The Queen's assassin

Chapter One

The city of Halim burned. Flames leapt from the red-tiled roofs. Drifting clouds of black smoke obscured the ancient walls.

The rolling thunder of cannon-fire assaulted Rik's ears as the guns pounded away at the capital of the nation of Kharadrea. One of the disadvantages of his privileged position on this hillside overlooking the doomed metropolis was its proximity to the batteries of huge siege weapons.

He was a tall, slim, fair-haired man. The fine scarlet tunic he wore emphasised the Terrarch half of his heritage, making him look every inch one of his world's inhuman rulers, leaving no trace of the grubby street urchin he once had been. He stroked the pommel of his sword as he watched the fortifications crumble, glad for the moment that he did not have to be down there, preparing to enter the inferno of battle that was so soon to come.

Rik shielded his large almond-shaped eyes with the long fingers of one hand, and squinted down. The trampled fields around the city seethed with soldiers in the red uniforms of Talorea. Massed regiments of infantry hunkered down amid a labyrinth of trenches, waiting to attack. Squadrons of cavalry grouped to their rear. Monstrous bridgeback wyrms, reptilian quadrupeds as large as a house, bellowed challenges as they made their way towards the front-line. Their long necks snaked skyward. Troops filled the howdahs on their backs. The defenders lining the wall responded with obscenities and defiance.

Near where Rik stood, in the cleared area between two batteries of siege guns, groups of sorcerers performed arcane rituals, warding the troops below from hostile magic and directing their own spells at the enemy. All of them were Terrarchs, taller and thinner than humans, with beautiful high cheek-boned faces and hair fine as spun silver. Their ears were pointed and their eyes almond-shaped and huge. Their lips were thin and cruel, and all of them had the arrogance of the undisputed lords of creation. They were God's Chosen, and they felt it to the marrow of their bones.

Among them, standing alone and nearest to him, was the Terrarch noblewoman responsible for Rik's rise from the gutter to the outer reaches of Talorean society: the Lady Asea. Today she was garbed for battle. Magical armour clung to her tall, spare figure. A silver mask with a dark gem in the centre covered the upper half of her lovely face. Her long thick silver hair was braided and held by a clasp at her neck. In her hand she held a ritual wand, used to bind and guide the creatures she would soon summon. Tall urns stood within a circle of strange runes laid out in multi-coloured salts. Each contained a bound elemental.

Rik envied Asea her power and her confidence. For months now, all through the long summer of campaigning, she had been teaching him the rudiments of magic, but he was a long way from even the beginnings of mastery. Despite his best efforts he could get not even the simplest spell to work. He supposed he should be grateful to be here at all. As senior mage attached to the army, Asea enjoyed many privileges and one of them was having her favourites present in this specially screened area near where she had inscribed the circles and Elder Signs of her calling.

A flicker of movement in the northern sky grabbed Rik's attention.

A flight of dragons streaked across the heavens, wings spread, exhalations of flame bursting from their nostrils. Traceries of energy danced around them as the defenders lobbed alchemical weapons into their path and the wizards of the besieged city invoked powerful spells. The great winged reptiles kept their line. Destructive spheres, each as large as a barrel of ale, arced down from the dragons and exploded on the rooftops adding their freight of destruction to the inferno below.

A murmur of dismay rose from the nearby wizards. As if born of this new torrent of flame, a massive fiery humanoid was taking form over the burning city. At first Rik could not tell whether it belonged to the defenders or his own side but he got his answer soon enough. The fire giant gathered all the flames into itself and leapt skyward, aiming for the dragons. Even at a distance of over a league, Rik could hear his crackling roar. The dragon flight split, one section veering left, the other right, the other heading straight up. The elemental bellowed its frustrated fury and sprang towards the army of its tormentors.

Fear filled Rik for a moment. The sorcerous thing was tall as a six-storey tenement building and much larger than a bridgeback wyrm. It looked capable of defeating the entire Talorean army on its own. As it walked, the flames of the burning city leapt to it, increasing its size even as it damped out the fires on the buildings within the walls.

Asea stood within a circle rimmed with Elder Signs. She was the greatest of the Talorean sorcerers, and this hill had been chosen to give her a view of the whole battlefield and to let her protect the battery of siege artillery nearby. A whole regiment of infantry was posted downslope to protect her. Two squadrons of cavalry waited nearby.

As the fire elemental left the city, the warding spells protecting the besieging army took their toll. Parts of its body broke off and spluttered out as it moved. It tried to reach down to the troops below but enchantments protected them. Only once did it break through and lift the swiftly blackening form of some poor soldier from the mass. Rik prayed it was nobody he knew. The Seventh, his old regiment, was down there getting ready to storm the city when the walls finally gave way.

Asea began to chant. A glow appeared on the lid of one of the urns in front of her. Rik has seen its like before in the ruins beneath the demon-haunted city of Deep Achenar. That one had contained a bound fire elemental. This urn looked different. The binding was blue crystal; the Elder Sign on its side resembled a snowflake. Asea's chant rose in pitch even as the fiery behemoth came closer.

Cracks appeared on the seal of Asea's casket. Rik hoped she could complete her ritual in time. The frustrated fire giant had given up attacking the soldiers and was coming straight at them now, as if guided by some malign intelligence that knew only too well that they were there despite the spells of concealment that were supposed to shield their position. It moved faster than a destrier could charge, and its size became all the more intimidating as it drew nearer.

The urn broke open. Wisps of mist, cold and clammy as fog on a winter morning, emerged. Rik felt very chilly. The fog rushed skyward. Snowflakes and cold droplets of rain formed the gigantic outline of a man sculpted from snow-clouds. Within it, small tornadoes stirred the cold air.

Asea spoke orders in a language that Rik had never heard. The elemental’s reply echoed within his head, a voice of arctic chill that held the power of a chained hurricane. If a storm in the iceberg-filled Northern seas had a voice it would sound like that, he thought.

The approaching fire elemental gave another crackling roar. Sensing the presence of an ancient enemy, the storm elemental rushed to meet it, its body flowing in tattered streamers, like clouds driven before a powerful wind. It fell on its foe like a blanket thrown over a fire. Tentacles of flame tore into cold clouds.

Where the fire elemental passed the grass was blackened and scorched. Where the storm elemental had stood it shone with a coating of ice. The stench of ozone filled the air. Lightning flickered around the storm elemental and lashed the flame creature. It responded by breathing jets of fire into its foe.

For long moments it was impossible to tell which was winning. Asea unleashed another storm elemental. It leapt into the fray and soon it and its brother had reduced the fire being to a thing the size of a small bonfire. It dwindled down to a candle flame and then vanished entirely. The two storm elementals headed for the walls of the city, aiming for a gap blown in the stonework by cannon fire. In those places the warding spells in the walls were damaged or broken entirely. The storm things made their way into the city, the first of the Taloreans’ sorcerously summoned creatures to do so.

Asea paused in her chanting for a moment and poured herself a goblet of some golden fluid. She looked weary, but the potion revitalized her, and she gave her attention back to the battlefield, scanning it for more magical threats. Beneath them on the plain surrounding the city, horns sounded and drums answered them.

Catapults lobbed crystal spheres over the city walls. The translucent balls shattered on impact. Some of them contained alchemical fire. Others sent clouds of poisonous gas spreading through the streets. Inside the walls of the nearest part of Halim, it must seem very much like hell, Rik thought.

Down below the lads would be readying their siege ladders, and checking their weapons. Sergeant Hef, Weasel and the Barbarian would all be getting ready to follow Lieutenant Sardec into the fray.

He wondered what they were thinking at this moment.

Lieutenant Sardec watched the human soldiers of the First Company of the Seventh Talorean Foot Regiment rally round their flag and prepare for battle. They were easy enough to spot. All of his men wore the green tunic of the light infantry company, the so-called Foragers. Today all of them had thick scarlet sashes looped around their chests too. Green was the colour of the enemy militia, and it would not do to be mistaken for them.

The tall Terrarch officer found the farewells oddly moving. Men embraced their wives and children, and shouldered their packs and their rifles. Some of the camp followers wept and wailed, others maintained a stoic silence. His own paramour, the human woman Rena, met his eyes and gave him a wave. He gave her an icy nod in return and made a small gesture with the steel hook that replaced his sword hand. He would have liked to have done more but such was not the way things were between Terrarch officer and human woman. The Elder Race needed to maintain their dignity at all times, if they were to be taken seriously as leaders, and it would not do to have his men witness an undignified farewell between him and his lover.

What did it matter? Why should he care about dignity and position now? In a few minutes, he might be dead. But it did matter to him, so he restrained himself and gave his attention back to the conflict.

It was hard to tell what was going on. The line infantry had already been dispatched into the gaps in Halim's walls. He could hear the rattle of musket fire and the shouts and screams of combat. This was it, he thought, the final assault, the end of nearly four weeks of manoeuvring outside the Kharadrean capital. First the bastions surrounding the city had been taken, then the siege equipment had been rolled up onto the nearby hills and the levelling of the city walls had begun.

So far it had seemed almost too easy. There had been no interference from the Dark Empire. No massive eastern army had emerged to challenge the siege. It looked like the Talorean plan to have three armies sweep across the border, in different locations north to south, and encircle the capital had been successful.

Not entirely, he reminded himself. So far there was no sign of the Army of the North. It had not made the rendezvous, had been bogged down fighting guerrillas en route. Fortunately it looked like the combined forces of Lord Elakar's Army of the East and Lord Azaar's Army of the South would be strong enough to take their objective. By the end of this first campaigning season the Kharadrean capital would be in Talorean hands. It was a stunning victory for his nation.

Where were the Sardeans, he wondered? Why had they not shown their hand? Everyone had expected the armies of the Dark Empress to respond with full force but so far there had been nothing but vague reports of regiments moving in the very far east of Kharadrea. Had the Talorean strike been so unexpected? Had they achieved total surprise over their foes? Or had their enemies expected the Western armies to be delayed by other things.

That seemed possible. The Taloreans had been very lucky. The rising in the hills by the Prophet Zarahel and his followers could have pinned down Azaar's army for months had it not been successfully quelled. Lord Ilmarec could have held them forever at the Serpent Tower had he not been overcome in such a spectacular way by Asea's protege, the half-breed soldier, Rik.

Sardec quashed a flash of jealousy. The half-breed's destruction of the Serpent Tower and his rescue of Kathea, the Talorean-supported candidate for the Kharadrean throne, from the clutches of her treacherous uncle had saved the campaign in the South from certain defeat. It had also completely overshadowed his own victory over Lord Esteril. It was the talk of the entire army and had turned the half-breed from an outcast into something like a hero. There was even talk of Queen Arielle herself recognising him for his services.

Sardec told himself that any such recognition was well deserved. Rik had saved them all from certain destruction at the hands of the mad sorcerer and his potent alien weaponry. The youth had certainly come a long way in a very short time. It did not seem all that long ago that Sardec had ordered him whipped for insubordination. Now he was forced to treat him as an equal when they met in Lord Azaar's tent.

Sardec shrugged. Such matters were of little moment now. His business was to get through the next few hours and see that as many of his men survived as possible. Rena thought the shrug was meant for her, and turned her gaze away. A small sliver of misery entered Sardec's heart, but he let no sign of it show on his face. He would make it up to her, somehow, some way — if he survived today.

A horn sounded. Troops retreated through the gap in the wall. It looked like the Talorean infantry might have been thrown back but it was hard to tell. Drums beat around him. That was the signal for his own lads to enter the fray. The killing time was upon them. He strode over to tiny monkey-faced Sergeant Hef.

"It's time to move out," he said.

"Yes, sir," said the Sergeant. He gave the signal to the men around him. They raised their weapons and began to head towards the walls. Nobody looked particularly keen, but that was only to be expected. Sieges were the roughest sort of warfare known to man or Terrarch. There was only one compensation and now seemed the right time to mention it.

"Come on, lads," said Sardec. "Time to get our share of the loot!"

The Foragers cheered. How many of them would be live to spend their ill-gotten gains, Sardec wondered.

Rik watched the lines of soldiers advance into the gaps in the walls. Oily smoke obscured the clear early autumn sky. More dragons approached. At this distance it was not possible to tell to which side they belonged. Since they were coming from the city and heading directly for this hill, it seemed likely they were the enemy. There were only three of them and they seemed quite small, although that was a relative term when it came to such creatures. All of the approaching monsters were capable of taking a man down at a gulp.

"It's fair to say that our concealment spells have been penetrated," said Asea. She has the sorcerer's trick of making her voice carry without seeming to speak any louder than in conversation. She did not sound particularly bothered for a woman who might soon come under attack by dragons. He envied her that calm and the two thousand years she had taken to develop it.

The position of the mages had been hidden by powerful weaves of illusion. Perhaps the spell had failed or perhaps someone on the walls over there had simply deduced their location. In either case the effects would be the same. They could expect to come under concentrated attack from now on.

Rik glanced at the earthworks surrounding their position. Skywatchers, units of specially trained marksmen set up for exactly this purpose, stared at the oncoming dragons, and readied their long rifles. Behind them Karl Mandrake, the squat and massive Wyrm Hunter, hefted one of his special weapons, a rifle that looked more like a small cannon. More such stood ready in a rack close at hand. Next to them was a two handed broadsword smeared with dreadful looking poison. Karl noted Rik's interest. A broad grin split his ugly, pockmarked face.

The Talorean mages started to filter away from their conjuring circles and into the bunkers below until only Asea remained standing in her place of power. Rik could not decide whether to go below or not. He wanted to see what happened, and if the bunkers collapsed he would be buried alive. On the other hand, standing in the path of an oncoming dragon did not seem to be the best way of prolonging his life.

Asea glanced around and saw that all the other mages were gone. "Join me, Rik," she said. "Be careful not to step on any lines of the circle. Come in through the approach vector."

Rik took a deep breath and nodded although he was not sure her caution was necessary. A normal person would have disturbed those etched lines focusing her magic by simply passing over them. But he was not a normal person. He was a Shadowblood, descended from a race of magically created assassins. His presence would most likely not even register if he passed over the spell's boundaries. It was one reason why Asea was so interested in his career.

Even so he was careful to enter the circle through the two parallel lines that bisected its rear. He did not want anyone spotting how different he was. He found himself standing beside his patron. She was taller than he, though he was a tall man. The hood of her leather armour flowed into position, covering her head. The silver mask moulded itself to her features and reflected the solemn expression beneath.

"Now comes the test," she said. "Keep your sword ready."

Rik did not know what good it would do against fifty tons of winged reptilian fury but he drew his blade. Runes glowed along its length as they caught the eddy currents of magical energy. She had gifted him this weapon on his return from the Serpent Tower. It was an ancient blade brought from her homeworld, Al'Terra. He presumed it must have some power.

All around them the cannons roared. The dragons dropped lower as they began their long, looping approach sweep. The armoured figures of their riders were clearly visible now.

What must it be like to ride on of those things, Rik wondered?

Fires billowed from the dragons' nostrils. Alchemical eggs dangled from the chains on their chest. The colours of their harness were the green and yellow of Kharadrea, not the red and black of Talorea. On banners fitted to the back of the riders’ saddles, the dragon symbol of Halim fluttered in the wind.

The Skywatchers opened fire with their rifles, aiming at the riders and the explosive fire spheres they controlled. Just one of those things could wipe out their position if it was on target. There was a lot of gunpowder around here. Even locked in brass bound barrels marked with the Elder Sign of ice, it might explode. There had been such failures of warding before and they had turned the course of battles. The stored gunpowder of an entire artillery battery would make a terrible mess if it went up. Whoever had directed those dragons to this position knew exactly what he was doing.

Bullets tore at the dragons' scales, smashed into the metal spheres on their necks. One dragon rider keeled over. His thick sorcerously reinforced plate armour made him all but immune to bullets but it looked like the straps holding him into his saddle had come undone and the force of the impact sent him tumbling out of it to hit the ground a hundred feet below. Not even his armour would let him survive that. His dragon, out of control, lifted skywards, unable to decide what to do next.

The Skywatchers were on form today. Another storm of bullets detonated an alchemical egg hanging from the second dragon's chest. A chain reaction erupted as the second and third eggs went up. Rik bit back a moan of fear. For that to happen he knew the devices must have been armed. Things were getting very close. The second dragon plunged down. The ground shook with the impact as it ploughed into the fortifications. Wooden palisades give way and trenches collapsed as it skidded forward.

The third dragon released its freight of incendiary death. Rik saw three silver spheres tumble towards the ground spinning as they went. On impact they exploded. A wall of acrid, stinking flame roared towards him. He heard the screams of dying Skywatchers, the explosions of loaded muskets and then a curtain of flame obscured his sight.