The Assassin and the Empire Read Online Free PDF Page B

him.
    Tall, broad-shouldered, and in his late twenties, Farran had been born and abandoned in the streets of Rifthold. He’d begun working for Jayne as one of his orphan-spies, and over the years had worked his way up the ranks of Jayne’s twisted court, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake until he was appointed Second. Looking at him now, with his fine gray clothes and his gleaming black hair slicked into submission, it was impossible to tell that he’d once been one of the vicious little beasts that roamed the slums in feral packs.
    As he walked down the stairs to the carriage that awaited him in the private drive, Farran’s steps were smooth, calculated—his body rippling with barely restrained power. Even from across the street, Celaena could see how his dark eyes shone, his pale face set in a smile that made a shiver go down her spine.
    The bodies Farran had left in his wake, she knew, hadn’t been left in one piece. Somewhere in the years he’d spent rising from orphan to Second, Farran had developed a taste for sadistic torture. It had earned him his spot at Jayne’s side—and kept his rivals from challenging him.
    Farran slung himself into the carriage. The movement was so easy that his well-tailored clothes barely shifted out of place. The carriage started down the driveway, turned onto the street, and Celaena looked up as it ambled past.
    Only to see Farran looking out the window—staring right at her.
    Sam pretended not to notice. Celaena kept her face utterly blank—the disinterest of a well-bred lady who had no idea that the person staring at her like a cat watching a mouse was actually one of the most twisted men in the empire.
    Farran gave her a smile. There was nothing human in it.
    And
that
was why their client had offered a kingdom’s ransom for Farran’s and Jayne’s deaths.
    She bobbed her head in a demure deflection of his attention, and Farran’s grin only grew before the carriage continued past and was swallowed up in the flow of city traffic.
    Sam loosed a breath. “I’m glad we’re taking him out first.”
    A dark, wicked part of her wished the opposite … wished she could see that feline grin vanish when Farran found out that Celaena Sardothien had killed Jayne. But Sam was right. She wouldn’t sleep one wink if they took out Jayne first, knowing Farran would expend all his resources hunting them down.
    They made a long, slow circle around the streets surrounding Jayne’s house.
    “It’d be easier to catch Farran on his way somewhere,” Celaena said, all too aware of how many eyes were tracking them on these streets. “The house is too well-guarded.”
    “I’ll probably need two days to figure it out,” Sam said.
    “
You’ll
need?”
    “I figured you’d want the glory of taking out Jayne. So I’ll dispatch Farran.”
    “Why not work together?”
    His smile faded. “Because I want you to stay out of this for as long as possible.”
    “Just because we’re together doesn’t mean I’ve become some weakling ninny.”
    “I’m not saying that. But can you blame me for wanting to keep the girl I love away from someone like Farran? And before you begin to rattle off your accomplishments, let me tell you that I
do
know how many people you’ve killed and the scrapes you’ve gotten out of. But
I
found this client, so we’re doing it my way.”
    If there hadn’t still been eyes on every corner, Celaena might have hit him. “How
dare
you—”
    “Farran is a monster,” Sam said, not looking at her. “You said so yourself. And if anything goes wrong, the
last
place I want you to be is in his hands.”
    “We’d be safer if we worked together.”
    A muscle feathered in his jaw. “I don’t need you looking out for me, Celaena.”
    “Is this because of the money? Because I’m paying for things?”
    “It’s because I’m responsible for this hire, and because
you
don’t always get to make the rules.”
    “At least let me do some aerial spotting for you,” she