The Assassin

by Trudie Collins

  “Why did you walk off like that?” he asked, lifting his head to look at her. “I thought you believed her.”

  “I was not in the mood for a public scene,” she explained. “I knew you would come after me and I would much rather talk to you in private.” She sat on the bed beside him and took his hand in hers.

  “I love you so much,” he told her. “Will you marry me?”

  “We are already engaged,” she reminded him, holding up her other hand and showing him her ring.

  “No, I mean now. Right this minute. Nosmas can perform the ceremony.”

  Ellen took his face in her hands. He looked terrible. His skin was much paler than usual and his eyes were red. “You are an idiot,” she told him softly. “Being your wife will not change how I feel about you. I know you are never going to cheat on me, so please stop worrying. It will take a lot more than the word of some floozy to make me even think you have been unfaithful.”

  He put his hands over hers, removed them from his face and placed them by her sides. The he took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. “Are you in a hurry to get out of here?” he asked. She shook her head. “Good ,” he said and began to undress her.

  “I am going to kill him,” Tor said angrily.

  “What? You actually believe what that little tramp is claiming?” Sam asked, outraged that Patrick’s friends could think so little of him. “Besides,” she added. “He didn’t have enough time.”

  “How long does it take?” Quartilla asked.

  “Knowing Patrick, a long time. I get the impression he is not the wham bam thank you ma’am kind of guy.” She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, knowing that nobody would know the expression, but they managed to work out what it meant well enough to forego the need to question her.

  “Also, Patrick is not stupid,” Brin stated. “He would not throw away what he has with Ellen just for a quick roll in the hay with a pretty face. He could have almost any woman he wanted, why would he waste himself on the likes of her?” He gestured to where Isma was still sitting on the floor.

  “I beg your pardon,” she said indignantly as she stood up.

  Tor ignored her. “You may be right,” he agreed. “Maybe I am adding two and two together and making five. I will withhold my judgement until I have heard what he has to say for himself.”

  Sam looked at the others, silently asking if they would do the same. They all nodded their heads as her gaze fell on them.

  “I do not have to stay here and be insulted,” Isma said and walked off angrily. She had been expecting at least one of the men to defend her from the accusations being thrown her way and was deeply offended that, not only had none of them done so, they had all ignored her.

  She returned to her house to find her brother waiting for her. “How did it go?” he asked, eager to hear the news.

  “Patrick’s girlfriend appears to believe he slept with me, so do not be surprised if one of them leaves the group to continue travelling on their own,” she informed him.

  “Good,” he told her. “They will probably be departing shortly. I intend to leave first and find somewhere to hide close to the road so I can see who is no longer with them. Will you be joining me?”

  “I would not miss this for the world,” she replied and headed to her bedroom to pack a bag and change clothes.

  Nizari and Isma left the village unnoticed as Tor and his group waited in the taproom of the inn for Patrick and Ellen to return.

  “They have been gone a long while,” Ria observed. “Is that a good or a bad sign do you think?”

  “We need to head off soon,” Seth said.

  Nosmas grunted his agreement. “Someone should go and see what is happening.” He looked meaningfully at Tor.

  “Forget it,” he told the wizard. “I am not going to get involved with that domestic dispute. If they are not down here and ready to go in ten minutes, we are leaving without them.”

  “I will go and warn River,” Sam volunteered. She left the room, pausing outside Patrick and Ellen’s door on her way to River’s room. She put her ear against the wood and listened carefully.

  Nosmas had followed her, intending to carry Grimmel to the wagon. “Can you hear what is going on inside?” he asked when she stood back.

  Sam nodded. “From the sounds of things, they are going to be a while yet,” she told him.

  “Still arguing?”

  “Not exactly,” Sam replied, but refused to say any more.

  Once River and Grimmel were settled in the wagon, Nosmas and Sam returned to the taproom. “Get your things,” Tor said to the assembled group when he saw them enter. “We are leaving.” The tables emptied, leaving Sam and Tor alone. “Any idea if they are still fighting?” he asked her.

  “I definitely heard some yelling,” she told him, smirking. “But not the kind you mean.”

  “Then what,” he started to say, stopping himself when he worked out what she meant. “Oh. I guess they worked things out then. Knock on their door as you go past and yell to them they have two minutes to get dressed and down to the wagon.”

  Patrick and Ellen were late, but only a little. They were holding hands when they entered the inn’s courtyard where their horses were waiting for them. Nobody commented, though the look on Seth’s face demonstrated that it was only a threat from his wife that prevented him from doing so.

  Nizari and Isma watched them ride by from their hiding place behind some bushes on the road leading out of the village. “I thought you said you had split them up,” Nizari said angrily to Isma when he noticed how close together Patrick and Ellen were riding.

  Isma did not reply, but glared at the pair until they were out of sight.

  Tor and his party continued heading northwards, with the assassin and his sister trailing them. Somehow, they managed to keep out of sight. The days passed and frustration started to set in as Nizari could think of no new plans to kill one of his targets and no opportunities presented themselves.

  “Why not go after the dwarf?” Isma suggested one evening, as they were preparing to start their journey once more. Tor and the others had left a while ago so if they did not start moving soon they would get too far ahead. Not that it mattered. They had been sticking to the main road and Nizari did not foresee them deviating from it any time soon.

  “He is the most vulnerable after all,” she continued.

  It was an intelligent suggestion and it gave him something to think about while they rode. By the time they stopped once more, an idea had formed in his mind. While Isma set about cooking, Nizari started looking through the rushes that grew by the riverbank, beside which they had stopped. Finding one he liked, he cut off a length with his knife, followed by a second, then headed into the nearby forest.

  He returned a short while later and showed Isma what he planned to do. Using needles from a particularly spiky bush and a few other things he had found in the forest, he fashioned some darts, which were the perfect fit for the hollow lengths he had cut from the rushes. He held one up to his mouth and blew hard. The dart flew out of the end and embedded itself in a tree.

  “Impressive,” Isma said. “But they will not do much damage.”

  “They will once I have dipped them in this,” he said, taking a bottle from his bag.

  “What is it?” she asked. “Poison?”

  Nizari shook his head. “No, it is a very powerful sleeping drug. I plan to knock out whoever is on guard when they next go to sleep, then kidnap the dwarf. By the time anyone realises he is missing, he will be dead.”

  “Why not just kill them all with poisoned darts while they sleep?” Isma asked. “That way your mission will soon be accomplished.”

  “Three reasons,” her brother told her, holding up three fingers. “First, I do not actually have any poison strong enough on me.” He bent down one finger. “Second, I will need to be relatively close to them as the blowpipes do not have much range. I do not think I will be able to kill them all without at
least one of them waking up and I do not want to be near enough to be captured when they do.” He bent down another finger.

  “And the third reason?” Isma enquired.

  “The third reason,” he continued, pointing the last remaining finger at her, “is the most important. I want them to know they are dying and that there is nothing they can do about it. I want them to see who is killing them and I want them to suffer. They are not going to get away with dying peacefully in their sleep.”

  The sun was high in the sky by the time Tor announced they would be stopping. They were still following the road that ran next to a forest, so the assassin and his sister travelled among the trees, keeping far enough behind that they would not be heard. As he had no idea if the assassin was ahead or behind, Hawk had stopped trying to find him, so they no longer had to keep themselves so well hidden, making following their quarry much easier.

  Bushes were growing not far from where Tor had decided to make camp, making an ideal place for Isma and her brother to rest. It was far enough away that any sound they made would not be heard by those in the camp, while still being close enough that Nizari would not have to travel far to get within the blowpipe’s range.

  Brin and Sam volunteered to take first watch, much to Nizari’s annoyance. He wanted to kill Grimmel and be on his way as soon as possible, but he did not dare to use his blowpipe on Brin. An elf’s hearing was much more acute than a human’s and he could not be sure whether Brin would be able to hear the dart before it reached him.

  Isma lay down to get some sleep, instructing her brother to wake her when he was ready. It would be a few hours before others took over the watch and it was pointless both of them staying awake.

  It was Nosmas and Quartilla that relieved Sam and Brin, which also did not make Nizari happy. While he knew Quartilla would not be paying close attention, the wizard seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and would not make an easy target unless he was distracted.

  He could not believe his luck when Quartilla did just that. Once she was sure everyone else was asleep, she climbed into Nosmas’s lap and kissed him. From where he was hiding, Nizari could not make out what was being said, but it looked like the girl wanted to get a lot more friendly than the wizard did. He watched as Nosmas removed her arms from around his neck and spoke to her sternly. Ignoring whatever he said, she kissed him once more and this time he kissed her back.

  Nizari gently woke his sister, placing his fingers to his lips as soon as her eyes were open so that she would not make any noise. He removed the stopper from the bottle he had placed beside the darts he had made and carefully dipped them in one at a time before inserting two of them into the blowpipes.

  When he returned to his vantage point, Nosmas and Quartilla were still kissing instead of watching the road. He picked up one of the pipes, pointed it at Nosmas and blew hard.

  His aim was perfect and the dart hit the wizard in the neck. Feeling the sting, Nosmas instinctively raised his hand to the injured area, but fell backwards before his fingers reached the dart.

  Knowing the potion was fast acting, Nizari had already picked up the second blowpipe and hit Quartilla before she could cry out.

  Isma watched, impressed with her brother’s skill. “It will not knock them out for very long,” he whispered to her, “so we have to move fast.” He poured some of the remaining liquid he had dipped the darts in onto a cloth and handed it to her. “Put this over the water sprite’s face and it will make sure she does not wake up while I grab the dwarf.” She nodded her understanding and they both crept out from their hiding place and ran to the wagon.

  It made no noise as Isma climbed onto the back and held the cloth over River’s nose and mouth. She struggled for a moment, then her breathing became slower and deeper, indicating she was now unconscious rather than asleep.

  As soon as Isma signalled that River would not wake, Nizari took hold of Grimmel and carried him from the wagon, closely followed by his sister.

  Nobody stirred as the two walked out of the campsite, Nizari cradling Grimmel in his arms like a child. There was a river close by and they followed it for a while until they were sure the splash would not wake those who were sleeping. Then the assassin threw his victim into the water, where he floated, face down.

  They then ran back to where they had left their horses, grabbed their bags and put as much distance between themselves and Tor’s group as they could. Nosmas and Quartilla would be waking up shortly and they wanted to be nowhere in sight when they did.

  Nosmas was the first to stir. Seeing Quartilla slumped over beside him, he looked around, but nothing seemed to be amiss. He shook her gently and she woke up, yawning and stretching.

  “Did I fall asleep?” she asked.

  “We both did,” Nosmas informed her. Then he noticed the dart sticking out of her neck. He pulled it out, making her squeal as he did so.

  “What is that?” she asked as she rubbed her neck.

  He was too engrossed with examining the object that he did not hear her question. He put it up to his nose and sniffed it. “Go and get Ellen,” he instructed.

  Quartilla stood up to do as instructed and her eyes fell on Nosmas. “You have one too,” she pointed out and his hand flew to his neck. His fingers brushed against the dart, making it sting. He gripped it between his fingers and pulled. It smelled the same as the first one.

  Somehow Quartilla managed to rouse Ellen without waking Patrick and told her that Nosmas needed her.

  “Smell this,” the wizard said as he handed one of the darts to her.

  “It is enix,” she told him, recognising the potent aroma. “The most powerful sleeping potion I know. Where did you get this?”

  “From out of my neck. I think we may want to wake everyone up.”

  Once everyone was awake, Nosmas explained what had happened. “But why would the assassin put Quartilla and Nosmas to sleep instead of killing them?” Ria asked.

  “Obviously neither of us were the intended target,” he said.

  “So who was?” Dal asked, looking around. “None of us have been harmed.”

  “That we know of,” Patrick pointed out. “I suggest we check ourselves over thoroughly. Who knows what may have been injected into us.”

  “Ourselves he said,” Tor snapped at Seth when he saw the grin on the young man’s face.

  Seth was about to tell the Prince that he had no idea what he was talking about, when a scream filled the campsite.

  “River,” Ellen exclaimed and jumped to her feet.

  They all ran to the wagon and found the sprite in tears. “Grimmel has gone,” she cried. “How could he have woken up and climbed out of the wagon without me knowing?”

  Sam spotted a piece of cloth on the wagon floor beside where River had been laying and picked it up. She sniffed it then handed it to Ellen, who confirmed that it had been soaked in the same potion that the darts had been dipped in.

  “You were knocked unconscious,” Ellen explained to the trembling sprite. “You would not have heard a thing.”

  Realising what this meant, River looked at Ellen, her eyes filled with panic. “So where is Grimmel?” she asked. Nobody answered.

  Brin had been searching the ground around the wagon and called out when he spotted footprints. “They lead towards the river,” he announced, “and there are two sets.”

  “Grimmel was walking?” Quartilla asked in amazement, but Brin shook his head.

  “No. One set is that of a man and I think the second set was made by a woman.”

  “Patrick, Ria, will you stay here and guard the women?” Tor asked. He did not wait for an answer before turning to where Nosmas and Seth were standing. “Nosmas, Seth, come with us.”

  Brin looked at River, who was being comforted by Ellen. “We will find him, I promise.” He had no doubt that he was telling the truth, he just didn’t know whether the dwarf would be alive or dead when they did.

  Brin led the three men to the river, then headed downstream. T
he trail was not easy to make out, but the small signs like broken grass or squashed weeds were enough for him to follow.

  A short while later, Seth called out. “Over there,” he said, pointing at the far bank of the river. Initially he had thought a bundle of cloth had caught on some rocks, but when he looked again he realised it was Grimmel.

  “Shit,” Brin said as he pulled his boots off, dropped his bow and quiver on the ground then dived into the water. Tor was close behind him. They arrived at the same time and rolled Grimmel over onto his back. Brin pulled his body off the rocks and Tor looped his arm around it so he could pull it with him as he swam back.

  With the help of Seth and Nosmas, Grimmel was pulled out of the water and laid on the ground. Seth leaned over him, placing his head on the dwarf’s chest as he listened for any sign of breathing or a heartbeat. He could detect none.

  His face was distraught when he looked up at Tor. “I think he is dead.”

  Chapter 16

  Nosmas gently pulled Seth away so he could check Grimmel himself. He seemed to take forever as he looked for signs of life, but when he eventually raised his head he was smiling. “He is still alive,” he announced.

  “But how?” Seth asked. “He must have been face down in the water for far too long to have survived.”

  “I will explain later,” the wizard said. “Right now we need to get him back to the campsite and into some dry clothes.”

  Nosmas picked up Grimmel’s body and walked back to where the others were waiting. Everyone looked up when they came into sight. As soon as River spotted Grimmel’s wet clothes, she screamed and ran towards him.

  “It is not as bad as it looks,” Nosmas assured her. “He is alive. We found him face down in the water, but the coma I have put him in has slowed down all of his bodily functions to such a degree that it did not have any adverse effect on him.”

  “The assassin wanted him to drown,” Ria observed and Tor nodded his head.

  “We came to the same conclusion.”