Assassin Born

by C. K. Rieke

  “Have you lost it girl?” Fewn laughed again. “This is madness. You know what— I’m not having this conversation anymore. We’re taking the girl back to Voru. She’s cast a spell on you or something wicked.” Fewn turned and left the tent, but the tent’s flap didn’t have time to fully shut as Lilaci shot out and rushed out in front of Fewn, who’d been walking at a determined pace.

  Lilaci stood there with her sword firmly out before her, and Fewn held her arms out wide in disbelief.

  “What are you doing? You’re going to fight me out in the middle of this hell?” Fewn said, as she started walking forward again in annoyance.

  Lilaci let the tip of her sword gently touch Fewn’s chest. Fewn’s eyes shot up to hers in anger and resentment.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” Fewn said.

  Lilaci was shocked at the speed that Fewn brought her sword up to hers with a clink. Fewn took a quick step back, in a strong defensive stance, her feet out wide and her shoulders back. Then they began shifting around in a wide circular motion, each facing one another.

  “Not much left to say, huh?” Fewn said.

  “It doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s just put the swords down and talk this through. The girl doesn’t have to die.”

  “Yes, she does,” Fewn said, and lunged at Lilaci. Her sword came down onto Lilaci’s in a quick arc aimed at the spot between her head and shoulder. She jumped back into her defensive stance.

  “You’ve grown faster Fewn. But you don’t have the skills to defeat me.”

  “How do you know? You didn’t see me fight in Sorock after you were gone. I was the best. I was Oncur!”

  “I’ve seen you fight. Yes, you’re quick. But your form lacks certain discipline. I can teach you. I can train you to truly become one of the best. You can come with us, it’s not too late.” Lilaci lowered her sword and held out a hand of invitation. “Somewhere inside of you, you know this is wrong. This is all wrong.”

  “Are you saying the gods are wrong? Dânoz is wrong?” She lunged forward with another quick swipe of her sword, which Lilaci deflected with a smooth arc of her sword. “Arymos?” Another slash deflected. “Gorlen?” Another. “Eyr?” Another with a clang. “Vigolos?” Clang. “Fayell is wrong? There’ll all wrong?” She moved back to her defensive position under the cloudy night sky. “Tell me something. What gives you the right— no— the gall to say the gods are wrong?”

  “I can’t answer that. I don’t have the answer,” Lilaci said. “There’s just something inside of me, telling me that this isn’t the way. Just because the world is like this, does that mean it’s supposed to be. Isn’t there another way other than servitude, enslavement, and death in the Arr?”

  “What are you a philosopher now?” Fewn scoffed.

  Lilaci heard the subtle footsteps of another rustling in the sand to her left and they both looked over to see the girl standing, looking at both of them with her pale gray eyes. Her hands were bound before her, and she had a calm demeanor, but her gaze was piercing.

  “You want to kill this young girl?” Lilaci asked. “You know the rules. No children.”

  “We need to take her back with us,” Fewn said.

  “The gods are wrong,” the girl said, she was looking into Fewn’s eyes. Her voice was soft and delicate, like a calming breeze. She’s just a young girl, yet her voice is so soothing— wise even. She says the gods are wrong, and with those words coming from her lips, I will never believe anything otherwise. I feel connected to her, like there’s an invisible string that been pulling us together all our lives.

  Fewn moved her sword over towards the girl. “What did you say?”

  Lilaci shot over in between Fewn and the girl, her sword poised and ready.

  “They’re afraid,” the girl said, walking up to stand next to Lilaci. “They’ve always been afraid.”

  “You’re just a foolish girl,” Fewn said with a laugh. “Ha. What do the gods have to be afraid of?”

  “Same thing you’re afraid of,” the girl said.

  “Oh yeah, and what is that, child?”

  “Me.” As the girl said that, Lilaci looked up to see Fewn’s reaction. Her face gave a sort of twitch that showed Fewn was taken aback, and not sure what to think. But she did catch a certain glimmer in her eye. Is that? Could that be an inkling of fear? There truly is something about this girl— to tell an armed Scaether to her face that she’s afraid.

  Fewn let her sword fall down to her side in frustration, letting it sway back and forth. “This is ridiculous. Why would you think I’m afraid of a kid?”

  “They’re afraid of me because they’re scared to lose their power,” the girl said. “Power is all they have left. Their minds and souls have been corrupted by it. They’re afraid I’m going to bring the dragons back to the sands, so that power will be re-balanced, and restored.”

  “That’s all nonsense,” Fewn said. “And anyway, I’m not scared. I’ve never been scared.”

  “You’re scared of me—” the girl said. “Because I am you.”

  “What do you mean? Have you gone mad as well?”

  “I am you, I am Lilaci. We are all one. What happened to me, happened to you, happened to her. We are all the victims of the gods. You could have had a life, a husband, children of your own . . .” That notion drummed into Lilaci’s head like a storm. It never even occurred to me until this very moment— I could’ve had a family of my own, if I was free. Those bastards took that from me too. They’ve taken everything from us.

  “Stop it,” Fewn said, re-raising her sword again.

  “We all could be free of this chaos,” the girl said. “Lilaci, you could have children . . .” She looked up into Lilaci’s eyes, and it made Lilaci well up with tears. Could I have had a life? Children of my own? That seems like a life I’d always wanted deep down.

  “Stop talking!” Fewn said. “That’s enough.”

  “You’re afraid of me because of what I represent,” the girl said, looking back at Fewn. “You scared of me because I am your freedom.”

  “No! Stop it!”

  “You could still have a life of your own.”

  “Please stop,” Fewn said, her eyes welling with tears. She blinked forcefully to try to keep them at bay, but easily rolled down her cheeks.

  “There’s still time Fewn. You could go wherever you wanted. Live anywhere. No teachers. No walls. No gods. You could be at peace.”

  Fewn lowered her sword and began to sob. I’ve never seen this side of Fewn before. I always knew she was a tormented soul, like all of us, but she hid it behind her aggressiveness. In a way, I feel bad for her now. She never had a family, she’s never had a lover. All she’s known is Sorock, training, and death.

  “Come with us Fewn,” the girl said. “We can be a family.” Us? We can be a family? Together? Free? She began to walk towards Fewn, slowly. Lilaci touched the girl on the shoulder. It was bare, and Lilaci saw the birthmark of the dragon’s tooth on it. The girl looked up at Lilaci and brushed her hand away gently. “It’s okay.” Then she looked over at Fewn. “She’s not going to hurt me.”

  Fewn raised her head slowly and looked at the girl as she approached. Fewn wiped the tears from her eyes, and jostled her sword in her hand, unsure what to do.

  The girl walked up and delicately placed her hand on Fewn’s which held the hilt of her sword.

  “We can all be together, we can be safe together. Help me make the sands a place of peace— Where we can be free.”

  Fewn looked down at the girl’s face. She then looked up at Lilaci. It was a look of forgiveness. She looked back down at the girl, and biting her lip to keep it from quivering, she nodded jarringly.

  “I’ll do it— I’ll do it. I’ll go.” Tears rolled down her cheeks again, and she choked up from crying.

  Lilaci smiled over at her and walked over. She placed her hand on Fewn’s back. “Good choice . . . Sister.”

  Fewn looked over at her with a wide smile. “Sister . . .?” She
nodded again. “Sister.”

  Lilaci looked down at the girl, who had the same calming expression. “You seem far different than any girl I’ve met your age before. What can we call you?”

  “Kera. My name is Kera.”

  “Well, Kera, it’s nice to meet you.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “Well— What’s next?” Fewn asked the following morning, her pale skin reflecting the light of the bright sun’s rays. In the hot gusting winds Lilaci looked at her to see her hair down, flowing out of her cloak and down her chest and shoulders, it was the first time she’d seen her without her hair perfectly pulled back, as they were made to do their whole lives. Fewn’s dark eyes seemed sullen, and she had remained quiet most of the morning, surely in deep contemplation. The scar on her chin was a reminder to Lilaci that they weren’t invulnerable. They were strong together, but now they had another to protect, nowhere to go, and the eyes of the gods upon them.

  In the soberness of the morning light. Lilaci had drifted into each of the three tents, looking at the marred, twisted bodies of the dead. A pool of blood soaked the sands beneath her fallen ex-comrade, Foro. His face was still riddled with disdain. Now that I know Kera is safe, and Fewn has accepted her invitation to join us, I can’t help but think— what now? Kera has a calming presence, and when I’m around her I feel free to be with my own thoughts again. Yet, as clear as my head is, I can’t help but worry. It’s not a mere king and queen we’re going to be running from— but the gods themselves. They have armies, and infinite power. But I have to remind myself, one day of freedom is worth more than a thousand in slavery. She’s worth it. To protect Kera from harm is my mission now.

  They’d been walking northwest since the events of the night before, and the corpses of the night’s victims buried in shallow graves. Kera stood mournfully as the bodies of those with her in the caravan were laid into those cool holes and covered with fresh dirt and sand. She didn’t weep, nor speak. She only stood there with her head bowed in a sort of giving honor to those who’d passed. That wasn’t her first burial, I can sense that in her. She’s either strong in that sense, or time has made her see death as something else— maybe part of the cycle of her life. After all, who knows how long they’ve been after her? Her whole life even? How my life would have been different had the circumstances changed. What if someone swept in and released me from those awful men who took me? If someone came in and killed them before they killed my family, I would have been free. That’s assuming I was free and hidden well for many years. That’s a lot of ‘what ifs’, better not to think of it. It is amazing though that my mind is able to recall the past now. There’s something about Kera that lets me do that, makes it so I’m able to remember. I wonder what else she is capable of.

  “I mean,” Fewn said, “we’re obviously just walking in the opposite direction of Voru, but we’re just going to end up at the sea eventually. Is our only choice to walk the sands forever? What are we going to do?”

  Lilaci looked over at her, but didn’t know what the response should be, as she didn’t know where exactly to go either. “Kera—”

  The girl looked up at her, her eyes glowing silver and gray in the sunlight. Her face was young and soft, and Lilaci remembered that this is only a girl. What would she know of the Arr that they didn’t? Presumably, if she was anything like Lilaci was at that age, all she’d want it to be cared for, she’d want someone to love her and take care of her. She’d want to have a family, but that was all taken away from her. I was too late, I could have stopped Foro, but I was too late.

  “I know where I have to go,” Kera said. “But I don’t want to go there.”

  “Where?” Fewn said. “How do you know?”

  Kera shied away from the question, but Fewn and Lilaci stopped walking. Kera walked forward three more paces, and then stopped as well, her cloak rustling in the howling winds. “You probably think those people back there were my family. They felt like family, but they weren’t.”

  “Who were they Kera?” Lilaci asked. “How long have you been out here?”

  “They told me that someday, someone like you would come for me,” she said. “They were the Order of Drakon, they’d been protecting me until the day someone strong, someone who carried the light of the gods would come and help me to fulfill my destiny. Is that one of you? The one who carries the light of the gods?”

  Fewn looked over at Lilaci. They knew I’d come? And they knew I’d turn on ‘my own’? What sorts of hidden prophecies have been lying silently in these lands? First the gods have their Old Serpentine prophecy, and now this? Her mind drifted to the place of a calming whisper. It was faint still, but she found it quicker than normal now. Her mind seemed clear of the cobwebs of the mages, and Veranor’s hold on her. She reached out and embraced the sands. She opened her eyes, and lifting up her hand before her, she brought the sands out before her and they rose into a small circular, swirling motion. Her hand glowed a majestic violet haze, and as she focused harder, the short, knee-high swirl burst up into a great funnel, fifty feet high. Winds gusted around them, and Fewn had to place her hand up to keep her cloak atop her head. The funnel swirled violently out in front of them, and Kera walked towards it, her hood flew back behind her head, but she walked up to it nonetheless.

  “Whoa—” Kera said.

  “Kera,” Fewn yelled. “Don’t get close to that.”

  Lilaci watched curiously as Kera continued up to it.

  “Kera—” Fewn said again. “You come back here right now. You’re going to get hurt.”

  Lilaci sensed there was something about this girl, something special, so she continued to watch.

  Kera then stood only paces before the swirling tornado of sharp grains of fast-moving sand. She stopped, and slowly lifted her hand up to it, and dipped her fingers into it slowly. Fewn had a look of confusion on her face, and the girl’s hand was inside of the chaos, then Kera looked back to Lilaci, and she disappeared into the great tornado of sand.

  “Lilaci!” Fewn said. “What are you doing? Stop! She’s trying to kill herself. The damned girl is suicidal.”

  “I feel—” Lilaci said. “She’s alright.”

  Then Lilaci let her hand fall back to her side, and as the purple light faded, the great swirling sands fell back to the ground quickly, like sand falling from an opened fist. They both saw Kera standing there, unfettered in the center of where the funnel had been created.

  “How—?” Fewn said. “You should’ve been torn up from that.” She rushed over to Kera, touching and examining her linen shirt and pants. “Your clothes should at least be ripped and shredded.”

  “They were right,” Kera said. “I need to check it first though. The Order was right?”

  “What do you mean?” Fewn asked. “What were they right about?”

  “She’s impervious to the power of the gods,” Lilaci said. “That’s why they won’t can’t come after her themselves. She protected somehow, that’s how she could walk into that, and live.”

  Kera nodded. “I wanted to know for sure.”

  Fewn laughed. “Well I’ll be an Iox’s aunt. That’s damned impressive for a little girl.”

  “Kera,” Lilaci said. “What else did they tell you about yourself? If they expected me to come someday. What else do you know?”

  “I have much to explain as we walk,” Kera said. “But— I don’t know really where to go, all I know is what I have to do.”

  “Bring back the dragons?” Fewn asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How would you do that?” Lilaci asked.

  “I don’t know exactly,” Kera said. “I only know bits and pieces of the puzzle.”

  “Why would anyone want to bring back those monsters?” Fewn said. “They killed as they wanted, they were menaces.” Yes, the tales of the dragons are savage, but no less than those of the gods. If that is what the gods are so afraid of, then that is exactly what we are going to do.

  Kera looked up at her seriou
sly. “What do you do?”

  “Good point,” Fewn said, and looked away.

  “Well,” Lilaci said. “The gods are eventually going to find out about us, so we’d better get a plan. We need a safe place to lay low for awhile, somewhere with water where we can figure all of this out.”

  “Doubt we’ll find that to the northwest,” Fewn said. “It’s just getting drier and drier. I would say we should go southwest, back towards the big mountains.”

  “What do you think Kera?” Lilaci asked, “You probably know this part of the desert better than us.”

  “Southwest is fine,” she said. “Fewn is right. There’s more water down there.”

  “I told you,” Fewn said.

  “Fine,” Lilaci said. Southwest it is. The Scaethers would probably expect us to go northwest, to get as far away from the cities as possible. That may through them off. Give us more time to figure out our plan. “That’ll give us time to get to know one another, and you can tell us all about what you know Kera.”

  Kera nodded, and they started off in their newly decided direction. “Lilaci?” Kera asked softly.”

  “Yes,” she responded.

  “What’s it like in the Great Oasi?” she asked. “Do they have water?”

  Lilaci smiled down at the girl. “Yes, Kera. They have water.”

  “Do they have a lot of water?”

  “They have more water than you could ever drink.”

  Kera’s eyes grew wide. “Will you take me there someday? I’m tired of being thirsty.”

  Lilaci stopped and knelt to look into Kera’s eyes. “Yes, I’ll take you there someday.”

  Suddenly, Kera threw her arms out and wrapped them around Lilaci’s neck. Lilaci’s heart warmed in that instant, and she let out a soothing sigh.

  “You promise?” Kera asked, her voice quivering.

  “I promise.”

  “Will you promise not to leave me?” Kera said. “Everyone who helps me always leaves,” she began to cry into Lilaci’s shoulder. Lilaci had never embraced a child before but wrapped her arms around Kera. Lilaci’s heart was beating so fast, she thought it might burst. I haven’t felt love like this in a long, long time. “I think I’m cursed.”