“Wanted to see if some of you fellows would be interested in teaching a few of the farm lads how to shoot,” he said forthrightly. “They’re not very good.”
“I imagine there are a couple of us skilled enough to do that,” Menders said carefully.
“Pish, Mister Menders, I know full well these aren’t your everyday farmers, tutors and gamekeepers and I say it’s about time too. Lads, when this youngster came out here with that baby he had nothing between her and danger but himself and my girl and another lass, armed with fire pokers.”
Ifor started shaking with laughter at Spaltz’s words. That set off several of the other assassins.
“Now, your secret is safe with me and no-one around here will twig to it either,” Spaltz went on. “Do you know that there’s a law in Mordania saying that every man should do a certain amount of shooting practice a week? It’s an old one, but it’s a law. Now I’m thinking at this point you have this place guarded well, but some of us would like to have the skills to help out if necessary. None of us care for the way things are done in this country. We’re the ones who see our boys march away and come back as cripples or not at all. We’re the ones who see our daughters lonesome and without a chance of getting married. It would be some comfort to us to know that should danger threaten we could come to help you and protect this child here.”
He reached over and gave Katrin’s hair a rub. She smiled at him.
“She’s being raised in the right way, forward seeing,” he continued. “Might just be the salvation of us all one day. We’re willing to protect her and to keep our gobs shut about it.”
Menders couldn’t repress a smile, but he was also glad for the sentiment and for Spaltz’s honesty and openness.
“We’ll need to make shooting butts and the area will have to be totally off limits to the children. I believe we can arrange something. I want you to understand that there is danger if this is all found out,” he explained.
“We know that, the roasting spit for all of us. Raising a private militia is treason. But we won’t be like that… just poor peasant farmers improving our shooting skills before hunting season. No-one will talk, Mister Menders. You know yourself this corner of Old Mordania doesn’t hold with some of the things that go on elsewhere. We’re used to keeping our cards close to our waistcoats here.”
“Then it’s done,” Menders said and Spaltz reached over to give him a crushing handshake.
“And speaking of cards, I see a few decks out,” Spaltz remarked suggestively. Before long, an intense game was in progress with the farmer winning almost every hand and the assassins desperate to figure out what he was doing.
Ifor handed a dozing Katrin back to Menders and leaned close to his ear.
“Is it all right?” he asked.
“Absolutely. I’d trust him with my life,” Menders murmured back, settling Katrin comfortably and opening the letters that Spaltz had handed him.
Dear Mister Menders,
I have to make a decision soon, and wanted to have your advice.
I have been offered a position at a school in Erdahn, after I graduate. It would be very well paid and a great step up for me.
Mister Menders, I don’t want to accept this offer. I know it sounds like I’ve gone mad but what I really want is to finish here and come home to start my school at The Shadows. This is what I’ve always dreamed of. I know I won’t make much money, if any, doing so but I do so want the children on the estate to begin to learn so that their lives can be better. We’re practice teaching now and I see how learning changes the lives of people.
I have missed you all so very much. Please give Katrin a kiss for me. I will hardly know her when I see her again. She must be a very big girl. Please write to me and let me know all she does.
I went to the library today and took out many books, almost more than I could carry. You would have laughed to see me staggering down the street with them. They’re on all sorts of subjects and I can’t wait to start reading them, so I will close now. Take care of yourself and write soon!
Sincerely,
Eiren
Menders opened the other letter.
Dear Mister Menders,
I am writing to inform you that Eiren Spaltz has been offered a very lucrative post at one of the most exclusive schools in Erdahn upon her graduation from training school. This is an excellent opportunity for Eiren, yet she seems to wish to refuse the offer. I wanted to make sure that she is not making this decision out of a sense of duty because she is being sponsored by you and Doctor Franz. Eiren is an exemplary young woman and if she felt that she was obligated to you in any way, she would turn down even such a wonderful opportunity as this.
Should Eiren decide against taking this position, it is my recommendation that she complete an additional year of training. This advanced training will make her even more capable of starting a school and building it into a successful project. She is most talented and would be well on her way to having the credentials to become the headmistress of a certified school if she undertakes an additional year.
I hope this finds you well. Eiren excels in all her classes and is a credit to you and to her family.
Your servant,
Marta Dordrein, Headmistress
Katrin sighed a bit and snuggled down in his arms. He settled comfortably in his chair, crossed his legs and took a sip of wine. One of the assassins offered a puff on the cigar he’d just lighted and Menders accepted. He actually liked smoking but seldom indulged, wanting to protect his weak lungs. It had been one of those things he’d battled as a boy as he worked to strengthen the indifferent body nature had given him. It was no problem to him now but cigar smoking was not exactly something to venture into. A puff here and there was enough.
Doctor Franz came out of the house, carrying a large brandy snifter and smoking a fat cigar. He sat down next to Menders in an old cane chair that creaked alarmingly.
“What’s Spaltz doing?” he asked Menders.
“Fleecing my men at cards.”
“Is that wise?” Franz asked with genuine surprise.
“They’re assassins, doctor, not murderous madmen,” Menders explained wearily. “If you bumped elbows with one in a bar, he wouldn’t pull a gun or knife on you.”
“Uh, well… perhaps not,” Franz conceded. “I do have to admit that I’m glad they’re here.”
Menders nodded in agreement. “I have to write a couple of letters for Spaltz to post tomorrow,” he said, rising with Katrin and going to his study.
Dear Headmistress Dordrein,
Thank you for the wonderful news about Eiren. We have always been convinced of her potential. It is gratifying to know that not only is she doing well, but that you have her best interests at heart.
Eiren is the one who must make this decision. I agree that it is an excellent opportunity for her. I am writing to remind her that at no time has she ever been under any obligation to Doctor Franz or myself.
I can say that Eiren’s dream of a school here at The Shadows has been a long-cherished one and I will fully understand if that is what she chooses to do. She must feel free to make her decision without pressure from anyone. As you say, Eiren is an exemplary young woman and is not known for making rash decisions. We must trust in her judgment. Doctor Franz and I will be happy with whatever choice she makes.
Your recommendation of further training for Eiren is welcome news. Please be assured that her tuition will be provided for as long as you and she feel that she would benefit from schooling.
Yours faithfully,
Menders
Dear Eiren,
It was good to hear from you. I am sending this immediately, hoping that it will reach you soon enough to help you. I will write more at leisure to bring you up to date on everything going on here.
At no time have you ever been under obligation to Doctor Franz and me. I want you to bear this in mind when you make your decision about coming home or staying in Erdahn to teach. This is entirely
up to you and we will be delighted with whatever you choose. So free your mind and do what you believe is best for you.
Your headmistress has recommended extra training for you, should you decide to continue with your plans to open a school at The Shadows. Doctor and I will be pleased to continue to provide your tuition and board so that you can have whatever education you will need to establish your school.
When you left, the only thing I asked of you was that you make me proud. You have already done so, Eiren. You are free, always. My happiness comes from having helped a remarkable young woman along the way.
Your friend,
Menders
The letters finished, Menders carried Katrin up to her room and put her to bed. Then he stood at her window and watched the comradely group beneath the Assassins’ Tree. Men’s voices and laughter drifted up to him, as did a whiff of cigar smoke.
It was good knowing The Shadows was secure. He did not have to work so hard now. There were many hands willing to take on the hard tasks. He had time to teach Katrin and had started her on languages and music, not with formal lessons but simply by including her in what he did. She learned so fast! She was playing little tunes on the spinet with both hands and could carry on a simple conversation in Surelian. She was learning to dance and could curtsey on every level of formality as beautifully as the most accomplished court lady. Her manners were excellent, befitting a child much older than five and they came naturally because she had a genuine interest in and compassion for others.
Having some of the burden of running The Shadows lifted meant Menders could turn his mind to other things, particularly danger from the faction seeking to place the Queen’s cousin, the Duchess of Ernst, on the Throne by wiping out the present royal line. Of late they had been quiescent, but they would be plotting again soon enough.
Every man who had come to live at The Shadows brought with him many connections, because spies and assassins made it their business to know many people. Information was pouring into The Shadows from all over Mordania and beyond. A clear picture of what was happening in Mordania was forming – at times a very frightening picture that had given Menders some sleepless nights.
But for now, on this lengthy summer evening, with help at hand, pleasant company and the prospect of no longer being the man of all work on the estate, Menders was content.
(22)
The Fireboat Finds Safe Harbor
Retired assassin Kaymar Shvalz, eighteen years of age, reined in his horse and sat looking at The Shadows. It reminded him of Moresby, his boyhood home.
Kaymar was a second son. He had no chance of inheriting Moresby, as his older brother had two hearty boys. Though Kaymar was welcome there, it was as a guest in a house that would never be his.
Kaymar could still play a lady’s maid for a covert assignment without rousing any suspicions – if he were still a working assassin. He was small, lithe and lean with a pretty face, golden blond hair and eyes as blue as the Sea of Surelia. No-one suspected that he was strong as a borag until it was too late. His specialty had been seductive infiltration prior to assassination, particularly among the nobility and the wealthy. He had the ability to gain the trust of people rapidly. Attracted to both men and women, he used his sexual ambiguity to his advantage when winning the confidence of his targets. This had made him doubly valuable to the Office of Special Services and he had been deliberately trained to exploit his sexual nature.
Kaymar was not cut out to be an assassin, despite his success at the profession. The years between his fifteenth and eighteenth birthdays had seen him becoming progressively unhinged as he plied his trade. He finally encountered a situation that drove him to agonizing depths of self-loathing and self-destruction. His mind gave way completely.
Thoren Bartan brought the young assassin’s plight to the Queen’s attention in one of her more sober periods and Kaymar was mustered out of Special Services with a pension, unlike many of his peers.
After a period of invalidism, with treatment from Doctor Franz ordered by the Queen, Kaymar managed to reclaim his traumatized mind and spirit. Bartan and Commandant Komroff told him about Menders’ formation of a secret Guard for Princess Katrin. Kaymar had written to Menders, offering his services. Menders had replied immediately.
Kaymar rode up the drive, reveling in the glow of afternoon sun on the walls and turrets of the huge estate house. There was a tang of wood smoke in the air.
Two men walked out onto the steps of the house as he approached. Kaymar realized that one of them was Menders himself, dressed informally for the warmish afternoon in an open collared shirt and casual trousers, his long hair flowing loose. Dark glasses covered his white eyes; his legendary Thrun-style beard and moustache were in evidence.
The other man was tall and massive, with dark shaggy hair and clothing that fitted him awkwardly. He came forward, taking Kaymar’s horse while he dismounted. He murmured a deep ‘good afternoon’ and smiled shyly when Kaymar, sensing the man’s proclivities, looked up at him and flirted a bit from habit rather than attraction. Kaymar then turned to Menders, the cousin he had wanted to meet for years.
Menders’ handshake was warm and direct but was definitely possessed of the potential to be deadly. His body still exhibited flexibility and grace, though he was taller and heavier than the descriptions Kaymar had heard at the Academy. Kaymar was slightly awed in the presence of the renowned Surelian Solution.
The awe left him once they were in Menders’ office. Comfortably appointed, it was neat, orderly and absolutely full of books – Kaymar’s sort of room. It reminded him that he and Menders were first cousins. He mentioned the relationship.
“We are indeed,” Menders nodded, offering a drink which Kaymar gladly accepted. He noticed Menders took nothing. “I’ve always been curious about your part of the family. It’s a pity that we’ve never met before, though I guess it was inevitable, considering our fathers’ estrangement and being raised in different parts of the country.”
After some further light conversation, Menders asked a question.
“Why do you want to come here to The Shadows?” He sat back in his chair, swiveling away from Kaymar, gazing out the window behind his desk.
“As one of the Mordanian Fireboats, I was sent out on missions from the time I was fifteen, without a break. I completed a minimum of five missions a month, usually more,” Kaymar began. “It was not a good situation for me. I had no sense of purpose other than following my orders. I became mad, yet they continued to use me. Sir and Thoren Bartan tried to have me suspended or mustered out of the service, but it did no good.
“I was finally sent on a deep covert infiltration, penetrating a faction working to remove our cousin, the Queen, and both Princesses. They planned to replace the Queen with the Duchess of Ernst. I was sent because the man at the head of this group was nancy.”
Kaymar’s voice broke and he swallowed, hard. Menders, hearing him, turned around.
“To keep things brief, I fell in love with my target,” Kaymar continued quietly, his tormented eyes meeting Menders’. “Very much so. He loved me for what I am, not what I could become or what I used to be. I killed him on the same night he asked me to stay with him for the rest of his life.”
“You needn’t tell me more,” Menders responded gently. “This can happen when one works in the way you did, without sufficient maturity and training. Fifteen was far too young to begin sending someone to do seductive infiltration.”
“I’m sorry,” Kaymar replied, sure that Menders was going to refuse him, desperate to turn things his way. “I know that I don’t look my best right now. I felt quite well for a while but the longer I stay in Erdahn, the more I feel that I’m falling back into madness. I need a quiet place and I want work I can believe in. I would also like to see the Princess before deciding whether to ask you to let me stay or not.”
“Yes, there are rumors,” Menders replied. “It’s said that Katrin’s as mad as her sister, that she’s an idiot and that’
s why she’s been exiled here and not seen in four years. I can assure you that she’s neither. It’s about time for her to have been brought in and dressed for dinner. I hope you’ll join us and meet her.”
Kaymar consented gladly.
“Now let me try to make you not want to be here,” Menders continued bluntly. “The Shadows is seductive, particularly in the autumn. The winters here are very long and you have never lived in Old Mordania. Anything you’ve experienced in Erdahn or at your family home in the Southeast is at least twice as difficult here. The cold can be a killer. Two years back we were completely snowed in. Trains could not get through for months.
“We are isolated. There is some society around, but many of the estate owners live in Erdahn almost exclusively, leaving their estates to be run by managers or tenants. Our main company consists of the estate farmers, who are a good lot but not educated or sophisticated. Katrin’s Guard are all demobilized soldiers and retired Special Services operatives. They would be your main society. You probably know all or at least most of them.” He named a few and Kaymar nodded.
“I don’t fear either the winter or the isolation,” Kaymar answered. “I’m sick of Court and sick of Erdahn.”
“However, I haven’t told you what your work would be. It’s possible you wouldn’t care for it,” Menders continued. “I need someone who can shadow two small children, ages four and seven.
“The younger one, of course, is the Princess. She’s loving but has a penchant for mischief and will keep you guessing because she learns quickly. The other is a boy, Hemmett Greinholz. He’s the son of Katrin’s official guard. He’s bright as well, but he won’t put you through the mental gymnastics that Katrin can. He’s immensely stubborn and can be slow to obey, though he is a genuinely good-hearted boy.
Weaving Man: Book One of The Prophecy Series Page 25