by C. R. Daems
"I will be fine, pri'Rhiannon. I would be a poor chaperone if I didn't watch you at night."
There came a knock at the door.
"Pri'Rhiannon, a healer at the door wishes to see you," the Talon on guard said. I felt the presence of a strong Illusion Sigil before I opened the door a crack. The image of old Wrinkle Face was clear: a misty image of a younger face in the robes of a minor healer. I knew this illusion.
"Yes?" I asked.
"I have instructions to make sure pri'Rhiannon gets this juice. It has medicine Master Healer Luminita directed she take each night." The image smiled; the real person didn't.
"I'll take it. Pri'Rhiannon isn't dressed for guests."
"I'm a healer!"
"And I'm a chaperone," I snapped. "I hope the Talon on guard isn't forced to resolve this issue."
"…No. Here!" Wrinkle Face shoved the drink at me. "Be sure she drinks it, or you will be responsible for the consequences."
I closed the door and set the glass on the dressing table.
"More cyanide?" Rhiannon asked.
"Try tasting it, with your finger."
She cautiously dipped the tip of her finger into the juice and licked the drop off the tip. "It is! We should have the Talons kill him."
"Later. For now, we want your enemies to think they are winning. But I will not take the chance of leaving you alone." I curled up on the floor, readying myself for sleep. I lay listening to the quiet for the normal sounds of the castle. I knew Castor was one of Rhiannon's enemies, but I didn't think she would attempt something as foolish as a direct attack on Rhiannon and her father while in Terni. But I wasn't going to bet Rhiannon's life on it.
* * * *
Varius decided to stay two nights to give everyone a rest. I accompanied Rhiannon as she and her retinue toured the docks and warehouses and shopped at a variety of merchants. The morning of the third day, the caravan reassembled for the trip to Livorno.
"How far to Livorno and Dassel, Leszek?" I asked, as servants and soldiers made last-minute adjustments for our departure.
"Livorno is thirty leagues south along the West Mystic River. It should take four or five days, depending on the number of stops we make. The wagons slow us, as well. From there, we will continue to follow the river into the kingdom of Valda. The journey from Livorno to Dassel will take another nine or ten days, if the weather doesn't change." So far, the weather had been typical for summer, chilly in the early morning and comfortable by midday. The thick forest contributed to the coolness of the days. "If we were on the river, it would be much warmer. West of the river in the Jaddah desert, it would be very hot."
I found the travel to Livorno similar to that from Savona to Terni except the terrain was flatter and the weather warmer. I saw more of the river and even an occasional river barge. Although the trip was somewhat boring, I kept Leszek and his Talons on high alert with a closer than normal eye on Rhiannon. Duty demanded it. The Raptor Clan had been shamed by the killing of the hi'Lord's wife and two other children. I was determined to bring no additional shame to us.
"I told you, Mistress Aisha, no one is going to attack a caravan this large with so many soldiers," Rhiannon said, at least twenty times.
"Better to be annoyed with me and alive rather than dead. It would ruin your chaperone's day." I blanked my face, though I smiled inside. Rhiannon shook her head in obvious exasperation. We stopped only a half day's ride from Livorno on the fourth night. I couldn't blame Leszek and Rhiannon for thinking of Ferox's rumor as idle castle gossip, not that their doubt deterred me from insisting Leszek remain on high alert.
Everyone was tired from the long days in the saddle, so we retired early, anticipating tomorrow's activities in Livorno.
Something awakened me. I snapped my eyes wide open, listened intently, but heard nothing. As I watched, the tent flap slowly opened, and the night flowed in. I sensed a strong Illusion Sigil. My mind snapped my sigil on and the shadow faded to a small, thin man standing in the entrance. He looked around the room in the dim light provided by the moon and spent a few seconds on each figure. I stayed still, faking sleep.
While he evaluated each bedroll, I struggled with my dilemma. Killing him would be easy, but killing him without giving away my chaperone image wouldn't be. He somehow correctly identified Rhiannon's bedroll and slowly raised his foot to step over me. A professional assassin, I mused, kills only the target and leaves unseen. As his foot touched the ground, I slashed the artery on the inside of his groin. Blood sprayed everywhere, and he fell on me as I struck with my second knife, driving it into his heart.
I lay drenched in the dead man's blood. I screamed and screamed again.
"Talons, Talons!" I wrinkled my nose at the stench as his bowels voided. Everyone in the tent was screaming. Leszek charged into the tent a couple of seconds later. I actually felt sorry for him standing there with me soaked in blood, a body across me, and four screaming young nobles.
"Are you all right, Aisha?" he asked as he dragged the body off me and examined me with a practiced eye. "What happened?"
I waited a moment as the screaming settled down into sobs. "The Talon guarding the tent must have fought with this assassin, and he stumbled into our tent and fell on me."
"Come, Mistress Aisha. Let's get you cleaned up." We went outside to find the body of the Talon guard beside Rhiannon's tent. Three assassins had killed two guards outside of Varius's tent as well. The next morning Master Taras pulled me aside.
"Hi'Varius can't stop praising you. He knows the real story about Rhiannon's assassin and realizes your alert probably help save his life." Taras stared down at me. "You are also the talk of the Talons, Sister Aisha."
"Why?" I looked at him with wide eyes, pretending to have no idea what he was referring to.
"Leszek found a living Illusion Sigil on your assassin. That is how he managed to kill the outside guard, without a fight! But he couldn't get by you. How did you detect him?" Taras continued staring at me while awaiting his answer.
"Chaperones are terrible people, Senior Brother, and mountain women the worst." I broadened my smile.
* * * *
Livorno was also a port town with docks, warehouses, and merchants, about twice the size of Terni. The most spectacular part was the view across the river, a shimmering golden sea of sand. The river separated Granya from Jaddah, home to the desert tribes. Much of Livorno's business constituted handling supplies going and coming from Zenjir, Jaddah's capital, so a number of Jaddah tribesmen were usually in town. I would have loved to work out with the Jaddahan warriors. I had been told that many of the Talon's basic knife techniques originated from the Jaddahan, where they favored knife fighting.
Second Lord Lucjan was a gracious host. Varius stayed four nights, resting and restocking supplies for the next leg of the journey to Dassel.
"Mistress Aisha," Irenka said, "there is no reason for you to follow us shopping. It must be hard seeing all the things you can't afford to buy." She primped in front of a mirror, preparing to shop for the third straight day. Another time, I might have been interested in discovering what was in the markets, but now I wasn't interested in shopping. I was concerned about Rhiannon's safety. An assassination took only seconds. What better opportunity than a crowded market?
"Not at all, Siress Irenka. I love looking at all the things I can't afford." In fact, looking was what Varius paid me to do. I could have warned Irenka yesterday that a cutpurse was about to steal her purse after I had diverted the thief from Rhiannon, but Irenka wasn't my concern. Fair's fair. She wouldn't have warned me either. I chuckled to myself at the thought.
"I'll buy you something, Aisha," Rhiannon said.
"Are you trying to bribe me, pri'Rhiannon?"
"She's a crude peasant, pri'Rhiannon," Irenka said, as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"True, Siress Irenka. You can't expect to cut silk from a mountain goat." I smiled at Irenka's attempt to anger me. After ten years at the Aerie, I doubted words could be
used to bait me into anger, shame, joy, fear, or hate. "Emotions kill," Master Jiang had beaten into everyone. Only those who could conquer their emotions survived to become Talon. Early on it had become my mantra.
We departed from Livorno the next morning.
The land and the routine remained the same: a morning meal, break camp, a midday break for another meal, stop before sunset to set up camp, and a final meal before retiring to our tents.
"Aisha, I wonder if the danger Ferox warned about is past," Leszek said on the third night out of Livorno.
"That is possible, Leszek. But do we want to wager pri'Rhiannon's life on it?"
**No wonder you survived Aerie, my cautious Sister.** "No, Mistress Aisha, we will not fail in our duty to pri'Rhiannon."
CHAPTER SIX
Road to Valda: Royal caravan attacked
The clanging of steel on steel jerked me awake. My knives were in my hands as I leapt to my feet to meet the threat. I used my foot to prod Rhiannon awake as I watched the tent flap. A second later, it was opened with a naked sword, and Leszek peered through the opening.
"Aisha, we are under attack! Hurry. It is a full-scale attack by hundreds of mounted soldiers. The invaders will overrun us soon. You and pri'Rhiannon must run." Leszek peered over his shoulder at the fighting twenty paces away. I could see through the opening that the attackers outnumbered Rhiannon's full detail of Talon guards. I saw dead bodies on the ground, mostly the gray and blue uniforms of the attackers, but some Talons had been killed in the battle. Every Talon faced two or more assailants. Leszek was right. The Talons couldn't hold long.
**I honor you Brother Raptor. It shames me to leave you.**
**Fail not in your duty, Sister Raptor.**
Everyone in the tent was awake and babbling. I grabbed the two kits that we had prepared over a week ago and jerked Rhiannon out of bed, dragging her toward the back of the tent. I used one of my knives to slash a large opening.
"What about us?" Irenka screamed at us as rage reddened her face.
"Stay here and you'll be safe. It's pri'Rhiannon they want to kill." I peeked out through the opening and scanned the area. When I looked back, Irenka had grabbed Rhiannon by the arm, keeping her from following me. I turned and drove my palm into Irenka's chest. She stumbled backward and fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Silva and Raya cautiously backed away from Rhiannon and me.
"That wasn't necessary," Rhiannon said as I pushed her through the slit opening. Once I was out, I paused and looked around. The forest was only ten paces away and the path clear. Before I could move two soldiers charged around the tent. One ran into me before he realized anyone was there. At such close quarters, his sword would have been useless even if he hadn't run right into my knife. Surprise, shock, and pain registered on his face as I twisted the blade upward into his heart. I put one foot behind him and pushed with my shoulder. He toppled backward and my knife slid free. The other soldier raised his sword and headed straight for Rhiannon. The girl ran to him and squeezed her arms around his waist, so close his swing missed. That delayed his strike long enough for me to cut his throat from behind.
"You did exactly what you should have done. Now we must go," I whispered, afraid to use her name in case someone could hear. I was proud of her. Those hours of training had saved her life.
I grabbed Rhiannon by the arm, and we ran for tree cover. I knew she was in shock as I dragged her through the trees and underbrush. Our survival depended on a good head start. I could outrun the soldiers, but I knew Rhiannon could not.
"Father! We need to go back!" Rhiannon gasped for air and attempted to extricate herself from my grip and stop her stumbling run. I held on. Panic filled her eyes and fear seized her words. She would do the wrong thing, return to danger to help save her father, her friends—for all the right reasons. Fortunately, she had me, and I had duty. "Your father is alive or he's dead. We can do nothing to help him in either case. We can only hope that your father's Talon guards will be able to protect him. They will not desert him. Your Talon guards died to save you. Right now, your life depends upon us outrunning those soldiers."
I continued to drag her along. After we had penetrated well into the forest and I saw no pursuit in sight, I stopped and opened the kits. Rhiannon's feet were bleeding. Our light-colored nightdresses could be seen for a hundred paces or more. "Get dressed, pri'…Anka. Your name is Anka from now until you are safe."
Rhiannon alternatively stared at her kit and back toward the camp. As I looked back, the red haze from fires and the shouts from the fighting broke the eerie serenity of the forest.
"Anka, our lives depend on changing clothes fast and disappearing into the forest." When she didn't respond, I slapped her across the face. She looked up at me, shook her head, and pulled her nightgown off. We stepped into the sturdy pants and tunics I had packed.
I drew my bow, strung it, and put my quiver of twenty arrows over my shoulder. Too few. I shoved everything into one kit, including the other kit. They would be able to track us, but I would leave nothing to help them.
"Anka! Your life depends on one focus—me. Listen to me. Do what I tell you to do when I tell you." I took her chin into my hand and looked into her eyes until she nodded. "Good. Follow me."
I headed south through the trees for over an hour, stopping twice to give Rhiannon a short rest. When I stopped the third time, Rhiannon wanted to say something, but I put my fingers to her lips and motioned for her to hide behind a large pine. I crawled off several paces to a clump of bushes. I heard our pursuers thrashing through the underbrush and shouting. They were on horses and in a hurry to catch up with us. A minute later, three horses came into sight and stopped. An officer in an emblazoned surcoat was shouting orders. I had my arrow nocked and ready.
"They can't be far ahead. Spread out more. I want them both killed and—"
My arrow pierced his throat and ended whatever he was about to say. I couldn't really criticize them too much. After all, they thought they were chasing a small teenaged girl who never had any weapons training and her unarmed chaperone—neither a threat. Run them down and kill them.
My second arrow also struck the next rider in the neck. I had my third arrow nocked as the third rider turned his horse to retreat. Coward. I tracked him through the trees, got a clear bead on his horse, and put it down. I hated shooting the horse, but if the soldier got away, the enemy would know exactly where we were. They would learn that I was armed and dangerous. I edged toward the downed horse.
An officer stepped out from behind a tree and smiled. "Well, hi'Lord Varius hired a female bodyguard for his daughter, not a chaperone. You are good with that bow, but now you are facing a knight in armor. Is she worth dying for?" His sword was out, and he was smiling.
"You should ask yourself the same question, sir knight."
"I will make you a bargain, mountain-woman bodyguard. Turn over pri'Rhiannon to me, and I will spare your life. Maybe I will even give you some gold scrules if you are sweet to me." I stepped forward.
He smirked as he lunged. I flicked my hand, and my throwing dagger sank into his right eye. He made a small gurgling sound, dropped to the ground, and didn't move again. I collected my knife and jogged back to Rhiannon.
"I never hurt anyone. Why do they want to kill me?" Rhiannon asked, her voice quivering.
"For the power you will inherit." I took her by the arm and led her into the trees.
"Why did he offer you gold?"
"Because he valued gold and thought I would. He had no honor."
She frowned thoughtfully. "How do you know he had no honor?"
"He tried to run when his fellow knights were under attack."
"Was it honorable to throw your knife at him without warning?"
"No, Anka. It was duty."
For the rest of the day I played hit and run with the soldiers trailing us. Fortunately, we encountered them a hand or less at a time. I assumed they didn't know which direction we chose when we fled the camp. They had to
spread their forces thin to search for us. They must have thought they didn't need more than a few troops to hunt down a girl and her chaperone. Later search patrols tracked us on foot with one officer on horseback.
An hour passed. A mounted officer with three foot soldiers approached. I sent Rhiannon into the nearby dense brush to wait. They moved slowly, searching behind trees and in thick brush. When the mounted officer turned to answer a question from one of the soldiers, I put an arrow through his throat. A second later, I shot one of the foot soldiers in the chest.
The soldier furthest away turned and ran. The other charged. Concerned about my supply of arrows, I drew my sword. He yelled, his sword raised for a downward strike to my head. I snagged my foot on a protruding root and lurched forward slightly to the left of him. I tucked my head toward the ground and rolled. He swiveled his sword to follow me.The blade sliced into my ankle. I hit the ground and sprang to my feet and spun. My injured foot gave way. He grinned and swung at my chest.
"You are not thinking of failing in your duty, Aisha Talon?" I would have sworn I heard Master Jiang's voice.
Falling backward, I swung my feet up. I kicked his sword arm up then slammed both feet into his stomach. As I rolled, I took him with me, up and over me. He glanced off a sapling and landed on his back several feet away. I jumped to my feet. My arm flashed downward. The knife made a dull thud as it buried into his chest.
"No Master Jiang, I will not fail in my duty," I said under my breath.
One soldier had escaped. I didn't want to continue on our same track.
The next groups were more cautious. I don't know if it was from the report of the soldier who ran or the dead I left behind, but they weren't in as much of a hurry to catch up. Only the persistent prodding by their officers kept them moving ahead. I killed ten and wounded several. We would no longer be considered easy prey.
Toward evening, I was worried because I was low on arrows. We had lost our pursuers, so I stopped to rest Rhiannon and think. If I couldn't change our strategy, they would triumph in the end. They outnumbered us and would eventually trap us.
