by Mark Robson
SIMON AND SCHUSTER
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2006
A Viacom company
Copyright © Mark Robson, 2006
Map illustration © Ray Webb
Cover illustration by Geoff Taylor © Simon & Schuster 2006
Cover title design by www.blacksheep-uk.com
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
No reproduction without permission.
All rights reserved.
The right of Mark Robson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE
In Shandrim, Capital City of Shandar
FEMKE – Talented young spy for the Emperor of Shandar. Mistress of disguise.
SURABAR – Military General of the Shandese Legions. Becomes Emperor after the death of the imposter Emperor, Lord Vallaine.
SHALIDAR – Member of the Guild of Assassins and long time adversary of Femke.
LORD VALLAINE – Sorceror Lord of the Inner Eye. Known for his cunning and evil. Is using his powers of sorcery to pose as Emperor after using Shalidar to kill the real one.
VAMMUS – Commander of a Shandese Legion. An overweight soldier with ideas above his station.
LORD FERRAND – Master Spy. Mentor of Femke. Missing, presumed dead for two years.
LADY ALYSSA – A phantom. That is, an alias of Femke. A spoilt young woman known to be the daughter of a rich Merchant Lord from a coastal city. The true Lady Alyssa – An unattractive young lady. Reclusive daughter of a Merchant Lord from the coastal city of Channa.
VERSANDE MATTHIASON – Proprietor of the Silver Chalice, a high class inn located in the centre of Shandrim.
RIKALA – Dressmaker and friend of Versande Matthiason.
REYINIK – Newly qualified Legionnaire of the General’s Elite Legion. One of only two such elite Legionnaires yet to reach their eighteenth birthdays.
LORD DANAR – A handsome young playboy of the Imperial Court. Only son of Lord Tremarle, a powerful old-school Lord. Renowned as a philanderer in the Shandese Court, he is smitten with Lady Alyssa, an alter ego of Femke.
LORD TREMARLE – Powerful old-school Lord of Shandar. Father of Lord Danar.
LORD KEMPTEN – Old-school Lord of Shandar. Regent of the Shandese Empire in Emperor Surabar’s absence.
SIDIS – File Leader from the General’s Elite Legion. Companion to Femke during her journey to Thrandor.
KALHEEN – Overweight servant from the Imperial Palace in Shandrim. Prone to exaggeration and an incessant storyteller. Travelling companion to Femke during her journey to Thrandor.
PHAGEN – Servant from the Imperial Palace in Shandrim. Slim and introvert travelling companion to Femke during her journey to Thrandor.
LADY KEMPTEN – Gracious Lady wife of Lord Kempten. Known affectionately as Izzie by her husband.
In Mantor, Capital City of Thrandor
MALO – King of Thrandor. A kind old man, used to reigning over a peaceful kingdom, but who has recently faced hostile invasions of his country from both North and South.
KRIDER – Head of the Royal household staff of the King of Thrandor.
VELDAN – Chief Butler at the Royal Palace in Mantor.
LORD SHANIER – Acolyte of Lord Vallaine who outwitted his master by deliberately leading a Shandese army to their destruction in southern Thrandor.
BARON ANTON – Long time close friend of King Malo. Potential heir to the throne before his murder.
COUNT DREBAN – Unsavoury Nobleman of the Royal Court of Thrandor.
ENNAS – A name assumed by one of Femke’s fellow Imperial spies. Sent by Emperor Surabar to help Femke.
LORD BRENDEN – Thrandorian Nobleman. Speaker for the prosecution at Femke’s trial.
COMMANDER SATERIS – Commander of the Shandese First Legion. Speaker for the defence at Femke’s trial.
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
PROLOGUE
‘Seize that man! He’s to be held on charges of treason.’
For the slightest instant, Shalidar was off balance. He was expecting to meet the Emperor. Instead, General Surabar was standing inside the Emperor’s study, pointing at him with an accusing finger. The two guards who had entered the room with Shalidar were slow to react to the order. Survival instinct and a wealth of experience gave him the edge he needed. In the blink of an eye, Shalidar spun, hands flashing blows that felled both guards before they had a chance to move. Without pause, he drew a knife and hurled it at the General.
Time seemed to slow as he released the blade. As it left his hand, he saw the spy girl, Femke, draw a blade from her boot. Her face held a strange combination of pain and determination and her grey-blue eyes chilled him with their intensity. General Surabar swayed aside, avoiding the thrown blade in an astonishing display of agility for one so old. Almost simultaneously Femke threw her knife as Shalidar launched into a dive out through the open door.
The knife sliced past him so close that he felt it go by. It rammed home into the wooden door-frame with a juddering thud, leaving the assassin in no doubt that it had been thrown with deadly force. Nobody had come that close to killing him for many years. Worse, the blade had been thrown by a young woman who had barely crossed the threshold into adulthood.
Assassins were normally the unseen killers – unknown and unexpected. Hits were planned meticulously to avoid any chance of the assassin being caught. There were always random factors that defied the best planning, but Shalidar had a flair for improvisation. He was the best in the business and only the richest could afford to call on his services. No hit was planned today, but somehow, Femke had turned the tables on him. The young woman had set him up, for which he would exact a painful retribution in due course. For now, his focus was on a clean escape from the Palace.
Like a shadow fleeing from the light, Shalidar raced down the corridor. His footfalls made no sound and he ran so smoothly that he appeared to flow along the passage-ways. After a few turns the assassin paused to glance behind him and listen. There was no sign of pursuit, but he refused to take unnecessary chances.
Shalidar was known around the Palace, though few knew his profession. Most thought him a bodyguard or an advisor to the Emperor. The secrecy was essential, for if the truth of his role in
the Palace became known, he would become useless as a weapon.
Thoughts flashed through Shalidar’s mind as he reviewed his situation. The complexities of his web of deceit and his history of meddling in Imperial affairs were now in tatters. It was most infuriating. Anger burned in his gut, but he clamped down on the emotion and concentrated.
It appeared that General Surabar was assuming power in Shandar, which was extremely bad news for all assassins. The General was well known for his dislike of hired killers. He believed that killing was what soldiers did out of necessity in battle, not a trade for those who looked to gain wealth at the expense of the lives of others. It made sense for Shalidar to get out of the capital as swiftly as possible. Maybe he should even consider leaving Shandar altogether.
Shalidar had always had an aloof disdain for what he saw as the oafish and obvious ways of the military, but he did respect General Surabar’s reputation for efficiency and thoroughness. With the huge numbers of troops in the city maintaining public order in the wake of the recent unrest, General Surabar had the power to make life difficult for Shalidar.
‘Time to move on,’ he whispered, unconsciously twisting a silver wristlet part hidden by his sleeve. ‘But first, one loose end to tidy up.’
Proceeding at a brisk walk, Shalidar slipped along the corridors towards the nearest exit. Within minutes he was outside of the Palace building and heading for the nearest of the gates out into the city. The guard at the gate barely glanced in Shalidar’s direction as the killer left the Palace grounds – his remit was to keep undesirables out of the Palace, not to keep people in.
Once out into the streets, Shalidar slowed his pace to a stroll, blending his passage into the normal bustle of the city. Lots of soldiers were abroad, mainly in small groups of six to ten, patrolling for signs of trouble. Shalidar chose his route to avoid areas of the city where disturbances were likely. None of the soldiers gave him a second glance as he ambled past their patrols. Street by street, he moved purposely from the central area of the city towards the heart of the military district.
Normally, Shalidar would spend days planning a hit, but now he did not have that luxury. He knew the layout of his next victim’s residence intimately, otherwise he would have been forced to abandon the kill. As it was, the risk involved was considerable, but that could not be helped. His current employer, Commander Vammus, knew too much about his recent activities. If the General leaned on him, Shalidar knew the Commander would bleat. Vammus had done nothing wrong, but to Shalidar, he was redundant – a dangerous source of information to be disposed of before General Surabar had a chance to reach him. There was no question of conscience, or regret. This was business. There was one small problem. The Commander was staying with the other top commanders in the General’s residence.
There would be one fleeting opportunity for the hit. The audaciousness of what he was about to attempt brought a wolfish smile to his lips as he imagined how his fellow assassins would view it: a hit with all the hallmarks of a legend. He pulled back his right sleeve and gazed at the stylised image of the dragon on his silver wristlet. Yes, he thought. It would be a kill worthy of the dragon.
Shalidar knew no other assassin who would brave General Surabar’s house in broad daylight without prior planning, kill one of his commanders, and expect to get away with it. Yet Commander Vammus had made this both possible, and almost straightforward. The Commander had arranged to occupy the room that offered the easiest concealed access to the house. He had done so to facilitate secret meetings with Shalidar in a place that no one would expect conspirators to meet. If all went well, the Commander’s duplicity would now prove his undoing.
Shalidar approached the house along the alleyway that ran between the General’s residence and the adjacent house. There was no one in sight and the assassin quickly scaled the high garden wall, being careful to peep over and confirm that the garden was empty before pulling himself onto the top. There was one small window on this side of the house and Shalidar knew that the chance of someone looking out and seeing him during these few seconds were slim.
From the top of the garden wall, a narrow ledge that ran right around the house was one large step away, and in daylight the short jump was easy to judge. Shalidar jumped across without hesitation, conscious that success now depended upon speed, silence and a moderate amount of good fortune.
As swiftly as he could, the assassin shimmied along the ledge and around one difficult corner to the back face of the house. Once there, Shalidar reached up and felt for the ledge below the Commander’s window. His fingers found purchase and with a heave he pulled himself up, soundlessly transferring his weight onto the flat of one forearm once high enough.
Commander Vammus was alone, scratching away intently at a parchment with his quill. He was so absorbed in his work he did not notice Shalidar until the assassin quietly opened the window.
The Commander’s eyes went wide with surprise.
‘Sha . . .’ he started, rising from his chair.
Shalidar’s stare caused his name to die on Vammus’s lips. Leaping down from the window ledge to land silently inside, Shalidar placed a finger to his lips and then pointed at the door. Just as he expected, Vammus unconsciously turned his head to look where Shalidar was pointing. The assassin used that moment to step up close and, with an expert grab and twist motion, snapped the hapless Commander’s neck in one swift movement.
Shalidar staggered as he prevented Vammus from falling to the floor, cursing under his breath that the dead Commander had not kept in shape. Shalidar’s former employer was so overweight that he would have struggled to lead men in an infantry campaign. It was amazing to Shalidar that a renowned General like Surabar would tolerate an officer like Vammus under his command. Fat and incompetent, Shalidar thought with a grimace. If it weren’t for the information you held, Surabar might have thanked me for killing you.
Careful not to make any unnecessary noise, Shalidar heaved the dead Commander’s body to the door and opened it a crack. There was no one on the upper landing, but Shalidar could hear voices in conversation emanating from one of the rooms to his left and further voices down-stairs. For a moment, Shalidar wondered if he needed to make the Commander’s death look accidental. The General was unlikely to be fooled, so why do it? He could slip out of the window now and no one would be any the wiser, but the top of the stairwell was so near and Shalidar hated a sloppy job. The body falling down the stairs would provide an excellent diversion, masking any sounds of his escape.
His resolve hardened. He opened the door and dragged Vammus swiftly to the top of the stairs. One powerful heave and the Commander’s body tumbled down the staircase with a series of loud thumps and thuds, bringing exclamations and the sound of running feet.
Shalidar was fast. In a flash he was back through the door and had silently closed it behind him. Seconds later he was outside the window and lowering himself back down to the ledge beneath.
No one except Surabar would suspect that Vammus had done anything other than trip and fall down the stairs, but Surabar was still at the Palace. The commotion inside made Shalidar smile. The hit had worked like a dream. The dragon had struck again.
CHAPTER ONE
‘. . . Very well, I’ll take the Mantle of Emperor, but I want it known that I’m only acting as Regent until a more suitable candidate presents himself.’
‘Your Imperial Majesty,’ Femke said, curtsying deeply and bowing her head, ‘might I suggest you would be better not to announce your future intentions, or you’ll be inundated with Noblemen, major and minor, all claiming to be suitable candidates for the Mantle. Why don’t you take the title, then bestow it on the most suitable candidate in your own time? If no one knows your intent, you’ll be more likely to see them as they really are.’
‘Good, Femke! Your logic is sound. There are commanders I’ve worked with who could do with a dose of your powers of reasoning. So be it. Go. Spread the word that Emperor Surabar is in control and things are g
oing to change.’
‘Yes, your Majesty. With pleasure.’
Before leaving, Femke walked around the desk to recover her first dagger from the shoulder of the dead Sorcerer Lord, Vallaine. Even in death, Vallaine’s eyes emanated a disturbing evil. Femke considered leaving the dagger where it was, but did not want to display her discomfort to the new Emperor. She bent and jerked the blade forcibly from the Sorcerer’s shoulder.
Blood pooled in the wound, but did not flow out; the final proof that Vallaine’s heart had stopped. The Sorcerer had shown surprising resilience to her poison during their struggle. The thought had occurred to Femke that he might be using sorcery to fool her again, but there was no faking this. The Sorcerer was dead.
In the past, killing had always produced a profound guilt in Femke. The taking of another’s life was a terrible deed, and the young spy had often been haunted in dreams by those whose lives she had taken. The list of her victims was not long, but there had been times when killing had been necessary. Femke had never ducked responsibility. Taking the life of Lord Vallaine, however, brought no guilt. Looking at the twisted features of the Sorcerer, Femke judged that if evil could manifest itself as a person, then Vallaine’s was a fitting guise.
Vallaine’s devious plot to win ultimate power in Shandar had been clever. He and Shalidar had fooled the entire Palace staff with their deception. Shalidar had killed the real Emperor of Shandar for Vallaine. The Sorcerer had then used his powers to alter his own wizened features so that he could replace the Emperor with no one the wiser. Where they had hidden the real Emperor’s body was still not known. It had taken Femke months to piece together the puzzle and see through Lord Vallaine’s disguise, but today she had ended the Sorcerer’s evil machinations and sent Shalidar running. With General Surabar taking the Imperial Mantle, the Shandese Empire could look forward to a brighter future. If anyone could tame the wild plotting of the Shandese Court, it was the General, Femke mused.
As Femke left the Emperor’s study, Surabar was helping the conscious guard to his feet and telling him to mobilise the Palace guard force into a search for Shalidar.
