Saif's Story

by Barbara G. Tarn

  Rohit was glad to go back to Godwalkar at the end of his twenty-first summer. Aditya and himself were the only ones who had stayed with Acharya Talwar until the end, the other two had dropped out – the herbalist's son after seven months, the other after fourteen.

  After dropping their backpacks at the school, Aditya suggested they visited Lalima who must have missed them both. Rohit wasn't too keen on a reunion with her, but maybe after two years her crush on him was over, so he relented.

  When they entered the inner courtyard of the condominium, Madhuri was giving dance lessons to some women, including her daughters, Lalima and Deepika. Rohit and Aditya stopped to watch from under the central oak, nodding a greeting at the musician who sat in a corner with a stringed instrument to accompany the clapping of hands and dancing bell chimes of the women.

  "Wow, Lalima definitely has her mother's luscious body," Aditya said admiringly.

  "Huh?" Rohit was too taken by the waving arms, swirling skirts and gentle music to notice any woman in particular.

  Aditya chuckled. "You'll never change, Rohit, will you?"

  "Why should I?" Rohit replied with a shrug.

  And then Lalima saw them as she was turning around slowly with her arms raised. She squealed in delight and interrupted the dance to run to them.

  "Rohit! Aditya! You're back!"

  She threw her arms around Rohit's neck, pinning him to the oak's wide trunk, and pressed her lips on the side of his mouth. He barely avoided the full kiss, taken by surprise.

  She let go and put her hands on Aditya's shoulders to rise on tiptoes and give him a quick peck on the cheek. Definitely not the same welcome. Aditya glanced at him, raising his eyebrows, and he rolled his eyes.

  "So glad you're back!" she gushed, stepping away and keeping her gaze on Rohit. "I missed you so much! So, are you assassins yet?"

  "No, I think that Acharya Talwar will give us our names tonight, along with Pooja," Rohit answered.

  "And then we'll wait for our first mission," Aditya added.

  "Oh." She looked disappointed. "Will you tell me your assassins' names?" she asked, hopeful.

  "Only the members of the guild will know the guild's secret names," Rohit repeated Acharya Talwar's words with the same sternness.

  "But... that's not fair! Everybody knows Talwar's name!" she protested.

  "But you don't know his birth name," Rohit replied. "Anyway, it's his guild and his rules."

  "You'll have to join the guild if you want to know our assassins' names," Aditya teased. "And I believe soon Khanda will look for another apprentice..."

  Slowly Lalima smiled. Rohit glared at Aditya, but his friend ignored him, as usual.

  "So we'll be together again soon," she said. Then her mother called her back to the dance lesson. She blew them a kiss and went back to her spot.

  "Damn, we'll never get rid of her," Rohit muttered.

  "I don't want to get rid of her," Aditya replied. "Don't worry, I'll take her off your back..."

  ***

  Rohit carefully washed his body in the school bath chamber. The warm water and scented soap seemed to wash away the two years in the countryside, preparing him for the start of a new life.

  He took that bath as a ritual, carefully shaving his face and trying to tame his unruly dark curls, that now reached his shoulders, without tying them up in a man's bun.

  "You are handsome, Rohit, I understand why she still loves you."

  Startled back to reality, Rohit focused on Aditya who stared back at him with melancholy.

  "I cannot return her feelings," he replied. "You said you'll take her off my back."

  "And I will." Aditya sighed but nodded. "Give me time."

  Both washed off the soap left on their bodies, and got out of the pool, wrapping themselves in towels and heading upstairs.

  They wouldn't share rooms anymore, so they split in the long corridor, each entering his new quarters to dress.

  Rohit glanced at the big bed and bed-table, and headed for the chest that held his clothes and shoes. He grabbed a new tunic and pants, and wrapped a silken sash around his thin waist, sliding his feet into embroidered slippers.

  He dried his hair with the towel as best he could, then decided to stand in the courtyard until it was time to go to the armory to receive his assassin's name. The sun was slowly going down, but there was still plenty if he sat on the cloister's external benches, listening to the birds sing.

  Pooja joined him but kept quiet. Unlike Lalima, she wasn't very talkative, and Rohit could easily consider her a sister, knowing she didn't have a crush on him. And he admired her for completing the training while so many boys had dropped out of it.

  For the first time he saw her in female clothes, with an embroidered bodice wrapping her chest and a long, multi-layered skirt like the ones Lalima used when she danced. He wondered what kind of education she had received from Khanda, but obviously Pooja could be as flirtatious as Lalima now.

  "You look great," he said, nodding to her outfit and the golden combs that kept her long black hair away from her face.

  "You too," she replied, glancing at him sideways. "Do you feel comfortable in these clothes?"

  "I guess." He shrugged. "You don't?"

  "Not really. Female fashion is so... uncomfortable!" She sighed and rolled a strand of hair around her finger. Rohit noticed her hand-flower and her bangles and wondered where she had gotten all that jewelry. Maybe it was a loan from Khanda.

  Then Talwar and Khanda with little Abhaya came down the stairs, followed by Aditya, and all headed for the armory. Khanda put down Abhaya as soon as she stepped off the staircase and the toddler started trotting around the cloister, trying to touch everyone and everything.

  "Maybe you should leave him with Yafita," Talwar said tenderly, stopping at the door of the armory to let in the apprentices. "We won't be long and I'm sure dinner is almost ready."

  "Farman!" Khanda called as Rohit tried to avoid Abhaya's little greedy hands. He definitely wasn't ready for fatherhood, and probably never would be.

  The doorkeeper arrived and took the toddler with him to the canteen and kitchen, where his wife was preparing the meal with another child of her own in tow.

  Khanda and Talwar sat on one of the benches on the sides of the armory. Rohit wondered if he should kneel, but decided to wait for instructions. His eyes wandered over the pole-arms and axes, lances and swords neatly stashed against the white walls. Daggers and brass wheels were on a table at the center of the room and two oil lamps would soon be the only light in the windowless room.

  "We have long pondered about this," Talwar said. "We had our own initiation ceremonies and mine was brutal, so we decided we'd go easy on our apprentices."

  "We will give you a noose and a secret name, then you'll have to pass the final exam of your first mission," Khanda added, looking at them with her ice-blue eyes.

  All three bowed and waited for more. Talwar and Khanda exchanged a glance.

  "I will start, then," Talwar said. "Rohit, come forward."

  He rose and took out a silken noose from one of his pockets. He wrapped it around Rohit's wrist, then looked him in the eyes.

  "Your assassin's name is Saif the Sword, straight or curved, that bestows justice."

  Rohit bowed, his heart thundering in his chest, and stepped back. Saif! A sword's name, like Talwar! He was so proud...

  "Aditya." Talwar stepped to the side and the young man came forward. "Your assassin's name is Nimdja the Dagger, and even though you might think it's a lesser weapon, I assure you it's not." Talwar wrapped another noose around newly-named Nimdja's wrist with a smile, then went back to sit down.

  Rohit and Aditya exchanged a glance and a quick smile as Khanda rose. She was always very feminine, with long, wide skirts that swirled around her when she danced with Madhuri. She stood in front of Pooja, taller and stronger, but Rohit had no doubts the apprentice was as good as her acharya, even though she was less attractive.

  "Pooja,
you make me very proud." Khanda wrapped a noose around Pooja's wrist, pushing back her golden bangles. "Your assassin's name is Katana, a curved sword from the Islands Empire. May you be as lethal and protect the weak with the skills I taught you."

  Pooja bowed as Khanda joined Talwar.

  "And now, my precious guild members, let's celebrate your new lives with a meal," Talwar said, raising from the bench and pointing at the armory door.

  Rohit realized smells of food were wafting in from the nearby canteen and his stomach grumbled. The sun had gone down and Farman had lit the torches in the cloister.

  The canteen was fully lit with oil lamps and two tables had been pushed together. Abhaya trotted into his mother's arms as Rohit realized the tables were covered with food. Yafita had surpassed herself with different meats, rich sauces, colorful vegetables and even a fruit salad.

  His mouth watered as he sat with Aditya and Pooja in front of Talwar and Khanda, eyes wide in wonder.

  "Help yourself, Saif," Talwar said with a smile. "I think Yafita has prepared all your favorite dishes."

  The cook nodded with a grin from the kitchen door.

  "Thank you!" Rohit and Aditya chorused while Pooja simply nodded, eyes wide.

  Saif. His new name for his new life. He'd bury Rohit after his first mission. In the meantime, he tasted the well cooked meat, sipping a light wine and feeling completely content.

  5.

  Being a sword felt good. He knew he'd soon have to kill for a living, but also that Talwar was an honorable man and wouldn't allow him to kill randomly.

  A few days after the naming ceremony, Talwar called all three of them to his office. His desk was covered in papers, but since he still couldn't read, Saif had no idea of what it all was.

  "I have received many requests while I was away," Talwar said. "Khanda and Katana have done the research for us, so I was able to dismiss quite a few as petty revenges. So this leaves us with only a couple of jobs, and I'm not sure how to handle them since you're all new to the trade."

  Talwar shifted his papers, frowning. Saif glanced at Katana who stood impassive next to him, again wearing men's clothes like during training. So she was one step ahead, having done some intelligence service with Khanda.

  "There is Lord Yadar who is being a tyrant to his people. He has a fief south of Godwalkar and since the death of King Naveen he's abusing his power. That would be a job for two of you. But." Talwar looked up at them. "I'm not sure who can handle the other job alone."

  Puzzled, Saif waited, sustaining Talwar's gaze.

  "Lord Shahel has been misbehaving, trying to pit everyone against everyone else among Human nobles and being abusive to the young servants of both sexes. The Genn think he's a troublemaker and deserves to be dispatched. Now, for someone like that, I'd send Katana to his household, but I'm not sure she's ready. Khanda could do it, but he knows her."

  "I could do it," Saif said. He pursed his lips, pondering. He'd seen Lord Shahel at Lord Arfan's palace. He clearly remembered how the nobleman had undressed him with his eyes as he left the master bedroom of the lord of the house. Noble husbands and wives didn't sleep in the same room, which made for interesting nights if one was invited. "I can get into Lord Shahel's bedroom without him suspecting."

  "Does he know you?" Talwar asked, looking as relieved as Katana. Nimdja stared shocked at his friend.

  "I met him in someone's palace years ago," Saif answered, his cheeks burning. "He will assume I'm still in that trade, although I wasn't really in the trade but only had that one customer and..."

  "No explanation necessary, Saif." Talwar smiled, but Nimdja looked like he wanted to scream. Saif shrugged and waited for further orders.

  "So, Nimdja and Katana will go to Salsabil, Lord Yadar's estate, and Saif will go to Lord Shahel's palace. Take all the weapons you deem necessary and good luck."

  All three bowed and exited the small office. Katana looked admiringly at him, but Nimdja's frown meant trouble.

  "I don't want to fight right now," Saif told him. "We'll talk about it when we're done. Good luck."

  He offered his hand and Katana squeezed it first, then Nimdja.

  "Stay out of trouble, Rohit," was just a threatening whisper, but it made him smile. He knew his friend was worried for him, but he'd be all right.

  "I'm Saif the Sword and soon I will be an accomplished assassin. Good luck to you both and see you upon your return."

  ***

  Saif wore his best clothes when he knocked on Lord Shahel's palace door after dinner. He had shaved and tried to tame his dark mane – to no avail. But it didn't matter, he was clean and properly dressed, he didn't look like a beggar anymore.

  The doorkeeper stared suspiciously at him, but let him in. The chamberlain asked on whose behalf he was calling on his master, especially at this untimely hour.

  "Lord Arfan," he answered without hesitation with a curt bow.

  The chamberlain smirked, as if he knew what kind of young men were exchanged among the noblemen, and led him to the lord's chambers.

  Lord Shahel's palace was very similar to Lord Arfan's: stately corridors with marble floors, great paintings on the walls and grand staircases. The sun had gone down, therefore oil lamps and candles flickered everywhere.

  Even the lord's apartment was very similar, with an antechamber that divided the bedroom from the bath chamber. All three opened onto a balcony with marble balustrades and plants through tall, ogive windows.

  Carpets covered the floor in the antechamber and the bedroom where there was a big canopied bed. More paintings, and chests of clothes, completed the furniture. A small door on the other side of the room probably opened on a secret passage that led either to the Lady's room or to the Lord's current lover's room.

  Saif waited for the lord to show up, trying the thick mattress of the bed. The bed cover was a rich cotton polychrome damask of plants and birds in shades of blue and gray that matched the heavy curtains, and he was almost certain the bed sheets were made of silk.

  He nervously fidgeted with his noose and checked the thin gupti he had concealed in his sash. Khanda had showed him the tiny dagger and he'd decided it was better than a katar to give the final hit.

  He would give Lord Shahel a death as quick and painless as he could. If the noose wasn't enough, the dagger would do.

  He heard low voices in the antechamber and straightened his back, putting his hands in his lap. The bedroom door opened and Lord Shahel entered, wrapped in a silken dressing gown.

  The tall man was well built, but his eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets. Some called him handsome, but Saif found him slimy. Again the lord stripped him with his stare before grinning.

  "Well, this is surely a surprise, how come Arfan sent you to me?" The man stopped by the bed and caressed Saif's cheek with the back of his hand. His eyes were filled with lust.

  "I lied, my lord, I haven't seen Lord Arfan in years. But you did see me at his palace then." He spread a hand on his chest. "My name is Rohit."

  "Of course, I remember those green eyes of yours." Lord Shahel sat next to him. "I believe you didn't shave back then, did you?"

  Saif smiled.

  "I was young. And hungry. And Lord Arfan was very kind to me."

  "You see to be well off now. Have you found someone who takes care of you?"

  "I belong to nobody, but I do have a home, now. Except there is nobody in my current circle who indulges in the kinds of... pastimes you lords seem so fond of..."

  He kept looking the man in the eyes, hoping he wasn't being too forward in spite of the man's obvious desire.

  "I see." Lord Shahel smiled. "Did you eat? Can we just... get down to business?"

  Saif gave a tight-lipped smile and rose, slowly taking off his clothes as the lord lay back on the bed to watch him.

  The carpet was soft under his feet as he stepped forward with his sash still in his hand to conceal his dagger. Naked, he climbed on the man's lap and playfully wrapped the sash around his neck
.

  Lord Shahel chuckled, then grabbed him and pinned him to the bed, sniffing and licking his neck and shoulder. Saif remained still. Lord Arfan had adored his body in the same way.

  As Lord Shahel's lips went down his chest and tickled his nipples, he pushed the man's dressing gown away.

  "You have a great body now, Rohit," Lord Shahel whispered, his hands caressing and squeezing flesh. "You were quite skinny back then."

  "You better not tell Lord Arfan," Saif said, feeling the man's hardness against him. He wasn't aroused by the man's touch, though.

  "I won't." The man chuckled and nibbled at his skin. "Mm... I want to eat you... no, I want to fuck you!"

  Saif controlled his panic. Lord Arfan had never gone that far with him.

  Lord Shahel was strong and held him down with his weight, but he was a trained assassin. He wouldn't let the nobleman have his way.

  As Lord Shahel struggled to open his legs, glad of his resistance, Saif focused on the gold chain around the man's neck. It would do, and then he'd use the dagger as soon as Lord Shahel was incapacitated.

  He put his arms around the man's neck and wrapped his legs around the man's waist to hold him still. He brushed the man's lips with his, then grabbed the chain and pulled.

  With both hands he squeezed the chain around the man's neck. Lord Shahel's eyes bulged out even more as his arms flailed, trying to release the pressure on his throat on one side and to strangle Saif with the other.

  Saif looked him in the eyes as he held tight. How many young men and women had the nobleman raped? Lord Shahel was obviously used to having what he wanted and hadn't expected any real resistance.

  Saif rolled to the side, sat on top of the half-strangled man and grabbed his dagger.

  "You are lucky I was paid to give you a merciful death," he said before plunging the thin blade into the left eye. Blood splattered him, but the man's struggle ended.

  Saif took a long breath, inhaling the sickeningly dry, sweet metallic scent, and let go of the gold chain. He cleaned the dagger on the bed cover and used the dressing gown to dry his body. He noticed his sash was bloodied too but shrugged.