ARC: Assassin Queen (11 page)

11

Ambush

Kara chose the most secluded spot along the shore to emerge from the water. She avoided the reed thickets, which could give her away by the trail of broken stems she was bound to leave if she tried to walk through. She also stayed clear of the long, grassy stretches of shoreline that were clearly visible from the port city of Jai-Allad where the barges with the Majat had landed. Drifting with the soft undercurrent to avoid creating a wake stream that could be seen from afar, she threw a last glance at the rows of wooden sheds that flanked the docks, their flat rooftops gradually giving way to the thatched reed roofs that prevailed in the rest of the city.

Southern Lakelands had a murky history. Originally a disputed land between Illitand and Bengaw, the two rival powers that emerged after the fall of the Old Empire, they all fell into the newly formed kingdom of Tallan Dar in the wake of the Holy Wars, but allegiances and loyalties here remained mixed. Some of the Bengaw nobility settled here, paying tribute to the king across the lakes but otherwise enjoying a nearly free run of their domains. Further south, the lands stepped dangerously close to the Forestlands, which harbored the apex of the old magic forced down by the Church but by no means subdued. Kara suppressed a shiver remembering Ayalla, the Forest Mother, who reigned there and whose spiders had threatened her so recently at the King
’
s court. Perhaps she should have provoked them back then and let them finish the job? If only one could be so smart in hindsight.

With slow underwater strokes she swam toward a low line of ivies, whose drooping branches created a perfect curtain over the water near the shore. Once inside their shade, she chose a flat piece of the bank and pulled herself onto it in one smooth move.

The water had been cooler than comfortable, but the fresh bite of the early morning breeze made her long for the lake
’
s protective shelter. She flexed her muscles to warm up, quickly squeezing the water out of her clothes and hair, and checking her weapons in their numerous straps. Once dry, she should give them a good cleanup, she thought, then stopped herself. Someone else would clean her weapons before claiming them for their own. Very soon, none of this would matter anymore.

She knew Mai would mount a search party as soon as he noticed her absence, but she hoped with all the bustle associated with disembarking, she had enough of a head start. All she needed now was to get far enough from civilization so that she
’
d be unlikely to be found for a sufficiently long time. A quick stab to the heart would do the job, and with all her combat training she should have no trouble doing it. She knew the perfect spot where she could slide a blade between her ribs without much resistance.

She looked at the sky. The slant of the rising sunbeams told her she must have spent at least an hour swimming away from the barge, and probably another half hour finding the best place to come ashore. Mai should be in port now, probably getting the horses saddled for pursuit and giving hell to his men for missing her escape. He would ride as fast as he could. But without knowing where exactly to search for her, he would be too late.

She had to make sure of it.

She kept to the line of bushes as she ran away from the water, toward a deeper grove of Lakeland willows that swept the wind with delicate garlands of leaves and honeyed buds. Their drooping curtains provided a perfect shelter from any watchful eyes. No one would ever find her inside.

The willows greeted her with a fresh, sweet aroma that made her head swim. She inhaled deeply before diving into their shade. There. The gnarled, grotesquely woven trunk of the nearest tree had a cleft that could easily hide a body. If she climbed deeper between the roots, no one would find her for days. Not until it was too late.

She briefly wondered why she, a professional killer, was taking such excessive precautions for what should essentially be the easiest kill of all. She also wondered at the unsettling feeling every time she thought of the Keepers
’
cures and the many ways they had to bring the mortally wounded back to health. Was it because of the memory of the pain one of these cures caused when used on her own wounds? Or was it the Kaddim
’
s hatred of the Keepers, seeping into her own consciousness drop by drop, like exquisite poison?
Am I thinking like a Kaddim now?
The thought made her shudder and she hastened to cover the last few steps to her destination.

“Halt!”
A voice at her back made her freeze. It was unfamiliar, young, with a pitch to it that suggested its bearer
’
s nerves were on edge and he was about to do something rash.
Probably holding a loaded crossbow pointed at me.
She turned around slowly, keeping her hands in plain sight.

The newcomer wasn
’
t alone. Four more men crowded at his back, holding the reins of their horses. Their livery looked unfamiliar, black with an embroidery of crossed sabers on the left sleeve. Bengaw heraldry? This far north? She narrowed her eyes, but found no other signs of distinction that could give her a clue.

They all looked young and fit, and all had crossbows pointing in her direction. As she watched, they quickly closed the distance, their faces set into expressions of grim resolve.
Damn it, how did they find me here? How could I miss their approach?
The willow branches and tall grass concealed sounds, but however stealthy, these newcomers must have made a ruckus riding in.

Unless they had been warned of her arrival and were waiting here in ambush.

Her skin prickled.

“
That
’
s far enough,
”
she said, halting the group in their tracks. Their fear as they eyed her sparked her curiosity.
Do they know who I am?
It hardly seemed likely. She wore no Majat regalia, or any other signs of distinction that could connect her to the Guild. Yet, their entranced looks as they watched her every move, the tense set of their bodies, told her they were all on edge. Not a good state of mind for men holding loaded crossbows.

“
If you want to talk,
”
she said,
“
why don
’
t you first lower your weapons? I
’
d hate for any accident to happen, wouldn’t you?
”
She flexed her arms as she spoke, ready to whip out her swords at the first sign of trouble.

The leader of the group shifted from foot to foot.
“
We have no wish to talk to you.
”
He nodded to one of his comrades who lifted his head and whistled loudly through his teeth.

Wings flapped in the distance. Through the drooping ivy branches, Kara caught a glimpse of a large bird rising into the sky.

A messenger hawk?
A chill ran down Kara
’
s spine. The Majat used trained hawks to send messages on the march, but so did pretty much everyone else with a sophisticated long-distance messaging system. Hawks were more reliable than pigeons, which often fell victim to birds of prey, or ravens, which tended to gravitate to their colonies and had limited use for a party on the march. Hawks were also very pricey, which made them the birds of choice only for those nobles who were not only very rich but also haughty enough to show off their wealth. It was quite possible that the lord of these lands, whoever he was, fit the mark. But now, with the Majat party so close by and likely looking for her, this explanation did not seem comforting enough.

“
What do you want from me?
”
she asked.

“
Our lord’
s orders are to keep you here until help arrives.
”

Our lord’s.
She glanced at the men
’
s livery again, hoping against reason that all this turmoil had to do with no more than her accidentally trespassing on the lands of an overly territorial Bengaw nobleman.

She tried for her best easygoing smile.
“
Have I done anything wrong?
”

The man frowned with resolve.
“Like I said. We
’
re not here to talk to you. We have our orders.
”

Her smile widened.
“
Do your orders involve shooting me if I refuse to cooperate?
”
She flicked her eyes to the loaded crossbow, her hand closing over the hilt of her dagger. It wasn
’
t her most dangerous weapon, by far, but it was the most showy one, its wide blade nearly a foot long, its hilt custom-made to fit over her knuckles with a jagged edge that sometimes came handy in a fight.

The man
’
s jaw tightened, his wary look confirming her suspicions. He seemed to know exactly what she was capable of
–
a near impossibility if this was a chance meeting.

To find her so soon, Mai had to have had help. But how could he possibly know anyone on this side of the Lakes?

“
If your orders involve shooting,
”
she said,
“
do it now. I
’
m in a hurry.
”

The man
’
s eyes narrowed in disbelief.
“
You want us to shoot you?
”

“
Since you have crossbows all armed and ready, I assume you
’
re planning to use them. I
’
d rather get it over with, so that I can be on my way.
”

He licked his lips nervously, exchanging a quick glance with his comrades. Kara could see the way his knuckles went white as he tightened the grip on his weapon and hoped the safety catch was on. Of course, being killed was exactly what she came here for, but she couldn
’
t possibly trust the job to the amateurs.

“I
’
ve no time to wait around for your lord,
”
she said.
“
Frankly, I don’
t want to harm you over this, but I
’
ll do it if I have to.
”
She drew her blade, noting how the men backed off, clearly hesitating whether to stick to their orders or run for their lives.

Kara quickly reached forward and sliced off the string of the nearest crossbow, stepping aside as the bolt discharged into a tree trunk. Another man fired a half-hearted shot. She hacked down the bolt with her dagger, stepping out of the way of the flying splinters.

The men dropped their weapons and backed away. She was impressed, however, that they didn
’
t run far or attempt to mount their horses. One of them even tried to interfere when she picked up the reins of the nearest animal. She stopped him with a short glance and jumped into the saddle.

A low-pitched whistle cut the air behind her, followed by the cracking of broken branches and pounding of the approaching hoofbeat. Kara swore under her breath and threw her captured horse into gallop across the clearing. Only the Majat used sound arrows as their signals, notched at the base to produce sounds of different pitch. She was willing to bet that this one was meant to alert the Majat searching parties to her whereabouts. She should have acted faster when she had run into the Bengaw patrol, but it was too late for regrets.

She glanced around her shoulder in time to see two riders cut through the line of bushes on the far end of the clearing. More arrows whizzed behind and she heard her horse grunt as it shuddered under her, its front legs folding to the ground, sending her flying. She hit the ground rolling, whipping out her swords as she rose back to her feet.

Lance approached her at full gallop, leaping off the saddle into her path. The Jade at his back pulled his horse to a stop and raised his bow.
A Diamond and a Jade.
Kara felt an unpleasant hollowness in the pit of her stomach. This was a pair the Guild would send after a renegade Diamond, an undefeatable combination that could take down someone of her skill. Jades, known for their superior accuracy with ranged weapons, would cover the fight from a distance, giving the attacking Diamond the needed advantage to win. Clearly, Mai had anticipated resistance if he sent such a pair after her. Probably several pairs, riding in different directions. That
’
s how they were able to get here so quickly.

The fact that Lance was the one to find her first was pure bad luck. Lance
’
s specialty was in his brutal head-on attack, one she would have more trouble countering with her lighter build.

She considered trying to outrun them, but with the Jade already cocking another arrow onto his bow this seemed like a bad move. She didn
’
t mind him shooting her, but she knew he wouldn
’
t be shooting to kill, only to disable her enough to secure her capture. The last thing she needed right now was an arrow wound. She glanced with regret at the dead horse she had tried to steal, an arrow sticking out of its eye
–
a stark reminder of what the Jade now targeting her was capable of. The animal
’
s needless death would undoubtedly run up Mai
’
s debt to this local Bengaw lord, whatever the reason was for his willingness to risk his men to help the Majat.

A tug at the back of her conscience became more insistent. She suddenly realized that she had been feeling it for a while, but in the heat of events she had completely dismissed it.

Her forehead instantly covered with cold sweat.
When did I sense it first? Probably when I first drew my weapons… Dear Shal Addim. My skill. They are draining my skill as long as I’m using it. And now, if I fight with Lance I will play right into their hands.