Oath of Deception

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  Strong hands wrapped around Savenek, pinning his arms down. His captor shouted, “Got him!”

  Someone approached from his right. Savenek twisted his body until he faced the last opponent.

  “Keep a good hold on him,” the trainee said as he neared. It sounded like he was still ten feet away.

  Savenek counted to three, hoping the trainee was now close enough, and then he kicked both legs forward, striking the trainee and knocking him over. In the process, the guy holding Savenek let go. Savenek turned and punched the guy in his stomach. Then he swung back around because it sounded like the other trainee was trying to stand. Savenek flung his arms out before him, searching for the trainee. He found him kneeling on the floor heaving deep breaths. Savenek hit the back of the guy’s neck, causing him to collapse on the floor.

  The trainee he’d previously punched was still gasping for air. Savenek went over to him, crouching down at his side. Not wanting to hit him again, and now out of his own sleeves, Savenek ripped the guy’s sleeve off and tied his wrists together.

  All six of them should be neutralized—unless one regained consciousness or freed himself from the ties around his wrists. As his father always said, nothing ever goes as planned. Exercising caution, Savenek stood, making his way toward where he thought the door was. A light whisper of air came from his right. He didn’t recall taking down one of the trainees in that area. He dropped to the floor and reached out, touching someone’s pants. He took hold of the person’s leg and yanked it forward. As his opponent fell, Savenek did a dive roll so he’d be next to him. The guy swung his legs around Savenek, squeezing him tightly. Savenek punched the guy’s ear, and the trainee let go, moaning.

  Savenek sprang to his feet and felt along the wall until he came to the door. After five excruciating, long seconds, his fingers found the handle and he threw the door open, stumbling into the hallway where Nathenek stood with his arms folded.

  “I expected you to complete that in under ten minutes,” Nathenek mumbled. “That took you ten minutes and twenty seconds.”

  “I thought this was a training exercise for them, not me,” Savenek said, pointing at the dark room with several people moaning from inside.

  “It was. But I had a bet with their instructor who said it was impossible to complete this exercise in under ten minutes.”

  Savenek shrugged and reached up, massaging his sore jaw. He would have a nasty bruise there from the hit he’d taken.

  Nathenek grabbed a torch from the wall and entered the room. Two of the trainees stood, having managed to remove the ties from around their wrists. Five trainees were still on the floor.

  They’d started with six people, not seven. “You snuck another man in there,” Savenek said. Maybe if there hadn’t been the extra person to contend with, he could have completed the exercise in under ten minutes. “I thought one managed to untie himself or that I hadn’t knocked one out like I thought I had.”

  “I was testing you,” Nathenek said. “I wanted to see if you would rush to the door after you disabled six men, or if you’d proceed with caution.”

  Savenek thanked the stars he had been careful. “You taught me well.”

  Nathenek led the way to a table in the corner of the tavern. Savenek slid onto the seat, positioning himself so his back was protected by the wall while still having a good view of the room. Leaning back, he tried to relax. It would have been easier if his jaw wasn’t so sore. Nathenek sat down next to him, rubbing his tired face.

  Most tables were filled with fishermen who’d just finished their work for the day. They added a fishy smell to the tavern, making Savenek want to gag. Why had Nathenek chosen this tavern? There had to be a bloody good reason since it smelled awful in here. Instead of complaining or questioning his father, he observed those around him. Thirteen standing at the bar, twenty-three sitting at tables, two servers, one bartender.

  A server approached their table. “What’ll it be?” she asked.

  Since Savenek had already eaten, he ordered a mug of ale, Nathenek doing the same. Once the server was out of earshot, Savenek said, “You still not gonna tell me about the message you received last night?” It bothered him that his father didn’t trust him enough to share the information.

  “Are you going to continue to see Hana behind my back?” Nathenek countered.

  Thinking about that, Savenek watched the server as she headed their way with two cups of ale sloshing over the sides. She slammed the cups on the table and left. Savenek slid his cup closer, wishing the woman hadn’t spilled so much of it. He lifted his cup and took a gulp. “It’s not really behind your back if you know about it.” The ale burned his throat.

  Nathenek shook his head. “Must you always be so difficult?”

  “I prefer the word challenging. Life would be too boring if I did everything you told me to. I like to keep things interesting.”

  Nathenek twisted his cup around, his right leg bouncing as he did so. “I don’t know if you’ve heard the rumors,” he said, changing the subject, “but the princess is seeking a husband.”

  Savenek snorted. “You want me to throw my hat into the ring? I’m sure I’d make a good candidate.” He’d never seen the princess—even when she’d visited Emperor’s City. While Empress Rema was known for her beauty, much wasn’t said about the dark-haired princess. He gathered that it meant she was plain.

  Nathenek shook his head. “I want you to consider the implications.” He continued to twist his cup around.

  Implications? The princess wouldn’t be crowned empress until she turned thirty. There wasn’t much to consider since she wasn’t even twenty yet.

  “Emperion has received letters from Fia and Landania inquiring after the princess. With which kingdom do you think Emperion should form an alliance?” Nathenek took a long drink from his cup. When he set it down, he looked at Savenek expectantly, waiting for him to answer.

  Truth be told, he hadn’t given it much thought. He’d assumed the princess would marry someone from Emperion—not a foreigner. Marrying someone from another kingdom would only benefit Emperion if that kingdom had something to offer. Given Emperion’s impressive military presence, prime port access, and the fact that it was the largest kingdom on the mainland, he couldn’t think of anything they needed.

  “Well?” Nathenek asked.

  The only kingdom posing a threat to Emperion was Russek. Would there be any benefit in aligning the two feuding kingdoms? The Russek king had a ruthless reputation. His son, Prince Kerdan, was just as bad as his father. And Russek had a large, vicious military. An alliance would be detrimental to Emperion. “Either of the kingdoms to the north of us will work.”

  “Then we would abut Russek.”

  “And you don’t think we should?” Was having a kingdom in between them the safest thing to do?

  “It depends.” Nathenek waved the serving woman over. She refilled his cup with a large jug before moving on to another table.

  Once she was far enough away, Savenek said, “What about Telmena?” They were one of the larger kingdoms and were reputed to have overflowing coffers.

  “If we aligned with Telmena, the sixteen-year-old princess would have to marry a man twice her age.”

  Gross. However, it was about doing what was best for Emperion, and the princess might not have a choice but to marry someone older. This was a burden that she would have to deal with because she had been born rich and was heir to the throne of the greatest kingdom. “Apethaga and Dromien are smaller. Not sure what they could offer Emperion.” And Fren kept to themselves. Savenek finished off his drink. He went to order another when Nathenek held his hand down, preventing him from doing so.

  “It has been over a decade since I’ve seen war, but I can feel it brewing on the horizon. I want you to think. What does Emperion need in order to win a war?”

  A large army—which they had. However, there was one additional element they required to ensure a swift victory. “Weapons.”

  “Exactl
y. We are in dire need of additional weapons.”

  “Apethaga is known for making fine swords and arrow tips,” Savenek said. They also had a large royal family with two young princes. Either one of them would make an ideal match for the Emperion princess. “Has Apethaga expressed any interest in aligning with us?”

  “No. None at all.”

  Strange. “Maybe they have, and we just don’t know about it.” As the words left his mouth, he realized how ridiculous the notion was. The Brotherhood had spies everywhere and knew what was going on with the royal family. If the empress had received an offer from Apethaga, the Brotherhood would know about it.

  “Regardless, we are going to Apethaga,” Nathenek said. “My mission is to aid in negotiations to secure a large number of weapons.”

  “Wait, your mission?” Savenek leaned his head back, grinding his teeth together. “I’m going, but I’m not involved in the mission?” Was his father ever going to let him do anything more than tag along?

  “You will have a different job while we are there.”

  He sat up straight. He had his own mission? Finally.

  “While I am assisting in the negotiations, you will snoop around. I want to know the Apethaga royal family’s intentions. Are they purposely avoiding marriage talks with Emperion? If so, why? Or if not, are they considering opening discussions?” Nathenek raised his eyebrows. “What? You don’t have anything to say? I thought you’d be happy you finally have your own assignment.”

  He was thrilled. However, was he missing something? “You’re assisting in negotiations for the weapons?”

  Nathenek nodded.

  That was the missing link. “Who are you assisting?”

  “The royal family is sending a negotiator and an interpreter to speak on their behalf. I don’t know who they are. We will meet up with them in Lanek. From there, we’ll travel into Apethaga together. Any other questions?”

  “Only one.” Savenek smiled. This was just what he needed right now. “When do we leave?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  Sooner than expected. Savenek didn’t know if he’d have time to see Hana before he left.

  “Look sharp,” Nathenek mumbled, covering his mouth with his right hand.

  Savenek translated that to mean that someone of concern had entered the tavern. Glancing around at the patrons, he spotted a young man making his way to the bar. There was nothing unusual about his appearance. He looked to be in his early twenties and had on nondescript clothing. However, his movements were jerky, and he kept looking around as he leaned on the bar and ordered a drink.

  “That’s the third time I’ve seen him today,” Nathenek said.

  “Is that why we walked through half the city to get here? You could have told me you were trying to lure the bloke here.” And couldn’t his father have chosen a place that didn’t smell like dead fish?

  “I wonder why it took him so long to come in.”

  “He probably didn’t want to follow you in because it would have been too obvious.”

  “I could have snuck out the back and lost him while he waited out front.” Nathenek sighed. He always taught his students to keep the target in sight at all times.

  “If he’s not well-trained, this’ll be easy. You go first. I’ll follow after he leaves.” That was why his father didn’t let him have that second drink—he planned to interrogate the man.

  “I’ll head north three blocks and then to the east.” Nathenek stood.

  “I know.” They had a predetermined plan they followed so they didn’t have to discuss it. It also prevented any miscommunication or someone accidentally going the wrong way.

  Nathenek stood and walked out of the tavern. Sure enough, the person in question turned and followed. Savenek counted to thirty and then got up, meandering out the front door. On the street, he stretched, quickly scanning the area. Nothing appeared out of place, and no one seemed suspicious. If the man had backup, Savenek didn’t see any. He casually headed north.

  The man turned the corner, out of sight. Savenek wanted to run and catch up, but he couldn’t. Instead, he turned a block early so it wouldn’t appear as if he was following the guy. This was one of the benefits of having a predetermined route. Savenek turned onto the next street and picked up his pace, trying to look as if he had somewhere to be at this late hour. The sun had long since set and the city was blanketed in darkness. However, there was still the occasional person out and about.

  A grunting noise came from up ahead. It sounded like two people were fighting. Savenek took off running in case Nathenek needed help—not that his father had ever needed his help before. But still. Nathenek was getting older.

  Savenek skidded to a halt. His father was kneeling next to the man who was lying on the ground with a knife protruding from his stomach. “Why’d you stab him?” Blood soaked into the man’s shirt, spreading outward as he slowly bled to death. He only had a couple of minutes left.

  “I didn’t. He stabbed himself.”

  “Why?” And weren’t there easier ways to die than stabbing oneself?

  Nathenek shrugged and reached into the man’s pockets, searching for clues. “Who are you?” he demanded.

  The guy spit on Nathenek’s chest. Nathenek didn’t react. Instead, he motioned for Savenek to take the lead.

  Savenek knelt on the man’s other side, glancing up and down the street, making sure no one was walking nearby. Not seeing anyone, he lunged forward and twisted the knife. The guy screamed. “Who are you?”

  “Go to hell,” the man ground out.

  “Looks like you’re the only one on his deathbed at the moment.” Savenek hovered over the man’s face, trying to intimidate him. “Who sent you? What do you want?” He didn’t expect an answer since the guy had stabbed himself to avoid facing Nathenek.

  Nathenek pushed the man’s sleeves up, revealing several tattoos.

  “Russek?” Savenek asked. The men in the Russek military liked to wear war paint over their skin.

  “No. These are Telmena marks.”

  The man’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “I am from Russek.”

  “If you’re from Russek,” Nathenek said, “you would speak with a Russek accent and your skin would be much whiter. You are from Telmena. The tattoos prove it—they are marks of Telmena’s assassins. One mark for each kill.”

  Why was a Telmena assassin in Emperion? And why was he following Nathenek?

  The man made an odd noise as he took his last breath and died.

  “We can’t leave him here,” Savenek said.

  “I’ll take him to the compound using the underground tunnels.”

  Standard protocol required Nathenek to report something like this to the Brotherhood.

  “I’ll go with you.” He could help his father carry the body.

  Nathenek looked at him, his eyes dark and troubled. “I need you to go straight home and pack. You leave tomorrow morning at sunrise—whether I’m there or not.”

  When Savenek woke up the following morning, Nathenek still wasn’t home. After grabbing a bite to eat, Savenek stood in the middle of the sitting room, his traveling bag slung over his shoulder. He was going on a mission. Alone. He checked to make sure he had everything. A knife in each boot, a dagger strapped to each forearm, and a short sword on his back. He’d packed more weapons than food.

  Standard procedure dictated that he go to the Brotherhood’s office before departing. He had to record the day and time he left, the route he intended to take, and receive necessary information regarding the mission. While he’d been to the office with Nathenek before, he’d never gone alone. Gripping the strap of his bag, he turned and left his house. He wished he could have seen Hana one last time. However, she wouldn’t be at the market for another two hours, and he didn’t have time to wait for her. This was his first mission, and he didn’t want to screw it up.

  The air rolling in off the coast was cold, whipping across his clothes and tossing his hair. Since the military
compound wasn’t far, Savenek decided to jog in order to stay warm. It only took him seven minutes to reach the facility. To enter the Brotherhood’s headquarters, he had to go to the north side of the compound and locate the narrow door built into the ground. It always had at least an inch of sand sitting on top of it. Once Savenek neared the general area, he started searching for the door by watching the way the sand blew over the ground. In one area, the sand seemed to move more slowly as the wind pushed it. He went over and knelt, brushing the sand away until he found the wood door. He lifted it and jumped down into the small box of a room, pulling the door closed above him. In the dark, he felt around until he came across the lock. After opening it, he stepped into a dim hallway, only one window in the roof at the other end providing light.

  Standing there, he let his eyes adjust. The secret entrance to the offices was situated on the right side of the corridor, about a third of the way down. To access it, Savenek had to touch three blocks in the correct order. He counted his steps. When he reached fifty, he faced the stone wall on his right. Starting at the top, he counted four stone blocks down, and pressed that one. Then he moved his hand four blocks to the right and touched that one. Then he counted three down, five to the left, and down two more. He pressed the last block. The stone door slowly opened, granting him entrance.

  He stepped inside another dimly lit hallway and touched the base of the torch on his left. The door swung shut. The floor consisted of gray paving stones, each about a foot in diameter. Starting from the now closed door, Savenek counted seven pavers away from the door. That was where the secret path began. He could only step on every third paver from there on. If he stepped on any other one, a series of booby-traps would be triggered, and he’d be dead in less than ten seconds. While he’d gone this way at least a dozen times before, it still unnerved him knowing that if he sneezed and accidentally touched the wrong paver, he’d die. When he’d expressed his concern to Nathenek, his father had said it was no different from being on a job.