Darkness and Beauty (The Fated Series, #1)

Chapter 2 - Lance - New Mission

It's been nine months since I've worn this suit, and I'm proud to say that it still fits like a glove.

With all that time in Sera and eating their greatly spiced food, I thought that I would've gained a few pounds. Then again, I probably sweat all of the fat out of me with the blazing sun and stiff breezes. Even when the merchant I was following went into the mountains, the sun still felt like I was in the middle of a forest fire. Not to mention it was the hottest time of the year.

The assignment itself wasn't that bad, just painstakingly long and boring. When father told me I was to leave in the middle of the night and follow the heavily bearded man to find out who he was selling his weapons to, I thought it would only last a few cycles. But, of course, he ended up traveling all the way to Sera.

He didn't even touch his crates until we reached the westernmost part of the Shalen Desert. Then he made his way to Nydalinda where he stayed for a month downing Kidzra and bedding street whores.

I'll admit, I also took some pleasures in drinking, but not in the women.

As one can imagine, having jet-black hair didn't settle well in a kingdom full of redheads, so I scrunched my face and dyed it one night while the merchant was passed out in a drunken stupor in the room next door. It looks absolutely awful, but I would've drawn unneeded attention, and he would've soon figured out that I was following him.

My lighter skin was also hard to hide against the dark coloring of everyone else, but thankfully their high-coverage clothing did the work for me.

I left my leathers behind on my father's orders, and honestly, I missed them every waking moment. Even the itchiness, though I'll likely be regretting that statement soon enough.

When the merchant finally moved again, he went into the Kalvey Mountains where I followed him up and down, mountain after mountain, for two months. He literally walked the entirety of the mountain range – West to North to East to South – selling to every mountain man he came across. I honestly still don't understand the point of the wasteful trip, but I never go against my father's orders. Not unless I want a beating.

We finished the next two months traveling through the Keta Forest, and then West again. When I got word from my father telling me to make sure the merchant and his clients didn't come back across the seas, and then come home, I didn't hesitate. I scared the man to the point where he soiled himself, then set about seeking out all his clients for the next three months.

And then I finally headed home.

The journey across the Sea of the Morgayne was thankfully absent of storms. ]

Seasickness. One of my few weaknesses.

As soon as my feet touched dry dirt, I ran Southeast straight to Fernweh – to home. I smelled like rotten fish and complete shit as if I took a swim in the sewage when I walked through the House of Jade's doors, but I wanted to hug my little sister with every fiber of agony I felt missing her. You could only imagine my anger when my father told me she had just left off on a tracking assignment, of all things.

I was gone for nine months on a tracking assignment myself, and the last thing I wanted was for her to be gone for another nine.

Annoyance coated me as I washed up, changed into training clothes, and then walked downstairs to find someone to blow off some steam with. None of the others that I fought were as effective as Fauna, but they were trained just like us, so the only thing I stopped myself from doing was making a single cut.

When I fight against my little sister I don't need to hold back.

Back when we were still training to become Jade Assassins, our father would drag us into the fighting rings an hour past midnight and drill us. If we ever pulled our punches or didn't swing or kick with our full strength, then he'd have us doing wall sits until our legs gave out and we could barely crawl. I know it makes him sound abusive, but he wasn't – he isn't. We trained at ungodly hours, sometimes for days without knowing it until we became the quickest and strongest, but he did it to make us strong and to be able to defend ourselves. I always knew and understood that, but the drills were painstakingly tiring.