by Stuart Jaffe
“But won’t she be ruined for the leaders of your world? They want her to be Queen, don’t they?”
“The leaders of the world won’t care if she’s a virgin or not. They only want her magic.”
“What’s so special about her magic, anyway?”
“To begin with, it’s the only magic. Our Holy Men scour the land all over the world. They travel country to country until they find the Artisoll — a baby girl with all of the magic the world can produce. When she is found, she is raised to become the next Queen. Whichever country she takes the throne in becomes the world’s leader. Until the next Artisoll becomes Queen.”
“I see now,” Malja said. “That explains the battle in the street. They all want her magic, so they can rule the world for a time.”
“Normally, it is a peaceful transition. The governing Queen simply takes the Artisoll to the Temple in the country destined to rule.”
“But this time isn’t normal?”
“The Queen died before she could tell us where to take the Artisoll.”
“Why would they shoot at her then? Don’t they need her to claim power?”
Stray crossed his arms. “They are fools. Especially those from Bechstollan. They are impulsive and full of rage. I would assume that if indeed their shots were aimed at the Artisoll and not us, their goal was to destroy her, so that another would be born elsewhere. A stalling technique, if you will.”
Malja watched as Tommy made a face and the Artisoll smiled while lowering her head closer towards him. Neither spoke, of course, but they appeared to communicate far too well.
That’s when she spied a shadow dash across the rooftop of a nearby building.
She was about to ask Stray if he had seen it, too, when she noticed that he sat on the edge of his chair, his eyes focused on the same section of rooftop. Two more shadows moved across the way. Two more after that. Then a flurry of darkness passed overhead — some looked like they had tails. Not a single Carsite at the festival noticed.
“I counted ten,” Malja said.
Stray nodded, his eyes searching for more.
She looked across the dancing crowd. Malja straightened and repositioned her feet. She could launch from her chair quickly, but if an attack came, there would be no way to save everybody.
“I never thought the Scarites would start this up again so soon. After their defeat, they couldn’t possibly have enough strength to declare war. It’s suicide.” An awful thought soured her stomach — Harskill. He could have returned. Perhaps he wanted this world after all. Even without magic, the world had plenty to offer. And Harskill could bring magic back with ease. Probably.
Stray shook his head. “They might be after the Artisoll.”
“They don’t even know she exists.”
“One of the first lessons ever taught me — do not underestimate those who seek her out.”
“Regardless, staying here only endangers the crowd. We’ve got to move.”
“It’s more important to get the Artisoll to safety then worry about the lives of others. But we don’t know if this is even a real threat. Perhaps it’s a diversion. I can’t afford to risk her safety by acting without knowing the threat.”
Malja placed her hand on Stray’s shoulder. “You just gave me an idea.”
Chapter 6
“Follow me.” Malja led a path through the gyrating party and Stray stayed close behind. “First thing we need to do is find a place hidden from view above.”
“But the Artisoll.”
“Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to her. If our unwanted guests are targeting her, they clearly are waiting for a less crowded moment to attack; otherwise, they already would have struck. If they are here for me, then as long as we’re moving, they’ll wait to see if we end up in a better location for an attack. And if they’re here to start a war with the Carsites, it doesn’t matter where we go. They’ll be attacking the whole town.”
A drunken elderly man stumbled into Malja, spilling his mug of foul smelling drink down his front. He scowled and raised his fist. When he saw who stood before him, he trembled out a smile and pumped his fist in the air. “Yeah, Malja,” he said with a weak crack in his voice.
“Go,” she said. He vanished into the crowd. She turned to Stray. “We can’t stay out here in the open. Another drunk like that might be all it takes to get our enemy on the move.”
“What about there?” Stray said, indicating a building with his eyes.
“The stables? That could work.”
They broke free from the thickest part of the crowd and entered the long stables. Twenty stalls - ten on each side of a straight corridor with only four occupied. Malja nodded.
She stepped back out, checking the rooftops as fast and nonchalantly as possible, before scanning the edge of the crowd. The shadows had spread out. Several followed her, but several more remained with the party — which included the Artisoll. Her simple plan might be more necessary than she had thought.
As expected, Hirasa stood near the outer edge of the crowd. As she wiped off the last of her performance makeup, she peeked over at the stables. That girl’s attachment to Malja had been at times flattering, embarrassing, and annoying. But at least, it was predictable.
“Hirasa. Come here.”
The young woman hustled over. “Did you enjoy the dance?”
“You were excellent. Thank you.”
Hirasa reddened. “It was a group effort, of course. We really could have done much better, but with so little time —”
“Listen to me.” Malja’s serious tone quieted Hirasa. “I need your help. I want you to go to where everyone is dancing. Find Tommy and the Artisoll and bring them here. Hurry.”
“I won’t fail you.”
As Hirasa threw herself into her assignment, Malja returned to Stray. He stood by a black horse and stroked its nose. “Lovely animals. Do you have any toftof here?”
“Don’t even know what that is. Don’t care much at the moment, either.” Malja paused. Why was Stray acting so calm? She looked him over and saw that even as he portrayed ease, his right hand had a firm grip on one of his swords. With a nod of recognition, she walked towards him. “I’m sorry. That was rude. Perhaps you could tell me about these toftof.”
As she came closer, she heard movement from several stalls down. That must have been what got Stray agitated. She passed him by, edging closer to the stall, and lowered into a fighting stance. Moving slow and quiet, she eased out Viper. The noises from the stall were careless. Whoever hid there was not a trained assassin nor a trained soldier.
When she reached the stall, she looked back. Hirasa stood at the far end with Tommy and the Artisoll in tow. Stray had both his scimitars out and at the ready. Before attacking, Malja decided to peek over the edge of the stall. The constant sounds of shifting suggested somebody frightened, not somebody trying to attack them — she didn’t want to burst in there and kill a child simply having fun snooping around.
Of course, if an enemy sat in the stall with a gun trained on the door, then Malja might get her head blown off. Inching upward, she clamped down on her nerves. Live or die, she would have an answer soon enough.
When she looked into the stall, all tension dropped. She put Viper back and stood. “Fawbry! Get out of there.”
“What are you doing?” Fawbry said, poking his head up. Straw stuck out of his hair and he had a large red mark on his neck. “What are you all doing here? Can’t I ever get a little privacy?”
Malja opened the stall door, and a buxom woman rushed out like a frightened mare. She carried her clothes in one hand and covered her rear with the other. Fawbry stepped out, adjusting his robe, and brushing off straw.
“You couldn’t wait for us to finish?”
Malja picked some straw off his back. “Sorry, but we have a serious problem.”
“Of course, you do. You’re Malja.”
Ignoring the comment, Malja pointed to the Artisoll and Hirasa. “You two. Get in one of the
se empty stalls and change into each other’s clothes.” The women did as ordered. “Tommy, when they finish, you are to take the Artisoll back into the party. Dance, have a good time. Make sure spend time with the performers as well as some of the girls that are friends with Hirasa. Anything that will reinforce the idea that the Artisoll is Hirasa. After a short time, I want you to take her to safety. Clear?”
Tommy nodded. Perhaps a bit too eager to be the Artisoll’s savior, but Malja didn’t have time to lecture him on women — again.
The girls stepped out, and Malja had to admit they looked closer to each other than she had dared hope. The Artisoll, wearing Hirasa’s dance outfit, looked charming but much like the rest of the crowd. Hirasa stuck out in the Artisoll’s bright sash.
Malja nodded her approval. “Be sure to wear your hats. From above, no one will be able to tell the difference.”
The Artisoll joined Tommy. Stray walked over to them and gripped Tommy by the shoulders. “This woman is precious and valuable. There are many who would kill you without a thought in order to capture her. Understand that the only reason I’m allowing you to take her is because Malja trusts you. But if you do anything more than protect her, if I find that you’ve laid a hand on her either in anger or in lust, I will have your head. Is that clear?”
Maybe Malja didn’t need to talk with Tommy after all. The look on his face said he got the message quite clearly. As he led the Artisoll back to the party, Malja turned to Fawbry. “I want you to take Hirasa to the cemetery. Act like you’re seducing her and she’s willing — I think you know how do that.”
Fawbry took Hirasa’s arm but leveled a glare at Malja. “What’s this all about?”
“The same thing it’s always about. Trying to keep everybody alive. Now, go.”
As the two strolled off, Malja put her arm around Stray. “We go back to the party and drink and act like we’re getting friendly.”
“But aren’t they going to attack your friends at the cemetery?”
“That’s what we’ll find out. We watch and see who they follow — me, Hirasa pretending to be the Artisoll, or do they reposition to attack the crowd. Once we know the real target, then the threat will be clear, and we act.”
Stray stroked his mustache. “All while the Artisoll slips away with your Tommy. Excellent.”
Stepping out of the stables, Malja leaned against Stray like a drunken girl who had just enjoyed drunken sex. She walked unsteadily and giggled at her big man. All the time, her eyes grabbed glimpses above.
Her theatrics were wasted, however. The ten shadowed creatures reacted right away. They moved fast across the rooftops, leaving the party and following Fawbry towards the cemetery.
Malja gave up her act and pulled out Viper. “Looks like they really are after your girl.”
“They always are.”
Stray motioned to go after the Artisoll but Malja put out her hand. “When our enemies figure out that Hirasa isn’t the Artisoll, they will look to see where you are. They know you won’t leave her unprotected, so they’ll watch you in order to find her.”
He acknowledged her logic with a firm nod. “Then I must do as you say and follow Hirasa. You’re sure this man, Tommy, can protect her?”
“Don’t worry. He’s got a lot of magic in him, and he can control it all.”
The sun had finally set, and as they reached the cemetery, Malja hoped the darkness hindered these assassins as much as it helped them. It certainly made things tougher on her. She wanted to give Fawbry some guidance, but he couldn’t see her and she didn’t dare shout out. Stray, however, kept close by — except he had no need for her orders. The moment they hit the cemetery’s edge, he broke away from her as if reading her mind.
“Come, you strange fellow,” she heard Hirasa say quite loudly. “Take me to the monument.”
Good girl, Malja thought. The monument was a perfect place to do this. It stood in the center of the cemetery, a stone obelisk meant to pay tribute to those fallen during the war. A large, circular clearing surrounded the monument and torches remained lit throughout the night. It was the only well-lit area in the entire cemetery.
Malja crouched behind a tombstone and readied Viper. With ten enemies approaching, she would have to move faster than usual. Stray could be counted to take out a few. Fawbry and Hirasa might help as well, but they would start at a disadvantageous position. She decided to expect nothing from them. If they managed even one successful strike, that would be a bonus.
The assassins appeared around the edges of the circle, staying in the darkness but making their presence known. Hirasa buried her face in Fawbry’s chest — a smart move that would hide her identity even longer. Fawbry put his arms around her and stepped toward the center.
Malja licked her lips and exhaled slowly. Almost there. Only one thing left to wait for and instinct coupled with years of experience told her that thing would come any moment — the attack.
“Back off.” Fawbry waved one arm about. “Go away.”
Malja couldn’t tell if he put on an act or if he truly felt vulnerable and helpless. No, that wasn’t fair. She knew him better than to think that. She knew he was relying on her — just as he followed her plan without debate. Though not without a few complaints — this was Fawbry, after all.
In unison, all ten creatures stepped into the circle. Malja had a few seconds to realize they were not Scarite at all. These creatures did not have tails, either. Instead, they had a sharp, blade-like appendage sticking out the back. Their skin was night black and hard like a carapace while their bodies were segmented hundreds of times. They looked like they had been formed of numerous stones stacked into the shape of a man with a brutal, weaponized spike.
The creatures took another step forward. Malja kept expecting a full-on charge, but they were acting so cautious. It might have been from fear of the Artisoll’s magic, but then they never would have accepted the job if they feared the target so much.
The target. Whichever one was the leader had yet to signal the attack because it couldn’t tell for sure if they had found the right target. Which meant that in a few seconds, they would know they had been duped.
Stray must have come to the same conclusion because Malja saw him rise from behind a gravestone on the opposite side of the circle and shout. As all the assassins faced him, Malja launched her surprise assault. Coming up from behind, she swung Viper and decapitated two creatures as her first move.
A third snapped its head towards her, startled by the sudden shift in the situation, but had no time to do more. Malja moved with her momentum — spinning in a tight circle and flipping Viper as she dropped the blade low. When she came around, she thrust Viper upward. Its point caught the confused creature between the legs. She continued cutting upwards until Viper broke free and the creature crumbled in a pile of gore.
One creature had a white streak painted down is flat forehead. Malja guessed it was the leader. White Streak confirmed this by shouting three sharp notes. The other creatures broke off into two clear squads. Four went after Stray, and three took on Malja.
The first creature tried to bully its way towards her. She had no trouble dodging its clumsy attack. As it tumbled by her, she brought Viper straight down, skewering the creature into the ground.
The second acted with caution. It crouched in an attack stance and circled to its left. Rather than follow the circling motion, Malja countered to her right. This forced them to sidestep instead of circle which was awkward for many fighters. More importantly, it prevented Malja from circling herself into a terrible position, stuck between her opponent and White Streak.
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Stray in a frenzy of motion. His two blades rang out as they made contact with the creature’s hard carapace. Two shadowed figures dropped.
She had made a mistake — one she had done before in her life — she had lost focus. When she turned her attention back to the creature, it had already leaped into the air. It twisted its body so t
hat its blade-like tail pointed at her as it dropped from above.
Malja dodged to the left, but she had reacted too slowly. The creature’s tail cut across her arm as she fell aside. It landed next to her and before she could get to her feet, it kicked her in the ribs, knocking her onto her back.
She reached out for Viper, but her weapon had fallen short of her hands. Looking up, she saw that her opponent knew what it was doing. It didn’t waste time gloating. Rather, it pulled back its arm and spread its fingers, revealing long, nasty claws. And it struck.
It tried to.
As its arm thrust forward, two screaming objects slammed into its side — Hirasa and Fawbry. They tackled the creature and pummeled it with rocks in their hands.
“Thanks,” Malja said, snatching up Viper and popping to her feet.
“Still one more,” Fawbry said.
Malja saw that Stray stood tall, breathing hard, while four corpses surrounded him. His scimitars dripped blood on the ground. With one blade, he pointed deeper into the cemetery. “The leader.”
White Streak. Always the leaders are the ones running off at the end.
Malja bolted into the darkness. The torches around the monument bled enough flickering light that she caught White Streak’s movements. He was close enough. She could catch him.
Responding to her body’s needs, her do-kha warmed her legs — keeping them loose and strong as she ran. The gravestones had been laid out in a haphazard manner — so it seemed — and this slowed both the creature and Malja. They constantly shifted direction. Darting around one grave only to be forced the opposite way for another.
The assassin hurdled over a low gravestone, and Malja grinned. It couldn’t possibly see what awaited on the other side. As sure as she thought this, White Streak stumbled on the ground and rolled forward. It got back to its feet in seconds and took off, but those seconds made a huge difference.
Malja pressed harder, closing the distance, gaining ground with every step. Muddled between the constant scraping of its carapace joints, she could hear its worried panting. Like so many before, Malja knew this creature had underestimated the reach she possessed when armed with Viper.