cloth around his head, holding it in place. He tied it tightly and shoved Kerrion aside before he reclaimed his seat on the far side of the fire. There he sipped his tea and regarded at his captive, who could only glare back at him. The assassin sat for a long time, measuring the Prince with his eyes. Finally he spoke into the silence.
'You are going to goad me with that whenever you can, are you not? You seem to enjoy making me angry. I see that now. It is a kind of revenge, the only one of which you are capable. You seem to think that this is something I am ashamed of, and thence stems my anger. But you are wrong. I will tell you what you want to know. It seems I have told you too much already, but hopefully you will die soon. Perhaps, being a Cotti, you have a right to know.'
Kerrion frowned in confusion, and Blade went on, 'All the Jashimari boys were… gelded in your camps. I suppose they thought we would live to be adults, and by gelding us they would make us easier to handle. Jashimari are strong-willed and stubborn, unlike Cotti, who spend all their energy talking, and are easily persuaded to do as they are told, even offering to be willing captives.' Blade cast a scornful eye over the Prince.
'I never stopped trying to escape, and several times they beat me almost to death. What they did to me only made me hate them more, and I became more determined to escape them, no matter how they punished me. Do not insult me with your pity, either, for I have found my… difference to be a great asset at times, ensuring that I never find myself at the mercy of some scheming woman. And it has enabled me to be a good assassin, providing, as it does, a fool-proof disguise.
'Your father fell for it, as many have done before him, and paid the price. You could say that what your soldiers did led to his death, for any normal man would not be able to pass himself off as a woman, for obvious reasons.'
Blade's gaze rested on Kerrion's chin, from which a three-tenday-old beard sprouted. He raised a hand to rub his smooth cheek, a slight smile curling his lips again.
'So, now you know, and I do not really care who you tell. I do not like to talk about it, but it has never been a secret. Most people know what I am when they see me, and how I became what I am is irrelevant. You may take some pride in what your soldiers did to me, but it has not done you, or them any good, has it? Perhaps I will suggest to the Queen that she return the favour with you, and send back to the Cotti a king who will never beget sons. I will gladly kill all your brothers, too.'
Kerrion longed to tell Blade that he had no pity in his heart for a man like him, but what the soldiers had done was so wrong that it made him ashamed. That his father had been a part of it was even more shameful. The assassin finished his tea and put away the cup, then tied the Prince to a tree as usual before rolling himself into his blankets, leaving Kerrion gagged.
The Prince lay awake for a long time, thinking about what he had learnt. He had always thought war an honourable thing, an undertaking by brave men who fought for honour and glory, who battled and died proudly under the flags of their King and country. Sometimes there were prisoners, and these were taken to work in the mines, digging ore to forge into new weapons for the Cotti army, a fitting punishment for setting themselves against the might of his father's kingdom.
Women and children were innocents, however, and to his knowledge never taken prisoner and certainly not abused in the way Blade described. He wondered if the assassin was lying, but somehow believed him. Much as he disliked Blade for murdering his father and his own harsh treatment, he also admired his courage, spirit and determination. For all his faults, the assassin was a man with many admirable traits.
'When did this start?' Minna demanded of her chief advisor.
'Almost a three tendays ago, My Queen.'
'And why was I not informed earlier?'
'At first General Hannach thought it merely another attack. They are fighting a war, after all. The Cotti attack all the time. But they have been throwing themselves at the mountain pass relentlessly, and the general says that their fury is frightening to behold.'
Minna's eyes sparkled with joy. 'Then he has succeeded!'
'Perhaps,' Chiana allowed. 'He might have only enraged them with his attempt.'
'No. He has succeeded. What of the Prince?'
Chiana shook her head. 'No one has seen either Blade or the Prince.'
The Queen did not seem to hear. 'If this started three tendays ago, and Blade has been gone almost a moon phase, he must be nearly here by now.'
'My Queen, there is the more pressing matter of the general's request for reinforcements.'
'Yes, yes.' Minna made an impatient gesture. 'You take care of the matter, send him whatever he requires.'
Chiana bowed and headed for the door, but the Queen's command stopped her. 'I did not give you leave to go. There is more. Send orders to the guards, to Captain Redgard, to be on the lookout for Blade. When he comes, they must let him in instantly.'
Chiana bowed again. 'Yes, My Queen.'
'He will be here any day now, with the Cotti King as his captive.'
The Queen walked to the windows and gazed at the dreary gardens drenched by sleeting rain. Her eyes sparkled and her pale cheeks were flushed with delight. She looked like a girl of sixteen, and sometimes acted like one, despite her upbringing. Chiana closed the doors softly behind her as she left.
The sound of approaching hoof beats woke Kerrion, and he jerked upright in alarm. He groaned as stiff muscles protested and looked around for the assassin, finding himself alone. Had Blade abandoned him, trussed and helpless, to the mercy of local marauders? As the horse came into view through the dripping mist, he slumped with relief.
Blade dismounted, cast a glance at his gagged captive, and pulled a pack from his horse. Taking a loaf of bread from it, still warm from the oven, he broke it in two. He yanked the gag from the Prince's mouth and handed him half.
Kerrion took it, rubbing his aching jaw. 'Where did you go?'
'For supplies.'
The Prince tore at the bread. 'You do not need to gag me anymore. I will not try to make you angry again.'
The assassin ignored him, glancing around as he ate.
'I do not pity you,' Kerrion stated. 'I should think it must be impossible to pity a man like you. But what those soldiers and my father did was wrong. If I am returned to the desert, I shall see to it that these abominable practices are stopped.' Blade shook his head, and the Prince went on, 'I shall appoint overseers and employ spies to ensure this. I know that is the only way.'
Blade uncorked a water skin and washed the bread down, then rose to saddle the Prince's horse.
Kerrion scowled at him, frustrated by his silence. 'Do you not have anything to say?'
The assassin shrugged. 'I doubt you will get the opportunity.'
'When I tell your queen, I am sure I shall. War is one thing, but these atrocities must be stopped.'
'And you do not think that war itself is an atrocity?'
'We fight for our honour and defend our land.'
Blade snorted. 'Honour! What would you know about that? And why would the Jashimari try to invade your god-forsaken desert? What do you have that we would want? Your wealth is measured in tonnes of useless sand.'
'The Cotti are a rich people. We have beautiful cities and great oases, as well as plenty of gold. Your queens have ever been fond of gold.'
'She has so much of the damned stuff that she has built her palace from it. What would she want with more?' Blade tightened the horse's girth with an angry jerk. 'No, it was the Cotti who tried to invade Jashimari land, envious of our fertile soil and abundance.'
Kerrion glanced around at the chill mist. 'No Cotti would wish to live in such a cold, wet place as this.'
'No Jashimari would want to be boiled to death in your damned desert, nor stricken with its plagues. So I do not know what we are fighting about, nor do I care.'
'No one knows what we are fighting about any more.'
'Then I do not know why we bother,' Blade retorted. 'Nor do I wish to argue about it.'
When the Prince had finished his bread, Blade hooded him and boosted him into the saddle.
