Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) Page 8

  I looked to Zofie who sat passively in her chair. What question would she ask? What would she instinctively know to do? I turned back to the cricket. “And what would be the price of your assistance?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “In compensation, we would like to borrow the Griffin’s Key. And you would need to bring the princess and the bearer of the other charm so I can examine them and determine the best path of removal.”

  Spraggel leaned forward. “Since you want this key so badly, why don’t you come and retrieve it?”

  “Alas, such is not possible. I am unable to leave the palace. My physical condition does not allow it. Not to mention, I have to be close to my emperor at all times. Ask Fumiko. She can explain.”

  I glanced to her for confirmation. She looked away and nodded.

  I put a finger to my lips. “So, you want us to travel to the empire. Can you have...”

  But I trailed off as Spraggel began to shake his head emphatically. Fumiko jumped to my side and pulled me urgently toward the window. She leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Don’t ask him to open a portal for us,” she breathed. “It’s not only a breach of protocol, but it’s dangerous. You could be transported directly into his dungeon, or even the bottom of the sea. Besides, it makes us look weak. We have to provide our own way to at least the empire’s borders. We have no choice.”

  Despite my puzzlement, I gave her a quick nod. I wanted to ask her how we would get there with all our myst users gone, but I’d leave that for later.

  Spraggel and Rourke stepped over to join us. We huddled close.

  I looked at each of them. “I say we take a visit to the empire and give the key to Yonge. Anyone disagree?”

  Rourke shook his head.

  Spraggel looked thoughtful but also shook his head.

  Fumiko frowned and crossed her arms. “I do not like this. It has the smell of a trap.”

  I glanced toward where the cricket sat. “It does. But what choice do we have?” I nodded toward Zofie sitting silently in her chair. “I can’t turn down even the slightest chance of bringing her back.”

  Fumiko sighed, her shoulders dropping in acquiescence.

  I went to stand before the cricket again. The others flanked me. “We will have to find the key first. This may take us a bit since we have no idea where it is.”

  The cricket gave a little hop. “For one of your abilities, I’m sure it will be a simple matter.”

  I was not so sure. Simple matters sometimes turned out to be quite complicated.

  The cricket gave another little hop. “I hope you will excuse me. I must leave now. This avatar is at its limit. Use Fumiko to contact me once you have the key. I look forward to seeing something other than a messy toilet closet.”

  And with that, the cricket stopped moving.

  “Is he gone?” I asked.

  Rourke nodded. “The connection to the cricket is no longer there.”

  Fumiko turned toward us. “Be careful dealing with him. His offers always have a catch.”

  Spraggel nodded. “I agree. We do need to be careful. There is something about him that disturbs me.”

  I went and looked down at the deceased cricket. “Why does he pick insects for this?” I asked. “Especially ones out of season?”

  Fumiko looked at us sadly. “Because he loves to torture bugs.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  A Hidden

  Talent

  I hovered in that strange place half-way to dreams. I was exhausted. But in spite of that, I had positioned a padded chair beside Zofie’s bed and diligently taken my post within easy reach of her sleeping form.

  While I had fought it, my eyelids had begun to drift and my body to relax. But my mind was active. And in my half-consciousness, I could hear a whispered conversation, only it was an improbable discussion between Zofie and Abhulengulus. But I couldn’t make out the words.

  Then suddenly, I heard Zofie’s voice softly call me. “Coren?”

  I struggled to answer.

  “Coren?” she called again, a little louder.

  I tried to get my mouth to move, to make a reply.

  “Coren!”

  I desperately wanted to answer her. The words of her name were on my lips—

  Fumiko’s hand came down on my shoulder, startling me. “You should get some rest,” she said. She had come up to stand by my chair.

  I blinked as the vestiges of the dream left me. Had it been real? I glanced at Zofie’s sleeping form and was struck by a wave of sadness. It had almost been like she was talking to me.

  I looked up at Fumiko. “You should take your own advice.”

  She shrugged and turned her gaze toward the slumbering princess. Fumiko’s expression was hard to read. The room’s only light came from a dimmed myst lantern across on her other side, and it cast her in a dark silhouette. “I’m used to long nights,” she said. “Sleep and I are not friends. Haven’t been for many years.”

  We both watched quietly as Zofie slept. The only sound was her soft breathing and the occasional crackle from the smoldering coals in the fireplace. The castle’s silence was deep and pulled me further into the depths of loneliness and despair.

  After our guest had left his avatar, Zofie’s small staff had pulled together a rough plan on how to proceed. The first step was to begin making preparations to visit the Kuiojia Empire. We couldn’t afford the attention, nor the cost to properly outfit a full escort, so we decided to travel incognito, fast and light. Captain Milner had volunteered to oversee the travel preparations. He said he would have everything ready to leave on a moment’s notice.

  The second step was to locate the Griffin’s Key, and I prayed we could get to it quickly. Spraggel and Rourke were going to individually consult whatever sources they had to see if there was any hint of its location. Unfortunately, Spraggel didn’t have much hope of this working.

  Which meant our best bet of locating it was to use the most powerful finder in the kingdom—the Wayward’s Finder. This happened to belong to Lord Dewi Merrick. Neither Merrick nor Zofie were on the best of terms. Mainly because he had been running brothels—recruiting his workers through questionable means and not entirely with their permission. If it hadn’t been for his son Galvyn and the way we borrowed the finder, which involved breaking a lot of things and putting giant holes in his manor’s wall, Lord Merrick might be in prison right now. That, plus he had quickly agreed to correct the error of his ways and compensate those involved. Zofie made sure that he did.

  Which made answering the next question even more important. How did we get him to let us borrow it? That problem was assigned to Fumiko and me. And while we had discussed it, we had not come up with a solution.

  I glanced up at Fumiko. She was deep in thought. Not for the first time, I wondered how much I could trust her. And if one of her secrets was going to bite us.

  “Lord Merrick won’t let us use the finder without Zofie’s royal authority,” she said. “He’s as slippery as an eel. He’ll come up with some kind of excuse unless Zofie goes to him and demands it directly.”

  I snorted. “I agree, but Zofie can’t do that right now. And he of all people, can’t let know about her condition.”

  Fumiko looked off into the distance, seemingly conflicted. But she took a deep breath, and her expression hardened as she came to some sort of decision.

  She turned to face me. “I know of a way.”

  “How?”

  She motioned me to stand and led me over to the fireplace. She glanced over to Zofie before turning her gaze on me. “You have to swear you won’t tell anyone about this. No one. Not even Zofie.”

  I glanced in her direction. “But she’s....”

  Fumiko shook her head. “Don’t worry about that for now. Can you keep this just between us?”

  I rubbed my face. “That’s a high price. Why can’t we tell her? Zofie’s a very accepting person, and I’m sure she would not be offended by anything you’ve done.”

  “True.” Fum
iko nodded. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Zofie. She’s been very kind to me. I’d give my life for her in a heartbeat, and I count her as my closest friend. But still...” She searched my face. “She’s also a ruler. And sometimes, they have to do difficult things. Maybe even things they don’t want to do.” She looked down. “Some rulers might find my skills... useful.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think Zofie is like that.”

  She shook her head. “Neither do I.” She looked to Zofie’s sleeping form. “But I don’t want to take the risk. You, on the other hand...” She looked back to me. “I know you would never force me to do something horrible.”

  I began to feel a little uncomfortable. She was obviously hiding some deep scars, and I didn’t feel I deserved the level of trust she was giving me. But if she had a way to find the key—

  “All right,” I said. “I swear I won’t reveal what you show me. That is unless it somehow becomes a threat to Zofie herself?”

  Fumiko nodded. “I can accept that.”

  “So, how can you get Lord Merrick to let us use the finder?”

  Fumiko turned her back to me and took two steps away, before pausing and then looking over her shoulder. Only, it wasn’t Fumiko anymore. Zofie was smiling coyly, looking back at me and wearing the same dress she had worn earlier in the day.

  “What do you think, Coren?” the vision of Zofie asked, in her familiar inflection. She smiled with that same sweet smile my love always used.

  My heart leaped into my throat. I glanced to the bed and saw the real Zofie laying on her back, covers pulled up to her chin, and her eyes closed.

  “How...?”

  Suddenly Fumiko was back to her normal self. She turned away. “I’m a myst user, nowhere near as strong as Zofie or Rourke, but I can craft illusions to conceal myself. One as detailed as that, I can’t hold for long, maybe an hour at most, and a detection device can see through it.”

  “Still, that’s pretty impressive. But why would you not want Zofie to know about this? It seems perfectly harmless.”

  She turned slowly to face me, her expression sad. “You are much too trusting.” And suddenly Fumiko wasn’t there anymore. My eyes darted around the room. “Where did you go?”

  I heard Fumiko’s voice from in front of me. “It’s another type of illusion. This one of shadow.”

  I looked closer, trying to detect some sign she was still there. I stiffened as I felt a single finger poke me in the back.

  “I can use it to conceal my movements,” she said. “I can sneak up on someone quite easily.”

  Fumiko walked around in front of me, her hand trailing along my shoulder. “I can hold the shadow illusion for two or three hours, provided I can keep my focus. That’s plenty long enough to sneak up on someone unawares.” She looked down. “And the reason I wasn’t worried about Zofie hearing us is that I’ve surrounded us with a circle of silence. Sound won’t travel outside it. It easily covers voices...” and then she whispered. “Or a scream.” She shivered.

  I suddenly understood why she had been reluctant to tell Zofie. Fumiko’s skills could easily be turned toward a dark purpose. “But why would you need to learn something like that?”

  Fumiko didn’t answer. She crossed her arms and took two steps away before turning back toward me. From her demeanor, I could tell I wasn’t going to get an answer.

  “So,” she said. “I can pretend to be the princess for a short while. Hopefully, her presence will be enough to convince Lord Merrick. We’ll just have to keep the visit short. I haven’t practiced in a while, so the shorter, the better.”

  I smiled. “I don’t think that will be a problem. He hates us. We’ll be out before you know it.”

  Fumiko nodded. She stepped closer and rested a hand on my arm. “And please Coren, don’t tell anyone. No one can know.”

  I tried to make light of it and gave a short bow. “Your secret is safe with me, Mistress Fumiko.”

  But instead of a smile, Fumiko looked at me sadly. She seemed to catch herself and quickly turned away. “You’re much too trusting.”

  The carriage bounced hard and I was startled awake. I sat up, looking around and trying to get my bearings. Across from me, Fumiko sat with her eyes closed and her head leaning against the side. I shook my head. Even asleep, she still looked composed. I wondered how she did it.

  I pulled the window shade aside and saw that we were close to Lord Merrick’s manor. I nervously rubbed my palms on my knees. I sure hope this worked. If Merrick suspected anything, it would not only mean we wouldn’t get to use the finder, but he would know something was wrong with Zofie.

  I tried to rub the tiredness from my eyes. Neither Fumiko nor I had gotten much sleep. Zofie had slept quietly through the night, so we were quite startled when at dawn, she had opened her eyes and sat up. But to my disappointment, she took no further action. Zofie simply sat there in her nightdress until Fumiko directed her to take care of her morning business. Seeing her emotionless face in the dawn light did nothing to ease my heart.

  And so mid-morning, leaving Zofie in the care of her trusted maid, Fumiko and I took the royal carriage to call on Lord Merrick. It was a couple of hours away, so both of us had used the opportunity to grab a few moments of rest.

  I looked to the carriage’s other occupant. Fumiko’s revelation the night before was fresh in my mind. Not only could she use a sword on par with Risten, she could also use myst to craft illusions. Which meant someone had received a lot of training in their youth. Imperial Advisor Yonge had mentioned something about her being a daughter of the emperor, so maybe such training was normal for those of that rank. Maybe she had been groomed to be an officer in the empire’s army. But why had she insisted I keep it a secret?

  As I looked at her, I began to revise my opinion of how she acted. I had always considered her very shy. Around us, she was reserved and maybe a bit aloof. But now, as I thought back on it, I don’t think that was right. She had acted guarded. Like she was afraid to let anyone get too close to her. She obviously had some deep scars. And I couldn’t help but feel there was much more to Fumiko than I ever dreamed.

  I glanced out the window again and saw we were nearing the manor. I reached across and touched Fumiko’s knee. “We’re almost there,” I said.

  Her eyes opened immediately, and she sat up completely alert. I wondered if maybe she had been pretending to sleep.

  “Are you nervous?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “A little. I have met him only twice. I’m concerned that he might ask me something that only Zofie would know. Or worse, he drags out our visit for longer than I can maintain the illusion.”

  I pointed to her usual dress. “Would it have helped to wear one of Zofie’s outfits?”

  The carriage began to slow.

  Fumiko shook her head. “Surprisingly, no. Clothes that are close, but not exactly right, are much harder to cover. It’s almost like reality wants to overrule the illusion, so my own clothes work best.” She cocked her head to one side. “The only thing that would be better would be a blank slate.”

  “Blank slate?”

  “Yes, without any clothes at all.”

  The carriage stopped, and I heard the driver talking to someone.

  “You mean naked?” I asked, in near panic.

  She leaned forward. “You wouldn’t mind, would you? Escorting me through the manor, knowing I wore not a stitch under my illusion.”

  What? My mouth fell open.

  She gave me one of her rare half-smiles. “Don’t worry. I chose not to do that because it’s too damn cold.”

  The carriage door swung open, and suddenly the vision of Zofie sat across from me, finely dressed in one of her travel dresses. But her eyes had a twinkle I wasn’t sure was Zofie’s or Fumiko’s. “Besides,” she said in Zofie’s voice. “I knew you couldn’t handle it.”

  I blinked at her in surprise, frozen to the spot.

  She smiled back innocently, then waved her hand toward the door, ind
icating we should get out.

  I opened my mouth to say something, but in my embarrassment, words abandoned me. I finally shook my head and exited. I held out my hand to help her down.

  Still smiling, she accepted my hand and gracefully stepped onto the cobblestone pavement. She appeared to be Zofie in every respect.

  We had sent a message earlier that morning, so the doorman was expecting us. We were shown to Lord Merrick’s study and asked to wait while he finished up some other business. He would join us shortly.

  As the servant closed the door to the study, I couldn’t help but notice that the room had no chairs. There should have been at least one by the desk, but it was mysteriously missing. It was also interesting that we were not offered any refreshments. I couldn’t help but smile. No doubt, he just wanted to subtly remind us that this was his territory, and we were not exactly welcome. I also did not doubt someone was listening, hoping to catch some unguarded moment between us. Maybe even some juicy gossip he could turn to his advantage. I shook my head. The nobility and their power games. I never would understand them.

  I expected we would have to wait a while, so I was surprised when there was a knock at the study door. Lady Nadine Merrick, Lord Merrick’s wife, breezed in.

  She was a slender woman, a tad taller than me, and appeared to be in her early mid-years. Her shoulder-length hair was blonde with streaks of white highlights. Today, she wore it with a band of delicate pearls holding it back from her face. And she was dressed in an elegant, but functional white blouse and black skirt.

  I owed her. When Galvyn and I had ‘borrowed’ the finder, she hid us from Lord Merrick’s men and helped us make our escape.

  She smiled and gave us a bow from the door. “Good morning, your highness and Sir Coren. I hope you don’t mind me joining you for a moment.” She quietly closed the study door.

  “Not at all, Lady Merrick,” I said with a slight bow. “I trust you are well.”

  She chuckled. “The best I’ve been in years. My little hobby of collecting fine wines over the years is finally starting to pay off. Since my husband’s business ventures have recently turned into a liability, I’m able to provide for us while we rebuild. After all these years, my husband is finally starting to realize I have a brain.”