Blade of the North

by Jones, Heath

  Climbing down from the roof into a quiet alley, we rush off into the darkness. As we reach the corner, I glance back. Thankfully the Peace Bringers haven’t yet reached the end of the roof. We continue through the next few streets, not slackening our pace.

  Rounding a corner, we nearly crash into another group of Peace Bringers. The four of them immediately draw their swords and advance on us.

  “Run,” Jarryd says, drawing his knife.

  “What?” I say. “Jarryd,” I begin, but he cuts me off.

  “I’m your protector,” he says.

  “But you’re no Alek,” Theolin snarls. “I’ll do this.” Drawing her knife, she puts herself between us and the Peace Bringers.

  “Not alone,” Aveline says, coming to stand beside her, knife in hand.

  “Stay behind us,” I tell Jarryd.

  “That wasn’t the plan,” he mutters, but obediently takes a step back.

  Aveline and Theolin lunge at the first two Peace Bringers then step quickly to the side, the Peace Bringers parrying with their swords. I charge in between them, my knife flashing left and right. Both Peace Bringers collapse in a spray of blood. The two behind them are backing away from Aveline and Theolin, but their retreat doesn’t last long before they too are crumpled on the floor, blood leaking onto the stones.

  It’s all over in a matter of seconds.

  “Okay, but I’ll get the next one,” Jarryd says, coming up to us.

  I stare at him, incredulous, before a smile slowly creeps onto my face.

  “Let’s go,” Aveline commands, sounding slightly testy.

  As confusing as the layout of the Royal District is, it is obvious the designers’ intentions were also to make it appealing to the eye. Buildings aren’t clustered together like they are in the rest of the city, meaning more open spaces and fewer shadows to hide in. Although the streets are quiet, the Peace Bringers are out in numbers, making our movements all the more perilous.

  The attack on The Sleeping Blossom can mean only one thing - they have broken Rose. My eyes well up at the thought of what the Peace Bringers have done to my oldest friend, but I refuse to let the tears fall. That, like so many other griefs, can be dealt with after tonight. Providing there is an after tonight…

  For the third time, we are forced to wait behind a house while we watch a detachment of Peace Bringers march by. They are alert, vigilantly scanning the streets and intersections as they pass. They are definitely looking for us.

  “There’s still seven guards on the rooftops,” Theolin whispers, as we take refuge behind a giant statue of the emperor, “and now there’s only four of us.” Unusually for her, she hesitates before continuing. “What do we do?”

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  “What do you think?” she growls at me. “It was going to be hard enough with Alek, now he’s dead. Jarryd’s worthless with a weapon - ”

  “He’s not worthless!” I counter, jumping to his defence.

  “With a weapon he is,” she hisses back.

  “What do you propose?” Aveline asks. “Do you want us to give up, or turn ourselves in?”

  “No! Yes… I don’t know,” Theolin says, shaking her fists in frustration. “Everyone’s dead! Everyone we left Tolos with, they’re all dead. We’re the only ones left, and we’re going to die too, not having made any difference.”

  I can’t believe Theolin is cracking. “You’re right,” I say. “We won’t have made a difference if we fail, but at least we’ll have tried. Then, if others follow after us, maybe one of them will succeed. The fight is still worth it.”

  Theolin glares at me for a long moment. Finally, she sighs. “Damn you Fairgrey,” she breathes.

  “You’re both forgetting,” Aveline says, a tiny smile lighting her face. “We haven’t failed yet.”

  And right there is one of the reasons I love Aveline so much. A smile forces its way onto my own face and my spirits begin to lift. “No, we haven’t failed yet,” I agree.

  “But if we’re going to have any chance of getting into the palace,” Aveline says, “we need a new plan.”

  “We need to be quick,” Theolin says. “We can’t take out all those guards on the rooftops, but we can take out enough.”

  “You have a plan?” I ask.

  “Of course I do,” Theolin snaps. “I just think it’ll end with all of us dead.”

  Theolin’s plan is crazy, daring, and flawed in countless ways. But it’s the only one we have. I hate trusting in hope, but hoping the others are successful and that our timing is perfect is all I have to cling to. So, I find a small gap in the wooden wall of the building in front of me and begin to climb. The ascent up the two-story building is easy and the overhanging tiles of the roof are quickly within reach. Reversing my grip and facing away from the wall, I swing my legs up over my head and onto the tiles, sliding my body safely onto the sloping roof. Turning around I crawl up the roof until I can see the head of the Peace Bringer on the other side. Thankfully, he is a vigilant guard, his attention focused solely on the gates below in the wall surrounding the palace.

  Only one other Peace Bringer is guarding the rooftops who has a view of the gates. Looking across, I search for a glimpse of Theolin climbing up behind the Peace Bringer on the far rooftop, but it is too dark. Even the Peace Bringer is nothing more than a barely discernible silhouette.

  I lie in place, waiting, every so often lifting my head enough to see the gates in the wall below. Eventually, two shapes approach the Peace Bringers guarding the gates. The Peace Bringer on the roof in front of me tenses, watching the newcomers.

  Now is my time to act. Leaping lightly over the lip of the ridge tiles, I pad silently towards the Peace Bringer. His back is towards me and his attention is focused on Aveline and Jarryd as they approach the guards at the gates. So far, all is going according to Theolin’s plan. The Peace Bringer doesn’t even stir as I creep up behind him and drive my dagger through his spine. I catch his body as it crumbles, lowering it to the tiles beside me and pulling out my knife. The only sound he made was a quiet exhale of breath as his life left him.

  Looking down at the Peace Bringer’s body, I’m struck by the lifeless eyes staring sightlessly up at me. His face looks so young – he couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me. Yet, for no other reason than that he was doing what he was told was his duty, he’s dead. By my hand.

  I’ve killed before, but only while defending myself. This is the first time I’ve stalked someone, attacked from behind, and killed when they had no chance of fighting back. Murder, I’m honest enough to name it. This is the first time I’ve murdered someone. My stomach heaves and I vomit on the tiles.

  Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I shudder at what I’ve become. Will killing the emperor and ending the war excuse the horrendous crime I’ve just committed? My shoulders slump as I already know the answer. A memory of broken, empty people huddled in the treetops of the Daishen Forest flashes unbidden to my mind. I finally understand Storm’s compassion in helping them regain a purpose far removed from the delivery of death.

  Taking a deep breath, I put those thoughts away for later. For tonight, I am an assassin. It’s why I have come here. To reach the emperor, I will kill if I need to, but, looking at the body at my feet, I determine not to leave a trail of death behind me if I can help it. That is the emperor’s way. I won’t be like him. I am here to end the killings, not add to them.

  Looking down at the gates, two shapes are lying on the ground next to the Peace Bringers. My heart stops for a second before one of the guards adjusts their helmet with a grace of movement that can only be Aveline’s. Her task, along with Jarryd, was to draw the attention of the watchers on the rooftops for long enough for Theolin and I to strike, before overcoming the guards at the gates. Aveline probably accounted for both while Jarryd watched on.

  Taking the helmet from the dead Peace Bringer I climb quickly down to the ground then half-walk half-march to the gates. If any casual observer
sees me, I’m hoping the helmet will give my silhouette the appearance of a Peace Bringer. So long as they don’t look any closer.

  Another shape approaches and I draw my knife, hiding it blade up behind my wrist.

  “Don’t dawdle,” Theolin says, brushing past me. “The other watchers will notice the missing ones we just - ”

  A horn blast sounds from a rooftop on our right, quickly followed by another from our left. They’ve noticed the missing watchers. We’re discovered.

  “I’d hoped we’d have longer,” Theolin says, setting off at a run.

  I follow just as quickly, my heart thumping loudly in my chest, and we join Aveline and Jarryd at the gates. All the while the horns continue to sound, more coming now from inside the palace.

  “The plan’s changed,” Aveline says, a hint of worry breaking the surface of her usual icy calm. “We’ve lost the surprise, but we still have speed.”

  “Enough talking,” Theolin growls. She sets her face determinedly towards the palace. “Let’s go.” A knife flashing in each hand, she runs through the gates.

  Following closely behind her, Aveline, Jarryd, and I sprint across the courtyard towards the steps of the palace. My eyes sweep in every direction, looking for dangers. The Two Peace Bringers standing guard in front of the doors draw their swords, and two more step out through the entrance to stand behind them.

  Racing towards the steps, Theolin throws first one knife, then the other. Aveline and I follow suit, the moonlight catching of our flying knives. Flies buzz suddenly around my head. I swat at one and my hand stings as I strike it. Ahead, all four of the Peace Bringers crash back to the ground, knives protruding from their chests. We rush up the steps and over their bodies, retrieve our knives without breaking stride, and enter the palace, leaving the buzzing flies behind us.

  “Which way?” Theolin asks.

  Torches hanging on the wall illuminate the long, stone-walled corridor in front of us. Several doors line the walls on either side.

  “This isn’t right,” Aveline says, confused.

  I agree – something doesn’t make sense.

  “We’re supposed to be in a large entrance room,” Aveline continues. “The layout is wrong.”

  “What do you mean it’s wrong?” Theolin demands.

  “I mean,” Aveline says, then stops, sighs. “The plan we had of the palace was wrong. The emperor must have allowed a false plan to be circulated for security.”

  Theolin’s laugh is humourless. “So we’re going to have to find our way blind.”

  I look down at a throbbing pain in my hand and see blood dripping from a deep scratch along the back. Something is wrong. Why is my hand bleeding? And why… Terror grips my heart. It wasn’t the sound of buzzing flies I heard. I turn slowly to stare back out through the doors. There, just before the steps, lies Jarryd’s body, three arrows protruding from his chest.

  “Jarryd!” I scream. I run towards him but only make it a few paces when hands grip my arms and pull me back inside the doorway. Arrows whizz past where I had stood a bare heartbeat before.

  “We can’t do anything now,” Theolin says beside me, releasing her grip.

  I can’t move. All I can do is stare at Jarryd’s lifeless body.

  “Come on,” Aveline says, her voice tight with emotion. “We need to be fast or we’ll join him. And that’s not what he’d want.”

  I turn to Aveline. How can she be so calm, so unaffected? I’ve loved Jarryd for months, but she’s loved him for years. Can she really be so heartless? Then I see her eyes. There is a pain and coldness there that I’ve never seen before. She’s hurting more than me. But she’s also stronger than I am – far stronger, and she’s pushing her pain aside so we can finish what we started.

  Not trusting myself to speak, I nod my head emphatically.

  “Follow me,” Aveline says.

  “But you don’t know where we’re going,” Theolin replies.

  “Do you?” Aveline shoots back. Without waiting for an answer, she sets off down the corridor. I take one last, lingering look at Jarryd’s body, before following. “This way,” Aveline says, opening a door on her left and running through.

  We enter another corridor which leads to a left turning switchback. Pausing at the corner, Aveline peers around before continuing. Stairs at the end of the corridor take us up into a wide, circular room. High-backed, cushioned chairs encircle the room, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The stone floor has been covered with polished wood which is so smooth I nearly slip when I try to stop. I can imagine this room filled with dancers dressed in the latest fashions, gliding across the floor, their graceful manoeuvrings applauded by those seated in the chairs around them.

  Two sets of stairs are at the far end of the room, one leading up, the other down. We take the one that leads up, our steps slower now, more cautious.

  “Why haven’t we seen any more guards?” I ask.

  “Who cares,” Theolin replies. “Just be thankful.”

  The stairs lead up into a small, rectangular room, completely bare of any furnishings or ornamentation. On every side of the room, however, is another set of stairs, some leading up, others down.

  “This place is designed to make you lost,” Aveline whispers angrily.

  “Where too then?” I ask, forestalling the biting comment I can see Theolin is about to make. She closes her mouth and glowers at me.

  “Up,” Aveline replies.

  Slowly we head up the stairs opposite, but then suddenly stop as the sound of quickly approaching footsteps echoes from above.

  “You wanted more guards,” Theolin says.

  “I didn’t say I wanted them,” I reply.

  “We’ll lead them away then re-join you,” Aveline says to me.

  “What?” I say, shocked. “If we split up, we’ll die.”

  “We’re already dead Fairgrey,” Theolin says, the trace of a smile on her lips. “Alek was right about that. But I’ll make them pay.”

  “We’re not dead yet,” Aveline growls. “Theolin and I can distract the Peace Bringers so you can get to Tigranik.”

  “What? Didn’t you hear me?” I shout. “If we split up - ”

  “Sara,” Aveline interrupts, “you’ve got the best chance of getting through to the emperor. We can lead them away and give you that chance.”

  “No!” I say, trembling.

  The footsteps are growing louder, but they are nearly drowned out by the fearful beating of my heart.

  “She’s right,” Theolin adds. “Damn it Fairgrey, you’re better than both of us. We’ll clear your path. Just find the emperor and kill him.”

  No, they can’t leave me! I can’t do this, not by myself.

  Peace Bringers appear at the head of the stairs and charge down towards us. Without waiting for my consent, Aveline and Theolin spin me around and we run back the way we came.

  “Take this,” Theolin says, pushing one of her knives into my empty left hand. I’m too stunned to reply.

  At the bottom of the staircase, Aveline shoves me to the side, while she and Theolin race across the room. With no other choice, I quickly duck down the nearby sets of stairs and hide. Peering back, I watch as the Peace Bringers burst into the room and chase Aveline and Theolin down the opposite flight of stairs.

  Once the footsteps have faded, I come back into the room. My heart is pounding, and I force myself to take deep, calming breaths. I’m scared. Petrified. Alone. What were Aveline and Theolin thinking? I need them. If they think I can do this by myself, they don’t really know me.

  Slumping against the wall, I try to push aside my fear and think clearly. I have a knife in each hand. Theolin entrusted me with one of hers, putting herself at greater risk with such a costly sacrifice. Why? Why did she and Aveline draw the Peace Bringers away? They said… they said they want to give me a chance to get to Tigranik. They believe in me. Are they right? Am I really better than they are? Am I good enough to finish this, to assassinate the emperor and en
d the war?

  Slowly I realise – I have no choice but to be good enough.

  Looking back up, I set my face determinedly, and stalk quietly up the stairs. At the top, they open out into another long corridor with doors on either side. The sound of rushing footsteps is coming from somewhere below, but here all is quiet. I put my head to the first door and listen for any sounds from behind. Pulling it open slowly and peering inside, the room is empty save for an ornately carved dresser standing against the far wall next to a full-length mirror.

  The next three doors prove equally bereft of people. Opening the next door brings me into what looks to be a large banqueting hall. A long, polished oaken table runs down the middle of the hall. There are so many tall, high backed chairs around the table, it must be able to seat over fifty. Silver plates and goblets adorn the table, set in anticipation of a feast, while ornate candelabra illuminate the hall in a soft flickering glow. In the middle of the setting is a giant silver horse, its forelegs rearing high in the air and head tossed back. It seems to be there for no other reason than as a grand ornament on an already lavishly decorated table.

  Never in my life have I stood in a single place brimming with so much wealth. Even along the walls, statues on pedestals alternate with flower-filled niches, filling the room with the pleasing scent of –

  At the end of the hall, a troupe of Peace Bringers stumbles in from another entrance.

  “There’s one!” the man in front calls out, pointing at me.

  They advance towards me, swords drawn, and I take a step backwards before realising there isn’t anywhere to go. The emperor is somewhere ahead of me, not behind, and these Peace Bringers are in my way.

  I charge at them.

  The one who pointed me out is the nearest, and when I close on him, he predictably slashes his sword at my head. Blocking his blade with the knife in my left hand, I simultaneously slash through the tendons in his elbow with the knife in my right. The sword clatters to the ground and the man crumples over it, screaming.

  I duck and twist under a sword thrust at my chest, and stab forwards into a muscled leg. Blood spurts out, covering my hand. Turning around I leap back just as a sword cuts across in front of me. Another sword comes down at my head and I jump away and roll across the floor, coming up into a crouch. Lunging forward I stab between the legs of one guard before standing and slashing wildly as I spin behind him. My knife doesn’t bite through any flesh but it buys me a moment to draw breath. Surrounded by Peace Bringers and their bared blades, I wait, ready.