“That would help greatly, brother. I imagine that may take some time, though.”
“No more time than it would take to pull every woman from her post.”
“Fair enough,” Adrian sighed. “Do it quietly. Get in touch with me when they are gathered.”
Adrian walked back into his headquarters after leaving Vincent and slumped into a chair. His lieutenants were still hard at work. Kizrack pored over the endless paperwork, aided by Zhun. Loran continued where he left off in trying to decipher whose blood was on the stone. Another demon stood over Loran’s shoulder, inspecting the work.
“Find anything interesting, Vurga?” Adrian asked, stifling a yawn.
The demon standing over Loran shook his horned head. His hooved feet clopped on the stone floor as he turned to face his boss. “Nothing quite yet, sir,” he said in a deep bass voice that rumbled through out of his throat. “But Loran should be close to something within the day.”
“Good,” Adrian sighed. “How are the other two doing? Any reports yet?”
Zhun looked up from her studies and said, “We heard back from Cheal earlier today. Nothing out of the ordinary on his end.”
“And what about Berron?”
“Due back later this afternoon, according to his last message,” Zhun replied. “He had the largest area to cover and those caches were the hardest to find due to the size of the human population.”
Adrian nodded. He stood from his chair to head to his personal quarters. “Wake me when he gets back. I need a nap.”
Vincent sat at his desk in the quarters set aside for the general of Hell’s armies and looked over the field reports from the last several months, trying to find anything that would aid Adrian in his search for the traitors. He rubbed the encroaching sleep from his eyes and attempted to focus on the scrawled writing. Nothing made sense to him. He knew each and every one of his knights and could not fathom who may be betraying the throne. There were only a few knights who were not completely accounted for during the removal of the caches, but they were either confirmed dead or still on assignment. Vincent shook his head in defeat. No amount of poring over the paperwork would help him find the culprit. He had already compiled the list Adrian wanted and had sent out the replacements to relieve those women still in the field. All that could be done now was to wait.
There came a knock at his office door, bringing the angel a wanted reprieve from his studious work.
“Enter,” he said, trying to organize the mess into something akin to order.
Anna opened the door and walked in, dressed in the light, yet durable armor of the royal guard.
“Anna,” Vincent greeted with a smile. “What brings you to my office?”
Anna sat in a chair opposite the commander’s desk and folded her hands in her lap. “You sent for me, sir?”
Vincent’s mind went blank for a moment, then he remembered that he had indeed asked for Anna to see him. “Right,” he sighed. “I’ve been a little distracted lately. My apologies. I wanted to take you through the final test before you become a full member of the royal guard.” He rifled through the papers on his desk, searching for Anna’s latest test results. He found it and looked it over once more. “Your combat proficiency is more than adequate for the position, as are your skills at quickly and quietly disarming an attacker.”
Anna smiled at the praise and asked, “What will today’s test cover, sir?”
Vincent looked over the packet again and checked off the completed tasks. “Looks like threat assessment and removal. As you know, our king and queen have many appointments and you will be one of the knights keeping constant vigil over them. This means you need to be able to identify a potential threat before the threat is apparent. Come with me.” Vincent stood and motioned for Anna to follow him. They left the office and made their way through the halls of the tower.
“Your duties will include standing at attention for hours at a time,” the angel explained as they walked. “Boring, yes, but necessary, as you will be in one of the best positions to observe anyone coming or going. In order to become a full member of the guard, you must pass this test. Unfortunately, your magical aptitude came back less than favorable, but that’s exactly why we administer so many tests. We find the perfect position for you based on how you do.” They rounded a corner and entered the main audience hall, where Vincent had secretly planted several false threats in anticipation of this test. It was his highest priority before his brother came to him during his patrol. He had to borrow from Adrian’s assassins to keep it somewhat authentic and to make certain no one involved in the test was already known to Anna. They walked casually through the hall without a word and took up a position near the back of the room. The king and queen were already seated in their thrones and were in talks with a local baron.
Anna looked around the room and mentally noted all entrances and attendees, taking special care to note where her comrades were posted and who in the room was armed. She pointed to a demon near the main entrance.
“Dagger in the small of his back,” she stated quietly. She pointed to another demon closer to the throne. “That one has a pair of daggers strapped to his back under his cloak.”
Vincent nodded, proud of his knight.
“The satyr over there has a blade hidden in his gauntlet, and he has a friend in the far corner who looks like he is waiting for a signal of some sort. There are two others who are unarmed, so I’m assuming they have a magical attack planned?”
“Very good,” Vincent congratulated. Just as he finished speaking, an assassin stepped forward from behind Anna and placed a knife at her throat. “But you missed one.”
Anna’s surprise was genuine, but she kept her composure. “That is why I have teammates,” she replied evenly. She slipped a hand over the assassin’s wrist and twisted it around to bring the assailant to his knees, while unsheathing her dagger. She bent his hand at a right angle and forced his fingers to open, releasing the knife as she brought her dagger to his throat. “But I am not helpless, sir.”
Vincent smiled, clapping Anna on the shoulder. She let the assassin go and helped him up. “Did I pass?” she asked Vincent.
The angel nodded. “You did. Welcome to the royal guard, Anna.”
Adrian awoke in his chambers with his arm wrapped around Zhun, who purred quietly in her sleep. Her catlike features rested peacefully as he extricated his arm and rolled out of bed. He rubbed his eyes and sighed when another knock sounded at his door. “Enter,” he commanded.
Berron, a tall, slender demon with ram-like horns and a thick reptilian tail entered Adrian’s room, his clawed feet clicking on the stone floor. “You asked for me, boss?” he asked.
Adrian nodded, yawning. “Yes.” He motioned for Berron to exit the room with him to let Zhun sleep, and he shut the door. “Has your search turned up anything interesting?”
Berron shook his horned head. “Nothing useful. I checked each cache and found nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Damn…” Adrian sighed. “I was hoping you would have something for me. Oh well. Just means security out there is still working. We have to find these traitors.”
“I agree, boss,” Berron replied. “Who is suspected, so far?”
“Every woman in armor, and all of my lady assassins,” the prince said, shaking his head. “I’m hoping to know more once Loran is done identifying the blood I found.”
“That could narrow it down quite a bit.”
“If it belongs to whoever betrayed us,” Adrian corrected. “Knowing our luck so far, it could belong to the guard posted there who got caught in an attack.”
Berron nodded in agreement. “That is true, my lord. How shall we proceed, then?”
“Find me the false advisor, the one called Drae. He signed off on some falsified reports. He is in on this and he will have the information I need. You’re my best mole, so I need you to infiltrate the royal guard. Find this false advisor and keep a close eye on my parents.”
�
�That sounds mildly treasonous, boss,” Berron stated with a wry grin.
“I know,” Adrian replied. “That’s why I’m trusting you with this mission. Kizrack and I will forge the required paperwork to get you in. Gain what knowledge you can from the rest of the guards and report back to me at the end of each day. My brother has been testing a new recruit lately, and the timing is suspicious. Keep an eye on the new knight. Her name is Anna, and she is my brother’s favorite.”
“That last bit sounds more like a concerned brother trying to protect the knight commander from heartbreak,” Berron quipped.
“Every female knight is implicated in this. Her sudden graduation into the royal guard has me nervous. Besides, my brother is squeamish about getting into relations with a subordinate.”
“Of course, boss,” Berron bowed. “Any other orders before I go?”
“Be careful. You’re useful and I would hate to have to replace you.”
“Yes, sir.” Berron turned and left to rest before his new mission.
Adrian was proud of all of his assassins, but Berron was exceptionally talented, especially when tasked with infiltration and information gathering. Every one of the six assassins Adrian kept as his elites were gifted in a different area of expertise.
The sound of his chamber door opening caused the assassin to turn. Zhun was awake and leaning seductively in the doorway. “Always with the orders,” she purred.
Adrian grinned. “How else will I get you people to do anything around here?”
“Well, I may have one idea,” she said, stretching languidly. “Come, my paramour. You still have a little time before you meet your brother on his patrol. Entertain me.”
“Always with the orders,” Adrian quipped, returning to his chambers.
“Any luck?” Vincent asked Adrian as the assassin stepped up to the low wall overlooking the capitol.
“Not much, unfortunately,” Adrian replied. “I’m itching to kill someone, but I need to be sure it’s the right person.”
“No justice in murder,” Vincent stated flatly.
Adrian nodded. “I was thinking about going to Earth to see if I can find more clues. Care to join?”
“Would that I could, brother. I have pressing matters to attend to here. I just appointed Anna as a new royal guard. I have to stay to oversee her training.”
“Rumors might fly,” Adrian muttered quietly.
Vincent chuckled and shook his head. “I have done nothing untoward.”
“I meant rumors about you being preferential toward men.”
“Is that so offensive?” Vincent asked. “I am not, mind you, but rumors will spread no matter what the misinformation is.”
“Like when the whole kingdom thought I regularly ate humans?” Adrian laughed. “I swear, you eat one person, and they think you just go around killing every human in sight.”
As the brothers laughed at the old rumor, a messenger approached.
“Lord Adrian?” the imp asked.
Adrian turned and nodded. “Yes?”
“Loran sent me to find you, milord,” the messenger stated. “He wishes to speak with you.”
“Thank you,” Adrian replied, tossing a silver coin to the imp as payment. “Enjoy a drink on me.”
The imp bowed thankfully and left.
“Well, brother,” Adrian waved, “hopefully good news awaits. I’ll see you soon.”
CHAPTER SIX
“Give me some good news, Loran,” Adrian said as he walked through the door to the assassins’ headquarters. Zhun lounged on the couch, Kizrack flipped through papers, and Vurga and Cheal sparred in the side room.
Loran grunted and motioned toward the desk he had been working at for the last few days. There sat the stone with the blood droplets and a full report on the findings, written in the large demon’s heavy handwriting.
Adrian picked it up and carefully read through the given information. “This says the blood belongs to a demon woman,” he grinned. “Analysis suggests that the woman is a knight in service to the throne, blah blah blah… I need a name, Loran.”
The big demon motioned for Adrian to keep reading.
“Okay… Says here she has some minor magical abilities, but nothing overly dangerous. Aha! Oh… ah, shit… Victor’s not gonna like this…”
Loran grunted and nodded.
“Well this certainly fouls up the plans a bit,” Adrian sighed. “Well, kids, looks like I’m off to kill a knight.” His casual humor masked his feelings of trepidation and anger. He knew what he was about to do, and he knew how much it was going to crush his brother’s heart. What Adrian did was for the safety of his kingdom. He hoped Vincent would forgive him one day.
Zhun rolled over onto her back and sat up to look Adrian in the eye. “Who are you killing? And why do you get all the fun?”
Adrian held up the report and said, “Her name is Anna. And she’s the newest member of the royal guard. Who knows how close she already is to my parents.” He immediately left the room and made his way to the audience hall, where the king and queen were still presiding over courtly matters.
The assassin stalked the halls of his father’s tower. He had made several trips like this over the years, and every demon and devil present knew that someone was about to die. The audience hall was nearly empty by the time Adrian entered, and he watched his parents get up to leave. Court was over, and they were on their way to the next appointment. The assassin spotted Anna immediately and her eyes locked with his. She was still across the hall, and by the time Adrian made it halfway, the king and queen were safely away.
Adrian drew his sword and calmly walked toward the doomed woman.
“Lord Adrian,” she gasped, “what are you doing?”
“You know exactly what I’m doing, Anna,” the assassin replied evenly. “I am here to put an end to your betrayal.”
“Betrayal? What betrayal?” The words had barely left her lips when Adrian lunged forward, cutting a vicious arc toward her throat.
Metal rang out as the attack was blocked by a third person.
“Out of my way, Vincent,” Adrian growled. “She must be put down for her treason.”
“I can’t let you do that, brother,” Vincent stated. “She is innocent!”
“How can you say that?” Adrian balked, retreating a step.
“She has done nothing wrong. She was not at the weapon cache that day! It was one of your assassins!”
“I’ve already put someone on finding out which of my assassins betrayed our kingdom. She’ll be dead soon, too.”
Vincent put away his sword and shook his head. “You are a fool. Why must death be the only option you see? Is this kingdom not founded on the tenets of justice?”
“This is Hell, Vincent! We’re surrounded by demons, the most predominantly evil beings around! There is no justice here! There is only swift retribution, and I am the one who deals it out.”
“You cannot be serious! Must I be the voice of reason for you? Lay down your sword and let us find the proper evidence together, as we did before I became the knight commander. Let us find exactly who betrayed the kingdom and put them on trial for their crimes. There is no need for killing.”
“Well said, brother, but that woman is already in a position where she can easily kill our parents, and I don’t trust her.”
“So she must die? Is that it? Just because you don’t trust her, she must be killed?”
“Just get out of my way, dear brother, and I will keep her from betraying anyone ever again.”
“I love her.”
“I know you do. But she does not love you. She’s using you to further her own agenda to bring this kingdom to its knees.”
Anna stood petrified until this moment, when the revelation of her commander’s love for her shook her out of her stupor. “My lord?” she asked.
“Sure,” Adrian shouted sarcastically, “I’m here to kill you and that’s what gets your attention…”
Vincent glared at Adrian, but
turned to face Anna and nodded solemnly. “It wasn’t the way I wanted you to find out, but I suppose there’s nothing helping it now. Anna, I-“
Vincent’s words stopped in his throat as a dark blur rushed past him and impacted with Anna. Adrian took the distraction as his opportunity and thrust his jagged sword through her heart. The kill was quick and clean, and she slid off of the blade and onto the floor, her eyes locked with Vincent’s, a pleading stare fading into nothingness.
“It is done,” Adrian stated icily, wiping the treasonous demon’s blood from his sword. “Now, on to the rogue assassin.”
Vincent stood in stunned silence as his brother casually strode away. His hands clenched into fists and an unnatural rage welled up inside him. He slowly turned toward Adrian’s retreating form and a bellow of hatred flew unbidden from his throat. The angel drew his sword and ran for the demon.
Adrian stopped and turned at the scream, but was caught off guard by the sheer anger in the sound. It was almost primal in its ferocity. By the time he registered that Vincent was near him, he felt a burning in his chest. He looked down to see the silver hilt of Vincent’s sword slowly twisting. Dark red blood rolled over the ornate hilt as the twisting blade forced the wound open. Adrian could scarcely believe that his own beloved brother could have done this. He looked up into the angel’s bloodshot eyes and coughed up a gout of blood. He felt himself falling slowly to the floor, as if he were moving through water. Adrian never felt the impact. All he knew was that he was dead, and it was his own fault.
“WHAT?!” Dante shouted when he heard the news. “How did this happen?” he demanded of the messenger.
The imp shifted from one foot to the other, nervously holding its tail. The imp had heard tales of the king’s rage, but had never seen it displayed. It feared for its life. “Knight-Commander V-Vincent, my lord,” the imp stammered. It twisted its tail and winced as the king shouted again.
“Have a squad of knights bring him to me,” Dante commanded. “And bring me my son’s body.”
The Assassin and the Knight Page 5