by C. R. Daems
"Ryana, tonight you and I will try an experiment. My weapons will be the bow and my wolf. Your weapons the blowtube and your bats," Hajna said to my horror. I wasn't qualified or interested in being an Assassin. I would have been excited at the chance to prove the blowtube a serious weapon—against anyone other than Mistress Hajna. She was an Assassin with many cycles of experience and could put an arrow in any target at any distance. "I'll enter the valley at dusk. You'll follow when the sun sets."
"Yes, Mistress." My mind raced with possibilities and fears.
* * *
I stood ten minutes away from the compound where the valley narrowed, the traditional starting line for tests. I waited as Kasi and Anil scouted ahead. I soon knew Mistress Hajna waited five hundred paces ahead with her wolf, Yafa, fifty paces off to her right.
Yafa will be a distraction, which Hajna will use to get me in a position to kill, I mused as I trotted across the starting line.
We had agreed that I wouldn't use my bats to attack her or her wolf since this exercise was intended to test the effectiveness of the blowtube as a weapon.
As I neared her position, I slowed, knowing Yafa would warn her long before she could see me. Keeping shrubs and trees between her and me, I inched closer until I was within the range of my longer blowtube. Although I had been well within her bow range for some time, she hadn't taken a shot. She might be giving me a chance to even the odds or didn't have a clear shot. Now that I was within range, I maneuvered myself behind a large tree and stopped to consider my options. While I considered them, Anil warned me that Yafa approached from behind and to my left. Kasi alerted me Mistress Hajna knelt thirty paces in line with my tree.
To shoot the wolf, I would have to step to the left, exposing myself to her. She wouldn't miss. If I moved to the right to shoot at her, one of them would get me before I could aim and shoot.
Yes, she was the professional, I lamented.
Having no good options, I waited. Yafa continued to close, while Mistress Hajna stood ready. The wolf would force the issue.
With a burst of speed, Yafa attacked. I braced myself against the tree, my needle poised. When Yafa landed on me, I had my needle against its belly. Yafa dropped to the ground as if it had really been poisoned with rocktail. I spun left, hoping Hajna would expect me to go right. I aimed and blew hard, sending the dart in her direction. Before I could twist back behind the tree, her padded arrow slammed into my chest, driving me to the ground with a wind-shattering thud. I didn't have time to see what happened to my dart. As I lay there trying to catch my breath, Mistress Hajna walked up.
"I didn't think I had put Yafa in danger. You fooled me twice. First by taking on Yafa and second by jumping left. Since I had been expecting you to spin to the right, it caused me a second's delay. You killed me," she said, pointing to the dart in her arm, and laughed as she helped me up. "I'll have to revise my opinion of the blowtube. I had thought it a novelty of limited value. I was wrong."
Three more cycles had come and gone.
* * *
Since Jelena and I hadn't been asked to leave, we had passed the weapons phase. That meant another phase and another test—something new to worry about.
"Sister Rong," said Mistress Hajna. "This is Jelena and Ryana. They are adequate with weapons and are now yours." She nodded to us. "This will be the final phase of your training. Sister Rong will teach you the art of being a Shadow Sister and prepare you for your final test."
Mistress Rong looked us over in much the same manner as Mistress Hajna evaluated a weapon. She was a petite woman, even smaller then Mistress Alica. Her brown eyes crinkled in the corners as though she was laughing. I liked her.
"With me, you'll play games for many cycles. These games will teach you the secrets of the Shadow Sisters. You'll learn to walk as silent as a shadow, leaving nothing in your wake, to be anyone you wish from a washer woman to a princess, and to lie on a second's notice so well even you'll believe it."
Mistress Rong had a mind like a fox. Every day brought a new challenge. By the end of three cycles, I could sneak up on a rabbit without it moving, run a mile through any terrain without leaving a trace of my passing, act the part of a hundred people, and without the slightest hesitation make up a lie to fit any situation. I had learned the secrets of the Shadow Sisters. All that remained was to meet with Mistress Morag and select the test that would determine my position in the Sisterhood—given, of course, that I passed. She met with us the next day. I had been with the Shadow Sisters for ten cycles—eighty seasons—four hundred and eighty sixdays.
* * *
"I've met with Sister Rong. Jelena, she finds you a bit too aggressive. You've trouble being the humble servant or lower-class worker, and you've a tendency to act too quickly." Morag looked from Jelena to me. "Ryana, you've good instincts but are too cautious. Do either of you wish to comment?"
"No, Mistress," we said in unison. As far as I was concerned, Mistress Rong's evaluation was correct. It was hard for me to shake loose the fears of my childhood. I had never been sure what I had to do to avoid another beating. Even here, I worried. I had never been sure what I had to do to avoid being asked to leave. I worried too much to trust my instincts.
"Jelena, I assume you wish to qualify for the rank of Assassin."
"Yes, Mistress," Jelena said. A smile lit her face.
"You'll take the Assassin's test tomorrow night. If you succeed, which you should, you'll leave with Sister Sanda two days later. She and you are being assigned to Araby Province, under the direction of Sister Fayza."
I wondered why Assassins were ranked lower than Spies. The Shadow Sisters' chain of authority in the field went: student Assassin, student Spy, senior Assassin, senior Spy, student Spy/Assassin—one who had passed both tests—and senior Spy/Assassin. Mistress Morag waved to Jelena to go and held up a hand for me to stay.
Stop worrying. They have prepared you well for your upcoming test. True, but…
"Sister Rong told me that you continue to be unorthodox. We teach our students to use logic to defeat their opponent. You reverse our teaching and use your opponent's logic to defeat him. She said you do poorly using logic because you tend to be too cautious. But when you use your intuition, you excel at every problem." Morag sat quietly looking at me for a long time. Even the hawk on her shoulder seemed to be assessing me. I began to wonder if she was waiting for me to say something.
"Two days from now you'll take a special test. Eight mercenaries will be waiting for you. I want you to Kill—disable—four and determine the belt colors of the other four. You'll wear a red and white belt."
Now I can worry. This wasn't the standard Spy's test, which had four mercenaries and required no Kills.
"Any questions, Ryana?"
"No, Mistress." I lied. I had a million questions: why eight? Has anyone taken a test like this? Is it possible? Why me…? I felt dizzy from the questions bombarding my mind. After a moment, I steadied myself. Mistress Morag has told me what she wanted. I'll do the best that I can to meet her wishes. There was no need to question her. If she wanted me to understand, she would have told me. I left worried but determined.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ahasha—Dazel Province
Two days later, I lay by the river enjoying the warm sun, the whispering sound of the water flowing by, and the soft feel of the grass. Kasi and Anil slept inside my shirt. Mistress Hajna had stressed many times that a relaxed person fought better than a tense one. "To fight your best, you must be devoid of feeling, thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow, living or dying, winning or losing, hating or loving—only the moment." It had taken me awhile to forget about the test and its consequences, but I had. I lay enjoying the moment. I could feel the mist from the water bubbling over the rocks, see caterpillars munching on the leaves in the tree over my head, smell the flowers on the bushes, and hear the squirrels running up and down the trees.
I lay at peace with myself. The tension had dissolved—no past, no future, only the moment
. I was determined to capture this experience during the upcoming test. I could neither change the rules nor predict the outcome, but I could enjoy each moment and not let fear control me, which it had for so many cycles. Tonight I would put my trust in Mistresses Hajna and Rong.
Toward dusk, I walked back to my room, where I dressed in the traditional Shadow Sisters' black outfit and wrapped the red and white belt around my waist. I stood for a long time admiring those clothes. Tonight I would be a student, tomorrow—I vowed—a Shadow Sister.
I strapped my longer blowtube to the outside of one leg and a set of sticks to the other. The shorter blowtube, along with ten darts, I tucked in my belt. All were dipped in a solution of rockberry, which would paralyze and count as a Kill. With Kasi and Anil hanging from my shirt, I walked to the starting line and launched them into the night.
I closed my eyes and watched as they zigzagged across the valley in search of the mercenaries. As soon as they found their locations, I crossed the line and a horn blew, signaling the start of the test. The mercenaries had positioned four men on the west and four on the east side of the river that ran down the valley. Panic reared its ugly head before I had gone fifty paces. I stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Then Kasi landed on my shoulder and I relaxed with her touch. Remembering how I had felt by the river earlier, I reached for the moment. There no logic existed, only the intuition that had served me well during Mistress Rong's games.
What would the mercenaries expect me to do?
I couldn't help but smile as I picked up a good-sized rock and threw it arching through the air. It produced a rustling sound as it sailed through the brush and thudded to the ground.
"Dirk, move more to the east, and we'll shift more to the west. She's being cute throwing rocks to convince us that she's near the river," someone on the west side shouted.
Thank you.
I moved forward into the gap they had thoughtfully provided. After I had passed their line, I turned east behind the four on that side of the river. I ghosted along using the trees and shrubbery as cover while noting the color of each man's belt: green/blue, gray/black, blue/gray, and maroon/green.
"Plan Red," the same sounding voice hollered. Clever. Directions would tell me what they were planning. The bad news: they were retreating south in my direction. A good move on their part. The moon was full and the visibility good, especially in areas with an abundance of wild grasses and few trees. They would expect me to run, but if I did, they might be able to identify my red-and-white belt. And I would fail the test. So I found a good-size bush and lay face up in its shadow and waited. A minute later, I could hear them coming. They sounded like a herd of hogs. Gray/black was heading toward where I lay. Any moment now he would see me if he didn't trip over me first. As he neared, I put a dart in his side. He staggered a few steps before falling near me.
What would they do now? I asked myself. Soon they would know I had to be in front of them and on the east side of the river. These were the types of games I had played with Jelena for many seasons and won, until she realized I used her expectations against her.
They would expect me to move east or west, so I pulled gray/black into the shadows with me and waited.
"This is Adler. Roll call," a voice boomed into the silence.
"Dirk... Egon…" came from the side I was on. "Gotz… Lenz… Cabe… Owen," came from across the river.
"Abe's missing, plan color emerald." Adler shouted.
I didn't need Kasi. I could hear the three on my side trashing through the brush toward me. Anil showed two of the men on the west side crossing the river and moving toward the advancing three. The other two on the west side stayed guarding the river. I assumed color emerald, stood for converge east. I waited. The three heading back to the north passed thirty paces to either side of me. They didn't expect me to stay around Abe's position in the line. After they passed, I headed west and crossed the river. I then worked my way toward where the two stood, watching for me to try crossing the river to escape the two lines converging on the east side. The mercenaries thought they had me boxed in—between the three moving north, the two moving south, the two at the river on the west, and the cliffs on the east. A good plan if I had tried to avoid them by running rather than staying put. Their logic had allowed me to slip by. I was now on the west side, near the two watching the river. I silently worked my way through the undergrowth until I could see one of the men. Kasi indicated the other one waited another fifty paces north. I darted the nearest one. He staggered and collapsed as he reached for the dart in his neck. Again, Adler shouted.
"Roll call."
"Dirk… Egon… Gotz… Lenz… Cabe…"
"Owen is down. We've an Assassin, and she is on the west side now. She has her two Kills and will head for the finish line. Since Dirk, Egon, and I are the furthest south, we'll cross over and try to beat her there. Cabe, join Lenz and Gotz on the east side and race for the finish line in case she crosses back over."
As Cabe began to cross the river, I darted him. The moment, intuition, I reminded myself. I crossed back over the river and lay down behind a clump of riverside brushes and waited. Soon two men ran by. One wore a black/yellow and the other a green/gray belt. Now that I had everyone's colors, I only needed to Kill one more. I followed behind the two, who hurried toward the finish line. They were too close to Kill one without the other one seeing me. Anil showed the three on the other side were almost at the finish line waiting.
I was one Kill short. Resigned, I decided to cross the finish line. I had failed.
Mistress Morag waited at the finish line. When she saw me, she paid the mercenary leader eight gold toras, one gold for each man who had taken part in the hunt. If they had caught me, they each would have received an additional tora. Those were the contracted conditions for each hunt. When he left to collect his men, Morag mounted her horse and gestured for me to mount the other. We rode in silence for a while, until I could bear it no longer.
"I failed, Mistress. I only Killed three." My words mixed with bile. I wanted to die.
"Did they see you?"
"No." Why did it matter?
"The colors of those you didn't Kill?"
"Green/blue, blue/gray, maroon/green, black/yellow, and green/gray." One too many.
I hated myself and wondered what my decision not to Kill one of the five remaining mercenaries would cost me.
"Why did you fail to Kill the fourth?"
"At the end, they bunched up. If I had tried to Kill one, the other one would have seen me and my belt."
"You could have used Kasi or Anil."
"Yes, either bat could have Killed one of the mercenaries, but their poison could have killed, not just paralyzed him. For revenge, they might have murdered the next student they caught. Besides, a mercenary didn't deserve to die so that I could pass a test. I'm sorry, Mistress. I couldn't follow your orders."
"Sister Ryana, I'll give you your assignment tomorrow. Be ready to travel at sunrise." She dismounted, tossing me her horse's reins before walking away. Sister? It must be a mistake. I failed the test. How could I be going on an assignment? Who would want to go on an assignment with a student who failed? Exhausted, I dropped into bed and fell asleep.
* * *
In the morning, I finished packing in preparation for my coming assignment, still confused. I didn't understand how I had become a Sister or my rank, since I took neither the Spy nor the Assassin test. I had been tired and upset last night. Maybe I misunderstood. The thought that Mistress could be sending me away brought tears to my eyes. I left my packed bag on the floor and headed for Mistress Morag's cottage. Her door stood open.
"Come in, Ryana, and sit," she said, while shuffling through several sheets of thin paper. I sat rigid on the edge of the chair, waiting for her to talk.
Finally, she looked up. "You've a question, Ryana?"
"Yes, Mistress. I don't understand why you called me Sister last night. I failed your test." I studied the flower design on the rug
under my feet, dreading the answer.
"My child, you must stop worrying. You've achieved your long-desired goal. The Shadows Sisters have taken you into the Sisterhood." She smiled. "Tell me the rules for the Spy test."
That was the test I had hoped to take, instead of…
"The Shadow Sisters hire four mercenaries for the test, who are paid to locate the student by identifying the color of the belt she's wearing. To pass, the student must be able to describe the belt colors of at least two mercenaries without her belt colors being discovered."
"That's correct. The test you hoped to take," she said. I nodded agreement. "Now describe the Assassin's test."
"Four mercenaries are paid to capture the student. They usually capture the student by disabling her, using a weapon with a mixture of rockberry or by physically disabling her. They are paid nothing if the student is crippled or killed. To pass, the student must Kill at least two mercenaries before reaching the finish."
"Correct. That's the test you weren't interested in taking."
I nodded agreement, unsure of why she was asking questions every student knew.
"How many belts did you identify last night?"
"Five."
"Did any of the five identify your belt?"
"No."
"How many mercenaries did you disable?"
"Three."
"It appears you took the Spy and Assassin test and exceeded the minimum requirements for each test. You failed to do the impossible because you refused to possibly kill a man and jeopardize future students' lives so you could pass a test. Would the Shadow Sisters want a student who did?"
If I hadn't been sick with worry, it would have made sense last night. I still didn't understand, but I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. My dream had come true. I had a family where I was wanted. I rose when Mistress…Sister Morag did.