ARC: Assassin Queen

by Anna Kashina

“Do you remember what happened?” Mai asked.

  She rubbed her wrists, tingling as if they had been devoid of circulation for quite some time. “Not the fight. The last thing I remember is this feeling… as if someone was stabbing my head. I also heard voices. And I saw…” She glanced around. Definitely no stone hallways here, not even a rock sticking out of the wavering grass.

  “Saw what?”

  “I… I think it might have been a chamber inside the Kaddim fortress. I saw a man, dying.” She tried to stifle the memory. The dissolving flesh, rotting while the man was still alive. She had seen it once before. There was no mistaking it, the agony of a man bitten by the spiders. The Kaddim brother, bitten during our recent battle? Not possible. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t come up with any other explanation.

  Mai peered into her face. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine.” She flexed her muscles, massaging the life back into her sore arms. Mai’s block had been vicious, his knees pressing only inches away from the spots that would have dislocated her shoulders. Clearly she had left him no choice but to subdue her with maximum force.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I was trying to avoid knocking you out.”

  “I understand.” With her strength and combat skill, she could do serious damage thrashing in a semi-conscious state with no awareness of her surroundings. It was fortunate that Mai and Lance happened to be nearby. Or was it deliberate, another Kaddim ploy to trick her into using her skill? She felt nauseated at the thought.

  “Do you have any idea what happened?” Mai asked.

  “No.” She looked up at him, her heart quivering at the mix of concern and unease in his eyes. He still didn’t trust her. She wasn’t sure she could live with that. “You shouldn’t have come after me. You should’ve let me go.”

  “Go and do what, exactly?”

  Her lips trembled. “My mere existence is putting everyone in danger. None of us knows for sure what happens every time the Kaddim tap into my skill. For all we know, their warriors can already fight like Gems. Hell, they will all fight like Diamonds if I stay alive long enough.”

  “Alive?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is this why you ran away?”

  She averted her gaze, unable to face his expression. He looked at her in hurt disbelief, as if she had just attempted to stab him.

  “Think of it, Mai,” she said. “You’re fighting a war. If you lose, our Guild will cease to exist. Kingdoms will fall. Everyone will perish. Don’t you think it’s unreasonable to weigh it all against one person’s life?”

  Mai’s eyes narrowed. “You are forgetting one important thing. This way of thinking, your belief that you pose this kind of danger, might be the Kaddim’s trick too. If Magister Egey Bashi is right about your death benefiting them…”

  “Do you really mean it?”

  Mai’s nostrils flared. “Did you forget what I told you before, how your death could potentially play right into their hands by releasing your skill to them? Of course we don’t know for sure yet, but last time I checked Magister Egey Bashi was still under this impression.”

  “How come he never said anything to me?”

  “Because I asked him not to. I know his tendency to chew things over and over again. The last thing I wanted was to subject you to these conversations. I thought me talking to you would be enough. Wasn’t it?”

  She sighed. “I thought you were just trying to make me feel better after what I heard at the King’s council.”

  “Would I ever do this to you? Do I actually look this bloody stupid?”

  “No. But–”

  “Just think about what you just said,” Mai insisted. “Does it make any sense?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, then maybe I’m not the one being bloody stupid right now.”

  She stared at him wide-eyed, realizing with chilling intensity that he was absolutely correct. He would never have lied to her just to make her feel better. Not about something as important as this. Only in a very altered state of mind could she have allowed herself to entertain this idea. Worse, she could see now that the entire plan she had concocted had so many logical flaws that even without this additional knowledge it didn’t really stand up to scrutiny. It couldn’t possibly have come entirely from her own head.

  “Mai,” she said. “You know as well as I do that this can’t continue. You can’t keep protecting me at all costs. I’ve become your handicap. With everything you’re facing, you simply can’t afford it.”

  His lips twitched. “I’ll worry about that, thank you very much.”

  “Think about it,” she insisted. “In the very least, you should sedate me, like the Magister suggested. If nothing else, it should prevent these kinds of outbursts.”

  “Can you try to control them?”

  “I… I don’t know.” She looked away briefly. “Hell, half the time I’m not even sure my thoughts are all coming from my own head. Just now, I spoke a strange bloody language. I attacked you, for Shal Addim’s sake. What would have happened if you and Lance weren’t right here to subdue me?”

  His eyes stirred with a gentleness that made her shiver. “I guess from now on I’ll just have to make sure I am always next to you.”

  “What if I hurt you next time?”

  “Not likely.”

  She heaved a deep breath. This seemed like no solution at all. With time, he was bound to realize it too. But it was also clear they wouldn’t be able to decide anything now, with everyone watching. She would have to talk to him again in private to convince him. Maybe when they returned to their party Egey Bashi could help her case? He was seemingly the only one whose decisions were not dominated so heavily by emotions and feelings.

  She glanced at the Majat standing around them, so still that they appeared inanimate. Her eyes briefly met Lance’s, but she saw no support there. He’s loyal to Mai. They all are, no matter what. This was definitely a good thing, from the Guild’s standpoint. Yet, how could she possibly stay around, knowing that her mere existence was jeopardizing Mai’s command and was likely going to bring about their defeat?

  She looked further to the group of men in Bengaw livery who had originally apprehended her. They looked frightened. Yet, they stood their ground, apparently resolved to carry out their orders to the last.

  “Who are they?” she asked.

  “Their lord is an old acquaintance,” Mai said.

  She raised her eyebrows, too many questions rising in her head. One day, she hoped to learn how Mai, whose life had been spent entirely in the open, could possibly have acquired an old acquaintance on this side of the Lakes – let alone one who was apparently willing to risk lives to help Mai’s cause.

  “How did they find me so quickly?” she asked.

  “They patrol the lake every day. I calculated your possible routes and the distance you could have traveled on foot, and relayed the information by hawks. Several patrols were involved, but these men found you first.”

  She only shook her head. Despite everything, she felt so relieved to see Mai. She thought just this morning that she would never see him again. Thinking of betraying him had been unbearable. And now, she was grateful that all the important decisions could be postponed, at least for the time being.

  Mai beckoned for the local men to approach. “I didn’t have a chance to thank you properly. You’ve done an exemplary job, and I am deeply grateful for your help.” He glanced at the fallen horse Kara tried to use for her escape, then signaled to one of the Jades, who counted out coins from a small bag. “I hope this gold can compensate for the loss of your mount.”

  The men bowed, but made no move to take the money.

  “Are you Aghat Mai?” their leader asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Lord Garet gave us special instructions. We are to aid you with everything we can, including our lives. I’m certain it wouldn’t go well with him if we took money from you.”

  Mai smiled. “Lord Garet is most kin
d. But I’m sure I can persuade him to change his mind.”

  The men bowed. “With all due respect, I doubt it, Aghat. Lord Garet was very insistent. He also asked us to relay a message. He is on his way here, in the hope to personally bid you his greetings.”

  Mai briefly inclined his head. “My men are setting camp near the port. It would be an honor to welcome Lord Garet as my guest.”

  Kara watched, wide-eyed. Who in the world was this Lord Garet, the man that apparently commanded such an enormous influence in these parts? And how did he and Mai know each other so closely? She glanced at Mai with question, but he merely smiled in response.

  “We didn’t bring a horse for you,” Mai told her. “You’ll have to ride with me.” He mounted and reached down to help her up in front of him.

  Their party kept to a slow trot over the newly formed trail that marked the Majat comings and goings. Kara kept her eyes half-closed, leaning back against Mai’s chest, enjoying his closeness and the absence of pain in her head. She and Mai rode in the front, and she knew that as soon as they arrived at camp all eyes would be on both of them. She wanted to save the strength for the show.

  She had no idea what was happening to her. For the moment, her Kaddim link seemed dormant, but she knew she could never trust her own judgment after the absurd decision she had made today. Something was changing inside her – the way she had passed out and gone berserk without a visible reason, the way her head throbbed every time she tried to still her mind. Worse, the frightening visions she saw simply wouldn’t leave her head. Were the voices she heard in her unconscious state, the sight of the man rotting alive, truly coming from the Kaddim fortress? Were these visions related to the man who was controlling her link?

  Her heart raced. She knew that with every passing moment she was becoming more and more of a tool, a weapon that could bring about the downfall of the Majat. Worse, she seemed powerless to do anything at all about it.

  13

  Southern Lord

  Kyth’s knees weakened with relief as he watched the Majat ride into the camp. Kara looked calm as she sat on the horse in front of Mai, so close to him that every inch of their bodies seemed to touch, his arm clasped possessively around her waist. She seemed unharmed. Yet, Kyth noticed the disarray in her clothes, the stems of grass tangled into her hair, as if she had been rolling over the ground in a fight. Mai’s clothes showed rips and stains too, as well as Lance’s. Did they have to fight and subdue her? Or did they encounter something else? Kyth knew he probably would never know. At least Kara didn’t act like a captive, indicating that her return to camp was unlikely to have been achieved by force. Kyth dismissed his doubts, focusing instead on his relief at seeing her, on her calmness and grace as she dismounted, on the smiles she exchanged with her fellow Majat lined up to greet them near the command tent. Mai leaned forward and said something to the Emerald guards at the entrance, then led her inside.

  Kyth turned to Ellah and Alder, bustling around a simmering pot hanging over the fire. Smells of spices wafting his way reminded him of his childhood in the Forestlands. Mistress Marfa back in Swamptown Inn used to cook this mushroom soup, spiced with ginger, mint, and pine tips. Now that they found all the ingredients, abundant on this side of the lakes, he hoped they could finally get the recipe right.

  He tried to concentrate on the meal, but his thoughts kept returning to Kara. Before their recent breakup, it would have been his prerogative to be the first to greet and comfort her. And now, she didn’t even glance his way as she entered the Majat command tent. More, despite her outward calmness, he couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something was off about her. Perhaps it was the way several Diamonds crowded behind her, as if she needed the top skilled guards to watch, rather than protect her? Or was it the way Mai’s words sent one of his Emerald guards running through the camp to bring over Magister Egey Bashi? The frown on the Keeper’s face as he followed the guard to the command tent made Kyth’s heart race in alarm.

  He glanced at Ellah who had turned away from the cooking and was also watching the scene intently. “Did Kara seem all right to you just now?”

  “Outwardly, yes,” Ellah said. “But I sensed a lot of uncertainty from everyone around her.”

  “Uncertainty about what?”

  Ellah sighed. “I know it’s hard not knowing, Kyth, but you must trust that they will tell you when they can.”

  Like hell they will. Kyth lifted his chin. He was a prince, and formally one of the leaders of this march, with men under his command and a crucial part to play in the upcoming battle. He could grudgingly understand Mai’s reluctance to share extra information where Kara was involved, but like it or not, Kyth cared too, and Mai knew it very well. If the Majat felt uncomfortable about it, too bad for him.

  Kyth abruptly rose to his feet and strode toward the command tent.

  “Where are you going?” Alder called after him, but Kyth ignored him.

  Light steps rustled behind him as Ellah hurried to follow. Alder made a move to go as well, but apparently thought better of it and returned to his cooking.

  Two Emeralds guarding the tent exchanged uncertain glances as Kyth and Ellah approached. Kyth looked past them and raised his head haughtily, lifting the door flap to step inside.

  It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the semidarkness and take in the scene. Kara was seated cross-legged in the center of the tent, with Egey Bashi kneeling beside her next to his medicine pouch. The rest of the Majat formed a circle around them, watching the scene intently. Their gazes instantly locked on the newcomers with a nearly palpable threat. Kyth ignored all of them as he approached Kara and lowered to the floor beside her.

  She seemed calm, but Kyth could see the paleness of her drawn face that made her brown skin seem grayish. Her weariness was visible in the drooping set of her shoulders, in the way her eyes seemed unfocused as she stared into the distance. The taint of the Kaddim power was unmistakable on her. Kyth sensed it as an aftertaste, a lingering scent of burning in the air.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Her face held a mix of dismissal and uncertainty, covered by a mask of calmness. “Do you sense it on me?”

  “Yes.”

  She nodded, as if Kyth had just acknowledged a well known fact. Her eyes briefly darted to Mai, tense like a tightly coiled spring as he watched the conversation. Kyth smirked inwardly. Don’t like me sitting closer to her than you? Well, now you know how I feel all the time. He willed himself to look away, not to meet the challenge in Mai’s gaze. Even with all the resentment he felt, this wasn’t the time for a cock fight.

  The tent flap lifted again, a beam of sunlight momentarily cutting through the gloom. A young Majat warrior slid inside and said something to Mai in a hushed voice. Mai flicked a hand sign, which sent his entire Diamond entourage out of the tent.

  “We’re about to have company,” Mai said. He wasn’t looking at anyone in particular when he said it, but Kyth felt the need to respond.

  “Who?”

  “A local lord.”

  “Is he the one you asked for help this morning?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know him?”

  Mai tossed his head impatiently, but his answer came out level. “An old acquaintance.”

  Kyth looked at him in disbelief. Mai was only six years older than Kyth, hardly old enough to have any “old” acquaintances.

  “Aren’t you going to tell us anything about him?” Kara asked.

  Mai’s impatient look made Kyth feel like an intruder. “I worked for him on my first assignment.”

  Kyth looked away. He hated how this simple statement seemed to clarify everything to Kara, while only raising more questions in Kyth’s own mind.

  “I assume this lord has a name,” he said.

  “Lord Garet von Eyvern.”

  Von Eyvern. The name seemed familiar, even if Kyth did wish right now that he had been more attentive in his classes on the political situation in the s
outh. To his memory the prefix “von” came from Bengaw and meant something important among their nobility. He also remembered hearing that the Eyverns were obscenely rich and influential, which made them operate more like the allies of the Tallan Dar king than the direct subordinates they were supposed to be. He wasn’t sure he was comfortable with the idea of meeting one of them out here in the near-wilderness with only a minor military force to his own name. But worse, the fact that Mai apparently had a close connection with the man, enough not only to expect personal favors but to also have the lord go to some lengths to seek an audience, made him feel even more uncomfortable. Up to now he had been trusting Mai unconditionally when it came to his personal safety. But now, for the first time in this campaign, he found himself questioning the wisdom of it.

  Another Majat entered the tent, flicking silent hand signs. Mai and Kara rose to their feet in near unison.

  “He’s here.” Mai flung his formal Guildmaster’s cloak over his shoulders and strode to the tent entrance.

  After a hesitation, Kyth fell into step beside him. Ellah shuffled her feet to keep closer to Kyth’s shoulder.

  “Mai is telling the truth,” she said quietly, only for the Prince to hear. “He hasn’t tried to hide anything from you. He did seem annoyed at some point, but I didn’t sense any problems, not even a hesitation.”

  Kyth felt only partially relieved. Until recently, Ellah had a crush on Mai, which precluded her from sensing the truth where Mai was concerned. She had since overcome these feelings – or so he believed. Yet, Kyth felt he could never fully trust Ellah’s gift when it came to Mai.

  After the semidarkness of the tent, the sunlight outside seemed blinding. With narrowed eyes, Kara watched a large group of riders at the edge of the camp, their black cloaks adorned with silver embroideries of the crossed sabers – a lavish choice of thread that sharply contrasted the practicality of the rest of their outfits. Lord Gareth must be very rich, which made the fact that he was willing to ride an extra distance to meet with Mai even more unusual. Was he expecting a major favor in return for his help in apprehending Kara? The thought lingered at the back of her mind as she watched the lord dismount and approach Mai in long strides.