The Assassin's False Target

THE WAR BEGINS

For a moment, I couldn’t move.Caelan didn’t wait for an answer.He turned sharply and strode toward the door. The moment it opened, the noise of the palace rushed in, shouting guards, clashing steel, the distant roar of the city burning.“Seal the western gate!” someone shouted in the corridor.“Rebels inside the lower district!”“Protect the prince!”Caelan stepped into the chaos.“Send riders to the northern wall,” he ordered immediately. “And wake the war council.”“Yes, Your Highness!”He didn’t look back at me.Not once.And then he was gone.I stood alone in the library.My fingers were still wrapped around the dagger hidden in my sleeve.He knows.The thought crawled through my mind slowly.Or maybe he only suspects.If he truly knew…He would have killed me already.Princes didn’t keep assassins alive.They executed them.Publicly.Immediately.But Caelan hadn’t.Which meant one thing.He didn’t know for certain.Yet.Shouts echoed through the palace.The rebellion had begun.I moved toward the window and looked down at the city.Fires everywhere.Crowds running.Rebels clashing with imperial soldiers in the streets.And suddenly something else hit me.Something far worse.The rebels had already started the war.Tonight.Which meant…They believed the assassination had already succeeded.My stomach tightened.They thought Caelan was dead.They thought I had completed the mission.Boots thundered in the hallway outside.“Find the prince!”“Secure the library!”I slipped out through the side door before anyone saw me.The palace corridors were chaos.Soldiers running.Messengers shouting.Steel ringing somewhere in the distance.I moved through the confusion easily.Assassins were trained for moments like this.And then I saw him again.Prince Caelan stood in the main strategy hall, speaking rapidly with several commanders gathered around a large map.“The southern district is already lost,” one general said.“Then pull the soldiers back to the inner wall,” Caelan replied.“That will abandon half the city!”“It will save the other half.”Another officer stepped forward. “Your Highness, the rebels are spreading rumours that you’re already dead.”Caelan gave a dry laugh.“That explains the enthusiasm.”The officers didn’t laugh.“Your orders, sire?”“Hold the gates,” Caelan said. “If the rebels control the streets but not the gates, the city remains ours.”“And if they breach the walls?”“Then we stop them before they reach the palace.”He dismissed them with a sharp gesture.“Move.”The commanders hurried away.Leaving him alone.Perfect.I stepped forward.“Your Highness.”He turned immediately.“Scholar,” he said.“You’re busy.”“Yes.”“So I’ll be quick.”He studied my face carefully.“What do you want?”“I’ve been thinking about our conversation.”“Which one?”“The one about strategy.”He crossed his arms.“This is an interesting time to continue a lecture.”“I believe I found the missing passage in the Valtherian manuscript.”His eyebrow lifted.“You’re still thinking about ancient wars?”“History repeats itself.”He sighed.“Fine.”He gestured toward the corridor.“Quickly.”We returned to the war library.The moment the door closed, the outside noise dimmed.For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.Then Caelan leaned against the table.“Well?”I slowly placed a scroll on the desk.“The missing section describes how the Valtherian general ended the war.”“And how did he do that?”“He killed the enemy commander.”Caelan tilted his head slightly.“Direct.”“Effective.”“Usually.”Silence hung between us.Then he spoke.“You’re nervous tonight.”“Should I not be?”“The city is burning.”“Yes.”“And yet here you are.”“So are you.”He studied me carefully.“You asked me here.”“Yes.”“Why?”I took a slow step closer.“Because some wars end with speeches.”“And others?”“With blades.”His gaze sharpened.“I suspected as much.”My hand moved.The dagger flashed from my sleeve.Steel rang.Caelan’s sword came free instantly, blocking the strike.“Predictable,” he said calmly.“You’re still alive,” I replied.We moved around the table.Blades ready.“You really planned to kill me tonight?” he asked.“Yes.”“During a rebellion?”“Perfect timing.”He nodded slightly.“I suppose it is.”I attacked again.This time faster.The dagger struck low while my other hand pulled the short sword from my belt.Two blades.He stepped back quickly.“Interesting,” he murmured.“Surprised?”“A little.”Our weapons clashed again.“You fight like someone well trained,” he said.“I was.”“By the rebels?”“Yes.”“And they sent you here alone?”“That was the plan.”He blocked another strike.“Strange plan.”“Why?”“They expected you to die.”My blade paused.“What?”He pushed my sword aside easily.“The rebellion started tonight.”“Yes.”“And I’m still alive.”I attacked again.He dodged.“So?” I demanded.“So they believed the assassination had already succeeded.”My chest tightened.“Okay, yes.”Our blades met again.“Think about it,” Caelan said calmly.“Why start the war tonight?”“Because it was planned!”“Yes.”“But only if the prince was already dead.”I struck harder.He parried easily.“They sent you here knowing you wouldn’t survive,” he continued.“You’re wrong.”“They needed a martyr.”My dagger slipped past his guard.The blade sliced across his arm.A thin line of blood appeared.Caelan stepped back.“Good strike,” he said quietly.My breathing was heavy now.“You talk too much.”“Assassins usually do less talking.”“And princes usually bleed more.”He wiped the blood from his arm.“You’re proving my point.”“What point?”“That you weren’t meant to survive.”Silence stretched between us.“You suspected me,” I said slowly.“Yes.”“From the beginning?”“Almost.”“Why didn’t you kill me?”He looked directly at me.“Because I wanted to see what kind of weapon the rebellion sent.”“And?”“And now I know.”“What am I?”He answered quietly.“Disposable.”The word hit harder than any blade.“You’re lying.”“Am I?”“Yes.”“Then why start the war tonight?” he asked calmly.I didn’t answer.Because I couldn’t.The silence between us became unbearable.Finally I spoke.“You expect me to believe the people who raised me wanted me dead?”“I expect you to question them.”“They trusted me.”“They used you.”“They gave me a purpose.”“They gave you a death sentence.”My grip tightened on the dagger.“Why are you telling me this?”“Because the rebellion already thinks you’re dead.”“And you’re still alive.”I lowered my sword slightly.“I don’t know who to believe.”“Good,” Caelan said.“Confusion is the first step toward truth.”Shouts echoed through the corridor.“Your Highness!”The door burst open.A soldier rushed inside, breathless.“Rebels at the east gate!”Caelan turned sharply.“How many?”“Hundreds, maybe more!”The soldier’s eyes suddenly dropped to Caelan’s arm.“My prince, you're bleeding.”Caelan glanced down at the thin line of blood.“It's nothing.”The soldier looked toward me.“Who is she?”That moment was enough.I moved.The dagger flashed toward the door as I slipped past the soldier.“Stop her!” he shouted.By the time he reached the corridor, I was already running.Behind me, I heard Caelan’s voice.Calm.Cold.“After her.”The soldier hesitated.“Your Highness?”“She’s the assassin.”Silence.Then Caelan added quietly,“And she’s not leaving this palace alive.”Boots thundered behind me as the hunt began.I ran.Through corridors.Down staircases.Past soldiers rushing toward the gates.Outside the palace walls, the city was chaos.Fires burnt across the streets.Rebels fought imperial soldiers in every direction.Perfect cover.I slipped through the streets quickly.Out of the city.Toward the forest beyond the outer wall.Freedom.Or so I thought.Figures stepped out of the darkness.Swords drawn.Rebel soldiers.My heart dropped.I froze.“Tavian?”For one brief second, relief rushed through me.If anyone would understand, steel touched my throat.Cold.Tavian looked at me like I was a stranger.“No,” he said quietly.“That's not possible.”My stomach twisted.“Tavian… What's going on?”His sword pressed harder against my skin.“You were supposed to die in that palacep.”