To Seduce An Assassin (The Omaja Series Book 2)
Jayla Jasso
One
Yavi checked the grappling hook to ensure it was secure before vaulting himself over the windowsill in his room and lowering himself down the smooth stone wall of the palace. A full moon hung low in the sky, illuminating the palace’s tall spires and sleek, white walls. Yavi dropped soundlessly onto the balcony below, retrieved his hook, then hung it over the next balustrade so he could descend another fifty feet to a second balcony.
Their palace was bloody tall, he thought as he landed with a soft oof on the stone floor of the lower balcony. One more long jump down—no rope necessary—and he’d be within a few feet of the stables, where he could slip in, steal Sikar, and be off before anyone noticed the emperor had left the premises. Especially his pest of a brother, who would insist on tagging along if he knew what Yavi was up to.
Sleep, my brother. Keep that lovely wife of yours warm tonight.
Besides, should something go wrong on this little mission, Yavi wanted Yajna to be safe and sound back at the palace so he could go on ruling Nandala in Yavi’s absence. They had come a long way toward restoring peace and stability in Nandala over the past six years, but the famine had not completely broken, and there were still many hungry mouths to feed in their homeland.
Yavi slipped easily past the stable hands and found Sikar’s stall. The muscular black horse snorted softly at Yavi’s approach, nodding his approval at seeing his master dressed for a midnight ride. Yavi quickly saddled him and led him out of the stable by the back gate. He ducked into the shadowed side of the outbuildings, then mounted Sikar and headed past the guards’ quarters to the southern gate of the palace grounds.
The guard on duty at the gate stepped forward in alarm. “Halt! Who goes there with the emperor’s horse?”
Yavi pulled his hood partially aside so the moonlight illuminated his face.
“Emperor!” the guard gasped, kneeling.
“Keep your voice down,” Yavi whispered, covering his face with the hood. “Open the gate.”
The guard rose and did as he was ordered.
“Not a word of this to anyone, Guardsman.”
“Yes, Mahaj.”
Yavi was sometimes annoyed by such formal address, but knew it came from deep respect on the guard’s part. He and Yajna had a fiercely loyal armed guard, and despite tensions over their unexpected deposing of Thakur as well as an abysmal lack of palace funds, they were managing to maintain a small but dedicated army faction based in Darpan as well.
“I’ll be back by dawn.”
“Godspeed, Mahaj.”
Yavi nodded curtly and disappeared into the night.
Ularian Road led east out of Darpan, and Yavi saw it as he crested a hill just beyond the city’s wall. The route was notorious for bandit attacks, since it was the main road from the capital city to Ularia, a large Nandalan fishing port along the Blue River. Yavi paused within the shelter of some trees to survey the road below him in the moonlight, alert for any sign of movement or activity.
An arrow sailed past his nose and landed with a thunk in a nearby tree trunk. Yavi swore and turned to see his grinning brother riding closer, his horse’s hooves crunching lightly in the snow.
“You didn’t think you’d go after that stolen caravan alone, brother?” Yajna chided.
Yavi glared at his twin. “You should be in bed, making love to your wife right now.”
“Already did. Now I’m ready to go hunting with my brother.”
Yavi bit back a retort, unwilling to let his jealousy show so openly. He was truly glad to see his brother happily married and in love. But living in constant close quarters with Yajna and Jiandra’s obvious affection for one another ripped a dagger through Yavi’s lonely soul each and every day. He knew that he and his twin had each gotten what they deserved in love. Yajna had always been cautious and faithful, and had won the heart of a true queen. Yavi had toyed with love, bedded various women of his choosing in his youth, and had ended up causing an innocent young woman to be killed by a jealous sorceress. After Svana’s death he’d sworn never to seduce another woman again, unless Tejeshwar blessed him with a woman like Jiandra.
But who was he kidding? He knew that, beyond his brother’s wife, such a woman didn’t exist.
“Yajna,” he said tiredly, “go home. It’s too dangerous for both of us to risk our lives and leave Nandala without an emperor. If something happens to me, I want you to be there to guide the country to prosperity and peace. Go.”
“No need for that kind of precaution. If something happens to both of us, Jiandra can rule Nandala better than we do anyhow.”
Yavi sighed. His brother had a point.
Yajna guided his horse alongside Yavi’s and surveyed Ularian Road. “That highway is crawling with bandits. Admit it, brother. You’ll need me and my bow.”
“I have a bow, and I can use it almost as well as you.”
Yajna grinned smugly. “Almost, but not quite.”
“Swords are faster anyway. I can slice off the attacker’s head before you can even string one arrow.”
“Arrows kill without me getting anywhere near an attacker, thus keeping me out of sight and ready to take down an entire patrol if necessary before they find me.”
“But when they do find you, you get surrounded, and you’re helpless to fight them off since you can barely swing a sword. So you need me there to protect you as well.”