But where was Fumiko?
In answer, she leaped from behind a crate sitting beside the departing barge, planting herself between the attackers and the departing vessel. She held her sword before her in both hands, using a defensive form I did not recognize.
Lilith swapped her knife for her sword as she ran and raised it high. Fumiko held her stance, her expression emotionless. Just before they impacted, Lilith switched to another form, but Fumiko followed, swiftly altering her own to match, countering it perfectly.
Lilith stepped back in shock. She frowned and launched herself again, raining down blows only to have Fumiko counter each one.
Wort ran past the fighting pair heading for the barge. I leaped toward him in a flying tackle and knocked him to the ground. I tried to pin him from behind, but he was too strong. He threw me off, and before I could react, grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off my feet. Wort pulled his sword back to finish me off.
Suddenly, Cabrina was next to us, tugging on his massive arm. “Please Lord, spare him,” She begged.
Wort glared at her. I tried to tell her to run, but his grip was so tight, I could only make choking sounds.
Then she did the strangest thing.
She kneed him in the groin.
Wort gave a surprised ‘oof’ and crumbled to his knees.
“Get on the barge!” yelled Fumiko. Still rapidly exchanging blows with Lilith. They were evenly matched, with neither being able to advance or get away from the other.
I grabbed Cabrina’s hand and ran for the barge. We managed to leap aboard just as it was pulling away. Fumiko and Lilith continued to fight as we backed away from the docks. A bargeman was trying hard to push us out using a long pole, while another was hastily trying to raise a sail.
I looked on helplessly as the two women fought. The distance between the dock and the barge was slowly increasing. As I measured the gap with my eye, there was no way Fumiko could make it.
Just then, Fumiko gave a spinning kick toward Lilith’s face. Not expecting it, the other woman staggered back, giving Fumiko the chance she needed to break away. She took off running in our direction with Lilith in fast pursuit.
Standing now, but with still wobbly legs, Wort made a grab for Fumiko, but missed. Lilith slowed, confident her prey had nowhere to go. She and Wort spread out to trap her against the edge. There was no way she could jump the growing gap.
But Fumiko didn’t slow down. Instead, she put on a burst of speed as she approached the edge of the dock.
I quickly moved to the corner of the barge closest to the edge and braced myself in the hope I might be able to catch her. But I didn’t see how.
Everyone on the boat held their breath as she approached the edge at full speed. My eyes went wide as I felt a sudden pull of myst. Then Fumiko leaped high into the air, the jump carrying her higher than should be possible. And of course, it was. But not if one used their myst to boost their jump.
With arms wheeling, she sailed toward the barge for a full two heartbeats before crashing into me and knocking me to the deck. As she lay atop me, trying to catch her breath, she leaned up and kissed me on the cheek. “I haven’t fought like that in a while.” Then she realized what she had just done and blushed. “Apologies... I forgot myself.”
I helped her up, and we looked toward the docks. Lilith and Wort were standing at the edge of the wharf glaring at us. Lilith turned to Wort and shoved him. I couldn’t make out the words, but I don’t think it was anything nice.
A group of the Royal Guard trotted out from a side street, no doubt alerted to the fight happening on the wharf. Lilith and Wort took off in the opposite direction, but not before Lilith gave us one last look.
It seemed to say, this is not over.
Our progress upstream was faster than I had expected but slower than we needed. The dock men would pole us through the slower currents, use the sails if the wind was right, or would pull out paddles if they had to. They kept a small fire in an iron pot in the center of the barge, which we positioned Zofie close to. My heart ached when I looked at her and saw her impassive face staring out into the distance. I tried to make sure she was as comfortable as I could make her and constantly fretted over her being too hot or too cold.
After we were sure Lilith wasn’t an immediate threat, Fumiko had settled down with her cloak tightly wrapped around her, pulled her hood up, and went fast asleep. These fights seemed to take a lot out of her. When I considered it, it must be hard using your myst while fighting. It was no doubt exhausting. And that jump. It took a lot of myst to physically move an object, so she had likely drained herself.
Spraggel chatted amiably with the bargemaster, and they discovered they had several acquaintances in common.
Which left Cabrina. She quietly sat close to Zofie without saying a word. But her eyes were going everywhere—watching the bargemen going about their work, observing the passing riverbank, even just staring up at the cold blue sky above.
I sat down beside her, and she gave me a guarded look.
“I think you know what I’m going to ask,” I said softly.
She didn’t say anything.
I sighed. “Why did you help us? Why didn’t you try to get free?”
She shrugged. “I explained before. I have no directives, so I try to do what the Cabrina inside wants. And she wanted to protect you and the princess. She feels guilty for the harm we have done.”
I considered her for a moment. “What did Lilith do to you when she took your hand.”
Cabrina looked at me sadly and then glanced away in shame. “She overrode my will. I am unnamed and of low cothe. There is no way I can resist someone so ancient.” She shivered, and I didn’t think it was from the cold.
“Any idea on what her... directives are?”
Cabrina glanced back up at me. She shook her head. “No, I only know what I’ve overheard. But she has to be looking for this key too.”
“Was she one of the those that helped you... perfect your host?”
Cabrina shook her head. “No. While one was a man and the other was a woman, their bodies were younger.” She glanced at Zofie. “I also don’t think Lilith knows the princess is like this.”
I nodded. I had gotten that same impression.
She continued. “Which means she wasn’t behind it.”
I frowned. “Then this isn’t a two-way struggle. We have a third party involved.”
Cabrina gave a most girl-like sigh. “I would agree with your conclusion.”
I looked away in thought. A third party. Another group competing with Lilith. This did not bode well. I had thought the Dark Avenyts were united in their thinking. But perhaps they were more human-like than we thought and had groups with conflicting interests.
In the brownish water beside us, a double-handful chunk of ice floated past. I glanced at Cabrina, who was studying the ice intently. I almost felt sorry for her. Not only was she disposable, but she was treated like a slave to the others of her kind. I shook my head. Regardless, she was a Dark Avenyts. I had to be careful I didn’t begin to trust her.
I decided to try a different tact. “Perfecting. You said the Dark Avenyts possessing Risten had perfected her. You’ve also said that about yourself. Perfecting means to make better. How can stealing someone’s body make them better?”
Cabrina turned her focus on me. “We do not steal their bodies. We form a partnership with them. We were created to help our hosts be better than they naturally are. We provide them with knowledge, skills, and perspective that they would not normally have.”
“Even if the person doesn’t want it.”
She smiled. “How can they not want to be perfect?”
I considered her for a moment. “Can I speak with Cabrina? The one inside? Without you... perfecting her?”
She gazed at me for several moments. I could almost hear the whispers of an internal conversation going on. The odd thing was, she didn’t blink the whole time.
“Yes,” she fi
nally said. “She will speak with you as long as you promise not to yell at her. She’s afraid you hate her.”
“She’s a victim. How could I possibly think that about her.”
Cabrina leaned forward and touched my arm. “And she is extremely shy. Please be gentle with her.”
And then Cabrina’s expression changed. I had seen this before, but it still amazed me. The very barest change in expression, the slight curve of her lips, the way she held her eyes. I couldn’t say for sure what it was, but a completely different personality animated her features.
She immediately looked down, and her hands began to fidget. “I-I-I am... sorry. W-w-we’ve c-caused so much trouble.”
My eyes went up in surprise. She had a pronounced stutter. No doubt made even worse by what had happened to her.
I shook my head and gave her a gentle smile. “There is nothing for you to apologize for.”
She gave her head a small shake. “I should have tried h-h-harder to stop her. I told her not to do it.” Still looking down, she glanced up before returning her gaze to the deck. “B-but she c-couldn’t stop. She had to follow the orders.” She drew herself in tighter. “I should have tried harder.”
I reached across and touched her hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll get that Dark Avenyts off of you as soon as we can.”
She looked up in horror. “P-p-please don’t hurt her. She’s not so bad. I w-wouldn’t be able to see all this if it w-wasn’t for her.” Her gaze quickly returned to the deck. “I’m not the b-bravest person, and I have this stupid stutter. Even though my father made me apply for the p-princess’s school, my fear is so bad I w-wouldn’t have been able to show up.” She squirmed in her seat. “B-but she helped me. Told me w-what to do. Calmed my fears.” She slowly shook her head. “I’ve never had a c-close friend before. One I could talk with and share secrets. And... and she’s almost become one.”
I was shocked. “But it’s a Dark Avenyts?” I said, a little more harshly than I intended.
Her eyes widened in sudden terror...
And then she was gone.
I could tell control had shifted. The Dark Avenyts inside of her was back. Cabrina sighed. “I told you not to scare her. You made her cry, and now she’s gone to her deep dark place.”
I leaned closer. “What have you done to the girl inside you to make her trust you so?”
She frowned. “I haven’t done anything. You, on the other hand, scared her.”
What?
She leaned forward. “You don’t understand. She’s had it pretty tough over the last year, and her stutter is only part of it. Puberty came late for her, changing her overnight from a skinny girl to a pretty young lady. Unfortunately, the young lady attracted the attention of one of the bastard soldiers raiding their farm. Her father ended up with a broken arm and a cracked head in stopping him. And on top of that, she’s just come into her myst abilities—which she hates. Her neighbor, about her age, went missing during the summer, disappearing to Creator knows where like all the other myst users in town. She keeps wondering why her powers came so late and why she survived, but her neighbor didn’t.” She paused, her expression stern.
I didn’t know what to say.
She continued. “You still don’t understand, do you? She’s eat up with guilt, Sir Coren. In her view, it’s all her fault. That she’s caused nothing but trouble for her loved ones and that everyone hates her. When I came along, she had already picked out the tree she planned to hang herself from.” She sat back and folded her arms. “So be nice to her. If anyone deserves to be treated kindly, she does.”
I blinked at her. Being scolded by a Dark Avenyts was not how I expected this conversation to go.
She stood. “So please excuse me, Sir Coren. I need to talk to my host for a bit.” She turned and made her way toward the front of the barge, seating herself on a tall crate and gazing out at the water.
Still reeling from my conversation with Cabrina, I decided a talk with Spraggel might be in order. Cabrina was not acting like any of the few Dark Avenyts I had encountered.
I turned to Zofie and checked that she was warm enough. My movement must have disturbed Fumiko, because she opened her eyes and sat up, quickly taking in her surroundings. She yawned.
“Is Zofie all right?” she asked.
I nodded and squatted beside her. “She hasn’t changed. I just keep checking to make sure she isn’t too hot or too cold. I’ve been changing her position about every quarter-hour.”
She nodded and yawned again.
I looked down. “Thank you again for saving us. You really are skilled. You were fantastic back there.”
She looked up at me a moment—her face unreadable. “And you are terrible. We’re going to have to do something about your skills before you get us all killed. As her knight, you’re supposed to be responsible for protecting the princess.”
I looked down. “I know. I thought I had gotten a little better. In time, I will catch up.”
She squinted at me. “Time is something we don’t have.”
I got a little miffed, my voice rising. “And how am I supposed to change that? I practice every day. I’m doing the best I can.”
Fumiko considered me for a moment. “The best you can do is not good enough.”
I frowned in disgust. “Then what am I supposed to do?”
Fumiko looked at me levelly. “We’re going to have to cheat.”
CHAPTER NINE
A Lesson
Shared
We made good progress up the river and arrived in Dunomhir in only five days. To save time, as well as maintain our security, we slept on the boat and only went ashore for supplies. Thankfully we did not see any more of Lilith or Wort, but I was afraid that was only temporary.
It was late afternoon when we stepped off the barge, so we sought out an inn to pass the evening. There had been little to do while traveling other than sit. But it was tiring none the less. Not only did we have to stay alert for any sign of pursuit, but there was also the need to keep a constant eye on both Zofie and Cabrina. Zofie to make sure she was warm, fed, and had her other needs taken care of. And Cabrina to make sure she didn’t fall out of the boat while examining a leaf in the water.
The bargemaster recommended the Thirsty Boar, one of the few inns still open in the town. Dunomhir was smaller than Iron Landing and had done even worse under Wynn’s rule. It had gotten so bad that open rebellion had broken out, which was put down with the full might of the royal army. The evidence was in the several burned-out buildings we passed as we made our way into town.
The inn itself had seen better days, but the proprietor was delighted just to have customers and did his best to make us welcome. We later learned we were his first overnight guests in a week, and only a few locals would buy his admittedly heavily watered ale.
Rooms presented a minor problem. I didn’t trust Fumiko to be alone with Cabrina, and I needed Fumiko’s help with Zofie. Plus, both of us had to keep an eye on the Dark Avenyts.
So we decided to let Spraggel have his own since he snored worse than a storm in high summer. For the others, Fumiko and I thought it best if the rest of us stayed together. Although it meant I slept on the floor again.
After Zofie was bedded down and Cabrina sound asleep, Fumiko came to me as I knelt on the floor arranging my blankets.
“Coren, may I speak with you for a moment.”
I looked up at her, puzzled at her unusual formality. She knelt across from me, her expression one of resignation. The room’s single myst lantern shed a dim light, leaving the room cast in shadows. One fell across Fumiko’s face only partially illuminating it and giving her eyes a strange sparkle.
While I tried not to notice, Fumiko was really an attractive woman. I had seen her draw the eye of many a young man. Rourke himself was proof of that. But she ignored the attention. The fact she rarely smiled spoke to something in her past that had hardened her heart. I couldn’t help but wonder what tragedy had caused it.
She sat back on her heels, back perfectly straight, and put her hands in her lap. “Coren, I have been thinking of how to quickly improve your fighting skills. While they will work against an untrained attacker, they are...” she searched for the right word. “Insufficient to protect against someone of medium skill, and especially against the princess’s cousin.”
I sighed. “I know. Before Risten was possessed, she told me the same thing. I’ve been practicing, but I don’t know what else to do?” I hung my head. “Maybe we should find someone that can better protect her.”
Fumiko took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “There is a way to quickly get the skills you need.”
My eyes went wide. “How?”
She licked her lips, looking very uncomfortable. “There is a technique to speed up your training. It is a closely guarded secret and requires a significant amount of myst to do it. But I was trained in its use. However...” She paused, searching my eyes. “It is forbidden.”
I gave her a puzzled look. “Forbidden? You mean as in not a good idea, or forbidden as in you’ll be hanged?”
She gazed at me levelly. “Both. Not only are there risks with the process, but it is also forbidden by the Council of Sages. They have the power to execute anyone caught using it.”
I leaned forward. “And what is this secret technique? How could it possibly help me?”
She looked down. “I can transfer my sword skills directly from my brain into yours.”
I considered her. “Zofie has shared her memories with me before. It was a little disorienting, but it didn’t seem dangerous. Is this technique something similar?”
She rubbed her palms on her thighs. “It is similar in process, however not in scope. You see, sharing the memory of an experience is simply putting the sights and sounds of that into your head. It’s the same as listening to a story or reading it from a book. But transferring a skill is different. It resides not just in your head, but also in the organs, nerves, and muscles of your body. So all of those must be transferred too.”
Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) Page 12