"Psssst." I heard a hiss tickle my ear. I swatted at it. "Pssssstt." I opened my eyes and turned my head.
Beatra's face stared at me. Why was she waking me up?
"What?" I groaned.
"We need to get to training." She gestured to all the others who were getting changed. "Come on, sleepy head." She handed me new clothes that were at the side of my cot. She shook the clothes. "You don't want to be late."
Wherever she went yesterday apparently wasn't important enough for her to tell me. After all, we did just meet. Her business was her own.
She waited there. I looked at her innocently. Was she going to stand there while I changed?
She groaned. "Fine. Meet me outside, but hurry!" She trotted out of the tent. I did what she said.
We followed behind all the other beggars.
"You know. You are going to have to get used to changing in front of other people. You don't have a choice. Sooner the better." She scolded me. I sighed. If I could figure out how to get out of here I wouldn't have to get used to it.
"Alright slow pokes, find your partner." A tall bald man spoke.
"You can be mine!" Beatra exclaimed. "Mine happens to be the boy that picked a fight with Trogan yesterday. He won't be back for a while with those injuries," she chuckled.
"Ah yes, I forgot we had a newbie with us." The bald man bent over to my height. He must have been at least six feet tall. I wanted to look away but my attention was drawn to his eyes that flicked in different directions.
"Your partner will tell you what to do." He waved me off.
"It's easy. All we need to do is spar." Beatra tossed me a wooden sword and held up her own. "Let's see what you got," Beatra teased.
We began.
As she said, it was easy. All we did was go over moves for attacking and blocking.
However, as we did so, I could tell Beatra knew what she was doing. She gripped her sword well. She swung it like it was just another part of her body. I was impressed, and yet a bit jealous. Even after my training with Debynn and Vermilion, my fighting style was still weak. My footwork was not as graceful as hers. Her body moved together with her sword. It was less of an action and more of a movement.
"Who taught you to swordfight?" I could tell immediately that she was more experienced than I.
"I taught myself." Her swing waved through the air until it made a thud against my own. Beatra twirled briskly before extending her blade once again. Though her actions were precise and graceful, they were slow. As if she made them easy for me to hit. She would swing, then I would block. I would attack and she would parry. It was like a dance and she was leading me.
It was rather beautiful.
"This is one of the easier training exercises. Be happy that you experienced Comett before Trogan."
"Comett?" I asked.
"Yea, that's baldy's name. He is pretty nice compared to the other Royals, but I do not suggest you test any of them."
Beatra must have been here awhile to know so much.
"How long have you been a slave?"
"Hmm. A while." She continued to spar with me.
I looked around at the others practicing. Most weren't even putting effort into it. There were two pairs on the edge of the group that seemed to be taking this as seriously as us, but that was it.
"Not many Beggars make it to Commoners, let alone Royals. So a lot have given up trying."
"That's rather sad." My thoughts slipped from my lips.
"Remember, they are all criminals. It's better to be here than prison or the gallows."
"I am not a criminal."
She shrugged. Her attention was on the few Royals who had walked over to Comett.
"Can you give me one minute?" She stopped and ran towards the group. I continued to watch her as I practiced my downward swings.
She walked up to the ogre looking one, Trogan. Wasn't everyone intimidated by him? She just walked straight up to him.
She had her back turned to me so I couldn't make out what she was saying.
"So you're the newbie, eh?" A group who I had noticed earlier walked up to me. They were the ones who had helped me in the food tent.
"We should have introduced ourselves earlier. I am Kelrith," the man with glasses said. "My partner here is Bargonaan." Kelrith gestured to the one who had stepped in when the pirate was bugging me.
"You might know us as the slithering ciphers?!" Kelrith boasted.
Two others who I hadn't met snickered quietly.
"Stop laughing! In the south, everyone fears the slithering ciphers!" Kelrith exclaimed.
The others laughed even harder. Bargonaan just shook his head.
"Kelrith, you wouldn't hurt a fly. Everyone knows that the only reason you are here is that you tried selling a fake diamond to a Lord and he found out." Kelrith pouted.
"Palleas at your service," A young man with stubby blonde hair took my hand and kissed it gently, giving me a devilishly handsome smile. "What is your name, may I ask?"
"Ezailia." I told them.
"Ezailia like Queen Ezailia?" He asked.
I nodded my head. Why had I chosen the queen's name again? Such a silly fake name to choose for myself.
"What a perfect name!" He exclaimed. "You almost look like her."
Then again, perhaps it wasn't such a bad name.
"Don't be foolish, boy," Bargonaan said. "She looks nothing like her."
Palleaas shrugged.
"Perhaps you just don't have vision."
"Bah. Perhaps you are just blind." Bargonaan retorted.
I looked over the last unknown man who chuckled at Bargonaan and Kelrith's bickering. His bright green eyes lured me. Palleas caught my gaze.
"Ah, this is my relatively new partner Carther. If anyone is going to make it all the way to Royal, it's him. Apparently, he tried to protect an assassin from the King's guards."
"I told you I didn't know they were assassins at the time." Carther argued.
Palleas shrugged at Carther's complaint.
Were they talking about the murder in Alkamar?
"What about you, beautiful?" Palleas looked over at me. "What are you in for?"
"What happened?" I asked Carther, sidestepping Palleas's question.
"Hmm?" They both looked at me confused.
"You mean what happened with the assassins?" Carther responded.
"Yes."
"Well, the damn guards caught me and put me here for treason. That's what happened!" He had to be talking about the Alkamar murder. I knew it! "And the soldiers, they- my family didn't make it. The others were silent. My memory flashed back. Hadn't Reuben mentioned something about a girl who had survived?
"Did you have a daughter?"
Carther nodded hesitantly.
"She survived. The assassins found her. They took her back with them. She is safe!"
"Really?" He grasped my hands. His eyes filled with tears. "How? How do you know this?"
Everyone looked at me. I hesitated. "Because I am an assassin." I lifted my sleeve, exposing the assassin's insignia. Their eyes widened.
"I'll be damned," Kelrith muttered. "You better not spout that information to anyone else. Not many people like the Assassins."
I nodded slightly, now realizing I had spoken without thinking first. Then again, the Blood Brothers already knew I was with the assassins. It would be only a matter of time before news spread.
"How did you end up here?" Carther squinted his eyes towards me.
"Yeah. Doesn't the King have a killing order out for any assassins?" Bargonaan whispered.
"I don't know why the Blood Brother's didn't kill me. We were headed to negotiate with them when we were attacked. The next thing I knew I woke up here. I don't even know what happened to my comrades."
"There must've been a deal. The blood brothers have a weakness for good deals, but somehow it must be more valuable than killing you. From what I recall the assassins and the Blood Brothers have a strong alliance. They must have made a deal for just you." Carther explained his theory.
"For me? I don't think you understand. They attacked us. There was no time for agreements."
"I'm sorry, but I believe you are mistaken. Look, these people would never pick a fight with the assassins. Believe it or not, those two are allies. I have seen the assassins exchange goods with them a lot," Carther continued.
"Maybe the Blood Brother's betrayed them?" There had to be another reason.
He shook his head.
What they said couldn't be true. Vermilion had spent all of his time training me. He even entrusted me with Debynn's sword. Vermilion would be coming for me. It was only a matter of time. The sword was here after all. He would not let it fall into the wrong hands, especially after what they worked for; as well as what Debynn died for. Yet here I was, a few days after I promised Vermilion I would protect the sword with my life, and I didn't even know where it was.
"Your assassin comrades, I imagine, are still alive. Otherwise, we would've heard about it. Which means there must be someone among the assassins that sold you out. What I do not understand is why they sent you here, instead of giving you to the king?" Bargonaan stroked his chin.
That was a disturbing thought.
"If Carther says it was an inside deal then I would believe him," Bargonaan crossed his arms. "He seems to know everything about everyone."
"Well, let us hope they haven't told the King they have a captured assassin. Otherwise we might have some unwanted company." Palleas finally spoke up. But his gaze immediately fell back on Beatra, who was still talking to Trogan.
"Yes. Let's hope they want to keep you all to themselves. You need to watch your back. Especially around that one." Bargonaan gestured behind me.
"Beatra?"
"I assume she hasn't told you why she's here?" Kelrith asked.
"Well, I haven't asked her."
"You haven't told her you're an assassin right?" Carther and Palleas waited for me to answer.
"Why?"
"She's a murderer." Carther shook his head. "She is a well-known hitman . She will make any deal as long as she gets something good out of it."
She never made that impression on me. I didn't know if I could believe it. But why would they lie?
"Ask Beatra about her fight from last week. I'm sure she will be as vague as possible. But if you ask anyone else, she killed her first partner with no hesitation. Why, because she made a deal with a Royal. My guess is that the Royal felt the guy was a threat and asked Beatra to get rid of him. I wonder what Beatra got in return?"
"With which Royal?" I wondered aloud.
"Rumors are it was with Comett." Kelrith mumbled. "Must've been a hell of a deal for her to kill someone for it."
"I don't know how she didn't get punished for making a deal with a Royal. Such deals are contraband. Only bets are allowed. Though, I suppose her punishment for killing her partner is good enough in the eyes of the Blood Brothers." Palleas explained.
"What do you mean?" I whispered.
"Killing your opponent is," Carther paused, "frowned upon. Though as you can see people still do it. But it comes at a cost. If you kill your opponent you can never move up in positions. Killing makes you a Beggar forever. They do it this way so true power is shown through strength and dedication. Anyone can kill anyone with the right technique."
"Or the right poison." Bargonaan nodded.
"Maybe don't say that so proudly bud." Carther shook his head.
"Oh, I almost forgot to add. Anyone that kills their partner has to battle KuRath when he comes. Whenever he decides to give a surprise routine visit, that is."
"KuRath? The King's head of guard?" I had heard many stories of the King's most famous guard KuRath. He was seen as the ghost of death. Wherever he went death would follow. Those who were on his list were as good as dead no matter what they did.
"Yeah, KuRath keeps a close eye on the Brothers, believe it or not. I do think the Brothers are trying to change that, though. To be honest, no one likes the king anymore, and no one wants to be ruled by him." Palleas explained.
Here I was led to believe that the King tried to disband this slave camp. Yet he was policing it this entire time?
"Guys. She's coming back." Bargonaan whispered.
"Alright ladies, gather round." Trogan joined the arena.
"Are you ready for some more training?" Beatra continued chatting to me as if she never left. The others left me alone with her.
"What were you and the Royals talking about?" I asked her.
"Nothing much. I was just warning him about your injured arm, though Trogan didn't seem like the information was worth a damn of his time." She shook her head. I watched her facial expressions. The others were right. There was something she was hiding. What was she up to?
"What about you? What were you and the brats talking about?" Beatra nodded to the others who all looked away as we turned to them. It was evident they were eavesdropping.
"Nothing much. They were just introducing themselves and bragging about how they got here." I waved her curiosity off.
"Hey, you never told me how you ended up here, did you? I've only heard rumors. Is it true that you are an assassin?" Carther must have heard Beatra's question because he turned around and gave me a worrisome gaze.
"Enough chat, let's start your punishment, shall we?" Trogan yelled out, and I sighed in relief. Just in the knick of time.
"Oh boy, the fun begins." Beatra elbowed me in the side. We joined the others who started to run. For now, I was safe from Beatra's question, but I had to decide what to say if she asked again. If what the others said about her was true, it would be better if she never found out the truth.
While we ran laps, I thought of a way to answer her. When I decided, I asked her the same question.
"So how did you get to this place?" I asked through shuffled breaths.
"I asked you first." She wiped her sweat drenched face.
"Fine." I took a deep breath before continuing. "Before I got here, I was your average villager who decided she wanted to learn how to fight with a sword. So I found someone to teach me. As he taught me, we became very close friends. However, one day our village was attacked. When I found him, he was badly wounded. He died in my arms." My voice grew shaky. Memories flooded back in; however, I continued. "At first I blamed it on assassins, however, recently I discovered that was not true. The king's guards killed him. My master fought only for what he believed in, and they killed him for that. So I set out for revenge hoping to find his killers, but while I was in pursuit, I was ambushed. The next thing I knew I woke up here." I looked over at Beatra who stared wide-eyed at me. That was the truth, mostly. I could have made something up but I am starting to lose track of all my lies. Best to tell the truth when I can.
"That's- some story." By her plain tone I guessed she wasn't very impressed.
I sighed. My lungs hurt. I could tell I was a bit out of shape. Though Akyto trained me well, he never made me do running drills.
"Out of curiosity, what village?" Beatra continued looking forward while we ran.
"Aldan." I replied.
"Did you find his killer?"
"No." My shoulders sagged.
"I am sure they will get the punishment they deserve." She said coldly.
"Your turn," I said, moving on.
"Well, it's not very interesting really. The King offered an appetizing reward if I could do something for him so-"
I interrupted her.
"You worked for the King? Why?" My distaste slipped through.
Her eyes darted to Trogan who turned his head in our direction as we ran by. After a few seconds she continued.
"Ezailia, I know the King's guards killed your friend, but you must be careful talking that way. Some, not many, still obey and follow the King's order." Perhaps I should have made up a story. The others had warned me about her and here I was basically spilling my guts to her. I had done well with making things up since leaving home so why did I tell the truth this time? Though despite the danger it could possibly bring me, it felt nice to get it off my chest. I had been holding everything in. Bottling it up. But now that I had said it, it almost felt like there might be a way to get past it.
She continued. " Like I was saying, the reward would have set my brother and me up for life, so I took it. Sadly once I took the job I became the King's dog, permanently."
"Sounds like blackmail." I stated.
"I suppose so. I don't mind. As long as my brother stays safe like they claim. I would have been fine if I hadn't failed on my first mission. Now the King and KuRath think they can do whatever they want with me, including sell me off to slave traders. However, I think I have found a way out of here." She looked around.
I looked at her, surprised. Was she the one I was looking for? The one I saw sneaking around at night?
Beatra said no more of her past. I think she was a bit frustrated.
"Perhaps if you ran as fast as you ran your mouths you could be leading the pack!" Trogan yelled at Beatra and me. How fast did he want us to run? We were running at the same pace as everyone else. We had been running for what seemed to be forever without any breaks. How did he expect us to do this? My insides were beginning to cramp. My legs began to slow.
"Don't," Beatra whispered. "He'll humiliate you if you stop."
"Oh?" I continued to struggle.
"He'll make you fight him."
I looked over his tall, muscular body.
"Goody."
I pushed myself on. It was to the point where I thought my lungs were going to collapse that he finally stopped us. Without control of my organs, I vomited. Beatra patted me on the back as I did.
"Welcome to the first day of training." Trogan laughed at me. I spit the remaining bile towards his feet. He scowled at me.
Beatra pulled me away before I could return a similar expression.
"Come on; we have to get to our next session."
"What now?" I asked, still panting heavily. It wasn't even noon yet.
"Do not worry, the rest of the day is easy." Beatra laughed at my frustration.
Just as she said, the rest of the day consisted of straightforward tasks such as cleaning laundry, sharpening weapons, and husking corn.
Thankfully dinner arrived sooner than I realized. I grabbed a plate full of what looked like rabbit meat and diced corn. For slaves, they fed us well.
As I began to chew at the somewhat tough rabbit meat, Beatra sat down next to me.
"See, it's no big deal. As long as you follow the directions, you can survive." She then began stuffing her face with her food.
I eyed Palleas and the others who were a couple tables away. Carther and Kelrith would occasionally send me quick glances, but they seemed pretty distracted with their own meals.
"We have about an hour before curfew so you can do whatever you like," Beatra said as we left the food tent.
"I'm going to go rest; my feet are killing me."
Beatra nodded, and we parted ways. She did not mention where she was going and though I was a little curious to know, I decided it was best not to ask. For a second I thought about following her, but she disappeared before I even realized it.
I headed over to the Beggar's tent where I found Carther waiting.
"Are you here to warn me about Beatra? Because I think you guys misjudged her."
Carther opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked around then spoke in a hushed tone.
"Just watch your back. Beatra's not the only one I'm suspicious of."
I nodded. Who else was Carther referring to? I was about to ask him, but he scurried away. It would have been nice if he had at least told me a name. I kept his words of warning in the back of my mind as I crawled into bed. I was able to sleep for some time before I was woken up. Perhaps by noise, but I wasn't quite sure. I sat up.
There at the end of the tent stood a shadow. It quickly disappeared outside before my eyes could adjust. This was my chance.
Deciding to follow it, I tiptoed around sleeping bodies. I peeked through the tent door and looked around. I just barely caught a glimpse of the shadow before it disappeared into the small patch of woods near the back of the camp. Was this the same person as before? What was the person doing anyway? Perhaps they were hiding something. My eyes bounded around. There were no Royals that I could see. Quickly I followed making sure to keep a safe distance away. I caught up quickly.
I crouched down behind the nearest bushes as the shadow ahead stopped.
"Took you long enough."
I peeked above the bushes. There were now two people. Since when were there two?
"Trogan, you know I had to wait till everyone was asleep."
My eyes widened. Not only was I spying on Trogan but I knew the other immediately from her voice. It was Beatra.
I recall them talking earlier during practice. What were those two up to? It seemed that Carther and the others were right about Beatra all along. I couldn't trust her, especially if she was secretly meeting people in the middle of the night.
"So did you do what I asked?" Beatra asked him.
"Yes, I notified KuRath. He will be here soon. KuRath also wanted me to remind you of your responsibilities. He advises you to not fail again."
Beatra nodded.
"Once it is in the King's hands, you will receive your reward and be released from here."
"Thank the Gods." Beatra exhaled.
"Now it's my turn. I did something for you, so you must return the favor."
"You are disgusting."
"Can you honestly say we are different?" He chuckled.
She scowled. Trogan grabbed her arm and pulled her close. He ripped her tunic down the center revealing her bare skin.
"Let's get this over with then." Beatra whispered.
"I will do what I want." Trogan pushed his lip against hers.
I looked away in disgust.
I slowly made my way back to the tent, leaving Trogan's moans behind. I didn't know who I was more disgusted with.
People outside of Aldan were dangerous. It was stupid of me to trust them. I crawled back into my tent quietly. I had to approach Beatra about it. I know she was hiding something, but then again we all are. I decided if there was a right time I would say something. I would tell the others as soon as I could. They were the ones that first warned me about her. So I had to repay them with at least this bit of news.