The Assassin

by Trudie Collins

  The weeks passed quickly for Sam. Kat would not sleep for more than a few hours at a time so Sam was forced to change her routine to fit in with her daughter. As a result, she had no problem switching round her night and day so she could spend more time with Hawk, but she was constantly tired. Hawk offered to look after Kat while Sam slept, but as the child seemed to be constantly hungry, there wasn’t much he could do. When she wasn’t sleeping or playing with her baby, Sam was in the library reading or talking with Hawk or Patrick’s staff. As the days went by she learned much about Hawk’s past and revealed more about her life when she had still been in her own world. She spoke fondly of her time with Dean, when they had lived together and were going to start a family. It made her begin to wonder if it was still possible, but every time her thoughts went down that path she looked at her daughter and knew it could never be.

  When Patrick, Ellen and Dean finally returned, they had a lot to tell Sam. The coronation had gone without a hitch and Remeny now had a new King. Queen Reena, who was now known as the King’s Mother, had changed personality almost overnight. The realisation that Albian had been using her had opened her eyes to how badly she had been treating her sons. She now showed them affection, became helpful and had even stopped trying to persuade Tor that he wanted to spend his life in court. While she still felt he was shirking his duty, she agreed to no longer criticise the way he had decided to live his life.

  Brin had attended, but he was not mentioned until Ellen had Sam alone. Nisse had told him everything, so the first words out of his mouth had been questions about Sam and their daughter.

  “How did he look?” Sam asked, not sure if she really wanted to hear the answer.

  “Not good,” Ellen informed her, deciding she would rather hear the truth. “He is thin and pale and no longer smiles. The spark has gone out of his eyes.”

  Sam nodded. She had been expecting no less, but had been hoping her fears were wrong.

  Ellen went on to tell Sam about Brin and Dean meeting. It had gone surprisingly well. After the initial hostility, they had been pleasant to each other. Though they would never become friends, they would not be enemies.

  Queen Tibia from Auxland was there, attending her first official engagement since regaining control of her country. After the ceremony, Tor and Brodin had taken her aside to discuss her request for them to find her a husband. They made only one suggestion and she happily agreed it was the perfect match. That evening, before the celebrations were complete, she formally announced her engagement to Cirren.

  “Cirren,” Sam exclaimed in surprise.

  “Yes,’ Ellen said, laughing, her bright red eyes sparkling. “He was overjoyed when Brodin told him he had no choice in the matter. It seems he has been unable to get her out of his mind since they met for the second time. She, too, admitted that her feelings for him, though not strong yet, had the potential to become so. They left together to make wedding arrangements.”

  There had been one other announcement to be made before everyone left to return to their homes. In front of a large number of witnesses, Patrick had gone down on one knee and asked Ellen to marry him. She had, of course, said yes, and she proudly showed Sam her ring. She gasped when she saw it.

  “Is that the..?” she asked, unable to finish sentence.

  Ellen knew what she was trying to say and nodded her head. “The gemstone from the Grundel’s lair. Tor let Patrick have it and he had it made into an engagement ring and matching necklace.” She removed a chain from under her bodice as she spoke, revealing the pendant. So much had happened that Sam had completely forgotten that Patrick had announced his plans for the gem while they were still in the centaur city.

  “Congratulations,” Sam said. “I know you both will be truly happy.” Ellen had been in love with Patrick for many years without him noticing, so it was good to see her finally getting what she wanted.

  Time passed and soon the invitations arrived for Cirren and Tibia’s wedding. Sam found it amusing that, unlike the coronation, a joint invitation had been sent to her and Dean. She considered going, but eventually decided that Kat was still too young to travel. This time Dean remained by her side. He did not know Cirren as well as he did Brodin so did not feel the same sense of obligation about attending.

  When Ellen and Patrick returned, they filled them both, as well as Hawk, in on the latest news. Dal and Seth had finally braved visiting her mother and Seth had been welcomed with open arms. Dal had been expecting her brother to try to poison their mother’s mind against the marriage, but he had done the exact opposite, assuring her that Dal was very happy, well cared for and that the marriage was the best thing that could have happened to her. Molly had, however, made the young couple promise to wait a few years before even thinking about having children. Dal was far too young and, in Molly’s eyes, her son-in-law was not yet mature enough to be a father. They both assured her that starting a family was the last thing on their minds and that they would seek her permission before trying.

  Brin had attended the wedding with his new wife. For Sam’s sake they did not pass on any further details and she took the news surprisingly well. She knew it was in the pipeline and hoped that it would make him happy. Dean was thrilled to hear the news and took the opportunity to ask Sam to marry him, but she turned him down, stating that she was too busy with her daughter to even think about taking things further with him. He was disappointed, but accepted her decision, vowing to ask again when the time was right.

  As the weeks passed, Sam and Dean both began to get restless. Although assured by Patrick that they were welcome to stay on his island for as long as they wished, the urge to earn their keep festered and grew within them. Eventually Dean approached Patrick, demanding he give him something to do. Patrick was quite amused and took him on as his apprentice. He had a vast fortune and had invested in many different businesses over the years, so he taught Dean all he knew about managing his finances. Dean was a quick learner and Patrick hoped to eventually be able to hand the running of everything over to him.

  Meanwhile, Sam started to tackle the library. Patrick often complained about never being able to find the books he wanted, so she volunteered to catalogue everything for him. It was a mammoth task and would keep her busy for many months.

  Kat continued to grow, turning from helpless baby to inquisitive toddler. Unlike Dean, Hawk became devoted to her and soon became her favourite uncle. He would take her flying at night, when the weather permitted, and promised to teach her how to read and write when she became old enough.

  Sam and Dean continued to be a couple, but had separate rooms. Initially this was because Kat was waking up so often in the night to be fed that Sam was worried about depriving Dean of sleep, but when she started to sleep for longer periods, Sam never suggested that Dean should move into her room and Dean didn’t put any pressure on her.

  One cold and stormy evening, they were all relaxing around a roaring fire when Willard, Patrick’s butler, surprised them by announcing that a visitor had arrived at the door. Having visitors was rare, but not unheard of. What was strange was the fact that Willard had allowed them onto the island without asking Patrick’s permission.

  All became clear when a familiar figure strode into the room. “Nosmas,” Sam cried out in delight, jumping up and giving the tall, muscular man a hug. “It is so good to see you. Whatever are you doing here?”

  “I received word from Quartilla’s father that he has found husbands for his other daughters so it is now safe for her to return,” he explained once he had greeted Patrick, Ellen, Dean and Hawk. “She made me take a detour so she could see young Katherine.”

  “She is asleep in her room,” Sam explained, “so you will have to wait until morning I am afraid.”

  “Where is Quartilla?” Ellen asked, surprised to find the young lady was not by Nosmas’s side, as she usually was.

  “Mrs Willard took one look at her and sent her for a hot bath. It is raining heavily out there and, though I put a sp
ell on us that was supposed to keep us dry, we still got pretty wet. She should be down shortly.”

  Ellen and Sam left the room in search of Quartilla. If she had been travelling alone with Nosmas she was probably desperately in need of some female company, as well as some descent clothes to wear. While the men drank wine and talked business, the women pampered Quartilla and gossiped.

  Nosmas and Quartilla were only able to stay for a few nights, as she was eager to see her father once more and Nosmas planned to visit his mother before returning to Remeny, but it was enjoyable catching up with old friends and everyone was sad to see them go. They had talked about some of the adventures they had been through together and Sam found herself thinking more and more about how close she and Dean had become towards the end of the quest. They had spent many nights in each other’s arms and she found she missed it. Not long after Quartilla and Nosmas departed, she suggested that he stop sleeping in his own room. He did not need asking twice.

  Sam, Dean and Kat slowly became a family. While he could never be a real father figure for her, he found himself growing to like the young girl and no longer worried that she would come between him and Sam. Sam never referred to him as her father, for which he was grateful, and vowed to tell young Kat the truth when she was old enough to understand.

  When she was approaching eighteen months of age, the domestic bliss that had settled over the castle was disturbed by a visitor. When the bell sounded on the other side of the bridge, Willard did not recognise the person who had rung it and sought out Patrick, who knew at once who she was.

  “Zenda,” he said in greeting when she eventually made it to the castle. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

  “You said I should come to you if ever I needed help.”

  “Of course. What is the problem?”

  “Someone is trying to kill me.”

  Chapter 3

  Of those present, only Dean did not know who Zenda was. He had heard the story about how Patrick had seduced a witch, then abandoned her, resulting in her cursing him with immortality, but had never actually met her. Her spell meant that Patrick could die, but he always came back to life, his body fully repaired. It took the death of Ellen for Patrick to realise that he was capable of dedicating himself to a woman, so Zenda brought Ellen back to life and removed Patrick’s curse. The gratitude he felt far outweighed the hatred he had lived with for centuries and he had promised to make himself available should she ever need his help.

  Dean regarded her critically. She was an attractive young woman, with a slender figure and stunning blue eyes. He had to remind himself that she, like Patrick, was over seven hundred years old, the spell having had the unexpected side effect of making her immortal as well. He was also aware that she had the ability to change her appearance and found himself wondering what she really looked like.

  Once she was seated comfortably in the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her, she told her story.

  Having removed the curse from Patrick, and therefore herself, she decided to return to her home village to grow old peacefully. Things were going well until a stranger arrived. Nizari was a very amiable man in his mid-thirties and claimed to be recently widowed, so was looking to start a new life in a place where there were no memories of his wife. He had trained as a blacksmith and, as the nearest one was three villages away, the local residents welcomed him and helped him to set up a business. He was well liked by everyone and after a few weeks he asked Zenda to join him for dinner at his house. Feeling flattered, she willingly accepted. When she arrived, he was cooking at his stove, brewing up a delicious smelling soup. He chatted to her in a friendly fashion until it was ready to be served, then insisted she try it first. He said it was a new recipe and he wanted to know her thoughts, so she ate a little.

  It tasted as good as it smelled and she greedily took another, larger, spoonful. It was only then that she detected a strange aftertaste. Pain began in her throat and worked its way to her stomach and with horror she realised that she recognised the taste. Kristine, one of the most deadly poisons known to man. It slowly paralyses the victim until they are no longer able to breathe. Death is by asphyxiation and it leaves no trace that the person died of anything other than natural causes.

  When she asked why, Nizari smiled. He knew she was already dead, so saw no reason not to explain everything to her. He was an assassin for hire, an ex-member of the guild who now sold his services to the highest bidder. He had been hired to dispose of a number of people and Zenda was on his list. All deaths must appear to be accidents or natural causes; nobody was to suspect that murder was involved. He refused to say who had hired him and when she asked for the others names, his reply shocked her.

  While keeping track of Patrick, monitoring in case his attitude towards women changed, Zenda had decided to join Vitkin’s team on the quest for a while, leaving when it became evident that there was little chance of meeting up with Tor’s team. Every name she recognised had also travelled with Tor’s brother.

  “What?” Patrick exclaimed in surprise. “Why would somebody want to kill those who had helped Vitkin? It makes no sense.”

  “How did you escape?” Ellen enquired. “I know there is an antidote for Krentine, but how did you manage to administer it to yourself?”

  “Luckily I know a spell that will slow down the effects,” Zenda explained. “When it was dark enough, Nizari carried me back to my house, thinking I was already unable to move. He placed me on the kitchen floor, where someone would find me eventually and think that I had collapsed and died. The next morning he intended to alert everyone to the fact that I had not shown up for dinner and there had been no reply when he had come looking for me. He had left me alone earlier to make sure someone saw him going to my house supposedly looking for me.”

  Zenda drank some of her coffee before continuing. “As soon as I was alone, I prepared the antidote. It took a few hours to take effect, during which time I lost the use of my legs for a short period. As soon as I was able, I packed my bags and left, travelling at night and avoiding the main roads in a bid to pass by unnoticed. My house would have been found empty when searched so Nizari knows, or at least suspects, that I am still alive and I have no doubt that he will try to kill me again if he ever finds out where I am.”

  “You can stay here as long as you wish,” Patrick assured her. “It is unlikely anyone knows you are here and this is one of the hardest places to get into unless myself or one of my staff know you.”

  “Albian managed it,” Dean observed.

  “Or unless you are a magic user, I was going to add before you so rudely interrupted me,” Patrick snapped at him, before returning his attention to Zenda. “Do you think this Nizari person knows how to use magic?”

  Zenda shook her head. “If he did, I think he would have tried something other than poison on me.”

  “Then you are as safe here as anywhere.”

  “Oh my god,” Sam suddenly exclaimed. “Vicky.”

  “Who is Vicky?” Dean asked.

  “Nosmas’s mother. She travelled with Vitkin when Nosmas was turned into a werewolf and she thought he was dead. We have to warn her.”

  “You are right,” Zenda said. “When Nizari was nice enough to let me know who he had already killed, her name was not mentioned. During my journey I made some discrete enquires and managed to find out that some of the people he had named are indeed dead, all allegedly by accidents. The others I could not trace.”

  “Then there is no time to waste. Nosmas is on his way to visit his mother. Can we get a message to him? She is still staying at the village next to Dathos’s keep.”

  “Send a bird,” Dean suggested. “Tie a note to its leg then Sam or I can give it directions and a description,” he continued. They both possessed the ability to speak with animals, a side effect of the spells that had brought them from their own world.

  “Good idea,” Patrick said. “Go find a suitable messenger and I will write the note. I will i
nstruct him to bring her directly here.”

  Soon the warning was winging its way to Nosmas. “I just hope it arrives before he leaves the village,” Sam said as she watched the bird fly high into the air and disappear from sight.

  The following day the rest of the names on the assassin’s list were discussed. Zenda could only remember those who had travelled with Vitkin at the same time as herself. Most of them were already dead and she had no idea how to track down the others. Eventually it was decided that they should try to get messages to them anyway and Patrick travelled to the mainland to hire someone to seek them all out.

  As there was nothing else to be done while waiting for news from Nosmas, life began to settle down in the castle. One day, over breakfast, Zenda noticed the ring Ellen was wearing and enquired when the wedding was to be.

  “Maybe next year,” Ellen informed her. “We are in no hurry. With Sam giving birth, Brodin being crowned and Cirren getting married in such a relatively short space of time, we thought we should leave it a while before giving everyone an excuse to get together once more.”

  “Besides,” Patrick added with a sly look at Sam. “There may be another couple who wish to make it down the aisle before us.”

  Sam kicked him hard beneath the table, but this did not stop him chuckling.

  Weeks passed with no word from Nosmas and they were all beginning to worry that their message had not reached him when a letter arrived. It was not, however, from Nosmas, but from Nisse, informing them that Brin’s wife had given birth to twin boys. The letter was addressed to Ellen and she debated for a while about letting Sam know, but eventually decided it was best not to keep secrets from her.

  Outwardly she took it well, pretending to be happy for him, but when she was alone she burst into tears. She hated the fact that the two boys would be brought up by their father but her daughter would never get to meet him, but there was nothing she could do about it that would not cause even more heartache for those involved. Dean sensed that there was something wrong, and guessed the cause, but did not ask Sam about it, knowing that she would talk to him when she was ready.