The Assassin's Mark (Skeleton Key)

by Sarah Makela

  I wasn’t sure when we’d be able to see each other again. Traveling wasn’t safe until we caught whoever had killed my parents. Lord Flemming might very well have a target on his back too. He was in the line of succession too. Granted, not close enough to where I was immediately fearful of his life. We had other family floating about that neither of us really talked with.

  The servants in my cousin’s stronghold were friendly and wore smiles on their faces, even though I saw the sadness in their eyes. Tabitha, my maidservant, found someone from the kitchen to fix me supper. Bread and wine were great, but I needed more than that.

  “Would you like the food brought to your suite room or to the dining hall, Your Highness?” a maid said as she curtsied.

  I opened my mouth to reply, but a masculine voice spoke up behind me. “The dining hall would suit us.”

  “My lord.” The maid looked between Lord Flemming and me as if not sure what to do.

  “Yes, the dining hall please.”

  She curtsied again before leaving.

  “I’m glad you’re well. That was one of the toughest meetings I’ve seen. I apologize for them. These nobles aren’t used to this level of stress. It’s a lot to plan for with very little warning.” He brushed a strand of hair from my face. “I only wished you could stay longer. I know the importance of you returning home, but I feel uneasy knowing you’ll be in danger. Please have word sent back when you arrive. I would hope to witness your crowning.”

  “Yes, I’ll be sure to do that.” I glanced around the hallway, but the crowd had dispersed as the evening stretched on. Many were likely still gathered in the grand hall or retired to their rooms. “Be careful. You’re my family. No one is sure yet what the assassin is after. I’d be devastated to lose you too.”

  Lord Flemming wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me toward the dining hall. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” He smiled at me. “It’s nice to know you care.”

  I playfully pushed at his arm. “You should know I do.”

  “Why is it I’ve heard that my sweet cousin wasn’t terribly excited to come visit then?” He grinned, and the smile shone through his eyes. I couldn’t help but fall into his piercing green gaze.

  “Well, it’s a long journey. Your stronghold isn’t conveniently located in respect to our kingdom’s capital, Darkview.” I leaned into his arm as we walked down the hallway together, feeling the strong warmth of his presence. For the first time today, I was truly able to relax.

  “I’ll have to keep that in mind, Your Highness,” he said, laughter in his voice. “Perhaps I’ll have to visit you in Darkview when things settle down instead of holding out hope of seeing you back here.”

  “I’ll be queen. Of course, you should!” We laughed together and continued talking for a few hours. I’d be exhausted in the morning, but that didn’t seem to matter much now.

  Chapter Four

  Edward

  I blinked my eyes open to see an unexpected landscape in front of me. The gentle rolling hills reminded me of Ireland. Lush deep green grass blanketed the ground as the vibrant hues of the forest beyond stirred my interest. Clean air filled my lungs, and I pushed into a sitting position. None of that prepared me for her.

  A lovely young woman in a thin shift stood in the midst of the landscape. Her delicate form took my breath away, and her saddened expression made my heart ache. Everything within me wanted to go to her, protect her. Thunder rumbled in the distance bringing with it an edge of danger, but none of that mattered now. The only thing I could focus on was her solemn beauty.

  Part of me knew this was just a dream. But I didn’t want to turn away from her and awake up. Rain clouds darkened the sky above us, and the field lit up as flashes of lightning struck the ground near her.

  I held up a hand to shield my eyes and stumbled to my feet. If she didn’t get out of there, she’d die.

  The young woman lifted her face to the sky and tears streaked her cheeks.

  She needs you. A middle-aged woman’s voice fluttered through my head, urging me toward the younger lady. Her time has come. He’ll kill her if you don’t act.

  I turned in a full circle, but I was alone now with storm clouds overhead. This couldn’t be happening to me. This was beyond surreal. Had I been drugged? It had happened before, but this was nothing like that experience. The sense of urgency I felt drove me to act as opposed to mere hallucinations. What was going on?

  As soon as I began questioning the scene around me, a sharp pain jolted me back to the present. I touched the back of my head. Blood dampened my fingers. The fire extinguisher flashed back to mind. I'd been hit. Still, it didn’t exactly explain the odd vision.

  One moment I was in a wonderful green paradise with a nearly naked young woman, and the next I was presumably in someone's basement with my face pressed against dirty concrete and a foot jammed into my lower back. Fucking shite. At least he didn’t think to bind my arms. I had something going for me.

  The foot didn't budge, and the man who it belonged rattled off into a cell phone in Turkish. Maybe he hadn't felt me stir beneath him, or maybe he simply didn’t care. I moved my left hand to my pocket for the blade I’d shoved there after the fight earlier, more than a little surprised he hadn’t taken it. I jabbed the knife blindly into my assailant’s kneecap.

  He yelled in surprise and pain as he stumbled away from me, releasing the pressure on my back.

  I scrambled to my feet and caught sight of the terrorist. He had a scruffy beard, angry black eyes, and flared nostrils. He didn’t have the characteristics of a leader. He was a grunt probably waiting on someone to tell him how to proceed. I threw a few mock punches to get his guard up and backed him into a corner where I kicked him in his already wounded knee.

  An audible snap reverberated through the room as the tendons gave way. I barely paid attention to his snarl or the pained expression on his face. Instead, I threw all my might into a solid punch to his jaw. Sloppy, but it did the trick. His head bounced against the wall behind him, and he dropped to the floor.

  Unwilling to risk any more time, I pulled the nearby fire alarm to alert whoever was in the building to get out of here. The moment the alarm went off, I knew something was wrong. Electricity bit my fingers and gave off a sharp snapping sound. Horror washed over me as I realized what he’d done. He'd booby-trapped the fire alarm. Time would tell how long I had until my demise.

  I snatched my possessions from the floor, preparing for what was to come. No footsteps rang out nearby, and no one barged into the basement.

  Unfazed, I glanced around at the gray walls of the basement and spotted where builders had done recent repairs. With a few tentative knocks, I found an empty cavity. They were building several bombs in the flat I’d raided. Of course, they’d have multiple targets here in London. Damn it. Taking inventory of the room, I noticed a set of heavy-duty tools and felt a pang of relief. Hammer, just what I needed. I grabbed it and smashed the wall.

  As I broke through the hastily patched construction, I saw the outline of a large metallic door. A shiny glint in the thick dust caught my eye, and I reached for it without thinking. The large skeleton key seemed out of place in this day and age. It had a somewhat Gothic look with a stylized skeleton and bone decoration. How long had this been down here? From the thickness of the dust, it could have been decades...if not centuries.

  I shoved the key into my pocket and turned to leave, but a muffled explosion from another side of the basement kicked my instincts into high gear. I darted to the heavy door and pulled, only to find it had been locked. For a few moments, the animalistic part of my brain jerked on the handle in desperation hoping it was simply stuck, but rational thinking soon came to the rescue.

  I pulled the key from my pocket and shoved it into the lock. Blood trickled from my hand where the key’s decoration cut into my skin, but I hardly noticed. The click from the lock rang true. My heart leapt, and I yanked the door open.

  The landscape beyond the do
or wasn’t a staircase up toward the street. Confusion formed in my mind, but it didn’t remain there for long. The world slowed as a blast of hot air from the explosion threw me forward into the green fields ahead of me, then it all went black.

  Time passed in the darkness of my head. Fleeting scenes of my previous dream and the alluring young woman’s shape as she waited in the green fields for the storm rolled through my mind. The constant rumbling of thunder was always there in the background as the driving need to keep her safe plagued my uneasy mind. Like a fever dream, the scenes played repeatedly, relentlessly until the darkness returned.

  Dripping rain splashed against my cheek and finally drew me back to my senses. Every muscle in my body ached, and every time I moved, I had to focus on not passing out. Simple goals.

  My first priorities were shelter and warmth. The blast had slightly singed my hair and my skin, but it seemed I’d escaped the worst of it. I rolled over onto my back, instantly regretting the decision as pain radiated through it. Any idea on how to return home was beyond me at the moment. I was in a field surrounded by rolling hills with a majestic mountain range in the distance. Not exactly something one would expect to see in the United Kingdom, but I wasn’t intimately familiar with the countryside. How did I get here? I’d come through a door, but there were no buildings around. I pushed to my feet and started to gather small twigs and patches of dried grass as I scanned my surroundings.

  I doubted wherever I was that I’d have any cell signal, but I checked anyway. Nothing. It seemed I’d have to press on in hopes of finding that door. Surely I’d find someone who knew where it was. Maybe I simply sleepwalked away from it after the explosion. Highly unlikely since walking was a chore right now. Letting out a sigh, I returned to my goals. Shelter and warmth. I could figure out what happening later.

  It took about half an hour for me to build passable shelter and to start a fire. The tactical knife was an immense help in both tasks. Thanks to the steadily falling rain, I wouldn’t be running out of fluids for the moment either. My injuries were mostly minor burns and scratches, but a few bruises on my left arm were large and extremely painful. They’d make life less than happy for the next few days. I doubted I’d find any creams to soothe my muscles out here.

  The longer I stared at the scenery, the more familiar it appeared to be. It shared similar characteristics to Ireland or Scotland, but the woods and the plants were different. The air was warmer as well. It did little to lift my spirits, but at least I didn’t have to worry about finding thicker clothing anytime soon. Winter would likely be some time off, and with any luck, I’d be able to return home before then.

  My shelter was at the base of a sturdy tree, but I perched on a branch high above the ground and protected from most predators. I remained close to the edge of the forest. The view across the clearing was incredible and seemed to be near some kind of path or road. A few bugs buzzed through the air, but I didn’t pay any attention to them. I leaned back against the solid trunk of the tree, grimacing a little before I settled in and closed my eyes.

  The early morning had turned to late afternoon judging from the angle of the sun when I finally stirred. Branches moved beneath me as if something was foraging near the roots. The broad outline of a bear was sniffing my shelter. Climbing the tree had been a wise decision after all. Perhaps if I remained still, it wouldn’t notice me. As I turned my attention back to the road, I spotted people traveling on horseback. Odd, but maybe not uncommon for somewhere out in the country. Part of me wanted to call out to them, but I couldn’t do that. Observe and act, never react. My mentor’s old saying usually proved invaluable. Not only did I have no clue where I was or if I could communicate with these people, but if I let my presence be known, I might draw the bear’s ire onto myself.

  However, they might have food with them, and food was the one thing I hadn’t procured yet. Getting closer to the traveling group might take time, but time was something I had plenty of…I hoped. Fighting off pangs of hunger, I kept my gaze on the travelers, my ears focused on the grunting bear as it ate something in the bushes nearby. Surely he’d move on soon enough.

  I waited for a good ten minutes after the bear left before climbing down the tree. I hadn’t want to waste precious ammo on a bear, and the knife would mean being far too close to it. Neither of which were good options. Instead of running toward the road, I walked quietly, taking cover behind the shrubbery until I reached a small hill nearby. Dragging myself along on my stomach, I took my time in the high grass, making sure I wouldn’t draw too much attention.

  At the top of the hill, I stole a glance around the expanse of hills that seemed to go off on for miles. On one side was a darker, wetter forest that continued farther than I could see. A rolling fog rose from within the woods. On the other side of the clearing were the steep mountains with their jagged cliffs. The road cut straight through the swamplands to the closest hillside before taking a sloped descent into grasslands.

  Not far from me, the group of travelers I’d spotted before were riding along on their way. I followed them from a distance, but the more I really looked at them, the stranger all of this became.

  The group looked like a troupe from a medieval faire. But unlike any faire I’d seen, these people appeared totally devoted to authenticity. Wherever I’d ended up didn’t appear to be anywhere I was familiar with. People in the modern world didn’t dress in medieval costume and tended to travel in cars. Where in the bloody hell was I?

  A small part of me toyed with the idea of dropping onto my back in the grass and giving up, but I wouldn’t let self-pity take root inside me. I might miss the modern commodities I’d grown used to, but these group likely had food and a change of clothes I could “borrow” to better blend in with this new area. Besides, someone might know where the damn door was to return home.

  I released a soft sigh and kept pace with the group. Most of the men in chain mail appeared to be surrounding around a rider who wore a large cloak that completely engulfed them and concealed their face. Whoever they were guarding seemed to be important enough to warrant a lot of muscle.

  While I still had my firearm, it’d do little for me in the long run. None of the guards appeared to have guns, so I doubted there would be gunsmiths in this area. That meant there might not be any molds to pour and prepare the bullet casings. There might be a chance for black powder, but it’d likely be unreliable compared to modern day gunpowder. The last thing I wanted was to lose a few fingers. That meant I’d have to resort to the melee fighting. Maybe the fencing lessons I’d taken as a lad would become handy.

  However, a modern-day fighter with a tactical knife confronting a medieval swordsmen with a longsword? I really didn’t like my odds here.

  Chapter Five

  Brigit

  The trek back home seemed to be moving slower than I’d hoped. My guards didn’t want to rush our trip in fear that they’d miss some sneaky assassin who might overtake the group and kill me. While I appreciated their concern, I had pressing matters back home. Besides, I didn’t like crawling along at a snail’s pace. I didn’t have the military background they did, but in my opinion, we were painting more of a target on our…my…back by taking our time.

  Still, I was exhausted from staying up so late with my cousin last night. I barely received an hour of sleep, but it was nice catching up with him. I couldn’t stop kicking myself that I’d been so reluctant to visit in the first place. However, a dark thought lingered at the back of my mind that maybe if I would’ve stayed home my parents might still be alive. Those ideas would just further drive me closer to insanity.

  Sir Alan remained quieter than he’d been on our trip to see Lord Flemming. He kept looking over his shoulder toward our left as if someone was out there. “Your Highness, I have a feeling that we’re being followed. Perhaps we should set up camp soon. That way I can chase off whoever is disturbing us, and you may get some rest.” He scowled at me. “You shouldn’t have remained awake until the wee hours
of the morning. It wasn’t responsible.”

  “That was my decision to make. While it might not please you, I’m an adult capable of thinking for myself. I needed that time—”

  “That may be the case, princess, but you’re tired. When you’re tired, you are weak.” Sir Alan’s frown deepened. “You’ve been stifling yawns all day, and a few times I’ve seen you nearly fall asleep atop your horse. Your safety is my concern and my priority. If nothing else, then do me a favor and get plenty of rest while we’re camped. You need to be alert and able to defend yourself against any threat we might face. Just as I trained you. You may not always have guards around to look after you. If it comes to that, you need to survive for your kingdom.” He bowed his head to me. “You may not like my words, but I need you to respect them. It may be our only hope.” With that, he spurred his horse on to speak with the knights currently leading the group.

  I gritted my teeth and did my best not to ball my hands into tight fists on the reigns. My horse usually sensed my moods, and it was all I could do to keep my nerves calm enough after the news of my parents dying. The mare didn’t need any more distractions from me. What bothered me most about Sir Alan’s comments was that I knew in his way he was right. I’d acted selfishly when I really needed to be thinking of the kingdom and staying safe. If an assassin did jump out at us right now, I’d probably be too tired to do much. I relied so much on the fact I had guards, that I barely had a plan if they were to be killed. If I were left without protection, what would I do?

  “He’s right, you know, Your Highness. However, you shouldn’t beat yourself up.” Tabitha had remained a constant at my side during this whole trip. Whenever I needed anything, she was there to provide it. “You needed to see your cousin. It’s only natural that you wished to spend time with your family member.” She offered me a gentle smile. “Don’t take Sir Alan’s words too harshly. He said them because he cares about you and the kingdom.”