A Dark Champion (18 page)

Kit withdrew from him and unlaced the dark green leather bracer he wore on his left wrist. He rolled his white sleeve back to show Stryder what appeared to be a list written in Arabic on his arm.

“There are twelve names here,” he said quietly. “All of them are dead save you.”

Stryder touched the names he couldn’t read that the Saracens had tattooed on Kit’s arm. “When?”

“I killed them before I met you. Originally, I had intended just to return home and kill no one except you. I went to Michael’s hoping he would shelter me from
Kalb al 'Akrab
, but when he threw me out, I knew I had no choice other than to fulfill my bargain. Without a haven, I dared not do anything other than what they
had instructed me to do. There were times when I traveled that I was certain one of them watched me. Indeed, I would find notes of warning along the way, but I never knew who left them or when.”

“But what of Cyril?”

Once more Kit refused to meet his gaze.

“Is he on your list?”

Kit shook his head. “Nay. I killed him because he recognized me as Aquarius.”

That didn’t make any sense. Cyril was in the same cell as Stryder. He would no more recognize Aquarius than Stryder had. “How would he know you?”

Kit flinched as if he’d been struck. Before Stryder could blink, Kit started away from him.

“Kit?”

“Leave me alone!” he roared. “I have no desire to remember that night any more than you do.”

A sick feeling came over Stryder as he remembered how many times he and the rest of the Quinfortis had pulled Cyril away from some of the younger boys in their prison.

“Tell me he didn’t—”

Kit turned on him with a hiss. “Don’t you dare say it! And don’t look at me.” Kit’s breathing was ragged as he raged. “I was there for five years after all of you escaped. Five years! Don’t you or anyone else judge me for what I had to do to get free. You and your precious Brotherhood never returned for the rest of us. Never. You were too busy freeing others, and don’t think for one moment that our captors didn’t take great pleasure in informing us of every raid your Brotherhood performed that freed more. But never us.
We waited and waited and waited, and none of you ever returned for us.”

“Us?”

“Us,”
Kit repeated angrily. “I wasn’t alone.”

Stryder closed his eyes as pain seized him. “Why didn’t you kill me too, then? Why did you spare me when you didn’t the others?”

“I was going to,” Kit said, his voice hollow and deep. “That night in Canterbury when you rescued me and paid for me to have the room next to yours. I crept into your room while you slept, fully intending to cut your throat.”

“What stopped you?”

“You did,” he said simply. “Remember? You were in the throes of a nightmare and you came awake calling out to me, or Aquarius, rather.”

Stryder nodded as he recalled that night. It was a nightmare he’d had since the night they became free. It was one where he heard Aquarius calling to him and he was trying to break down a door to get to the youth.

On the night Kit spoke of, Stryder had awakened to find Kit standing by the foot of his bed. “You said you heard me and that you were concerned.”

Kit nodded. “I was hiding the dagger behind my back so that you couldn’t see it. You were so trusting of me as my soul begged me to go ahead and kill you.”

“Yet you refrained.”

“Aye. Because when I asked you what you were dreaming of you told me how much you regretted not saving me and I knew it for the truth. Your pain was too genuine to be feigned. I realized my masters had
been playing with my mind, lying to me. I hadn’t seen you in years. As Christopher you owed me nothing at all, and yet you reached out to me when no one ever had. God knows there are far too few men like you in this world. I couldn’t bring myself to kill you, even if it meant my dying in your place.”

Stryder frowned at his words. “What do you mean?”

Kit let out a deep, tired breath. “I was given two years to fulfill my bargain, and my time has since passed. I was told to either kill all of you or they would kill me.”

“No one has tried to kill you?”

“Not until today. It seems my masters have grown tired of dealing with us all and have sent in a new group to dispatch us.”

“How so?”

“Elizabeth was one of us,” he said wearily. “It appears she must have found
Kalb al 'Akrab
after all and confronted him. I know she didn’t finish all the names on her list and she still had time to complete her mission. There was no other reason for her to die and I know she didn’t drown. It’s just too coincidental. Nay. They killed her. I know it.”

Kit gave Stryder a sheepish stare. “She was the one who framed you for Roger’s murder.”

“And Cyril’s? Why did you frame me for that one?”

“That was an unfortunate accident. The witness must have glimpsed me and in the dark thought that I was you. After all, how could Christopher de Montgomerie fell a knight of Cyril’s skill?”

Stryder took a deep breath to quell his conflicting
emotions. He was angry at Kit and fate for what had happened, and he felt guilty for leaving his brother behind. Most of all, he felt sick that he had failed so many people so needlessly.

“Elizabeth thought she was doing me a favor by convicting you,” Kit said morbidly before he started away from Stryder. “I shall pack my things and leave your company.”

“What do you mean, leave?”

Kit paused to look back at him. “What else is there for me? You don’t want a whore in your company.”

Stryder’s temper broke. “Never say that word to me! What happened to you was never your fault. I was there, remember? I know the truth of what happened to you and I will not allow anyone, especially you, to use that word.”

Something akin to relief flashed in Kit’s eyes. There was still a wall between them, but he could feel Kit’s resistence to him faltering.

He was reaching him.

Stryder patted Kit on the back, then urged him toward the kitchen where Rowena had escaped to. “Come, we needs gather everyone together and find a solution to this.”

Kit stopped midstride. “Will you tell them who I am?”

“Nay. Your secret is safe with me, little brother.”

Kit nodded gratefully as he followed along.

They found Rowena in the kitchen with a rolling pin held in her hands as if ready to do battle.

Stryder smiled at the sight of her there. She was truly lovely, but never more so than whenever she
was holding her ground against anyone who threatened her.

She lowered her weapon. “Is the danger over?”

“Yea. Kit saved both our lives.”

Kit shook his head in denial. “All I did was warn you.”

Rowena smiled at his brother, then laid a quick, chaste kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Kit.”

Kit looked terribly embarrassed as he put Stryder between them.

From the kitchens, they made their way to Swan’s tent. The same blue and gold as Will’s, the inside was similar except it lacked a desk and had a smaller bed. Stryder’s men were already gathered there: Zenobia, Swan, Val, Nassir, and Christian, whose arm was bandaged.

“Are you all right?” Stryder asked.

Christian nodded. “It was just a glancing blow. Enough to make me angry, but not enough to do much damage.”

“Kit said all of you were attacked.”

“Aye,” Swan said. “Someone threw an ax at my head while I practiced, but no one saw who threw it.”

“I had someone come up behind me and try to stab me,” Val said. “I caught his arm and knocked him back. He turned and ran so fast that I didn’t even get a good look at him. All I know is he was almost a head shorter than I am.”

“I had a dagger tossed at my head,” Nassir said. “Zenobia saw it coming and tripped me in time to save me.”

Zenobia looked at him sweetly. “Ever my pleasure to
embarrass you in public.” She turned to Stryder. “But I didn’t see who threw it at him either. Only the sunlight catching the blade made me realize what it was.”

Like Nassir, he was grateful for her quick reflexes. “Did anything happen to you?” Stryder asked her.

“My wine was poisoned.”

Stryder felt his jaw go slack.

“Have no fear,” she said, “It was
dharindus
. I’m not sure what you call it in your language, but it is a fairly common poison in Syria. I knew the instant I smelled the wine that it was tainted.”

“Why are they attacking us now?” Swan asked, rising to his feet. “And why
all
of us?” He looked around. “Which one of you angered our enemies?”

“I think I did when I didn’t die,” Stryder said.

Nassir stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Who is controlling them?”

Stryder forced himself not to look at Kit lest he give his brother away. “I believe it’s someone called
Kalb al ‘Akrab.
”

“Heart of the Scorpion?” Val asked gruffly. “What has that to do with all this?”

“The Watcher of the West,” Zenobia breathed as a light came into her eyes. “My people believe the star
Kalb al ‘Akrab
is responsible for causing discord and conspiracy. Many of my people take an oath by it to exact revenge on our enemies. It would be the perfect name to give to a spy sent here to eliminate all of you.” She looked at Stryder. “Where did you hear that term?”

Stryder didn’t answer.

“I gave it to him,” Kit said, surprising them all.

Stryder heard Rowena gasp, but she said nothing as Kit continued.

“’Tis the name of an assassin executioner.”

Stryder stepped forward. “Kit…”

“’Tis fine, Stryder. I don’t need you to protect me anymore. I’m tired of hiding.”

Stryder’s chest was tight as Kit unlaced his sleeve and showed his men what he had shown him earlier while Kit relayed everything else to them.

Rowena moved to Stryder’s side and in truth, he welcomed her nearness, especially the hand that she placed inside his own. It soothed him profoundly while he hurt for his brother, who was bearing the most shameful of secrets to his men.

Nassir took Kit’s arm and read the names on it. “Aubrey, James, and Vincent aren’t on here, and yet they were killed by assassins.”

“I’m not the only one they sent.” Kit met each of their gazes in turn. “All of you have been looking for someone like Zenobia or Nassir, but it’s not the Saracens who are going to kill you. It’s people like me. We blend seamlessly because we are one of you. We dare not tell anyone where we’ve been or what has happened to us. We have no Brotherhood to help us. We’re nameless shadows born of shame and horror. We have no conscience left and all we want is to be free.”

“You killed Charles?” Swan snarled as he took Kit’s arm and read the names. “You bastard!”

Stryder caught him before he could strike Kit. “Don’t you dare!”

He forced Swan back.

Swan glared at both of them in rage. “He didn’t do anything to deserve death. Charles was my foster brother, you worthless dog.”

“I know,” Kit said, his voice breaking with pain. “They allowed me to pick three names that I wanted as a reward. The rest, such as Charles, were assigned to me.”

“What three did you pick?” Christian asked.

“The only three I knew. Hugh of Wales, Geoffrey of Navarre, and…” His gaze went to Stryder.

“You would nurse a viper at your breast?” Swan asked Stryder, his lips curled in disgust.

“My brother is not a viper,” Stryder said between clenched teeth. “And before you judge him, I caution all of you to remember he was there for five years after we escaped.
Five
years alone. He didn’t have a Brotherhood to protect him. No friends to help him make it through the endless days. Tell me who among you wouldn’t have done whatever you had to to get out of there?”

Stryder looked at Val. “Would you still take the moral high ground had we left you behind?”

Val looked away.

“Or you, Swan? How long would you have lasted without Simon and me, and the others?”

Anger and tension snapped in the air as everyone held their ground that they were right and the others wrong.

“Your point is well taken,” Christian said at last, breaking some of the malignant atmosphere. “There’s no need to condemn Kit for surviving. We all did things back then that none of us wishes to remember.”

He passed a meaningful look to each one of them. “Kit risked much by confiding in us when he could have just as easily killed all of us in our sleep. He has put his entire life into our hands and he knows it. We could easily turn him over to Henry for justice’s sake. But I, for one, will not punish him any further.”

“How do we know he’s not the one who came after us today?” Val asked.

“Because you’re still living,” Kit said with an arrogance Stryder had never heard before. “Trust me, I don’t make those kinds of errors.”

To Stryder’s surprise, Christian stepped forward and held his arm out to Kit. “I, for one, welcome you to our ranks.” A wry smile twisted his lips. “After all, it’s better to have an assassin with you than against you.”

“Aye,” Zenobia agreed, holding her hand out as well.

Nassir and Val followed suit.

They all looked to Swan.

“Very well,” he said, joining them. “But if you ever make a move on me, boy, I will be your first failure.”

Kit shook his arm.

“So now then, what do we do?” Christian asked. “How do we find this
Kalb al ‘Akrab
?”

“You can’t,” Kit said quietly. “No more than you can find the rest of us. We have been trained to hide beneath your very noses. You’ll be looking for someone above reproach. Someone you would never think to blame.”

“Someone from the Holy Land who hates us,” Stryder said.

Rowena’s face went pale. “I can think of one person who fits that description.”

“Aye,” Stryder agreed, “but we can’t make that accusation. Not without inarguable proof. If we daresay anything against him, our lives are forfeit. Not to mention he could be innocent of this. Look at me. How many of you doubted my innocence in killing Roger?”

“We never doubted you,” Val said, his tone offended.

“Nay?” Stryder asked, arching a brow. “Not even for a second? Or what about my killing Cyril?”