Khanda didn't mind singing for the rowers. And when Talwar fell asleep, exhausted from the daily toil, she sat by the fire and sharpened the brass wheels. The sword looked too frail to bother working on it, but at least they'd have throwing weapons that could kill. Of course they had the noose and the daggers and his pole-arm, but they were going into unknown territory.
What if the other former kingdoms weren't friendly? What if they had to go even further north and meet the barbarians who made those strange knife-tridents? Better be prepared, and armed, just in case.
Again, this part of the journey was a little uncomfortable, being the only woman onboard and having her husband sleeping so deeply, but none of the sailors ever disrespected her – although she suspected a couple developed a crush on her. But they didn't dare say it aloud.
They were nice men, but they certainly led a nomadic life. One confided to her that he actually had four families in four different towns, since he was always on one barge or another.
"You hold that husband of yours close," he warned her one night near the fire, while Talwar slept, oblivious. "Don't let him get bitten by wanderlust or you'll lose him."
"That's why I'm traveling with him," she replied, amused.
"You're a smart woman," he said. "I wish my first wife had held me closer!"
She chuckled. "I hear sailors are unfaithful by their very nature! So it is true, then..."
"Not for everyone." He shrugged. "Our man Uzair has only one family and sticks to them. I guess I like to complicate my own life." He sighed. "Mostly because I'm not sure where I should retire when I tire of wandering!"
"You might have to send letters to the other two or three families that you're dead and they shouldn't look for you," she suggested. "I wonder what would happen if all your wives met at your funeral..."
"Gods, no!" He rolled his eyes. "May this never happen!" He made a protection gesture and she caressed his amulet in blessing. "I think I should go back to the wife who treats me better," he mused, watching her sharpen the brass wheels. "Although none of them could take care of my knife like you do."
She smiled. "I'm already married. And I was taught to take care of all the blades in the house."
"I assume you ate meat, then, and used knives even during meals?"
"Yes, I come from a wealthy family and we eat meat when we can. Might not be every day now that we're on our own, but we'll find a place to settle..."
***
Two weeks after leaving Zarapur, the walls of Argantael came into view. Khanda pointed at them, brightening, while Talwar had to turn his head from his rowing bench to see them.
"Yes, your wife is right, we're almost there," Uzair said cheerfully. "Tonight you can sleep in an Argantael inn!"
The former capital of Rajendra was slightly different from the Akkoran towns. As soon as they started rowing past the first houses, Talwar noticed the architecture of the stone buildings: every doorway was covered with scrolls of fruits and flowers, with birds and beasts entwined in them.
It was a walled city with large gates and multi-storied buildings with arched windows and doors. The old city was up a long ramp that led to an open air market in the largest square of the town. The ornate towers and balconies of the palaces reminded Talwar of what he had left behind, although the arches were pointed and not multi-lobed.
He watched the reflection of the city sights on Khanda's face. She looked delighted. She liked Argantael. They would build a new life here. She could sing and dance and he'd find something to do – maybe there was a temple of Zindagi and he could apply as layman, so the local fighting monks could help him to set up a business.
The barge docked at a wooden pier in front of a paved street lined with stone buildings – inns and taverns mostly. Talwar gratefully got off and stretched his limbs after the hours of rowing. Uzair thanked him for his service and even gave him some coins, "Because your wife made the journey go so much faster with her beautiful voice."
Khanda blushed and took Talwar's arm as they said good-bye to Uzair and his men.
"You could be a rower," she suggested with an impish smile.
"I'd never be home, dilbar," he replied, amused.
"True." She giggled. "Where to, then?"
"Why don't you come with me? I'll take you to the cheapest place in town." The male voice startled them.
"Katar!" Talwar stared puzzled at his distant cousin. "How did you get here?"
"By land," Katar answered with a smile.
"But I thought it was slower!"
"Not if you know the way. By water is safer, not shorter. And since none of you knew the land, I thought you'd be better off by waterways." He took Talwar's other arm. "Come, you must be tired after the journey..."
Talwar let him lead them to a small palace in a secondary square. Built in the local gray stone, it had carved balconies and arched windows under a flat roof that was probably a terrace. Katar knocked on the main door and then led them across a courtyard to a diwan-i-khas much smaller than the ones that Talwar had seen in Agharek or Lakresha, with ogived windows on one side and openings on the inner garden on the other side.
Talwar stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he went through the door, but Katar kept going. At the other end of the rectangular room stood three men: Jamdhar, his brother-in-law Peshkabz and a man Talwar didn't recognize, but supposed was the Head of Argantael's Assassins' Guild.
The wooden floor was covered with thick carpets and there were plush cushions where the men had probably been seated.
"They're here, Uncle," Katar was saying, stopping in front of the three elder men.
Talwar's eyes met his father's and he clenched his teeth. Jamdhar's frown wasn't a peace offering, and Peshkabz seemed as angry as his father for having been tricked into calling a priest for a hasty wedding ceremony.
Khanda pulled his arm towards the courtyard but the wooden door at the entrance closed behind them with a final sound. Surely there were more assassins outside, ready to stop any escape attempt.
He squeezed her fingers and stood still, staring at his father who was coming forward. Maybe he could talk his way out of this. If Jamdhar listened to him, that is.
The first thing his father did was slap him. Hard. Talwar scowled, but didn't say anything.
"You couldn't wait, could you?" Jamdhar said. "You couldn't wait for me to come and help you through this!"
"I hit Khopesh," Talwar said through clenched teeth. "I know he'll never forgive me."
"That was stupid of you," Jamdhar retorted. "And running away with her was your second mistake!"
"And the third was convincing Uncle to have us married fast, I know," Talwar snapped. "So? What are you going to do now? We are lawfully wedded. You would have approved of the match, wouldn't you?"
"No!" Jamdhar screamed. "She was already betrothed! Your mother and I had found someone else..."
"She didn't want to marry Khopesh!" Talwar shouted back. "She followed me willingly! I didn't abduct her!"
"You can thank the gods that her father isn't here, or he'd have cut your throat without letting you speak," Jamdhar said in a low, threatening tone. "She was an alliance with Sosan Pattah and she had no choice in the matter."
"Oh, so my sisters will follow the same fate?" he asked, sarcastic. "Be married off for alliance purposes and not allowed to have their say? When did we become so strict about arranged marriages?"
"There's nothing wrong with arranged marriages," Peshkabz said, coming forward with the other man. "You can learn to love your wife."
Talwar turned towards Katar who leaned against the jamb of one of the garden's doors. Light curtains moved in the breeze at all the openings.
"I thought you married for love," he said sourly. "I thought you wanted to help us. Why did you betray us, Katar?"
"I did marry for love. I did kill my father. But you don't become the head of any guild without support," Katar replied. "In my case, the two closest cities with Assassins' Guilds were Lakresha an
d Argantael. Shamshir," he pointed at the third man, "and Uncle Peshkabz supported my claim."
"So you felt it was your duty to respond to your cousin's request of help," Talwar said through gritted teeth. "Of course, he's your cousin, I'm a stranger – distant relative."
Katar scoffed. "There is only one way out of the Assassins' Guild, Talwar. When you're dead."
"Did Liluna know your plans?" Khanda asked coldly.
"I don't tell everything to my wife," Katar replied.
"You wicked scorpion," Talwar muttered. He didn't have time to assemble his pole-arm, but he had a sword now. Unless Katar had given him a fake weapon as well.
He unsheathed his sword, forcing the three elder men to jump back. Khanda took two brass wheels from the backpack and held them, ready to throw.
"Let us go," Talwar said calmly. "Don't force us to kill anyone."
"Talwar, that's a ceremonial sword," Katar said, unmoved.
"And the brass wheels weren't sharpened," Khanda snapped. "They are now. I won't kill you because I don't want Liluna to cry. She's a decent woman. She deserves better, but she loves you, therefore I will spare you."
Katar rolled his eyes. "You can try to kill me, Khanda, and if you succeed, Liluna will come after you and avenge me."
"We're not killing anyone," Talwar said bluntly. "Unless you force us to."
He let go of the ceremonial sword and took his dagger and the shaft of the pole-arm. He could always use the spell to stun, although he wasn't sure it would work more than once.
"Aren't you missing the most important piece on that pole-arm?" his father asked, sarcastic.
"Did Khopesh show you his scar?" he replied. "Did it look like a blunt weapon's cut?"
"You branded him like an animal!"
"Because he was behaving like an animal! Stop defending him! Do you want to try the wrath of Zindagi yourself, Father? Let us go and nobody will get hurt!"
Jamdhar unsheathed his saber. "I have had enough of your shenanigans, Talwar. You come back to Agharek with me or you die here. And your next mission will be to kill that wretched abbot who corrupted your soul!"
"That man has more honor than you or anyone else in this room ever had," he said through clenched teeth.
"You are an assassin, Talwar, not a monk! And you will obey your elders!"
Talwar gritted his teeth. Khanda elbowed him. He looked at her and she slowly shook her head. There was no going back. But he wasn't going to die now either. He had sworn to protect Khanda and he'd protect her until his last breath.
"We're not going back," he said, determined.
"Then you die."
Jamdhar raised his scimitar. Talwar swirled his pole-arm shaft whispering, "Tum zinda ho" and hit his father's chest. Like Khopesh, Jamdhar was thrown back with a scream of pain.
Talwar pointed his dagger at Katar who had unsheathed his saber while Peshkabz knelt by his brother-in-law.
"Let us go," Talwar said, scowling at Katar and Shamshir.
His father stopped shivering and lay still. Talwar glanced at Jamdhar's chest and saw the mark – and the stillness. Had the seal killed?
Katar came forward, his saber ready, but Peshkabz raised his hand.
"Stop! Enough!"
Talwar stared at his uncle. "We don't want to hurt anyone, and we don't want to go back. Let us go, Uncle."
Peshkabz slowly nodded. Katar groaned and sheathed his sword.
"You're bloodthirsty, Katar," Shamshir commented while Peshkabz rose to his feet. "You really enjoy killing, don't you?"
"At least I earned something for killing my father." Katar scoffed, staring at Talwar. "You? The righteous one? You'll never find peace. Your goddess will never forgive your parricide."
His voice was full of contempt. Talwar gulped but didn't relax his grip on his weapons.
The door beyond the courtyard opened and he started to retreat.
"Your cousin will find you even here," Peshkabz warned.
"Let him. I'll mark him on his forehead if he puts even a finger on Khanda," Talwar replied defiantly.
Khanda put away the brass wheels and rushed to the main door. Talwar kept his eyes on the three men and barely glanced at his dead father. He must take Khanda to a safe place. Then he could mourn and berate himself for what had just happened.
They rushed out of the palace and quickly headed for the old town.
12.
The Goddess Zindagi was much adored in Akkora, but not in the other kingdoms. Of course now that the southern kings were no more, even in Agharek the monastery wasn't as crowded as it used to be. But since the fighting monks taught how to use weapons, they still had many attending their school.
The temple in Agharek was big and three centuries old. In Argantael there was only a small shrine to Zindagi and no monasteries of fighting monks. Of course former Rajendra was a quieter place than Akkora, since there were no nomad warring tribes, but Talwar was very disappointed.
"There's a big temple, dilbar." Khanda pointed at a marble construction with sculptures of people on all the walls and columns, built at the top of a hill. Two stone elephants supported the sculpted square arch of the entrance at the top of a staircase.
They climbed the stairs and left their shoes outside of the temple. They touched the bell at the door before entering the temple itself. Inside they found the statue of a goddess, the two-faced protector of love and fertility, and an old priest seated in front of her shrine. Perfumed candles gave light to the sculpted shrine and the painted statue, and flower scents filled the big room.
Talwar and Khanda went to kneel near the priest to take his blessings, then stayed in the quiet of the temple to pray and try to figure out what to do next. The stone floor under his knees felt as cold as his heart.
He heard Katar's words again. Parricide. The seal of Zindagi wasn't supposed to kill, but he had hit his father's heart. Would the goddess really never forgive him? What could he do to atone while continuing to defend life – all life – with the pole-arm?
Khanda looked upset and Talwar himself was beginning to realize what had happened at the local Assassins' Guild building. His father was dead. Killed by the seal on the shaft – or maybe his rebellion, his disobedience, his being a disrespectful son.
Katar's words also haunted him. There was no way out of the Assassins' Guild except by death. And he had done the same thing Katar had done – killing his old man. What if he had somehow stained the seal or messed with the spell? Would his pole-arm bring death now?
Talwar took the shaft and looked at the seal. It looked normal. He whispered the words of the spell and saw it burn with its green flame, pulsing on the brass seal as if it was going to burn something.
He closed his eyes and kept seeing the green symbol for a moment, then it vanished. He opened his eyes again, and even if his sight was blurred by tears, the seal looked still the same. It wasn't supposed to kill, why did it kill Jamdhar?
Khanda's hand touched his wrist. He met her pale blue eyes as tears ran down his cheeks.
"It's not supposed to kill," he whined in a whisper.
"It won't kill again," she whispered back, serious. "Here, try it on me. You'll see. It won't kill me."
She offered her wrist. He stared wide-eyed at her. He wasn't going to mark her soft white skin! He wasn't going to hurt her, ever!
He stared at the seal again, then at his own right hand. That was a limb that needed punishment. He should cut it off... or maybe just mark it. If it killed him, it was well deserved. If it maimed him, it was deserved too.
He laid his hand on the stone floor, palm up, and raised the staff.
"No!" Khanda whispered, but couldn't stop him.
"Tum zinda ho!" The seal burned his skin and sent shivers down his arm. He dropped the staff, hissing in pain, watching the mark of the goddess gleam green for a moment, then become a burning red symbol on his palm.
The staff falling on the stone floor echoed in the temple like thunder. Khanda gasped and took his
hand, covering it with kisses. She was crying too now.
"Why did you do it? How will you fight now?"
He let her tears warm his fingers, then, as the pain slowly subsided, he opened and closed his hand. It still worked fine. And the power of the goddess hadn't reached his heart. He hadn't even passed out. Therefore his father's death was an accident.
He sighed and left his wounded hand in Khanda's. He still had the goddess's favor, but he felt unworthy. He didn't want to be part of any Assassins' Guild. He wanted to live and protect life, not spend the rest of his existence killing people according to someone else's whim. That would really be a way to be cursed by Zindagi forever.
Khanda looked up at the statue's face. "I should atone by joining some monastery," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "And so should you."
"No!" He shook his head. "Why let them win? We might as well let them kill us both, since it's the only way to get out of the wretched guild!"
She looked at him with tearful eyes and a sad smile. "At least we'd die together," she said.
"We will not die," he said, determined, squeezing her fingers with his still tingling hand. "Come. We shall go farther away. Maybe Uzair is going back to Nilapur and then we can find a ship to go north. Katar's right that waterways are safer for we who don't know the land."
She sniffled and slowly nodded. They rose and left the temple hand in hand. They stopped in the main marketplace to eat at a street vendor, looking around in case they saw Katar or Peshkabz or Shamshir. They had no idea what the other assassins might look like, but nobody seemed to give them a second glance.
"How did you find out the brass wheels weren't sharpened?" Talwar asked.
"Because I always double-check my weapons," Khanda answered gloomily. "I sharpened them while you were sleeping with the rowers."
He cursed under his breath. "I was stupid, but then... the seal worked just fine. Except it killed Jamdhar. It wasn't supposed to do that. He should have been stunned, like Khopesh."
Talwar and Khanda--Assassins in Love Page 9
