ARC: Assassin Queen (2 page)

Take her now, while I’m still here.

Nimos focused, summoning the last of his strength, his magic blending with Xados
’
s, pulling through immeasurable distance to trigger the link. He felt a pull in response, holding on with all he had, sealing the bond, tugging it like an invisible leash that spanned time and space.

Got it.

A sigh echoed through Xados, like a tight string giving way. The pain eased
–
or was it because there wasn
’
t enough body left to feel? Xados
’
s thoughts were losing coherence, flooding from every corner in a jumble no longer possible to understand.

Kara
’
s image became the last thread Nimos could cling to, the memory Xados held together that acquired so much more substance now that the link was activated.
She is mine.
The thought hovered in front of him like a lifeline as he shared his dying comrade
’
s agony.

He did not catch the exact moment when the pain stopped, like a flicker of a candle blown out. His hands holding Xados
’
s head sank into a wet sponge-like mass, Xados
’
s body melting away like a patch of spring ice.

Nimos wasn
’
t sure how much time passed before he felt the Reincarnate
’
s hands on him, pulling him away, turning him over, laying him on the floor. Shadows loomed over him, but he couldn
’
t comprehend them, grasping on to the memory that had carried him through.

Kara.

The mark Xados had implanted into her on the battlefield belonged to him now, bonding him to Kara for eternity. With this bond, he now had the power to change her. She would resist him, no doubt, but she could not possibly resist him forever.

Thanks to Xados, the Kaddim now had the means of defeating the Majat. Even better, they could do it in a way that hurt their enemies the most. In time, Kara would serve the Brotherhood, taking the place of the formidable warrior they just lost.

2

Spiders

Kara leaned against the railing, watching the arriving Majat warriors down in the castle courtyard. From the balcony, sinking into the deep stone niche above the castle entrance, she could get a good view without making her presence obvious to the people below. Their voices blended into an indistinct hum, accented by the neighs of horses and clanking of the gear as the riders dismounted, lining along the wall.

The smoothly hewn pillar by her side felt pleasantly cool to her exercise-warmed skin. A breeze, fragrant with the smells of lake water and apple orchards, shifted her hair. Her chest swelled with a surreal feeling of happiness as she watched Mai, standing in the center of the command group. He looked so perfect, his powerful stance charging the air around him with a force that seemed to resonate in every corner of the courtyard, reflecting in the expectant faces of his subordinates. His mere presence spelled confidence. Yet looking at the scene Kara simply couldn
’
t get rid of a nagging sense of foreboding.

A rustle of footsteps echoed in the passage behind. Kara turned to see a young woman wearing a white cloak over a plain brown dress. Ellah, the King
’
s truthseer
–
no doubt drawn to this perfect vantage point by her curiosity about the Majat
’
s arrival. Kara greeted her with a brief nod, edging sideways to make room by the railing.

“Aren
’
t you supposed to be down there with Mai?
”
Ellah asked.

“I
’
m not a Guild member.
”
Kara couldn
’
t quite manage to keep the edge out of her voice. The Majat affairs were complicated. A relationship with the Guildmaster made it impossible for her to maintain any formal connection to the Guild
–
or any other political ties whatsoever. She was fine with it, normally, but at times all these restrictions tended to get on her nerves.

“
Who is that older man?
”
Ellah asked, pointing to a wiry man in his mid-fifties, his graying shoulder-length hair wavering in the breeze.

“Aghat Seldon. He
’
s an older Diamond. Retired.
”

“
Retired? Why
’
s he here then?
”

“
Damned if I know.
”
This was the question Kara had been asking herself ever since Seldon rode in through the gate at the head of the reinforcements and she saw Mai
’
s frown of surprise. As one of the Guild
’
s top-ranked seniors, Seldon belonged to the elite group that had the power to challenge the Guildmaster
’
s authority
–
or even remove him from command, if warranted. Worse, Kara heard that Seldon had been after the post of the Majat Guildmaster for quite a while. The fact that he arrived on the brink of a war, apparently without Mai
’
s prior knowledge, couldn
’
t possibly be good.

“He
’
s hiding something,
”
Ellah said.

Damn.
“
Are you sure?
”

Ellah nodded.
“I can
’
t hear the words, but the signs are clear enough. At least half of what he said to Mai was a lie. He
’
s telling the truth now, though.
”

Kara swallowed. Down below, Seldon was speaking at length, pointing to the assembled troops. She guessed the discussion must be related to their upcoming march. But what could he possibly lie about? She wished she could overhear at least some of the conversation, but no matter how hard she strained her ears, from this distance she couldn
’
t possibly catch the words.

She froze as her heightened senses caught a barely perceptible high-pitched rustle from the hallway behind. She spun around, feeling the color drain from her face.

Three spiders, each as large as a man
’
s hand, emerged from the doorway and skidded to a halt in front of her.

Kara kept still, only half-registering Ellah
’
s gasp beside her. These spiders, bestowed upon this castle by the mysterious Ayalla the Forest Mother, were fast and agile like no other creature she had ever seen. Their venom could dissolve a man with one bite. She had seen it happen to their enemies. She would never be able to forget the screams.

She slid her hand to the throwing daggers at her belt. The spiders edged forward and raised their front legs threateningly. As she stopped the movement, they stopped too, tense as if ready to leap.

A shiver crept down Kara
’
s spine. Even from a few feet away she could see the way the spiders
’
hairy bodies glistened as they shifted, the movement of tiny claw-like appendages at the sides of their mouths.
Their venom.
They were honing in on her, leaving her very little room to act.

She glanced at the death-pale Ellah, pressing against the railing by her side.

“
Try to move,
”
she said quietly.

Ellah frowned.
“
Why?
”

“
I want to see what they
’
ll do.
”

Ellah’
s eyes darted to the spiders, her knuckles white as she clenched the railing at her back.
“
What if they launch at me?
”

“
They won
’
t, if you move just a little bit.
”

“
How do you know?
”

Kara sighed. She didn
’
t know, not for certain. In fact, nothing she knew about these spiders could possibly help them out of their current predicament.

“
I need to know which one of us they
’
re after.
”

Ellah’
s jaw tightened. “
Fine. You move then. I
’
m staying right here. Just let me know when you
’
re done experimenting.
”

Kara turned away. By now she should be used to the fact that Ellah never did as told. She shifted her weight, freezing again as the spiders rose, as if bracing for a leap.
Damn.

“
Look, they
’
re not letting me move at all. I think they
’
re after me, not you, but we can
’
t tell for sure unless you move. Away from me. Please?
”

Ellah looked at her in indecision.

“
If I
’
m right, you would be safer this way,
”
Kara said.

“
And if you
’
re wrong?
”

“Just bloody do it.”

Ellah shuffled sideways. The spiders showed no reaction.

Kara felt an unpleasant hollowness in the pit of her stomach. She forced it down, knowing how important it was to keep calm.

“Now,”
she said.
“
Try to get off the balcony. Slowly. See if they have any objections.
”

Ellah hesitated. “
And if they do?
”

“
You freeze. Simple.
”

Ellah’
s eyes darted to the balcony doorway. She edged toward it, moving slowly and keeping her eyes on the spiders all the time.

When she reached the doorway, Kara let out a sigh.
“
Now, get the hell out of here.
”

Ellah stepped through the doorway, then paused.
“
What about you?
”

“I
’
ll think of something.
”

“I
’
ll get help.
”

“
Thanks.
”
Whatever.
Just get as far away as possible, please.
It wasn
’
t going to look pretty if the spiders attacked. If Kara had any hope to survive she needed to act quickly, and she couldn
’
t possibly do it until Ellah was out of the way.

It would be good if she could first figure out why the spiders were after her. Perhaps they
’
d lost their minds?

Ellah’
s feet skidded on the smoothly hewn stone as she darted down the hallway. The spiders showed no interest as they continued to watch Kara with their dark, beady eyes.
Dear Shal Addim, they’re bigger than some mice I’ve seen in the palace kitchens.
Kara kept her fear in check, relaxing her muscles, receding into the background to appear inanimate
–
a trick that came with her Majat-trained stealth.

After a moment the spiders retreated an inch, but didn
’
t change their attack posture. Clearly, whatever was triggering their aggression had to do with more than her actions
–
a thought that felt both comforting and frightening at the same time.

She judged the distance. With her skill, throwing three daggers at once wasn
’
t a difficult task. Even from this close, she could probably kill all three spiders before they reached her. Probably. But a miss would most certainly seal her death warrant. Worse, if she succeeded in killing any of these creatures, she would violate the hard-earned trust of Lady Ayalla the Forest Mother, a key ally in their war against the Kaddim. Was she willing to risk bringing on the wrath of such a powerful being, putting everyone in danger to defend her own life?

Kara
’
s mind raced. She was never fond of wildlife, especially the deadly kind that couldn
’
t be trained or tamed. Still, she had seen the way Alder, the emissary of the Forest Mother at the King
’
s court, took care of his deadly pets. He treated them like sentient beings, whispering to them, listening to their response. He seemed to believe he could reason with them. To her knowledge, he could make them attack on command
–
or hold them back
–
by saying the right words. Perhaps she, too, could find a way to communicate with them.

Very slowly, she lowered down to a crouch and placed her daggers on the floor.

“
I mean you no harm,
”
she said.

The spiders appeared to hesitate, shifting their hairy feet and retreating another inch or so.

She put more calmness into her voice.
“
You have no reason to attack me.
”

The spiders surveyed her intently.

“
This is a mistake,
”
Kara said softly, soothingly.
“
I am not your enemy.
”

The spiders flexed their legs in indecision. Kara forced herself to keep relaxed. She knew all animals could sense fear, and she needed to control hers, even if the thoughts of what could happen if the spiders changed their mind were hard to ignore.

She reached forward with her hand, palm open.

“Here,”
she said.
“
You can climb on me, and I
’
ll take you back to Alder. This way, you
’
ll be in control the whole way. If you decide to bite me, nothing could possibly stop you.
”

She waited, emptying her mind of any emotions or thoughts. A distant part of her screamed in terror as she felt the touch of a hairy spider leg, but she forced that part deeper down, relaxing to welcome the tingling sensation as the spiders filed up her arm. She could sense their weight as they settled on her shoulder, doing her best not to think of them at all.

“
See?
”
she said.
“It
’
s called trust. I trust you with my life. I hope you trust me too.
”

Rapid footsteps clanged in the hallway outside. She sensed the spiders stiffen and forcibly kept her stomach from lurching.
When this is over I’m going to go where no one can hear and have a nice long scream.

A tall, broad-shouldered young man rushed in, with Ellah close on his heels.
Alder.
Kara met his eyes, momentarily overwhelmed.
Will they listen to him?

Will his presence trigger them to do something rash?

“
What
’
s happening?
”
Alder asked.

Kara forced a smile. She hated to admit how her body was beginning to feel sore from the effort of keeping still. This would not do at all. Not for someone of her training.
“
Nothing. We
’
re just making friends, that
’
s all.”