Assassin of the Heart: Book Two: The Temple Islands Series

by Richard Parker

  Hahn tried to smile at her but the pain made it difficult. “We held them up and dropped full twenty,” he said excitedly and then nodded to the other bowmen. “Lead them back. They could make the difference.”

  Samantha immediately did as she was told, but she left four to look after Hahn and the other wounded. She then sprinted back to the battle, amazed at the amount of dust already raised in the distance. The other archers followed her without question. They all witnessed her bravery and knew she traveled within the inner circle of Prince Gwaynn and Afton Sath.

  Back at the main battle site, Gwaynn who was leading the center, slammed into the gap left by the Deutzani, then all was hacking, blocking and slashing. He quickly lost focus of everything in the battle except the unfortunates who challenged him. How many he killed he couldn’t have said; but it was many. He fought furiously and the men around him were bolstered by his uncanny display of skill. The Deutzani lines held until the full might of the Massi Calvary hit their left flank and it folded after only a few minutes. After that it became a slaughter as the enemy was surrounded and crushed. The battle was well decided before the Deutzani horsemen had a chance to arrive and possibly turn the tide. They read the signs from a distance, however, and without hesitation fled the field. Gwaynn had no knowledge of their flight or he would have made it a priority for Tanner to set after them, and by the time he became aware of their retreat it was far too late. They would not be able to catch them before the enemy safely reached Colchester.

  When the fighting finally ended, a full two hundred Deutzani lay dead with another fifty wounded and helpless. Gwaynn looked wildly about and spotted Sath first, who was hollering and smiling at his young Prince, then he spotted Marcum and Bock.

  “After the supplies!” Gwaynn heard Sath yell in the direction of Tanner, who nodded and wheeled around to chase after the pair of wagons and short string of mules that were vacating the battlefield at full speed, which was not overly fast.

  Moments later Gwaynn spotted Krys moving toward him, relief and joy mixed on his face. They embraced, pounding each other on the back, both glad that the other had survived unscathed from their first real battle. Afton Sath was the next to reach Gwaynn. The old man was smiling but he still had the wild look of combat in his eyes.

  “Arno…” he started, but then amended himself, still grinning broadly. “Gwaynn! Where did you learn this?”

  Gwaynn smiled back at his former teacher and master, suddenly filled with a wave of affection for the old man.

  “I read it in a book…on Lato.”

  “A book!” Sath repeated and began to laugh.

  Gwaynn nodded. “My friend Elise showed it to me. The battle of Gaugamela.”

  Sath grabbed Gwaynn in a hug and pounded him on the back, both of them laughing now with a mixture of triumph and relief.

  Samantha ran, well out in front of the other archers and spotted the two men, young and old, together. Though she was relieved, she still felt a stab of jealousy she did not fully understand. Her only thoughts the last few minutes were of Gwaynn and any possible injuries he might have sustained, but he was happily embracing others with no apparent thoughts of her own well-being and her heart sank. But then he turned and his eyes fixed on hers as she led the group of archers back to the battle. Without meaning to she pulled to a stop, suddenly unsure as to what to do, but then he smiled at her. She laughed, relieved and joyous all at once. Suddenly tears were streaming down her face, making it hard for her to see. She was aware that a few of the archers had passed her. She blindly moved toward Gwaynn and without ever seeing him clearly found herself in his arms. They hugged fiercely for a long moment, an embrace neither wanted to break, but when Sath clapped Gwaynn on the back again the two jumped quickly a part, both suddenly feeling very hot. Gwaynn caught her eye, but only held it for a brief second before turning and accepting congratulations from many others. From that point on, Gwaynn and Samantha stayed within sight of one another, never closing within touching distance, but never straying far. Each was always completely conscious of the other’s presence, attracted but cautious at the same time. They circled one another like a pair of stars captured by mutual gravity, neither daring to come closer, neither daring to alter their orbit for fear of being consumed by the fire the other was radiating.

  VII

  Tarina Cyn de Baard landed in Cape two hours after the battle of Koshka, as it would come to be known, though word of the battle would not reach the plains of Massi for another full week. She was tired. The trip from the King’s Island took just over five days, two of which were spent anchored in a small cove somewhere along the Toranado coast while they waited out a storm. In her opinion killing the Travelers was definitely a mistake, a mistake they now would all pay for with increased inconvenience. She immediately took her leave of the Deutzani King; having grown very tired of his company, and was led to a large home of a formerly wealthy Massi merchant. Now it would be hers for the length of her stay at Cape, which would be relatively brief. She only needed to choose a small party of cavalry soldiers to aid her in the hunt for the Massi Prince. The list of volunteers was short, but those who were brave enough to ride with an Executioner were usually confident and deadly. A large, chestnut bay was waiting for her at the house, and any supplies she might need for her expedition would be given without question. She would not need much. She did not practice the showy, ritual executions preferred by Tar Navarra, when she killed, it was fast and with little warning.

  Three days after her arrival, rumors began to trickle into Cape of the return of the Massi nobility. Gwaynn Massi was said to be alive and on the Plateau. The local people were excited by such talk but remained carefully somber when in public or in the presence of those whose allegiance was suspect. The Deutzani were buzzing like a nest of disturbed hornets, and at the very center of the agitated swarm was King Arsinol.

  Cyn de Baard was interviewing a large, hard looking soldier named Robert Huntley to be her Captain. He was her first choice, not because he was the most experienced or the most gifted with weapons, what intrigued de Baard was the fact that Robert, the son of a trading merchant, had lived off and on in the Massi town of Heron, in his youth. His intimate knowledge of the town and its’ surroundings might just make it possible for him to pass for a Massi native. She was studying the stiff posture of his large body when Arsinol summoned her to his presence. Along with the messenger came a contingent of twelve royal guards each wielding long, deadly looking pikes. Despite their impatience, de Baard took the time to dress appropriately for the audience, which meant full Executioner regalia, including a set of gem encrusted kali she secured at her waist. She invited Huntley to join her, thinking that perhaps an opportunity to test his metal might present itself.

  “You’ve heard?” Arsinol said by way of greeting, his eyes still ravaged her, but his expression was pained. Ja Brude sat on his right, his face equally dour. Along with her escort of pikemen, there were an additional fifty royal guards dispersed throughout the courtyard. The only other people present were a family of three, kneeling before the King. A middle-aged man, a wealthy merchant by the look of him, his well-dressed, plump wife, and a mousy young girl who looked to be all of about twelve, were kneeling on the floor of packed dirt. Their heads were down, their hands folded. Over them stood a pinched faced man who de Baard took to be the City Barrister.

  “So the rumors are true then?” she asked the King in return.

  Arsinol did not respond, but she could tell by the look on his face that the talk was indeed true.

  “It’s been confirmed. The Massi brat was spotted in Manse, and then Koshka, apparently he’s reunited with Master Sath.”

  “Ah, the old Weapons Master,” de Baard said mostly to herself. She would enjoy killing him. In his day Sath built quite a deadly reputation with his swords.

  “How soon can you be ready?”

  de Baard shrugged. “A couple more days should suffice,” she answered and could immediately tell that th
is was not the desired answer. Arsinol was furious, obviously so, but he wisely held his tongue until he managed to get his emotions under control.

  “Every day he lives,” he began, his voice low and threatening but under strict control. “People like this…” he continued, motioning toward the family kneeling before him, “send their sons off to betray me, to go to war against me. Every day more and more gain heart, gain courage, and march off to the Plateau.” He fell silent for such a long time de Baard thought his little speech was finished. What he wanted her to say, however, she was not sure.

  “Our son did not…” the kneeling man began, but one of the guards struck him hard with the butt end of a pike. The man sank lower in the dirt with a groan.

  “You must kill him!” Arsinol said loudly, not even bothering to keep the desperation out of his voice. “Quickly!”

  de Baard’s mouth nearly twitched into a smile but she managed to contain herself. “A man surrounded by an army is not so easy to kill,” she replied. She could feel the King’s pain, but she was not under his power. She was under the High King’s direction and though they were after the very same outcome, she would not be rushed. If every able bodied man in Massi was flocking to him, as Arsinol feared, then killing Prince Gwaynn would not be so simple. Even she, with her skill, must respect the might of an army. Killing the Prince now would take careful planning. It would take keen intelligence and a great deal of skill. She was confident however, that she had a vast excess of both.

  “He has no army!” Arsinol bellowed, “not yet and you’re to see he doesn’t live long enough to get one. I’m sending a battalion to Manse tomorrow,” Arsinol continued angrily. “You will join them. Make a list of what you need and leave it with Ja Brude, he’ll see it gets to the quartermaster.”

  de Baard bristled at the command, but realized it would not do to fight the Deutzani King on this, so she made a quick half bow. “As you wish,” she added in a low voice. She made to leave when the King spoke yet again.

  “If you could kill them please,” he said softly, and motioned towards the family before him.

  This time the Tarina did not hesitate. Her kali were out and swinging before anyone could register the movement. She sliced through the neck of the Barrister, who did not even have time to flinch. His eyes went wide with surprise as she turned from him and stabbed the kneeling man through his Adam’s apple. The woman, who was curled up with her face in the dirt, her chin resting against her bent knees, received the sharp point of a kali through the base of the neck, severing her spine, she fell over paralyzed unable to move as she died. In contrast to her silent death, both of the mortally wounded men gurgled and choked, fighting for air. They flopped about in unison, like a pair of landed fish on the deck of a boat. The dirt floor around them soon turned dark and muddy as they bled out.

  de Baard bent and wiped each of her kali clean with the brown cape of the Barrister, then straightened up and stared into the wide, frightened eyes of the young girl. de Baard sheathed her kali as the King began to splutter over his dead subject.

  “Yes?” the Tarina asked in a silky voice.

  “You…you killed my Barrister,” the King complained.

  “Next time, be a little more specific,” de Baard answered and started to walk away, she paused slightly to look back at Captain Huntley. “Kill her,” she said flatly, “and then you may be my Captain.” With that she turned and continued on her way out of the courtyard, pausing just out of sight around an archway. The screams of the young girl ended abruptly with a surprisingly loud crack as a sword struck her skull. de Baard smiled and moved off, ready to get her affairs in order.

  ǂ

  As Gwaynn and Samantha circled one another among the five hundred celebrating Massi soldiers, they were each acutely aware of the tension growing between them brought on by their mounting desire and self denial. Sath, however, lightened the situation by moving quickly forward and embracing his niece with a large smile and a larger hug. He was quickly followed by Krys, Bock, Olney and surprisingly Jess na Gall, who tried to share in their happiness, though the horror of the battlefield wounded caused her to go pale. She excused herself shortly on the pretense of checking out the supply wagon stolen from the Deutzani. Samantha was still within the circle of excited men. She tried not to stare at Gwaynn but found herself glancing up into his face far more than she did any of the others.

  Sath was still laughing excitedly as he finally moved off. Unbelievably they had won the battle, and in a very big way. He sent out several men to assess the situation, and on their return the victory was even greater than he could have possibly expected or imagined. They’d decimated a large contingent of seasoned Deutzani troops with relatively few loses. By first count they lost only thirty-four men and twenty-three of those were archers. The main group of foot soldiers escaped nearly unscathed and they only lost two horses and one horseman in the attack.

  “What of the Deutzani wounded?” Lonogan asked.

  Gwaynn did not hesitate. “Kill them. We have no men or means to look after them.”

  Sath frowned. “The Deutzani will clamp down hard on the ordinary people if this gets back to them.”

  “Not to mention any Massi soldiers that fall into Deutzani hands,” Marcum added. “This was just one battle, a small one at that. Many of our lads will find themselves in similar situations.”

  Gwaynn stared at Marcum for a moment and then turned to Krys and Lonogan. “Kill them,” he repeated and both men nodded and moved off to see the grizzly job carried out. Gwaynn glanced at Samantha, expecting to find an argument in her eyes, but though she seemed disturbed, she nodded.

  “The Deutzani killed my family without a thought,” she said simply. “My sisters were twelve and four. Sparing a few soldiers will not make the slightest difference.” She took a breath and looked directly at Marcum. “If any of us are captured, we will all be killed no matter how we treat their wounded,” she added with grim confidence

  Gwaynn had never wanted to kiss her more and fought the impulse to take her into his arms again.

  “Yes,” was all he said and it came out as a small croak. Olney, who was still nearby, said nothing but his face turned white and he went off to find and protect na Gall once more.

  The Deutzani that were still alive were quickly and efficiently dispatched, the distasteful but necessary job was finished just as the first of the citizens of Koshka began to arrive. Most were happy to satisfy their curiosity from a distance and those who did venture close were greeted occasionally by a soldier here or there, but mostly the locals were simply ignored.

  It was only a bit over an hour before the spare weapons and supplies were collected and they were ready once more to move on. Those with horses mounted up and they all began to march back toward the safety of the trees.

  Van was waiting for them at the camp, clearly worried, clearly relieved at the sight of all of them. He seemed to be much more at ease now that he knew he would not be required to fight in any capacity. He greeted them all, but was truly waiting for Samantha. He helped her from her mount, which was a much smaller horse than Bull.

  “Was it horrible?” he asked, oblivious to the fact that Samantha’s attention was fully on Gwaynn as he rode past them and farther up the hill. She watched closely as he dismounted and immediately joined Jess na Gall. She scowled as he placed a hand on her elbow to guide her farther into camp and felt a hot wave of anger course through her.

  “…I couldn’t stand the waiting,” Van was saying, and Samantha blinked and looked at him. She’d forgotten he was there.

  “It was bad,” she said to him a bit coldly. “I don’t want to talk of it just now,” she added curtly and moved briskly away from him. Van watched her move away wistfully, then without really deciding to, found his way to the area where the wounded were being tended, and began looking about for anything he could do to help.

  “Van’s really alright,” Krys stated, joining up with Samantha, having to walk quickly to keep
up with her. He was sweaty, dirty and a bit bloody but Samantha still felt he was too pretty for his own good.

  Samantha shrugged. “He’s Deutzani…I spent the morning killing them…it felt odd talking to one of them about it.”

  Krys conceded the point. “Lonogan says there were a number of tents among the Deutzani supplies. It will be nice not to have to sleep out in the rain.”

  “Yes,” Samantha answered vaguely, her eyes again on Gwaynn, who was in deep conversation with the Traveler.