Chapter Eleven

“Krinna, you look so sad. Is something wrong?”

“I was just thinking you made your dream come true.”

“Please put your things in that bedroom,” she said, pointing toward an open door. “It’s the kids’ room. You’ll sleep there tonight.”

The back door opened, and a huge man entered the kitchen. “Kyber honey, meet my best friend, Krinna. Krinna, this hulk is my husband.”

“I greet your home, Kyber. May blessing be on it forever.”

“I thank you. My house is ever yours. You will dine with us. Afterward, we can retire to the sitting room where you two can catch up on your lives. Sar talks about you often.”

Krinna removed her packs and put them in her assigned room. Kyber seated her at the table and took his place at the head of the table. Sar sat opposite her. The twins sat quietly between her, and Hayden sat next to Kyber, who thanked the Creator for their blessings.

The meal passed quietly. It seemed strange to Krinna that a family could remain silent and speak volumes. The tussling twins were angels at the table. Hayden was a well-mannered man in a boy’s body.

The food and company were great; she needed the fellowship, but felt out of place. Her occupation wasn’t conducive to family life, and she didn’t belong in such an environment. Her melancholia grew through the meal.

Kyber finished eating and said, “Hayden, you and the girls go to bed. Your mother has prepared a blanket for you on the floor of our bedroom. Sar, Krinna, and I will adjourn to the living room while you wash the dishes.”

Hayden replied, “Yes, sir,” and got up from the table. Without scuffling, the girls marched off to bed.

“Krinna, please,” he said, waiting for her to lead the way, “make yourself comfortable.” He waited for her to be seated. Choosing a seat to face her, he continued, “What I am about to say has nothing to do with your welcome in our home. It doesn’t change anything.”

“I know what you are.”

Krinna leaned forward and cut both eyes up at him.

“Don’t worry. She doesn’t know, and I won’t tell her.”

“How did you find out?”

“A month before we were married, we went to the marketplace with her mother. I happened to be watching you when Sar laughed. You turned to find her. I sent them home early and followed you to the tree line outside. I didn’t know your intentions.”

Looking at the floor, she murmured, “You should never wear yellow and red in the forest.”

“So, you killed him?”

“Yes, he was an assassin. He stalked me. You were in his way. He set an ambush for you.”

“I thank you for my life,” he said, continuing his conversation. “Sar speaks of your childhood antics continuously. There are tales of joy, laughter, and other mischievous things you did. She loves you. I love her. I won’t let you harm her.”

“Kyber, please forgive me for coming here. I don’t belong with such a loving family. I am a fool. I want everything to be as it was, but I deceive myself. I live in a world of lies and deceit. Throughout my life, I have maintained certain aspects of my dignity. It hasn’t been easy.”

“Envy is terrible, but I am jealous of Sar’s life. As children, we mocked pregnant women, but we sat around and dreamed of the children we wanted. We named ridiculous numbers of kids. She has accomplished her goal. She has a nice home and family. Her husband is a man of integrity. Occasionally, I think about it, but it will never happen.”

“No one wants to marry an assassin. Females are good enough to bed but not marry.”

“Krin … you are … an assassin?” Sar cried from the kitchen doorway.

She jerked her head up and jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry, Sar. I didn’t mean for you to know,” she said with genuine sorrow.

“But you kill people. I’m not a prude. How can you kill people? Is there no remorse in your heart? Is there no compassion?”

Krinna fought the tears. She had not cried since her father abandoned her. The master taught her to kill all emotions. “I’m truly sorry you heard me.” Facing Kyber, who stood listening, she said, “Kyber, I apologize. I cannot erase the insult to your house. I thank you for your hospitality and bid you farewell.”

“Sister,” Krinna said, “I love you. I promised Kyber I would not harm you. I failed. Cherish your family and forget about me. I thank you for being my friend. I bid you farewell.”

“What are you saying?” Sar cried.

“I’ll trouble you no more,” she said, slipping past her into the kitchen. Quickly, quietly, she rushed to get her packs. She heard the children moving about and talking in Sar’s room. A regretful longing forced its way into her heart. She fought the weak emotion.

Sar’s loud voice filled the quiet cottage. “Kyber, it can’t end this way. Oh god, please stop her.”

Krinna entered the room. Sar stood to the side. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Kyber blocked the front door. His sword handle supported his hands. The sharp, double-edged point rested on the floor.

“Kyber, please, stand aside,” she said in a cold, hollow voice. “You force me into a position I can’t maintain. I don’t want to do this to my sister.” Setting her pack on the floor, she extracted a long case and removed two swords.

“Krin! What are you doing?”

“Please be still, sister, lest you sway me wrongly,” she replied, keeping her eyes fixed on Kyber. “Kyber, I hate men who try to impose their will on me. Since my father deserted me, I have only loved one man. Oberon, my master, taught me to fight when I drew my weapons. Now, you force me into a fight with only one conclusion. Please, once again, I ask … no, I beg you to step aside.”

Resolute, he stood as an ancient mountain. Unmovable, he stared at her. Her anger slowly subsided. Her lips thinned and trembled. She said, “Sar, I’m sorry,” and threw her blades on the floor at Kyber’s feet, “I cannot distress your home any further.”

Kyber stooped to pick up her swords. “Don’t pick them up by the blades. Your death will be agonizing but swift.”

“Why don’t you put them away?” He moved to the fireplace and laid his sword on the mantel. “We all need to sit down and talk.”

Wide-eyed, Sar sat on a short wooden stool. Kyber sat in his chair while Krinna sheathed her swords and put them in her war bag. She placed the pack near the door and sat down.

Minutes of personal solitude followed.

Kyber chuckled. They stared at him.

“Why are you laughing? This situation is serious,” Sar declared.

“Krinna mentioned Oberon. Except for one, he was the most outstanding tutor of the Southern army. When did he instruct you?”

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“I was his last student. I was there when they killed him.”

“By all that is holy, you are Princess Krinna.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“The king is your father.”

“I have no father. I was abandoned at the academy when I was eight years old. I left when I was thirteen. The man you refer to as my father hated me. Not once did he come to visit me, send for me, or communicate with me in any manner. Twenty years ago, I was cast out of my home.”

“You don’t know what happened, do you?”

“I killed them all. They came in the night when he practiced. They shot him full of arrows. The cowards refused to engage an old, blind master in personal combat. I avenged him.”

“I meant something else, but please continue.”

“Tracking them was easy. Eliminating them was easier. I allowed a fool to escape. He led me straight to their temple. I killed them all in less than a month.”

“I saw your bloody footprints around the academy.”

Krinna lowered her eyebrows and asked, “Were you part of the assassins?”

“No, I went to the school searching for the king’s daughter.”

“She died.”

“Your father scoured the kingdom for you. He hired men, including me, to search the country for you. He waited a year to receive a ransom note. Of course, one never came. One doesn’t find the dead among the living.”

“Oberon was my father. I am his daughter. During my first night with him, I stood in front of his target and told him to kill me. I refused to show fear. He took me as his daughter.”

“I slept in his bed.” Seeing the expressions on their faces, she added, “I didn’t lie with him. When he said I was sleeping in his room, I told him I wasn’t his whore. I shall never forget his expression that night. He put his old, calloused hands on my shoulders and pulled me into loving arms. He cried and hugged me for a long time before holding me at arm’s length and saying, You are too old for your years. I’m going to teach you the warrior’s way. I’ll instruct you in the assassin’s art. You’ll fear no man. No man will force you.”

“I learned everything. We sparred together for three years. One day, he declared me a Master.”

“He admonished me to use wisdom and said every master has a master. He said a young master taught him the way. To this day, no man has beaten me in combat.”

“Krinna, sister, why don’t you quit? Get completely out of it. You can live a normal life. Please consider it.”

“Lately, I have given it thought. I have one last contract to finish.”

“You don’t have to do it. Forego the money.”

“It has gotten personal.”

“I thought the first rule of training was not to get personal.”

“I didn’t. He did.” Hateful, anger-filled her voice. “Last night, he raped me while I was drunk. He forced me into bramble limbs. The last thing I remember was when he kissed me and said goodbye.”

“You know what he paid me. He gave me a tunic to replace the one he tore from my body. Then he dumped a drunken Ba’uu on my doorstep.”

“When I finish with him, he’ll never ravage another female. I’m going to cut—”

“He raped you? How could he accomplish it?”

“I don’t know. He got me drunk and ripped my clothes off. He is a snake charmer. He communicates with a female Ba’uu. He used his viper eyes on me and charmed me right out of them.”

“Wait. You are not making any sense.” Kyber said. “What interests me are his eyes. I know a man who … no, it isn’t him.”

“You know my mark? Give me his name!” Krinna shouted, jumping to her feet.

“Sit down, princess, and hold your voice down. We don’t need to wake the children. The man I speak of is a man of honor. He would kill you, but he would never harm you.”

“What is the difference?”

“He would never molest you.”

“Next, you will tell me he is a faithful husband married to a beautiful queen in a far kingdom. He dotes on her. His undying love is to her alone.”

“His wife—”

“Saresa!” Kyber interjected.

“It won’t hurt to tell her.”

“So, he is married. The snake is worse than his pet.”

“Please, Kyber, tell her about him. You don’t have to betray any secrets.”

Kyber stared at Sar for several minutes. “Okay, he is an old friend. He is a wealthy man. His word is his bond. He believes there should be truth among men, including your enemies. If you eat with him, you are his friend until you break the trust.”

“What about his wife?”

“I told you he possessed wealth. As a young man, he married a beautiful young bride. She was the fairest woman in the southern kingdom. They were happy.”

“One bright day, he returned home and found his house empty. The smell of wood smoke led him to the rear of his house. A large stack of burning wood greeted him. The sole of his wife’s right foot protruded from the fire. Someone murdered her and burned the body beyond recognition. It was his darkest day.”

“He buried her, closed his house, and began to wander. He travels from kingdom to kingdom.”

“If he is your mark, I suggest you find a new occupation. Your present one is going to kill you.”

“Where is the Ba’uu?”

“It is outside.”

“I have a melon for her.”

“What! How did he know? When did he leave?”

“Can I persuade you to leave him alone?”

“Never! He raped me and kissed me goodbye!”

Sar burst into hysterical laughter. Standing, she paced the room, laughing and holding her extended stomach.

“Sar, is it time?” Kyber asked.

Krinna stared at her. “What ails you, sister?”

Holding her bouncing belly, Sar leaned against the mantel to support her weight. She laughed until her ribs ached. Facing the fireplace, she spoke into the silence. Krinna thought it was doomsday. She refused to hear when Sar’s accusing voice penetrated her heart with the swiftness of an arrow. “You love him.”

Open-mouthed, she stared at Sar. “That is ridiculous!” She explained vehemently.

Sar turned and slowly waddled to her stool. “Krinna, my beloved sister, even your looks betray you.”

Flustered, Krinna listened.

“You have had opportunities to kill him and didn’t. You fell in love with him. Listen to yourself, little sister. Listen to your heart.”

“You say he ravaged you, but I keep hearing you say he kissed you goodbye. The goodbye hurts. Why?”

“I don’t know, but I’m afraid you will tell me.”

“See. You are defensive. You know I truth speak. You don’t want to kill him. You want to love him and ask why he said goodbye. Do you want me to tell you why?”

“No.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Sar, don’t say what you are thinking. It may not be true.” Kyber said as he got up and walked to the front door. Quietly opening it, he saw the Ba’uu coiled in a striking position. He stepped aside and said, “Come in. Let’s enjoy some melon.”

Kyber ignored the women, closed the door, and followed the snake into the kitchen.

“It is true,” Sar said to his retreating.

“What is true?” Krinna asked.

“He loves you.”

“Don’t be a fool, sister. It is unbecoming of a woman of wisdom. He is my mark, my security before the guilds. He is gold and silver to me.”

“Without disclosing any secrets, I can say he loves you. It is in his voice when he speaks of you. He likes your confidence and perseverance.”

“No, Sar, he thinks I’m a bumbling fool. Everything I do around him is stupid. In his presence, I am an amateur.”

“Last night, he stopped and visited. After Kyber retired, we talked all night. He departed early this morning.”

“He spoke fondly of you. He told me he kissed you goodbye. I asked him why he said goodbye. A sad expression crossed his face. Krinna, I swear to you. He said I don’t want to kill her.”

“I pressed him as hard as I dared without forcing him to silence. He waited long before speaking, and I thought I had driven him away. Solemnly, he told me you had eaten with him and Gorga. If you don’t already know it, in the southern kingdom, you become friends when you dine together.”

“I asked him if he had feelings for you. His eyes watered, and he turned away from me. He said he died mentally and spiritually when his wife, Starla, was murdered.”

“Who did you say?”

“His wife.”

“No, what did you call her?”

“Her name was Starla. Why?”

“There is no particular reason. I have heard the name before. I’m sorry for interrupting. Please continue.”

“He buried his emotions in her grave. He said light was beginning to shine in his heart again. Krin, he looked me in the eyes and said, I’m afraid to love her. I may destroy her.”

“Sar, I appreciate what you said, but I have never failed a mission and won’t be deterred from my contract.”

“I would do anything to save your life and see you happy, but if you kill him, then your life is forfeit.”

“Why is it forfeit?”

Leaning forward and lowering her voice, she replied, “Kyber told you he is a very wealthy man. He can buy anything he desires. He has friends in every kingdom who wouldn’t like his murder. Beware the Ba’uu, my little sister.”

“Not everyone, sister, someone wants him dead. I have the contract. Now, why don’t you tell me who he is?”

“I can’t betray certain trusts. I will say he commanded Kyber when he led the army.”

“I thought Kyber was a general?”

“He was.”

“So, you tell me Watermelon is a king’s man?”

“I have said too much. If you call him that, he will know I betrayed his trust.”

“He rented a horse from us. You are to ride it to Robbers Gulch. Leave it with the smith, and he’ll send it home. Order a meal at the Sweating Hog Restaurant.”

“It is hot in here, sister. Would you care to walk in the night air?”

“After your exhilarating information, I could use a night stroll.”

“Kyber, honey, we are going for a walk,” she said, heading for the door.

“If you need help, let me know.”

###

“There is a storm brewing,” Krinna said. “It will be bigger and deadlier than the last one.”

“How can you tell?” Sar asked, looking at the starry sky.

“The day's sticky heat has been carrying over into the night. A devastating storm destroyed Three Cities. He warned the people to leave. Those who survived left before it came ashore. Most of them didn’t listen. They died.”

“He didn’t mention a storm.”

“Sar, who is your mysterious friend? He seems to know everything and everyone.”

“Truthfully, Krin, I don’t know. Kyber swears by him. At Kyber’s request, he made a special trip to attend our wedding. He bought this land and gave it to us as a wedding gift.”

“I pray you will cancel your contract,” Sar said as a cold wind gusted off the coast. It caused her to tremble.

The coldness of Krinna’s retort made her shake. “When I pocket the money for his cold corpse, it will be canceled,” she growled.

“It is getting late and cold. I believe you are right. A cold, dark, terrifying storm is coming. I pray you survive. Let’s go back to the house.”