"Who the hell is that?" Kilig whispered, frowning. Not another friar, hopefully. The vestment was different.
Sabre put down his daughter and turned around. "A monk of Zindagi!" he exclaimed as the man sauntered towards them.
They hadn't heard from the abbot yet, but the Emperor had gone to Agharek to assert his power. Apparently someone had tried to bring back the Kingdom of Akkora, so the Varians had made sure they conquered also the lands beyond the desert.
The Emperor and the army must be back if a Fighting Monk from Agharek had come north.
"Zindagi be with you, Sunil." the man stopped in front of Sabre. "You haven't changed much in the past six years."
Startled, Sabre opened his mouth and the man pulled down his hood.
"Bhai Muskurana!" Sabre brightened and obviously refrained from hugging the Fighting Monk. "I thought the abbot didn't have any brothers to spare!"
"And he didn't," Bhai Muskurana answered with a smile. "But then an Emperor came from the north, two dragons fought in the skies of Agharek, and when all was said and done, Bhai Sundar decided I should come over to see what it's like under Varian rule."
"This is wonderful!" Sabre enthused. "This is Bhai Muskurana, he was my teacher at the monks' school," he explained to the others. "He's the one who taught me to fight and respect all life."
Kilig nodded, acknowledging the other warrior. Bhai Muskurana was well built and obviously an action man, unlike Brother Smile.
"This is Kilig, who helps our headmaster Guisarme," Sabre continued his introductions. "Hakeem, who teaches the Varian language. And Sanjana, the mother of my children, Rohini and Aditya."
"I'm honored to meet them, since I didn't expect you to get married," Bhai Muskurana said, amused.
"Well, we're not married, but it's as if," Sabre replied with a shrug.
Bhai Muskurana chuckled.
"So this was the seat of the Assassins' Guild of Godwalkar?" he asked, looking around the cloistered courtyard.
"Yes, but we didn't have the same rules as Khopesh," Kilig said. Bhai Muskurana looked him in the eyes.
"So I've heard," he said. Then turned to Sabre again. "Nimcha was killed before the Varians arrived. But then the Emperor disbanded the Assassins' Guild, so the struggle for power was cut down."
"And did he close the monastery as well?" Sabre asked, a little gloomy.
"His friars will join the brothers. I'm sure eventually the temple of Zindagi will become a temple of the Supreme Being." Bhai Muskurana sighed, then smiled again. "And that was another reason to leave Agharek and come north. I would like to meet the local Head of the Guild now."
Sabre nodded, pointing to Kilig who took the Fighting Monk to meet Guisarme. The southerner looked quite impressed with Guisarme's pointed ears, and was eager to learn more about the Magical Races. Witnessing two dragons fight had obviously shaken his faith.
Guisarme welcomed him to the school and Kilig took him to his new room.
"How long have you known Sabre – I mean Sunil?" Kilig asked as they went up the stairs.
"He was thirteen when Bhai Sundar asked me to test his skills," the monk answered. "He was scrawny, but he could hold with fifteen-year-olds, so he skipped two classes. I see he has an assassin's name... has he killed many people?"
"We don't kill only for the money, and Sabre works with Anelace, so they split responsibility. He earned his assassin's name with his father and joined us after killing our previous Head, but I think you can still be very proud of him."
"Thank you, Kilig. You still use your assassin's name..."
"I do, but I haven't killed anyone since the Guilds' war when I got rid of Khopesh. I'm too old to keep killing, so I became an inactive member of the Guild, and Guisarme's right arm."
They had reached the monk's room, so Kilig let him in, then showed him where everything else was – the baths, the canteen – and left him.
He found Hakeem brooding in their room.
"What now?" he asked, hugging his beloved.
"It's unfair, Sabre has it all!" Hakeem blurted out, nestling against him.
"And what does he have that you don't?" Kilig insisted, stroking Hakeem's hair.
Hakeem hesitated, looked at him, then grumbled, "Nothing."
Kilig chuckled and squeezed him.
"Hakeem, stop envying him. You had the best teachers available to you. You're not interested in Sanjana. You don't need to be an assassin. You have me. What else do you want?"
Hakeem offered his neck. "That you kiss me breathless?" he suggested in a trembling voice, his green eyes gleaming with desire.
Kilig promptly complied.
***
"This school business is making us rich," Guisarme said, looking up from the accounting book where Hakeem was finishing registering fees and expenses. His math skills were better than Kilig's, so Guisarme had hired him to keep the Guild's – well, the school's accounts.
"Are we richer than before?" Kilig asked, standing by the desk in Guisarme's office.
"We have paying boarding guests now." Guisarme winked. "In a few years we'll be able to retire and get out of here."
"And what will you do, then, Guisarme?" Hakeem asked, putting down the quill and waiting for the ink to dry before closing the book.
"I don't know, but I wouldn't mind visiting this freakily big Empire," Guisarme answered, thoughtful. "I've been still for too long. These administrative matters are boring. And what would you guys do?"
She looked alternatively at Kilig and Hakeem.
"Home is where my heart is – with Hakeem, wherever he wants to be," Kilig answered, staring at Hakeem who blushed. Sometimes he couldn't believe that Kilig still loved him fiercely like the first day.
"Here is fine for now," he said. "I don't mind teaching."
"And being an uncle, I bet." Guisarme chuckled. "I'll miss you guys, but I'll come back to visit. Kilig, would you like to be the headmaster in my place?"
"I don't know if I'm good enough for that," Kilig replied.
"With Hakeem as bookkeeper you're as good as me. Think about it. This is not the Assassins' Guild anymore, it's an Imperially-approved school for fighting monks. And it's mostly adult students, so it's not that you have to deal with teenagers..."
A knock on the door and Sabre's head popped in.
"There's a northern blacksmith who is quite fluent in our language who has some special offers for us since he just moved into town and is looking for customers," he announced. "I told him we already do business with Altaf, but he insists, saying he can handle even brass wheels."
"That are now sort of outlawed weapons for our good Emperor." Guisarme snorted. "Can you take care of it, Kilig? These Northerners can't stand a female leader..."
"Sure."
Hakeem followed Kilig out of curiosity. Northern blacksmiths had never seen brass wheels, that was why the few who emigrated to Godwalkar in the wake of the Emperor struggled to make a living. They knew nothing of pole-arms, sabers and knives with the southern handle – like Kilig's trident or Hakeem's double-bladed dagger he'd taken from Abhaya's corpse.
His heart missed a beat recognizing the face of the young blacksmith with blond hair and blue eyes. More than five years had gone by since he'd last seen him, but Leonel had the same cockiness of their teens. And he'd seen Saif's weapons in the small village where Hakeem had grown up, so it explained his knowledge of southern weapons.
Leonel's eyes fell on him and his smile turned into a smirk.
"Well, isn't that the Witch's Son? Long time no see, Hakeem! How have you been doing?"
Kilig looked at Hakeem, puzzled, as he held his breath, counting to ten. He didn't want to give Leonel other reasons to tease him.
"I'm fine," he answered after exhaling. "I teach the southern language to northerners in this school."
"I thought you and your father had been killed by some goons in Hurlevent," Leonel insisted.
"My father was killed, but I survived, so I came back to the place wher
e I was born. I doubt you missed me anyway," he said sourly.
"Some people wondered what happened." Leonel shrugged. "I married Corabella and since we didn't manage to have children in five years, we decided to come south and ask the mighty Genn, but apparently something is not working between us."
"On your side or hers?" Kilig asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "One of my sisters was served divorce papers because she never got pregnant with her first husband. She then had five children with her second – something the Genn easily determined, allowing her to hope and have a fruitful second marriage."
Leonel glared at him. "That's between me and my wife. And I'm not divorcing her anyway. The special rates for the former Assassins' Guild are on until the end of winter." He looked at Hakeem. "Come and visit us, Corabella will be delighted to see you."
Hakeem gulped and nodded as Leonel left, following him with his eyes. Then he felt both Sabre and Kilig's stares on him and blushed, staring at the courtyard floor.
"Childhood friend?" Sabre asked, mildly amused.
Hakeem nodded with a lump in his throat.
"I guess a witch's son had less leverage than an assassin's son," Sabre commented. "Did they know about Saif's job up north?"
"I don't think so," Hakeem grumbled. "He was the foreigner and not everybody could speak to him. He became a woodcutter, but the village blacksmith saw his weapons."
"And that's the blacksmith's son," Kilig deducted.
"One of them." Hakeem shrugged. "I assume the eldest inherited the village's shop and Leonel took the opportunity to move away from that rat hole, like he used to call it."
"So Leonel was the bully. Did you have any friends?" Sabre asked. "I had both at the Fighting Monks school."
"No, no friends," Hakeem muttered, seeking contact with Kilig. "Or I'd probably have stayed there."
"Except you fell in love with Kilig." Sabre chuckled. "I'll let you two alone now, you obviously need it!"
He winked and waved good-bye.
"Let's go to our room," Kilig said, putting one arm around Hakeem's shoulder and leading him up the stairs.
Hakeem wondered how he could tell Kilig that Leonel was not just "the bully". Actually, Leonel had probably been his only friend until he'd ruined everything. Since Leonel had married Corabella now, he was probably over the "misunderstanding", but who knew. Hakeem wondered if Leonel would tell Corabella that he'd found him.
Kilig sat Hakeem on the bed at took his hand.
"Come on, spit it out," he said soothingly, sitting next to him. "Who is Leonel to you?"
Hakeem sighed, watching their entwined fingers, feeling his beloved's warmth next to him.
"You remember I told you I kissed someone?" he began hesitantly.
"Yes."
"Well, it was mostly a stolen kiss, and it made me lose my only friend." Hakeem nestled against Kilig.
"Leonel," Kilig said.
Hakeem nodded. "There was this girl, Corabella, she had a crush on me," he explained. "Leonel kept teasing, saying I was too shy, and then I told him I wasn't interested in her but wanted him instead." He could see himself in his teens, seated by the stream with his blond friend. "And then I kissed him. He slapped me and called me names and made me feel ashamed for days. He hadn't talked to me since," he ended in a whisper.
"Well, he's obviously over your bold move," Kilig said, squeezing him. "And he married the girl who wanted you, so I guess he's forgiven you. Will you visit him and his wife now that they moved here?"
"I don't know!" Hakeem said in anguish. "I wasn't expecting to see him ever again!"
"And do you still want him?"
Hakeem looked up and lost himself in Kilig's brown eyes.
"No, dilbar... I want only you."
He knew by now he didn't have rivals in Kilig's heart. He better forget his unrequited crush who had reappeared so suddenly. He had his beloved acharya and life was beautiful...
4. Assassins' Destiny
Kilig lay back in the chair that had belonged to the Head of the Guild – a thing of the past, disbanded by the new emperor who'd been sitting in Godwalkar's palace for a year now – staring at the desk where he'd seen Talwar, then Nimdja, then Guisarme. His half-blood friend was gone, looking for adventure and appointing him the new headmaster.
Guisarme had always been a very independent woman and Kilig could tell she hadn't been very happy to become Head of the Guild. But now that the Guild had turned into a school, and there was a family with children living within the walls, Guisarme had had enough and quit.
Kilig knew she was seeing Kyler Darklight, the powerful half-blood who had given up his duty as Lord Protector of the Emperor himself, and who knew where they'd go – a half-Genn, half-Human woman and a half-Sila, half-Fajrulo man who had in their blood all the magic they could wish for.
Kilig had seen them together and for a moment he'd envied them. But he was just Human, and an assassin-turned-headmaster, he couldn't hope to seduce a member of a Magical Race, not even a half-blood. Guisarme had been attracted to him in the past, and there was no going back.
Besides, he had Hakeem... now slightly confused again after his first love had knocked on their door. Not that he'd gone to visit Leonel and Corabella, but he was often dreamy or gloomy, obviously lost in thoughts or memories of his past.
Kilig stared at the paperwork on the desk with a frown. Hakeem was supposed to help him, but maybe his lesson had lasted longer today, or Brother Smile had cornered him.
When someone knocked on the door, Kilig felt relieved, but it wasn't Hakeem. Sabre entered and sat in front of him.
"I'm afraid Hakeem has been delayed," he announced with a smile. "Is there anything I can do while he tries to get rid of a fighting monk of Zindagi and an itinerant friar of the Supreme Being who have captured him in an endless religious discussion?"
Kilig snorted. "And he doesn't believe in either god," he muttered, unhappy.
"I know, but Bhai Muskurana is still not good with the Varian language, and Brother Smile wants to be certain they understand each other." Sabre chuckled. "You should bill the friar for using Hakeem as interpreter."
Kilig smiled against his will.
"I doubt the Emperor would pay that bill," he said, since the new ruler himself paid for the education of his friars and priests. "Anyway, I don't think there's anything urgent, and bookkeeping can wait until tomorrow, when hopefully Brother Smile will be too busy worshiping his god to bother us."
Sabre nodded. "And how is the new job?" he asked. "Are you enjoying it?"
"I didn't have much choice," Kilig replied. "Either that or I left with Guisarme."
"You could be a teacher like Bhai Muskurana and myself," Sabre objected.
"I never took on an apprentice because I didn't want to teach," Kilig replied.
"I thought you trained Hakeem."
"His father did most of the work. I only gave the final touches."
"I see." Sabre nodded, thoughtful. "I wish I had met you before him."
"I thought we were even after the stolen kiss of five years ago," Kilig retorted.
Sabre scoffed. "And we are, but you can't stop me from admiring you more and more every day. If Hakeem ever dumps you, please keep me in mind."
"I thought you loved Sanjana."
"She's the mother of my children." Sabre shrugged, lowering his eyes. "Maybe."
"What do you mean 'maybe'?" Kilig protested, jarred.
"Didn't you notice Rohini has gray-green eyes?" Sabre looked him in the eyes. "Where do you think the green comes from?"
"Hakeem told me he didn't function with Sanjana!"
"Not alone, no. He needed help. Which I was very happy to give. I understand what you see in him – he's gorgeous – but I don't know why you're still with him. You deserve better."
"Like who, yourself?" Kilig asked, sarcastic.
"Why not?" Sabre grinned. "My first love is dead, and he's not coming back from the grave to haunt me!"
"Hakeem doe
sn't want Leonel anymore!"
"That's what he says. But he's been very dreamy since Leonel's visit..."
Kilig couldn't reply to that. Sabre was right. Which didn't mean that Hakeem didn't love him anymore, but he was indeed distracted.
"Don't worry, I won't steal another kiss," Sabre continued, rising from the stool. "But if you need a shoulder to cry on, you know where to find me."
The door opened as he was about to touch the doorknob and Hakeem came in, breathless. He glared at Sabre who left with an irritating little smile, and locked the door before joining Kilig and sitting in his lap.
"What did he want?" he demanded.
"Help me, since you were busy," Kilig answered.
"I was busy with his stupid acharya and that other stupid religious bloke and I bet he used the time to make a pass at you!" Hakeem snapped.
"Really? Why are you so jealous of him, Hakeem?" Kilig asked, pulling his beloved closer.
"Because I know he wants you." Hakeem pouted.
"But he never had me, while apparently, somehow, he had you," Kilig replied.
Hakeem gasped and blushed.
"Did he say so?" he muttered, lowering his eyes.
"He just hinted at something. A threesome, I think. He never went beyond a stolen kiss with me."
"He what?" Hakeem flared up again. "I knew it! Son of a bitch is still after you five years later!"
"The kiss was five years ago," Kilig replied with a shrug. Hakeem glared at him. "And so was the threesome, I guess, since Rohini is now four."
This time Hakeem paled.
"He told you about Rohini?" he whispered, eyes wide in panic.
"Well, I'm not blind, I was wondering myself where the green in her eyes came from." Kilig smiled and squeezed Hakeem. "Are we done with the jealousy now? Can we move on?"
Hakeem's lips trembled into a smile.
"Why are you always so calm?"
"Because I love you and I trust you and I don't care if you have weaknesses, you're still by my side five years later, which isn't something I can say about Saif."
Hakeem sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm still too rash," he apologized.
Kilig the Sword Page 22
