City of Assassins

by Farah Cook

  Grethe’s lips purse, her head tilts to the side as if to say, “the pleasure to kill you will be all mine.” I stifle a snort when I hear Robert speak.

  “The seal, which was once broken to protect the ancient keep and the assassin’s weapons, is compromised but not without reason or intent. Nora, my daughter, has come here seeking what is hers. As Vikings, we believe in battle and will honor the intrusion with battle. Shall Grethe succeed Nora’s companions will leave with nothing.” He looks at me, his expression blank.

  “I will succeed.” I hear Grethe murmur with a smug smile creeping onto her face.

  “Shall Grethe not succeed,” my father says, pausing, and looking at his other daughter. “Nora and her companions will be granted access to the City of Assassins.”

  Loud hisses and anger swirl all around me, and it does nothing to me. I am not afraid to claim the weapons. Except what my dad fails to understand is that I lose no matter what. I will leave without his love and without knowing if I will ever see him again. It breaks something inside me. Something he’ll never know.

  “Let the battle begin,” Balder says and steps back from the main court where I’m facing the fine looking Duchess, Grethe.

  She gives me a pointed look and strides back. Grethe uses magic to pull me to the ground. When I fall the black earth underneath my feet dissolves and turns into hot desert sand. My hands tremble. The cool night turns into a blazing hot day. It’s an illusion. Grethe is using her magical powers, the clever little witch. I don’t know what is real. I am trapped in the vision she’s created around me.

  I shield my eyes from the sun and look around. Nothing but sand and rock is in sight. I don’t see Grethe, but I feel her presence. She is the wind shifting around me, the salty sweat coating my lips. She is the numbness I feel in my legs, the dizziness from the sun’s merciless kiss. Something stings my skin, and smoke rises from my body as if it is in flames. I scream, but the sound is muffled. There’s no escape. She’s imprisoned me in this hell with rippling dunes, whispering death in my ears. My body withers, the flames turning into ashes. I snatch a breath, but the air is dry and feels like hot coal in my lungs. I hold my ground, so I don’t disappear, but that seems impossible. All I want is to disappear.

  The tattoo on my back wiggles and writhes. I feel some life coming to my bones and the blood rushing through my veins. I see Grethe’s wan face—the wind howling with her scream as she strikes me with daggers. But her aim is in vain as she attacks me hitting nothing but thin air as I crouch down.

  I haven’t felt Yggdrasil for a while, but her branches embrace me like a thick metal shield, the cool twigs scraping my skin, and the soft leaves cushioning my frame. Grethe rages, and I hear her screams and laughter. She’s not giving up easily. She may have the power of magic, but I have the power of the gods. The world tree protects me.

  “Come on,” I shout. “Show me what you have, witch.”

  I pull myself out of the vision she created; it scatters around me like shards from a mirror. I rub my eyes from the fake sand grating my skin. Nothing is there. An empty vacuum.

  “Assassin,” a whisper lingers. “You have to finish her. Do you hear me? Finish her before she finishes you.” It’s Frederick’s voice.

  Grethe’s hands grab the back of my shoulders, her knee astride my spine, and I fall. The cool black earth underneath me is visible. A cold blade prickles my back and breaks into pieces. I don’t feel anything except relief. Had it not been for Yggdrasil Grethe’s blade would have had me.

  My body rolls over and I scramble to my feet facing Grethe. The mob around us is thick. Among the faces, Frederick’s eyes watch me, and that’s when I realize how much he resembles Karen.

  The same pale skin, blue eyes, and warm blond hair. Deny it for as long as you want, but you know he’s your brother. I realize in this hazy moment Frederick will never be mine, and perhaps he never was. I borrowed him against all the odds, and now I must face him as my brother, while I stand face to face with my sister whom I do not want to kill.

  “It’s sickening that you desire your own blood,” she whispers at me. “You see it now, don’t you, Nora? How desperate you must be for love to want your own—”

  I raise my hand in the air, stretching it to the black sky, and the sword flies out from my dad’s sheath and into my hand. Firmly, I curl my fingers around the pommel and strike the sword aiming at Grethe’s long neck. I see blood coating her white attire, her face horrid and screaming, but it is not Grethe’s blood. It is Robert’s.

  My dad’s green eyes flash despair, and the steel glows gloriously. He drops like a stone and in the moment, I feel nothing as if my emotions have stopped functioning. Grethe’s scream fills the air like a storm. She wipes off his blood from her face. The crowd holds their breath, their eyes wide, their jaws dropped.

  What have I done? I should have seen this coming; I should have known this is what he meant. Is that why he wanted me to go to battle? Did he frame me? The air smells of iron and salt, thick and humid. I turn to look up, and the skies are bleeding. Death is everywhere. It has surrounded me, and I cannot run or escape.

  My knees turn soft. This can’t be. No, no! I stumble to the ground. Frederick rushes to my side looking at me with shock and disbelief. Grethe yanks me to the side. Her voice is low and trembling.

  “What have you done?” she cries. “You’ve killed our father.”

  7

  Keys To The Gate

  ROBERT’S EYES SEEK mine in the crowd closing in on us like a circle of death. Someone pushes me away hard. I tremble and regain my balance. I reach out for his hand as his breath slows down. He is fighting for every single one. I clasp my hands over my mouth and swallow a scream. Frederick takes my arm and pushes me past the mob surrounding my dying dad. Grethe sits kneeling in front of him. She is in tears. A dark red colour is smudged on her face. I drop next to Robert and glare at him. Frederick crouches down by my side.

  “It was the will of the gods,” whispers Robert. “Now, among my children, I can die in peace.” His hand grabs hold of Frederick’s. For a while, he doesn’t unclench his fist. He looks straight at me and knows that perhaps I’ve accepted the truth. But I haven’t. I just have to learn to live with it. My mind wants to deny what he is to me. I don’t have the courage to accept that it could be true. But it would be unfair and cruel for Frederick to lose the last moment with the father he never knew, if it is his father.

  “Earl Robert Hunt…” A faint rasp leaves Frederick’s lips. “I…” He’s out of words, and I know how he must feel, gaining and losing something all at once. Anger surges through me. How could Robert let this happen? The remorse and shame from killing my dad will leave me troubled for the rest of my life.

  “You mustn’t blame yourself, Nora,” he says and looks at me. “The choice was not yours but mine. I had to save Grethe. She needs to carry the legacy of the Vikings and protect the city from our enemy and from invasion. She will let you pass through the gate that leads you to the City of Assassins. She must.” He looks at her.

  Grethe wipes the tears welling up in her eyes. An expression of sadness crosses her face, and I see her for the first time as more than a halfblooded sister. And I am afraid because I don’t see a sister but a witch with trickery and spells. I sense the evil rising in her body and behind the golden shimmer in her eyes. Grethe will not grant us access. I did not defeat her.

  “As you wish, Father,” says Grethe and looks at me with lightning in her eyes. She stands and takes the sword out of my hands. The warm blood that ran through Robert’s veins is now soaking the black cool earth. He looks at us and speaks in Norse, whispering a prayer I’ve heard before.

  “May the gods of Asgard guide your steps toward their gates. May your journey be safe and filled with light. May you find strength from Thor in your darkest hours. May you find wisdom from Odin in times of confusion. May you find beauty and lasting bonds from Freya and Frey. May your web be spun tightly with that which makes you stro
nger, happy, and wise. And may the gods always look upon you with good grace.”

  I recognize the Viking prayer Robert recites. It’s from the book I discovered in Eldor. These are his last words to us before he closes his eyes and ascends to Valhalla. And I condemn him for what he has done.

  Frederick, Mina, and I are thrown into a dirty dark cellar. For a moment, I believed Grethe. I saw sadness in her eyes, grief in her heart. How could I be so stupid and think she could ever be a sister. The name evokes warmth and feelings. A strong and unbreakable bond. She is nothing of the sort. She is a witch with spells.

  Not only is Robert dead, but also I killed him. Not because Magnus ordered me to do so, but because it was the will of the gods. Most of all, it was his will. Robert knew I was going to defeat Grethe, and he wanted her to live. He sacrificed his own life, and I can’t even mourn him. I can’t see his cold body and hold him one last time. I feel as if all this has no purpose. Nothing is worth losing a parent over. I’ve gained a sister, but it will not be long before she finds a cruel way to rid herself of us.

  Grethe is undeniably unpredictable. I am convinced she was the one who sent Ulrik after me that night. Why would he otherwise attempt to kill me? He doesn’t even know me. I try to gather my thoughts, but I can’t. All I see is Robert Hunt dying, his blood seeping into the land he built, flowing like a stormy river.

  “Frederick,” I say. “She’s going to kill us. We have to find a way to the City of Assassins.”

  “Grethe can’t kill us,” he says with little emotion and looks away like he doesn’t want to know me. “The city is ruled by a council representing the nine races. The wizard was our…” He pauses and draws in a long breath. “The Earl’s most trusted right-hand man. Grethe would be stupid if she tried to execute us. There are consequences, even for us, which could mean we’re leaving without the weapons.”

  “We are—” I begin and glance at Mina, who is too scared to say anything. “We are here for the weapons, and I am not leaving without them. Robert wanted me to have them. He told me everything the other night.”

  “Nora, I never came for the weapons,” Frederick says. “I may have at first before we were…” Another pause. His mind wanders, and I don’t blame him. All the confusion and secrets are unraveling: The sudden announcement that Frederick is not who he thinks he is; The half-sister who wants us dead; Our Viking clans ready to slay each other to gain power over the Nine Worlds. We’re still enemies in dynasty but perhaps no longer in blood, and for the first time, I wish to be Frederick’s blood enemy.

  If our blood is the same, then there’s some comfort in that. Though I cannot live knowing that the one I love and always will love cannot be mine. Frederick feels the same tension; I know from the way he speaks. He is also afraid to learn the truth. I don’t blame him. There’s no one to blame but the late Earl Robert Hunt. Did he deceive our minds before he died? I never knew him, so why in the name of Odin should I trust him? The only string, we both hold onto is ignorance. It is a blessing in disguise.

  “We’ve come this far, Frederick. It has to be worth something. Robert died to protect the City of Vikings for those willing to embrace life as a true Viking. I can’t say what I am. I am not a true Viking and may never be. I am just me. Without those weapons, we have nothing to protect ourselves with. Soon the tree will wither. She will pass me the encrypted runes. Her purpose will be done. She will leave my body and soul. The Verans will be looking for me. Lord Nourusa’s strength will have grown. The Goths would want me to kill for them. You will be caught between your dynasty, your clan, and your true blood. We must get to the weapons. They are our only hope.”

  “Do you actually know what you’re asking for?” he says. “Have you any clue what hell we’ll have to go through?”

  “I’d rather go through this hell with you than living in one without you.”

  He says nothing. Our eyes meet, and the silence stretches. The ashes from the Earl are still warm, and we’ve hardly grieved him before planning our escape to a place I do not dare think of. If I did, I know I’d change my mind.

  “Why are you so certain we’re awaiting our death sentence?” he says.

  “Grethe sees us as a threat, even though we have no intention to threaten or invade or ruin the City of Vikings. Why would we? It makes no sense. Our aim is to get the weapons and protect ourselves from everyone in the Triangle. Now that the truth is out, you cannot have any remorse for turning your back on the Verans. You and I belong together. We can make a difference. Midgard is ours to rule.”

  “Then what?” he says. “We find the weapons, and you just expect me to kill my own clan? Nora—”

  “What are you saying? Frederick my life is in danger. Your life is in danger—”

  “I know,” he says. “And believe me, I will never let anything happen to you.” His words are soft, reassuring. I trust Frederick. He turns around and peeks through the slit in the wall. “Just promise me when the time comes, you will trust me.”

  “What do you mean?” I say.

  “You’ll have to make choices.”

  “About what?” I say. “To pave the way for our enemy?” I shake my head. Frederick looks away like I’ve misunderstood him. I may have, but why would he suggest such a silly thing?

  “Nora, all I am asking is that you trust me,” he says. “We’re in this together. Yggdrasil is soon to be awakened, and you have to give the Triangle what it waits for. Do you understand that?”

  I shake my head. Why is he talking about trust? He’s not thinking straight.

  “Grethe wants us dead. She wants nothing to do with us,” I say. “That’s more important right now. Why are you asking me to trust you when I need you to help me break out of here?

  “’Because,” says Frederick. “She can’t just kill us. The city follows rules and in the short time I knew the man claiming to be my father, I am sure he saw this coming.”

  “What do you know that I don’t?” I say. “That we have some kind of protection?”

  “You always had trust issues with me, Nora,” says Frederick. “For once don’t question me, okay?”

  “You give me too much reason, Frederick.”

  “You just can’t tell me that you trust me. Isn’t that so?”

  “Yes,” I say firmly, but something inside me does not quite follow his urge to press on with his sudden need to be trusted. “No, I mean. I do, of course I trust you and I will continue to do so.”

  “Then remember that and when the time comes do not question me because I will never, ever betray you.”

  “I don’t know what you’re getting at but okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Yes, okay,” I say. “I’ll do my best.”

  “You always were special, Nora.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you still don’t trust me, but I have to live with that.”

  “I trust you, Frederick. After all, we’re on this journey together.”

  “I know a way into the Assassin’s City,” says Mina. “But no way out.”

  “How do you know?” I look into her big, black beetle eyes and realize this creature, whether Veran or half elf or troll, has more to her than meets the eye. She may have been a spy at first, but she’s redeemed herself, risking her life to protect me.

  “Ashes,” says Mina. “Gate past Ashes. Key in Grethe’s keep.”

  “Not another key,” I say and hold my head, thinking of the trolls of Norumb and what Frederick did to them. He had killed them all in the blaze of dark tumbling clouds. “How do you know?” She smiles widely and stares at me then Frederick. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. I wish there was a way we could leave in peace without having to steal the key or break our way out. Grethe, after all, is our sister and if Frederick is right, we might need her alliance to defeat both our clans.”

  “She’s not exactly great sister material,” says Frederick. “And I’m not quite sure what she wants from us, and why she’
s keeping us here, but I am hopeful whatever it is, she’ll change her mind and see us as her own.”

  “What do you suggest we do now, Frederick?”

  “We sit back and wait. What other choice do we have?”

  “No escape?” says Mina with a look of disappointment.

  “No,” I say. “I agree with Frederick; it’s not wise. And if we sit our time out, she might show us mercy and set us free. We need her to grant us permission to enter this damned place.”

  “Grethe no kill us?”

  “Who knows what potion the witch is planning,” I say. “In any case, she’d have trouble killing me.”

  “Why is that?” says Frederick and glares at me.

  “Because of Yggdrasil. She still protects me.”

  “Not for much longer,” says Frederick coldly. He looks away.

  Part of me doesn’t blame him. I’ve caused this to happen. I’m the reason we’re held captive in the cellar. Only the gods know what will become of us. We may be deported from the City of Vikings, or we may face a death sentence. We may just be lucky and get what we came for.

  Two days later the cell doors open. It’s early in the morning. Balder stands firmly by the door, his stare like an evil snake’s bite. At first, he says nothing, as if deciding what to do with us.

  “Get up! The Duchess wishes to see you. Not you, and certainly not you.” He lifts his hands to stop Frederick and Mina. “Nora Hunt, follow me.”

  I walk out, silent like a tomb, thinking of how to rid myself of Balder and return to the cell to get Fredrick and Mina out. Then I would find Grethe, snatch the key from her, and leave this place via the Ashes. It takes me a second to realize all this is not just impossible; it’s also stupid and dangerous.

  I follow Balder without any resistance.

  “Where exactly are you taking me?”