, my heart at the bottom of my chest.

                                                                                                   ***

Azriel

"She is beginning to ask questions," I said quietly, gripping my desk where I stood.

"So? You're the most highly trained assassin we have, You can't evade some teenagers' questions?"

"She's 21."

"Same thing."

"I can't give her anything?"

"No. Not a word. If she keeps pushing... Push. Her. Out."

                                                                                                  ***

Maeve

I didn't want it come to this, but I knew eventually it would. If Azriel found out, I'd definitely be dead. But I had to try.

I slid the note under the room door. A moment later, it opened.

"You want to WHAT?"

"You owe me, Harrow, you know that."

He leaned against the doorframe, glancing over his shoulder. "Sure, but I didn't expect you'd ask for THIS. Why would you want to go?"

I made a show of shrugging. "I'm bored and I'm curious what our most secretive sect does. Just one mission."

His eyes narrowed. "It'll be pretty dangerous. And if Azriel finds out, I can't promise I can save you."

I nodded. "I get it. When do we roll out?"

                                                                                                       ***

Elyas

"Are we looking into it?" I asked my mother as we holed up in the library together.

She didn't look away from her book, showed no sign of listening until she replied: 

"Into what?"

I scoffed. "Malachi's murder, Mother."

She shrugged.

I sat back, my eyes wide. "How could you just shrug this off? This was my best friend! You watched him grow up and he was murdered within our own palace! Aren't you worried about the person striking someone else in the palace AT LEAST?!"

She finally looked up, almost a bored expression on her face. "If the killer wanted to take out someone else in the palace, they would've already. Besides, you know as well as I do that Malachi had plenty of enemies that were bound to get him at some point. One probably just managed to follow him into the castle."

I closed my mouth, gritting my teeth. "I don't understand how you can react so coldly to his death, Mom."

She sighed, finally putting the book down and reaching across the table. Her eyes softened as she looked at me. "I'm sorry, Elyas. I forget you're only a little more than a boy. I am old and bitter, hardened by constant loss. I react coldly to his death because I no longer have the capacity that you do."

She paused, giving me a sad smile that made me slightly loosen up. "Don't be like your momma. Keep that soft heart of yours."

I smiled slightly back. "I'll try."