War (The True Reign Series) (4 page)

Nathenek shook his head.
“Up until this trip, I killed eighty-two.”

There was something odd and strange about the way he phrased his answer. Rema
pondered what he’d said.

Realization dawned on her
, and it was as if a cold bucket of water was tossed on her head. How had she forgotten about the massacre in Jarko? Her arms shook, and it was hard to breathe. This
man
was responsible for the deaths of hundreds.

Rem
a sprang to her feet and rushed to the bed. She jumped on top of Nathenek—her hands wrapping around his neck. There was an intense desire to watch the life drain from him. She squeezed harder.

Tears streamed down her face.
“How could you kill all those innocent people?” she screamed.

His blue eyes locked on hers.

He wasn’t fighting back.

What was she doing?
Rema let go, staring at her hands. Had she really just tried to kill a man?

Nathenek reached up and took hold of her shoulders. In one swift, fluid motion, he flipped her over and onto the bed. He now straddled her.

“How could you?” Rema choked out. “All those innocent people in Jarko. You just killed them.” She couldn’t stop crying.

“
I told you, I’m a soldier. I grew up in the military. It’s ingrained in us to follow every command.” His voice was soft, yet there was a dangerous edge to it.

“
Let me go,” Rema demanded.

Nathenek
released her and stood next to the bed. “Don’t ever touch me again,” he said. “Otherwise, I’ll kill you.”

“
Why didn’t you fight back?” Rema asked. “Why did you let me strangle you?” She sat up on his bed.

“
Why did you try to hurt me?” he countered.

“
I don’t know,” Rema whispered. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“
Exactly.” His face scrunched in some emotion she didn’t understand. “It was done from passion—hate. It wasn’t consciously or purposely done.”

Rema slid her feet to the floor, but she didn
’t stand. She just sat there, thinking about what this assassin said.

“
In Jarko,” he continued, his voice gravelly, “it’s not what you think.”

Why was he explaining anything to her? He was
a killer—it was what he did for a living. She didn’t need to know the details.

“
I’m not sure how to say this so I make sense and you understand.”

“
You don’t owe me an explanation,” she mumbled.

“
I know.” Nathenek sat on the ground before her, looking into her eyes. “I’m a soldier,” he said. “I’m given an order, and I always carry it out. In Jarko, no one would speak about you. I was convinced you were hiding somewhere in the region. Normally, I am hidden in the shadows when I kill with my dagger. But in Jarko, everyone saw me. When we couldn’t discover your location, Prince Lennek gave the order to burn everyone’s homes. When people ran out screaming, he ordered them to be shot with arrows.”

Nathenek bowed his head.
“It reminded me of battle. Something I loathe.”

“
Lennek gave the order? Not you?” Lennek had always appeared disinterested when it came to the army.

“
Yes,” Nathenek said. “I was sent for you, and only you. I had no business killing anyone else. Especially women and children. Prince Lennek gave the command, and we all carried it out. That’s when I left him and started hunting you on my own.”

“
Why are you confiding in me?” Rema asked. Did it make him feel better to confess his crimes? Especially to someone who was sentenced to die? “You’re an assassin. You should be used to it.”

Nathenek knelt before Rema.
“You asked why I
allowed
you to strangle me. I was simply trying to explain myself. My
crimes
are orders I’m following. Not an act of passion.” He stood and glanced out the window. It was too high for Rema to see anything but blue sky. “I want to remind you to
never
touch me again.” His voice was hard, cold, and lifeless. He gestured toward the bed, indicating it was time for Rema to move. She slid back to the floor, leaning against the wall.

“
You are my eighty-third assignment. I have been given eighty-two assignments, and all were completed on time and without a single issue. You are the first to present a complication. Luckily, Darmik led me to right to you. He was so injured that he never noticed me following him.” The corners of his mouth rose in a faint smile.

Nathenek la
y back down on his bed. “I will hand you over to the emperor, and my eighty-third assignment will be complete.”

She was trying with all her might not to think about Darmik
, but now, she couldn’t keep the images and worry away. What did he think happened to her? Did he know the assassin had her? Or did he assume she ran away? Or was she presumed dead?

Closing her eyes, she felt Darmik
’s soft lips against hers. His strong hands caressing her back.

Oh Darmik, she thought,
I’m so sorry for being captured. I love you.

Darmik

Darmik clutched the railing, digging his nails into the w
ood.
This could not be happening,
he thought. His worst nightmare had come true—Rema was taken from him, and by an assassin, no less. Darmik would kill anyone and everyone who harmed her in any way. His stomach rolled just thinking about her alone with Captain. He punched the railing with his fist while letting out a ragged scream. The thought of her stepping foot on Emperion soil was almost too much for him. If there was any chance of saving her, it was up to him, and he was running out of time.

Glancing up at the stars,
he tried not to let his imagination get the better of him. It would do no good to envision what was happening to Rema at this very moment. Was she scared and alone? Injured or hurt? He, after all, knew exactly what Emperion did to their prisoners.

The sails of the ship
were fully extended, the boat traveling at a fast speed.

“
Standing at the bow of the ship in the dead of night won’t get us there any faster,” Savenek said as he came to stand next to Darmik.

“
What are you doing out here?” This man had no right to worry about Rema—that was Darmik’s job.

“
I couldn’t sleep,” Savenek admitted. “Between vomiting and my pounding head, this journey isn’t off to a very good start.”

“
It’ll pass,” Darmik said, smiling. He crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, staring at the man before him. “Why do you think Captain took her alive? Why not kill her and take evidence to Emperor Hamen?”

Savenek
bent over the railing and vomited. Darmik had to admit the motion of the boat wasn’t pleasant, yet he felt no compulsion to throw up. He hoped Savenek was tougher than that in battle—otherwise, they’d never make it out of Emperion alive.

Savenek wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I’ve been wondering about that,” he said. “It’s almost as if he wants you to follow him.”

“
Why? For what purpose?” Darmik asked. The chilly wind whipped around his body.

Savenek sl
id to the floor, leaning against the side of the boat, next to Darmik. “I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t even think when I feel this awful.” His face was unusually white.

Darmik paced on the deck, trying to figure out
Captain’s plan.

“
How can you even walk?” Savenek moaned. “My legs can barely hold me up.”

Neco came out from below deck, carrying a bucket. He dumped it over the side of the ship.

“Not you, too!” Darmik said, exasperated.

Neco glared at him.
“Everyone below deck is vomiting.” He turned and went back inside.

Darmik resumed pacing.
“Captain left me a calling card. It said,
Thank you for the hunt. Although it was a little tedious, you led me right to her. —C—
.” He clasped his hands behind his back. There had to be a reason for Captain’s actions. This was a highly skilled, professional assassin. “Maybe it’s a clue and not a calling card?”

“
You’re overthinking it,” Savenek said. “He is probably taunting you in order to make you feel guilty. After all, it’s your fault Captain found her in the first place.”

Darmik stood before Savenek, glaring down at him.
“But I want to know if your theory is correct. If Captain wants us to follow, then are we walking into a trap?”

Savenek rubbed his face.
“Why would he care about us?”

Darmik squatted eye level with him.
“That is precisely what I’m trying to figure out.”

Savenek jumped to his feet
, vomiting over the side of the ship again.

Darmik shook his head. There was a lot to do before they arrived on the mainland
and, right now, no one was capable of focusing.

“
I’m going to go to bed,” Darmik announced. “When you feel better and are able to strategize and plan with me, let me know.”

Savenek, still
bent over the side, raised his hand in acknowledgment. Darmik rolled his eyes and went below deck.

****

After tossing and turning for several hours, worrying about Rema, Darmik finally gave up on sleeping. He stretched and put on his boots, curious to see if anything happened during the night. When he stepped into the hallway, a foul stench assaulted him. He covered his nose and ran to the ladder, quickly climbing. As he stepped onto the deck, the fresh sea air cleared his nostrils. However, he was not prepared for the sight before him. “You have to be kidding me,” he said.

Neco
scowled at Darmik while rubbing Ellie’s back as she vomited over the side of the boat. Savenek was sprawled on the ground, a green-faced Vesha knelt next to him, and Audek hung over the railing.

“
Is every single one of you sick? How are we going to plan a rescue attempt when none of you can even walk? I planned to go alone, but all of you insisted on coming. I told you this wasn’t going to be easy.” Darmik looked to the sky, trying to gain as much patience as he could muster. “You have until the end of today, and then I expect everyone to start strategizing with me. Is that clear?”

Several people moaned, but everyone nodded in understanding.

Darmik turned and went to speak with the helmsman.

The elderly gentleman smiled as he approached.
“I take it it’s their first time at sea?” He laughed.

“
Yes, the whole lot of them.” Darmik folded his arms. “Any news?”

“
No.” The helmsman shook his head. “I have a man posted on the main mast whose sole purpose is to search for the merchant vessel.”

“
It had several hours of a head start,” Darmik stated. “If we can’t catch it, I want to arrive before it does.”

“
If your map is accurate, and Captain is headed to the main merchant port like you suspect, then I believe we will be able to dock well before them.”

“
Excellent.”

“
There is one additional matter that needs to be addressed,” the helmsman said, ducking his head as if embarrassed. “I need someone to clean the sleeping quarters. And I don’t have any men to spare.”

Darmik sighed.
“Fine, I’ll do it. Just get us there as fast as you can.”

****

Darmik was sick to his stomach—not from cleaning below deck or from the motion of the boat—but because of what he’d seen. He knew this was a military ship, built for speed. Apparently, it was also designed to transport prisoners. The first level consisted of the sleeping quarters and kitchen. Under that level were the weapons room, storage facility, and human cages. Inside each cage was a trough for a small amount of food and water, chains for the prisoner’s wrists and ankles, and a bucket for bodily functions. Near the cages was a table lined with several instruments used for torturing someone. More terrifying than that sight, was seeing evidence that all the cages had been used, including the torture table.