War (The True Reign Series) (3 page)

He s
mirked, leaning against the railing next to her. “Something tells me you aren’t going anywhere.”

Which was true
—she couldn’t swim her way to land. She’d have to wait until she was off the ship to get away.

“
If you make one move, I’ll gut you and take the pieces to the emperor.” Something sharp dug into her side. Glancing down, she saw the assassin holding a small knife to her stomach. She hadn’t even seen him move. If he wanted her dead, he could kill her before she realized what happened. The knife disappeared and he stood there with his arms crossed, studying her. “You seem all-too content to be aboard this ship.”

Rema closed her eyes
and tipped her head back. The wind whipped around her, tossing her hair every which direction. The ship had a steady rhythm now that she had gotten used to it. Opening her eyes, Rema laughed. “This is magnificent!” Never in her wildest dreams did she envision being aboard a boat.

The
assassin shook his head at her again. “Well, since you seem to embrace your situation, I’m going to put you to work instead of keeping you in the storage room.”

Rema
’s shoulders relaxed with the prospect of not being locked up.

He
furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a moment. “Follow me.” He turned and headed toward a narrow set of stairs.

“
What’s your name?” she asked, hurrying after him.

“
Captain,” he answered, climbing the steps two at a time. “However, the man in charge of this ship is also bestowed the same title, so you may call me by my real name—Nathenek,” he spoke over his shoulder.

“
Where are we going?” She wanted the opportunity to explore the boat.

Nathenek abruptly spun around to face her.
“Aren’t you the queen of Greenwood Island’s rebel forces?”

Rema wasn
’t sure why he was asking
. He
kidnapped
her
. He should very well know who he captured. “Yes.” She placed her hands on her hips.

Nathenek took a step closer to her. Rema refused to back
away and show fear, even though she desperately wanted to put space between them.

“
You don’t cry when I inform you of your pending execution. You haven’t barked orders or made any demands. You are unlike any noble woman I have ever met.”

Rema laughed.
She wasn’t raised as a noble woman, but as a simple merchant girl. “Do you usually converse with the people you kill? Does it make it more fun to get to know them before murdering them?”

“
No,” he said, his eyes darkening. “I’m given a target and I hunt them down, killing them quickly. This is the first time I’ve…traveled with my assignment.”

“
Well, you’re not what I imagined an assassin would be like.”

Nathenek remained in her personal space. His hair was so short
that it didn’t move in the wind. He wore a uniform similar to Darmik’s—dark black pants and a simple tunic bearing the emperor’s crest. Instead of blue accents, they were emerald green.

“
Have you met many assassins?” he asked. “Do you employ them in your rebel army?” Nathenek cocked his head to the side, awaiting her response.

Rem
a squinted against the bright sun. “As far as I know, you’re the first one I’ve met.”

“
You can be sure I’ll be the last.”

A rope c
ame loose, and a sailor scrambled to catch it. Nathenek whipped out a dagger, throwing it. Rema turned to see the knife pierce the rope to the mast. At least if he decided to kill her, he’d be quick. Rema swallowed the lump in her throat.

During her brief stay with the rebels, she
’d undergone enough training to have some ideas on how to escape. Once they arrived at Emperion, Rema would make every attempt to do so. For now, she would try and get to know this strange man as best she could. Perhaps he had a weakness or soft spot she could uncover and use to her advantage. Nathenek spun on his heels and headed inside. Rema followed him through a doorway. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark room.

“
This is the galley,” Nathenek said. “You can help the cook.” He pointed to the young man next to him who stood with a large knife in one hand and several potatoes piled before him on the counter.

“
The kitchen?” Rema asked in disbelief. “Because I’m a girl, you assume I want to work in the kitchen? Cooking?” Without meaning to, she pointed her finger at Nathenek’s chest. “You may not be like other assassins, but you
are
a typical man.”

The cook stopped chopping the potatoes and stared at Rema.
“Ain’t no girlie working in here with me.”

“
I need to do something with her,” Nathenek mumbled. “There has to be a job for her here.”

“
Can I please work outside instead of in the galley?” Rema asked. She wanted the sun and the ability to see the ocean, not to be cooped up inside a windowless room.

“
You need to talk to the ship’s captain about the girlie,” the cook said. “He won’t want her messin’ up stuff or gittin’ in trouble. Ships ain’t meant to have girlies on board.”

“
Fine.” Nathenek grabbed her arm, pulling her back out onto the upper deck.

Rema had to walk with a wide gait in order to maintain her balance
as Nathenek dragged her along to the other side where a man, dressed in a crisp, blue uniform, stood, looking into a long tube of some sort. Rema guessed he was the captain, and therefore in charge of The Scorpion.

The man put the tube down and turned to glare at
her. “What’s she doing above deck?” he barked.

“
I plan to put her to work,” Nathenek said. “What job can she do?” He still had a tight grip on her arm. Rema wanted to pull free, but something about the ship’s captain made her stand still.

“
She can’t be up here.”

“
I don’t want her down in the storage room during our voyage. Emperor Hamen expects her delivered alive.”

“
She’s not going to die from being tied up down there. On the other hand, she will have…problems if she remains up here. I won’t vouch for her safety. Some of my men haven’t been with a woman in a long time.”

It felt as if she
’d jumped into the icy water of the Sumer River. The thought never even crossed her mind that the sailors on board would violate her.

What if Nathenek didn
’t care what these men did to her? What if he allowed them to abuse her, so long as they didn’t kill her? She glanced over the railing. The drop was high, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Yet, once she was in the water, how far could she swim? How long would she last? Was death by drowning better? Probably.

Nathenek
’s hands squeezed her arm, and she let out a small cry. His eyes assessed her before focusing back on the captain.

“
Very well,” he snapped. “I will keep her with me.” He dragged her back down the steps and through another doorway.

“
Please not the storage room,” Rema begged. Not only had she vomited in there, but there weren’t any windows. “If I’m going to die soon, can’t you grant me this one small mercy?”

Inside, the rise and fall of the ship felt worse. Her stomach rolled. The assassin
hauled her down a short, narrow hallway lined with several doors. He pulled out a key, about to unlock one of them, when a man stepped into the corridor behind Rema. She spun around and came face to face with Trell.

“
What are you doing here?” she asked. Did Nathenek kidnap him, too? He didn’t answer. Instead, he stood there, staring at her. “Trell?”

The old man glanced at Nathenek.
“What are you doing with her?”

Nathenek unlocked the door
and shoved Rema inside, slamming it closed behind her. She heard the two men speaking in hushed whispers, too quiet for her to discern any of the words. What was Trell doing here? If Nathenek didn’t kidnap the old man, then was he helping the assassin? After all, Trell was from Emperion.

Groaning in frustration, Rema examined the room. It was
small, about seven-feet-by-seven-feet. A bed stood against one wall, with a footlocker at the end of it. A small, wooden desk sat under a round window.

Nathenek
came in, locking the door behind him. He grabbed the chair from the desk and shoved it under the handle. Rema froze. She had no idea what to do. This strange man before her could violate her, and no one would stop him. She quickly ran through everything Savenek had taught her. But then what? Even if she managed to get free from the assassin, where would she go? Should she—could she—jump to her death? Most likely, if she tried anything, she’d end up with a knife in her side.

“
Why do you suddenly look so frightened?” he asked.

Biting her lip,
Rema glanced at the door.

“
Oh,” he said, “that’s to keep you safe. So no one can get in. I always secure my bedchamber. It’s habit.” He walked over and plopped down on the bed. “This is my berth. You can stay here until we arrive at Emperion. It’s not much, but at least you have a window.”

“
Why is Trell here?” she demanded. “Did you kidnap him, too?”

“
I’m not going to discuss the old man with you.”

Rema
let the issue drop, for now. She was afraid if she pushed too hard, he’d throw her in the storage room.

She still
found standing difficult, so she slid down to the ground and leaned against the footlocker. “How long?” she asked, holding her head against her hands. She would not vomit in this room.

“
Excuse me?” Nathenek kicked off his boots and lay down on his back.

“
Until we get there,” Rema clarified.

“
Two weeks.” He crossed his ankles and slid his hands under his head, appearing relaxed.

Rema noticed all the furniture was nailed to the ground. The boat lurched to the side,
and then resumed its up and down motion.

“
Since I can’t work, what are we going to do all day?” she asked.

Nathenek sighed.
“Unfortunately, there’s not much to do. This is my first assignment off the mainland. On the journey to Greenwood Island, I studied maps, terrain, and city placement. I reviewed Darmik’s history at Emperion’s military school. I thought he’d be assisting me. Things obviously didn’t turn out the way I expected.” He let out a deep breath. “I also exercised daily. That’s it.”

Rema knew she
needed to do some form of training or exercise to maintain her strength; otherwise, she’d have no chance of escaping.

“
For the next two weeks, am I just going to sit here?” she asked.

Nathenek didn
’t respond.

If she couldn
’t be up on the top deck, this journey would be miserable. Her stomach felt queasy again.

“
What did you think of Greenwood Island?” she asked, trying to focus on something other than feeling so awful.

“
It was cold, wet, and green.”

“
Is it very different from Emperion?”

“
Does it matter?” His head tilted to the side so he could see her.

“
I guess not. I’m just trying to pass the time.”

Nathenek sighed.
“I didn’t particularly care for it,” he admitted.

“
Because it’s so different from what you’re used to?”

“
Yes and no.” He focused on the low ceiling above him. “I grew up in the military. My family sent me into service when I was eight years old.”

Rema gasped.
“So young?”

“
It is typical. Families are required to send a certain number of children to the emperor’s service.”

She
tried to recall what Maya had taught her about Emperion. It wasn’t much, but Rema wished she’d paid more attention. She never thought there would be a reason to know the details of the empire.

“
I excelled in stealth warfare. I was put on track to be part of an elite team. When I was fifteen, I saw my first battle.” Nathenek remained quiet for several minutes. Rema wondered if he was done talking, or simply mulling over thoughts from his past.

“
I won’t go into details,” he suddenly continued. “But when the battle was over, I was a changed man.” Rema thought she heard a hint of sadness and regret in his voice.

“
I was then recruited to the emperor’s personal guard. One day during duty, the emperor approached me and asked if I would serve as one of his assassins. To be chosen is a great honor, and I accepted. I am one of only three dozen that do his bidding.”

“
How many people have you killed?” Rema asked, not really wanting to know the answer, but thankful he was talking to her.