The Assassin

by Trudie Collins

  Nobody spoke, unsure of what to say. Ria continued. “I would appreciate it if you kept this information to yourselves. I am not sure why, but I do not want anyone else to know.”

  The ladies finished bathing and returned to their rooms to pack their bags and change into clothes more appropriate for riding in. Nosmas was in the room when Quartilla entered it. Without saying a word she walked up to him and he took her in his arms. “I am sorry,” she said so quietly he had to strain to hear her. “I cannot guarantee that I will not attempt to seduce you again, but I will try not to.”

  “That is all I can ask,” he said with relief and kissed the top of her head.

  Darkness had descended by the time everyone was ready to leave. Hawk had arisen and Grimmel was safely bundled up in the back of the wagon with River beside him. Helen and Alate were there to see them off. While everyone had been sleeping, Nizari’s body had been handed over to the guild. They were not happy that he was dead, but, as he used to be one of them, they agreed to let him be buried in their graveyard.

  “Time to go,” Tor called out when Helen and Alate had re-entered the palace. “Next stop Thauma.”

  Chapter 21

  “Why are you so tired?” Ellen asked Ria when she saw her yawning yet again.

  “I did not get much sleep,” she confessed. “Somehow Pennon got to hear about the assassin so he whisked me away to his home in the mountain, insisting it was the only place I would be safe.”

  “You lied to us,” Ellen accused her, shocked that she would do such a thing.

  “Of course I did not lie. Pennon was the perfect gentleman. He kept me busy by showing me around the mountain, that is all.”

  “A likely story,” Ellen said, though she did not believe her own comment. If Ria had been up to anything more, she would have said so. Probably in great detail.

  “He almost did not bring me back,” Ria continued. “I had to promise him that I would give serious thought to returning to him when I was ready to settle down before he would agree to fly me back.”

  “He will be in for a long wait then,” Ellen observed.

  They rode in silence for a while until the peaceful night air was broken by River calling out.

  “Nosmas,” she screamed. “I think Grimmel is waking up.”

  Seth instructed the horse which was pulling the wagon to stop and Nosmas leaped from his horse into the back. The way Grimmel was twitching did indeed indicate that the dwarf was shaking off the spell.

  “What will happen if he does wake up?” River asked in a scared voice.

  “There is nothing to worry about,” the wizard assured her. “In a way, the spell has suspended Grimmel’s life, thus stopping the growth of the eggs inside his head. Should he wake up, everything will simply return to normal. The eggs will begin to grow once more, but as long as I reapply the spell before any length of time passes, he will be fine.”

  “Can you not put him back to sleep now?” River begged. She was afraid that he would be in a great deal of pain if he awoke and did not want him to go through that if it could be avoided.

  Nosmas glanced at Ellen, who nodded her agreement. He placed his hands on the dwarf’s head and repeated the words of the spell. As soon as Nosmas fell silent, Grimmel stopped moving and became almost corpse-like once more.

  “Get some sleep,” Ellen told River. “You look exhausted.”

  River shook her head. “Not yet. Not until I am sure he will not wake up again.”

  A few days later, just as the sun was beginning to rise, they rode into a village. They were getting close to the border and Tor decided they all deserved to sleep in a comfortable bed before entering the land of the wizards, so he announced they would take rooms at the inn.

  As Seth and Dal drove the wagon around the back to the stables, the others dismounted and instructed their horses to follow the wagon.

  “Tor,” a familiar voice called out in surprise as the Prince entered the inn. He turned around and found himself facing his cousin’s son.

  “Dallan,” he said, equally surprised. “What are you doing here?”

  Dallan, Dal’s twin brother, was the spitting image of her, except for the long hair. When seen together, it was easy to understand how she had managed to masquerade as him for so long.

  “My friend Broderick here needed to visit some distant relatives and I agreed to accompany him,” the young man said, then introduced his friend to the Prince. Though Dallan had met most of the others, he did not know them well, so he left the rest of the introductions to Tor.

  “Where is my sister?” Dallan asked once Tor had finished.

  “She and Seth are seeing to the horses,” he replied. Nobody noticed the sour look that crossed Broderick’s face at the mention of Seth’s name.

  Tor organised rooms then joined Dallan and Broderick for a drink. As it was morning, they were drinking coffee, but Tor opted for ale. Everyone else decided to forego the drink and went straight to bed.

  Dal was delighted to see her brother and threw herself into his arms. “I hope you are taking care of her,” Dallan said to Seth as he shook his hand.

  “Of course,” he replied. He decided not to mention the fact that they had been hunted by an assassin and had recently discovered that someone with magical abilities now wanted them dead; somehow he didn’t think that Dallan would take the news very well.

  “Seth, this is my good friend Broderick,” Dallan said, indicating the young man sitting next to him. “Broderick, meet my brother-in-law.” Broderick did not look happy when he shook Seth’s hand.

  “Broderick,” Seth said. “Why does that name ring a bell?” He glanced at his wife and saw her face redden. “Oh, you must be that Broderick,” he said, putting two and two together.

  Tor, too, worked out where he had heard the name before and tried not to smile. He wanted to stay and watch how Seth handled conversing with the man who had taken his wife’s virginity, but it had been a long night and he was tired, so he bid them all a good morning and retired to his bed.

  Dallan persuaded his sister and Seth to stay for a drink and the four young people made general conversation while waiting for ale and more coffee to be delivered.

  The siblings and Broderick began reminiscing about their childhood and Seth started to feel left out. Broderick had spent so much time at Dallan’s house while he was growing up that he had become almost part of the family.

  It did not take Dal long to notice that Seth had gone quiet and she soon realised why. “We should get some sleep,” she said and drained her glass.

  “Do you mind if I keep your husband for a little bit longer?” Dallan asked. “You have been married for a while now and I have never had the chance to spend any time with him.” Seth nodded, so Dal kissed him on the cheek and went up to their room.

  “I am going to organise some food,” Dallan said once she had gone and went in search of the inn-keeper, leaving Seth and Broderick alone.

  “You are a very selfish man, you know,” Broderick said as soon as Dallan was out of earshot.

  “How so?” Seth asked.

  “Dal deserves a lot more than what you could ever offer her. She should be dancing at balls while dressed in the finest silk with diamonds around her neck instead of all this travelling around, sleeping rough or staying in cheap inns. Basically, you are not good enough for her.”

  Seth forced himself to smile. “For someone who claims to have spent so much time with her, you do not know her very well, do you?”

  Broderick laughed at him. “And you do? Do you honestly believe she is happy? She has always sacrificed her own happiness for others. Why do you think she almost married Lord whatever his name was? It was what her mother wanted, so she agreed.”

  “She never went through with it though, did she?” Seth countered. “She ran away.”

  “True,” Broderick agreed. “But only because she did not realise that there were other options.”

  Suddenly Seth realised where the conversation w
as going. “Like you, you mean.” For the first time since entering the inn, Seth looked at the man closely. He was not an unattractive man, clean shaven with his dark hair oiled back, and he obviously kept himself in shape, but there was something about him that Seth didn’t like. It took him a moment to realise what it was. Money. Everything from his posture and the way he dressed to the way he looked at someone when talking to them shouted out that he thought he was better than most others. He was rich and believed this commanded respect, not realising that this had to be earned, not bought. Dal may have had a childhood infatuation with him, but she could never be attracted to the man he had become.

  Before Broderick could answer the question, Dallan retuned.

  “Face it,” Broderick continued as if Seth had not spoken. “You have absolutely nothing to offer her and will end up ruining her life.”

  “Hold on Brod,” Dallan said. “That is being a bit harsh.”

  Broderick stood up and announced that he needed to empty his bladder. Once he had left the taproom, however, he headed up the stairs to the sleeping quarters. He had overhead Tor tell Dal which room she and Seth would be staying in and went straight there.

  The door was closed, so he knocked and politely waited for permission to enter.

  “Broderick,” Dal said in surprise when he walked in. She had been expecting Sam, Ria or Ellen.

  She was sitting up in bed, reading a book, and she pulled the covers up higher to hide the fact she was wearing only a nightgown. He walked up to her and sat on the bed.

  “I have missed you,” he said, taking her hand in his and rubbing it gently. “Talking about the good times you, me and Dallan had made me think about that one magical night we had together.” He lifted her hand to his face and kissed the back of it.

  Dal snatched it out of his grasp. “From what I remember, it was a lot of fumbling around and not much else. Neither of us knew what we were doing. It was far from magical.”

  “We are both a lot more experienced now,” he told her. “Let me show you.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, trying to force his tongue into her mouth.

  Before she had chance to push him away, the door opened and Seth walked in. Broderick and Dal both turned to stare at him.

  “This is not what it looks like,” she stammered.

  “Yes it is,” Broderick said, smirking.

  Seth held the door open. “Get out,” he ordered.

  “As you wish,” Broderick said pleasantly. He stood up and walked out of the room, the smirk still on his face. Seth slammed the door behind him.

  “Are you alright?” he asked Dal, running over to her.

  “I am fine,” she assured him. “And I promise you, nothing was going to happen.”

  “I know that,” he told her and kissed her cheek.

  “Come to bed,” she said, tapping the mattress invitingly. Instead of joining her, he sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands.

  “What is wrong?” she asked. She moved closer to him and started massaging his shoulders.

  “Broderick said some things tonight that actually made sense.”

  “Broderick never makes sense,” Dal told him. “I found out a long time ago that he only ever looks out for himself, so if he told you anything that you are concerned about it is because there is something in it for him.”

  Seth ignored her. “He said I am not good enough for you and he is right. You are a Lady. This is no life for you and I will never be able to offer you anything better.”

  Dal got off the bed and stood in front of him. She took his head in her hands and gently raised it until he was looking her in the eye. “I love you and you make me happier than I have ever been in my life. What else matters?”

  “You deserve so much more,” he told her.

  “Men like Broderick want trophy wives. They want someone they can show off at parties, nothing more. They think they can buy affection. Do you honestly think I would be better off with someone like that?”

  Seth did not answer. Dal removed her hands from his face and climbed back under the covers. “Now come to bed and I will show you just how much you mean to me.”

  Mechanically, like a robot obeying programmed commands, Seth got undressed and slipped under the covers beside her as Broderick’s words continued to run through his head. Dal cuddled up to him and began to nibble his ear, but he pulled away.

  “No,” he said. “Not tonight. Right now I need to hold you in my arms and never let you go.” Understanding how he felt, she slipped her arms around him, laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes, sighing with satisfaction when he pulled her closer to him.

  There was no sign of Dallan or Broderick when they went to the taproom that evening to get some food. They were the last to arrive and everyone else was already eating.

  They ate in silence, listening to the conversation but not joining in. Despite Dal’s assurances, Seth was still concerned that there was a lot of truth in what Broderick had said and he was worried that he had not done the right thing by Dal. He wanted to discuss his concerns with Tor, but was not sure that the Prince would understand.

  Instead, when Dal went to fetch something from the bedroom and the opportunity arose to get Patrick alone, Seth told him what was on his mind.

  “You and Dal are made for each other,” Patrick assured him. “Trapped in a loveless marriage, she would be miserable. You just have to look at her face whenever you walk into a room to know that she is happy. Do not let anything that little pipsqueak said prey on your mind. He is jealous, that is all.”

  As Seth was thanking him for his advice, he noticed Dallan enter the room. Broderick was by his side and from the way he was stumbling around it looked like he had had too much to drink, despite the fact that it was only early evening.

  “Just the man I wanted to see,” he called out, slurring his words. “I challenge you to a duel.”

  “Cut it out,” Dallan said sharply. “What is wrong with you? You cannot go around issuing challenges.”

  “On the contrary,” Broderick continued. “I can do as I please. He has done wrong by your sister and I mean to make amends.”

  “What are you talking about?” Dallen hissed at his friend. “If anyone did wrong by my sister it is you, now apologise and let Seth go in peace.”

  “Never,” Broderick declared and pulled his sword from its scabbard.

  Dal, who had returned to the room in time to hear the challenge, walked up to her husband. “Ignore him,” she whispered. “He is obviously drunk.”

  “No,” Seth said, taking her by surprise. “Not this time. It is about time someone showed him that just because he is rich he cannot bully people.”

  Seth expected his wife to protest, but instead she told him to be careful.

  “Lead the way,” he instructed Broderick. “It is too crowded in here for a proper fight.”

  “Brod,” Dallan said, roughly taking him by the arm. “This is not a good idea.”

  “Leave me alone,” Broderick snapped. “You were supposed to look after your sister. You failed, so I am taking over.”

  Broderick and Seth left the inn, closely followed by all who had witnessed the verbal exchange.

  “Are you sure you are doing the right thing?” Tor called out and Seth nodded his head without looking around. Patrick threw him a sword, which he deftly caught and held out in front of him, ready to begin the fight. He was by no means an expert with the sword, but Tor had taught him well and the number of fights he had been in while on the quest had improved his skill tremendously.

  Despite his inebriated state, Broderick was more than capable of holding his own. He made a few attacking moves, which Seth deflected. Seth made no attacking moves of his own, choosing instead to watch his opponent carefully. He had a good sword arm, but his footwork was appalling. Whether it was lack of proper training or the alcohol, Seth was not sure, but he intended to take advantage of it.

  When Broderick next thrust forward, instead
of meeting the attack, Seth stepped sideways out of his reach and kicked Broderick’s legs out from under him. He landed hard on his back and Seth could see the terror in his eyes as he raised his sword above his head, ready to bring it down into Broderick’s unprotected body.

  “No,” Dal screamed out too late, but she need not have worried. Seth never had any intention of harming his attacker. Instead, he slammed the sword into the ground, close to Broderick’s head, then walked away.

  Before anyone had chance to move, he walked back to the prone man. “I am a better man than you will ever be,” he spat at Broderick as he bent over to retrieve Patrick’s sword. He handed the weapon back to its owner, then took Dal by the hand and led her into the inn.

  “Wait up,” Dallan called, running to catch up with them. “Please, accept my apologies,” he said to Seth. “I do not know what got into Brod.”

  “Leave us alone,” Dal snapped at her brother, but Seth calmed her.

  “No apologies necessary,” he assured his brother-in-law. “I know this was nothing to do with you and that you do not think the same way your friend does. I also understand his actions. If I thought someone was harming Dal, I would do exactly the same thing.”

  “Thank you,” Dallan said.

  Seth glanced over to where Broderick still lay sprawled on the ground. “I think he is going to need a friend right now, to help him with his injured pride if nothing else.”

  Dallan smiled. “You made a good choice,” he said to Dal. “Make sure you bring him for visits regularly. I think he and I are going to get along well.”

  “I promise,” Dal said, then kissed her brother on the cheek.

  “Well?” Seth asked those who had followed them into the inn. “What are you all standing around here for? I thought Tor was in a hurry to leave.”