Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin 1)

I cannot wait to lay my success at the reverend mother’s feet. I want to prove to her that she was right to take me in, that she chose wisely in offering me a home. I want her to see that I have passed her test.

That I was picked over Annith brings me joy, even as my heart breaks for her. But perhaps the abbess has seen some special skill or spark in me, one that makes me shine brighter than Annith and the others.

The boat crunches up onto the stony beach

and I step out, doing my best to keep my fine gown clear of the surf. “Thank you,” I say; I wave goodbye to the ferryman, but he is already rowing back out to sea.

eager to make my report to the abbess, I hurry toward the convent. As I pass the standing stone, I kiss the tips of my fingers and press them to the cold rough surface in a quick prayer of thanks to Mortain for guiding my hand.

The sun is just beginning to rise, but the chickens are already at their morning scratching. The reverend mother too is an early riser and already sits at her desk. I knock on her open door.

She looks up from her paperwork. “You’re back. ”

“Yes, Reverend Mother. ”

She puts down the unopened letter she was holding and gives me her full attention. “It went well?”

I try not to preen. “Very well. It was exactly as you and Sister Vereda said. The marque was clear upon the traitor, and the poison was just beginning to work as I left. ”

“Good. ” She nods her head, satisfied. “You are safely returned to us before any will know he is dead. An easy, clean first kill, as it should be. No one saw you?”

“No one. except for the maid, who thought exactly what Sister Beatriz told us she would think. ” I hesitate, filled with regret that Hervé has tainted my first assignment but knowing I cannot risk omitting him from my report, in case he is part of the test. “And a farmer from the fields who tried to delay me. For a dalliance, I think. ”

The corner of her mouth quirks up in amusement. “I trust you were able to take care of that?”

“But of course, Reverend Mother. ”

Her eyes narrow. “Did you kill him?”

“No! He was not assigned to me, nor did he bear a marque. ”

“Good. ” She seems pleased with my account. “Do you wish to rest for a few hours before joining the others?”

“No, thank you. ” I am far too excited to even think of sleep.

She smiles, as if she knows full well why I cannot sleep. “Very well. Once you have changed, report to Sister Thomine in the courtyard. Leave your clothes on the bed, and Sister Beatriz will fetch them shortly. ” She gives a nod of dismissal, then cracks open the seal on the letter in front of her. Just before I step into the hall, she calls out, “Ismae?”

“Yes, Reverend Mother?”

“Your second test will come soon,” she says, not looking up from her correspondence. “It will not be this easy. ”

I cannot tell if her words are meant as a promise or a warning, so I take them as both. In the dormitory, I change quickly and leave my finery on the bed. As I lace up my plain gray habit, I glance out the window. Sister Thomine is leading the others in evasive techniques. well and good, as I need to discharge some of this pent-up excitement. I hurry out to join them.

Four of the younger girls are grappling together, and Sister Thomine has paired herself with Annith. when she sees me, she waves me over, glad to pass off this duty to someone else.

Annith is highly skilled in this art.

As she steps away, I bow formally to Annith. She returns the bow, then takes her stance. As I take mine, I suppress a snort of laughter. If only that oaf from the tavern could see me now.

And then Annith comes at me in a quick flash of supple muscles and sleek limbs as she steps inside my guard and wraps her arms around my neck. “How did it go?” she whispers.

“Perfectly. ” I bring both my arms up and jerk them outward, breaking her grip. “As smooth as Sister Beatriz’s finest silk. ”

Annith feints to the side, then grabs my arm and twists it behind my back. “There were no difficulties?”

I grit my teeth against the pain. “None. except for bit of lip from a serving maid and a grope from a drunken oaf, but that was all. I even saw the marque of Mortain,” I whisper.

“But you have not yet received the Tears of Mortain!” she says, relaxing her hold.

“I know. ” I try to keep the smugness from my voice, but it is there all the same. To distract her, I step sharply back to knock her off balance, then spin out of her loosened grip and continue moving until I am behind her with my right arm tight against her throat. “Don’t worry, though. I’m sure it will be your turn soon. ”

“Girls!” Sister Thomine calls out. "Enough chatter, unless your plan is to talk your victims to death. ”

Annith reaches up and pinches a spot at the base of my wrist. My hand goes numb and she slides out of my grasp. I try to hold on to her with one hand, but she is slippery as an eel and evades my hold. “No news of Sybella yet?” I ask as I shake off the numbness.

Annith springs behind me. Like a whipcord, her arm comes around my neck. “No, none of the sisters will breathe a word. And if Reverend Mother talks of her, she does so only when I am asleep and cannot listen at the door. It is as if Sybella has ceased to exist,” she says just before she tries to choke me.

I tuck my chin under to block her attempt. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. ” My words are thick and garbled under her grip at my throat. “This is her third assignment, after all. ”

Annith grunts, and I know her thoughts turn to their familiar concern — why others have been chosen and she has not. She grabs my arm, spins around in front of me, then levers my body over her shoulder. For one brief moment I fly through the air. The painful landing on my back forces all the breath from my lungs, and I gasp like a caught fish.

“Fourth,” Annith says, looking down at me. “It is her fourth assignment. ”

Chapter Seven

“Careful!” Sister Serafina scolds. “Don’t let it boil or it will turn to resin and be of no use. ”

“Yes, Sister. ” I keep my eyes fixed on the small flask I hold over the flame. Tiny bubbles have begun to form along the sides of the glass, but it is not boiling. Not yet.