Oath of Deception

by Jennifer Anne Davis

He’d prefer to do this alone, but like she’d said, there wasn’t time to argue. He gave her a curt nod.

  Since the prince had been heading toward one of the main staircases, Savenek ran down the stairwell until he came to the ground level. He exited the servants’ passageway and hid in the shadows, watching the stairs, hoping he’d chosen the right ones. A moment later, the prince descended. One of the soldiers standing guard handed Patteon some fabric. The prince took it, shook it out, and placed the cloak around his shoulders. He pulled up the hood, concealing his face, and went toward the north exit of the palace.

  Since Savenek knew his way around the servants’ passageways from his previous outings, he ran to one of the storage rooms and grabbed two burlap bags. He handed one to Ari, and then they sprinted to the eastern exit. From there, they crossed the grounds to the palace wall. Remaining in the shadows, they ran alongside the wall until the main exit came into view. Crouching down, they watched the prince leave the palace grounds and enter the town.

  Normally, Savenek would scale the wall. With Ari, he had another idea. “Let’s go.” He sprinted toward the exit, making sure the burlap bag remained in front of him. When they reached the sentries manning the gate, they slowed and strolled right off the palace grounds. The sentries didn’t even question them.

  “What was that?” Ari asked when they were far enough away that no one could overhear them.

  “I’ve seen the kitchen staff send out runners for more grain. Granted, it was usually in the late evening and not the middle of the night.” He shrugged, glad the plan had worked. Now all they had to do was find the prince. “Wait here.”

  Ari nodded, and he climbed the side of the building, easily scaling the two-story structure. On the roof, he laid flat, searching the surrounding streets until he saw the prince. He quickly climbed down and waved Ari on. They took off running. No one was out and about at this hour so they needed to maintain a safe distance from the prince.

  “Are we going to have to get grain and carry it back to the palace?” Ari whispered.

  Savenek hadn’t considered how they’d get back in yet. “I don’t know.” That was probably a good idea.

  Ari tied her burlap bag around her waist, freeing her hands. Savenek did the same.

  “Where do you suppose he’s going?” she asked. “I swear we’ve been on at least fifteen different streets."

  Why did she have to talk? They were on a mission. He didn’t answer. Hopefully, she’d get the hint.

  Up ahead, a large building stood at the corner of the street, several windows glowing with light. Patteon headed straight for the building, going in through the front door. When they got closer, Savenek saw a sign hanging above the door.

  “It’s an inn,” Ari explained.

  “Let’s find out what he’s doing in there.” There were several windows along the bottom level, some of them wide open. When they reached the building, they hid below the window near the front door. Savenek slowly stood and peeked into the inn.

  A long bar took up the left side of the room. In the center, several tables were scattered throughout haphazardly. The prince stood speaking to a woman carrying a large pitcher. She set the pitcher on the bar and wiped her hands off on her apron. She nodded and left the prince, heading up the staircase at the back of the room. The prince sat at one of the tables, folding his arms.

  A moment later, the woman returned, a man of hulking stature following her. She pointed at the prince and hurried from the room. As the large, burly man approached Patteon, his features came into view.

  Savenek froze.

  The man’s face was covered with intricate black marks.

  Savenek dropped to the ground. He’d seen that man before—that was the man from Russek. Bloody hell. “We need to get in there.” He had to know what the Russek man and Patteon were talking about.

  Ari peered through the window, her eyes widening. When she sat back down, she didn’t say anything.

  Savenek had only gotten a glimpse of the room, but he knew the kitchen was in the back to the right. That meant there had to be a door or a way in through there.

  “Move,” Ari said, shoving him. “The prince is leaving.”

  Savenek ran around the side of the building, Ari right behind him. They squatted next to a bush, watching as Patteon exited and headed toward the palace. Once he was out of sight, Savenek crept around the inn until he came to the back entrance. Opening the door, they went inside.

  “How are we going to find the right room?” Ari whispered in the hallway.

  “You’re going to ask the bartender.” They passed several doors and Savenek wondered if these were guests’ rooms. At the end of the hallway, he peered around the corner and saw they’d reached the main room where the bar and tables were located. He waved Ari on while he hung back, watching her.

  Two men sat at one of the tables drinking ale. Ari passed right by them and went directly to the bar. “I’m late,” she told the man working behind it. “I was supposed to be here ten minutes ago to deliver a message.” She glanced around the room, appearing agitated.

  “Give it to me and I’ll deliver it for you,” the bartender responded.

  “It’s a verbal message. I was ordered to give it to the man with black marks on his face. He’s supposed to be staying here.”

  Savenek loved how Ari was able to handle herself under pressure. They made such a great team. Not only was she intelligent, but she was fun to be around. Even the pants and shirt she had on made her look cute.

  The bartender scratched the side of his face. “A man with marks?”

  “Yes.” She leaned forward and whispered something to him.

  The man nodded. “Second floor, fifth door on the right.”

  “Thank you.” She headed toward the stairs, not looking Savenek’s way.

  When the bartender turned around, Savenek crept out of the hallway and went to the adjacent door, the one the server had previously gone through, praying it was the kitchen. Inside, the server sat on a stool eating stew while bread baked in the oven off to the right.

  “Who are you?” the server asked around a mouthful of food.

  Instead of answering, Savenek said, “You need to take a bottle of wine up to the second floor. Fifth door on the right.”

  “Who sent you?” she asked.

  “Some guy with tattoos all over his face. I just came in to get a drink when he grabbed me and ordered me about. I figured it was easier to do what he said than to argue.” He shrugged.

  The server sighed. “Fine.” She grabbed a bottle of wine off the rack.

  As soon as she left, Savenek went to the chopping block and took all the knives he could find, sliding them into his boots and into the waist of his pants. Satisfied, he went back to the door, pushing it open an inch. When no one was looking, he ran back to the hallway through which he and Ari had first entered, hiding there until the server returned to the kitchen empty handed. Now all he had to do was wait for the bartender to be distracted. The man started wiping off the counter. After what felt like forever, but was only probably three or four minutes, the bartender dropped his towel on the floor. When he bent down to retrieve it, Savenek sprinted out of the hallway and up the stairs.

  Ari was waiting at the top for him. “What took you so long?” she hissed.

  He withdrew two knives and handed them to her. She smiled and grabbed them. Nodding toward the fifth door, they silently headed along the hallway until they reached it. Leaning against the wall, Savenek thought about what he might be walking in to. The Russek man was awake, there should be a bottle of wine in the room, there were probably weapons lying about, and the Russek man was the size of a tree. Savenek stretched his arms and neck, trying to mentally prepare for this fight. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Ari. Taking a deep breath, he slowly blew it out and raised his hand, telling Ari to wait there. She nodded. He put one hand on the door and withdrew a knife with his other hand.

  Savenek threw the door o
pen and burst into the room. The Russek man was sitting on his bed. His eyes widened as Savenek hurled a knife; it embedded in the man’s thigh. The man didn’t even react. Instead, he withdrew the knife and stood, smiling at Savenek.

  The man was enormous. And now he held a weapon. The problem was, Savenek didn’t want to kill him—that he could do easily enough. He just wanted to injure him enough so he could ask him some questions. Normally, a well-placed blow was all it took. However, with this monstrous man, Savenek’s punch wouldn’t do a thing.

  Blood soaked the man’s pants, running down his leg and leaving a trail as he lumbered toward Savenek. The only way Savenek would be able to interrogate the man was by severely injuring him. Savenek withdrew his second knife.

  The man said something in another language. Although Savenek couldn’t understand him, he got the general gist: the man was anticipating this fight and would revel in tearing Savenek’s arms off. The man lunged forward, much quicker than Savenek expected. Savenek swiped his knife across the man’s stomach, applying enough pressure to ensure a lethal cut, but not so much that the man’s insides would topple out. The smell of blood filled the air.

  The Russek man growled and flung his knife at the door, it embedding with a loud thunk. Ari squealed and panic flared through Savenek. He instinctively turned to make sure she was all right. As he did so, the Russek man punched Savenek’s back. Stars exploded across his vision and he fell to the floor. Over the years, he’d been hit many times. However, this blow was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Decades of training took over and he rolled away from the man, scrambling to his feet.

  The man laughed, saying something else Savenek couldn’t understand.

  “Ari,” Savenek called out, not taking his eyes off the Russek man. “I want you to open the door, but don’t come in. I need you to interpret.”

  The door opened a couple of inches.

  “Ask him what he’s doing here and why he met with the prince.”

  “He speaks the same language we do,” Ari said. “He just has a thick accent. But I can ask.” Ari spoke to the man, imitating the Russek accent perfectly. To Savenek, it sounded like another language. However, every once in a while, there was a familiarity to the words—especially since he knew what she was saying.

  The man smiled and responded.

  Ari yelled into the room, “He said he isn’t going to tell us anything. Only, he used a few more colorful words.”

  Savenek withdrew his last knife. He didn’t like the idea of torturing the man in front of Ari. What would she think of him? “Ask him one more time. Tell him it’s the last time we’ll ask nicely.”

  Without hesitating, Ari did as he instructed. The man shook his head and spit out blood. He said something, hatred seeping through his words.

  “He said we are already too late,” Ari called out.

  Savenek caught sight of the wine bottle sitting next to the bed. He threw his last knife at the man’s already injured stomach. The man’s legs gave out and he dropped to the floor. Savenek darted for the wine bottle, grabbed it by the neck, and smashed it over the man’s head. Still holding what remained of the bottle, he clutched the man’s hair, yanking his head back, and placing the glass shard at the man’s throat. “Tell me why you’re here.”

  The man said something, his words coming out strained this time. His eyes fluttered closed. Savenek released him, and the man dropped backward on the floor.

  “What did he mean by we’re already too late?” Ari asked, stepping into the room.

  They’d been gone from Emperion for a few weeks. During that time, something could have changed. Emperion could be at war. Savenek tried not to panic. A burly hand latched on to his ankle, knocking him over. Blasted. He landed on his back, his breath knocked out of him. The glass shard flew from his hand, landing out of reach.

  The Russek man pinned Savenek to the floor. The man wasn’t dead—he’d only pretended to be. And Savenek had made a huge error by not verifying the Russek man’s death before letting his guard down. As the man hovered over Savenek, blood seeped from the man’s stomach, coating Savenek and making him gag. The man put his arm on Savenek’s neck, applying enough pressure to make it difficult to breath.

  “Ven!” Ari called from the doorway.

  Savenek couldn’t look her way. All his energy went to holding off the Russek man.

  “Right shoulder!” she said, followed by the thud of a knife landing inches from his right ear.

  His hand was already reaching for the weapon. He grabbed it and slammed it into the Russek man’s neck. The man’s eyes bulged, blood gushing from the wound. The Russek convulsed and then stopped moving, falling on top of Savenek.

  Savenek heaved the man off him and checked for a pulse. When he didn’t find one, he declared the man officially dead. Scrambling to his knees, he observed the disarray before him.

  “Are you okay?” Ari asked.

  He nodded and stood. They didn’t have a lot of time. “Get the weapons.”

  She grabbed the knives, wiping them off on the bed. Savenek quickly searched the room, looking for the Russek man’s traveling bag or any sort of correspondence. When he didn’t find anything, he glanced under the bed and saw a black sack. Pulling it out, he untied the straps and emptied the contents. Shirt, pants, dagger, and a letter. The words didn’t look familiar but the letters that formed the words did.

  “Can you read this?” he handed the letter to Ari.

  With shaking hands, she took the paper. “It’s written in code.”

  “I saw a similar letter in Princess Conditto’s office.”

  “Maybe that is the key to deciphering this.”

  This night was about to get a lot longer. Not only did they have to make it back to the palace, but he needed to break into Conditto’s office and search for the key. “Let’s go before someone finds us here. You carry the letter since you’re not covered in blood.”

  She tucked it in her pants, her hands still shaking. “How do you propose we exit the building without anyone seeing you?”

  He glanced at the lifeless body lying on the floor. He hated to leave it there, especially with blood pooling around it like that. However, there was no way he could dispose of the body right now. This definitely complicated matters. He’d think about what to do once he had Ari safely away from this place. “I’ll climb out the window and meet you at the back of the inn.”

  She nodded, her entire body shaking.

  “Look at me.” When her brown eyes focused on him, he said, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I can do this.”

  He took two knives from Ari, hiding them in his boots. After blowing out the candle, he went over to the window and glanced outside. This was the west side of the inn, and no one was on the street below. Pushing the window open, he climbed out. Ari shut the window and then exited the room. Savenek quickly descended to the street. For the first time since he’d been in this blasted kingdom, he was cold from all the blood on his clothes and the night air drying it to his skin. He forced himself not to think about it as he headed to the back of the inn. A few minutes later, Ari exited.

  Side by side, they silently made their way through the town.

  “Where are we going?” Ari asked.

  “I need to wash the blood off my body.” Otherwise, he’d never be permitted back into the palace. He turned onto a street that sloped downward, the moon glistening on the lake not far away.

  At the shore, Savenek removed his shoes and walked fully clothed into the water, needing to cleanse himself of the blood coating him. Once fully submerged, he removed his pants, trying to scrub the blood from them. When he’d gotten most of it out, he tossed the pants to the shore and removed his shirt. The warm water made him feel like he was wading in blood. He kept scrubbing.

  Ari was sitting on the shore, staring across the lake. She’d finally stopped shaking. “You won’t be able to get all the blood out,” she said.

  “I know.” Most of th
e blood had rinsed off the shirt, so he balled it up and tossed it to the shore. Diving under the water, he swam away from the area and the blood. He surfaced thirty feet to the right. As he started for the shore, he remembered he only had his drawers on.

  Seeming to understand, Ari abruptly stood and grabbed his clothes. She walked along the edge of the lake until she was closer to him. Instead of putting his clothes down and turning away, she removed her pants and headed into the water.

  Savenek turned away from her, wanting to give her privacy until she was a little deeper and he couldn’t see her legs. What was she doing? He was practically naked.

  “Have you killed many men?” she asked as she neared him.

  What did she consider many? A couple of men? A dozen? Two dozen? He didn’t know. Instead of answering, he asked, “What about you?”

  She took her braid out, her hair hanging loose all around her. “I’ve killed a few times.” Taking a deep breath, she went under the water and came up a couple seconds later. “My father thought it prudent I know how, which came in handy when an unfortunate situation arose, and I had to defend myself.”

  Even though she had a shirt on, it was white and made from thin material, clinging to her body. Savenek moved a little deeper into the water so she’d be covered up to her shoulders. He liked to think he could keep his eyes on her face instead of her body. But hell, that was simply asking too much. This way, while he’d be tempted to look, he couldn’t see anything.

  “What do you miss most about home?” she asked.

  Easy. “My father.”

  “I miss my family too.” She tilted her head back, half floating, half standing in the water.

  “My dad is on a mission right now in Telmena.”

  Ari stood upright. “I thought I heard Prince Patteon mention Telmena the other day. And Telmena shares part of their border with Russek and part of their border with Apethaga. I wonder how they’re involved in this.” She dipped under the water.

  “I believe that’s why my father is there. Someone from Telmena tried to kill him before we left for Apethaga. He was sent there to investigate while I came here.” He hit the water with his hand. “Emperion is in trouble.” Not only did they not have a weapons deal, but it looked like Russek—if they hadn’t already done so—was going to make a move against Emperion with the help of Apethaga and Telmena. He needed to get home and warn the Brotherhood as soon as possible.