The Guild of Assassins (5 page)

Kara pulled her horse to a stop, peering into the tracks ahead. Mai had been covering an amazing distance each day, especially considering the fact that he had been avoiding the main road, leading the chase almost entirely over raw terrain. He was also being tricky, keeping mostly to the rocks so that his trail would be especially hard to follow. If, at the start of her chase, she had been secretly hoping to catch him by surprise, the last few days left her with no doubt that he knew she was following and was doing everything possible to prevent her from overtaking him. It took all she had just to keep up, without any signs of gaining on him.

She peered closer. There. A barely perceptible trace on the stone marked the hoof print she was looking for: a horseshoe with a slightly chipped surface, right near the middle. She smiled. If he kept this kind of pace over the rocks, his horse would lose its shoe in no time. And then, there would be no way for him to prevent Kara from catching up.

She urged her gray mare on, patting the tired animal on the neck. Just a couple of hours before dusk, and then they could finally have a good night’s rest.

She raised her head from the trail and looked around. The glimmering shape of the Crown Lake at her back had disappeared days ago, giving way to the duller landscape of the Ridges’ outcrops. She could see the snowy mountain peaks rising in the distance ahead, their gleaming white caps floating over the bluish haze at the horizon. Gray splotches of boulders rose out of the open fields spreading to either side of the trail, with patches of coarse silvery grass growing in between. Here and there she could also see the groves of mountain hazels, fleshy bushes huddled together against the bitter gusts of mountain wind. She could bet Mai spent each night hiding in one of those. Yet, with the way he kept off the main road, it was difficult to find which one.

The air here smelled of pine and wild aemrock, stirring up memories. She had grown up with these smells, roaming the Ridges’ wilderness for as long as she could remember, until the Guild took her under their control. She shivered at the memory, fighting an unbidden sting in her eyes. The Guild’s training had been cruel, yet it was the only home she had ever known. And now, she was unlikely to ever live there again.

She shook off her sadness. Life at court had made her soft. With the challenges she was facing she couldn’t possibly afford to feel emotional at a simple gust of wind.

She urged her horse toward the hazel outgrowth looming up ahead. The sun was setting. This would be as good a place as any to spend the night.

Magister Egey Bashi set a punishing pace. Kyth welcomed it, since it provided good distraction. He secretly wished they could arrive at the Majat Guild before Mai and Kara, to have another chance to talk things out and possibly soften whatever welcome was waiting for them there, but that was too much to hope for. Still, he was glad of the strenuous marches each day that kept his mind fully occupied, even if he couldn’t help feeling guilty every time he watched Ellah and Lady Celana dismount in the evening and get into their saddles in the morning.

Even the presence of Ellah and Alder, the people he had grown up with and always thought of as part of his family, could not ease the emptiness in his heart. Kara was no longer a part of his life. Worse, she was heading toward what would likely become her execution. And, despite the rush, Kyth and his party seemed to have no way of catching up with her.

Lady Celana had been surprisingly agreeable to the trip. She also looked amazingly fit in her pants outfit, riding a horse like a man, with her long Lakeland bow flung over her shoulder. Kyth had never imagined she would be such good company on the road. Yet, her presence brought him no comfort either. Worse, he found her longing glances disconcerting. If she truly cared for him, he pitied her. But he couldn’t escape the feeling that the affection she showed him was more of a political nature. It must be, for he failed to see what a dashing lady like her could possibly see in him, besides the fact that he stood to inherit the throne. Everyone spoke of her as a woman with a highly calculating mind.

On the fifth day of travel they set camp in a hazelnut grove, one of those so abundant along the road from Tandar to the Ridges. Raishan and Alder busied themselves with the fire and Egey Bashi took a kettle to the nearby spring to fill it with fresh water. Kyth unrolled the blankets, watching Ellah and Celana talking quietly by the horses. He felt a sting of pain as he remembered the last time he had camped here. Kara had been with them then. They’d even kissed when they went into the grove to collect wood. It was when she had first told him how different she was, but he hadn’t believed her. Had she been right all along?

A quiet chuckle on the other side of the glade drew Kyth’s attention. He turned, feeling the small hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

A robed man emerged from the shadows and walked toward them across the glade, leading a lizard beast by the reins. As if in a nightmare, Kyth recognized his slight, bird-like features, disheveled brown hair standing in a halo around his head, his eyes, so dark that they seemed to have no irises, like the eyes of an owl.

Nimos.

“Long time no see, Your Highness,” Nimos said.

Kyth’s skin prickled. “It
can’t
be you.”

Nimos’s smile widened. “And yet, here I am. Just like old times.”

Kyth swallowed, half aware of Raishan, Alder, and Egey Bashi crowded by his sides.

“I
saw
you die.”

“Isn’t this a pleasant surprise?”

“More like a bad dream all over again.”

Nimos cocked his head to one side, running a glance around the group. “I think of it more as an old friends’ reunion. We have so many memories to share, haven’t we?”

Ones I’d rather forget.
Kyth drew himself up. “I can protect Aghat Raishan from your power, and he will kill you.”

Nimos’s smile widened. “Haven’t you learned, Your Highness, that killing me simply doesn’t work? I have been killed before by Aghat Mai, as you were kind enough to remark on just now. I assure you it wasn’t the first time, either.”

A chill crept down Kyth’s spine. He knew the Kaddim Brother was deliberately trying to unsettle him and he hated to admit it was working. The thought of this man coming back from the dead after Mai’s perfect blow was just too frightening to dwell on.

Grass rustled behind him and he saw a slender figure with flaming red hair step up to his side.
Lady Celana
.

Nimos turned to her in surprise.

“I read about Kaddim resurrection in the old chronicles,” Celana said, keeping Nimos’s gaze. In the sudden silence her voice rang clearly through the glade. “Even though you can indeed make a complete recovery, the experience is quite strenuous and requires considerable skill from other members of your Brotherhood. If Prince Kythar and Aghat Raishan cannot kill you forever, they could at least put you through the inconvenience again, and hopefully spare us the trouble of your company for quite some time.”

Kyth looked at her in surprise, which was reflected in Nimos’s eyes as he continued to stare. It was compelling to watch the discomfort her words caused the Kaddim Brother, even though he put on a great show of hiding it.

Nimos stepped back, folding into an elaborate court bow.

“My dear Lady Celana, I have no choice but to bow before your wisdom. What a change from the innocent young lady I had the pleasure of encountering in your father’s castle.”

She smiled but did not reply, her calm gaze smoothly reflecting his disconcerting look. Somewhat deflated, Nimos turned back to Kyth.

“All I wanted to do, Your Highness, was to express regret at my former actions and to share your joy that Aghat Kara is still alive. You know by now that I have, shamefully, been plotting her execution. Yet, when I learned what Aghat Mai had done, I felt so relieved. She truly deserves to live, and I am so glad that my plans for her did not work. You see, when I was planning this, I was not aware of Aghat Mai’s feelings for her.”

Kyth’s heart missed a beat.
His feelings for her?
That couldn’t possibly be true. As far as Kyth knew, Mai
had
no feelings for anyone. He was just a highly skilled man who always did the right thing. This was what made Mai so trustworthy. And yet... to think that Kara ran away from Kyth to join the man who had
feelings
for her...

He caught Egey Bashi’s gaze. The Keeper’s frown did nothing to reassure him. Did Egey Bashi know about this? Was Kyth the only one oblivious to what was going on? He glanced at Ellah, who, he knew, could sense if Nimos was telling the truth, but her face was carefully blank.

Nimos
i
s just trying to disconcert me.
He forced down his racing thoughts. Even though he hoped, against reason, that Kara would survive her ordeal and come back to him, at this moment in time it hardly mattered. He should focus on the upcoming bargain with the Majat Guild, which hopefully could include Kara’s and Mai’s lives. He should not give in to unreasonable jealousy.

He met Raishan’s gaze. “Are you ready, Aghat?”

Raishan nodded and drew his sword. Nimos backed away.

“No need to get violent, Your Highness,” he said. “I only came to apologize for the past, that’s all. And now I’m leaving, with promises not to bother you for the rest of your trip.” He jumped into the saddle and threw his lizard beast into gallop, disappearing around the bend of the road.

Egey Bashi sighed, watching the retreating dust cloud. “Here we go again. Another ride to the Majat Guild, with Nimos at our heels.”

“Let’s just hope this trip ends better than the last one,” Raishan mumbled and busied himself with the preparation of the meal.

Kara slid down from her saddle and picked up the cracked horseshoe. Her heart leapt. In this wilderness, without the horseshoe, Mai couldn’t possibly have gone very far. He was very fond of his horse, and she knew that, urgent or not, he wouldn’t drive it hard enough to risk an injury.

A search of the tracks ahead confirmed her suspicions. A set of prints indicated the place where Mai had noticed the loss and dismounted. She saw some of his tracks going backward, likely in an attempt to recover the lost horseshoe. He must have been hard pressed indeed not to notice it right away. From here, his prints went parallel to the horse’s, showing that he had continued on foot, leading his horse over the terrain. Furthermore, the three-legged horse track indicated that he must have wrapped a cloth around the bare hoof to prevent further injury.

She raised her head, surveying the surroundings.

The light of the setting sun painted the landscape with deep fiery strokes. Long shadows crept off every rock in sight. Ahead of her she could see a hazel grove, with the gleam of a brook running through.

She smiled. She was willing to bet Mai was camping in there right now, trying to find a temporary replacement for the lost shoe. The nearest blacksmith lived in Middledale, a day’s travel ahead. Without a shoe, this was a considerable distance to cover.

She urged her horse onward, keeping to the shadows, until she spotted a faint wisp of smoke rising through the hazel crowns on the distant end of the grove. Good. She hoped he was sufficiently occupied not to keep watch on this side of the tree line.

When she reached the hazel shade she dismounted and let her horse wander, using all her stealth to creep to the campsite without making a sound. In the gathering dusk, she paused at the edge of the glade and looked into the circle lit by the campfire.

Mai was sitting with his back to her, carving a piece of wood with his boot knife. She noiselessly drew her weapon before approaching further, not sure how he would react. Then, she cautiously stepped into the glade.

Mai’s shoulders went still, forcing her to an abrupt stop. Yet, he did not turn around as he spoke. “You may put away your weapon, Aghat. Unless, of course, you’re here to kill me.”

She relaxed and lowered the weapon to her side, but did not sheath it. “You know I have no intention of harming you, Aghat Mai.”

He slowly turned around to face her. His eyes gleamed with mischief.

“I didn’t think so. Why don’t you come and sit by the fire, then? I am guessing you must have had a strenuous trip.”

Kara still held her weapon out as she approached and settled on the other side of the fire, keeping a clear distance.

“Thank you, Aghat,” she said. “But my trip was actually quite relaxing. By the way,” she took out the horseshoe, “I think I found something that belongs to you.”

His eyes darted to the shoe and back to her face. He didn’t reach out to take it.

“I assume there’s a price to pay for it,” he said.

“Yes. Your promise to take me along.”

He sighed. “We’ve been over this, Aghat. The price is too high, and you know it.”

Kara shrugged. “Have it your way.” She put the shoe back into her pack. “It’s quite a ride from here to Middledale,” she went on, “but it takes a lot longer on foot. I think I’ll just ride ahead and warn them of your arrival before continuing on to the Majat Guild.” She glanced at the sky. “In fact, it’s not that late. I think I still have a few hours of travel ahead of me.”

He leaned back, the disbelief in his gaze mixing with amusement. “Where’s your horse, Aghat?”

She smiled. “Close enough to mount it at very short notice.” She raised her weapon just a bit, to make sure he didn’t think of anything foolish.

Mai’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “You certainly know how to bargain, don’t you?” He reached forward and held out a hand. “I’ll take the horseshoe, thanks.”

She held his gaze. “You do promise you won’t try to disable me or run away from me?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“None.”

“I thought so.”

She waited, holding the shoe just out of reach.

He sighed, glancing at her wearily. “I
promise
. You don’t think I’d try a cheap trick like that, do you?”

She didn’t respond as she handed him the horseshoe. He took it out of her hand and examined it. It was badly cracked, but she knew it could be fitted to the hoof to enable him to ride, at least as far as Middledale.

Kara sheathed her weapon and took off her pack, settling by the fire across from him. She helped herself to some of the tea from the kettle. It was too bitter, by the taste of it brewed some time ago and kept over the fire too long. She gulped it down anyway, then took out two food rations and offered him one.

He shook his head. “I already ate, thanks. Besides, I wouldn’t dream of depleting your supplies.”

She smiled. “We’re traveling together now, remember? We can share.”

He threw her another amused glance before returning back to his work on the horseshoe.

“You are quite something, aren’t you?” he asked at length.

Kara smiled, stretching out her legs. It felt good to relax her tired muscles after the last few days of crazy riding.

“I try to be.”

He raised his face to her. “Is there anything I can do to convince you to reconsider?”

She shook her head. “No. The only thing that would convince me is reading Master Oden Lan’s letter and seeing with my own eyes that you have been recalled to the Guild for a reason unrelated to me.”

For a brief moment his face lost its amused expression. His hand darted into the opening of his shirt to shove something deeper into the inner pocket. She caught a glimpse of the folded parchment, feeling a chill run down her spine. His expression told her so much more than words ever could. And now, she absolutely had to see what was in that letter and to understand how bad things really were for her and Mai.

She finished her ration, then walked over to the edge of the glade and whistled through her teeth. After a short moment, her horse appeared from the direction of the brook. She patted it and took time to unsaddle and brush it, then brought her saddle and bedroll to the fireside.

Mai was already lying down on the other side of the fire. As Kara settled down, he slowly relaxed into his bedroll.

“Good night,” he said and closed his eyes.

She sat for a while watching him. After a few minutes his breath became even, indicating that he was asleep. She waited a while, then got up to her feet and crept over to him. She used extra stealth to move smoothly, so that she would be all but invisible against the flickering firelight. As she approached, she filled herself with inner stillness to prevent him from sensing her presence, and leaned over, looking at his outstretched shape.

The night was warm and he had no cover over him. His shirt, open down the front, revealed the upper part of his lean, muscular chest with a small star-shaped scar at its center. From this angle she could no longer see the parchment he had tucked inside, but she knew it was there, stashed into the deep inner pocket. If she could just reach in there without waking him up–

She paused, looking down on him. He appeared fast asleep, his breath even, his body completely relaxed. His staff lay next to his hand, his long fingers resting over its black polished wood. If he woke up, he would be ready to instantly spring into action. But there was no reason to wake him. She was certain she could do what she needed without disturbing him, if she was careful enough.

She crouched next to him, so that her body was parallel to his, weight spread along the ground. Supporting herself on one hand, so that she could stay in position without making any excessive movements, she carefully reached into the opening of his shirt. She moved slowly, so as not to disturb any of its silky folds as she reached further inside to the secret pocket against his body.

She sensed a barely perceptible twitch of muscle and froze. She stayed still, but there was no more movement from him, his breath as even as before. After a long moment she dared a look.

He hadn’t changed his position, but his eyes were now open, looking at her with a mocking expression – alert, as if he had never even been asleep.

“Sorry,” he said. “I was trying not to disturb you, but I just couldn’t help it. It was too much for a man to bear.”

There was laughter in his eyes as he slowly and deliberately ran his gaze down her crouched shape, making her painfully aware of the awkward position she was in. She knew he was purposely trying to get her off balance, but she still couldn’t help blushing.

She tried to ignore it and kept very still, watching him. She knew she couldn’t move. With the twisted position she had gotten herself into, she was completely in his power. He could break her wrist inside the shirt before she had time to get it out of his reach. To withdraw her hand, she had to be sure he was going to let her do it.

He seemed to be in no hurry as he continued to watch her with a disconcerting look. His eyes became dreamy, but they also held mischief that kept her in check.

“When I agreed to travel together,” he said, “I had no idea we were going to have such a good time.”

She held still. Their faces were so close that she could smell his skin, a faint fresh scent of mountain pine. He moved his eyes down her body with a slow, appraising look as if he were actually able to see through her clothes. She struggled to stay calm and keep the blush away, but it was just too hard.

He made sure she was fully aware of the way he looked at her, before he finally relaxed back into his sleeping cot.

“You can take your hand out,” he said. “I’m not going to touch you. I have to say, though, that I’d much rather you continued with what you were doing. It feels so good.”

She forced the blush away as she slowly pulled out her hand and sat back on her heels, looking down at him. Her shoulder was stiff, but she wasn’t about to show it. His mocking gaze continued to scrutinize her, making her feel too exposed. She knew he was doing it on purpose, and she was not going to give in to it.

“Where is the letter?” she asked slowly.

He shifted to a more comfortable position.

“Now, Aghat,” he said, “you don’t expect I would keep it where you saw me put it? That would be almost as foolish as thinking you could sneak up on me like this.”

“Where is it?” she insisted.

He ran a slow, deliberate glance down his own outstretched body, and looked back to her face, his intense gaze holding an unsettling mixture of seriousness and mischief. She knew what he was doing, but it was difficult to resist. She felt the annoying blush creep back into her cheeks as she forced herself to keep his gaze.

“Why don’t you search me?” he suggested. “There’re a lot of places you could check which are even better than the inside of my shirt. Just make sure you don’t miss any.”

She didn’t want to look, but her eyes moved on their own accord down his body, sprawled in front of her with a lazy grace that she knew could turn into action in the blink of an eye. She fought a blush, hating herself for allowing him to get her disconcerted so easily, just by looking at her. But, if he was playing these games with her, she was going to pay him back with the same coin. She forced her eyes back to his face, giving him her best innocent look.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It was indeed foolish, to think that I could sneak up on you, Aghat. I just… I really wanted to see the letter.”

She put sincerity into her voice as she said these words, letting her gaze drop down to the ground and slowly rise back to his face in a look that she knew made her seem childish and vulnerable.

He seemed to have bought it. His gaze softened and his face slowly lost its mocking expression.

“Why don’t we just forget it?” he suggested. “It’s late. I’m sure you can hold your curiosity until morning, can’t you?”

She nodded and turned to get up to her feet, but kept her eyes lowered, watching him out of the corner of her eye. When his gaze moved away and his body relaxed, she spun around with the speed that made the air around her whistle, aiming her fingers at the two spots at the base of his neck, right above the collarbones.

His shape blurred as he shifted out of the way, her fingers landing harmlessly off the pressure points. His hands flew up and caught her by the wrists. She twisted out of the hold, but he grabbed her again, throwing her over his head and landing on top with all his weight. She gasped, struggling to recover her breath as he pinned her down to the ground, holding her wrists away from her body.

“Don’t you ever give up?” he asked.

She didn’t respond, relaxing against his hold so that she didn’t have to spend unnecessary strength. He was bigger and heavier, and he spread his weight over her in a way that made it difficult to move. She paused for a few breaths, forcing herself to relax so that she offered no resistance at all as he held her down. After a moment she sensed his grip weaken. She concentrated. Letting her strength carry her, she charged, her body turning from a completely relaxed state into a ball of muscle in a split moment. She kicked her legs up to dislodge his weight and pushed off with her feet to twist sideways out of his grip. As he moved to match, she flung her body the other way, sliding through the resulting gap. He reacted, but she was faster this time. She tossed her weight sideways against him, forcing him to spin over, and went for his neck again, a left-handed blow that whizzed through the air with the speed of an arrow. He parried, but his block wavered, unprepared for the strength of the attack. She went for the gap and he fought back. As they rolled over, he tried to pin her down with his weight again, but she twisted out of the hold and threw him sideways, landing on top.

They stayed in that position for a long moment, breathing heavily. She balanced her weight over him, pinning his arms down just above the elbows, with his hands locked over her wrists. She felt the play of his muscles under her and braced herself, trying to anticipate his next move. But he showed no intention of throwing her off. Instead, he slowly released his grip and dropped his hands away. She held on, suspecting a trap, but he relaxed, spreading his arms out and laying back against the ground. His chest heaved as he steadied his breath and she felt the tension released throughout his body, pinned underneath her.