War (The True Reign Series) (7 page)

She
played with the end of her rolled sleeve, trying to decide how to phrase what she wanted to say. “Why does the emperor want to see me executed? Why can’t you kill me like all the others?”

Nathenek
’s eyes sliced over to Rema, analyzing her. For a brief second, she thought he knew the real reason.

He
looked back out at the ocean and answered, “I’m sure you know King Barjon is the empress’s brother.”

“
I do.”

“
And you plan to kill him in order to take the throne.”

“
That is correct. But do you know why I want to take the throne?” She turned to face him.

“
The rebels claim you are the true heir.” He peered down at her.

“
I am,” she said. “King Barjon slaughtered my family in order to gain control of Greenwood Island.”

“
Yes, I know all this.” Nathenek crossed his arms. “What are you getting at?”

“
I’m just wondering how well you know your history.”

“
My knowledge of Emperion is impeccable.”

They stood facing one another. Rema wondered how receptive he would be to learn of her true lineage. Would he embrace it? Or kill her on the spot?

He leaned toward her. “How well do you know your history?” She was about to answer when he continued. “Because I doubt you know anything about Emperion, our customs, or how intimately your suitor, Darmik, is connected to the ruling family.”

“
I know the emperor is Darmik’s uncle,” she admitted.

Nathenek smiled. He didn
’t understand that Darmik had denounced his family and was no longer loyal to them. He looked at something behind her. She glanced back and saw a hooded figure go below deck.

“
Why is Trell here?” she asked.

“
Why do you care about the old man?”

“
Because he’s an elderly gentleman and his health is failing. I can’t imagine what the emperor wants with him.”

He
rubbed his face. “You weren’t supposed to know he was here,” he mumbled.

“
Why? Are you going to kill him? Or is he giving information to the emperor?”

Nathenek rested against the railing.
“There’s a group of dolphins.” He nodded toward the water.

Rema saw the beautiful
, dark gray creatures zipping along the surface of the ocean. “They’re magnificent!” One jumped out of the water and dove back in. “I’m glad I got to see this. I never knew such creatures existed.” She’d been sheltered far too long. There was so much of the world she wanted to see and experience.

He
smiled.

“
Are we here for any particular purpose? Or are we just enjoying the sun and view?” she asked, changing the subject.

“
Nothing with me is ever for pleasure,” he replied. “We’re here to practice.”

He
moved away from the railing to the center of the deck, motioning for her to join him. “Since you’ve been exercising in the room, I assume you did some training while at the rebel camp?”

“
A little,” Rema replied, standing before him.

“
Get me to the ground,” Nathenek ordered.

Rema came at him, trying to knock him off balance.
She shoved him, tried bumping him, and even attempted to trip him.

“
I’m glad you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty.” He chuckled.

Rema growled in frustration. She
had no idea how to beat an opponent down who was not only taller than she was, but weighed considerably more.

“
Stand up tall,” he ordered, placing her at an arm’s length away. “You want to walk toward me. While my eyes are focused on your face, quickly move your right leg out and around my left leg.” He demonstrated the technique for her. “Place your hands on my shoulders, jerk my body toward you, and then shove me back while using your legs to hook mine in.”

Rema did as instructed
, and Nathenek went down. “Good, now punch me.” Rema lightly hit him. “Then run away.” He hopped back onto his feet. “Let’s run through the drill a few more times.”

“
Why?” Rema asked, adjusting her cap.

“
What do you mean?”

“
I want to know why you’re bothering to train me when you’re taking me to be executed.”

“
Since you insist on exercising in the berth, I figure you might as well do it out here where you can at least help me. I prefer to train on a daily basis with an opponent. It keeps my skills honed.” Nathenek gestured to the ocean surrounding them. “And I prefer to practice outside.”

His reason seemed weak, but
she didn’t care. Rema was ecstatic to be outside in the fresh air with the sun shining down on her, and learning skills used by an assassin.

They ran through the drill several more times
until Rema had it down. By the time they finished, she was exhausted and covered with sweat. The ocean water looked cool and inviting.

“
I wish I could take a swim,” she mumbled.

“
You could,” Nathenek answered, “if we weren’t out in open water.”

“
Oh,” Rema said, dumbfounded. She’d only said that in jest. She didn’t realize people actually swam in the ocean. The only other time she saw the sea was with Lennek, and that had been from the top of a very steep, rocky cliff.

“
You didn’t know that?” he asked.

Rema shook her head.

“I forgot King Barjon doesn’t allow travel between regions.” He reached for her hand, examining the tattoo on her wrist. “I have one, too.” He tugged up his sleeve, revealing a crude, black tattoo of an “X.”

“
We get them when we enter the military. It denotes a person’s rank.” He pulled the fabric down, covering his mark. “Let’s get you inside. I’m starved.”

Nathenek
led her back to his room, where he once again locked her inside while he went to eat dinner with the crew.

She was so exhausted that she
grabbed the blanket from his bed, laid down on the ground, and fell asleep.

****

The next morning, when Rema woke, Nathenek was gone. It was frightening how he could come and go without making a sound and waking her up. She supposed it was a necessary skill all assassins possessed.

A plate of boiled potatoes lay next to her. The food was cold, but she quickly devoured it.
After eating and putting the blanket back on his bed, she began stretching. Her muscles ached from the drills she did yesterday.

“
Good, you’re awake,” Nathenek said from the doorway, startling her. “Here’s your breakfast.” He tossed her a loaf of bread. “Let’s go.”

Rema
caught it and hurried after him, eating along the way. “Do you have any water?”

He pulled out a small waterskin and handed it to her.
She took a few gulps and then attached it to her belt for later. They were about to step onto the top deck when Nathenek said, “Fix your hat.”

Reaching out, Rema felt the cap had slipped back, exposing some of her hair. She quickly
adjusted it, making sure all signs of her womanhood were hidden. It was silly—certainly, the crew knew her identity. After all, she came on top deck the first day wearing her nightdress. Perhaps dressing like a man was simply to limit curiosity and attention? Whatever the reason, Rema trusted Nathenek had her best interests at heart—he would ensure her safety in order to deliver her to his emperor.

Out in the fresh air,
she took a deep breath and smiled, enjoying the sun’s warmth on her body.

“
Today we’re working with daggers.” Nathenek pulled out two small knives. “Have you ever thrown one before?”

“
No.” Savenek had taught her some basic sword work, and she knew how to shoot a bow. But those were the only weapons she was familiar with.

“
Why are you smiling?” he asked.

She didn
’t realize she was. “This sounds like fun.” And it was something that could come in handy.

Nathenek shook his head.
“You should have been born in Emperion. You would’ve made an excellent soldier.” He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, a knife in each hand.

“
Emperion blood runs through my veins,” Rema whispered.

“
I figured it did. Your blonde hair and blue eyes give you away. Everyone from the lower class has your coloring.” Bending his arms, he quickly threw one dagger, and then the other, embedding each in the wooden door fifteen feet away.

“
Your turn.” He motioned for Rema to join him. “Stand like me,” he instructed. She stood two feet from him and imitated his stance. “Good, now stand like that, facing the door over there.” He pointed to where his daggers were embedded.

Rema did as he said while Nathenek retrieved his weapons, yanking them from the door.

He stood next to her. “When you go to throw, there are a couple things to keep in mind.” Rema nodded, trying to commit all he said to memory. “You need to relax, clear your head, and put heat behind it.”

She raised an eyebrow.
“That seems contradictory.”

“
It’s not, trust me.”

Yeah, right
, Rema thought
.
She couldn’t trust the man taking her to her death.

“
Shake your arms, loosening them.” Rema did as he said. “Excellent. Now, when you hold the knife, you need to keep it secure in your hand, but you don’t want a death grip.” He flipped a dagger in the air, catching it, and handing it hilt first to Rema. She hesitated, and then took the weapon. Nathenek dangled her water sack from his hand.

“
How did you do that?”

“
Just remember what I do for a living,” he said, handing it back to her. “And don’t try anything.” She nodded. “Now lift your throwing arm back,” he instructed. “Reach forward, lightly flick your wrist, and release.” He threw his dagger, landing it in the door. “Your turn.”

Rema did as instructed
—arm back, forward, flick, and release. Only her dagger didn’t strike the wood—it bounced off.

“
Again,” he said, retrieving the weapons.

Rem
a spent the remainder of the day and into the early evening practicing until she could somewhat accurately throw the dagger. She could hit the door, her weapon sticking almost every time, but she wasn’t able to strike the target yet. Her hands ached—blisters formed and popped on her fingers, bleeding in a few places.

Nathenek finally made her quit for the night.
When he locked her in the berth, she grabbed the blanket and collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. Her eyelids were heavy, but she forced herself to stay awake in order to eat. Luckily, he returned a short time later, carrying two bowls of soup. He’d never eaten in the room with her before. They sat cross-legged on the ground, across from one another. Rema wondered what had changed that he decided to join her tonight.

S
he stared at the wooden spoon. The thought of holding it in her hand was too much. Gingerly picking up the bowl, she brought it to her lips, drinking the warm broth.

Nathenek
sat, staring at her. “I can put something on your hands to help with the pain.”

Rema nodded a
nd he went to the footlocker, pulling out a small jar and a strip of fabric.

“
Do you want me to do it for you?” he asked. Rema didn’t know how she’d put the medicine on her own hands, so she nodded. He opened the jar and used two fingers to scoop out some of the pungent-smelling goo. He rubbed it onto her raw skin and popped blisters. Then he wrapped the fabric around her hands. “They’ll be healed by tomorrow.”

“
Thank you.” Her hands felt tingly, the pain already going away. She picked up her bowl and sipped some more soup. “You could’ve let me suffer. You know, since I’m going to die anyway.”

Nathenek chuckled.
“I could have.” He ate a couple of spoonfuls of soup. “I didn’t do it to be nice. I simply didn’t want you to drop the bowl and make a mess.” He took another bite.

Rema suspected he was lying. As much as he tried to hide it, Nathenek was a good man.
“Do you have a family?” Rema asked, wanting to understand him better.

“
My parents and sister live in Emperor’s City. My brothers, all seven of them, are serving the emperor, like me.”

“
You’re not married?”

“
No.” Nathenek shook his head. “When I took the oath to serve Emperor Hamen, I vowed not to marry. Only the assassins in his elite guard are required to make this promise.”

That was a harsh requirement when
he was already devoting his life to the emperor’s service.