Mark of the Assassin

32th day of spring 89 N.W.

Dear Francis:

I have enclosed in this package four more charms. Give them to who you please to stay healthy. I hope it isn’t too late for anyone. If you cannot give it to them without raising suspicion, then avoid presenting it to them and keep them for later. Eventually your charm will lose it’s power and you’ll need a new one.

I am worried for Peter. He has been acting odd lately. Why do people make it so hard to understand one another. I cannot tell what other people are thinking and it drives me mad. How can I know what I have done if no one will tell me.

The woman who takes my letters is at the door. I will have to sign this letter off short. Goodbye and I love you Francis.

Love Aeria

“I would like to speak to you without the prying ears of another child.” Peter’s uncle said. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve. Even if Peter trusted the man, I wished to stay far away from him.

“Yes, Uncle.” Peter said.

I walked away. Once I was out of earshot I could hear the two of them begin to talk. I desperately wished that I could hear what they were saying. His uncle looked upset about something and I wanted to know why.

“Did you do the spell?” His uncle asked. I raised my eyebrow, surprised that I could hear. That’s when I realized that I wasn’t overhearing their conversation- their conversation reverberated in my head. It was like I was hearing what Peter was hearing.

“Yes.” Peter said. “I will bring it back if you wish.”

“What?” The man nearly choked. “Are you sure that you are finished?”

“Yes.” Peter said. I felt the scar on my hand and wondered why Peter’s uncle acted surprised. After all, the man had given us the spell to do. “I will bring it back tomorrow when Aeria and I visit.”

“I don’t know why you let commoners in your presence.” He said. He crossed his arms over his chest, “Don’t let her near my chambers. I’m afraid she’ll get everything dirty.”

“If you knew her-“

“I do not concern myself with the poor.” His uncle said. “Just bring me back my box tomorrow. I will not be in my room, so just leave it by the door. I will see you at dinner tomorrow.”

“If you say so.” Peter said. He sounded agitated with the man, understandably so because I was too. There was no reason to dislike me other than the fact that he assumed that I was a commoner.

“Did you do the spell like I told you?” His uncle asked, grabbing his hands. He examined the scars and grunted. “What happened?”

“Uncle, I have to go.” He said, pulling his hands from the man’s grip. This was my cue to come over. Peter grabbed my scarred hand, “We have to be somewhere before the lower city gets crowded.”

“The lower city?” His uncle asked, glaring at me. “Who’s idea was it to bring a prince to the lower city.”

“Me.” Peter said, “We explore.”

“And bring left over fruits to the children.” I chimed in.

“Sard! We forgot the fruits inside.” Peter grumbled. “I’ll run back in and get them. I’ll be back in a moment- uncle you can talk to Aeria.”

That left his uncle and I standing silently. I held my hands as fists at my side as I did not want my hands to be grabbed and examined as well. I did not trust the man, no matter how much Peter trusted him. If I had met the man once more, then I would not have done the spell last night.

“Are you Peter’s play mate?” The man asked.

“Yes.” I said. D’aknu was too though. The three of us were often together. I wasn’t sure what he was insinuating.

“Remember your place.” He told me, uncrossing his arms and taking a step closer to me, “You can never be anything more than a play mate to a prince when you are nothing but a commoner.”

I said nothing.

“Child, when I speak, you answer.” He said, grabbing my loose hair. I clenched my fists and stood still. I had dealt with this enough times to know that answering only made it worse. The man would be angry either way.

“Answer him.” Peters said. I looked around a moment, looking for Peter. He wasn’t near me. I blinked a few times before realizing that I had probably just heard him in my head, like the animals.

“I apologize.” I said, both to Peter and his uncle.

“You behave like this again and you will be learning a lesson.” He said, yanking my hair. “And remember your place or I will be forced to do something.”

His uncle walked away as if he had not just threatened me. I stood in the same spot, clenching my fists. I could feel them burning. I knew that I was close to doing the same thing to the man as I had done to my sister.

As Peter came back with his bag of fruits, I was releasing the energy back into the air. It danced around me, tickling my cheeks as Peter stopped by me. He handed me a fruit and hugged me. We stood there for a moment before we began to walk towards our nightly lessons.

“Do you know what play mate means?” Peter asked once we had passed out the fruits. He had heard the whole conversation, as I had with him.

“D’aknu, you, and me.” I said. “We play games together-“

“That is not what my uncle meant.” Peter said, snorting. “Play mates means…” He paused for a moment, “Play mates is something people say about… sex.”

I blinked a few times. I could feel my body heating up and I knew that my face was going to turn red. I had said yes when his uncle asked if we were play mates! The man thought that I was play mates with his nephew! If he didn’t like me before, he certainly didn’t like me now.

“I didn’t know!” I said. Peter just laughed again and held my hand tighter. “Do you think he will forget soon-“

“No.” Peter said, still laughing. I had never been so embarrassed in my life. I only spoke the formal version of the language here, so there were many words that escaped me. Many times in classes people would be speaking and I wouldn’t know exactly what they were saying. It was difficult sometimes.

Once we got to our lesson, the other mages noticed the changes in us immediately. Carac was the quietest about it. He examined us, while Ryia made a fuss about it.

“What happened?” She demanded.

“Nothing-“

“Don’t lie.” Carac said, speaking his first words of the night. “You two have one eye the color of the other and hair that is mixed with the other and,” He paused to grab our hands and examine the scars, “Brand new scars. You two don’t leave scars when you heal.” He stared at us.

“My uncle gave us a box.” Peter said.

“That explains everything.” Josef said, rolling his eyes. “What did you two get into?”

“What box?” Carac asked, narrowing his eyes at the two of us. “What did it look like?”

“It had a knife and it was the size of a bread box.” Peter said.

“What color was it? Did it have engravings?” Carac asked. He had his arms crossed over his chest. I suspected he already knew the box we had used.

“It was burned and had-“

“A battle scene.” Carac finished.

“Carac, what have they done?” Josef asked.

“You two have just stuck your feet into Otokov’s kingdom,” Carac said, sighing. “Why would the two of you do that-“

“What!” I said, widening my eyes, “We’ve done what!”

Nearly everyone else’s reaction was the same. Ryia was nearly screaming, both at the two of us and Carac. Carac was rubbing his temples as he stared at the two of us. I couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking but seeing as he believed we had just killed ourselves, I imagined that it couldn’t be good.

“Even powerful mages don’t do the spell. Your uncle should have known better than to let the box out of his sights- and to give it to children! He must have fried his brain in one of his stupid experiments!” Carac said, “It’s a wonder you’re even alive right now.”

Peter looked shocked. With the way his uncle had spoken today and the fact that the spell he had given Peter should have killed him, I would be surprised if he trusted the man after this. No wonder his uncle seemed surprised when he said that he would be giving it back, Peter was intended to be dead.

“Are you two fine?” Ryia asked.

“A little tired.” Peter shrugged, “But we are alive and well.”

“Incredible.” Carac muttered. He stared at us and shook his head. “You two either have a god on your side or you are the most powerful mages I’ve ever met.”

“Then we must have a god on our side.” I said. “We have determined that we are alive and well-“

“It is not as simple as that. If one of you gets hurt, then so does the other. If one of you dies, then so does the other. You are essentially the same person in two different bodies now.” Carac said, still rubbing his temples.

“Can’t you separate them?” Josef asked.

“You can’t unbake a cake.” Carac said. “You two had better be careful that no one ever finds this out besides us.”

Apparently Peter’s uncle had not had the best intentions in mind when he gave us the box. Hopefully the man would never find out that I had also taken part in the spell. Although Peter might trust him, I feared that his uncle might be up to something.

If only the most powerful mages survived the box, then why would his uncle give it to us. We were twelve- well Peter had just turned thirteen- and he didn’t know that Peter was even mildly powerful. I had seen the way Peter behaved around animals, it was almost as if he could turn into one of them any minute and disappear.

On the way back to school from our lessons I thought about all the attempts as Peters life. He had gone to his uncle before me. Maybe his uncle was trying to help Peter out, but maybe he was part of it. If he loved Peter, he would never put him in Otokov’s way.

“Are you alright?” Peter asked as we entered the schools gates.

“Yes.” I said. I didn’t want to tell Peter that I didn’t trust his uncle because I feared it might upset him. Instead, I would keep it to myself and watch the man carefully.

For a while I wondered what Peter was thinking about this situation. I could ask him, but I didn’t want to upset him. Even though Carac said that we were intertwined to the point that we were almost the same person, I didn’t feel that. I didn’t know what Peter was thinking. Maybe that would change as time went on.

“Let’s go see mother.” He decided after we got back to our rooms. “Uncle will undoubtable have told mother something about our meeting today.”

“You mean the part where he grabbed me and nearly struck me?” I asked. I couldn’t help myself. I knew that he wouldn’t tell the queen any particulars because if the queen asked follow-up questions then she would know that he grabbed me by the hair.

“I still want to check.” He said. “Plus, we haven’t eaten since lunch and mother undoubtable has food.”

“I’ll get dress.” I said, letting go of his hand and slipping into my room. The two of us went to see his mother at least twice a week not including free days. His mother liked me and always hugged me when I visited. She knew nothing about my background and still liked me, even though she knew nothing about me bring royalty.

Once I was dressed, the two of us headed towards the castle. The secret passages felt colder than usual. Peter said it was because summer was coming so the mages were working to cool down the castle. I had noticed that it was becoming hotter. There were far more plants growing than had been when I first arrived.

“We could grow our own garden.” Peter suggested. “We need plants to make salves and teas anyways.”

“I think we should.” I said. We walked quietly for the rest of the way. Mostly I thought about how we could possibly split time between training, learning, and our nightly lessons. Maybe we could get D’aknu to help us out. We could all share the garden and we could give her teas for helping us.

His mother answered the door almost as soon as we knocked. She looked annoyed as she let us in. She already had food on her table and was drinking tea. Peter’s older sister was in the room as well. She waved to us.

“Mother, I love her.” She said, like we hadn’t interrupted her conversation.

“You’re next in line and there will be no heir to the throne.” Eliza said. We all sat down at the table full of food. “You know that I will not last forever, especially since your father is away-“

“Mother! You know that father will return by the time it gets cold out.” Peters sister said. Her name was something along the lines of Isabella, but I always forgot.

“But I will not last forever. Isabel, when you take the throne there will be no heir.” Eliza told her. She sighed and took a sip of her tea. “I do not want an abdication war. There needs to be an heir.”

“Then the throne can go to Peter or one of Peter’s children once me or Arabella dies.” Isabel said. “I will write it down if you wish mother.”

“Your word is fine.” Eliza said. She took another sip of her tea and looked over at us. “Are you two visiting for anything particular?”

“Tea and pastries.” Peter said, laughing as he grabbed one.

“And the company of you two of course.” I added before taking a tea cup.

Isabel laughed, “I see you two are doing fine after a long day at school- I heard that those who are choosing to pursue knighthood got their horses today.” She grabbed a pastry off of the table and shoved it into her mouth. I liked her. She was unlike any royalty, aside from Peter, that I had ever met.

“We did get our horses.” Peter said, “Mine is named Moonlight.”

“And mine is called Fox Glove.” I said before taking a sip of my tea. Isabel seemed to like my choice in names because she nearly choked on her pastry.

“Why such a… venomous name.” Eliza asked.

“Peter said that he wanted an intimidating name.” I said. Eliza nodded and drank more of her tea.

“Your uncle came to me about something today.” Eliza said after a bit. “He said that he was worried that you were consorting with an inappropriate crowd for a Prince and that you might be engaged in activities not fit for a prince.”

“Ronald is the most clueless person that I have ever met.” Isabel scoffed, “He would know nothing of what Peter is doing, especially since today was the first time he left the castle in months.”

“That is still a concerning accusation.” Eliza said, “What do you two do in the lower city?”

“We bring all the left-over fruits from meals and give them to the begging kids.” I said, stifling a yawn. I had suddenly grown tired. It was as if everything we had done last night finally caught up to me. Now it wasn’t just my body that felt like it was going to give out.

“You do that during free period?” Isabel asked, “And no one is making you?”

“Of course not. They’re starving.” I said, “And the school has enough left over food to make sure a lot of kids don’t go hungry.”

“She got a couple kids jobs down at the docks.” Peter added, “And a few of their fathers too.”

“Do you know any of these people?” Eliza asked us.

“No.” Peter said.

“Then why do you do it?” She asked.

“Because families deserve to be fed. No one should ever go hungry, especially children.” I said. There were so many times that I had seen servants steal food from the kitchen to feed their children because they weren’t being paid enough. I knew that if the servants in the royal castle were underpaid, then everyone else had to be underpaid too.

“You can take all the extra food from the castle too.” Eliza offered.

Peter laughed, “I don’t think that we can carry more than we already do. One of us holds the bag and the other gives out the fruits.” He said. He drank his tea.

“I could distribute the stuff extras in the castle.” Isabel said, “Arabella and I would be more than happy to help feed hungry kids.”

“Don’t dress nicely.” I told her.

“I like my dresses, it’s easier to move around in them.” Isabel said.

“Please don’t wear your nice dresses.” Eliza said, “You’ll get them covered in street muck.”

“I’ll just make a new one to wear.” Isabel said.

“You can just make dresses?” I asked. I had always watched servants mend clothes in the castle, but I had never seen someone actually make a dress.

“I’m starting a new one tomorrow, if you would like to watch.” She offered. “It might cut into your free time-“

“I want to watch.” I told her. I wanted to learn how to make things too because all I could do was mend. Plus, the only way I could probably afford dresses was if I made them myself after I grew out of my current ones.

“Would you like to sew with the three of us?” Isabel asked Peter. He looked at me for a moment before shaking his head.

“When you’re sewing, I’ll practice spells with the servants.” He said. It was still strange to hear his voice in my head, although I foresaw it being convenient. “I’ve got other stuff I’ll do.” Peter said.

“The big important prince!” Isabel laughed.

The door to his mothers room opened. A beautiful young woman walked in, however, she was not dressed the same as us. She was dressed in wonderfully made tunic and breeches, they weren’t made of the same fabrics that mine were made from. They looked lighter and smoother. They were covered in patterns that weren’t sewed on.

“Arabella! This is Aeria, the one I told you about, and she’s going to sew with us tomorrow.” Isabel said to her. Arabella just nodded. Her and Isabel were the most beautiful people I had ever seen. Eliza paled in comparison to her daughter and girlfriend. If the two could have children, I was sure that it would be stolen away by a trickster out of jealousy.

Arabella looked at me, and then Peter before crossing her arms. “Your eyes are mixed up.” She told us.

That’s when Eliza and Isabel noticed too. They stared at us, as if they were expecting an explanation. Peter didn’t have one. Neither did I. I wasn’t even sure if there was anything that could happen that would do this to people.

“It was my fault.” Peter said after a moment, “I messed up on a spell and now our eyes are switched.”

“Since when can you do more than talk to animals.” Arabella asked. Her voice was almost as beautiful as she was. I couldn’t quite tell where she was from, but from her slight accent, I suspected that it wasn’t originally this city. She had probably been here for a long time though.

“I’ve been practicing.” Peter said. He grinned as he grabbed another pastry off of the platter. I wasn’t sure how many he had eaten, but it had been at least three. With the amount that he ate, he would probably tower over his mother and sisters in a few years.

“And what can you do now?” Eliza asked him. She was still examining the two of us. I think she noticed that our hair had mixed up too, except she didn’t say anything.

“I can spell things and heal.” Peter said, his posture was perfect as he spoke. It was one of the few times that he looked so proud. We had learned so much at the guild in the short time that we had been there. I hadn’t realized it until then and I suddenly felt proud too.

“And what have you learned?” Eliza asked.

“The same things. They’re good teachers.” I said. Eliza nodded. Maybe it was her who told Peter about the guild.

“Two mages?” Arabella asked, “Three mages is a crowd.”

“You’re a mage too?” I asked.

“A family of mages.” Arabella said, smiling.

“Can you charm clothes too.” Isabel asked.

“Yes.” Eliza answered before I had the chance, “I’ll give you a few gold coins if you charm all her clothes for protection.”

“That’s more than you would give Ronald!” Isabel seemed surprised.

“Well they’re better charms than Ronald could ever dream of creating.” Eliza said. She seemed to have distaste for Ronald. “Would you accept it?”

“Of course.” I said, “If any of you want health charms, bring jewelry and I’ll do it.”

“How much-“

“I’ll charm anything you’d like for free. I’m happy for the practice.” I said. The gold coins definitely would help me out. I had hoarded a lot of coins since I got here, but I was spending at least one copper noble a day, so I needed money to keep up with that.

“I’m still paying you.” Eliza said. “I’ll give you six if you do all the clothes between Isabel, Arabella, and I.”

“I’ll split with you if you help.” I told Peter. He nodded. “We’ll work on them the free time after tomorrow- I’ll take jewelry now though and I’ll charm a few before I leave.”

“I’ll grab a few pieces.” Isabel said as she got up from the table. She kissed Arabella on the cheek before slipping out of the room.

“I can help charm the jewelry.” Peter said, “We do that almost every night.”

“I hope you’re making money from your efforts.” Arabella said, “Because I see how much food you eat and you’ll run the treasury dry if you don’t make your own money.”

“Of course, I get paid.” He said, “Plus it’s only a copper noble for enough food for the rest of the day.”

“Where are you buying your pastries?” Arabella asked. She knew that we weren’t buying food.

“Night market.” He said. “Some of the stores stay open until the midnight in the lower city.”

“Only if the guards aren’t short staffed.” Eliza said, “They won’t be staying open so late. A lot of guards have been killed since the new year started and even more have quit.” She sighed and took another sip of her tea.

“It’s not your fault. We can’t force people to join the guard.” Arabella said, “The most we can do is have the excess military help the guards patrol.”

Eliza knew this but did not want to lend military to the guards. She feared that it would create the illusion of there being a problem. While they discussed this Peter and I finished the kettle of tea. It was an interesting problem.

“Why don’t you give the military the guards uniform, instead of having them patrol in the military uniform?” Peter asked, “They walk the same so unless they said that they were military, no one would know.”

“No. The guards gossip.” Arabella said.

This launched another short discussion until Isabel returned. She set the jewelry on the table and they switched topic. It wasn’t until before we left that we charmed the jewelry. Even Arabella gave us something to charm. Once we had left, Peter told me that was the only jewelry that she ever wore.

“I’m tired.” Peter said, curling up on the edge of my bed. Before I could tell him to go to his room, he fell asleep on my bed. I lit the fire and curled up under the blankets. It didn’t take long for him to stretch out and take up half the bed. There was no point in waking him now that he was comfortable.