Maid in Stone Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Born to be an assassin, raised to be a hero, Kiala seeks middle ground as an auditor. A fallen hero has other plans.

  Life started awkwardly and became a game of survival for Kiala. Hunted by the Assassins Guild for her parents’ illicit union, their little family ran from planet to planet until Ki put her foot down. She performed the entry exam for the Assassins Guild and sold her services to them for five years.

  When her years as a bodyguard were up, she tried to work as an auditor, an investigator, and attempted to find her place in world without danger around every corner. The Citadel made her an offer, and she agreed to time as a sidekick to a recruiter.

  When the contract is up, she is given another choice, another chance and another fresh start. Seeing a familiar face is the first shock of many as she works as a Citadel liaison in Nyal space.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Maid in Stone

  Copyright © 2017 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-1737-6

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

  Look for us online at:

  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  Maid in Stone

  Tales of the Citadel Book 59

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  “Kiala, get me some greens from the garden.”

  Kiala hopped down from the stool she had been sitting on and headed outside while her mom continued to knead the bread.

  The herbs and plants tickled her legs as she skipped through the garden with the collection basket. With a smirk, she picked her favourite greens to fill the bottom of the basket, leaving her least favourites for the top where her mom could see them. If her mom saw those greens, she wouldn’t put in more because she figured Kala had lined the basket.

  She rushed back into the kitchen to watch her mother forming the loaves for dinner.

  Kiala set the basket next to the sink and hopped back onto the stool, waiting for her turn to mark the loaves. It was her favourite bit.

  “Wash your hands, dear. Your turn is coming.” Her mom’s smile was gentle.

  Kiala slid off the stool and went to wash the garden dirt from her hands. When she turned, the front door opened and her father rushed in.

  “Nila, they are here.”

  Her mother nodded and reached for the drawer that Kiala wasn’t allowed to play with. Her mother tossed a number of cylindrical items to her father, and when they were both armed, her daddy turned to her.

  “Kiala, we have to leave here, today. I need you to run when we say run and to keep yourself safe. Can you do that?”

  Kiala looked toward the bread. “But, the bread.”

  Her mom grinned. “We will make more birthday bread when we get where we are going. You can have a second birthday. Is that all right?”

  “Yes.” She nodded and firmed her shoulders. She was a big girl and she could handle it. She was six years old today, after all.

  The run through the woods was hard on Kiala. Her legs didn’t want to move after a while, but she kept going. She didn’t know who they were running from, but every now and then her mother or father stopped and fired into the shadows. Cries happened when her parents fired, and she kept her stubby legs moving.

  A tree next to her head exploded and her body defended itself. When her skin went funny, it made it hard to move but she kept going.

  Lights flared up ahead of them, and she followed her parents into the shuttle. It was the third time in the last two years that they had to run, but now, she was big enough to run on her own. Her dad didn’t have to carry her anymore.

  When they were inside the ship, her dad held her on his lap while her mom piloted them away from their home.

  “Sorry, lass. We are going to have to try again.” Her dad rubbed her hair.

  “My skin did that thing again.” Kiala held up her hand.

  “Good thing it did, little one. It wouldn’t do to have to stop and give you a going over in medical.” Her mom smiled and focused on their path through the stars.

  Kiala didn’t know who was hunting them, but Mom promised to tell her after her birthday. She just wasn’t sure that it was this birthday or the one that they were going to start when they found a new home.

  She hoped that the next home they found had a swing.

  “Kiala Navo, please step forward.”

  Kiala sighed and got to her feet. She was older than the rest of the candidates to the Assassins Guild, but she had been trained by two of the best.

  The shadowed figure ahead of her turned and led her deeper into the complex.

  When the attack came, she was prepared for it. Blades flew, she deflected them and struck back with the non-lethals she had been instructed to bring with her. They were on the ground and groaning before her heartbeat settled into a normal pace.

  The escort waited, nodded, and continued to lead her into the depths of the guild.

  Kiala faced the triumvirate and watched as they assessed her.

  The central figure leaned forward and settled his elbows on the table. “Navo. You are named for your mother’s line?”

  She inclined her head. “My father insisted. I got his good looks; I should carry my mother’s name.”

  The speaker paused. “You have a sense of humour.”

  “I do. I have been hunted for a long time, but now that I am fifteen, my family can no longer protect me. I must approach the guild and apply as a new recruit. No family can vouch for me, so I am on my own.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “Sure. My parents were not supposed to get together. They needed guild permission to have me, and they didn’t get it, so you hunted them.”

  “The price on their heads has been lifted.”

  “I am aware. The price is only on my head. Thanks for that.” She kept her body relaxed, but she could feel the shadows around the edges of the room circling her.

  “Why do you want to join the guild?”

  “To get the price off my head. It seems to be the only way to do it, so here I am. I am throwing myself on the mercy of the guild, so to speak.”

  She waited until the chuckling ceased. “That is about the only reason that I would show up here.”

  “You are very bold for a woman your age.”

  “I am still a girl by most modern standards, but thank you.”

  The shadow on the left murmured, “What are your strengths, child?
”

  “I am relatively impervious to damage and am hard to see when I don’t want to be seen.”

  “Your parents have taught you concealment?” The voice was feminine.

  “No. This is just something that happened the first time I was shot, when I was two.”

  The shadowed form lifted a small bolt gun and fired it. Kiala felt the impact, but it skidded to the side and struck one of the assassins preparing to attack.

  The three hooded figures spoke quietly before they addressed her again.

  “With a skill like that you would make an impressive assassin.”

  “No, with a skill like this, I would make an excellent bodyguard, possibly a nanny. While I can, and have killed in self-defense, seeking out someone to end them is not what I am interested in.”

  The central one spoke, “So, you didn’t come here to apply to the guild?”

  “No, of course not. Being hunted by assassins for my lifetime is enough exposure. I just want a life of my own now, and that means registering with the guild so that you won’t hunt me anymore.”

  “In what capacity?” The woman’s voice sounded again.

  “What?”

  “You are registering with the guild in what capacity?”

  Kiala smiled. “I am an excellent babysitter.”

  The shadow on the left chortled. “You think that we are in need of a babysitter?”

  “I think that you have children just like any other beings. Those children might not be suitable for the guild.” She shrugged.

  The guild masters leaned back and discussed the situation for a few minutes. Kiala waited patiently, ready to move.

  “If you make it out of the guild hall, you will be free. Any contract you engage in after that is your own business. The test begins now.”

  Kiala thickened her skin and fired her bolt guns in low arcs. The shouts from around the room confirmed her targets and when she drew the second cartridge, she began to run.

  The assassins who were injured were no threat. They were trained to regroup and attack later. Leaving a trail of DNA was undesirable, even in the guild hall.

  Kiala felt the tugs of weapons at her clothing, but the blades couldn’t penetrate her skin, so she kept running. She made it out the door, past the waiting area and toward the giant doors that marked the guild entry.

  A long, metal bar was sliding across the door, and Kiala couldn’t make it through with her body stiffened. She changed her angle and headed for the wall, her hardened fingers held her weight as she pulled herself upward, digging into the stone inches at a time.

  The window to the left of the door was barred by a few stripes of steel, and it was nothing for her to pull the struts out in order to let herself through. She clawed her right hand, dug it into the outer wall and let her weight pull her down with her hand slowing the descent.

  Outside the guild she smiled but kept running. The decision made in the chambers would not be completely spread for three days. Her life was in her own hands, and she was going to have to watch her back.

  At least she had gotten freedom for her parents. From this point on, they could have as many kids as they wanted with no worries. With her mom hoping for a pregnancy, Kiala knew she had to take steps. One ruined outfit and one night of imminent danger, and she might have bought an eventual new brother or sister their freedom. She could only hope that her evening was well spent.

  Chapter Two

  The music swelled as the happy couple walked to their reception, and Kiala heaved a sigh of relief. The band on her wrist popped free, and a quick glance at her other wrist unit showed the five years of bodyguard pay that had just been deposited. Her charge was married, and her job was done.

  She held her bouquet and followed the happy couple down the aisle. Soora was married, her family was satisfied, and the marriage contract was just another one that had been ratified today.

  The faces in the crowd showed their enjoyment of the moment. Out of habit, Kiala checked for any danger to her charge. Nineteen attempts to kill the daughter of the guild’s accountant had taken place in the last five years, and Kiala had stopped every single one of them. Not so much as a hair on Soora’s head had suffered, and she had lived a normal life with Kiala at her back. Now, her safety was up to her husband’s family, and as they were the ones with the contract out on her, it was doubtful that they would kill one of their own clan.

  Romback was excellent husband material. He had defied his clan to court Soora, and after the proscribed five years of courtship, he hadn’t hesitated to propose. Since Soora wasn’t an assassin or the child of one, she hadn’t been a prime marriage candidate. He hadn’t hesitated, and now, they were bound, and his family was sworn to protect her. Kiala was free and fairly wealthy. She was going to rejoin her family in a matter of hours.

  It was turning into a pretty good day all around.

  The day was hell. Kiala’s shoes were torture devices; she forgot what she was going to say about the bride and instead revisited the time they were shopping and Kiala was forced to defend her charge with a sex toy. It was only when the appalled elder of Soora’s clan cleared her throat that Kiala wished the couple well and left the podium.

  When the blade came whistling at the happy couple’s heads, it heralded the end of the party. Kiala looked at the shattered blade in her palm and then gazed along the trajectory. The woman who had thrown the blade had been Romback’s previous courtship. It hadn’t worked out, but apparently, she held a grudge.

  Kiala moved through the crowd, and they gave way, blocking the woman who had just thrown the knife. Theelik tried to turn, but the gathering would not let her escape.

  Grim, Kiala lunged forward and grabbed the woman by the hair at the back of her head. She bent her over and walked her back to the happy couple. On the way, she called out, “If her clan leader could join us, please?”

  An irritated-looking woman followed them to the head table. Romback’s mother looked at the other clan head. “You allow this behaviour in public?”

  The woman bowed deeply. “She has always been hard to control, Madam. You know that. It is why you considered her for your son.”

  “And ultimately rejected her. What will you do with her?”

  The expression in her eyes said that the other clan leader had better make it good.

  Kiala held Theelik in her bent position, and the woman began to sob. The effect was dramatic, but unfortunately, Kiala’s senses told her the truth. This woman was more upset about having her hair messed up than she was at being caught.

  With a slight sigh, she pulled the woman upright and exposed her unrepentant visage to the observers.

  The clan leader who was responsible for her scowled. “Five years on Harker Island.”

  The woman that Kiala had a grip on grew cold. “No, matron. Please!”

  “Quiet! You are a disgrace to your family and your clan. You will go to the island, do your time, and be a better person when you return. If you return.”

  Soora and her husband whispered for a moment before they nodded. Romback smiled tightly. “We agree, but she is never to return to the city. She can find a new home elsewhere. Our children do not need this worry.”

  “We accept. Hand her over.”

  Kiala turned the would-be assassin and shoved her at her clan leader. Two men caught her and held her with her arms behind her back.

  Theelik was led away from the party, and the clan leader bowed in apology.

  Soora’s clan leader smiled and said, “Shall we resume the party?”

  Kiala looked to her friend, and the bride nodded.

  “This is what we have waited for, after all.”

  It was all that needed to be said. Theelik’s clan leader left the party, and the music started up again.

  The party resumed and Kiala watched with a sense of nostalgia. She had been to other clan and guild events over the years, but this was her last.

  “What are you going to do now that you no longer have to chase
me around, Ki?”

  She looked at the bride and smiled. “I think I will join the family business.”

  Soora looked at her in shock. “You will be an assassin?”

  “No. An accountant. I want to join my father’s company and spend my evenings and days off at my mother’s teahouse.”

  Soora scowled. “That sounds boring.”

  “I am up for a little bit of boring. I have had enough excitement to last me a lifetime.”

  Soora took her hand and squeezed it. “Your skin may be hard, but your heart is light. You are going to go on to weird and wonderful things.”

  With a sigh, Kiala returned the squeeze. “I sincerely hope not. I wish you a safe and staid life.”

  “And I hope not.” Soora laughed. “I want to live and feel every moment of my heart beating in time with Romback’s.”

  “I want that for you as well, and I want you safe while those hearts are beating.” Kiala smiled.

  Romback got Soora’s attention, nodded to Kiala, and led his bride to the dance floor.

  Ki remained on guard for the rest of the evening, rubbing her wrist absently, feeling the skin under her palm. For five years, she had worn the band of a bound protector, and now, it was gone. Her life stretched ahead of her, and she wasn’t sure what it held.

  The flier lifted off and took her toward Nucross City. Kiala was exhausted but hopeful. Shutting off her protective instincts was going to be difficult, but that wasn’t her life now. She had to find her own equilibrium quickly.

  Being tapped by the guild to take care of their accountant’s daughter had given her insight into the guild and the society behind the deadliest training in the sector.

  Soora had taken all the physical training required of her, and Kiala had been with her step by step. It had been a riot of shenanigans, but Kiala was delighted that it was over. She wished Soora the best, but it was time for her to become part of the union that she had agreed to.