The Trials (Assassin's Intent Book 1)

by Lanford, K. W.

  "It looks like we weren’t the only ones wanting to catch up." Aram said. He pulled the rune from his pocket, placed it on the floor before them all and turned his ring. Just a couple heartbeats after the ring stopped vibrating, a portal opened and Yantis, Dimsey and Victor all grinned back at them. Aram picked up his rune and stepped through.

  Everyone else followed Aram and Victor’s office suddenly seemed small. They all decided to move into Victor’s sitting room so they could all have seats. Once everyone was seated, Victor took the floor and explained all that had transpired. After he was introduced to Tollis’ new bride, he pulled out the letter and put on the spectacles. Victor read the letter out loud.

  ~~~

  Stolly,

  I have arrived at the Order. They seemed a little suspicious that my family would know so much about enrolling me. I don’t know if it is normal or not, but there does seem to be a lot of men-at-arms about the place. I stopped in Warrington on my way in and asked a few questions. It seems your "friends" were indeed there a few days ago, but both they and the girl have vanished and no one seems to know where. The innkeeper seemed a little nervous about my questions, but he swore he knew nothing. They put me in a room with a fat kid named William. I have only just met him a few moments prior to writing this, so I can’t tell you if he is a tool. Maybe you know him and can save me the trouble of befriending him if he is. I am supposed to start training this afternoon and fatso tells me I will have precious little time for writing letters, but I will hold up my end of the bargain. If there is anything particular I need to look for, let me know.

  Cheers,

  Maddox.

  Oh yeah, tell my folks I said hello.

  After deliberating for a while, they all decided to re-pen the letter mostly word for word. They only omitted the parts about the men-at-arms and the innkeeper. Yantis stood and gestured to the paper and pen. "Stolly’s reply will be written in normal ink. He only had the one pen and one set of spectacles, which I am sure he kept to be able to read the reports. I suggest either Aram or Tollis peruse Maddox’s incoming mail and make any changes they deem necessary. The most important messages will be those going out and we should all be present for those." Everyone agreed and Aram volunteered to screen Stolly’s replies.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hearts and Daggers

  Aram stood before everyone, turning to face Dimsey. "Dimsey; as Arlaina’s only living relative and since you swore to her mother to protect her, I come to you to ask for your blessing. I wish to marry her."

  Dimsey looked at Arlaina and saw the look of surprise and joy on her face. Then he stood up and faced Aram. "If it is her wish, I couldn't ask for a better man for her."

  Aram smiled and then turned to Arlaina. He knelt before her on one knee. "Arlaina, I cannot promise you what the future will hold for us in these troubled times, but I can promise that I will love you with all of my heart. Will you be my wife?"

  Arlaina smiled one of her beautiful smiles. She was trembling so much she couldn't trust her voice. She nodded her head yes, wrapping him in a warm embrace while the room full of family and friends congratulated them.

  Rianna ran over to Arlaina. "Please let me plan for you the wedding I was too scared to have!"

  Arlaina looked at the honest and excited look in her eyes and then hugged her. "That would be wonderful. I lost my mother before I was old enough to plan something like this and I am afraid I don’t have a clue about it." She looked over and smiled at Dimsey. "Although I always had love in my life, my dearest Uncle couldn’t give me the woman’s touch." Mayla soon got involved in the planning and excitement.

  Aram pulled Yantis off to the side while the women were all distracted. "How is Rix coming along since my session with him?"

  Yantis smiled with pride. "He is learning by leaps and bounds. I haven't told him this, but there is no doubt he will one day be more powerful than I could hope to be."

  Aram nodded to himself. "Good; I was worried. It seems since that night, my ability to mimic has vanished. I was hoping he hasn't been suffering any consequences."

  Yantis looked at Aram in concern. "Why haven't you mentioned this before?"

  Aram shrugged. "I figured I knew plenty already. Victor keeps telling me I have the highest skill set."

  Yantis looked at Aram in confusion. "You are a remarkable person nephew. Few people indeed could lose a power so great and only see how much they had gained while they had it. Nevertheless, I shall look into this and see what may be done."

  Aram clapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you. I am going to sneak out of here while I can and go see Rix."

  Aram reached the room Yantis had told him Rix was training in and walked in unannounced. There was a huge hearth in the back of the room. Inside the hearth was a metal saw horse, with small metal targets standing across its back. Aram watched quietly as Rix focused on his right hand, deep in concentration. Slowly a small glow appeared in the center of his hand that grew into a walnut sized ball of fire. He rolled his wrist and pointed at one of the small targets. The little ball of fire started floating slowly towards the hearth, gaining speed and size as it went. By the time it hit the target, it was the size of a grapefruit. That's when Aram realized Rix was standing behind a metal barrier, that he promptly ducked behind.

  The little fireball exploded with a tremendous blast that shot flames half way back across the room. The heat was intense; Aram turned away from the blast, but the heat was still extremely uncomfortable. "By the gods Rix, are you trying to kill us?"

  Rix looked up with a mischievous smile. "You’re lucky. That was a small one." Aram looked around the room. Rix wasn't lying; according to the scorch marks all over the room and the smoldering sections of Rix’s clothing, it was indeed a small one.

  Aram shook his head in awe. "You are starting to scare me. You have always been a brick or two short of a full load, but now you have teeth--big ones at that."

  Rix shrugged. "Oh hey, I'm glad you’re here. I learned a new spell, but I need someone to practice on." Rix started rubbing his hands together eagerly.

  Aram shook his head no. "I will not be your . . ."

  Then suddenly he couldn't move. Rix grinned evilly. "You were saying, dear brother?"

  Aram focused his mind on the spell itself. He could feel it at work on his mind. It wasn't that his muscles wouldn't do as he commanded; it was more like they weren't getting the commands. Finally, with great effort, he was able to force a word past his semi-mobile lips. "Run."

  Rix looked up at him, confused. "Run? Run from what?" About that time, Aram took a stiff step towards Rix. Rix’s eyes popped open wide. "Oh, you mean I better run from you!"

  Aram forced another halting step that was a little smoother and Rix bolted. It took Aram about three minutes to completely get through the spell's effects. He was about to walk out of the room, when the door opened and Yantis looked inside. "I was expecting a dragon or a demon from the abyss the way Rix was running down the halls. What's going on?"

  Aram chuckled. "He placed some kind of spell on me that made it hard to move. I told him to run and after my second step, he took my advice."Yantis looked shocked. "He put a hold spell on you and you could move?"

  Aram shrugged. "It took some doing, but I was eventually able to work it off."

  Yantis looked at him in disbelief. "Would you mind trying it again? If you could resist his spell, mine shouldn't be much of a bother."

  Aram nodded yes. He was actually considering letting Rix practice more on him. Being able to resist a spell like that could be useful. Yantis held his hand out to Aram as if he wanted him to stop. Aram felt the now familiar feel of the spell on his mind. Yantis was right; the grip his spell placed there wasn't nearly as strong as Rix’s. It only took him about thirty seconds to fully shake it off. Yantis’ eyes bulged in disbelief.

  "That spell should have held you for at least ten minutes. That is remarkable. How did you do it?"

  Aram shrugged. "I found the block i
n my mind and broke through it."

  Yantis was considering this information when Rix looked through the door. "Should I still be running?"

  Aram laughed out loud. "Nah, I have gotten over it."

  Rix grinned and entered the rest of the way. Yantis looked over at Rix. "Cast your hold spell on me."

  Rix looked at Yantis as if he expected some treachery. Aram laughed out loud and then told them he was going to finish studying his father’s journal. He only had a few pages left. Aram opened a portal to his room inside Blackenwood Manor and stepped through.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Unexpected Guest

  He finished the journal in only a few moments, but what he read caused him to doubt everything he thought he knew. He spent the rest of the day walking the grounds of the Manor, turning the information over and over in his mind. After dinner, he went back up to his room and shut the door.

  Aram put out the lamps in his room. The journal had left him with more questions than answers. There was however, a man still alive who could answer those questions. It was time for Aram and King Broden to have a chat. Aram focused on the stain in the king's living quarters and opened a portal. The king was there, sitting before a fire. He looked haggard, like he hadn't slept in days. He had a half full goblet of brandy in his right hand, hanging limply over the arm of his cushioned chair.

  His eyes were staring so intently into the flames, he never saw Aram walk casually across the room and sit in another cushioned chair not five steps away. Aram just watched him for a few moments. The last entry in his father’s journal left him with many questions. Victor and many others were convinced Broden was behind his father’s death. The journal however, told him that it was Broden himself who had given his father warning and allowed him and his mother to escape.

  Aram couldn't help but feel a small amount of pity for this supposed tyrant. The years had been hard on him it seemed. Without preamble or introduction Aram just started. "There are many who believe you either killed, or had my father killed, to gain the throne."

  Broden flinched just a fraction, when he heard Aram’s voice, but remained calm and seemingly unfazed by Aram’s sudden arrival. "So the ghost of Aramis has finally come. Has he come for the truth, or merely to kill me for my supposed crimes?"

  Aram considered the question. "If I had come to kill you, you would already be dead. Not that I am bragging, but by your appearance you don't seem capable of putting up a fight. In fact, I would wager you have no desire to fight. You look like a man contemplating giving up altogether."

  Broden smiled a sad smile, looking up at Aram for the first time. Broden’s smile Broadened just a bit. "By the gods, no wonder they call you his ghost. Did you know you wear your father’s face almost to perfection? Except the eyes; those belong to your mother, who I hope is well. Please tell me she has returned to claim her throne."

  Aram looked up, stunned. "You would give it back to her as easy as that?"

  For the first time, Aram saw a spark in the king's eyes. Was it hope? "I would beg her to take it on bended knee! To answer your question; no, I did not kill or have your father killed. In fact, your survival is something I myself would take credit for. I didn't hate your father; I envied him. I was jealous of him, but I respected him beyond measure. He was a man the people loved. At first, I didn't understand it. I did try and take the throne from him at one point, but in my failure I saw in the man what so many had seen before me. He was a true and noble king."

  Aram leaned back in his chair. Everything Broden had said fit in with what he had read in the journal. "So if you didn't have him killed, who did and why?"

  Beside the door to Broden’s living quarters, a portal opened. Aram jumped to his feet, expecting a squad of armed guards to rush through or something. Instead, it was a single man in the robes of a mage. He was possibly in his mid-fifties and from what Aram could tell, appeared in great shape. "The answer to that question is me."

  Aram circled slowly around the chair to gain open floor between the mage and himself. The mage looked at him in amusement. "Do you think to charge across the room and end the threat?" The mage's eyes sparkled in honest mirth at the thought. Clearly he was confident in his power and Aram was wise enough to know a confident mage was not to be taken lightly.

  Aram gauged the distance between them. It would take one long leap and a short step to reach the mage. That is what it would take for Aram anyway. It would take a normal man much longer to reach him. Aram locked the fingers of his right hand, thinking the mage had underestimated his opponent and sprang. He crossed most of the distance in that leap and the mage's eyes popped in disbelief, but as he took that last step that put him in striking range, the mage threw up his hand.

  Instantly, Aram felt the grip of magic blocking his mind's commands to his muscles. A moment of fear and doubt ripped through him. How could he have been so arrogant as to come here all alone, without even telling anyone where he was going? In his mind’s eye he saw his mother and Arlaina, making wedding plans that would never happen. All of this happened in just a flash. Aram focused his attention on the spell itself. It was stronger than Yantis’, yet weaker than Rix’s.

  The smug look crept back onto the face of the mage. "Well now, aren't we a surprising foe?" He leaned in towards to Aram to get a closer look at him, or to show his contempt; Aram didn't know which. What he did know was that he had already shrugged off the spell, yet remained frozen to see what this mage had in mind. The mage shook his head. "Too surprising to leave alive I'm afraid."

  The mage proceeded to pull a long dagger from the sleeve of his robe. Aram saw all he needed. Lightning fast, he struck the mage in the throat with enough force to kill him where he stood. His aim was true, but his fingers struck an invisible barrier only inches from the mage’s throat. The force against the barrier was enough to stagger the mage back a step. His eyes popped open wide yet again, in what could only be described as shocked horror. Before anyone could even blink, the mage vanished.

  Aram spun back towards Broden, who was standing beside his chair. The goblet of brandy lay spilled on the floor, dropped from nerveless fingers. "You scared him off! I don’t know how and I don’t care. You have to protect me! If you leave he will come back! Take me with you, please! I will tell you everything you wish to know. I will do whatever you ask, just remove me from his clutches."

  Aram could see the sincerity in Broden’s eyes. Whoever this mage was, he was clearly coercing the king in some way. "Why would I lift a finger to help you, when your son has placed contracts on my friends' lives?"

  Broden looked aghast. "He has done what?" The seemingly frail man of a few moments ago; vanished as rage instantly took a hold of the king. "Which friends do you speak of?"

  Aram replied. "He sent two assassins out to kill Tollis and Rianna Blackenwood; the same two assassins he had murder a farmer named Browman. They failed and were killed instead."

  The king seemed on the verge of exploding. "The way I hear it, you can vanish into thin air. I would like you to do so now, so I may summon that little lying bastard in here to get to the bottom of this." Aram shrugged and stepped into the shadows. Broden looked around and then nodded. "Perfect. You are still here though aren’t you? I beg of you to give me a chance to right this, so I may have your protection."

  Aram considered it for a moment and then replied. "I am here, for now."

  King Broden walked to his door and opened it. The two guards standing outside snapped to attention. "I want the both of you to find Stolly and bring him here. I don’t care if he walks, or is bound head to toe and carried. I want him in this room before I can finish my next sentence." The two guards bolted, not waiting to hear what the next sentence was going to be. Broden nodded to himself and slammed the door.

  "Those are supposed to be my best two men. Yet, I have had two men enter my chambers this night and they stand there unaware." He chuckled out loud walking over to his personal wet bar. He took out another goblet and turned towards
the center of the room. "Would you care for a drink?"

  Aram stepped up beside him. "That sounds wonderful. This night is still young and it seems it will last a while."

  The king filled two goblets and handed one to Aram. "I am sure you have a million questions right now; starting no doubt, with whom that mage was." The king waved his hand at Aram as if he were shooing a fly. "Get yourself hidden again and I shall tell what I can before Stolly arrives."

  Aram nodded and stepped back into the world of shadows. Trying to remain hidden without spilling a drink was an interesting task. He made his way across the room to the little cubby he had originally found. From here, he could drink his brandy and stand more comfortably. The king went back to his chair by the fire and turned it to face the door. After inspecting his work, he sat with a great sigh. "The mage’s name is Braxton. He is a representative from the Isle of Ilsador. It seems the mages there have decided the world would be better served under their rule. Your father denied them. He said they were pathetic children in search of a power they could never wield. The power of the people's respect.

  I was approached by Braxton who told me that they would make an example of Aramis. I went to him that very night and warned him to take his family and flee." Broden chuckled at the memory. "I knew your father would never cower before the Mages Guild, but he did send you and your mother away.

  Two nights later, he was murdered in his sleep. Braxton used his influence to put me on the throne, but I was merely a puppet." He said this last word with venom. Spittle went flying from his lips. "After what had happened to your father, I was too afraid and weak to resist. I told myself I was only holding the throne until Queen Mayla or yourself returned for it.

  I see what is going on in the kingdom. I see how hard the higher taxes are on the people. I also see in their eyes that they think it is my doing."