Journeyman Assassin

by Brian Keller

  As soon as she left, the boys quickly stowed their larger items. Cooper commented, “I don’t think we need to spend any more time in here than is necessary. Let’s get this message delivered and look around the city.” Kolrem nodded. He looked as if he couldn’t agree more. On their way out Cooper inquired of the man and woman, “Is there a map of the city anywhere? So we can study it?” The man pointed to a set of doors behind him, “In the meeting room there. A city map is up on the wall. Not all the streets are named on it though.” The boys nodded their thanks and went in to take a look. The map wasn’t what either of them expected. The map spanned almost the full ten feet from floor to ceiling and was at least that wide. It took a few minutes to figure out where this building appeared on the map, but once they’d managed that, the rest became easier. Their delivery address was on Candela Lane. The man’s description was accurate. That roadway was halfway across the city, and they memorized a short list of streets they’d need to walk along in order to reach their destination. Before they left, they scanned the patterns and names of all the streets that surrounded this building, in case there were difficulties in getting back. The boys exchanged a grin, realizing how easy it was now due to Utsef’s memory games. As they exited the building, they thanked the man and woman for their assistance.

  As they walked through the city, they remarked on the many similarities between Paleros and Kalistos City. Much of the architecture felt familiar, but there were certainly enough differences that there’d be no mistaking one for the other. Paleros had a few three story buildings scattered throughout the city while Kalistos City was mostly three story buildings, or taller. The aforementioned minarets caused the city streets to be laid out following unusual patterns. They’d noticed the winding streets while they’d studied the map, and were now even happier that they’d done so. Without that knowledge as a reference, they’d both likely have quickly become lost. Kolrem remarked what Cooper had been thinking, “How is it that we can now unerringly navigate through a forest so thick that it blocks out the sun, but without a map we would get lost after walking a few blocks in a foreign city?” Cooper grinned at this comment as he pointed out their next turn.

  Chapter 27

  Fifty minutes later, with one stop to confirm their directions, they were looking at Thirty-eight Candela Lane. They were standing in front of a three story building that had six doors facing the street; number thirty-eight was just one of them. Cooper knocked. Within a few seconds the door opened revealing a portly middle-aged lady in an apron and a bonnet. Her cheeks shone like burnished copper beneath her dancing blue eyes. She dried her hands on her apron as she surveyed the two boys. Her voice had a pleasant hint of a lilt as she spoke, “And what brings two strapping young-“. She stopped speaking as she noticed the copper tube but she quickly regained her momentum, “Well you boys have come a long way. Won’t you come in? I’m sure we still have a couple of sweetcakes and it’ll only take a moment to brew up some tea…” Her almost-frantic ushering gestures while she spoke indicated they should enter with some haste. Once she’d hustled them inside, she took a few glances up and down the street before she closed the door. As soon as the door was closed and she turned to face them her cheerful persona disappeared. She was still pleasant enough but Cooper recognized that the woman who’d originally greeted them and the one that stood before them now were two entirely different ladies. Her voice now had a little edge to it, “I’m Guild. From Paleros, like you.” Both boys looked at her doubtfully and she made tut-tut noises and waved both hands in a dismissive manner, “When I left Paleros, Master Loril had just turned over the Training Room to young Mister Skran, and Miss Camilla had only been teaching Apothecary classes for a couple of terms. I imagine by now all other Apothecary instructors seem pale and inadequate by comparison?” Cooper and Kolrem looked at each other. Both of them had an expression that said, “I’m convinced.” Cooper turned back to the woman, “As far as I know, Miss Camilla’s the only Apothecary instructor.” The woman chuckled, then immediately became serious again, “Who knows you’re here?” Cooper made a quick mental tally, “A few people from the Guild in Paleros. The two men that escorted us north from Paleros. The man and the woman from the foyer of the Guildhouse here… And we spoke with one City Watchman a few streets away. We didn’t mention this street or address, though. We just asked a couple questions to make sure we were still on course.” Cooper paused, “Why? Is that important?” She nodded and pointed to the tube in his hand, “Maybe. It depends on what that says.” Kolrem felt disappointed with her unmistakable changes in demeanor and couldn’t keep it from his voice, “And here I was really warming up to the idea of tea and cakes.” At this comment the woman smiled, clapped her hands, and all at once it seemed that the woman who’d answered the door stood in front of them again. She swept an arm in such a large arc that it included her entire shoulder, “All right, dears. Follow me. Kitchen’s this way.”

  There was already a man seated at the table when they entered. He was wearing stylish linen shirt, string tie and jacket. As the boys circled around the table Cooper could see that he wore breeches that ended just below the knees and the leather riding boots that started where the pant legs stopped had been polished to a high shine. Cooper glanced down at the name on the tube then back to the man, “Master Bieran Shae, Esquire?” The man looked up from the table and nodded. Cooper held the tube out to him and the man shook his head. The man said, “If you’re carrying that in here, then you’re Guild.” He turned to look at the woman, who gave him an exaggerated wink and a nod. The man continued, “In that case, the message is for her. Not me.” The boys were confused and they showed it. The man clarified, “We’re Guild too. Both of us. ‘Cept she’s in charge. I’m just made to look like I’m in charge so’s that she can move around as she likes, see?” Cooper thought he was starting to see and then all at once he made the connection. He’d observed it during the scenarios in Etiquette Class often enough. The high society folks were always accounted for, always engaged in conversation. It was the servants and the staff who had the freedom to move about as they liked; as long as they had a plausible reason for being wherever they were.

  Cooper turned to the woman, who was now balancing two small plates and larger platter with four tea cups. He cleared his throat and said, “Well then, Miss?.. Ma’am? I suppose you’ll be wanting your message then. And Master Worthan was most insistent that Kolrem and I should wait to collect our tip. This seems even more awkward now that we’re all Guild, and we know it.” As Cooper said this Bieran and the woman shared a glance. The woman set down the plates and platter, smoothed out her apron, accepted the tube and broke the wax seal. As she did this she nodded at the table, indicating they should start in on the tea and cakes. Kolrem didn’t need more of a hint than that. She spoke as she slid the message from the tube, “I’d introduce myself, but this paper might change a few things. No point in telling you an old name if I’m about to get a new one.” She unrolled the paper and read for a few seconds. She cleared her throat and kept reading as she spoke, “My name is Eryn, and within the next week I’ll be employed, on a very short term basis, as a server for the son of Viscount Haneli, along with my son and nephew.” She looked pointedly at the boys. “Apparently, this assignment is the “tip” you were told to insist upon.” Cooper and Kolrem stared at each other. They hadn’t come to deliver a message, they’d come to deliver themselves, for a job. She continued scanning the page and raised an eyebrow to Bieran, “Letter of reference for Eyrn. The boys will just get brought in as a ‘package deal’.” Bieran nodded and she looked at the boys, “That isn’t uncommon, especially for servers and kitchen staff. The way this reads, the family is to be left untouched, but the honorable Merton Haneli won’t survive long as our employer.” She indicated the paper, “This provides the vaguest of instructions but I already have a rough concept in mind. For the event, I’ll just want the two of you to give me a brief distraction and then a moment or two of interference, then
we disappear. Rehearsals will start tomorrow. As of tomorrow morning, you’ll live here until the job’s done. Once we do the job, you won’t come back here or go back to the local guild house again. So plan your arrangements accordingly.” She paused as she read a few more lines, “You’re leaving by boat, most likely. We’ll need to take a look at the timing of that. This shouldn’t be considered a high profile killing, but there’s always at least a token increase in guard presence in key locations after something like this.” Once she’d finished reading the paper, she handed it over to Bieran. He scanned the first few lines then began studying the content. Eryn had a look of concentration, as if she were playing everything out in her head. After a minute of this she spoke again to Bieran, “We’ll also need to provide some kind of letter to the local Guild. The letter will explain the details of the contract to ensure it won’t interfere with ongoing local operations. But this letter will arrive too late, no more than thirty minutes prior to the kill, so you’ll deliver it with a heartfelt expression of apology. Because of that, Bieran, you are almost taking on as much risk as the rest of us.”

  That night the boys slept in the Guildhouse. In the morning they ate breakfast in the dining hall, then loaded up their belongings and thanked the attendants for the Guild’s hospitality on their way out. An hour later they had moved into the house on Candela Lane and their lessons and rehearsals had begun. Their Etiquette class instructors were skilled and knowledgeable, there was no doubt about that, but Eryn had been playing this role for several years now. For the next few days the boys learned what it took to move in plain sight, yet seem nearly invisible. She told them, “Don’t do anything in a rush. Always have a clear reason in mind for everything you’re doing and everywhere you’re going. Many employers enjoy making their servants feel uncomfortable. Expect to be questioned about anything, at any time. Most questions lack imagination; the most common being, “What are you doing here?” Always carry a scrap of cloth with you. No matter which room you may be in, “I came in to do the dusting, sir or ma’am.” is always an acceptable reply. You might still be sent away, or even berated, but it’s always a suitable reason for being somewhere. Remember, servants don’t generally like being in the same room as their employers, so never hover about. If your employer or a family member is near and you’re ever at a loss for why you’re there, leave the room.” Over the next few days the house became almost spotless and Bieran played the role of Overbearing Master of the House to near perfection. Bieran didn’t know it, but by the end of the week his life actually was in danger. Kolrem was ready to kill him, which amused Cooper immensely. Kolrem scowled, “I don’t know why you’re laughing. You’re getting treated just as bad as me!” Cooper stopped laughing but still had an unsinkable grin on his face, “It’s just a game. We’ve got to play the role. You need to feel fear, uneasiness, or at least look like that’s what you’re feeling.” Kolrem was shaking his head, “Oh, when he’s around I leave the room, sure enough. Not because of what Miss Eryn told us, but because if we’re in the same room I wanna jam this dust cloth down his smug little throat! He’s enjoying this!” Cooper sobered at this, “So, what if he is? Maybe this guy we’re targeting is the same way, or his wife. Or maybe the eight-year-old daughter enjoys tormenting the staff? We’re doing this for a reason. You might not be able to change how you feel but you need to think about what you display.” Suddenly Cooper realized he was sounding like Miss Eiler, or maybe Birt. Now how did that happen?!

  Bieran had completed the Letter of Reference for Miss Eryn as well as the first draft of the note for the Guild. He’d made a few sentences sound a little bit apologetic, and Miss Eryn told him to rewrite it, “You will need to be apologetic since the letter will be arriving late. The note itself should be simple, straightforward and direct. The only part even vaguely personal should be at the end. Something along the lines of recognizing the Kalistos Guild’s right to deny this contract, but feeling confident in moving forward in cooperation and collaboration, etc., etc.” Bieran was tilting his head slightly from side to side as he scribbled several brief notes while Miss Eryn spoke. When she had finished speaking he asked, “How shall I sign it? Who should be the author of this message?” Miss Eryn’s expression had a touch of mischief as she smiled, “Why, Master Vorni, of course. He’d be the one to send this message, wouldn’t he?”

  Shortly after lunch on the fifth day of rehearsals, Bieran returned after doing some errands. Kolrem had been anticipating his return with his usual mix of dread and thinly concealed murderous intent. When Bieran found them, he wasn’t ‘in character’. He announced that the Sundancer had arrived in port today. He’d discretely followed a few of the crew members around the waterfront and from what he’d overheard, the sailors only had a couple days of leisure before they were expected to begin loading cargo and supplies to depart. Cooper turned to Eryn, “This shouldn’t affect your plans, should it?” Eryn shook her head, “If anything, we might end up stretching out our employment for a day or two longer than expected. One of the maids will be ‘let go’ today. She has announced that she’s pregnant and has suggested that the father of her baby is a member of her employer’s household. In truth, she isn’t pregnant at all, but we’ve secured better employment for her elsewhere in exchange for her story, and her discretion. My letter of recommendation will arrive later today. We move to a new temporary address within the hour. I expect we will be summoned from there for an interview some time before noon tomorrow. We should begin working immediately following the interview.” Cooper and Kolrem were nodding, it all made sense but it left Cooper wondering, “And what if things don’t go as expected? Suppose they sense something they don’t like and don’t hire us?” Eryn winked, “Then we kill him during the interview. Dress accordingly.” The boys wondered what that meant. They couldn’t exactly strap their usual armaments under their servant clothing.

  The boys moved all of their belongings into the ramshackle hovel that Eryn had arranged for the three of them. Once the contract was done, the boys would return here to grab their gear before boarding the boat. Assuming all was well with the captain and crew, that is. Cooper supposed that was their next order of business. Once they’d deposited their stuff and laid out their servant clothing, Cooper went through his pack and drew out the bamboo tube and waved it to get Kolrem’s attention, “Once the contract is complete, we’ll be moving fast. That wouldn’t be a good time to find out we won’t be getting on board the ship.” Kolrem nodded, “True. If the boat isn’t going to work out, then we need to find where we go to hire or buy horses.” Eryn had overheard the boys’ conversation. She interjected, “Be back well before dinner. I don’t expect to be interviewed this evening, but it could happen.

  The boys made their way straight to the docks, or as straight as the twisted streets allowed. It took them several minutes and a few questions to identify the Sundancer. Even once it had been pointed out to them, he didn’t see anything about it that would’ve helped him identify it on his own. He’d didn’t know a lot about ships, but he knew that he’d recognize this one again, even in the dark. Of course the sails were all furled, but the masts were different. The Sundancer was one of the only ships in port that used large, billowing lanteen sails. All the other ships were rigged for square sails. He couldn’t remember for certain but he thought he remembered Chesim pointing out a boat like this one once. He called it a Caravel. A few years ago, he’d watched Chesim’s father bring his small sailboat to the pier after a day of fishing. His boat used a single lanteen sail. Chesim said it was because one man could make that work all by himself and it could use almost any wind that wasn’t coming from the front. Then Chesim had pointed out how low the boat sat in the water, “It’s been a good day! Look! The boat’s almost swamping!” Cooper noticed now that the Sundancer was riding very high in the water. “It must already be unloaded.”, he thought.

  He and Kolrem approached the ship and started climbing the ramp leading up to the rail of the ship. A gruff voice c
alled out, “Stop! State yer business!” Cooper could just see over the rail onto the ship. He turned toward the voice and saw a stern old man with a cloth bound around his head hobbling towards them. Despite his awkward gait he was an imposing sight with his bushy, white eyebrows pulled together and his mouth turned down in a scowl. Kolrem couldn’t see anything and was nudging him from behind. Cooper reached behind him to try and swat at Kolrem, never taking his eyes off the man, “Sir, we have a message for the captain.” The scowl on the old man’s face deepened, “Fine then, tell me and I’ll see that he gets it.” Cooper shook his head as he held up the tube, “No sir, I was told to insist that this is for him and none other.” The old man’s scowl disappeared but his eyebrows didn’t waver as he approached the rail. He looked behind Cooper and seemed to relax a little when he saw it was two boys. He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, “All right. I’ll go and fetch him. Don’t you boys try boardin’ this boat while I’m gone!” Cooper shook his head vigorously, “We won’t, sir.” The man turned and hobbled away grumbling something about ‘boys callin’ me “Sir”.’ Kolrem began nudging him again. Cooper turned, glared at Kolrem and demanded, “What!” Kolrem shrugged, “I can’t see. I’ve never been on a ship. What’s going on?” Cooper replied, “We’re waiting. If it’s really that important to you, walk back down to the dock so we can trade places.” Kolrem looked like he was considering that for a moment before he said, “I’ll just wait.”