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Chapter 1

After a year of slavery in the Salt Mines of Endovier, Celaena Sardothien was accusto escorted everywhere in shackles and at sword-point Most of the thousands of slaves in Endovier received siuards alalked Celaena to and from the mines That was expected by Adarlan’s most notorious assassin What she did not usually expect, however, was a hooded ripped her ar in which most of Endovier’s officials and overseers were housed They strode down corridors, up flights of stairs, and around and around until she hadn’t the slightest chance of finding her way out again

At least, that was her escort’s intention, because she hadn’t failed to notice when they went up and down the same staircase within a ed between levels, even though the building was a standard grid of hallways and stairwells As if she’d lose her bearings that easily Sheso hard

They entered a particularly long hallway, silent save for their footsteps Though theof the features concealed beneath his hood Another tactic meant to confuse and intimidate her The black clothes were probably a part of it, too His head shifted in her direction, and Celaena flashed hi

It was flattering, she supposed, even if she didn’t knoas happening, or why he’d been waiting for her outside therock salt fro there with six guards hadn’t improved her mood

But her ears had pricked when he’d introduced himself to her overseer as Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Royal Guard, and suddenly, the sky loomed, the mountains pushed from behind, and even the earth swelled toward her knees She hadn’t tasted fear in a while--hadn’t let herself taste fear When she awoke every , she repeated the same words: I will not be afraid For a year, those words had ; they had kept her fro in the darkness of the mines Not that she’d let the captain know any of that

Celaena exa her arm The dark leather almost matched the dirt on her skin

She adjusted her torn and filthy tunic with her free hand and held in her sigh Entering the lihtfully pale beneath the dirt It was true that she had been attractive once, beautiful even, but-- well, it didn’t matter now, did it?

They turned down another hallway, and she studied the stranger’s finely crafted sword Its shi her stare, his gloved hand descended to rest upon its golden head Another s way fro her throat "Did you co around earlier?" She peered into the darkness beneath his hood but saw nothing Still, she felt his eyes upon her face, judging, weighing, testing She stared right back The Captain of the Royal Guard would be an interesting opponent Maybe even worthy of some effort on her part

Finally, the man raised his sword hand, and the folds of his cloak fell to conceal the blade As his cloak shifted, she spied the gold wyvern embroidered on his tunic The royal seal

"What do you care for the armies of Adarlan?" he replied How lovely it was to hear a voice like her own--cool and articulate--even if he was a nasty brute!

"Nothing," she said, shrugging He let out a lol of annoyance

Oh, it’d be nice to see his blood spill across the marble She’d lost her temper once before--once, when her first overseer chose the wrong day to push her too hard She still reut, and the stickiness of his blood on her hands and face She could disaruards in a heartbeat Would the captain fare better than her late overseer? Conteain

"Don’t you look at me like that," he warned, and his hand drifted back toward his sword Celaena hid her smirk this time They passed a series of wooden doors that she’d seen a few o If she wanted to escape, she simply had to turn left at the next hallway and take the stairs down three flights The only thing all the intended disorientation had acco Idiots

"Where are we going again?" she said sweetly, brushing a strand of her matted hair from her face When he didn’t reply, she clenched her jaw

The halls echoed too loudly for her to attack hi She hadn’t seen where he’d put the key to her irons, and the six guards who trailed them would be nuisances Not towith iron chandeliers Outside the s lining the wall, night had fallen; lanterns kindled so bright they offered few shadows to hide in

Fro toward the wooden building where they slept The st the clank of chainsall day The occasional solo of the whip added to the syreatest criminals, poorest citizens, and latest conquests