Chapter 3
As Aislynn regained consciousness, she felt a cold cloth on her forehead and another wrapped around the lower part of her left arm. The pain was subsiding, thankfully.
“Keep still,” said a calm, quiet voice. “The pain will pass soon.”
“Do you know what this is?”
“Yes. And so should you, if you bothered to think about it,” came the caustic reply. “When the pain has passed, and you can think clearly again, you will know.”
It seemed to take forever for the pain to subside, but Aislynn was soon able to sit up again. She stretched each muscle carefully, and her sensitive fingers probed along her skull under her thick brown hair, searching for any damage done by her fall. Her Master sat beside her, waiting patiently for her to finish her examination and secretly pleased that she was disciplined enough to carry out the examination despite her pain and her curiosity as to the cause of it. Finally, Aislynn was satisfied that she was whole, though bruised, and she removed the cloth from her arm, peeking to see what had been causing the horrendous pain.
Her arm showed what looked like a bright red burn. It resembled an eagle, and occupied a spot just above her wrist, on the underside of her arm.
“Does this mean what I think it does?” she asked hesitantly, turning toward her Master.
“Yes. It means that the time has come for you to take your place at the side of the person you are to protect. You were born with that mark, though it fades during the first year of life, and that mark is why you have spent the majority of your life here with me. Now, all of your training will be put to the test. You have been trained by some of the finest assassins in this kingdom, and now you are Called.”
“I don’t understand.” Aislynn looked confusedly at her Master. “There are many others who have been training longer than I have. Why not one of them?”
“The magic of the pact that binds the realms determines the choice. Besides, most of the others don’t have the mark, just as they don’t have an eesprid. They are destined to be fine assassins, but nothing more. You will have to be better than that – you will be a bodyguard. Go now, to his Majesty. You are Called, and you must go.”
She knew that tone, and knew better than to argue with the man. She stood, bowed low from the waist, and then turned away, whistling a summons as she left. The wolf rose from the ground where she’d been waiting for Aislynn to regain consciousness, and trotted along behind her mistress. Aislynn unconsciously rested her hand on the wolf’s back, and the two of them left the training arena.
It was a short trip into the main part of the castle since the Academy was part the palace complex. Despite her proximity, Aislynn still went to the throne room directly, not bothering to change or freshen up. When the Master told you to go, you went with no questions asked.
It seemed like they were expecting her too, since the guards let her into the king’s presence without hesitation. The king was sitting upon his throne, and she approached immediately, bowing as she presented herself.
“The Guild Master sent me,” she explained. “He told me you would be expecting me.”
“Well, not you exactly, but I’m not really surprised. I was honestly expecting either you or your brother, though I was hoping that it was neither of you.” Jackob stood up and signaled to Aislynn to follow. “Let’s go talk somewhere more comfortable, since it’s just you and I. And Cheta will be more comfortable too.”
Aislynn smiled fondly down at her wolf, and then turned her smile toward the king. “Thank you, Majesty. I’m sure we'll all appreciate something less formal.”
The three of them moved toward a small door set behind the dais, and Jackob’s fox rose from her place beside the throne to follow them. Cheta growled a low greeting to the animal, and she yipped quietly in return.
“So, my dear,” Jackob began as the humans settled themselves onto comfortable chairs in the study. “It seems that your turn has come. The Master wouldn't have sent you to me otherwise. May I see it?”
He nodded toward her, and Aislynn held her left arm up for scrutiny, still a little thrown by how quickly events were moving. Cheta seemed to pick up her discomfort, whining softly.
Jackob smiled slightly, and settled more comfortably into his chair. “It seems that the time has come for a bit of a history lesson,” he said.
“You know that some of the people born in this kingdom are marked as you are marked, and are blessed with the eesprid, yes? Well it’s time you learned exactly how that came about and what it has to do with you.
“A long time ago, Evendell was under attack from a considerably more powerful force. We are small, and the rich mountains that provide our ore, gems and gold leave our people scattered and difficult to defend. We were attacked by two allied nations, one to the south and one to the east, and we were losing ground at a frightening pace. The nation to the north and west of us, Bacovia, hadn't been a part of the conflict up to that point.
“Our enemies, seeking to surround us, sent an assassin to kill the king of Bacovia, and this attack happened just as an envoy from Evendell was arriving to ask for Bacovia’s help in the ongoing conflict. The envoy, having been highly trained as you have been trained, managed to stop the assassin and save Bacovia’s king. In gratitude, he sent his armies to our aid and drove the enemies from our borders.
“After the conflict was resolved, the kings of Bacovia and Evendell met to discuss what had happened. Even then, we had one of the best Academies in any of the nearby kingdoms, and our people were very skilled. Bacovia is a large realm, and shares borders with six kingdoms, including ours. The king felt that he could use someone highly trained in the position of his bodyguard, and in return, Bacovia would protect Evendell from her enemies. This seemed like a fair agreement, and the pact was formed, born of a magic spell cast by mages from both realms.
“It turns out that the pact was stronger than anyone had anticipated, in either of our kingdoms. The first bodyguard sent to Bacovia’s king was none other than the envoy who had saved the king in the first place. They grew close and eventually married and it was their union that made the pact what it is today.
“Some of Evendell’s royal children, and some rare subjects of the kingdom, are born with an odd birthmark, which resembles the eagle-in-flight royal crest of Bacovia. These children also have companions, the eesprid, who come to them at birth. As you know, it is our law that all children with this birthmark receive training at the Academy, and these are the assassins who eventually become bodyguards for Bacovia’s monarchy.
“The eesprid are there to provide companionship during the long and difficult training process, and they also provide the bodyguards with someone they can trust without fail. Many of our eesprid have saved our lives.
“There are usually two or three marked children in each generation, which seems to account for the losses that are inherent in the position, and the next knows it is time to take their place when their birthmark burns and becomes visible again. I was Tarren’s bodyguard for a few years, and Rupert replaced me when the time came for me to take the throne here. Now you are going to take Rupert’s place.”
Aislynn looked shocked, and she was speechless for some time, processing all of the information she had just heard. Finally, she nodded to herself and asked her question again.
“Why me though? There are others in the Academy, all of them older and with more training than I have.”
“We do not choose who goes. The magic of the pact decides who among the marked is the most suitable for the job, and in this case, it happens to be you. You should go and pack.”
“But what am I going to need?” Aislynn asked, accepting her position and getting down to business. “I can’t take everything, obviously, but I need to know what my cover will be. Rupert was a serving man, right?”
“He was, but you don’t need to worry about that. Your role is a bit different than his was, so
you'll actually be going as yourself. Marja will be going with you, to help.” Jackob smiled at this, waiting for a reaction. He wasn’t disappointed.
“You can’t be serious! I don’t know anything about being proper royalty – I've spent my whole life in the Academy. That’s totally insane. You’re totally insane! I’d be better off as a serving girl.”
Jackob laughed. “That’s why I’m sending Marja. She'll be able to help you along the way. Trust me though. Once Tarren fills you in, you'll understand why it’s important to be yourself.”
Aislynn had to admit that Marja was probably the best person in the world to have along if you wanted to play princess. She was totally caught up in the latest fashions and the latest gossip around the court, and she usually talked non-stop, which meant that Aislynn wouldn't have to carry on a conversation during the trip. Add Marja’s polished manners, her long, curly, golden hair, and her bright green eyes and that also meant that she would likely be able to hide in the background while Marja took center stage. Next to her, Aislynn’s straight brown hair, and plain brown eyes would go unnoticed.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Father,” she said quietly.
“I know that I'll miss you, my daughter. I know that you haven’t been around the court very much, but I've always been able to catch up with you at the Academy when I wanted to. You will have Cheta and Marja to keep you company while you’re gone, and I’m sure you'll make new friends. I'll have to put up with your brother and that noisy crow of his all alone! You know that your mother is absolutely no help when it comes to him.” Jackob rolled his eyes for emphasis. “Now off with you. It took the courier four days to reach us, and the captain of Bacovia’s guard will be meeting you in six days at the border between the kingdoms. Byron is a good man, and Rupert spoke highly of him. You'll be able to trust him, since he knows about us in his capacity as captain of the king’s guard.”
“I still don’t quite understand why I have to go to Bacovia in full royal splendor. Wouldn't it be less conspicuous to take over Rupert’s job?”
“Well, yes and no. It would be odd for someone as young as you are to be in a position as prominent as Rupert’s was, especially as someone newly hired to the staff. However, there will be a number of other young ladies around the Bacovian court in the coming days, so you should be able to fit right in.” Jackob smiled again.
“There will? Why?”
“Because the prince is choosing a bride.”
Aislynn’s jaw dropped. “You mean you want me to go and parade myself in front of all of these strangers as a potential bride-to-be? I don’t think so!”
Jackob was having a lot of fun with this. His daughter had always been antisocial, so knowing that he was forcing her into a very social situation made him chuckle. He also knew that Cheta and Marja would keep her grounded, and he knew that her training was complete, so she would be fine. She was talented and he felt that she was ready for this challenge. He just couldn't resist turning the knife a little, so to speak. He turned a stern face toward his youngest daughter.
“You will do what you are told. Your training makes you a highly skilled assassin, and assassins make the best bodyguards because they know all of the tricks of the trade. You have proven that you can infiltrate any number of situations, and this is no different. Marja will coach you on the latest trends and on your presentation. You will go and do your job, and you will do it well.”
Aislynn bowed her head in meek submission. “Yes, your Majesty,” she said quietly, knowing that she was beaten. This was, after all, what she had been training for, even if the details of her assignment were not exactly how she had envisioned them.
Jackob knew she wasn’t happy, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it. “I have a letter for Tarren,” he said, matching her quiet tone. “I’d appreciate it if you could take it with you and hand-deliver it yourself.”
“Yes, your Majesty.” Aislynn had a little more animation in her voice now. “I won’t let you down. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some packing to do, and an early morning, apparently.” With that, she stood up from her chair and, with a bow of her head, headed off to her little used room on the upper floor of the castle.
Marja was already there, and she was picking through Aislynn’s clothing with sounds of disgust while she waited for her friend to arrive. Theirs was an odd friendship, with Aislynn almost constantly in training at the Academy and Marja living her life in the court that Aislynn loathed, but they were still close.
“How can you possibly be expected to present yourself wearing these clothes? And look at your jewelry and accessories! You are truly a disgrace, Aislynn. It’s a good thing that your father is sending me along with you. You’d be sure to make a fool of yourself otherwise, and we can’t have that, what with the prince looking for a bride. How exciting!”
Aislynn let her friend prattle on, listening with only one ear, while she packed what was truly important. On her bed, she laid out her assortment of weapons – paired daggers, a short sword, a crossbow and a sling, both of these last two with pouches of the appropriate ammunition. These were the weapons she was most familiar with, and most comfortable with, though she had training to use a number of others. She wrapped her weapons carefully, and laid them into the bottom of one of the trunks Marja was apparently expecting her to fill with her belongings.
Marja was just finishing going through her wardrobe, throwing clothing behind her and onto the bed.
“I guess that these will have to do,” she sighed, turning around and surveying the piles of fabric scattered around the room. “We will definitely have to pay a visit to a seamstress as soon as we arrive in Bacovia,” she said. Aislynn shuddered at the thought of being fitted for yet more unnecessary finery, and she started to fold her clothing neatly into the trunk. She was sure that one trunk would be more than enough.
When it was all over with, one trunk was indeed enough to pack all of Aislynn’s “worthwhile” belongings. With only a nightdress and the next day’s clothing left out, Aislynn relaxed into a hot bath to ease her day’s aches and then she settled into bed, part of her eager for the next dawn and part of her hoping that this night would never end.
The King's Assassin Page 6