He stared determined at Sikh and Rumh who slowly nodded.
"That's why we came here," Rumh said. "Together we can defeat them."
"Maybe we can send Kilig to kill him," Sikh suggested, a little sarcastic.
Kilig thought he recognized one of Harba's friends in the Head of Darantasia's Guild. Harba had been his second job, an assassin only by name who had been elected mayor of the then city-state. Kilig had strangled him after being invited to Harba's bedroom. Harba's friends obviously hadn't forgotten that twenty-year-old who had smoothly killed the mayor.
"Unless Khopesh is like Harba, I don't see why I should do it," Kilig said, looking Sikh in the eyes. "And I had a personal grudge with Abhaya, in case you're wondering. He was also trying to kill me – although I don't call it self-defense, but revenge."
The man scoffed, but didn't answer.
"Where are we supposed to meet Khopesh and his men?" Guisarme asked.
"Leland ruins," Rumh answered. "No man's land, away from our Genn friends and midway between Agharek and Godwalkar."
"Isn't that where Abhaya's school is?" Kilig asked.
"Yes." Nimdja nodded. "There were obviously more than those ten men we were aware of."
"How did you count them?"
"He was seen in town with them a couple of years ago. He didn't knock on the Guild's door, though, and then he left. Now we know he went north, looking for Saif..."
***
"Stop biting your nails!" Sanjana slapped Hakeem's hand away from his mouth. "We'll know what's going on soon enough."
"It's not that, I..." Hakeem snorted, frustrated. He'd seen Guisarme getting all cozy with Kilig and couldn't stand it.
"Your pride is bruised because you lost the duel even if you're bigger and stronger than me?" Sanjana teased.
"No!" he protested. "I... I can't tell you, I'm sorry."
"Why not?" She pouted. "You don't trust me?"
"Like a sister," he answered, looking at her. "And this is not something I'd discuss with my sister – if I had one."
"Why not?" she insisted.
Now that he'd spent some time with her, he remembered their childhood games and the sound of her laughter. She had a nice, dimpled smile, but he wasn't attracted to her. She was the sister and friend he never had, not even in the northern village where he'd been isolated as "the witch's son."
"Because it's... men's things! I'm sorry, Sanjana, I can't..."
"Guisarme told me you're in love with Kilig," Sanjana said, serious. "Is it true?"
"I..." Hakeem let out a big sigh. "Yes. But he... he is so intimate with Guisarme! They've been together and he doesn't want to tell me!"
"They had sex. Once. Fifteen years ago. They were never lovers, just friends," Sanjana said.
"But she gave him her precious triple-bladed dagger!"
"Because she was starting my training and thought he might need it more than her."
He glared at her. "How do you know?"
"Guisarme told me."
"And you trust her?"
"You should trust your acharya too."
"That was my father, mostly," Hakeem grumbled. "Kilig gave only the final touches to the training."
"So? Do you trust him or not? Do you love him or not?"
"I don't know!" Hakeem hid his face in his hands, desperate. He missed the intimacy with Kilig. The sex, the cuddles, the kisses. But he'd just seen Guisarme almost kiss Kilig and he was mad at his lover again.
Sanjana put one arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer.
"Listen to your heart, Hakeem," she whispered.
He sniffled once, and then the senior members started flooding out of Nimdja's office. Sanjana let him go and straightened herself, looking for Guisarme's face. Hakeem kept staring at the tiled floor, shoulders sagging and a lump in his throat.
Kilig and Guisarme stopped in front of them.
"Pack you're weapons, Anelace, we're off," Guisarme said. Sanjana jumped to her feet and followed her to the stairs leading to the first floor.
Hakeem looked at Kilig who was staring back at him, serious.
"It's Guilds' war," Kilig said. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."
Hakeem rose and lowered his eyes. "I'm an assassin," he grumbled.
"Then pack your weapons," Kilig replied. "We leave right now."
***
On the way south Kilig and Hakeem slept apart, and not only because they were sharing sleeping space with other guild members – including Guisarme, Anelace and Nimdja. Luckily Guisarme was all business and ready to fight, and had dropped the suggestion of a foursome. Her father was also traveling with them, his blond mane reaching halfway through his back and kept neatly tucked behind the pointed ears.
Guisarme's father was a magic user, and he'd provide protection from the poisoned arrows and other weapons that were bound to be thrown at them by the treacherous Guild of Agharek. Kilig admired the stately beauty of Guisarme's father and his coolness that made Guisarme look like a hyperactive child.
Since the fastest way south was on water, the presence of a Genn ensured that the river barge first and the ship later had both favorable winds and helpful currents to speed the journey. Kilig never saw a Sila or a Waiora, but Nightsun standing at the front of their water means of transportation surely meant they'd have a safe journey.
"He might speed us up himself," Guisarme confided, staring fondly at her parent. "He is a magic user after all."
"What does he call you? Sunshine?" Kilig asked. They both leaned on the railing of the ship that was taking them to the coast closest to the ruins of Leland.
She chuckled. "Yes, that's my Genn name. But only they use it."
"Who's Khopesh?" Kilig averted his eyes from her face with a frown.
"Abhaya's mentor," Guisarme explained. "The man who gave him an assassin's name – for Agharek's Guild. Khopesh was with Abhaya when he came back. Nimdja told me that, as far as he understood, Talwar and Khopesh were rivals in Agharek, both wanting the same woman, Khanda, who chose Talwar..."
"Wait, Abhaya was Talwar's son?" Kilig asked, incredulous. That explained how the rogue had been allowed into Agharek's Guild – as Talwar's son, he was part of the family.
"Yes, why? You didn't know?"
"Saif never mentioned it, so no, I had no idea his former apprentice was the founder and Head of the Guild's son. But then, Abhaya wasn't exactly a topic Saif liked to discuss."
Guisarme smiled ruefully. "Talwar was very disappointed with him too. Unfortunately Khanda died before she could give him another baby..." She shook her head with a sigh. "And then Khopesh killed him. Nimdja said the man was fast, but Abhaya didn't move a finger, ran away with him and then came back saying he'd killed Khopesh to avenge his father's death. Now we know he lied. Poor Talwar, what an unworthy son he had."
"Nimdja and Francisca were luckier," Kilig commented. "Anelace is fantastic."
"So is Kukri," she said. She elbowed him. "Hey, don't worry, I'm sure after the battle you'll be back together as if nothing happened."
Kilig sighed. "Hopefully. Do you think Kukri and Anelace could work together?"
"Yes! And they can work with us. Remember Rakshasa?"
"How can I forget him," Kilig muttered. The man who had turned into a dragon and then vanished in death.
"Well, we should do that kind of teamwork," she continued, undeterred. "My father is shielding us from poisoned darts, so everything will be decided in arm-to-arm combat. I say we go after Khopesh, you, me, Kukri and Anelace. He'll probably have a couple of bodyguards, since he's not young anymore, so it's not cowardly, is it?"
Kilig pondered. "Might work. If Hakeem obeys me."
"Well, talk to him. Ask him if he'd rather follow Nimdja."
Kilig looked at her. "Maybe we should just tell Nimdja your plan. He'll order Kukri to follow us. I'm sure Kukri will obey the Head of the Guild if he really wants to be an assassin."
Guisarme shrugged. "You're avoiding the problem. But
it's fine with me."
"This is a Guilds' war, Guisarme, not my bedroom. I don't have time to argue with a stubborn young man who accuses me of who knows what. Let Nimdja take care of it, I'll make it up to Hakeem after we defeat Khopesh. Have you forgotten how Talwar scolded us after Rakshasa's demise? You need to submit your plan to Nimdja."
Guisarme snorted. "You and sticking to protocol," she grumbled. But she did as he suggested.
***
The ship left the small army of assassins on the coast and they marched inland towards the ruins of Leland, a town abandoned a century earlier and now part of the spreading southern desert.
Hakeem was a little worried for the Guilds' war. He'd grown up in a kingdom torn by war. Living secluded and far from the contended border meant he'd never been forcefully recruited into the Blackmore army, but also that this would be his first battle.
He suspected it was the first battle for everyone, though. The Assassins' Guilds weren't trained for war, neither in Godwalkar nor in Agharek. The northern Guilds had the advantage of the protection of a Genn magic user, but it would be messy.
Although the idea of traveling to Leland had already come up – later discarded by the discovery that Abhaya was in Godwalkar – Hakeem wasn't too keen on going there anymore. Nobody knew how many men Khopesh had gathered, and even if it was not just himself and Kilig confronting Agharek's Guild, it still felt like one against ten – and Nightsun's protection might not be enough.
Nimdja had told him to stick to Kilig and cover him, while Sanjana did the same with Guisarme. They were supposed to take down Khopesh, which would probably put an end to the conflict. That was a huge responsibility, and Hakeem wondered if they could do it.
They slept one night under the stars before reaching the ruins, and the temperature went down quite suddenly. Hakeem wrapped himself in a blanket, wishing he could find refuge in Kilig's arms and rest against his warmth, but they weren't really on speaking terms yet, so he didn't dare.
And he didn't like the fact that Kilig must share the glory of taking down Khopesh with Guisarme. It was obvious they were very efficient teammates who had worked together before, but Hakeem didn't like it. He felt excluded, even if he'd been told to back up Kilig.
And then they reached the ruins, and the tents of Shamsher's school and guild. Khopesh was waiting for them with his men on display – a wrinkled face, a white beard and narrow eyes that made him look sly.
A quick count on Hakeem's part reassured him that at least they weren't outnumbered. Obviously Khopesh couldn't bring all his men to Leland. Either that, or the oldest guild of the land wasn't as powerful as it pretended to be.
"We're not outnumbered," Kilig whispered.
"There might be more hiding among the ruins..." Guisarme whispered back.
She glanced at her father who shook his head with a smile. Hakeem exhaled in relief.
Nimdja, Sikh and Rumh faced Khopesh, but he had eyes only for Nimdja.
"Where is Shamsher?" he demanded.
"He's dead," Nimdja answered. "Although we didn't bury him next to his parents – they wouldn't have appreciated the company."
Khopesh scoffed. "Why did you keep him in such contempt?"
"He was a liar," Nimdja snapped. "He told us he'd killed you."
Khopesh smirked. "I groomed him well, didn't I? He obeyed me blindly for many years... Did he at least find the man he was looking for? His treacherous acharya, is he dead?"
"Yes, Saif is dead."
Hakeem's heart missed a beat. The old man had sent Abhaya to kill his father – a retired assassin – for what?
"Abhaya should have been content with that," Nimdja continued. "But his revenge spree made him go after Kilig as well. And that's how he met his death."
"It's a shame," Khopesh said. "He was very promising. Pity he was so obsessed with getting rid of the people who scorned him. I really wanted to give him Godwalkar."
"You will never have Godwalkar," Nimdja spat. "Nor Darantasia, nor Jevina."
"And the men who were with Shamsher?" Khopesh glared at him. "Where are they?"
"They're all dead. Your school is obviously not as good as ours."
Khopesh gritted his teeth. "Even Chakram?"
Hakeem's heart missed a beat.
Nimdja scoffed. "If that was your best man, you're all dead too."
Hakeem saw Khopesh's eyes meant murder. He controlled his heartbeat that had quickened at the mention of Chakram and held tight his pole-arm, waiting for Khopesh's next move.
"We'll see." Khopesh retorted. "Get him, Sabre!"
It was like a battle-cry, a call to arms. Brass wheels and arrows started flying from the camp but were stopped by the invisible shield created by Nightsun. Khopesh roared with anger.
"Magic! Fools! Kill them all!"
Since throwing weapons were useless, both sides dropped them and charged each other with swords and pole-arms. Kilig sprinted forward and Hakeem followed, concentrating on the target, his hands squeezing his pole-arm.
Khopesh had four men who stayed by his side, four bodyguards who unsheathed their sabers and took a defensive position around their leader. As Kilig clashed with the closest, Hakeem went for the one next to him.
Blades clung, Hakeem's pole-arm staff broke. He used the blade like a sword, slicing through flesh. The man screamed in pain and collapsed. Hakeem thrust his pole-arm through the man's chest and left it there. He swirled around, taking Abhaya's double-bladed dagger, ready for another opponent.
Sanjana yelped, stepping back, while Guisarme covered her. Hakeem saw that Khopesh was fast in spite of his white hair. It was his dagger that had sliced Sanjana's arm. But the old man was concentrating on the two women and he didn't have eyes behind his head.
Hakeem reached Khopesh at the same time as Kilig, and his dagger bit Khopesh's flesh along with Kilig's trident. The old man spat blood and curses, but Kilig used his noose to finish him.
Panting, Hakeem looked around to see who else needed help. Nimdja was down, and so was Rumh. Guisarme quickly bandaged Sanjana's arm – the young woman hissed in pain, but she looked fine.
"Khopesh is dead!" Kilig shouted. "Who leads the Assassins' Guild of Agharek now?"
"I do." A young man about Hakeem's age came forward and stopped in front of Kilig with a determined look on his face and a bloody blade in his hand. "Nimdja is dead. Who leads Godwalkar's Guild?"
Hakeem heard Kilig curse under his breath and Sanjana gasp as the fighting slowly subsided.
"Who the hell are you?" Sikh demanded, glaring at the young man who could be his son.
"I'm Sabre, and I killed Nimdja. So I will take his place."
"I'm Kilig and I killed Khopesh," Kilig retorted. "Does that mean that I get his place?"
Sabre scoffed and stepped forward. "It's an interesting situation, don't you think? How about a confrontation between us? Whoever wins becomes the leader of all guilds."
"That's not how it works up north," Guisarme informed him, standing next to Kilig. "Our guilds are independent from each other. You took down Nimdja, not Sikh. And Rumh is only wounded."
"You must be Guisarme," Sabre said, observing her. "There shouldn't be more than one woman assassin with pointed ears around."
"I wasn't aware of being famous this far south," she said, sarcastic.
"You were next on Shamsher's kill list," Sabre informed her with an amused smile.
"So? You want to finish his job?" she retorted.
"Not really." Sabre shrugged and looked at Kilig again. "I was more curious to meet Kilig, actually."
Hakeem wasn't happy to hear this. He didn't like the way Sabre looked at Kilig. He didn't like the fact that Sabre had killed Sanjana's father. He squeezed the handle of his dagger, wondering if he could lash out and kill the young man.
"You've met me," Kilig said. "Now what?"
Sabre sighed and averted his eyes.
"It's a little hot out here to talk, don't you think? Let's go inside a tent and continue
the discussion," he suggested.
"There is nothing to discuss," Kilig snapped. "Khopesh wanted us to surrender to him. We're not surrendering. Even if you killed our Head, we will not obey you. Go back to Agharek and leave us alone."
Sabre stared at him admiringly. "I can see why Shamsher hated you so much," he said. "You're everything he never was."
He stepped back with a bow.
"Be on your way, Kilig the Sword. My father's ambition was to see either Shamsher or me as Head of Godwalkar's Guild, but I was never really interested. I had other plans."
"Wait, you're Khopesh's son?" Kilig asked, surprised.
Sabre nodded. "His youngest. Then Shamsher showed up and he forgot his wives and children... What should I do to apply to your Guild?"
Kilig exchanged a puzzled look with Guisarme and Katar, who had joined them.
"When we have chosen our new leader, we shall let you know," Guisarme answered.
Sabre nodded and left to go back to his tent.
"I guess we're done here," Kilig grumbled.
Hakeem relaxed only slightly. He didn't trust Sabre.
***
Khopesh's men had stopped fighting when Kilig had announced Khopesh's death. Some were actually men from Argantael, who thanked their colleagues of the Genn territory for stopping the southern "invasion". Sabre had killed their Head and taken his place with Khopesh's support. But that hadn't been enough against three cities' guilds.
Khopesh had sent Sabre to Argantael when he'd received word from Shamsher who was about to take over Godwalkar. That was what his message said, at least, and the lack of further news had felt like good news to Khopesh who had sent his ultimatum to Sikh and Rumh, unaware that Shamsher had failed and Nimdja was still alive.
The remaining southern assassins were loyal to Agharek's guild, but Sabre told them he didn't wish to go back to his brother, so they were free to leave without him. Then he buried his father among the ruins, since taking the corpse to Agharek meant it would rot long before they reached their destination. For that reason Nightsun wrapped Nimdja's body in a preserving spell that would keep him frozen until they reached Godwalkar and gave him a proper funeral.
Kilig & Hakeem Page 7
