Talwar and Khanda--Assassins in Love

by Barbara G. Tarn

  Although Kareena's mother had, but she'd married the prince of a desert tribe, not a shopkeeper.

  "Well, Zarapur is smaller." Liluna smiled. "And my family has been providing weapons for the local branch of the guild for generations. So we are sort of part of the guild. Although I'm the first who's actually married into it."

  "And does that make Katar the owner of this shop?" Khanda insisted, curious.

  "No, the owner is my brother, who is always out and about looking for new weapons. We buy them, we don't make them. See this?" She pulled out a thin knife in the shape of a cross. She clicked a hidden button and the blade opened, forming a trident. "This is a northern weapon. Those wicked barbarians know many ways to disembowel each other. It's not used very much down here, but my family collects the strangest weapons. Some we don't even resell, we just like to keep them."

  She put back the strange knife in the drawer. It wasn't on the table with the other weapons, so it wasn't for sale. Khanda asked to see the full collection and was really impressed. She doubted the Assassins' Guild of Agharek would intermarry with weapons sellers, but obviously Zarapur was more open-minded. Besides, Liluna's shop had really a great variety.

  "How did it happen?" she asked as they closed the shop and headed for the house to prepare the midday meal. "Did you fall in love with Katar or did he chase you or...?"

  Liluna giggled. "I'm a tomboy," she said. "I challenged him to a duel and I won. He was so impressed, that he started courting me."

  Khanda smiled. "And why did you challenge him? Because you thought he was handsome or because he got on your nerves and looked full of himself?"

  "The second one." Liluna winked. "He was full of himself, but I proved to him he wasn't the best... the lesson changed him. It took some taming, but now I must say he's a wonderful man and a wonderful husband."

  Khanda shook her head, amused, setting the table while Liluna busied herself with pots and food.

  "What about you?" Liluna asked as they stirred the lentil soup and the house filled with food smells. "How did you end up with Talwar?"

  "Unlike you, I couldn't be bothered to teach a lesson to his cocky cousin, and when he saved me from that bastard's assault, I just followed him away from Agharek," Khanda answered. "Although I'll admit I always had a crush on the dreamy friend who had been sent away to study, and I had missed him greatly."

  "Not to mention how handsome he's become." Liluna chuckled. "Yes, I understand that!"

  Khanda smiled. Yes, Talwar was the most handsome and sweet man that ever was. And they belonged to each other. If Zarapur wasn't still too close to their hometown, she'd gladly settle here – Liluna would be a wonderful friend.

  10.

  Talwar was getting used to the salty air he smelled in Zarapur, especially on the side of town that overlooked the docks and piers on the ocean. It was healthier than the stink of the streets that were often used as open-air latrines in every town.

  Katar showed him around the old town where he hadn't dared set foot yet. The fortress was rectangular with a wall of gray stone around it, and then there were old houses, a temple and a couple of public gardens.

  One side faced the river and the less inhabited other half of the town, the other side faced the ocean. The sea-faring ships docked either on the other side of the river or at the pier of the newer town that Talwar had seen the first day.

  Talwar took the ferry with Katar to talk to sea captains. The part of the city beyond the river had less buildings and streets. Some were warehouses, especially near the shores of the river or the sea, and there was just one inn for the sailors. And a brothel, of course.

  Talwar finally had a closer look at the longships docked in the town harbor. They had one mast, a square sail and room for thirty rowers. They had a shallow draft hull designed for speed, and sailors sat to row on the chests in which they packed their things for transit – a very neat way of saving space onboard.

  "We'd have even less privacy than on river barges," he muttered as Katar looked at the people milling on the shore, obviously looking for someone.

  "You want to go by land?" Katar asked, skeptical. "Trust me, the sea is safer. You might need to get used to the lolling waves, though."

  "What if there's a storm?" Talwar frowned in worry.

  "These ships mostly stick to the coast. If the weather turns sour, they'll land. They have a low hull and can land anywhere, they don't need a harbor. I've seen many crews transport them by land in bad weather."

  Talwar sighed. "Fine, ship it is, then," he grumbled.

  "I don't see my friend, let me ask around." Katar left him to look uncomfortably at the ships.

  Talwar enjoyed Katar's hospitality, but they couldn't stay in Zarapur forever. His father or Khanda's might come here eventually.

  "He'll be here in a couple of days," Katar said, slapping his back and taking him back to reality. "Let's go to the public baths and then home. I'm sure Liluna and Khanda have prepared a wonderful dinner for their husbands..."

  They took the ferry back and went to relax at the public baths. As they sat in the sauna, Talwar tried to get to know his distant cousin better while at the same time getting news from his family. Katar told him that Chilanum's letter mentioned the visit, the wedding and then Jamdhar showing up a couple of days later, upset, with news of what had happened in Agharek.

  "So how did you become the Head of the Guild?" Talwar asked. "And how old are you?"

  Katar grinned. "I'm twenty-five, but this is a much smaller town and guild, so it was easy to get rid of everybody."

  "You mean you killed them all?" Talwar asked, shocked.

  "I convinced them to leave me alone," Katar answered with an impish smile. "I was the elder and was sick of fighting with my father, so I challenged him. He couldn't surrender to his own wicked son, so he let himself be killed by me." Katar shrugged. "Of course there were others who coveted his seat, but I challenged whoever wanted his place and won. The others surrendered and swore fealty to me. It was the only way to be able to do as I please – be the one in charge."

  "But you killed your father." Talwar couldn't believe his ears.

  He was mad at his own old man, but not enough to kill him. Although maybe in self-defense he could have hurt Jamdhar with the pole-arm. Killing in cold blood was definitely not for him, though – that was why Khanda loved him so much.

  "Like I said, I had no choice. He'd have killed me if he could. I dared disobey him and marry a merchant's daughter... What do you think will happen if Jamdhar finds you? You think hell's night was bad? He'll skin you alive if he can put his hands on you!"

  Talwar knew Katar was right, but still didn't think he could kill his own father. Or challenge him to take his place in the guild. He didn't want to belong to the Assassins' Guild anyway.

  "Shall we go home?" Katar said cheerfully. "It's almost lunch time and you still have to show me your pole-arm. I saw you brought it with your things, but haven't shown me how it works. I mean, I assume that wooden staff is your pole-arm without the blade..."

  "Yes, I keep the blade off when I travel. I used it to hunt and during a raider's attack in the desert."

  "So it's good for that too? But it's also magic, isn't it? You hit Khopesh with a magic weapon."

  "Zindagi blessed us with weapons to protect life."

  Katar snorted. "Don't go all religious on me. You're an assassin, Talwar."

  They headed out of the public baths and went back to Katar's house and shop.

  Katar and Liluna's house wasn't big. They didn't have children yet, so they'd been able to give Talwar and Khanda the children's room. The two bedrooms were on the upper floor, over the living room with its kitchen corner and the shop, along with a small bath chamber. The outhouse was in the backyard.

  Khanda and Liluna were still busy cooking and said they needed a few more minutes, so Talwar and Katar went upstairs to the bedrooms.

  Talwar took the shaft of his pole-arm, put on the blade, then rotated it to
show the seal of the goddess. "This is magic. The seal of the goddess stuns for a very short time, but leaves a permanent mark."

  Katar looked impressed.

  "I can't tell you the spell to activate the seal, but it's not deadly," Talwar continued, putting down the weapon. "I'm sure Khopesh's pride is very bruised, but he's perfectly fine by now. Just another scar on him, and it took less time to heal that the scarification."

  "So what does this seal do?" Katar asked, pointing at the pole-arm with his chin.

  "It marks you. It's a warning. The seal is imbued with a minor spell that leaves a burning sign on the skin. Nothing dangerous or life-threatening, but a mark of Zindagi's wrath for all to see. The fighting monks use it first on body parts that can be covered. But the second warning goes on the forehead for all to see."

  Katar opened his mouth to comment, but Liluna's call stopped him. He nodded and signaled Talwar to go back downstairs and have lunch.

  The women's presence brought back Katar's smile and even Talwar relaxed. The Head of Zarapur's Guild would help him and Khanda to get away from their family and live in peace.

  ***

  "Liluna is pregnant," Khanda said, climbing onto the bed with Talwar that night.

  "I'm glad you've made a new friend," he said pulling her closer. "Did she help you with your sickness?"

  "I miscarried, Talwar." She looked away with a frown. "After the raiders' attack and the subsequent travel. So, no, I didn't really make a new friend and I do not wish to stay here and watch her happiness."

  He gaped at her. She had recovered by now from that desert sickness, but it must have been worse than he'd thought.

  "Khanda, I know it's women's things, but why didn't you tell me?"

  She shrugged. "It happens. I didn't want to slow us down." She looked him in the eyes. "Did you find that captain?"

  "He should be here in a couple of days," Talwar answered with a frown. "Katar has left a message for him... Are we doing the right thing, Khanda?"

  "I don't want to be taken back and forced to marry that scorpion of your cousin," she replied, determined. "Your father will kill you for your disobedience."

  "If he can! I'm not totally harmless, Khanda!"

  "You're just too good for this guild." She smiled tenderly at him. "Let's get away from here. What is it that worries you?"

  "Those longships... I'm not a sailor, but the river barges already made me feel uneasy..." He blushed, but he couldn't hide his fears from her.

  "I'm not very happy to go on a sea-faring ship either, dilbar, but we don't have much choice. We don't know the countryside ahead, but there's more desert, and rivers to cross and forests and the roads are all in disrepair since the fall of the southern kingdoms, so going by water is probably safer."

  "I know, I'll get over it." He squeezed her. "We'll get to a safe haven somehow. I wonder when we'll meet the first Genn. I hear they're members of the Magical Races... maybe they can protect us from harm?"

  "We can defend ourselves, Talwar," she chided. "And you already have a magic weapon! But I'm very curious about the Genn too," she added with a smile. "Liluna said they sometimes come here."

  "And they can do magic?"

  "Real magic. They're not really Humans like us..."

  Both pondered about the Magical Races. They knew the legends, of course, but had never met any members. Apparently the Genn lived inside the Lone Mountain when something had forced them to flee... and then the dragons had destroyed everything, so who knew what had actually happened.

  Moans and creaks came from the other bedroom. Khanda and Talwar exchanged a puzzled look, then guffawed.

  "Maybe we should do like them," Talwar whispered, pulling her closer. "We won't be able to do it much on those ships..."

  "Then what are you waiting for?" she replied with her dazzling smile.

  He closed her mouth with a long, passionate kiss.

  ***

  Khanda knew that Katar wasn't really the owner, but she didn't say anything when their host brought them to the shop to choose weapons. She exchanged a puzzled smile with Liluna who shrugged with a smile. Of course, let the men play as if it were just their business.

  Katar gave them some brass wheels and a sword, and Khanda took them to the guest room, leaving the men talking. She noticed the sword was particularly rich – both the scabbard and the hilt – and not very sharp. Same for the brass wheels, they hadn't been sharpened.

  Since he hadn't asked for money, it made sense that Katar gave them used weapons, but still... Khanda went back downstairs and asked Liluna for a blade sharpener.

  "My dagger and Talwar's pole-arm need sharpening, and we didn't bring one with us," she said, not mentioning the "new" weapons.

  "Oh, of course," Liluna answered, oblivious of the fact that her husband had given them unsharpened blades. "You could take them to the blacksmith before you leave, he'd probably do a better job."

  "Yes, but he'll want money," Khanda replied with a little shrug. "I'd rather do it myself, since I know how to do it."

  "Already saving money for your household, huh?" Liluna chuckled. "Here, sharpen your knife with this."

  She gave her a couple of whetstones suitable for efficiently sharpening any blade, including the round ones of the brass wheels, and Khanda packed them with the rest. She wondered if she should tell Talwar, but he looked so preoccupied with the rest of the trip, that she decided to just do it herself.

  ***

  Three days later Talwar and Khanda packed their few belongings and followed Katar to Zarapur's harbor where he introduced them to Captain Lalitesh who was Liluna's brother. He was headed for Nilapur and then further north with a cargo of southern daggers but he would put them on the river barge of his associate who would take them to Argantael at Nilapur.

  The longship had limited space for passengers, and Talwar and Khanda huddled together among the chests of the cargo for the few days necessary to reach the mouth of the River Nila. The longship stayed close to the coast and often landed to get food or water. Sometimes it rocked too much for Talwar's taste, but he never complained, not even when he was sea-sick.

  "You're not eating," Khanda noticed, worried. "I know this food is tasteless, but..."

  "I don't want to throw it up," he snapped. "I won't die of starvation, Khanda, don't worry."

  She smiled and gave him the flask of freshwater to drink from. But sometimes it felt as if even the water wanted to come back up.

  Thank Zindagi in five days they reached the Nila and he was relieved to get off the longship. He'd be happy to see the square sail vanish into the horizon and move to a more steady river barge. But he really needed to eat something before another trip on water, so they stopped at an inn in Nilapur. Captain Lalitesh had told them where to find Uzair, the associate of the river barge that would take them to Argantael the next morning.

  The Dreaming Jackal Tavern was on the river shore, close to the piers of the barges. It was very small and decently clean, with low-priced small and medium rooms mostly occupied, but Talwar and Khanda were happy to share a small room for a night. It was enough to get some much needed privacy and rest.

  The food was overpriced, but Talwar was ravenous by then, so he ordered a full meal with meat and vegetables and cheese and even a cake. Khanda watched him eat, amused and relieved at the same time.

  The main room was very crowded but not too loud. Most of the crowd was shady-looking and drunk, with patrons openly armed. A bard was playing good music in the background and the chatter wasn't loud enough to cover it.

  Talwar finished his meal and washed it down with water, sighing with satisfaction.

  "Do you need help to get to our room?" Khanda teased. "You have eaten for two!"

  "River barges aren't as rough on my stomach as sea-faring ships," he replied with a smile. "We'll get those awful sailing rations again tomorrow, but today I'm satisfied. Let's get some sleep, and tomorrow we'll go looking for Uzair."

  She chuckled and followed
him upstairs. Before going to bed, they checked how many coins they still had – not many. In Argantael they'd have to look for work of some kind.

  "I could dance," Khanda mused. "Entertain people. And you could be a knife-thrower. I'll happily be your target girl!"

  He stared at her, shocked. He couldn't throw knives at her, not even to entertain a crowd! What if he wounded her? Or worse?

  "No, no!" He shook his head, horrified at the thought. "No knife throwing! I can be a scribe. Or a guard."

  Katar had given him a saber and even some brass wheels that they kept in their travel bag. If someone decided to inspect their luggage, they'd be surprised at the number of blades they owned between them. Khanda used the shaft of the pole-arm as a walking stick and the blade was in the backpack with the brass wheels and Talwar's dagger.

  "Or you can win an archery contest or two," she said, amused. "But that won't bring us much money... what if we get another mouth to feed?"

  "Are you pregnant?" he asked, torn between fear and excitement. She had already miscarried once. Maybe they should stop having sex until they reached the safe haven they were looking for. Although it was hard to keep their hands off each other when they had some privacy.

  "No, not yet." She rolled her eyes. "But we must think long-term. You do want children, don't you?"

  "Yes, of course," he assured her, taking her in his arms. "As soon as we settle and find a place we can call home."

  She put her arms around his neck. "Love you, Talwar," she said before kissing him.

  11.

  Uzair had laugh lines, a tall, muscular build, dark skin and close-cropped jet black hair. Talwar offered to row to pay for passage for both himself and Khanda, and Uzair agreed with a good-natured laugh.

  Talwar sat with the rowers while Khanda curled up near Uzair who held the helm of the river barge that carried goods from the mouth of the river to the former capital of Rajendra. There wasn't much room for passengers, and an exception had been made for Khanda, since women were never asked to row.

  She did her part by singing for the rowers who cheered her on until her voice was hoarse. Rowing against the current meant they stopped each night in villages of mud huts with no inns and slept on the deck while the barge was fastened to small wooden piers.