House of Assassins

by Larry Correia

  Thera didn’t know why they were whispering. Demons seemed to sense prey just fine without ears. They were on fresh water, but it was mighty close to the sea. If there happened to be a demon nearby surely it would sense their little boat or the splashing of the oars against the water.

  “You could row too.”

  “I’m not allowed to actively help you achieve your goals, merely guide you in how to do it yourself. Most students wouldn’t have to take a boat because by now they’ve learned how to change shape to make the journey quick and silent. We could have flown or swam across the lake. Only a fool would ever undertake the trial without being able to shape shift into at least one or two different forms.”

  “Damn your rules, wizard. If I could turn into a bird or a fish I would. Your rules won’t mean salt water when a demon comes from below and flips us over.” Her arms were burning. Rowing was far more difficult than the casteless made it look. She was strong, but her muscles weren’t used to this sort of awkward repetition. “Grab an oar.”

  “It’s not that easy. I guarantee one of my brothers is high above us, watching with the eyes of a hawk to make sure our rules are followed. Don’t even think of trying to run away. If I help you cheat, he’ll swoop down and kill you, and report me, assuming it isn’t Sikasso himself. You’ve surely damned us both. Sikasso has to be wondering why of all the wizards you picked me.”

  “You were supposed to help me.”

  “That was before your maniacal Protector showed up and shat all over my carefully laid plans. I thought we had more time. You’d gain skill enough to do this right, and then at the beginning of the trial you’d make a claim for Sikasso’s living oath instead of one of our dead. He’d have had no choice but to follow tradition or lose respect. He’d have to remove most of his magical defenses to compete against you. Then I could have struck somewhere out here while he was vulnerable.”

  “You didn’t tell me that!”

  “I said there was no time. You were being watched too closely.” Kabir seemed to mull it over. “Unless, Sikasso suspected such a ploy, but he knew that none of us would dare make a move against our strongest member while most of us were off pillaging villages and the murderous Ashok Vadal was on his way here…If that’s the case, then he’s even shrewder than I thought.”

  Thera just growled and kept on rowing. Now her back was killing her too. Boats were absurd and rowing one was a bloody stupid endeavor. It was one thing further inland, but this close to the sea it was ridiculous. They were a slow target. Plus when a demon did finally come and rip her apart, she’d die tired and sweaty.

  Kabir glanced around nervously at the fog. “We should be fairly safe until we land on the opposite shore. Demons don’t usually get this close to the Lost House. The Dasa patrols normally keep them away.”

  “Those blue scarecrows are really that effective?”

  “The Dasa were constructed during the days of Ramrowan, before man forgot most of what he taught us about magic. Yes. They’re incredibly effective.” Kabir sounded nearly in awe of the things.

  At least his talking distracted her from the exertion. “What makes them so special?”

  “They’re not alive, so they can’t really die. If they’re dismantled you simply put them back together, or if any of them remain, they’ll find all the pieces and repair their broken allies themselves. The Dasa can be set to work at different levels. They can go seemingly forever at their slower settings without tiring. They can only go a short time at their higher setting, then they have to sleep for a long time afterward, but at that level they can fight off a demon.”

  Sikasso was going to send several of those things against Ashok. The swordsman was good, but he couldn’t be that good. “Is there a way to put them to sleep?”

  “Yes, but only a few of us are given the secret commands. I am not among them yet.” Kabir gave her a sideways glance. “Why do you ask?”

  “No reason.”

  “You still think Ashok can save you! Foolish woman. I’ve never seen Sikasso this furious before. He’s the greatest assassin the Lost House has ever produced, and he’s usually downright dispassionate about most he kills. This is personal. Ashok is doomed. He isn’t going to save you. Thera, listen to me, you need to realize your friends are already dead, and you will be soon if you don’t focus.”

  Kabir was right about one thing. She couldn’t count on anyone. Not Ashok, certainly not Kabir; she was on her own. Gritting her teeth, she lifted the oars and then thrust them back through the water. She had no clue how to row, but she’d sort of figured it out, so that they were being propelled along at what seemed to be a decent pace. That’s what she always did when faced with a new challenge, she struggled along until she figured a way out. This trial would be no different.

  “Why didn’t you tell me any of this before? We had an agreement, Kabir.”

  “I had to tread carefully. Sikasso is a suspicious man.”

  “I can’t believe you were all taken from your homes. That’s barbaric. Now you do to others what was once done to you.”

  A sneer appeared on Kabir’s handsome face. “What we do to a few is no different than what the Great Houses do to all. They assign everyone a place, including wizards. We’re all merely another commodity to be used up. Be obligated to this duty or else! Do what you’re told or die! Only do approved magic when and how the Law allows it or burn atop the dome! You think wizards are given this much freedom beneath the Law? No. We’d be slaves there far more than we are here. We do our kind a favor by bringing them here.”

  “Tell that to the poor bastards you’ve turned into drooling imbeciles to cook your food and make your bath.”

  Kabir looked away for a moment. “That’s different.”

  “How?”

  It was obvious he didn’t like speaking about this topic. “They couldn’t develop the skill or mindset necessary to become one of us, and we could never risk letting them free. What if they talked? If certain groups within the Capitol found out we still lived, then we’d be destroyed. It is either cloud their minds, or kill them in self-defense.”

  “I’ve got no stomach for your excuses. From which house were you stolen from a cradle in the middle of the night, Kabir?”

  He gritted his teeth. “I do not wish to talk about ancient history.”

  “Sikasso said you and your brother were taken. Was that him in Jharlang? Is that why you hate me, Kabir? Because I killed your own flesh and blood?”

  “Vilsaro was my…he was my friend. That is all.” Kabir seemed ashamed, but that shame seemed to compel him to continue. “My brother, my real brother…He was a few years older. He watched out for me, protected me in training, even got disfigured once stepping in front of a whip meant for me…But I’m afraid he didn’t have what it took to become one of us.”

  “He died on this trial?”

  “He’s alive.” Kabir stared off into the distance. “His mind was sharp, his focus second to none, but his heart was too soft to take a life. Dattu was no killer.”

  “Oceans!” Thera couldn’t believe it. She even fumbled the stroke and spun the rowboat sideways. “They made your brother a slave? He’s still there? Wait…The one-eyed slave with you in the hall that night? That’s him!”

  For a brief moment, Kabir’s tormented look told her that was right.

  “How could you let Sikasso destroy his mind?”

  “He didn’t. Sikasso ordered me to perform the ritual myself. It was that or they would’ve killed him. I had no choice.”

  Thera was tempted to take the oar out of the water and brain the wizard with it. “You miserable bastard! You turned him into a mindless drone. How could you do that to your own family?”

  “How could I not!” So much for being quiet enough to not attract demons. “At the time I thought it was a mercy, leaving him as unthinking and obedient as one of the Dasa, but at least Dattu’s life would be spared. We are still together…Only I’ve seen there’s still something of him left insid
e after the process, plaintive glimmers of understanding, so at times I am unsure.” Kabir shook his head, dispelling the temporary weakness, and just like that he was back to playing the callous and unfeeling wizard. “I will speak of this no more.”

  Thera didn’t even try to hide her disgust. “Then do your job, guide, and tell me about the trial.”

  “You will more than likely die,” he said sullenly.

  That wasn’t particularly helpful. Thera had managed to hide all of her stolen and improvised weapons beneath her traveling clothes that morning. She was sorely tempted to surprise stab Kabir in the neck and then shove him over the side, but that wouldn’t do anything about the wizards watching from above.

  “Normally the trial would only be undertaken by a student who has spent years learning our ways. Of those I’ve trained, I’ve always told them to have at least two or three useful patterns mastered before attempting it.”

  “How many of your students have passed?”

  “None. Before you insinuate that I’m a bad teacher, that is not so odd. Four out of five of us who attempt the trial fail, and perish in the process.”

  “Oh, yeah! You’re doing those kids a huge favor bringing them here!”

  Kabir was defensive, and growing angrier by the second. “There are only allowed a hundred of us in the world, a number which allows no room for weakness. You think we are unaware that we do evil? We do what we must so that someday all wizards may be free of the Capitol’s chains. This House was the only one in all of Lok that allowed wizards to experiment in the manner they saw fit, and the Law drowned us for it. But enough of this. I don’t need to defend our actions to the likes of you. How many patterns have you mastered?”

  “None,” she answered truthfully.

  “None.” Kabir sighed. “Just as magic is only part of what makes an effective assassin, it is only part of the trial. You will be expected to use stealth and cunning as well.”

  “That I can do.”

  “For your sake, I hope so. There is the other possibility though, that Sikasso is right, and the danger will force your strange gift to surface.”

  Thera gave a bitter laugh. “The Voice doesn’t care! It only shows up at the worst possible times. It’s never done a thing to keep me safe. On the contrary, it’s gotten me into all sorts of trouble. I think Sikasso’s going to be disappointed.”

  “He won’t care. He regrew an arm—an unheard of feat—and publicly executed his most outspoken critic to show it off. Don’t you get it, Thera? My opportunity to take over has passed.”

  “I’m terribly sorry that after I die horribly in a swamp you’ll be inconvenienced like that.”

  “How dare—”

  She had no time for bickering with wizards. “Shut up, Kabir. I’ve got bigger things to worry about than your stupid house politics. Tell me about the trial.”

  Kabir was a tricky, murderous bastard, who’d given his own brother amnesia, but he must not have been all bad. Since she was facing near-certain death, he let the offense pass. “Fine. First you must understand the basis for the trial. It takes a lot of resources to teach someone how to be a proper wizard. Our students burn through a great deal of demon parts over the years. To pass the trial, you’ve got to replace those precious resources. The more you’ve used up, the more you’re expected to bring back.”

  “That’s easy enough. I’ve not been here long. I can’t have used much.”

  “That is the only thing you have going for you. The end of a finger or even a tooth should meet the requirements. Except you can’t bring back just any magic, the trial requires it to come from a specific place. To get in unseen, and to escape in one piece, requires the skills of an assassin. If you survive, you have demonstrated that you are truly worthy.”

  Thera couldn’t do magic worth a damn, but she’d spent a lot of time sneaking in and out of places she wasn’t supposed to be in, and stolen quite a few valuables in the process. How much worse could this be? “What is this place?”

  “It’s where demons go to die.”

  Chapter 34

  They called it the graveyard of demons.

  When there had still been a network of dams and sea walls left behind by the ancients, this valley had been submerged, becoming an artificial reservoir to sustain a great city. It wasn’t until the Capitol had destroyed those great constructions that the rivers changed paths, the waters receded, and the graveyard beneath was revealed.

  The forces of the Law were long gone by then. It was a few survivors of fallen House Charsadda, hiding in the wilderness, who had discovered the great field of bones. Demon bones. No one had ever seen or heard of such a thing before.

  Among the refugees were wizards who realized that there was wealth incalculable there, easily enough to reclaim their house and status. Except when they went down to claim their newfound treasure, they discovered that though this place was now on dry land, the demons still claimed it as if it were beneath the sea.

  Many of them lost their lives. Yet a few made it out, packs bulging with bones. They’d survived not through battle, but by using their magic to hide, to move quickly and quietly, and to attack with surprise and overwhelming violence. These survivors would be the first to sell their skills they’d learned by grave robbing hell. They were the first to take the blood oath.

  Thus began the House of Assassins.

  Thera hadn’t particularly enjoyed that history lesson. Now that she was slinking along through the reeds, trying not to make a sound, she wasn’t having much fun either. In fact, she was scared to death, and hoping that demons couldn’t smell fear.

  When they’d landed their little rowboat, Kabir had given her a satchel with a few pieces of demon inside, as was prescribed by their rules. It was the final gift from the Lost House, the last magic that would ever freely be given rather than earned. The student was supposed to use those bits to walk through the shadows, or move like the wind, or turn into a snake to slither unnoticed through the mud, or some other useful pattern that would let them get in and out safely with their satchel filled with valuable new magic.

  That was the theory at least. For Thera, all of those remarkable abilities were unattainable.

  So she crawled through the mud on her belly. To the ocean with wizards and their fancy tricks, she’d do this the old-fashioned way, like a warrior scout, low and slow.

  Kabir was waiting at the shore of the lake. She’d thought about making a run for it, but every now and then she’d caught a glimpse of the sky through the fog, and there had been birds circling every time. Some of those were bound to be wizards. From way up there they could probably watch her as well as Ashok’s progress.

  Maybe she’d get lucky and live long enough that the crazy Protector would simply kill all the wizards, and then she’d be free to go on her merry way. Maybe Keta would reach the hideout before Omkar caught him too. And then they’d all live happily ever after.

  Not bloody likely that.

  Thera crept up on the edge of the reeds but didn’t touch them. There wasn’t even the slightest breeze, so if the reeds swayed they were bound to look out of place. She took her time. The fog was hugging the damp ground, so hopefully that would provide her extra cover. This would be easier if anybody understood how demons could see and hear and smell without eyes, ears, or nostrils, but they sensed prey somehow.

  In front of her were a bunch of puddles. There was very little cover. Judging from the height of the grass growing out of the water, it couldn’t be more than a foot or two deep. Ahead, the valley which held the graveyard was just a round indentation, slightly lower than the surrounding area. Nothing moved or made a sound. Not so much as a bug or a frog. At least there was no sign of any demons yet. Maybe she’d timed this just right, and none of them would be home? That was about as likely as Ashok beating a bunch of Dasa and rescuing her.

  Patience was her weapon as she picked the best route forward. There was a fallen log that she could hug the ground next to, that would get her
to the next patch of tall reeds. Low and slow. Thera slid into the cold muck. Her long leather coat was harvest brown, rather than the grey-green of the pond scum and lily pads, but it got darker when it was wet. Hopefully it would be close enough in color to camouflage her, but she didn’t even know if demons could see colors.

  Kabir hadn’t known why demons came to die here. Surely there were plenty of places for them to die in the ocean. Corpses washed up on shore all the time. What made this place special to them? He said the Lost House had been coming up with theories for a hundred years, but none of them really knew.

  There was a splash on the other side of the log. Thera froze in place.

  There was another splash. That was far too big to be a frog.

  Something heavy rubbed against the bark.

  Terrified, she let her body sink deeper into the mud, until her mouth was submerged in the fetid water, but she kept her nostrils free so she could still breathe. Her hair was floating around her face. Hopefully her leather hood would appear to be a rock.

  Heart pounding, her instincts were screaming for her to get up and run. But she forced herself to hold perfectly still instead.

  She couldn’t see it, but she knew it was a demon. It felt like a demon. It reminded her of being in the ocean, helpless. If it wanted her dead, she would die. It was that simple. There was another splash as the demon moved away from the log, and then a sucking noise as it slid up onto land and across the mud.

  Thera waited a long time. Her hands were sunk deep into the muck and her fingers were freezing. She was wearing gloves, but once soaked, they provided little warmth. A kink formed in her neck from the awkward angle and her muscles began to shake involuntarily. Hopefully the demon had moved on.

  She began slinking forward again.

  Hours passed that way. The sun climbed. The fog thinned. Thera’s life condensed down to nothing but cautious movement or frozen waiting. This could take a while. Kabir had better have packed a lunch.