by C. R. Daems
* * *
I sat in my wagon shaking. I had given away information that could jeopardize my assignment. I could have been killed and two corrupt Sisters would have gone unpunished. I had risked much tonight. Fortunately, I had gained much in return. They had given me names and information about the other guilds and someone to turn to for support. But I continued to worry. Relying on my intuition might not replace thoughtful consideration. On the other hand, planning based on known facts might result in being too late to help. All night, I tossed and turned.
With the morning came the realization that the two Assassins would be coming after me. Not because they knew me to be a Sister but because I had information they wanted. I didn't have to find them. They would find me.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Zeles—Calion Province
I knew the rogue Shadow and her apprentice would be coming to see the fortuneteller soon, probably tonight. She appeared desperate to know what I knew and for the information I had given the Fire Wizard. I decided to wait in the woods to keep the encounter away from the clan. Otherwise, someone might get hurt trying to protect me. Besides, I needed to maintain my cover. I wandered into the woods earlier than usual and changed into my blacks. Resting my back against a tree, I sat and waited while Anil and Kasi roamed the woods. An hour later, Kasi found two figures in black working their way toward the wagons. As I watched thru Anil's eyes, they moved like ghosts. A gray-black wolf ran parallel to them some twenty paces to their right. When they reached within knife-throwing range, I stood, back pressed against the tree, invisible in the darkness. I felt I stood in the shadow of my Sisters, and peace settled over me. I existed for the moment. The second before was the past. The second to come the future. I existed somewhere in between, where no thoughts of life or death, hate or revenge, victory or defeat could exist.
"Hello, Shadow. I presume you're the one they call the Shadow of Death. How appropriate since you're going to die shortly," Indira said. I recognized her stance. It resembled Sister Hajna's posture—relaxed and deadly. "Strange, I don't recognize you. Morag should've sent Hajna. That would have been a reasonable match. Any last words before you die?"
The shadows whispered to me.
Speaking distracts. They are Shadows only in their minds.
They stood a few paces apart. Indira had a knife folded back against her forearm, out of sight but ready to throw. Leela had her knife in plain sight. Instinctively, I knew Indira had killed before, but Leela hadn't. When the fighting started, Indira wouldn't hesitate. Leela would be a second or two slower. Her targets to date had been dummies, which didn't move or shoot back.
As Indira's hand moved, I rotated to my right behind the tree. Her knife hit the tree a finger's width from me. I continued rotating around the tree, my blowtube to my lips. As I came out on the left side, Leela stood there, frozen. I blew the rocktail-laced dart and twisted back. One knife, probably Indira's, ripped through my shirt, opening a deep gash. A second later, another knife came wobbling by.
Leela's final act.
I loaded another dart. Kasi showed the wolf attacking from my left, mouth wide open with fangs exposed. I blew. A piercing scream reverberated through the forest as the wolf stumbled and fell. I took two steps and dove over the wolf, rolled, and came up standing next to another large tree. As I rolled, an arrow ripped through my calf. The death of her familiar had delayed Indira a second and the arrow meant for my side had hit my leg.
When Indira stepped out to shoot, I threw another knife. She jumped back. Too late. The death of her wolf had dulled her reactions and the knife sliced a gash in her arm. I had just slid behind the tree to load my blowtube when an arrow scraped the side of the tree where I had just been standing. Anil and Kasi showed her charging the tree. I stayed behind the tree, knowing I couldn't win a knife fight with her. I took a deep breath and called my darlings as I dove out from behind the tree, rolled, and landed on my back with my blowtube to my lips. With my neck arched, I could see her charging me. She looked like a demon with her face flushed red and mouth twisted in rage. As her hand went back to throw, Kasi and Anil struck. She stumbled and threw as I blew a rocktail-laced dart. Her knife cut deep into my thigh. If Kasi and Anil hadn't stuck when they did, both Indira and I would be dead. Her knife had missed my chest only because she stumbled as the poison took hold. Her eyes were wide with hate as she hit the ground.
I lay there in pain as I returned from the moment to the present. All three wounds were bleeding. Just then, Kasi and Anil landed softly on my chest.
"Drink, my darlings, the blood's only going to waste." Dizzy and weak, I tied off my wounds and limped to Indira and Leela. After stripping them of their blacks, I redressed them in clothes they had carried with them in a pack. I jammed an arrow into Indira's chest, a knife in Leela's, and dropped the bow and quiver next to her. Hopefully it would look as though they had fought and killed each other. Afterward, I made my way back to the wagons. After removing my blacks and hiding them along with the extra blacks and weapons, I staggered to Marku's wagon, banged on the door, and shouted "help" several times. I wanted to wake the camp. A good story required an audience.
* * *
Stela cleaned, stitched, and bandaged the wounds. Then she half carried me to my wagon. On the way to the wagon, I claimed I happened upon two women fighting. One had knives and the other a bow and arrows. When they saw me, they stopped and turned their attention on me. One threw a knife and the other shot an arrow. When I staggered away, they returned to their fight. A minute later another arrow grazed my arm. I didn't stop but assumed the one still alive wanted me dead so I couldn't identify her. I lay there certain I was about to die. When I looked back, both were lying on the ground, one with an arrow in her chest and the other with a knife in her chest. Of course, Stela wasn't buying it, but I was too tired to explain.
The next morning everyone wanted to hear what had happened. By now the clan was beginning to think bad luck followed me. I think the clan would have gone looking for the two women, except they were afraid if they got caught there when someone found the bodies, the gypsies would be blamed. I didn't take part in the performance that night, but I did take my usual place in the fortuneteller tent. Although the tent and wagon belonged to the clan, I was beginning to think of them as mine. Just as I had begun to believe I was clan. That had saved me more than once. I now understood the difference between playing at being something and being a part of it. Playing at a part would be easy to detect if you knew what to look for. That could be the difference between being successful or failing—between life and death.
Nothing happened for the next two days, thank the gods. I didn't feel in condition to fight a child. Kasi watched the Intermediate's house, but so far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He ran a small shop selling handmade jewelry. Judging from his customers' clothing, he sold to merchants and commoners. Two days after my encounter with Indira and Leela, a man dressed like a noble entered his shop. Since Kasi couldn't hear the conversations, there could be several possibilities. It could be part of his normal business, or a noble was seeking a contract with the Shadows, or he was in league with the killers.
That night I decided to visit his shop. I arrived after he had closed for business and, with some effort, used two windowsills to climb to the second level. I opened a window and slipped into a small bedroom. The polished chest and four-poster bed looked expensive. In the dimly lit room, I waited in the shadows next to the bed. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Although he had a lantern in his hand, he failed to notice me standing in the shadows. When he closed the door, I spoke.
"I see you live well, Samal."
He stepped back into the door, almost dropping the lantern. His head jerked back and forth looking for me.
"Who are you?"
"One you work for."
"Shadow, you scared me." Then in a rush. "Are you looking for work? If so, I've a noble looking for an Assassin."
I han
ded him two pieces of thin paper.
"Send this message to Ashtol and this one to Ahasha."
He snagged the tora I flipped toward him.
I backed up to the window and sat. Rolling out backward, I caught the windowsill, dropped to the ground, winced with the pain, and faded into the trees.
He stood by the window watching until I entered the trees. When I was sure I was out of sight, I sent Kasi and Anil to keep watch while I waited. I had given him two messages. The messages to Ahasha read:
OUR APPRENTICE KILLED THE ROGUE SHADOW AS YOU DIRECTED. SADLY, SHE DIED TOO. I'VE TOLD YOUR SPECIAL SHADOW I'VE FOUND AN INSIDE CONTACT WHO'S WILLING TO GIVE HER NAMES AND PLANS. I'M FINISHED HERE AND LEAVING TONIGHT FOR HOME. H.
The message to Ashtol read:
SHADOW, RETURN TO ZELES. I HAVE A CONTACT FOR YOU WHO HAS THE NAMES YOU'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR.
HE WILL MEET YOU ONE LEAGUE IN BACK OF THE INTERMEDIATE'S HOUSE TWO SIXDAYS FROM TODAY. GOOD HUNTING. H.
When Samal left the house, my darling followed. He headed straight for the castle and was admitted. Shortly after he returned to the house, two swift-wing hawks flew from his window. One headed to Ahasha and the other to Ashtol. I smiled. I had been right.
Several hours later, Kasi, who had stayed at the castle, followed a noble and two riders when they left the castle. A league out of town, they stopped at a large camp of mercenaries, who looked to be the same group who had blockaded the road to Zeles. Kasi settled in a nearby tree.
"Lord Kerller, what do you have for us?" a large man with wild black hair and a scarred face asked. Kerller dismounted, tossing his reins to one of the other riders.
"There's a traitor in our ranks. A Shadow will leave Zeles tonight on her way to Ahasha, who knows his name. Have half your men set up roadblocks on the road to Kadal. First Lord se'Dubben is sending fifty soldiers to help. Take her alive if you can."
"Fifty soldiers?"
"Yes. Take the other half of your men and set up roadblocks on the road to Ashtol. Another hundred soldiers will be sent to help there. In both cases, your men will man the roadblock. The soldiers will fan out on both sides of the road in case she tries to circle around. The Shadow of Death will be travelling from Ashtol to Zeles. She must be stopped. Se'Dubben is offering a reward of fifty toras for the Shadow leaving Zeles and two hundred for the Shadow heading to Zeles—dead or alive. He'll be extremely upset if you let the Assassin Shadow slip by you—again."
"Yes, sir." The mercenary banged his fist into his hand. "That bitch won't get by us this time. We didn't have enough men last time. She must have circled our roadblock. When my men have had their fun with her, I'll personally strip the skin off her, bit by bit. She'll tell everything she knows and beg me to kill her."
"If you don't stop her, you may be the one who begs to die." Kerller mounted and the three rode off.
Shuddering, I called Kasi back.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Road to Ashtol—Calion Province
We left Zeles for Ashtol two days later, a sixday trip. One day out of Zeles, we encountered a roadblock. The traffic to Zeles was jammed a half league back to Ashtol. Ten mercenaries were tearing apart every wagon and bag they found. Piles of clothes lay in the dirt. Crates were pried open with their contents pulled out. A woman shrieked as a mercenary pulled her from a wagon. Another clutched her breasts, her shirt ripped off. A huddle of men muttered and cursed, but they didn't dare challenge the heavily armed mercenaries. On the other side of the road, a few mercenaries watched the flow of people to Ashtol. One waved us through with little more than a casual look. Anil and Kasi showed me a long line of soldiers off to either side of the road.
After we passed the roadblock, Marku rode up, nodded to me, and stepped onto my wagon. "What's happening, Ryana?"
"They are looking for the Shadow…of Death. They believe she's returning to Zeles from Ashtol to talk to an informant. I guess they're misinformed, since I'm headed to Ashtol." I smiled.
"Death?"
"That's what they have begun calling me. Although I don't like it, I am leaving a trail of bodies. Are you certain you don't want me to leave? I'm dangerous to have around. Se'Dubben has offered two hundred toras for me—dead or alive. Besides, I'm not the innocent young woman you agreed to take to Scio. I'm someone else that I'm not sure I like." My eyes misted and I looked away from Marku.
"I don't know who you're killing or what's going on, but I do know you aren't killing innocent people. You're welcome to stay as long as you want. Besides, everyone would miss you." He vaulted onto his stallion.
We passed through two more roadblocks along the way. Each time they ignored the traffic going to Ashtol, whereas the people going to Zeles were brutally harassed. I felt guilty for having caused the problem. For the next few days I remained quiet, my visual-self afraid to examine my shadow-self and what she had become. Had Morag known what would happen, or what could happen, and prayed it would not? Would she approve? Did I approve? Was I saving lives or… It had become too easy to kill.
"Why are you so quiet, Ryana?" Alida asked as she sat down next to me that evening.
"Just thinking of home and what life will be like when I get there." I almost laughed. This time it was the truth, although Alida would assume I meant Scio.
"I wonder about my life with Pali and the Tobar clan." Alida too lapsed into silence.
"You two look like you need cheering up," Ilka said as she sat down next to Alida.
"We're wondering about our futures. Me with Pali, and Ryana at home."
"Oh… I think about having a husband and children and…" With that Ilka went silent. The three of us sat quietly, each wondering what life had in store for us.
As we approached Ashtol, I managed to liven up. My visual-self found joy being a part of the clan. My shadow-self focused on Ashtol and my assignment. Se'Dubben was clearly involved in the killing of Sisters. I needed to know if that meant the entire province supported him and which, if any, Wizard guilds.
Ashtol produced a variety of clothing from their herds of sheep and fields of cotton and were the primary source of cloth for Hesland. The people were a strange mixture of merchants, farmers, and herders. In a way, I felt the pain of my youth when I saw herders watching our performances. Most were in town to buy supplies or for entertainment of one kind or another. Because of the importance of the clothing industry, the town supported a large number of guilds and nobles.
Marku planned to stay a sixday, putting on a performance every other day, leaving three days to rest. The first day, I wandered the streets posting notices of our arrival. I took the part of the town where our Intermediate lived and worked. She had a modest business spinning yarn. I wondered about her loyalty. So far, most of them supported our adversaries, probably for the money. Ironically, that had proved helpful in locating those responsible for the killings. Our Intermediate here lived in a working-class district. Through Anil, I saw no usual activity at her house as I wandered the streets putting up notices. I wore a traditional embroidered white blouse and a bright, multicolored, flared skirt favored by the gypsies. The reaction was mixed. Most were friendly, some indifferent, and a few unfriendly or hostile.
"Hey, girly. How about a silver for a roll in the hay. That's more than you're worth, but I feel generous today." He laughed as he approached. A big man, he wore dirty homespun with a leather vest, stank of whisky, and hadn't shaved in weeks. For the hundredth time, I pitied the gypsies. Of course, this kind of behavior wasn't exclusively directed at them, but it seemed more prevalent in their case. I would have enjoyed dumping this clown on his ass. Unfortunately, in that case, the gypsies and I would be blamed for harming a law-biding citizen of Ashtol.
"Five toras."
"You're not worth a silver." His lips and eyes narrowed. "How about nothing."
"Too bad, I'm good." I turned and began walking away, knowing he would grab me. He did. I let him drag me toward an alley filled with garbage. Three steps into the alley, he spun me ar
ound and pulled me to him. I jammed a rockberry stick into his stomach. Within seconds, he collapsed. If I had to, I could claim he was drunk and passed out. I left him lying in the alley with the garbage.
I couldn't help but feel like I should be doing something. I had to avoid killing anyone, since my adversaries believed me in Zeles or at least heading in that direction. I decided to find out if our Intermediate still worked for the Sisters. That night I wandered into the nearby trees and changed into my blacks. It was late and I encountered little traffic. With Kasi's help, I had little trouble reaching the house without detection. I entered through a side window near the rear of the building into a room containing a loom, baskets full of cotton and wool, and balls of finished yarn. I opened the door a crack and scanned the room. A woman sat examining several balls of yarn. I crept into the room and blew out one of her lamps. The remaining one left the room in shadows.
"Don't turn around, Evita," I whispered from only a few steps behind her. Her whole body tensed, but she didn't move.
"It's fortunate you're here. Se'Dubben is looking for an Assassin," her voice rose with excitement. I smiled.
"Neither I nor my apprentice are Assassins, but I understand one of my Sisters is in Zeles. She should be right for se'Dubben."
"How fortunate for you. A local noble is looking for a Spy. Would you be interested?"
It was becoming obvious that she had been commissioned to find Sisters. A cat-and-mouse game; however, she was confused about who was the cat and who was the mouse.
"Yes, if the price is right. I'll check back in a day or two for his requirements and terms." I slipped back through the door and out the window. I left Anil to monitor the house. Since they couldn't know when I would return, they would have to watch the house every night until I did.
