“No,” Nash said. “I am not refusing anything.” He paused to read the room. This wasn’t going well. “I can fix this if you insist,” he said. There was a very long, uncomfortable silence.
“If you allow it, I will go back and kill the second Prince,” Nash said, giving in.
King Sargus’s face softened some, but not completely. “You have never let me down before, Nash. I’m a bit shaken by this incident,” he concluded.
“I can fix it,” Nash repeated.
Sargus sighed, “See that you do,” he said. “It will not be easy if King Hugue has returned to his castle with the body of the first Prince.”
“I can manage,” Nash affirmed.
“I don’t know how you do what you do, Nash,” King Sargus said. “You’re the best assassin I know of. Are you sure you can reach the Prince and not get caught?” he asked.
“It’s not a problem,” Nash assured him. “He will be dead before his brother is buried.” Before the King could speak again, Nash spun on his heel and walked from the room.
“Your Majesty! Do you think he can be trusted?” Agamen protested to King Sargus.
The King nodded. “Honor and duty are foremost in his mind,” Sargus said calmly. “He’s a complicated man, but he will carry out his duty.”
Nash was upset that King Sargus was so displeased. It seemed like such a trivial thing to Nash. It would be just as easy to wait and see if King Hugue tried to push his second son onto the Princess of Praetha for an alliance and act if he did. This pre-emptive move seemed unnecessary to Nash, but now he was duty-bound to do it.
As soon as he was out of the castle, he grabbed two fresh horses from the stables. He could cover more ground quicker if he switched horses every few hours. Nash used his ability intermittently to save time, he wanted to arrive at Drenad when most of the castle would be asleep. It was still early morning, it was a twenty to twenty-four-hour trip normally. Using his ability fifty percent of the time, only ten to twelve hours should pass by the time he arrived.
Nash plastered some of the scented oil under his nose to prevent any lapses in his ability. “I wish I had discovered this a long time ago,” he said. “I’m surprised it never got me killed.”
The sun had set, and Nash was dead tired when he arrived in Drenad. He needed some rest before he could use his ability again. He checked all three of his horses in at the Red Dragon Inn stables. There were a couple midgets fighting in front of the Drunken Munchkin Inn, and he was not in the mood for that kind of tomfoolery tonight.
It was quiet inside the tavern section of the Inn. Nash ordered a dinner plate and a drink. He listened to the lyre player they had on a small stage in the corner. It was very relaxing, he closed his eyes, and he almost fell asleep sitting there.
The barmaid approached, “Sir?” she said uncertainly. “Your food is ready,” she said when he opened his eyes. She smiled broadly at him. “Long trip?” she asked.
“You have no idea,” he said grumpily.
“Some food will help,” she said cheerfully. “ Enjoy your meal.”
Nash realized he was in a foul mood. He had been brooding all day about King Sargus’s reaction to him. He could not understand why it was so important to get it done. Nash ate slowly and consumed several pints of ale before feeling like he was human again. It was getting late.
“Let’s do this,” he said to himself as he froze time and stood. Nash stormed across the courtyard to the entrance of the castle. The guards out front looked so aloof in their fancy clothes, as they stared out into the night. He punched one in the stomach as he passed.
Inside he found the Royal quarters. The Queen was with the King and a few friends in one of the family rooms. The body of the dead Prince was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t what Nash was looking for anyway. He checked room by room until he found the youngest Prince sound asleep in his room. “I must be getting close,” he said to himself as he exited the room.
The next room he checked, he found the middle Prince. The room was lit up with candles and it appeared the Prince was capitalizing on his new position as heir to the throne. “An orgy is a heck of a way to mourn your poor brother’s death, boy,” Nash said. Nash looked around the room at some of the women that were there. “You had good taste, though.”
Nash plunged his dagger into the boy’s chest, and he watched as the life left him. He supposed the women would be screaming when the boy keeled over, but it couldn’t be helped. This much sex might stop any boy’s heart, though. It was good cover.
In the hallway, Nash passed the youngest Prince’s room and hesitated. “Maybe I should just end this lineage now,” he said to himself.