Sacred Knight of the Veil (37 page)

Several soldiers ran off, and the officers stood with their heads bowed, while Trelath paced around the room in a fury, kicking cushions from his path. Within a few minutes, a soldier dragged in the whimpering, cowering Jashimari boy and flung him at Trelath's feet. The boy lay where he had fallen, not daring to glance up at the Cotti prince who loomed over him.

"Where were you hiding, boy?" Trelath demanded.

"In - in the supply room, Sire."

"What did you see? What happened here? Tell me!"

"He killed them all, Sire. A man in black. I was scared that he would kill me too, so I hid."

Trelath glowered at him. "He was alone?"

"No, Sire. He was at first, but then another lady came."

"Another woman?" Trelath glanced at Captain Ambar. "When did she come?"

"After all the soldiers were dead, except Bosset."

"So you are saying that one assassin killed all my men?"

The boy shook his head. "No, Sire. The cat killed one."

"You only saw one man?"

"Yes, Sire."

"This other woman, what did she look like?" Trelath asked.

"She was beautiful, Sire. She had golden hair."

"Was she young?"

"Yes, Sire."

The Prince stared at the boy's bowed head, then turned to Captain Ambar. "One assassin, Ambar?"

"Impossible, my prince."

"Why would the boy lie?"

"I do not know. But one man could not have killed so many soldiers and freed himself."

Trelath gazed out of the window with narrowed eyes. "Unless he is the assassin who took the young Jashimari Queen into hiding. But to bring her here? Madness." He rubbed his chin. "But maybe not. Who would think to search for him here? Endor is turning Jashimari upside down looking for that wretched girl. And on top of everything else, he has now freed that damned woman as well. The description fits both of them." He looked down at the boy and poked him with his foot. "Boy, did you hear the women call this man by a name?"

"Yes, Sire. They called him 'Blade', or 'my lord'."

"Good boy. You may go."

The youth scuttled out, his shoulders hunched as if expecting blows from the men he passed. Trelath turned to Captain Ambar, his brows knotted and his mouth twisted in an ugly line.

"Your men captured the Queen's Blade, Ambar. They had him bound in that room downstairs, and they let him escape. The deadliest Jashimari assassin who ever lived. And he had the Jashimari Queen with him, the one Endor has been searching high and low for. I could have had them both! Blade killed my father. He murdered Lerton, Ronan, Targan and Rigal. He slew Armin. Now he has stolen that bloody woman. All due to your men's incompetence!"

"If he is that good -"

Trelath's hand cracked across Ambar's face. "Be quiet! He was their prisoner and they let him get away!" He glared at the captain. "You had better find them, Ambar. Your life depends on it!"

"After two days -"

"I do not want excuses! They will head straight for Jadaya. They could be there by now. You had better pray that we find them, or I will have you flayed and left in the sand."

Ambar paled, shooting a furtive glance at the other officer, who remained prudently silent and stared straight ahead. Erron studied his boots.

The sound of running feet came from the corridor, and Trelath turned as a soldier raced in and fell to his knees.

"My Prince! Soldiers approach from the east!"

"Who?"

"It is the King!"

Trelath swung to face Ambar. "How in Damnation did he find this place?"

"He has spies, Highness."

"If he has come straight from Jadaya, he must have found them."

"Then why would he come here?" Erron muttered.

"To find me!"

"He can do nothing to you, my prince."

Trelath's scowl deepened. "You do not know my brother, Erron."

"If he has his wife, he must also have the assassin."

"And the Jashimari Queen. All my plans are ruined! A pox on Endor for letting her escape. He had her within his grasp, until that murdering bastard stole her, just as he stole that damned woman." Trelath kicked a cushion across the room. "Seeing that infernal assassin executed will be small consolation!"

"There will be other opportunities..."

"But this one has been wasted!" Trelath swung away and stared out of the window. "At least once that accursed assassin is dead, he will not be able to interfere again. Of course, now Kerrion will guard his slut like the crown jewels. It will not be so easy next time."

Trelath became aware of a distant rumble, like thunder, that grew louder. The soldiers shifted, glancing at their prince for reassurance. Trelath remained aloof, showing none of the nervousness that ate at his guts. Kerrion would be furious, and he had not planned to ever face his brother again.

Once Endor had the Jashimari Queen as a hostage, Trelath was to have travelled to Jondar, where he could enjoy his brother's protection, and then to Contara, to rule there. By the time Kerrion found out that his wife was dead, they were to have been the rulers of kingdoms, untouchable expect through a Cotti conquest of their lands. Since each had the other to back him up, the chances of Kerrion succeeding would have been negligible. Now he would have to face his irate brother, a prospect he did not relish.

A haze of dust drifted in through the windows, as the thunder of hooves outside grew to a crescendo, then faded away. Faint shouts came from the courtyard, then the tramp of boots in the corridor. Trelath turned to face the door as several soldiers wearing the King's colours thrust their way in, their spears lowered.

His brother filled the doorway, resplendent in his white tabard with its golden sunburst symbol, his golden armour gleaming. Trelath's men fell to their knees in the presence of their monarch, leaving only the Prince and the King's men on their feet. Kerrion strode over to Trelath, his eyes burning with savage fervour in his gaunt, dusty visage. Sweat streaked his cheeks, and lines of weariness furrowed his brow. The Prince backed away, trying to perform an acceptable bow at the same time.

"My king."

"You rat!" Kerrion's hand flashed out to grip the front of Trelath's tunic and yank him closer. "Where is she?"

"Where?" The Prince's mind whirled with a giddy mixture of surprise and relief.

"Clearly you kept her prisoner here, you bastard! What has happened to her? Why did you rush here? Tell me where she is, or I will beat it out of you!" Kerrion drew back his fist.

"You cannot!" Trelath yelped. "She will suffer! Touch me and she will pay the price!"

Kerrion gripped Trelath by the throat, cutting off his air. The Prince coughed and spluttered as he tried to pry his brother's hands away, staring into Kerrion's furious eyes and unnerved by the glitter of madness in their tawny depths. Kerrion waited until Trelath started to turn purple, then dropped him like a shaken rat. The Prince staggered away, clutching his throat.

"She will pay for that, Kerrion!"

Kerrion lunged at him, a fist raised, and Trelath scuttled away, almost falling over a cushion in his haste to avoid the beating his brother's murderous expression promised.

The King snarled, "You touch one hair on her head, and so help me, I will make you wish you had not been born."

Trelath found temporary safety behind one of the low walls that ran around the edge of the room. "You cannot threaten me, Kerrion. Not if you want your slut back."

"But once I get her back, you will pay, and if I do not, you will pay even more."

"Threatening to kill a prince is treason."

"Did I say I was going to kill you?" Kerrion shook his head. "There are worse things than death, and I have been thinking of quite a few of them."

"You will not be able to touch me."

"Why not, pray tell?"

"Because I will be under Endor's protection, and he will be the ruler of Jashimari."

"Indeed?" Kerrion's voice dropped to a dangerous tone. "He has to find my daughter first, and that he will not do. Give me back my wife now, unharmed, and I shall consider banishment as your punishment. Continue with this traitorous course, and when I find her, you will pay for the rest of your life."

"You will never find her," Trelath said. "The only way you will get her back is if you make sure your damned daughter gives herself to Endor as a hostage. If she does not, your wife dies."

Kerrion leapt the low wall and punched Trelath in the face, sending him crashing into the wall. The Prince rebounded and fell to his knees, stunned by the double impact. He shook his head to try to clear the stars from his eyes and raised a hand to his nose, inspecting his blood-stained fingers with horror.

He glared up at his brother. "For that, I shall send a message to my men to flog your damned wife!"

The King gripped Trelath's collar and dragged him to his feet, jerked him close and glared into his eyes. "Whatever you do to her, I will do to you tenfold when she is returned to me, and do not imagine you will be safe in Jashimari, either. I have allies there. I can arrange to have you brought to me in chains, for what our people will not do to you, the Jashimari will be more than happy to." Kerrion shoved Trelath away, and his eyes raked the men who wore the Prince's colours. "I will wager that these men know where she is, do they not, brother?"

"They know nothing," Trelath said, wiping the blood from his face with his handkerchief. "Only the men with her know where the new hiding place is."

"Very crafty, if it was true. Why would you keep it a secret from them? You were not expecting me to find you."

"A precaution."

"A lie!"

Trelath shrugged and dabbed his nose. "Ask them then. Flog them if you wish. They know nothing."

Kerrion turned his furious glare upon the hapless Erron, who stepped back and spread his hands. "We know nothing, Sire. I swear it."

The King swung away with an oath, moving closer to his brother again. "But you know, brother. I could just as easily beat it out of you. I will just have to do it myself."

Trelath retreated, raising a finger. "I warn you, your wife will suffer if you do. I will tell you nothing."

"She could be dead already, and you playing me for a fool."

"She is not, I swear."

"You would swear that the moon was blue if it suited your scheming little mind."

"It is true, Sire," Erron volunteered. "She is safe."

Kerrion faced the advisor. "You are a traitor. Bear in mind that all of you who work for this rat are at my mercy. Him, I cannot kill." He stabbed a finger at Trelath. "But you I certainly can."

Erron paled, as did the two officers. "We are only following the Prince's orders, Sire."

"Then you would do well not to, in future. If he has promised to protect you, he is lying. When this is over, and the life of my wife no longer buys your safety, your lives will belong to me."

The advisor glanced at Trelath, who snorted and said, "When this is over, he will not be able to touch you."

Kerrion turned to his brother, who stumbled back. "As long as I have you, you can send no messages to your men. Kiara will hunt down any familiar sent by you, unless it bears a message ordering your men to bring her back to me."

"Then she will die. If my men do not hear from me within a tenday, they have orders to kill her, and I will send no message ordering her release."

"You will, when I have finished with you. I shall beat you to within an inch of your life. I shall rip out your fingernails one by one. I can do that, so long as I keep you alive. Disobeying the King is a grave offense, and the punishment is harsh."

Trelath's hand dropped to his sword hilt, and Kerrion smiled, his eyes narrowing.

"Draw it, Trelath. Challenge the throne, and I will kill you."

"Kill me, and she dies!"

Kerrion growled, and one of his officers stepped closer.

"Sire, I think you should come and see what we found in some of the other rooms."

"What?"

"The two men we found outside, and the sentry at the door are not the only dead men in this castle."

Kerrion glanced at the slumped corpse in the doorway, which he had hardly noticed in his haste to find his wife. Now he recalled the two bodies in the courtyard and another on the stairs, a mystery he had not paused to ponder. He shot Trelath a suspicious glance.

"What lie will you tell to account for the dead men?"

The Prince shrugged. "A matter of discipline. They were lax, asleep on the job, and the squad I sent to relieve them had orders to kill anyone found slacking."

"Rubbish." Kerrion turned to his officer. "Show me."

The King gripped the front of his brother's tunic and dragged him along as he followed the officer down the stairs to a room on the lower corridor, which he had overlooked on his way to find Trelath. The stench of death thickened the air, and he covered his nose to try to block it out. Trelath gagged and plugged his nose with his handkerchief. Kerrion surveyed the bodies in a leisurely manner, raising a brow at his officer.

"They were killed while they slept."

"Yes, Sire. But these men were assassinated."

"How can you tell?"

"They were all killed with a dagger, Sire. I would venture to say that it is one man's work; a very skilled assassin. See, four out of the five did not even wake, and two of the men had crows. The assassin chose his victims at will. He moved amongst them so silently that he did not wake them, and left the crow kin for last. The last man woke and tried to fight, which is why he was stabbed twice and his throat was slit."

Kerrion's eyes narrowed. "How were they killed, Colonel?"

"That is interesting, Sire. Only the crow kin had their throats cut, the one who woke up, and another, who was stabbed in the chest as well. He was sleeping on his back, with his arms at his sides, preventing the assassin from using his preferred method. The other three were killed in an identical manner, stabbed through the heart from the left side. This man must be a master assassin, to kill four men in a crowded room without waking the others."

"What about the men outside? How did they die?"

The officer shrugged. "They all died in combat, but I will wager none of them struck a blow. They too were killed with a dagger, stabbed or had their throats slit just like the sentry. I would not like to meet whoever killed them on a dark night, Sire."