The Stars and the Flames (FREE PREVIEW)

CHAPTER ONE

Three Months Prior

I could not recall a time when there was so much blood. Pools and pools of it gushed out of the man with pleading eyes with every incision I made, every cut I inflicted onto his flesh. I would be lying if I said the job of an assassin got any easier, but it was always so harrowing. On the outside, I was the ruthless Knife of Kentaurus that everyone has come to fear; on the inside, however, I would be lying if I didn't admit that each life I took affected me just a tiny bit.

To my right was Lynda Katana, my best friend and fellow assassin. She and I oftentimes worked on contracts together, since it was easier to track down and flank our next victims with two able bodies. She was standing there, off to the side, watching me with a benevolent expression on her face. She was definitely no force to be reckoned with, but I guess neither am I.

This was the first of two contracts we had to perform today. Lynda and I oftentimes took turns taking the lives of those we were paid to end. This contract was mine to kill, and the next one would be Lynda's.

By some miracle, the man was still alive, slowly bleeding out. A pained expression was written on his features, almost pleading. The man's lips contorted into a thin line of pain as if he were wanting to say something but couldn't find the words. His name was Quinton Camaron, the only thing I really knew about him other than the fact that someone wanted him dead. As I twisted the knife further into his gut, an inhuman screech of pain blurted out of his lips. His skin was milky white, the color draining from every inch of it, and his eyes, those blue, pleading eyes...

Within a few more seconds, the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and the flame that was previously fueling his ambition had finally snuffed out. He was dead, just a shell of the man he once was, and I soon pulled the knife out of his torso, the entire blade coated in sticky, dark red blood.

I turned to Lynda, a cold expression on my face. "Shall we head back to the ship?"

Lynda flashed me a malicious smile. "In a bit. Let's see what kinds of valuables we can find."

Instinctively, I rolled my eyes. Even though there was no rule against assassins taking things from the victims they've killed, that does not excuse the fact that we are not thieves. However, Lynda may as well be both, since she has no qualms about this kind of stuff. Most of the time, I just tag along and occasionally take something if it catches my eye, but those times are far and few. Most of the time I prefer to just make my kills and then be done with it.

The next ten minutes were spent with Lynda scavenging what little valuables Quinton possessed and me standing off to the side, watching her impatiently. It was only when she had her fill that we were off, dashing out of the house and through nearly deserted alleyways so as not to draw attention to ourselves. The small ship soon appeared, and within moments we found ourselves safely inside its walls on cushioned piloting chairs. With one push of a button, the engine roared to life, and soon, we were taking to the skies once again with me as the pilot and Lynda as the second in command. Only once we left the atmosphere of Xiunus did any of us dare to talk.

"Where to now?" I asked Lynda.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lynda pull out a folder and open it to the second page—the place where we stored all our current contracts. "Coelara." She paused as she put the folder away. "We are to look for this person in the hutted village known as Warreten."

"Of course it's the desert planet." I sighed, shuddering slightly. Coelara happened to be the hottest planet in the Kentaurus Galaxy, and every time I visited to fulfill a contract, I swear I sweat so much I'd be able to provide the entire galaxy with enough water to last a year at least. I hated the heat. Not that I was a huge fan of the cold either, which is why I'm happy to call the planet Xaenov my home—a planet that's neither too hot or too cold and covered in thick forests. Of course, it also had a great amount of major cities too, one of which houses the royal family, including the Crown Prince of Xaenov.