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

by Richard Parker

  “What fer?” Mic asked, eyeing the two strangers with Taylor. His eyes lingered on the body of the woman for a long time before he looked up into her face. Something there caused him to blanch and he quickly looked to the man. Tall and fit he was, big powerful arms and shoulders, might have a future in the loggin’ if he wanted it.

  “Need to get these two up on the Plateau,” Taylor added shifting from one foot to the other nervously. “Need to get them there fast.”

  Mic frowned. “There ain’t no…”

  “Just get Brandt,” Taylor snapped and Mic paused to look at his old friend, then shrugged and moved deeper into the building. He returned with Lee Brandt, a mountain of a man, who approached leisurely enough, but seemed impatient, at least until he caught sight of Cyndar.

  “May I help you?” he asked the group as a whole, but his eyes never left the striking woman. For her part Cyndar looked at Brandt and then away in an attempt to be coy, but part of her mind was actually wondering what it would be like to have such a man over her, and in her. She frowned to herself, unaccustomed to such thoughts.

  “We need to get to the Plateau,” Huntley said simply, dropped his pack and stepped forward to shake hands with Brandt, who returned it with his usual iron grip.

  Brandt turned his attention reluctantly to the man. “We?”

  “My sister and I,” Huntley answered, nodding in Cyndar’s direction.

  Brandt looked again at the tall woman and smiled inwardly. ‘Sister.’ He thought to himself with satisfaction then he shook his head sadly.

  “I am sorry but it’s not possible.”

  “But why?” Cyndar asked looking up at the large man with what she thought was helplessness.

  Brandt smiled at her. “The Deutzani have the entire Scar sealed at the moment. They’ve spread out into the countryside, waiting for the attack from Prince Gwaynn,” he answered and held out a hand. She took it and he was surprised to find that though her hands were small, her grip was firm and strong. Her hands were not nearly as soft as he anticipated and he glanced down but she smoothly hid it behind the large bag she was carrying.

  “Prince Gwaynn?” she asked to divert his attention.

  Brandt smiled again. “We expect an attack any day now. Bock tells us the Prince is ready.”

  “They need to get to the Plateau,” Taylor repeated, clearly agitated by the previous answer.

  Again Brandt shook his head. “What’s happened?”

  Taylor quickly told him of the rape and the subsequent killings of the two Deutzani soldiers. Brandt watched the woman through the entire telling, frowning with each new revelation.

  “Please help me,” Cyndar said, and moving closer she reached out and took his hand once more, then fell to her knees. “We came to fight. They killed our father, and now…I’d like to kill them…kill them all,” she added looking up at him, stressing her vulnerable position.

  Brandt pulled her to her feet, but did not release her hand. She stayed very close and he could smell a faint trace of flowers that lingered about her.

  “Are the bodies still in the barn?”

  Taylor shook his head. “We pulled them to the very back and covered them with wood and hay. It won’t be long before they’re missed.”

  “These two need to disappear sure enough, but getting on the Plateau is just not possible,” Brandt said, and then an idea occurred to him and he turned to Huntley.

  “We’ve room here in the yard,” he said, suddenly excited by the prospect of having Cyndar close to him on a daily basis. “Bock has private rooms. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if Massi patriots borrowed them for a spell.”

  Taylor broke into a grin at the suggestion. Anything, just so the two of them were gone. The girl was constantly attracting the Deutzani’s attention his way. Huntley also nodded, but Cyndar frowned.

  “There is no way to reach the army?” she asked hopefully.

  Brandt shook his head. “Not yet, not now. But don’t worry. The army’s coming. The Prince should be here within the week.”

  She bowed her head in resignation. “Alright then,” she began. “I still have clothes in town. Should we return here?”

  “No,” Brandt corrected. “Emm can get your things together. It will be too dangerous for you to head back into town. I’ll send some men tonight to take care of the dead, but the soldiers will be missed in time and the trail may lead back to you.” He gazed down into the eyes of the woman once more. He could definitely see why the soldiers attacked her. She was stunning and he wanted her now, wanted her badly, but he also wished to protect her. Something about the woman was enormously desirable, though all she was doing at the moment was blinking those large dark eyes at him.

  “Go now and gather the rest of their things,” he ordered Taylor and Emm. “Be careful not to be followed.” They nodded and moved off, Taylor with relief, Emm with a hint of sadness.

  “Come, I’ll show you and your brother to your rooms,” Brandt said and led them deeper into the mill and to a set of stairs.

  “You’ll have to work,” he said over his shoulder to Robert, “in order for it to look right.” He saw Robert frown. “It won’t be long before Prince Gwaynn comes. We’ll pay you of course,” he added and climbed the stairs to the large loft.

  ǂ

  “Captain Jima is still holding the Deutzani at the very edge of the Gap,” Queen Ramona said through the silvery bubble of air that floated in the center of the room. The connection, a patch of wavy, distorted air, was being held in place in part by Zebo Sorbello, but the connection in Eno was being strengthened by the Toranado Speaker Tearrio. Gwaynn sat at a large rectangular oak table with Jess na Gall on one side and Samantha on the other. The Toranado Prince and Tabernas were also present, as were all of Gwaynn’s Captains except for Marcum who was out on the borders with the men. Gwaynn curiously watched Zebo as he worked. He could feel the fat man’s power and weakness. Creating a bubble for Speaking took much less energy than Traveling.

  “How he’s managing is beyond me; he’s severely outnumbered,” Gwaynn heard the voice of Admiral Cantu.

  “How long can he hold?” Gwaynn asked, nervous that he might let his new allies down. His men were not yet ready for the attack on Manse.

  “Days…hours…minutes, that he’s held this long is a miracle,” Queen Ramona answered. “It’s given us precious time and allowed General Pachout to concentrate on the Temple Knights.”

  Gwaynn could hear the pride in her voice at the mention of her General, who must be dealing the Knights a very hurtful blow.

  “Can he win?” Phillip asked, having also heard the hope and pride in his mother’s voice. There was a long pause.

  “No lad,” Cantu answered. “He cannot win. He’s lost nearly half his men already, but he’s holding the entire Palmerrio army and the Knights stone still at the Mac. He’s been fighting courageously, masterfully…but there are too many.”

  “You must attack Manse soon. Even with victory, it may take days for Arsinol to hear of your threat to his rear,” Ramona said. “If he retreats back to Massi, we can send reinforcements to the Mac, maybe enough to drive the invaders out, but while the Deutzani threaten Eno we must hold the Gap or be caught between the two armies.”

  “We’ll take Manse,” Phillip said, clearly anguished and frustrated, ready to strike at the enemy who was attacking his mother and homeland. He glanced at Gwaynn, who sat stoned faced across from him. They held one another’s eyes for a moment then Gwaynn turned toward Master Afton Sath. The old man looked grim and tired but nodded determinedly toward his Prince.

  “Hurry!” Ramona and Cantu said as one. The connection dissipated almost instantly and without waiting further Gwaynn turned to Lonogan Bock, who looked worn from his night with the local woman.

  “I want you to lead a party to Manse…look over the defenses and return so we can plan on how to take the city,” Gwaynn ordered and Samantha shifted so that her leg rested nicely against his. His concentration wavered for a
moment, which was not surprising. He was having a hard time pulling his mind out of the memories of the previous night and several times he had to consciously force himself to quit smiling. He feared he was smiling so much the citizens of Colchester might adopt him as the town idiot, drool cup, blanket and all.

  “We need to lead the army to Manse,” Phillip said excitedly, “not just a party.”

  Gwaynn looked to the Toranado Prince, knowing his men were not ready. He knew his allies needed his help but he hesitated to rush headlong into battle.

  “The army will move soon enough,” Afton Sath said calmly. “But if we rush to Manse unprepared we will undoubtedly fail to take the city and then our speed will be for naught.”

  “Manse must be taken…” Phillip insisted.

  “Yes,” Sath continued and Gwaynn let him handle the situation. His old mentor was far better at handling diplomacy than he was, “but we’ve reports that anywhere from five to ten thousand men now garrison the city, even with your men we number only about forty-five hundred soldiers and a good deal of them untested.”

  Philip sat silent, clearly stewing, but unable to protest against such calm logic.

  “We must be sure of the enemies strength or we will in all likelihood fail,” Sath continued though he knew the argument was all but won.

  “We cannot risk a defeat, my Prince,” Tabernas said softly to Phillip, who chaffed at the argument no matter what the logic.

  “We should also send out a party to Lynndon,” Krys added, “or we could be flanked by the Deutzani and lose all that we have gained.”

  “Lynndon!” Phillip barked, now clearly angry. “Where’s Lynndon?”

  “Lynndon is the only other easy way to gain the Plateau,” Krys explained brushing a bit of hair out of his face. “It’s about three hard days ride east of Manse, more like four from here.”

  “Four days! Four days!” Phillip spouted, his voice getting louder and louder as he spoke. He stood up, his chair sliding back hard with the speed of his movements. “The Queen’s commanded we take Manse quickly, not ride about and check the local towns for the enemy.”

  Gwaynn still seated and calm, finally spoke. “With all respect Prince Phillip, she is not our Queen and I will not move our army until I am sure it will not be marching into disaster.”

  Phillip, who had nothing but admiration for the Massi Prince, now just stared down at him with disdain.

  “When I agreed to fight with you I was expecting a certain amount of boldness,” Phillip said and made to leave. He was feeling a little outnumbered what with all the Massi at the table, and his own Weapons Master being so quiet.

  Tabernas reluctantly rose from his seat, shooting a sympathetic look at Gwaynn but he knew Phillip, and until the Toranado Prince calmed down there would be no getting through to him.

  “Prince Phillip,” Sath called out loudly, and so respected was the old Weapons Master that the Prince came to an abrupt halt. He turned to look at Sath, anger still showing on his face. “Please,” the old man asked motioning for the Prince to retake his seat.

  For a moment, Phillip was clearly debating his actions, but in the end he walked stiffly over and dropped back in his chair. Tabernas joined him with a carefully concealed sigh.

  “The path from Lynndon is indeed a danger,” Sath continued, but had to stop and raise his hand as anger again appeared on Phillip’s face. “But I don’t believe it’s necessary to wait for a scouting party to travel there and back. I’ve had people watching the Scar in the area and the Deutzani have shown little desire to move up and out of Lynndon. We just need to confirm this, and I believe I met someone this morning that can do just that.” Sath motioned for one of the Massi soldiers standing at the door and whispered orders to him. The man nodded and quickly left the room. “However, even without the threat from Lynndon, we still need to carefully assess the defenses at Manse before rushing to attack.”

  Still Phillip did not show any sign of capitulation, but as the room remained quiet some of the anger finally left his face. “Perhaps you’re right, but we must take Manse soon. We cannot wait for scouts to reach this Lynndon, too much is at stake. If we gain the Plateau just to lose the whole of Toranado it won’t take long before the Temple Knights make another visit to Massi.”

  No one at the table said anything, nor could they argue with the Toranado Prince’s assessment of the tactical situation.

  Finally Gwaynn shifted in his chair. “What’s this about Lynndon?” he asked Master Sath and beneath the table Samantha took his hand in hers. He shifted closer to her and smiled slightly before his attention was once again on Sath.

  Sath smiled, noticing the interplay between the two youngsters he loved so much and was glad for his Prince. Both suffered through more tragedy than most would ever see. He just hoped that Gwaynn could handle the distraction, but Sath was not truly worried. His faith in the young Prince had grown immeasurably over the past months.

  “I met someone earlier this morning that travels the Scar River. He makes regular visits to the town, at least until very recently. He tells me the Deutzani still haven’t taken the high ground,” Sath explained.

  Bock shook his head. “That seems incredible. Why would they be satisfied with just taking the town?” He asked, knowing that, like Manse, Lynndon was positioned on the plain below the Scar.

  “That’s where they were when I went through the town,” Samantha added thinking back to Bert, Lyle and Wake, “they’d no presence on the Plateau at all,” she continued and then shuddered again, reliving her jump from the Scar, but no one noticed except Gwaynn, who glanced over at her with concern. She gave him a reassuring smile but then the door opened and her face went ashen. Her grip on his hand increased until it was almost painful.

  “What…” Gwaynn started but Samantha didn’t answer, she just continued to stare at the large bald river trader now standing in the doorway.

  “Cobb,” she whispered.

  Gwaynn stood quickly, believing the man a danger, but Samantha reached for him and shook her head.

  Cobb’s eyes scanned the room. When they landed on Samantha they lit up with obvious delight.

  “Sam!” he said excitedly and moved toward her with surprising speed for a big man. Samantha groaned inwardly and with all her being hoped he wouldn’t ask her for another go in front of everyone…in front of Gwaynn.

  “Cobb,” she answered and smiled at the obvious delight that spread across the simple man’s face.

  “Cobb’s happy to see you,” he said and picked her up in an enormous hug. Samantha flushed with embarrassment as he held her off the floor. She had little doubt that the river trader would have swung her about if there’d been enough room.

  When he finally set her back on her feet, Samantha noticed that Gwaynn was now standing with one hand on Cobb’s forearm.

  “You know him?” Gwaynn asked with a bemused smile on his face.

  Samantha nodded. “He helped me escape the Executioner,” she explained and Cobb beamed at her.

  “You don’t look hungry now,” Cobb said, “prettier than Emm, but not hungry.”

  Krys perked up. “You know Emm…of Manse?” he asked studying the big man before him.

  Cobb looked about until his eyes landed on the person who’d asked the question. “Yes, yes. Cobb knows Emm. Emm is very pretty…but they won’t let me have a go with her.” Krys frowned, but several people around the table laughed.

  Samantha blanched, heart thumping at the turn of the conversation. “Cobb,” she said quickly and loudly. “Tell us about Lynndon. Are there any troops up on the Scar? You know any troops around Bert’s?”

  Cobb frowned. “No…there are no troops by Bert’s.” He answered and paused for a long minute. “Bert’s dead,” he finally added.

  “Dead,” Samantha replied, shocked and saddened.

  Cobb nodded. “The bad man killed her. Lyle told me.”

  “Lyle,” Samantha said her voice falling to a whisper as she thought of the
boy and the brush the old woman had given her. The Executioner must have killed the woman before he found her with Wake and the others.

  Cobb continued to nod making several at the table smile once again despite the bad tidings. “Lyle was livin’ in the woods until I came. I traded with the boy. Now he runs Bert’s. Don’t like strangers much though…just like Bert.”

  “There are no troops up on the Plateau though. You’re sure,” Gwaynn asked suddenly very serious.

  Cobb paused and then shrugged. “No troops yesterday,” Cobb answered and Gwaynn frowned.

  “Yesterday?” No one could get from Lynndon to Colchester in a day…unless they were a Traveler.

  “He’s been here a week,” Sath said. “He has some time issues.”

  “Cobb,” Samantha asked. “Where’s your boat?”

  Cobb shrugged and looked sad. “Deutzani soldiers took it. Won’t let me ride the river no more. Took it yesterday when millions of them came to Manse,” he added for good measure.

  “Millions,” Gwaynn repeated and looked at Sath who smiled.

  “Counting issues as well we hope,” Sath said with a chuckle. “As near as I can determine. He was in Lynndon no more than two weeks ago. I think it is safe to assume the Deutzani have not occupied the Plateau at Lynndon,” Sath added evenly.

  Gwaynn thought a moment while Cobb stood there silently smiling down at Samantha who was willing him with her mind not to say anything about their encounter.

  “Strong girl,” Cobb whispered to her and she grinned despite herself.

  “Alright,” Gwaynn finally said, then turned to Marcum. “Captain, I want you to choose two hundred men…half archers. Have them ready in an hour. na Gall will create a bridge to…Bert’s above Lynndon,” Gwaynn ordered and realized that he would in all likelihood have to assist the Traveler.

  “Take Zebo and report immediately if anything has changed. If not, you must hold the way…deny the Deutzani the Plateau at all costs. And Captain,” Gwaynn added as Marcum stood, “there will be no reinforcements.”