A/N okay, so the first chapter was really just the prologue. And, there none of the formal stuff, like a disclaimer or any kind of indication of what the story even is. But that was because it was an impulse to post it. So here goes, I don't own anything that can be found in any of Tamora Pierce's books. How's that for a disclaimer? Oh, and by the way, her name is pronounced like Nova Lee, just in case there was any confusion. And on with the story.

Chapter one: Imprisonment

Ten years. It had been ten years since the fateful night that had changed her life drastically. Ten years of training her body to be the ultimate weapon, ten years of studying to become intelligent enough to stay alive and to be one level above the gutter rats that she was associated with.

And what did she have to show for it? A body count that would blow the boots of any respectable assassin, a few combat moves that lowest thief would call dirty, and zero information on her family's killers.

Way to go, Novellee, she chided herself as she connected her rope to the roof of the palace, you can kill, but you can't find killers.

Double-checking to make sure her line was secure she twisted the rope around one leg, then slipped over the edge. In a classic acrobatic move, she slithered down the rope, one hand before her, allowing herself to go down at the right pace. She went down slowly, peeking into the windows, looking for the room with the prize.

As she slid down the rope, it made a slight whizzing noise. But anyone below who was looking up wouldn't be able to see her. Her wheat colored hair was piled into a knot, and then covered with a black cap. Her creamy skin had been smeared with mud to hide its ghostly shine in the night.

Black was the color she chose to wear on her missions. It did wonders on hiding her womanly figure. Sure, there were a lot of advantages to being a woman. Especially a woman assassin. Men just couldn't handle the fact that women could also kill. But there were so many more advantages to being a man.

Finding the room that she wanted, she righted herself on the rope and worked her picks from the pouch strapped across her lower belt beneath her shirt. The lock on the window was simple to open. After all, who would be able to brake into a room four stories up on the side of the palace that was on a hill and held no trees? Who indeed, Novellee asked herself with a silent chuckle.

She slipped into the room and melded with the shadows. The object of her focus wasn't in the main room, which she found to be a sitting room, so she moved to the next.

As she neared the door that was slightly ajar, she heard shallow breathing. It seemed the object had decided to sleep alone tonight. This would make the job so much easier on her. Out of habit, Novellee's breathing slowed to match that of the sleeping woman's.

Upon entering the room, Novellee took out her weapon of choice that night, a dagger that had been crafted to fit her hand. She walked to the bed, her dagger ready for use.

Standing over the sleeping woman, Novellee spoke her traditional words, her voice gravely with disuse. "Emily of the fief Kennen, my your death be quick and painless," slowly she raised the dagger for strike. "And my your soul rest among the Gods."

Her murmurings must have woken the woman, for her eyes opened and brown meet gray. Novella hesitated for a split second. It was so much harder to kill someone when they knew it was to happen.

That slight hesitation gave Emily the chance to let out a piercing scream, before it was cut off by cold steel. But it was enough. The knights on duty standing watch outside her door heard and entered the room.

Novellee looked into the eyes of one of the knights. In them she saw the end, the end of her career, the end of her search, the end of her life. She wasn't ready for the end. She wanted more time.

Turning, she dashed through the room, into the sitting room, then dove out the window. Her momentum took her sailing past the rope, but she grabbed it. And the force of her grabbing it had her swinging back towards the window and into the knight's arms.

They wrapped around her like steel bars, bars that would take away her freedom. She struggled viciously, but he had arms like a blacksmiths.

She was caught. For the first time in her long career, she, the Novellee Shadow, had been caught.

They took her to a holding cell. The room was lit with someone's magic in a failed attempt to make the room cheery. But, it was the dungeons and the dungeons could never be cheery. To lighten the mood, the man who was dragging her along spoke, his booming voice making reverberations around the room.

"Well, it ain't much, but we fellows in the guard think of it as home," he chuckled loudly, but the sound died when he looked into her cold eyes and all he found was a gray blankness.

He swallowed hastily then led her into the room. He roughly jammed her into a wooden chair set into the middle of the room, tying her hands to the arms. He gave her a cheeky grin. "They'll be with you any moment to question you. Then you'll be put to trial in front of the Majesties. I'd wish a good luck, but you flat out murdered a woman." Then, as an after thought, he patted her hand, like he would his own daughter.

He left the room to stand guard outside the door, not that the woman would be escaping any time soon. She was bound and gagged; there was no way she would escape.

Inside the room, Novellee spit the gag from her mouth and began to work on her wrist bounds. They had taken her weapons. Well, most of them. The acupuncture needles hadn't been discovered, but that was because they were hidden, placed in her breast band under her breasts. The man who had checked her had been to engrossed with feeling her up then with really checking for weapons.

As soon as she got her hands free, she could have the guard out cold and be on her way. She had exactly seven needles on each side, which made a total of fourteen. That would last her through the dungeons and maybe part way to the surface. That wasn't enough.

She would have to navigate herself to the room where they had stowed her weapons. They really should have blindfolded her as they went through the castle. Now she knew her way around. They would soon come to regret it.

She was seconds away from being free when the door opened. She stilled her movements and gave the woman who entered the room a cold, blank stare. It was hard to maintain the look when she got a glance at the woman's eyes.

They were amethyst in color. It was a striking contrast to her flaming red hair. The woman herself was a contrast. She was short, yet walked with the air of a woman who towered over everyone. Her build was delicate, yet she was stacked with muscles. Novellee placed her to be in her fifties, yet the light in her eyes made her look as if she was not a day older then eighteen.

And she was dressed as a knight.

Her face contorted into a sneer and in the language of her country she spoke, her gravely voice bringing a look of surprise to the woman's face. "So, this country is so weak that it needs women to fight for it?" Then she gave a laugh, it strangely sounding light and bubbling.

"What is your name?" The knight demanded in Tortallan. Novellee, who completely understood, looked at her confused."What's your name?" the woman demanded in a yell.

"Like I would answer to you, you daughter of pigs swine. I'm royalty and you are a mere whore in a knights dress!" Novellee answered, still speaking in her native tongue.

"Kane," the woman called over her shoulder. Novellee's eyes jerked to the man who was standing behind the woman. He was also dressed as a knight, but his rank seemed to be under the woman's. His hair was brown and hung over his collar, and fell into his hazel eyes. He was taller then the woman and herself. His shoulders were wide and he was adequately built for battle. His eyes met hers for a split second, and then he looked away.

"Yes, Alanna?" he asked. So, the lady knight had a name. She sneered at the man who took orders from a woman. How pathetic. And she told him so, in the dirtiest way she knew how.

"Send for a translator. She seems to be speaking from an over seas country. It sounds to be Seridian. But it could be anything." Novellee wanted to widen her eyes in surprise, but she wouldn't allow herself to. It would give away the fact that she could understand what they were speaking.

But the woman had surprised her. She had never thought she would be smart enough to figure out what she was speaking. The language was so uncommon, and her country was all but forgotten. Only a person who did their studies would know about her country. Or she was simply good at listening to other people's conversations. Whatever the circumstances, she wouldn't under estimate her again.

"Would you like to request someone?" Kane asked, as he began to move towards the door.

"Yes, I'd like you to ask for Burdock, and if he's not available, tell him we can wait. But it's an emergency," she answered, her eyes never leaving Novellee's. He murmured an assent and then left for the surface floor.

So, she was bringing in someone to interpret for her. Well, she knew more then one language. And some that originated in countries farther away from Tortall then Seridna. She would switch, and even if he knew those, she would give nothing away. All she had to do was outwait them, and then she could be on her way.

As if to mock her, her wrist twitched and the friction cut open the raw flesh. She willed it with her mind to stop, but blood spilled over and dropped to the floor with a loud plop. Alanna looked to the sound and saw the blood. She looked to her wrists and saw the frayed rope.

In a flash Gift the color of purple flashed out and pushed her into the chair. The pressure was so great that it felt as if she was being forced into the wood herself. In a reflex that, in other circumstances, she would have died before allowing, she flinched in pain.

"So," Alanna said with a light chuckle, "you can feel. And here, I thought you were with out emotions at all. Why did you do it?"

The sudden burst of temper surprised Novellee, but she looked into her eyes and saw it growing, purple flames raging. In answer to her question, she called her a damning name then spit in her eye.

Alanna's hand connected with Novellee's fist in a solid punch, snapping her head to the side. When she looked back at Alanna, her mouth dripped blood and her eyes were filled with such hate, Alanna cringed away.

It was then that Alanna noticed the faint glow that shrouded the woman. She squinted at it, until she realized in was the Gift. This woman, this commoner had magic. It was hard to see, for it was an eerie white. On anyone else, she would say it looked angelic.

"You have the Gift?" she breathed. The tone of Alanna's voice, which suggested that it was unheard of for an assassin to have magic, made temper rise within Novellee.

"Of course I have the Gift, you stupid bitch! I'm royalty!" She screamed in Seridian, just as the door opened.

Burdock stood there,in the open door way, quickly translating what she had just said into common for Alanna to hear.

A/N, sorry if it's a little long, but I really got into it. And if there are any grammatical errors, I apologize. Grammar has never been my best subject. Well, that's me for you. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review.

Nubia