The Assassin

by Trudie Collins

  While the men had been searching for the missing dwarf, a fire had been laid and was blazing away. Nosmas placed Grimmel beside it and instructed Ellen and River to remove his wet clothes. Sam grabbed a blanket and Brin’s bag and took him into the trees so she could strip him in private. Tor was about to start removing his own wet things when he noticed the way Ria was looking at him and decided that Sam and Brin had the right idea about not undressing in public.

  Once all three were in dry clothes once more, they were placed by the fire with blankets over them. Ellen ordered Brin and Tor to remain there until they had warmed up. Coffee had been made, which they sipped gratefully.

  “We need to start being more careful,” Tor said. “If the assassin was able to put Nosmas and Quartilla to sleep by darting them then he could easily poison us the same way.”

  “I have been thinking about that,” Dal said, “and I am not sure you are correct. If he had been able to kill any of us, why did he not do so?”

  “My wife may be right,” Seth agreed. “But we cannot be certain. I am beginning to think we will be better off staying in inns as much as possible instead of out in the open.”

  There were nods and mumbles of agreement and Tor reluctantly accepted that Seth’s suggestion was a sensible one.

  Nobody was in the mood for going back to sleep, but they would need to get some rest if they were to travel all through the night, so Nosmas and Quartilla volunteered to be on guard once more while everyone else got some sleep. Grimmel was left by the fire instead of being put back in the wagon, with River hugging him tight.

  The day passed uneventfully and they were back on the road before the sun began to set. When Hawk awoke, he was told about what had happened and he decided to start searching for the assassin once more. They knew he had not been alone when Grimmel had been taken and if he was still with his travelling companion, it would be easier to find him.

  While Tor and his group had been sleeping, Isma and her brother had continued to travel. They rode until they came to a village with an inn and decided to take rooms. The road led directly through the settlement, so Tor could not avoid it. This meant that they could both get some badly needed sleep then question the locals when they awoke as to whether Tor and his companions had passed through.

  They were sure that they had succeeded in drowning Grimmel, so the assassin treated his sister to a decent meal and a bottle of wine to celebrate. While they ate, they discussed who their next victim should be. Nosmas and Ellen were both ruled out; due to their magical abilities, Nizari wished to leave them till last. Quartilla was also not a good choice, as she was rarely out of Nosmas’s sight.

  “Go for Tor first,” Isma suggested. “It may be easier to pick off the others once they have lost their leader.”

  “I had already considered that,” her brother said, then he smiled at her. “I am beginning to think you are not just a pretty face after all.” It was a compliment and she took it as one.

  “But how do we kill him?” she asked.

  “That,” he replied, “is the question.”

  The rest of the meal was eaten in silence as both ran through possibilities in their heads. Eventually Nizari spoke. “I think I am trying to be too clever. Maybe the simple approach will work better.”

  “Like?” Isma asked.

  Her brother grinned. “Like hiring a common thug who knows how to use a bow. We simply provide a description of the group and instruct him to kill whichever one he wishes. As long as they all die, the order does not really matter. It will be inelegant, but effective.”

  “I thought you said the deaths had to look like accidents or natural causes,” Isma put in.

  “That was to prevent the others getting suspicious. They already know I am after them so it does not matter anymore. Besides, if I am not mistaken, the perfect candidate lives not far from here.”

  “Miniten,” Isma said, remembering her brother’s childhood friend.

  The assassin nodded his head. “Come on. We should get some sleep and head out to his village in the morning.”

  While they slept, Tor and the others rode through the village, continuing along the road until the next morning. Even though it was dark, some of the villagers spotted them and confirmed their passing when questioned by Nizari. Miniten lived in the next village and Nizari was pleased to hear that Tor had decided not to stop there, but to continue on for a few more hours. For some unexplained reason, he did not want his intended victims nearby when he discussed their murder with his old friend.

  Miniten was at home when Isma and her brother arrived at his house and greeted them warmly. Miniten was a blacksmith by trade and had the physique typical of those in his line of work. He was tall and stocky with tanned skin and rough hands. It had been a few years since Nizari had last seen him and streaks of grey had invaded his thick bushy hair. Isma had not seen him since he had left their home village to become an apprentice and she could still see in him the cheeky young man who was always trying to get his hands up her skirt.

  “How are the wife and family?” Isma asked conversationally. Though she and Miniten had not kept in touch after he left, her brother gave her regular updates so she was aware that he had married his master’s daughter and had three young sons.

  Miniten grunted. “She ran off with the son of a Baron, taking the kids with her. Bloody nobility think they own the likes of us.”

  Nizari smiled. “Miniten, my friend,” he said, slapping the big man on the back. “I have a proposition for you that I think you are going to love.”

  It did not take long to convince the blacksmith to help out. He even refused to accept Nizari’s offer of payment. As soon as Nizari mentioned that the party contained a Lord and two Princes, he was hooked.

  While being nowhere near as skilful with a bow as either Brin or Patrick, Miniten was still very good and practiced regularly, though never on humans. He retrieved his bow from where it was stored under his bed and demonstrated to a doubting Isma by throwing an apple into the air and piercing it with an arrow.

  “Not bad,” she said. “But can you do as well in the dark?”

  Miniten shrugged. “If I have as many targets as you claim, I do not really need to, do I?” He turned to Nizari. “When do we leave?”

  “As soon as you are ready. They are travelling by night and sleeping by day. They passed through your village so I am presuming they stopped at the next one, whatever it is called. We need to get ahead of them so we can find the best place to lay an ambush.”

  Tor and his company were indeed in the next village and by the time they arose towards the end of the day, Nizari, Isma and Miniten had overtaken them once again. Supplies were running low, but Tor planned to continue travelling until they reached the next city, so they decided to delay making any purchases until then.

  Before heading off, Nosmas inspected Grimmel once more, announcing that there was no sign of any deterioration in his condition. River was concerned that he was not getting any sustenance while he was unconscious, but the wizard assured her that his body was in a state where it needed neither food nor water, at least until he was brought out of his coma.

  Once more, Seth was driving the wagon with his wife by his side. As soon as darkness descended, Hawk appeared and announced he would find some fresh meat for them all.

  Miniten had chosen a group of trees by the side of the road in which to hide. The road curved around them, giving him the opportunity to see who was approaching in plenty of time for him to select a target and take aim. The moon was full in the cloudless sky, providing enough light for him to make out features.

  When he heard a group of people approaching, he studied them carefully. Nizari had described those he wanted dead accurately enough for the blacksmith to recognise who they were. He was debating which would make the easiest target when his eyes fell upon Ria. He could not see her face clearly, but her general build, the way she tied her hair back and her posture while riding reminded him so much of his wife th
at his mind was made up. He knew who he would kill first.

  Once they were in his direct line of sight, he pulled back his bow string and fired.

  “Arrow,” Brin called out as soon as he heard the familiar whistling. He leapt from his horse towards Sam, pushing her off Thresnine’s back and onto the ground. She landed hard and was winded, but at least she was no longer an easy target.

  Others also jumped from their horses as Seth dived on Dal, using his body as a shield for hers. River did the same for Grimmel.

  Having just returned from his hunting trip, Hawk heard Brin’s warning and dived at Ria, plucking her from her horse’s back just as the arrow struck. It sunk deep into flesh, but had not hit its intended target. Hawk managed to land without dropping Ria, then collapsed onto the ground beside her, the arrow sticking out of his side.

  “Ellen,” Ria cried out. “Get over here. Hawk has been hit.”

  Patrick was pinning Ellen to the ground and refused to let her get up. “He could shoot again,” he warned.

  Tor was close to Brin and Sam. “Where did it come from?” he asked the elf, who pointed to the group of trees in which Miniten was hiding. “Can you get behind him without being seen?”

  Brin nodded and rolled off Sam. “Stay down,” he instructed and moved off into the darkness. Tor slid his body along the ground, staying as low as possible, until he was next to Nosmas.

  “The assassin is in that group of trees,” he informed him, pointing to the same area that Brin had indicated. Nosmas nodded his understanding and was about to move forward when another arrow flew through the air, landing close by.

  “That was close,” he said.

  “Brin is circling behind him,” Tor said. “We go on my signal. Are you ready?”

  “Wait,” Nosmas said. “I have a better idea. Take Patrick with you, but signal before you start your move. I have a spell that may be to our advantage.”

  Another arrow struck the ground as Tor made his way over to Patrick. He said the same thing he had said to Nosmas and Patrick agreed. They both glanced over towards Ria. Despite his injury, Hawk had lain himself on top of her and she was too worried about hurting him further to push him off.

  “On the count of three,” Tor said, holding his fingers up so that Nosmas could see them. “One. Two. Three.”

  As soon as Tor spoke the last word, Nosmas incanted a spell and the area around Miniten lit up, not only revealing his presence, but completely unnerving him. As Tor and Patrick charged at him, Brin grabbed him from behind, making the man scream in fright.

  The two men and the elf soon had him on the ground with his hands tied behind his back and Brin called out that it was safe to stand once more.

  Ellen, Seth and Dal rushed over to where Hawk was still laying on Ria. “Ease him off gently,” the witch instructed and Seth helped the vampire roll onto his back.

  Ria sat up, took hold of Hawk’s hand and squeezed it. “You risked your life to save mine,” she said.

  He tried to smile at her, but the pain was too great. Since becoming a vampire he had never been seriously injured and had forgotten what pain felt like. Strangely it made him feel more alive than he had in years.

  “Do not be over dramatic,” he said through clenched teeth. “I cannot be killed by an arrow.”

  “We need to remove it,” Ellen told him. “This is going to hurt.”

  “Allow me,” Brin volunteered as he approached with Patrick and Tor. “I have had a lot of experience removing arrows.”

  “Try to do a better job than you did with me,” Sam requested, remembering how she had almost died.

  “Thank you for that,” Brin replied dryly. Tor, Nosmas, Seth and Patrick held Hawk down as the elf took hold of the arrow. Hawk closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, then nodded his head.

  The pain that flowed through his body was more intense than anything he remembered feeling before, but somehow he managed not to cry out. The expected spurt of blood did not appear. Sam was not the only one staring down at the vampire in confusion.

  “No heart beat means no blood flow,” Ellen explained.

  “Get me to my coffin,” Hawk gasped. “I will be fully recovered when I wake up tomorrow night. I hope,” he added.

  Ria let go of Hawk’s hand and Nosmas gently picked up the wounded vampire and carried him to the wagon, placing him in his coffin and closing the lid.

  “Will he really be alright?” Ria asked Ellen, who shook her head.

  “I have absolutely no idea.”

  Hawk had been carrying the bodies of half a dozen rabbits when he had heard Brin call out his warning and had dropped them on the floor in his bid to save Ria. They were retrieved and thrown into the back of the wagon; Seth would take care of them next time they stopped for a meal.

  Once Ellen had checked everyone over for any minor injuries, Nosmas pointed to where Miniten was still trussed up on the ground. “What should we do with him?” he asked Tor.

  “Throw him in the back of the wagon,” he instructed. “We will hand him in to the authorities when we reach the city.”

  “Who are you?” Patrick asked the man as Nosmas roughly dragged him to his feet. Miniten grunted in reply. Brin picked up the man’s discarded bow and was about to break it in two when he called out.

  “No, please. Do not break it. It was my father’s.”

  Brin paused. “Answer my friend’s questions and I will do as you ask.”

  Miniten told them everything; who he was, how he knew the assassin and the proposition that had been made to him. True to his word, Brin safely placed the bow in the wagon, though he explained to the prisoner that he doubted the authorities would be so understanding.

  Nizari and Isma watched from behind a clump of bushes on the other side of the road.

  “What are you going to do?” Isma asked her brother when they overheard Tor saying that Miniten would be handed in once they reached the city. “How are we going to rescue him?”

  “We are not,” Nizari said unemotionally. “Miniten is expendable. He was useful to me for a while, but failed in his mission. He is on his own. Come on. If we leave now and ride hard, we should reach the city before they do.”

  The siblings arrived at their destination before daybreak and took rooms in an inn in the city centre. Both were tired, but did not want to miss seeing their quarry arrive, so they drank some coffee to keep themselves awake, then left the inn once more, heading towards the entrance to the city that they knew Tor would be using.

  Isma was walking down the street, her brother by her side, when he suddenly grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her into an alleyway.

  “What was that for?” she complained, rubbing her arm where a bruise was beginning to appear. Nizari did not reply, but put his finger to his lips and silently pointed to the street they had just left.

  Isma watched Tor and the others ride by and stop at the first inn they came to. Miniten was no longer with them so he must have been handed over to the guards on duty at the city gates. Isma and her brother both observed Nosmas carefully lift Grimmel out of the wagon and carry him inside.

  “Why are they still carrying the dead dwarf round with them?” she asked once everyone was inside the inn.

  “I must have failed,” Nizari reluctantly admitted. “Somehow the dwarf must have survived, though I have no idea how. That water sprite is being too attentive for him to be dead.”

  “So what do we do now?” Isma asked.

  “We watch and wait for a new opportunity to arise.”

  It had been a long night and everyone was exhausted. They had continued travelling later into the day than was ideal, but Tor had wanted to push ahead to the city rather than camp by the roadside. Nobody bothered with bathing, deciding to head straight to their rooms instead.

  “Are you coming to bed?” Ellen asked, smiling shyly at Patrick. Despite her tiredness, it was not sleep she had on her mind.

  He looked at her for a moment, tempted to join her under the covers, but then shook
his head. There was something he wanted to buy and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. “There is something I need to do first,” he told her. “I will not be long.” He kissed her goodbye and left the room before she could persuade him to change his mind.

  Before leaving the inn, he spoke with the inn-keeper and obtained directions to the shop he needed to go to. It was at the other end of the town so he took his horse, not wishing to be gone long.

  Isma, who had been watching the inn, called her brother over as soon as she spied Patrick leave the building alone.

  “Stay here,” he instructed as he went to his horse, which was concealed behind a wall, and followed Patrick at a discreet distance. Patrick never looked behind him so was not aware that he was being tailed.

  Nizari watched Patrick enter the tailor’s shop and smiled to himself. He did not wait for him to come out again, but instead returned to his sister. “I have an idea,” he told her as soon as he arrived. “With your help, Patrick will soon no longer be in the land of the living.”

  Chapter 17

  “Is it ready?” Patrick asked as he walked up to the tailor a few hours later. The man nodded and went into the back of his shop. While he waited, Patrick glanced at some of the shirts on display and did not notice the door opening.

  “Hello Patrick,” a familiar voice said.

  Tensing, he turned around to face Isma. “What do you want?” he asked coldly.

  “Now that is not very friendly,” she replied, smiling at him. He scowled at her. “I am here to give you a message, nothing more.”

  “Then say it and get out,” he spat at her.

  “It is my brother who has been tracking you down and will eventually kill you,” she informed him.

  Patrick had suspected there was more to her attempted seduction of him and now he knew he was right. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked suspiciously.

  Her laugh was soft and light. “So you will believe me when I tell you he has that woman you are so besotted with and will kill her. Unless you are willing to forfeit your life for hers, that is.”