by Arthur Slade
“You may not want the swans to see that.” Brax motioned with his nose.
A dead swan, its body broken, lay among the rubble.
“Do you still want to be dropped off?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. Though the sight of a dead swan meant that an assassin had perhaps met a bad end here. “This time come right away when I make the hoot of the Whiskered Screech Owl."
“You should maybe just shout my name," he suggested. “Your owl sounds are an insult to owls.”
I didn’t have a smart answer to that. Plus I was watching the roof of the keep grow nearer and nearer. Since he was too heavy to alight on the old roof, I slipped off him in the air and landed softly on the main keep. Brax swept his great wings silently and took into the air. He glanced back, and I thought there might be concern on his face. Both Thord and Megan slid off their swans and landed on their own feet, then with a waved command their swans winged upward to circle the fortress.
“This place looks deserted,” Thord whispered.
"I saw a dead swan," I said.
"Well that bodes ill," Megan said. "But a little death has never frightened us, right?" She drew out the spear compass which at once pointed straight down. “If this compass truly shows Banderius’s location, then he’s right under our feet.”
“Our only choice is to follow it,” Thord said.
I didn’t spot any guards. If he’d gathered together a group of assassins, you’d think he would have posted lookouts. Did he send them along to a safer place? Or was the compass pointing to some magnetic rock left in a room below? Maybe we'd find his skeleton there.
Megan led us to an open stairwell. I clutched my daggers, Thord quietly unsheathed his sword and Megan drew her small crossbow. Without a word she started down the steps, with Thord only a few feet behind. I turned to look behind and above, aware that attack could come from any direction. There were no strings strung across the steps to ring tiny bells. No traps that an assassin would have prepared for unwanted arrivals. The place had to be abandoned.
The stone stairwell circled downwards. The stairs were broken in several places and we had to stretch over them to avoid bumping the rubble. Though my ears were attuned, I heard no noise other than our footsteps. This was an abandoned fortress outside a city, but it would still make a good place to shelter. You'd think there would be poor or desperate people living here. But perhaps they thought it was haunted.
Or they'd been driven away.
If there was danger we would have to race up these stairs, as they were our only path to the roof. I tried to memorize where the broken steps were.
Halfway down the stairwell we came to a wooden door. It was relatively new, the first sign that someone had been in here recently. Megan held out the compass, which was now pointing directly at the door as if Banderius might be standing on the other side.
We nodded to each other to indicate we were ready, then Megan opened the door. It wasn’t even locked and its hinges didn't utter a squeak.
Before us was a long dining hall with an ancient wooden table that still stood on all four legs, even though a chunk of it had fallen away. There was a metal plate at one end with what looked to be the remains of a meal. A fire was burning in the hearth. One part of the wall next to the hearth had fallen in, showing starlight. How long had this place been abandoned?
A man sat in a chair staring at the flames, his back to us. He had a flask in his hand.
“Put away your weapons,” he said, without turning. “Or I will kill you where you stand.”
21
The Oath
We stood still. I tightened the grip on my daggers.
“Perhaps I worded that too strongly,” he said. “You are not in danger here. Nor are you wetlings a danger to me.”
He continued gazing into the fire, not even bothering to look our way.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“You know who I am. I heard you land on the roof, so you came by swan. I am glad there are still a few swans that remain. And you were guided here. That girl is holding a compass that's aiming at my heart.”
Megan did still have her right hand in front of her. The spear compass was pointing at him.
“You’re Banderius.” I felt stupid saying it.
“This is what our graduates have come to,” he said. “Simpletons. No wonder the Red Fortress went up in flames.” He took another long sip. “Please tramp over here and stand before me. I am too bored to turn my head.”
I glanced at my companions. Thord and Megan both shrugged. I glanced around the room for signs of other assassins, but he seemed to be alone. We walked the twenty or so steps across the floor and stood to one side of the hearth. The fire was warm; I hadn’t realized how cold my hands had become.
Banderius was not old. Nor did it look like life as a rich assassin had softened him. He was wearing obsidian armor, a thin black metal that only the richest could afford. And the rumors of his handsomeness had been true: his jaw was straight, his face well-featured and rugged at the same time. Even though he slouched in his chair, there was a lithe power to his body.
“I said you could put away your weapons.”
Thord did so, and Megan and I followed his example.
Banderius took a drink from his flask. The fire crackled. “Which ones are you?” he asked. “Not that it matters.”
We spoke our names. He nodded at each one but raised an eyebrow when I said mine.
“Back from the dead, are you?” he said.
“How do you know about that?”
His grin didn’t make his eyes seem any warmer. “I have not survived in the madness outside these walls without knowing things. Now tell me, who else survives?”
I thought of mentioning Maestru Beatrix. No, best not to let anyone know she had survived.
“We hope there are others,” Thord said. His voice sounded a little ragged. “But I found Megan as we escaped the fortress. And Carmen discovered us later.”
“Then you aren’t great at hiding,” Banderius said. “What are they teaching you these days? Nothing practical, I assume. How is it you have swans?”
“I worked in the swanneries,” Megan said. “I was able to call down two of the freed ones when I escaped the school.” She spat that lie out in a heartbeat. Good for her.
“But there are three of you,” Banderius said. "You only mentioned two swans."
“I found mine on my own,” I said. “Swans like me.”
He turned his bleary eyes in my direction. Why did he seem so angry? We had come across a great distance to find him, and he was treating us like children. Like a burden. A round stone was hanging from his neck. “That’s what draws the spear on the compass,” I said.
He touched the stone. “Yes. It is matched to my magnetic personality.” His chuckle was ragged. “So you spoke to the gythia and the gothi?” he asked.
“Yes,” Thord said. “They gave us the spear compass.”
“Then you are perhaps not as stupid as you first seemed. And my missives I sent to the five realms, they worked. You obviously unraveled the riddle?”
“We did,” Thord said. “Though we encountered Empire soldiers in Gudheim. Immortals chased us from the temple.”
He frowned. Even with his face squished up that way he looked attractive. “I guess that way is closed now.”
“The gythia said other assassins came to them,” I said. “Did they find you?”
His gaze was on me again, and he seemed perturbed that I’d even asked the question. “That’s not your business. You need to gain my trust before you learn a thing from me. But why would you search out Banderius, of all the assassins who remain alive?”
“Maestru Alesius told me to find you,” I said.
This made him blink, and his face didn't seem so pinched by anger. “You saw him before he died?”
“Only moments before. He said you’d be able to hide us and would know what to do now.”
“He was a good man.” Banderiu
s took a long swig from his flask. The stink of wine carried on his breath as he spoke: “Such a good man. He had his high and mighty ideals. But he still thought enough of me to set you on my trail?”
“Yes,” I said. “He told me to trust you.”
“And did Alesius die well?” Banderius asked.
“He died fighting to the very end." My voice cracked a little.
“He would.” Banderius closed his eyes for a long time. “One never outgrows one’s master,” he said, still not opening his eyes. Then they opened and flashed with anger. “I will get revenge for him.”
The way he said it made a chill run down my spine. I would not want to anger this man.
“You can get revenge.” I grabbed the hilts of my daggers. “I want revenge, too. My brother did it. He did it all. He’s the one.”
Banderius shook the half-empty flask at me with such vigor that some wine sloshed to the floor. “I know that, Carmen. Do you think I’m an uniformed idiot? I’ve watched Corwin from a distance for years. He has a very devious and twisted mind. The most devious I’ve encountered.”
“You’ve met him?” Thord asked.
“Yes. I even taught him a few moves when he was younger. I thought he was malleable then, but I soon learned he was metal that would not bend. If I’d even guessed at half of what he would do, I would have put a blade through his heart.”
“He killed the princeling,” I said. “He killed a child. And the old emperor, too.”
“You have proof of this?” Banderius said.
“I know it in my heart.”
Banderius laughed. “Never ever trust your heart. But like you, I believe he deserves death. Many times over. But now is not the time to strike. Now is the time to hide in darkness and gather power.”
“So you’ll help us?” Megan asked. She took a step toward him.
“Will you help me?” He leaned back and put one hand behind his head. “That’s the more important question.”
“Yes!” I said. I also moved closer and set my feet in a fighting stance as if to prove my words. “Yes. I will help you and any others who want to strike Corwin and the emperor down. I will. I swear it.”
“Whoa!” Banderius held up his flask. “Hold up. Do you think I have an army of assassins hidden in my cloak pocket? Do you want us to fly to Akkadium and deal death left and right and then plunge a blade right through your brother’s heart?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“How impetuous you youth can be. But you have misread my words. That is not the kind of help I was asking for." He winked at me. "Did you happen to bring money?”
“What?” Megan spat out. “Money?”
“Yes, gold. Rubies. Gems. Or something of value. Ancient scrolls with spells on them. Rare books. Do you have anything of worth at all?”
“We have to pay you to save us?” I asked. “What about the oath between assassins? The Red Blood Oath. It’s a guild oath!”
Banderius snorted. “The fortress where I first swore that oath is gone. The people who witnessed me swear it are dead. So the oath is dead.” He motioned at the crumbling hearth in front of him, at the broken table and cracked chairs. “I once lived in my own palace and had a hundred servants. Now I hide like a rat in a stone box. So how did you think this would go? When you arrived, did you dream we’d all march off to some haven with me as your… your father figure. Wrapping you up in my fatherly arms.”
“You swore an oath,” I said.
“Again, I ask, how will you pay?” He glugged down more wine. I didn’t know if he was drunk or not. He waved his hand as though waving us away. “It doesn’t matter. You could never, ever pay enough.” He spoke to someone over his shoulder. “You can have them now. I’ve done my part.”
At first nothing happened. Then several footsteps. We turned to see that eight men in chain mail were coming from behind a broken wall—they had been waiting there silently all along. They moved with precision and purpose. Each was holding a crossbow.
But the one in the lead, with no weapon at all, was the first to walk into the firelight.
It was Corwin. And he was smiling wide enough to show his teeth.
22
Not Like Cleaning Stables
“Sister, you are really, really hard to kill,” Corwin said. “I thought you dead after I pushed you over that wall. I mourned for several moments. And yet you survived. That must be a tale worth telling. I’m used to the people I’ve killed staying dead.”
I moved a hand toward my daggers but the Immortals raised their crossbows higher, making it clear I would be full of bolts before I touched the hilt. I put up my hands, palms out.
“Wise choice, Carmen,” Corwin said. “And Megan and Thord it is my pleasure to see you, too, my dear classmates.”
“The feeling is not mutual,” Megan said. But both she and Thord were holding their hands up.
“And you, my friend,” Corwin said to Banderius. “I would say you laid it on a little thick with the I’d like to stab Corwin part, but otherwise this was really great work.”
“Easy work.” Banderius shook his head. “Too easy.” He turned his baleful eyes toward me and said, “I was the one who killed the emperor’s child.”
“You did?” I said.
He tried to hold my gaze, but looked away. “Yes. I was promised a province of my own. There is a price for everything.”
“Maestru Alesius would be so ashamed of you.” I continued to glare at him.
Banderius shrugged but still wouldn't look me in the eye. “Alesius’s ideals suited him well inside the walls of the Red Fortress. But it is a different world outside.”
“It certainly is,” Corwin said. “The infant’s death was a necessary step and helped prove Banderius’s loyalty. Oh, and it wiped all of his gambling debts clean.” Corwin winked at me. “I killed the old emperor, in case you’re keeping track, sister. Also a necessary step.”
“We were taught to have morals,” I said. "To do our jobs but not seek personal glory or power."
Corwin laughed. “Morals are great fodder for old men and women, but they mean nothing in the real world. In the real world everything is a calculation. Emperor Sargon first got rid of the wizards. Now, the assassins will be gone. He will be safe from all enemies. Not that he needs too much protection.”
“Will he be safe from you?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s a good question!” Corwin rubbed his hands together. “He knows I would never want his crown. Because being an emperor is a thankless position. I much prefer being the emperor’s right hand. He calls me his knife in the darkness. It’s a charming title.”
“You’re sick,” I spat.
“I’m a realist,” he answered. “And I always win.”
I had slowly backed away, sliding my feet to hide the movement. Both Thord and Carmen, too, had taken a few steps backwards. It was a very natural thing to do with several crossbows pointed at us. But it brought us to the edge of the hole in the wall.
If we jumped, we’d be a pile of broken bones on the hard ground below. And it wasn’t like we could send a message to our mounts. But I had to try. I cleared my throat and was about to attempt a hoot.
“If you make a shout or a whistle, you’re dead,” Corwin said. “I know you think you can perhaps jump through that crack in the wall, and one of you or maybe two will land on your swans. Small chance of that working, but I bet you would try it. Better than facing me.”
He stepped toward us. He didn’t get too close, which meant he was still wary. He knew any one of us could have vials of acid or other tricks up our sleeves.
"How is Gregum's face?" I asked.
"So that was you?" Corwin said. "You'll get to see his face soon enough. And his fists."
My dragon eye suddenly hurt. And I saw the room as a pattern of glowing lights, with each person standing there glowing, too. What was happening? The sharp pain made me stumble back a step and Megan caught me. This allowed a little more distance between us and our en
emies.
I rubbed until my eye cleared.
“Yes. That’s what’s different,” Corwin said. “You have also grown an eye. How splendid!” He pinched his chin as if deep in thought. “I'd like to know how that came about. And how you fell down a mountain and climbed out alive. It’s not like you grew wings. Yes, I’ve decided I must have an answer to that, even if I have to pluck the eye out myself. So you're going to live for a time, Carmen.” He let out a fake sad sigh. “But your companions have nothing for me, and I’ve learned after hours of trying that torture doesn’t work on assassins. So there’s only one thing to do now: Banderius, kill them.”
I actually took a step forward as if I could protect Megan and Thord.
“Do I have to?” Banderius said.
Corwin looked down at where the bleary-eyed Banderius, the man we had all worshiped as the greatest assassin in Ellos, sat.
“Do you have to?” Corwin repeated. “I’m not asking you to clean the stables. Yes, you have to, and I want it done now. And do make sure there's lots of blood.”
“Fine. Fine. I’ll do it.” Banderius raised himself shakily out of the chair, using the back of it for support. I wondered how long he had been sitting there drinking. He was taller than us and had a longer reach than even Thord. Banderius stumbled slightly when he took his first step. He stared at his foot as though surprised at its betrayal.
“We don’t have all night!” Corwin said.
Banderius rolled his eyes and then looked at us. His mouth moved and I swear he whispered, “Sorry.” He drew his sword.
It was a black blade covered with Oldtongue runes. I’d read about it, a famous sword that he called Lilith. He had named it after his mother.
“Don’t do this,” I said. “You were Maestru Alesius’s favorite. You can still make good on your oaths.”
He shook his head and did meet my eyes this time. His were red. “Maestru Alesius thought he could change my inner nature, but he was wrong.”
