Invisible Assassin (6 page)

She recoiled from his venom, stunned by it. Kerrion found his voice again, and surprisingly, did not react angrily to the assassin's outburst. "Who threatened you?"

"Your stinking servant," Blade snarled. "He promised me a painful death if I didn't protect the Queen, and I didn't doubt him."

"Olan?" Kerrion shook his head. "He had no right to say that."

"But he spoke the truth. I'm only alive now so you can use me to protect the Queen. Had I not, I would have died at your hands. I know how much you hate me. I know you long for my death. I've humiliated you more than once, and although you have had some revenge, it's not enough, is it? I agreed to work for the Queen, I did not consent to be threatened and blackmailed as soon as a crisis arose!"

"No. If any harm had come to Minna, Rigal would have died at my hands, not you." Kerrion glanced at the Queen, who still looked worried, her eyes darting between them. Blade scowled and hefted the dagger.

Kerrion went on, "I will make you this promise. As of now you are free to go. I will not stop you. You have earned your freedom. It is I who am at fault for ill-treating you and coercing you. You have saved the life of the woman I love, and for that I am eternally grateful. The gratitude of a king is no small thing, Lord Conash. But I have a final request to make of you."

"Prince Ronan."

"Yes. Name your fee for his death and I will meet it, I swear."

Blade turned his head and spat, his contempt for the Cotti King written in every line of his stance and chilly glance. "What's the catch? If I don't do this, I get to walk back to Jashimari, I suppose?"

"No, I will ensure that you travel home in luxury."

"What can you offer me?" the assassin sneered. "I have all the riches I could ever want in Jashimari, lands and titles aplenty. Can you give me back my family? Restore my manhood?"

"Not the latter, but..." Kerrion looked thoughtful. "Perhaps one of your brothers or sisters survived, and is still alive somewhere in the desert."

The assassin calmed a little, glaring at the King. "I saw them die."

"All of them?"

Blade hesitated. "All but one. My older sister, Alenstra."

"Then I will find her, no matter what it takes. If she lives I shall bring her to you. If not, I will bring you word of her. Do we have an accord?" The King held out his hand, and Blade regarded it with deep suspicion.

"It could take you moons to find her, and you may not find her at all, or word of her."

"But I will try, that is all I can promise you. I have spies everywhere. If she survived I will find her. If not, at least you will know her fate."

Blade gave a curt nod. "Very well." He took the King's hand, but instead of shaking it he turned it palm up and sliced a shallow cut across it. "We have an accord."

The King hissed with pain, but before he could react further to this outrage, the sound of many booted feet in the corridor made him glance around with a frown. "Too late to get you to your room. Quick, hide behind the curtains, they must not find you here."

The assassin shot a dark glance at the doorway, tucked the dagger into his belt and limped to one of the heavy curtains that hung against the walls. He vanished behind it just as a bevy of senior advisors came trotting in, accompanied by four soldiers. They stopped to survey the scene with horror, and one of the advisors strode over to kneel beside Rigal's body. He straightened, looking shocked.

"Prince Rigal is dead."

A grey-bearded advisor stepped forward. "What has happened here? Sire, do you know?"

Kerrion nodded. "It seems that these three thugs attacked my future wife. Her familiar killed one, then my brother rushed to her aid, killing the other two before dying of his wounds. His heroism will be sung for generations to come."

The senior advisor looked astounded. "Indeed. And what of Prince Rigal's familiar?"

"When the Prince died his wolf went mad, as familiars often do. Since she was the only living person in the room, it attacked Minna-Satu, and naturally her familiar defended her."

"Ah." The advisor shot his fellows a meaningful look before turning back to the King. "And where were you, Sire?"

"I was defending my crown against a challenge from Prince Ronan, which he lost. He is a witness to my whereabouts."

"And who witnessed this?"

Kerrion spotted Olan lurking in the doorway behind the advisors. "My servant, Olan."

The advisors turned to regard the cringing servant. "Is this true?"

"All of it, I swear," Olan averred.

"Tell us what happened."

"Er... The King already -"

"I am also a witness," Minna interrupted when it became obvious that Olan had not overheard Kerrion's explanation. "Prince Rigal gave his life to protect me from these thugs."

The senior advisor raked her with a contemptuous glance. "Your testimony is of no consequence."

Minna opened her mouth to rebuke him, but Kerrion hushed her, making her close it with a snap. The advisor turned to Olan once more, and this time the servant said, "That's what happened, Prince Rigal was protecting the King's mistress."

"I see." The advisor clearly did not believe any of them, but there was little he could do about it.

Kerrion said, "The fact that Rigal had his familiar with him is proof of his impromptu arrival and good intentions. Had he planned to harm my betrothed, he would assuredly have left his wolf in his quarters rather than risk its life, especially since my future wife has a formidable familiar of her own."

"It could have rushed to his aid when it sensed his injury," the advisor pointed out.

"Indeed, but it did not. It was with him from the outset, was it not, Olan?"

The servant nodded, his expression dead-pan.

"Were there no guards at the doors?" the advisor asked.

"Most certainly," Kerrion replied, "but someone sent them away, and it could only have been one of my half-brothers, though not, obviously, Rigal."

"Then Prince Rigal will join his brother, Prince Targan, lying in state. Perhaps he will be joined by more Princes before too long."

The advisor marched out, followed by the others. The soldiers dragged away the bodies of the thugs and wolf.

Blade was forced to remain behind the curtain for a time-glass while servants mopped up the blood and removed Rigal's body on a litter. When at last he was able to emerge, he limped back to his room, where a trusted healer waited to tend to his wounds.

Chapter Four

The next day, Minna-Satu ignored protocol to walk alone along the passage that led to Blade's door, a veil hiding her face. He lay on his bed, propped up on a pile of cushions with a book cradled against his chest. At her entry he looked up and put down the book, lacing his fingers.

"My Queen," he said in a resigned tone.

Minna pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, studying him. One eye was almost swollen shut, and a blackening bruise marred that side of his face from temple to cheek. A bandage covered his upper arm and another bound his chest. Evidently the healer who had attended him had given him something for the pain, for he looked a little dazed. She deduced that he had not risen to bow to her because he could barely stand.

"My Lord Conash. I hope your recovery will be swift."

"As do I. Once again you flout protocol and visit a man in his bed chamber."

"You are ill, and besides, nobody knows you are here except your servant, the healer, my handmaidens and Kerrion. They are all trustworthy, according to Kerrion."

He looked away. "What troubles you, My Queen? Surely you are beyond pitying me?"

"No, it is not that." She hesitated. "You cannot return to Jashimari."

"Why not?"

"They think you are dead. If you return they will ask questions, perhaps wonder about me, too."

"You assume that I will return to the palace. Rest assured, I have no intention of doing that. I shall go to my estate, where I can retire in peace."

Minna bit her lip. "Your estate now belongs to Chiana. If you go there she will hear of it."

"Then Kerrion will have to pay me handsomely, so I can buy a modest dwelling and live comfortably."

"Someone will recognise you. You are too well known and too... unusual to go unnoticed for long."

He sighed and shrugged. "Then I shall tell them you are dead, that you took the Cup and I did not. I am an accomplished liar."

"They will ask why Kerrion brought you here."

"To punish me, to imprison me. I have the scars to prove it."

She looked unconvinced, shaking her head. Blade tried to sit up, but subsiding with a grimace and turned to her. A faint smile curled his lips, twisted by his swollen jaw. "Do not trouble yourself, Minna. I have decided that Ronan will be my last victim. But I doubt I will survive his death, if indeed I succeed in killing him at all."

She glanced up, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Prince Ronan knows he is my next target. He will surround himself with bodyguards and traps. Even if I succeed in reaching him, I doubt I will escape afterwards."

"And knowing this, you will still attempt his assassination?"

He stared into space. "It does not matter."

"You do not care."

"No."

"But... you have your whole life ahead of you."

He shot her a bitter smile. "What life? I am only a problem to those around me, and once I have served my purpose I will become a liability. You do not wish me to return to Jashimari, and I certainly do not want to stay here, hiding like a rat in the palace of my enemy. My days as an assassin are numbered anyway. I am growing too old for the trade. I should have retired already. I am living on borrowed time, and my skills are fading with my youth."

The Queen leant forward and gripped his arm. "No. I want you to stay with me. You are the only other Jashimari here, the only one I can talk to who speaks in a civilised manner."

Blade turned his head to look at her. "What sort of companion am I? I cannot sympathise with your troubles or provide any form of comfort or friendship. You surprise me, My Queen."

"Do I? You call me by my name, and you are privy to my most secret thoughts. Should I need comfort, Kerrion can provide it, but you are also important to me, Blade."

His smile widened. "A retired assassin is not fit company for a Queen. I have little conversation to offer apart from the various methods of killing and a collection of gruesome stories about my past exploits. There was a time when I was hardly ever injured. Only a very few times in my youth, when I was betrayed and waylaid, yet recently I seem always in the care of a healer."

"That is because you were forced to fight Rigal without weapons, and you are not trained as a fighter. You were not injured when you assassinated Targan."

"Killing a child in his bed is easy, My Queen. What use am I to you when I have outlived my trade? Surely you do not wish to hear of all the blood I have spilt."

Minna removed her hand from his arm. "Strange that you blanche at the sight of it, My Lord."

He shot her a glance tinged with amusement. "Ah. So now I have no secrets left, it seems. The sight of blood may turn my stomach, but speaking of it does not."

"You will not attempt to kill Ronan. I forbid it."

"I have already agreed."

"Do you take orders from a Cotti now?"

His eyes narrowed. "No. I accepted his offer."

"The news of your sister shall be part payment for services rendered. I will speak to Kerrion."

"And when Ronan plots against you, what then?"

She rose and walked to the end of the bed, where she turned to face him. "Surely it would be easier to protect me as you did from Lord Javare? They would not dare to attack me when Kerrion is present, and when he is not, you will be."

He shook his head. "There are many ways to kill, My Queen. Poison is just as sure, and that I cannot defend you from, unless you would have me taste your food. You can employ a taster, I suppose, but then they will use a slow-acting poison. Also, as I have said, my abilities are diminishing with age. Soon I will be as useless as a toothless old dog."

"Surely you can manage a few more years, two or three at the most."

He shrugged, wincing. "Perhaps, but I do not wish to remain here, that is the crux of the matter. If I am to live, it will not be in Cotti, not for two more years. I have barely been here more than two moons and already I hate it, as I did before. If I survive Ronan's assassination I shall return to Jashimari, with or without your blessing. If you pine for the company of a Jashimari, Kerrion has a number of educated men in his prisons. Perhaps you can avail yourself of their company."

"You know that is not my wish. If you leave, you will break my heart. You are like a brother to me now."

The assassin gave a snort of laughter, then grimaced and held his ribs. A minute passed while he regarded her. "I am not your brother, My Queen, nor do I care if my departure troubles you."

"Do you not?" She moved closer, her gaze intent. "Are you truly so cold, or do you merely deny your feelings and lie about them?"

"I do not have them."

"Yet you hate it here, that is a feeling."

"I hate a great many things, but have affection for none, and that is what you expect of me."

Minna settled back into the chair beside him. "What if Kerrion finds your sister? What will you feel for her?"

He frowned. "I do not know."

"Perhaps if you allowed yourself to feel, your life would be worth living?"

Blade closed his eyes with a sigh. "It would probably make it unbearable."

Minna glanced at the window, noting the sinking sun, then at Blade's pale features, which bore the pinched look of extreme fatigue.

She rose. "I shall leave you now, My Lord. It grows late, and I see you are tired. Think about what I have said."

After the Queen left, Blade's eyes flicked open, and he stared at the ceiling. Her declaration did not surprise him unduly. He had long since divined her affection for him, yet somehow it moved him more than Chiana's. His gaze wandered to the open window that framed the dusk's golden glow, and his reflection in the mirror beside it caught his attention. The soft light gilded his cold, pale eyes, and he shuddered. They reflected the iciness in his heart, and he pushed aside his hatred to allow the warmth they had possessed in his youth to return to his eyes.