ARC: Assassin Queen (8 page)

“
Never mind that. Just look.
”

“
At what?
”
Kyth stared at the rows of pins piercing the precious map all the way across. The pin heads had different colors, and as he now realized they were mapping different routes from the King
’
s castle where they now stood to the yellow line of the Southern Deserts.

“
Your father will lend us barges to cross the lakes,
” Mai said. “
We will use them to travel down Lake Illitand and land at Port Jai-Allad. From there, the Majat will bear east along the caravan roads leading to Shayil Yara. You and Alder, with a small party, will go to Ayalla. We
’
ll meet again here.
”
He pointed to a bigger pin, with converging lines for the green Grasslands, the yellow desert, and the blue of the River Shahr Ayil flowing down south.
“
The Gard
’
hal Outpost. This is where all caravans meet when traveling to Tahr Abad where the Queen
’
s court resides most of the time.
”

“
Are you taking your entire force to Shayil Yara then?
”

“Haven
’
t decided yet,
” Mai said. “
Assuming we are aiming for a peaceful negotiation, it may be best to take only a few. The rest could wait at Gard
’
hal, or further south, until we complete our mission at the Queen
’s court.
”

Kyth nodded. The decision seemed too distant to dwell on
–
weeks of travel, even with the Majat
’
s strenuous pace.

“Isn
’
t there a better way to mark your maps without destroying them?
”
he asked.

Mai shrugged.
“
This is the best way to ensure the markings stay on, no matter what.
”

“
But these maps… they must be worth a fortune!
”

Mai
’
s smile came out patronizing this time
–
or did Kyth only imagine it?

“
We have our own cartographers,
” Mai said. “
They draw a set of maps for each campaign.
”

Kyth looked away, hoping his surprise did not seem too obvious. Drawing maps for each campaign was a lavish expense no one could possibly afford. The fact that the Majat thought nothing of it only proved the point. The Majat Guild was as powerful as it came, from training undefeatable fighters down to the intricate details of getting precious maps custom-made for the march. With this kind of might on their side, defeating the Kaddim should have nothing to it. Why then couldn
’
t he escape a sinking feeling in his chest?

8

The Port

Kara narrowed her eyes as the gleaming width of the Crown Lake burst in front of her in its full glory. In the beams of the rising sun the water seemed to glow on its own, its molten smoothness haloed by the transparent haze of the dissipating morning mists. She inhaled a full breath of fresh wind, enjoying its fragrance and cooling touch, bathing her face in the tiny droplets of lake moisture.

The port stood empty at this hour, the only boats anchored in the harbor the flat, wide barges bristling with oars along their sides. Thick masts rising off their massive decks held square sails, designed to catch as much as possible of the scarce lake winds.

The King
’
s trade fleet. Kara counted twenty barges ready to sail, more than enough to take on their entire group with horses and gear. She nodded her approval. At this time of the year the winds blew steadily southward, enabling boats at full sail to cross from Tandar to the Southern Lakelands in no more than three days. Even if the winds did not cooperate, the complement of oarsmen on the lower decks would help to maintain the speed.

Up until now she had been thinking of a much slower route on horseback. She hoped, if the Kaddim could truly penetrate her thoughts, they had been fooled
–
not that it mattered now that the plan for the next leg of the trip had been laid out clearly in front of her.

She glanced at Mai, sitting on his horse a dozen yards away, seemingly idle as the activity erupted around him. Seldon jumped off the saddle, barking orders left and right. Not for the first time Kara thought about this marked difference in their command styles. If she was one of their Guild
’
s seniors, she would do everything possible to keep Seldon away from any possibility of ordering people around. Unfortunately, such considerations hardly mattered here and now, when they were stuck with Seldon for the duration of the trip and even Mai
’
s supreme authority could not keep him from giving orders to his inferiors without creating a major tension.

As she dismounted along with the others, she looked further to where the non-Majat
–
Kyth with his Kingsguard escort, Lady Celana, Egey Bashi, Alder, and Ellah
–
busied themselves with preparations of their own. Behind them, the semicircle of three-story buildings rose like a wall that separated the port and the adjoining plaza from the rest of the city, with only a few gateways for access. Looking at the jagged roofline, bathed in the gold of the rising sunlight, made her feel sad. She was about to leave the Crown City of Tandar
–
the place where she had spent so much time on assignments at the King
’
s court, the place where she had found her love and made some of the most important decisions in her life.

Was she ever going to see this city again?

She ran her eyes along the endless rooflines paving the way up to the rising mass of the Royal Castle on the top of the distant hill. From here she could still see the small watchtower overlooking the lake, where she and Kyth used to sit in their days together watching the sunset, the wing housing the Majat quarters, one of them the room that she had shared with Mai during the past weeks. This castle held so many memories
–
most of them happy ones, until the Kaddim barged in, threatening to destroy everything she cherished.

Was she ever going to be this happy again?

A movement along the rooftops caught her gaze. She froze, peering at a side building flanking the edge of the port plaza. Did she imagine it? No, there it was again, a barely perceptible shift in the shadows behind a pointed protrusion of the roof.

Kara
’
s skin prickled. She quickly glanced around, aware how everyone in sight was busy with loading up their gear and horses, all but ignorant of the empty plaza behind. Mai left no lookouts, confident that no intruder would ever dare to sneak up on the Majat army, so deadly despite its relatively small size. It would be suicidal for anyone to attempt an attack right now, with everyone in sight armed and battle-ready. Yet, as she peered into the shadows, she clearly saw a hooded figure creeping around the corner, a black-on-black crouching silhouette surveying the boarding party.

She couldn
’
t see as well as she wanted against the blinding morning sky, but the space on the rooftop seemed big enough to hide several men. Assassins? Spies? Her hand slid to her knife belt in a gesture that she knew would look inconspicuous to an outsider while giving her quick access to her weapons.

Mai was away by the boats giving orders, and everyone around him looked preoccupied. If she had been allowed to participate in the preparations, rather than standing aside like an idle observer not privy to the plans, she would probably have been preoccupied too, giving the men on the roof a free run at executing their plan. Who could they possibly be? Not the Kaddim, she hoped. To the best of her knowledge all the Kaddim warriors on this side of the Lakes had been exterminated after their leaders
’
escape. Even if a few of them survived, it would be suicidal for a few men to attack a Majat force of this size. No, at worst these were men loyal to the Kaddim, gathering information in case a possibility arose to pass it along. The thought brought at least marginal reassurance. If the Kaddim had the need for spies, most likely they couldn
’
t use the link they had with Kara for information. Or was it because of the way she had been so prominently removed from the command group?

The figure on the rooftop raised a hand, unfolding with a weapon that sprouted off his outstretched arm against the blinding sunlight.
A crossbow.
Kara whipped out her throwing daggers, sending them flying. She dove forward, guided by the low-pitched whistle of the bolt as she drew her sword and sliced it down in mid-air.

Her hand lowered as she peered up at the rooftop, squinting against the light. From this distance she could barely hear the grunts as her daggers reached their targets, followed by the louder screeches of the dislodged roof tiles and then, after a pause, the sight of three lifeless bodies rolling over the roof
’
s edge and folding down to the pavement below. Three. She had thought so before the attack, but she couldn
’
t tell for sure. Just in case, she had sent eight daggers their way. She
’
d need to retrieve all of them before the barges set sail.
Did I get all of them?
She strained her senses, but could detect no further movement on the rooftop. Only three men. What were they thinking, trying to attack a Majat army on the march?

Men filled the space around her, some sweeping past to the wall and into the surrounding streets. Belatedly, she reflected that she should have probably tried to wound, rather than kill the mysterious attackers. If she showed more finesse, the attackers could have been questioned. The thought seemed strangely detached, as if not entirely her own.

Mai rushed through the crowd toward her, the sight of his narrowed eyes momentarily overwhelming her. She was a fool, using her skill rather than alerting others to the danger. Except that, when faced with the attack, it was so hard not to act on instinct. And now, it didn
’
t seem to matter anymore. Worse, she was beginning to feel sick. A pounding in her temples erupted into a sudden, blinding headache. Her hand wavered, dropping the sword. She swayed, feeling Mai
’
s hands on her, grasping on to him as she forced her mind into stillness.

“I
’
m all right,
”
she said.

He looked at her appraisingly, his deepening frown telling her how unconvinced he was.

“
What happened?
”

“I… I
’
m not sure.
”
She knew he wasn
’
t asking about the attack
–
a useless question when the attackers were already dead and Mai
’
s men were combing the plaza and all the surrounding streets.

She felt so tired. Suddenly, just standing next to him seemed like an effort. She clenched her teeth, summoning all her strength. She knew it didn
’
t come from physical exertion. She didn
’
t do anything spectacular
–
nothing that a warrior of her rank could possibly sweat about. Why was she feeling so nauseated?

“
They have the Kaddim brand marks, Aghat Mai,
”
one of the Majat called out.

Mai
’
s jaw tightened.

Someone tugged Kara
’
s sleeve and she saw Magister Egey Bashi coming into view, with Kyth on his heels.

“
The Prince is detecting the Kaddim magic on you,
” Egey Bashi said.

Kara let out a slow breath.
“
I do too. I think.
”

“
When exactly did it start?
”
The Keeper
’
s eyes bore into her with unsettling intensity.

“
Just now. When I
…”
When I used my skill.
She swallowed, seeing the way Kyth
’
s eyes widened, the way Magister Egey Bashi
’
s face folded into a grim expression
. My skill. Dear Shal Addim, they are trying to get me to use my skill.
The thought made her feel cold inside. The Kaddim had just sacrificed three men
–
not to target Mai, or anyone else in their group, which seemed impossible with so many Majat around
–
but simply to force Kara to use her skill. So that they could tap into it and transfer it to their warriors.

She felt nausea rising to her throat, no longer able to hide her weakness as she swayed and grasped Mai
’
s arm for support.

“I…
I am a danger,
”
she said.
“
I shouldn
’
t be here. Please, let me go.
”

“I
’
m not letting you out of my sight,
” Mai said. “
If needed, I
’
ll guard you personally, day and night. This way, if they try to force you to use weapons, I
’
ll be right there to defend you.
”

This way you will be a target too.
She bit back the thought, focusing instead on stilling her mind, blocking off the tugging sensation in her head, gathering strength to stay on her feet.

The scouts were returning with their reports
–
no suspicious activity nearby. Someone handed Kara her throwing daggers and she took them gratefully, sheathing them at her belt. Mai beckoned her as he turned back to giving orders and she slowly regained her composure, falling into stride by his side.

What he wanted to do could work
–
temporarily, provided she would not be hoaxed into using her skill again. But the Kaddim were clearly doing everything possible to try. They were willing to sacrifice lives, forcing their men into hopeless fights just so that Kara could be engaged.

With the march ahead of them, this was going to be a long haul. Sooner or later, the Kaddim would get what they wanted.

I must do everything I can to sever the link. Even if I have to die.
She knew from Mai that the possibility had been brought up at the King
’
s council, and dismissed because of the somewhat phantom dangers it harbored, of releasing her entire power to the Kaddim. It didn
’
t seem plausible at all, not with the way she felt no connection to the Kaddim whatsoever. Deep inside she was convinced that Mai was just saying that to her so that she wouldn
’
t feel tempted to facilitate this course of action.

As a warrior, she knew there was no avoiding the inevitable. She didn
’
t want to die. But as long as she lived, everyone she loved could never feel safe.

She knew Mai would never let her take her own life. Neither would Kyth, or any of their other allies.

Which meant that, whatever the cost, she had to break away from them.