Part II
I took passage on a boat across the Mediterranean Sea, landing on the port city of Latakai. From there, I traveled with a caravan of traders across the main land. I assumed the name Protius, and carried a cargo of salt and cloth. I also took on side assignments as an assassin for hire to sharpen my skills and make the connections I would need later. None of the men that I killed were innocents. I did have standards.
Most of them men I killed were warlords, slave traders, black market dealers, or other assassins. I was paid quite well which allowed me to build up my store of weapons, food, and buy a few spies in Crycus' hideout. On the surface, I lived hand to mouth to give the impression that I was, in fact, an impoverished man. No one really notices the homeless; they are the silent eyes and ears of the street who witness more crimes than a king's fix-all man.
Years passed before I finally arrived at the Euphrates River. I felt my heart beat quicken involuntarily as I looked out across the clear blue water. My wind whirling at the notion that I was half a day's journey from Crycus' strong hold.
After all this time, he would have relaxed security. I had, before taking my leave of my homeland, made sure that there were rumors circulating of my death. Despite that, I had a contingency plan. That night, I stayed up late polishing and sharpening the blade of my sword, encouraged on by the blood moon that loomed in the night sky.
¤
The next day I awoke before the sunrise, loaded my camel, and rode towards the massive bridge across the river. I reached Chaldea and found two sleeping guards by the main gate of the walled city. Leaving my ride near the river and a small patch of grass, I took the supplies I needed onto my back and walked towards the north wall.
Using well sharpened daggers, I pierced the adobe bricks and pulled myself up, scaling the wall with ease. I stopped just short of the top to listen for patrolling guards. Finding none, I scrambled over the top and landed deftly on the narrow catwalk. In the distance, I made out the image of a guard moving towards me. Knowing that the glint of my blade would catch the moonlight, I lowered myself to the ground below rather than attacking the man.
With due caution, I moved in the shadows along the parameter of the wall looking for a weakness in the defense. I found one near the stables in the rear. There was a cellar door that remained unbolted. Taking my chances, I sprinted across the courtyard, opened the cellar door, and climbed down the ladder. What I encountered next I had not been expecting- the tip of a saber digging into my spine.
"Climb down slowly," a voice whispered from behind. I obeyed it.
"Turn around," the voice said again. I began to question my own ears as I registered it as a female voice...
Slowly, I rotated towards my captor. In the dim candlelight of the room, I confirmed my suspicion; the voice was a woman's. I grasped the dagger I kept up my sleeve and brought it down on her sword wrist, making the weapon drop. I used my foot to kick the hilt into my free hand, and held the curved blade out to her neck, pausing finally to catch my breath.
"Go ahead. Do it," she said, evenly.
I motioned for her to back up until I could see her clearly in the dim candlelight light. "I'm not going to kill you...yet," I said.
Her gray eyes were empty… haunted... Long, auburn hair fell from her shoulders down her back. Her dress was fairly elaborate which suggested she was more than just a common servant in this house. A concubine perhaps?
My eyes darted around the tiny room. It was no wider than my own tiny home back in Greece, but was more elaborately decorated. Half a dozen columns lined the walls and between them were massive tapestries that depicted large scale battles, gods and goddess, and the banner of Crycus.
In the far corner, near the steps to the door, was a four poster bed. Covered in purple silks and brocades, it was obvious that someone of wealth either slept there or spent time there. To the left of me, a small vanity and directly across was an armoire.
"Who are you?" I asked her.
"Who are *you*?" she volleyed.
"So...you want to play it like that? Fine. I don't have time for this."
I motioned for her to turn around which she did, begrudgingly. I bound her wrists together tightly, and turned her back towards me. She seemed indifferent to her bindings.
"You aren't from here, are you?"
"What gave it away?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.
"You carry yourself differently from the commoner...more upright. And not everyone can disarm someone as skillfully. My guess would be Roman or Greek training, but your coloring is wrong. You also have blue eyes. No one native born to this area has fair skin, hair or eyes. Perhaps from farther north?" she said, scanning my frame.
"What's your name?" I asked. Her boldness and intelligence intrigued me. Her final statement alone was enough to confirm my suspicions; she wasn't born here either. That could work to my advantage.
"Kathryn," she said. "And yours?"
"Protius," I said, evenly. I judged her response, watching as the connection came into her eyes.
"The killer for hire? You know you'll be caught before you even get close enough."
"Doesn't matter. I'd rather die trying."
"Oh how noble! You know you've gone about this the wrong way. The only people that get close enough to Crycus are his trusted officers and his women."
"So that's what you are? One of his wives? Or a concubine?" I watched her face redden slightly and her shoulders droop.
"Not by choice."
Heavy footfalls approached from down the main hall. Kathryn's eyes met mine.
"You have to hide. They'll kill you if they find you."
"Why should I trust you?" I asked, questioning the wisdom of a compact with a woman I had known less than ten minutes.
"Because I want him dead as badly as you do."
I looked into her eyes, as I did before, to search for the truth. Sensing no deception, I went into the shadows created by the pillars against the wall.
"There is always only a single guard that comes for me. I'll distract him while you knock him unconscious."
I nodded in agreement, not questioning the orders that she gave me. I figured that, if all else fails and she betrayed me, I could at least take her with me to the underworld.
Just as she had said, a single guard descended the steps to her room. He was well built for a man his side. The weapon her carried was a more simplistic one than I expected and, by the rust building on the tip of it, I was lead to assume he hadn't ever used it in battle before. He also moved less like a trained warrior and more like an oaf. I suddenly felt disappointed by my opponent. Was this the level of expertise that had killed all the men in my village? Surely a contingency as bad as this couldn't have overpowered my friends.
I watched as Kathryn approached the man, wrapping her arms playfully around his neck and turning him from the location I had taken. She was whispering in his ear. Something she said stirred the man into pushing her against the wall and kissing her. An inexplicable jealousy stirred deep inside me, but I quelled it as quickly as it came. Loosing focus was not something that I needed. I took the opportunity afforded to me, and darted forward, smashing the hilt of my sword into his skull. The deafening crack splattered blood on the young woman. The guard slumped against her and slid down her body leaving a blood smear the length of her gown. She looked at me with a shocked expression on her face.
"I said knock him unconscious not kill him." she whispered. I shrugged my shoulders.
"You'll have to change. Can't go running down the halls covered in blood."
"You will too," she said, motioning towards the dead guard.
I disrobed the guard, changing his clothes out for my own. Luckily not much of the man's blood was on his garments. The blow must have made his heartbeat stop instantly.
After the swap, I drug the corpse into the shadows of the room and met up with Kathryn.
"You'll escort me to his bed chamber, but I get to make the kill," I said.
"Crycus' forces run deeper than just him. If you kill him, one of his lieutenants will take over and hunt you down. If you ever truly want to be safe, you'll have to find a way to kill all of them," she said, placing her hands on her hips. I'll give her this much- the woman was fearless to her dying breath. She never did back down. Not even to me.
"All right. I'll do it your way. It was my contingency plan anyway," I said, opening the door. "Now lead the way."
Kathryn finished washing the blood off her face and ambled passed me as if nothing had just happened. The walk to Crycus' room was a short one, presumably because he was too lazy to make any great journey to reach his harem. Slowly, the outline of two armed guards standing, arms crossed, one on either side of a massive, burgundy door came into focus.
"How many are there on the inside of his room?" I whispered to her.
"Just one guard- the one brings me."
"Anyone else?"
"No. He doesn't like his men to know he has trouble sometimes," she said, a glint of humor in her eyes. I suppressed the urge to laugh aloud.
"Anything else I should know?"
"Yeah. I don't usually come willingly. Grab my arm."
I nodded in response. "My guess is that you won't have to go through with it."
"Oh?"
"I intend on proving to him just how bad his security is."
No more could be said between us. We were too close to his room not to worry about being overheard. True to her word, Kathryn began to struggle against me. I was forced to drag her - literally - down the hall. One of the guards at the door began laughing in a rough, gritty voice. "Your night tonight, huh, sweetheart?" his voice thundered down the empty, cavernous hallway.
Kathryn pulled against my hold to angle herself close enough to spit at the guard. He raised his hand toward her to slap her, but I caught it midair. "Don't batter the merchandise. You'll only anger Crycus." I said, matching the man's vocal styles. He backed up and straightened his shoulders. The other guard stood back, chuckling.
I was forced to hold my breath as the stench from these two men was enough to make me physically ill. Their clothes and their body both spoke to a lack of personal hygiene. Granted, in parts of this desert landscape taking a bath was rare, but these idiots lived inches from a major waterway.
Aside from their smell, I noted that these men were built for combat. Their swords were expertly sharpened but covered with nicks that suggested ample usage. There arms were sculpted as if swordplay was a common occurrence, and, when I caught the first soldier's hand I noted the standard positioned calluses one would expect on a swordsmen.
"Go on in, the master's waiting for you," the second guard said, pushing the door open.
I edged Kathryn into the room, giving both of us time to adjust to the new lighting. This room was ablaze with dozens of lit candles that left few shadows in which to hid in. Quite thankfully, Kathryn was truthful in telling me there was no one but Crycus in the room.
And what a grandiose room it was. The main focal point of the room was a colossal sized bed that was ornately carved. Burgundy sheets and covers that matched the color on his crest as well as the door to his room covered the bed. And there, in the center of a pile of pillows was the object of my obsession- Crycus.
Still out of earshot and oblivious to our presence, I looked over at the man and knew in an instant that he was my old friend from years before. He bore the same blond curls and the same blue eyes shared by most of the people in my hometown. Seeing him there, glancing at a map spread across his bed, nearly naked, I was overcome with a familiar blood rage. It was the same feeling I had had in Atreus nearly a years before, but this time it was more intense. Suddenly, an idea dawned upon me.
"How many people know what he looks like?"
"Just myself and his other wives. He hides his face when dealing with everyone else. It prevents him from being a marked target in public. Why?"
"Slight change in plans. Just be sure to keep him distracted."
"What are you going to do?" her eyes narrowed in pure terror.
"Do you trust me?" I asked her without any pretense. Time was of the essence. She paused briefly and looked up at me, suppressing the look of fear on her own features. Finally, she answered me.
"Yes," she said, simply. I squeezed her arm, reached behind her and locked the door, then pushed her forward into the room with enough force that she fell to her knees.
"Ah...good. You managed to force her into the room. Bravo, Luton. You may take your standard position," he said, pointing to the far wall. I nodded and moved in that general direction, but Crycus was lost in the sensations Kathryn was eagerly providing him. Once again I felt an unnatural jealousy creep into me.
I edging from the post I was given towards the headboard. In her peripheral view, Kathryn caught the movement. I motioned for her to move downward and out of the line of fire. She did as I asked and started a slow descent of his torso. Appreciative murmurs eliciting from Crycus' throat as she did so. I felt my stomach turn at the sound. My only conscious thought was the tiny but familiar voice that whispered sweetly in my ear. 'Kill him,' it said.
In one fluid movement, I grasped on to the sides of his head and jerked his neck quickly to the left. There was no scream, no blood, just the sickening sound of his spinal cord snapping and his limp body falling back on to the bed.
Kathryn gasped a little, but climbed off of the corpse without hesitation. Realization that she was now part of my scheme finally hit her. It was time for her to make up her decision- turn me in or join me.
I, on the other hand, slumped against the rear wall of the room. I'd just killed the man that had ordered my family's death, but, instead of the rush I had expected, I only felt empty. All my rage, all my reason for existing had slipped from me, and I was left with nothing but the pain and grief I should have felt in the first place. In exacting my revenge I had become a monster as well. It was an anticlimax at best.
I felt the back of a hand touch my face. My eyes finally focused on the hastily dressed woman. She slid down onto the floor and sat beside me.
"You must have loved her a great deal to go through all of this."
"I did," I managed to say, somehow. I tried in vain not to cry.
"How long do we have?"
"All night. He usually keeps me till the morning."
"Is there another way out of here?" I asked, slipping back into the calculated killer I had become.
"Yes. There is a tunnel from this room that leads out to the southern woods. Not many know about it."
"Good. We'll drag him out there tonight, burn the body, and be back here in enough time for sunrise."
"Then what?"
"How often does he call on each of his wives?"
Her eyes narrowed at me as she caught on to the logistics of my plan. A smile crept across her face- one that belied both hope and fear.
"It depends on how well the war is going. If it goes well, he'll pick one per night. If it goes badly, the same, but he will beat us then."
"How many are there?"
"Wives or wars?" she asked, trying to make light of the situation.
"Both."
"Seven wives, including myself. One younger, five older. He has...had... two major, ongoing wars. The first is local; he wants to gain more trading waters to tax. It is a minor skirmish at best...," Kathryn said, her voice trailing off.
"And the second?" I asked, raising her chin with my finger. Her smile had faded, and a fearful look returned.
"The second is in your...our homeland. He is siding with the king to take over more territory."
"What?" I said, shocked that she was suddenly speaking in my native tongue.
"The crest you wear around your neck is the same that was given to Crycus when he joined with the king. It was given to him along with me as a symbol of his good faith."
I couldn't form logical though. It had never even occurred to me that my own countrymen could be behind something like this. "What?" I asked, unsure of if I had heard her correctly.
She shook her head. "I don't know all the details, but I do know that he, your king that is, suggested that something might be done to distract you...he said that you wouldn't take the merge of power very well."
My hand went to my necklace involuntarily. I touched the icy gold band around my neck, allowing my grief to only temporarily shine through. Kathryn's eyes followed the movement.
"You lost more than just a wife."
I nodded slowly again. "My newborn son, my daughter, my wife, and everyone in my village..."
She sighed in a tone that told of mutual pain. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry," she said, touching my shoulder. The action seemed somehow familiar. I laughed out loud. It was a sick, hollow cackle more than anything else. The sound of it made her jump.
"You sound like my squire."
She offered the ghost of a smile. "What is your real name, Protius?"
I gazed at her and whispered a name I hadn't given in what seemed a lifetime. "Tom Paris, but you can call me Crycus."