Assassin Queen

by Anna Kashina

  She watched Seldon’s retreating back as he headed to a small campfire at the edge of the camp. He was alone, affording an excellent opportunity for a conversation.

  “Your company is always welcome, Aghat Raishan,” she said. “But I do have some business I’d like to see to first. Do you think you could, um, stay out of the way while Aghat Seldon and I have a word?”

  Raishan lifted his eyebrows. “Are you planning to reprimand him for insubordination?”

  “That too, yes. He had no business divulging excessive details about Mai’s early assignments, even if Lance was the one who started the conversation.”

  Raishan’s eyes trailed after Seldon too. “He hasn’t crossed the line yet, but a couple of times he has treaded dangerously close to it. Keeping him around is putting Aghat Mai into a precarious position.”

  Kara shrugged. “At least, Aghat Seldon and I share this quality, if nothing else. But we can’t have him do anything to jeopardize Mai’s command.”

  “He will not.”

  “I certainly hope so, if only for his own sake.”

  “Are you planning to threaten him?”

  “If I have to.”

  “But–”

  “Look, I already have a reputation of being so unstable that I need a Diamond guard with me at all times. At the very least, this gives me an excuse.”

  A quick smile slid over Raishan’s lips. “Very well. I’ll stay beside that tree over there. I will rejoin you as soon as your conversation is over. If you need me at any point, just wave.”

  She smiled. “Thank you, Aghat Raishan.”

  Seldon sat up straight, watching her approach. He didn’t seem surprised. In fact, his guarded look told her he was expecting a confrontation. Against reason, she felt relieved. No point in wasting any time on pleasantries.

  “I need a word with you, Aghat Seldon,” she said.

  The Diamond gestured to the campfire and sat down in a smooth, fluid move, not to be expected from a man of his age. Inadvertently, Kara remembered Lord Garet wincing just recently as he settled by the fire. He was probably younger than Seldon, yet not nearly as fit. Still, even with this prowess, at his age Seldon could never possibly measure up to her if it ever came to a fight. The same thought reflected in Seldon’s eyes as he watched her apprehensively.

  She sat across the fire from him.

  “What you said about Aghat Mai just now,” she said, “was out of line. With your seniority, you should know better.”

  Seldon frowned. “I wasn’t aware that our Guild’s affairs are any of your business.”

  “Anything that concerns Mai is very much my business, Aghat, whether you like it or not. As to our Guild’s affairs, whether or not they are my business, I know enough about them to spot a problem when I see it. I am aware that your presence here was not part of Mai’s plans. Why are you really here, Aghat?”

  Seldon crossed his arms on his chest, and she imagined she saw just a touch of smugness behind his outward impassiveness. “Last time I heard, Kara, you were not supposed to be privy to any plans.”

  Kara. He didn’t use her rank, which told her where he believed he stood with her. She tried to tell herself that it didn’t matter, but his contempt as he looked at her reached deeper than she liked to admit, even to herself.

  “You are correct,” she said. “If you noticed, I haven’t asked you anything about plans. This conversation is meant as a warning. For now.”

  “A warning?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “You have nothing to fear from me, Aghat Seldon, as long as it remains clear to me you are not Mai’s enemy.”

  Seldon lifted his chin. “You speak of enemies, but if you noticed, I’m not the one under guard.” He glanced at Raishan leaning against a tree trunk at a distance, watching them.

  “Point taken,” she said. “And yes, I may not be always acting as myself. I am now, however, and while this is true, I wanted to make sure to tell you one more thing. If you as much as step the wrong way, you will have me to deal with. Please bear this in mind.”

  She rose to her feet before he could respond, rewarded by his hunted look. He was afraid of her, that was clear. And, he was possibly up to no good. Kara regretted not having thought of bringing Ellah along, so that she could know for sure when Seldon was telling the truth.

  She was turning to go when Seldon’s words stopped her in her tracks.

  “Aghat Kara?”

  She froze, then slowly turned to face him. Questions raced through her mind. Was he referring to her by her rank as a form of peace offering? Or did he have something else in mind?

  “I know Aghat Mai quite well, ever since his training days,” Seldon said. “And despite everything you have been thinking about my plotting against him, I do consider him to be a capable and talented commander. As such, I’m sure you realize that if he is ever faced with a choice, he would give you up without a flinch. It’s a price we all pay for being the Majat.”

  She forced her face into a calm mask as she met his gaze, unwilling to show how much these words affected her. Seldon was right. Mai always did the right thing, and he put his responsibility to his men above all else. If she ever turned against him, she had no doubt where his loyalties would be. It was a good thing, she told herself firmly. She wouldn’t want it any other way.

  Seldon nodded knowingly as he watched her expression. “Aghat Mai’s relationships with women were troublesome when he was still a trainee. We all hoped he’d overcome it after he achieved his ranking. He did, for the most part. I know he has encountered a challenge in you, due mostly to the fact you share the same training. But in the end it’s still the same.”

  “It’s not,” she said. “But more importantly, this is not a topic I am ever going to discuss with you again, Aghat Seldon. Just remember everything I said.”

  She turned and strode away.

  “How did it go?” Raishan asked, stepping up to her.

  She shrugged, angry at herself for feeling so flustered. “I think he got the message. We’ll see if it changes anything.”

  “Where to now?” Raishan asked.

  She pointed to another small campfire, where Magister Egey Bashi was sitting by himself, deeply submerged in a scroll rolled out over his lap.

  “Mai may not approve of the conversation I must have with the Magister,” she said. “But there are things I really need to know. It’s up to your conscience, Aghat Raishan, if you want to join me on this one or stay away like before.”

  Raishan shook his head. “My charge did not involve controlling you or restricting your actions, Aghat Kara. I’m here to keep you safe. With this in mind, I’d rather stay close to you.”

  She didn’t say anything as she turned and led the way to the campfire.

  Egey Bashi put down his scroll, watching their approach. He did not show surprise or apprehension. Rather, his expression as he looked at Kara was that of deep interest, as if he encountered a worthy object for his scholarly studies. In a way she was, Kara reflected as she followed the unspoken invitation and lowered to a log near the fire.

  “I have some questions for you, Magister,” she said. “Ones that will not necessarily meet with Mai’s approval.”

  Egey Bashi folded his arms over his lap, curling up into a more comfortable position.

  “I am not Aghat Mai’s subordinate,” he said, his eyes sliding over Raishan sitting on the other side of the fire. He did not comment on the Diamond’s presence, and Kara did not blame him. Of the three people present, Raishan was the only one who stood to lose if Mai had issues with her and the Magister having this conversation. Yet, she knew that Mai would probably appreciate Raishan listening to what they had to say, rather than being excluded with no knowledge of the topics discussed.

  “My link,” Kara said. “You mentioned once that death can sever it. Mai told me later that you have information to the contrary, but I’m afraid I didn’t take it seriously – a mistake w
hich led to the recent ordeal. Mai said that he forbade you to speak to me about it, but I need to hear it from you, one way or the other.”

  Egey Bashi’s eyes briefly dropped to the scroll he had set aside. “It’s not that simple, Aghat, and my research is taking more time than we have, mostly due to the need to decipher some of the languages I am really not that good at. It’s true that killing – either you, or the man who controls the link on the Kaddim side – would sever the bond. Yet, apparently, the killing has to be done in a proper way to work.”

  “Proper way?”

  “I’m still researching this. From what I’ve learned, it’s a bit of a ritual, one where the death itself needs to be drawn out into a process, rather than an act. I’m not sure how it works, not yet.”

  Kara could have guessed things had to be more complicated than she believed, even if her mind still refused to enfold the information. Inadvertently, the image from her recent vision floated up in her mind. Two men spread on the stone platform. Did she have to do this too, to embrace a man rotting alive and share his agony?

  “What if it’s done improperly?”

  Egey Bashi sighed. “That’s where it becomes complicated.”

  “Complicated, how?”

  “A simple death, without the formalities observed, can release one’s entire soul, including all the special abilities and knowledge, into the other’s mind. If your Kaddim counterpart were to be killed in battle, you would acquire all his skills instantly – except that, of course, his resurrection would revert that and renew the link. But if you were the one to perish, your death would instantly empower our enemies with all your abilities. I don’t know the extent of it yet, not for sure, but if it’s true, this actually makes your life even more precious to us than we all knew before. We can’t possibly afford to risk it at all.”

  Kara let out a breath, feeling as if the ground was spinning from under her feet. To think that she nearly succeeded in killing herself today, just because of not taking Mai’s words seriously enough. Or was this, too, part of the Kaddim plan?

  “There’s more, Magister,” she said. “When I decided to take the matters into my own hands and kill myself, I…” she hesitated. How could she possibly say it out loud? “I… have reasons to believe the idea did not come from my own head. The fact that Mai told me about the danger of it and I did not believe him is only one illustration of it.”

  Egey Bashi shifted in his seat. “If my information is correct, the Kaddim stand a lot to gain by your death, don’t they?”

  “They certainly do.” Why wouldn’t the hollow feeling in her stomach go away? “And, there’s something else.”

  “Something else?”

  “Thinking clearer now, I am aware that I could have easily slit my own throat, or stabbed myself in the heart, with everyone watching. With my training, I know of so many ways to kill a person without any possibility of a remedy that I shouldn’t have even given it a second thought. Yet, I consciously discounted such a method. I felt very driven to get as far away as possible before doing it. This was what enabled Mai to capture me.” This, and the fact that he had friends in unexpected places. She thought back to Lord Garet, to the way he looked at Mai like a long-lost son. Mai had a talent for leaving deep impressions in everyone. And he loved her. How could she ever think of acting behind his back?

  Unbidden, Seldon’s words floated up in her mind. He would give you up without a flinch. In a twisted way, she hoped this was true. She was becoming a burden, one that apparently wasn’t even easy to get rid of. She would never allow herself to become Mai’s downfall.

  “What exactly were you afraid of when you decided you needed to get as far away as possible?” Egey Bashi asked.

  She swallowed. “Of someone reviving me. I thought of your elixir, of how it can heal deadly wounds nearly instantly. I also thought of other Keepers’ cures you may have, ones you haven’t even had a chance to use on any of us. Common folks always whisper that the Keepers can bring back the dead.” She paused, trying to compose herself. “I cannot be certain, Magister, but if we assume the Kaddim have been driving me at the time, I believe I must have been worried about resurrection.”

  In the stunned silence she saw Raishan’s narrowed eyes as he watched her, so still that he seemed inanimate like a statue. She knew how bad it sounded, even if rolling this thought over and over in her head was probably even worse. And if true, this sealed the information she already suspected but never had a chance to confirm until now. The Kaddim were in her thoughts, which meant she couldn’t be trusted to make any decisions or learn any information at all.

  Every time she used her skill, however briefly, the Kaddim were gaining part of it to benefit their warriors. And, there was no way to break this stalemate, unless they could get to the Kaddim before it was too late.

  The enormity of the situation was just beginning to dawn on her. Regardless of his feelings for her, Mai had no choice but to rush to the Kaddim’s fortress as fast as he could. But with the amount of time it was likely going to take, there was no possibility for him to arrive there faster than the Kaddim needed to steal her gift.

  Mai and his Majat army were headed for slaughter. And there was no power in the world capable to avert it.

  15

  Girl Talk

  “Any more conversations planned for today?” Raishan asked.

  Kara shook her head, but before she could speak, a movement between the tents caught her eye. Lady Celana was striding toward her, calm and confident as if this busy camp was part of her father’s court. She wore a loose white dress, her flaming red hair tied into a bundle at the back of her head. Ellah hurried in her wake, clearly nervous at the heads turning their way.

  The two girls approached Kara and stopped in front of her.

  Kara sighed. She normally did not mind Ellah’s company, if only because the girl’s truthsense tended to simplify all conversations, putting everything into a clear perspective. But Lady Celana was different, a born politician to whom evasions and half-truths were as natural as breathing. Kara knew Celana saw her as a rival. As the royal lady measured her with a calm, unhurried glance, Kara couldn’t help wishing she was somewhere else.

  She knew Kyth wasn’t over her yet, no matter how clear she tried to be about her lack of romantic feelings for him. She couldn’t do much about it, but she still felt guilty. Kyth was a sensitive man with a pure heart. He deserved better than someone like Kara, whose warrior upbringing made her so different from a normal girl, even if she could look like one to an untrained eye. Inside, she was not just a ruthless killer, but one of the best at her job. Even when she had believed that she shared his feelings, she also knew she could never give him what he needed. Lady Celana, on the other hand, seemed like a perfect match for Kyth – both in her political station, as the heiress of the second oldest royal house in the kingdom, and in the way she obviously cared about the Prince.

  The challenge in the royal lady’s gaze made Kara feel affronted. She had her own problems to deal with. She couldn’t do anything about the past, could she? She was about to say this, when Celana’s words caught her by surprise.

  “There’s a small lake behind those bushes,” Celana said. “Aghat Mai ordered it off limits for half an hour, to give us privacy. Would you like to join us for a swim?”

  Kara slowly let out a sigh. A swim. It did sound good after a day of running and fighting. She was surprised, though, that Lady Celana thought of including Kara, whose fighting skill, the way she trained with the rest of the warriors, always made the ladies treat her like one of the men. A private swim, away from everyone’s scrutinizing eyes, would be so nice.

  She glanced at Raishan with question.

  “I’m not sure Aghat Mai would approve of this,” Raishan said.

  Lady Celana folded her arms over her chest, an amused smile playing on her lips. “Perhaps, Aghat Raishan, Ellah and I could take over your guarding job, just briefly?”

  Raishan returned her gaze i
mpassively. “I can name many reasons, my lady, why this couldn’t possibly work. However, perhaps a solution could be found. What if I stay nearby – with my back turned – to get there instantly if something goes wrong?”

  Kara hesitated. She should refuse, she knew. She shouldn’t put both Raishan and the girls into this uncomfortable situation. Yet, the offer sounded so tempting. Was there really any harm in doing it quickly?

  “Thank you, Aghat Raishan,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”

  Lady Celana threw another amused glance at Raishan as he fell into stride in their wake, staying far enough behind them not to intrude on their privacy, but close enough to catch up at any sign of danger.

  Feeling like a nuisance, Kara followed the girls to a secluded spot among the reeds and quickly took off her clothes. She tried to ignore the side glances her companions threw at her as she stepped into the water, quickly submerging and swimming ahead with swift strokes to clear her head.

  The water felt warm and soothing, so different from early this morning when she had to spend a long time out in the open lake searching for escape. It felt so good to relax, to flip over on her back and float, taking in the surroundings as the clear, brownish water caressed and supported her tired limbs. Low sunbeams licked her dark skin with long, fiery tongues. She could hear the other two girls splashing near the shore, laughing and talking in discreetly muffled voices. Discussing her? She didn’t really care.

  It may have been more polite to stay closer to them. They did invite her to share their swim, after all. Yet, she knew it was no use. These girls would never accept her as one of their own. Definitely not now, when the Kaddim’s mind link made everyone shun and avoid her.

  The sun rolled down toward the horizon, slowly sinking into the distance. Regretfully, Kara flipped over and slowly swam back to shore. Back in the reed thicket, she quickly rubbed herself dry, aware of the other two girls watching her intently.