The Discovery of an Assassin

by Brian Keller

  Mister Skran told the kids to take a few minutes to stretch. He stepped outside the classroom and the children heard him yell, “You! Come here!” and he came back in. Seconds later he was followed by an older student with an alarmed but curious expression. Mister Skran had gone back to kneel next to Boyd and was speaking to him in hushed tones. When the Adept approached him, Mister Skran looked at him and asked, “You know who Camilla is, right?”. The Adept nodded. Mister Skran continued, “Would you be able to ask her to come to the Training Room, please?”. The Adept replied, “Sure, Skran. It should only be a few minutes.”, and he left the room at a brisk walk. Mister Skran helped Boyd to his feet and assisted him to the side of the room, to a spot near a lantern, and sat him down where he could be supported by the wall. Mister Skran continued to speak with Boyd in low tones and sometimes Boyd would grunt, groan or mumble a reply. A few minutes later a robed woman entered the room in a rush. She had dark blond hair gathered behind her head in a ponytail. She looked moderately tanned in the lantern light but it was difficult to tell. From this distance it was difficult to clearly describe her features but Cooper could tell she was very pretty, perhaps even beautiful. Mister Skran looked up and said, “Thanks for coming so quickly, Camilla. This one’s had his bell rung.”. She leaned down to get a better look at Boyd. She said, to no one in particular, “Doesn’t appear too bad.”. It dawned on Cooper that this woman hadn’t even acknowledged Mister Skran yet. She did now. “A little too soon to be sending business my way, isn’t it, Skran?”. He just shrugged, “It happens.”. She replied, “I’ll take him with me. He should be back in class tomorrow, but he shouldn’t fight with anyone again for ten days at least. Two weeks would be safer. I’ll let you know later if I find anything that contradicts that assessment. Alright?”. Skran nodded, stood and brushed off his knees. “Thanks, Camilla.”. The woman looked around the room and she smiled when she saw Loryn. Miss Camilla walked over to her and knelt down. “So this is where you ended up?”. She had a warm smile. Loryn nodded and ducked her head. Cooper could tell that her memories and fears had come flooding back with Miss Camilla’s appearance. Apparently Miss Camilla had seen it too, she said, “Don’t dwell on the past, but use it to help move you forward. Just like I told you before.”. Loryn nodded, swallowed and looked up at the woman. She was trying to look brave and was almost succeeding. Cooper had gotten up and had started to walk over but after taking a couple of steps, thought better of it and sat back down to stretch. He still continued to watch and listen to the discussion. Miss Camilla was asking how Loryn was doing and how did she feel about being here. Loryn was giving the expected answers, “Fine, miss”, and “Very well, miss”. Then Miss Camilla looked over her shoulder toward Boyd and asked her, “What happened here?”. Loryn looked her square in the eye and grinned big, “Cooper just kicked Boyd’s ass!”. Her grin stayed on her face. Miss Camilla replied, “You seem pretty happy about that.”. I was almost a question. Loryn simply nodded. Camilla looked over her shoulder and said, “So that must be Boyd. Who’s Cooper?”. Loryn pointed at him and it was his turn to duck his head. Miss Camilla turned to look at him. He looked up and saw that Miss Camilla was indeed very pretty, even though she was frowning slightly at the moment. She had bright, blue eyes, smooth tanned skin, her cheeks were just a touch rounded, and with the exception of a slightly strong chin her features were soft and feminine.

  Miss Camilla turned back to Loryn, “I have been busy lately so I haven’t been around much. Do you have my token?”. Loryn told her that she did. Camilla replied, “I’ll take it back from you now. You shouldn’t need it anymore.”. Loryn nodded, fished it out of her pouch and placed it in Miss Camilla’s outstretched hand. Miss Camilla stood back up, gave Loryn a small nod and turned to return to Boyd. She gave Cooper another slight frown as she passed him. She gave Mister Skran a nod, helped Boyd to his feet and said, “Come with me.”. Boyd still seemed a bit unsteady but he walked out with the healer.

  Mister Skran had the students stand and, staying paired with their last partners, prepare to resume training. Loud enough so everyone could hear, he told Cooper, “You, come with me.”. Skran turned back to the class and said, “Begin.”, then walked over next to one of the dummies. Cooper followed. Once at the side of the room, Mister Skran turned, then leaned over him. This made him think of a hawk swooping down before driving it’s talons into its prey. Cooper started to cower but Mister Skran’s voice didn’t sound angry when he said, “Hold that pose. You did just what I expected of you.”. Cooper’s eyebrows went up, ‘Huh?’, he thought. Mister Skran continued, “I expected Boyd to try to hurt you. I was watching, it wouldn’t have gotten out of hand. But I expected you to take him apart, and you did. He deserved it. You also showed restraint when you stepped away from him. Of course by that point, Boyd had already dropped like a pole-axed steer.”. Mister Skran chuckled but put his hands on his hips and leaned over him even further, Cooper appeared to shrink a little more. Skran continued, “The other students should think you’re getting a verbal warning from me, so when I walk away I want you to hang your head. I’ll take a few steps, turn around and yell at you. At that time I want you to practice any combination of low-low-high-high. Understand? Low-low-high-high. You’re not in trouble. You’ve fought as a fighter should.”.

  Mister Skran turned and walked away. He let his head drop and shoulders slump just as he was told, and waited. He even jumped a little when Mister Skran yelled, “Do I need to repeat myself!”. Cooper quickly turned to Mister Strawman. Low kick to the knee-low strike to the solar plexus-high backhand strike to the jaw-high palm strike to the side of the head. Cooper began to repeat the combination with a gleam in his eye and a grim smile on his face.

  Chapter 15

  The following morning, Boyd was seated in the dining hall for breakfast. He looked back to his normal self except he didn’t have nearly as many boys around him. It looked like Neril and five or six others remained. He wondered how many of them really enjoyed being around Boyd. As Cooper, Birt, Aden and Loryn were halfway finished with their breakfast, they heard Neril call out, “There he is. At the table right over there. Tell it again, Boyd.”. Boyd turned and glared at Cooper then said, “I don’t know how he can still be in class. Mister Skran told us to start and I began circling the little turd, and he cheap-shot kicked me in the balls! I couldn’t help it, I dropped to my knees. That’s when he came up and punched me in the throat and elbowed me right in the side of my head! When I was helpless! What a dirty fighter.”.

  Cooper’s friends were looking at him. Birt had an eyebrow raised. None of them had seen it happen, though they’d all asked Cooper for his account after class yesterday. He’d given an honest account and now Boyd was lying to save his pride. Cooper shook his head and simply said, “He’s lying, but then again, I suppose he feels like has to.”. Cooper got up from the table, and repeated himself loudly enough that the boys at the other table could hear, then added, “You know how you know he’s lying? He’s claiming he has balls. He was foolish and he got beaten by a kid half his size. If you don’t believe me, ask Mister Skran, or Miss Camilla. Miss Camilla would know where his injuries were, wouldn’t she?” Cooper gave Boyd a meaningful look. “There will come a day when Mister Skran will have students pair off and fight in front of the whole class. Pray you Manifest before then.”.

  Cooper’s friends caught up to him before he got to the classroom, Loryn was still smiling, “Honestly, I don’t care if you did kick him in the balls!”.

  Cooper had thought of slipping back into the Training Room, finding the roster and adding a fourth category to it titled “God-like” and then adding only Boyd’s name to that category. Now, he figured that Boyd would be mostly defused, at least for a little while and he put that thought from his mind.

  He only had a dozen more pages to finish in his textbook. He wasn’t in any hurry. He wondered what he would do once he’d finished. He had another page almost done when he was called to deliver a message. Thi
s message was a residence on the other side of The Grid, almost in The Heights. Cooper had been meaning to check in on Chesim’s family ever since he’d heard about one of the wharfs collapsing in the Waterfront District. He’d been told that a few boats has been sank during that incident and he hoped Chesim’s family hadn’t lost their boat. He wondered if he could slip over after delivering his message and look in on his friend, and then get back before anyone missed him. He hurried to deliver his message and then crossed the Whitefoam into the Waterfront District. The guard didn’t even seem to notice him, but then again he was going north.

  He knocked on the door to Chesim’s house and his mother answered the door. It took her almost 5 seconds to recognize him. Once he looked her in the eye, she knew right away, “Cooper! Come in, come in!” She stepped aside and pulled the door open further. He could hear scrambling from inside and Eva popped out from a bedroom door. She had a dusty bandanna covering her hair. She ran up and hugged him. “I’m so glad you’re alright! We haven’t seen or heard from you! There have been some killings and disappearances in Batter’s Field! Where have you been? Chesim will be so happy that you’re back! Where’d you get those clothes? And you’re all clean!”. Cooper was wondering how she managed all that in a single breath, but it surely was nice to see her.

  He fibbed a little and said he had started working as a messenger for the Scribes in the Trade Quarter and was living there now. He hoped that would explain everything satisfactorily and before the conversation could be taken elsewhere he asked, “I had heard that a wharf collapsed and some boats were lost. Is your boat still alright?”. Eva replied, “Yes, our boat wasn’t damaged but one of the other fisherman’s boats had a gunnel broken when wharf collapsed and it sank. Papa let that fisherman go out with him for a few days, but now that man got hired on as a hand with one of the bigger merchant vessels.”. Chesim’s mother looked thoughtful, and sad, as she added, “He’ll be away for months at a time now. He’ll be able to bring money home whenever they put into port here, but I don’t know how his family will make it in the meantime.”.

  He knew that he couldn’t stay long and told the ladies that he’d need to go soon. He asked Eva, “When I was here before and you were taking care of me,”, Eva blushed a little bit but he didn’t pause, “when I was first waking up you were reciting a poem. Do you remember it?”. Eva pulled her eyebrows together while she thought about it, “I remember you waking up after three days but I don’t remember a poem.”. He elaborated, “It was about someone that always knew where cruel people were hiding. Or something like that, I think. I was just waking up so I don’t remember very well. I just remember hearing you saying a rhyme.”. Chesim’s mother smiled, “Ah! Eva, he must mean The Kinsman!”. Eva’s eyes lit up, “Oh, yeah! The Kinsman! I remember now! It’s kinda scary though, and I don’t know very much of it. I just remember because both you and the Kinsman have dark eyes.”. She blushed a little bit and he thought his face was feeling a bit warm. He asked, “Can you tell it to me now? As much of it as you remember?”. Eva tucked her chin slightly but said, “Sure. Let me think a second or two.”. Her light voice was trying to match the rhythm, “Dee dee dah dah dee dah dah, dah deedah dah dee dah….”. She stopped, embarrassed and said, “Yep, I think I remember,”, and then continued in her sing-song voice:

  He seeks you where you’re hiding,

  No matter where you go,

  Wherever cruelty dwells,

  The Kinsman always knows.

  Fighting Fire with Fire,

  Not pure of heart nor soul,

  Bringing justice with him,

  With eyes as black as coal.

  Eva stopped, “That’s what I remember. Is that the one you mean?”.

  He nodded, ”That’s the one. I heard more of it not long ago in the Trade Quarter. At least it sounded like it’s part of the same poem, except it was a minstrel singing the words.”.

  Chesim’s mother spoke, “I heard it more when I was a little girl. People used to sing it then. Now it’s just a poem that most have forgotten. I’m a little surprised to hear you say that someone was singing it. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard it. The only part I still remember is the part Eva just told you.”. Eva smiled, ”Mama, you used to tell it to me when I was falling asleep. When I was little, it made me think that The Kinsman would protect me when I slept.”

  He stood, “I need to get back. I don’t know if I could get in trouble but no one knows that I’ve come here. Tell Chesim and Faril I stopped to say ‘Hello’. I wanted to come as soon as I’d heard about the incident at the wharf but couldn’t make it here until today.”.

  The ladies each hugged him and he made his way back to the Whitefoam. The guard on the south bridge stopped him, “What’s your business?”. Cooper held up his empty tube and stated, “I’m returning to the Scrivener’s shop in the Trade Quarter. I’ve completed my delivery.”. The guard eyed him suspiciously but he managed to make the connections… sash, copper tube, bathed and clean… must be telling the truth. “Go on then.”, the guard said gruffly.

  Chapter 16

  That evening, there was a knock on the door to their bay. They all looked at each other in wonder. Cooper said, “Must be a student. A teacher or Master would just walk right in.”. Birt yelled at the door, “Come in!”. The door opened and Dailen and Rukle entered. Rukle was a quite a bit smaller than Dailen. In fact, he was even a bit smaller than Birt. His hair was a little bit more red than brown, a narrow face with pale green eyes. His nose was small and sharp and his lips were thin and seemed to usually be pulled tight and expressionless. The two boys stood side by side looking uncomfortable, finally Dailen announced, “We wondered if there was room in this bay for two more. Our bay has become… unbearable.”. They all looked at each other, Birt and Aden shrugged, Loryn turned and asked, “Do either of you snore?”. Dailen smiled wide, “No, but Neril does. Which is one more reason we’d like to move in here.”. Cooper stood and faced them, “We all take turns keeping the privy clean. If you’re willing to take your turn at it with the rest of us then get your stuff and pick out an empty space.”. Twenty minutes later, the two boys were sorting out their belongings and getting settled in.

  Birt asked, “So what made the bay you were in so… unbearable, was it?”. Dailen smirked, “Besides Neril’s incessant snoring, you mean? Well, Boyd has always been a problem but he’s usually been pretty calm when we’re all in the bay. He’s never been a pleasure to be around, but now he’s just poison.”. Loryn looked up from her book, “Poison?”. Rukle spoke for the first time, “He keeps insisting that Cooper beat him by fighting dirty and then yells and rants at anyone who doesn’t join in with him cursing Cooper.”. Dailen nodded, “He’ll even wake up in the middle of the night and start yelling about it. We decided we’d had enough. Nobody in here wakes up screaming, do they?”. Birt couldn’t resist, “Nope. But Cooper might sleepwalk over in the middle of the night and kick you in the balls! I’ve heard he’s got quite a knack for that”. Soon everyone was laughing. Birt didn’t see Cooper’s boot sailing overhead until it was too close to avoid.

  Mister Skran had started teaching them about fighting on the ground. Cooper had listened close to every word of instruction. Mister Skran had explained that a thief or Assassin should never want to fight on the ground. It slowed him down. A thief or Assassin became vulnerable whenever they weren’t highly mobile, and ground fighting took away too many movement options. Usually if “one of us” had to fight, it usually meant that we were trying to escape, and that usually meant more than one opponent. If you have more than one opponent then the last place you wanted to be was on the ground. Mister Skran said, “This is actually all the more reason to be very skilled at fighting on the ground. If guards didn’t try to kill you outright, then they’d try to drag you to the ground and shackle you. Once on the ground you likely have only a second or two remaining to fight for your freedom. You’d better be able to win quickly and escape.”. Cooper decided that he som
ewhat enjoyed fighting on the ground. A strong fighter still had an advantage, but strength wasn’t as much of an advantage as he’d first thought. Skran had shown that tactics and positioning were of utmost importance. After that, a quick mind and quicker body were his best advantage, giving him the ability to create and capitalize on opportunities. Strength was a factor, but he could still win against a stronger opponent as long as he was faster and could recognize when opponents were vulnerable. It sure wasn’t like wrestling over scraps thrown out in the street. He also realized that if he faced several opponents, fighting with one on the ground would be hopeless. He’d only be able to fight one while the others would be either killing him or binding him. Mister Skran had described it aptly.

  Since defeating Boyd, Cooper was usually paired with Rukle. They still changed partners within the Advanced group but Mister Skran apparently had favored partnerships. Birt was pretty good, and Dailen wasn’t bad. Dailen’s movements were fairly fast but he just seemed slow to react. Those two were usually partnered together.

  Fighting while standing up, Cooper had the advantage over any of his classmates. He just seemed to know how to shift his position and exploit weaknesses. The times when Rukle was able to strike him were the matches when Cooper was trying something new. He’d decided that he needed to be effective on the offensive, but it was difficult to gain the upper hand by attacking if your opponent was focused on defense. Sometimes the combinations just didn’t work out right and it was on these occasions when Rukle won their matches. When fighting on the ground, however, Rukle could usually beat him. On the ground Cooper lost his primary advantage and Rukle was the stronger boy. They were otherwise so closely matched that even though strength wasn’t much of an advantage, it was enough. It just made Cooper work harder at it. He’d learned that by leaving false openings he could often trap Rukle and win. He knew he could use the same tactic when standing and be even more effective. Lately Mister Skran had been emphasizing that in their profession it wasn’t just about winning, it was about winning quickly. He’d said, “Defeat the guard before reinforcements arrive. Unless you intend to fight several trained and armored opponents, you have to win quickly enough to give yourself time to escape, or hide.”.