by Arthur Slade
Despite the tincture in my system, my heart began to race. Violence! Right outside my door! Had the assassins who came to the graduation somehow turned on us? A long silence followed.
Then footsteps came skidding to a halt in front of my door and someone banged on it.
“Carmen!” It was Megan. “Carmen, are you in there?”
I couldn’t move my lips. “Run,” Megan said. “They’re killing everyone.”
Then she was gone too.
The only sound my ears picked up was my heartbeat. It was as loud as thunder. I concentrated on slowing it down and making myself calm.
I heard footsteps again. Heavier, but still quiet. “Carmen?” It was a whisper, but I recognized Thord. He attempted to pick the lock on my door but failed. He let out a groan. Had he been wounded?
“I— I didn’t see you with … with the others. If you’re in there, you must hide yourself. Or flee. But don’t take any of the well-known gates. They are watched. I … ugh … I am going to fly.”
If he intended to take a swan he would be killed. I was pretty certain the swannery would be the first place to be guarded by any attackers. I tried to warn him, but my lips were frozen.
“Find me if you live,” he said. “I— I hope you’re already gone.”
Then came the soft sound of his footsteps going away from my door.
I lay in silence for what felt like a millennium.
Very gradually I became aware that I could move my right leg. Just a little bit. Soon I was able to wriggle the fingers on my left hand. Perhaps, in all my years of building immunities to poisons and tinctures, I’d developed an immunity to this one. Corwin had said it would last for twelve hours. But it had been no longer than an hour or two — that was my best guess.
I was able to slide my legs a few inches across the top of the bed. Eventually enough motion came that I could force both legs over the edge of the bed. The floor thumped as my feet hit the floor. There was now a little strength in my arms.
I tried to stand and immediately collapsed to the floor, banging my head into the dresser. I lay there for a few moments. I’d not been able to put my hands out, but at least I’d managed to miss braining myself. I slowly used the cot to pull myself up to a sitting position, feeling woozy. Then I tried to stand again.
This time I took a few steps, kicking the goblet on the way. I used the wall for support and limped to the door, only to discover I didn’t have enough dexterity to pick the lock.
“Enderos,” I said. My voice was slurred and ragged. But I repeated it and moved my hand in a circular motion. On my third try, the door unlocked.
I couldn’t hear any sounds from the other side. I ever so slowly opened my door.
A dead assassin lay on the stone floor. He had a crossbow bolt in his back. His hood had opened enough that I could see the side of a scarred face. His grey hair clearly meant he was one of the older ones. The bolt had gone perfectly through his heart.
I crept slowly up the hall. Both Megan and Thord had told me to flee, but I chose the opposite way from the stairs that led to the three hundred and eight doors. I didn’t want to leave until I knew more about the situation.
But stairwells weren’t safe, and hallways weren’t safe, so where was the best place to walk? I had to find Maestru Alesius. He would know what to do.
I slipped into the kitchen. There were no servants remaining, but I did find another dead body with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his side. Since there wasn’t a red sash, I was certain it was a student. I didn’t want to turn the body over and see who it was.
I placed my hand on his neck to find no pulse. And it was squeamish of me to not see who it was. I needed all the information I could get, to know who remained alive. So, I took a deep breath and turned his head.
It was Maxen, one of the third-year students. I’d hardly said two words to him but remembered him as a hard worker.
I noted that the bolt was golden shafted, which was a sign the people who had invaded the fortress were from the Akkad Empire. They liked having their arrows and bolts glitter with gold as they flew toward their enemies. It showed what a rich and strong empire they were.
I stood straight and peered around the kitchen. It was odd to not hear a single noise, especially in a place that was usually bustling any time of the day or night. I couldn’t take the hallway — they were too well-lit. It took me a moment before I realized the safest way to go was right in front of me.
I climbed onto the cupboard and opened the door to the right dumbwaiter. There were several small lift shafts that ran up and down the fortress. It was cramped, but I was small enough to fit into the lift. The pulley and rope system ran through the centre of the wooden platform. It was just a matter of pulling down on the rope without letting go of the tension. I was a lot heavier than a plate of food — if the rope snapped I’d keep falling to the bottom and break into a thousand pieces.
Bit by bit, I brought myself up — slowly, so the pulleys didn’t squeak. About halfway up, my arms grew tired, and I had to rest, though I still kept the tension on the rope. Then I started again, feeling the sweat form on my forehead. When I reached the top, I opened the door to the lift.
My guess had been right. I recognized Maestru Alesius’s chamber.
I recognized his body too.
Chapter 21
A Final Order
His study was in disarray. Books had been torn, statues broken, and blood spilled. He had not gone down without a fight. A dead man in chain mail was on the ground a few feet from Maestru Alesius’s body.
I listened, but my heart was beating too hard to hear anything else. So, I drew in a breath, imagining my heart slowing down. It took a few repetitions, but my heart returned to a normal speed, so I could hear properly again. The room was silent. I looked left and right, then forced myself through the small doors and down to the floor. I let go of the rope on the trolley, and the tray stayed in place.
I stepped around the pool of blood and the dead soldier. He had a bear tattoo on his hand. He was one of the Immortals — the emperor’s elite guards. The same bear flag was flapping outside my window.
“It will keep you safe,” Corwin had said.
I didn’t want to accept what my brain was telling me. It was clear the new emperor, Sargon, had struck this blow against the assassins. And Corwin had helped him.
My brother!
I drew in a deep breath. Now was not the time to scream in anger. Now was the time to observe and gather information before I made my next move.
I stepped over the guard and stood next to my maestru. He had fallen facedown and had three crossbow bolts in his side. He had died bravely.
“Carmen,” he said.
He wasn’t dead! I couldn’t stop from sucking in a breath. He wasn’t facing me, yet he recognized my tread.
“Turn me over,” he said.
I knelt and slowly turned him, carefully holding one shoulder so the bolts wouldn’t be pushed right through. I found a pillow nearby and shoved it behind him so he could lean against a pillar.
His black cloak hid the blood he was losing. “Good. Good,” he said once he was propped up.
“We have been attacked!” The moment I said it I realized how stupid I sounded.
“Yes, these are the emperor’s troops. I should have predicted this and guarded against it, but I trusted too much in the security of our fortress and in our agreements. The Immortals came in through the windows on gliders. They have impressive skill.”
“They had help from inside. My brother.”
“I know,” Maestru Alesius said. “That, too, I should have seen. But I have failed my order. I have failed my brothers and sisters.” He coughed a burbling cough.
“I’ll get you out of here, Maestru. We can rebuild the order.”
He shook his head. “No, Carmen. You would never make it out alive dragging me. And I am very close to death.”
“No, you’re not!” I wanted to shake him. “We can take a
swan and flee.”
“They have already secured the swannery. Maestru Arvid is dead. I saw him fall. I made it here through a secret passage from the Grand Hall. The Order of the Red Adept Assassins has been destroyed in one night.”
“But it’s not destroyed.”
“You were not in the graduation hall. Only a handful have escaped. You must find them, and perhaps there will be safety in numbers. Small numbers.”
“We can strike back against the emperor.”
He raised a hand dripping with blood. “Youth are always ready to fight, but the time to strike back is not now. Perhaps never.” He pointed toward his worktable. “I want you to have a gift. It’s an old, old artifact. Go to the top drawer in the table.”
I stood slowly and walked over to the table where I’d so often mixed potions.
“Open it.”
The drawer was empty. “There’s nothing here.”
He gurgled. It took me a moment to recognize it as a laugh. “Press … press the back upper left.”
I found an indentation that I pressed.
“Now pull the drawer all the way out.”
I did so, setting it on the table. A glitter below where the drawer had been caught my eye. I reached in and pulled out a blue cloth. A grey handle was sticking out of it. I unwrapped the cloth to discover two sheaths of a plain grey pattern. Daggers! Longer than the ones I’d trained with. When I pulled one from its sheath, it made a ssskt sound. Even to my naked eye it was clear that the blade was sharp. There were runes written along the blades.
“Those are the Uriken blades,” Maestru Alesius explained. “They have been warded and are over three thousand years old.”
“They don’t even have a nick in them!”
“That metal will not break. And it will cut through most anything.”
I brought them over to Maestru Alesius and knelt. “Here they are, Maestru. You can defend yourself.” Even as I said it, I wasn’t certain if he could lift them.
“No. They are yours.” He coughed again. “Take them.”
“But, Maestru, I can’t.”
“You must. I don’t want them to fall into the hands of the enemy. You are my finest student.”
“But I’m not. I— I don’t deserve this, my …” I was tempted to point at my patch.
“Yes, you are missing an eye. Despite that, you have risen to be a graduate. Only fifteen students across all the realms are allowed each year. Your pride is your only failing.”
“But …” I held the daggers. They were so perfectly balanced.
He grimaced. “Attach them to your belt now. That’s an order. And reverse your cloak to the black side.” I did so quickly. “You are officially a Red Adept Assassin now. And you must leave.”
“I can’t leave you.”
“You will leave. That is another order. Search for any survivors and find Banderius. Of any assassins in the outside world, he has likely survived. He’s … he’s a rough sort, but he has sworn an oath. He can help hide you. Promise me you’ll find him.”
“I will,” I said.
“Good.” He closed his eyes and seemed to sleep for a moment, then he opened them again. He lifted his hand, which was shaking now. “There is a door behind that curtain. Push in the fish’s eye, and the corridors will lead you to a way out of the fortress. Only I know of this door. Find safety. Then find your fellow students. Band together with ones you trust. And put as much distance between yourself and the emperor as possible.”
“I won’t run!” I held the daggers tight.
“The battle is over. Accept that fact. Revenge can be a thousand years in the waiting.” He said this last part slowly. There was a sound of clinking armour and talking in the hallway. More of the Immortals were coming. “Go, Carmen. Go. Out that door and to freedom. Of all the assassins, you are the easiest to find because of your missing eye. So you must go the farthest.”
“I really can’t leave you here!”
“You will leave me. That is my last order to you.” He coughed and grimaced. “Actually, make that my second-last order. I want you to hand me that crossbow. I will take one of them with me.”
I handed him the bow and helped him crank the string and load a bolt.
“Good luck in the world, Carmen of the Red Adept Assassins.”
I stood. “Thank you, Maestru Alesius,” I said. “Thank you for everything.”
I went to the wall and pushed on the fish’s eye, and part of the wall pulled away. I glanced back. He had propped the crossbow on his knee and pointed it at the door.
I stepped into the passageway and pushed a lever, and the wall slid shut. It was completely dark. It took me a moment to find my light powder and spread it on my hand, holding it above my head to dimly light my way.
I followed the stairs that led me down and away from my maestru.
Chapter 22
Making a Decision
When I reached the next level, I had a choice. I could take another set of stairs that led upward. Or I could continue going down.
I went down, since I wouldn’t find any way out above me. There was a short hallway, and I noticed that light was coming through a hole in the wall — a peephole. I stood on my tiptoes and looked through it.
I was looking into the library. Maestru Beatrix was gone. Several of the emperor’s guards were gathering books under the direction of Scyllia. Her angular face was severe, except for a small smile that made her beady eyes shine. She was enjoying this work! She wore her graduation cloak, though a large bear pin clasped it to her neck. I guessed that was her way of letting the Immortals know she was on their side. It didn’t surprise me that my brother had included his friends in his horrible plan.
I hoped Maestru Beatrix had escaped. Maybe there was another passage like this hidden in another library wall. There could be hundreds of secret passages; the fortress was certainly large enough for that.
One of the Immortals ripped a book in half and laughed. It took all my will to not try to punch through that wall. I was certain a nearby lever would open a door. I could sneak in there and kill the guard and his companions. And Scyllia too! Then I’d sneak back out. In fact, it could be possible to do that in every room.
But they were Immortals and had just finished dispatching some of the finest assassins in the world. And you only have one eye, I reminded myself.
I had to force myself to turn away. I continued down the next set of stairs. I knew this level featured the Grand Hall that stretched out onto a large balcony overlooking the mountains. Another peephole sat waiting here, and I stood on my tiptoes. This room was where my fellow students would have been waiting in line to officially be declared graduates. I hesitated to look. Would it be a horrible scene of destruction?
I swallowed and stared through the hole.
No bodies lay on the floor or spread across the benches. Several tapestries were ripped, and statues broken. The steps that led up to the stage where we graduates would have stood looked to be slick with a black substance. One of the Immortals was dragging something away, but it was hidden from my line of vision by wooden benches.
I was certain many of my classmates had died in this room, but I was thankful to not see their remains.
Corwin was standing on the balcony, talking to an Immortal. My body went cold.
The guard was larger than Corwin, and the signs on his shoulder meant he was a commander. But he was nodding in deference as Corwin spoke. Then Corwin waved his hand, and the man walked away and down one of the halls. It made me pause. My brother had that much power he could actually command an officer of the Immortals?
The sight of him made my body vibrate with anger. I could slip out, run straight at Corwin when his back was turned, and stick both of my daggers into him. He had killed my fellow graduates! My maestru! And many more. I began breathing harder, getting my rage up. My hands were already on the daggers.
But then I took a deep breath. Maestru Alesius had told me to flee. I’d be full of cross
bow bolts before I got halfway across the room, or I’d be cut in two. The Immortals were coming and going from the hall. Even with both eyes, I’d never be a one-on-one match with a single elite fighter, let alone my brother.
But he was standing on the balcony like he owned the Five Realms and the Empire itself. He probably really liked the feeling of looking down on everything.
And that confidence meant he was vulnerable.
I just had to get to where he stood. I ran quietly up the stairs and took another set of stairs that led me higher. A peephole showed me that I’d guessed right. This hallway led to where many of the maestrus had their private rooms. I pressed the lever, and the wall shifted open quietly. I turned my head from side to side to be sure I didn’t misjudge the distance because of my eye. I cut across the hall and into Maestru Olgra’s room. The door was already ajar. There was no sign of her, and I hoped she’d somehow escaped too. I knew there was a balcony in these chambers because of her interest in the stars. She had taught us about the movements of the planets and the stars and how to use them to aid in our night hunting.
I nearly knocked over her spyglass in my hurry to look over the edge.
Corwin was below me, still standing on the Grand Hall balcony. He continued to look completely full of himself. It was a long distance, but I was pretty certain I wouldn’t break any bones.
Especially if I landed right on him.
So, before I could hesitate or get caught up in second thoughts, I launched myself over the edge.
Chapter 23
Under the Starlight
The sound of my right foot hitting my brother’s head was very satisfying. I could listen to it all day long. I’d meant to hit him with both feet but had misjudged. He collapsed to the ground, and I landed on one leg, jarring myself slightly, but was able to roll to a standing position.
Corwin was already up, holding his head, clearly dizzy. Good!
I unsheathed one of the daggers and jumped toward him. So far, a crossbow bolt hadn’t hit me. Also good.
I grabbed his cloak and twisted him around so that he was between me and the Immortals. Six of them had their small crossbows out, pointed at my head.
