Sacred Knight of the Veil (34 page)

The Cotti snorted. "How would you know what I am? You're a damned Jashimari."

"I know that you helped to kidnap your king's wife in typical traitorous Cotti fashion. Do you think he'll thank you for it?"

"He might when he comes to his senses."

"Kerrion doesn't have any senses to come to. He's almost as stupid as Trelath, but compared to you, he's a genius. The depth of Cotti stupidity is astounding. You don't need enemies, you turn on one another like mangy dogs fighting over a rotting carcass."

The Cotti stepped closer, scowling. "My prince has removed the source of great shame. A damned Jashimari whore, who twisted the King's mind and whispered evil words in his ear. She bewitched him and made him weak and impotent. He couldn't even take another wife, as long as she had her claws in him."

"Trelath is a liar, but you're too stupid to see that. He has spat in the face of Tinsharon by betraying your king." Blade used his knowledge of Cotti beliefs to add weight to his stinging words. "You Cotti believe that Kerrion is King by divine right, so what right does Trelath have to dictate who he should wed?"

"Prince Trelath sees clearly. His eyes aren't clouded by the spells of a damned Jashimari witch."

Blade smiled. "Trelath wants the throne for himself, dolt. He knows that if he kills Minna-Satu, Kerrion will be driven mad by grief and kill himself. What he doesn't know is that Kerrion will kill him and Endor first."

The soldier strode closer and loomed over the assassin, his hands clenched. Clearly he longed to beat Blade, and still might. That was the danger of the tactic Blade used. Provoking a man was always perilous.

"You know nothing!" he snarled. "My king isn't a fool, he wouldn't die for a damned woman."

"But he will. He's under a spell, you said so yourself. And your treacherous prince is engineering his downfall."

"My prince is trying to save him."

"Trelath is a lying pig."

The Cotti kicked him in the ribs, making him grunt and curl up. "Do not foul my prince's name with your lies!"

"Cotti pig," Blade growled. "You wouldn't have the guts to do that if I was free. You're the cowardly spawn of a Cotti swine and his harlot sister. You bugger dogs and pigs because you don't have the balls to screw a woman, she would laugh at your lack. I've heard that your beloved Trelath takes his sport with children, too."

The soldier's face reddened with rage, and he bent to slap the assassin. "He'll torture you until you beg for mercy, assassin, then send you to Jadaya for public execution, as you deserve."

Blade spat blood and glared at the soldier. "A Jashimari woman could slap harder than you, you Cotti coward with an inch worm in your pants. At least your next king will be half Jashimari, so he’ll have more courage than your craven prince or your henpecked king."

The Cotti kicked Blade again, sending him rolling across the room this time. "Be quiet! You will get plenty of chance to talk when my prince gets here."

Blade lay gasping, his ribs aching with renewed venom. "Why do you not face me like a man, you cowardly bastard? Have you only the courage to beat women and bound prisoners? Are you afraid of an unarmed man? I could beat you with one arm tied behind my back."

"How stupid do you think I am? Only a fool would untie you."

"Or a man with the courage to face me. You must be the kin of chickens. Your kestrel made a mistake when it chose you, so it's as stupid as you are."

The Cotti's face mottled, and his lips whitened with fury. There was only one thing guaranteed to goad a man more than insulting him, and that was to insult his familiar. Bird kin were particularly sensitive, and easily blinded by rage. The kestrel man was not a fool, but even wise men made mistakes when in the grip of a red rage. Blade was counting on that, for if the Cotti kept his cool, his plan was doomed.

"What are you waiting for?" Blade sneered. "Your friends to return and back you up? Are you afraid to face me alone, chicken man? Big men are cowardly, and particularly bird kin."

"I'm not afraid of a little runt like you, Jashimari scum! I don't have to prove that I can beat you, I already did."

"Only a Cotti could claim that sneaking up behind a man and hitting him over the head was a victory. But since you're so afraid, you can use your sword, and I'll fight you unarmed."

The Cotti forced a sneering laugh. "I don't want to kill you. My prince will wish to speak to you when he gets here."

"You haven't the skill to kill me, you stupid baby buggering bastard. I'll wager that you're as poor a fighter as your captain, and he didn't last long."

"You'll pay for his death, I swear it!"

"Why don't you make me pay now?" Blade goaded, wondering if the man was ever going to crack. "I stuck your captain like a pig! Just like I killed your King Shandor, and he died like a pig too. And all your friends in the other room, I washed my hands in their blood and ate their hearts for breakfast."

"You murdered them while they slept, you bastard!"

"While you were asleep outside! But you're too cowardly to extract a little vengeance, not so?"

The Cotti drew a dagger from his belt and stepped towards Blade, who watched him with narrowed eyes. Either he was going to kill him now or cut his bonds, and he hoped it was the latter. The soldier squatted down and pressed the weapon to Blade's throat.

"Be quiet, or I'll cut out your tongue."

"Trelath will want to speak to me. I doubt he'll be pleased to find that I can't answer his questions, lack wit. You'll not find Minna-Satu either, she's already left for Jadaya on my horse. She'll bring Kerrion here to deal with you and your cowardly master, and he'll doubtless reward me for rescuing his wife. He's a bit brighter than the rest of you Cotti bastards. Especially you. Your mother was a whore and your father a goat, from the looks of you, no wonder you're such a cretin."

The soldier growled and reached behind the assassin to cut the thong that bound his hands, then stood up and backed away a few steps.

"Untie your legs. I want to beat you on your feet, Jashimari scum. You'll pay for your slanderous lies."

Blade sat up and freed his legs, marvelling at the predictability of warriors, whose pride could make them do the stupidest things. A tradesman or merchant would not have fallen for the taunting, since they would have had a healthy respect for the skills of an assassin. To a warrior he was inferior, however, a man who slit the throats of sleeping soldiers in the night, who could not hope to match the skill and brawn of a trained soldier.

When their courage or abilities were scorned, they also had an overriding need to prove it, and therein lay their doom. The kestrel man put away his knife and prepared for an unarmed fight, flexing his arms and cracking his knuckles. Just like the men in taprooms who picked fights with Blade, this man could not resist the challenge. Blade stood and stretched his arms and legs to get rid of the lingering stiffness, smiling.

"You really are a dimwit, Cotti. Do you honestly think you can beat an assassin?"

The Cotti spat and sneered, "With one arm tied behind my back."

"I would like to see you try, but I don't have time to toy with you. Your men should have searched me better, you see."

The soldier's eyes widened as Blade reached into his sleeves and drew his daggers, then yanked out his sword with a hiss of steel and a muttered curse. Blade flung a dagger as the man threw himself to the side, and the weapon impaled him through the throat with unerring accuracy. The Cotti staggered back with a gurgle, clawing at the black hilt that protruded from his neck. He fell to his knees and dropped his sword as blood pumped over his tabard in a scarlet river. The kestrel’s high-pitched scream made Blade turn as the bird swooped in through the window, its claws outstretched. He ducked, and the kestrel flew over his head, fluttering to the ground beside its dying friend. The assassin walked over to the kneeling Cotti and jerked his dagger from the man's throat, wiping it on his tabard.

"This is one lesson you've learnt too late. Never take on an assassin in single combat, you'll lose."

The Cotti glared at Blade with glazing eyes, and the assassin gave him a push that sent him sprawling. He left the man to die and strode to the door, trotting along the corridor to the staircase. Now he had to find the Queen before the other soldiers did, or they could use her as a hostage. Also, he must kill the man of crows before his familiar reached Trelath, but without knowing how far away the Prince was, he could not be certain of preventing the message from getting through. Already several time-glasses had passed, and it may be too late. As he loped towards the door that led to the courtyard, he considered his next move.

Outside, the desert sweltered in the midday heat, the sun beating down like a blazing hammer on a golden anvil of sand. Blade glanced around, then set out to find a soldier or the Queen, he did not care which, so long as they were not together. The soldiers would be easier to find, since Minna would be hiding. The oasis had little in the way of cover, and soon he spotted a Cotti walking about, peering around walls and into crumbling rooms. The assassin strode towards the man, who drew his sword and shouted for his companion to aid him. Blade recognised him as Vegar, but his shouts would bring the other soldier, so Blade slowed, giving him time to call his friend.

The Cotti raised an arm to protect his throat, reducing the available targets to eyes only. This did not bother the assassin, who could slice a thrown apple in two at thirty paces. The soldier allowed Blade to close the gap, but, as the assassin raised a dagger, he sensed a presence behind him and whirled, throwing himself sideways.

The soft thrum of a crossbow's string was followed by a tug at his arm, and he spotted Bosset ducking behind a wall just before he hit the sand and rolled to his feet. Heavy footsteps alerted him, and he whipped back to face Vegar, who charged, his sword raised to cleave Blade in two. He flung the dagger, impaling the soldier through the eye, and he dropped like a puppet deprived of its strings, ploughing into the sand.

Blade turned to scan the oasis for Bosset, but the soldier had vanished. Glancing down at his arm, he found a crossbow bolt protruding from it. As yet there was no pain; that would come later. Right now, he needed to find Bosset before his familiar reached Trelath.

Once its human friend was dead, the crow would lose its purpose and return to the wild without delivering the message. The Cotti would hide now that he was alone, and probably take pot shots with the crossbow whenever he could, but was unlikely to show himself. He considered the quarrel again, which had penetrated the muscle of his bicep, its barbed point protruding through his sleeve.

Blade toyed with the idea of pulling it out, but decided to leave it. The shock and pain of its extraction would only incapacitate him further. He reclaimed his daggers from Vegar's belt, then set off after Bosset, ready to duck behind the nearest wall if the Cotti shot at him.

After several minutes of futile hunting, he deduced that the soldier had gone to ground in order to give his familiar time to reach Trelath, or perhaps out of cowardice. Either way, he was unlikely to find the man quickly. The ruins were full of nooks and crannies in which to hide. The next best thing was to find the Queen and get her away from here as soon as possible, so Trelath would not be able to follow their tracks. Since she was as well hidden as the soldier, he called her name as he walked through the crumbling buildings.

A few minutes later, Shista appeared, trotting towards him with a cat's peculiar floppy-footed gait. She rubbed against him, purring, then led him through a walled courtyard to a row of tumbled down stables, where he found the Queen sitting in the corner of a stall. Her eyes lighted with joy, and she smiled as he approached. She looking pale and tired, her brow sheened with sweat.

"It gladdens my heart to see you, Blade. I thought it was a trick when I heard you calling. That is why I sent Shista to make sure it was really you, and that you were alone. I was sure someone was mimicking your voice, or else they were forcing you to do it. How did you get free?"

He sank to his knees beside her, glad to be able to rest for a while. "I goaded my guard into trying to kill me."

"Few people would have ever conceived such a bizarre plan, my lord, and even fewer would make it work, but presumably your guard is now the dead one."

"Correct."

She sighed and stroked Shista. "Are all the guards dead now?"

"All save one, and he is hiding. His familiar is on its way to Trelath, and he wants to make sure that it gets there."

"You must find him."

Blade shook his head. "It is probably already too late, and he is well hidden. It would take too long. Also, he has a crossbow." He glanced down at his injury.

She gasped. "You are hurt!"

"I had noticed that."

"This is no time for jests, my lord. You must pull it out."

"Not right now. It can wait until we have left this place, which we must do immediately, so our trail will be cold by the time Trelath gets here."

"Yes, I suppose so." She looked doubtful, and he knew that she was worried about her weakness. "We must reach Jadaya with all haste."

"No, not Jadaya. We must head in the opposite direction and find a small town to hide in for a while."

She frowned at him. "We must go to Jadaya! There Kerrion can protect us."

"Kerrion could protect you and Kerra, if we reached the city safely, but our chances of doing that are slim. Trelath will expect us to head for Jadaya, and, unless he is a long way away, he might well overtake us before we reach it. You are weak and I am wounded. We will not be able to travel fast.

"What is more, we cannot gallop into the city and announce ourselves at the palace, or I will be executed. Also, Kerrion will probably be away searching for you, and we cannot trust anyone else. We will be safer if we hide for a time, then circle around and enter Jadaya without anyone knowing."

Minna-Satu pondered his words, looking uncertain. Although Shamsara had instructed him to obey the Queen, he knew that he was right in this. He understood her desperate need to return to the safety of her husband, but so would Trelath.