Kaleefah gave one of her toothy grins. She reached over and pulled Haahleefah against her in a very motherly hug, which the younger one didn’t seem to especially care for. “I have heard that the princess has opened a school.”
I was surprised. “How did you know that?”
Kaleefah stroked her daughter’s head. “I have my ways. I’ve learned to keep an eye on the ongoings of the Xernow’s.”
“Yes, the princess started one, but it’s very small now.” I looked over at Zofie. “And with her like this, things have been put on hold.”
Kaleefah nodded. Haahleefah squirmed, but her mother held her tight. “This one has not dealt with humans outside of our village. It might be useful for her to be educated elsewhere for a while.”
I smiled and nodded. “I’m sure Zofie would be honored.”
The elder released the younger, who immediately stepped back out of hug range.
Kaleefah nodded. “It is time. Are you ready?”
I looked at my party and nodded. The elder turned and made some rapid hand gestures.
I was surprised since it was different than what Oddfrid had done. “I didn’t think hand gestures were needed for myst workings.”
She looked at me over her shoulder and gave one of her wide smiles. “They’re not. But I was always one for theatrics.”
“Oddfrid had us drop through the floor.”
She shrugged. “It is a little bit more myst efficient, but I suspect he does it that way mainly because he likes to scare his guests.”
Suddenly, the air in front of us wavered, and a vertical portal appeared, dark and black, with cold radiating from it. I even could feel a gentle flow of air coming out of it.
“Hurry,” she said. “I can only hold this for a few minutes.”
The crowd of gathered villagers began to shout good-bye in their own language. We waved and stepped through.
As I moved inside, the light left us completely, and I lost all sense of orientation. But it seemed only a short amount of time passed before I stepped out into the light of day. Not nearly as bad as when Oddfrid did it.
The portal snapped shut behind us, and we found ourselves on a large expanse of rock high up on a hill. The air was much drier and cooler than our previous location. I shivered as a chill wind assaulted us. Quite the difference from the tropical heat we had just stepped from.
The sun looked to have moved to early afternoon, which meant we had moved a bit more eastward. However, from the change in temperature, we must have moved much farther north.
From atop the hill, we had a clear view of the valley below us. The terrain was rugged with rocky crags, mostly bare of vegetation. Going down the center of the valley was a wide well-used road. I noticed there were a few carts scattered along it, as well as the occasional cluster of people. In the distance to the east, there were patches of greenery and what looked like a city. That had to be Da’Meigoxi, the west’s entry to the Kuiojia Empire. For just on the other side was one of the few gates through the colossal myst barrier that protected it: The Grand Tapestry.
It was said to be the largest myst barrier ever constructed. So large in fact that it completely encircled the region. Quite the engineering feat that took over seventy-five years to build. Its actual name had long since been banished to the dusty volumes of history. But in recent times, it had simply become known for how it appeared at night—a giant glowing tapestry of color stretching into the distance. I was looking forward to seeing it myself.
The barrier had been put in place shortly after the war with the Dark Avenyts. At that time, the region was made up of twelve separate kingdoms, and they had been hit particularly hard by the war. The kings of the region had united to erect the barrier and prevent any future attacks. Then hundreds of years later, the separate kingdoms had been united rather forcefully into the Kuiojia Empire.
I did have one nagging worry about the gate—no one with a curse was allowed to pass through. That meant Zofie, Cabrina, and I would be prevented from entering. Until recently, I had never understood why. But it made perfect sense once you understood that the Dark Avenyts were actually curses. However, we had been invited, so I had to assume there would be some sort of accommodation made for us.
We found an unused trail leading downward and soon joined those on that dusty road heading toward the city. Having to guide Zofie slowed us down, but as Kaleefah had predicted, we arrived at the gates of the small town late afternoon. We decided to spend the night in the city and tackle The Grand Tapestry in the morning.
Fumiko, in her native language, easily negotiated our entrance toll with the city guards. She had explained before that the fee would be high, but I wasn’t expecting outrageous. It claimed a good chunk of our remaining silver.
The sun reached toward the horizon and cast long shadows down the city streets as we searched for an inn. A merchant standing in line with us had assured us a good one lay close by. I had expected the city to be bustling with end-of-day activity but found it was surprisingly light. Only a few merchant stalls were open, most having already closed, and the ones remaining had questionable merchandise.
I quickly noticed that everyone had one thing in common—they watched us with hungry eyes.
I leaned toward Fumiko. “Why do I feel like we’re being sized up for dinner.”
Fumiko’s expression didn’t change. “Because we are. Although they would more likely consider us just a snack.”
“But with the tapestry gateway located here, I thought there would be a rich trade.”
She shook her head. “At one time, you were right. But things have changed. The city’s tariffs have continually grown over time so that no goods enter. With the high tariffs in the city, most of the real goods never reach here. They instead pass directly through other portals just outside the gateway. It has made for some strange economics.” She sighed. “The situation in the city tends to attract those who don’t mind using their knives to get a morsel or two.”
I glanced around, suddenly uncomfortable.
Under the watchful eyes of the town, we eventually reached the recommended inn. While the innkeeper scowled at us when we entered, the common room was full of laughter and the murmur of conversation. Judging from the gathered crowd, I doubted there would be a room for us. However, the food being served smelled delicious, and my stomach reminded me that my last meal had been over a thousand miles away.
A thin woman, in simple shirt and pants, sat cross-legged in the far corner playing some type of lyre. Her hair was long and loose and concealed her eyes as she played an unfamiliar tune. At least it wasn’t The Cursed Knight. The performer was built nothing like Fumiko, but something about her reminded me of my friend. I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Fumiko approached the innkeeper and began talking with him in her native language. The performer finished her song and carefully set her instrument aside. Fumiko had her back to the performer, so the innkeeper leaned around her to yell something at the woman. Apparently, he wasn’t pleased that she had stopped.
She shouted something in reply and held up her empty mug. He rolled his eyes, clearly frustrated, and turned back to Fumiko to resume their negotiation.
The woman stood, going from sitting cross-legged to standing in one smooth, elegant action. It was a familiar movement. Where had I seen that before?
Carrying her mug, she stepped toward Fumiko and the innkeeper. I glanced down and saw the woman’s feet were bare. Nothing unusual about that. I had seen a lot of barefooted people in the streets. No, the way her feet moved—
My eyes went wide.
A mug suddenly shattered against the far wall and all eyes in the room went in that direction—except for mine and the woman’s. Our gazes locked.
Her eyes were ice cold.
I shoved Fumiko out of the way, stepping up to catch the woman’s descending arm. The dagger her hand now held stopped inches from my chest. Surprise flashed across her face. She reversed and brought up her knee, bu
t I shifted my hips to block. We danced. She tried to break my hold while I doggedly hung on. With a sudden jerk, she won free and launched herself at Fumiko.
Fumiko didn’t even blink. She spun and gave the woman a swift kick to her head. The woman staggered back against one of the tables, knocking it over in the process, before proceeding to collapse to the floor.
The room immediately broke into confusion. The customers that had been sitting at the table jumped up and began yelling at her. The innkeeper nudged us aside, grabbed the woman by the collar, and hauled her out the door. He returned a moment later to retrieve her lyre, but when he bent to pick up her fallen dagger, he found Fumiko’s foot on it. He wisely decided not to argue. With a wary eye on those in the room, she bent to pick it up and tuck it in her belt. It was of the same dark forging as her own blade.
The innkeeper made shooing motions and herded us out the door.
Spraggel sighed. “That was a record even by my standards. They usually don’t kick me out until I’ve had at least one.”
We stepped outside to find the woman sitting on the ground with her back propped up against the inn’s exterior wall. Her nose leaked blood, and there was already a bruise beginning to darken her face. The innkeeper set the instrument beside the woman, before giving both Fumiko and me a last glance and retreating inside.
I was surprised when Fumiko held the dagger, handle first, out to her assailant. The woman looked up at her through her long hair. She took it carefully from Fumiko and made it disappear into her clothing.
“What happened to the others?” Fumiko asked, without a single trace of emotion in her voice.
“Gone. Most dead. A few like me living on scraps and memories,” she answered in thickly accented Ellish. The woman glanced at me and then the rest of our party. Her eyes finally moved back to Fumiko. “It would be better for them if you let me kill you.”
“I will decline the offer.”
“There will be others. They have not forgotten.”
“I will deal with them.”
The woman grabbed her lyre and stood but paused to gaze levelly at Fumiko. “No one can deal with him.”
Fumiko returned the gaze. “If you try again, you will die.”
The woman gave a bitter laugh. “Then you might be doing me a favor.” She turned and walked away.
Fumiko stared into her back as she went down the street. She gave no hint of emotion, but when I glanced to her right hand, she was gripping it so hard it was white.
Fumiko suddenly turned, and we fell in behind her, heading in the opposite direction of the woman.
“What was that all about?” I asked. “You had said there was a bounty for you.”
Fumiko looked at me with sad eyes and shook her head. “No, that one had been for revenge.”
“Revenge for what?”
“I destroyed them,” she stated flatly.
“What?”
But she would say no more. I glanced at her stoic face as we made our way to another inn.
What exactly had she done?
CHAPTER TWENTY
Love and
Death
As I expected, Fumiko approached me as we were preparing to sleep. And honestly, I was dreading it. We had quickly found another inn and decided it best to only get one room, both from a funds perspective and for protection. The room was small and had no bed, so there was not much space for us to spread out our blankets.
Spraggel was snoring within a heartbeat of lying down. I didn’t think he got much sleep the previous night, and combined with our long walk, had completely tired himself out.
We settled Zofie down on her blanket next to me with Fumiko on the other side. Cabrina, who had been silent most of the day, took a spot by the door and agreed to take first watch. Considering the attacker today, we thought it prudent to keep our guard up.
I too was exhausted from our journey, because at least from my reckoning, we had traveled half the world in only three days. I had been hoping for a reprieve, but no such luck.
Fumiko knelt beside my blanket and patiently waited for me to finish with Zofie. I looked up at her with tired eyes and almost asked if we could wait. I had to admit, her method was effective. I was quickly mastering skills that I would never have dreamed of only a few weeks ago. Fumiko and I had spent time practicing just at sunset, and the results were noticeable. But each session took a toll, leaving me feeling a little shaken. Especially the last one. Even though it wasn’t my memory, I could not get out of my mind the battered and bruised face of the girl Fumiko had killed.
As we considered each other, I could tell she was reluctant to share further memories. She was baring her soul to me. I would never again think of her as a mousey girl who liked books and quiet evenings by herself.
“I apologize for this, but we will be in the palace by tomorrow. I need to reinforce some of the skills you’ve received.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
She shuffled around to kneel beside my head. When she touched my temples, her hands were cold, and I could feel a slight tremble.
“Are you all right?” I asked in concern.
Her eyes held sadness. “You wanted to know why I have a price on my head. This memory will explain it.”
I shook my head. “Fumiko, if it’s that painful, you don’t have to....”
She put a gentle finger to my lips. “You need to know. And at the right time, you are free to share this with Zofie. I release you from your earlier promise not to share. It was unfair of me.” She looked away. “I was going to tell both of you anyway. I just hadn’t found the right time. I was afraid you would hate me.”
“Fumiko...”
She ignored my protest, raising her eyes to look into mine. “I was taught to be a killer, so I became good at it. I far exceeded my master’s expectations. I became... death.” She drew a deep breath and lightly brushed a lock of my hair to the side. She smiled sadly. “You remind me of him.”
“Who?”
“My first love.” I felt her myst rising. “Not so much in the way you look. No offense. He was more handsome.” She shook her head. “No, it’s in your personality. Something similar inside each of you. Something that makes people love you.”
“What happened to him?”
Fumiko put her fingers on the side of my head. I could feel her memories drawing me in. “As you would expect... I helped kill him.”
“Killed?” I began to fight the plunge. I sensed this was going to be too painful to bear. But the current of her myst was too strong, and I was sucked deep into them.
With back straight and head held high, I walked stately down the corridor with two heavily armed guards at my back. Today, I carried no weapon, and my face was unmasked—open for all to see. My dress was the magnificent robe of a daughter of the emperor, and I wore rouge on my lips and blush on my cheeks. This was a different costume than I typically wore, but suitable for the role I played today.
Lady Fumiko.
My target was a powerful lord—the second most powerful in the empire. Lord Shengli Luoyangei. His lands were rich, and his people strong. It was said that he could call out thousands of loyal fighters at a moment’s notice. He was young too, having recently inherited his position. But it was already clear he was a shrewd and competent leader. One that had pointed out the corruption in the empire. But as most found out, it was not wise to make ripples among the nobles.
One attempt had previously been made on my target’s life, but it had failed miserably. The assassin had nearly been caught and had been forced to resort to the poison we all carried.
But this time my role was not to kill, but to gather intelligence. I was to visit as the emperor’s daughter on the pretext of becoming one of his wives. Were it to happen in reality, I would be reaching far above my station. Since I was the product of a disgraced concubine, and so far down the line, my pedigree was practically useless, this would be seen as a desperate move by my family. However, it would be just enough to
open a door.
As I walked down the hall, my eyes noticed the guards’ position, accessible windows, and potential shadows. I drew a map in my mind of each of these. I could see why the previous attempt had failed. It would be extremely difficult for someone to slip inside without being detected. The manor’s walls were thick, and every entrance was heavily guarded. I had already spotted several strategically placed myst alarms and far-eyes. No, getting in this way with an army, little alone a single assassin, was nearly impossible.
We stopped in front of an unmarked door. Two additional guards were stationed on either side of it. They fingered their swords as they eyed me. I ignored them, pretending to be the princess and utterly unaware of how they assessed my potential threat. But as they observed me, I did likewise, noting their armor, their polished swords, and the way they stood. Both were well equipped and appeared highly trained.
A grizzled man in his mid-years opened the door. He gave me an appraising look and then frowned as if disappointed. He sighed and opened the door further, allowing both myself and my guards to enter.
I expected this to be a small dining room or perhaps lounge, but I was surprised to find the large room empty except for a single writing desk to one side. There were no windows, nor draperies, and the floor was polished marble. A picture of the previous lord and another of a woman I didn’t recognize were the only decorations on the walls. The room made me feel lonely.
The chamber’s only other occupant, a young man, sat at the desk with a stack of papers, writing brush and inkwell. It was devoid of anything else, except for a small board game in the far corner—Waring Generals—with the pieces already set for their next game. The young man was deep in concentration on the paper he was reading and didn’t appear to notice us as we entered the room. What was odd was he had somehow managed to scrunch up his face to hold his writing brush between his upper lip and nose. He looked quite comical.
The young man didn’t even glance our way until the grizzly one cleared his throat.
The young man’s eyes jerked in our direction, and then he immediately grabbed for the brush, yet missed. In his haste, he sent it flying... toward me. I reacted without even thinking and caught the wayward brush between two fingers, saving my dress from the threatening ink stains.
Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) Page 27
