The Killing Grounds Read online

  “The what?”

  “The Affiliation. They run The Killing Grounds and they hold the majority of the seats on the Council, and they’re becoming more powerful by the day.”

  Alara nodded and waited for more information.

  “They need an overall majority of eight to vote in new laws, and they currently hold six seats. If they replace Lord Osari and my Lord, then they will have the power to terminate all the Artists within our ranks. The only assassins joining the Guild would then be mundane and easy to control. It’s all about power.”

  “Some of the Affiliation must be Artists,” Alara said without thinking.

  “Of course they are and they wield the most power. Without any new Artist coming through the ranks their power will increase. They don’t want change and will resist it with their lives. Some of the Artistic apprentices are not aware of the overall plan and are working with the Affiliation; once the threat has been eliminated the Affiliation will retire them.”

  “Why don’t we just tell them about the plan and get them to join our side?”

  “They will never listen to us, the Affiliation have made them promises of quick advancement and a multitude of bounties with which to line their pockets. You must find a way to get Lord Osari back quickly. Without him my Lord will be at a distinct disadvantage and his retirement will be swift.”

  Alara nodded again, “Where should I start looking?”

  “If I knew that I would do it myself,” he said sarcastically.

  “You stole that note from me didn’t you?”

  He hesitated, “I needed to check it for any magic or hidden messages. You must understand the life of my Lord comes first.”

  “I understand, but from now on no lies, agreed?”

  “Indeed,” he placed his hands on her shoulders. “If we fail, we die.”

  “And work in the mines for the rest of our existence. I get it,” she said.

  “No, our heads will be taken and hung on the flagpoles of the Killing Grounds and we will be seen as traitors to the Guild.” He checked behind him. “Up the rope,” he said, “quickly.”

  She didn’t hesitate and started climbing. Black shimmied up the rope and cancelled the ward on the door, Gideon burst into the gym as Black’s feet landed on the mat.

  “Let that be a lesson Du Preeze, challenge me again and I’ll see you on the running paths of the common,” Black stormed out of the gym.

  Alara climbed down the rope and wiped the sweat from her face. Gideon was waiting for her at the bottom of the climb. “Just ignore him,” he said with a smile on his face. “He can be a real ass when it comes to being challenged.” Alara pretended to be upset at the loss and ran for the safety of the dorm.

  Thirteen:

  Black's revelation about the Affiliation played on Alara’s mind and she tossed and turned until she fell asleep, only to be awoken by nightmares of Lord Osari lost in a sea of pain. When the lights in the dorm flared into life she climbed out of her cot, her body still stiff and aching from her fitful sleep. She needed some exercise to work out the kinks in her muscles. The thought that Lord Osari was out there somewhere waiting for her rescue weighed heavily on her mind as she stretched. She checked over at Lucinda who was still asleep, the gash on her forehead had been bandaged and Alara couldn’t help but question Black’s assumption that she was a spy. Would her Lord really put her through that sort of pain just to prove a point when he could have easily just sent her back unharmed and left the mystery intact? Something just didn’t add up, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

  Alara retrieved her textbooks, packed her bag for the day and replaced the spell on her locker. Black and Gideon had been the only others to have risen so early and were busy limbering up for the day’s activities. Gideon looked toward Alara and gave her a smile. Not wanting to say or do anything to raise any suspicions she returned it, but looked away as quickly as she could. She’d thrown her lot in with Black and there was no going back. She just hoped Gideon didn't suspect anything. Black had alluded that his brother was working on the side of the Affiliation, if so, she couldn’t trust him. It was common knowledge that she was Lord Osari’s apprentice, and if Gideon tried to question her she would have to play dumb and hope that he bought it. She had only been in Lord Osari’s care for a short while before he went missing, and Gideon and his cronies would doubt that she had chosen sides or even if she knew about the Affiliation. Maybe she could use that to get close to them or even infiltrate them. She dismissed the thought; she had enough on her plate with her lessons and training, let alone finding and rescuing Lord Osari, to worry about infiltrating the Affiliation and destroying it from the inside. She needed to stay focused.

  The seven Artists in the room would be targeted all too soon and she still needed to find out who the other two were. Her job had been made easier by the tests, but there was still work to do. Out of the five A’s there were three Artists. Alara knew that Black was talented and that Gideon wasn’t, which left only three candidates: Singh, A4 and A3. She had been around Singh on a few occasions now and had never detected anything from him, but that didn’t mean he had no talent. Whoever the other two were, they were skilful enough to keep themselves well hidden from her prying mind and that bothered her.

  The rest of the class were now out of bed and going about their business when Gideon asked for quiet. “Ladies and gentlemen, the walking wounded have been given the day to recuperate from their…experience. The bad news is that there will be no personal challenges offered to them, so no taking advantage of their weakened states.” A chorus of boos echoed around the room. Alara hadn’t even considered taking advantage of the injured, but the other apprentices had obviously been planning otherwise. “The good news is that there are still credits up for grabs today, so if you want to rise through the ranks whilst they sleep it off, go for it.” Woots rang around the room. One of the injured boys tried to get out of bed, but collapsed again holding his head. “Don’t worry Jones, no retirements for the wounded.”

  Jones fell back on the bed, “Shot A1.”

  “My pleasure Jones, get well quickly, I am sure that Du Preeze won’t mind waiting for you.” The room burst into laughter. Gideon shot her another flashy smile. She wanted to punch him in the face for the comment, but waved back and gritted her teeth. “The Council are allowing us an open day on Sunday; those of you wishing to visit family may do so without fear of retirement, other than that, do as you please. Gym in five for those that are fit, the rest of you, rest in peace.” Sniggers sounded around the room, his pun had definitely been intended. Alara cringed internally at the joke, but laughed politely. The news of the open day filled her with excitement, she’d be free to try to find out where Lord Osari was being held captive and spend some more time with Black. She had no family to return home to so her time was her own, but that maybe wasn’t the case with Black. She would have to check in with him later.

  ***

  The rest of the week passed slowly and Alara spent her time studying and exercising. She was getting fitter and was now challenging several boys on the rope climb. Her knife skills were improving by the day and several of her class mates had embarrassed themselves in the dorm by challenging her and losing badly. A few had threatened her, but she had stood up to them and challenged them to a fight and they had backed down; her reputation was growing. Her level of class work and credit score improved, she had climbed two places, but so had Lucinda and the other two Artists.

  It was late Friday afternoon when the class was called for a meeting with the Quartermaster, he had berated them for being twenty-five and given them strict instructions that the number be brought down to at least twenty by the time they met again after the free weekend. The mood in the room was gloomy, but the Quartermaster reminded them exactly why they were there, and that if they didn’t eliminate the competition he and the rest of the Council would take matters into their own hands. Alara didn’t know that he sat on the Council, and her poor mood li
fted at the thought. He had taken the time to speak to her and alluded that he and Lord Osari were possibly friends, but his words of warning not to trust anyone still guided her actions. He ended the meeting, “You have forty-eight hours from now, class dismissed.” Apprentices ran for the dorms to pack, but Alara took her time to leave and waited for everyone else to go before making her way out of the Killing Grounds. Adventure waited.

  ***

  She stood outside of the old hotel and stared into the clear sky, hoping that the snow would help cover her tracks should anyone try to follow her. She reached into her shirt to check that Lord Osari’s stone was still there, she could easily sense it with her mind but the physical touch made her feel stronger. The city was hers to explore but she didn’t have a clue where to start.

  “So where are we going?” Black asked from behind her.

  She jumped at the sound of his voice. How had he managed to sneak up on her so easily? If it had been another one of the boys she may well have had a blade between her ribs instead of a friend by her side. “I wasn’t sure that you would want to join me,” she said as calmly as possible.

  “Well it was either spending the day with you or in the company of that halfwit A1, who seems to be sweet on you, in case you haven’t noticed.” He led the way down the frozen flagstones of Marine Drive toward the city.

  She ignored the remark even though she was inwardly pleased to hear that Gideon liked her, “We don’t have much time Black, and we have a lot of ground to cover.”

  “Which brings me back to my initial question,” he held out a hand as they crossed a patch of black ice.

  “Thanks but I’m more than capable of not slipping and falling on my ass,” she said pulling her arm away.

  “So it seems.”

  “On my first day Lord Osari took me to a weapon master by the name of Manak, it wasn’t a pleasant experience and threats were made. I think our first stop should be at that shop, my best guess is that he took the threats seriously enough to have Lord Osari captured and killed.”

  “Hmmmm...”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Manak makes the best weapons in town and has some very important clients. Trying to get any information from him may prove difficult.”

  “These blades came from that shop,” she said patting the set of throwing blades in her belt, “and if he doesn’t answer my questions they may well find their way to becoming a permanent part of him.”

  “That would be murder; we have no bounty to collect on,” he said in a grave tone.

  “No need for a bounty, he was given the assassin's curse the last time we met and I have an obligation to fulfil that promise.”

  “As an apprentice you’re bound by the rules of the Guild, and they state that an apprentice may not collect on any curse until they have been accepted as a full member.”

  “That’s true,” she answered, “but I wasn’t the only one to set the curse on him that day, and I have a duty to my Lord that supersedes that rule.”

  “Oh,” he replied. “Then it seems you have the advantage. I hope you know what you’re doing Du Preeze.”

  Alara hoped so too as the pair made their way through the busy streets of the city. They moved from shop to shop, staying in the shadows of the many coloured awnings that decorated the narrow roads. They made sure to stop often to watch out for anyone that may be following them and took to the back alleys whenever possible. Other pedestrians gave them a wide berth as they passed by, the sight of the two assassins walking with such conviction made other people very uncomfortable, and Alara watched as whispers were passed from lips to ears. Their paranoia made her feel at ease, if people were scared of her they wouldn’t bother to ask questions. They passed two city guards as they made their way into the slum area who watched them with great interest, but never bothered to stop them and talk to them directly.

  She was annoyed to see that the weapon master’s shop was boarded up and a “For Rent” sign was plastered across the wooden door. The one person that could offer them some sort of clue was in the winds. She tested the door for any wards present and found none, but there were slight residual signs of the Arts emanating from the shop. She ducked into the alleyway next to the building and checked on the back door, but found more boards blocking her way. Black had followed her down the alley.

  “Seems like a dead end,” he said.

  “Hmmm…” she replied, trying to remove some of the boards. “There may be some clues left inside.”

  It took the two assassins five minutes to clear enough of the boards away to squeeze between them, and another five to mentally unlock the door. The backroom was dark. Alara checked the light switch for power, but whoever had packed up the shop had done a good job and removed the light bulbs. A small amount of natural light had crept into the room thanks to their efforts with the door. It wasn’t long before their night vision kicked in and they were able to see the shapes of the boxes that were packed against both walls. Alara reached out with her mind, checking the boxes for any contents, but found them empty. She crossed the small room and entered the front of the shop where the light filtered through the boarded windows, illuminating the room. She checked in the seemingly empty cabinets for anything that may have been left.

  “There’s nothing here,” she sighed down-heartedly. “I was really hoping for something.”

  “There is always something Du Preeze,” Black said.

  Alara reached out with her mind, but the residual magic from the weapons seeped out of every wall. “He must be a powerful Artist. I can’t make head or tail of anything. I’m guessing that he moved out the same day as we visited. The strength of the magic is still powerful but I can feel it’s slowly seeping away.”

  Black had his eyes closed in concentration. “It’s not his Artistry. A woman set these spells to cover his exit. If you probe deeper you can feel his work, but it is so slight it would be easy to miss.”

  Alara concentrated harder, but found it impossible to perceive more than one person's spells. She gave up. “Good job I brought you along then,” she said and smiled at Black.

  “Oh! So you brought me along did you? I thought I was here of my own volition.”

  “Of course I did, how could I have left you to be bored at the barracks?” she joked.

  He snorted in derision but the look in his eyes told Alara another story.

  “Can you tell who set the spells?”

  “No, but if I meet the person in the future I’ll know, maybe we should check with the owner of the store? There’s a note stuck on the window from a Madam Isabelle, ever heard of her?”

  “No.”

  “Well you’re in for a treat, she’s the most successful business woman in the city, rumours are she has more power that most of the old families. She should know where Manak is.”

  “If she will speak to us at all,” Alara made her way back to the exit.

  “Two young assassins knocking on her door for no reason, why shouldn’t she want to speak to us?”

  The sarcasm wasn’t lost on Alara, Black seemed a different person away from the Killing Grounds and she liked the new version of the boy. The store owner's offices were a few streets away and as Alara and Black walked down the busy streets she found herself deep in thought.

  “Need a pencil?” Black asked.

  “What?”

  “I’ve seen that look on your face before, and you normally have a half-devoured pencil hanging out of your mouth when you’re that deep in thought.”

  So he had been watching her, she would have to kerb that habit quickly. The stone had confirmed Black as a friend that she could trust and she was thankful that he had shown her another of her tells. “Have you been stalking me Black?”

  “It’s only proper that I get to know everyone in the barracks when I make A1. I don’t want any surprises,” he said without emotion.

  She decided to try and probe some information out of him, “So you reckon you can best Gideon?”

&
nbsp; “He’s just a man, the same as the rest of them. It’s just a matter of time before he makes a mistake and I’ll be there to collect the credits.”

  “Why not just collect the credits by retiring the others?”

  “He’ll have the same plan and much like the rest of our lives he will be one step ahead. I’ll catch him in my own way.”

  “Oh, and what’s that?”

  “Retirement,” he said.

  “But he’s your brother!” she said, hoping that her outburst would get him to confirm her suspicion about the two boys. He didn’t answer so she pushed a little harder. “What would your parents say?”

  “I have no parents; I grew up in the Guild’s kitchens and worked my way to my apprenticeship. Unlike some others who have rich parents to rely on.”

  She had hit a nerve, “You have a problem with people not earning their place in the barracks?”

  “There are two ways into the Guild; a wrong way and a right way. I believe that anything that is worth having should be earned and not just given to you because you were born into a rich family. It sickens me to have to listen to them whinge about training. If they wanted an easy life then they shouldn’t have been placed into the Guild in the first place.”

  “Maybe they had no choice?”

  “Everyone has a choice Du Preeze,” he snapped. “They’re weak and they hold the class back. You’ve weeded some of them out already, but there are still way too many left.”

  “And I intend to weed out a lot more.”

  He looked into her eyes and said, “Not if I get there first.”

  “Challenge accepted.”

  “It’s not a challenge Du Preeze; it’s our duty to the Guild.”

  “Yes but the challenge is to make A1 isn’t it?”

  “It is indeed,” he said grimly.

  They walked on in silence, each of them left to their own thoughts. Alara was no closer to finding out if Black and Gideon were brothers, but she had got under Black's skin and found a weakness that she may be able to exploit if the need arose in the future. It pleased her that they also had common ground, both having grown up in similar circumstances. She didn’t have the same hang-ups about the aristocracy, but she knew what it was like to have to earn her way in the world. It wasn’t hard to believe that Black had humble beginnings, he never moaned or grumbled like many of the lower credited boys and he made it abundantly clear that he wanted no friends in the dorm. Gideon seemed to have a different approach. He didn’t exactly have friends but he didn’t push people away like Black, Gideon preferred to use his personality and leadership qualities to mould the people around him to his own will. Many of the boys looked up to Gideon as he manipulated them into doing what he whatever he wanted.