The Trials (Assassin's Intent Book 1)

by Lanford, K. W.

  Arlaina was truly enjoying her bath. The hot water was luxurious. She washed her long hair with a scented soap that was left beside the bathtub. She had to stand in the tub to rinse her hair with the pitcher of clean water, also left for her beside the tub. After she had emptied the pitcher, she had an odd feeling like someone was watching her. She turned quickly to look behind her.

  There, standing in a small doorway, was Aram. She would have laughed if not for the look of sheer admiration in his eyes. His jaw was hanging loosely, kind of flapping, like he was trying to speak as he pointed at the small door. Arlaina picked up a towel and wrapped it around herself. Then she casually walked over to Aram, kissed him on the cheek and shut the door.

  Aram stood there staring at the wooden door, yet did not see it at all. His heart was hammering in his chest. He could feel the heat coming off of his red face, except for the spot where a few drops of water ran down his cheek, transferred from her lips as she kissed him.

  There was a quick rap on his door, then it opened up and Tollis walked in. He looked at Aram standing there staring at the wall blushing and wondered if his friend had lost his mind. He walked over beside Aram and looked intently at the wall. "I don’t know what this wall said or did, but by the look on your face, I am sorely mad that I missed it."

  Aram looked at him. "Not the wall Tollis, the door." Tollis turned and looked back at the door he had just entered, clearly confused. Aram pointed at the wall. "This door."

  Tollis chuckled, clapped him on the back and said. "I think you need food more than I do. You’re hallucinating." With that, he laughed and started to walk away.

  "Tollis." Tollis stopped and looked at Aram. Aram pointed at the door again. "You don’t see a door there?"

  Tollis chuckled, but Aram could tell it was forced. He saw a look of concern on his big friends face. "I see a wall Aram, the same as the other walls."

  Aram looked closely at the door. He could see the door knob was cleverly disguised as a piece of trim. The sides of the door were fitted in the planks of the wood cleverly disguising them and the top of it was hidden by a painting of a fishing boat. The secret door was clearly well hidden, but in his distracted mind he had seen it clearly.

  Not sure if Arlaina had had time to get properly dressed, he decided not to open it for Tollis. He looked up at his friend, smiled, shrugged and walked past him. "I’m hungry; are you coming?" Tollis just shook his head in confusion and followed Aram out the door.

  There were a few patrons in the common room, mostly men sitting at tables in two’s and three’s, discussing trade or the weather. Dimsey had already secured them a table and some of the food had already arrived. Dimsey was in his element. He was enjoying some strange dish Aram had never seen before with relish in his eyes. Aram was amazed at how much Dimsey could eat, yet the man was thin as a rail.

  Aram looked back toward the stairs and didn’t see Arlaina, so he leaned in towards Dimsey. "Dimsey, how long have you been a master at the Order?"

  Dimsey waved his hand in a dismissing gesture. "Only a few months, why do you ask?"

  Aram shrugged. "Well, I was just thinking; I have been there for fourteen years and it wasn’t until I started my training in acrobatics that I had ever seen you or Arlaina in the Order. Given your aptitude for remaining unseen I figured that alone would explain not seeing you."

  Dimsey smiled. "Ah but how could one not notice the fair Arlaina?" Dimsey chuckled to himself. "That would be mostly due to the insight of Master Camen, err. Victor. He had suggested her class take their meals in the acrobatics wing and to try and keep herself as invisible as possible."

  Dimsey chuckled again at the confused look on his face. "Think it through, boy! A girl of her, shall we say, stature? Walking the halls with so many young men just coming into manhood?" He drew his eyebrows up as far as they would go.

  "I have known Victor for many years. He sent me word that he had a special student that would need my particular skills and asked if I knew of an acrobat who could teach the skills one of your training would require. It just so happened, that I had been training my niece in those very skills and she was quite adept indeed."

  Aram’s jaw dropped open. "Arlaina is your niece?"

  Dimsey chuckled. "Daughter of my dearest sister; can you not see the family resemblance?" Dimsey laughed at the embarrassed look on Aram’s face. "Don’t worry boy, she is twenty years old and quite able to make her own decisions in life."

  As if on cue, Arlaina entered the room. She was stunning. She had put on a simple dress, but on her it was a gown fit for a meeting with the queen. Aram could see her hips swaying beneath as she crossed the room and in his mind the gown faded away.

  He was suddenly distracted by laughter? He turned and looked at Tollis and Dimsey, who had obviously seen something he had missed. The two of them laughed even harder at the confused look on his face. "What are you two laughing at? Did I miss something?"

  Arlaina sat down beside Aram and unknown to him, his face reddened even more. Tollis seemed about to split his spleen. "Aram, my friend, you never told me you were such an accomplished actor."

  Dimsey and Tollis were truly having a grand time. Arlaina had no more clue than Aram about what was so funny, but she was getting sucked into the laughter anyway. Aram started getting a sinking feeling that he was the source of their mirth. "What are you talking about? Accomplished at acting what?"

  Tollis was having trouble catching his breath, so he elbowed Dimsey and gestured for him to say it. Dimsey too, was having trouble retaining enough air to remain conscious, but he finally got it out. "You play the love sick fool quite well, my boy!" Aram would have blushed more if it was possible and the rolls of laughter turned into desperate gasps for breath.

  Aram finally relented and laughed with them at his own expense. Aram looked over at Arlaina just as the laughter was dying down. The smile on her face was like a beam of sunshine in his heart and lightened his soul. Unfortunately, his simple glance at her was more than his 'friends' at the table could withstand and it started again. Aram just sighed and started to eat.

  What seemed like hours later to Aram’s damaged pride, they had finished their meal and were all just sitting and chatting amongst themselves. The proprietor of the inn walked over to their table and looked at Aram. "If I may young sir; a word in private?" Aram looked at his friends, who all shrugged, so he got up and walked a few feet away from the table.

  The proprietor leaned in close. "Your uncle told me of your betrothal." He got a faraway look in his eye. "I too, was young once, so I had a special set of rooms made for such occasions."

  He went on to tell Aram of the secret door designed to keep young love in full bloom under the watchful gaze of a chaperone. Aram nodded and thanked the man, not letting on that he had already discovered it. Knowing Aram would have to explain the encounter to his companions; the crafty innkeeper also provided him with an excuse, so Aram nodded to the man and thanked him loud enough for the others to hear.

  As expected, when he reached the table they all looked at him with raised eyebrows. "It would seem the staff that removed the tubs from our rooms noticed our dirty travel clothes and wanted permission to have them cleaned."

  Dimsey looked like he had caught Aram in a conspiracy. "Why would he have to take you aside for something so trivial?"

  Aram smiled and silently thanked the innkeeper for his attention to detail. "Apparently it would be quite rude to discuss the undergarments of one’s betrothed in mixed company!"

  They spent the rest of the evening in the common room of the inn, sharing drinks and stories. Dimsey seemed to think it was important for everyone to be seen and noticed. As the sun started to wane, they decided to head upstairs and get a good night’s sleep before going sight-seeing in the morning.

  Aram asked the innkeeper to bring one last round of drinks to his room so they could all have a night cap before retiring to bed. Then the four of them gathered in his room. Just as they were about to enter, A
ram had a horrible thought. Dimsey was the one who had taught him to see secret doors, so if Aram could see it, so could Dimsey! So Aram stopped in the threshold. "On second thought, perhaps Dimsey’s room would be better suited. I am rather tired and may want to go to bed before Mr. Chuckles and Sir Yuck-Yuck here decide to turn in."

  Thankfully, they all agreed. The door to Dimsey’s room was closer to the stairs than Aram’s, so they left it open to catch the serving girl as she passed. Once they had their drinks and the door was closed, Dimsey made an inspection of the room to ensure privacy. That was the part Aram didn’t want done in his room.

  Dimsey had just sat down and proclaimed the room private when Arlaina spoke up. "Dimsey, it is getting a little dim in here, could you light the lamps?"

  Aram stood before Dimsey could and held out a hand to forestall him. "Please, allow me." Aram waved his hand around the room in grandiose fashion and every lamp and candle in the room lit of its own accord. Everyone stared at him in awe. Aram chuckled. "A parlor trick I picked up from my dear uncle."

  Arlaina looked at him and smiled. "Well, since you have decided to regale us all with your newfound magery, perhaps you could do something with that dreadful nose?"

  Aram chuckled again. "Caught that, did you?"

  Arlaina shrugged. "Victor and I, both."

  Dimsey and Tollis just sat there in confusion. That is, until Aram passed his hand across his face and his normal visage appeared. Tollis gave a low whistle. "I am truly grateful that not only are you on my side, but that we are friends. Did you also pick up that portal spell when he took us back to the stables?"

  Aram thought about it a moment and gave a short laugh. "It seems I did. I didn’t even realize it. But I have to know the spot I want to go to; or rather, someone has to know it. I could cast it from their memory as he did with me. At least in theory, I haven’t ever tried it." Again, Tollis let out a low whistle that was echoed two more times: once by Dimsey and once by Arlaina.

  Aram looked at them, bewildered. Tollis, knowing his friend well, shook his head. "You don’t see it, do you?"

  Aram shrugged. "See what?"

  Dimsey stepped in to try and help. "Aram, you’re already incredible skill set, coupled with the ability to travel anywhere you have been instantly and at will, is just almost absurd! More than that, it is unthinkable!

  "Just to have learned the skills you already knew should have taken a lifetime. The spell you so casually learned from your uncle took him years of dedication and practice to perfect. By the time a normal person could reach your current level of skill, they would by far be older than I! Tell me, do you know the limitations of the portal spell?"

  Aram thought about it. "Well, I can tell you about it from Yantis’ perception. I haven’t tried it myself so I am not sure how it will affect me. Yantis could open a portal and hold it for roughly five minutes before he became too fatigued to maintain it. For all I know, I could pass out as soon as it opened."

  Tollis grinned like Rix on holiday. "Try it! Open a portal to your room or something."

  Aram tried to visualize his room in the inn, but kept being drawn to the secret door. So instead, he focused on a spot on the other side of the room and drew a circle in the air. The air shimmered for a moment and then two holes in the world appeared in the room. His three friends looked on in amazement.

  Dimsey looked at him. "Is it safe? Can you maintain it?"

  Aram nodded. "Yes, it seems far easier than it did in Yantis’ thoughts. I could probably hold it open for ten minutes or so."

  Dimsey cautiously stepped through and instantly stepped out on the other side of the room. He smiled and then stepped back through. "Incredible! Are there limits to the distance?"

  Aram closed the hole with a thought and shook his head no. "Opening the portal connects the place I draw the circle in with the place I call to mind. The only limit is that I must be able to visualize the destination."

  Arlaina looked at Dimsey and laughed. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

  Dimsey smiled like a cat watching a distracted mouse. "If you're thinking the vaults in the Order would look better holding everything in the king's vaults, then I’d say yes, my dear. Yes indeed!" They all laughed at the prospect of King Broden’s face when he found his coffers empty.

  Dimsey tapped his finger to his bottom lip as he paced, deep in thought. "Aram, my boy, if I were to give you a destination like you did with Yantis, would you be able to reopen that portal without my assistance?"

  Aram nodded. "Once I have opened a portal in a location, it is even easier to repeat it. What do you have in mind?"

  Dimsey continued to pace as he thought it through. "It will require some setting up and you have to be willing to divulge your little secret to Yantis, but I think I have a plan."

  They all gathered around and found seats while they waited for Dimsey to put all the pieces together in his mind. "Here’s what we can do. You open a portal to a destination I give you. I will go through and make the necessary arrangements on that side. Tomorrow morning, you open the portal again, I shall return and no one will be the wiser that I had left. Then, tomorrow night, we make our move. We spend the day tomorrow doing what we have said we were here to do. We see the capital, take in the sights and tomorrow night you send the three of us back through the same portal. After that it will all be up to you. We couldn’t have all gone with you on this part of the quest anyway. You sneak into the castle and find your fathers journal; then you make your way to the king's vault. Once inside, you open the portal once again. We shall be waiting with several men to rid the king of his burden of wealth. Once that is done, you step through as well and everyone is home, happy and wealthy! Let the king worry about how to pay his men."

  Everyone clapped and bowed to Dimsey. "Rix would be jealous of your depravity," Tollis suggested. They all laughed at the truth in his words.

  They all said their goodbyes and Aram opened a portal to the location fixed in Dimsey’s mind. It was a dark room and Aram couldn’t tell much about it. "Where does this lead exactly?"

  Dimsey smiled. "Just outside the Order's vault; wouldn’t want to have to carry the loot too far. Remember, remake the portal tomorrow morning, else they'll know I’m missing." Aram assured him the portal would be there in the morning and Dimsey walked through and waved from the other side. Aram closed the portal and the three of them left for their own rooms. Aram had planned on going to the castle tonight, but it seemed the plans had changed. Instead he got into his bed and with thoughts of Arlaina filling his mind, he went to sleep.

  Aram awoke early the next morning. He looked out of the window and saw it was still dark outside. He tried to go back to sleep, but it was a futile attempt. There was a thick rug in the center of the room, so he decided to stretch and exercise. He found that his breeches were too restricting to allow him full extension in his movements, so he stripped. He thought about his acrobatics jumpsuit and decided that from now on he would keep it with him.

  He lost himself in his routines, going smoothly from a martial maneuver into an acrobatics feat. He was honing his muscles to perform on instinct rather than reaction. He performed one last particularly difficult move that left him facing the wall with the secret door and the smiling face of Arlaina. He was petrified. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak; he just stood there, naked and stunned. Arlaina walked across the room, kissed him on the forehead and whispered. "There, now we’re even." Then she walked back out of the secret door.

  Aram quickly regained mobility when the door closed behind her. He toweled off and dressed swiftly. The whole time he was wondering to himself, how long had she been there? Then it hit him like a wall. This must have been how she felt last night. She must have wondered how long he had watched her. He chuckled to himself. "I guess we are even, indeed."

  Aram walked over and knocked on the secret door. It opened immediately. Arlaina stood there with a devious smile on her face. Aram quickly kissed her on her forehead and
said. "I think we are doing it all wrong. I am no expert by any means, but I think if we are going to continue to kiss while naked, we should both be naked at the same time."

  It had sounded good in his head when he thought it, but his traitorous face began to glow. Arlaina just giggled. "I had come to tell you not to forget to redo your disguise."

  Aram nodded. "Oh yeah, good thinking. I had forgotten." He passed his hand over his face and smiled. "Shall we fetch Dimsey?"

  Arlaina looked out the window and saw the sun was just below the horizon. "We have a few minutes left, it would seem. I would suggest we try the whole kissing thing again, but I can’t force myself past that horrible nose! Yantis could have made you prettier!"

  Aram scoffed. "He tried, but my normal face is too perfect to improve upon, so it ended up like this!"

  Arlaina giggled. "I don’t know about perfect, but I do miss your normal eyes." Aram’s face started burning again. He leaned in towards her and she started to lean into him…

  His door burst open and a grinning Tollis strolled in. "Glad you’re both up. Shall we get Dimsey and head on down to breakfast? I am starving!"

  Aram sighed and opened the portal. Yantis was standing there with awe on his face. Dimsey smiled. "Like I said. Aram did it." Then he stepped through.

  Aram turned and said. "You three go on down and order breakfast; I need to go and get something from my room."

  Dimsey smiled knowingly. "What exactly would that be?"

  Aram shrugged. "I need my acrobatics jumpsuit. These normal clothes are too restricting, as I discovered this morning."

  Dimsey smiled even wider. "Master Yantis, this portal will open sometime after midnight. I will trust you’ll have everything ready." Yantis nodded it would be done. Then Dimsey turned to Aram. "Dismiss the portal, boy, I have what you need." Then he patted the backpack he had in his arms. Aram shrugged and closed the portal.