The Assassins of Altis

by Jack Campbell

  Mari winced, looking down. “Mara! What did I do to deserve that?”

  “At least the Mara story and the belief that the daughter has returned are serving to conceal the actual reason we went to Marandur,” Alain pointed out. “The idea that the daughter of Jules sought something her ancestor left there may satisfy many.”

  “Jules didn’t leave those texts,” Mari muttered, her eyes going to their packs. “But maybe you’re right and that story will help us. The Mara thing, though, is just so appalling.”

  Alain watched her, puzzled again. “Why does it bother you? You are not Mara.”

  Mari pressed her fingers against both sides of her head. “Alain, I don’t want to seem ungrateful. I’m sure any woman would be happy to hear that her husband doesn’t consider her to be an undead, blood-sucking fiend. But that still leaves a lot of people inside the Empire who are going to be worried about Mara—about me—coming through the window to devour their children.”

  “From what those men and women said,” Alain pointed out, “the chosen prey of Mara is young men, not children. Mara would seek out a man about my age.”

  Mari felt her brow lowering as she glared at Alain. “And why did you feel it necessary to say that?” she growled.

  Belatedly realizing that he had made a serious mistake, Alain was groping for words. “I did not…that is…what should I say now?”

  “As little as possible.”

  He nodded silently.

  “Do you have any idea how it feels to have people think you’re some loathsome creature?” Mari demanded.

  Alain did not respond immediately. “Yes.”

  “What?”

  “I am a Mage.”

  She felt a burst of shame. “Of course you know how that feels. Mechanics and commons use a lot worse words to describe Mages. I’m sorry. I’m just feeling so much pressure. I don’t understand why I couldn’t have more time, a few years at least, to lay the groundwork for overthrowing the Great Guilds. Instead I have to worry about getting it done faster, without attracting too much notice from the Great Guilds before I assemble the strength needed to withstand the inevitable all-out attack.”

  “It may be that your presence has created the conditions for the storm,” Alain suggested. “That is why it approaches swiftly.”

  “My— What?” Mari glared at him. “Are you saying it’s my fault?”

  “No.” He paused, then spoke slowly, as if forming the thoughts behind his words as he talked. “Whenever the daughter appeared, whenever that happened, her presence would create the conditions for the commons to erupt into violence. Instead of waiting with patience for the one who would help free them, they would want to act.”

  “But you said this storm was threatening before anyone was talking about me being the daughter!” Mari objected.

  “You existed,” Alain said. “In getting to know me, a Mage, and in surviving the attack on the caravan, you had already taken the first steps on the road the daughter had to travel.”

  “Great.” Mari slumped backwards. “So it’s my fault just for existing. Just like so many Senior Mechanics have implied for years.”

  “That is not—” “

  “Speaking of my Guild, I’ve been thinking, Alain. This ship raced to get out of Caer Lyn because they’d heard the harbor was going to be closed, and those guys at dinner said some Mechanics were called off this ship for some Guild emergency. Even though the reaction was badly coordinated, doesn’t that sound like my Guild had realized that I was in Caer Lyn after all?”

  Alain considered her question, then nodded. “It does. Yet the two who went to your home betrayed no signs of worry or suspicion.”

  “But what else could have betrayed our presence? There is no way that the ship we sabotaged could have gotten that far-talker working again. We saw those sailors after my Guild had already started those measures to close down the port, so they couldn’t have told anyone.”

  “You have told me that Mechanics cannot sense the presence of other Mechanics,” Alain noted. “But something is revealing where you are.”

  Mari shook her head. “I wish I could figure out what it was. Maybe the Guild has hired lots of commons with orders to keep an eye out for me. How could we avoid being seen if the Guild had that many commons also searching for us?” She tried to think of anything else that might betray her presence, finally hauling out her far-talker and confirming that it was off. “If I was talking on this they could track the signal. I used to leave it on standby sometimes so I could hear what any nearby Mechanics might be saying to each other, but ever since Severun it has stayed off. I don’t even know if the battery is still good. Probably, I guess, since I haven’t been using it.” She pushed the far-talker back into her pack, then looked at the watertight bundle holding the banned Mechanics Guild texts. “About another week and we’ll be at Altis. I wonder what we’ll find there? Answers? Or just more questions?”

  “Perhaps both answers and more questions,” Alain suggested.

  She sealed her pack. “We’ll know in a while, I guess. What do you want to do now?” Alain smiled at her. “I should have guessed,” Mari laughed, then held out a restraining hand. “How do you feel? You’ve told me that being too close to someone else was supposed to make you lose your powers, and, well, we’ve gotten really, really close.”

  He regarded her with that serious look. “I feel stronger than ever. Still. I cannot actually test that, of course.”

  “Alain, if you lose your powers—”

  “It will have been worth it. I told you that before this voyage began, and everything since then has only reinforced for me that I was right.”

  She smiled, reaching for him. “Come here, my Mage.”

  #

  The city of Altis lay on the island of Altis in the far northwestern part of the Sea of Bakre. Mari stood at the railing of the sailing ship White Wing, gazing up at the mountains rising steeply from the waters of the sea. The entrance to the great circular harbor was just coming into view as the White Wing swung past the southern headland of the island. The breeze sweeping past the island carried a brisk reminder of winter’s cold, but also the promise of the spring which would soon warm the lands around the inland sea.

  Mari looked at the white buildings of the city of Altis on its high tableland and wondered what awaited her there, her and Alain, what enemies might be lying in wait for them at this moment. After more than a week at sea marred only by the worry of another ship intercepting them as the Mechanic ship had, it was jarring to face the prospect of immediate danger once again.

  She had been more careful and said less in subsequent conversations with commons on the ship, but had noticed the soldier Patila and the skeptical man both regarding her more than would be usual in the last several days.

  Alain came to stand beside her, and Mari reached out to grip his hand tightly. “I’ve been wondering if the last week was a dream,” she confessed. “Wondering if I’ll wake up and find us still trapped in Marandur, or me locked in a cell someplace, all alone.”

  “If it was a dream,” Alain noted, “I have shared it with you, and it has been a very good dream.”

  “Oh, yeah. No complaints there.” Mari grinned. “But right now I’m trying to get back into the right state of mind for a couple of fugitives from the most powerful enemies in the world. Our honeymoon cruise is over. It’s back to being constantly alert for people trying to kill or capture us.”

  “Yes,” Alain agreed. “Our enemies, and your Guild in particular, have shown too much skill at anticipating our moves. No one should know that we have come here, though, so with any luck we will not have to worry about anyone waiting on the dock. Nor should anyone expect us to stay in Altis. Assuming we make it ashore without running into trouble, what do we do first?”

  Mari looked down at her left hand. “One thing I regretted is that we didn’t have time to get promise rings in Caer Lyn. We’ll have to do that in Altis, first thing.”

  “Before
trying to find the tower?” Alain asked, surprised.

  “Yes.” She spread her fingers, imagining a ring there. “I’ve made a great many sacrifices for the sake of others and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want this one little thing to take priority. It won’t take all that long. We can’t afford anything really fancy, but then I don’t want anything fancy. Just plain gold bands for both of us. Is that okay with you?”

  “Yes.” He paused. “Gold bands on our hands.”

  “That’s right.” Mari gave him a rueful smile. “Just like in that vision of yours back in Dorcastle. We did get married.”

  “What would you have done in Dorcastle if I had told you then about the gold bands? If I had known what they meant?”

  She gasped a brief laugh. “That’s hard to say. By the time you did mention them I had already made some decisions about committing to you, but back then…stars above, Alain. I might have run.”

  “It is well that I did not mention it, then.”

  “Sure is.” Mari met his eyes, her face serious. “I need you in so many ways. What am I going to do if I lose you?”

  “Keep trying. You must.”

  She exhaled heavily, then held him close and kissed Alain quickly. “I’ll try, but I doubt that will be enough. There’s no way I can do this alone. The daughter needs her Mage.” Mari raised her free hand and rubbed the place under her coat where her pistol rested in its shoulder holster. She hadn’t worn it for part of the time they had been at sea, but she might need the weapon again soon. “No more visions?”

  “No.”

  “Have you been totally honest with me about your Mage powers? Are they really still strong?”

  Alain nodded. “Yes. I sometimes feel that if should someone threaten you I could muster enough power to blow a hole the size of that harbor in a city.”

  Mari let him see how startled she was by that. “All right. Let’s not blow up any cities on my account, if you don’t mind.” The White Wing tacked, swinging around toward the entrance to the harbor, Mari bracing herself against the railing as the deck tilted. “Now we need our minds on business. Let’s get our packs and get ready for trouble, just in case.” She kissed him again, longer this time, knowing they were probably getting more amused looks from the commons on board who knew they were newly married. “Welcome to Altis, my beloved Mage.”

  #

  The White Wing had anchored out from the quay, her boats shuttling passengers ashore. While most of the passengers had jostled for places to get on the first boats, Mari and Alain had held back. He kept an eye on things around them as Mari, from a position where she could not be easily seen, was using her far-seer to study the docks of the lower port without being obvious about it. “I can’t see anything that looks too suspicious,” Mari told him. “There are a few Mechanics visible down at one end, but they’re obviously working on something. I don’t see any Mages. Everybody in common clothing seems to have a good reason for being where they are, and when the first boat came in nobody jumped out of the shadows to arrest them all.”

  Alain let his own gaze roam over the dock area. “My foresight tells me nothing.”

  Mari sat back, chewing her lower lip as she put away her far-seer. “There is an Imperial warship in port, but there is no sign of trouble from that quarter, either. Do you think we finally got ahead of the reports and rumors and arrest orders?”

  “No.” Alain gestured toward the north and east, memories of the events there crowding into his mind. “The stories spread by General Flyn’s soldiers in the Northern Ramparts will have found fertile ground here, there is no doubt. But we may have outrun the rumors of Mara for a while.”

  “That’s one blessing, then.”

  “It could be useful some day,” Alain suggested, “if we are confronted by superstitious Imperials.”

  Mari turned her glare on him. “You’re crazy if you think for even one moment that I will ever play at being Mara.” She stood up, adjusting her pack. “I’m not going to miss hauling these packs around, let me tell you. Shall we get in line to get ashore?” She looked at Alain again, her expression becoming concerned. “What’s the matter?”

  He was looking north, and only when she asked did Alain realize that he must have shown some feeling. “I was thinking of home. The home I had and lost.”

  “I’m sorry,” Mari said, her voice full of apology. “I should have expected that would bother you and not have been so self-centered. Just remember that you’ve got another home now.” She took his hand and placed it over her heart. “Right here, and you’re always there. Now let’s go change the world.”

  He smiled at her, feeling better. “Yes, Lady Mari.”

  The line to board the boats was still fairly long, but Alain did not mind spending a little more time on the ship. It held memories that would never fade. He saw some of the other passengers they had spoken with, the commons who were soldiers in the Western Alliance, and somewhat awkwardly returned their waves of farewell. He saw that the woman soldier Patila once again kept her eyes on Mari, and that the soldiers’ skeptical friend Jorge avoided looking their way.

  Mari held his arm as the line moved forward, until they reached the ladder to the boat and had to go down it single-file. She led him to seats near the stern of the boat, then as the boat cast off and the crew members began rowing it to the quay, Mari met his eyes, tapped the place under her arm where her weapon was kept, and sat alertly. The honeymoon was officially over.

  Alain kept his eyes on the area ahead for any sign of trouble, but saw nothing suspicious as the boat came alongside the quay and tied up. Once ashore they joined another line for customs, eventually facing an official who looked relaxed and a little rumpled, a big contrast to the polished menace of the Imperial officers with whom Alain and Mari had been forced to deal for some time.

  The customs officer held out a hand for their papers, and Mari handed over the false ones. “Imperials out of Emdin? What brings you to Altis?”

  “Distant relatives,” Mari explained. “They’ve been asking us to visit, and this is a quiet season on the farm.”

  “Well, you’ll have to get back soon for the spring planting, won’t you?” The official took another glance at the identification papers, shrugged, then began to hand back the papers.

  He halted in mid-reach as another official hastened up and whispered to him, glancing toward Mari and Alain.

  Mari’s attention was centered on the officials. Alain let his gaze roam, seeing the man Jorge standing some distance away and watching nervously, then turning to walk off with a fast gait.

  The seated customs official gave Mari and Alain an appraising look as his comrade gestured to some nearby local police. “I am afraid we will have to question you further and search your belongings,” the customs official said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mari had tensed, flicking a glance at Alain. He nodded to indicate that he was ready to follow her lead. “Is something wrong?” Mari asked, trying to sound plaintive and worried like the young rustic her identity papers claimed her to be.

  “This way,” the second official ordered, the two local police at his back.

  Alain took another look around. They were very exposed here on the quay. Anything they did would be seen by many people, including the Mechanics working down at the end of the quay. But allowing the local officials to search their packs would not only reveal Mari’s Mechanics jacket and equipment, but also Alain’s robes, and the two packs of texts which they had brought from Marandur.

  Escaping from the local officials would be difficult, but not impossible. However, it would create a huge commotion and brand him and Mari as criminals before they had any chance to look for the tower she sought.

  Mari hesitated, giving Alain another glance that this time revealed she had no ideas and needed one from him.

  He began to shake his head slightly in response.

  The seated customs official began to stand up, frowning, as the two local police step
ped closer.

  The woman soldier Patila suddenly walked up next to the customs desk, smiling at Mari and Alain. “Is anything wrong, sir?” she asked the customs official, offering her identity papers.

  The official turned his frown on Patila, looking down at her papers. His expression cleared. “We’re just acting on a tip, Captain,” he said respectfully.

  “About these two?” she asked. “Why would anyone have tipped— Oh, wait.” She leaned close, whispering to the official.

  He frowned again, looked at Mari in an appraising way, then inclined his head toward Patila. “I see. Thank you, Captain. If you vouch for them, there is no need to inconvenience anyone.”

  The official waved away the police and handed Mari back her and Alain’s identity papers. “Sorry about that. We’re not the Empire here, or Mechanics, giving people trouble just because we can. Enjoy your stay in Altis.”

  Patila walked with them as they left the quay. “I saw Jorge talking to one of the customs officials,” she told Mari. “He’s not a bad person, but he’s been on edge a lot lately. Worried about things at home. And he thinks you might make things worse. I thought he might cause some trouble for you.”

  “Thank you,” Mari said. “You really saved us back there.”

  “It’s the least I can do,” Patila said, looking at Mari. “For the daughter.” As Mari fumbled for a reply, the soldier switched her gaze to Alain. “It took me a while to be sure you were a Mage. When you’re not careful, though, your face goes all expressionless instead of relaxed. You need to work on that still.”

  “I will,” Alain said. “What did you tell the official?”

  Patila grinned lopsidedly. “I told him that this one guy on the cruise had been hitting on her,” she said with a nod toward Mari. “I said I had heard him threaten to cause trouble for her if she didn’t show him a good time even though she was just this naïve kid from a farm who only wanted to be left alone. And then I’d just seen that guy talking to customs officials and I thought maybe he had made good on his threats. Since I’m an officer in the Western military, and Jorge wouldn’t even give his name, they took my word for it.”