The Guild of Assassins

by Anna Kashina

  “I had no idea you were an archer,” he said.

  She smiled. “It’s just a passtime, Your Highness. The weather was too fine to stay indoors.”

  “I– I seem to have taken a wrong turn in the garden,” Kyth said. “I should leave you to it.”

  She curtseyed again. “Pray be careful, Prince Kythar. If you had come out into the open on the target side of the range…”

  Against reason, he smiled. “Having witnessed your skill, I am certain I was in no danger, my lady.”

  She blushed and lowered her eyes.

  “You are too kind,” she murmured.

  Kyth bowed and made his exit, back through the thicket toward the castle wall. Trying to keep his eyes away from the sweeping view of the lake, he circled the wall all the way to the front courtyard and back into his quarters. To keep his promise to Kara, he was supposed to act like nothing was going on. He was due in his father’s council chambers in half an hour to discuss the message from the Monastery, and he had no intention of showing up there on the verge of tears, wearing disheveled clothes.

  Strangely enough, the thought of his encounter with Lady Celana brought another smile to his face as he made his way upstairs. He was not used to women blushing so deeply at his compliments, especially not those as smart and level-headed as he knew Celana to be. Was it possible that she liked him?

  He dismissed the thought. It hardly mattered. Besides, he had more pressing things to deal with.

  4

  REINCARNATE

  In the red sunset glow the courtyard shadows bled with deep, velvety darkness. Low sunbeams licked the roughly hewn stones of the Great Shal Addim Temple, throwing the shadow of its jagged outline across the inner Monastery grounds. From his position by the wall, Kaddim Tolos could easily observe activity without drawing attention to himself.

  Dozens of eyes followed the pacing figure of the Reincarnate with the reverence of the newly converted, the row of black-robed shapes against the walls of the courtyard so still that they appeared inanimate. Even the sight of the dead body lying motionless at his feet couldn’t possibly command as much fear as his wiry figure, enfolded in a private aura of chill.

  Tolos followed the Reincarnate’s gaze down to the dead man. Kaddim Nimos, one of the most valuable members of the Brotherhood, struck down by an unfortunate blow that was never supposed to happen. It was amazing to see how death could rob anyone of their commanding presence, reducing even the most powerful of men to a pale, drawn shell, a useless inanimate object. This transformation seemed even more incredible for the Kaddim, who could then be resurrected to their former glory. Tolos hoped that it wasn’t too late in this case. They needed Nimos for their plans to succeed. Besides, a Kaddim Brother’s life was too precious to lose in something as simple and trivial as a sword fight.

  “How did he die?” the Reincarnate asked. His voice had the same quality as his movements, its deep sound entrancing listeners like the coiling dance of a poisonous snake.

  The figures closest to the Reincarnate exchanged nervous glances, their searching gazes venturing further, toward Tolos’s silent figure standing at the side.

  Cowards. Can’t they do anything without me? Tolos stepped forward and bowed his head.

  “His death was instant, Cursed Master,” he said, keeping his voice appropriately low, yet clear enough to carry through the hollow stone courtyard. “A blade between the collarbones.”

  The Reincarnate prodded the dead man’s head with the tip of his boot. The head rolled sideways, exposing the gaping wound at the base of the throat. There was no blood around the narrow triangular entrance wound. The blade had gone deep enough to reach the heart.

  “Kaddim Nimos was not only a great master of his Gift,” the Reincarnate said. “He was also a formidable swordsman.”

  He raised his head and met Tolos’s gaze. It was unnerving to see the man’s irises, whose bloodshot redness filled his eyes with an inhuman glow. Tolos knew that his own eyes, whose pale brown bordered on yellow, were equally unnerving to some of the weaker members of the Brotherhood, but he could never fully understand how they felt, outside the rare moments when the Cursed Master himself graced him with a direct look. He felt a chill run down his spine as he returned the gaze.

  “The man who struck him down,” he said, “was a Majat of the Diamond rank.”

  The Reincarnate nodded. The setting sun chose that exact moment to slide behind the main dome of the Shal Addim Temple, submerging the courtyard fully into shadows. In the dusk the Reincarnate’s eyes glowed like coals.

  “Aghat Mai.”

  “Yes, Cursed Master.”

  The Reincarnate threw another thoughtful look at the body by his feet.

  “The Majat are becoming a problem. How was he able to withstand our power?”

  Tolos sighed. The fight at the Illitand Castle had been a disaster, with the Kaddim warriors pitched against three combat-effective Diamond Majat who appeared to be immune to Kaddim mind control. It was not supposed to have happened this way.

  “We don’t know, Master,” he said. “We are still investigating. We believe Prince Kythar Dorn had something to do with it. His ability to resist us can apparently be passed on to others.”

  The Reincarnate shook his head. “His ability is a problem indeed: one that we are hopefully about to address once and for all.”

  “Indeed, Cursed Master,” Tolos mumbled. “As soon as the Majat are out of the way, we should have no trouble dealing with the Prince and his ability.”

  “He who commands the Majat commands the Empire,” the Reincarnate said quietly.

  Tolos raised his eyebrows. “I beg your pardon, Master?”

  The Reincarnate chuckled. “An old saying, Kaddim. Yet, it couldn’t be more true. The Majat’s political independence, combined with their military strength, has made them a dangerous weapon. Their alliance, if they ever choose to form any, could guarantee victory in any war. Yet, their desire for independence in this case should become their undoing. The strike we are planning will strip the Majat of their power once and for all.”

  “With Our Lord’s will, Cursed Master,” Tolos said.

  The Reincarnate nodded. “Have you delivered the news of Aghat Mai’s treason to the Majat Guild?”

  Tolos bowed. “Yes, Cursed Master.”

  “And I believe you’ve also sent the message to the King from the Conclave?”

  Tolos bowed. “As you instructed, Master.”

  The Reincarnate’s red eyes lit up with a gleam of interest. “Whose head did you send him, Kaddim Tolos?”

  “The Chief Inquisitor, Brother Valdos.”

  “I thought he was one of ours.”

  “He proved... meddlesome, Master. I felt he was too much trouble alive. Besides, Kaddim Farros’s men could handle the inquisition much better. His Power to Kill–”

  “Inquisition is not about killing, Kaddim Tolos. It’s about keeping a man alive for as long as necessary. But these are minor things, of course. We have bigger plots to unfold.”

  “Indeed, Master.”

  “Good. Then, things are in motion. How did the Majat Guildmaster take the news?”

  Tolos suppressed a smile. The Guildmaster’s reaction had been priceless, a triumph to the Kaddim’s plans. Talking to him had been one of the most enjoyable missions in decades.

  “Aghat Oden Lan is beside himself with fury. He sent a messenger to the King’s court right away.”

  The Reincarnate nodded. “I trust Kaddim Xados is still on the inside at the Majat Guild, doing his job?”

  “He is,” Tolos said quietly. “I spoke to him when I was there. He believes if Aghat Mai takes the bait, the conflict could potentially be amplified enough to bring down most of their top Gems. Added to the fact that the parcel we sent to King Evan will likely drive him to the Majat for help...”

  “It all hangs on a delicate balance,” the Reincarnate said.

  “Indeed, Cursed Master.” Tolos glanced at the body sprawled at
the Reincarnate’s feet. “Kaddim Nimos was always the one to fine-tune these details. His help would be instrumental in putting the final touches to our plan.”

  The Reincarnate nodded thoughtfully, his eyes sliding over the dead man.

  Few outside the Brotherhood were aware that the Kaddim power did not grace similarly each of its leaders. Nimos’s strength had always been the mind magic, an ability not only to communicate with other members of the Brotherhood but also to sense people’s thoughts and, occasionally, to pry into the minds of others and influence their decisions. There was no one like Nimos when it came to playing mind games. This was how he was able to gather invaluable information about the Majat Guild and, eventually, find a way to infiltrate it, by placing their man into a key command post about ten years ago. Few of his talent had survived the bloodbath that had marked the decease of the Old Empire centuries ago.

  The Reincarnate bent over the corpse to continue his inspection. “You preserved him well, Kaddim. He died weeks ago, yet the revival will be easy.”

  Tolos smiled, lips only. One of the things he was valued for was honesty. He would never take the credit due to another.

  “Kaddim Haghos took care of the body,” he said. “I was in charge of our escape. Prince Kythar Dorn managed not only to resist us and protect the others, he threw our power right back at us. His Ghaz Alim is far too strong.”

  The Reincarnate lifted his face and gave him a long look. “His ability is perhaps the only thing that could threaten our plans for the Majat. We must prevent him from fully developing his powers before we take care of him.”

  Tolos nodded. “The Prince is immersed in his love affair with the Diamond, Kara. Once she falls victim to our plans he will be so heartbroken he will pose no threat.”

  “We will see the new dawn of the Empire soon, Kaddim.”

  Tolos bowed. “Adi Kados, Cursed Master. We cherish your wisdom.”

  “Adi Kados,” echoed a murmur through the courtyard.

  The Reincarnate dismissed the ceremonial hail with a wave of his hand. He knelt down on the ground beside Nimos’s body and lifted the lifeless head, holding it between his palms. Then he leaned over and touched the pale lips with his.

  It looked like a kiss, sickening in ways that went beyond the mere fact of a wiry, middle-aged man engaged in an intimate act with a dead body. Nimos’s limp form shuddered as the Cursed Master bore onto him with a force that could be mistaken for passion by an unknowing observer. The air around them crackled.

  Tolos watched with a mix of disgust and fascination. No one in the Brotherhood, besides the Reincarnate, possessed the true Power to Resurrect, which was why it had taken weeks to revive Nimos from his unfortunate death. He felt relieved as he finally saw the pale fingers of the corpse’s hand twitch. Nimos’s eyes opened, revealing the blackness without irises that made the Kaddim’s gaze so frightening in its own way, no less than that of Tolos or the Reincarnate himself.

  The Cursed Master drew away and rose to his feet, absentmindedly brushing the dust off his robe. Tolos hurried forward and helped Nimos up from the ground.

  “He will not be able to speak until his throat heals,” the Reincarnate said calmly.

  Tolos forced his eyes away from the gaping wound.

  “Take good care of him,” the Reincarnate said. “And try not to get anyone else killed. That time vortex you summoned to pull everyone out of the Illitand Hall was an impressive tribute to your special power, but it did spend a lot of our resources. I must return to the Bengaw Outpost as soon as I can to replenish them. I hope you and Kaddim Nimos can complete what you started and that you will have good news upon my return.”

  Tolos bowed, watching the Reincarnate stride out of the courtyard. Then he gestured to the nearest cloaked figures, who took Nimos by the arms and carefully led him away.

  Their work on bringing down the Majat Guild, started over a decade ago, had seen many setbacks, including the most recent ones, when two of the Guild’s best Diamonds were able to acquire resistance to the Kaddim’s mind control. Tolos hoped that the Kaddim’s recent scheming had set their plans back on track. With luck, both Kara and Mai were on their way to answer the Guildmaster’s summons, and King Evan was about to respond to the message from the Monastery the only way he could. Nimos, once fully recovered, would help to finish the rest.

  Soon, the Majat Guild would be so crippled they would be unlikely to ever recover to their former glory, and the kingdom of Tallan Dar would finally cease to exist. He could not wait to see this happen.

  5

  PLANS

  When Kyth entered the small council chamber adjoining the throne room, he was surprised to find it nearly empty. Besides his father, only three people sat around the small table by the window overlooking the stunning Crown Lake sunset. Kyth kept his back to it as he lowered into a chair opposite Mother Keeper, Egey Bashi, and Raishan.

  The Majat Pentade was absent. Kyth knew why his father wanted to exclude them from the gathering, but he could only imagine what kind of an argument it must have caused.

  “This isn’t a formal council,” King Evan said in response to Kyth’s questioning glance. “And thus I only asked the people I can fully trust to be present.”

  Kyth nodded, even though he couldn’t stop wondering. His father and Magister Egey Bashi had always been at odds, even if grudgingly respectful of each other. As for Raishan, he pledged no loyalty to the crown and was bound by the code of his Guild. Yet, under the circumstances, Kyth, for one, appreciated his father’s decision to include Raishan in this gathering. The Diamond was the only man who could stop Kara from carrying out her insane plan to follow Mai to their Guild. He was also a reasonable and dispassionate man, likely to listen to Kyth’s arguments in favor of such interference. True, Kyth had promised Kara to keep her decision secret, but he would never consider keeping such a foolish promise if he thought he could save her life by breaking it.

  “Here, Kyth,” Evan said. “Read this.” He thrust a piece of parchment into Kyth’s hands. Its spidery writing said:

  As Your Majesty is undoubtedly aware, the Conclave does not consider outside appointments by the crown. Your wish to appoint the renegade priest Brother Bartholomeos the Holy Father of the Church was duly noted and we are grateful to Your Majesty for sending him our way. The renegade has now taken his rightful place in the Monastery dungeons and will await the decision of the Holy Justice regarding his fate.

  We are duly informing Your Majesty of our intention to hold a new election by the Conclave at our earliest convenience and will keep you fully apprised of the proceedings and their outcome.

  Signed:

  the members of the Holy Conclave

  Gurath 23rd, the Great Shal Addim Temple, Aknabar

  “It is a wonder,” Egey Bashi said darkly, “that they bothered to use any pleasantries at all when writing this letter.”

  “If you call the severed head they sent along a pleasantry, Magister...” The King spread his hands in a wordless gesture.

  “I think,” Mother Keeper said quietly, “it is quite clear that this Conclave is no longer run by the priests.”

  The King stared unseeingly into space.

  “I see only one possible course of action,” he said. “We must assemble an army and go to the Monastery to dislodge this hornets’ nest and rescue Father Bartholomeos.”

  Mother Keeper shook her head. “The people of Tallan Dar would never support it, Your Majesty. They would never believe rumors of the Dark Brotherhood to be a sufficient reason to lead an open armed force against peaceful servants of Lord Shal Addim.”

  “Peaceful?” Evan threw another glance at the letter. Only now Kyth noticed a rust-colored splotch staining the corner of the parchment. He hastily placed the letter back on the table.

  “You are right, of course, Your Majesty,” Magister Egey Bashi said. “But common folk don’t know that. If you were to lead such an army, this would result in a revolt.”

  Evan frowne
d. “Do you suggest I do nothing?”

  Mother Keeper shook her head. “Not at all. A response is warranted, and fast. But I think our only chance would be to send a small force of highly skilled warriors to rescue Father Bartholomeos.” She glanced at Raishan.

  “The Majat.”

  “Yes.”

  “How many?”

  “How many can the crown afford?”

  The King sighed. “Not enough, I’m afraid, even though I am willing to empty our treasury for this cause. If only Aghat Mai and Kara would agree to fight on our side. Their skill – as well as their resistance to the Kaddim – could make all the difference.” He looked at Kyth, but the Prince averted his eyes.

  Seeing no response from his son, Evan turned to Raishan. “Can’t we still try to convince either of them?”

  The Diamond shook his head. “Aghat Mai has already left, Your Majesty. He seemed pretty determined.”

  Evan shrugged. “I must confess I still can’t quite understand his decision.”

  “Aghat Mai is a man of duty,” Raishan said. “He has always put the Guild above all else. For him, it is unthinkable to do otherwise.”

  Egey Bashi’s lips twitched. “You forget that his current predicament resulted from disobeying his orders in the first place.”

  Raishan’s face darkened. “I spoke to him about it. While personally I am glad that he chose to spare Kara’s life, I have to say that it was very unlike Aghat Mai to do a thing like that.”

  “And how did he explain it?”

  “In a strange sense, he believes he has done what’s best for the Guild.”

  “I hope Master Oden Lan sees it that way.”

  Raishan sighed. “For Master Oden Lan, this has become personal. Far too personal for him to see straight.”

  Egey Bashi shifted in his seat. “Yes. I wouldn’t want to be in Aghat Mai’s place when they face each other over this. And, I can’t escape the feeling that we should do our best to help this situation. We simply can’t afford to lose a Diamond of Aghat Mai’s skill, someone who is able to resist the Kaddim.”