The Queen's Blade III - Invisible Assassin

by T C Southwell

  "Where did those come from?"

  The servant yawned. "The King's mistress sent them last night. She arranged the room then too, but said you shouldn't be disturbed."

  The assassin dismissed the grumpy servant, marvelling at Minna's ability to foresee the needs of others. He returned to his room to find Alenstra waiting for him, and regarded her from the doorway.

  "I've found a room for you just down the hall."

  Alenstra rose, smoothing the creases in her satin gown, and followed him into the corridor. He led her to the new room, which was much like his own, and stood aside to allow her to inspect it. She spied the gowns and went over to finger the rich material of one, exclaiming in delight.

  "These are Jashimari clothes."

  "Of course. You can't continue to wear Cotti garb."

  She turned to him, looking puzzled. "But where did you get them?"

  "Queen Minna-Satu, or rather, the former Queen. The woman you saw in my room yesterday, who left with Kerrion. Her daughter is now the Jashimari Queen, and Kerrion's child. Minna-Satu took the Queen's Cup, but Kerrion found the antidote and brought her here. The Endless War is over, but you probably know that. I am in her employ, to kill any who plot to slay her, who are Kerrion's half-brothers, naturally."

  Alenstra gaped at him, and he added, "A servant will be here shortly to attend you. Whatever you wish, ask her. Good day, my lady."

  Blade inclined his head and stepped into the corridor, closing the door. He returned to his room, where he picked at his breakfast before he went to the garden to exercise, trying to keep to his routine, determined that the presence of his sister would not change his life. Her discovery was a wonderful, miraculous event, and a strange ache had filled his chest since the moment he had set eyes upon her. The joy that should have filled him was absent, however, because she now knew what he was, and it shamed her. For that he did not blame her, she was right to be ashamed of him. One thing bothered him though, and after he had bathed he went to Minna-Satu's rooms and demanded entrance.

  The Queen languished on her mound of cushions, a book in her hand. She put it aside when he approached and bowed. "My Lord Conash, what a pleasant surprise. You do not visit me enough, only when I invite you, yet my door is always open to you. Sit."

  "I have not come to socialise, My Queen."

  She sighed. "You never do. What irks you, My Lord?"

  He settled on a cushion, stroking the sand cat when she came to rub against him. "Do you know the name of the man who enslaved my sister?"

  "Yes, Lord Dorgon, why?"

  "I must redeem my sister's honour."

  "You mean kill him."

  Blade nodded.

  "And who is your client, Alenstra?"

  "No. She would not ask for his death. It is I who require it. It will be an easy target, my fee will be small... very small. A single coin will suffice. But as you know, I must have a client."

  Minna regarded him with a worried frown. "And you hope to persuade me to be your client."

  "I would regard it as a favour."

  "I see. And you think, quite rightly, that I owe you many favours."

  "That is of no consequence, My Queen. I am content to be in your debt."

  She played with a lock of hair, gazing at him. "Unfortunately, Lord Dorgon is a loyal ally of the King. Kerrion would not wish him dead."

  "Kerrion has many loyal lords. Doubtless Dorgon's son will follow in his father's footsteps. It will be no great loss."

  The Queen pondered this for several minutes, while Blade fondled Shista's ears to the melody of her rumbling purr. Minna shook her head. "Before I make a decision, I recommend that you speak to Kerrion on the matter. He has outlawed the enslavement of Jashimari children. You may find him willing to punish Lord Dorgon himself."

  "I do not want him punished. I want him dead."

  "Sometimes death is the easy way out, My Lord. Punishment can be harsher, depending on what it is."

  "Kerrion will not punish a loyal lord so harshly, by doing so he will alienate him and his sons, losing the entire line forever."

  "Indeed." Minna frowned. "Then perhaps you can demand the favour as payment for Targan's death, or Rigal's. I would rather you spoke to him about it though. I dislike the idea of going behind his back, though I am not saying I will not. I also think you should discuss it with your sister. After all, it is on her behalf that you do this, at least she should know about it."

  "It would be pointless to tell her. She will be against it."

  "Then why do it?"

  "For the honour of my family."

  "Your pride." She shook her head. "I am sure Lord Dorgon does not know your sister was his slave. It is pointless to exact vengeance upon a man who does not know that he has wronged you."

  "I will ensure that he does before he dies."

  "A few seconds of terror and remorse will bring you little satisfaction, My Lord. As you once said yourself, vengeance is a sweet cup with bitter dregs that never runs dry. How long have you supped those bitter dregs for now, and what joy has it brought you?"

  The assassin jumped up and strode to the window, gripping the ledge as he frowned at the shimmering city. Shista stopped purring, bereft of his caress, and gave a mournful sigh. Blade turned to face the Queen again.

  "For years I have longed to punish those responsible for my family's murder. This is the first time I can strike at a man who is directly responsible for my sister's enslavement. His death will mean much to me."

  "Will it? Are you not so immured to killing that each victim means less than the last? And if your sister does not wish his death, why should you, if not for your pride?"

  Blade glared at her. "I did not come here to be dissuaded, My Queen."

  "Then return tonight with your sister, and we will discuss it with Kerrion. Let all the parties air their views before anything else is done. This is not something to be ventured into lightly."

  He strode to the door, still looking angry. "Then I shall take my leave of you." He turned and bowed. "My Queen."

  "My Lord."

  That night, Blade returned at the allotted time, arriving just before Alenstra. He accorded the Queen a stiff bow, ignoring Kerrion, who stood beside a table laden with sweet pastries, savoury tarts and wine. The King, as usual, ignored the assassin's rudeness and continued to pick at the food, while Minna watched from her hillock of cushions.

  Blade made his way to the table to pour a cup of wine before wandering over to a window to admire the sunset. Silence fell until a timid knock came at the door, and a handmaiden opened it to admit Alenstra. The Queen raised a hand, dismissing the girls. Alenstra wore a flowing, forest-green gown, her hair swept up in a coil. She stopped in confusion when she saw the King and fell to her knees, prostrating herself. Minna opened her mouth, but before she could speak Blade strode over to his sister.

  "Get up!" He gripped her arm and dragged her to her feet, making her gasp in pain and shock. "You do not grovel. You are a lady! My sister grovels to no one." Releasing her arm, he took hold of her jaw and forced her to look at him. "You will not disgrace me thus. You bow to the Queen only, never grovel, especially to him." He indicated Kerrion with a stab of his finger, and she followed his gesture with wide, frightened eyes.

  "But he's the King."

  "Of the damned Cotti! You are Jashimari, never forget it." He released her, and she backed away, raising a hand to her chin with a shiver.

  Kerrion watched the confrontation with narrowed eyes, a wry smile on his lips. "I tolerate your rudeness because I have to, Blade, but your sister enjoys no such privilege. You should not encourage her to display your bad manners."

  The assassin turned to him. "She is a lady, she does not grovel."

  "There is no such thing as a lady amongst the Cotti; even my mother prostrates herself to me. However," he hurried on as Blade opened his mouth, "since she is a Jashimari lady, I will make an exception and allow her to bow as she would to her Queen."

  Blade c
losed his mouth with a snap and eyed the King, then gave a curt nod. "Very well."

  Minna breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the terrified woman. "Be not uneasy, Lady Alenstra. Sit, eat, have some wine. The storm, I think, is over for the moment."

  Alenstra moved away from her brother, poured a cup of wine and settled on a cushion. Blade went back to the window and gazed out of it, frowning. Minna-Satu, divining that he had no intention of broaching the subject, spoke for him, addressing Alenstra.

  "My lady, your brother has voiced a wish to punish the lord who made you a slave."

  Alenstra looked confused. "Punish him? How?"

  "Lord Conash would take his life. Do you also wish this?"

  Kerrion shot Blade a frown, but awaited Alenstra's answer. She shook her head. "No, My Queen. He's the father of my children. What will they do without him?"

  Blade turned. "He enslaved you. When he is dead, your children will be returned to you."

  "He didn't enslave me, he bought me from the soldiers who did."

  "He whipped and starved you."

  "He only threatened to. I was punished on occasion, nothing more."

  Kerrion raised a finger, trying to get someone's attention. "Has anyone considered my point of view?"

  Blade scowled at him. "I know your opinion. Lord Dorgon is one of your loyal lords; you certainly do not want him dead."

  "No, I do not, and that should be sufficient to end this argument."

  "You have outlawed the enslavement of Jashimari children and claim to have punished those who did it. Now would be a good time to prove you were telling the truth."

  "Your sister was fourteen when she was taken. She was not a child."

  "So you condone the slavery of adult Jashimari?"

  Kerrion glanced at Minna, who watched him. "I do not condone it, but it is not a crime. Jashimari took many prisoners during the war, as we did, and they were put to work in your mines as slaves."

  "Those were men, not women and children," Blade stated.

  "Yes, but had Jashimari raided Cotti towns, doubtless they too would have taken women and children. It was purely due to the barrier of the desert that Cotti women and children were safe."

  Minna raised her chin. "I would never have allowed the enslavement of women and children."

  "No, but your mother would."

  She inclined her head. "Probably. But we stray from the subject. We are not here to argue the policies of previous monarchies, but the proposed punishment of Lord Dorgon." She looked at the assassin. "Blade, your sister is against it and so is Kerrion. I take no sides in the matter, so it seems that you are without support."

  "As I expected," he growled, glaring at Kerrion. "Then it is the price I demand for your brothers' assassinations."

  Alenstra gasped, looking away as if she could not bear the sight of her brother, and Kerrion eyed Blade with a frown. "I see. Both of them?"

  "If you wish."

  "It would certainly be a bargain. Dorgon is not an important lord, only a minor one with a small following. I do not particularly want him dead, but if you make it your fee I have little choice. I am surprised you do not ask it as payment for Ronan's death."

  Blade shrugged. "Ronan's death will cost you more, and at the moment my Queen forbids me to attempt it."

  Kerrion glanced at Minna. "Yes, I know. I understand that you do not expect to survive the mission."

  "I may have mentioned that in passing, though it does not deter me from the task. My sister's freedom is part payment, so his death warrant is signed, so to speak. All I await is my Queen's approval, and Prince Ronan dies."

  The King nodded. "I see. Well, as to the other, I shall order Dorgon to the palace, thus making your task easier. I suppose, since it is your fee for services rendered, I must be your client."

  "No. My services are available only to the Queen. She must give the order that will gain me the payment I demand." Blade turned to look at Minna, who gazed at him with sad eyes.

  All three looked around in surprise when Alenstra burst out, "No, My Queen, I beg you, don't give the order."

  Minna's brows rose. "You beg for the life of your former master?"

  "No, I don't care if he lives or dies, but I don't want my brother to kill again. He condemns himself to eternal damnation."

  "I think he has already done that," Kerrion muttered, earning himself a stern glance from the Queen.

  Minna turned to Alenstra, looking sympathetic. "My lady, you know what your brother is, I presume? It is his trade, and one that he has excelled at for years. Another assassination makes no difference to him."

  "But not on my behalf. It's bad enough that he has disgraced his family by becoming what he is. I don't want to give him an excuse to kill again."

  Kerrion shot an amused look at Blade, who ignored it. Minna also glanced at the assassin, but in concern and shock. She turned to regard Alenstra with a frown.

  "Lady Alenstra, your brother is no disgrace to his family. Rather, he has covered himself with glory and is to be greatly admired. He has accomplished feats thought impossible by other men, and helped to bring about an end to the Endless War by assassinating King Shandor and Prince Lerton, enemies of Jashimari.

  "He has earned titles and wealth beyond imagining, the respect of his Queen and even his former enemy, King Kerrion. As Lord Protector of Jashimari, husband of Regent Chiana and foster father of Queen Kerra-Manu, as well as a sacred Knight of the Veil, he is assured a place in the Everlasting. Any insult to him is an insult to me, my Regent and my daughter."

  Alenstra shrank from the Queen's diatribe, looking lost and uncertain. Minna softened her tone, adding, "I am bound by the bargains made here today. I can fail to give the order, thereby earning Blade's ire and the loss of his services, which we need greatly just now. Prince Ronan plots to murder me, and the only way to stop him is to kill him before he acts.

  "I can see that you, raised in a lord's harem, have no notion of politics or the brutality of the world. If you wish to spare your former lord, you must apply to your brother. At this moment only he has the power to prevent Dorgon's death."

  Alenstra turned despairing eyes upon Blade, who did not meet them, but schooled his expression to a study of disinterest. He accorded the Queen a brief bow and headed for the door. Minna watched him leave, and he wondered if she sensed the pain he tried to hide.

  Blade lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling with dull eyes. Alenstra's words echoed in his mind, and he could not deny the truth of them. Despite the Queen's defence of him, he agreed with his sister. He was a disgrace to his family. His father would have shunned him as his sister was doing. His mother would have wept and torn her clothes; his brothers would have jeered and reviled him, then chased him from the family's land and ordered him never to return.

  Thus it was with assassins, those few who had a family. Most were orphans and waifs as he had been, found by a retired assassin and instructed in the trade, then obliged to support their mentor for two years after they received their tattoo. Had he been warned of Alenstra's discovery, he would have sent her straight to Jashimari without ever risking a confrontation and the shame that would ensue. There was no way to hide it from her once she had met him. Kerrion had already given it away by using his trade name, and his elevation to such high rank could not be explained any other way.

  A timid knock at the door made him tense, and he called out for the applicant to enter. Alenstra came in with a lamp, which she set on the table beside the candle already there. Blade frowned at her.

  "What do you want?"

  She looked down at her twisting hands. "I've come to ask you not to kill Lord Dorgon."

  He lay back with a sigh. "I should have guessed. It's late, and I have no wish to discuss this now."

  "What is there to discuss? It's a simple request, which I had hoped you might grant, since I'm your sister."

  "I'm not doing it for you, so you have no say in the matter."

  "I think you are. The th
ought of what he did to me is eating you alive, isn't it? But I'm the one he humiliated, not you, yet I have no wish for revenge. Two bad deeds don't add up to any good, and if you kill him it will make me more ashamed. If you want to do something for me, since you seem to have so much power around here, then bring me my children. They're your nephews and nieces, and I'd like them to be raised as Jashimari."

  "That can be arranged."

  Alenstra came closer, stopping beside the bed. "And Lord Dorgon? Will you let him live?"

  "He deserves to die."

  "Perhaps, but to forgive is more difficult and therefore more noble than revenge. It was revenge that led you to become what you are, and it's done you no good." She perched on the edge of the bed. "It's not too late to turn from this path and seek another. Each time you kill, you die a little yourself, for you're not a bad person inside."

  He turned his head to look at her, frowning. "And if I do this, will you stop shuddering at my touch?"

  "I'll try. It's difficult not to think of all the blood you've spilt, all the men who have died at your hands. But if you give it up now, we could return to Jashimari together and be a family. You're an uncle; you could help to raise my children as if they were your own. My youngest is only five."

  Blade sat up, studying her. "This would make you happy?"

  "Yes, of course."

  His eyes narrowed. "You're lying, Alenstra. You don't want an assassin for a brother any more than the next person. You'll always shun me, even if I swear never to kill again and burn this mark from my skin. Then I would be worse than an assassin, I'd be nothing. There are no paths leading off the one I'm on, and you can't change that. When I became an assassin, I thought myself alone, and now I won't allow you to make me feel ashamed."

  She stared at the tattoo visible above the open neck of his loose white shirt. "Papa would have wept -"

  Blade swung his legs off the bed and jumped up. "Don't tell me what our father would have done, I know! He wouldn't have wept, mother would, and Rykar would have chased me away. Orcal would have shouted insults and Shinda would have cried, little Ryana would have been utterly confused. Father would have done exactly what you're doing, shunned me. I remember them too. I haven't forgotten their names, have you?"