by James Wisher
“You must be the ones they sent to kill me,” the old man said. “I thought you’d be older.”
“I get that a lot.” Xander evaluated the guards. Big men, dressed like the ones outside, carrying bared scimitars, nothing that concerned him overmuch. “Never from the same person twice.”
The old man chuckled. “You’re hardly in a position to make threats, veiled of otherwise. Why don’t you throw down your weapons and my men will escort you out of here?”
“I have a better idea.” Xander switched his sword from his right hand to his left and let his right hand fall by his side. “Why don’t you order your guards out of here and I’ll kill you as painlessly as I know how?”
Shale laughed out loud at this, but Xander stared back, unblinking. “You’re serious. You can’t think you can win.”
“I don’t know if I can win, but I’m not leaving until one of us is dead.” Xander twitched his wrist, a thin throwing dagger dropped in his right hand. He whipped his arm forward, burying the dagger in the nearest right hand guards’ throat.
“Guards!” the old man shouted.
The three surviving guards surged forward, weapons raised. Xander lunged to his right to avoid getting surrounded. He slashed at the nearest guard forcing him to raise his sword to block. When he did Xander kicked him in the stomach, doubling him over. He shoved the bent over guard into the others, putting them off balance. He seized the moment and slashed one of them across the back of the neck, killing him.
Anika drew her sword and the old man screamed again, “Guards!”
There were footsteps thundering up the steps. He was calling for reinforcements. “Barricade the door,” Xander said. “I’ll handle these two.”
Trusting Anika to do what he said Xander focused on the guards who had gotten untangled and back on balance. Xander blocked an overhead chop from the nearest guard then spun away from a thrust from the second. His riposte caught the guard on the inside of the forearm and laid it open to the bone. The guard’s sword fell from nerveless fingers. Something crashed behind him, but he ignored it and focused on the final guard. The man licked his lips and shot a glance at his bleeding partner. His hand trembled.
“You don’t have to die for him.”
The hesitant guard looked back at his master. Xander struck, driving his blade through the man’s chest, armor and all. Anika finished the wounded guard and they turned together to face the old man who had pulled his blankets up over his head like a child hiding from the monster under his bed. In this case the monster wasn’t under his bed but standing beside it and hiding wouldn’t do any good.
Xander grabbed the covers and ripped them off the bed. “Someone warned you we were coming, who?”
The old man trembled. “If I tell you will you let me live?”
A crash came from behind them. He needed to wrap this up in a hurry. “The door won’t hold much longer,” Anika said as if to reinforce his thought.
“You will die,” Xander said. “Talk and I’ll make it quick. If you make me drag it out of you I swear you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
The old man hesitated and Xander clashed him across the chest. “My son in law. He heard some of our rivals hired an assassin to kill me.”
“His name?” Another crash and the door splintered.
“Michael Orrin.”
“Thank you.” Xander cut the old man’s throat. “Let’s go.”
Xander smashed out a window and Anika hooked the rope to the ledge. She went down first and he followed as close as he dared. As he slid down the shouts of guards elsewhere in the compound grew closer. He hit the ground and Anika retrieved the hook. The wall waited a hundred yard dash away and no guards were in sight. Seizing the moment he grabbed Anika’s hand and they raced to the wall.
The moment they reached the wall the hook went up and over, Anika climbed, not even bothering to check the hook, and Xander followed right behind. They reached the top and shouts rang out. The guards had spotted them. Xander hauled up the rope and tossed it down the other side of the wall. Xander followed Anika down the rope, dropping the last six feet when she stepped out of the way.
Anika reached for the rope, but Xander said, “Forget that, let’s go.”
They ran for the jungle. If they made it the guards would never find them in the dark. They were halfway between the wall and jungle when Anika screamed and staggered. Xander caught her and half carried her to the tree line. A crossbow bolt stuck out above her left hip. It didn’t look like anything vital got hit, but she wouldn’t be running a marathon soon.
“How bad?” She clenched her teeth in obvious pain.
“You’ll live if we can get back to the ship.” Voices echoed in the distance. The guards had heard her scream. “Can you walk if you lean on me?”
He helped her up, but she collapsed again. “I can’t, my leg won’t hold. Leave me here.”
Xander ignored her. He wouldn’t leave her. He couldn’t lose another friend. “I guess I’ll have to carry you.”
“You can’t carry me the whole way back. You’ll never make it.”
“One way to find out.”
He scooped her up and walked as fast as he could deeper into the jungle. The guards thrashed through the undergrowth behind him. A hundred paces in he set Anika down against the trunk of a tree. Lanterns bobbed through the jungle behind him. Xander shook his head. The fools had spread out like they were searching for a lost kid rather than two assassins that would as soon kill them as look at them.
He leaned down beside Anika and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”
Xander applied a coat of the liquid Grandfather gave him to the lens of his mask. The night became day and he saw the men searching for them as clear as if the noon day sun shown above them. Xander drew his curved knife and slipped through the jungle like a great cat stalking its prey. He grabbed the first guard in line and cut his throat before moving on to the next.
Xander paused, a third guard dead at his feet. Two men stood together without a lantern a short ways away. They had to be in charge. He stalked toward them, slow and silent.
“We’ve already lost two men,” the man on the left said. “We should return before they kill the rest.”
“Do you want to tell the mistress her father’s killers have escaped?” the other man asked.
Before the first man could answer Xander came up behind him and laid the blade of his knife across the man’s throat. “I can make it so you never need to explain anything again. Order your men out of the jungle and you can live.”
“If you could kill us all you wouldn’t be offering to let us go,” the man without a knife to his throat said.
“I’m in a hurry. You have ten seconds to give the order or your friend dies first.” Five seconds past and Xander pressed the blade harder against his hostage’s throat. “Five, four, three—”
“All right men that’s enough for tonight. We’ll start fresh in the morning.”
“Smart.” Xander shoved his prisoner toward his partner and melted into the jungle before he could turn around. He watched until the men started back for the mansion before he returned to his partner.
Anika lay half conscious against the tree, which was just as well. He notched the bolt then snapped it off, leaving three inches sticking out of the wound. She moaned and Xander flinched. It wouldn’t get any better carrying her back to the ship. He crouched beside her, lifted her across his shoulder, careful to keep the bolt from rubbing as he walked, and turned toward the beach.
It was a long night. Xander paused every quarter mile to rest. When he reached the beach the sun sat high in the sky. The boat waited where they’d left it. Xander staggered the last hundred yards, so exhausted he could only manage a weak shuffle, and deposited Anika’s unconscious form in the boat. He untied the boat, pushed it down to the surf, and climbed in. Xander looked down at his partner. She still breathed and that was enough for now. Teeth clenched he unhooked the oars and pulled for the ship.
Xander had no idea how long it took but at last he reached the side of the ship. With the last of his strength he hooked the ropes to the boat so they could haul it up. The last thing he felt was the boat leaving the water.
The rolling of the ship and creaking of the hull greeted Xander when he woke. His body ached and his mouth tasted like he’d chewed a piece of felt for the past ten hours. He rolled out of his hammock and found a pitcher of water on the small stand. Xander gulped down a quarter of the pitcher on one go and sighed. That was better.
After he dressed Xander went up on deck. He figured he’d find the captain there and if anyone could tell him how Anika was it would be him. As he expected the captain stood at the wheel. The captain spotted him approaching and handed control of the ship over to a mate standing close at hand.
He met Xander halfway across the deck. “Did you have a good rest?”
Xander nodded. “How long?”
“About eighteen hours. I was getting worried.”
“I’m touched. How’s my partner?”
“The healer removed the bolt from her side. Nothing vital was hit and her blood loss was minimal. She should make a full recovery. If you wish to check on her she’s in the healer’s cabin two doors down from you.”
“Thank you.” Xander turned to leave.
“When she came to she said you carried her all the way to the beach.” Xander turned to face the captain. “That’s a hell of a thing.”
“If you can’t count on your partner, who can you count on?” Not waiting for the captain’s reply Xander went back below deck to check on Anika.
He found her asleep in bed, a middle aged man with a gray spattered beard sat in a chair beside her. The healer looked up when Xander entered and whispered, “You were my next stop. I’m pleased to see you up and around. How are you?”
“I’m hungry and my shoulders ache, but otherwise I’m fine. How’s she?”
“The wound was painful, but superficial. She should make a full recovery. If you’d like to sit with her I’ll send one of the ship’s boys to bring you a meal.”
“Thanks, I’d appreciate it.”
Xander took the healer’s seat and studied his partner. Anika looked pale but otherwise fine, her breathing steady and deep. He rolled his shoulders, trying to work the stiffness out. A few minutes later a boy arrived with his food which Xander accepted along with a mug of ale. He’d finished half his meal when Anika opened her eyes.
Xander swallowed a mouth full of fish stew. “Good morning. How are you?”
“I’ll live.” Anika winced when she sat up. “Thanks to you. Why did you do it? No one would have thought less of you if you left me behind.”
“We’re partners.” Xander smiled. “Where you go I go, remember? I was going to the beach so that’s where you went.”
“We’re only partners until they split us up. We have no say.”
“I deal with the world as it is not how it might be tomorrow. We’re partners and until that changes you can count on a ride out of trouble whenever you need it. Do you want some stew? It’s very good.”
They shared the rest of Xander’s stew then Anika slept again. A little later the healer arrived and changed her bandage. The next three days passed much the same, Xander spent the day sitting with Anika as she healed and regained her strength. When she was strong enough they went for short walks out on deck.
They were out walking one night, the stars glittering, the wind blowing in their faces. Anika was paying more attention to the sky than her feet and she stumbled. Xander caught her before she hit the deck.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah, but I think I’ve had enough exercise for tonight.”
Xander helped her down to her room. He turned to leave and she put a hand on his shoulder and spun him around. Before he could speak she kissed him.
When he woke Xander had a moment of dislocation before Anika move beside him. He groaned. What had he done? They were partners and made a good team, but now… He grinned. They were more than partners now. He hoped they could still work together. He let his concerns float away. Done was done and he wouldn’t trade last night for anything.
When they reached port several days later a young man waited with a pair of horses. Xander frowned. “We should send for a wagon, you’re in no shape to ride.”
“I can handle it.” Anika sounded confident, so he bit his tongue. “You could help me up.”
He did as she asked then mounted his own horse. He nodded his thanks to the boy when he accepted the reins. Anika looked strong as they rode through the city and turned toward the mountain. When they reached the foothills a grimace creased her face. Halfway to the mountain she leaned to the left. Xander just caught her before she fell out of her saddle.
“Are you okay?”
Anika nodded, obviously not trusting herself to speak. Xander sighed at the woman’s stubbornness. He did what he could to keep her in her saddle. They had about another mile to reach the pasture. She could make, he hoped.
They kept the horses at a walk the rest of the way as he couldn’t steady Anika at anything faster. When the pasture came into view Xander didn’t know when he’d been so relieved. The old man hurried out of his little cabin and opened the corral gate for them. Xander leapt down and helped Anika who slumped into his arms. He carried her to the door which opened without the usual security rigmarole.
He made his way through the twisting paths through the mountain and soon reached Anika’s room. She hadn’t locked the door so he kicked it open. Xander laid his unconscious partner on her bed and looked her over. Her wound hadn’t torn open which was good. The exertion of the ride must have been too much for her. To be safe he’d send a healer over to check on her later. For now he had to report to Sorren then check on Grandfather, he hadn’t liked the sound of the old man’s cough the last time he’d seen him.
Xander went to see Sorren first since he knew his superior would expect it and it would save an argument later. He found the door to Sorren’s suite locked, so he knocked.
Sorren opened the door a moment later. “Xander, welcome back. I trust your mission went well.” He frowned. “Where’s Anika?”
“She was wounded on the mission, sir and is resting.”
“Serious?”
“The ship’s healer says not, but I’ll feel better when one of our people has a look at her.”
Sorren nodded. “Let’s hear your report.”
Xander told him everything up to the moment of the trap. “The old man said his son-in-law, Michael Orrin, warned him we were coming. I’m curious how this fellow found out about it. My first thought is he must be the one that took out the contract.”
“Possible, I’ll look into it.”
“If it turns out this man hired us to set up a trap I’d like to talk to him. I don’t care for getting set up.”
“We’ll see. Continue your report.”
Xander did as instructed and when he finished Sorren said, “You really carried her all the way back to the beach?”
“Anika was in no shape to walk and I wasn’t leaving my partner behind.”
Sorren smiled and shook his head. “Remarkable. I expect you’ll want to rest. When your partner has recovered I’ll have another mission for you.”
Xander nodded. “We’ll be ready.”
He left Sorren and went to Grandfather’s room. Xander knocked on the door then stuck his head in. “Grandfather?”
“Xander, come in.”
He could barely discern the old man where he sat surrounded by pillows. Grandfather’s face looked more sunken than when he left. He didn’t say anything, but he was more than a touch worried about his friend.
“So how’d it go?” Grandfather was always eager to hear about Xander’s missions
“We took care of the mark though we ran into some difficulties.” He told the old man everything, including some details he hadn’t shared with Sorren concerning the change in his relationship wi
th Anika. Before he got to the ride up the mountain Grandfather started coughing. He sounded worse. His whole body shook as he hacked.
“Are you all right?”
Grandfather waved off his concern. “I’m an old man. As far as I know there’s no cure for that. See to your partner. I must rest.”
“I’ll check on you latter tonight.” The way the old man was coughing Xander hoped he’d make it to tonight.
CHAPTER 8
Anika walked through the halls on her way to meet Sorren. She flexed her hip and though it still hurt she had her full range of movement back. Thanks to twice daily workouts with Xander she’d regained most of her strength. She sighed and shook her head at the thought of Xander. He confused her on almost every level. In one hand when necessary he was the coldest killer she ever met, never hesitating to eliminate anyone between him and a mark. On the other hand despite his skill as an assassin he didn’t seem to enjoy killing, in fact he seemed happier training or even better lying in bed with her. There it was, since their first meeting their relationship had changed a great deal, going from partners to lovers in a couple years. Did she love him? Anika wasn’t sure.
She sighed again. Maybe she loved him and maybe she didn’t, but she trusted him without reservation. Xander saved her life and made it clear he’d do so again. Anika believed him, not that she wanted to put that belief to the test anytime soon. Anika shook her head. She was over thinking again. Father always said that was her biggest weakness. She’d take the relationship as it came and enjoy every minute. In this line of work you never knew which moment would be your last.
Anika arrived at the intersection where Sorren said to meet him, but of the man himself she saw no sign. Anika couldn’t imagine why he’d want to meet in such an out of the way corridor instead of in the lounge or Sorren’s suite. She respected Sorren as her superior, but sometimes the man’s paranoia got out of control.
Sorren must have been watching for her because he came down the hall seconds after her. “Thanks for coming.”
