Assassin's Curse (17 page)

The conviction in Catherine’s voice gave Elizabeth a moment’s pause.
 
The guild was chasing one
of their own
and was the best chance for getting the twins back.
 
The one thing that Elizabeth did not want was for Catherine to ruin the plans that were already in play.
 
“What do you mean?”
    

“I mean I intend to do more.
 
Did you forget the vastness of our family enterprises?
 
We have traders who travel throughout the far reaches of the kingdom.
 
I will alert them to watch for my granddaughters and the bastard who stole them.
 
I hope they will be able to identify them.”
 
Catherine faced her sister.
 
“My gods, Elizabeth, I just realized I have never even seen them.
 
How will anyone be able to recognize them from other twins throughout the land?”

Elizabeth thought about her sister’s strategy.
 
It might actually work out for the best.
 
While the guild was chasing the runaway assassin, Catherine’s traders would be able to search wider and send news of any spotting of twins.
 
It would certainly make tracking them easier.
 
“Oh, they will not be hard to find.
 
They are identical-twin girls with blonde hair and gold-tinted eyes.
 
There is no one else like them in the entire kingdom, but please advise your traders to take care if they spot them.
 
They should do nothing except send news of their whereabouts to you.
 
We are dealing with a trained assassin after all.
 
The guild should handle the final capture to make sure the girls do not get hurt.”
 

“That is good to know.
 
It’s a good starting point for the traders.
 
I will have messages sent to them immediately and advise them accordingly.
 
They can post and distribute notices offering a reward for any information leading to the safe return of my granddaughters.
 
Very soon every trader in my employ will have their descriptions and can begin a wider search.
 
Thank you again, Liz, I don’t know how I would manage to get through this without you.”

“Don’t worry; it will all work for the best,” Elizabeth replied soothingly, with her most heartfelt smile.
 
It was only hollow comfort she gave to Catherine.
 
The real challenge was holding her mask of sincerity while listening to her sister’s feeble whining.
 
It was a struggle she would win, though, because the reward for this little charade was well worth putting up with Catherine’s pathetic tears.

***

Miriam is dead
, thought Gelda.
   

“When I entered the room, the assassin was out cold and Miriam caught me with a blast.
 
The next thing I knew I woke up and there they were, staring at me.
 
She had transferred what she called her
bond
to me and now I feel like the twins are part of me, almost like I can feel their every emotion.”

Gelda said nothing while Jeda told his story.
 
She had not seen Miriam in years and she felt her eyes moisten as she remembered her.
 
Foremost in her mind were the circumstances under which they had parted ways so long ago.
 
It was so meaningless now.
 
She was gone and all that remained were the two young infants contentedly sleeping in their cribs.
 
The one thing Gelda realized was there were untold volumes between the truth and the omissions of Jeda’s tale.
    

“You feel them because they are part of you now,” Gelda said, wiping a wayward tear from her eye.
 
“It’s probably a good thing that Miriam transferred her bond, because there’s no telling what kind of damage the babies would have suffered if their bond was severed suddenly at such a young age.”

“I’m sorry to bring this to you,” Jeda said, watching the mixed emotions on Gelda’s careworn face.
 
“I would not have burdened you with any of this, but you were the last person Miriam spoke of before she passed.
 
She said to come find you and you would know what to do.”

“She said that?
 
Hmm?
 
Come find me?” Gelda surmised that there were parts of the tale that Jeda was purposely leaving out, but she had learned over the years that some stories were best kept secret.
 

The abbreviated story Jeda told Gelda had left out the details of the Assassin Guild’s contract and most of the gory details of Miriam’s death.
 
The way Jeda told the story, he happened on the dying witch and she captured him, transferring her bond with the girls to him.
 
Jeda didn’t exactly say that Mave was involved with Miriam’s death, but the way he spun the story, there was little doubt that another had killed her.
 
It was a half-truth that Jeda felt the need to tell at the moment.
 
He couldn’t be sure how Gelda would react if she knew that he had killed the twins’ mother.
      

“I fought Mave on the road a few miles away; he had tracked us from the city and wanted the girls,” Jeda said.
 

I still can’t believe what happened.
 
I knew I was in trouble.
 
For the gods’ sake, the bastard didn’t even let me put the girls down before slicing my chest open.
 
I looked down and saw the blood pouring out of me; there’s no way I should be alive.
 
I was dying and then the most unexpected thing happened: my chest wound starting closing and Mave stopped; he just stood there staring at me.
 
I thought he was playing some kind of sick joke until he started to scream at me to release him.
 
Release him from what?
 
I didn’t do anything, except almost die.
  
 
  

“He almost killed me, but I think the girls somehow stopped him, maybe paralyzed him, and we were able to escape.
 
The rest you know.”

“Now that is truly amazing that the babies were able to do that,” Gelda replied.
 
“They must have been with their mother when she cast a similar spell on someone else.
 
And the healing, that’s something else unexplainable.
 
I can tell by looking at the scar on your chest that it should have been fatal.
 
Are you sure there wasn’t a trained healer in the area that helped you?”

“No, it was just
me,
the twins, and the bastard trying to kill me.”

Jeda felt uncomfortable at Gelda’s astuteness and surreptitiously turned to take a drink of water.
 
He didn’t fool the old witch, but she held her tongue, waiting for him to continue.
 
“I’ve given up my place in the guild to take care of the twins,” he continued.
 
“Well, actually, they banished me and I have a price on my head.
 
We’re hunted and need to keep moving to stay ahead of them.
 
I know for sure the guild will never stop hunting us.”

“They are the least of your problems, as I see it,” Gelda said, leaning back and studying the young man before her.
 
“I know why Miriam sent you to me, but I wonder if you realize the dangers and challenges that you will face with these girls.
 
They are very special, little girls, being both twins and witches alike.
 
You might not know how rare that is.”

“I’ve seen twins before, even identical ones.
 
They are not that rare.”

“Yes, you’re right, twins are not that rare, but identical, female twin
witches
have never been seen before.
 
There have been multiple cases of identical, male wizard twins, but never female-witch twins.
 
It has always been that either one twin or the other might show the sign of the witch, but never both.
 
These two little ones are truly amazing, but it is their very uniqueness that will cause the trouble.”

“What kind of trouble could be worse than the guild of assassins hunting us?”

“The worse kind of trouble there is; the kind that comes from prophecy.”

“A prophecy?” Jeda’s brow furrowed. “What prophecy are you talking about?”

“You have become embroiled in a tale that stretches back hundreds of years to the first war of power.
 
A very old prophecy came from that time and spoke of a
magical pair
that will bring about a monumental change in the ways of magic.
 
Though the prophecy is a bit vague, many believe it speaks of twin witches who will be the instruments of this change.
 
Once the word is out about these two, there will be no counting the numbers that will hunt for them, for good and bad.”

“What do you mean good and bad?” Jeda asked, confusion clearly written on his face.

“Those outside the world of witches and wizards don’t realize there are actually two sides of magic.”

“C’mon now,” Jeda butted in.
 
“Everyone knows there are both healers and blasters.
 
That’s no big secret.”

“That’s not what I am talking about,” Gelda scolded.
 
“Now quit interrupting and listen.
 
This is very important to the girls and you.”

Jeda managed to look contrite, so Gelda continued.

“You’re right, though the proper name for blaster is elemental, but that is not what I am referring to.
 
The two groups I am talking about are the White and Black covens.
 
The White Coven represents the users of magic, both healers and elementals alike, who understand the nature of magic for what it really is
;
a gift to be used for the betterment of all.
 
These are the witches and wizards that everyone knows and are familiar with.
 
Those of the Black Coven, on the other hand, believe that any who can wield magic are superior to the rest of mankind.
 
They consist of healers and elementals that want the masses to be subjugated and serve those of the power.
 
The White Coven beat them back during the first war of power and they still hide within the shadows, but they are growing stronger as their ranks get larger.
 
They are watching and waiting for the right time to strike.”

“I guess that means both the White and Black Covens will be looking for the girls, too.”

“Exactly,” Gelda said, nodding her head yes.
 
“So that the twins can fulfill the prophecy for them.
 
You and the girls will have much more than the guild of assassins hunting for you.”

“Great.”

“Once you hear the prophecy, you will understand your situation better.
 
Now let me think for a moment so I get it right.”

Jeda watched the old woman close her eyes and concentrate.

“OK, it goes like this,” she said and began reciting.

From the line of power twice born

To the power born twice

Shall arise the seekers of the Stone.

Look for the sign of the witch in two joined

For they shall be the saviors

Who shall grasp the power from
darkness

And bring it into the light

For when the flower blossoms

Then will be the time

For their powers shall be twined within a single aspect

And stand balanced on the sword’s edge of good and evil.

False guidance shall lead to the path of doom

And will spell destruction of all

That they were brought about to save.

“It’s called
The Prophecy of the Witch Stone,
and a lot of witches and wizards believe that the future of magic lies with the two spoken of in the prophecy.”

“And you think that nonsense is about my girls?” Jeda asked, sitting up straighter in the bed.

“It doesn’t matter what I think, but there are others that will search high and wide for those two babies.
 
Think about it.
 
They’re already weaving magic that third-year apprentices can’t safely perform.
 
They are not even one year old yet.
 
They both show the witch sign and, I can tell you with absolute certainty, they’re going to be strong in the power.
 
Both covens will never stop looking for them.
 
The girls will need proper teaching to handle that amount of power safely and the only place to get that will be at one of the bigger covens.
 
In the meantime, they will need a strong healer to guide them before they can properly use any of their powers.”