By lunch time, her belly grumbled and she felt good enough to eat. Her mother asked her once again if she wanted to talk about the mission but she shook her head. She doubted her mother would understand how she felt.
Her elder had never approved of her ways, or liked the nicknames she'd been given. But she seemed satisfied to see her daughter become an assassin, as if the training had finally turned the rebellious tomboy into a decent woman.
As if she'd changed inside, only because she'd killed someone she despised.
Night fell on Agharek. Along with three more young women who had earned a new name, she went to the diwan-i-khas of the Guild's leader, accompanied by her father.
"Your name is now Khanda," Sosan Pattah said. "And you shall remain here until my second-born earns his assassin's name. Then you two shall be married. This is what we decided with your father."
Khanda nodded and bowed, but she wasn't going to obey. Not this time. She was glad to move to the leader's palace because it would mean she'd see her friend sooner than expected, but she wasn't going to spend her life with that sneaky scorpion she'd just been betrothed to, without anyone asking her opinion.
Ah, well. When the right one came back to Agharek, she'd find a way to let him know she was his... And she'd show her father and the Guild's leader that she was truly a double-edged sword ,like the name they'd just bestowed on her!
2.
He climbed on the saddle and clicked his tongue to make the camel stand up. To parade in town he preferred riding horses, but to cross the desert a camel was much better. He steered clear of elephants when he was in Agharek, but he could ride on a saddle, whether a tall camel or a horse didn't make a difference to him.
The caravan left the fortress of yellow sandstone built at the top of the hill. Its walls seemed a continuation of the rocks underneath. It was the same color of the desert around it, and, especially at sunset, you had to look carefully to see it.
Stealthy like its inhabitants, it had water tanks and orchards, and everything for living within those walls, but it was a closed and selected community. A small world that had made Agharek look like a huge city in comparison when he had first set foot there.
The Assassins' Guild's fortress was outside Agharek – former capital of the long gone Kingdom of Akkora – but not too far from it. A couple of hours on camel back were enough to go to and from the city on the shores of the main southern river. Agharek was where everything happened but the families trained their offspring away from the hustle and bustle of the city to maintain the secrecy of their proceedings.
Now the young man had an advantage over his peers. Having spent a few years at the monastery, he knew Agharek better than the others. That might have been the reason to send him on this mission. He knew his way around the city.
He adjusted himself on the camel saddle, sighing. He must ask his father why he'd sent him to the monastery of the goddess of life when he was now supposed to become a heartless assassin who stole lives. He had to admit he admired the monks' fighting techniques, but still...
He was already a good noose operator when he had gone to the monastery and had kept training on his own. His father had visited regularly and tested him every time to make sure his assassin's skills weren't being put aside for prayer time.
He'd had to work twice as hard as everybody else, but he was quite proud of himself now. He hadn't dared ask his father about marriage yet, knowing he must earn his assassin's name before being considered a real man who could talk to his elders without bowing or staring at his feet.
His body followed the swaying gait of the camel trudging through the sand dunes, but his buttocks started aching from the saddle. He wasn't completely healed and hoped the initiation wounds wouldn't hinder his skills. His cousin and the other young men must feel the same, but none of them showed discomfort. And as expected, they were escorted by elder members who would be their backup during the mission.
Almost there. The warm breeze brought smells of cooked food from the city ahead – and of freshwater and greenery growing lusciously around it. The dunes ended and the shrubs became more plentiful. He sighed in relief at the sight of the white walls of Agharek and the tall palm trees around them. The towers and palace terraces topping them could be seen from far away. The bell tower of the temple of Zindagi beckoned him.
The River Pila had been canalized to irrigate the city surroundings, allowing for many gardens in the walled city. He had loved strolling there with his fellow students when the monks let them out. Sometimes they even went to the Pila shores, challenging each other in swimming and diving races.
Agharek was built only on one shore and no bridges crossed the river. The Pila was wide enough for a well-guarded river port, since hostile nomad tribes dwelt in the wasteland outside the walls.
That was why the Assassins' Guild had built a fortress in the desert. To protect themselves from those Lords of War and their cohorts. But they also owned palaces inside the city itself. Agharek was built in white stone to protect its inhabitants from the heat but a few older buildings and what used to be the King's Palace were in gray and red stone, with black or white marble decorations.
He had often visited the family palace during his studies – it officially belonged to his uncle, but that was where his father had met him during his education years. The stone facade was similar to the former royal palace, made of red sandstone with marble inlays, with two inner courtyards, a great hall and apartments on the upper floors for the various members of the extended family.
He thankfully got off the camel saddle and went directly to the apartment to relax and refresh himself. They weren't going to study their victim until the next morning. He considered joining everybody else in the dining room, but then decided to have his meals in the apartment. He instructed the servants to bring him food, and that he did not wish to be disturbed as he prepared for his mission.
He preferred the city palace to the fortress in the desert, since it had been built for comfort and luxury, to display the family nobility and riches. It had marble floors, intricately ornamented pillars, mosaic walls with tiny pieces of small inlaid stones and was decorated with old wall paintings – hunting scenes, floral motifs and so forth. It was a jewel of southern architecture that rivaled the former royal palace and the rooms were larger and more comfortable than the fortress.
Being the firstborn, he'd be the only occupant until all his siblings completed their training and the whole family moved back to town. His father would visit, of course, but for now he had the family rooms all to himself. The bath chamber had white tiles with blue designs on the floor and the walls, and a carved wooden ceiling. The bedroom had a wooden floor covered by thick carpets and a large curtained bed that made him feel like a prince. He looked forward to sleeping in it!
The Guild's physician came to check his wounds and left him a balm for the bruises, while at the same time reinforcing the scars by cutting them again. He gritted his teeth hoping the scarification would soon be over, especially since this time no drug helped him to dim the pain.
He lay in his parents' double bed, leaving the curtains open so the night breeze could bring some relief to the hot room. The walls had paintings of his ancestors, including a portrait of his parents. As soon as he got married, he'd probably have his own done as well.
His ancestors' stares didn't keep him awake. The mattress was so comfortable, the pillows so perfect, that he drifted off to sleep, listening to the sound of crickets coming from the inner garden.
***
He woke up with the sun and the sound of birdsong. He got out of bed, dressed and headed for the kitchens to eat something before going to the great hall to meet the team.
As he headed down the staircase to the lower floor, he heard a woman singing. Puzzled, he followed the sound and stopped in the entrance to the inner garden.
A beautiful maiden with long brown hair sat on the edge of the central fountain and seemed to be competing with a bellbird as to w
ho made the most musical sounds. Not a real song, more a melody, a humming, but he stopped to listen, enchanted.
When the bird didn't answer her, she felt his presence and turned to look at him. She had strange, ice-blue eyes – a very uncommon color in the southern lands. Her lips slowly curved into a smile.
"Hello, Ajay, I heard you were here, but you didn't come down to dinner last night," she said, rising to saunter towards him.
She was wrapped in a transparent blue veil and her short-sleeved, embroidered bodice covered her to her hips. A wide skirt came out from under it, both garments of cobalt blue fabric with golden embroidery. The veil had a golden ribbon around its edges and she wore gold jewelry – a multi-layered necklace of gold and sapphires, earrings and handflowers decorated with pearls, and golden bangles and armbands on her fair-skinned arms.
He gulped, speechless, as the beauty of her frame and her movements hit him. He couldn't for the life of him remember her name, although he should, since that eye-color... his thoughts scattered as she came closer and pretended to be ashamed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you're currently nameless, aren't you?" she said. "Do you have an idea of what you'll be called tonight?"
He opened his mouth, but again no sound came out. He had no idea, and couldn't think straight. She was the most beautiful young woman he'd ever seen, but he couldn't place her among his childhood friends' faces. He shook his head, spellbound.
She smiled, stopping in front of him.
"Always the quiet one, aren't you?" she said. "Do you remember me?"
"I... I'm not sure..." he stammered, his heart beating too fast for comfort.
She spread her hand on her bosom. "Ashrita," she whispered. "But now you should call me Khanda."
His eyes widened in shock. Ashrita was one year younger than him, but she was already an assassin? Did he waste too much time at the monastery?
He remembered her now. She wasn't this beautiful when he'd left the fortress. A skinny teen with that strange eye-color and a dazzling smile, a tomboy always ready to challenge anyone to protect the weakest.
He'd never been a bully, but that wasn't the case for her own brothers or his cousins. Anyone trying to force others to do his bidding had had to deal with the fierce tigress, as they used to call her. She was always very nimble, so it wasn't really surprising that she was now ahead of him. Female assassins could be more deadly than men. And she was definitely a woman now.
The first years of training were in common, but the final two years differed. Women were trained to be charming and lethal at the same time. Sometimes a skilled male assassin couldn't get close to the target, but a woman could. He was certain Ashrita was as good as him with any weapon of the Guild.
Wait, not Ashrita. Khanda, the straight, double-edged sword with the blade swelling towards the point. She had gone through a similar initiation ceremony, without scarification that would ruin her body and make her easily recognizable for what she was – a dangerous assassin.
"When did you earn your assassin's name?" he managed to ask, his throat still so dry that his voice croaked.
"Last week," she answered with a smile. "The day you came back to the fortress is the day I came here with my first mission."
"Will you be in our team today?" he asked, still breathless from her closeness.
She scoffed. "Rajiv would love that, so he can show off his skills." She shook her head. "No, Ajay, I'll be here, waiting for you to come back and receive your assassin's name."
He wondered if his cousin had already laid a claim on the beautiful young woman. He wouldn't have minded if his father told him to marry Khanda. But she must be as willing as he was, and he wasn't certain yet. He was smitten, but what about her?
She put her hands on his shoulders to pull him slightly down and kissed his cheek. "Good luck," she whispered in his ear. "I'll be here."
Then she let go and walked around him to enter the palace. He followed her swaying hips and shapely form as she vanished around a bend of the corridor, then snapped back to reality.
Breakfast. And then off to the mission. He'd have time to think about marriage when he was a real man.
***
"You're one happy girl," the parrot said. It had followed Khanda from her father's garden into Sosan Pattah's and had watched her interact with Ajay. The young men were out on their mission and she had gone back to the garden to wait for the results.
"Well, that was the man I want to spend my life with," she told it, still grinning at the memory of the meeting. Ajay was even more good-looking than she remembered. Still with that dreamy look and sweet brown eyes. He had become quite handsome and she was very happy about it.
"Really?" the parrot cawed mockingly. "What was wrong with the other one?"
Khanda rolled her eyes. "What do you know of men anyway?"
"Nothing," the parrot said. "But I think you want this one because he got away."
She shook her finger at him. "Shut up! You haven't spent years next to that prick of his cousin!"
"But I have seen him around the town."
"Oh, really? And how many girls did you see him with?"
"None."
"My point exactly." She smiled. "Unlike his cousin, who probably had every possible girl who didn't dare to tell him no."
"Like you did?"
"Yes."
The bellbird she'd been speaking to when Ajay had appeared in the doorway came back with a companion. These weren't the same from her parents' garden, and since Sosan Pattah's palace was farther from the river, there were no kingfishers in this garden.
Still plenty of birds to talk to, though, and they all teased her for her newly-found love. The city birds had seen him and confirmed what the parrot said. Ajay had led a monastic life while studying with the fighting monks of Zindagi.
"Maybe he was waiting for me," she told them. "Although... he didn't look like he recognized me, but then... maybe I've changed."
Most of the birds flew off when someone approached. Khanda looked hopeful at the doorway, but it was only Rajiv's sister, Sameera, and Kareena, another young woman their age who also had a brother going through his first mission. Neither of the girls had earned their assassin's name yet, so both looked up to her and probably envied her a little.
They sat together in the shadows wondering if the boys would make it. Kareena seemed hopeful to get Ajay, but Khanda doubted his father would give him to her. She still hoped to convince Sosan Pattah and her father that Rajiv's cousin would do as well as Rajiv...
3.
Ajay met Rajiv in the palace's courtyard near the main door. His cousin was leaning against the wall.
"What took you so long? Did you oversleep?" he asked, sarcastic.
Ajay shrugged. He wasn't late. They had already been briefed. And the third guy wasn't even there.
"Do you know our victim?" Rajiv asked, slowly swirling a brass wheel around his finger without throwing it. He was thoughtful now.
"Yes," he answered gloomily. "I mean, we haven't been introduced to each other, but we've seen each other around and I've heard a lot about him."
Rajiv sniggered. "Such a righteous man! I wonder if he went to the monastery of Zindagi himself in his youth!"
"Noblemen have private teachers for everything," Ajay snapped. "Much like us. They don't need the fighting monks' skills."
"What did they teach you that you wouldn't have learned at the fortress?"
"I don't know, why, you want to challenge me?" Ajay glared at Rajiv who scoffed.
"Not now. Although eventually I will, if only to rip off those girly eyelashes of yours. I wonder why they even bothered to put you on the team."
None of us want this, still, here we are, ready to do our fathers' bidding.
He'd teach his cocky cousin a lesson some other time, though.
"Probably because Lord Anand has seen me often enough at the temple and monastery that he won't suspect me," Ajay said gloomily.
Lord Anand possessed the self-cont
rol necessary to a sage king, learned continuously and cultivated his thoughts, associating with accomplished elders. He was genuinely promoting the security and welfare of his people and all the citizens of Agharek, living a simple life and being the example for many.
Considering how loved and supported he was for enriching and empowering his people, and for his non-violence against all living beings, the Assassins' Guild feared he'd be eventually pushed to fill that vacant throne and become the just king some people were still wishing for.
The last king of Akkora had been killed eighty years earlier by his own son – guilty of lust, arrogance and cruelty – and the former capital was now duly divided among noble families that met at the former royal palace to discuss trade, taxes and landowners with the princes of the nomad tribes.
The Assassins' Guild covertly participated in those councils – of course Sosan Pattah was known as Lord Rakesh and never spoke his secret name aloud outside of the Guild's buildings – and much like the rest of the city, they didn't want anyone to sit on the vacant throne and made sure things remained that way.
Until Lord Anand had started gaining way too much support. He was now a threat to the status quo. Khanda had already been planted in his household to spread discord, but Lord Anand himself was immune to her beauty, therefore male assassins had been selected to carry out the job.
Ajay wasn't happy that his first target would be Lord Anand, whom he admired greatly, having heard him praised since his time at the monastery of Zindagi. Again he wished his father had allowed him to stay with the fighting monks and become one of them – they'd give him a new name, much like the Guild would – and spare the life of a just and decent man.
But the sight of beautiful Khanda had set his heart in turmoil that morning and reminded him he was an assassin. The abstinence of the monks was forgotten as he dreamed of the life of the lay people who could marry and breed, but if he wanted to have a chance with her, he should carry out his mission, earn his assassin's name, and then ask for her hand in marriage.
Talwar and Khanda--Assassins in Love Page 2
