by James Wisher
“This is east dorm.” The messenger pointed to a hall lined with numbered doors.
“Thanks.” His guide trotted off on his way to his next job.
Xander found the door to room one unlocked and stepped inside. Sitting on one of two bunks was the fop from earlier. “Looks like we’re roommates,” he said
Xander nodded and gave the room a quick once over. There wasn’t much to see, the two bunks, footlockers for each of them, and a bed stand apiece.
“Dismal, isn’t it? I didn’t expect luxury, but I figured we’d at least get our own rooms.”
“I’ve seen worse.” Xander thought back to the three months he spent living in an eight by eight cage.
The face his roommate made suggested he couldn’t think of anything much worse. “My name’s Alan. The others are waiting in the lounge. Since we’re roommates they had me wait here to show you the way.” He held out his hand.
“Xander.” He shook the man’s hand and found his grip firm. “If they’re waiting we should go.”
“Right you are. The lounge is nicer than this at least.” Xander followed Allan out of their room and up the hall. “Sorren says we’re going on our first mission tomorrow.”
They walked a little ways then turned into a side hall that opened into a room filled with tables and soft chairs. Xander recognized some of the groups’ members sitting together. “What about training?”
“The missions are our training. From what I understand the missions start out simple and get harder as we go along. There they are.” Alan spotted their group and led Xander over to a table near the back wall. Before settling into one of the soft chairs Alan said, “Allow me to introduce Anika and Olin. Guys this is Xander, our forth.”
Xander nodded to them and sat down on Anika’s left.
“So what’s with the mask?” she asked.
Rather than answer Xander lifted the mask off revealing the mass of scars underneath. The others winced and looked away. “I fought a burning timber and lost.” He settled the mask back in place.
“Does it still hurt?” Anika reached for his mask.
Xander grabbed her wrist before she could touch him. “Only when I remember how I got it. Now how about we interrogate someone else?”
“I know,” Alan said. “Let’s go around the table and say how we got chosen.”
Xander closed his eyes and sighed. The fool was entirely too happy for someone in this line of work. They all looked at Xander but he’d had enough of answering questions and glared back.
A moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Alan said, “My specialty is seducing old ladies and poisoning them for their wealth. I was so good at it one of the hand’s scouts recommended me to the guild.”
Xander felt sick, but held his tongue. “I was a bounty hunter,” Olin said. “Bring’em back dead or alive. I brought back so many dead I caught the eye of a scout and here I am.”
“My father was an assassin,” Anika said. Xander found the woman a remarkable contrast. At first glance a beautiful woman, with long silky black hair and curves in all the right places yet a closer look revealed flat, emotionless eyes so brown they almost looked black, like a shark. He could imagine her cutting a man’s throat without a blink. “Father spent most of his life as a mid-rank slayer. He trained me and I hope to one day surpass him and join the ranks of the elite, perhaps even the council of eight.”
Xander smiled a humorless smile when he thought what his father would have said about his new profession, or his old one for that matter. The others all looked at him. “I was a thieves’ guild enforcer. Kraven, the man who recruited me, thought I was good enough with a sword to deserve a shot at being an assassin.”
Olin chuckled. “Enforcer, you ain’t big enough for the job, boy. I seen my share of enforcers and they were all burly guys.”
“You said the man that recruited you was named Kraven,” Anika said. “I know that name.”
“He’s Grandfather’s great nephew.”
Her eyes widened. “Blademaster Kraven? His skill with the sword is legend. He was the last member of the Hand to gain the title.”
It didn’t surprise Xander to learn Kraven’s skill was a legend. “He trained me for months before I could take him one on one.”
“You bested a Blademaster?” The incredulity on Anika’s voice set his teeth on edge.
“In a sparring match, but yes I beat him. If you doubt me I’d be happy to give you a demonstration. This place must have a training room.”
“Hey, we’re supposed to be a team, remember?” Alan said.
Xander shrugged. He’d said all he intended to. He listened to the others for the better part of an hour before the weeks of travel caught up to him. Xander yawned and got up. “If we’re going on our first mission tomorrow we’d best get some sleep. Good evening.”
Xander returned to his room and opened the empty footlocker. He had next to nothing in the way of gear so he put his old mask in the locker so it wouldn’t be empty then undressed and leaned his sword next to the bed where it would be handy. He slipped his fine dagger under his pillow, crawled into bed and went to sleep.
* * *
High sun found Xander and the team riding well north of the city. Early that morning Sorren had gathered them together and explained the mission, it was a straightforward assassination. A group of bandits had taken to raiding the trade routes leading to the city under the mountain. The city council had dispatched a messenger requesting the bandit leader be dealt with as a warning to the rest. Grandfather had been happy to help.
Shadow hand scouts had located the band and determined the group made a regular stop at a mountain village twenty miles from the mountain. They were due to arrive today. Sorren had laid all this information at the team’s feet with the simple order to kill the leader. He didn’t care how or how many others they killed as long as the leader died. They received directions to the village and a detailed drawing of the target.
They rode at an easy pace, intending to arrive at the village around dusk. Olin pointed to a creek flowing near the road and guided his horse toward it. Xander and the others joined him and dismounted. The horses drank and nibbled the grass along the bank with their riders took food from the saddlebags and sat down for lunch.
They ate in silence for a couple minutes before Olin said, “I suppose we should make a plan.”
The others nodded, but Xander kept eating.
“Perhaps I could charm one of the serving girls to slip poison into his food,” Alan said.
“Too many things could go wrong,” Olin spoke around a mouth full of food. “I figure we should wait till morning and when he comes out I’ll put a quarrel through him and we’ll be on our way.”
Anika shook her head. “Tradition demands one of us sneak into the inn and cut his throat while he sleeps. That technique has been used by generations of assassins.”
Xander smiled as he listened to them argue that each of them had the best plan. Alan noticed his amusement. “What’s so funny? You haven’t even offered a suggestion.”
Xander took a pull from his water skin. “There’s no point in making a plan—”
“We have to have a plan,” Anika said. “We can’t rush in with no idea what we’re going to do.”
“If you’d let me finish, I was going to say there’s no point making a plan yet. We need to see the lay of the land, what the inn looks like, how many men we need to get past, and a bunch of other things I don’t know yet. What’s the town called again?”
“Rocky Knob,” Alan said.
“Right, we get there, scout around, and then make a plan.”
“Who put you in charge, boy?” Olin asked.
“I lay no claim to being in charge. I stated the facts and made a suggestion. If you don’t like it make whatever plans you want.” Xander lay back on the grass and closed his eyes.
Ten minutes later found the group back on the road and Olin grumbling. They made no plan after Xander spoke and he�
�d seem pleased. Alan rode up beside him. “You seem to know more about strategy than I’d expect from a thieves’ guild enforcer.”
Xander glanced at him, trying to decide if he should take offense and decided he didn’t care enough about what Alan thought to get offended. “My father held the rank of Knight Commander before he was killed. He taught my brother and me how to fight and how to think. Most wars are won before the first battle is fought.”
“This isn’t a war.”
“Wrong, all life is a war on one scale or another. Take an old married couple. Are you going to tell me two people married for fifty years aren’t at war?” Xander grinned. “In this little war we have one big advantage.”
“What’s that?” Alan asked.
“The enemy doesn’t know the battle is about to start.”
* * *
They reached the outskirts of the village at sunset. Not far off the road they found a clump of trees and tied up the horses. The group walked into town and down the main, and solitary, street. On the right hand side three quarters of the way into town stood a large building with a couple dozen horses tied up out front. That had to be the inn.
“I’ll check it out,” Alan said.
Xander nodded and when no one else objected he walked up to the door like he owned the place, ignoring the two large men standing beside it. Xander and the others continued down the street.
He turned to Olin. “See any good hiding places?”
The older man nodded. “I see a couple.”
The town wasn’t large and they soon reached the far end. A middle-aged man in a peasant’s smock came out of a shack at the edge of town. Xander walked up to him. “Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me where three weary travelers might find a room for the night?”
The peasant coughed and spat. “You picked a poor night to visit. Town’s got but one inn and she’s full up.”
“I feared as much when I saw the horses. Perhaps we can find a spot on the common room floor. It would be warm if nothing else.”
The villager looked around quick. “I wouldn’t recommend it, son. Rough crew over there tonight.”
“I see. Thanks for the warning.” Xander flipped the villager a copper penny. The man caught it and stomped back into his hovel. “That all but confirms it. Let’s find Alan and make our plan.”
They walked back up the street and Alan ran over to join them when they passed the inn. The four of them continued on to the horses.
“How’d it look?” Anika asked.
“Two guards at the front and two more at the rear. They looked bored but alert.”
Xander raised an eyebrow. “Any ideas?”
All three argued for the exact same plans they had that morning. Xander listened for a few minutes before losing his temper. “Enough!”
They fell silent and looked at him. “We’re supposed to be a team, remember? Here’s what we’ll do. Olin, you hide in one of the spots you mentioned and watch the front. Anika and I will go to the back door and take out the guards. I’ll go in and eliminate the target while she watches the back door. Alan, you stay here. If he gets past us you’re our last chance to finish the job.”
“I thought you didn’t want to be in charge.” Olin said.
“I don’t, but since you three want to argue I guess the job falls to me. Now let’s go.”
Xander walked toward the inn, not caring if the others followed or not. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Olin sneak into position across from the inn. They followed along after all. Anika hurried to catch up to him and the two of them kept their distance as they eased around to the back of the inn. Like Alan said two guards stood beside the back door. A torch burned beside them, looking from the light into the dark would ruin their night vision.
Xander leaned in close to Anika and noticed the faint scent of jasmine. “Let’s sneak around to the other side and make sure no one else is keeping watch.”
He just made out her nod and they slipped silent as mice to the far side of the rear of the inn. They found no other guards. Xander picked up a pebble. “I’m going to take them.”
He flipped the pebble over the guards’ heads so it clattered on the ground opposite form the assassins crouched. When the guards looked toward the sound Xander charged, drawing his sword as he went. The nearest guard looked back in time to get his throat cut. Xander reversed his grip on his sword and rammed through the second guard’s ribs, piercing both lungs, when the guard tried to shout an alarm all that came out was a bloody bubble. Xander ripped the blade free and drove it into the first guard’s chest as he tried to reach for the door.
With the two guards down he looked back toward Anika. She’d come out of her hiding place and stood at the edge of the torch light staring at him, mouth agape. He cleaned his sword and sheathed in. She still stared at him. Xander frowned and snapped his fingers in front of her a couple times. “You want to focus? We’ve still got work to do.”
“Sorry.” Anika shook her head. “I’ve never seen anyone move that fast.”
“Be grateful. If you had you’d probably be dead. I’m going in. If you hear a brawl get ready. The target will most likely try to escape out this door.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Xander nodded and opened the door. He slipped inside in a hurry so none of the staff would see the bodies. He needn’t have worried. There was only one harried cook in the kitchen and he was focused on a stove covered with six bubbling pots. He never registered Xander’s entrance. Happy to leave him in ignorance Xander went through the door connecting the kitchen to the common room.
Noise and the stink of spilled ale and vomit assaulted him when he stepped through the door. A pair of drummers pounded out a drinking song and better than two score voices sang with more enthusiasm than talent. Xander shook his head. It looked like the ale flowed free. He threaded his way through the room unnoticed or ignored by the drunken bandits. He spotted the leader in a booth at the rear on the common room, a buxom blond beside him. The thick black beard and missing left eye made him easy to spot even in this rough crew.
One of the bandits slapped him on the back. Xander spun around and reached for his sword. “Have a drink!” The bandit handed him a sloshing mug of ale.
Xander accepted the mug and clinked it against the bandit’s who took a huge swallow before staggering off. Xander set his drink down on a table untouched. He continued his meandering path to the back booth. When he’d almost reached the target he slipped the stiletto he’d taken from the armory out of its forearm sheath and held it in a reverse grip in his right hand, the blade laid along his forearm.
He stepped up beside the table. “Do you lead these dogs?”
When the bandit chief looked up Xander’s hand shot forward, switching his grip as he went, and burying the blade in the man’s good eye, he fell forward on to the table, twitched once, and went still. The woman started to scream, but Xander clamped his hand over her mouth. She looked at him with eyes wide with fear. Xander grimaced. She’d bring the room down on him the instant he let go. He sighed, balled up his fist, and decked her. She crumpled beside the dead leader.
Xander turned and relaxed when he saw none of the bandits even noticed what he’d done. Satisfied, he turned back to the kitchen staggering in his best imitation of a drunk. He paused to collect his untouched mug of ale and went through the kitchen door.
The cook looked up when he entered. “Do you need something?”
“A little fresh air.” Xander set the mug on the kitchen counter and went out the back. He stepped into the torch light and slammed the door behind him before the cook could spot the dead guards.
Anika stepped into the light. “Well?”
“It’s done, let’s go.”
“Did you have any trouble?”
They skirted around the inn to collect Olin. “No, I could have marched through behind a band and carrying a sign that said I’m here to kill your boss and they wouldn’t have paid any attention.”
Anika
motioned Olin out of his hiding place and they left the village. Alan waited by the horses, pacing. “Did you get him?”
“We got him.” Xander untied his mount and swung up into the saddle. “Let’s put a few miles between us and the village. I doubt we’ll have anything to fear before noon tomorrow, but why risk it?”
They rode for an hour by moonlight before going off the road to camp.
“I’ll take last watch,” Xander said. He stretched out on the ground and closed his eyes. The excitement of the last hour left him more drained than a day of hard training. A few minutes passed and the others must have thought he’d fallen asleep.
“What happened?” Olin asked.
“We went around back,” Anika said. “We found the two guards like Alan said. Xander tossed a pebble to distract them.”
“What an amateur move,” Olin said.
“Three strokes in as many seconds and the guards were dead. I’ve never seen anyone move like that. They might as well not have been there for all the difference they made. The pebble trick might not have been the most complex distraction, but it was all he needed. I hope I never find myself on the opposite end of his sword.” Xander heard the shiver in her voice. “Once the guards were down he went in and five minutes later came back and said it was done.”
“He made it easy for the rest of us,” Alan said.
Xander smiled and stopped listening. It would be dawn soon enough.
CHAPTER 7
Two years and dozens of missions passed and a team of four became a team of two. Xander and Anika had made the cut and been accepted as full members of the guild. Alan got reassigned to recruiter, his charm making him a natural for the position. The council deemed Olin too old and sent him to serve as a guard at a guild safe house up north.
“It’s your move.” Grandfather’s voice shook him back to the present. Xander looked over the chessboard at the wizened figure that had become both his mentor and friend.
