“I thought you said I wasn’t a target.”
“I did and you’re not. Just like you, I’m no longer an assassin. Well, not just like you. I haven’t entered into the priesthood or anything, but I no longer work for Emon.”
Emon Gorsedd was a mercenary warlord who specialized in training assassins that he would then hire out to the highest bidder. Actually Emon did more than merely recruit his trainees; he acquired children, sometimes through legal means, most often not, and made them his slaves. He then trained them ruthlessly in the art of killing, transforming them into highly skilled and completely amoral murderers. To solidify his control over his young charges, Emon manipulated them into allowing evil spirits to share their physical forms. These spirits not only helped dampen the children’s natural empathy so they could kill more efficiently, they made it impossible for Emon’s assassins to even think about leaving him.
Diran and Makala had both been among Emon’s “children.” They had grown up together, as close as brother and sister. When they reached adolescence, they’d become even closer, much closer, but soon after his last mission for Emon, they’d had a falling out. Once he was free of Emon’s control and studying the way of the Silver Flame, he’d often entertained thoughts of returning to Emon’s compound and attempting to free Makala, though he’d never acted on those thoughts. He’d still harbored hurt feelings over their parting, and more, he feared she’d only send him away or worse, try to kill him on sight. Now he wished he’d put his resentment and fear aside and at least made the attempt.
“How did you manage such a feat?” Diran asked. “I thought I was the only one who’d ever escaped Emon by any means other than death.”
“You still are. Two years ago, Emon sent me to kill a rival warlord named Grathis Chessard who’d been stealing much of his business.” She smiled grimly. “Since the end of the Last War, there isn’t as much work to go around for assassins as there used to be. Somehow, Chessard knew I was coming-perhaps he had a spy in Emon’s service-but whatever the reason, the warlord was prepared, and when I entered his bedchamber one night, the man slew me with a single sword-thrust to the heart.”
“You look awfully good for a dead woman,” Diran said.
Makala laughed. “I didn’t remain dead for long. Chessard’s sister was a priestess, and he had her resurrect me. His plan was to place me under his control and send me back to slay Emon.”
Diran nodded appreciatively. “Sounds like a good plan. What went wrong?”
“When I died, the spirit that possessed me fled my body, so when I was returned to life, my mind and soul were once more my own. The priestess tried to cast some sort of control spell on me, but I resisted and the spell failed. I killed both the priestess and Chessard then fled the warlord’s home. Afterward, I made sure the word reached Emon that while I’d succeeded in my mission, I’d died in the process. As far as I know Emon believes it. At least I’ve never had one of his assassins come for me.”
“I wish I could say the same. I also wish it had occurred to me to fake my own death. It would’ve saved me a lot of trouble over the years.”
They’d reached the docks by now, but instead of walking alone the shoreline, as if by unspoken mutual consent they stepped onto the dock and began walking down it. Makala let go of Diran’s arm and took his hand. Diran didn’t discourage her.
“I knew that you’d escaped Emon too, though I had no idea you’d become priest of the Silver Flame. Once I was free as well, I had nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no idea how to go about making a life for myself. I’d spent my entire childhood learning to kill people for my master. I knew nothing else.”
Diran understood.
“I was tempted to continue working as an assassin-even went so far as to accept a job in Sham, but without the spirit inside me…”
“You couldn’t kill your assigned target,” Diran finished.
“That’s right.”
They reached the end of the dock and stood looking out across the sea. The wooden dock bobbed gently beneath their feet as waves rolled in toward shore, and gulls drifted on the air around them, calling softly as if in deference to the night. While sea-mist hovered close to the water, the sky was clear and cloudless. The golden Ring of Siberys was clearly visible, as were a number of Eberron’s twelve moons, some full and glowing bright, others only slivers. The illumination they cast down upon the ocean made the sea-mist seem to glow with soft, pulsing light.
Makala continued. “Do you ever miss it, Diran?”
Even though he’d been expecting it, the word hit him like a jolt. For an instant his mind and body remember what it had felt like to play host to another entity. How every fiber of his being, every muscle and nerve-ending, every thought and emotion, had been intertwined with his dark spirit. The strength, the confidence, the clarity of thought and purpose were far more intoxicating than any drink or drug.
“Of course not,” Diran said. “You?”
“Never.”
They each knew the other was lying, but they also understood why and chose to let the matter rest there.
“Once I was free, I could no longer do the only work I was trained for,” Makala said. “I no longer wanted to do it, so I decided to try and find the only thing in my life that had ever been good.” She turned to look into Diran’s eyes and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “You.”
They stood like that, gazing into one another’s eyes for a long moment. Then Diran leaned forward and kissed Makala. The kiss was slow and lingering, and he savored the sweet softness of her lips. He’d feared he would’ve forgotten their feel, their taste, but he hadn’t. Finally they broke apart and Makala put her arms around Diran and lay her hand on his chest. Diran wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
“I knew you’d been born in the Lhazaar Principalities, so I came here, hoping that one day you might return and that our paths would cross once more. I’ve been in the Principalities for almost a year now, wandering around, taking whatever honest-or nearly honest-work I could find, waiting and searching. Now at last my search is over.”
She moved in to kiss him once more, but he drew back, though without breaking their embrace. She frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I still… care for you, but so much has happened since we last saw each other… we’ve both changed so much…”
Makala pulled out of his arms and took several steps away from Diran. She turned her back on him, folded her arms, and stared out at the glowing ocean mist.
“What are you saying? That you don’t love me anymore?” Her voice was tight with anger, hurt, and fear.
Diran felt incomplete without her in his arms, but though he ached to go to her side, he remained where he was.
“I’m saying that I don’t know if we can simply pick up where we left off.” He stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You tried to kill me, Makala.”
Her shoulders stiffened beneath his touch, but she didn’t reply. He opened his mouth to speak, intending to say something, anything, but no words came to him. Instead, his attention was diverted by the sight of three large shadowy forms out on the water. At first he thought they might be a trio of creatures, sea dragons, perhaps, or even gigantic water striders, but as they came closer, he was able to make out their shapes more clearly and realized that he was looking at a trio of three-masted ships. The galleons were black, gliding across the glowing sea mist swift and silent. Huge towers rose from the stern of each vessel, supporting trapped air elementals bound into the form of rings. The elementals powered the ships, sending them across the surface of the water with great speed, the finlike structures that extended from the hulls of the ships slicing through the waves like finely honed blades.
The changeling’s words came back to Diran then. Tonight the streets of Port Verge will run thick with blood.
“I think we should leave,” he said. And go get Ghaji, he added to himself. He had a feeling the two of them would soon have work to do.
