Assassin's Heart (Assassin's Heart, #1)(69)

It didn’t really matter unless I came out the victor in this confrontation.

Three choices: I could run, I could hide, I could fight.

None of those options gave me a high chance of success.

Grape Leaves shifted his weight. The time for planning was over. I’d have to react now and hope it was enough.

“We didn’t expect it would be so easy to find you,” Grape Leaves said. He was tall and thin and had a rope wrapped around his shoulders and waist, one end tapered with a heavy stone weight, the other tied in a noose. “Of course, you made it easy, running around the rooftops like some sort of cat in heat.”

I shrugged, using the movement to rest my hands closer to my sword and a dagger on my left. I’d learned my lesson about going anywhere unarmed.

The Da Via clippers saw the true intention behind my shrug and tensed.

“Honestly,” I said, “the night air felt good. Attracting your attention was not a concern of mine. You didn’t even cross my mind.”

Swirls shifted his stance and glanced at Grape Leaves before returning to me.

“You’re not Rafeo,” he said, his voice higher than his partner’s.

My cloak had hidden my shape from them. I inclined my head. “Very astute. Would you like a medal?”

They stared at me, making quiet decisions behind their masks. I shuffled through the possibilities. They could be planning an attack. They could be thinking of calling for reinforcements. Maybe they’d let me go, now that they knew I wasn’t Rafeo.

I grimaced behind my mask. There was no way in hells they would let me go, no matter who wore Rafeo’s mask.

“Though the Addamos pointed us to Yvain, it seems they’ve lied to us,” Grape Leaves said.

“I doubt they did it on purpose,” I answered. “They didn’t seem to be the quickest larks.”

Swirls brought his hand to his sword hilt and I reacted by unsheathing mine, loosening my wrist with a quick twist of the blade. I wouldn’t let them take me unprepared. “Did they tell you how easily I dealt with them?” I asked. “Did they tell you how many of their dead and injured I left behind?”

“They didn’t tell us a great many things, it appears,” Grape Leaves said. “And because of that, I’ll be on my way with a new message for the Family. But don’t worry, Lea Saldana. Nik here can handle you all by himself.”

Swirls unsheathed his own sword while Grape Leaves bowed and turned his back on me, trusting his partner’s ability to handle things.

I didn’t know anything about Nik Da Via. I didn’t know where he stood based on skill. He could be showy or swift. Arrogant or quietly self-assured.

I did know, however, that I was unrested and sore from my fight the night before and I hadn’t eaten anything in almost a full day. I didn’t have much to give. I had to end this fight quickly. The longer I took, the better the chances I’d wind up dead. And I didn’t want to die. Not yet.

Nik rushed me, and all thoughts disappeared as I adjusted my stance to defend myself.

He feinted to the left, but I didn’t fall for it. I turned left too and swiped for his neck with my sword. He bent backward, flipping over completely. He kicked his leg at me. I jerked aside.

On his feet once more, Nik rushed me again, wasting no time. He attacked with exaggerated sword strokes, forcing me to block them or risk losing my head. I gave ground on the roof, sliding closer to the edge and the canal waiting below. He couldn’t keep up these frantic attacks. They would drain him. But he might keep them up longer than I could defend against them. Every move I made sent a rush of pain pulsing through my muscles. Before long, Nik would notice I was injured and press me even harder. I needed to do something.

He lunged. I stepped away. Below me, the canal boat creaked against its moorings.

I released my left hand from my sword and found one of my long needles stashed in the lining of my cloak. I jabbed a pouch on my belt. The tinkling of broken glass told me I’d struck true.

I hid the now poison-coated needle beneath my cloak and waited for Nik to make another move. It came almost immediately. Instead of sliding left or right as he expected, I ducked. With a quick thrust I stabbed the needle into his thigh. He hissed beneath his mask and retreated, yanking the needle from his flesh.

“Is that the best you have?” He threw the needle to the ground. “This is what Lea Saldana has to offer?”

“No,” I said. “This is.”

I jumped off the roof, trusting that the canal boat was still in place.

I landed. The boat rocked and my ankle twisted sharply beneath me, a lance of pain shooting through my bones and calf.

A shadow from above told me Nik had taken the bait and followed.

When he landed, the boat rocked again, but Nik was unable to keep his balance. The leg I’d stabbed collapsed beneath him, and he shouted in surprise as I let the boat tip like Les had taught me and spilled Nik into the dark waters of the canal.

I sliced through the rope and shoved off, saying a silent prayer of thanks for the canals of Yvain. And to think I’d once hated them.

I flipped open my pouch of poisons and checked which vial had shattered. Pieces of glass lay against the other vials and the etched cork sat on top of the shards. Good. The needle had been doused in a nerve poison. Nik’s leg and probably most of his right side would be paralyzed for the better part of a day. He’d be lucky if he didn’t drown.