Sacred Knight of the Veil (31 page)

"Because that is a perfect place to keep a hostage hidden, and if I'm right, those soldiers are not going to let us ride in there. In which case, I don't want to have to deal with more than a handful at once."

Kerra stared at the oasis. "You think my father's wife is there?"

"Maybe. Trelath's colour is pale blue, just like his older brother's was."

"Who was he?"

"Armin."

She turned to him. "You killed him."

"Yes."

Kerra dismounted and unsaddled her horse. Blade pulled the saddle off his mount and dumped it on the sand. Soon the horses were picketed and fed, and the tent set up. They ate some dried meat and drank a little water before stretching out in the little tent.

Chapter Sixteen

Blade woke in the freezing cold, and crawled over Kerra's sleeping form into the silver light of the myriad stars that set the night sky ablaze. The Maiden Moon had set long ago, and the only sound was the faint hiss of blowing sand. Myasha perched atop a saddle, his head tucked under his wing. Blade poured a little water into his hands to wash his face, cursing when the moustache came off again. Since he did not intend to be seen, he did not bother to glue it back on. He donned his leather jacket and trousers, glad of their warmth and protection, and checked that all his daggers were in place.

Leaving the girl to sleep, he set off towards the oasis, the soft sand tugging at his boots. Wherever the deep sand gave way to areas of hard, stony ground that the wind had scoured clean, he broke into a trot, following the winding paths between the dunes. His exertion had warmed him by the time he reached the outskirts of the oasis, where the sand swallowed a few crumbling walls and some withered pemra palm trees. Moving like a shadow, he crept along the walls, stopping to peer over them from time to time. A large, ruined keep stood in the centre of the oasis, its walls cracked and crumbling. Blade scanned the buildings for guards, but the ruin seemed abandoned, and he wondered if Kerra had misinterpreted her familiar's message.

Crossing the broad courtyard like a wraith, he reached the keep's doorway and pressed himself to the wall, listening. A faint, distant snore told him that it was inhabited, and its occupants did not expect company. There may not be a guard at all, but he was not taking any chances. He peered around the corner into an empty hall, then slipped within and crept along it, moving with the well-practiced stealth of a master assassin.

Following the sound of snoring, he found a spacious room where five men slept rolled up in blankets on the floor. Weapons and armour were laid out beside each slumbering soldier, and if Myasha was right, there was at least one guard. Two crows roosted on the window ledge, and a snake lay coiled on one man's chest, sharing his warmth.

The other two familiars were too small to see, or not with their human friends. He moved past the door and explored the rest of the hall, peering into several empty rooms and one that contained piles of supplies. Judging by the amount, the soldiers planned quite a long stay. He walked on, passing an empty bathing chamber, its huge sunken pool covered with cracked tiles, its bottom hidden by sand. Beyond it, he found a staircase and ascended it, entering another hall with more empty rooms bordering it.

A soft snore alerted him to the presence of a sentry ahead, and he proceeded more cautiously, staying close to the wall. A huddled shadow resolved itself into a slumped man as he drew closer, and he froze when the soldier shifted and groaned, then settled into a rasping snore. Blade crept closer, pausing beside the man to gauge the depth of his sleep, his hand resting on the hilt of a dagger. Until he knew what they were guarding, there was no reason to kill anyone, and he stepped past the sentry to gaze into the room beyond.

Starlight poured in through a single window, lighting a chamber with rusted chains attached to its walls and a clump of cushions in the middle of the floor. A woman reclined on them, her head resting against the silken flank of a huge sand cat. Raven hair mixed with golden fur, and her pale skin gleamed like ivory. A pang of recognition went through Blade, surprising him with its intensity. He glanced back at the guard, knowing that the man would have to be silenced before he woke the Elder Queen.

Stepping back from the doorway, he turned to the sleeping man and lowered himself to one knee beside him. The sentry wore armour, making his usual method of killing impossible. Before his presence could alarm the man's sleeping mind, he drew a dagger and slit the sentry's throat, jumping back to avoid the blood that spurted from the wound. The man woke with a gurgling gasp, his eyes flew wide and his mouth opened to shout. Only a bubbling hiss issued from it, then his eyes rolled back and he slumped.

Blade listened for the sound of the other soldiers' snoring, but could hear nothing. This chamber was a fair distance from the Cotti's sleeping quarters, and he doubted that they would hear anything less than a shout. Returning to the doorway, he walked down the shallow steps into the chamber, his eyes on the sleeping queen. At his approach, the sand cat woke and sat up, her eyes gleaming in the dimness. Her ears pricked, then she rose and trotted to him, her deep purr filling the chamber as she rubbed against his legs. Blade bent to stroke her tawny fur, smiling. Shista had always liked him, and, being cat kin, he enjoyed her affection.

The woman on the cushions stirred, groped for the absent cat and turned to look for her. She sat up in alarm, the shackles that bound her wrists to a ring in the floor clinking.

"Who are you?"

Blade recognised the haughty tones of Minna's most regal manner, and his smile widened. Shista rubbed herself against him hard enough to make him stagger, and the Queen stared at the cat in amazement. Realising that he stood in the shadows and still wore the blond wig, he reached up and peeled it off, wincing as the glue pulled at his skin. Minna stared up at him, and he stepped out of the shadows.

"Blade?"

Her voice shook with unadulterated joy, and she gasped, covering her mouth with a trembling hand. Blade walked up to her and fell to one knee, bowing his head.

"My Queen."

"Blade." Minna stared at him as if he was a ghost, then reached out to touch him with cold, thin hands.

"Yes."

Tears overflowed to stream down her cheeks. "You are not a dream."

"No."

With a sob, she buried her face in her hands, hiding her tears as she strived to regain control of her emotions. Blade looked away, not wishing to witness the Queen's loss of composure, and Shista threw herself down next to him and rolled onto her back, her purr a steady rumble. His knee ached, and he sat back on his haunches to relieve it while he waited. From her gaunt, ragged appearance, Minna had been ill-treated, and he knew from experience what that was like. Minna raised her head, brushed the wetness from her cheeks and took a deep breath.

"It is you. It is really you."

"Yes."

She drew a shuddering breath. "How did you find me?"

"Pure chance."

"Did Kerrion send you?"

His lip curled. "I do not work for Cotti. Shamsara did."

Minna-Satu lifted a hand and stroked his cheek, meeting his cold gaze with eyes that shone with affection and gratitude. She wore only a length of cloth wrapped around her chest and knotted in the front, but despite this, she held herself proudly, looking no less a queen than she had in her golden mail and jewels. Brushing her tangled hair back, she stroked the rumbling cat who flopped down in front of her, demanding attention. He waited while she regained her composure, noticing the shivers she strived to hide. Remembering the blankets in the supply room downstairs, he started to get up, but she grabbed his hand.

"Do not go."

"You need a blanket."

She forced a brittle smile. "I need a great many things, Blade. Freedom would be higher on my list of priorities than a blanket."

"I will free you, never fear." He glanced at the shackles on her wrists. "Do you know where the key is?"

"Trelath has it."

"Then let me fetch you a blanket."

"Have you killed the guards?"

"Only one."

Her eyes widened in alarm. "You must. Now, while they sleep."

"I am no longer an assassin, Minna. I cannot kill them in cold blood. The one I have slain was a threat."

"You are retired?" She shook her head. "Of course you are, it has been fifteen years. But you must. If they should overcome you I could not bear it. How can I persuade you?"

Blade pulled a thin metal tool from his belt and inserted it into the shackles' lock, frowning with concentration. The lock was old and worn, making his job difficult as the pick slipped off the tumblers inside.

"I need you, Blade, now more than ever," Minna went on. "You must renounce your retirement, if that is what is required. I have much work for you."

Blade recalled his conversation with Shamsara, and the Idol's instruction that he should obey the Queen. "I have not worked for fifteen years. I may not be as good as I was."

She studied him. "If my eyes do not deceive me, it appears as if you have not aged at all. Chiana told Kerrion how you saved our daughter and were saved in turn by Shamsara. He gave you a great gift."

He snorted, digging at the lock with unnecessary vigour. "A curse, more like it."

"To me it is a gift that you are still alive, or I would surely have perished here."

"You do not think Kerrion would have found you?"

"He searches diligently, I am sure, but Trelath is cunning, and knows his brother well. Doubtless I am in a place that Kerrion will not think of searching until it is too late. I do not know what was demanded of him or why Trelath's plans have been delayed, but if not for that, I would be dead already."

Blade twisted the pick. "Trelath and Endor demanded that Kerrion allow Endor to take Kerra hostage and rule Jashimari. Kerrion instructed Chiana to hide the girl, and she begged me to take her away."

"And you did?"

"Yes."

Minna watched him struggle with the lock. "So that is what has delayed their plans. Is she with you?"

"At a camp in the desert."

"So, soon she will know my secret."

"You do not have to tell her who you are." The shackle fell open with a clink, and Minna sighed, rubbing her wrist.

"She is old enough to know the truth, and I could not pretend to be a low bred woman."

He smiled and started on the other shackle, trying to imagine the Elder Queen acting like a commoner. "You did when you seduced Kerrion."

"That was for a few time-glasses, and it was necessary. What is she like?"

"She has improved since she has been with me, but she is still proud." The second shackle fell open with a rattle.

"As she should be." Minna-Satu stroked his cheek again with a cold hand. "How can I ever repay you for this service you do me now? I have no more titles to confer, nor do you require more payment. You are already a rich man."

"I require no payment from you, My Queen."

Her brows rose. "I did not think you would do this for nothing."

"I am not. Chiana has promised to order the deaths of the Cotti princes who plotted this, in return for keeping Kerra away from Endor. Your freedom was purchased by Shamsara."

"Indeed? And what payment does he offer the man who has everything?"

Blade hesitated, tucking the lock pick back into the tiny pocket in his belt. "I would rather not say, but it is a considerable one."

"As it should be. Very well, I shall not pry. Will you kill the guards now?"

The assassin sighed, then pulled open his collar and peeled off the piece of leather that was glued over his mark. The Guild's laws forbade him to perform an assassination without the tattoo being visible, so, if he was killed, the mark would proclaim him a guild assassin and not an imposter.

The red teardrop tattoo beneath it proclaimed his retirement, and could not be left exposed. By rights, it should be removed before he plied his trade again, although there were no rules that stated this, since no assassin had ever come out of retirement before. Since he had no way of removing it, he contented himself with sticking the leather patch over the teardrop tattoo.

Minna-Satu watched him refasten his collar with eyes dark with sorrow. "I am loath to send you into danger again, my lord, but I must. When they awaken, they will try to kill you, and my daughter will be in danger too. I cannot take that risk. It is safer to dispatch them now. Once again, you will be my blade, my hand of death reaching out to slay my enemies, and those who know you will fear my wrath once more."

He smiled. "I had forgotten your penchant for inspiring little speeches, My Queen."

"But I have not forgotten your lack of manners, my lord. I speak only the truth."

"Fear not, five sleeping soldiers are hardly a challenge to me."

She smiled. "Nor have I forgotten your arrogance."

"I only speak the truth. An assassin who lacks confidence in his skills is a dead one."

She inclined her head. "I do not cast aspersions upon your considerable skills, Blade. Only your penchant for bragging about them."

"An assassin who fails to brag about his prowess finds little work."

"You have no need to brag."

He stood up. "I will return shortly, with a blanket for you."

"Be careful."

Blade headed for the door, pondering the task ahead. Even after fifteen years, he found that the prospect of killing sleeping men did not bother him, as it had not when he had plied his trade. The fact that his victims were Cotti made it even easier. As he walked along the corridor, he considered his new status, finding the renouncement of his retirement strangely uplifting. When he had retired, he had been overcome with depression, his purpose lost with his trade and his Dance Master's belt.

Now he was an assassin once more, licensed to kill by his guild tattoo, his client a Jashimari queen. He was the Queen's Blade. The prospect of killing a Cotti prince cheered him, and as soon as he was able, he would remove the mark of his retirement. Then no one could question the legality of his actions, otherwise his guild would take a dim view of his returning to his trade. By rights, he should announce it to the other elders first, but they were a long way away.