“Did they see you leave the boat?”
No, they think I am cowering underneath the seats.
“Good.” Cassany said. The goddess stared at Sarren but said nothing further, which made Sarren extremely nervous. Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken when the door to the throne room opened and in stepped a tall man dressed in black animal hide. He wore a hood to hide his face and Sarren was surprised he was allowed to enter in the chamber in the presence of a goddess with a sword strapped to his side and a bow and quiver on his back. He stepped a few paces in front of the throne and took a knee, bowing his head to Cassany.
“Rise Tanyth Veridian.” Cassany said in a booming, yet feminine voice.
The man called Tanyth rose to his feet and removed the hood from his head. He is an elf! Sarren observed.
Cassany’s eyes darted to Sarren, and she sank down, wondering if the goddess was reluctant of her presence.
“My goddess, I am here to serve thee.” Tanyth said.
“Good, and if I tell you I want you to kill the Black Mage and take her place, would you object?”
Tanyth smirked, “Why should I object?”
Cassany chuckled, “Because the Black Mage has my power. She will not be a pushover. You will not be able to use many of your assassin skills on her. She will sense your intentions, feel your malice, and detect your lies. She is just as likely to kill you as you are to kill her.”
“You underestimate me, my goddess. I only use the blunt ways of assassination on fools. I have more skill than perhaps you realize; furthermore, I am an elf. Let her try to detect me, I say.”
“I admire your confidence, but don’t be a fool.”
“There is nothing foolish about me, my goddess. But, if I may, it is sheer speculation and folly to postulate on how I may have fared against your champion, for you know I am unable to kill the Black Mage and take her place. You know of my condition.”
Cassany eyed him, “Yes, well, pity. It would have been a spectacular fight.” She tossed her hand flippantly, “Anyway, I cannot interfere with the Black Mage’s power. It is forbidden by decree the gods, not to mention by the codes of the tournament. The rules also say I am not to interfere with the other mages either. I am afraid I have to train and accept who I have no matter how difficult she may be to control.”
“Rules of the gods and tournament? Since when have rules stopped you before, my goddess? There are ways around my condition, you know. I can also kill the other mages in ways that do not require my direct hand.”
Cassany’s expression brightened, “Can you do it, then?”
“I can.”
Cassany’s mood became almost cheerful, “Why not? The other gods certainly interfere. I have caught them on more than one occasion.” She clasped her hands together. “You will not receive any help from me. You will have to do this all on your own, you understand?”
“Naturally.” Tanyth said. “But how will your champion react?”
“That’s just it. It doesn’t matter. Thessa will never know I was involved.”
“You do not tell your champion information that will help her?”
“Not yet. She still needs — some work.” Cassany glanced at Sarren. “But I do have a plan in place with her. She will come around. I may have to bend the rules a bit, but I will break her.”
“As you wish.” Tanyth bowed slightly.
“I cannot divulge your target’s location, but I know he is in hiding. I think the fool believes he is still normal.”
“How shall I find him then?”
“I can give you a lead on his whereabouts. I have a connection with him.”
At first Sarren thought Cassany planned to get rid of Thessa, then she suspected they were no longer talking about the Black Mage when the conversation shifted. She only knew that somehow Cassany was marking one or more mages for death. Sarren suspected it must be Hana, the Red Mage, because of her connection with Thessa. At least she hoped it was Hana!
“Once the deed is done, we will lay all this at our champion’s feet. Thessa will not embrace her destiny so easily. I will therefore drag her to it kicking and screaming!” She turned to Sarren. “Come here, Sarren.”
Sarren pulled herself up, and nimbly bounded to the throne, her paws felt so light and dexterous.
“I shall employee Sarren, the Black Mage’s servant. Sarren will find a way to lead Thessa to your ultimate target. I want her present when you have your target exterminated.”
“If I may ask, why?”
“I want to see if Thessa will try to interfere. It would also be a bonus if Thessa were blamed for the deed. A reputation as a killer would do her good. I think it would go a long way to breaking her of her bad habits.”
“Shall I frame her, then?”
Cassany thought for a long moment, “No, I don’t think so. If it happens that she gets blamed then so be it, but I believe framing her might send her down a different path. One where she is bent on clearing her name instead of feeling the blame as a mere injustice. She will blame herself for the first target you are to find. I made certain of that.”
“Ah, I see.”
“When you are able, I also would like you to stay close to Thessa, away in the shadows. She is about to see the world in a whole different light and it might be good to throw an obstacle or two in her path to hone her skills and keep her sharp.”
“Understood.”
“Wait.” Cassany looked off into the distance. “I sense the one you seek has made his first kill. You had better hurry along before some townsfolk somewhere misunderstands.”
“I shall travel at once, my goddess.” Tanyth watched
