The Men of Anderas III: Talon, the Assassin

by C. J. Johnson

  She had to balance the negative comments he would soon hear from her with the serenity she hoped he would find in her actions. With that firmly in her heart and mind, she headed to her ‘treasure chest’.

  “Think, woman, don’t just pick out something pretty. It has to evoke a positive reaction.” She muttered to herself while sorting through the small mountain of keepsakes she accumulated over the past weeks. He was a guy, so just because the sight of a monogrammed silver baby spoon gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling didn’t mean he wouldn’t slurp his soup with it just like any other spoon.

  Shadow ran her hands across the worn vioharp case. Yeah, he couldn’t ignore that. Unfortunately, that was one of those realities that would do more damage than good at this point. Soon….

  “It’s gotta be subtle, bitch.” With a start, she sat back on her heels. It felt completely wrong to use that word—even about herself. “Well, shit…shoot! Never would have believed that crazy-assed man and his rules would make me change me.”

  She sat in stunned silence for several minutes before a snort broke free. The snort became a grin then a chuckle. When she laughed hard enough for tears to run, unchecked, down her face, she admitted defeat.

  “That’s one for you, Talon. Now it’s time for you to make a change or two.”

  It took another hour before she finally made her choices. Two large, framed paintings, one done in shades of grey depicted the harbor at night; the other, done in brilliant colors, was the central square in spring. She fell in love with the life-like blooms in the spring rendition so she hung it where she would see it from her seat at the table. Talon couldn’t see the colors anyway so he would have the harbor in his line of site.

  “Yep, your life is about to get more interesting, Mr. Talon, the Assassin slash Bounty Hunter.”

  Depending on how he reacted to this initial step in transforming a house into a home would dictate whether or not she pulled out her secret weapon. First things first, she had to deliver the first block to his goal of face-to-face confrontation with Draagon.

  * * * *

  Talon spotted another kava about thirty yards in front of him. Shadow specifically asked for three or four of the small mammals and this would be the fourth—as long as she wanted to count two halves to make a whole. The power of a crossbow wasn’t meant for such small game. She’d have no choice but to make stew from the mangled carcasses. He shifted his position to try for a better shot—maybe save a little more meat. The kava took off like a rocket.

  “What the…?”

  “You moved. He heard it and took off.”

  Talon jerked at the sound of her voice. “Sneaking up on a man with a loaded weapon could mess up your day, Blue. What are you doing out here?”

  “I need to evaluate your tracking skills. Looks to me like you need a few more lessons. I didn’t sneak up on you. I walked my normal pace.” She picked up the heavy, canvas bag with the mangled kava. “What’s this?”

  Her attitude sent his sense of accomplishment plummeting. The next breath rekindled the anger that festered like a bad wound since her casual announcement about his past.

  “That’s the kava you requested. They’re too small for a crossbow.”

  “Not if you know what you’re doing. We’ll find another one and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

  She grabbed the weapon while Talon wrestled with her statement. Who the hell does she think she’s talking to? I’m a tracker. I don’t need some soldier-for-hire showing me how to do my job.

  It didn’t take more than fifteen minutes to spot another kava. Talon smirked behind her back. That thing was smaller than any of the ones he tracked earlier. When she signaled him to stop, he folded his arms across his chest and waited for his ‘I-told-you-so’ moment.

  Shadow moved forward a few more feet, took aim, and fired. If he hadn’t been watching so close, he would never believe it. Her shot went through the neck and took the animals head off.

  “That’s how it’s done but I doubt you’ll ever manage it.”

  Her callous words stabbed him in the chest, but he focused on anger instead of wounded pride. “You’ve never complained about my hunting skills or lack of, so why now?”

  “Because you used a bow with a two-sided arrowhead and you went after bigger game which meant you didn’t have to get as close.”

  “So I’ll get closer. Tell me why you think I’ll never….”

  “Talon, this was a lesson in reality. You want to be in Draagon’s face when you go after him. Right? Well, I’m showing you why that will never happen.”

  Talon locked his knees to keep them from buckling at her heartless words.

  “Has all this,” he waved his arm to encompass the area around them but meaning everything since he sobered up, “been a game to you? Is that what you’ll tell Dak? That I couldn’t cut the training? That a blind man can’t possibly learn to stand on his own?”

  Her lack of faith in him was crippling his ability to think beyond the sense of betrayal he heard in her words. The first time in a very long time, he lowered his guard and let someone matter to him, and this is what happened.

  “Why, Shadow? If you’re so sure I’ll fail, why?” He had to stay focused on her answer but his gut instinct was to hide and lick his wounds like an injured animal.

  “If not for those new crystals Kierin sent we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Talon, you couldn’t see a tree or a rock when we got here. I had to lead you through town. It’s so much better now but you’ve stopped using the auditory skills that carried you through the last couple of years.”

  Talon gave up his stance and dropped to the ground. His hands brushed against dry leaves and twigs blown from the surrounding trees during the recent storms. He heard the rustle only because he was three feet from the source. She was right. His special skills faded with his improved vision.

  “I guess this means we signal for a pick up?” If he couldn’t fulfill his vow of vengeance there was no reason to stay here. She’s a reason to stay but you won’t admit it. He shoved that voice of reason into the deepest pit he could find in his mind.

  Shadow saw the pain he was trying so hard to hide from her. Her heart screamed at her to find a better way to help him. One that didn’t break his spirit—even temporarily. If there was any chance for him to have a life after Draagon was no longer a driving force then she had to finish what she started.

  “Not unless you’re ready to quit.” She held her hand up when he opened his mouth to speak. “Let me finish. I said you would never be able to get in his face, not that you couldn’t take care of business another way.”

  She waited until he looked straight at her before she continued.

  “I’m listening.”

  She bit her cheek to keep from smiling. He had to accept the change in his quest for vengeance before she could lead him into more personal changes.

  “Remember the sniper rifle I pulled out when those prisoners came back?” She waited for his nod. “It’s accurate to a thousand yards. Don’t give me that look! I have a ninety-seven percent accuracy at six hundred yards so I know it’s possible.”

  His face said he didn’t believe her but his body language wanted a reason to accept it as true.

  “Is there game on the island bigger than a kava but smaller than an eldorak?”

  “There used to be a wild boar colony in the swamp on the far side of the marina. I haven’t seen any sign of them but I haven’t been looking. The adults are about half the size of the eldorak.”

  “Good. Now for the hard question. Do you have a range limit with your vision? How far can you see and still be able to identify a target?”

  “Never tested the limits.”

  Shadow scanned the area where she and Talon sat. The tall grass and scrubby bushes in the valley didn’t offer what she needed. “Stand up.”

  When Talon stood beside her she pointed up the mountain. “What’s the farthest landmark you can identify up there?”

 
He studied the terrain for several minutes before sighting down his extended arm.

  “Do you see that rock formation that looks like a pitchfork with a missing tine? Straight up from the tine on the left is a large, single tree. Everything past that is a blur.”

  She had no trouble locating the spot. “Your single tree is actually a cluster of three or four so come back to the rock formation. Is that a clear image for you?”

  “Should I count the clumps of lichen clinging to the side for you?”

  Shadow laughed. Her sarcastic Talon was back. “That’s just over four hundred yards so we set your limit at four hundred. Let’s head home and see if I can salvage enough of that…meat for a meal. Tomorrow you learn more about a sniper rifle than you ever thought possible. In a couple of weeks you’ll be able to take out a beetle at that distance. Then you can go after Draagon.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Why do I need to learn how to take the rifle apart and put it back together? Just leave it in one piece.” He resented being talked to like a school kid.

  If he were honest with himself, he was still nursing his resentment from yesterday. Not his most illustrious performance, but she was carrying his lesson a little far. She wouldn’t even let him in her bed last night. Her ‘we need to get back to a professional work environment’ was crap! His morning started with an uncomfortable bulge in his pants and a bad mood. It didn’t look like his day was going to get any better.

  “You have to clean it after you use it and you can’t get to all the cruddy gunk without taking it apart. Now stop asking the same questions and just do it.”

  “I wanted to do it last night but you….”

  “Dammit, Talon! I swear I’m this close,” she held her thumb and index finger about an inch apart, “to shooting you with this gun. And don’t even think about making me kiss you. Now pay attention!”

  Her current position, leaning across the table, gave him an inviting view of cleavage. “I like you better without that binding business. I can see your nipples through the shirt. Did you miss me as much as I missed you last night?”

  The growls coming from her side of the table would scare the hell out of a lesser man. He was up for anything she wanted to throw at him. Making his Blue lose her control was the highlight of his day. She’s not your Blue. He ignored the voice of reason and just enjoyed the moment.

  “Take a deep breath, baby. I’ll behave…mostly.” She obviously couldn’t be teased this morning. He picked up the rifle and quoted her first lesson of the day while he dismantled the gun.

  “This is a U.S. Marine M40A1 sniper rifle. Hand made in Virginia, wherever that is, total length forty-four inches, barrel length twenty-four inches. It weighs fourteen and a half pounds; has a maximum effective range of a thousand yards; magazine holds five rounds and it cost approximately twenty gold coins.”

  The gun lay in pieces across the table in the exact order she had demonstrated earlier. “Did I get it right?” He managed to keep a straight face and meet her ‘you’re-dead-meat’ glare.

  “You…how…what a low down….”

  She dropped into her chair. Eyes squeezed shut, lips pulled completely flat; his Blue was ready to blow.

  “Cute.” She managed to speak only after taking several deep breaths.

  Sarcasm was better than hostility. He could work with that.

  “Did you retain the information on anything else?”

  “I have an excellent memory, Blue. Do you want me to repeat the steps for cleaning the weapon?” Her glare screamed no. “You located the mayor’s house and the blacksmith’s shop.”

  “What are you talking about? If this is another….”

  “Relax, Shadow. I recognize the harbor painting. It hung above the fire pit in the mayor’s house. The blacksmith only painted the central square and for some reason, he was the only person who painted that area. They look nice in here.”

  How can one man make her crazy enough to kill and turn her to putty all in the space of three hours? You wanted the old Talon back. Be careful what you wish for….

  “Thanks. I think it makes it look more…homey, I guess.” She watched for any reaction to the H word.

  “If you say so.” He shrugged and began putting the rifle back together.

  You can shut me out but you can’t shut me up. I’ll break through that wall you have around your heart if it kills me.

  “As of this minute, you’re the official meat provider for everyone living on this island. When you’re comfortable with the weight of the rifle and how she handles, stretch you limits until you’re four hundred yards—minimum—from what you aim at. Understand?” She laid five rounds on the table. “I’m a long way from Earth so use these sparingly. Bring the casings back and I can reload them. Ammunition isn’t included in my base fee and I charge by the bullet, so make them count.”

  “Just how big is that magic closet, Blue?” Talon loaded the rifle before looking at her.

  “Didn’t ask and as long as it holds my weapons, ammo and reloading station, I don’t much care. Any questions?” She needed him to leave so she could set the stage for the next phase of Operation Darius.

  “I’ll be somewhere around the marina. Just in case you can’t go a few hours without seeing me. Do I get a kiss before I go?” He asked after swinging the rifle across his shoulder.

  She didn’t know if she wanted to shoot him, hit him, or kiss him. Every time she thought she had him figured out—put into a tidy little box in her mind where she knew what to expect—he did something or said something that ripped that little container apart.

  “Go! Get out of here before I do something we’ll both regret.”

  Talon took the two steps that separated them and cupped her face in his hand.

  “The only thing I regret, Blue, is not being able to see your face when I’m buried balls deep inside you.”

  Ah, damn. Why couldn’t we have met before your accident? Then again…you wouldn’t give me the time of day back then. Would you?

  “Talon….”

  “Anything special you want for dinner?” He picked up a water skin and a freshly charged lantern and turned toward the door.

  “Whatever’s tender and easy to prepare.” She quipped, grateful for his instant change in attitude. It was much easier dealing with the no-nonsense Talon than it was the gentle lover Talon. Her life hadn’t offered opportunities to learn how to be around such gentle caring.

  She stood staring at the door long after he left. The emotional upheaval of the past two months threatened to crush her. From the first moment she spotted the bounty hunter, staggering drunk and holding court among the crowd of rowdy men and women, her thoughts, her plans…even her basic belief in her place in the universe…was ripped away. Every truth she held now seemed to twist and bend at the least whisper of that wind of change. There had to be a way to force Talon to acknowledge his past. She didn’t know why it was so important; but she didn’t doubt for a second that it was more important for him to embrace those memories—good and bad—than it was for him to take down Draagon.

  Shaking away her pensive thoughts, Shadow headed to her chest. She needed another visual trigger but wanted something that would touch him. When her search came up empty she refused to admit defeat. With a snap of her fingers, she pushed herself up from the floor, brushed the dust from her knees, and headed out. The perfect item for the next step in her campaign was in the hidden room inside the vault next door.

  * * * *

  Talon’s memories of the marina weren’t painful to remember like those of the central square. The men and boys brought here for execution simply disappeared. He believed back then that Draagon’s men carried them away in their shore craft. Sailing captains weren’t above forced servitude to replace lost crewmembers but he heard the never-ending shots that afternoon. If they were shot wouldn’t the bodies be floating near the docks? Or on the beach? Not a single body appeared so he would never have his questions answered.

&n
bsp; The slosh and creak of wreckage rocked by the gentle swells of the inlet created an eerie serenade. The soft sough of the wind through the bits of tattered sails added their own mournful notes. A fanciful man might hear the bits and pieces of a hundred boats crying out for their masters—or mourning their loss of purpose. He could relate. A laser blast changed the path he planned. While he was grateful that Kierin had the knowledge to help him keep his vow, he couldn’t ignore the hard fact that his purpose in life would end with Draagon’s death. He honestly and truly never thought about what would happen after. Before the injury, it was easy. He would continue as a bounty hunter—an assassin for justice.

  You wouldn’t be having this confusion and thinking about the past if Shadow would just stick to what Dak paid her to do. That spitfire is determined to…what?

  He didn’t know what maggot crawled into her head about him and his past or what she schemed in that head of hers to change his attitude. Until he kept his vow he couldn’t remember the good parts of his early life. He had to make her understand, but how?

  Grunts and squeals erupted from the heavy growth of vines at the edge of the swamp. Three young boars came charging onto the small strip of beach that curved from the end of the marina to the base of the cliff. Their short, straight tusks put their age at around two years. They were probably going through their first mating rut and all three wanted the same female.

  Shadow wanted him to be farther away when he took his shot; but his mental wanderings put an end to that plan. Moving slow and quiet, he shifted away from the posturing animals. They were still testing the seriousness of the competition but it wouldn’t be long before the fighting started if none of them backed down. They may be young but those tusks could rip a man’s leg to the bone and leave him to bleed to death.