The Guild of Assassins (11 page)

Elemental Magic

At every campsite during their travels, Kyth had made a point of taking extensive training sessions with Egey Bashi, trying to develop his skill, but after Kara and Mai joined their group he insisted on making these sessions private, with only Egey Bashi and Raishan present. Under the Keeper’s guidance, he learned to call the invisible blade on command, drawing strength from his surroundings even when no flow of wind or water was there to aid him. He was now aware that elemental power filled the air all the time, suspended all around him. This knowledge helped him not only to master his skill of summoning the invisible blade, but also to improve his weaponry, where he was making considerable advances in his practice fights with Alder and Raishan.

He was making no progress, however, in teaching Raishan to develop the necessary focus to resist the Kaddim on his own. If what it took Kara and Mai was being in love, he saw no possibility in it. More, even though he gradually came to terms with Mai’s company and forgave Kara for what she had done, he couldn’t help feeling shattered whenever he saw her. She wasn’t with Mai; he understood it now. But she wasn’t with him either, and that was so difficult for him to deal with.

He found unexpected comfort in the company of Lady Celana. The royal lady had a rare ability to sit quietly by his side, sharing the silence without prying into his thoughts. He wished he could learn this from her, aware how his prying glances caused Kara more discomfort than he meant. The way Celana could just sit quietly next to him was amazing, her very presence soothing and calming to his turmoiled mind.

She possessed rare knowledge of the kingdom’s history, and her stories often let his mind wander away from the painful present to the distant and fascinating past. He learned that mastery of elemental magic had been an ancient feat of the Dorn royal line, which his family had kept carefully hidden for generations after the instigation of the Ghaz Shalan anti-magic law. He had no idea how Celana came upon this knowledge, but it made sense to him. More, her fireside stories about his Dorn ancestors helped him realize another thing about his gift. He should be able to extend his powers to protect hundreds, thousands of people. If only he knew how. It seemed impossible, wielding a single imaginary blade.

“Perhaps you should start by trying to protect two, my lord,” Celana suggested one evening when they were all sitting around the fire sipping tea.

“Two?” He frowned. “What difference would it make?”

She smiled. “It could, if you had two Diamond Majat fighting on your side.”

Kyth nodded. Back at Illitand castle, if he could have protected both Mai and Raishan at the same time, the fight would have gone much better from the start. At the very least, Mai wouldn’t have had to face the Kaddim on his own, and perhaps he wouldn’t have had to find a way to resist them by realising that he was in love with Kara... The thought made Kyth’s lips twitch, and he subsided into grim silence.

“You say when you use your skill you imagine wielding a blade, don’t you, Your Highness?” Lady Celana continued. “Perhaps if you think of it as sword play, you could consider expanding this skill in the same way, by learning to wield this blade against more opponents?”

Kyth looked at her in surprise. How could she possibly know these things?

He saw a sudden interest in Egey Bashi’s gaze, and the way all three Majat nodded knowingly as if what she said made perfect sense.

“A wise suggestion, Lady Celana,” the Keeper said. “Perhaps we have been going about Prince Kythar’s training the wrong way.”

“What do you mean?” Kyth asked.

“We are training you in weaponry, and in calling up invisible blades, to perfect your skill. But we have been focusing all your training on one opponent. We overlooked the fact that maybe expanding your attention is what’s required.”

“But…” Kyth glanced at the Majat who were all listening to the Magister with expressions that suggested there was nothing to it. “If I’m not even good enough to handle one opponent, how could I possibly handle more?”

The Keeper smiled. “To protect Aghat Raishan and Aghat Mai against the Kaddim, you did not have to learn to fight as well as they do, did you?”

“No.” Fighting like a Diamond seemed impossible. Kyth knew that this ability not only had to be trained since birth, but also required special inborn qualities, similar to those of his gift. All the Majat had the same training, but only a few ever achieved the highest gem rankings.

“Same here. You don’t have to be
good
at fighting multiple opponents, only at being able to divert your attention to covering more ground.”

Kyth nodded. In a way, it did make sense. Yet, his practice fights with Raishan had already been draining. Could he handle more?

Egey Bashi glanced around. “I have to admit I have no skill in this type of training. But I assume the Majat do it at some point, right?”

Raishan nodded. “Yes, we do have these mêlées from early on, with multiple trainers attacking one person. It can get wicked at times.”

Kyth saw a quick smile slide over Mai’s face, as if answering a pleasant memory. He shivered. Mai may have thought it fun to have a wicked fight with multiple trainers, but Kyth wasn’t sure he was up to it. He remembered how, once, he tried to fight multiple Kaddim warriors. Fun was the farthest thing from his mind that time. They had almost killed Kara during that fight, until, on the verge of the fatal blow, she had managed to acquire resistance to the Kaddim power. Kyth shivered. She did it back then because of her love for him. And now...

He suddenly became aware of the preparations going on around him. The glade was being cleared of gear and packs, Ellah and Celana retreating to its edge.

“Wait!” he called out. “I didn’t say that–”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” Egey Bashi said. “The Majat will use sticks in place of swords. The possibility of them injuring you is remote.”

The Majat?
Kyth felt a chill run down his spine as he saw Kara and Raishan at the edge of the glade measuring out lengths of wood, a bit thicker than a riding crop and about an arm long. Mai was doing something with a rope.

“You must be out of your mind, Magister,” Kyth said.

Egey Bashi smiled. “I’m certain they know how far to drive you, Your Highness, and they do understand the stakes. You don’t mind fighting Raishan one on one despite his skill, do you?”

I
trust
Raishan.
Kyth looked around. He trusted Kara too. He knew she would never do anything to harm him. But Mai–

Mai approached, holding out a thick rope with knots, two tied at one end very close by and another on the opposite side.

“Here,” the Diamond helped Kyth fit his hand between the two knots. “This is the first step of the exercise. If you can use this rope to prevent us from getting through–”

“You want me to fight you with a
rope
?” Kyth asked in disbelief.

Mai shrugged. “It gives a better range. This will teach you to keep your attention on multiple opponents. Don’t try to
attack
any of us, or you’ll lose focus. Use the rope to keep a distance.”

Kyth clenched the rope. He wished it was anyone but Mai instructing him right now. While he had learned to put up with the fact that Mai was in their traveling party, talking to him was another matter. The Diamond seemed oblivious to it, receding into the quick, efficient mode he always had when his skill was involved.

He thinks it is all right,
Kyth thought.
If he had something to hide, he wouldn’t be talking to me this way.
Yet, he knew he could never trust Mai. Not after what had happened before.

The Diamonds took positions on three opposite sides of the glade. Standing in the center, within the circle of light from the camp fire, Kyth couldn’t see them at all.

“Remember,” Egey Bashi said. “This is not a regular fight. Try to use your gift to aid you.”

I will need all the aid I can m
u
ster.
Kyth raised his rope, giving it a few experimental swings. Mai was right. It did have a good range. The knots tied on both sides of his hand also allowed for a better grip, and the larger knot at the other end made it heavier, easier to wield.

“We’ll try to attack you from three sides,” Kara said. “Use the rope to deflect our sticks and prevent us from touching you.”

Kyth nodded, raising the rope.

He spun it around his head in a wide circle, thinking that by doing this he should at least be able to feel their approach. He focused on Mai, advancing from the front, and barely caught a glimpse of another shape sliding at his side before all three sticks touched his chest, very close together. All three Diamonds were standing in front of him.

Heck, he didn’t even see them
move
.

“You tried to attack me,” Mai said. “Didn’t you?”

Kyth swallowed. He did. He had let his feelings take over. Yet, he knew that in a big sense Mai was not his enemy. In a
real
fight, he might hate his opponents even more, even though he doubted it was possible. He had to distance himself from it.

“Use your gift,” Egey Bashi said.

Kyth nodded and raised his rope again, watching the Diamonds retreat back to their original positions.

This time his rope caught on wood, and he felt its edge retreat, but the other two came through, almost as quickly as before. He lifted his eyes and met Mai’s gaze. How the hell did he always end up facing
him
?

Perhaps because you’re trying to seek him out
. He took a breath. Some time, when all this was over, he would love a chance to have it out with Mai once and for all, but it was useless to wish for something that wasn’t going to happen.

He relaxed and let in the wind, stilling his mind to all other thoughts. This time he could see three shapes moving around him, with less speed than he knew they were capable of, but still faster than he could possibly follow without using his gift. He felt his rope connect several times before the points of the three wooden sticks touched his chest, one by one.

“Better,” Mai said. “Let’s do it a few more times. Perhaps if we do this enough we can try it once with a real weapon before we reach the Guild.”

Kyth nodded and raised his rope again, preparing for the worst.

At the end of the hour Kyth could barely stand upright. The Majat took away his rope and folded it away, all three of them neat and composed as if they had spent their time resting and not dancing around the glade in their devilish play. Kyth collapsed on the ground near the fire, watching Ellah and Alder bring their packs and resume their seats next to him.

“I heard Raishan say we’ll reach the Majat Guild in two days,” Ellah said, watching the others in the distance spread out the bedrolls. “I wonder what will happen when we get there.”

Kyth’s eyes followed Kara. He hoped they could manage to include her freedom in the bargain, assuming the Majat Guildmaster would even be interested in what Kyth had to offer. He had never seen the man, but the things he heard about him, especially when Mai quoted the letter he received, suggested the worst. He hoped that, with the help of Egey Bashi’s diplomacy, he would be able to connect with the Guildmaster’s compassionate side.

Kara lowered her reins, urging her horse into a fast walk. The Majat Fortress rose in front like an ornate monolith carved out of the terrain. Built on the relatively flat ground in the middle of the large valley, it was positioned in a way that afforded its inhabitants the best possible view, making sure no one could ever approach it unnoticed. Kara’s heart quivered as she ran her eyes over the signal towers, each of them hiding a watchman ready to raise an alarm, and over the large gate ahead, swinging open to greet their arrival.

On the last stop each of them had donned their official gear, rearranging their procession into a ceremonial order. Kyth rode in front next to Egey Bashi and Lady Celana. His black-and-blue royal Dorn cloak draped down his back, his neatly combed hair crowned with a thin golden circlet that signified his status as the Crown Prince. His face was grave. Kara had never seen him look so composed and majestic – a true royal heir, fit one day to take over the kingdom.

Lady Celana looked like his match in every way as she rode next to him. Her deep green cloak with golden trim was covered by a wave of her loose auburn hair, which gleamed like gold in the beams of the afternoon sun.

They looked like a couple, symbolising the union of the two rival royal houses. If this was truly going to happen some day, their marriage would seal the kingdom’s power for centuries to come. Kara knew that King Evan strongly supported this possibility. She wished Kyth could truly find happiness with Lady Celana, even though the thought of him marrying someone else caused a feeling of regret she tried not to dwell on. She shook her head. She had never thought it possible for her feelings to get muddled up so much. She almost welcomed the thought that in the near future she would have other things to worry about.

Magister Egey Bashi had donned his white Keeper’s cloak, with the emblem of lock and key on its left shoulder. Ellah rode in his wake, wearing a similarly fashioned cloak without any ornaments, indicating her apprentice status. Her gift of truthsense was known only to a few. While it was precious during negotiations, her official role here as an apprentice Keeper in training left much more flexibility to use her gift without alerting the other side.

Alder completed the line up as he rode next to Ellah in his patched green Forestland cloak, with the spiders perched on his shoulder. They were still, and Kara hoped they would remain so until they gained access inside. The spiders were lethal weapons, and if the Majat knew about them they wouldn’t take kindly to it.

Kara took care to stay close to Mai and Raishan, each wearing a diamond-set ranking armband glistening on their upper left arms. She had no Majat regalia to wear, but she knew that once she entered the Fortress she would be instantly recognized.

The greeting party assembled in the outer courtyard made her heart quiver. Two dozen Jades, crossbows in hand, lined the walls. The tall man with straight black hair and piercing eyes wasn’t supposed to be here at all, not for the simple job of receiving visitors. Gahang Khall, the head of the Jades, marched up to the newcomers, his eyes sliding over Raishan, Mai, and Kara with an impassive expression.

“I am Prince Kythar Dorn,” Kyth said, “on the embassy from King Evan of Tallan Dar to the Majat Guildmaster.”

The Jade bowed, his eyes never leaving the Diamonds in Kyth’s wake.

“Master Oden Lan has been notified of your arrival, Your Highness,” Khall said. “He has ordered accommodations prepared for you. However, we have Guild business to attend to before we can let Your Highness into the Fortress. It won’t take long. If you can dismount and wait here, please.” He gestured toward the side area of the courtyard.

Kyth threw a quick glance at Egey Bashi, then at Kara. She nodded, trying to appear nonchalant despite the sinking feeling in her chest.

Mai and Raishan were dismounting and Kara hurried to follow, keeping a few paces behind as Khall led them through the gate into the courtyard ahead. Her eyes darted around the circular space about fifty yards across, surrounded by a tall wall with gates on all sides leading to other areas of the compound.

As soon as Mai, Raishan, and Khall passed through, two Jades guarding the entrance barred her way.

“Guild members only,” one of them said.

Kara looked past his shoulder. With a sinking feeling she realized that all the gates in the next courtyard were closed, leaving Raishan and Mai with nowhere to go.

Khall stopped by the far wall, two dozen Jades with crossbows fanning out behind him. He turned to Mai and held out a hand.

“You must surrender your weapon, Aghat Mai,” the Jade said.

Mai didn’t move as he calmly returned Khall’s gaze.

“I will surrender my weapon to the Guildmaster, Gahang Khall,” he said. “I believe he’s expecting me.”

The Jade’s piercing eyes lit up with a predatory glow. “He
is
expecting you, Aghat Mai. And he gave me explicit orders. You will surrender your weapon, or die.”

At his signal, the wall above the courtyard darkened with human shapes. A line of archers circled the courtyard from above and raised their bows, pointing them down at the group below.

Khall stepped back, leaving Mai and Raishan surrounded by two lines of ranged weapons, aimed and ready to fire.

“For the last time, Aghat Mai,” Khall said. “Surrender your weapon.”

Mai did not move.

Raishan pushed past, stepping between him and the Jade. “You are out of line, Gahang Khall. Aghat Mai is a standing member of the Guild and he outranks you. You have no authority to take away his weapon.”

The Jade’s eyes narrowed. “I have my orders, Aghat Raishan. I also have orders to kill anyone who stands in my way. Please step aside.”

Raishan raised his hand and drew a sword from the sheath at his back.

Khall backed off, signaling with his hand. The archers at the top of the wall took aim and released their arrows. Their dark cloud descended on Raishan at high speed. The Diamond spun around like a streak of lightning, his sword almost invisible as it whizzed through the air. As he cut down the arrows Khall signaled again, and the crossbowmen along the walls of the courtyard fired at short range.

Raishan swept his sword again, but he wasn’t fast enough this time, unprepared for the new attack. One of the bolts came through and hit him in the chest.

A gasp echoed through the courtyard. The Jades lowered their weapons, staring.

Raishan released his sword and stumbled, his legs twisting from underneath him as he folded down to the ground. He fell on his back, the tip of the bolt sticking out of his chest. Blood gushed out of the deep wound, soaking his shirt. His face went creamy white. His eyelids trembled and closed, and his head lifelessly rolled to the side.

Mai looked at Khall in shocked stillness.

“That wasn’t necessary, Gahang,” he said quietly.

Kara’s heart raced. In all the Guild’s history no Diamond had ever been harmed by their own. Diamonds were the spearhead of the Guild’s power, unique and priceless fighters that everyone cherished and awed. To have a Diamond shot down by the Jades on the Guildmaster’s orders…

Shaking off her stupor, Kara pushed forward between the two Jades blocking her way. They didn’t resist, their eyes fixed on Raishan’s still shape. She swept to his side and crouched beside him, reaching to feel the pulse on his neck. It was still there, but weak and uneven, showing that the Diamond was barely alive. With quick movements she drew her belt knife and cut off a flap of Raishan’s shirt, pressing it to the wound.

The Jades from the gate were slowly approaching, uncertainty written all over their faces. Their shock told her shooting Raishan hadn’t been part of the plan, which left some hope that the Guildmaster was not entirely out of his mind. Still, if Khall had orders that enabled him to open fire on a Diamond, things were bad indeed.

She could see the rest of their party gaping into the courtyard through the opening. She briefly met Egey Bashi’s gaze, then Kyth’s, his eyes wide with terror. She quickly looked away, afraid that he might see the hopelessness in her face and do something foolish. Guild business took precedence over everything else, and even the royal heir wouldn’t be spared if he tried to interfere.

“Get Aghat Raishan to the medical barracks,” she told the Jades. “Quickly!”

Their questioning eyes darted to Khall. The leader of the Jades nodded and signaled. More Jades rushed in from the entrance courtyard, lifting Raishan’s nearly lifeless body and carrying him out of sight.

Mai raised his face to Khall, steel glinting in his eyes. The Jade calmly stared back, and Kara imagined she saw a shade of smugness in the depth of his piercing gaze.

“It seems, Aghat Mai,” he said, “that you’re not taking our warning seriously. I will say this one last time. Surrender your weapon, or die.”

Mai drew his staff.

“Let’s see,” he said, “how good your archers are, Gahang.”

Khall looked at Mai in disbelief. “You will fight all of us by yourself, Aghat Mai? Would you rather die than surrender your weapon to me? That seems foolish.”

Mai smiled. “I already told you, Gahang. I will surrender my weapon to the Guildmaster – and only to him. If you’re talking of foolishness, it’s at least as foolish for you to risk your men when all you need to do is call Aghat Oden Lan. Things are already way out of hand. I’m sure under the circumstances he’ll understand.”

Khall threw a quick glance at the Guildmaster’s tower looming in the distance at the edge of the Inner Fortress. The tense set of his shoulders told Kara that, while the Jade did hesitate at Mai’s words, whatever lay up in that tower frightened him more than the threat of a direct attack on their Guild’s best Diamond. She used the moment of confusion and stepped up to Mai’s side. Mai acknowledged her with a brief glance.

“I wish you’d stayed out of this, Aghat,” he said quietly.

Kara didn’t respond, her eyes darting around the walls. She counted twenty-four archers and an equal amount of crossbowmen down on the ground. She knew that whatever their odds of deflecting the arrows, they stood much less chance against the crossbows.

Khall’s face contorted in anger as he noticed the new addition to the standoff.

“This is Guild business, Aghat Kara,” he said. “You have no place here.”

She drew her swords.

“As far as I understand, Gahang,” she said, “you’ve just thrown all the rules to the wind. However, my presence here might give you an additional excuse to call the Guildmaster. Whatever your orders are about Aghat Mai, I’m sure he will want to be informed as soon as possible that I’m here.”

Khall hesitated, then signaled. She saw a movement through the gate on the inner side, indicating a messenger dispatched to the Inner Fortress at a very fast run.

“Kara,” Mai said quietly. “Get out of here while you still have a chance.”

She glanced at him, surprised that he had used her name. He had never called her simply by name before, and now, in the face of deadly battle, it felt so intimate that her heart quivered. He wasn’t looking at her, his eyes darting along the circle of archers at the top of the wall.

“If I do,” she said, “they’ll kill you.”

“If you don’t, they’ll kill us both. That would be a bloody waste.”

She smiled. Against reason, she felt excitement rising in her chest, her muscles warming in anticipation of the upcoming action.

“Aren’t you giving up too easily, Aghat Mai?”

He glanced at her again. His eyes gleamed with mischief, his excitement matching her own.

“You’re crazy,” he said. “But I guess you probably know that.”

“No crazier than you.”

He edged closer to her. They stood back to back, so that their shoulders almost touched.

“When I bare my blades,” he said quietly, “all hell will break loose.”

She nodded, checking her footing, toning up her muscles. She sensed him brace next to her.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said quietly.

“Then,” he said, “let’s dance.”

She heard the click as he sprang the blades out of the ends of his staff, followed by the whizz of arrows and crossbow bolts descending at high speed. Excitement filled her as she whirled her swords, creating an impenetrable wall that stopped all arrows in midflight, sending them in a shower of splinters down to her feet. She could feel Mai on the other side creating a similar shield, rotating his staff with a force that made the air around it whistle.

She could see the surprise on the Jades’ faces turn to disbelief as they sent more and more arrows down on them. A bolt penetrated her defense, stinging as it grazed the skin of her forearm, but she ignored it, focusing on maintaining her speed. Their lives right now depended on their ability to hold on.

One by one, the Jades were lowering their weapons. The crossbowmen stood down first as they ran out of bolts. The archers were also stepping back, one by one.

Through the crackle and whizz around them, Kara heard distant orders, barked at high speed. The flow of arrows ceased.

She lowered her blades, sensing Mai by her side do the same. Both remained tense, ready to spring into action again at any moment.

A movement on the wall above them turned into major turmoil as a tall man in a black cloak ascended the narrow space and stopped, looking down at them.

The Guildmaster.

Kara’s heart quivered as she saw him. This ruthless man had always been the closest she had to a father, personally overseeing her training, encouraging her, urging her on. And then, this man had ordered her execution.

His eyes narrowed as they slid over her with an impenetrable look and fixed on Mai by her side.

“Aghat Mai,” he said, his voice ringing through the yard. “Gahang Khall tells me you are refusing to surrender your weapon.”

Mai kept his staff lowered, taking a barely perceptible side step that partially shielded Kara from the Guildmaster’s view.

“I had hoped I could do it in a personal audience, Aghat Oden Lan,” he said. “We have things to discuss.”

Oden Lan shook his head. “We have nothing to discuss, Aghat Mai. You have done wrong. Have the decency and courage to admit it and give up quietly.”