by Ben Hale
"I hope you learned what you needed?" the light entity asked.
"I did," Tess replied. "But I have to go. I have a light class in ten minutes and I can't be late."
"Do you want to gate to the light school?"
Gate? "What do you mean?"
Eleana gestured to the liquid metal door. "You came by portal, you can leave to a different portal if you wish."
"Er, where would it exit inside the light school?"
"This portal can link to all the practicum chambers of each school." Eleana smiled. "Shortly after they were created I came to know the entities guarding them."
Tess's breath caught in her throat as she registered the ramifications of that idea. "Does that mean I can enter this refuge from any school at Tryton's?"
Eleana's expression was concerned. "Were you not aware of that? Anyone bearing your seal may enter this refuge by any gate." She frowned. "But I would be judicious in who you bring."
Her mind abuzz with the ramifications, Tess hardly heard her. "Link it to the light school," she said. "You can be sure I'll be back." She called Stel and the grend bounded to her.
Eleana sent a beam of light to the gate. The metallic surface shimmered yellow at its touch, and then returned to its original color. Struggling to contain her excitement, Tess stepped through it. A grin blossomed on her face as she exited into one of the light practicum rooms on the other side of Tryton's.
A figure much like Eleana appeared in front of her. "Did you meet my sister?"
Tess's smile widened, "I did, Zaira, but I didn't know she was your sister."
The trainer that watched over the light practicum chambers spun a fast circle, her coloring brightening almost to the point of blinding. "She's really not my sister, but we call each other as such. We are the only two on Earth."
"Does anyone else know about her?" Tess asked, a trace of concern seeping into her voice.
"No," Zaira replied, offended. She flipped her dark hair. "Will you be returning to her home by this way again?"
"I'm sure I will," Tess replied. Smiling, Tess opened the door and exited into the hallway. Finding herself close to the stairs, she ascended the steps made of solid light and went to class.
The lesson was one she'd been looking forward to, but she had a hard time focusing on the invisibility spell. She did manage to bend the light around her hand, but only for a few seconds. The moment class was over she skipped from the room and practically ran to dinner.
Without grabbing a plate she slid into a seat across from Derek and Iris. Both looked up at her, surprised by the excitement on her features.
"So . . . what did you find?" Derek drawled.
Tess leaned in. "I know what we are going to do."
"Is this going to get us expelled?" Iris asked. She shrugged at the looks they gave her. "Not that I'm averse to that. I would just like to know what I'm in for."
Derek released a quiet laugh. "So what do you have in store for us?"
"I feel like we have been on the defensive from the beginning," Tess said, lowering her tone. "And everyone has an agenda. Hawk and the Guild, Alice and the Harbingers, aurens, mages—even Iris has an army. Everyone seems to have a side, a group that they belong to."
"So?" Derek asked.
"So I think it's time we made our own—especially for what we want to do."
Derek got an exasperated grin on his face. "You're amazing, you know that? It's been two weeks since Alice took over, and you found the refuge in what? Four days?"
Tess's smile widened. "We have the place . . . and now I have the spells."
Chapter 29: Kulldye Dreg
The Swordsman used an old gateway to reach Kulldye Dreg. Many of the enchantments to guard the entrance had long since faded, but the sheer menace to the route was sufficient to deter even the most curious.
Twisted and bent into the shape of a snarling dragon, the wrought iron guardian lay steeped in the shadows of midnight, barring the path. The sole form of ingress lay directly through its jaws. It may have lost most of the curses, but the creature retained its entity purpose. Teeth of glittering steel would gladly tear the flesh of anyone not permitted within the secret town.
The Swordsman withdrew his token, and it morphed into a glowing skull in the presence of the guardian. Returning it to the secret pouch he strode through the open jaws and descended into the dark alleys of Kulldye Dreg. Once a small peninsula off the coast of Europe, the town had been broken off and enchanted to float. Throughout the year it travelled, and by so doing kept ahead of the frequent Magtherian attempts to find it.
The Swordsman advanced through the twisting streets with a familiarity only gained by experience. Darkened windows on either side carried wares from the infamous merchants. One window had a series of wrinkled hands, each with a different ability. Underneath them a sign read.
Appendage removal not included in purchase price.
The next shop carried banned flyer boards, each tinged different colors, and bearing forbidden spells. The one in the center bore the almighty asunder hex. He passed it by with barely a glance. He'd purchased his own night board from the same merchant some time ago, and it lay hidden within the boots he wore.
Across from the flyer shop, an animary displayed a number of exotic animals. A small griffin roamed its cell in the window, while a horned manticore clawed at the cell beside it. A burst of sparks escaped a chained lavakor, while a pure white vynok snake turned invisible in the light. More lethal than all of them, a vampire squirrel skittered around the carcass of a slain lion.
The Swordsman strode down the uneven cobblestones, his thoughts on the encounter ahead. The Assassins Guild met rarely, but when it did attendance was required. To bypass the meeting was tantamount to suicide.
Turning down a side alley, he walked through pools of shadow until he came to a charcoal sketch on the wall. A concave triangle, spiked and jagged, held a plunged dagger in its center. Extending out from the wall, the hilt of the blade matched the black, ethereal nature of the charcoal sketch. In any other setting it could have been a vandal mark, but not here. In this town everything had a layer of secrecy attached to it.
The Swordsman grasped the handle and drew it from the wall. Then he stabbed his own shadow in the heart. The blacksmoke blade separated and spread around his form, enveloping him in darkness. As it covered his eyes he saw the Seal of Assassins coil out from the wall to grasp him in black ink. A moment later it drew him through the wall.
His vision cleared on the opposite side, and he found himself in a large chamber that matched the shape of the Assassins Seal. Dominating the center of the concave triangle, a darkwood table rested.
Each of the three points of the room ended in a different weapon. Fabled by their bearers, the displays were a reminder of the greatest assassins to have led the guild. The oldest of the three relics was over ten thousand years old, and had been used by the legendary Tronis.
The walls held detailed memory paintings of other great assassins. Many depicted stealthy advances on targets, while others displayed epic scenes of magic and skill. Only the table and the trio of weapons were lit. The rest of the space was steeped in shadow.
The individuals seated at the center nodded a greeting when the Swordsman appeared. At twice the size of the humans, Rimpact was a rock troll with a penchant for destruction. His thundering hammer rested on his back. Proficient in group targets, he had the greatest price on his head, mostly due to his lack of subtlety.
Seated next to him, Ryato could have passed for a Japanese businessman, until his clothes shifted into those of a ninja. His blades were traditional for his people, and bore enchantments that enhanced their inherent nature. Even without them his light and fire magics were supreme.
Two seats away from him, the newest member of their group sat. Middle-aged and balding, Harry looked like a high school chemistry teacher. Hidden beneath the innocuous façade was a phynus, an animal mage that could morph into any animal. The woman on his left could
n't have been more different.
Dressed in form fitting, revealing attire, Indigo had been in the guild longer than any of them. She had become their leader when the previous one had been caught and banished by the Magtherian. A class three flyer, she also had a talent for water magic, making her the most widely gifted of the guild. Catching the Swordsman’s eye, she stepped into the air and glided to his side.
"Swordsman," she said in greeting. Not even here did they know his real name.
"Indigo," he said. "Why the meeting?"
She threw him a shrewd look, and floated with him while he went to take his seat. "How could we not? This darkness is spreading faster than the aurens can flee. It's already the bloodiest war in history."
He shrugged. "By all accounts there is nothing that we can do."
"We'll see," she said as another figure materialized in the shadows.
Rook stepped into the Swordsman's wake. A rare perfect tri-mag, Rook bore fire, earth, and healing magics. Of the three, he favored his disease abilities the most.
"Sorry for being late, chaps," he said, his British accent cheery. He winked to the Swordsman. "I had a payment to pick up." The Swordsman didn't bother to reply.
"He's always late," Rimpact growled.
Rook laughed and moved to take his seat. Indigo flew to her chair as the Swordsman slid into his. Then she called the meeting to order. Drawing a blacksmoke blade from her chest, she stabbed it into the table. One by one the others did the same, and the six blades dissipated in unison. The ability was not of any magic, but of special tattoos that each had on their backs. Since the guild's creation, eight nonassassins had gained entry to the chamber, but none had passed the blade test. All but one had died for their effort to infiltrate the guild.
Rook's gaze flicked to the vacant seat beside him. "Where's Elegy?"
"Dead."
The other assassins exchanged a variety of looks. Rimpact and Ryato appeared the least affected by the news. Harry and Rook were the most perturbed. The Swordsman could honestly say he didn't care. Elegy had not been a friend.
"How?" Harry asked, and pushed his glasses up onto his nose.
"Her latest target was in Tehran, Iran, but the Dark overtook it two days ago."
"Are we here to discuss her replacement?" Ryato asked.
The guild of assassins had always had seven members. When one was killed, they convened to select another. But this time Indigo shook her head.
"For now, we have gathered to make a decision." She straightened. "Do we join the Harbingers?"
"We have always been autonomous," Ryato said. "Why would we ally ourselves at this time?"
"It is possible we have no choice," Indigo said. "The dark continues to expand. The number of casualties is beyond anything we have seen."
"Why should we care?" Rook said. "We kill for coin."
Indigo's eyes flashed dangerously. "But we do not slaughter." A short dagger appeared in her hand. "We kill by contract."
"If we were paid enough," Rook said. "Would we allow the Dark to have its day?"
The Swordsman folded his arms in the ensuing silence. He didn't particularly like Rook. If he'd been an auren he would still have been a psychopathic killer. The man had been punished three times for breaking the first tenet of Assassins, no killing of children, and had only retained his seat due to his success rate. Indigo had warned him before that another infraction would result in banishment from the guild.
"How much?" Harry asked.
"Enough to buy Hawaii," Rook replied.
Rimpact issued a low rumble, but didn't voice an opinion either way. Ryato's expression was inscrutable. Indigo's features had hardened like concrete.
"You've been talking to Alice," she said.
The caged anger in her voice sent a chill through the room. Under his cloak the Swordsman fingered a knife and considered his options if it came to a fight. Conflicts in the guild were uncommon, but when they happened people tended to die.
"Does it matter?" Rook asked, and swept his hands wide. "You have encouraged us to seek contracts outside our normal clientele. The Harbingers have always paid well in the past. Isn't that right, Swordsman?"
The Swordsman bared his teeth. Before he'd gotten to know Hawk, the Harbingers had contracted him to kill several people. He'd done so, and then learned they had misled him into killing innocents. Everyone at the table knew how he felt about them.
"I won't ally with them," he said.
"Is that a threat?" Rook rounded on him. "What if the guild decides to join her?"
"Then you will have two seats to fill," the Swordsman said. "Or a third if you came after me."
Anger flared in his eyes, but Indigo stopped the sparring before it could lead to bloodshed. "The point of this is to decide if we are against her. Is she like any other client?"
"No," Rimpact growled. "She disturbs the balance."
"He speaks the truth," Ryato said. "She does not deserve our support."
"But if we defy her we are as good as dead," Harry said.
How could an assassin sound so wimpy? "I'd rather be a dead assassin than an enslaved killer," the Swordsman said, his eyes on Harry.
Indigo jerked her head in the affirmative. "Swordsman is right. Joining them relinquishes our tenets, perhaps permanently. Are we ready for such an act? I say we stand our ground."
"Honor cannot be purchased unless it is for sale," Ryato said, echoing an ancient elven proverb.
"Fear is not in my nature," Rimpact said. He reached to his shoulder and flicked the huge hammerhead, eliciting a note of thunder. "If she seeks the business of death we will bring it to her."
"You are fools," Rook snarled, causing several to turn to him in surprise.
He gestured to them. "I have seen hardened men scream and cry like babes before the Dark steals their minds. This is not something we can battle. There is no option whereby we can preserve the assassin tenets. We either die, or join the Harbingers. That is the choice before us."
"How much time have you spent with her?" Indigo asked.
"Enough to know where I stand," he replied.
Indigo had risen to her feet. "Have you chosen your side then?"
Her voice was deathly calm, and yet her unflinching gaze implied bloodshed and pain. In a room of elite warriors, Rook locked eyes with Indigo across the table. The Swordsman cast an agility spell on himself, and noticed several of the others subtly preparing their magic. Then Rook issued a scornful laugh.
"Mark my words, the Dark will be the last thing you see."
Rising to his feet, he strode to the exit. Just as he reached for the dagger in the wall, Indigo addressed the group.
"Brethren," she spoke in a commanding tone. "Indicate your support by the usual sign."
Surprisingly Ryato was first, and his shimmering katana sank into the table a moment before the Swordsman's. The echo of thunder followed as Rimpact dropped his huge hammer onto the table's surface. Indigo pulled her dagger and sank it in as well. Then she looked to Harry.
The bald man licked his lips and looked between Indigo and Rook. Then he slowly rose to his feet, causing Rook to smile.
"Then we are decided," Indigo said. "And the departed will no longer be welcome in our halls. Of their own accord, they have placed themselves at the tip of our blades. Is it decided?"
Her gaze never left Harry, who had begun to sweat as he stood frozen. As the other three rumbled their assent, Rook said, "The Master might be able to save her, Harry."
Harry's expression hardened, and he pushed his glasses onto his face. "For Elegy," he said, and then spun from the table.
"Then you are no longer welcome," Indigo said, and pulled the blacksmoke dagger from her chest.
Unlike the others, hers had three spines on either side of the blade. She caught two of them, and snapped them off. Harry and Rook both staggered and reached to their backs. Rook's features twisted with anger.
"What have you done?"
"Ensured that you canno
t return," Indigo exclaimed. "Now go, and pray you do not encounter us in the future."
Rook issued an angry grunt, and stepped through the exit. Still rubbing his back, Harry followed.
Indigo's gaze swept the remaining members of the fractured assassins. "From this moment forward, all contracts are suspended unless they pertain to defeating the Harbingers. As of this moment . . . we are at war."
Chapter 30: Expansion
Kate finished the medical check and then strode to the barracks of the training facility. After a quick shower and change, she stepped into her car and drove to a nondescript building a few miles from downtown. Flashing her credentials to the guard at the gate, she drove into the garage and left her vehicle.
Four additional checkpoints stopped her on her way to a sub-basement deep underground. By then she had been scanned twice by equipment as well as an undercover agent of Hawk's. Cameras whirred as she took the last elevator, and she exited to find a soldier with his hand on his gun.
"Hand on the scanner, please," he said.
His gaze never left hers until she had passed the scanner. Then he smiled, his expression hopeful. "Welcome back, Kate. Anything good going on?"
"If there was I couldn't tell you, Paul," she replied, and forced a light expression.
He chuckled in response to their routine conversation, and allowed her through. She didn't comment on the trace of desperation that had seeped into his voice over the last few weeks. People were dying in what the media had taken to calling the Dark War. Despite the death toll, the general populace still doubted.
Her expression distant, she thought about Auroraq. Losing the mage capital to Alice had been a major blow. It had also made it impossible for Kate to see Tess. Her jaw tightened at the surge of worry. If she lost control of her emotions she would not able to assist her daughter. Caging them deep within her, she focused her attention on the task at hand. She wound her way through several halls and then stepped through Jack's office door without knocking.