by Kel Kade
“You are a ruthless creature,” the king muttered. “I could have you killed!”
“By whom? Him?” Rezkin said, motioning in the dark toward the Jeng’ri who had remained silent and still throughout their exchange. He might have been easily forgotten if not for the constant threat.
“There are others,” Ionius snapped. “I have an entire kingdom of guards, soldiers, and mages.”
“And I could put my sword through you right now,” Rezkin said as he began backing toward the door to the outer chamber. “I am through here, Ionius. I am not your friend, but I need not be your foe. Make the proposal, see that it passes, and I shall have little reason to remain in your kingdom … for now.”
Rezkin ducked through the doorway as the king stood by his chair boisterously berating him for his insolence and audacity. The Jeng’ri did not immediately follow but held back a respectful distance. When Rezkin was nearly to the exit, his instincts alerted him to danger. He ducked and dodged to the side. A throwing dagger struck the door with a thud. Rezkin launched one of his own daggers at the assassin. The man was quick and used his whip-like threads of talent to dash the dagger from the air. He stooped to collect Rezkin’s dagger and then bowed as he slipped the item up his sleeve. Rezkin collected the dagger from the door and nodded to the Jeng’ri as he exited the king’s chambers.
He strode down the corridor to the princess’s rooms, and the Jeng’ri followed a moment later. When Rezkin reached the door, he waited. Now that they were in the lit corridor, he could see the Jeng’ri clearly. He was several inches shorter than Rezkin and had a slim build beneath armor that was not unlike his own. His slick black hair was drawn into a topknot, and his chiseled features were unusual with high cheekbones and dark eyes. Although he looked to be in his early thirties, he could probably appear much younger or older with little effort. Rezkin had only once seen a similar looking man, a mercenary from a far eastern land who had been captured and forced to train Rezkin in the use of several odd weapons.
“What do you want?” Rezkin asked, deepening his voice so it would not carry.
“I will assist you in securing the princess,” the Jeng’ri answered. “Your retreat will be more difficult with an untrained woman in tow.”
Rezkin’s first thought was to reject the Jeng’ri’s offer, but the man was right. He had no idea how the young lady would behave during their escape. If the women he knew were any indication, she would be difficult. In addition, the Riel’sheng possessed a particularly strange sense of honor. If Rezkin refused the Jeng’ri’s assistance, the man and his order might believe that Rezkin did not have confidence in his abilities. That could have serious consequences for the man’s station as Jeng’ri. Since Rezkin presumably held this man’s fealty already, it would be to his benefit for this man to retain his position as the second of the Order.
Rezkin finally said, “Very well, but if you stab me in the back, I will make your death painful beyond even your ability to cope.”
The Jeng’ri smiled and said, “That will mean little if you are dead.”
Rezkin caught the man’s gaze and said, “What makes you think I can die?”
The man’s smile was replaced with a fervent fire in his gaze. Rezkin decided that the man’s zeal could be used to his advantage. If his bluff ever came to the fore, then it would no longer matter to him anyway.
The assassin bowed low and said, “My name is Ikaxayim, but most call me Xa Jeng’ri. I serve the Raven Riel’gesh.”
“And the Order?”
Uncertainty and doubt flashed through Xa’s eyes before he regained his resolve. “They will come to recognize your might.”
Rezkin thought that was a bit dramatic, but he was not going to argue the point.
“If they do not?”
Xa did not attempt to hide his grief over the potential loss when he said, “Then the Ong’ri will kill me for my betrayal or he will accept that I believe I serve the Riel’gesh, and I will be excommunicated.”
“You are prepared to make that sacrifice?” Rezkin asked.
Xa tilted his head. “It is already done.”
It was a clever ploy if the Order wanted to plant a spy in his midst. Although he did not trust the Jeng’ri, the benefits of gaining the Order’s allegiance outweighed the risk at this point. He did not think that Xa would interfere with his current mission, but he would likely be looking for any weaknesses he could exploit or other useful information he could take back to the Order.
Rezkin listened at the door to the princess’s outer chamber and then opened it carefully. Xa followed at a respectful distance as he crossed through the sitting room. The bedchamber door was closed and bolted. In less than a breath, Rezkin had the door unlocked. He tried pushing it open, but something heavy blocked the path. He leaned his weight into it, prepared to compensate in case someone suddenly pulled the door from the other side. Once it was open enough for him to see the blockage, he realized it was the body of a guard surrounded by pieces of broken pottery. He ducked just in time to avoid a similar fate, catching the princess’s arms mid-swing. Xa managed to intercept the heavy urn before it struck the ground and potentially alerted anyone nearby.
The two men shuffled into the room and locked the door behind them. Rezkin glanced around and noticed that the body of the nursemaid had been covered with bed linen. A small bag filled to nearly bursting at the seams sat on the bed. The princess had retreated to the other side of the room, beside the dressing table, where her hand lingered near the lamp. She wore clothes that would suit a stable boy, and her hair was drawn back and hidden beneath a floppy cap of the traditional Channerían style. Rezkin was impressed with the young woman’s resourcefulness.
“I worried that you would not come back,” she said. Her eyes found Xa who was peeking under the linen covering the nursemaid.
Xa looked up at Rezkin, and for some reason seemed surprised. “You killed the maid,” he said.
Rezkin frowned. “She killed herself.” He ignored Xa’s doubtful look.
“Who is he?” Ilanet asked. “You did not say that you had a partner.”
“I do not.”
Xa stood and bowed to the princess. “I am Xa.” He grinned playfully and added, “I am an assassin.”
Ilanet’s eyes widened, and she looked in alarm to the stranger who had not introduced himself. “He was sent to kill me?”
The stranger who had saved her shook his head as he rifled through the guard’s pockets. “No, Princess. He was to kill me.”
Ilanet glanced between the two men. She was utterly confused. “But, you are both here … together.”
The one named Xa smiled again, a sweet, boyish smile. He nodded toward the stranger and said, “He won.”
She swallowed her fear and said, “I do not understand. You are assassins. If you fought, then one or both of you should be dead. That is how it works. You kill people!”
She could not help that her words came out in a rush or that her voice had peaked at the end in hysteria. She had a dead person … or maybe two dead people, and two assassins in her bedchamber, and she was locked in with them.
Xa said, “He cannot be killed”—with a nod toward the stranger—“and the Riel’gesh has thus far granted me life.”
“What is the Riel’gesh? Is that like your god or something?” she asked as the stranger moved about the room searching for who-knows-what.
Tilting his again toward the stranger again he said, “He is the Riel’gesh.”
The stranger turned to Xa and said, “Rule 3—reveal nothing. Learn it.”
Xa said, “Yes, Riel’gesh, but it seems unnecessary since I never leave anyone alive.”
“Until you do …” the stranger muttered as he went back to searching.
Ilanet held her tongue. Apparently, the short assassin was crazy and thought that the tall one was an immortal patron god of assassins. The tall stranger did have the look of a dark warrior god. She frowned when he tossed the rest of the bed covers onto th
e floor.
“For what do you search?” she asked.
He paused where he knelt by the bed and looked at her with pale blue eyes that glittered like topaz. “The backup plan.” His gaze turned to the guard on the floor, and he asked, “Who is he? Did he say anything to you?”
She said, “He is one of my guards. He was supposed to be watching my chambers tonight. He came to the door claiming he was worried when I did not show up for the ball. I thought he might be in on the plot to kill me, so I struck him with the vase when he entered the room. I do hope he is not dead.”
The unnamed stranger shook his head and rose. “If the king and his mages had planned this properly, there would have been a contingency plan in place in case you did not succumb to the poison. It might have been the guard, but I think not. I believe they did not consider the possibility that you might not die on the first attempt. They planned for the ball to be thrown into chaos when you were found murdered, which means someone had to find your body. That may have been this guard’s role or perhaps it was the nursemaid’s. The guards and most of the staff were sent away until the alarm was sounded to prevent witnesses and interference. This means it will be easier for us to depart without being seen.”
Ilanet began to shake where she stood. The stranger was talking about a plot to murder her as though it were a game of strategy. These people she had known her entire life, people with whom she ate dinner and walked the gardens and laughed about inconsequential things, and they had been plotting to kill her for how long?
She looked to the stranger and begged, “Please, may we go now? I wish to be gone from this place.”
Rezkin nodded and retrieved the small black bundle that he had given to her for safekeeping. He checked its contents and then directed the princess to collect her own pack. They took a winding route through the castle, ducking into servants’ passages and through empty rooms whenever anyone came near. Rezkin and Xa rendered two unlucky passersby unconscious and locked a maid in a pantry, but they made it as far as the kitchen without further incident.
He turned to Xa and asked, “Can you use your power to upend that cauldron into the fire without being detected?”
Xa looked at him curiously and then nodded. The kitchen was a large room, but it was filled with sacks, barrels, tables, and other cooking necessities. It was also filled with people who were constantly running in and out of the door to provide fresh fare for the guests. The massive open hearth that ran the length of one wall would produce much of the castle’s heat in the winter months, but in this season, the room was sweltering. As a result, the servant’s entrance on the far wall had been left open to the night air.
Rezkin looked at the princess, contemplating whether she could be successful with the plan he had in mind. She glared back at him with such stubborn confidence that she appeared to know what he was thinking.
He said, “Xa is going to overturn that cauldron as a distraction. The room will fill with steam, and everybody’s attention will be on the fire. When that happens, I want you to walk quickly across the room and grab those two empty buckets. You are then going to walk out the door and casually make your way to the well. Fill the buckets and then take them to the stables.
“What about you?” she asked.
“We will meet you there,” he said.
Ilanet did as the stranger bade. The kitchen erupted into chaos, and she passed through without anyone noting her presence. She grabbed the buckets and then darted out the door. She had to remind herself that she was supposed to be casual. It was difficult when she knew that guards were probably watching. She tried to take solace in the fact that they would not be able to recognize her dressed as she was in the dark. The alarm had not yet sounded, and she wondered why her father had not called for help, especially if he knew assassins were in the castle.
Once the buckets were filled with water, she trudged toward the stables. Water buckets were much heavier than she had realized, and by the time she made it to the stables, she felt a bit sorry for the maids. She placed the buckets on the ground and rubbed at her sore hands. Just as she reached for the latch on the stable door, she heard a thump to her right. She jumped and then glanced over to see the stranger motioning to her. She hurried into the dark and found him and Xa standing next to a rope that had somehow been tied to the top of the wall.
“Can you climb the rope?” the stranger asked.
Ilanet looked up at it doubtfully. She had never climbed a rope before. She wrapped her fingers around the thin line and tried to pull herself upward. She lacked the strength to even get her feet off the ground for more than a moment, and her hands were already chaffed.
Conceding defeat, she said, “I cannot.”
Xa said, “We could climb and then pull her up.”
The stranger said, “No, it will be faster if I carry her.” To her, he said, “Give your pack to Xa. Climb on my back. Wrap your legs around my waist, and try not to choke me.”
Ilanet’s heart raced. This strange man, assassin, was going to carry her up the rope, a very thin rope, to the top of a very high wall. It did not sound like a good idea to her, but she was afraid that if she protested too much he would leave her behind. She did as he instructed and wrapped herself around him. It was awkward for more than one reason, not the least of which was the numerous weapons he carried. A couple of knives and … an axe? … dug into her thighs. The swords that crisscrossed his back and pressed into her chest were frightening reminders that she was running away with a killer. She supposed that seeking refuge with a killer who had saved you was better than living with killers who wanted you dead. It did not hurt that he was actually quite handsome … and strong. She looked down and immediately regretted it. The ground was far below, hidden in darkness, and her arms and legs were aching. She gripped the stranger more tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut. A tap on her forearm reminded her that she should not choke the life out of the man carrying her up the castle wall.
When they finally reached the top, she collapsed from his back and groped at the ground, happy to feel a solid surface beneath her. Then she noticed the unconscious guard and remembered that they were not yet safe. She also realized that they would have to somehow make it down the other side of the wall.
Rezkin led the young lady through the dark streets, cognizant of the assassin that followed by rooftop. The city guard patrols and priests were making their rounds, and he had to be careful to avoid detection. A pebble bounced off the ground in front of him, and he glanced up to see Xa motioning toward the end of the lane. It was the signal that a patrol was heading their way. He pulled the princess into a dark alley and shielded her with his body since his darker clothing would make detection more difficult. When he was satisfied with their location, Rezkin motioned to Xa to descend.
“It is time for us to part ways, Xa.”
“Riel’gesh, you must come with me to the Order. They will not be swayed by my confidence alone.”
“I do not have time to placate the Order, nor do I care for their acceptance as I have little need of them at this time.”
Xa’s face screwed up in irritation. “But they will not serve without proof.”
Rezkin knew that Xa’s frustration was not just for the sake of the Order. If the Ong’ri did not accept the Raven as the Riel’gesh, then Xa would, at best, be exiled.
“Then I will not call upon them,” Rezkin said.
Xa’s face fell. “No, you must! The Order has trained for hundreds of years to serve the Riel’gesh, to serve you. If you do not call upon us, then we exist for nothing.”
Rezkin met the assassin’s pleading eyes with an icy stare. “That is not my problem. I do not heed the call of the Order.” He figured that so long as someone was willing to believe it, he might as well play the part of the indomitable demigod.
Xa bowed and said, “I will report to the Ong’ri. How will I find you again?”
Rezkin did not want the assassins to find him, but if he was to gain their servic
e, they would need a way to contact him. He could send messages to his people via mage relay, but without one of his own, it was difficult for them to send any in return. He needed a mage relay.
“I will be keeping an eye on Dark Tidings. If you cannot find me, then find him.”
After Xa disappeared into the darkness, Rezkin took the princess by the arm and led her in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” she whispered. “We just came this way.”
“I did not desire for the assassin to know where we are going,” he said.
“So you are saying that we have more walking to do?”
“Sorry, Princess, but we are not yet to your cave.”
The princess said nothing more until they reached the brothel. From the outside, they could see that the lamps were lit, and shouts and laughter echoed into the night. A few men came stumbling out of the front door, and it did not take Ilanet long to realize where they were.
“You brought me to a … brothel?” she asked incredulously.
“I am surprised you know what one is,” Rezkin replied.
Ilanet crossed her arms. “I am perfectly aware of the existence of deplorables. My brothers have spoken of such places often enough. You cannot expect me to become one of these … these … you know …” she said with a wave of her hand as her face flushed.
“Whores?” Rezkin prodded. “Princess, you ran away alone with a complete stranger who broke into your bedchamber, killed your maid, and then escaped the castle in the company of an admitted assassin after conducting clandestine business with your father, the king. Few would be surprised if a man in my position chose to auction you at the slave market to be some rich man’s play thing. I imagine a princess would fetch a high price, especially one with no hope of rescue.”
“Is that what you intend to do with me, then?” she asked.
Ilanet was all too aware of the predicament in which she now found herself. This man, though, had saved her, while those at the castle had tried to kill her. This seemed like the fairer deal. She doubted he intended to sell her at a slave market. While he was cold and calculating, she had the feeling that he actually held some concern for her well-being. After all, he did not have to interfere with the assassination.
