The Assassin's False Target

THE LIST OF THE DEAD

The voice came from directly behind me.Calm. Controlled. Military.I didn’t turn immediately.My eyes stayed on the parchment.Nyra Veylan — Rebel Assassin (Priority Target)My real name.Written clearly beneath the heading:Threat Assessment — Internal SecurityAbove it were other names.Some crossed out.Dead men.Executed nobles.Corrupt officials.People the prince had quietly removed.And at the bottom of the list. Me.The rebels had told me Prince Caelan was blind.Weak.Sheltered by arrogant nobles.But this list told a different story.The prince was hunting his enemies one by one.Carefully.Quietly.And apparently…I was one of them.I finally turned.General Darius Holt stood in the doorway, his large frame filling the entrance to the hidden room.His arms were folded.His eyes were fixed on the parchment.Then on me.“You opened a door that wasn’t meant for you,” he said.“I noticed that,” I replied calmly.My heart was beating faster now, but my voice stayed even.Holt stepped into the room.Slowly.Like a man approaching something dangerous.“Scholars usually avoid secret rooms,” he said.“Scholars are curious.”“Curiosity gets people killed in this palace.”“I’ll keep that in mind.”He stopped beside the desk and looked down at the parchment.Then he glanced at me again.“How much did you read?”“Enough to know I shouldn’t have.”“That’s not an answer.”“It’s the honest one.”His eyes narrowed slightly.“You’re remarkably calm.”“I translate ancient war texts for a living,” I said lightly. “Most of those authors died violently.”“That doesn’t usually prepare people for treason investigations.”“Treason?”I gestured toward the list.“These look like political enemies.”“They’re traitors.”“So you keep telling people.”Holt studied me carefully.“You don’t sound convinced.”“I sound like someone who reads history.”“And history says what?”“That powerful men always call their enemies traitors.”For a moment, Holt didn’t respond.Then he asked quietly,“Do you recognize any of these names?”I glanced down at the parchment again.Carefully avoiding the last line.“Some of them.”“Which ones?”“Halvek,” I said. “Governor Trell.”“And?”“Commander Varys.”“The ones already crossed out.”“Yes.”“What do you think happened to them?”“I assume they stopped breathing.”His mouth twitched slightly.“Executed.”“That was my second guess.”Holt folded the parchment halfway and looked directly at me.“And the others?”“The ones not crossed out?”“Yes.”“They’re future problems.”“Future executions.”“If you prefer dramatic phrasing.”He studied my face like he was trying to read something written beneath my skin.“You’re bold for a translator.”“I’m observant.”“You’re also somewhere you shouldn’t be.”“Yes.”“And you don’t seem worried about that.”“I assumed if you were going to kill me, you wouldn’t bother explaining the rules first.”For the first time, Holt almost smiled.“You’re either very brave,” he said.“Or very stupid.”“I’ve been called both.”He rolled the parchment and tapped it lightly against his palm.“You didn’t ask the obvious question.”“What question?”“Why does the prince keep a list like this?”I shrugged slightly.“Because he doesn’t trust his court.”Holt’s gaze sharpened.“Interesting answer.”“Is it wrong?”He didn’t reply immediately.Instead he asked,“Did you follow the prince tonight?”“Follow him?”“You walked the same corridor.”“It’s a large palace.”“You stopped near the corner.”“I was looking for the library.”“You listened.”“Only briefly.”“To what?”“A disagreement.”“About?”“Politics.”“That’s convenient.”“I try to be helpful.”Silence settled between us.Then Holt stepped closer.“Tell me something, Lyra Sen.”“Yes, General?”“Why does a translator talk about war like a strategist?”I tilted my head.“Maybe I read carefully.”“Maybe.”“Or maybe,” I said calmly, “war is easier to understand than people.”“That sounds like something a soldier would say.”“Then it’s a good thing I’m not a soldier.”Holt watched me another moment.Then he tucked the parchment under his arm.“You didn’t see this list.”“I didn’t.”“You didn’t enter this room.”“I didn’t.”“And if the prince asks why you were in the library?”“I was translating.”“Good.”He turned toward the door.Then stopped.Of course he will.Everyone in this palace liked stopping before leaving.“You’re hiding something,” he said quietly.I sighed.“General, everyone in this palace is hiding something.”“That’s true.”“And if the prince executes everyone with secrets,” I added lightly, “he’ll run out of nobles very quickly.”Holt looked at me for a long moment.Then he opened the door.“Go back to your translations, Scholar.”I didn’t argue.I walked past him and out of the hidden room.---I didn’t breathe normally again until I reached the main library.My steps stayed slow.Controlled.But my thoughts were racing.My name was on the prince’s kill list.Not because he knew I was here.But because he knows Nyra Veylan exists and is coming after him.His intelligence network had already identified me as a threat.Which meant if anyone discovered my real identity inside Aureth Palace…I would die immediately.No interrogation.No prison.Just execution.I sat at the translation desk and stared at the scroll in front of me.Three days ago I had entered this palace believing I controlled the mission.Now I wasn’t so sure.The prince was hunting traitors inside his own empire.Corrupt nobles.Military officials.Powerful men.And apparently rebel assassins.Which meant the rebels might have underestimated him.Or lied about him.I dipped the quill in ink.If Caelan discovered I was Nyra before I completed the mission…I would never leave the palace alive.Which meant one thing.The assassination needed to happen soon.Very soon.---I left the library close to midnight.The palace corridors were nearly empty.Torches burnt low against the stone walls.Most nobles were still drinking in the great hall.Guards moved slowly through the halls.Everything looked calm.Peaceful.Which meant it was the perfect time for secrets.I stepped into the palace gardens.Cold night air brushed my face.Then a voice whispered from the shadows.“Nyra.”I froze.Slowly, I turned.A man stepped out from behind a marble statue.Young.Sharp-eyed.Cloaked in dark travel clothes.“Tarin,” I said quietly.My rebel handler smiled.“You look different.”“You shouldn’t be here.”“You say that every time.”“This is the imperial palace.”“Yes.”“How did you get inside?”“Carefully.”I crossed my arms.“You’re going to get us both killed.”“Relax.”“I am relaxed.”“You don’t look relaxed.”“That’s because you’re standing in the prince’s garden.”Tarin shrugged.“The rebels have friends everywhere.”“That’s not comforting.”He studied my face.“You’ve been here two days.”“Yes.”“And the prince?”“Still alive.”Tarin sighed dramatically.“That’s disappointing.”“I didn’t realize the rebellion expected miracles.”“We expected efficiency.”“You hired the wrong assassin.”“No,” he said. “We hired the best one.”I leaned against the stone railing.“The palace is heavily guarded.”“So kill him during dinner.”“That’s not how assassinations work.”“It works if you stab him.”I stared at him.“You have no idea how infiltration works.”“I know how revolutions work.”“Poorly, usually.”His expression hardened slightly.“The council is growing impatient.”“The council isn’t inside this palace.”“They’re preparing the uprising.”My stomach tightened.“Preparing?”“In three days.”I pushed away from the railing.“That’s too soon.”“They disagree.”“You’re not ready.”“We’ll never be ready.”“Then thousands of people will die.”“That’s what revolutions cost.”I stepped closer.“You were supposed to wait until the prince was dead.”“That was the plan.”“Was?”Tarin’s voice dropped slightly.“If the assassination fails… the rebellion begins anyway.”For a moment I thought I’d misheard him.“You’re starting the war without confirming the prince is dead?”“Yes.”“That’s suicide.”“It’s commitment.”“Without his death, the imperial army will crush you.”“Maybe.”“Not maybe. Definitely.”He shrugged again.“The council believes the empire is already weak.”“They’re wrong.”“And you know that after two days?”“I know enough.”His eyes narrowed.“You’re hesitating.”“I’m being careful.”“You sound like you’re defending him.”“I’m defending strategy.”“Careful, Nyra.”“I’m always careful.”He stepped closer.“You have three days.”“I heard you the first time.”“Good.”He turned to leave.Then paused.“One more thing.”“What?”His voice dropped to a whisper.“You should hurry.”“Why?”Tarin looked directly at me.“Because your prince already knows who you are.”