The Guild of Assassins (9 page)

Egey Bashi lifted his head, watching Kara and Mai enter the room. He saw how Kyth’s face lit up when he saw her, and how his eyes darkened for a brief moment as they slid over Mai. However, as the two Diamonds approached the table and lowered into the last two available chairs, he also noticed more. The way Mai and Kara avoided looking at each other, yet moved in perfect unison, as if aware of each other’s thoughts. The way Kara blushed and turned away as she met Kyth’s eyes. The way Mai didn’t look at Kyth at all.

Egey Bashi peered closer. A small bruise darkened Mai’s skin inside his shirt, very close to his neck. It could be a punch mark from a fight. But if the Magister didn’t know better, he would have thought it looked suspiciously similar to a love bite.

His eyes widened as he glanced at Raishan. The Diamond had been the one to seek out Mai and Kara in the inn. He had probably entered their room. Had Raishan noticed something too?

Raishan’s impenetrable look confirmed his suspicions. Egey Bashi looked at Kyth again, seeing the Prince’s eyes narrow as he, too, must have noticed the subtle signs. Kyth knew Kara very well. It was too much to believe that the Prince could stay ignorant for long.

“I made arrangements to have your horse shod, Aghat Mai,” Egey Bashi said, aware how his voice cut through the building tension around the table. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Mai turned to him, as though seeing the Magister for the first time. His face looked drawn, as if he hadn’t had enough sleep. His damp, neatly combed hair suggested that he had just taken a bath. Egey Bashi cursed silently. While ordinarily this was none of his business, tension between Kyth and Mai was the last thing they needed right now. Things were heading toward a disaster, and he wasn’t sure if he knew anything humanly possible to avert it.

“Thank you, Magister,” Mai said.

Egey Bashi nodded. “We plan to ride out as soon as possible. Since, fortunately, we were able to catch up with you and Kara, we hope both of you will agree to continue this trip with us. We are, after all, heading to the same place.”

Mai glanced at Kara. Egey Bashi couldn’t help noticing how, when their gazes met, it seemed for a moment that they were alone in the room. Their eyes locked on each other for an extra instant, as if having trouble separating.

Egey Bashi cursed again, thinking of the conversation he had had with Kyth at the last campsite. Back then the mere possibility that Mai was attracted to Kara threw the Prince off balance even when he firmly believed that Kara would never reciprocate. And now, even if Egey Bashi tried very hard, he couldn’t imagine a worse turn of events. Given the Keeper’s inclination for pessimism, this state of affairs seemed a very hard one to achieve.

“I think it is a good idea to travel together, Magister,” Kara said. “If you’ll forgive me, I need to go and check my horse.” She swept past the Keeper and left the inn before anyone could rise.

Kyth sat for a moment looking after her.

“I’ll be right back,” he said.

Mai lifted his head, watching Kyth hurry outside in Kara’s wake, but he didn’t comment or move to follow. Egey Bashi let out a sigh. Perhaps this was the best way. If this trip were to continue without major incident, Kyth and Kara needed to talk things out, the sooner the better.

Kyth overtook Kara halfway to the stable. She paused, waiting for him to catch up. Kyth looked searchingly into her eyes, seeing her drawn face, her distant look, and the special set of her shoulders that made her look relaxed and tense at the same time.

He was sure something terrible must have happened.

He had to know.

He stopped in front of her, seeking out her gaze. “Did you and Mai…?”

Her eyelids trembled. “I don’t expect you to understand.” She lowered her eyes, her fingers absently twirling a string of her pack.

A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach made him instantly nauseated. It was as he suspected. Her expression told him as much.

“Try me,” he managed.

Reluctantly, she raised her eyes back to his face. “Things got a bit out of hand.”

“
Out of hand
?”

She sighed. “Remember when I told you I was different?”

“Yes.”

“I know you never believed me. But I did really mean it. I am not like you, not at all.”

Kyth continued to look at her in disbelief, feeling as if the world around him was slowly going awry. True, she had told him all that before. She also told him that she was leaving him, which meant that, even if she did find love with someone else, she had committed no betrayal. And yet, up to now, he hoped her only motivation was to do her duty. Hell, she had told him this much. Had she lied? Had she had feelings for Mai all along?

“The Majat training,” Kara said, “discourages any emotional bonds. However, we are encouraged to explore the physical ones, during our training. We do it to overcome the discomfort that could get us disconcerted in a fight – say, if it gets too physical against an attractive opponent. In such situations, sexual inexperience can become a serious handicap.” She paused as if waiting for Kyth to ask a question, but he kept his silence. “Later on, we are taught to control our sexuality, channel it into weaponry. In the end, it adds to our skill. In the heat of a fight, it’s often difficult to tell the difference.”

Kyth shook off his stupor. “You did it with Mai in the heat of a fight?”

“Yes.”

Blood rushed into Kyth’s face. “He
forced
himself on you?”

Her gaze wavered. “No. It wasn’t like that at all. I... It just... happened, that’s all.”

Her look told him questioning her further would be useless. Kyth took a breath to quieten his racing heart. He didn’t want to venture his thoughts on what had happened between them. He also couldn’t escape the feeling that she wasn’t telling him everything, but he let it be for the moment. He still couldn’t wrap his head around what she had told him.

“And it doesn’t mean anything to you?”

She sighed. “You know you weren’t my first man, right?”

Kyth nodded, at a loss for words. He knew, of course. She was not a virgin when they first made love, but in some ways she had seemed like one. She had been so detached, so distanced from any physical affection that it had taken a while for him to break down this barrier and convince her to let him close.

“You knew that, yet you never questioned my prior experience, did you?” she said.

“No.”

“Can’t we just leave it at that?”

He slowly let out the air he was holding. “Was it the same with Mai as what you had before with other men?”

Her hesitant expression made his gut wrench.

“It’s something that definitely wasn’t supposed to happen between two people of our training,” she said at length.

He continued to hold her gaze, suppressing the sting of tears in his eyes.

“I did tell you,” she said, “that things between us weren’t likely to work out. Even if I survive. I am just too different from you. In your world, I am not a normal person, not a woman who could make you happy. You deserve better.”

His lips twitched. “Isn’t that for me to decide?”

“Look,” she said. “I’m likely heading to my execution. As I told you before, I cannot let Mai do this alone. This hasn’t changed, regardless of what happened between us. I wish you would just let this go. Please. We have bigger things at stake.”

He nodded, trying to control his trembling lips.
I will not cry. I will not.
“I understand. I try to. I just cannot possibly give up hope.”

She shook her head. “Sometimes you have to. That’s the only way to allow other things into your life.”

He clenched his fists until they hurt, forcing back tears. Was he truly losing her?

Had he lost her already?

“Kyth,” she said. “If we’re to travel together, we have to make it work. All of it. The fate of your kingdom – all our lives – depends on it.”

He nodded again. She was right. And yet, could he ever bear to look Mai in the face and not hate him? Could he bear the thought of traveling together with
this
hanging over their heads?

“I’ll go prepare my horse,” she said. “I’ll be back shortly. Will you be all right?”

Kyth nodded. As she turned and walked away, he stood still, looking after her.

He felt dumbfounded. He believed she probably meant what she said, but her hesitation when he had asked if what happened with Mai was the same as her prior experiences kept haunting him. She said they hadn’t meant for it to happen, but Kyth just couldn’t feel convinced.
She
hadn’t meant for it to happen, he was sure of it. But what about Mai?

He caught a movement behind him and spun around.

Mai
.

Kyth’s eyes narrowed. Seeing the Diamond face to face made his hatred boil. Everything Kara had said, everything he had been thinking on the road even before his worst suspicions were confirmed, rushed into his face with a strength that threw him momentarily off balance.

“You…
bastard
,” he blurted.

Mai kept his gaze with an unreadable expression.

“
How could you
?”

Mai didn’t respond. He just stood in front of Kyth, watching him.

Gloating, are you?
Kyth’s hand darted to his belt, drawing his sword. He thrust it at Mai’s chest, but the Diamond leaned out of the way in a quick, easy move.

Kyth concentrated. He used his gift and drew in the force of the wind, focusing it on the tip of his sword as he sent it around in a sneaky spin, straight at Mai’s heart. The Diamond stepped aside, so fast that the wind whirled around him. He no longer looked as if dodging Kyth’s blade was so easy. His face acquired the deep concentration that Kyth usually saw in a fight, his eyes following the tip of the sword that kept whistling around with speed and precision far beyond Kyth’s regular skill.

“Draw your weapon!” Kyth demanded.

Mai ignored his words. He kept his arms relaxed at his sides as he danced between Kyth’s thrusts. Kyth called in more wind, increasing the speed.

He knew he probably couldn’t stand up to Mai for long in a weapon fight, but if Mai refused to defend himself, Kyth was bound to come through sooner or later, if he managed to maintain his concentration and his command of the wind. Yet, knowing Mai’s skill, he knew it was going to take a very long time.

He lowered his sword.

“You think I’m not good enough to fight you?”

Mai came to a standstill, surveying him.

“Actually, you’re not.”

“Have it your way.” Kyth raised his sword again. He hated to admit that, despite using his gift, he was already getting tired. This knowledge filled him with even more anger. Why did Mai have to be so damned perfect in every way?

“That’s not the only reason I won’t cross blades with you,” Mai said. “We have no quarrel.”

Kyth stared, once again lowering his blade.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“I don’t own her,” Mai said. “Neither do you. If I agreed to fight you over this, I would be admitting I had a right to her, wouldn’t I?”

Kyth narrowed his eyes. “True. You have no right to her.”

“And you think you do?”

Kyth lifted his sword again, pointing its tip at Mai’s throat.

Mai surveyed him calmly. This time he did not try to dodge the blade.

“If you strike me down, would that make you feel better?” he asked.

“Yes.” Kyth clenched his teeth and pressed the tip of his sword against Mai’s skin.

Mai held his gaze. “Go ahead, do it.”

Kyth’s hand wavered. He lowered his sword.

His heart raced. He
hated
Mai, but he just couldn’t do it. Not this way, when Mai was refusing even to lift a finger in his defense.

“You think you understand everyone, don’t you?” he said. “You think you can play with people the way you want.”

Mai raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Kyth’s lips trembled. “You made such a show of your sacrifice. You made everyone fuss over saving you. You lured her to follow you and then... then you
seduced
her so that you can be bloody sure she will help you fight. And now, she is heading into serious trouble because you just couldn’t keep your hands off her, could you?”

Mai’s gaze wavered. “If you convince her to stay behind, I’ll be in your debt forever. There’s nothing I want more than to see her walk away from this.”

Kyth paused to control the annoying twitch at the corner of his mouth.

“I’ve seen the way you treat women. You use them as your tools. And now, you found the ultimate tool and are doing everything you can to make sure she doesn’t leave your side.”

Mai didn’t respond, but a glint in his eyes suggested to Kyth that he was treading on dangerous ground. He didn’t give a damn.

“I know you think you have feelings for her. But if you truly cared, you would never have done this, not when you knew that being close to you can only draw her deeper into trouble.”

“I didn’t ask her to follow me,” Mai said quietly.

Kyth clenched his teeth. “If you hadn’t been so bloody
comforting
to her all the time, if you hadn’t made sure she felt so eternally
grateful
to you for saving her life, she may not have.”

Mai shifted from foot to foot. “Are you going to kill me or not?”

“You think something will stop me?” Kyth raised his sword, but a firm hand grasped his shoulder. He spun around and came face to face with Egey Bashi. Raishan stayed at his back, his narrow eyes darting around to take in the scene.

“Kyth,” the Keeper said. “Your Highness. Leave Aghat Mai alone. Killing him won’t make things better.”

“Actually,” Mai said, “it might. If I’m dead, Kara would have no reason to return to the Guild, would she?”

“If you’re dead,” the Keeper retorted, “she would be far less likely to handle whoever your Guildmaster decides to send after her. Come, Prince Kythar. We must prepare for the road.”

Kyth shrugged, throwing the Keeper’s hand off his shoulder. Then he turned and strode away. He saw Raishan fall into step in his wake, but he didn’t care.