“I view every life as precious,” I began. “Every person is a gift to this world, but you need to understand that you are not a fucking person to me. You are part of the evil that needs to be cleansed from the land so that decent people can live without fear. I will show you no mercy and no restraint. Your life is utterly meaningless to me.”
I let go of her neck and she fell to the floor gasping for air. As she struggled, I drew my dagger, cut away her mask and ripped open the front of her shirt, exposing her face and the skin of her body to me.
“Who sent you?”
The elven woman’s steely eyes glared back at me full of hate, but she refused to speak, so I reached out and trailed a finger along her neck and sent a thin thread of pleasure into her body. As the sensations creeped into her, she stiffened and tried to resist my impulses, but their effects were simply too much, and a soft moan escaped her lips after only the briefest moment.
Just as she yielded to my power, I cut off the pleasant emotions and abruptly replaced them with a harsh, unfiltered tendril filled with the rage she had kindled in me. Her body was instantly wracked with pain at the sudden and unexpected shift, and even under the limited influence of the tiny portion of my anger that I sent into her, she convulsed with spasms of agony.
“Who sent you, bitch?” I asked her again when I withdrew the tendril.
“What… what are you?” She gasped in confusion as she tried to regain herself.
“I am Dreya Sintári. Didn’t your employer tell you who you were being sent to kill?” I replied coldly.
“Are you going to tell me who sent you, or do we have to start all over?” I said when she remained silent.
My questioning was brought to an abrupt end when Tási, Venna, and the rest of my companions burst into the room. I rose to meet them and halted their advance immediately.
“I’m questioning the prisoner,” I informed them. “She seems a bit reluctant to talk, so this may get ugly.”
“There’s a better place for you to do this than on the floor of your suite,” Khorim offered. “The cells below the Palace are much more appropriate for such things, and there are no rugs on the floor that’ll need to be cleaned up afterwards.”
I saw the wisdom in his suggestion and nodded for him to see to it. Khorim grabbed the assassin’s feet, and Karina grasped her roughly by the shoulders and a few of my guards accompanied Khorim and his entourage as they dragged her away to the cells.
“I didn’t recognize her,” I told the rest of them. “She must have come with the caravan today.”
“I will have Khorim question all of the new arrivals,” Broda replied. “If any of them know anything or can tell us who she might have come with, we need to know.”
When Broda left to catch up with Khorim and make sure he followed up on her idea, I plopped down on one of the chairs and let out a deep sigh. We had just thwarted yet another attempt on my life, and it had nearly cost the lives of two women I counted as friends. I wondered how much farther it would go—how many more attempts we would need to defend against, and how many lives might eventually be lost to assassins’ blades.
“We will need to increase your guard, Sintári,” Stel remarked. “From what Karina told us, even this lone assassin was almost too much for them.”
“Stel,” Venna replied with more than a little irritation in her voice. “That was quite possibly the most unhelpful comment you could have offered right now.”
“Perhaps I should help Khorim question the new arrivals,” Stel offered as he retreated when Tási and Venna continued to glare at him.
“Are you alright, Dreya?” Tási asked when it was just the three of us.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I was honestly able to say. “It’s not really me I’m worried about. It’s you and everyone else I care for that concerns me most.”
“I know that we interrupted your questioning, but were you able to find out anything from the assassin?” Venna inquired.
“Not yet,” I confessed. “But after speaking to Lelan and hearing the venom in her voice, I can’t help but suspect that we have an enemy somewhere in Olóra.”
“I want to be there when you speak with her again,” Tási said, clearly indicating that her statement was no mere request.
“Then I will tell you exactly what I told her,” I replied as I held Tási’s gaze. “She’s nothing but a rabid animal in my eyes, and her life means nothing to me. I’m going to show her no pity, no mercy. If you’re willing to watch what I do to her, then you’re certainly welcome to join me, but the first time you object to anything I do, I’m going to throw you out the fucking door.”
Venna swallowed hard at my harsh words, but she said nothing while Tási only nodded her head, letting me know that she understood my terms.
“Alright,” I said once the matter had been settled. “I intend to let that piece of shit stew until morning. We will begin again then. Hopefully, in the meanwhile she’ll have reconsidered her stubbornness and we can get some answers.”
“Change of subject,” I declared. “Do you know if Lelan has gotten Birt’s accommodations taken care of, Venna?”
“Yes, he has,” Venna replied, clearly relieved to have something different to focus on. “Birt and Wenda have been given rooms on one of the lower floors with adjacent space for his tailoring needs.”
“Perfect,” I responded. “Then we’ll stop by in the morning to finalize his pay and position.”
We discussed a few more minor matters before our conversation came to an end and Venna left to return to her own quarters. When I left my office and entered the receiving area, the bloodstained rugs had already been removed, and a pair of guards were stationed on the inside of the doorway. Karina was waiting with them and informed me of the changes that had been made to my protective detail.
“I’ve added additional security measures, as you can see,” she said as I entered the room. “We were able to determine that the assassin entered through one of the windows, so, from now on, not only will the outside of your chambers be watched, but there will be a constant presence inside as well.”
I arched my eyebrows in response, not at all pleased with the intrusion she proposed.
“Forgive me, Dreya Sintári, but until we move you into your new quarters, it will be necessary to ensure your safety,” Karina held her ground as she responded to my glare. “I assure you that we’re already taking measures to eliminate the need for such impositions in your permanent residence.”
“What exactly are you making me put up with?” I replied as I rubbed my temples.
Karina braced herself and took a deep breath before responding once again.
“A pair of guards have been stationed on both sides of the entrance to your rooms, as you can already see,” she began. “Another pair will be in both your office and personal chambers at all times. Obviously, the pair in your chambers will leave when you are in residence— but they will remain on call should there be an intrusion.”
“And how will this be any different when I move to my permanent residence?” I pointedly asked her.
“Captain Ella is taking care of that issue right now, Dreya Sintári,” Karina replied. “Honestly, I don’t know any more than that. All she told me was that she knew you wouldn’t tolerate the current arrangements for very long, and that she needed to figure out some way to make our presence less intrusive.”
“She’s right on both counts,” I shot back at her. “As for securing my chambers, I should be able to handle that myself.”
I motioned for Karina to follow, and Tási tagged along with a silly grin on her face. She knew exactly what I intended to do and was looking forward to seeing the lieutenant’s reaction.
We blew past the two guards and I went straight to the window. After a quick look outside, I placed my hand against the cold stone of the exterior wall and traced an intricate pattern along its surface. Once I finished, I stepped back and told Karina to take a peek.
The pulsing red outlin
e of the trap I’d placed around the opening greeted her when she poked her head out the window. By the time she pulled her head back inside again, I had already placed a second snare on the inside as well.
“I hope you’ll find my meager efforts to protect myself satisfactory, lieutenant,” I teased her playfully.
“The guards are here under Captain Ella’s orders; I cannot remove them myself,” Karina muttered in response.
“Nor would I have you do so,” I replied. “I understand the need to take precautions. What I’ve done only addresses the methods used by the most recent assassin. There will be others, I’m sure of it; and when they come, we’re going to be as prepared as possible. If any lives are to be lost, I want it to be theirs.”
I stepped back into my office, where the other pair of guards were stationed and placed a second pair of traps around the window there. With both openings protected as well as we could manage, Tási and I retreated to our room for the night while the four guards stationed themselves in my office, just outside our door.
I wasn’t sure just how I’d be able to fall asleep that night—the day’s events had taken me to the highest highs with the arrival of our newest citizens and my long overdue liaison with Venna, to the deepest lows after the attempt on my life and the deaths of my guardswomen, even though they were temporary. As usual, Tási came to my rescue without me having to utter a word.
She gave me a gentle nudge, and I rolled over on my stomach for her. Tási immediately began working away at the knotted bundles of muscle in my shoulders and sent her comforting threads of warm water flowing over me. The combination of her soft touch and the relaxing feeling of the tiny filaments of soothing water flushed away the tensions inside me, and as was always the case when she cared for me in this way, I fell asleep before I knew it with the gentle flow of her peaceful currents washing over me.
18
Stel and Venna joined us in the morning when Tási and I met with Birt. The tailor was more than pleased with the rooms that Lelan had given him for his shop and residence and he greeted us happily when we knocked on his door.
“Come in, come in!” Birt exclaimed. “Please excuse the mess, I’m still trying to organize everything.”
There was quite a bit of fabric simply lying around the place. The shop still lacked anything close to the organization that his wagon had for all of his wares, but it was obvious that he was well on his way to sorting things out. After a few pleasantries, Wenda served us a pot of tea, and we sat down to finish our negotiations. I hadn’t forgotten Birt’s foolish attempt to bargain with me, and I intended to make him pay, if only just a little, for his ill-advised decision.
“The chamberlain has given me a rough idea of what I should expect to pay you for your services,” I began as I infused my words with a tiny trickle of Charisma. “But I’d like to hear your own thoughts on the matter first.”
“Yes, of course,” Birt replied happily. “But perhaps I should also explain what I’m offering as well.”
“First and foremost, you will need a livery for the Palace staff,” Birt began. “Something appropriate for everyone, from the cooks to the cleaners and the highest functionaries.”
“In addition, your Realm already has many different branches to its armed forces,” he continued. “So far, I’ve seen forces manning the Garrison, others assigned to your own personal guard, as well as those who protect your various Ministers, and although I haven’t noticed anything in particular yet, I imagine that the Palace and the fortress that surrounds it will eventually have their own troops assigned to them. Remarkably, none of these various units seem to have any uniforms whatsoever. While their armor is quite impressive, they are in desperate need of something to distinguish themselves from one another.”
“As well as figuring all that out for you, I intend to make sure that you and your Cabinet will have the appropriate attire for any occasion that may arise. I will craft special outfits for each of you and ensure that none of them conflict with each other. In short, you will be the best-dressed leaders at any affair you choose to attend. All I need is to be provided with a fair amount of warning, so that I have enough time to do my work properly. Something that is almost guaranteed for any official state function.”
Birt was certainly offering more than I had thought of, and while we were a long way away from needing most of the services he offered, if we continued expanding as we were, that day would be upon us almost before we knew it. He had laid out a very persuasive argument for a rather hefty salary, one that I wasn’t certain that I was prepared to meet.
“In light of all this,” Birt concluded while I mused. “I would say that covering the cost of my materials, room and board for Wenda and myself, plus a stipend of, let’s say, five Talons per month should cover it.”
I almost choked at the ridiculously low sum Birt quoted me—five Talons was a mere fraction of what the chamberlain thought we would have to offer him, and well below the minimum I had decided to pay him if the influence of my Charisma proved to be too much for him. I had only intended to push him just slightly, and I feared that even the little I’d done might have been far more than I intended when Birt cleared up the mystery for me.
“I’m ready to settle down, Dreya Sintári,” he explained candidly. “My travels have made me a rich man, so I have no real need for more money. The sum I have requested is only a formality, I assure you.”
“You’re hired,” I smiled back at him. “The chamberlain should be able to see to all of your needs, but my door is always open to you.”
We ended our visit with some more small talk, and when I left with Tási, Stel and Venna stayed behind for a while to continue the conversation. A great deal had happened since we last saw Birt and Wenda, and they remained there to fill the couple in on a few of the more important events.
After the near tragedy of the evening before, Karina had remained on duty most of the night, so it was Lieutenant Aiva who was in charge of my protection that morning, and she led us down to the prison beneath the Palace. Finding the failed assassin was easy enough from there, as hers was the only occupied cell. Aiva put up a bit of a fuss when I told her to wait for me outside, but after a stern glare from me, and a direct order from Tási, she finally relented. Once we were alone with the prisoner, Tási unlocked the door to her cell and we stepped inside.
The elf had obviously undergone a very thorough search once the guards had taken her away, as the remains of her black outfit were gone, and she was clad in only a rough spun prison shift that hung loosely over her body. Her blackened eye told me that she had clearly tried to resist the inspection, even though she was bound hand and foot. I had instructed the guards not to hesitate to use any force they deemed necessary when dealing with the assassin, but not to abuse her in any way. My concern in that regard was not for the killer’s well-being—I simply didn’t want to turn my own people into the same kind of animal that this piece of shit clearly was.
As soon as she saw me, the assassin’s eyes briefly lit up with fear before she managed to rein in her emotions and resume her angry glare, but the game had already been lost, and I knew that my tactics had borne fruit; I cast See Truth, and took a seat beside her on the narrow bed where she lay.
She couldn’t help it, and her dread shined in her eyes as I brushed the hair from her face. The bloodthirsty killer actually cringed when my fingers grazed across her skin, making me think that I might need to do very little to get the information I wanted from her.
“Are you ready to talk, sweet thing,” I purred. “Or do I need to persuade you again?”
“I… I can’t,” she replied in genuine terror. “The terms of my contract do not allow it.”
“If you think some piece of paper you signed is going to prevent me from tearing you to pieces from the inside out, you are sorely mistaken,” I responded coldly.
“That’s not what she means, Dreya Sintári,” Tási said from over my shoulder. “Her contract for this assignment com
es with a blood clause. She’s had a spell cast on her that will take her life if she even tries to reveal anything of significance.”
“What can you tell me, then?” I asked her, letting my irritation show plainly. “What do you have to offer that will dampen my desire to ruin you?”
“I… I was sent from the east,” she stumbled. “They do not like your kind there, or any kind save our own.”
“I surmised as much myself,” I said as I laid my hand on the bare skin just below her neck. “I need something far more definitive than that if you don’t want to feel my true power flowing through your pitiful veins.”
She tried to speak, but immediately began to sputter and choke before the words could even form in her mouth. While the magic that had hold of her snuffed out her life, I simply looked on as the light faded from her eyes. When she finally passed, I asked Tási one simple question.
“Now that she’s dead, has she been released from the constraints of the blood clause?”
“Remind me to never piss you off,” Tási responded when she realized my intentions.
“You should already know that by now,” I smirked back at her. “Answer my question.”
“Yes,” she replied flatly. “The spell has run its course.”
“Good.”
I withdrew Death’s Embrace and focused on bringing the assassin back to life. She may have preferred death to what I had in mind for her, but I really didn’t give a shit about her preferences. When her eyes flew open and she saw me still sitting next to her, she flew into a panic, and I happily sent a jolt of pain through her to ensure that I had the woman’s undivided attention.
“You and I are going to talk now,” I said as I held her gaze. “But every time you lie to me, I’m going to make you pay. Do you understand?”
“Please,” she pled with me.
“Listen to me, bitch!” I shouted at her. “I already let you die once. I have no problem killing you a few more times if that’s what it takes to find out what I need to know. Just understand this; your first death today was quick and merciful compared to what I intend to do to you, so either you start talking to me, or I’m going to start killing you.”
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