I made my way around a corner into a narrow alley. There was no one about. I stopped and waited.
He rounded the bend, almost walking right into me. My speed and pent up aggression were too much for him. Within a minute, he was lying on the ground, sporting a bloody nose.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than follow me?”
He was a small man, considerably smaller than me, or maybe he just looked that way lying there. His hair was so short it looked more like fuzz and his nearly black eyes showed fear. In spite of that, his voice remained steady when he answered.
“Listen, I have nothing against you, but it was a lot of money.”
I didn’t react immediately, partly because I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. He must have thought I wanted more, for he continued. “Listen, if they ask me, I never saw you. Just don’t hurt me.”
I thought the direct approach might be the best way. “What in hell are you talking about?”
He scrutinized me, as if unable to believe my ignorance. Then he reached slowly into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of parchment. I could see the words on it, though interpreting them was beyond me.
“Read it.”
He opened the scroll and complied. “I hereby offer 50 gold ralens to the first person that can bring me the head of Alaric Mason. Payment in full is on receipt. I well know what he looks like and will not be fooled by impostors. The Duchess Kallondra.”
I was stunned by the implications of the missive. “Okay. How did you know who I was?” He turned the parchment around, revealing a detailed portrait of me in the center of the page.
“Where did you get this?”
“The assassin’s guild. There was a whole stack of ’em.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Someone had not only anticipated my arrival, but had gone to great trouble to see me dead. This sort of thing was even beyond Baron Kelrak’s means.
“Let’s go,” I said.
He looked startled. “To where?”
“Your place. I need to think.”
Before he could get any ideas, I pulled the black dagger I’d found beside Theona’s body. Immediately, the assassin’s eyes widened in terror and his voice was no longer steady. His gaze never strayed from that blade.
“Please Master, I beg of thee. If I had known your allegiance, I’d have never dared stalk you. In the name of the gods, don’t kill me!”
I would have smiled, had he not been so serious. I looked from the dagger to the assassin and back again. It was suddenly very important I find out its significance.
“Take me to your home.”
He nodded enthusiastically. “As you wish, Master.”
He rose quickly and moved through the alley. I followed behind, trying to understand this new piece of the puzzle.
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Chapter Five
To look at it, you’d never know the house belonged to an assassin. The furniture was both comfortable and colorful, and each room contained either a painting or tapestry, none of which evoked thoughts of violence. Perhaps due to the nature of his occupation, Dalyn liked to surround himself with relaxing images.
You would also never have guessed just a day earlier that same assassin had been following me, ready to kill me as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Only the strangest stroke of luck yet had saved me. Had I not drawn my dagger, even if Dalyn didn’t get me, one of the numerous members of the Assassin’s Guild would have eventually done the job.
I spent the night thinking and resting, though the former had a detrimental effect on the latter. The next day, perhaps because I didn’t get enough sleep, I awoke in a foul mood. It was not really the moment to make irreversible decisions, yet at the time I didn’t care. Someone I didn’t know wanted me dead and I was going to find out why.
From what little I could gather from his offhand remarks, it was easy to guess the black dagger was a badge of sorts, used by a very powerful sect of assassins. Since seeing it, Dalyn had certainly become eager to please.
“Dalyn, I want you to take me to the Guild.”
He licked his lips. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
I stared at him and he dropped his gaze. It didn’t matter I wasn’t certain what I’d do when I got there. I desperately needed to find out who was stalking me and why. The Assassin’s Guild seemed the most likely place to start.
Just after dawn, we set out. The building was located halfway across town in an empty warehouse. The deserted street gave the area an ominous feel. I looked at the large stone structure, hesitating only momentarily before following him up to the door. I sincerely hoped the others would have the same reaction to me as Dalyn. I made certain the blade was in plain sight.
He walked up to the door and rapped in a sequence I found difficult to follow. Presently, we were allowed access. The inside was well furnished and had a homey feel to it, and the assassin who had opened the door looked more like a butler. Once more, I was bemused by the setting. Had I known of such establishments previously, I’d have pictured them bleaker.
Dalyn led me through a maze of corridors to an empty sitting room. He told me to remain there. After he left, I heard the door close. When I tried it, it was locked. I stood and paced, suddenly not certain coming here was a good idea. Not that there was a lot I could do about it now.
While I waited, I examined the room, which was essentially a small private library. As I couldn’t read, I ignored the shelves of books. Instead, I sat on a large comfortable chair and thought of Theona. God, how I missed her!
After a time, the door opened and Dalyn entered, followed by a handsome middle-aged man who could easily have been the neighborhood candle maker. Only the confident way he regarded me told me he was not only an assassin, but one of those in charge. I forced a smile and rose. He looked at me and then at the dagger on my belt. I tried to breathe normally.
“My apologies, Sir. You understand, we had no way of knowing.”
I nodded. “I need a bit of information, if it’s not too much trouble. What’s your name?”
“Greln, Master.”
“Tell me about this Duchess, who so wants me dead. Who is she?”
He glanced at Dalyn, then back at me. “No one knows. After all, many of our clients use assumed names. She sent a servant to deliver the notice and that is our only contact.”
“So you know where to find this servant.”
Greln nodded. “Absolutely. At a room in the Circling Hawk Inn. If you want, Dalyn could show you the way.”
I smiled. “That would be fine. Someone is going to answer for this.” Both assassins shivered. Though I was playing a role, I meant every word.
A short time later, Dalyn and I walked down the street, while I tried to figure out what I was actually going to do once I got there. It was one thing to bluff the guild, but I had an odd feeling that whoever awaited me at the Circling Hawk wouldn’t be impressed by my credentials.
As soon as I saw the inn, I told Dalyn I wouldn’t be needing him anymore and he could go about his business. It wasn’t that I didn’t need his help, but I couldn’t take the chance he’d somehow find out I was not who I claimed to be. I suspected this servant of the Duchess Kallondra knew more about me than I wanted Dalyn to know.
He gave me a room number, fortunately one of the few I could actually read, and quickly returned the way we’d come. I got the distinct impression he was happy to be rid of me. I waited until he was out of sight before continuing.
The inn was one of the nicest I’d ever seen. It wasn’t in any way ostentatious, but instead radiated an air of quality that told me the people who stayed here were so well off they didn’t feel they needed to impress anyone. I certainly had some powerful enemies. I only wish I had done something to deserve such persecution. Not that it mattered. The way I felt now, I would have no trouble giving my foes a good reason to hate me.
I had no difficulty finding the room. I was going to knock, but on an impulse
I tried the door first. It was open. I turned the knob and pushed. It swung silently inward. Against the opposite wall, staring out a window, stood a rather large, brown-haired individual wearing a black cloak. I stepped into the room and closed the door.
I stared, thinking perhaps there was something familiar about the figure. Some sixth sense must have alerted her, for she turned. I gasped. The woman in the room was Alicia.
The sardonic smile that found her face was totally out of character. For a second or so she stood motionless before crossing the room. She moved with an agility that belied her bulk, only stopping when she stood directly before me. I stared at her, disbelieving.
Alicia held out her right hand and her smile broadened to a grin. “May I have my dagger back, please?”
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Chapter Six
I don’t know who I’d expected to find in that room at the Circling Hawk, but Alicia wouldn’t have been far from my last guess. Somehow she was responsible, at least in part, for what had happened. I stared at her, trying to reconcile the confident assassin standing before me, with the overweight, insecure servant I’d once thought I’d known.
“You killed Theona.” That one thought drove out all others. I felt rage flick across my mind. Yet, if she were an assassin, that meant someone had paid for that result.
“Who hired you?”
Her smile was not at all pleasant. I took a step backward, but she remained where she stood. “Would you like to meet my client?”
I could only nod.
“My dagger, please.”
I looked down, surprised to find it already in my hand. I hesitated briefly before handing it over.
“Thank you.”
I continued to stand there, held captive by doubts and unanswered questions. Finally, I found my voice. “Why?”
She didn’t answer. She moved forward and I stepped to the side. She continued out the door and I followed.
As we entered the street and moved away from the inn, I tried desperately to understand what had happened. Alicia had been Theona’s servant for years. She could have killed her at any time. Why then? Did it have something to do with me? Who was behind the entire conspiracy?
As I followed, the neighborhood began to deteriorate, though I didn’t notice until the change was drastic. All of a sudden, I found myself surrounded by houses in various states of disrepair. Few people roamed these streets and none were the type of person you’d want to find moving in next door to you. It was already late in the afternoon. I didn’t relish being in this section of town after dark.
“How much further is it?”
Even before her answer, I was in motion. I now know it was the magic sword that warned me, but suddenly, I was whirling to face her. She moved closer, surprised I’d somehow anticipated her attack. Her black dagger arced toward me, almost too fast to follow. I jumped backward and swung my blade, but she ducked under it and continued her advance.
I attacked frantically. She brought down the dagger to block my thrust. As the sound of metal clashing filled my ears, I saw into her mind. Only a glimpse, but enough to see where she was going after she finished me off. So startled was I, I almost died then, as she returned an attack of her own. I only managed to sidestep just in time, but I was unable to entirely avoid her swipe. It wasn’t until she’d backed up a step that I felt the burning sensation in my chest and realized I’d been cut.
As I moved in again, I felt a slow trickle of blood descend past my stomach. I wondered how bad it was. She moved in and our blades met. Once again, her mind was laid open to me. Somehow the sword was responsible, though I didn’t understand its power at the time. The speed of her attacks increased and I was forced to fall back from the furious onslaught. I began to feel dizzy and almost tripped. Then I felt a wall against my back. Alicia smiled triumphantly.
I didn’t think I could defend myself. Then, summoning the last of my strength, I pushed off the wall. My fury surprised her and she fell over backward, rolling to get away. I stayed with her. If I allowed her to regain her feet, it would be over.
I fell upon her, striking down with the hilt of my sword. She tried to defend herself, but the urgency with which I assaulted her was more than she could take. I continued my attack, until she moved no longer. I rolled to the side and made it to my feet, albeit somewhat shakily.
I wasn’t certain she was dead and wasn’t about to find out. Instead, I hobbled down the street. Nearby, in one of the deserted houses, lived my real enemy. Fatigued as I was, I continued onward. One way or another, it would end today.
It wasn’t difficult to find the place. The image from Alicia’s mind still burned clearly in my consciousness. Perhaps at another time, I might have questioned the source of that information, but rage propelled me. I only wanted to put an end to the running. The sun was already low in the sky, but the proximity of nightfall no longer concerned me. The burning in my chest was beginning to subside, but I still felt dizzy. I suppose I was in shock.
I opened the door with less stealth than a wiser man might have employed, but fortunately, there was no one waiting. Inside, a flight of stairs disappeared into the gloom above. I waited for my eyes to adjust before continuing. Fresh footprints in the dust led up the stairs and to the first door on the left. I flung the door wide and entered.
A single figure sat alone on the bed, reading. I stood there for a long moment, unable to come to terms with the sight that awaited me. It could not be.
“Theona.”
She looked up from her book and smiled. “At your service.”
I shook my head. “It’s impossible. You’re dead. I was at your funeral.”
“You saw my body lying in a pool of lamb’s blood, the very same blood that made it look as if my neck was cut. I don’t believe you ever ascertained I was actually dead. I swallowed a potion provided by Alicia that made it seem to everyone else I was dead as well. If they’d buried me, I would have had a problem. Escaping from the mausoleum was considerably easier. I had to trust Alicia to release me, of course. Your intrusion aided me there.”
I sank to one knee, barely able to believe what I was hearing. “But why?”
I met her eyes and she said nothing. Then she doubled over in pain, clutching the sides of her head. At first I thought it was some sort of ruse, but as the minutes passed, I wasn’t as sure. Finally, a wisp of whiteness flowed from her ear. As I watched in muted horror, it began to take shape. When it was done, I was staring at a milky, viscous, semi-translucent child.
“Congratulations. You’ve won again. Finding the Sword of Truth was a particularly nice move. I’d forgotten it was there.” Rather than hearing the words, they were somehow placed directly into my mind, as if I were remembering them only now.
I was only confused for a moment, before a terrible pain ripped through me. I’d never felt anything like it. When I again had the presence of mind to raise my head, a second ghost-child, nearly identical to the first, stood nearby, no doubt having emerged from inside me.
“What are you?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“We are passengers, the spirits of children that have died before our time. We ride the minds of others, maneuvering our hosts at will. Competition is fierce and the game is everything.”
“Game? What game?” My voice was hoarse with the memory of pain.
“Our game. Who you called Theona was the hunter. You were the quarry. Since you managed to discover her before she could bring about your death, you won.”
“Why didn’t she just kill me? She had plenty of opportunities.”
“The rules do not permit it.”
Slowly I rose to my feet, too exhausted to feel the anger I knew should be there. “What gives you the right?”
“The right of those that are stronger to use those that are weaker, any way they choose.”
Before I could answer, the two children faded from sight. For them, it was all just a game, like they’d played when they were alive. Perhap
s they really were like children and didn’t understand the repercussions of their actions. Driven by the need to win, the passengers would do anything to anyone. They did not value life. How many other tales of adventure might never have come to pass without the passengers and their games? I wondered what would happen now.
I looked at Theona. She stared at me, the mixture of emotions on her face beyond my ability to read.
“You never would have approached me, if it wasn’t for them,” I said.
She shrugged. “We’ll never really know that, will we?”
And that was the truth. Neither of us could possibly know what had been our will and what had been caused by the influence of the passengers. I looked at her as if she were a complete stranger. Come to think of it, it wasn’t far from the truth.
“I’m sorry, Alaric. I never would have hurt you.”
I wanted to believe her, but too much had happened. I remained silent.
“You know I can’t go home again.” She looked almost as if she might cry. As bad as it had been for me, it was worse for her. I’d lost relatively little in this transaction and gained a magic sword in the bargain. The Sword of Truth, the passenger had called it. She’d lost her family, her wealth and her social status.
I wanted to say something kind, some of my old feelings perhaps lingering, but could think of nothing.
“What will you do now?”
She stood and moved toward me. “You know, it all may have happened for a reason. I may have never looked twice at you, but now, well, it’s different for me.”
I wasn’t certain whether she spoke out of desire or desperation. It didn’t really matter. If she didn’t love me yet, we would have the time to work into it. I opened my arms and she came to me. She cried for a long time, and I held her until she finally grew calm. Perhaps it wouldn’t last, but I chose not to think about the possibility. At that moment, only one thing mattered to me.
Theona and I were together at last.
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Book Two
Alaric Swifthand Page 3
