The Immortal Walker

by McKellon Meyer

  The Fourth City palace was smaller than that of the Second City, more like a large, ornate compound than a palace. Kaislyn didn’t know the guards at the first gate she found. It was a large entrance and through the closed bars, she could see the courtyard on the other side doubled as stables. Perfect.

  She tried to smile at the three guards on duty. They looked back at her, faces wooden. She wasn’t in a mood to make friends or try a trick with them.

  Girl, she’s going to attract a lot of attention either way.

  She licked dry lips. “My horse is from the Second—er, the Ti-em palace stables so I guess it goes here?”

  One of the guards stepped forward and examined the royal colors of the horse’s bridle and saddle. “Who are you and why do you have a royal horse?”

  “My name’s Kaislyn. My parents are the Royal Assassins Drazan and Sveka.”

  The first guard, in the process of taking her horse’s reins, froze. “That is not something to jest about.”

  “No, I should think not. They’re still here, aren’t they? Would you send someone to tell them I’m here too?”

  The guards didn’t move.

  Kaislyn looked between them. “Or the royal captain? It’s still... it’s still Zarif, right?”

  A slow nod this time.

  “Except I think he’ll be mad at me so...”

  “You got Zarif mad at you?” echoed the second guard.

  “If you’d rather, you could get Nisken,” Kaislyn tried. “Actually, maybe you should tell him instead of the others. He’s definitely going to be mad that I’m here. If you told him that I’ve come to apologize and to, um, tell him the truth, that might help.”

  Why were they all staring at her like that now?

  “Is there anyone not mad at you?”

  “I... don’t know. Probably not.”

  One of the guards’ lips moved, silently repeating her last words.

  “Tell you what,” Kaislyn said, forcing cheerfulness into her voice. “Tell Nisken that I’m listening to him and that I’m waiting near the old pyramid. That should be far enough away, don’t you think?”

  “Why...” the first guard began and stopped. “All right. We’ll tell him. You don’t look like bait for an assassination attempt.”

  Kaislyn smiled despite herself. “Why be bait when you can be the actual assassin?” Turning, she kept herself to a respectable walk until she was out of sight of the guards. Then her nerve broke and she ran.

  Stupid! Nisken wasn’t going to do anything. Not really. It was just being in this city again. That was all. She held her breath as she ran, alert to any strange sound behind her. Was it her imagination or were there shouts now? Were the guards chasing her?

  Hezere’s guards?

  That wasn’t right. Hezere was gone.

  Kaislyn ran faster. She left the streets and cut across the sprawling gardens that spread out along the fourth side of the city. Lining the main avenues of the gardens were large, once perfectly carved, blocks. Remains of the pyramid that had stood in the middle of the gardens.

  Priests.

  Kaislyn ran faster.

  She sprinted down a slight slope, past two towering statues, and into a quiet, dusty canyon. The Royal Wadi. She didn’t slow until she was well down the wadi road and out of sight of the entrance. She collapsed on the ground, clutching her side and coughing.

  “Blazes, I can’t even run anymore. Blast those colds.”

  “I am really beginning to wonder why your name is not the Immortal Runner?”

  Kaislyn squinted against the sun. In the bright light of day, the Dead looked less real than at night. Not transparent, but... almost.

  “You could sit or move so I don’t go blind looking at you.”

  “I am permitted to sit in my own domain? How gracious of you.” The Dead sat anyway, settling comfortably on the ground near Kaislyn, tucking legs under the folds of a pristine white dress.

  Some things never change, Kaislyn thought, as the Dead removed the gold mask and she looked into the familiar, cool face of Athalia.

  “So, what sort of guards are you running from today? Has my granddaughter had enough of you already?”

  “No. I haven’t, um, seen her yet. It was Hezere’s guards.”

  Athalia’s eyebrows rose. “My brother is long gone. As are his annoying little pets, Kaislyn.”

  While she knew Ikaros was Hezere’s father, it hadn’t once occurred to her that it made Hezere and Athalia brother and sister. It surprised her that Athalia, as proud and aloof as she was—is—even acknowledged the existence of such a relationship.

  Kaislyn shook her head, trying to banish thoughts of Ikaros’ family. “I panicked and once I started running I couldn’t stop reliving that night. I haven’t been here since then. How does Raina do it? How does she live here after everything that happened to her?”

  “You could ask Ariana yourself,” Athalia replied.

  Very few people called Raina by her birth name. It might be her official name as queen, but it was rarely used, even in formal settings. Most people were too awed to refer to her as anything less than ‘the Phoenix Queen.’

  She looked away from Athalia. “I’m scared to face another phoenix ruler. I’d much rather hide in the mountains forever.” She wiggled a foot into the loose dirt. “I managed against Ikaros. Eventually. But I’ve been dealing with him for years. He’s familiar. I don’t know what to expect from Raina.”

  “There is a significant difference between Ariana and the old king. She does not want to kill you. Yet.”

  Kaislyn darted a glare at the former queen.

  “You are a curious creature, Immortal Walker. You jest and mock. You die in unpleasant ways and it makes you laugh. You insult and swear at anyone who annoys you or gets in your way, but you then proceed to do exactly as you please anyway. You dethroned the old king! You terrified the Demon King! And you are afraid of a phoenix ruler? It is every phoenix ruler who should be afraid of you, Kaislyn.”

  “That’s what I’ve become, isn’t it?” Kaislyn said in a hollow voice. “Someone to fear and hate.”

  “You are unpredictable but that is not a bad thing. Your parents are unpredictable. They spent a large part of their lives feared and hated. The consequences of your inheritance is sometimes subtler than simply dying in creative fashions.”

  Kaislyn sighed. “I guess.”

  “Looking for pity now? Go away. You are ruining a perfectly nice day and I had other things to do.”

  “Like what?” Kaislyn began to smile.

  “Guarding my tomb against robbers.”

  “No one would dare take something from you.” Kaislyn rose to her feet.

  “Ariana did. But she put my treasures to good use so I don’t begrudge her a few tokens.” Athalia walked with Kaislyn to the entrance of the wadi. “Have fun, Immortal Walker.”

  “Oh, yes,” Kaislyn muttered. “Interacting with your family has always gone remarkably well for me.”

  Athalia laughed behind her.

  Crossing back toward the city proper, Kaislyn was not surprised at all to see Sveka sitting on the last stone block that marked the end of the gardens and the start of the city again. Her mother rose to her feet with a shake of her head.

  “You like to be as dramatic as your father, don’t you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The guards at the gate panicked when you said you were the Royal Assassins’ daughter. They didn’t know what to do. If you were telling the truth, they’d just insulted us by not letting you in, and if you were an imposter, they had the prospect of getting their hides flayed by Drazan for not being able to recognize one. And then you magnanimously offer Nisken as an acceptable substitute. As if Nisken is a safer choice. Drazan is still laughing.”

  “I thought I’d try to be polite and direct,” Kaislyn protested.

  “Which also happens to be your father’s preferred approach to problems. Well, his politeness tends to be poorly disguised sarcasm
, but you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  Kaislyn swallowed. “Does Nisken know I’m here?”

  “We’ve had a few words,” Sveka replied ambiguously. “I believe you’re the only person beyond Drazan who can provoke Nisken into losing his temper. I shouldn’t worry about him. He’s not angry at you anymore. Or, not enough to do something dramatic.”

  How much did Sveka really know? She seemed to be in a good mood. Talk to her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  It was not what she’d intended to say, but now that the words were out, she realized they were what she wanted to say.

  Sveka looked down at her. “For what?”

  “For... everything. For being difficult.”

  “You are Drazan’s child.”

  “And for lying so much.”

  “As I said, you’re Drazan’s child.”

  Sveka’s responses made Kaislyn feel worse. “I’ve been fighting with Ikaros.” She focused on the grass at her feet. “I inherited the immortal part of the Serpent House.”

  “I know. You are my child after all,” Sveka replied, sadly.

  The grass turned blurry and Kaislyn blinked to clear her vision. “How? I never told anyone. Was it Mael? That treacherous, slimy...” She turned, half expecting to see his horrible, orange eyes glinting at her from the grass.

  “I don’t interfere between you and Mael,” Sveka said, momentarily amused. “You’re both old enough to sort things out yourselves.”

  “Grehesh?”

  “You’ve always been careless, Kaislyn. You get that from Drazan, too. You aren’t the only one who had personal dealings with the Sorcerer.”

  Kaislyn took a step back to look at Sveka, at her hard face, at her strangely bright eyes. Just how much had Ikaros said during her enslavement? Tormented her about a child that didn’t exist yet?

  “I’m sorry for that, too.”

  “Don’t be,” Sveka shook her head. “You aren’t responsible for that creature’s actions. You are responsible for your own. And I,” she smiled at Kaislyn, “am very proud of them.”

  “Even after what I did to Zarif? And Raina?”

  “Ah, well, that is between you and them, isn’t it?” Sveka jerked her head at the city and started walking.

  “When did you get back?”

  “A few days ago.”

  “Did you find Hezere? Is he here?” Kaislyn struggled to keep her voice nonchalant. If he was in the city, she was running back to the mountains until he left again. Or, better yet, died.

  Sveka shook her head. “No.”

  Was she deliberately being ambiguous again? That didn’t exactly answer her question. Sveka continued before Kaislyn could press her. “By the way, I wouldn’t tell Drazan about you and Zarif. He won’t react calmly and I like Zarif. He’s far more sensible than the rest of us.”

  “I haven’t... we aren’t...”

  Sveka snorted and said nothing else, content to leave Kaislyn red in the face and tongue-tied.

  The guards at the gates were very polite when they arrived, bowing them through.

  “They’ll be painfully courteous for a while,” Sveka commented as she led Kaislyn across the courtyard and into an airy, open hallway. “Try not to harass them too much.”

  “I would never harass a guard,” Kaislyn said solemnly.

  Sveka smiled again. Kaislyn wondered if it was some kind of record. “Rooms have already been prepared for you. You’ll want to freshen up. Nisken and Raina will expect to see you shortly.”

  “Sure. I’ll just...”

  “That way,” Sveka pointed down a hall. “Two lefts, up a flight, last door on the end.”

  Kaislyn got lost after a second set of stairs mysteriously appeared after her two turns. She wandered through a small courtyard of bare dirt and followed her nose to what she hoped were the kitchens. She cut across a second courtyard, this one a sharp contrast to the first one with crafted miniature waterfalls, sun-blocking fruit trees, and a dark underbrush of low flowers, and nearly crashed into Zarif in the next hallway.

  He was dressed formally in red and brown seemed as astonished to see Kaislyn as she was him. Judging by the smell, she guessed he’d just come from the kitchens and an early dinner.

  Kaislyn swallowed hard and forced herself to make eye contact with him. After his initial surprise, his face had returned to its customary blankness.

  “I heard you’d turned up. No one else would make such a scene with my poor guards.” Zarif looked her up and down. “You’ve been sick.” It was not a question.

  “Guilty conscious,” she tried to joke.

  He shook his head. “I suspect it’s recklessness. You don’t take very good care of yourself. There’ll be a game in the kitchen later tonight. If you’re interested,” he added over his shoulder as he resumed his walk down the hallway.

  Kaislyn stared at his retreating form and then ran after him. She had to jog to keep up with him. “I’m gone for months after leaving you in that, um, mess, and your only response when I get back is to observe I’ve been sick? Then you invite me to a game as if nothing’s happened?”

  “So?”

  “Why do you have to be so blasted nice all the time?”

  Zarif stopped walking. “Excuse me?” The corners of his lips twitched.

  “You heard me,” Kaislyn cried, suddenly furious. “You should be mad at me! Or sulking or something!”

  “Sulking? Why would I sulk? Did you hope to find me in a rage after you so rudely left me alone in Ti-em to clean up after your debacle with Ikaros? Or were you hoping for a fit of jealousy over your lengthy stay in Ir-Ime with your male thief friend?”

  “Any normal person would be! What’s wrong with you?”

  Zarif smirked at her. “So now you’re mad at me for not being mad at you. And I’m supposed to be the jealous one here?”

  “Why can’t you get mad like everyone else!” Kaislyn shouted at him.

  “Most things are not worth getting mad over,” Zarif shrugged.

  “You big, thick—”

  “Rock?” Zarif suggested.

  Kaislyn glared at him.

  Very slowly, a smile began to form across Zarif’s face. “Blazes, I did miss you.”

  “Then why haven’t you kissed me, you stupid guard?” Kaislyn demanded. The words were barely out before Zarif’s mouth was on hers. His hands cradled her face, holding her still as he kissed her.

  Jaden’s kisses had been light and fun. Zarif’s required all of Kaislyn’s attention, attention she was more than happy to give.

  Zarif wrapped his arms around her, pinning her comfortably against himself.

  “I like it when you smile,” Kaislyn said a few moments later.

  “Kissing you will do that,” Zarif said and did so again. He leaned back against the wall without letting go of her. He still smiled at her, that amused, wry smile she’d only seen once before that made his eyes shine and his face crinkle into life instead of its customary blankness.

  “I was born too early in the mountains,” Kaislyn burst out.

  Zarif blinked in surprise. His arms tightened a little around her.

  “I guess that’s why I’ve always felt I could do whatever I want in the Five Cities.”

  Truly? Or was that simply her parent’s example?

  Both.

  “Ikaros isn’t just immortal. He can move through different years, but so can I. I was trying to find a way to kill Ikaros permanently. That’s why I was in the Second City so much. I was, um, visiting Athalia in her Second City before she was queen. Ikaros was king and he was trying to kill her. Well, then. Not now obviously. That’s why he whipped me so badly. I was interfering with his rule.”

  She couldn’t tell what Zarif was thinking. His face had gone blank again but he didn’t let go of her either.

  “I was eight when I met Ikaros for the first time. That would be... nine years ago for you, but it’s been much longer for me now. Ikaros tricked me into getting trappe
d in the Fourth City. Only, the thing is, it was the Fourth City under Tecwyn. I was a dance slave with Raina. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve tried so hard not to see her again. I didn’t want her to know.”

  “And Semte?”

  She shook her head helplessly. “Which one’s that?”

  Zarif was quiet a moment. “The First City.”

  “I’ve never been there. Or the Fifth City,” she added, just in case he asked about that.

  “I see.” Zarif’s arms tightened around her as he kissed her.

  “What’s that for?”

  “To see if I get any other interesting confessions out of you,” Zarif chuckled.

  “Really? Well it might take more than just one—”

  Zarif kissed her again and neither said anything for a while after that.

  Kaislyn completely forgot that she was supposed to be changing, that Raina, and presumably her parents, would be waiting for her, until Nisken found her a short time later.

  She sat with Zarif on a bench carved into a quiet corner of the waterfall courtyard. Kaislyn looked up from her spot curled under Zarif’s arm as the third assassin halted in astonishment. Nisken’s scar stood in sharp relief on his tanned face as his gaze transferred slowly from Kaislyn to Zarif.

  “How long has this been going on?” His hand strayed to his sword-less waist.

  “Did you want something, Nisken?” Kaislyn asked sweetly. She didn’t move.

  He swung back to her. “Kaislyn,” he warned.

  She truly had intended to apologize the moment she saw Nisken again. His anger at her in the Second City had frightened her.

  Shamed her.

  Securely tucked next to Zarif, and feeling ridiculously happy about it, she couldn’t muster her former zeal for repentance. Besides, if he was determined to get mad about this, she wasn’t about to remind him of their last meeting. “Weren’t you the one who told me to be nice to Zarif after he so rudely arrested me outside the Second City palace?” A faint laugh vibrated through Zarif’s chest.

  “I...” Nisken ran a hand through his hair, gripping it in a tight fist. “I didn’t mean this!”