Chapter Eleven: Assassin's Creed

Chapter Eleven: Assassin's Creed

Six years ago, I had worked up the nerve to invite Mersie for a date at Ermelines best tea shop. We had been both fresh out of Sforzas private tutoring for young criminals; I was made a clerk in his underground empire, keeping track of which bribe went to which pocket, while Mersie gathered information under the guise of a housemaid. In retrospect, her uncanny ability to infiltrate a noble household undetected should have clued me in that my girlfriend might be keeping secrets from me.

The date had gone well. Wed drank Seukaian tea, laughed, held hands while walking near the canals, and then had passionate sex in the back of a warehouse used to smuggle drugs and Iremian contraband. Typical teenage shenanigans.

Six years forward to the present moment, I sipped the cup in my hand and immediately recognized the fruity flavor. Seukaian green tea. The same one we drank back then. She remembered our first date as vividly as I did.

Do you like the tea? Mersie asked me with a sweet smile. I knew you were unhappy I couldnt serve it to you in Ermeline.

I felt a pang of nostalgia, but not enough for it to distract me. Did you steal it from the dukes reserves?

She gave me an offended look. No.

Then you bought it. A gesture that carried great significance nowadays. The price of Seukaian tea has gone up tenfold since the Shinkoku started blockading their ports.

Mersie avoided my gaze. I am well-off.

How much?

Mersie hesitated a bit before answering with another question. How much did this city invest in your new company?

I squinted at her. Thirty-thousand gold.

Im amazed at what you could achieve with so little. Her smile was sincere, but it felt a little condescending to me. I could buy it ten times over.

Ten times over. Three-hundred thousand gold coins in cash would put her in the weight class as the great dukes and merchant princes. I would have snorted in disbelief, but Mersie had been able to hide so many things from me I had to consider the possibility she was indeed telling the truth.

Ten times over, I repeated while struggling to hold back a laugh. Thats rich. You wouldnt accept a handful of coins the last time we met.

Mersie chuckled. It is not because I am relatively well-off

Rich, I corrected her. I couldnt stand false modesty. Or eminently taxable, if you want a flowery alternative.

that I do not understand the value of money, she said with a wide grin, ignoring my jap. Ive spent half my life first at the orphanage and then in Sforzas employ. The few coins you offered me meant more than a gold statue from Archfrosts king.

My Goddess, and all these times I treated her to dinner because I thought Sforza didnt pay her enough for her work I felt cheated.

Still, Mersies net worth gave me a good amount of information. Considering she had lost her entire family and joined Sforzas orphanage over a decade ago, I tried to remember all of the great noble or merchant houses that suffered tragedy in the last fifteen years or so. A candidate came up in my mind.

They did have a daughter, I thought. A dead daughter but the timeline would fit. Is your family name Salvadoreen, Mersie?

Mersies butler gave a dark look, his hand twitching on his swords hilt. Youve always been too smart for your own good, his mistress said with a sigh. That's why I had to break up with you.

You would have had to kill me otherwise? I asked, suddenly on edge.

Robin, I would never Mersies expression darkened into a scowl. She appeared sincerely outraged. For the Goddess sake, we dated for two years. We fucked. In my bed.

I remembered it fondly to this day. That didnt save your last lover.

I slept with him for a purpose, nothing more. Mersie crossed her arms, her eyebrows furrowing. Youre making this harder than it needs to be, Robin.

I snorted. Youve lied to me since the day we met, what did you expect?

To her credit, Mersie had the decency to look ashamed. Her sheepish embarrassment appeared genuine, though she was such a good actress I doubted my own eyes. It took her a few seconds to recover her composure.

I wasnt lying about everything, Mersie said, her voice weaker than before. I I truly did consider dropping my plans to follow you here.

But you didnt, I pointed out.

Mersies retainer, Camilus, grunted and came to his mistress rescue. With all due respect, Lord Merchant, my lady planned her revenge for fifteen years, he said with a deep, dignified voice. That she even considered leaving it behind to elope with you gave me pause.

I feel affection for you, Robin, but I have a duty to fulfill, Mersie insisted with a sigh. While this might sound nave to you, I carried the hope we could start over here.

I shrugged. Not gonna lie, that idea sounds compromised.

Words were one thing and actions were another. I still liked Mersie, mostly due to all our history, but it didnt change the fact she never truly trusted me the way I did. She had a long way to go if she wanted to start over.

I understand, Mersie said with that same blank, emotionless expression she used to hide her true feelings. Many things have changed between us since we last met. We both have marks now.

And from what you say, we share a common enemy. I sipped my tea. Are the Knots responsible for the Goldport Massacre?

Mersie nodded sharply, her gaze hardening.

House Salvadoreen had been the ruling family of Goldport, one of the richest cities in the Riverland Federation. Their dynasty of merchant princes went all the way back to the nations founding, when it seceded from the Everbright Empire. Though it fought on the other side of the independence war, House Salvadoreen kept strong and amicable ties with its former homeland.

Enough, in fact, that they became a common shelter for exiled imperial nobles.

Nineteen years ago, a league of nobles launched a coup in the Everbright Empire over Emperor Juztinians senatorial reform, Mersie explained. Since he couldnt send away half of his supporters, the emperor sent his children away to protect them from the following civil war.

Which was how Therese ended up in Archfrost in the first place, from what I gathered. House Salvadoreen took in the future Empress Isabel and financially supported her faction, I recounted. They always did bet on the right horse.

Mersie nodded sharply. When the rebellion was crushed and a grateful Isabel ascended to the throne three years later, my family reached the apex of its power.

But when you reach the top of the world, the only way to go is down, I thought. House Salvadoreen had made enemies during the conflict, and fifteen years ago, they seized their chance to strike.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

I will never forget that night, Mersie whispered with an ugly look in her beautiful eyes. Her fingers twitched in barely-controlled fury. My father held a private party for my birthday. I was so shy back then that he only invited a handful of people. Our family and our closest friends.

I already knew how it turned out. The massacre was a well-known tragedy. You dont have to give me all the ugly details, I tried to reassure her. I wont lie and say I can imagine

No, you cant, Robin, Mersie cut in, her tone oozing with venom. You cant imagine watching your mothers severed head rolling at your feet, or your father nailed to a wall by a throwing knife, or your childhood playmate being eaten alive by a monster as if she were a snack. You cant imagine it.

I flinched at her words. The hate in Mersies voice was cold like winters heart, yet so vivid and intense that it could almost taste its bitterness in the air. The sheer pressure coming off her reminded me of Belgoroths berserk flame in all of its terror. My old friend carried a terrible wound in her heart, one that only festered with the years rather than heal.

Im I gulped. I didnt mean to

The priests say the dead carry no grudge into the Soulforge, Mersie interrupted me with a cold, lifeless voice. Her hand gripped her cup so hard it started to crack. That their souls are wiped clean of sins so that they may enjoy a new peaceful life. But theyre wrong. The dead carry their pain to the other side too. Their suffering keeps them from resting. Ive seen it.

Fifteen years ago, an armed band broke into the Salvadoreens villa and slaughtered everyone inside. The slaughter was so atrocious, so sudden and unexpected, that it birthed a Blight. A curse not as dangerous as the one that threatened to swallow Snowdrift, but one that still lingered to this day.

The truth behind the massacre, let alone who ordered it, never came to light. There were simply too many suspects and too few witnesses. No one understood how a group of killers could wipe out the Salvadoreens guards on their lonesome and leave their mansion undetected. Some suspected the Assassin was somehow summoned early, but no Assassin had ever left dismembered corpses and severed heads behind.

But since Mersie mentioned a monster, I could guess who achieved that gruesome feat.

Demons, I whispered. You were attacked by demons.

A few. Mersie sneered in disgust. Most were just men. Greedy, heartless men.

Mersie was right: I couldnt imagine what she went through. From what I heard, the killers left no survivors. In some cases, it took the investigators days to find all the victims lost body parts.

Camilus took me to safety in a secret panic room, Mersie whispered with a dark gaze. Her retainer straightened up, his eyes betraying his sorrow. One of my playmates She was a commoner around my age, a blonde too. The assassins mistook her for me.

Im sorry, I said. After a moments hesitation, I put my hand on her own. Its awful.

I Her fingers grabbed mine and held on to them tightly. When the screams ended Camilus and I walked out of the panic room to find everyone dead.

She had been seven back then. Seven.

My family and retainers body parts were splattered everywhere but then they pulled themselves back and the blood grew faces screaming with their voices Mersie turned toward the window, in the direction of the Gilded Wolf. My family is still trapped in that mansion, Robin. Their souls wont find rest.

Then she met my gaze, her eyes cold as ice.

Not until I kill every last one of them, she said with grim determination. All those murderers and fiends. None must survive.

Mersie carried wounds as deep as the sea. I wish I knew which balm to use to soothe them, but I feared no word of comfort would do.

Im sorry, was all I could say.

Not much, Mersie admitted. The orders secrets are only revealed to an inner circle among the Knots, who are almost all demons. Duke Ermeline himself was only a subordinate in the Knot of Greeds hierarchy.

If one of the most powerful men in the Riverland Federation was considered a low-ranking member, were the cults leaders princes and emperors? Though I supposed the Knots hierarchy might not reflect the power its members wielded in public society.

Does the name Florence of Arcadia ring a bell to you? I asked her.

I took Mersies frown as a no. Why?

Shes suspected of poisoning the count and being a member of the Knot of Wrath. Maybe one of its leaders.

Mersie crossed her arms and thought it over for a while. According to our investigations, Chastel and the Knot of Wrath answer to a woman going by the nickname of Mother Wolf. It could be her codename.

Could be, I conceded. Is that why you came to Archfrost? To track her and Chastel down?

More than them. I interrogated Duke Ermeline before finishing him off. From her tone, I could guess that interrogation involved a healthy dose of threats and violence. He informed me that the Knot of Greeds leader has infiltrated Archfrosts government.

Now that might be a problem. Come to think of it, Fenrivos received his slaves from all over Archfrost; while his tavern worked to ship human meat across Pangeal, we couldnt identify his core suppliers. The presence of a cultist in Archfrosts government would explain how that slave ring went undiscovered, not to mention all of the countrys political troubles.

Mersie said they were involved with the civil war, I thought. But on which side of the fence?The crown? The rebels? Or both?

Could you learn their identity? I asked.

No, Mersie conceded. Knot cells almost always exchange information through intermediaries to avoid compromising the greater organization.

The Inquisitor will soon visit Snowdrift, I informed her. As will Prince Roland.

Mersie welcomed the information with a blank face and a flicker in her eyes. Good, she said. The Knight will make for good bait.

Something in her tone bothered me. Let me be perfectly clear, Mersie, I said, stressing her fake name. Were not putting the crown prince of Archfrost in unnecessary danger.

Her head tilted to the side. We cannot untie the Knots without taking a few risks.

Im willing to risk my life alright, I replied. But not those of others.

She scoffed. Prince Roland is the Knight. He wont be in any danger whatsoever.

He might be unmatched in battle, but would his powers protect him from a cup of poison? Im not so sure. If the Knots could operate right under our nose in Snowdrift, they might have infiltrated the princes staff already. Clearly our enemies have spent considerable time and resources destabilizing Archfrost. The country is barely hanging by a thread, and Rolands death would send it tumbling down into the abyss.

True, Mersie replied with a shrug. But I believe youre underestimating Roland.

Neither of us can tell until weve met him, I pointed out. Promise me you wont do anything reckless.

I am never reckless.

Then promise it to me. I crossed my arms and held my ground. Right now.

Once again Mersies expression showed no hint of her true feelings. I could warrant a guess. She had been willing to murder dozens of nobles a scant few hours after her mark appeared on her flesh. I doubted all of Duke Ermelines guests were involved in her familys demise, which meant she was comfortable with collateral damage. Not to mention all the lies she had surrounded herself with.

Even if Mersie had her reasons and worked towards a positive goal, her methods made me uneasy.

I promise I will try to make too much trouble for you or your allies, she finally said. But I will act if I feel I must. Im sorry.

I shrugged. No, you arent.

I am, Mersie insisted. Youve seen what the likes of Sforza can get away with. Do you truly think you can take them all down without dirtying your hands?

No, I conceded. But if you dirty yourself too much, youll start stinking as much as your target.

It drew a chuckle from her. You always had a way with words, but you can be so nave sometimes. Mersie looked away. You would never have agreed to what I had in mind.

Perhaps not. I shrugged. It wouldnt have hurt for you to tell me though.

Mersies lips twitched for a second. I had struck a nerve, enough that she avoided the subject. You truly believe you can help this city? she asked me. Put it back on the right path?

I do. I put my hands behind the back of my head and relaxed a bit. You know me. Im good with money.

To my astonishment, Mersie appeared a little skeptical. Youre good at making money, Robin, but youre also carelessly generous.

I squinted at her, suddenly a little annoyed. What is that supposed to mean?

How much did you save up over the years you spent working for Sforza? Hundreds? Mersie dared to wink at me. While you earned thousands over the years.

Was she judging my money-management skills? Mine? Purchasing poison, horse relays, and an international boat trip through intermediaries that wouldnt rat me out to Sforza were quite expensive.

But you could have saved up more, Mersie insisted. You gave away too much to others. Myself included.

Money is like blood. Its got to circulate to keep the body we call society alive. Gold buried underground in tombs and vaults served no one; not even the dead. I intended to get rich, but there was a difference between having enough wealth to fulfill your dreams and finding only pleasure in adding one more zero to a bank account. Yeah, maybe I spent more on beggars and friends than my own person, but I dont regret any of it.

I raised my empty cup. Especially not the money I spent on our dates.

We had fun. For once, Mersies smile appeared genuine. I do wonder how a man like you managed to survive Ermeline and Sforza.

I raised an eyebrow. I cannot tell if that is a compliment or a criticism.

A compliment, Mersie replied, her eyes studying me as if I were some exotic beast from a faraway land. Im perplexed. Youre ambitious, but not even Sforza managed to chip away at your morals.

Easy. Its because I had morals that I survived Ermeline. I had been planning to expose the citys corruption for years after all. Ambition does not translate to a lack of scruples or being corruptible.

I doubt that. Mersie winked at me. Im glad youre an exception to the rule though.

Thats quite the cynical take on life, I said.

Thats the world we live in, Mersie replied before rising from her seat. Her retainer immediately moved to recover the documents and seize her travel bags. Im going to rent a room in Snowdrift for the next few weeks.

I would avoid the Gilded Wolf if I were you, I replied. That establishment does not meet our health regulations.

Im thinking of another inn on the north bank. Mersie put a hand on her waist. Youre welcome to drop by anytime.

I smiled thinly. As a friend?

Was that a flash of disappointment I caught in her eyes? If you want.

She truly did wish to give our relationship another go. The realization made me feel a tiny bit guilty. Too bad, that ship has probably sailed.

The truth was, while I liked Mersie and was willing to keep her as a friend, I had enough self-respect not to date someone who had lied to me for years. I was looking towards a healthy relationship built on solid foundations rather than sand and nostalgia.

Perhaps we could still have some fun. As friends. With clear boundaries and no expectations.

Damn it, the more I thought of it, the more it sounded like a bad idea.

Well stay in touch on how to deal with the Knots, Mersie said as I led her and her retainer back to my doors threshold. Or investments.

I raised an eyebrow. You want to contribute to Snowdrifts renovations?

Perhaps, if your plan makes sense to me. After a moments hesitation, she kissed me on the cheek. Her touch sent a jolt of pleasure down my spine. Its good to see you again, Robin.

Same. In spite of all the deceit, we had our good times too. I tried to focus on remembering the happy moments we shared rather than what she hid from me. Take care, Mersie.

Mersie waved me goodbye, her silent retainer following her like a shadow. I watched them take a turn down the next alley, and then they were gone.

What am I going to do with them? I muttered to myself. I had been looking forward to Mersies return once, but now she smelled of trouble. The Assassin, the Inquisitor, the Knight, the Artisan, the Monk, the Alchemist, and the Merchant quite the motley crew.

A third of the heroes would soon find themselves in Snowdrift. The city would become a powder keg.

And I needed to prepare for the coming explosion.