Imperial Assassin (29 page)

Femke had asked him to tell her if he was given a target by the Guild, but he did not feel he had time for this. If he were to give his father a chance to escape the long arm of the Guild, then
he had to act now. The Guildmaster would not expect him to go straight to the Commander’s tent without any scouting. This would give him an edge; not much of one, it was true, but any edge
was a bonus.

Reynik had stored his uniform in the room he had been renting whilst in training. It was a fair distance in a straight path, but with all the added twists, it took Reynik over half an hour to
reach the house. By the time he got there, he was convinced he had long since thrown off any pursuers.

It did not take more than a few minutes to change into his uniform. He was surprised how good it felt. It was like coming home after a long trip away – slightly strange, but comfortable
and familiar at the same time. The leather belt and boots felt stiff, but he knew they would soften once he got moving again. He checked his sword for rust spots, but this was a part of his uniform
he had not neglected while it had been out of use. He had only cleaned and sharpened the blade a few days ago, so when he drew it, he was pleased to see the metal was still in perfect
condition.

Donning his cloak and helmet, Reynik stepped out into the streets again. Evening had given way to night now. The street lamps cast their dim glow over the cobbled streets, and dark figments
lurked in every shadow. His skin prickled with the sense of being watched. He knew the chances of someone following him here were slight, given all the precautions he had taken, but this was not a
time to be taking unnecessary chances.

On the way to the house, Reynik had drawn his cloak tight about him to shield his body from the chill wind. Now he was in uniform, he could feel his posture had changed. His pride in the status
his Legionnaire’s uniform carried made him straighten his limbs as he walked. He did not march, but walked taller – more upright. Despite wearing no more layers than before, he did not
feel the cold as much. Anyone watching him would see nothing but a proud, young soldier – sword at his side, head held high.

Reynik took a straight route through Shandrim towards tent city. Every now and then, he doubled back on himself, or waited just around a corner to see if anyone were following him. By the time
he got to the guard post at the edge of the military camp, he was convinced that his imagination was playing tricks on him. The guards’ fire was burning brightly to the left of the road as
Reynik approached. He was not surprised to see all but one guard standing around it.

The solitary guard at the camp entry point called for him to halt. Reynik did as he was told.

‘What unit are you from?’ the guard asked.

‘First Legion.’

‘Strange. The First Legion is all accounted for. The last of their patrols came back in an hour ago. Besides, orders are that no one is to walk the streets of Shandrim alone at the moment.
What’s your name and who’s your File Leader? I’ll need to report this.’

‘I’m Legionnaire Reynik. File Leader Sidis leads my file, but I need to report directly to Commander Lutalo. I’ve been on a special mission. The report I have for him cannot
wait. If you wish to have me escorted to his tent, that will be fine.’

‘Reynik, is it? Well, Reynik, you will have your escort,’ he promised, though his voice was not kind. ‘Tam! Get over here. I need you to escort Legionnaire Reynik to see
Commander Lutalo. Says he’s been on a special mission. Make sure the Commander recognises him before you leave, will you?’

Tam muttered something unintelligible. Reynik caught the words ‘bloody typical’ and ‘warm’, so it was not difficult to gather the gist of his comment. The guard stomped
over with no effort to hide his disgust at this assignment.

‘Come on then,’ he growled. ‘Let’s get this over with.’

‘Sorry to drag you from the fire.’

‘So you should be. Only just managed to get feeling back in my toes. Don’t know why we bother mounting a guard here. Any intruder who wanted to get into the camp could enter at any
one of a hundred points around the perimeter. No assassin would be stupid enough to choose to come in along the road.’

Reynik grinned. ‘But having guard posts isn’t all about keeping the bad guys out,’ he said, unable to completely disregard the irony of his situation. ‘It acts as a point
of contact for members of the general public. It also demonstrates our commitment to security, even if it is not as effective as we would like. The random patrols are a more effective deterrent, I
agree, but the guard post does serve a purpose.’

‘Have you been taking loyalty pills, or something, Reynik? Give me a break!’

They walked through the camp in silence. Tam seemed determined to enjoy his bad mood, so Reynik let him sulk in peace. As they reached the edge of the First Legion’s section of the huge
tented area, Reynik’s sense of anticipation heightened. He was back in familiar territory, though in reality, he had spent little time here. Between the mission to Thrandor and his current
mission, he had spent more time away from the camp than in it.

The tent of the Legion Commander was no bigger than the File tents. The difference was that it only housed one person instead of ten. A pennant displaying the legion insignia fluttered in the
strong breeze from a flagpole just to the right of the entrance to the Commander’s tent. Reynik glanced up at it as they approached. It was impossible to make out the insignia in the
darkness, but he did not need to see it to know its design: a golden helm with crossed swords. The emblem was very personal to Reynik. The right to belong to the Legion it represented had been hard
won. It would be difficult to return now. Would he ever be able to? It was not easy to say.

The glow of an oil lamp shone through the canvas. Tam stepped forward to the entrance flap.

‘Commander Lutalo. Sorry to disturb you, sir, but there’s a Legionnaire Reynik here to see you. He claims it is important, sir.’

There was a momentary pause, then the tent flap was thrown open and Lutalo stepped out. He took one look at Reynik and his face broke into a broad smile.

‘Reynik! It’s good to see you. Come inside. I very much want to hear your report.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ he replied, nodding his thanks to Tam, who saluted Lutalo before turning and setting off back towards the gate. The Commander returned the salute, before ushering
Reynik inside his tent. Once inside, Reynik was surprised when Lutalo caught him in a big hug.

‘Where have you been, son? I was worried sick about you. Didn’t you stop to think that I might want to know where you’d gone? I didn’t dare tell your mother you’d
disappeared off on some secret mission. She would have been frantic. I only found out you’d gone when I took over here after Sateris was murdered, but no one could tell me where you
were.’

‘It’s a long story, Pa. It’s also very complicated. There are things I must tell you that you won’t want to hear, but I have no choice. The situation is spinning out of
control. The Emperor did not fully realise what he was beginning when he declared the Guild of Assassins
anaethus drax.
We’re both in terrible danger – you especially. Pa,
you’re going to have to leave the Legion for a while. If you don’t, you’ll be killed. The Guild have accepted a contact on you.’

Lutalo looked at his son with a penetrating gaze. He was silent for some seconds before he replied.

‘I think you’d better sit down and tell me this story, Reynik. I want to know exactly what you’ve got yourself into. How do you know details about what the Guild of Assassins
is planning?’

Reynik sat in the chair his father indicated, took off his helm, and in a hushed voice he began to speak. He relayed the whole story, complete with a brief account of what had occurred in
Thrandor. Lutalo regarded his son intently throughout. When Reynik finished the story, his father sat back in his chair with a curious smile on his face.

‘Son, what can I say? I’m incredibly proud of you. You’ll make a fine commander one day. I always knew you had it in you, but now I’m doubly sure. Gen . . .
Emperor
Surabar has used you, Reynik, but in the long run it will put you in a strong position to advance your own cause.’

‘If I survive long enough to use it,’ Reynik commented with a bitter edge to his voice.

‘Yes, son, that’s often the big catch. But have faith. You’re here. You’re still alive. You have gained a lot of critical information that you must take to the Emperor. I
suspect that with what you already have, you could break the Guild of Assassins if your insights are used to best effect.’

‘Femke will have already taken the majority of the information to the Emperor. I managed to pass on the critical stuff earlier today.’

‘Good. From what you’ve told me of this spy, I’m sure she’ll give credit where credit is due. You’ve done well. I would not have had the stomach to do some of the
tasks the Emperor set you. Killing in battle is something we’re trained to do. There are those amongst the Legions who go out of their way to look for trouble. They itch to try out their
skills. I do not believe this to be the case with you. I can see the depth of your distaste for the assassin’s trade, and I can only admire you for having followed through the Emperor’s
plan in spite of your feelings. Consider it ended, Reynik. You’ve done enough. You must go to the Emperor now. When the Guild realises that you’ve not carried out your task, they will
look to track you down and kill you. Only the Emperor has the resources to protect you properly.’

‘But what about you, Pa? They sent me to kill you. They’ll send others. I’ve seen some of these people, Pa; they’re deadly. They move more silently than the mist, and
kill without compunction. Commander Sateris died in this very tent. You’re not safe here.’

Reynik’s father looked him in the eye.

‘I know, son. I admit the knowledge has struck fear in my heart, but I cannot give in to fear. If I ran away, what message would that give to the troops? A Commander is a leader, Reynik. I
know you understand. I must lead by example. However, I promise you that now I know for certain they’re targeting me, I’ll initiate a whole host of extra security measures around the
camp. I will not let them get to me easily.’

In his heart, Reynik knew that no security measures would stop a top rank assassin. Someone like Shalidar would dance past patrols as if they did not exist. But it was also clear that his
father’s mind was made up. Pressing harder would only serve to anger him, and Reynik did not want to part from his father on a sour note. Instead, he got to his feet, caught his father in
another hug and stepped back.

‘Take care then, Pa. I’d better leave. I’ll go straight to the Palace. Can you give me something with your seal on it to allow me out of the camp? The guards were insistent
about no one allowed out on his own tonight.’

‘No problem.’ Lutalo went to his small table, took a piece of parchment and carefully inked a short message on it. He lit a candle and melted some wax, dripping a small pool of it
onto the bottom of the sheet. Then he pressed his seal firmly into the wax. ‘Good luck, son. No matter what happens, always remember I’m proud of you.’

Reynik smiled gratefully. The sickness that he still felt from having killed for the Emperor had receded a little. He knew it would never go away, but it felt good to have his father’s
blessing. He rolled the parchment, tucked it into a pocket on the inside of his cloak, replaced his helm on his head and saluted. Commander Lutalo saluted back.

Outside the tent, the temperature had dropped further. The stiff breeze added a chill factor that made the air feel positively icy. Reynik settled his cloak more evenly about his shoulders and
did up one further clasp, fastening it together at his upper chest in addition to his throat. He took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness, then set out along the main path through the
campsite back towards the guard post. Behind him a shadowy figure stepped silently from where he had been eavesdropping in the deep shadow behind Lutalo’s tent.

Shalidar had not been able to hear everything, but he had heard enough. Wolf Spider was the Commander’s son – an interesting development. On its own, this information might have
given the Guildmaster cause to excuse the newest Guild member from completing the kill. The Guildmaster had been known to show compassion in the past. However, Shalidar had heard the Commander
exhort his son to go to the Emperor. The circle was complete. The link to the Emperor had been established. Shalidar knew he could act without fear of reprisal from the Guild. As an infiltrator,
Wolf Spider had to be eliminated – quickly.

The assassin trailed his prey for about a minute to be sure his talk of going back past the guard post had not been a ruse, then he doubled back. Shalidar would get a fee for killing an
infiltrator, but while he was here, he intended to earn the ten gold sen for the hit on the Commander as well.

As he re-approached Commander Lutalo’s tent, Shalidar could see the commander’s shadow. He was standing close to the nearest sidewall of the tent and verbally running through
potential security measures he could instigate to make life difficult for assassins to penetrate the camp. Shalidar grinned. He did so love irony.

Since becoming the Dragon, Shalidar had killed many times, using many different weapons. He always preferred to make kills up close, so he could watch as the life left his victims. The sense of
power he gained by taking another’s life made him feel god-like. Yet he was not so power-struck as to ignore the opportunity for an easy kill. Silent as the shadow he cast, he drew his sword
and stole up to the tent. With a thrill that bordered on ecstasy, he drove the blade through the canvas and through the Commander’s body. Lutalo’s voice stopped mid-word. Shalidar
twisted the blade and wrenched it free.

The body fell with a lifeless thud, but the assassin did not wait to see if it would move again. He was already on the move. The father was dead. It was time to deal with the son.

Shalidar moved through the camp like a breath of wind – silent and invisible. His form melted into the darkness, submitting to its enveloping embrace and wrapping it around him like an
extra layer of clothing.