Imperial Assassin by Mark Robson

him with only a shovel for a weapon. He told of how the guards
had failed to stop the man at the guard post, the chase, and his first short encounter.
    Femke noted that for all his impassive face, the Emperor was clearly impressed that Reynik had survived that first meeting. Having parted the assassin from his sword during the fight the balance
had swung in Reynik’s favour, so it was strange that the assassin had chosen to attack a second time, when he could clearly have outdistanced Reynik and made a clean escape. When he had
finished telling of how he had knocked the man unconscious, he paused, unsure of whether to tell the Emperor about the strange silver talisman.
    ‘There is more to this story than you’re telling, isn’t there?’ Surabar asked, his cold eyes boring into Reynik.
    ‘Am I that obvious, your Majesty?’ Reynik replied, flushing with embarrassment. ‘You’re right. There was something else – something most curious. The man was
wearing a strange talisman around his neck. It was a silver replica of a wolf spider hanging on a leather thong.’
    ‘So what happened to the talisman? Do you have it? It wasn’t mentioned in my briefing by Commander Vascilly last night.’
    ‘That’s the strange thing, your Majesty. It disappeared. It melted away before my eyes, exuding a sparkling energy that did not look natural. I’m assuming that the talisman
possessed magical properties, but its purpose remains a mystery. What’s particularly interesting is that it should disappear at the same instant the man died.’
    ‘Melted away, you say? When the man died – hmm, that is interesting. Have you ever seen anything like this before, Femke? Does Shalidar have one of these spider talismans?’
    Femke shook her head. ‘Not as far as I know, your Majesty. I’ve never heard of the Guild having any sort of symbol before, nor of them using magic. A magician in their ranks would be
a fearsome adversary.’ She paused in thought for a brief moment, then continued. ‘If they’ve adopted the wolf spider as their mark, it’s not something they’ve
advertised. The wolf spider would be an appropriate symbol for their profession, but I find it hard to believe, given that we’ve not come across it before.’
    Emperor Surabar scratched his nose thoughtfully for a moment. He looked first at Femke, then Reynik, then back to Femke again. There was much to consider, but he already had a plan in mind. The
two young people had brought nothing new that would affect what he had in mind, so he decided to go ahead and put his strategy into motion.
    ‘I agree, Femke. The disappearing spider talisman is interesting, but I’m not convinced that it has any real bearing on what I’m trying to achieve. I need to know more about
the Guild of Assassins. I intend to destroy them, but only a fool destroys something without knowing all of the implications of his actions. By declaring them
anaethus drax
I’ve made
clear my intention to drive the Guild from Shandrim. I didn’t expect them to go quietly, but neither did I anticipate their strike against the Legions. It was a clever countermove on their
part. Whoever leads the Guild is no fool. I need to know more about this Guildmaster whom I’ve set myself against. “Know your enemy” was a tenet I was taught very early in my
military career, but how do you get to know an enemy you cannot find? It’s a difficult question. I have a solution, but it involves risks. Risks to my person I would never shy away from, but
my plan will involve risking the lives of others.’
    When Surabar paused again, Femke smiled. ‘By “others”, would I be right in assuming you mean us?’ she asked, indicating to include Reynik and herself. The Emperor nodded.
‘Then what would you have us do, your Majesty? I am yours to command.’
    ‘I too,’ Reynik added, bowing his head.
    ‘Another tenet I learned a long time ago was “Never volunteer for anything without knowing exactly what