CHAPTER 23 ~ MAGLYNAR HELPS OUT

AIDEN

It wasn’t a perfect idea and it would be trickier than the rest, but it could work. I refused to analyze my reasons for trying my final attempt in the market. And it would be my final time. I was not going to fail a third time, it wasn’t an option. No matter what it took, this time the Hunter would die. The only flaw in the plan was the one from the beginning. That was Kristalyn. The only way I could think of getting her not sabotage me was by tricking her into helping. That was in no way going to be easy, but for my plan to work I needed her to be involved, unwilling or not.

A chill crossed my neck and I paused. Something was wrong. I glanced around us, but the market was carrying on business as usual. We had just reached the end of it, so there was less activity and more people carting empty baskets one way and full arms another. No one paused around me and yet I could feel someone’s eyes following me.

“Aiden?” Kristalyn approached just off my right shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

There was no reason for anyone to watch me unless it was Ricald or the Hunter. The first didn’t know where I was and the second was at his house. Was I imagining it then? Just has it had come the feeling left. I frowned. Something was off, but I didn’t know what.

“Aiden?” Kristalyn asked again, her voice alert and her hand moving towards her knife at her waist.

“No, it’s gone,” I responded. “I thought someone was watching us.” I said to head off her next question.

“It wasn’t Tray,” she said quickly glancing around.

“No,” I confirmed, “It wasn’t.”

“But who then?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied and started walking again.

The trick would be to get her to help without knowing it. She’d have to be convinced she was helping her brother and not really me. The term brother caught in my mind for a moment. It didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. The prey mattered. She had to believe she was helping the prey. The only thing was, this was no ordinary prey, not by far.

I refocused my mind to pull it around and think instead of the market place location I had chosen. The road leading from the north and dead ending in the market would be the one the prey would use to enter the market. He’d established this pattern more than once, so it was a likely spot. The people all around would provide a challenge, but more so for him. Besides, if Kristalyn would do her part they wouldn’t matter at all. All I had to do was convincer her to shove a few boxes without her knowing it was helping me. I glanced behind me to see her still looking suspiciously, yet causally around. Easier said than done.

***

KRISTALYN

When Aiden entered his room, he left the door open, which was pretty much an invitation. One I immediate accepted.

“All right, so are you going to tell me the truth? Or will you attempt to drug me again?” I asked, crossing my arms and leaning back against the now horribly scarred desk. It was becoming a favorite perch.

“Which would work better?” He asked, picking up his sharpening stone off the mutilated dresser.

“The second doesn’t work and you haven’t tried the first.”

“You’d go right to your brother and that wouldn’t do me any good,” he replied, methodically moving the knife over the stone.

I straightened. “Do you honestly still think I’d do that?”

He paused his actions, and then deliberately moved the blade slowly across it. “You’d sabotage it.”

“That’s different. I’m still going to do that. But I wouldn’t go to my brother,” I responded automatically.

He laughed softly. “And what makes it so important that you not go to your brother? Is it because he doesn’t want you in the city?” He paused and looked up to catch my eyes. “Or is it something much different?”

I would have given him a quick retort, I really would have, but his eyes stalled any comment I wanted to make. They were such a dark grey blue, and they held amusement and something else I desperately wished I could pin down. He was insinuating yet again and I could feel my stomach clench, but this was different than the tense anger I normally felt. I wasn’t sure I liked that. “Why do you feel it is so necessary to insinuate things?” I finally asked crossly.

“Oh?” His voice held false innocence. “Is that what I’m doing?”

I huffed annoyed. “Yes.”

He put his knife and rock down and standing up approached me slowly. He stopped about two feet from me, but when he lowered his voice, he might as well have been closer. “Are you sure? Or am I calling you on what is really there?”

“You’re delusional,” I said firmly, but I was desperately searching for the anger that I normally had.

A half smile crossed his face. “You’re lying. I can read you too well, Kristalyn.”

“You don’t know me as well as you think, Aiden,” I stated.

His finger came up and made a soft trail down my cheek. “Oh, I do.”

He turned abruptly and walked over to the other side of the room. I could feel the shock in my body and ordered it to breath. What was that?

“I’m going to kill him in the market. All the people will slow him down and he won’t notice me in the crowd. It will be simple matter to follow behind him and take him out. I wanted to use this method before, but he had the old man has backup. Now, he has no look out.”

What had he said? Why was he telling me? Was it true? What was he up too?

“Tray will know he’s being followed,” I finally commented.

“Maybe, but by the time he is sure, it will be far too late,” he spoke confidently.

“Why tell me?” I asked next. For some reason his answer was important.

“Because I trust you.” The answer was slow and deliberate.

“You can’t. Not for this,” I responded. Disbelief and confusion colored my voice, but I could hear a hint of desperation in it as well. It was almost as if I was desperate not to hear something I needed to know. But that didn’t make sense. Not much did anymore.

A smile crossed Aiden’s face. “Think of it as a final test.”

“A final test for what?” I asked, struggling to keep my thoughts in a semblance of order. It was frustrating that Aiden was able to confuse them so often, when no one had ever been able to do that to me.

“You’ll know when the test is over,” he replied calmly.

I took a deep breath and used it to calm myself. He was purposefully putting me out of sorts, which meant he was trying to throw me off, but off of what? The last time he told me his supposed plan it was to mislead me. But would he try the same trick again? The answer was almost immediate. No, he would figure I’d predict that. So, was this plan the truth then? But why tell me that, even if I had asked him too? Could it be this test of his or was that another false trail?

By this time Aiden was ignoring me and back to sharpening his blade with steady sure hands that never faltered. I allowed myself to study him for a moment. His dark black hair was such that it went in almost every direction and still managed to look like he’d done it on purpose. It made me want to see if I could get it back in place. Dark tan skin proved striking with his black hair and shale blue eyes, that saw everything, but let no one in. I couldn’t actually see his eyes at the moment, but I knew exactly what they looked like. I had often been caught in their intense stare. An amused smile played on his lips. He was amused at me. What game was he playing now?

“Have you figured it out yet?” He asked quietly.

“When are you going to do this?” I asked, rather than answer any questions.

“The next time he enters the market. I want this to be as quick and effortless as possible.”

“Effortless? Since when?” I asked, a little surprised. “You always enjoy the challenge.”

His eyes darkened to deep gray. “Not this time.”

I chose to ignore the reaction for the moment, though it did seem to mean this time was different from the rest. I just didn’t know why yet. “Your going to do it at that one section in the market, aren’t you.” It wasn’t really a question.

“The one by the stacked crates? Yes,” he said, as if it didn’t concern him if I knew the exact location.

Something else was definitely going on. Why use that point of reference? It was to clue me in on something. I shook my head. I was thinking about this too hard.

“Aiden, look at me,” I requested.

He glanced up at me, obviously surprised by the request.

“Are you telling me the truth?” Not sure I could totally believe his answer anyway, since he could really only give one.

“That, Kristalyn, is something you’ll have to believe on your own.”

That was an interesting way to put it. He wanted me to believe him. If this was his true plan and he wanted me to know it, then he either wanted me to be a part of it or he wanted me to stop him.

That thought stopped me cold. He had been acting strange, especially with his reactions to Tray being my brother, but his conviction didn’t waver. The second was only wishful thinking, but what part did he want me to play?

“… figure it out,” Aiden was saying.

“What?” I asked, looking up at him.

He grinned knowingly, about what I wasn’t sure. “I said, standing and staring into space isn’t going to help you figure it out.”

“Is that what I was doing?”

“Yes. Go get some sleep, Kristalyn. Sort out your thoughts in the morning,” Aiden’s voice was calm and … caring?

The thought shocked me enough that I simply nodded.

“Goodnight, Aiden.”

“Goodnight.”

What had gotten into him? Was he really changing or was I still wishing for something I hoped for, but wasn’t there? I had no way of knowing, but I intended to find out.

***

Two days later, I knew it had been wishful thinking. He hadn’t changed at all. He was the exact same insufferable assassin I had first met. For the most part he ignored me completely and when he did talk his answers were short and clipped. I frowned, it was almost as if he was deliberately trying to distance himself and make me mad at him. He hadn’t been this bad since before we entered the city. The only reasoning I could legitimately come up with was that because of my relation to my brother he was purposefully distancing himself from me to do his job, which led me to believe he did tell me the truth about the plan simply to easy the conscious he seemed to have about family. He knew I would try to sabotage it, but this way he had a better chance of predicting what I might do.

That was why, whatever I did had to be unpredictable or at least a variation of what he expected. I figured it had something to do with the fruit crates I was currently standing in front of. They looked to be pretty stable, but if I pulled out the bottom left one the whole stack would crash. Depending on where I stood, I could direct the stack anywhere I wanted. The biggest distraction would be if I pushed it into the middle of the main street, but depending on when Tray showed up, too many innocent people would be in the middle of the street. If I pushed it into the side street, it would be a distraction, but not wholly effective. Aiden more than likely expected me to push them into the main street. If I time d it right, it would work too. I would have to wait until just after Tray passed and before Aiden had made his move. Though what Aiden thought that would accomplish I wasn’t sure. I shook my head. There were far too many ‘what ifs’.

I walked down the side street to get a closer look at what was behind the crates. The answer made me smile. Now I knew exactly how to distract Aiden’s plan. If things fell out just right, it just might bring the high and mighty warrior down a notch or two as well and that was fine with me.

***

AIDEN

It was finally time. He was on the way. Yesterday, some girl, looked like a palace servant, had slipped something under his door. She obviously didn’t want to be seen, since she had waited until he took a rare trip from the house. Now, he was taking a second one. This time into the trap that awaited his dead. It might have something to do with the note she had left, but his reasoning for leaving didn’t matter.

I stood in the shadows of one of the booths with a clear view of the side street the prey would use to arrive to his death. It was the busiest time for the market, no doubt on purpose. The street was filled with the shouting of venders, bargaining adults, and laughter and whining of kids. A group of four boys chased a dog down with sticks, but two stopped to look at the tantalizing food in the stall next to me. Other kids, dressed like little princes or queens, zigzagged around overdressed adults, most of who had packages flying everywhere. The even wealthier had servants trailing behind them with packages, baskets, and other non-necessities. It was pathetic how much stuff these people deemed worthy of possession. Their homes were probably already overflowing with junk they didn’t need, yet they continued to buy as if their lives depended on it. If one or two were taken down today, it wouldn’t matter that much. All that mattered was that the prey did go down. I was going to make sure that happened. Fate demanded it and for once I would willingly follow.

“Yes,” I muttered, determined. “This is willingly. I’ll do whatever I have too.”

Kristalyn’s face floated before my eyes and I growled in anger. I didn’t need her reminder. My fate and his were set. I pulled out my knife and let my finger trail the familiar blade. To close to the edge and it would slice my finger. The thought of the pain and blood had a comfortable feeling to it and almost made me move my finger to the cutting edge. But this blade would spill only the prey’s blood today. This wasn’t my favorite blade, so I had spent extra time sharpening it. No, my favorite knife was still in the prey’s house and once his body lie dead in the street I would retrieve it. It would be my silent reminder of my victory over him.

I straightened as I saw him appear at the end of the street. He cast a look around the crowded market before he stepped into the fray and headed right. I smiled, perfect. He was heading toward the Executioner’s Square. I slipped from my spot and crossed to the other side of the street, keeping him just in site as he wove expertly through the crowd, ignoring the vendors that followed in his wake, all hoping some of the false merchant’s money would flow their way. I flipped my cloak over one shoulder, so that my throwing hand could move freely. I only needed one clear shot. I smiled as I watched him study everything around him, with an intent look. He was either paranoid or he was looking for someone. The servant girl, perhaps, though it hardly mattered, he’d never make it to any meeting.

He passed the edge of the fruit stand and I moved in closer. This was it. If my accomplice was going to do her part, it would be as soon as he passed. But he passed the stand without a problem and proceeded to pass the crates. Had she gotten the message I had laid out for her? She was smart, almost too smart, she might try some thing else. What was she waiting for? She’d do it, if not I would still complete my mission. Nothing could stop me. Not this time. I tensed, ready to throw my knife the second he veered my way.

Suddenly a loud angry braying startled those in the street as a very frantic and highly upset donkey leapt from behind the crates. The prey barely managed to move out of the way as the donkey plunged into the crowd, scattering anyone close to his deranged path. Just then the crates crashed down into the now vacant spot and a flock of chicken, pigs, and ___________ entered a now vast confusion. This was far more than a simple distraction!

What was she thinking?

The thought lasted for less than a second as I raced to the other end of the large muddle of frantic creatures and even more frantic people. The prey was standing at the side looking back into the mix with a suspicious, but amused look. The animals had cleared quite a path and for the smallest moment the street between the two of us was clear. It was a perfect shot.

I raised my knife and let it fly. He could not escape from this! Victory!

As I threw though, two things happened simultaneously. The first was that the prey’s blue eyes met mine. In a single instant I could read his thoughts. At our last meeting I had promised it wasn’t over and I would kill him. Now, I would complete the job and we both knew it. There was not doubt.

Except that the second thing that happened was far more drastic in the form of a very ticked off griffin scream. The scream came just as the knife left my fingers and altered its course just slightly enough to make a difference. The strength of the wind from the griffin’s powerful wings did more than that though and the prey had no problem dogging out of the way. The knife landed just to the right of his new position. His roll took him towards the griffin though and away from the suddenly silent fray behind us. Both of us turned to face the new threat and I let out a very loud curse as I saw him.

Maglynar had landed on the Executioner’s Square and was still screaming his displeasure. Behind us, everyone had stopped cold at the unexpected presence of the large violent creature. Now sense seemed to kick in as women screamed, dropping packages and grabbing the nearest child. Men shouted for bows, spears, swords, anything. Many began to forcefully move the women and children behind them and into alleyways and the larger shops. The children’s reactions seemed to be split in two as some yelled and tried to figure out where to run and others stared up in awe at the impressive creature, one they would probably never see again. The animals had no such problem with reactions as they all went crazy, heading as far away from the griffin as possible and not caring who they knocked down in their attempt to escape. One woman ended up throwing a chicken into a wall in order to get it to stop attacking a small child. I barley paid attention to any of it. Only one thing mattered here. My prey, he mattered, he and the griffin that was really beginning to annoy me.

Maglynar ignored all the commotion he was causing as his beak honed in on the butcher shop across the street from him. He hadn’t acknowledged me yet, whether on purpose or not I didn’t know, but apparently food was the top priority. He howled again and beat his wings, taking off and heading for the butchers in a not so straight pattern. His erratic pattern did nothing to help the chaos he created and the griffin seemed to enjoy the panic, but then he hated most humans, all but three that I knew off. Terrifying them would only seem like a type of justice to him for his parents’ deaths.

I wasn’t going to be able to stop him, at least not without some effort and he seemed to think I needed to be ignored right now anyway. Deciding to respond with the same, I ignored his interruption and turned back to my own prey, but he was heading toward Maglynar at a dead run. Confused, I looked back towards the speeding griffin. Directly in his path was a young woman in a dark blue cloak. She was hunched over, obviously trying to protect a small boy. The woman looked vaguely familiar.

The Hunter reached them only seconds before Maglynar did, pushing them to the ground and shielding them with his own body. Maglynar’s sharp talons passed only inches from his back in his heedless rush. The Hunter’s clothes flapped violently in the wind and he tried to crouch lower.

“Maglynar!” I shouted above the clamoring of voices behind me. It was one thing for the griffin to interfere, but if he killed my prey, I wouldn’t be the one with the victory, just one more death on my hands. I needed the skill that came from the kill. That was what was important! Maglynar couldn’t interfere! Not with this. It was too important!

The people had rushed far enough away that the griffin could hear me, though he didn’t seem to inclined to pay too much attention. He swooped up just before he hit the butcher and candy shops and swung around to hover above the three crouched people on the ground. He screeched loudly at me then shot towards me. There were no words in his furious shriek and I didn’t move. He wanted a reaction. He raced above my head and towards the still retreating crowd. He really was ticked at me. For a second, I allowed myself to wonder why. It took a moment for my promise of him being able to help to come back to me. Apparently, he thought it was past time for that. He was right, but I figured telling him that wouldn’t help right now. He rose above the crowd again, making a very impressive display with his gold wings spread full out, his feathered chest puffed up, and his golden neck arched. He was no longer a small child griffin, that much as obvious. I had missed that fact in our travels. He looked at me, screeched again and flew away. His message was rather clear.

I would have quite a handful when I dealt with him later, but I had more important things now. He was gone and he had only delayed my killing. I still had prey to deal with. My blade could still taste the blood it, no I, longed for. I could still pull this into a victory. I could still defeat Duard.

The Hunter was helping the girl up and lifted the small boy to his feet. He was talking to both calmly, but I noticed his attention was really on me. Good, that was where it should be. I was his adversary and the one he needed to worry about. I had a promise to keep and I would do it. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Kristalyn watching the whole scene.

My accomplice from earlier? No, it was Kristalyn. She was not a nameless person, but a name, a person that meant more to me. Wait…what? What was happening?

I watched her for a moment. Her cloak was draped over her shoulders and her blond hair spilled down her back after it left the tie at the nape of her neck. Her body was tense, but she made no move towards the thing that held her attention. Her fingers moved gently over the knife at her hip, but she made no move to draw it. I followed her line of vision and saw it was riveted on the Hunter and his new charges. Her head moved slightly and she turned slowly to allow her eyes to track me. She looked me over once, before her eyes finally found mine. I physically felt their impact in my gut.

Suddenly, I the realization that past and present were about to collide hit me. The green depths of her eyes questioned me and I knew why. She wanted to know if I would still do it. Would I kill her brother? Could I? Would I be able to face her afterwards? But I had too! It wasn’t her brother, it was the Hunter. That was all! I couldn’t allow myself to see the prey as human, as her family… No! I had to focus! I turned from her questions and my own to look back at the Hunter. I couldn’t think about her or her questions. I had to do a job. There was a mission that I’d sworn to complete. My family was counting on me. Family? Yes, my family from the past. But this wasn’t the past. It was… what was happening? I was loosing my focus. What had she done to me?

The Hunter was still watching me. He shifted the boy and woman behind him, but didn’t move otherwise. He couldn’t react fast enough to stop me and he knew it. He was totally vulnerable. I could kill him now with no effort at all and I could see by his expression he knew the same. Slowly, only barely acknowledging what I was doing, I pulled out my spare knife and fingered it. This knife, this action was my duty. It would redeem me. I knew it was so, I had been sure. I was alive for this moment. I could finally prove that I was strong enough to take down any one, including my family’s so called guardian. He who was supposed to protect us and stand between us and danger would finally feel the wrath of his neglect.

The two behind the Hunter shifted and I heard the boy’s sobs as the woman held him close. The Hunter moved slightly, so that they were more fully behind him, but his eyes never left mine. His actions surprised me. He knew I was here to kill him and that with only a single throw I could. Yet he stayed in place, between me and those behind him. He was protecting them. They were strangers. My own guardian didn’t protect his charges, yet this man was going to give up his life in only a matter of seconds to protect two complete strangers. For strangers he did this.

If possible, he would give even more for his sister and the castle girl. I had no doubt about that. He cared for them with everything that was inside of him. It was only then that I realized he was always standing and preparing himself to protect his sister and those he cared about. Preparing himself, like…

Without explanation, my gaze was drawn to Kristalyn. Her eyes tracked between the two of us so closely. Following the unfolding situation, but for once not interfering. I could still do it then. I could throw the knife right now and be done with the entire thing. I could prove I was the more skillful. The Hunter and I were vastly different. I could stop the desperate thoughts. All I had to do was throw the knife and win this struggle.

But Kristalyn’s eyes held mine possessive and her very presence interfered with everything. She caused doubts and more. So much had revolved around her lately, even in my own mind. She had become what Zoe could not. I could see the confusion and strain in her eyes, but there was something else as well, something I could not read and wasn’t sure I wanted too. Yet, I did know without a doubt that even confused, she wanted to protect me, but she would not betray her brother either. Had she realized the truth? About him? About me? Was that why she stayed by my side? Because she knew?

I looked back at the Hunter and our gazes met. In his eyes, I saw what I had denied. What I hadn’t wanted to accept. He was what I could not be, but had fate been different, what I might have become. My grip on the knife that had become my own legacy loosened. I watched as the understanding dawn in his eyes. Understanding I could barely accept myself, yet somehow I too knew it was true. The Hunter was me, or would be me, had fate not chosen for me the path of hatred, betrayal, and revenge. If he lived, would I too escape my fate and become more?

I had no answers. No way to try to answer. And yet, somehow I knew the truth could be attained. I gave him a short nod and then I did what at the start of this I would never have believed possible. I walked away.

It was over.

***