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"The Assassin's Apprentice" is told in first person present tense and has been heavily edited.
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Chapter 17
Back in Clothol, I take leave of Talen and Ambrell and go in search of the Nightmaster. In all the time I've lived at the guild, I've never met this man. So you can imagine my surprise to find that the Nightmaster is in fact, a woman.
She's a short girl with tell-tale brown eyes and strawberry blonde hair that falls to about mid- shoulder. She regards me with cold eyes the first time I walk into her office. It's a plain affair, but she does have a lit fireplace to ward away the evening chill. There are no other chairs present. I assume this is to discourage long visits.
I pull out the bag that carries the jewels. I weigh them a moment in my palm, like a man inspecting a melon at market. She watches me and her lips part as if to say something. I toss the bag onto her desk.
"They're all there...every last one of them," I say.
She regards me carefully. "You're covered in blood. Are you hurt?"
I shake my head. "It's not mine. But we've had losses. Elliot and Swift didn't make it."
"Didn't make it? How did they die?"
I watch her carefully now, voiding my face of emotion to make my lie as believable as possible. "We went in as a team. We split up. Elliot died at Lyran's hand; I believe a woman named Kahket killed Swift. Talen and I risked our lives to save Ambrell. That's all."
"Kahket?"
I shrug my shoulders. "A witch. I overheard her say she needed the jewels, and that she should've never trusted the Black Prince of Ladika." I grab hold of one of the sacks and dip my fingers inside one last time. I feel them cold and hard like tiny marbles in my hand.
I wish I could keep a few. If anything, maybe I could make a ring and give it to Talen. I'm sure he'd like a ring.
I lift the sparkling sapphires from their velvet embrace and let them slide between my fingertips. The sapphires are a deep blue and catch the light in such a way as to make it seem like rain is falling gentle and heavy from my outstretched hand.
"They're beautiful," she says, admiringly.
I swallow uncomfortably.
There's a moment of silence. A thief's true love is money. My father told me once that flowers are created by god. Hell, however, has no such beauty. So, the King of demons creates jewels. It makes sense to me.
"What's the purpose of all this? Why is there a guild war?" I ask her.
She leans back in her chair and folds her fingers. "Every few years, the Guild House of Assassins demands a tithe from a sector that operates within the four countries of the Nimmermore. Each guild within this sector must send away seven sons and seven daughters to join the slave pits of Thorn deep within the Mirimar. A game is held to allow the most skilled within the sector to retain their talent. Each guild chooses a champion and a team; the prize is always different. These particular jewels are intended as a gift from our country, Ventikor, to the Bakoran Emperor, for his sixth royal wedding. As per custom, each one represents a township responsible for providing the jewel. As they are collected one by one, they are shown in museums under heavy guard throughout the land before being boxed up for the highway to Imperium. Some were purchased by very poor communities whose tax burden is already severe. Now all of these of course, will have to be replaced at the expense of the people in a very short amount of time."
"Or-"
"Or all the first born in the town where the theft took place shall be put to death. That's the law of the land. Thievery is not tolerated within the land; it's a capital offense, you know?"
I'm horrified. "Ladika is a huge city," I manage to say, but my voice is a whisper. It's one thing to kill those who deserve it. It's quite another to kill children.
"I don't make the rules. Blood will fill the ditches; it's happened before. Your success tonight saves us from sending away seven boys and seven girls. You're a hero. Don't let it bother you that people you haven't met must now live a life of slavery in the Pit of Thorn. I thought you were the Nightshade's apprentice. Can a professional assassin afford to have a conscience?"
I swear then and there that there will be some lines I never cross. If Constantine had been honest with me, if they'd told me that innocents could die because of my actions, I would've never have consented to go.
I look at her once more and begin to leave, unnerved by the coldness in her eyes. Her stare reminds me of a snake's eyes.
As I close the door, she rises from her seat. "You'll be paid tomorrow," she says.
I almost don't want the money.
I find Talen downstairs being attended to by Friar Abbath. I want him to hold me right now, but I bury my feelings for the moment. The priest cleans and bandages his wounds and gives him a tonic that makes him a bit sleepy. He suggests that Talen stay there for the night on a cot, but as much as I like the new friar, I'm not leaving my boyfriend with him. I pick Talen up and carry him upstairs to the dojo, which seems oddly peaceful without Constantine here. The poultice intoxicates him to the point of mumbling.
"Kian," he says, "are you listening to me?"
"I suppose," I answer him, smiling. I lay him down and slip off his boots.
"We did well, didn't we?"
"Yes," I say. "Yes, we did, considering..."
"You're a hunter," he whispers, fingering my petite ears. "Say, why do you suppose Tethyr created booze?"
I shake my head, preparing for the worst. "I don't know, why?"
"So that fat, ugly girls can get laid too."
I ruffle his hair with my hand. "Get some sleep. Your jokes are terrible."
"Critic," he says. I finish undressing him, and then stretch a blanket over his shoulder.
I kiss him tenderly and say, "I'll join you in a while."
Before I reach the door, I stop and look at the curious book Talen pilfered back at the museum. I open the pages and inspect it. I see many obscene anatomical drawings that seem to detail bloody and invasive medical procedures. One particular piece looks like an erect cock having something inserted into it...a rod of some kind; it looks terribly painful. There are all kinds of notes which I of course, can't read. I close the cover; the book's bound in strange leather. Ancient and weathered, there's a raised bump on the surface that looks like a human nipple, with a design imprinted in the flesh below it.
What the fuck is this? I ask myself, and I've to admit, I'm a little unnerved by it.
I swallow and watch Talen's chest gently rising and falling, and I leave the ghastly book in his belongings.
I hope he'll explain it to me when he wakes up.
I exit, closing the door behind me.
I pace the sandy courtyard considering the events of the last two days. With Wriln's help, we got out of the city before morning. Logren left us outside the city and told us he'd be available if I needed him again. Good. I want to be able to call upon some brute strength if necessary. An assassin's life afterall, must have options. With the giant gone we made good time, and I stole some horses from a hostel four leagues from Ladika. By evening, we'd made it back to Clothol.
I sit under the opening in the roof for a while looking at the scroll tube by torchlight.
At long last, I loosen one end of it and let the jewel fall out into my hand. By the light of the hoary moon, it takes on a reddish color; I spot flecks of silver suspended within. The gem's fully as large as the end of my thumb, and I wonder how Constantine plans to use it to find the mysterious 'Bloodbane'.
Wired, a strange longing overcomes me: one in which I want to lay naked under the stars. I take off all my clothes and climb onto the roof, carrying the jewel in my hand. When I was in prison, I would sometimes gaze out my window and count the stars. I'd my own names for them of course. When you give something a name it kind of personalizes things; it gives you dominion over them. At least, that's how I saw it.
Two years ago, I wouldn't have even considered this type of capering around. But I'm a different man now and my body is lean and powerful. And as I arrive, I admit there's no better view. The guild house is taller than the three or four buildings directly surrounding it, though by no means as tall as other structures in the crowded city of Clothol. I can even smell the ocean from here, and it's a calm scent reminding me of my father.
I lay down, glorious moonlight bathing my naked sweaty chest, and I look at the ruby.
"So this is the eye of blood," I whisper to myself.
The next day, I receive four thousand imperial crowns for my work.
That's a lot of money; and it gives me an idea of just how much that shipment of jewels is worth. The guild, as far as I know, has already managed to unload them to a trusted Fence in the city. I split the take into five equal shares: the Nightmaster agrees to send Logren and Wriln theirs, and that makes me happy.
During the first month back, I keep up my exercises and my training.
Talen sleeps with me every night. Sometimes I catch him reading from the book, but he usually puts it away. I want to know what it is, but I'm afraid to ask him because he might think I'm stupid because I can't read it. Or maybe he won't talk about the journal because it's something personal to him. Perhaps he wants to become a doctor. I only know if he wants to tell me what the book contains, he will.
And that's just it, he never does.
Talen loves me to fuck him. I sometimes wonder what it might feel like to trade places, but I think he's happiest being on the bottom, and truthfully my memory of that position isn't always the best. But I was usually being raped. What I do with Talen is so gentle, and he's incredibly flexible, able to accommodate nearly any position that affords the deepest thrust. His favorite though is to put his feet on my broad shoulders while we stare into each other's eyes. He loves that position. We even work out a kind of synergy so that we arrive at our moment at the same time. That's a lot of fun. I also find out that jade nuru is expensive, but necessary, if we want to continue having fun.
One night following sex, he's playing with my cock which he often does, and asks if I'd ever want to get a piercing there.
I shake my head. "No, it sounds painful."
"Only at first," he says, "I'm sure of it. And I could do it for you."
I blink, but I don't say anything. "Do you really want me to have one?"
It's his turn to shake his head. "I'm just kind of asking. I know you've been seeing me read this book," he says, gesturing with his hand.
I nod. "What is it?" At last I get some answers.
"It's the most vile thing I've ever read. You wouldn't like it much because it's about torturing Atlantean boys. The book was written by a priest of Chagidiel," he states.
"Chagidiel? I'm not familiar with--"
"He's the demigod of sexual perversion and cannibalism," Talen says. "I found it during our night at the museum. His followers are some of the most reviled in the entire world. They're more clandestine than even the god of secrets. They have to be, or they would all be murdered."
I blink again, completely befuddled by Talen's obsession with this tome. "I don't quite follow. Is it a religious book?"
"Yes. Let me ask you this question: do you love me enough that if you could, you would do anything to prevent me from getting hurt?"
I nod and smooth the fine mousy hair over his ears. "Of course."
He smiles thumbing the end of my narrow nose. "Well you can, but it's incredibly painful. That's why I'm asking. And it would require you trust me." He pauses, and then follows up with, "You trust me, right?"
I nod again. "With my own life."
Talen turns his head sideways and rests one cheek against my navel; the soft skin of my cock grows flaccid in the crook of his throat and chin. I smell my semen on his breath; it smells like the salty sea.
"The ritual only works on Atlantean boys with blond hair who have almost no body fat. You know that stuff we overheard about broken bones mending, skin never breaking...that kind of thing?"
I nod.
"It's kind of true. If I do...THINGS...to your body...using implements I procure from a cabal of Chagidiel, then the blood I draw out of you will take minutes off the end of your lifespan. That's nothing Kian, and I'd only take a minute per day. If you live to be seventy, it's but a drop in the well. And I promise...it won't do anything to you now...j-just you won't live as long as you naturally would, and we've no idea how long that is. Some Atlanteans lived to be 200 years old!"
I swallow hard, listening.
"But in exchange, the blood gives me that kind of 'invulnerability' for 24-hours. Longer, if I take more of it...but I won't do that. The thing is, you'd have to trust me, because once I start drawing blood from you in THAT WAY, you'll be paralyzed until 20 minutes after I stop. There are stories in the book of forty men doing this to one blond Atlantean and so shortening his life, that he perishes by morning. But they went on to slay thousands of men in battles that tipped wars, Kian! Can you imagine that?! That's how special you are. No one else has this kind of biology. The Atlanteans are all gone, and this requires the rarest...the blond boys."
I stare in his eyes; feel his pulse beneath my fingertips.
In the end, I've no desire to grow old. Better to write the end of my life off and live now with my young lover.
"What do we have to do?" I ask him.
He smiles again and then kisses me long and hard, his small cock playing along the skin of my smooth abs. "I'll need to locate a priest of Chagidiel. That'll be hard to do. And I'll need to have instruments that he's washed in the blood of virgin women sacrificed to Chagidiel during the feast of the lad. Chagidiel may be a persecuted faith, but if I let out word that I have a blond Atlantean youth, I may be able to find one who's willing to help us."
"How exactly would he be willing to help us?" I ask, my tongue playing over his.
"I'll be dangling you like bait. He'll be under the impression that you are his...that he gets to fuck you. I'd let him shave you, but nothing further than that. I promise. As it is...only he can shave you anyway, so that part's mandatory. As well as the tattoo that he places below your belly button. It'll be in the shape of a ram's skull."
"Shave me?" Truthfully, the tattoo doesn't bother me. But I rather like the little body hair I possess. I'll look juvenile without it.
Talen nods. "There's a special oil that is only prepared by the priests. It's created during the cannibal feast of the blood moon, and that's why I asked about the piercing. A blond Atlantean boy has his pubes removed by a razor. There must not even be a single hair left on his body except those on his face. Then he must be made to cum, but his semen must not be exposed to the air for ten minutes. The process is said to be excruciatingly painful and pleasureful at the same time."
"How is that possible?" I ask. He parts from my lips.
"I have to sound you with a specially prepared glass rod that could break if not administered properly."
I look at him puzzled."Sound me?"
He looks down at my cock. "I'll insert a large lubricated glass rod down your urethra. It'll hurt because it's big, but it must stretch you. You see...forever after, when you cum, it can potentially be a lot...AS there's no end to your orgasm once 'unlocked.' After about a pint, blood will start pumping. THAT's what I'll be after. But only a little--enough to make me invulnerable for a day. But to get you to this point, you need to be 'unlocked.'"
There's that word again. "Unlocked?"
"The piercing inserted in the glans here," he says fingering my mushroom head, "will keep it from going all the way in because it'll have a rounded top. When you seed, the rod will keep it from escaping. We wait ten minutes, and I'll carefully milk you into a small dish which will be mixed with the special oil. Then the priest will say a prayer to Chagidiel to unlock the potency, and some will be drizzled into a drink for you to imbibe. The rest will be applied to your dick. And...there'll be a small side effect..." he says, voice trailing off.
"A side-effect?"
He pauses possibly considering what to say. "You're going to get bigger than you are now: an inch in length and girth, and the growth will be torturous as veins rise like worms across your penis. By my measure, it'll be a foot long at that point, and as thick around as my wrist. I admit, I'll be in pain most nights, but it's worth it because you're so pretty. You're my lovely Kian."
"Tethyr's teeth, I don't want that..." I say.
Talen presses his lips to mine. "But I DO. PLEASE. Don't think of yourself, think of me."
My mouth drains of spit, but I can't refuse him. He's my boyfriend, and I think I'd be lost without him. "Is there anything else bad that might happen?"
"I don't know. It's the darkest magic...it's never been tried before like what I'm planning to do. No Atlantean on the face of Wynwrayth EVER did this willingly. Once you're unlocked, your pupils will turn silver. Anyone familiar with the ritual will know how valuable you are, and what they can gain from your body. The book suggests that an Atlantean unlocked this way is the most valuable thing in all the world. If someone eats your eyes, they get x-ray vision. If someone eats your feet, they can run as fast as a cheetah. If someone eats your tongue, they'll be able to speak any language; your nose and they can smell any scent even from miles away. Chagidiel is the god of cannibalism, and his magic will infuse your body parts for the harvesting. You and I will have to be extra vigilant to make sure that never happens."
"What if someone eats my heart?" I ask, trembling and suddenly feeling cold.
"Then they fall in love with the first person that they see."
Despite Constantine's having asked me to stay out of the training room on the top floor of the guild, I disobey his wishes, sometimes relegating moments alone up there on hot days to work out and improve my skills. I hone my kicks and my form.
I spend my evenings with Talen and sometimes Ambrell. During these few weeks, Talen never speaks again of the mysterious and evil grimoire. But I know he's using his days to try and find a priest of Chagidiel. There's a part of me that hopes he never finds one.
The guild asks me to do a few minor things for them, and I go with Talen to the Enforcer's Guild for a week to deal with a small problem in collections. It seems that some of the businesses down on the wharf are skipping out on their protection money and are in need of a reminder.
Additionally, the owner of the Cup and the Dragon got in a very special keg of elven ale. Within an hour he arranges for a city-wide auction without paying off the Guild of Spirits. Because the Guild of Spirits more or less pays protection money to the Enforcer's guild, which in turn looks to us, the Thieves' Guild for certain "favors", Talen and I soon find ourselves in a hastily thrown meeting with a powerful man.
"Let me get this straight," Talen says to Olaf, Master of the Guild of Spirits, "You want us to help you steal the keg, or if that's impossible, to burn the Cup and the Dragon to the ground?"
The overweight man slaps his belly. "You've got it. You see, life isn't as simple for us. If one man gets it into his head that he can ignore the guild's proper dues then others will start doing it. Our whole economy will collapse. So, it's in the good for all that this be done."
I crouch on a stool, watching Talen and Olaf debate on exactly what HIS meaning of 'good' and 'economic' are doing in the same sentence. I'm also amusing myself by watching the man's cheeks wobble as he talks. I find it disgusting that someone could let himself go to suet. He must look grotesque when naked. I know Talen feels the same way, because he worships the fact that I have hardly any fat at all.
Olaf looks at me and then dips his fingers in a bowl of greasy chicken that's sitting in front of him. "Are you hungry?" he asks me.
I shake my head. "I just ate," I say politely.
Olaf turns away muttering. That...and licking the grease from his fingertips. "Birdseed. I've a nephew that lives on birdseed. He's as skinny as a rail; lighter than a sack of turnips sopping wet out of a ditch although you look more muscly than him. Stupid, too." He looks up from his plate into Talen's bold eyes. "Not that skinny guys are stupid," he says, "in regards to you two. Even though most of them are..." He laughs. "If you want stupid, then look for blonds. On a windy day, their heads make a sound like a conch horn." He stops eating when he looks at me. "I mean women of course... blond women. Men are different."
Talen interrupts him by holding a knife to his throat. "You've managed to bore me with your conversation, suffer me through bad humor, and insult my best friend in a matter of minutes. You are a man of some skill, Olaf. But, here's what it boils down to. Hunter and I want to get paid AND paid well for this."
Olaf gurgles and spits up some barbecue sauce. "You'll be paid the standard ten gold crowns. It's already settled."
Talen nicks him over the Adam's apple. "We'll take a hundred a piece."
"That's monstr--"
"What was that, my overweight friend?" Talen asks him.
The fat guild master looks helpless. "What a splendid idea," he states with both eyebrows raised. "I'm surprised I never thought of it before."
Talen backs away from him, and Olaf rubs his neck, checking for blood. After he sees that he hasn't been seriously injured, he looks at us both with caution. "I'll have your money tonight," he declares. Then he pushes his plate away. "I've lost my appetite. If you both will excuse me." He rises and leaves the room somewhat hurriedly.
Precisely at ten o'clock, we receive our sum of one-hundred gold crowns a piece. I congratulate Talen who's suiting-up for tonight's bug hunt. I put on my black armor (which I call a killsuit) and rub weapon black on my blade. I darken around my eyes, and then pull a black mask over my head. Talen, who has dark hair, simply rubs black grease over his face and hands. The Enforcer's guild sends ten others with us. Talen and I are going to retrieve the cask of ale. But they aren't giving us much time. If I don't have the cask in-hand and outside in under fifteen minutes the others are expected to start a fire. We must be quick with this one, or we'll find ourselves in a burning building.
That's never a good thing.
Shortly after eleven, Talen and I make our way down to the Cup and the Dragon. The Inn stands four stories high, and it's at the corner of a busy intersection between By-Water Way and Killjoy Avenue. It's closed for the evening, the shop owner not wishing to take any chances with his precious elven ale. Afterall, tomorrow he's expecting to fetch a nice profit during a city-wide auction.
Talen and I separate from the others and creep to the side of the building with ease. There are four guards in black leather armor posted outside the front door, but they've no idea that we're there. I motion Talen to scramble up the wall, and I follow his boots, jumping and gripping onto numerous balconies and window sills that line the entire east side of the building. We decide to go in on the fourth floor.
All of the windows have been boarded up and strung with bells from the other side. This poses a problem.
I pry at one of the boards with a dagger, loosen the nails with oil, and then muffle the squeak with my cloak. Talen sticks a sheet of parchment between the slats and lifts the string slowly. Then, I pop the board loose and slide it to the floor on the other side.
Talen tells me to hold the string while he wiggles his way through the opening. I see that Talen's more of a contortionist than I originally thought, even though I know from experience he's able to bend into a variety of positions quite easily.
He manages to pull his shoulders in slightly, enough for him to get inside. Once there, he catches his breath and takes down the bells. Then, we open up a second slat so that I can get in.
"You'll have to teach me that," I say.
"Not until you teach me how to use caasak," he replies.
"Are you seriously going to harp on that?"
He raises one eyebrow and winks at me. "Shh."
Gods he's adorable.
The inside of the hall we're standing in can best be described as plush. A crimson carpet embroidered with black thread spreads before my boots. I count ten doors in the hallway and toward the middle; a small staircase descends into the inn. There's one ornate clock against the wall with an etched crystal door. On the inside, a golden pendulum swings slowly back and forth.
Talen takes the time. "It's fifteen to midnight. That gives us a little break, at least."
I nod, agreeing with him.
We walk down the corridor to the stairwell. There's a flickering light emanating from down below, and I think it's coming from a recessed sconce. I raise my finger telling Talen to slow as I creep down the stair as silent as a cat stalking a mouse. I withdraw a small mirror and angle it around the corner. I spy two men about six feet in height. Both are heavily-muscled and armed with short swords. The one on the left is wrapped in leather armor. The one on the right has a buckler on his left wrist.
I put my mirror away and look up the stair to where Talen waits. I tell him in the silent cant to take the one on the left.
I withdraw up the stair and remove a length of silk rope. Talen follows my lead, pausing to fish around in his pants. He withdraws a small marble and lets it slip from his fingertips onto the carpet. It rolls its way down the corridor to where the men stand guard.
I can hear them whisper something to each other. There follows a shuffling of feet.
The first walks into view a half second later, and he peeks up the darkened stairwell with caution. Twice, his eyes move over me; I hold my breath.
Now, the second one shows his face.
"Do you see anything?"
"No," he replies. "But, I'm going to check it out." I see his grip tighten around the hilt of his short sword, white knuckles flaring. He approaches, slowly making his way forward, waving his weapon in the dark like a blind man's stick. When he's almost on top of me, I kick his weapon aside and slide my rope around his neck. I see a dagger, briefly, from one corner of my eye. It sails past my head and plants with a thud in the other guard's skull.
He drops on the spot.
Strangling the other guy about the throat, I'm having a bit of trouble as he outweighs me by a hundred pounds. He elbows me once in the solar plexus, and it knocks the wind out of me. I manage to turn before he can get me again, and drop him off the side of the stairwell, all the while holding onto both ends of the rope for dear life. His own weight snaps his neck.
Talen helps me to hide the bodies in a third floor utility closet.
While I catch my breath, he walks down the corridor and looks at the next stairwell which descends further into the inn. He motions for me to reconnoiter, and I do, taking the same precautions as earlier.
There are four guards I signal back to him. This is going to be a bit more difficult.
We decide to try the marble thing again.
This time, both of us are ready with knives. I drop the one on the left; Talen, the one on the right. Both of us leap onto the carpet while the other two stand staring at us in shock.
My opponent swings his sword wide, knocking over a tall candelabrum of polished brass. It crashes to the floor, sending trails of molten wax and fire a good two or three feet down the corridor. I trap his blade with my back and punch him three times to the face. I know I break his nose, because there's suddenly blood everywhere.
He grabs me by the chest and lifts me off of my feet, throwing me against a wall, and into an expensive armoire.
Talen doesn't fare much better.
The guard makes a move toward me, but I surprise him when I leap to my feet. I deflect his sword with a kick, breaking all the glass out in the armoire that broke my fall only a moment before. I kick down on his arm at the elbow; I hear a loud snap. He howls in pain once and pulls himself to his feet. Gods, he's tall! He makes to grab me with his good hand, so I move into him, punching him in the arm once again, grabbing his hand in a wrist lock. He cries out loudly and drops the sword on the ground. I kick up with my heel and bloodied his face, dropping him with a loud wallop.
There are others coming up the stairwell, now. I look back and see Talen still fighting the other guard, and it looks like the guard is winning.
The thundering of feet grows closer.
I shall post Chapter Eighteen next week.