A/N Thanks for my reviews. Here's the next chapter in the story.

Chapter Twenty-two: Marriage

They were getting harder to kill, Novellee reflected as she dodged a kick to the head from her latest target as the sunlight filtered through the window. He was a master at this, she was sure. He blocked all of her advances and she was trying her best.

Some how, the word had gotten out that Morrison's goons were being targeted. She didn't know how, she had only sketched the mark of revenge on each on of her victim's heads so that they would know. Not to mention she had blatantly told a servant that she was after them all, knowing that the word would spread.

But that was no reason for them to be expecting her, she thought with dry humor as she held up her arm to catch a blow. It caught, and it shattered the bone to pieces. Novellee grunted and dodged away from her attacker. She really hated this guy. When she had first entered the room, he had come out swinging, his fists slamming into her, one in the face, the other in the stomach.

She had gotten in a few licks too, not that he seemed to feel it, as she was feeling hers. She would have to work on that later. Jaymie did owe her a favor and she could get him to teach her how to build her arm muscles more. Not that she wanted bigger muscles. She just didn't want to be caught like this again.

Another hit landed, a kick in the thigh, and her muscle went lax, making her fall to the ground. That was it, she'd had enough. With a growl, she as she rolled, slamming into his legs and knocking him to his belly on the floor. Disentangling herself from his dancer's legs, she climbed to his back, intending to snap his neck.

He had other plans. Instead he rose to his feet, and she clung to his back. That was obviously what he wanted because he turned and began slamming her into the wall with crushing force.

As an assassin, she was doing a very good job, she criticized as she groaned and held on for dear life, waiting for her opportunity. Her patience was rewarded when he stopped for a breather. Her hands latched onto his head and she turned it swiftly. A pop was heard, then the thud of the body.

Novellee whimpered. Frankly, she was impressed that she had managed to hang on, with a shattered arm. And she was glad that the big guy had decided to take a challenge with her. She was also thankful for the big guy's ego. He had thought he would win, so he had let his servants go for the rest of the day. No one had heard their struggle above the din of the busy street outside and no one would find him until the servants came back later the next day.

This made it increasingly easy for Novellee to leave, for all she had to do was go out the front or back door after she searched for papers. They were stashed under the mat of his bed, not the best place to hide papers. She didn't read it now because she knew she wouldn't be able to focus, so she slipped them into her trousers to catch on a flap of cloth. She had designed the pants just for that purpose. She knew that these papers would solve the mystery for her.

Every man that she had killed who was under Morrison's control had filled in a space in her information. She had a gut feeling that these papers were the last papers that she would need to extract.

Cradling her shattered arm, she left, making her way to her inn, which were a few streets over, forgetting about the papers scratching against her stomach. She would get Sky and go to the castle to have her arm repaired. She made a mental note to ask Alanna to teach her some more healing spells. Her knowledge in that area was purely instinctive and she was afraid to us it to often.

She dodged skillfully through the streets, being careful with her arm. When it was occasionally bumped, which was unavoidable, she managed not to scream, testimony to the bite marks on her lower lip.

Reaching the stables, she could have wept with relief. Bennie was there and she would drag him along to help her out. She was already woozy with pain and she wanted him with her to help her if anything went wrong.

"Ah, Novellee!" Bennie called with a smile. He looked at her pinched face before going over her with his eyes to find the source of her pain. He saw her arm and knew that it was to the castle with her. "Sky or Ginger?"

"Baby," she whimpered, kneeling down with her back resting on the wall of the stable. She didn't want to sit down completely because she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to get back up.

Bennie came back out a few minutes later with Baby and Ginger saddled. Novellee stood up from her crouch and grabbed onto the saddle horn, swinging her leg over. She cried out as she brushed her arm against the saddle.

Bennie just shook his head. This was the seventh time this month that she had come back hurt. He didn't like it, but he didn't want to say anything. He had watched her as she went over the details of her targets, saw the all most feverish determination glowing in her eyes. Nothing he said would change her mind. He knew, so did she. So he saved his breath and supported her, helping her out when she was in need.

"Reins," Bennie called as he led Ginger over to where Novellee sat huddled. She held them out to him with her uninjured arm and he grabbed them. By now, the bruise on her face was starting to swell her eye shut, her face a massive purple colored bruise. They both knew she wouldn't be able to navigate through the city, so Bennie would lead her horse.

Getting into the palace was a snap. The guards new Novellee and Bennie by sight, and they waved them on. Bennie gestured to one and he followed them to the entrance.

Getting out of the saddle was the hardest part. Novellee didn't want to hurt her arm anymore, but she would have to if she stepped down the right way. Finally, she tucked her arm out of the way of harm and hurled herself from the saddle, landing on her side with a whooshing sound as the air left her lungs.

Staying there was the best idea that she had, so she relaxed, hoping to sink into the hard ground and sleep away the pain. The guard stepped around her as he led the horses to the royal stables. But Bennie was there, leaning down and grabbing her healthy arm and hauling her to her feet.

Hissing at him like a cat, she walked in front of him into the castle, sticking her nose in the air like she had been taught as a child to uphold her dignity. The image collapsed when she stumbled and Bennie had to wrap his arm around her to support her.

The dizziness was really strong now, and black dots were dancing in her vision. The pain was fading, which wasn't a good sign. She knew she was close to blacking out.

They burst into the throne room, which was to be Novellee's salvation, only to find that Alanna wasn't there. But the four nobles that she hadn't been introduced to yet were. She sagged against Bennie, all hope lost. She didn't know these people, introductions had been passed over by more important matters, so she was resigned to a life of pain.

"Novellee?" Jon asked. She felt Bennie nod as he dragged her forward. She made an effort to help, but not much. "What happened?"

She tried to talk, but her mouth wasn't cooperating and all that came out was a garbled sentence that sounded like baby talk.

"Neal, quick," She heard Jon say as one of them rushed forward. The one who had questioned her reasons for not trusting Roark. His hands glowed a dark green as he advanced on her and she tried to pull away, but Bennie's arm tightened and she was helpless to move.

She braced for death, as she was sure to die. This man didn't know her, didn't trust her. And she was an assassin who had likely killed someone he knew and now he would get his revenge.

Instead she felt a flash of pain, then it eased away and she felt better. Mush better in fact. She looked down at her arm and saw that it was healed. She stretched it out, wriggling her fingers and bending it at the elbow. It was healed. She smiled and straightened away from Bennie, aware that he had been the only reason she hadn't fallen.

"What happened?" Jon asked as he came over to them with the rest of the group. Novellee looked up at him. He hadn't gotten much sleep, she noticed as she frowned. There were dark rings around his eyes.

What was upsetting the king? Was he having trouble deciding it he was with Roark or his kingdom? Was he feeling guilty about something? Like Roark? Was he becoming worried that she was succeeding so well in knocking down all his people?

"Novellee?" Jon prompted and she shook of the feelings. It was simply because she was tired that she was doubting Jon. There was no way he could be part of it. The plans were against Tortall, not for it. Unless he had some twisted reason for wanting Tortall to fall?

"Trouble with a target. He was waiting for me, so I had to work for it. Can you fix the rest of me?" She asked in an abrupt change of the subject, facing the man that he had called Neal.

"Sure," he shrugged holding up a glowing hand to her eye. She felt the pain then it eased, as did the huge not on the back of her head and the various bruises along her back. "You took a beating, didn't you?"

His voice was light with humor and she shrugged. "Not more then normal when a plan goes fowl. I swear he was expecting me. He knew where I was coming in, what time and even that I was coming unarmed. It was eerie that he knew so much."

"You went unarmed?" she heard a deep voice and turned to see a burly man. He was huge, towering over her. She took in his muscles and the sheer size of him. He was broad shouldered and had the chest of an ox. But his eyes were what caught her. They were black.

Novellee refused to be intimidated by him and stood her ground, lifting her chin defiantly and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah. My knife handle needed refitting so I left it behind rather then chance it. So?"

"What kind of idiot are you to go out with the intention of killing someone and not bring a weapon?" he demanded with a growl.

"Raoul," Jon warned, trying to save them from disaster, but it was to late. Novellee's cheeks flushed with rage as her hands fell to her sides, clenched tight. She didn't know what she was going to do, but it was going to hurt. For him, not her.

She felt a hand settle on her shoulder and heard Bennie say in that calm, unshakable voice he used in a crisis, "Novellee."

That was it, that was all she needed. The tension left her shoulders in a rush as she let out a breath. "Yeah, okay. We have to leave."

"Wait, who are you?" Jon asked taking stock of Bennie as he noticed him the first time. Novellee realized that she had often spoken of Bennie, but he and Jon had never met. Novellee smiled.

"This is Bennie," she said, grabbing the hand that was still on her shoulder. Bennie let go so he could bow to the king, a sign of respect that Novellee had never taken to.

"Hello Bennie," Jon said when Bennie stood up. He grabbed his hand and shook it like they were equals. The action dazed Novellee, but she didn't let it show. The shock of the healing was wearing off and she was more controlled now. "Novellee speaks very highly of you. As does Daine. It seems that you are quite a genius with horses."

Novellee face glowed with pride. This was Bennie, her best friend that the king was talking to. And she was the one that had given him this chance. That more then anything, made her feel special.

"Jon," she heard Raoul, as she knew him to be, say. She turned to glare at him. She didn't like him. Not at all. "Maybe you should introduce us, seeing as no one else has bothered."

Jon chuckled and got right to it. It seemed that the girl was Kel. The man who was the healer was Neal, and the last younger one was Neal's cousin Dom. She nodded politely to them all.

"I really must go now. I had plans but the arm delayed them," she said with an apologetic smile. As she turned away she heard Raoul speak.

"And we need to get back to the planning of the wedding."

"Wedding?" Novellee said, swinging back to face them. "What wedding?"

Jon launched into the topic explaining it all, but the only words Novellee heard were these; "Well, my youngest daughter, Mary Ell is marrying Roark's oldest son, Torres in a week."

She felt like she had been punched in the gut and she must have looked like it too, because Bennie reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. Son. Morrison had a son and he was marrying him off to Jon's daughter. A marriage into royalty.

It made sense now. All this planning on what to do when Tortall fell, but she had yet to discover exactly how Tortall would fall. And now she knew. Which also explained the names of assassin's on the list of his men. He was going to kill the royal family one at a time. Keep them jumping, keep them guessing on who was next. And then he would kill Mary Ell, leaving his son to rule the kingdom.

Nausea built in her stomach. Oh God! What was she to do? She couldn't tell them. She just had to act. But there was so many things to do and in so little time. And she couldn't tell anyone. No one. She was alone in this. All alone.

Her head reeled and she pressed her hands to it as she gasped for breath, her lungs sobbing for breath.

She had never felt so alone. Not even when her brother had died. When she had lost him, she had had her anger and her hate as a companion. And during the three months on the boat to Tortall, there had been another, older stow away that she had been a friend with. After that there had been Polly and Bennie and Jaymie. She had always had someone. And now she had no one.

"Oh Gods!" she cried out as her stomach rolled. She covered her mouth with her hand and ran to the window. She retched as her thoughts swirled. What was she to do? Who could she trust? Would the spell even let her trust someone with this? And what if she failed? Everything that her brother had shown her would come true. Bennie would die, so would Polly. Who knew what would happen to Burdock, or Alanna, or any of them. They would probably die, as would the rest. And what about her own self? Would she survive a life of constant rape? Of being degraded and used? Would she survive with out avenging her brother?

Her world, that had once been so full of light, of love, of freedom, had gone black. She guessed what they said was true. You didn't realize what you have until you loose it. And she had lost it. Maybe forever.

"Novellee!" she heard Jon yell and realized that he had been trying to get her attention, and this was not the first time he had called her name.

Abruptly she turned away from the window heading to the door. She had to get out of here, had to go somewhere she could think. "I have to go."

She rushed out the door, not hearing when the king called her back or when Bennie asked her to slow down. She barreled ahead, not caring about anything but finding a way to get away from her thoughts.

At the stables she didn't even stop to saddle Baby, simply jumped onto her back and road away. Bennie later heard from Stefan that she hadn't even looked at him, hadn't looked anywhere. Her eyes had been glazed over, wide with panic.

When Bennie got to the inn, it was only to find that Novellee hadn't returned home. He knew she went to the fountain. And he knew that if she was there she would be safe and he wouldn't disturb her.

He would question her when she came home. Little did he now, she wouldn't be seen for the next four days.

A/N Okay, the plot thickens and things become a little clearer. What did you all think? Tell me in a review.