by Ronald Craft
Chapter 19
Karena shuffled over to the fire and sat down. Ilian dug through the snow at the entrance, and while he had made progress over the last few days, it was a race against time. They didn't have much wood left, and their food rations had taken a noticeable hit.
She rubbed a tender spot on her chest. Her body was still sore, and the bones had yet to mend in several places, but she'd survive. She had coached Ilian in the use of the various medicines she had brought with her. They had helped her recover quickly and blocked enough of the pain for her to function, but she'd need to resupply soon. This was the first time in many years that she had been injured to this extent. It both embarrassed and humbled her.
Even the best assassin wasn't immune to injuries. She had received her fair share of injuries over time. Years ago, when she had just been released from training and promoted to a full-fledged assassin, she had made a grave mistake on her first mission. The man had gotten word that an assassin was out to get him and had set up an ambush. She walked into it, oblivious of the danger around her.
She managed to fend them off and escape, but they had inflicted enough damage on her to keep her bed-ridden for half a moon. The order had to send out another assassin to finish the job for Karena and she was punished with both words and lash.
Those old scars were a constant reminder of the failures of her past.
She sighed and cleared her mind. Now is no time to be thinking of the past. I have more pressing issues at hand. I need to find out more about that man, Amaren. Who is he? Could he truly be immortal?
She had never encountered anything like it before. How was she supposed to kill someone that couldn't die? Nobody should have known where they were, either. Her mission had been known to only a few people within the order. There was only one conclusion she could come to.
There was a traitor amongst them.
She'd have to be on her guard more than ever. When she reached the Sylvatya Islands, the home of the Order of Assassins, she would get to the bottom of this. Traitors weren't tolerated in the order. She would ensure this one had a slow, painful death.
Ilian plopped down next to her and rubbed his hands together above the fire. “Phew. It's cold as Urania's bottom in there.”
She eyed him. “I'm sure the goddess would appreciate that comment.”
Ilian's skin was flushed and his hair messy, but she found herself more intrigued by him. The way his tunic outlined his chest, his strong arms and the tight fit of his pants. Karena knew she shouldn't take a personal interest in him, but it was hard for her to resist.
She had taken many partners in her life, but had never kept any. Not only did the Order forbid her from taking a husband, but assassinating people gave her a kind of sexual tension she found hard to release. The only time she was ever really at peace was after taking a man to bed for a long, rough night. There were some men that wouldn't sleep with her again after they had a taste of her wild side.
Karena didn't blame them. She had been so excited once that, without realizing it, she'd stabbed a guy in the arm. She made a mental note not to wear knives in bed anymore after that.
Ilian noticed her looking and stared back at her. “What? Do I have something on me?”
She waved her hand. “Nah. I just can't help but wonder how you ended up so ugly.”
Ilian's eyes narrowed. “Oh, back to the jokes now are we? Well, you don't look much better yourself.” He grabbed a pot full of water, took a long drink, and then walked back towards the entrance. “I'm pretty sure I'm almost to the surface. I don't fancy turning into a snowman, so keep the fire going.”
“We're low on wood, so I don't want to use too much.”
Ilian's lips curved into a thin smile. “Well, I'll just toss you into the fire if we run out.”
She grabbed a spoon and threw it at him. “Keep digging, or I'll eat all the food on my own.” Karena's ribs protested the sudden movement with a sharp pain. It was a constant reminder of how close she had been to dying. She hated to admit it, but she owed Ilian her life.
Another day passed, and at last, Ilian broke through to the surface. The only indication they had of night and day before reaching the surface was the difference in temperature. Even if it was colder outside, the sun would be a welcome sight.
She heard him before she saw him.
“Karena, pack your things! We're finally getting out of here.” Ilian tumbled out of the tunnel and scrambled to his feet. His face beamed with a smile she had never seen before.
The innocence of youth. Even now, after all he's been through, something as simple as this can make him smile. I never knew joy when I was a child. Never knew what it was like to smile. Never knew how to smile.
Maybe, someday, I'll find a smile of my own.
The journey up to the surface was rough on her. It was a steep angle and she was still in quite a bit of pain. The light from above kept her going, drove her forward. She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't excited to be in the open air again.
Karena crawled out of the tunnel and rolled over onto her back. The air was cold, but fresh, and a glimmer of sunlight danced between the clouds. Ilian came up behind her, dragging their packs behind him. He had put all the heavy items in his own pack so that hers wouldn't strain her injuries anymore than it had to.
She wasn't sure how to act around him anymore. People just didn't do nice things for her. She never expected them to, either.
The words of her mentor always guided her through situations like these. Karena, you've been through ordeals that most people could never fathom. I trained you to be death incarnate, a true assassin of the Order. However, you are still human. There are times when your heart will interfere with your thoughts. In those times, you must focus only on the mission. Love, hatred, joy, despair, push it all away. You are a tool of the Order. Tools do not have feelings.
Tools do not have feelings, she repeated to herself.
“All right, so what's the plan?” Ilian already had his pack on and was looking up the mountain.
Karena slowly slid her pack onto her shoulders and gritted her teeth against the pain. Once settled in place it wasn't as bad, but it took a lot of effort for her to lift anything. “We can't go back to Pineview, and the next town is too far out of the way.”
She had a lot of time to think about what they'd do when they got out of the cave. There were several ways to cross the mountains, most of which were known only to the few people that lived within them. She knew of another way to quickly get past the mountains, but it was a way she had hoped to avoid.
“The old trade route. It's our best bet and will take us maybe three days at the most to reach Dalenor.”
Ilian cocked his head. “Trade route? I thought there was only one route. The merchants never mentioned any other, at least.”
“There's a reason why they stopped using it.”
Ilian's brow furrowed. “And that is?”
She used the tip of her boot to draw a pair of lines across from one another in the snow. “Merchants started to vanish about a day's journey from Dalenor. Right about here.” Karena pointed to the middle of the two lines with her toe. “It's a rather tight pass and the cliffs are high. Dalenor investigated it, but even their people started to vanish. So now, everyone goes around it.”
Ilian's eyes widened. “So, you mean for us to go through there? You're just full of great ideas, aren't you?”
She attempted to shrug and winced at the pain. It hurt too much for her to raise her shoulders all the way. “It's the only other way I know. Your friend Amaren blocked the other way with this avalanche.”
“There was nothing I could do about that, Karena. I didn't plan for the entire mountain to fall on us.” Ilian's gaze met hers. “You know, in the condition you're in now, I could probably just leave. I doubt you could stop me.” He crossed his arms.
Karena chuckled. She figured this would come up at some point. “You're ri
ght. You could. However, I promise you that I'd find you and when I do, you're going to be far worse off than you have been so far. Also, even if you kill me, someone else from my order will come for you.” She still had a few tricks up her sleeve.
Several moments passed before Ilian shrugged and lowered his gaze. “You have a point. Anyway, what are you going to do without your daggers? They're still somewhere under all that snow. You're crazy if you think I'm going to sit here and dig for them.”
Karena grinned. Elemental weapons had several special properties to them, each determined by the craftsman and the person they're bound to. However, they all had one thing in common.
She stuck out her arms and opened her hands. Karena focused her mind on the image of the blades. Long, slender handles, a gleaming blade that never dulled, and the insignia of her order on both hilts. The crest of a great winged bird in mid-flight was vivid in her mind. The daggers themselves were a part of her. They could never be lost or broken so long as she still breathed.
There was a low rumbling sound from beneath her. The daggers burst out of the snow and slipped gently into her hands. She slid them into their sheaths with ease.
“You were saying?” She allowed herself a bit of smugness.
Ilian took a step back, his mouth agape. “That was amazing. Do it again.”
She raised her eyebrow. “What are you, fourteen?” Karena pointed past the mountain. “Start walking that way. We need to get to Dalenor as soon as possible.”
They traveled as fast as she could go for the next two days. It was hard for her to maintain anything but a slow pace. Every ache of her ribs reminded Karena of her failures.
We should have been past Dalenor and at least half way to Belport by now. Finding a competent captain to get us to the islands is going to be difficult this late in the season. I will get us there, no matter what.
Her breathing was labored with the exertion. The only thing that kept her going was the medicine that numbed the pain. It was probably one of the most useful tools an assassin had at their disposal.
Someone that could withstand high amounts of pain would be less likely to hesitate in the face of a strong opponent. Karena had seen many of her brethren become addicted to them over the years, so she tried to use them sparingly. Right now, she had no other choice.
Ilian stopped ahead and waited for her to catch up. He seemed to be having a hard time deciding something. Karena was sure it involved her in some way, but she couldn't figure him out. There was too much about him that was a mystery to her. She didn't like mysteries.
“Is this the right place?” Ilian called out.
Karena looked around. The path converged into a narrow passage that went straight through the last of the mountains. Snow and ice caked the cliffs that rose high above them on either side. Her hood was blown back by a sudden gust of wind.
She nodded. “This is it. Be on your guard.”
Karena knew it was a bad idea for them to be traveling this route. She had no idea what lay down here. There were rumors, of course, but nobody had ever survived a trip through here to tell about it. She could only hope that whatever it was wouldn't notice their arrival.
She followed close behind Ilian, her right hand secured firmly on a dagger. Even injured, she wouldn't go down without a fight, if it came down to it. A double shot of the medicine would allow her to move much quicker for a short time, though the damage to her body would be severe. Even so, it was better than dying.
The wind howled past her and blasted down the narrow slope. Each footstep crunched the ice beneath their feet, and echoed against the rocks surrounding them. She found it hard to concentrate while constantly fighting against the force of the wind.
She almost laughed. It was ironic how the very force she harnessed in her weapons now impeded her progress.
Ilian came to an abrupt stop and turned to face her. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
He pointed in front of them. “It sounded like—”
The side of the mountain exploded and rocks rained down around them. Ilian grabbed her and pressed her up against the side of the mountain. Her ribs throbbed, and she broke into a coughing fit at the sudden movement.
A loud hissing sound came from within the hole. A long, white serpent slid out of the hollow. One eye, the size of a wheel, gazed down upon them. The beast had a mouth full of daggers. Each one of the hundreds of sharp teeth was the size of her own blades.
Karena drew her weapons. “I think we just discovered what happened to those merchants.”
Ilian dropped his pack and drew his own blade. “I knew it. First an avalanche, and now a giant snake. You're cursed.”
The serpent slithered out of the mountain, and lunged towards Ilian.