The Queen's Blade VI - Lord Protector Read online

  Chapter Five

  For the next few days, Blade paced around the castle like a caged cat, waiting for Storm to make his move. He grew irritable when Embeth developed a habit of creeping about after him and popping up at the most unexpected moments to ask him if he needed anything, or to tell him that his next meal was ready.

  Each day, he spent several time-glasses in one of the empty halls honing his skills, dancing until the sweat coursed from him and throwing daggers unerringly at a target he set up. At these times, he locked the door to prevent unwanted spectators. He did not expect Storm to wait long. The village inn was shoddy, and he would soon tire of living rough. In fact, Blade counted on that to speed the Cotti's attempt, for he was growing tired of waiting.

  When he was not occupied with his practice or relaxing in the library, he spent his time watching Lilu and her family work, fascinated by their daily routine. They toiled from dawn till dusk, each at their own chores, and he was amazed by how much work was involved with running the estate. Arjath, a shy youth with a shock of dark hair and green eyes, worked for the estate as a groom, and took care of the beasts they kept to support their needs.

  Arjath spent most of the day in the forest cutting wood, then chopped it into faggots for the fire upon his return. Lilu ruled the household and did most of the cooking. Embeth cleaned, washed the clothes and helped in the kitchen. The estate manager lived in the village with his family, and visited when he heard of Blade's presence, but the assassin was not interested in viewing the books. Blade expected Storm to come to the castle at night to make his attempt, since there were no sentries. When the Cotti assassin did not, Blade suspected that he was trying to lull him into a false sense of security.

  Lilu saw to his comfort, lighting fires in the rooms where he chose to sit and cooked a feast at every meal. Occasionally she drew him into a conversation over a bottle of wine, but she knew him well enough to leave him alone when he was not in the mood for such distractions.

  Three days after his arrival, six palace guardsmen rode into the keep's courtyard on exhausted mounts. They seemed relieved to find him at the castle, and explained that Chiana had sent them to protect him. They were a formidable bunch, all war veterans in their mid-thirties with hard eyes and stern demeanours. Blade did not attempt to hide his displeasure, and ordered them off his estate.

  The group's leader, a young commander, drew himself up. "We have orders to protect you, My Lord. We can't leave."

  Blade stepped closer to the man, which did not help, since the commander was quite a bit taller. "This is my estate, and I want you off it. I don't care what your orders are. I don't want your damned protection."

  "Our orders come from the Regent herself." The man's mouth twitched as he suppressed a smile. "She outranks you, My Lord."

  "How kind of you to point that out, Commander," Blade retorted. "I wouldn't have known, otherwise." He swung away, growling, "At least she didn't send a whole damned platoon."

  "They're a few days behind us, My Lord."

  Blade swung around. "You jest!"

  "No, My Lord."

  Blade swore and stormed into the castle, leaving the soldiers to sort out their living arrangements. To his intense annoyance, two men followed him, intent on guarding him. He went to the library and slammed the door in their faces, forcing them to remain outside.

  Blade was reading in the library two days later when Embeth came to tell him that a villager was asking to see him.

  Blade closed his book. "Do you know him?"

  She looked puzzled. "Yes, he's a miner."

  "Show him in."

  A stocky, dark-haired man clad in frayed homespun shambled in with his head bowed and his worn brown cap clasped in white-knuckled hands. He bowed and shuffled his muddy boots, clearly ill at ease.

  Blade studied him. "Well, what do you want?"

  "Beggin' yer pardon, Sire, I was hoping you would visit my pa. He's poorly. I reckon he's not going to last the winter."

  Blade frowned. "I'm not a king, so don't call me 'Sire'. Why should I visit your father?"

  "Well, yer a priest, m'lord. There's no other priest near here, none that will travel in winter."

  "I see. Who told you I'm a priest?"

  The man opened his mouth, then hesitated. "Well, it's known... is all."

  "No it's not. A man paid you to ask me this, didn't he? A black-haired man with a beard?"

  "No..." The miner shook his head, but his eyes darted.

  "Don't lie to me. I'm sure he's paying you well, but I'm the one to whom you owe your livelihood. Did he tell you that he plans to kill me?"

  The miner glanced up in surprise. "No..."

  "Ah, I suppose he said that he's an old friend, and wanted to surprise me. Was that his story?"

  "No."

  Blade gestured. "But he is hiding in your house, is he not? Disguised, I suppose, as one of your family." He shook his head. "How stupid does he think I am?"

  "No."

  "So he plans to waylay me outside. A better choice, but still obvious."

  The miner hunched his shoulders. "He didn't tell me nothing, m'lord, only to bring yer to me house."

  "And he paid you well enough for you to ask no questions." Blade rose and wandered over to the window. "He knows I'll suspect a trap, but he also knows I want this hunt over with. He just wants me out of the castle, where there are no people. He likes to do his killing in private, because it takes a long time for his victims to die."

  Blade swung to face the cowering man again. "You tell him that if he wants to kill me, he'll have to do it on my terms. I will not make it any easier for him."

  "Yes, m'lord." The miner backed away, bowing and wringing his cap.

  Blade strode past him and yanked open the door. Embeth stumbled in, so firmly had her ear been plugged to the keyhole. The miner scuttled out as Blade grabbed the girl, jerking her back hard enough to make her gasp when she tried to slip past him. He slammed the door and shoved her towards the fireplace, sending her staggering.

  "Don't you know it's rude to listen at keyholes, girl?"

  "Why didn't you tell us someone's trying to kill you?"

  "Because it's none of your business."

  She straightened her dress, smoothing out the wrinkles in the bodice where he had grabbed her. "Yes it is. You're putting all of us in danger."

  "No, assassins only kill their targets."

  "He's an assassin?" Her voice rose to a squeak of alarm.

  "Who else would be sent to kill me?"

  "And he'll kill anyone who gets in his way. Assassins do that, don't they?" she demanded.

  "Then don't get in his way."

  "Oh, you think Ma will let someone kill you without trying to stop him? She worships the ground you walk on!"

  "Then don't tell her," Blade said.

  "Why did you come here? Why didn't you go to the Queen's palace, where there are guards?"

  "Because guards won't stop him."

  She stared at him, clearly stunned. "Then you're going to let him kill you?"

  "No. I'm going to kill him."

  "But he'll come at night, when you're asleep. That's what assassins do, sneak around in the dark and stab people in their beds, isn't it?"

  Blade shrugged. "He may try that, but he won't find me asleep."

  "How can you be so sure of that?"

  "Because I'm an assassin too, girl."

  "You still have to sleep."

  "Yes." He sighed. "I sleep very lightly."

  "So why did you come here?"

  "Because there are less people around, and I know all of you. At least, that was the plan until those idiots arrived. They will only get in the way. In Jondar, or even in the palace, he would have the advantage, because he's a master of disguise. That's why he sent that man to try to get me out of the keep, where he can get close to me in the guise of a stranger."

  "But you won't go."

  He shook his head. "I prefer to choose my ground for this encounter. He
's an experienced assassin, so he won't make mistakes. It will be a contest of wits, and I've won the first round."

  "How so?"

  He looked away. "Are you going to tell your mother?"

  "She deserves to know what's going on."

  "She'll be camped outside my bedroom door with her favourite meat cleaver if you do. She'll get in the way, like your brother did, with the same result." The girl hesitated, looking uncertain, and Blade added, "Don't tell her, Embeth."

  "You shouldn't have come here!"

  His brows rose. "It's my estate."

  "And it's my family you're putting at risk."

  "Not if they stay away from me."

  She snorted. "You may as well tell a cow to stay away from grass, with Ma."

  "What a flattering analogy. Better than flies and dung though, I suppose." Tiring of the argument, Blade changed his tactics and smiled, making her blush and look away. "Do you want to go to court?"

  She shot him a covert glance, nodding. "Yes."

  "Then don't tell Lilu about this. I don't want her to get hurt."

  "So you do care about her?"

  "Of course."

  "Why don't you tell her? It would make her so happy to hear those words from you."

  Blade raised his hands. "No, I don't think so. She'll hug me to death."

  Embeth dimpled and inclined her head. "All right, I won't tell her about the assassin." A tiny frown creased her brow. "But you're sure he won't be able to kill you?"

  Blade's smile widened. "Quite sure."

  Embeth nodded, and as soon as she left, Blade turned to gaze out of the window, his smile fading. He pondered his words, trying to find some truth in them by imagining how he would feel if Lilu died. When he looked within himself, he found only the familiar yawning gulf of black coldness, without a hint of sorrow in it. He frowned at the bleak snowy landscape outside the frosted glass, finding it mirrored within himself. Was he entirely incapable of feelings? What would it be like to experience happiness again, and not just the fading memory of it from his childhood?

  Blade recalled the brief stab of emotion he had experienced when Chiana had leapt from the balcony, trying to name it. Had it been similar to the agony that had torn his heart when Rivan had died, and the pain that had caused him to weep for his sisters? A pale shadow of it perhaps, yet the thought of Lilu's death brought no such feeling. Was that because it had not happened? He turned away and picked up his book again, sinking onto the cushioned seat by the window. Soul searching was not good for someone like him, and he avoided it whenever possible.

  The following day, the platoon clattered into the castle's courtyard, brightening its drab greyness with their gold and blue livery and glinting armour. Lilu watched them from the kitchen window, glad to see the string of packhorses carrying provisions. Four of the six who had arrived earlier went out to meet the newcomers, leading them to the old billets near the stables where they had set up camp. The other two soldiers stood outside the library, guarding the man who sulked within.

  Blade's mood had soured considerably since the first six had arrived, from which she gathered that their presence was not his doing. Evidently his wife was concerned about his safety, and she wondered why he needed a whole platoon to guard him in his keep. Knowing him to be a solitary man, the presence of the platoon worried her. The last time he had visited, he had been accompanied only by Commander Jayon, and even he had been an uninvited guest. Why was the Regent so concerned for his safety? She glanced at Embeth, who watched the soldiers, chewing her lip.

  "What is it, Embeth?"

  The girl schooled her expression. "Nothing."

  "Don't lie to your mother."

  "I'm not -"

  "He's in some sort of danger, isn't he? You think I'm stupid? He didn't come here for a holiday, or to visit me. I doubt he even thinks of me when I'm not around."

  Embeth shook her head. "He cares about you. He told me."

  "Rubbish," Lilu snapped. "If he said that, it was only to stop you telling me. I know him too well. He doesn't even care about himself. It's not his fault." She sighed and dried the pot she had just washed. "He's suffered more than you could ever imagine, and he cursed me for saving his life."

  "You never told me that."

  Lilu shrugged. "It detracts from my good deed. When I found him, he had no will to live. Only the fact that he was unconscious for the first tenday allowed me to save him."

  She smiled at the memory. "His face was so swollen he was almost ugly, so it wasn't his good looks that made me help him. He was dirty and he stank of the gutter, yet I had to save him. I don't know why I took that alley home that night. It wasn't my usual route. Something guided me, because he's special." Lilu hesitated. "I've never told anyone this before, but Symbell told me to save him. He's God Touched. She showed me his aura, and it's as pure and bright as a saint's. And he's no less special now than he was then, so you tell me what you know."

  "He told me not to."

  "All the more reason to do it. And how did you find out, if he's trying to keep it a secret?" Lilu's eyes narrowed. "Were you spying on him?"

  Embeth hung her head. "I just listened to him talk to the miner, that's all."

  "You stupid girl. He must think I've raised a brood of idiots. First Endel, now you. Tell me what you learnt."

  "There's an assassin after him. A Cotti, the soldiers say."

  Lilu frowned, glancing at the men outside. "So that's why his wife's sent a whole platoon. But if soldiers could keep him safe, why didn't he stay at the palace?"

  "He said that guards can't protect him."

  "And why did he tell you not to tell me?"

  "Because you'd get in the way trying to save him, like Endel, with the same result. He doesn't want you to get hurt."

  Lilu snorted. "A likely story. And it'd take more than a damned assassin to finish me off." She stared into space. "You know, it's strange, but when you save someone's life, you feel like you own them. At least, I do. He's my assassin, and no one's going to take him away from me."

  "Or all this." Embeth gestured to the castle.

  "I've got enough saved up to buy my own place, so don't accuse me of selfishness. When I saved him, he had no titles, apart from being the Dance Master, but I didn't even know that then."

  "But you knew he was an assassin."

  Lilu nodded. "Only after I had taken him to my room. That made no difference either. And then he took vengeance on the man who broke my nose and beat me almost to death. Endel's father, Tromar. Blade also brought Endel back to me when Tromar stole him."

  "How did you get him to your room?"

  "I carried him." Lilu smiled. "He doesn't weigh much, and it wasn't far. I spent all my savings on that damned healer, too. To this day, he still thinks I did it because I wanted money from him, but that's not true."

  Embeth laid a hand on her mother's arm as Lilu's eyes grew moist. "I know."

  "And I don't like being kept in the dark." Lilu picked up a rolling pin and headed for the door. "Come, I want you to see this."

  Embeth hurried after her. "What are you going to do?"

  "Hopefully, show you a side of Blade that you'll otherwise never see."

  "By hitting him with a rolling pin?"

  Lilu snorted as she marched down the corridor towards the library. "Fat chance of that, my girl. About as much as you had with the pot."

  The guards outside the library doors looked askance when they spied the housekeeper storming towards them, armed with a rolling pin, but smiled and opened the door. Lilu swept into the room like a galleon under full sail, Embeth at her heels.

  Blade sprawled in a comfortable chair, his legs hooked over the arm, a book in his lap. He looked up at Lilu's entry, his brows rising when he took in her expression and the rolling pin in her fist. Closing the book, he placed it on the table beside him as she bore down on him. Lilu loomed over him, waving the rolling pin under his nose.

  "Why didn't you tell me?"

  H
is glanced at Embeth, then back to Lilu. "I didn't want to worry you."

  "Rubbish!"

  "Very well, I didn't want a rolling pin waved in my face."

  "You didn't want my help! You always think you can do everything alone, don't you? You never want to owe anybody anything, but you already owe me your life."

  He sighed. "As you never fail to remind me."

  "Because you need reminding! You think you're damned invincible, but you aren't."

  "I know I'm not invincible, but there's nothing you can do to help me this time."

  "Maybe there isn't and maybe there is, but it's not up to you to decide whether or not I should know there's an assassin hunting you. I'll be more suspicious of strangers who come to the door -"

  "He won't come in the daytime, and he certainly won't be knocking on the front door."

  She wagged the rolling pin at him. "Arjath's familiar could sleep outside your door at night."

  Arjath's large grey dog slept with the boy, and Blade did not relish the prospect of the shaggy hound sleeping anywhere near him, especially upwind.

  "I doubt he'll come through the door, either."

  Lilu glanced at the windows, her brow puckered. "Arjath could set traps inside the windows, like those he sets in the woods to catch game. We could booby trap your room, set tripwires with bells to raise the alarm."

  Blade laced his fingers. "I don't need bells to rouse me, either."

  "What about the soldiers? Some of them have wolves or cats, they could be set to guard you at night."

  He shook his head. "I'm not sleeping in a damned menagerie."

  "Then what are you going to do about it?"

  "I'm going to kill him."

  Lilu made a rude noise and leant closer, poking him in the chest with the rolling pin. "You need some sense pounded into that thick head of yours. You're too proud for your own good, and chance is a fickle thing. This assassin may outwit you and find a way to kill you before you wake. What if he shoots you with a crossbow from the window?"