“Our young agent of the blood returns,” Polyperchon proclaimed while giving me a clumsy paternal hug and messing up my hair. “Tell us, how fares our Queen. Will she do what is required of her?”
“She will,” I replied with a proud smile.
“How much time did you spend with her?” Vettias interrogated. “What is her manner? Her disposition? Does she assign blame from Triparadeisus?”
“You were correct in your initial assessment. She is chastened but resolute. Her manner and disposition are rather sad, however. She sees herself a victim of her circumstances – a prisoner of those who work to hasten her demise.”
“So she did open up to you?” Vettias continued eagerly.
“A bit, but only in the manner I have described. She is rather depressed but willing to participate in our plan. All previous signs of youth from last year have been shed.”
“Excellent work Andrikos. The hour grows late. General Polyperchon, we will take our leave to continue our surveillance on the morrow.”
CHAPTER 5
Midway through the third week, Vettias and I had finished our scouting work. We initiated a meeting with Polyperchon to inform him of our completion and that we were now ready to carry out his plans at the time of his choosing. Polyperchon informed us all preparations had been made from within the palace, thanks to the Queen, and he was now waiting for Cassander to depart for his next hunting expedition. We were to remain unseen until then, with the exception of tying up any loose ends of information regarding our target list. He would schedule a meeting with us on the eve of his treachery to instruct us to begin our part. He also provided us the directions to an unused apartment he owned as the location of our meeting the night after the attack was to occur.
Vettias and I followed our orders and remained primarily in our quarters for the next several days with the exception of checking Polyperchon’s balcony each day at noon. On the fifth day of our sequester, the torch was lit. At the predetermined hour, we knocked on the cellar door and were let in by Polyperchon’s armed servant. Polyperchon stood in anticipation of our arrival, flanked by Pallas and another large unfamiliar man.
“He departed yesterday,” was Polyperchon’s curt greeting. “Enough distance has been traveled to ensure he will not be informed of the event until it is too late. You will execute your part of the conspiracy tonight. Pallas and Ladon will assist you should you run into trouble. I pay them well for their discretion and to ensure they do as they’re told. I don’t need to reiterate how important this mission is. It could change the outcome of everything we have worked toward. Do you have any questions?”
Vettias shook his head and we were dismissed. As we exited through Polyperchon’s adjoining apartment, Vettias turned to our new colleagues. “I will be in charge tonight. Let the kid and I do our jobs and always be on alert for anything that may sabotage our mission. If all goes well, we will not require your services after our first two targets. If all Hades breaks loose, I expect you two to kill first and ask questions later. Understood?”
The two men nodded and the four of us began our bloody errand. Our first two victims could be taken while the majority of Pella was awake. They were expected to be located in their homes at this time. Both of their dwellings were detached units unaffiliated with other families, and both did not have families of their own. Their domiciles could be forcibly entered and overtly attacked without others hearing the commotion. Polyperchon’s goons would prove the most useful in these situations. Our other targets would require more stealth.
Arriving at the first dwelling, Vettias carefully looked around the neighborhood to ensure we were alone. Being satisfied with our level of solitude, he slowly crept toward the small residence to determine if our victim was present. A light could be seen flickering through one of the windows and Vettias peered through it from an angle. He gave the prearranged signal all was ready and motioned for us to begin the attack.
The two goons made a dash to the front door with me close behind. Pallas was first on the entryway and easily kicked the flimsy lock open as the four of us poured into the small residence. The inhabitant let out a scream that was quickly muffled by several violent stabs to his mid-section. Our violence of action was so swift, so devastating, the man was dead within seconds of us entering. Vettias extinguished the lights and ordered Pallas and Ladon to drag the body into the back room. We then hurriedly exited, closed the door behind us and were down an abandoned alley before anyone laid eyes on our murderous band.
Our second victim’s residence was too close in proximity to travel directly to it. We took a meandering route through several alleys and boulevards before circling back to the adjacent neighborhood of our crime. Vettias walked down the dark street while the three of us waited at the corner. There were several passersby and Vettias continued walking past the residence and around the block to rejoin our contingent. We conducted another circuitous route before returning to the neighborhood and trying again. Vettias sent me down the street and it was clear there were still too many people around for us to commit our offense. I doubled back around the block and Vettias decided to wait and attempt it again just before we moved on to the remaining victims later in the evening.
Our group sat separately at a large tavern on a quiet street to pass an hour so the time would be right to revisit our next victim. Our band blended in with the surrounding revelry and none but the most astute would remember us from anyone else in the tavern. We made our exit without fanfare once Vettias decided enough time had passed and returned to the second victim’s home once more.
Vettias made the walk down the now empty street while the rest of us waited for his assessment. He stopped in front of the residence and motioned us to approach. As we did, Vettias moved cautiously toward the unlit home. He knelt in front of the door, unrolled a smart leather pouch, and removed three small metal objects to pick the locked entranceway. The door was more substantial than the previous dwelling and could withstand several strong kicks from our goons. Vettias rapidly defeated the lock and motioned me to approach. Our goons stood back to reduce the amount of noise made within the residence. Vettias and I entered the foyer and stood still for a moment to allow our eyes and ears to adjust to our surroundings.
“You do this one, kid,” Vettias casually instructed. I crept through the still dwelling to the bedchamber and found our target comfortably asleep. I walked to the edge of the bed and stood directly over the man who looked peaceful as he carelessly lay before me. I gripped the hilt of my short sword and quietly unsheathed it. I assessed the swiftest way to dispatch my victim, given the position in which he slept, held my sword with both hands above his head with the blade pointing downward, took a deep breath, and brought the blade down upon the man’s neck opening a horrid gash that turned his bed dark crimson. My victim made a muted scream, choked out by his own blood, and writhed about in a confused and violent seizure. I held him firmly in place and watched life leave his body until he eventually lay still. I lingered for a moment to contemplate whether this fate lay in store for me some day and decided there were worse ways to be slain in this world.
I washed his blood off my hands with a bowl of water sitting in the bedchamber and returned to Vettias in the foyer. I nodded at his inquisitive eyes and we departed, closing the door behind us.
“Any issues?” Vettias asked.
I shook my head. I still wasn’t comfortable voicing the treacherous deed out loud, as if my silence would somehow shield my questionable morality from the Three Judges of the Underworld sitting at Trivium to determine the fate of the newly deceased.
Our next four victims either had families or lived in large residential buildings, precluding a direct assault. Our scouting operation over the previous three weeks uncovered other likely locations to intercept these more difficult targets. The first of these frequented a certain tavern and brothel on a regular basis. On the three occasions we observed him, he was there twice and left relatively early. We knew the route
he took home and Vettias positioned himself with the two goons at the corner of two dark alleyways where we decided it was safest to strike. I would follow the man out and give a predetermined signal when our target traveled into our ambush.
I entered the establishment inconspicuously but did not see our target. I ordered a cup of wine and sat in a corner, giving me preferable vantage of the entire ground floor. The tavern was moderately filled with patrons so I did not fear being noticed. After a half-hour I worried our man may have already left or was not coming at all. I ordered a second cup of wine from the barkeep and casually asked if he had been here this evening. Not assuming ulterior motives, the barkeep nonchalantly motioned upstairs, denoting our man was already with a woman. Given he had been upstairs for at least half-an-hour, his departure was imminent. I quickly finished my cup and exited the tavern to prevent the barkeep from pointing me out to his regular patron and took position at a street corner where I was able to conceal my presence in a large shadow.
Our target emerged after another half-hour and I began following him on his predictable walk home. Since I already knew his route I was able to keep a large distance between us, mitigating any chance the half-inebriated victim would notice his follower. As he turned down the condemned alley, I waited until he had neared our ambush. As he did I let out a loud whistle which caused the victim to turn toward me in a mild curiosity. I watched as three dark shadows emerged from the night and set upon him like a silent pack of wild dogs. The man was dead within seconds and his body dragged into a dark alcove. One more hour remained before the proper time to strike our next two victims, so our band occupied one of Polyperchon’s vacant apartments located nearby.
When the time came to move out again we found our target was not at the planned location. We lingered for another half-hour until Vettias decided to move on. Our next two objectives posed no issues and were readily dispatched. We now made ready to strike the last name on Vettias’ list – the first man we shadowed three weeks prior.
Daybreak was approaching and we estimated our target would be leaving his woman approximately one hour after sunrise. Our task would be more difficult than the last since daylight inherently provided more variables to take into account. Given this, our plan was to take the man right there and drag him into a nearby alleyway. The illumination of the sun made me feel as though we were standing exposed for all of Pella to see as several passersby strolled down the small street and gave us discerning glances.
When our target finally emerged, there were already three other citizens within sight of us. Vettias shook his head and we began to follow the man. Ladon and I stayed behind him while Vettias and Pallas hurried round to our alternate ambush point along his route home. Every street the man turned down was populated with several people. I began to worry we would not get our chance.
As our victim turned down the predetermined side street, I saw two beggars sitting idly up against a wooden building façade. Vettias and Pallas now turned down the small street at the opposite side and began walking toward us. It was clear Vettias was going to do the deed despite our unwanted audience and I hoped he would not call on me to ‘take care’ of the spectators.
As Vettias neared the unsuspecting man he quickly and violently stabbed him in his heart while smothering his mouth and our final target fell to the ground without a sound. The two beggars sat motionless as they witnessed this seemingly random act of violence. Vettias gave a nod to the two goons who calmly approached the doomed bystanders and ran them through several times with their swords.
“It’s sometimes messy, kid,” Vettias stated, noticing my uneasiness.
“Well, we’re done, so let us retreat from this blasted sun which highlights all manner of treachery,” I replied.
The goons dragged all three bodies into a small ditch and our murderous band parted ways. Vettias and I returned to our lodging and made a large order of food and drink to be brought to us. I was exhausted after staying up the entire night and walking about a dozen miles. Blood still stained my tunic and my arms which I aggressively scrubbed.
“Sleep in kid, we’re not leaving our quarters until tomorrow night when we get the final report from Polyperchon. Come by this evening and we’ll share a jug of wine, maybe even have a girl brought up. We’ve been to almost every brothel in town, might as well partake just once.”
That evening Vettias had me fetch a few jugs of wine and a woman from a nearby tavern and brothel where we celebrated our blow to Orontes and Cassander while I devotedly practised my abstinence – to the jeers of my mentor. If Polyperchon and Queen Adea were successful in their tasks today, we would have our revenge from Triparadeisus. At the very least, we would have sown further mistrust within Antipater’s court, albeit at the expense of Queen Adea once again, and prove to Cassander and Orontes they were not safe from The King’s Hand – even in Pella.
CHAPTER 6
We slept in the next morning and remained out of sight during the hours of daylight. That evening we made our way to the vacant apartment owned by Polyperchon. I felt uneasy walking through Pella after our night of marauding and thought every eye that looked our way perceived our criminality.
With his now familiar sword drawn, Polyperchon’s servant opened the door to the small dwelling and ushered us in. Polyperchon was sitting by a lit fireplace and motioned for Vettias to sit beside him.
“Were you successful?”
“Out of the six men we targeted, five of them have been eliminated. The sixth was not alerted to any danger. Only two bystanders were killed during the operation. In total, I can report Cassander’s network was dealt a critical blow.”
“Good. Five less operatives on the ground will certainly frustrate Cassander’s ability to counter our strike, especially since news of the incident is only now just reaching him. I’m sure you are wondering how my little ordeal went. Well, I would characterize it as a success. The attack was thwarted; I managed to receive a small injury in the process of interdicting our assailant and took the lead on his harsh interrogation. Antipater was present for the captive’s reluctant admission that he was working for an agent of Cassander and charged with killing the both of us.
“The old man didn’t believe it at first, but our little Queen fulfilled her role perfectly. In the days prior to this attack, I arranged for our hapless assailant to murder several vagabonds who he believed to be operatives of mine. He was instructed to remove their thumbs as proof of their murder and Antipater witnessed with his own eyes the small pouch containing the severed appendages recovered from Cassander’s quarters just as the assailant described. Antipater may not be fully convinced of the man’s claims, but enough doubt had been cast for him to take action.”
“Antipater now grudgingly believes his son to be behind the plot but is reserving action until his return. I have positioned myself to lead the investigation. With any luck, I’ll be named Successor before the year is out.”
“There’s something else,” Polyperchon continued. “Orontes did not accompany Cassander on his hunting expedition. He’s here, in Pella – vulnerable without his master, holed up in whatever pit he’s made for himself. There may be a way to coax the viper from his den to strike out at a target of opportunity,” Polyperchon posited while looking at Vettias. “By now Orontes will know the strike has been made and The Hand’s likely involvement. If he were to become aware of your presence, we may entice him to take a calculated risk and expose his position.”
“We would have to make it look like a lapse in operational security,” Vettias responded. “Orontes no doubt has established his own burgeoning network of eyes in the capital. Allowing me to be seen overtly in the palace for example would be too conspicuous.”
“Perhaps make it look like the mistake of another? Perhaps someone you were meeting with?” Polyperchon conjectured while smirking at Vettias.
“Someone whose comings and goings Orontes no doubt takes a keen interest in. Someone he believes would be eager to assist in the
plot yet inexperienced enough to plausibly allow one of his operatives to uncover the clandestine meeting?” Vettias answered returning the grin.
A vision of Queen Adea looking longingly out her chamber window flashed through my mind’s eye as I realized they were casually speaking of further damning this poor teenager and endangering her position with her malevolent caretakers. The thought of this beautiful girl trapped by circumstances not of her making made me ill. I had sworn discretion in her presence and now we were discussing intentionally making her participation known to our enemies.
“I gave the Queen my word her involvement would be kept discreet,” I blurted out. Polyperchon was puzzled by my concern and Vettias shot me a murderous look.
“Pay no mind to my young apprentice, sir, he still has a soft spot for pretty eyes and fair skin,” Vettias interrupted with an alarming level of disgust in his tone.
“She is a valuable asset, we must …”
“That will be all, Andrikos!” Vettias snapped. “This is for her own good. She’ll never be safe with Orontes in Pella. You just be ready to carry out whatever task is required when commanded to do so.”
Being sufficiently chastened I held my tongue for the remainder of the evening in Polyperchon’s apartment.
“My operative in the palace will make contact – and will be sloppy about it,” Polyperchon continued. “Orontes will likely hear of a meeting between the Queen and a ranking member of Cassander’s opposition. Orontes, of course, won’t know who but hopefully his interest will be sufficiently piqued. As the time of the meeting nears, we will let it out that Vettias is in fact the envoy meeting with the Queen. The mere utterance of your name should provide the crowning bait needed to ensure Orontes personally overseas any designs on your life.”
“Agreed,” Vettias replied. “A meeting in the palace is still too risky, however; it will have to be somewhere in the city. You no doubt know of a secure venue commensurate with a public visit from the Queen; provide us one of your choosing and we will perform reconnaissance on the location and its surroundings on the morrow. Our blow to Cassander’s network, coupled with Orontes’ short time in Pella, should force his own hand – giving us a chance to kill him. We must also ensure the Queen comes to no harm – preferably she will not know anything untoward has transpired.”
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