I let myself cry as I stayed with Debynn a little more.
I had to think. Slowly my thoughts drowned out the looming sorrow.
I knew that the only thing I could do for Debynn was avenge him, despite his request. If father had not just sentenced me to life in a cage then perhaps I would have listened to my master. Perhaps I would stop fighting. But the truth was, I didn't want to. I wanted freedom to make my own decisions. Hopefully Debynn could respect that. I grabbed Polly's reins and pulled her around the flames. My heart pounded in my chest. I had to stand and fight, however, if Debynn couldn't fight them, how could I?
Out of the flames came a sword. I dove for the ground, barely avoiding what would have been a fatal injury to the neck. An imperial soldier of the King appeared. He raised his sword and prepared to strike again.
"Wait! Are you crazy! I am the daughter of Lord Dazaron."
He squinted. "My apologies, my lady. He sheathed his sword. "Where is your personal guard?"
"Well this city is usually peaceful, so we have never found the need for them."
"Alright, I will have one of my men accompany you back."
"No, really it's alright-"
"It was not a suggestion. There are assassins lurking around."
"Sir, Captain's got the assassins on the run." We walked up to another soldier who appeared from the smoke.
"She better, otherwise KuRath will have her head." The soldier looked down at me. "Well who do we have here?"
"A daughter of the Lord Dazaron, sir."
"Is that so?" He eyed me from top to bottom.
"My father. Lord Dazaron, can vouch for me if you don't believe me."
He peered at me. Who did he think I was? One of the assassins?
"No, that won't be necessary. I do apologize, Lady Dalani, for not recognizing you."
"I'm not Dalani, that is my sister."
"Right-" He paused. "Escort this lady back to Lord Dazaron. Make sure she gets there." He gestured to the soldier that held tightly to my shoulders.
I looked nothing like that bookworm Dalani. How did he not recognize me?
"Ok let us get you home, miss." He jumped up on his horse after I had mounted mine.
What was I to do now? I couldn't return. I wasn't going to let Debynn die in vain either. Debynn didn't want the King to have the sword, so that means I would have to get it from the assassins before the Imperial soldiers could.
The forest quickly flew by, as well as the time for me to decide how to act. What was I going to do? I needed to lose the guard before we reached my father's keep.
The time quickly approached.
"This way." I pointed to a small trail. If I could recall this was the path that led to the Mink River. Perhaps I could lose through the thick brush. The soldier did not look convinced.
"It's a short cut. My brothers and I always take this. Plus if there are any assassins around we do not want to travel in plain sight." The gullible soldier followed me in. As we continued, I could notice the soldier's uneasiness grow. I am sure he had realized by now we were not heading towards my Father's keep.
"Where are we going?" He stopped his horse in front of mine and drew his sword.
I was about to make up an answer when I saw something. My eyes darted to my left. Sure enough, the woods had gone quieter.
"I demand an answer-"
I shushed him.
I felt Polly tense up. Trusting her, I threw myself to the ground. Polly's legs flew up. Two arrows flew through the air. A quick pain throbbed in my left arm. I looked down to blood. A long cut ran down my upper arm. I cursed at the sharp rock I had fallen on as I stood.
"We need to get out of here." I looked over at the soldier. His horse was running away in the distance, with no rider. I looked down. There he lay with an arrow in his head. My eyes widened.
There was a black robed figure running at me. I made an effort to run but my foot caught on a root. My eyes locked with the sharp blades the figure held in his hands. They flew towards my neck. I screamed.
"Wait wait, please! I am not who you think!" I squealed as I felt the cold metal blades press against my neck. Though my body was pinned to the ground, I managed to look up at my attackers.
There in front of me were two black robed figures on some of the largest horses I had ever laid eyes on. Almost immediately I spotted the familiar bright red scabbard, which hung from one of the saddles. So these were the assassins the soldiers mentioned. They were Debynn's killers. They were the ones that set fire to Aldan.
My hand fumbled around lightly, looking for the cold stick hilt of the imperial soldier's sword that I could barely see at the edge of my vision.
"I wouldn't if I were you." A voice said to me.
I looked up.
The voice was right. It would be incredibly foolish to fight. There was no way I could get back up, not with the body pressing me so hard to the ground. With not a second to lose, I came up with a lie. I would have to do the unimaginable and join them. If I could gain the assassins' trust, I could steal the weapon back. But could I do this? Could I possibly trick them?
"You are assassins aren't you?" I spoke up.
The blades against my neck clamped tighter. I moaned out. My neck felt like it might pop if the blades pressed any further down.
The two on horses looked at each other. One who held a bow, drew it tight, and directed it at me.
"Wait, please. I need to find the assassins that just came from the village."
They did not attack. In fact I even felt the blades on my neck release if only but a little.
Their eyes narrowed.
"I want to join them as well as warn them."
"Is that so-"
"Why do you have an imperial guard with you?" The one with the bow interrupted their partner. I could tell she was a girl immediately. Her voice was just as pitchy as my sister Dalani's was.
"I am from the village. The soldiers accused me of starting the fire. I tricked him into following me into the forest and was about to knock him out when you all attacked. However, I had no weapon so my odds were slim. So you saved me with that one. Thank you." I attempted a small smile, though honestly I was terrified. One wrong word and my head would be sliced clean off.
"What do you want?" The other asked. Their voice was quite masculine.
"The imperial soldiers claim to be on your trail."
They all laughed.
"We'll see about that." The other boy smirked at me.
"How do you know we are assassins?" The girl demanded.
"Well who else could take a shot like that around here?" I nodded back to the dead soldier. They also were dressed in all black wraps. Who else dressed like that?
They both dropped the cloth that hid their faces.
To the right was a medium weight boy around my age with long black hair, almost as black as the horse he rode on. I could see the hilt of the sword behind his back. From where I stood it was huge, I didn't want to go up against that.
The other was a girl. I was surprised at how young she looked. She also had dark black hair. It curled round down past her waist like a tin wire. Her bow still remained taunt..
"We should go, Illyana." The black hair boy spoke to the girl.
"Fine. What about her?" The girl, Illyana, gestured.
"Leave her." He replied.
"Now Reubyn, where are your manners? This girl is obviously in need of shelter and protection. She even dodged my arrows. I bet she has some potential use for us!" Illyana crossed her arms.
"You seem oddly ok with this? What's in it for you?" The boy, Reubyn, eyed her.
Illyana shrugged.
"Oh. Ohhh." The other nodded. "I get it now. I am sure Vermilion would give you a kiss on the cheek if we brought home the sword and another companion." Reubynn winked at her.
"He would not!" Illyana looked away, cheeks red.
How could they joke so easily? Were they not the least bit ashamed for what they had just done? They had set an entire village ablaze, burnt countless citizen's alive, stole my master's sword, and killed him.
"So should I cut her throat, or...?" The boy who still held the blades to my throat spoke up.
The two on horses whispered between each other.
The cold metal tickled my neck as I gulped.
"It's settled. Release her, Bazel."
The blades fell and the pressure released. Slowly I stood.
"You will come with us. However, if you fall out of line or try to double cross us-" she paused and pointed to the assassin named Bazel. "My brother will slit that beautiful gullet right open before you can scream. Understood?"
I found myself holding my neck as I imagined myself, headless.
"Understood?" She asked again.
"Yes! Understood!"
"Good." Illyana lowered her bow and gestured for me to get on my horse. I did it quickly. The girl and her horse then set off west. The other two waited for me to follow her, then they followed me close behind.
What had I gotten myself into? Here I was riding alongside the assassins who killed Debynn. How long would I be able to keep this up? However, I couldn't turn back now. My patience and tolerance were about to be tested. I would have to wait for the right time.
~
I felt the blonde boy, Reubyn's eyes on me. He had not taken his stare off of me since we had met. I gave him a fake smile and looked ahead.
As we rode on, I came up with the rest of my story.
With a little thought, I decided to choose our latest queen's name, Ezailia as my cover name.
My name is Ezailia. I lived in the village of Aldan all my life. My parents, who were secretly activists, died when I was at a young age. So I have lived on my own since then and have learned to use the sword to fight against the King. I repeated it over and over in my mind.
Any questions about my family or beliefs I could make up on the fly, hopefully.
The sun was high, and its heat was almost intolerable. Beads of sweat coated my face, and my tongue felt like sand. We had traveled nonstop all day, and I was sure that Polly needed to drink soon. We hadn't passed any rivers; at least not in the direction we headed.
So far the ride made me feel like I was their prisoner. I could tell they didn't trust me. Reubyn kept his eye on me the whole ride, and even though Bazel seemed friendly at first, he made sure whatever he said to Illyana was soft enough where I couldn't hear it. I would have to act pretty well for them to believe my story. If not then I could just as well accept the same fate as Debynn.
"So who are you anyways?" Bazel whispered.
"Ezailia." I replied.
"What made you decide to join the assassin rebellion against the king?"
I chose my words carefully.
"My parents were activists against the king. And even though everyone says they died of a rabid animal attack in the woods, I know that the King must have had them murdered."
"How do you know?" Bazel asked.
"I was suspicious when the soldiers said I couldn't see their bodies. So in the middle of the night, I snuck past the guards to look. There were no claw marks at all. My parents were well-known activists, so I'm not surprised the King had them killed. He's a good for nothing ruler."
They all nodded. I sighed with relief.
No one said another word till only half of the sun remained over the forest.
"We should find camp soon." Bazel looked at everyone else for approval.
"What?" Reubyn looked confused. "Come now brother," Illyana said to Bazel, "just because we have a new addition to the group doesn't mean we have to be soft. She has to learn how real assassins live. She'll be fine." I heard the sarcasm in all of her words. I had done nothing, yet I could tell that she was suspicious of this whole situation. I wonder if they ever had joiners like me?
"The only reason you want to keep going is so we can beat the Boss back to camp, and you can get prettied up." Reubyn rolled his eyes, and Bazel chuckled. Illyana gasped.
"If that weren't partially true, I'd whoop you."
"If Ezailia wants to join us it's better that she learns how we work. Isn't that right, Ezailia?" Illyana teased.
"She's right. I'm fine." I lied to satisfy her.
"See."
Bazel neither complained nor commented on the matter, so she led us on. I suppose I would have to wait till they ate. I could always sneak some food from my bag during the ride. If Reubyn stopped looking at me, that is. Right on cue, he slowed his horse and let me walk a little ahead of him. I sighed. It was going to be a very long night.
As we went on, I caught myself dozing in and out of the same nightmare. The village was burning. The smell of burning flesh permeated my nose. I ran around frantically, screaming until I found the tree where Debynn lay. His body was covered in blood. "Emilea" echoed in my ears. It got louder and louder until I couldn't think.
I woke up. I must have dozed off again. Polly had stopped, and everyone was off their horses except me. I cursed myself. They saw me asleep. They could have easily taken advantage of me. They could have killed me. The fact that they hadn't taken that opportunity meant they had to trust me at least a little. I saw a running stream up ahead. I dismounted and led Polly to get a drink. They all sat on the river bank filling up their water canteens. They watched me as I approached but did not say a word. Deciding that I should not start a conversation with them, I did my own thing. I cupped some water in my hands and drank. Then I splashed some water on my face hoping to wake myself. After a few minutes, we mounted our horses and continued.
The moon shone brightly over the trees and an evening chill had come in with night air. In the distance, I could see a small village, yet it was still bigger than the one back home. I could barely make out an old wooden sign, which stood in front of the city. Vines which were molded into the wood, from what looked like years of emulsion, hid most of the letters. I could barely make it out.
"Welcome to our favorite village in Galasia, Frimner."
The town was silent. Besides the occasional lamp poles the only lit house shone brightly on the far side of town. It guided the way for us as we approached.
"Look!" Reubyn pointed it out. "Gally's Brewery" read the sign.
"We can't pass by without a drink!" Reubyn exclaimed! They both rolled their eyes at him but neither argued. We tied up our horses and walked in. It was surprisingly busy.
"Looks like Gally has still managed to keep the business going," Illyana said, impressed.
"Ah, the old man. I wonder if he has quit his old drinking habits?" Bazel laughed.
We all sat at a table, and a waitress greeted us.
"What can I get for you folk?" She looked at me first.
"Oh, I shall pass, thank you." I waved my hands. The other three all looked at me with their mouths agape.
"Druid's Ale, please!" Reubyn told the girl. "Same for us!" Bazel smiled politely. She walked away and returned quickly with their drinks. Reubyn immediately gulped down half of his and gasped in delight.
"What is Druid's, Ale?" I finally ask.
"I thought you might ask," Reubyn smirked. "You see, Gally is the only brewery that serves it. It's very expensive, but it's bloody addicting. You see, druids are a long forgotten race that you could almost say are religious sorcerers-."
"I know about them." I interrupted
"Well did you know they succeeded in herbs? They decided to mix their best skill with their favorite pastime: drinking! But since they are sorcerers, when you drink one of these babies, the fermented herbs do more than just please your senses." Bazel and Illyana laughed at him. "You're crazy, Reu!" Illyana playfully punched him.
"No, it's true! Really."
They continued to laugh.
Who were they? If I hadn't known any better, I would be easily fooled to believe that these were normal kids. They joked as if they lived a normal life, as if they had never killed anyone. Anger tickled inside of me. How dare they pretend that nothing had happened.
I watched as they got another round of drinks and continued to consume the beer. Perhaps if they got drunk enough, I would have a chance to strike.
I waited, but in the end it looked like I wouldn't get that lucky. Illyana had stopped after her first mug, letting Bazel and Reubyn continue. There was nothing I could do now but wait until they had their fill. I sighed and looked around. If only I had visited this bar under a different pretense. It was so wild. An old geezer playing a banjo in the corner was strumming so loudly it made me want to dance. If only I was here to enjoy myself. Instead, I was here with these fools. Then again, I was the fool. What person tries to steal from assassins? Hopefully I would live to tell the tale.
"Heads low." Illyana said seriously.
"What?" Bazel asked.
"At the entrance. Lord Dazaron's sons."
I gulped and took a peak.
There they were standing in front of the door, hidden behind long hooded robes.
I sunk deep in my chair.
"No, no, no." I mumbled under my breath.
"You ok, missy?" Reubyn asked.
Illyana leaned in.
"Spill. What do those two mean to you?"
What did they mean to me? Oh yea those two are actually my brothers, who think I ran away from home. I bet Illyana would kill to hear me say that.
I looked up at her.
"What are they doing here?" Bazel stuttered. I thought quickly.
"The imperial soldier you shot must have been found. They must blame me for it." The lie slipped easily from my lips. I figured father would send someone after me, but I didn't realize they would catch up this quickly.
I wonder if Teren was with them? I shook away the thought. I had to make sure my brothers didn't spot me. Otherwise, my cover would be blown and I would never get the sword back. Oo worse, they'd kill me on the spot.
"This is bad. They are the best fighters in our village, too." I mumbled.
"I could take 'em." Reubyn stumbled up but was pulled back in his seat by Illyana. Akyto and Yestin began to make their way around the bar. I watched from the corner of my eyes as they slowly made their way closer to us.
"If they see me-"
"They won't." Bazel nodded to the others.
"We will distract them, and you get your ass out of here. Meet back at our horses." Illyana whispered to all of us.
I nodded, and we split up. Slowly I stood up and made my way towards the exit. I watched the other three wait at the table. What were they going to do?
"Hey, watch it!" My face planted into a gentleman's chest knocking his drink all over him.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. This was not good. I wasn't supposed to be the distraction.
"You are going to have to speak up, little girl," the drunk smirked. Curious if I had drawn my brother's attention, I looked back. My eyes connected with Yestin's. I quickly turned my head forward.
"Aktyo. It's her!" I heard Yestin shout. I tried pushing past the drunken man, but he grabbed my arm.
"Where is you think you're going, gir?" His words slurred. I tried pulling from his grip, but his hand locked tightly around my arm. My eyes darted for the others, in panic.
"Hey!" Illyana appeared next to me. She threw a punch, hitting the man right in the nose. He stumbled back a few steps then fell on his ass, thankfully letting go of me before he did.
"New plan," Illyana shouted. "Run!"
Obeying, I turned and bolted through the door, with Illyana, Bazel, and Reubyn close behind.
"Wait!" I heard Yestin yell.
"Get on your horse!" Bazel yelled.
"You think?" Both Illyana and I shouted at him. We gave each other a quick glance.
"Over there!" Yestin pointed at us.
We mounted our horses and took off away from the bar. I couldn't help but see them as we turned to leave. I knew they must be confused. Why would I leave them? Perhaps someday I would be able to apologize to them, but deep down I didn't believe that day would come. How could I apologize? I didn't want to be caged up most of my life. If leaving home and leaving my family was the only way to be free then this was the only option. Besides, there was no turning back now.
Akyto took hold of Yestin's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. They stood there and watched us, as the assassins, and I took off. Did Akyto understand how I felt?
They grew smaller and smaller until the village was no longer in view.
"Can't believe they let us go free." Reubynn sang.
"They know better than to try and pursue Polgran horses." Illyana snorted.
They were letting me go. The thought of freedom made my heart gallop. Yet at the same time, they were letting me go. From here on out, I was on my own.
The best thing to do was keep moving.
"Where to next?" I asked.
"Black forest," Illyana shouted. "Do not worry. They won't follow us there."
"You mean Kalzr?" Just the idea of it gave me shivers.
"Uh yeah, same difference. Have you not gone into the black forest before?" Reubyn looked at me.
"Well no. I was always warned not to."
"Why?" Reubyn asked. Why was a good question. My father always told me it was because assassins would kill me, but I couldn't say that.
"Orcs."
Reubyn rolled his eyes.
"You believed that?" The other two laughed.
I sighed. What had I gotten myself into?