Oath of Deception: Reign of Secrets, Book Four Read online

  A string of curse words built inside him. He wanted to explode, but he stifled the urge and, instead, watched his father lead his fellow classmates out of the room and into the secret tunnel that went below the city. With his hands on his hips, he started pacing, trying to calm his barely suppressed rage. He’d worked his entire life for this, and now his father wasn’t letting him be interviewed by the Brotherhood. Why? This was all they ever talked about; everything toward which they’d worked.

  Younger trainees started filtering into the room for their practice session. Nathenek had to have a reasonable explanation for making Savenek stay behind. But if his father hadn’t bothered to tell him why, then maybe Savenek would find a better way to spend his time than training. He decided to take the day off.

  Savenek entered the city and headed toward the Glendene Market. Since his father and fellow trainees were traveling through the underground tunnels, he didn’t have to worry about being seen. Still, he couldn’t turn off years of training and just stroll along like a normal citizen. He took notice of every person he passed. Did anyone seem out of place? Did that person’s shoes match his clothing? Were his eyes seeking something? Did anything sound wrong? Smell wrong?

  When Savenek reached the market, he headed to where Hana’s father’s cart was usually set up. Fifth one on the second block, right side, next to the woman who made beads for jewelry and the man who brewed a variety of teas. Hana and her sister Desaray sold honey at the market every single day of the week. Hana’s father and four brothers focused on extracting and packaging the honey. Savenek didn’t think they ever took a day off.

  He caught sight of Hana’s thick, black hair and forced himself to slow down so he wouldn’t appear overly eager to see her. Dark hair was a rarity here in Emperion. Hana’s mother had come from another kingdom and she had black hair. By contrast, Desaray had blonde hair and blue eyes like most women in Emperion. Damn, Hana was beautiful. And every time he saw her she was smiling, her grin lighting up her face.

  When Savenek approached the cart, Desaray leaned against the counter where their product was displayed, the right side of her lips pulling into a sly smile as she watched Hana sell a jar of honey to a young man who looked slightly older than Savenek. Hana laughed, the sound filling the air like rain in a drought. She handed him the jar. Luckily for the guy, he took the honey and left.

  Savenek stepped up to the cart. “I’m in need of some honey.”

  “You must have quite a sweet tooth if you’re already out,” Hana teased him. She pushed the sleeves of her brown dress up to her elbows.

  “Oh for the love of all that is holy,” Desaray groaned. “I don’t want to have to stand here and listen to the two of you.”

  “So don’t,” Hana said with a snap of attitude that made Savenek grin. “Go and see that guy down the way sharpening knives. You’ve been mooning over him all day. I’m surprised you don’t have more drool dripping off your chin.”

  “You’re a pain in my arse,” Desaray replied as she removed her apron. “I may have to beat you on our way home tonight for your smart mouth.”

  Savenek knew not to say anything. These two sisters bantered worse than he did with any of his fellow trainees.

  “I’d like to see you try.” Hana moved her head from side to side, welcoming the challenge.

  “Maybe I will.” Desaray put her hands on her hips and leaned toward Hana.

  While both women had vastly different coloring, their body shapes were nearly identical. Both were curvy and voluptuous. Often times, Savenek had to make sure he wasn’t staring. Hana would probably haul off and slap him if she caught him.

  “Harlot.”

  “You’re the harlot,” Desaray said, gently pushing Hana’s shoulder.

  Hana laughed and hugged her sister. “Love you.”

  “I know.” Desaray hugged her back. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She sauntered away, her hips sashaying as she moved.

  “So,” Savenek said, rubbing the back of his neck. He always got a little nervous around Hana. She was smart and snarky.

  “So.” She leaned forward on the counter. “You still want that honey?” She had a wild gleam to her eyes like she was up to something.

  He rested his elbows on the counter next to hers. “Only if you agree to see me later tonight.” Her family’s property was on the outskirts of Emperor’s City. Savenek often snuck into their small barn where she’d meet him for an hour or two. He’d managed to steal a few kisses but mostly he enjoyed talking to her. She could talk about anything. After spending so much time with Nathenek—who rarely spoke—Hana’s incessant talking was a welcome change. They did have to be careful not to be caught, though. Her father didn’t approve of her seeing Savenek unsupervised.

  “I think I can manage that,” she said, pulling out a jar and placing it on the counter between her arms. She removed the lid, stuck her finger in the honey, and then wiped it on Savenek’s lips.

  He was about to ask her why, when she leaned forward and kissed him, licking the honey off his lips.

  “I wanted to make sure the honey in this jar was up to our rigorous standards,” she said with that never-ending smile plastered on her face.

  He was too stunned to come back with a clever remark.

  “A customer is coming,” she said, standing upright and pushing her thick hair behind her ears.

  Savenek needed to head home anyway. He wanted some time alone before he confronted his father. “See you tonight.”

  “I’ll be waiting for you.” She waved to him as he strolled away.

  Savenek unlocked the door to his house. Before entering, he removed his boots and picked them up. Inside, he padded across the small sitting room which contained a simple couch, the kitchen area directly behind it. His bedroom was off the left side of the room, Nathenek’s off the right side. The privy was out back.

  Since the sun hadn’t set yet, he threw the curtains open, letting the light spill in. His room had a single bed shoved in the corner and a desk directly across from it. He put his boots away and went over to the dresser, pulling open the top drawer. He withdrew a chunk of wood and a small dagger. Not wanting to remain inside the confining house, he headed outside. Their place was situated on top of a hill, a cliff to the one side. It offered a fantastic view of Emperor’s City below and the ocean beyond it.

  Savenek sat near the edge of the cliff, the wind blowing his hair every which way. He took the chunk of wood and began working it with the dagger. This time he started carving the horse’s head first. He imagined the nostrils, the long nose, the knowledgeable eyes, and the pointed ears. Before he knew it, the face started taking shape, and all his frustrations faded away.

  His father loved him. He knew that. So Nathenek had to have a good reason for not taking him to the palace today. Instead of getting mad, he needed to give his father a chance to explain. He moved on to the horse’s powerful body and legs. He decided to shape this horse running. Getting the legs right would be more difficult, but it would be worth it in the end.

  The wind blew, and he glanced at the ocean in the distance. The ships looked like black ants bobbing on the water. When Savenek went sailing, he loved the feel of being out in the open, the rhythm of the swell, and the smell of the sea. Closing his eyes, he breathed it all in. Not for the first time, he felt something in his life was missing. He couldn’t say what or who it was—perhaps it was his mother. But there was a longing inside of him that he couldn’t explain. Sometimes it felt like a pull.

  “What are you doing out here?” Nathenek asked from somewhere behind him.

  Savenek held up the wooden figurine slowly taking shape.

  His father came over and sat next to him. “I’m sorry about today.”

  That was a start. Savenek put the horse and dagger down, waiting for an explanation.

  “I wanted you to train so you could become one of the Brothers. But now…”

  “What are you saying?” Savenek asked. “Do you not want me to tak
e my vows?” What had changed? And if he didn’t enter the Brotherhood, what would he do with his life? His heart beat frantically as panic set in.

  “It’s not up to me,” Nathenek answered. “Your mother had a different vision for you.”

  Savenek blinked. His father never mentioned his mother. Ever. Maybe he’d heard him wrong.

  “I’m asking you to give me some time to sort through some things,” Nathenek mumbled. “I need to figure everything out. The Brotherhood has received some critical assignments. Several of your fellow trainees are being sent to Melenia, Landania, and Fia. It appears the Russek army is gathering along their border. We don’t know why or what they intend to do.”

  “Which poses a direct threat to Emperion,” Savenek said. Having studied the map of the mainland and the politics of the various kingdoms, he knew that if Russek attacked any of their neighboring kingdoms, it could be detrimental to Emperion. “Let me help. This is what I’ve trained my entire life for.”

  “You may be needed elsewhere. And…your mother would object to you becoming an assassin.”

  “Then why did you train me to be one? I know nothing else! And why would she have a problem with me being an assassin if you’re one?”

  “If I send you on a mission and something happens to you, I could never forgive myself.”

  Then this was about his father being overprotective and not wanting to let him go. “You’ve known that was a possibility all along.” Why change his mind now? It wasn’t fair for Nathenek to stifle Savenek because of his own fears.

  “I know. That’s why I’m asking you for some time so I can sort through this.”

  “If I don’t join the Brotherhood, what will I do with my life?” He couldn’t imagine being a merchant selling goods at the market. Even if it meant he could marry Hana and have a home right here in the city. It wasn’t enough. He’d been trained to live in the shadows and kill without being seen in order to protect the kingdom and crown he loved. He’d been raised to believe in contributing to something bigger than himself. He couldn’t just turn that off and do something plain and normal with his life. He’d go crazy.

  “I’m not saying I won’t let you take your vows.” Nathenek stood, took him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. “It’s my fault that I didn’t account for the possibility of a war when you’re only sixteen. But that’s what we’re facing, and I promised your mother I’d take care of you. I intend to honor that promise.”

  Savenek didn’t know what to say, so he sat back and returned to whittling the horse, trying to be understanding.

  Savenek slid out of bed, silently making his way across his room. Grabbing his boots, he went over to his closed door and listened. He didn’t hear anything. It would be so much easier sneaking out through his window. However, the hinges had started squeaking recently and they were sure to wake his father. He hoped Hana was still at the barn waiting for him. It had taken Nathenek longer than usual to go to sleep tonight.

  He opened his bedroom door and froze. Nathenek was standing at the front door talking to someone outside. Savenek couldn’t make out the words because they mumbled too softly to be overheard. After a few moments, Nathenek closed the door and leaned his head against it.

  “What’s wrong?” Savenek asked. He set his boots down and went to the sitting room.

  “Nothing.” Nathenek crumpled something in his hands.

  “Is that a message from the Brotherhood?”

  “What are you doing up?”

  It was Savenek’s turn to be evasive. “I heard you.”

  “So you weren’t sneaking out to go and see Hana?” Nathenek turned and folded his arms.

  Savenek didn’t want to lie. “What’s on that paper?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

  Nathenek went into the kitchen and started a fire in the clay oven.

  “Are you going to bake something?” Usually Uncle Brigek gave them their bread for the week. Savenek scratched his head. They rarely used the clay oven. He hadn’t even realized there was wood in it.

  The fire grew and Nathenek tossed the paper into the oven. “No,” he replied. “I just need some good lighting to sharpen my daggers. Since you’re up, you can sharpen yours as well.”

  So the two of them sat at the kitchen table, a pile of daggers between them. Savenek took the first one, propping it on a block of wood while shaping the blade with a file. If he wasn’t going to see Hana tonight, at least he was doing something useful. They sat there for hours working, his father never revealing what was on the paper or what was going on.

  Even though Savenek had been up most of the night sharpening blades, he knew better than to sleep in. Practically falling out of bed, he stumbled over to his dresser and pulled out his training clothes. After putting them on, he headed out back where he found Nathenek doing pushups. Without uttering a word, Savenek got on his hands and knees and started doing pushups as well. The sandy ground dug into his palms, but he ignored it. The sun had not yet crested the mountains and already the wind whipped through the area, kicking up grit. He could feel a storm coming.

  Once Savenek completed three sets of a hundred pushups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks, he picked up his wooden practice sword and started running through his daily drills. He’d done this so many times that he didn’t even think about his body—the movements flowed from him, automatic and precise.

  “Time to spar,” Nathenek said.

  They faced one another, and Savenek went on the offensive, attacking hard and fast. After five purposeful strikes, he backed off, going on the defensive as Nathenek struck. They continued the back and forth for several minutes.

  When they finished the round, Nathenek lowered his practice sword. “Go inside and change. We need to head to the academy a little earlier than usual today.”

  “Will my fellow trainees be there?” Would they be taking their trials? Or would they be gone already, sent on missions to foreign kingdoms so they could do their part protecting the crown? Putting his sword away, Savenek wondered how he could show his face at the academy as the only one his age not taking the trials.

  “Half of them have already left, and the rest will leave today. I wish there was time for them to take their vows first.”

  “I’m surprised the Brotherhood is using them.” Jabbing his toe at the ground, Savenek wished he’d been sent on a mission. What was the point of all his training if he wasn’t going to be put to use?

  “With Russek on the move, the Brotherhood is vital to Emperion’s success in warding off attacks and obtaining information. The young men in your class are all intelligent individuals who will make a difference.”

  Speaking of which, his father still hadn’t said anything about the note he’d burned last night. “Are you going to tell me who came to the house?” In all the years he could remember, a messenger had never shown up at their house. If someone needed to get ahold of Nathenek, he or she did so at the military compound where he taught classes daily.

  “He was no one of importance,” Nathenek responded before abruptly turning and going inside the house, leaving Savenek alone in the training yard.

  His father had tossed a piece of paper in the oven last night, which meant he’d received a written message instead of a verbal one. The Brotherhood only passed messages verbally, so whoever came last night wasn’t from the Brotherhood.

  Savenek stood in the middle of a pitch-black room at the academy. Six trainees—all two years younger than he was—were somewhere in this room. The objective was for them to capture Savenek before he found a way out.

  Smell and hearing were the two most vital senses he had right now. But they were also his enemy since his own smell and movements could give him away. He held perfectly still, listening for a breath or the soft shuffle of feet. Anything that would indicate someone was approaching.

  Before they’d started this exercise, the six trainees had been given exactly two minutes to come up with a plan without Savenek present. Then he was brought into t
he room. The four torches that had lit the room revealing everyone’s starting position were snuffed out, plunging the room into darkness.

  Standing there, Savenek tried to come up with various plans the trainees might execute to try and capture him. They obviously knew where he was. Most likely, at least one if not two of them were already heading toward him. Another one or two had to be positioning themselves to guard the door. The rest were probably remaining still in case Savenek moved. Nothing prevented them from talking to one another, but no one did.

  All he had to do was make it out of the room without being captured. He contemplated removing his shoes but decided against it since it would make too much noise. Crawling would also give away his location. His skin prickled as he stood there, not moving. He couldn’t lose to novices who were two years younger. If he couldn’t outsmart them, he didn’t deserve to be a member of the Brotherhood.

  What if, as each one came at him, he knocked them out, striking when they least expected it? Then he could exit the room once they were all incapacitated. He just needed to make sure he didn’t hurt any of them too badly. After all, they were only fourteen. Once he took the first one down, he’d have to move quickly before all the trainees rushed at him.

  Someone breathed behind him. He spun and kicked, aiming for the person’s torso. His foot connected with a body and he reached forward, grabbing his opponent. He located the back of the guy’s neck and struck him there. The guy passed out.

  Intuition told him two trainees were directly behind him. He squatted and swung his leg, toppling one but missing the other. He reached for the fallen trainee, punching the guy behind his ear. When he felt that body go limp, Savenek turned, trying to hear where the others were. Someone jumped on his back. He immediately flung himself backward, landing hard on the attacker’s back. As his opponent made a strangling sound, Savenek ripped off his sleeve and used it to tie the guy’s wrists together. Three down, three to go.