Death Dealers

The Student

Mari woke before sunrise. She rolled over and looked at her companion. He looked so young to have the reputation he had earned. His brown hair was slightly long, not the neat imperial cut. She could still feel how he held her yesterday, despite the dagger to her throat, the entire stance had been protective.

“I’ll send for a painter or sculpture if you’d prefer.” He said. As he sat up a thin, nearly transparent sheet vanished from his skin.

She blushed. “I’ll wash our clothes.” She said.

“I want a fresh meal. I’ll find us breakfast. Then I will assess your skill before we hit the road.” He said as he stood and dressed in a fresh uniform. Normally he’d wear the same uniform for a few days, but he had a laundress now.

***

She could smell the breakfast cooking, but her attention was on the assassin in front of her. She was already bruised, and the day promised to be long and grueling. Gareth suddenly stopped. “Not bad, tonight I will start you on proper forms, but you can defend yourself against most common threats.”

“We need another bath,” Mari stated.

She expected a sigh or a curse, but the man looked up at the sky, then nodded. “After we eat.”

She sighed as power flowed into her body, easing her pain. Gareth’s hands never stopped washing her back. “The road is hard enough without being sore. I will train you more this evening...and yes, we can have another bath.” His voice was a bit gruff, but she understood that liked her, the young assassin was trying to understand what relationship they were to have.

She nodded. When she had been paired with him she had been terrified. Despite just graduating, this boy already had a reputation. He was said to be a ruthless killer without emotion, but she couldn’t see that person.

They dressed in silence. As they stepped from the tent, he whistled and the tent broke itself down while Gareth saddled the horses.

***

The days blurred together. They’d rise early, practice, bathe, eat, travel, practice bathe, and sleep. Weeks passed and while she couldn’t say she understood this man, she could honestly admit that she felt safe with him and she respected him. She had never felt safe or respected by a man before.

They rarely actually talked unless he was giving her instructions, but a relationship was forming. He no longer encased himself in a spell when he slept, and he was relaxed on rides with her.

Mari was much more competent with her blades and magic than she had ever been. Gareth drilled her hard, but he always assured that she was healed after the drills. This was something else she wouldn’t have expected. Death Dealers were feared, and he was whispered of in dark corners as being the worst.

The day was hot and the trail was old already. Mari looked at Gareth, he never seemed to sweat unless they were practicing together. “May I ask you a question?”

“You try to kill me every morning and every evening. Why do you think a question would be forbidden?” Gareth asked.

She chuckled. “Death Dealers and Magi are feared and considered emotionless beasts, but you are both and you are anything but emotionless. You heal me after every session even if it is only bruises.”

“I told you I’d make you my knife. I take care of my weapons,” he replied.

“I think it is a bit more than that,” she stated.

“Let’s break for lunch.” He said as he dismounted and led his mount off the road.

She followed his lead. He made a small fire pit off the road and started a small fire.

“Both the Magi and the Death Dealers have a dark reputation, but that is because we both use fear as a weapon. I will not say that my organizations aren’t brutal, but we take care of our own. We are weapons, but we take care of our weapons. You are also correct, most masters wouldn’t heal a student after every session, but that is because neither organization has great healers. My mate trained me in healing and she is among the best.”

“Tell me about her.” She said as he put on a pot of tea.

“Esrea...she’s pure, not in the s****l sense...of course...but as a person. She is a pure healer and can’t stand to see pain, yet she is nearly as skilled at Chi-con-we-ee as I am. She just doesn’t recognize that, I don’t let her recognize that. She is beautiful...not in the same way as you, she is fair skinned to your dark skin, her build isn’t quite as athletic, but she has better breasts…” He paused. “No offense…”

She smiled. “None taken.”

“Despite being a healer, she has an awesome tactical mind that I have often used to its fullest. She is my equal and my heart.” He finished.

Mari smiled. “So you are human.”

“Let’s eat...we need to get back on the road.” He replied with a slight smile.

***

He dove to the side to avoid the gout of flame and had to summon a shield to deflect an ice spike. She was getting good. Sometimes he wished he hadn’t instructed her not to hold back. The shield shimmered a bit, then vanished.

“You’re getting better with that shield!” She said, the excitement thick in her voice.

“I have to be...you’re trying to kill me.” He muttered.

She stepped from behind a wall of an abandoned farmhouse. A small band of cloth secured her breasts, but otherwise, she was bare to waste. She wore a pair of his trousers that she had modified to fit her substantially smaller frame. Sweat glistened off her skin and a sickly yellow bruise showed on her ribs. He was sure he had broken one of them a week ago, but his training with Esrea had taught him how to treat such a wound. “Nah, but some blood would be good...after all magi are blood mages.”

He scowled at her. “You do know who you’re speaking with…”

“The world’s biggest house cat.” She ventured.

He lunged for her. She tried to evade, but he was both faster and more agile than she was. He took her to the ground, careful not to hurt her rib anymore. Her chest heaved and she struggled for a minute, but even the masters of the academy had difficulty breaking his pins and, though she was becoming decent, she was no assassin.

“You need a bath. More than sponges this time. Let’s go to the spring.” She suggested.

He looked at her. She liked bath time too much. It made him uncomfortable. He liked being clean, but they bathed nude and he was simply too attracted to her. What bothered him was it was becoming difficult for him to smell and feel Esrea, but he knew the scent and feel of Mari. He hadn’t been unfaithful to his mate, but it was becoming difficult.

He rolled off of her. “Tomorrow we will reach Careth and have real civilization. I need you to find a man for a night.”

She looked at him. Her brown eyes held a question that he didn’t want to answer. Would he find a woman? “Very well. I don’t understand, but…” She trailed off.

“I’m not w*****g you out.” He whispered.

“Aren’t you?” She stood, her back to him and rigid.

They had been together for weeks and, despite being a slave, he had treated her like an equal. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she leaned into it. Much like the cat she accused him of being. “With you, it is not my status that separates us...but her. I respect and resent that. You would have a w***e, because you don’t care...Why can’t you take someone you care about?”

They hadn’t discussed this, but it had been between them from the start. The first few days of the journey it had been a relief to her. He required her presence, not her body, but this had slowly grown into attraction. For him, it hadn’t been so slow. She was a powerful weapon. He loved and respected Esrea, but she wasn’t a weapon. They were opposite sides of a coin, but he and Mari were the same side of the coin. He understood Mari in a way he had never understood Esrea, and this made him feel guilty.

“Gareth, I want two promises...If it comes to my death, I want it to be at your hands. The second is I want to teach you my elemental magic. I will always have a part of you. I want you to have a part of me.”

“Look at me. Mari.”

She turned. “I’m not trying to convince you to bed me. I understand you. The moment I started training under the Archmagi, I knew my time was limited, but I had hope…”

She cut off as his hand turned to light and rested on her slave mark. The mark was magical...permanent unless removed by an imperial agent, but all magic had a counter. He winced as searing pain lanced through him. Punishment for breaking a seal, but it didn’t kill him. He removed his hand and the mark was gone. She looked down at her bare shoulder, her eyes the size of saucers.

“I swear to you that should we ever be in a situation where I cannot save us...I will assure that you are not left in the hands of an enemy.” He could not make himself say that he would kill her, but his promise alluded to the fact. He knew that he’d do it because he couldn’t stand the thought of her being tortured. “Teach me your magic, but know that we will always be a part of each other. Let’s find that spring you keep talking about.”

***

The spring was about a ten-minute walk in a small glen surrounded by low hills. Mari placed her bag of soaps on the ground and unceremoniously stripped. She waded into the stream and steam started to rise into the air. She turned to him. “What are you waiting for?” She asked.

He wasn’t really sure. Something was extremely right about this situation. He slowly started removing his clothes, starting with his boots. The feeling was a distraction. He waded into the warm water and Mari turned towards him.

“What is it?” She asked.

“It’s been whispering to me since we met, but I’ve forgotten how to listen.” He muttered.

Mari waded towards him, her eyes searching him. He knew she felt the pull also, it wasn’t s****l, or not only s****l. She reached him and took his hand. “You’re calling within my head,” She whispered. Her brown eyes dug into his eyes.

“It’s not me...well, not only me. The vault wants you.”

“It’s not the only thing that wants me.”She whispered, pushing herself against him.

“Mari...please...I only have so much control.” He whispered.

“Would it be such a bad thing?” She asked, but she stepped away.

He almost pulled her back to him, but he caught a towel she threw at him. “Wash my back.”

He took the rag and lathered soap onto it. He was now listening to the vault. He remembered a time when the vault always spoke to him, but it had been years since it was so active. It wanted Mari.

His power reached towards Mari and he felt her power answer. For a moment, the two powers simply touched...then they merged.

A burst of light seared their eyes and the temperature of the air increased dramatically, then cooled. Sparks of power ran over each of their bodies, jumping from limb to limb and body to body.

“Your eyes are glowing,” Mari whispered. She was hard against him again, her eyes looking up at him. The brown orbs were lit by an amber light and lightning forked within them.