Mark of the Assassin

Peter and Arabella found me in the tunnel as I was going through the mans pockets. Arabella looked as if she was going to vomit. The puddle of blood around the assassin had grown. This dress was definitely not one I could wear again.

“Are you alright?” Peter asked, grabbing my arm and pulling me up from the grown. I winced. Now I could definitely feel where the man had stabbed me. “You’ve been stabbed! How many times? Do you need a doctor?”

“I’m fine. You can fix it once we’re done.” I told him. I ground my teeth down; now that I could feel the pain it was almost unbearable. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could handle it. I had taken the beatings that Beatrix dealt out to me without as much as whimpering. I could take this as well. Plus, I had gotten the better end of this one.

“What did you do?” Arabella asked as she got closer to the man.

“He died before he told me who sent him.” I said, “All that we know is that his first name starts with ‘R’. There are plenty of people in the castle who start with ‘R’, how are we supposed to-“

“Let’s just get on with this before the blood gets on me.” Arabella said. She handed me a knife, “Cut his clothes off. We can go through them and see what he’s got.”

I definitely did not imagine my first time seeing a man without clothes on like this. Yet, here I was, cutting a dead man’s clothes off to see what secrets we could find. Peter watched as I peeled the clothes off, Arabella looked away immediately and vomited.

The man’s skin was peeling off and translucent, which made it possible to see all his veins. His underwear were stained red too and I shuddered to think about why. He was bloated too, like a dead animal that had died days ago. The most eerie thing about the body was that his eyes were almost popping out of his sockets and although he was covered in blood, I still felt like the man was looking at me.

He was strapped with knives. Arabella told me to grab all of his knives, as they appeared to be an expensive brand, and his clothes. Once his clothes were off she went through the pockets. There was a few coins and what looked like a pendant in the pocket. Arabella threw the clothes and the coins back at the dead man. She only kept the pendant.

“These are more expensive than-“ She paused and examined it for a moment. She touched it a few times and nothing happened, then she tried one last time and it opened. It wasn’t a pendant, it was a container for the poison. She closed it back up and put it in her pocket.

“What was that?” Peter asked. He wrapping up the knives in their straps while she had been figuring out the poison pendant.

“The poison in your tea.” She said. She shoved the pendant in her pocket and looked at the dead man one more time. She still looked pale in the face. “I think we should go. Someone should tell mother and the guards.”

“Tell them what?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know! I didn’t even know that this place was here!” Arabella said, looking once again at the dead body. “Who was he?”

“An assassin.” I said. That was the only thing I was positive about. The rest I wasn’t sure about. We had all of the knives that he had though, and they looked specialty made. Maybe someone knew who they were for.

“Let’s just get back to the room. I said that I didn’t feel well. Maybe that will draw whoever hired the assassin out.” Peter said. He grabbed Arabella’s hand and pulled her to the end of the tunnel. She was going to vomit again if she kept looking at the nearly naked man.

Once we got back to Peter’s room, we tucked him in. I took off my dress and Arabella wrapped me and gave me something to wear. The dress I had been wearing was absolutely soaked in blood. She hid my dress in the room and told me she would get rid of it when she had the chance.

As I was washing the blood from my arms and hands, Eliza came into the room. She looked worried. She checked the temperature on Peter’s face and Arabella gave her the poison pendant and said that I found it in the kitchen. She had just come in to check on him, since he had rushed off from dinner so quickly.

I had never seen Eliza so angry before. We told her that we had managed to get the poison out of his system and that he would be fine. She remained livid. Her whole body shook as the paced back and forth.

“I will have this whole castle searched,” She said. She shook as she rang the bell in Peters room. Almost immediately a servant entered the room. Eliza told the girl to get the guard. The girl ran to find the guard.

“I guess that took care of them finding the body.” Peter said. I sat on the bed with him and pushed his hair out of his face. “Arabella said that it was in my tea.”

“I got tea too.” I told Eliza. “Mine was out of the pitcher though.”

“Yours wasn’t! Why would you drink it?” Eliza demanded.

“I only had a sip when Arabella told me it was poison.” Peter said.

Eliza sighed and sat down next to me on the bed. The three of us were silent until some guards burst into the room. That’s when Eliza began shouting out orders to the guards. It wasn’t until the last two guards that she told them to search the secret tunnels. She must have had specific people that knew about the tunnels, so that she knew who was the traitor if it was used.

Eliza sent Arabella and I into the hall so she could be alone with Peter for a little while. Arabella and I sat on the floor outside. She still looked nauseous. It was a shock to me, but this time I didn’t feel so bad about killing the stranger. He had tried to kill me and intended on killing Peter.

“You aren’t upset.” Arabella said after a while.

“He tried to kill us.” I said. The man tried to kill both of us separately, but that counted as two threats to each of our lives. If one of us died, then both of us died. Even if the two of us weren’t so intertwined, I loved Peter and I would kill for him. I would do the same for D’aknu if someone threatened her life too.

“You should get healed soon.” She told me.

“When we go home.” I said. “Where did you put the knives. I think that I will try to figure out who sold them.”

“You’re too young-“

“But you’ve got a schedule.” I said, “I am always in the city and so it isn’t strange if I disappear for a little.”

It took a little while for Arabella to agree, as she thought that we were going to get into more trouble, but she told me where she put the knives in Peter’s room. Once Eliza left, I would strap them to myself, as long as there was no blood on the weapons, and we would go home.

“You should keep them when you’re done.” Arabella said. “It seems that the two of you are accident prone. You might as well learn how to use them.” She said, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

“Alright.” I said.

Isabel walked quickly through the hall and saw the two of us on the floor, “Is Peter alright?” She asked. The guards were probably searching the dining hall now and had let Isabel go to see her sister.

“He is fine.” Arabella said.

“The guards are saying he might die!” She said, dropping to the ground to sit with us. “What happened?”

“Someone poisoned his drink and Aeria went to the kitchen to see if she could find them. She didn’t find anything and came back to find us. Peter didn’t drink much.” Arabella said. She took her arm off of me and hugged Isabel. “Don’t worry. We’ll find who did this.”

“Who would do it? Peter has been so scared lately.” She said, crying into Arabella’s shoulder. “He told me the last time we went out that he thought someone was following us.” She was shaking.

Arabella looked shocked. I figured that I shouldn’t tell her that this wasn’t the first assassination attempt, and that this probably wouldn’t be the last. Whoever was trying to kill Peter desperately wanted him dead. Assassins weren’t cheap, nor were they trustworthy enough to deal with on a regular basis.

“It’s going to be alright.” Arabella assured her.

Eliza exited Peter’s room, teary eyed, and told us that we may go in. Peter laid propped up against his pillows. Eliza was making him drink a glass of water. She sat holding his hand on the edge of his bed. She wouldn’t look away from him.

There was a knock at the door. Two servants came in carrying treys of food. “We’ve brought dinner up. It has been prepared under the watch of guards.” The girl said. It was the same girl that fetched the guards.

“Thank you.” Eliza said. “Tell the guards to come get me if anything happens.”

The servants left the treys of food on Peter’s bed. Everyone except for Arabella took a plate and began to eat. I hoped that she would be alright after a little while. I hoped that I would be too. I had killed another person, but it hadn’t quite sunk in yet. Or maybe it had and I just didn’t care. I wasn’t sure.

“We’re going out after free time to see about who made the knives.” I told Peter. He gave me a slight nod as he ate his food. “Make sure you tell her that you’re fine to go back to school.”

“Arabella, you’re not eating.” Isabel said after a while, “Are you alright?”

“I was scared for Peter.” Arabella lied. She pushed her food away from her and just stared at the floor. Maybe she had never seen someone dead before. She was a guard for Isabel before though, so maybe she had and just didn’t like death.

There loud footsteps in the hall. The door burst open and the two guards that had been assigned the tunnels looked mortified. The two of them had blood on the hems of their breeches. The two of them looked just about as pale as Arabella did.

“We found the assassin.” One of them said quietly.

“Bring him in.” Eliza said. She had stood up from the bed and looked angry again.

“He’s dead.” The other guard said.

“Is there anything you can find from his body?” Eliza asked.

“He’s almost naked and has a freshly removed mages mark on his body. It’s probably a silencing spell.” The first guard told her. “There is nothing on his body.”

“Someone has already gotten to him then.” Eliza said, balling her fists. I can imagine why she would be so angry. Someone she knew had sent an assassin after her son. No one else would have known about the secret tunnel. “Get rid of the body. I will tell people the assassin has been located.”

The guards nodded and hurried out of the room. I doubted getting rid of the body would be a fun ordeal. Not only that, but I was sure that the tunnel would smell pleasant in the coming weeks. Maybe the tunnel would just be closed off.

“How did he find the tunnel?” Isabel asked.

“Someone from the castle must have hired him.” Eliza said quietly. Compared to how angry she was now, before had been nothing. Her entire face was red and her hands were balled so tightly I thought she might break skin. She paced back and forth muttering to herself.

“I’m fine mother.” Peter said.

“That is not the point! The point is that someone is trying to kill you!” Eliza shouted. She left the room shortly after. The four of us were left in silence and with Isabel the only one in the room not knowing what had just transpired.

“I am going to go to the room.” Arabella said. “I think I’ll go to sleep early, now that Peter is no longer under the effects of the poison.”

“If the two of you are leaving, then I will as well.” Isabel told us. We nodded and Peter slowly emerged from his cocoon of blankets.

“Goodnight.” Isabel said, hugging Peter. She hugged me as well before leaving. Arabella just waved.

Once the two of them were gone I grabbed all the knives that had been hidden in Peter’s closet. I took off my clothes and strapped the knives in their proper places. The knife dug into where I had been slashed. It was painful, so I decided to heal myself now instead of waiting.

Peter watched as I emerged from the closet. He knew that I had the knives on. The knives were a little bit too big for me, so the hilt of several could be seen through my clothes. These would probably be better once I grew a little more.

“Are they uncomfortable?” He asked.

“Yes.” I said. Although I had just healed, I could tell where I had been slashed because it was still tender. Luckily, this time there were no scars left from where I healed. “Would you like to go home now?”

“Let’s say goodbye to mother.” Peter said. I took his hand as we left the room to go find his mother.

Eliza was speaking with guards when we found her. She still looked angry, although she was more disheveled now. Her hair was messy and her eyes were swollen and red. I couldn’t imagine how she was feeling. She saw the two of us and hurried over.

“You should be in bed.” She told him.

“Arabella said that I am fine now. I don’t feel sick, so I should go back to school.” He said. His mother sighed and hugged him again. “I’m fine-“

“Someone tried to kill you.” Eliza told him.

“I’ll come back tomorrow if I can.” Peter told her.

“Of course. The tunnel should be cleaned by tomorrow.” She said.

“I love you.” He said to her before we left.

“I love you too.” She said as we had begun to walk away.

“I don’t think that we should speak out loud when we’re alone anymore.” Peter said. “Unless we are sure there is no spells or people around us.”

“I agree.” I said. The castle was riddled with Ronald’s spells. I didn’t trust him and I didn’t wish to have him knowing our business. Not only Ronald, but whomever sent the assassin to kill us.

“Your dress got ruined.” Peter said.

“It’s alright. I’m making a new one anyways.” I said.

We were almost out of the castle when we ran into Ronald. He stared at the two of us, looking surprised. He did not have the same reaction as Isabel did when she found out that the guards had given the wrong information.

“You’re dressed differently.” Ronald said.

“I spilled tea on my dress.” I lied.

“I hope it didn’t burn you.” He said, not even trying to hide the smirk on his face. For a grown man, he was rather immature.

“It did not. We are leaving now.” I said. Peter seemed to agree as he pulled me towards the front gates. Today had been a rather long day and I wanted to go to sleep. My bed had never seemed so welcoming before.

“I can’t wait until my father returns.” Peter said once we had returned to our rooms. Peter lit the fire in my room and laid back. “I haven’t seen him in what seems like years.”

“How long has it been?” I asked.

“Only a week before you got here.” He said, “So a long time, no doubt, not as long as it seems.”

“What is your father like?” I asked.

“Commanding. Anything he says gets done, but also loving. I have seen many people who’s families do not love them the way mine loves me.” He said. I understood that. My family had been nearly the opposite of his. The only person who loved me in my family was Francis.

“He’s returning next week?” I asked.

“Yes. I cannot wait.” He said. He rolled over to look at me, “If I had been stabbed, I might have cried.”

“He only grazed me. I am sure you wouldn’t have cried.” I told him. Even if Peter had cried it would have been understandable. Most people would, even if it was purely out of shock. The only reason I didn’t was because I didn’t feel it until after he was dead.

“Did it hurt?” He asked.

“Not at first. It wasn’t until you guys got there that it started to hurt.” I said.

“So what’s the plan after free time tomorrow?” Peter asked.

“We go to someone who sells weapons and ask questions.” I said. That seemed like the best course of action to me. Someone had to know who made these weapons. Every blacksmith had specific markings on their weapons and some shopkeeper was bound to know which blacksmith sold these.

The only foreseeable problem is that some shop keepers just buy stuff from people, not knowing what blacksmith they came from. Some shopkeepers also bought directly from blacksmiths, so the blacksmith himself might not know who purchased the knives. Even if the blacksmith himself did not know, there were probably only a few people the blacksmith sold too. Hopefully it wouldn’t take more than a few nights to figure out.

“We could have died today.” He said.

“If you die, I die.” I said. “Almost negates everything else the spell has done.”

“I guess as long as we don’t die, then we are alright.” He said. He closed his eyes and curled up next to me. “We’ll have to ask how to figure out if there is poison in food tomorrow.”

“We’ll learn everything in time.” I said, yawning. “I used the spell they taught us a couple weeks ago- the one to break silence spells.”

“He still didn’t talk?” He asked.

“No. He died too fast.” I said, resting my forehead against his. “I think that we should work on our combat skills. Our magic can only kill people.”

“Maybe it won’t once we learn to control it better.” Peter said. He ran his fingers through the hair that fell over my face. “I hope Ronald grabs you by the braids again so that he gets hurt.” He said. I sort of hoped so too. I didn’t like being grabbed, but I would like to see the look on Ronald’s face when he just grabbed onto a spike.

“D’aknu is lucky she is so good at fighting.” I said. I always wished I was so good when I saw her sparing other students. I wasn’t terrible at it, but I almost always lost. The thing that I was best at was dodging strikes, but to win I would have to pin my opponent to the ground.

Maybe some free days I should train with D’aknu before going to the castle. I needed to get better at fighting to have a chance at becoming a knight. If I wanted a chance at getting information from assassins, I had better learn to fight too.