The Queen's Blade III - Invisible Assassin

by T C Southwell

  Blade woke at dawn and roused Jayon, infecting him with an urgency to be off, for dawdling would only increase their danger. Dressed as merchants, they made their way to the horse market, where they bought two sound animals rather cheaply because one was an ill-tempered beast and the other well past its prime. The cost of the saddles and bridles used up the last of their money, but they were mounted and on their way. Jayon rode the ill-tempered animal, since he was a far better rider than Blade, much to the assassin's relief.

  They reached the main gate early enough to join the morning rush of travellers leaving the city. Blade affected a bored look, slumped in the saddle, fanning himself as those in front were searched and questioned amid much shouting and foul language. Jayon concentrated on controlling his moody beast, which tried to sidle and toss its head, lashing out at anything that came too close to its rear.

  They reached the sweating, cross looking gate guards as the merchant in front of them walked off muttering, leading his horse and pulling on his jedasha. The guards eyed them with annoyance, clearly fed up with this daily nuisance.

  "You two together?" the officer demanded.

  Blade nodded. "That's right."

  "Get down."

  "Why don't we all save ourselves a great deal of aggravation here? We're not spies or smugglers, and we don't have anything to hide."

  "We're looking for a killer, so just get off the bloody horse," the officer said.

  Blade sighed and dismounted, and Jayon followed suit.

  "Remove the jedasha," the Cotti ordered.

  Blade stripped off the garment and glanced at the soldiers who were searching their saddlebags. "If any of our belongings are missing, we'll know who to charge with theft, won't we, officer?"

  "Take off your shirt."

  Blade scowled. "What for? You have a yen to see my chest?"

  The officer thrust his face closer. "Yes, I do."

  The assassin pulled open his shirt, noticing Jayon, whom another guard searched, doing the same. Blade had hidden his tattoo beneath a thin piece of leather glued to his skin, the edges blurred with the golden paste so it was invisible. The officer scrutinised his chest, then stepped closer still to study Blade's face. The assassin raised a hand to finger his cheek.

  "Do I have any pimples? I haven't looked in the mirror lately."

  Jayon giggled, and the officer snarled, "Be quiet."

  A soldier yelled as Jayon's horse bit him, starting a ruckus when he smacked the animal, which lashed out in retaliation, almost kicking the two donkeys behind it. The donkeys' owner protested, waving his arms, and the donkeys brayed and shied. Blade jerked his shirt closed, glaring at the officer.

  "If you've quite finished, we'd like to go before you upset our animals further."

  "I'm not finished," the officer said. "Where are you going?"

  "To Indala, to see our father."

  The officer walked around him, studying him from every angle. As he passed behind the assassin, he jerked a handful of Blade's wig. The assassin whipped around and punched the officer, who staggered back with a curse, raising a hand to his lips. Blade stepped closer.

  "Try that again, fool, and I'll take your head off! I'm a respectable merchant, not a damned killer, and you'll keep your hands to yourself."

  "I could charge you for striking an officer," the Cotti retorted.

  "Go ahead; you assaulted me first, so it won't stick."

  The man growled and walked over to Jayon, who eyed him. Blade followed, reaching the boy before the Cotti did.

  "His hair is real too, see?" Blade grabbed a handful of Jayon's wig and gave it a yank, making him grunt and raise a hand to defend himself. Blade grabbed his arm and pretended to tussle with him, shoving him into his horse, which squealed and cow-kicked a soldier. In the resulting furore, Jayon's horse kicked one of the donkeys, Blade kicked the officer in the shin, and Jayon stood on a soldier's foot. A great deal of shouting erupted from the queue, and the officer yelled for order. He grabbed the two combatants and pulled them apart, shoving them towards their steeds.

  "Get out of here, now!"

  Blade picked up his jedasha and pulled it on, making the soldiers wait while he wrapped it around himself. He shot the officer a final glare before he mounted and spurred his horse into the desert with hard kicks, Jayon close behind. As soon as they were out of earshot, Jayon turned to him in amazement.

  "I thought you were going to get us killed!"

  "All part of the act. Cotti are a hot-headed race, they like fighting, and any Cotti would have reacted the way I did. He was suspicious of us; he didn't pull the hair of the men before us. If I hadn't clouted him, he would have been even more suspicious, believe me. We made it out of there by the skin of our teeth, boy."

  Jayon grinned. "But we made it, we're free!"

  "Don't celebrate too soon. There are Cotti patrols in the desert, and if they catch us on the road to Jashimari they're going to be very suspicious indeed."

  The shortage of water made the unpleasant tenday desert crossing more arduous, forcing them to travel at night when the horses did not sweat so much. After five days, sweat weakened their wigs' glue, and they stripped off the hot, itchy disguises. Blade picked off his beard while they rode, but the skin dye was of a more permanent nature, and would take several baths to remove.

  Thus it was that they rode into the mountain pass as dark-haired, golden-skinned men dressed as Cotti, evincing confusion and suspicion from the Jashimari soldiers. Jayon's erstwhile commander recognised him, however, and when the situation had been explained, he and Blade were housed in luxury for the duration of their stay. After four days and five baths, their skin had regained its natural colour, and Blade opted to move on, taking two horses from the camp's stables rather than the Cotti beasts on which they had arrived.

  Blade breathed in a great lungful of cool, crisp autumn air as they left the camp and rode into the lush green of Jashimari lands, glad to be home. The countryside bore few signs of war, with only an occasional burnt house or barn and the odd rusting helmet lying in a ditch. They travelled from town to town, staying in inns at night and riding slowly during the day, paying their way with money borrowed from the camp commander and wearing clothes purchased at the first town. Two days from Jondar, they reached a fork in the road, and Blade stopped his horse, turning to Jayon.

  "This is where we part ways, boy."

  Jayon looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

  "You're going to Jondar, I'm not."

  "Where are you going?"

  "To my estate."

  Jayon shook his head. "You can't. What about Chiana?"

  "I would rather she didn't know I'm alive."

  "You can't do that to her. Damn it, Blade, she loves you! She was devastated when she thought you dead."

  The assassin shrugged. "She's used to the idea now, why change it?"

  "Because it would make her happy."

  "I can't make her happy."

  "You can!" Jayon made an angry gesture. "Anyway, she knows you're alive, the camp commander would have sent a message ahead."

  "I ordered him not to."

  "Why? You can't hide at your estate for the rest of your life. She will send for you, with soldiers if necessary."

  "Not if she thinks I'm dead. But I suppose you plan to tell her, don't you?"

  Jayon nodded, annoyed by Blade's attitude. "Damn right I will! I will not be a part of such a conspiracy of silence just so you can live your solitary existence. She deserves to know."

  Blade eyed the younger man. "I should have killed you in the desert."

  "You wouldn't do that. After all I've done to help you, I should think... you're not as heartless as that."

  The assassin smiled. "I wouldn't put money on it. That's why I can't understand your wish to reunite me with my unwanted wife any more than I understood the Queen's wish to marry us. It all seems foolish to me. My returning to Jondar will only raise a lot of questions, some of which I don't want to answer. If t
he Cotti get wind of my presence they'll demand my execution, and even Kerrion can't prevent that now. The best thing I can do is disappear, return to my estate and retire there in anonymity."

  "There are only a few Cotti advisors at the palace, they need not know about you. But you have to see Chiana again, and she can't leave the palace now that she's Regent."

  "I'm tired of hiding." Blade gazed down the road that led to his estate. "All I want is some peace and quiet."

  "Just come to the palace with me and see Chiana, then I'm sure she will let you retire to your estate."

  "Let me? I don't need her permission, boy."

  "I didn't mean it like that. All I meant was, once she's seen you and knows that you're alive, she'll be happy for you to do what you want."

  Blade sighed, frowning. "I suppose, since you won't keep your mouth shut, I don't have much choice, do I?"

  Jayon grinned. "No, not really."

  Blade spurred his horse down the road to Jondar, his face set in lines of irritated resignation.

  Two days later, they rode into the capital city as weary travellers, and the gate guards barely gave them a passing glance. Jayon found the bustling, muddy streets a joy to behold after Jadaya's shimmering sandy roads. The shouts of women rang out as barrow-hags advertised their wares and whores called invitations from windows. He smiled at a wife chasing her husband down the street for some misdemeanour, and a well-dressed lady who yelled at them for splashing her dress with mud. Jayon dismounted to buy a bunch of flowers from a pretty girl with a cheeky grin, remounted and handed them to Blade. The assassin's brows rose.

  "I didn't know you liked me that much, boy."

  "They're for Chiana, fool!"

  "Then give them to her yourself."

  Jayon snorted. "She will like them better if they're from you."

  "But they're not." Blade tossed the flowers over his shoulder. "If I wanted to give her flowers, I would have bought them myself."

  "You don't deserve her, you know."

  "I never wanted her."

  Jayon gave up in disgust, spurring his horse through the crowds towards the palace. The outer gate guards recognised Jayon and allowed them entry without any awkward questions. In the main courtyard, grooms ran up to take their horses away, and they strolled into the palace. Blade headed for his rooms, but Jayon gripped his arm and steered him towards Chiana's chambers.

  "I want to bathe and change," Blade said, jerking his arm from Jayon's grip.

  "You can't keep Chiana waiting."

  "She doesn't know I'm here, and I would like to keep it that way until I have bathed in peace. If I know her, she will want to join me in the damned tub."

  "I wanted to surprise her," Jayon grumbled.

  "You still can, so long as you don't tell anyone. Personally, I don't care one way or another, so long as I have a bath."

  Jayon sighed and followed Blade along the corridor to his old rooms. The apartments appeared unchanged, even his clothes still hung in the cupboards, and he shot Jayon a surprised look. The young commander shrugged, a little embarrassed.

  "She couldn't bear to throw them away, I suppose."

  Jayon went to find a servant to bring hot water for Blade's bath, returning laden with two buckets and a man who did not recognise the assassin but obeyed without question. As soon as Blade was settled in the tub, Jayon left him to enjoy one of his own, glad to wash off the grime and sweat of the day's journey. Clad in fresh clothes, he made his way to Chiana's study, where experience told him he would find her at this time of the day. She looked up from the papers before her as he entered, a warm smile lighting her face.

  "Jayon!"

  He bowed, grinning. "Regent."

  Chiana rose and approached him, her hands outstretched to take his in a welcoming clasp. "I am extremely glad to see you. When the stipend wagons returned without you, I feared you had blundered in deciding to stay in such a dangerous city. I thought you would not return."

  "Well, here I am, and the bearer of glad tidings, too."

  "Oh? That is good. Of what sort?" She released his hands and led the way to the sitting area, gesturing to a pile of cushions as she sank down herself. "You found out why Kerrion stole the bodies?"

  "Yes." Jayon sat down. "It seems he fell in love with Minna-Satu while he was her prisoner, and took her body to the desert to bury alongside his ancestors. I suppose he thought to do her a great honour, although we don't see it that way."

  Chiana looked astonished, shaking her head. "I often wondered about that. Minna-Satu seemed so desolate after he left... but when she told me that she planned to take the Cup, I thought that was the reason. She told me that she cared for him, but I never for one moment considered that he might have returned her feelings. That would indeed explain it, and I suppose it is a noble gesture on his part, the sort of thing a king in love might do... although the journey... He must have had her embalmed on the way. It is sad, do you not think?"

  "Yes." Jayon nodded.

  "And what of... my husband's body? Surely Kerrion bore him no great affection?"

  Jayon hesitated, opening his mouth to blurt out the truth, then shut it again as he struggled to decide what to say. Chiana looked down, clearly fearing the worst from his expression, and he, seeing her sorrow, hastened to banish it.

  "No, don't be upset, Chiana. Will you trust me and ask no further questions? I have a surprise for you."

  "A surprise?"

  Jayon stood up. "Come with me, and I'll show you."

  Looking puzzled, she rose and followed him.

  The assassin relaxed in the tub, enjoying the water's soothing warmth as it heated his bones and eased the aches and bruises of the journey. He had always hated travelling, as much for its discomfort as for its tendency to make one sweaty and dirty. Since becoming an assassin, he had also become a city dweller, he reflected. In a city, walking was the easiest means of transport, and did not involve smelly horses. Inns were readily available with hot baths and soft beds, a far more suitable environment for a man of refinement and cleanliness than traipsing across the countryside. Apart from the journey to his estate, he promised himself to forgo any further travelling in the future. A twinge of alarm interrupted his pleasant thoughts.

  Jayon had left some time ago to bathe, but, knowing the youngster, he was not soaking like Blade. He was eager to tell Chiana of Blade's return, and might even now be on his way here with the Regent in tow. This unpleasant thought galvanised Blade to quit the tub and dry himself, dragging clothes from the cupboard. He pulled on a haphazard selection, expecting at any moment the door to burst open and admit his wife. With his damp, cropped hair sticking out in all directions, he laced up his boots and pulled on a shirt. As he was fastening it, the door opened and Jayon stood aside, grinning. Chiana's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Blade gave a growl of annoyance and shot a glare at Jayon.

  "You could at least have knocked, I -"

  "Blade!" Chiana flew across the room and hurled herself at him. Blade staggered back as she clasped him in a fierce embrace, and she wept in almost hysterical happiness, her cheek pressed to his chest. The assassin glowered at the grinning youth.

  "It is as well I was dressed. A few minutes earlier and I would still have been in the damned tub. Imagine that."

  Jayon's eyes sparkled with glee. "I'll try not to. It was a great surprise."

  "Get out."

  The young man's grin broadened, and he chuckled as he retreated, closing the door. Blade looked down at his weeping wife and growled, "For God's sake, Chiana. This behaviour does not befit a Regent."

  She looked up at him with eyes that shimmered with tears of joy. "I do not care. You are alive!"

  "Yes, I am, now will you let go?"

  "No." She flung her arms around his neck and embraced him again. "This is a miracle! I can hardly believe it. I have been so miserable without you. All these moons I thought you were dead. I grieved for you, and cursed Kerrion for stealing you away so I did not even ha
ve a grave at which to mourn."

  "Stop this." Blade tried to pry her loose, but soon realised that he would have to hurt her before she would let go, and gave up.

  "Hold me, please," she whispered.

  "Damn it, Chiana -"

  "Please! Is it so much to ask?"

  The assassin sighed, placed his arms around her shoulders and allowed her to press herself closer to him. Only she, he reflected wryly, had the audacity, or perhaps the courage to ignore his anger and insist on such a thing. Lilu would flirt and tease, but never cling to him so insistently, nor dare to demand the return of her affection. His sister had shamed him with her revulsion. Still, Chiana's proximity made him uncomfortable, and he longed for the intimacy to end. The last person he had held in his arms had been his youngest sister on the day she had died, and he remembered how her small body had grown cold in his embrace.

  "Chiana -"

  "Hush." She clamped a hand over his mouth. "You will not spoil this for me with harsh words. Allow me this joy for all the pain I have endured in your absence." She buried her face in his chest and wept, her tears soaking his shirt.

  Blade held her as he had done his sister so long ago, trying to remember the warmth and affection he had experienced then. He wondered if he had drowned all his emotions in blood and revenge forever, and was now incapable of offering even the slightest comfort to his distraught wife. At least her embrace was purely for comfort and lacked the overtones of passion other women had tried to force upon him. As such, it did not fill him with the revulsion he had experienced then, and he raised a hand to stroke her hair, enjoying its silken texture. Chiana looked up at him in surprise.